SRAM has announced their 2009 global truck support schedule and rider roster.  If you want to catch a glimpse of their new products and get some solid neutral tech support, here are the races to be at:

Petermaritzburg – April 11-12
Sea Otter – April 16-19
Offenburg – April 25-26
Houffalize – May 2-3
La Bresse – May 9-10
Vallnord – May 16-17
Dirt Masters Winterberg – May 21-24
Ft. William – June 6-7
Ashland Super D – June 13-14
Freeraid Classic – June 18-21
Maribor – June 20-21
Downieville – July 9-12
Mt. St. Anne – July 25-26
Mega Avalanche – Aug 1-2
Bromont – Aug 1-2
Crankworx BC – Aug 9-17
Eurobike – Sept 1-5
Champery – Sept 12-13
Schladming – Sept 19-20
Interbike – Sept 21-25
Roc d‘ Azur – Oct 1-4
Leser Festival Latsch – Oct

Read “more” to see their 2009 pro rider roster in glorious full color!

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Hoping to lure a big audience, promoters for South Africa’s UCI World Cup mountain bike race on April 10-12 are offering super cheap tickets and packages.

Starting at just 30 rand (a couple of bucks based on current exchange rates), spectators can gain access to the event grounds.  Three-day family pass with lift access runs only R440 (about $30-$35).  This pricing is significantly lower than other UCI events, and organizers hope large crowds will take advantage of the opportunity to get up close to the action and meet the pros.  A large turnout would bode well for South Africa being an automatic selection for UCI events in future years.

The event is in Pietermaritzburg from April 10-12 with Cross Country, Downhill and 4X events.  They have a very cool map on their Venue page that shows overlays of the different courses.

Now you can have the ultimate accessory on YOUR website…the Bikerumor.com Widget! Simply click the “Get Widget” tab on the bottom, select the type of code you want (Flash, Javascript, MySpace, etc…) and copy and paste your way to cool new functionality on your own site!  Yay, technology!  Yay, letting your viewers see the latest Bikerumor.com headlines.  Yay!

Word on the (Chinese) streets is Rockstar Games, the gang that brought us Grand Theft Auto, may be collaborating with Mongoose rider Steve Romaniak to develop a mountain biking video game.  Given what they’ve accomplished with the GTA franchise, if this is true, it’s bound to be better than Downhill Domination.

Campy is extending the warranty from three years to a full four years for owners of their Chorus, Record and Super Record 11-speed groups.

All you have to do is register your equipment on their website to get the extended warranty.

The only trick is you have to own the entire groupset: Crankset, Ergopower controls, front and rear derailleur, chain and sprocket set.

Triathlon Plus, a new magazine from Future Publishing, goes on sale on April 7th. It joins their other cycling titles including Cycling Plus, Procycling, What Mountain Bike, Mountain Biking UK, Bike Radar and Cycling News.

The 148-page magazine will be produced in Future’s Bath office and will be edited by Future veteran and consultant editor Mat Brett, former editor of Mounting Biking UK and Cycling Plus.

Handcrafted in the U.S.A., Ellsworth bicycles is the result of passionate pursuit of perfection by founder Tony Ellsworth…and his passion shows through in how he goes about designing, building and testing (*ahem* riding) his bikes.

Accompanying that passion are a few strong opinions about design, manufacturing processes and environmental efforts…like why the fabrication of most of today’s carbon bikes is bad, bad, bad; and what he’s doing to improve it for future Ellsworth carbon bicycles.

For someone who owns a bicycle company, he doesn’t personally have a lot of bikes, but fortunately, he’s got a lot of great thoughts. This is a long one, so grab some coffee, blow off work and see how Tony Ellsworth rolls…

BIKERUMOR: In our recent interview with Pua Sawicki, who rides your frames, she hinted that you have something new coming out…can you give us some hints?
TONY ELLSWORTH: Nah, it’s bad karma to talk about it until I’ve done it. I hope to be able to exceed her and your expectations.

BIKERUMOR: How many bikes do you personally own and describe your current favorite bike?
TONY: I’m a monogamous bike guy. When dating, I found that despite the encouragement of peers to date many, many at a time, as many as I could, one in each color shape and size, etc. I was always only able to date one gal at a time. I found the satisfaction of being in a relationship and learning to be excellent at communicating and relating to that one person to be far more satisfying than variety for variety’s sake. Therefore, my current bike habits reflect this. While I have ridden many miles on each Ellsworth model, I try to spend a season on each frame to personally tweak and perfect the character of the bike to my personal standards of bike efficiency and handling.

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Based on the press release from e-Soles back in August 2008, we were under the impression that the ’09 Bontrager shoes came with a selection of e-Sole insoles based on feedback from a footbed analysis kiosk.  According to Natascha at Bontrager, we weren’t the only ones a little confused.

The reality is, Bontrager and e-Soles used input from 20,000 foot scans to develop a custom footbed that will work for 85% to 90% of riders, but purchasing the shoes does not include any additional or replacement footbed options.  If those don’t work for you, however, the shoes are designed to accommodate any orthotic or customizable insole you may have.

Since we’re on the subject, we went ahead and had Bontrager fill us in on some of the unique features of their new ’09 shoes.

Read “more” to see what’s new on these pups…

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After nine challenging and epic days of cycling through more than 750-miles of scenic California roads, and a thrilling fight to the finish, Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana was crowned champion of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, solidifying a three-peat for the California resident. With a week-long total time of 31 hours, 28 minutes and 21 seconds, Leipheimer accepted the highly coveted title of race champion in front of massive cheering crowds in Escondido, which brought the race total to 2 million fans along the race route from Sacramento to Escondido. In a nine-day battle against the best field ever assembled to compete in the United States, which included Tour de France winners, Olympic medalists and World Champions, Frank Schleck (LUX) of Saxo Bank claimed the Stage 8 win.

“I’ve been trying to think about how to articulate this and it’s tough,” said Leipheimer. “To win it once, that was huge. To win it twice, that was almost a little bit of a surprise and almost felt like luck. But now, to have won the Amgen Tour of California three times, it’s the sweetest victory of all. I think we proved that we were the best team in the race. There is no question about that.”

David Zabriskie (USA) of Garmin-Slipstream finished in second place overall at 36 seconds behind Leipheimer, and Michael Rogers (AUS) of Team Columbia-Highroad finished third at 45 seconds behind.

Read “more” for RACE PICS and details…

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For the past few months we’ve been using The Bike Fitting Kit to check the fit on our bikes, both road and mountain.

The $29.95 kit is an all-in-one package with everything you need to properly measure cleat placement, seat height and fore/aft position, handlebar height, rotation and brake lever placement and stem length based on your physique.

It contains a DVD to walk you through the process, plus a plumb bob, 4/5/6mm hex keys (ie. allen wrenches) goniometer, tape measure and level.  It also has a reference guide that explains different aches or pains common among cyclists with suggestions on what to change to improve comfort and performance.

So, how do the results compare to a $100 – $200 fit from a bike shop or pro fitter?  Will it make a difference in your ride?

Read “more” to find out, see what we liked and disliked about the kit and what four different riders thought about their results…

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STAGE 8 WINNERS:
1) Fränk Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank
2) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas
3) George Hincapie (USA), Team Columbia-High Road
4) Rory Sutherland (AUS), Ouch Presented by Maxxis
5) Grischa Niermann (GER), Rabobank

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OVERALL FINALS:
1) Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
2) David Zabriskie (USA), Garmin-Slipstream (+0:36)
3) Michael Rogers (AUS), Team Columbia-High Road (+0:45)
4) Jens Voigt (GER), Team Saxo Bank (+1:10)
5) Thomas Lövkvist (SWE), Team Columbia-High Road (+1:29)
6) Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Liquigas (+1:37)
7) Lance Armstrong (USA), Astana (+1:46)

STAGE 8 JERSEY WINNERS:
Amgen Race Leader Jersey- Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana
Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer Most Courageous Rider Jersey- Fränk Schleck (LUX), Team Saxo Bank
Herbalife Sprint Jersey- Mark Cavendish (GBR), Team Columbia-High Road
Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey- Robert Gesink (NED), Rabobank
California Travel & Tourism Commission King of the Mountain (KOM) Jersey- Jason McCartney (USA), Team Saxo Bank

Read “more” for full overall official standings…

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Abio Bikes, Inc., unveiled its new line of folding bicycles that promises to kick-start a “chainless revolution” for urban commuters and around town recreational riders across North America.

The company’s new generation of greaseless and chainless folding bikes will liberate pedal pushers from conventional chain versions by providing a cleaner, greener and more maintenance-free bike.

While demand for folding bikes has been gaining speed in recent years — especially among budget-minded and eco-conscious users in large metropolitan areas — the roll out of Abio’s new chainless technology eliminates the grease factor, which has been the messiest complaint city riders have had about folding bicycles.

Read “more” for additional pics of the belt drive and shaft drive bikes from Abio…

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