The Ibis Tranny is Crankbrothers newest auction.  They are auctioning a series of bikes to support Wheels4Life, a charity that has given bikes to over 3,000 people in more than 20 Third World Countries.  This bike has a bunch of fun features.  It is foldable, geared, and singlespeed.  How?  Singlespeed is made possible with a little device behind the bottom bracket that allows the rider to adjust chain tension.  They call it the “slot machine”.  As for being foldable, the frame breaks apart into two triangles for easy packing.  The Ibis Tranny is carbon and weighs in at 3.1 lbs.  The MSRP is $5,500 but a lucky bidder may get a steal.

Last week, we covered Crankbrothers’ Rotwild R2 World Cup Mountain bike auction.  The MSRP was $6,300 and the final bid came in at $3,250.  All of the bikes so far have been auctioning for well below the MSRP.  If you want to support Wheels4Life, click here to link to the auction at the Crankbrothers website.  The auction ends Monday, February 13th.

More pictures after the break…

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• American Classic is sponsoring their first Pro Tour team, putting lightweight hoops under Cofidis riders for 2012. They even have an early season win under their belts thanks to Rain Taramae at GP Marseillaise.
• Bespoked Bristol, the UK Handmade Bicycle Show 2012, will be held this year on March 23-25th. Over 70 independent bicycle builders from the UK, Italy, France, USA and Germany will be present for you to drool over their handmade wares. Click here for more info.
• Mark your calendars for the March 10th Autodrop Doubleshot to be held in Moore’s Springs north of Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. The combination 12 mile single track/ 13 mile road race will raise money for the Moore’s Springs trail system and campground.
• GT Bicycles adds Kyle Strait, freerider extraordinaire, and Kenny Baley, multi-time Trials World Champion, to their Wingmen team.
• Ike Tseng, founder of Merida, passed away January 30 at the ripe old age of 81. According to the brand’s statement, he served as a multi-term chairman of Taiwan Bicycle Exporters’ Association which helped turn the country into the powerhouse bike manufacturer they are today, and invented welding robots that guaranteed quality mass production way early in the game. Full story here.
• OnYerBikeSeat has introduced brand able rain covers (pic after the break) for your bicycle saddle. They also protect against dive-bombing pigeons and presumably baking hot sun. Eventually, maybe, we’ll run out of places to advertise.
• Wanna know what your riding buddies are really thinking? Well, at least the riding buddies that a) subscribe to Bicycling Magazine and b) took the time to fill in their reader survey? Download the Reader’s Choice results as a PDF right over here.
• The 2013-2014 USA Cycling Gravity National Championships have found at home at Angel Fire, NM. Exact dates are still rolling around. Official PR below.

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The Rotwild R2 World Cup mountain bike is on the Crankbrothers auction block this week as part of a series of auctions for the Wheels 4 Life charity.  Wheels 4 Life has provided over 3,000 bicycles to people in over 20 Third World Countries.  Bikerumor covered the Crankbrothers auction two weeks ago for the Tomac Supermatic 120.  At the end of the auction, the Tomac had a final bid of $3,050 with an MSRP of $6,300.  For that price, it was quite a steal.  The auction for this bike may pan out in the same way, so keep an eye on it.

The Rotwild R2 World Cup is a carbon mountain bike designed for the World Cup and Marathon racecourses.  It promises for climbing efficiency and tight handling.

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Specialized is recalling an additional 460 Tricross bikes, following the massive 14,200 bike recall in September, because the carbon fiber forks may break at the brake posts. The bikes were sold between June and November 2011. Picture of the fork’s vulnerable spot and full CPSC release with links and contact info after the break…

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From the League of American Bicyclists:

Moments ago, Congressman John Mica (R-FL) announced the introduction of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The proposed bill eliminates dedicated funding for bicycling and walking as we feared, and it goes much further and systematically removes bicycling from the Federal transportation program. It basically eliminates our status and standing in the planning and design of our transportation system — a massive step backwards for individuals, communities and our nation. It’s a step back to a 1950s highway- and auto-only program that makes no sense in the 21st century.

The bill reverses 20 years of progress by:

• destroying Transportation Enhancements by making it optional;
• repealing the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school;
• allowing states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles;
• eliminating bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs; and
• eliminating language that insures that rumble strips “do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled.”

On Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee will mark-up the bill and Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Johnson (R-IL) will sponsor an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Representatives Petri and Johnson can only be successful if everyone with a stake in safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways contacts their representative today.

Because of these urgent new developments, and the vital importance of a HUGE turnout on Capitol Hill in March, the National Bike Summit early bird registration deadline has been extended to Feb 20. We need every single cyclist in Washington, D.C. that the city can hold (and that’s thousands …). Register today!

WHAT TO DO: Click here, scroll to the bottom and enter your zip code. They’ll guide you through the rest and it only takes a couple minutes.

As an avid mountain biker and commuter I am a firm proponent of helmets. Unfortunately, the majority of casual cyclists don’t seem to share my preoccupation with safety. This folding helmet designed by French design studio Agency 360 is intended to increase the appeal of helmets to urban riders.  The helmet, called the Overade, offers the same level of comfort and protection as a standard bicycle helmet (by meeting European safety standards), but folds up conveniently. The patented folding system allows the helmet to decrease to a third of its size – making it small enough to slip into a purse, backpack, or briefcase.

Pictures, claimed weights, and availability after the break.

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Gore Ride-On Cables has issued a worldwide recall of their Low Friction and Professional series brake cable kits. They have one reported incident of a Campy-style brake cable end nub coming off.

Users running Shimano/SRAM style brake levers aren’t affected, and shift cables for any brand shifter are not affected. Likewise, the cable systems that ship with SRAM component groups are not involved. Below are the items under recall:

- Low friction brake bicycle cable kit – grey, black, white, blue, red
- Low friction brake for road cable kit – dealer box – black, white (set for 10 kits)
- Low friction replacement brake cable (2350 mm) – bag of 10
- Professional brake bicycle cable kits – black, white, blue, red
- Professional brake bicycle cable kit – dealer box – black, white (set for 10 kits)

We’re waiting to hear back from Gore as to what affected riders should do and will update here as soon as we do. In the meantime, check with the retailer where you purchased the cables.

• Ray’s Mountain Bike Park is hosting two Women’s Weekends, one at Cleveland (Feb 17th) and one in Milwaukee (March 9). Both are FREE to attend for women and offer professional coaching and guidance from Leigh Donovan and others. It’s not only free of cost, it’ll be free of dudes, too. Full details at the links.
• The Tran-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race returns for year numero tres, scheduled for May 27 to June 2, 2012 in State College, PA. Sponsored by Stan’s NoTubes and Dirt Rag Magazine, the event will drop a few miles in order to up the fun quotient, says promoter Mike Kuhn. Full press release along with some choice event photos after the break (plus the one above!).
• Retailer registration for DealerCamp 2012, scheduled for July 24-26, is now open. All bicycle retailers are invited to register and attend this free event. You can even apply to have your trip subsidized or covered.
• Trek Bicycles has launched the Trek-ODI developmental DH racing team. Comprised of five juniors, they’ve put World Cup champion Aaron Gwin in charge of coaching the grooms (including US 16-and-under National Champion Logan Mulally, plus Jason Schroeder, Charlie Harrison, Matt Branney, and John Buckell) into international gravity stars. They’ll be racing the Session 88 decked out with Bontrager parts and rubber.
• Zym, one of our favorites among the effervescent electrolyte tabs, is celebrating five years on the market. Congrats, guys!

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Nitto has issued a recall on their model B259AA aluminum handlebars because they have been reported to break during use and cause riders to potentially fall or lose control.

Thus far, Nitto has received two reports of handlebar breakage, one break causing the rider to fall and cut their leg.  More than 2,000 of these handlebars were sold in North America from January of 2008 through July of 2011.

This model is manufactured in Japan and sold in red, blue, black, gold, green, pink, and silver; the brand “Nitto” and “B259” are printed at the edge of the handlebar.  Riders are warned to stop using the Nitto B259 handlebars and contact Euro Asia Imports to receive a free replacement.  For more information on the recall, visit Euro Asia Imports website or contact them at 888-662-1814.

Via People for Bikes.

Tomac Supermatic 120

Crankbrothers is at it again, auctioning off a Tomac Supermatic 120.  The Tomac Supermatic 120 is a long travel cross-country bike. The last bike Crankbrothers auctioned, a Scott Genius LT, sold for $3200 with a retail value of $5000.  With the prices so low, keep an eye on this auction.  100% of the proceeds go to Wheels 4 Life, a charity that has provided over 3,000 bicycles to people in over 20 Third World countries.  This is one auction in a series of auctions for the year.  The auction ends on Monday, January 23rd. Check it out here at the Crankbrothers’ website.

Giant Bicycles is recalling about 900 of the 2012 Defy Advanced (above) and Avail (after the break) road bikes because the fork can crack or break, causing the rider to fall and potentially get a face full o’ asphalt.

This recall involves all 2012 model year men’s Giant Defy Advanced 0, 1 and 2 model bicycles and the women’s Giant Avail Advanced 0, 1, and 2 model bicycles in various colors and sizes. The bikes were sold through authorized Giant dealers nationwide from August 2011 through November 2011 for between $3,000 and $4,550.

For more info, ring up Giant Bicycle toll-free at (866) 458-2555 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or hit ‘em up online. Full recall info here.

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