FUN FROM PAUL @ GATES CARBON DRIVE: Drinking good beer and riding fast bikes. The guys at Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colo., have made an art form out of marrying these two “sports.” OB sponsors the Dale’s Pale singlespeed team, named after the finest canned beer in America. Thanks to their partnership with Spot Brand Bikes, a first-adopter of the chain-free Carbon Drive System, Dale’s Pale has been riding and racing on belt-drive Spot 29ers for three years–with impressive results.

Videographer Mat Barlow and I spent an afternoon riding and shooting the breeze about Carbon Drive with the Dale’s Pale squad. If you think singlespeed hardtails are for smooth singletrack only, check out how easily these guys handle the rock-strewn Bitterbrush Trail in Boulder County’s Hall Ranch. Check out the YouTube vid–and see Chad get nailed with a snowball

SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – Hydrapak’s new Morro hydration pack is part of their Pro Series of high end gear.  It’s a lightweight, full featured pack with 800 cu.in. (13.1L) of internal and external storage compartments, a 100oz reservoir and a padded, stowable hip belt.

The Morro uses Hydrapak’s excellent magnetic clip to keep the mouthpiece from dangling about and their reservoir and removable hose are top notch.  Pack weight is 1lb 13oz (820g) and it retails for $109.99.  Check out more photos after the break…

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“HC100” by hugeblocks. Check out their blog (in Japanese) and online shop here.

This reminds me of my favorite joke (at least the one I can always remember)…

What’s this?:   “RRrrrtt! Vroom! RRrrrtt! Vroom!”

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SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – Pros and avid downhillers have for years been clamoring for SPD-compatible shoes from the company that arguably has the best DH soles, and now Five Ten has come around to their way of thinking.

The new show will come in two colorways, the Minaar edition (white/black, $129.95) and the Hellcat (black, $119.95).  Five Ten used a slightly less sticky version of their infamous Stealth Rubber so it’s a bit easier to find the cleat and click in, but it’s still sticky enough to rip down the mountain without fear of slipping off.  Oh, and about that grip, the Minaar has a red sole, and both will be shaved down about 7mm from the lifts you see here.

They’ve also put together a new hightop version of their Freeride shoe called the Line King; check ‘em out after the break…

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Cadel Evans celebrates his first victory for the BMC Racing Team. (Tim de Waele photo.)

Evans overtook Tour de France champion Alberto Contador with a perfectly timed attack on the steep uphill drag to the finish on the Muy de Huy.

“I thought with 500 meters to go he (Contador) had it but it’s not the first time I’ve done this race and I used it to my advantage today,” Evans said. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) was second and Contador (Astana) held on for third. Evans becomes the first Australian to win an Ardennes Classic and the first reigning world champion to win Flèche Wallonne.

“I’ve finished second, fifth, ninth – I’ve finished in every position but first in Flèche Wallonne, so to win is fantastic,” said Evans directly after the finish line.

SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – Kona’s tiny little 10×10 booth had lots of people, gear and bikes crammed into it.  Not-so-hidden within was a prototype 2011 full-carbon Jake the Snake cyclocross bike.

Sized XXL for team rider Barry Wicks, word is it’ll be available for this coming 2010/2011 ‘cross season and will be raced by Wicks and teammate Ryan Trebon, who was on hand to help us weigh it.  Heck, even if the madness that is cyclocross holds no appeal for you, it’s worth sneaking past the break for a look…

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SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – Rocky Mountain has revamped their Slayer lineup, with the new model replacing the Slayer SXC with a lighter, faster and stiffer model.

The new Slayer gets their Smooth Link suspension with 165mm rear wheel travel, modified Straight Up geometry and a plethora of modern day updates to make it a very capable freeride bike.  Part of that capability comes from being designed to go up as well as down, and RM’s surrounding marketing materials made a very big point of how well this thing climbs.  Their Straight Up geometry normally puts the seat angle about about 76º, but since the Slayer is definitely a gravity-oriented rig, they’ve relaxed that slightly to 75º.  With sag, this puts it inline with standard seat tube angles so that you’re weight and position is properly angled for good climbing power and traction.

When the trail turns down, the 66.5º head angle keeps steering stable and predictable for bombing down steep and gnarly sections.  More pics, specs and pricing after the break…

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SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – For 2011, Specialized is dropping their Fuse series of BMX bikes and putting their effort behind the P-Series bikes, including this new 24″ model, creatively named the P24.

The P-Series will consist of a P20, P24 and P26, with the first two looking and costing the same at $500.  They’ll have a fully rigid Reynolds steel frame with virtually no logos or branding save for a small Specialized logo in white at the front of the top tube.  They’ll include the Rhythm tires and a hollow 3-piece crankset with clear pedals and seat and a smattering of house brand parts making up the cockpit.

Doesn’t look like they’re jumping on the 22″ bandwagon yet.  The current P3 model becomes the P26 and will probably remain available with suspension, disc brakes, etc., but we’re confirming and will update.

Jump in for more pics and such…

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SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – Camelbak was showing off their new Octane series of ultralight packs.  Made of a lightweight ripstop-like material, they’re made for multisport activities, with the XCT (green) and 18x (orange) being more cycling oriented.

The two smaller ones come with a 70oz bladder, and the Octane 24 (black) comes with a 100oz reservoir.  All have some external storage, with light mesh pockets on the sides of the waist belt, and the 18x is expandable by unzipping the center zip.  Internal storage is wide open without much in the way of organization, but if lightweight is what you’re going for, they could be your ticket.

More pics after the break…

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Via Gothamist, ThisIsFYF and TheAwl, apparently NYPD cut through locks and confiscated bicycles yesterday along the Houston Street route of President Obama’s motorcade to his speech at Cooper Union.  And, apparently, there was no forewarning, notice or information about where all the bikes may have gone.  The Gothamist is working to keep folks posted, but this is sorta ridiculous.  All because you can make a pipe bomb in a bicycle frame.

The best comment I’ve read on these sites says this is part of his economic stimulus plan…now they all have to go buy new bikes.

“_MG_0011” by poufthecascadeur.

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SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – What with trail bikes getting lighter every minute, there’s no time like the present for a lightweight long-travel shock.  Building on the SID name and heritage, Rockshox looks to be launching just that…probably in time for Interbike if we were gambling folk.

Not only is the SID gaining some length, but it’s adding a thru-axle!  Looks like little SID is finally growing up, and we’re betting a tapered headtube can’t be far behind given the uses a 120mm fork is likely to see.  Complimenting the new fork is a new Monarch RT3 shock spotted on the same bike, which has updated features versus the current model.

Make the jump for more pics and info…

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