Also were still on the original gopro, check that shit out.
eurekagopro1219 0001 from Camden Bos on Vimeo.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Dirt Jumps
Yours truly Team Dumped happen to have some sweet dirt jumps. Check out a quick gopro from a day of digging, taking a break and riding the little line. Jazzy Jeff brings it home on this one. Come have some fun with us.
Also were still on the original gopro, check that shit out.
Also were still on the original gopro, check that shit out.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Try again.
Paul hub shell.
Industry 9 freehub body.
$426.
It's like somebody took a typewriter and plugged a shitty,shiny computer into it.Basic and old meets new and over complicated.All at twice the price of a Hope Pro 2.
Good luck,Paul.
Goooooood luck.
-TEAM DUMPED!
Friday, December 14, 2012
You're outta your element.
So roughly 3 weeks ago I got the idea in my head that I would like to indulge in racing a bit of cyclocross.I tossed the idea out to a select few others,and a plan was formed.We got the date nailed down,decided everyone would show up on a mountain bike,and just give it hell.We were damn sure of ourselves,knowing that our background of various sorts of riding and racing should have a bunch of dorks on road bikes riding in the mud covered.Plus,we were racing C class...nobody's gonna be a specimen of fitness in C class,right?Fuckin'-A were we in for a rude awakening.
So join me,if you will,for a personal account of TEAM DUMPED!'s first stab at a cross race from Wednesday,12/12/12.
4:45pm-Blast out the front doors at work and get into my car.I've got no money in my pocket and 15 minutes untill reg opens.Hammer over to the bank,hit the quick cash button on the ATM and make my way down to the Rodeo Grounds.
5:02pm-Make the scene and pull up next to Cam's truck.Garry T,Cam,and Cody have all been there since 4:30 and have already ridden a practice lap.Garry's on his dirtjump bike with the seatpost pulled up to the maximum height mark and a pair of SPD's slapped on,Cody nabbed a size small rental Camber 29 from work and is wearing shorts,a t-shirt,and a full cut Pro-Tec,despited it being in the low 50's with a chance for drizzle.Cam's seated aboard a clapped Diamondback X-link from the fucking turn of the Millenium with a skate helmet and goggles on.I ask them where reg is,fill out my waiver,hand over $25,and the only thing the girl who's running reg says to me is "There's a alot of you team dumped guys tonight.".Hurry back to my car so I can throw on a base layer,a flannel,some jeans,and a pair of near gripless Emericas,shoddily pin my number to somewhere on my back and raise the post of my Tazer like 2 inches,so atleast I can sit down kind of.At this point the race starts in about 10 minutes,no time for a practice lap.I'm going in blind.
5:30pm-The whistle blows and we're off.TEAM DUMPED! pulls a four man holeshot all the way through the first two straights,that is untill we hit the one and only hill on the course.I don't see it comming and pretty much try to grunt it out in something like 7th gear on my 36 tooth,11-25 set up.Pretty much everyone blows my doors off.Make it to the top with my knees all sorts of pissed off,spin across the parking lot and hit dirt.First stretch of dirt opens up with a greasy right handed flat corner into a series of soul sucking wet grass switchbacks,which if those wern't enough,a sand section was thrown half way in just to attempt to suck your liver out even more so.Got out of that mess and saw the trail pointed down,opened 'er up and made my way down the somewhat well lit but fucking snotty section that led us down into the woods.Multiple sections of off camber,wayyyy to tight of turns,a couple of barriers,and one hell of a muddy shithole make up a majority of the woods.I spin out in the mudhole and almost lose my shoe in it,clumsily make my way over the barriers,and almost go straight over the bars in a surprisingly deep G-out.A couple more pedal sections and some meandering turns and i'm back on the pavement.Lap one in the books.
Lap 2-I kind of catch my breath on the pavement,actaully pick the right gear to get up the hill in and sort of know where i'm going and what the course is like.I throw some roost here and there,make it through said shithole and actually start to see people again.At this point,i'm actually having fun.Every corner is greasy and causes some sort of drift to a varying degree.I'm feeling alright.According to the timing sheet I saw after the race this was also my quickest lap of the night.
Lap 3-Pretty much the same as lap 2.Still having fun,made my way around a couple of people and continue banging corners and hanging some feet off.Co-worker/homeboy/fit son of a bitch,Aaron,is behind me casually spinning along forcing me to keep going.
Lap 4-Now it sets in.My hands are numb from the cold,the band-aid that is keeping my previously sliced open at work pinky finger together is stuck to my grip,i've got mud in my eyes,my knees feel like they're going to explode,and my bike weighs an extra 10 pounds courtesy of all the mud stuck to it.There's no way my knees are letting me make it up that hill again,so I get off and shuffle my way up the short,but steep little bastard.Re-mount and hit dirt again.The switchbacky wet grass part nearly kills me,I spin out yet again in the shithole,and walk over the barriers.I make it onto the pavement doing a solid 2 mph,barely keeping myself upright.It's right then and there I see the lap board go from 2 left,to 1 more to go.
Lap 5-I make it up the hill for the last time,all the way through the woods cleanly,albeit slowly,and back onto the pavement.I feel pretty alright again,snag a couple of clicks on my shifter and give it a full-tilt sprint to the finish.
We all finish,we're all happy,and we all had a shitload of fun.We hit the tent greeted by a "So how'd the downhiller group end up?"said by the race organizer,checked the instant results and TEAM DUMPED! ended up...
Garry T-4th.
Cam-7th.
Me-11th.
Cody-12th.
I think I beat a couple of under 14's,and maybe one or two 45+ guys,but all I know is I didn't end up last.That's pretty much all I wanted out of the night.So there you have it.A story of a group of lazy fucks who mainly ride in the form of gravity assisted going out and taking a whack at some shit roadies came up with so they had something to do in the offseason.Will we be back next week?It's up in the air,and spending $20 to get your dick pushed in is pretty steep.I can tell you forsure that,in this exact moment in time atleast, next year i'll be lined up at hopefully every race on a purpose built machine ready to get the shit kicked out of me while I have some fun.
So join me,if you will,for a personal account of TEAM DUMPED!'s first stab at a cross race from Wednesday,12/12/12.
4:45pm-Blast out the front doors at work and get into my car.I've got no money in my pocket and 15 minutes untill reg opens.Hammer over to the bank,hit the quick cash button on the ATM and make my way down to the Rodeo Grounds.
5:02pm-Make the scene and pull up next to Cam's truck.Garry T,Cam,and Cody have all been there since 4:30 and have already ridden a practice lap.Garry's on his dirtjump bike with the seatpost pulled up to the maximum height mark and a pair of SPD's slapped on,Cody nabbed a size small rental Camber 29 from work and is wearing shorts,a t-shirt,and a full cut Pro-Tec,despited it being in the low 50's with a chance for drizzle.Cam's seated aboard a clapped Diamondback X-link from the fucking turn of the Millenium with a skate helmet and goggles on.I ask them where reg is,fill out my waiver,hand over $25,and the only thing the girl who's running reg says to me is "There's a alot of you team dumped guys tonight.".Hurry back to my car so I can throw on a base layer,a flannel,some jeans,and a pair of near gripless Emericas,shoddily pin my number to somewhere on my back and raise the post of my Tazer like 2 inches,so atleast I can sit down kind of.At this point the race starts in about 10 minutes,no time for a practice lap.I'm going in blind.
5:30pm-The whistle blows and we're off.TEAM DUMPED! pulls a four man holeshot all the way through the first two straights,that is untill we hit the one and only hill on the course.I don't see it comming and pretty much try to grunt it out in something like 7th gear on my 36 tooth,11-25 set up.Pretty much everyone blows my doors off.Make it to the top with my knees all sorts of pissed off,spin across the parking lot and hit dirt.First stretch of dirt opens up with a greasy right handed flat corner into a series of soul sucking wet grass switchbacks,which if those wern't enough,a sand section was thrown half way in just to attempt to suck your liver out even more so.Got out of that mess and saw the trail pointed down,opened 'er up and made my way down the somewhat well lit but fucking snotty section that led us down into the woods.Multiple sections of off camber,wayyyy to tight of turns,a couple of barriers,and one hell of a muddy shithole make up a majority of the woods.I spin out in the mudhole and almost lose my shoe in it,clumsily make my way over the barriers,and almost go straight over the bars in a surprisingly deep G-out.A couple more pedal sections and some meandering turns and i'm back on the pavement.Lap one in the books.
Lap 2-I kind of catch my breath on the pavement,actaully pick the right gear to get up the hill in and sort of know where i'm going and what the course is like.I throw some roost here and there,make it through said shithole and actually start to see people again.At this point,i'm actually having fun.Every corner is greasy and causes some sort of drift to a varying degree.I'm feeling alright.According to the timing sheet I saw after the race this was also my quickest lap of the night.
Lap 3-Pretty much the same as lap 2.Still having fun,made my way around a couple of people and continue banging corners and hanging some feet off.Co-worker/homeboy/fit son of a bitch,Aaron,is behind me casually spinning along forcing me to keep going.
Lap 4-Now it sets in.My hands are numb from the cold,the band-aid that is keeping my previously sliced open at work pinky finger together is stuck to my grip,i've got mud in my eyes,my knees feel like they're going to explode,and my bike weighs an extra 10 pounds courtesy of all the mud stuck to it.There's no way my knees are letting me make it up that hill again,so I get off and shuffle my way up the short,but steep little bastard.Re-mount and hit dirt again.The switchbacky wet grass part nearly kills me,I spin out yet again in the shithole,and walk over the barriers.I make it onto the pavement doing a solid 2 mph,barely keeping myself upright.It's right then and there I see the lap board go from 2 left,to 1 more to go.
Lap 5-I make it up the hill for the last time,all the way through the woods cleanly,albeit slowly,and back onto the pavement.I feel pretty alright again,snag a couple of clicks on my shifter and give it a full-tilt sprint to the finish.
We all finish,we're all happy,and we all had a shitload of fun.We hit the tent greeted by a "So how'd the downhiller group end up?"said by the race organizer,checked the instant results and TEAM DUMPED! ended up...
Garry T-4th.
Cam-7th.
Me-11th.
Cody-12th.
I think I beat a couple of under 14's,and maybe one or two 45+ guys,but all I know is I didn't end up last.That's pretty much all I wanted out of the night.So there you have it.A story of a group of lazy fucks who mainly ride in the form of gravity assisted going out and taking a whack at some shit roadies came up with so they had something to do in the offseason.Will we be back next week?It's up in the air,and spending $20 to get your dick pushed in is pretty steep.I can tell you forsure that,in this exact moment in time atleast, next year i'll be lined up at hopefully every race on a purpose built machine ready to get the shit kicked out of me while I have some fun.
-TEAM DUMPED!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The argument for long travel bikes.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/The-Argument-For-Short-Travel-Bikes-Opinion-2012.html
Read that before you read this.
Once again PinkBike goes out on a limb and tries to be edgy by writing opinion articles,here at TEAM DUMPED! we have a little feature of our own we go to from time to time,and it's called "What we think of the shit in this article."So join us,won't you?
Talent vs. Travel-
Now i'm gonna somewhat agree with Mr. Levy here.I do believe that most folks should start out on a rather basic bike,but starting out on a hardtail won't necessarily make you a fucking awesome rider on a full suspension bike.Jumping headfirst into a downhill bike isn't the key to making you a shitty rider,either.You could just outright suck on any bike.I've seen plenty of people who think they can just plow through any section on a trail soley based off of how much money they spent on their bike.That's just today's cyclists for you.It's 98% bike,2% rider.You can suck on a $500 hardtail,you can suck on a $6,000 hardtail,and you can suck on a $10,000 downhill bike.
You're not a pro-
Yeah,i'm not a pro,but that doesn't mean I don't want nice shit.That lawyer over there isn't Michael Schumacher but he drives a fucking Ferrari.I'm not Aaron Gwin,so I can't have 8'' of Kashima covered suspesnion all held together with carbon and shiny alumnium?Spending $600 a month to have some washed up ex-weight lifter who occasionaly throws a leg over his Trek road bike from 2002 e-mail me pages out of Men's Health is a better way to make me faster than taking that money and putting it towards a fucking sweet bike and a season pass?I think not.I'm not even going to touch the idea of buying Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes's book.I'm a pudgy Cat.2 who works on bikes all day and i'm pretty sure I can put the screws to Mr.McCormack and his 29er on my downhill bike on any given day.
Sorry,your trails aren't that burly-
You know what,Mike,you're right.They aren't.But you know what makes me ride faster?Confidance in myself,and you know what makes me confidant in myself?A slack ass headangle,a low ass BB,and a combined total of 16'' of coil sprung Watsonville goodness.Let me throw you knee deep into some regular ass trails on a 1996 Ground Control and you tell me you're comfortable.
Why short travel?-
You say none of us ride because we like going fast?You sir,are fucked if you believe that.I'd wager a dollar and say that most people are far more afraid of picking their way down a near trials level section of trail than they are cruising their way down a meandering set of Daytona berms.Speed is fun.That's why there's bicycle races.That "rear end breaking loose" and "pulling G's through berms" doesn't happen if you're going 7.It happens if you're hauling ass.I'm not out there to make memories with my bro's by doing manuals in front of the sunset and high five after we all clear that double.I'm out there to throw some roost,skip through some rocks and probably get in over my head a couple of times.Once again we come to this,what makes you haul ass?Being comfortable.And what makes you more comfortable?Slack and squish.
Skill not suspension-
I don't want to have a conversation with the trail.I want to find out where it lives,beat the shit out of it,than light it's front yard on fire.Aren't you fuckers always preaching that 29er's provide a more stable and forgiving ride and now you're trying to convince me that I want to get a hardtail and "hone" my skills out on the trails?It's not about skill,it's about that fact that you're simply too old to enjoy riding a downhill bike anymore.You want and need calmer terrain,less money spent,and more time to "bro out".Look,I made a graph to illustrate
Read that before you read this.
Once again PinkBike goes out on a limb and tries to be edgy by writing opinion articles,here at TEAM DUMPED! we have a little feature of our own we go to from time to time,and it's called "What we think of the shit in this article."So join us,won't you?
Talent vs. Travel-
Now i'm gonna somewhat agree with Mr. Levy here.I do believe that most folks should start out on a rather basic bike,but starting out on a hardtail won't necessarily make you a fucking awesome rider on a full suspension bike.Jumping headfirst into a downhill bike isn't the key to making you a shitty rider,either.You could just outright suck on any bike.I've seen plenty of people who think they can just plow through any section on a trail soley based off of how much money they spent on their bike.That's just today's cyclists for you.It's 98% bike,2% rider.You can suck on a $500 hardtail,you can suck on a $6,000 hardtail,and you can suck on a $10,000 downhill bike.
You're not a pro-
Yeah,i'm not a pro,but that doesn't mean I don't want nice shit.That lawyer over there isn't Michael Schumacher but he drives a fucking Ferrari.I'm not Aaron Gwin,so I can't have 8'' of Kashima covered suspesnion all held together with carbon and shiny alumnium?Spending $600 a month to have some washed up ex-weight lifter who occasionaly throws a leg over his Trek road bike from 2002 e-mail me pages out of Men's Health is a better way to make me faster than taking that money and putting it towards a fucking sweet bike and a season pass?I think not.I'm not even going to touch the idea of buying Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes's book.I'm a pudgy Cat.2 who works on bikes all day and i'm pretty sure I can put the screws to Mr.McCormack and his 29er on my downhill bike on any given day.
Sorry,your trails aren't that burly-
You know what,Mike,you're right.They aren't.But you know what makes me ride faster?Confidance in myself,and you know what makes me confidant in myself?A slack ass headangle,a low ass BB,and a combined total of 16'' of coil sprung Watsonville goodness.Let me throw you knee deep into some regular ass trails on a 1996 Ground Control and you tell me you're comfortable.
Why short travel?-
You say none of us ride because we like going fast?You sir,are fucked if you believe that.I'd wager a dollar and say that most people are far more afraid of picking their way down a near trials level section of trail than they are cruising their way down a meandering set of Daytona berms.Speed is fun.That's why there's bicycle races.That "rear end breaking loose" and "pulling G's through berms" doesn't happen if you're going 7.It happens if you're hauling ass.I'm not out there to make memories with my bro's by doing manuals in front of the sunset and high five after we all clear that double.I'm out there to throw some roost,skip through some rocks and probably get in over my head a couple of times.Once again we come to this,what makes you haul ass?Being comfortable.And what makes you more comfortable?Slack and squish.
Skill not suspension-
I don't want to have a conversation with the trail.I want to find out where it lives,beat the shit out of it,than light it's front yard on fire.Aren't you fuckers always preaching that 29er's provide a more stable and forgiving ride and now you're trying to convince me that I want to get a hardtail and "hone" my skills out on the trails?It's not about skill,it's about that fact that you're simply too old to enjoy riding a downhill bike anymore.You want and need calmer terrain,less money spent,and more time to "bro out".Look,I made a graph to illustrate
Don't force feed me your flavor of the week.I don't want to exclusively ride what the bike companies are selling the most of,which in turn makes it the hottest shit this week,because the hottest shit the week before last was 29er's,last week's hot shit was 650b,and this weeks hot shit anything that isn't DH bikes.Good riddance,I say.Less people on my trails and less people in line for the lift.
All of this was brought to you in part by Mike Levy and PinkBike.
 |
| 2 finger rear brake smash,29'',freeride flick! |
Sunday, November 25, 2012
From the makers of DVO...
SR Suntour presents,
It's like an on the fly angleset...hit a bump,headangle slackens.
TEAM DUMPED! might have to revise our prototype fork after seeing this.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
TEAM DUMPED! Presents...
How to take a picture of your bike for the internet.
Step 1-Clean the fucking shit out of your bike.Use atleast 2 full cans of Motul Shine-N-Go.Make it look like it's never seen dirt.People fucking love seeing clean ass bikes.
Step 2-Prop that shit up in a good spot.Preferably lean it up on your surround sound speakers,which are right next to your good sized flat screen,which sits above your PS3.
Step 3-Make sure there's a bike movie playing on the TV.Not a shitty old moive either,like Earthed 2,go for Follow Me,Where the Trail Ends,or whatever the Collective's latest offering is.
Step 4-Scatter some bike parts around in the picture so people can see the you hella like bikes and ride all the time and shit.
Step 1-Clean the fucking shit out of your bike.Use atleast 2 full cans of Motul Shine-N-Go.Make it look like it's never seen dirt.People fucking love seeing clean ass bikes.
Step 2-Prop that shit up in a good spot.Preferably lean it up on your surround sound speakers,which are right next to your good sized flat screen,which sits above your PS3.
Step 3-Make sure there's a bike movie playing on the TV.Not a shitty old moive either,like Earthed 2,go for Follow Me,Where the Trail Ends,or whatever the Collective's latest offering is.
Step 4-Scatter some bike parts around in the picture so people can see the you hella like bikes and ride all the time and shit.
POD FO' SHO.
NSMB.
"Hey bro,I found this sick zone with some danky brown pow,we should go shred it and i'll get some straight steeze goin' for the lens,bro.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Throwback.
Reasons I like this picture...
Downhill bikes.
Hucking shit.
Sharples casing THE FUCK out of this jump.
Full factory kits.
Sharple's Trek has a fender and like 6 top tubes.Also I think those are Kujo tires.
Mike King about to get steezy in the background.You know he fucking did too,it's Mike King.
Developed,part 2.
Well fuck me,it actually happened.
The fork I was just talking shit about a few days ago,in the flesh,all built up,and pretty much ready for production.So,without further adieu,follow me as I run down a list of the first things that popped into my brain when I saw this "game changer".
1.GREEN? Holy fuck,looks like you quickly sourced an anodizer DVO.They did mention they will have "other" colors,but not a good way to make a first impression.Should of left that shit raw.
2.So that's the stiffness torsion arch?You took the lowers from a Magura fork and bolted them onto the drop outs of yours?Should be hella stiff with those two 4mm bolts holding that thing on.
3.Tapered steer tube,is it needed on a big ass dual crown fork?I don't think so,but DVO does.It should really make those lower legs feel nice and flexy.
4.No pinch bolts,but a highly complicated collet tightening system for the crowns.Also requires a proprietary tool to tighten them down.Exactly what I want,more special one-off shit on my DH bike.Thank god it might not make it to production.
5.Powdercoated white crowns and dropouts,no.Just no.
Oh,and just so you know TEAM DUMPED! is making progress on our new fork.
We're trying to line up Stratos to make the internals for us.
Hoping to hit the market by like,2016.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
TEAM DUMPED! Presents...
How to build up a bike.
Step 1.
Buy a hardtail frame,no not a slalom frame.Not an XC frame.Pick up some fucked geometry freeride hardtail frame from a German company that has one big ass toptube as roughly half of the frame.
Step 2.
Pick yourself up a Monster T.Look really hard for the late model ones that weighed 14 pounds and had like 8'' of extra fork leg sticking out below the axle.Skip out on buying the older ones that were 8 pounds,worked amazing,and felt fucking good.
Step 3.
24'' wheels.A must have.
Step 4.
Keep this thing versatile.You want the ability to go uphill and downhill.Oh fuck,how are you gonna shift?How's your chain gonna stay on?Answer?...Hammerschmidt.
Step 5.
Go to the local shop and pick up some pedals they took off of their rental bikes.Cheap,metal,and hella grip.While you're there ask if they have any rear reflectors,because the last thing you want is to get hit by a car after hucking that 12 stair to flat.
AND VOILA!
Step 1.
Buy a hardtail frame,no not a slalom frame.Not an XC frame.Pick up some fucked geometry freeride hardtail frame from a German company that has one big ass toptube as roughly half of the frame.
Step 2.
Pick yourself up a Monster T.Look really hard for the late model ones that weighed 14 pounds and had like 8'' of extra fork leg sticking out below the axle.Skip out on buying the older ones that were 8 pounds,worked amazing,and felt fucking good.
Step 3.
24'' wheels.A must have.
Step 4.
Keep this thing versatile.You want the ability to go uphill and downhill.Oh fuck,how are you gonna shift?How's your chain gonna stay on?Answer?...Hammerschmidt.
Step 5.
Go to the local shop and pick up some pedals they took off of their rental bikes.Cheap,metal,and hella grip.While you're there ask if they have any rear reflectors,because the last thing you want is to get hit by a car after hucking that 12 stair to flat.
AND VOILA!
You've got yourself one baaaaaaaad motherfucker.
Developed.
That right there is the first few actual production parts of the hype machine that is currently known as the DVO Emerald.What do we know about the Emerald?We know that it's inverted,made by SR Suntour,uses some fancy pants orifice damper,and has some sort of carbon stiffness arch thingy that they won't show us.Also,apparently,using pinch bolts on your crowns is out.The fuck?We also know that there's a high probablity that it will suck.Why? For one it's inverted.Fox tried an inverted fork and said it wasn't worth the time or energey,also look at who currently makes inverted forks.Manitou and White Brothers,not really leading edge suspension companies right there.Reason number two,they're a start up company.Sure,they have a background in suspension but fuckin-a' they're diving in head first to a pool filled with bad-ass shit made by a little company out of Watsonville.And the third reason,SR Suntour.Need I say anymore?
So if TEAM DUMPED! could kickstart the hype machine,just like DVO,and fire out a leading edge DH race worthy suspesnion fork,what would it look like?Here's how we would do it...
1.-We'd go traditional,not inverted.
2.-38mm stanchions.Some people say 40mm is too stiff,some people say 35mm is too flexy.Right down the middle we go.
3.-Coat said stanchions in whatever greenish/blue crap that the Pro Circuit boys use on Villipoto's fork.
4.-SKF seals.
5.-Cartridge damper,with a whole fuck load of bath oil.50cc's minimum in each leg.
6.-One 4mm pinch bolt per leg,Fox 36 style tool free little flippy lever axle.No more wallowed out axles.
7.-Carbon crowns.Stiff as fuck and light as fuck.
At this point TEAM DUMPED! is pretty much on the same level as DVO as a suspension company.All we need are some CAD drawings,stickers,and a fulyl wrapped race van and we'd be made in the shade.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The odd duck.
You know how sometimes you're driving through a place you've never been and you see something,and this something just doesn't seem to fit in?It doesn't really jive with the landscape and makes you go,"Oh,what in the fuck is THAT doing there?"Lately,i've caught myself saying this more often than not.Not in reference to cities or landscapes,but in reguards to some people's downhill bike set ups.
Example#1.
Example#1.
Let's take a frame,one that is considered to be a full on race machine,deck it out in all the latest and greatest,including E13 cranks and a Vivid air,but let's not add the icing on the cake just yet.We don't want a super buttery 888,a lightweight Boxxer,or the pinnacle of all DH forks,a 40 up front.No,no.We're gonna go with a Fox Van 180.Because you know what screams "RACE!" a fucking single crown.This ain't the Rampage,chief.Get your silly ass a dual crown.
Example#2.
Shiny white 951 with a shiny white 40.Oh shit,is that a Double Barrel with a Ti spring?And is tha...is that a Hammerschmidt.By golly it is.You know what one of the requirements of my DH bike is?Pedalablity,because I fucking love nothing more than slogging around 42 pounds of alumnium,while a combined total of 16'' of travel and 6 pounds worth of super slow rolling and sticky rubber suck up every bit of effort I put out.
Example#3.
Sweet ass gearbox frame,check.$2000 Dorado up front,check.Dual Wet Screams,check.KS suicide-shifter-style set up dropper post,che...the fuck?Gearbox bikes must pedal like a son of a bitch,because pedaling a 8'' travel bike,up any sort of incline,while in the same riding position as an Electra Townie is one hell of a feat,but this motherfucker must be able to do it.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Damn them
So it's no secret we here at Team Dumped enjoy ourselves a good ol' fashion hardtail. You know, long, kinda low, 100mm fork, some comfy ass bars and go shred it out. I personally have never gotten down with the long travel hardtail thing, and i am still very skeptical of its purpose. Once you blow through all that travel your bike rides like a crap pile, for example when cornering ... need i say more? So Santa Cruz bringing the Chameleon back gives me mixed feelings.
This video is why these feelings are coming about, otherwise i would have probably just looked the other way. Damn you marketing people you are doing your job.
Steve Peat & Josh Bryceland Thrash The New Santa Cruz Chameleon from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.
So it kinda makes me want to get one of these frames, put all my dirtjumper parts on it and jack my fork up ... I somehow know its a stupid idea though. Wait though a 1x10 would be fun ... no stop it.
So Santa Cruz this bike has tricked me, tricked me into thinking it could be more fun and useful than the bike i have now. I don't like tricks.
This video is why these feelings are coming about, otherwise i would have probably just looked the other way. Damn you marketing people you are doing your job.
Steve Peat & Josh Bryceland Thrash The New Santa Cruz Chameleon from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.
So it kinda makes me want to get one of these frames, put all my dirtjumper parts on it and jack my fork up ... I somehow know its a stupid idea though. Wait though a 1x10 would be fun ... no stop it.
So Santa Cruz this bike has tricked me, tricked me into thinking it could be more fun and useful than the bike i have now. I don't like tricks.
Monday, October 22, 2012
We're back
We are back, with a gopro. So let's have some fun and ride some bikes. Team Dumped and Friend(s) (Cody). So give us some time but these should get good.
P.S. If you don't like the jams, you're out.
bpgopro1 from Camden Bos on Vimeo.
P.S. If you don't like the jams, you're out.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Klunkin'.
Fixed gears.
Stripped down,all soul.Just you,the road,and a zen like feeling.
Or atleast that's what any fuckstick on a hodgepodged,bubblegum welded,Sears special from the mid 80's will tell you.They spread like wildfire through the world of "biking",as a fixed gear enthuiest would call it,and have become the bastard little brother to the road bike.
Now there's a new threat,a fixed gear style threat,to my little world of downhill bikes.
Enter the Klunker.
Take a shitty old heavy duty "workman" style bike.Add vintage Renthal moto handle bars,repack that old Bendix coaster hub with some fresh grease,and throw on a set of supertacky,$180,Maxxis DH tires and go shred your favotire old haunts in a whole new way.Not on my fucking watch,you won't.All I need while out slaving away with shovel in hand is two ex-29er proponents wildly skidding down my trails on coaster brake only clappers because it's the newest and fucking best thing to hit mountain bikes since the Rock Shox RS-1."Oh,but it makes the same old trails you ride all the time sooooo new and different."You know what else does that?Getting off your lazy ass and building a trail somewhere,instead of riding someones else's creation on 17 different bike set-ups.You want to know what else makes riding the same trail different?Trying to make it through that corner faster,figuring out a better way through those rocks,and taking that sketchy high line on that off camber part.You don't need a fully ridgid beach cruiser,you need better skills on the bike.
The worst part of all this,I lost all respect for a company that produce one of the best riding downhill bikes i've ever thrown a leg over.Thanks for throwing this shit trend into first gear Transition.I present to you,the $550,production run,Klunker.
Stripped down,all soul.Just you,the road,and a zen like feeling.
Or atleast that's what any fuckstick on a hodgepodged,bubblegum welded,Sears special from the mid 80's will tell you.They spread like wildfire through the world of "biking",as a fixed gear enthuiest would call it,and have become the bastard little brother to the road bike.
Now there's a new threat,a fixed gear style threat,to my little world of downhill bikes.
Enter the Klunker.
Take a shitty old heavy duty "workman" style bike.Add vintage Renthal moto handle bars,repack that old Bendix coaster hub with some fresh grease,and throw on a set of supertacky,$180,Maxxis DH tires and go shred your favotire old haunts in a whole new way.Not on my fucking watch,you won't.All I need while out slaving away with shovel in hand is two ex-29er proponents wildly skidding down my trails on coaster brake only clappers because it's the newest and fucking best thing to hit mountain bikes since the Rock Shox RS-1."Oh,but it makes the same old trails you ride all the time sooooo new and different."You know what else does that?Getting off your lazy ass and building a trail somewhere,instead of riding someones else's creation on 17 different bike set-ups.You want to know what else makes riding the same trail different?Trying to make it through that corner faster,figuring out a better way through those rocks,and taking that sketchy high line on that off camber part.You don't need a fully ridgid beach cruiser,you need better skills on the bike.
The worst part of all this,I lost all respect for a company that produce one of the best riding downhill bikes i've ever thrown a leg over.Thanks for throwing this shit trend into first gear Transition.I present to you,the $550,production run,Klunker.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Bikerumor.
"Fit is subjective, but I found the helmet was very comfortable. It was compatible with a wide variety of goggles, but did not play well with my prescription lenses or sunglasses."
That right there would be a quote from a review of the Specialized Dissident helmet on Bikerumor.
Fucking really?You would even mention how sunglasses fit in the review of a $350 carbon full face?
Here's a picture of said quotee and Gravity&MTB reviewer/writer for Bikerumor.
That right there would be a quote from a review of the Specialized Dissident helmet on Bikerumor.
Fucking really?You would even mention how sunglasses fit in the review of a $350 carbon full face?
Here's a picture of said quotee and Gravity&MTB reviewer/writer for Bikerumor.
Bikerumor.
On the fucking pulse of DH racing.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
More Proof ...
Warning: Contains shittily made youtube video (totally fucking worth it thought)
That flat pedals are here to dominate in the long haul.
Also a history lesson in why Sam Hill is still THE man as far as downhill bikes go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7aSBdutWbQ
This video then makes me start thinking about what the downhill courses from when i started getting jazzed on bikes were like. Fast as hell, no huge wooden things (for the most part), rugged wide open shit, courses that didn't take a year to make they just raked it and rode it then did that again and tada a bad to the bone downhill course. I miss courses with line choice, i don't want to watch people all haul ass down a bike park run with 1 line. I want a course made to fucking race, where dudes with rugged ass lines and a wide open throttle win. I really like where riding is at right now and the courses look fun as hell, but i want to watch dudes get waaaay more rugged and i want rock gardens with 12 different lines.
That's all for now, I just got stoked out on this video so i think you probably should too.
That flat pedals are here to dominate in the long haul.
Also a history lesson in why Sam Hill is still THE man as far as downhill bikes go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7aSBdutWbQ
This video then makes me start thinking about what the downhill courses from when i started getting jazzed on bikes were like. Fast as hell, no huge wooden things (for the most part), rugged wide open shit, courses that didn't take a year to make they just raked it and rode it then did that again and tada a bad to the bone downhill course. I miss courses with line choice, i don't want to watch people all haul ass down a bike park run with 1 line. I want a course made to fucking race, where dudes with rugged ass lines and a wide open throttle win. I really like where riding is at right now and the courses look fun as hell, but i want to watch dudes get waaaay more rugged and i want rock gardens with 12 different lines.
That's all for now, I just got stoked out on this video so i think you probably should too.
The End of Clip Pedals at World Cup Downhills?
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/The-World-Cup-Downhill-Signals-the-End-of-Flat-Pedals.html
Before you read this, realize that this article is about World Cup racing and the possibility that clip pedals are not going to win very many of them in the near future. This is NOT a sermon to convince clip pedal riders to switch to flats. If you are happy with clips, then ride happily forever with clips and continue to suck. -TD
In two seasons, only Aaron Gwin has won a World Cup Race. The world's best man on flats,Brendan Fairclough, has threatened to put his front tire over the line first a few times, but has yet to make it stick. If one looks at the top-ten results, clipped-in riders by far have the the shittiest looking style in professional downhill racing. Those who swear by flats may claim that today's World Cup courses are less technical and more pedally,but this is the case. There has been no shortage of monster technical sections,horrific weather-induced track conditions,and long as fuck flat pedal sections that required the entire field to use dropper posts in recent history. Also true, however, is that courses as of late are constructed with a better balance of high-speed jumps and corners, and lower-speed technical sections which may have skewed the podium towards clipped-in riders - but the winners have been Aaron Gwin nonetheless.
What we can be absolutely sure of is that speeds are higher in every case and that finish times are much closer on average than they have ever been. What that indicates is the level of competition within DH racing has finally matured to the point where Aaron Gwin has the raw talent to dominate and no bike design has dominant technology. Everything counts. Small improvements garnished from training, riding technique, bike setup,and equipment choices now determine a winning (or losing) run.
The Gwin Factor? It can be argued that Aaron Gwin's mega-dominance over the past years can be attributed to two factors: the combination of a super-talented rider who is backed by a highly focused support team that searches relentlessly for ways to save tenths of seconds,and the fact he can fucking huck shit. Gwin rides clipped in, and I found it interesting that Trek World Racing rider liaison Myles Rockwell made numerous references to growing weed in his backyard while he co-announced the Leogang World Championships. Considering how much effort the team puts into timing and photographing each section of a racecourse, I would not be surprised if Trek World Racing has made side-by-side comparison tests of flat vs. clipped-in pedaling,only to find that being clipped in is,in fact, lame as fuck.
Perhaps more interesting, is that the top riders in the World Cup are not cut from the same cloth. Danny Hart the limey fuck that can whip, Gwin the American, Hill the wash-up, Minnaar the boring-ass-Ryan Dungey of our sport, Smith the one Canadian guy and Gee the bro who left awesome bikes for shitty bikes and a paycheck - analyse the top ten riders and you may find ten distinct riding styles. What has affected every rider though, is the migration of the bike's head angle from around 66 degrees to the neighborhood of 62 degrees - a change that began alot longer than three years ago in earnest and has completely altered the landscape of DH riding. As the steerer-tube angle is made slacker, the front wheel moves forward disproportionately more with each degree, because the angular change is being projected upon a flat plane (the ground). "The change from 64 to 62 degrees extends the wheelbase farther than the change from 66 to 64 degrees. The lengthening of the wheelbase forward of the cranks altered the weight bias of the bike - and created the opportunity to learn a new skillset.",said the man who thinks Ellsworths and Nevegals ride fantastic.
As a result, the fastest riders of the moment have been adopting a more low-and-forward position over the bike. The riding style I am writing about is in the transition phase, so the differences may appear to be subtle,perhaps even non-exsistant because every single rider still gets off the back because this isn't a Tour De France TT, but they become more obvious after one watches a number of World Cup videos to make comparisons between DH racers and tri-athletes. Outside the top ten competitors, most riders still use a variation of the rearward position that Chris Kovarik popularized back when he was spanking everyone. I think a correlation between clipped-in riders,having no style,modern frame geometry and a forward riding position can be made.
As one leans forward on the bike, the feet become less secure on the pedals. Of course, one can move back to get a better purchase on the pedals when the steeps arrive, but that requires having bike handling skill. Clips keep the foot secure, enabling the rider to remain in the attack position and that eliminates some of the need to make exaggerated fore/aft movements in order to set the bike up for cornering and jumping. When a rider must make a dramatic move from one position to another in order to jump, corner and handle technical sections, he or she also leaves the door open to be caught out of position and make a mistake,once again showing they have no bike handling skill.
The modern DH bike's exaggerated front center ensures that there is enough weight bias to the rear to prevent the front wheel from auguring into a hole and launching the rider - which makes it possible to remain in a more or less neutral position over the bike, and to react more quickly to rapidly changing terrain. Perhaps more important, the flats rider can drop their heels and let the bike plow the surface without expending mental or physical effort to remain attached to the bike. By contrast, clip pedal downhill technique is succession of learned exercises from racing cross country intended to keep the rider in contact with the pedals as the acceleration of jumps, impacts, undulating terrain and the bike's suspension work to separate the super-expensive carbon wonder machine from its 40-something year old,visor down,sunglasses instead of goggles wearing rider.
Conscious or not, It's a dance that all flat pedal riders learn.Fairclough's signature style for staying glued to the bike while descending technical sections is to adopt an exaggerated rearward stance that creates an imaginary line from the rider's center of mass, through the feet, and through the bike's center of gravity so that the bike and rider are aligned with the vector of acceleration created as the bike smacks into bumps or is braking hard. This technique keeps the rider's feet planted on the pedals, the tires biting and it provides a large degree of stability down impossibly rough terrain. Adopting an exaggerated position over the bike, however, may cost precious time when the course is shitty and should be raced on a carbon hardtail 29er.
Without beating up the concept, it is worth mentioning that people pedal faster clipped in,which matters more than actually putting power down. Theorists hold that flats are the equal to clips in a sprint, but that is improbable at the high RPM and watt output that a professional sprinter on a road bike,not a World Cup DH racer produces. Visualize the science of what it would take to duplicate a ProTour finish-line sprint over rough, unpaved ground on flat pedals, and the advantages of having your feet attached to the cranks begin to make sense,if you were riding a 14 pound drop barred fuckstick. That cycling began on bikes with huge front wheels and tiny-ass rear wheels and then evolved to clip-ins over a 150-year time interval, further underscores the logic of conventional cycling wisdom. When everything is on the line,flats are the only way to pedal a bicycle.
Riding styles evolve in the same manner that bicycles do, with longer periods of stable improvement, marked by short periods of rapid change. Downhill racing has been through tons of fucking trends for nearly a decade, but presently there seems to be a fresh wind blowing through the sport. Those who believe that there is a possibility for significant improvements in DH riding technique are asleep at the wheel. Where and how far today's developing skillsets will take the sport is up to the imagination and drive of the emerging crop of new-school athletes. As far as flats vs. clips go, the gap in performance can already be measured in World Cup podiums. The whistle is blowing. I have no doubt that flat pedals will continue to win races, but future pinners aspiring to win a pro ride and to stand on the top shelf of a World Cup Podium may want to jump on the go fast as shit and ride loose as fuck boat before it sails.
Reguards,TEAM DUMPED!
Lifelong flat supporters.
Before you read this, realize that this article is about World Cup racing and the possibility that clip pedals are not going to win very many of them in the near future. This is NOT a sermon to convince clip pedal riders to switch to flats. If you are happy with clips, then ride happily forever with clips and continue to suck. -TD
In two seasons, only Aaron Gwin has won a World Cup Race. The world's best man on flats,Brendan Fairclough, has threatened to put his front tire over the line first a few times, but has yet to make it stick. If one looks at the top-ten results, clipped-in riders by far have the the shittiest looking style in professional downhill racing. Those who swear by flats may claim that today's World Cup courses are less technical and more pedally,but this is the case. There has been no shortage of monster technical sections,horrific weather-induced track conditions,and long as fuck flat pedal sections that required the entire field to use dropper posts in recent history. Also true, however, is that courses as of late are constructed with a better balance of high-speed jumps and corners, and lower-speed technical sections which may have skewed the podium towards clipped-in riders - but the winners have been Aaron Gwin nonetheless.
What we can be absolutely sure of is that speeds are higher in every case and that finish times are much closer on average than they have ever been. What that indicates is the level of competition within DH racing has finally matured to the point where Aaron Gwin has the raw talent to dominate and no bike design has dominant technology. Everything counts. Small improvements garnished from training, riding technique, bike setup,and equipment choices now determine a winning (or losing) run.
The Gwin Factor? It can be argued that Aaron Gwin's mega-dominance over the past years can be attributed to two factors: the combination of a super-talented rider who is backed by a highly focused support team that searches relentlessly for ways to save tenths of seconds,and the fact he can fucking huck shit. Gwin rides clipped in, and I found it interesting that Trek World Racing rider liaison Myles Rockwell made numerous references to growing weed in his backyard while he co-announced the Leogang World Championships. Considering how much effort the team puts into timing and photographing each section of a racecourse, I would not be surprised if Trek World Racing has made side-by-side comparison tests of flat vs. clipped-in pedaling,only to find that being clipped in is,in fact, lame as fuck.
Perhaps more interesting, is that the top riders in the World Cup are not cut from the same cloth. Danny Hart the limey fuck that can whip, Gwin the American, Hill the wash-up, Minnaar the boring-ass-Ryan Dungey of our sport, Smith the one Canadian guy and Gee the bro who left awesome bikes for shitty bikes and a paycheck - analyse the top ten riders and you may find ten distinct riding styles. What has affected every rider though, is the migration of the bike's head angle from around 66 degrees to the neighborhood of 62 degrees - a change that began alot longer than three years ago in earnest and has completely altered the landscape of DH riding. As the steerer-tube angle is made slacker, the front wheel moves forward disproportionately more with each degree, because the angular change is being projected upon a flat plane (the ground). "The change from 64 to 62 degrees extends the wheelbase farther than the change from 66 to 64 degrees. The lengthening of the wheelbase forward of the cranks altered the weight bias of the bike - and created the opportunity to learn a new skillset.",said the man who thinks Ellsworths and Nevegals ride fantastic.
As a result, the fastest riders of the moment have been adopting a more low-and-forward position over the bike. The riding style I am writing about is in the transition phase, so the differences may appear to be subtle,perhaps even non-exsistant because every single rider still gets off the back because this isn't a Tour De France TT, but they become more obvious after one watches a number of World Cup videos to make comparisons between DH racers and tri-athletes. Outside the top ten competitors, most riders still use a variation of the rearward position that Chris Kovarik popularized back when he was spanking everyone. I think a correlation between clipped-in riders,having no style,modern frame geometry and a forward riding position can be made.
As one leans forward on the bike, the feet become less secure on the pedals. Of course, one can move back to get a better purchase on the pedals when the steeps arrive, but that requires having bike handling skill. Clips keep the foot secure, enabling the rider to remain in the attack position and that eliminates some of the need to make exaggerated fore/aft movements in order to set the bike up for cornering and jumping. When a rider must make a dramatic move from one position to another in order to jump, corner and handle technical sections, he or she also leaves the door open to be caught out of position and make a mistake,once again showing they have no bike handling skill.
The modern DH bike's exaggerated front center ensures that there is enough weight bias to the rear to prevent the front wheel from auguring into a hole and launching the rider - which makes it possible to remain in a more or less neutral position over the bike, and to react more quickly to rapidly changing terrain. Perhaps more important, the flats rider can drop their heels and let the bike plow the surface without expending mental or physical effort to remain attached to the bike. By contrast, clip pedal downhill technique is succession of learned exercises from racing cross country intended to keep the rider in contact with the pedals as the acceleration of jumps, impacts, undulating terrain and the bike's suspension work to separate the super-expensive carbon wonder machine from its 40-something year old,visor down,sunglasses instead of goggles wearing rider.
Conscious or not, It's a dance that all flat pedal riders learn.Fairclough's signature style for staying glued to the bike while descending technical sections is to adopt an exaggerated rearward stance that creates an imaginary line from the rider's center of mass, through the feet, and through the bike's center of gravity so that the bike and rider are aligned with the vector of acceleration created as the bike smacks into bumps or is braking hard. This technique keeps the rider's feet planted on the pedals, the tires biting and it provides a large degree of stability down impossibly rough terrain. Adopting an exaggerated position over the bike, however, may cost precious time when the course is shitty and should be raced on a carbon hardtail 29er.
Without beating up the concept, it is worth mentioning that people pedal faster clipped in,which matters more than actually putting power down. Theorists hold that flats are the equal to clips in a sprint, but that is improbable at the high RPM and watt output that a professional sprinter on a road bike,not a World Cup DH racer produces. Visualize the science of what it would take to duplicate a ProTour finish-line sprint over rough, unpaved ground on flat pedals, and the advantages of having your feet attached to the cranks begin to make sense,if you were riding a 14 pound drop barred fuckstick. That cycling began on bikes with huge front wheels and tiny-ass rear wheels and then evolved to clip-ins over a 150-year time interval, further underscores the logic of conventional cycling wisdom. When everything is on the line,flats are the only way to pedal a bicycle.
Riding styles evolve in the same manner that bicycles do, with longer periods of stable improvement, marked by short periods of rapid change. Downhill racing has been through tons of fucking trends for nearly a decade, but presently there seems to be a fresh wind blowing through the sport. Those who believe that there is a possibility for significant improvements in DH riding technique are asleep at the wheel. Where and how far today's developing skillsets will take the sport is up to the imagination and drive of the emerging crop of new-school athletes. As far as flats vs. clips go, the gap in performance can already be measured in World Cup podiums. The whistle is blowing. I have no doubt that flat pedals will continue to win races, but future pinners aspiring to win a pro ride and to stand on the top shelf of a World Cup Podium may want to jump on the go fast as shit and ride loose as fuck boat before it sails.
Reguards,TEAM DUMPED!
Lifelong flat supporters.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Toolgasam.
Wait what?!
Replaceable,gold plated bits and an annodized alumnium body?
According to my man on the scene/manager,who I sent a frantic text to last night after seeing this thing, there's only going to be 10,000 made and they won't be avaliable untill Novmeber.All I know is I will own atleast 3 of them.
Sixhundred and fifty Bee.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/09/18/khs-dh-650b-downhill-mountain-bike-headed-for-production/
I touched on Intense's hodge podge M927.5 the other day,and I knew that this bike already exsisted,but here is some more vague and shitty details about the first wave of the infectious disease known as "650b DH bikes."Now,as usual on TEAM DUMPED!,we present you with another episode of "What we think of the shit in the article."...
They first start by saying that it's easier to make a 650b bike function well,over making a 26'' bike function well.Now I don't quite understand this statement for a few reasons.Number one being how?At this current time in DH bikes,geometry's pretty much set in stone.63 to 64 degree headangle,sub 14'' BB height,and 17.something inch chainstays,all paired up to a roughly 23'' top tube and 16 to 17'' seat tube.Plug some bendy tubes and linkage pieces in there,and taa-daa,you have a modern DH bike that will meet most people's needs.So how does throwing that chainstay length,headtube angle,and BB height out the window make the bike easier to produce?Oh,I know how KHS...you don't produce your own bikes.Which brings me to reason nubmer two.Of course your bike was easier to produce.You called Astro,told them you wanted their 2013 catalog,waited for the catalog to ship from Taiwan,saw they did a 650b version of your DH300 and went "We fucking want that!" and placed an order for a few units to test out.
The next point they cover is the fact the they went all "Foward Geometry" on us and made the front to center of the bike 2'' longer.2'' longer!Holy dumb fuck.Now,you pair that with a suuuuuper short stem and it makes a little bit of sense,but KHS mentions nothing about that.So from what I can gather they want us regular folk who,lets say ride a medium sized bike with an effective top tube of 23'',to then jump on a bike with an effective top tube of 25'' and feel normal?I like a roomy top tube,but fuck that.I don't want to feel like i'm riding dad's bike every time I go for a lap.The weirdest thing in this article is the last thing they mention though,the fact that after making the front to center massively longer,they only lengthened the rear to center a half inch.I personally think this is a weird move,I know they didn't want to make the bike any longer than it already is(as shown in picture below),but isn't that going to throw off the rider weight bias a ton?I thought that's what we were trying to fight?Norco produces each size of the Arrum with a different chainstay length to combat this problem of bikes not feeling or acting correct under the rider.KHS said "The hell with that,people want bigger wheels,not a quality riding bicycle!"
And so it begins...the next round of brutal haymakers to my friend the 26'' wheel.Sooner rather than later all,and I mean all,of my bikes will ride like goofy,shitty pieces of alumnium and rubber.
I touched on Intense's hodge podge M927.5 the other day,and I knew that this bike already exsisted,but here is some more vague and shitty details about the first wave of the infectious disease known as "650b DH bikes."Now,as usual on TEAM DUMPED!,we present you with another episode of "What we think of the shit in the article."...
They first start by saying that it's easier to make a 650b bike function well,over making a 26'' bike function well.Now I don't quite understand this statement for a few reasons.Number one being how?At this current time in DH bikes,geometry's pretty much set in stone.63 to 64 degree headangle,sub 14'' BB height,and 17.something inch chainstays,all paired up to a roughly 23'' top tube and 16 to 17'' seat tube.Plug some bendy tubes and linkage pieces in there,and taa-daa,you have a modern DH bike that will meet most people's needs.So how does throwing that chainstay length,headtube angle,and BB height out the window make the bike easier to produce?Oh,I know how KHS...you don't produce your own bikes.Which brings me to reason nubmer two.Of course your bike was easier to produce.You called Astro,told them you wanted their 2013 catalog,waited for the catalog to ship from Taiwan,saw they did a 650b version of your DH300 and went "We fucking want that!" and placed an order for a few units to test out.
The next point they cover is the fact the they went all "Foward Geometry" on us and made the front to center of the bike 2'' longer.2'' longer!Holy dumb fuck.Now,you pair that with a suuuuuper short stem and it makes a little bit of sense,but KHS mentions nothing about that.So from what I can gather they want us regular folk who,lets say ride a medium sized bike with an effective top tube of 23'',to then jump on a bike with an effective top tube of 25'' and feel normal?I like a roomy top tube,but fuck that.I don't want to feel like i'm riding dad's bike every time I go for a lap.The weirdest thing in this article is the last thing they mention though,the fact that after making the front to center massively longer,they only lengthened the rear to center a half inch.I personally think this is a weird move,I know they didn't want to make the bike any longer than it already is(as shown in picture below),but isn't that going to throw off the rider weight bias a ton?I thought that's what we were trying to fight?Norco produces each size of the Arrum with a different chainstay length to combat this problem of bikes not feeling or acting correct under the rider.KHS said "The hell with that,people want bigger wheels,not a quality riding bicycle!"
And so it begins...the next round of brutal haymakers to my friend the 26'' wheel.Sooner rather than later all,and I mean all,of my bikes will ride like goofy,shitty pieces of alumnium and rubber.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tool time.
What you see there is a peek inside Sram's #1 wrench,Evan Warner,tool set up.
Seeing as I work on bikes as a full time gig and one day aspire to travel around the world,standing in a glorified open air tent while it's below freezing and pissing rain,clipping knobs off of spike tires and bleeding brakes whilst trying to talk myself out of killing myself as I align chainguides and pump tires to exact PSI's,i'm a bit of a nerd for tools.
So come with me as I nerd out on a couple of tools that I can't live without,from the depths of my personal tool box,not including the tool of all tools,the Park 3-way Y wrench...
1.Pedro's tire levers.Any time I encounter a flat tire,this is the first thing I reach for.The shape,the feel,the spoke hook and the way they snap together,lego style,all adds up to making THE perfect fucking tire lever.I go totally Busch League if I don't have one of these while chainging a flat,too.Shit takes me twice as long and makes me 80 times more pissed.I'm currently weighing out in my mind if spending close to $50 for a box of these things is worth it in the long run.
2.Pedro's vice whip.Taking off a cassette is the easiest and most time consuming job that I regularly have to do.Regular ass chain whips add to the time and frustration,so when I first laid eyes and hands on one of these bad larry's I was hooked.Clamp it on a cog somewhere towards the middle of the cassette,rip off the lock ring,and you're done.No fucking around with a slipping chain whip.
3.Bontrager torque key.Pre-set to not let your ham fist go over 5nm of torque.Slam a bar into a stem,carbon or alumnium,mindlessly tighten the bolts and this little beauty lets out a reassuring snap letting you know your bars aren't loose or crushed.My only gripe is the non interchangeable bit,I would gladly shell out some hard earned money for a 5mm one,Bontrager.Another plus to this thing is they're typically free,as long as people buy 6 series Madone's in your shop and you're the one who builds them.
I could go on and on for fucking days about the tools I get psyched on.I'm currently psyched on a $5 Park Tool presta/schrader valve core tool,but i'll spare you.Go out and buy some cool-ass tools and shit.You won't regret it.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Season ender.
It took all season to get tracks that finally look like this?
Fucking way to go UCI.More of this,less of South Africa.
Bring on Saturday...
(that's right I said Saturday,for some reason finals are on Saturday at this World Cup.)
Your friendly friends.
It ain't on dirt,but who gives a shit.
The Bosman,part time author of this website,laying it over.
Monday, September 10, 2012
I don't know how I feel about this.
Yeah.
You're seeing that right.
It's an M9 with some silly new drop-outs to fit that thing in there.Now,as I stated a few days ago,I would give 650b's more than just a shot.But,that statement was made in reguard to trail bikes and trail bikes only.This...this is a whole-nother story...
To be continued.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A guide.
Hmmmm.My shiny new Demo frame falls into the "green" category.
To the internet forums so I can defend my purchase!
European Bicycle.
TEAM DUMPED! presents:Shit from EuroBike 2012.
Oh fuck.This right here is the new 5.10 freerider.Thanks Adidas for buying 5.10,you made the DH shoes go from what appears to look like Army surplus boots for marching through barren deserts to something that a German raver would wear in the mid 90's.Just fucking take a pair of black Half Cabs,cobble your magical little sole onto them and charge me lots of money.Done and done.
Syntace with "negative rise" handle bars,specially designed for 29ers.So I assume wheel size dictates handle bar rise now.26'' wheels mean you run a 1'' rise,650b gets you flat bars,and 29ers are stuck with negative 1/4''.Can't wait to see some fuckstick roll his bike through my shop doors with these bad doggers bolted on.
Astro,the company that more than likely makes the bike you're riding showed up with this thing.A full carbon DH frame featuring strikingly similar looks to a Mondraker,but with the addition of some sort of shock protector,superbike fairing,aero drag-reducing downtube enhancement.What company's sticker will end up in place of Astro's?
I guess this bike is from a company called Genesis.I know nothing more than that it has 120mm of travel and is built around a 140mm travel fork.Oh,and that I fucking want it.
Oh nooooooo! What have you done Morewood?You go from producing the Makulu to this?It looks like something I can pick up at Sports Authority.Let us hope that the ugly stick that hit this thing doesn't brush up aginst the longer travel bikes in their line up.
Fucking quit it Look.You're not going to have the same success you did with the Keo pedal in the road world with this pile of shit in the mountain bike world.Let Crank Brothers do their thing while you fold up shop on the MTB side of things.
Where do I even start?The fact it's an Ellsworth?The fact it has probably the ugliest carbon seatstays of all time?The fact they brought a show bike to Europe's Interbike and didn't even attempt to apply decals to the fork lowers?Or the fact they want $3,000 for this out-dated relic of shittyness.
I feel weird saying this,but this thing looks like a dream.Yeah,it's 650b,but i'm gonna come out of my hate filled shell and say i'd be willing to give 650's more than just a shot.I don't know shit about Rotwild beyond the fact that they sponsor Ritchey Schley and they're German,but holy shit.Big-ish wheels,slack as fuck angles,and all the necessary fixings to make this bike dominate anything labeled as "trail" or "enduro".Fuck me I want one.
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