2012 Olympic mountain bike course

The 2012 Olympic mountain bike course has been completed at Hadleigh Farm in Essex and the reaction, at least on the Internet to the unveiling, is a collective yawn. Rather than being staged in a forest, this course is laid out on an open hillside, presumably to make it more spectator friendly and easier to televise. I can understand that and appreciate anything to give Olympic mountain biking more exposure. The lack of enthusiasm to the course seems to center around the track not having any real (natural) technical challenges beyond a few man-made “obstacles” scattered along the trail in odd places and the overly groomed nature of the less challenging sections that are more akin to a walking path than a mountain bike trail. After viewing several of the online video previews for myself, I have to admit the course does appear less challenging than one would expect for an Olympic venue. I realize the camera has a flattening effect and probably doesn’t do the climbs justice, but it does appear like something geared more for a cat-3 racer rather than the World’s best. If anyone reading this has actually been there or ridden it, I’d love to hear your opinion of the course.

Here is a highlight preview of the 2012 course along with some video of past Olympic races for comparison.

London 2012 course preview:

Atlanta 1996 (time 10:15)


Athens 2004 (time 10:00)


Beijing 2008 (time 4:00)

Ned Knows 29ers

If you still aren't sure about 29ers, or want to know what all the fuss is about, just listen to mountain bike legend, Ned Overend, explain why the 29er is the future of mountain biking in this interview.

New XO Brakes

I have a new set of brakes to replace those lousy Elixir CR brakes that gave me nothing but grief. I'd finally had enough and contacted the shop about getting SRAM to man up and replace those worthless things. To SRAM's credit, they came through and sent a new pair of XO stoppers.

They look and feel great, but time will tell how they perform on the trail.

My only real complaint so far are the ridiculously long cables. Seriously! Just look at those things. I don't know why the shop didn't cut them to fit when they were installed. I'll eventually have to get that corrected, but I'm just thrilled to have working brakes for now.

Serious Skills.

As seen in Bicycling Magazine

I found another photo I thought was lost forever. This one appeared in Bicycling Magazine in either 2002 or 2003 if I remember correctly. I'm forth from the right in the orange jersey.

It's not going to happen

I had planned on upgrading my component group to a Sram XX 2x10, but it's starting to look bleak at the moment. The plan-B option of even going to the new Shimano XTR 2x10 is on hold. It's not that my current parts are lame or even all that worn out. I run a mix of 9-speed XTR and Sram XO. It works well for me, but I want to shave a little more weight off the bike and run something better for race season. However, the economy is still in the tank and the employment numbers continue to drag everything else down, so I'll hold off on the upgrade and just stuff money in the bank in case things get even worse.

Another One.

Is anyone really shocked that Alberto Contador tested positive for clenbuterol? Let's face it, the Tour de France is a magnet for doping cheats. They all deny it after testing positive, of course. Landis denied it but later confessed. The same holds true for Tyler Hamilton and a host of others. Has anyone ever witnessed someone saying, " Okay, you got me. I doped."? I don't know if Contador's story about tainted beef is true or not, but I'm getting damn jaded with all this nonsense.

Heroes

I've given a good bit of thought lately about the people in cycling I most admire, my heroes if you will. It took several lists and a good bit of revising, but I've settled upon these fifteen for reasons not exclusively related on on the bike performance.



Georgia Gould: In our age of prima donna athletes with massive egos and an inability of stay out of the criminal justice system, Georgia Gould is living proof nice people can win. In Georgia's case she proves the good guy can win big. She exploded onto the racing scene in 2006 with a national title. In 2007, Georgia swept all six events in the National Mountain Bike Series and made the Olympic squad in 2008. In 2009, she won the National short track championships as well as the US Cup mtb title. Not content with mountain bike dominance, Georgia is also a force to be reckoned with on the pro cyclocross circuit as well. Not too shabby for a reformed smoker, huh? Her skills aren't limited to the race course either. Georgia also graduated from culinary school and often posts recipes on her blog. What I admire most about Georgia is her total awesomeness. She's one of the best athletes you'll ever meet, and her success hasn't gone to her head. She just rocks!

Willow Koerber: What's not to admire about Willow Koerber? She is not only as one of the best American mountain bikers on the pro circuit but also one of the world's best. Just to add a little icing on the cake, Willow is the first pro mountain biker to make the World Championship podium on a 29er. That alone is enough to put her in my hero book. Still, Willow Koerber is one amazing racer. After struggling in the 2008 season both physically and mentally, Willow wondered if it was time to quit racing. Fortunately for mountain biking fans, Willow found her center of gravity, a new focus on life, and moved to Durango, Colorado, in June 2009 to work with Rick Crawford who owns Colorado Premier Training. Once in Durango, Willow pushed the reset button oh her life and career. It wasn't long before Willow started making regular podium appearance again with a bronze in the 2009 World Championships and again in the 2010 championships. This what I admire most about Willow; She was able to bounce back after her career and life appeared to hit rock bottom and find her place on the podium again.

Mary McConneloug: Mary McConneloug is the quintessential mountain biker. She travels around the country with her husband, Michael Broderick, in a ford van which also serves as team bus and a camper trailer which is home. In fact, Mary and Michael are the entire Kenda/Seven team. I'm not talking about just the racers but the TEAM - mechanics, logistics, cooks, EVERYTHING! How freaking cool is that? What is even more special is Mary represented the U.S. at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and again in the 2008 Beijing games. She has also won national titles and made World Cup appearances all without the benefit of massive team/corporate support.

Katherine (Katie) Compton: Simply put, I admire Katie Compton for her uncanny ability to suffer. When it comes to short track and cyclocross, Katie Compton is a runaway train rolling down hill without brakes on greased rails. She attacks from the start and keeps her head down until she finishes or explodes in a ball of fire. She's the legend. It's hard to believe she has asthma and still destroys the competition.




Gary Fisher: Gary Fisher is the father of the 29er movement. Enough said.













Others I admire:

Lance Armstrong: Seven consecutive tour wins and beat cancer.
George Hincapie: America's premier classics rider.
Levi Leipheimer: Founded the animal-welfare group Freedom Hill.
Geoff Kabush: Gotta love the sideburns.
Tinker Juarez: Racing for over 30 years and still going strong.
Heather Irmiger: Marathon champ & SSWC champ.
Todd Wells: Probably the best male U.S. mtb racer.
Catharine Pendrel: Always a threat.
Alison Dunlap: Put U.S. mtb racing on the map.
Major Taylor: A true hero. Raced in the 1800's & constantly battled racism.

This is why I love Portland, Oregon!

Foam machine cyclocross barriers!

'Cross Crusade Madness!

And people who just love to ride!
I LOVE Portland, Oregon!

Best Post Race Interview EVER!

Open letter to Avid/Sram.

Dear Avid/Sram,

Your Elixir CR brakes suck! That's right, they totally blow. You usually make pretty good components, but these things are crap and you should be ashamed for selling them to the public. I bought a pair of your Elixir CR brakes in July of 2009 and they have been the bane of my existence ever since. I can't count the number of rides these things have ruined. The problem is the rear brake fades over a period of about 30 to 40 days until it is useless and the lever touches the handelbar when squeezed. I first thought this was caused by a poor factory bleed, but after having them bled 6 times by 4 different mechanics it became obvious the problem couldn't be solved by simply bleeding the air out of the lines. I'm not the only one having issues with these things either. The Internet if full of post and complaints about the Elixir CR brakes fading, failing, vibrating, and rubbing. Avid must have gotten a ton of complaints because they released a service update online about bleeding the Elixir brakes. You'd think Avid informed all their dealers about this, but who really knows given the obvious lack of quality control. However, this "new method" hasn't solved my problem and I'm tired of dealing with it. I'm done with the Elixir CR brakes and have ordered a pair of Formula R1 brakes as replacements. I also saved myself some weight in the process. Congratulations Avid, you blew it with these things.

Supervisors Vote to help Walkers & Cyclists

12/8/09 - County supervisors vote to help walkers, cyclists
Alyssa Schnugg
Staff Writer

Enjoying a walk or bike ride through the county is about to get safer.

On Monday, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a new law that requires drivers to create a three-foot buffer zone from pedestrians on one-lane roads or to switch to the passing lane on two-lane roads.

As more people walk and bike around Lafayette County, the need for laws granting them protection has also increased.

“It’s a common sense thing I’d like to see the county move forward with,” Lloyd Oliphant, a supervisor and board president, said at the meeting.

The ordinance is being considered by the Oxford Board of Aldermen and will see its second reading on Dec. 15. The county is not required to have public first and second readings of new laws before the supervisors can vote to approve them.

The new law requires all drivers to use care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian, anyone on horseback, any person who is working in or near the road or right-of-way, any person driving a motorcycle or similar vehicle and any person on a bicycle, scooter or farm equipment by moving to another lane when possible or to make sure they move over three feet if traveling on a narrower one-lane street.

Drivers of commercial vehicles will be required to move over six feet. Drivers are allowed to drive to the left side of the center of the roadway to pass the cyclist or pedestrian if passing would normally be permitted on that road.

Motorists caught violating the ordinance could face a fine up to $500 or be sentenced to up to six months in jail.

Tom Lombardo, president of the Oxford Cycling Club, said he appreciates the county passing the new law.

“This ordinance will increase motorist awareness of cyclists and will hopefully encourage others in the community to consider cycling for health and recreation,” Lombardo said. “Along with Mayor (Pat) Patterson’s endorsement of the city ordinance last week, this shows Oxford and Lafayette County leaders share the vision for boosting the sense of community as well as the economic development potential that goes along with cycling-friendly roads.”

Karen Mogridge, executive director of Bike Walk Mississippi and former president of the Oxford Cycling Club, said there’s no room on Mississippi’s roads for the “Mississippi squeeze.”

“It’s better used with the ketchup bottle than on the road,” she said.

Mogridge believes the three-feet ordinance boils down to educating the public on how far is a safe distance to pass bicyclists and pedestrians using a common measure.

“Think — arms-length,” she said. “Currently, the language uses ‘safe distance,’ so moving to three-feet will help define and give common measures that can be used for education and awareness by officials, officers and civic groups like Oxford Cycling. It’s simply alerting drivers that bicyclists and pedestrians need more room and giving them a frame of reference which everyone can understand.”

Other actions

In other business Monday, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors:

— Approved an interlocal agreement with the city of Oxford and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to offer transportation on an “as needed” basis to county residents who are 65 years and older and disabled persons.

RSVP already provides the service to the elderly and disabled within the city limits and will handle the management of the program within the county. RSVP will be applying for a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation that would cover all but $7,000 toward the purchase of two mini-vans. The county would also pay to hire two to three part-time drivers. Details for the program are still being worked out, according to supervisor Mike Pickens.

— Approved spending $2,000 to purchase Alert FM receivers and administrative access that will allow emergency officials to broadcast emergency messages digitally to all county residents and officials. Small receivers can be purchased for $35 by all individuals. Emergency officials can elect which channel to broadcast messages over — whether it’s something to be sent to the general public or law enforcement only. The city of Oxford paid the initial $25,000 to start up the program and is allowing the county to use 20 out of the 100 channels that are available with the system. The receivers are available at Sneed’s Hardware.

— Approved charging the Drug Court $2,000 a month for use of the Lafayette County Courthouse. The Drug Court is reimbursed by the state for any rent expenses, according to the supervisors.

http://oxfordeagle.com/news3.html

Back in the Saddle

I'm back in the saddle to a point. I've unpacked most all of my belongings and am reestablishing a daily routine. Right now, I'm in the process of changing my phone and internet service to my cable company to see how that goes. I hope the package deal will save me a few dollars each month, but that remains to be seen. My big issue is changing my email over and it is more cumbersome then I imagined. I will hopefully be back to "normal" in a few days. Wish me luck.

Interbike 2009, Best 29er of Show

I found this review on mtbr.com about the 29er offerings at the 2009 Interbike in Las Vegas. For the second year in a row, the Moots Mooto-XZ 29er is the best of show. As a proud Moots owner, I wholeheartedly concur and honestly believe the Moots Mooto XZ is the best full suspension 29er on the planet.

My Moots Mooto-XZ 29er

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29er Best of Show - Full Suspension shootout: Ride Impression
Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 PM Posted by: Brian Mullin

I didn’t get to test every full suspension 29er (pretty close though) that was at the dirt demo, but I think I made a pretty decent stab at a bunch of different brands, different suspension systems and obviously some varying geometry designs. I tested the Turner Sultan, the Pivot Mach 429, the Niner RIP9, the Ellsworth Evolve, the Ventana El Rey and finally the Moots Mooto-XZ. I had even tried the Turner Sultan a second time to get some more seat time with the bike. My butt was sore and my legs were beat from all those rides in the hot sunny weather.

It was nice to be able to do so many bikes in a short period so the brain was fresh with each bike ride. Cross comparisons were much easier. None of the bikes did it all. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, some more glaring than others. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but no bike will ever be perfect.

I had to go by seat of the pants and gut instinct on each of the bikes and the bike winner had to be well engineered, have a certain feel, the suspension and steering must work properly and in synchronicity, the geometry needs to feel right and work with the rest of the bikes system, and it must have some fun and some personality. Yes, I came up with a Fun factor, call it what you will, but if I find myself humming and sort of singing to myself and not paying attention to the ride that is a big factor to me. Perhaps a “bike personality” might be the wrong word usage but one of the definitions of personality is “something apprehended as reflective of or analogous to a distinctive human personality”. People give their cars personality! The bikes also had to deal with the very rocky and abusive conditions of the Bootleg terrain. If anything about the bike characteristics sounds interesting then take a bike for a test ride. Refer to my more in depth reviews from this year show of the Turner, Pivot, Niner and Ventana for further information. Here are my mini impressions:

Turner Sultan - nice new design with tons of travel, did it all extremely well, neutral and compliant.
Pivot Mach 429 - Fun, a great bike that did most things fine, but it sure was a blast to ride.
Niner RIP9 - great design and very well rounded bike but a bit boring, kind of lacking in personality.
Ellsworth Evolve -  to X Country for my tastes, harsh ride in the Bootleg terrain.
Ventana El Rey -  a spirited sprinter, this bike likes to be stomped on, would be a great race bike
Moots Mooto-XZ -  what can I say, a well designed and engineered bike that does it all well, and it’s Ti. Therefore, the winner for my “Best of Show”…drum roll please…The Moots Mooto-XZ for a second year in a row!

The Moots Mooto-XZ railed down the trails, went right where you pointed it, didn’t get tossed around by much of anything, climbed like a demon, had a stout and solid rear end, had incredible steering and what really set it apart was the Titanium. It added a tad of softness and pseudo suspension to the bike without the usual suspension wallow, the words silky ride is what always comes to my mind. Congrats Moots you still have a winner.

As a consolation prize I elect the Pivot Mach 429. It was not the best bike out there but who cares since it was just to darn much fun to ride.

The World's Ugliest Bike

Delta 7 Arantix mountain bike

This is the Delta 7 Anthrax. I'm sure it's lightweight and climbs like a rocket, but I'm not flossing my frame after a dirty trail ride. Besides, this thing looks like something Spider-Man would ride. It is also stupid expensive at $7000 just for the frame. I’ll take a pass and use that $7000 for buy two more bikes.

Road Bike version.

A broken Delta 7 Arantix top tube and down tube, but to be fair, this looks more like an adhesive failure than a carbon failure.

I gotta get me one of these.

This caught my eye as I rode through the Square today when coming back from the mountain bike trails. I don't know what this is, but it definitely sticks out in a crowd.

Racer Wins Road Race - on a Mountain Bike

Here's a cool story I found on bikemagic.com.

Whyte racer wins road race - on a mountain bike
By Mike Davis
It's hard to beat a road bike on the road. Generally the best you can hope for is to grab a wheel and then time your attack so that you can pull off into a side road and hide before your lungs fall into the gutter. But Whyte-sponsored Luke Smith has managed the reasonably impressive achievement of winning a 75km road race on a mountain bike.

Having travelled to South Africa with just a Whyte 19 (and some clean pants and socks and stuff, obviously. And probably a toothbrush too), Luke had been doing a fair amount of training on the road. That's one thing, actually racing on blacktop is another. We're not quite sure how it happened, but Luke ended up on the start line in Gabarone, sat on his knobbly-shod 19 next to a load of skinny blokes on carbon road bikes with deep-section rims and all that stuff.

Over to Luke:

"The race started off a fairly decent pace with everyone keen to establish a good spot near the front of the peloton. I managed to work my way up front without too much difficulty, much to the surprise of many competitors as I rode past, my big knobbly tyres buzzing as the pace was wound up.

"The route was a fairly straightforward out and back circuit with a few corners near the finish. The wind was on our back as we headed out on the circuit which meant we would face some fairly strong winds at the turn.

"There were a couple of guys whom some friends of mine had told me to watch, one of them is apparently a pro roadie in South Africa. It was no surprise that it was these guys that made most of the attacks. What was surprising was the fact that I was able to go with them! Each time, though, we were pulled back by the main group.

"As the race neared the finish some of the riders made a last ditch effort at getting away but it was destined to come down to a sprint finish - however the guys trying to get away had done a pretty good job at stretching the field out. I managed to constantly hold second wheel behind the lead rider with the pro road rider sat closely on my wheel.

"As we hit the finishing straight I launched my attack and as I glanced back I realised I'd gapped the others. I even had enough time to make the most of the win and celebrate in style.

"The crowd and other riders were shocked that an MTB had won a road race. When they later asked what was the secret I replied, 'Whyte - Great British Mountain Bikes, they can't be beaten!' Too be honest, though, I'd really surprised myself.

Hopefully I can keep some of this form for my imminent return to the UK..."

What does this tell us about the relative merits of MTB and road bikes? Not a lot, really. We can safely conclude that Luke Smith's a pretty strong rider, though - if you want to emulate his feat we suggest that you pick your opponents with care...

Weight-Weenie Bike Lust

I love my Mavic Crossmax wheels. They are lightweight and completely bomb proof. These things have hit some seriously nasty stuff and kept rolling like a stolen truck. My Shimano XTR crank isn't shabby either. However, I’m a weight-weenie and am prone to love anything that sheds grams.

I recently stumbled upon two items that have my gram shedding heart all a flutter - the Stan’s ZTR Race wheels hovering somewhere near 1300 grams and the Race Face Next carbon crank at a slender 730 grams.



All I need to do now is win the lottery.

First Impressions: Avid Elixir-CR Brakes

After experiencing persistent problems with sticky pistons and the levers not returning properly on my Magura Marta SL brakes, I decided to give the new Avid Elixir-CR brakes a shot. These brakes came highly recommended by Steve at the local shop.

The first thing I noticed about the Elixir brakes is the smooth lever action, especially when compared to my old Magura brakes. There is an even and consistent feel through out the lever travel, which was lacking in the Magura stoppers. Another noticeable difference is the tool-free adjustment feature of the Elixir brakes. Reach adjustment is controlled by a black dial at the base of the lever and pad contact is controlled via a red barrel adjuster where the line runs into the lever. A key selling point here is the independent nature of each adjustment feature. Adjusting lever reach, for example, will not affect how the pads feel in contacting the rotor, so you can literally tailor the feel of your brakes to the trail conditions. Speaking of brake pads, the most noticeable difference between the Elixir-CR brakes and my old brakes is the absence of brake squeal. The Elixir-CR pads and 185 rotors are simply dead silent. There was none of the usual metallic grinding sound or the high-pitched squeal so common in mountain bike brakes.

Congratulations Debbie!

As posted on USA Cycling:

The largest race of the day, the 40-44 women, turned into a slugfest between two powerhouse riders. Mid-way through the 35-mile event Susannah Gordon (Parker, Colo/Colorado Bike Law) and Debbie Milne (Belden, Miss./Absolut Racing) laid claim on the medal stand. It was Milne however, who began training just a few years ago by pulling her kids in a trailer behind her bike, who was able to break away inside the final two laps and ride into the Stars-and-Stripes. Gordon sprinted to the silver nearly 10 seconds later.