BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Manitou unveiled their new TPC-based Absolute+ damping technology at Sea Otter Classic.

Quick background: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Manitou introduced TPC, or Twin Piston Chamber, damping that separated rebound and compression.  It was a big deal then, but commonplace now.  Fast forward to 2009, and it seems like most manufacturers are introducing some sort of separate slow- and high-speed compression damping control.  The benefit is that damping designs no longer have to compromise between balanced low and high speed compression with a single shim stack or other mechanism.

For Manitou, it’s called Absolute+ and both slow and high speed compression damping characteristics will be externally adjustable via simple knobs.  In short, the Speed Needle circuit handles normal bump compression, letting oil flow through the seat around the needle.  Turn the adjustment dial and you increase or decrease the flow of oil and speed or slow the damping.

Big hits fall under the “high speed compression” department, and that’s handled by the Pro Stack Circuit. When you smack the crap out of something, the shims in the Pro Stack flex and let more oil bypass the circuit than the Speed Needle could allow, letting the fork accommodate your abusive riding and keeping you in control.

There’s lots more to discuss, and more new goodies and news from Manitou…click on the pics to enlarge, and hit ‘more’ to read about them…

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George Hincapie, Tour de France stage winner and denim connoiseur, will participate in The Dempsey Challenge on October 4, 2009.  The Dempsey Challenge is a charity event to benefit The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing.  From the press release:

“Patrick and I became friends after working together on the Amgen Breakaway from Cancer project,” said George Hincapie, 5-time Olympian and co-owner of Hincapie Sportswear.  “We share a passion for cycling and we both want to do our part in the fight against cancer.  Cancer and the terrible suffering that it can bring have touched me and my family.  I understand the importance of this kind of support.  I’m looking forward to participating in the event.”

The October event will feature four bicycle routes, a 5-Kilometer Walk/Run and a Kids’ Fun Run. The event will also include pre-race festivities and an event-day Festival for the whole family.  Hincapie Sportswear is making the custom cycling jerseys for the event.  These jerseys will be used to raise additional funds for the Patrick Dempsey Center.

“It’s an honor to have someone of the caliber and class of George Hincapie joining the ranks of The Dempsey Challenge,” states Patrick Dempsey.  “George is a cycling legend and his presence will add to the excitement and enthusiasm already building around The Dempsey Challenge.”

The event website features interactive registration tools for participants and volunteers, as well as maps of the various event courses and other details. Although the event will offer incentive fundraising opportunities for participants, no fundraising minimums will be required.

For more than 50 years, the Hincapies have dedicated themselves to excellence in the sport of cycling.  Through Hincapie Sportswear, they are combining the lessons they have learned on the road with excellence in customer service, quality craftsmanship and stylish designs, to create the most comfortable, functional and stylish cycling apparel in the world.

What you’re looking at here is A) the first production Pi Mobility frame to roll off their line and B) not technically a spy shot…the owner of the company sent these images to us.  But, they’re pretty cool.  Check out the suspension mech on the fork, totally recessed into the legs.

If you have no idea what a Pi Mobility bicycle is, read our other post for details, but basically, it’s an electric motor bike with Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub and a 20mph unassisted top speed.

Click the images to enlarge, and read the other post for images of a fully built Pi.

Grease Monkey Wipes are a new single-use degreaser/cleaning wipe that’s easily stowed in a pocket, saddlebag or pack.

Intended for on-the-ride cleanups or post-repair hand wipes when you just don’t want to get your fresh bar tape dirty, and your socks just don’t have any clean spots left to wipe on (what, you don’t wipe your hands on your socks after putting your chain back on?).  Triathletes can use it to get those grease pen numbers off their bodies after the race, too.

They use a natural, non-toxic, citrus-based degreaser that’s safe for your skin.

Check them out at www.greasemonkeywipes.com.  They’re $1.00 each, sold in packs of 6, 12, 18 or 24.  Save 10% when you buy a 24 pack.

PRESS RELEASE: Showing the strength of outdoor activities despite a struggling economy, Eastern Mountain Sports, one of the nation’s largest outdoor retailers specializing in outdoor gear, apparel, footwear, and accessories, today announced the opening of its new store in SoHo at the corner of Spring and Broadway.

The 18,097 square-foot store triples the size of its former location, providing expanded product selections for the urban outdoor enthusiast. The store showcases apparel and gear for backpacking, camping, climbing, hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking and skiing. In addition, for the first time, the store will offer a selection of commuter bikes by Jamis and Masi, popular additions for the urban cycling community, and a full-service bike shop. New signature services include expert bike technicians, foot gurus for personalized fittings, a first-time paddlesport section for recreational and whitewater consumers, and a comprehensive travel-planning library. The grand opening celebration is May 8-10, 2009, during which a portion of the weekend proceeds will be donated to the New York City Outward Bound.

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Trips for Kids (TFK) today announced that Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles Inc. of Ramona, Calif., donated more than 50 used bicycles and bicycle frames to TFK to sell in its Re-Cyclery bicycle thrift shop. Profits from selling these bikes and frames will fund the mountain bike rides TFK hosts for underserved youth.

“We truly appreciate Ellsworth’s contribution to the Re-Cyclery shop,” said Marilyn Price, founding director of TFK. “About fifty percent of the budget for Trips for Kids International is supported by the shop’s revenues – this donation will help us continue those efforts. We thank Ellsworth on behalf of the kids we serve around the world.”

Ellsworth Bicycles acquired the used bicycles it donated through its “Economic Recovery Plan,” a program that allowed its customers to “trade-in” their used bikes to receive a $700 credit toward the purchase of a new Ellsworth bike or frame.

“We had an overwhelmingly positive response to this trade-in program,” said Paul Verdile, Ellsworth Bicycles sales and marketing manager. “Several customers who didn’t have used kids’ bikes bought new ones specifically to donate to Trips for Kids. We received 50 bikes for the kids when we only expected to receive 30 or 40.”

More than 50,000 disadvantaged young people have participated in TFK’s day-long cycling adventures that take them through nearby parks and outdoor recreation areas. In addition to vigorous outdoor activity, they also enjoy the encouragement of caring adults who teach them about the environment, the importance of healthy choices and satisfaction of accomplishing their goals.

Advances in advocacy, the growing number of successful bike share programs and the state of the economy were among the topics discussed by the more than 140 participants of the 2009 Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC). The 2009 BLC “Leading the Industry into the Future…,” presented by the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA), was held April 15-17, at the Embassy Suites in Seaside, Calif.

“The cycling industry is poised to enter what we consider to be the ‘perfect storm’ for not only the growth of cycling but a paradigm shift in the functionality of a bike,” said John Nedeau, president of the BPSA and vice president of global sales for SRAM. “During this year’s conference, the industry was clearly optimistic about the solution cycling will be to so many of the challenges our society faces. Whether a bike is providing an alternative mode of transportation in a congested city or helping an individual maintain an active lifestyle, cycling is no longer just about skinny guys in Spandex.”

As part of the three-day conference, attendees participated in group bike rides, a golf scramble, networking events and multiple panel discussions. Noteworthy topics of discussion included advocacy, bike share programs and the economy.

Hit “more” to see recaps on the following topics: Advocacy, Bike Sharing, Industry Stats and Economics, and more…

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BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Vision, a sub-brand from Full Speed Ahead, had four new wheels on display at Sea Otter.  The biggest visual impact came from their massive full carbon TriMax Disc tubular wheel, above.  Intended as a rear wheel only, it uses an flanged alloy hub, sealed cartridge bearings and aluminum cassette body that fits Shimano/SRAM 9-10 speed and Campy 10-11 speed.  1280g w/o skewer.  The wheel comes with SwissStop brake pads and their Mercury carbon QR. MSRP $2000.

Below that is the TriMax Carbon.  It has a 50mm deep section tubular rim with reinforced braking surface mated to a CNC machined hub with Sapim bladed aero spokes.  The 20 front and 24 rear spokes are straight pull, and they use a pretty neat mounting system on the 2-cross side of the rear hub making them easy to replace (click image at left, below, to enlarge).  Set is 1,420g w/o skewers, and includes SwissStop pads, wheel bags, Mercury carbon QR’s and valve extenders. MSRP $1400.

  

The carbon-lever skewers are 98.5g per set and use a stainless steel shaft and springs and aluminum nut.

Hit ‘more’ to see the other two FSA Vision wheels: The TriMax Ultimate and TriMax Pro…

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BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Full Speed Ahead debuted two new cranksets at Sea Otter, both 2×9 mountain bike setups with a unique feature: A 3-bolt ring pattern!

The Carbon K-Force Light version updates their existing 2×9 crankset that’s available aftermarket and on the new Trek Top Fuel (read review here) from a 4-bolt to their new 3-bolt pattern.  The Aluminum version, above, gets the Afterburner moniker and is a new model for FSA.  They’ve had a standard 4-bolt, triple chainring Afterburner available for a while.

Aluminum Afterburner 2×9 specs include:

• MSRP: $290
• Weight: 674g
• Hollow arms
• Steel bearing BB 115g
• 27/40 or 27/42 tooth options

 

Hit ‘more’ to see the new carbon crankset and it’s specs, plus their sweet new Metropolis Handlebar for city bikes…

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FROM ELLSWORTH BICYCLES: Got a tall friend or family member who’s having trouble finding the perfect frame size? Ellsworth has them covered with our XL Evolve 29″ or Epiphany. For the month of May, if you refer a tall rider to us and they purchase a XL frame we’ll spiff you with 50 Ellsworth bucks for the hook up.

Just in time for spring riding season, these bucks can be used to gear up on Ellsworth soft goods including jerseys, T Shirts, hydration packs, messenger bags, etc. Give us a call, verify the XL purchase and we’ll take your order over the phone while our online store is under construction.

The XL Evolve or Epiphany is ideal for riders who are 6′ 4″ and over or in the 6′ 2-3″ range but with a longer torso. Dirt Rag Magazine has reviewed the XL Evolve in their current issue and gave it two tall thumbs up

PRESS RELEASE: Trips for Kids (TFK) announced it has taken 50,000 underserved urban youth on mountain bike rides since its inception more than 20 years ago.

“I’m proud that our efforts have helped thousands of young people experience the world’s natural beauty and the excitement of completing a physical challenge – and so many more still need our help,” said Marilyn Price, founding director of Trips for Kids. “There are more young people than ever who need to get outside, understand how to take care of our environment, spend a day with caring, supportive adults, and get tired from good, enjoyable exercise.”

More than 60 chapters advance the TFK mission. Located in a variety of communities, the groups identify at-risk youth and work through local youth services agencies to help them. Chapters are formed by a variety of individuals and organizations including environmental centers, schools, public health agencies, after-school learning centers, bike advocacy clubs, and non-profits like the YMCA, Boy Scouts, and Girls & Boys Clubs. In many cases the kids they serve have never visited the nearby parks and outdoor areas. TFK provides the bicycles, helmets and other equipment, along with a trained ride leader and adult volunteers.

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