The 2012 Kona Supreme Operator DH bike was spotted and weighed at Crankworx this summer, and Kona’s been pounding it on the world cup circuit all year. Here’s the video to prove it, along with some glamour and action shots of the bike after the break…
Photo submitted by Derrick, “Looking down the Portal trail just past the BLM’s ‘Warning:
Three Bicyclists have died here. DISMOUNT NOW’ sign.”
To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.
Well, maybe just 50 young minds. The rest will be disappointed and whine and scream.
Misfit Psycles has started production of their diSSent KD 26″ kid’s mountain bike. Shown earlier as a singlespeed, the images here are still prototype but thankfully gain gears. The bike has 26″ wheels with kid-frendly geometry to give it a feel of a 29er for smaller riders, letting them crush trails and leave their 20″ riding friends in the dust. The laser powers are just icing on the cake (lazer powers may vary by child and are not guaranteed).
The bike will be manufactured in North America, like their dissent ALC, with availability starting around December 15 or whenever founder Peter Keiller gets around to packing boxes and shipping your order. Which means you may need to print one of these pictures and stick it under the tree to avoid a meltdown.
His eloquent description of the bike and more pics after the break…
We just reviewed the Tout Terrain Metropolitan, a heavy duty, fully stocked urban commuter bike. Now, they have two additional Gates belt drive equipped models heading to the States in December.
The Chiyoda is their “fast, agile and cool” city bike and has pretty everything you’d want to simply get about in the urban jungle. Disc brakes, belt drive and a Shimano Alfine internally geared rear hub (Rohloff is optional) all adorn the steel frame. The rear fender mounts directly to the mono-stay for a very clean overall look. It’s also available in black.
For those who carry a bit more stuff, check the Amber Road after the break…
Built into an abandoned department store directly on a main road complete with colorful signage, Ray’s MTB Milwaukee is a bit of a departure from the isolated industrial park of its Cleveland based sibling. Compared with the WWII era complex that is exemplified in the Ray’s MTB logo, the MKE location seems almost new.
Hoping to get the 411 on what’s new for MKE’s first full season, I met with Ray’s PR man Eric Schutt for a tour. Due to building permit issues among other set backs, Ray’s MKE opened late and was only open for about half the season. Fortunately, it’s clear that the 2011-12 season for MKE will be a good one with an improved layout and more options than ever for the novice to beginning cyclists!
Full tour after the break!
Photo submitted by AA, who is at the top of top of the Montabello Preserve in California.
To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.
If you’re a Twitter freak, you’ve likely already caught wind of this. Rather than go the app route like Rapha, HED, Gates and so many others, Felt has just launched a mobile version of their website fine tuned for Android devices and the iPhone and iPad. In addition to viewing all the models, frames and parts, it’ll use your location to find the nearest Felt dealer and map you all the way there.
Press Release after the break…
Dylan Racing Development has announced the U.S. Grand Prix of Mountain Biking (MTB GP), a new national race series focused initially on gravity riding.
Open to any rider worldwide, the series will recognize athletes through a season of racing. If this sounds familiar to the Pro XCT and Pro GRT series from USA Cycling, well, it is. Except it isn’t.
A little background: When whole NMBS series died out a few years back, Dylan Dean proposed the Pro GRT downhill racing series and it became part of USA Cycling’s national calendar, along with the Pro XCT. So why create an entirely new series?
“Basically what it was is we were headed in a different direction,” said Dean, founder of the new U.S. MTB GP. “USA Cycling was putting a lot of emphasis on the cross country. There’s going to be a lot of similar events with some overlap where athletes are technically racing in two series even though they’re only doing one run, meaning some of our races will be USA Cycling sanctioned, but the series as a whole is not.”
“Right now, if you look at USA Cycling, they’re very XC oriented. Their knowledge is more on that side, and with XC being an Olympic sport, their resources are going to go there. I didn’t see much emphasis on the gravity side.”
So, how will the series be different?
“Initially, you’re probably not going to see much difference structure-wise between the Pro GRT and MTB GP. You’ll see similar venues, but at the same time I can start progressing by bringing in outside sponsors and implement different rules and points systems than what USA Cycling has. We’ll have a more festive atmosphere for amateurs and professionals alike, which will help build the sport. The overall idea of the sport will grow from the sponsors, venues and local promoters all working together to create something really great and giving us a better national series. In the past it seemed like everyone wanted to do their own thing, but now people are seeing it’s beneficial for everyone to work together.”
What about licensing and point tracking?
“I’m not requiring all the events to be USA Cycling sanctioned, so we won’t require the racers have their licenses. But at the same time, it’ll be beneficial since we want some of the events to have UCI points. And for the events that are sanctioned, they’ll of course need to have their license. We’ll have a lot of similarities to the AMA motocross points system. I’m figuring out how deep the points will go right now.
“We’re also trying to build a three or four race series for each coast within the overall series to help the amateurs that can’t travel across the country. This way they still get series points for their own little series.”
The official schedule should be announced sometime in December. Dean’s working to nail down a couple of final venues in CO and the east coast as this post goes live. For 2012, it’ll offer only Downhill and Super-D, but for 2013, he’s looking to add XC and a couple of gated events based on feedback from riders during the series’ freshman year.
Click through for the full PR…
When the Cervelo S5 first stepped on the scene, the numbers looked good but I wasn’t stoked about the looks. Now that’s it’s sitting in our office, I have to admit, my tune’s changed a bit. Perhaps it’s just familiarity, or perhaps it’s seeing all of the other aero road bikes that have popped up lately, but it’s growing on me more and more every day. It doesn’t hurt that it rides pretty well.
When it first arrived, our review model had seen some rough love, so it sat for a week while we waited on missing/broken parts to arrive to make it rideable. Now, two weeks after its rehab, I’ve put about 220 miles on it. Per usual, it’s also been on the scale and photo’d, so click on through to see the details and some first impressions…
MSC Bikes just sent over a note about their new Ergo Grip, a foam grip with a comfort bulge that tips in at just 11g.
The raised area in the center claims to better fill the palm of your hand, allowing better wrist alignment and blood flow, as well as more surface contact area for better pressure distribution. If that doesn’t appeal to you, or you have smaller hands, they have a traditional foam grip that’s only 9g. Both are €11.
They also recently announced their new stem and carbon handlebar. Check it after the break…
Seeing as they make one of my all-time favorite helmets, it’s always exciting when new model arrives here at Bikerumor. Unfortunately, the mark left across my forehead after each of our rides together told me that, yes, the XXS-M Nirvana really was too small for my noggin. Happily, local racer Alex was waiting in the wings to put the handsome Belgian (by way of China) helmet to good use. His review starts below the picture…
marc
When the Lazer Nirvana was placed in my hands I thought, COOL. The Nirvana’s sleek colors and stylish air vents makes for a great looking head protector as stated by a fellow cyclocross racer. Besides the smooth lines of the Nirvana, the helmet felt much lighter than other mountain specific helmets I have used, while still maintaining sufficient head coverage. Jump past the break to see how the good looks and light weight stood up on the trail.
