Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Quality vs.Quantity
http://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/Santa-Cruz-Syndicate-Thanks-SRAM-for-8-Years-of-Support,459
So Sram lost one of the biggest marketing tools they had.Well,one of the biggest in my little world of DH,anyway.I'm glad they lost the foothold they had with the Syndicate."Why?" you ask me.I hate Sram.Plain and simple."Well,why do you hate them?".Why...here's why,I feel like Sram is single handedly bringing down the quality of bicycle components.Example one would be any brake under the banner of Avid.I'm constantly seeing these things come through my doors leaking,not holding a bleed,or just down right feeling like shit.No matter what you do to them,they'll return in a timely manner with either the same issue or a whole new boat of problems.Not to toot Shimano's horn anymore then I already am but i've been on the same pair of Saint brakes for nearly 4 seasons now.They've been on 4 different bikes,2 seasons of DH,2 seasons of trail bike duty.2 bleeds and a set of pads is all they've asked for in all that time.And mind you i'm an overweight hack who typically is a passenger on his bike.So they've seen plenty of rotor-turned-blue runs at Northstar and over braked steep sections on my trail bike.
Example number 2 would be pretty much anything under that ever known red and black logo of Rock Shox.Semi open bath damping?Really?It's fucking 2012 and your flagship DH fork still uses this?Fox has this shit down.Seperate the damping oil from the bath oil,keep contaminates out of the internals,and specially formulate certain viscosities of oils for both.Instead of adding an elastomer cone on a dial to the bottom of your fork and calling it "bottom out control",create a cartrage damper,quit using oil seals,and add more bath oil.Also,the Reverb is something else huh?Already on revision number 3 and the thing has been out for just about a year.No matter what you do the main air seals are still blowing,people are still ripping the barb off,and they still need bleeds at random intervals.Scrap that turd and let Gravity Dropper do what they do best.Make the everlasting gobstopper of seat posts that go up and down.
And we reach example number 3,the ever lovely products of the company people can't pronounce right most of the time,Truvativ.From the wallowed out left side crank arms,to the oddly shaped Boobar,to the $20 stems.It all sucks.Howitzer BB's?Come on...those are a joke right?You made a BB and crank arm set that rivals the weight of most boat anchors yet has the durability of most bruised bananas.Finally example number 4,the house branded products of Sram.The drivechain.I really don't know what peoples obsession with this shit is.Personally,I couldn't keep a chain in one piece and if I did she typically reached the great 1.0mm mark in the sky far before anyone elses offering.Shoddy knuckle bushings in any level of their derailers kept me from down shifting when I wanted to.Now,not to toot the Shimano horn again,but i've had the same Saint derailer getting it's teeth rattled out from being bolted onto the back of my DH bike for 2 seasons.3 seasons on my hardtail...with both shifters going on a record 4th season this year.Not to mention the loud and usually extremely flexy cassettes Sram puts their name on that keep me from up or down shifting.
I just hope people will finally pull themselfs out from the warm,cuddly blanket that is the Sram warranty department and step barefoot onto the cold wood floor that is constantly having to have your bike down for a week or 2 multiple times a year and realize that their products are shit.Absolute shit.
So Sram lost one of the biggest marketing tools they had.Well,one of the biggest in my little world of DH,anyway.I'm glad they lost the foothold they had with the Syndicate."Why?" you ask me.I hate Sram.Plain and simple."Well,why do you hate them?".Why...here's why,I feel like Sram is single handedly bringing down the quality of bicycle components.Example one would be any brake under the banner of Avid.I'm constantly seeing these things come through my doors leaking,not holding a bleed,or just down right feeling like shit.No matter what you do to them,they'll return in a timely manner with either the same issue or a whole new boat of problems.Not to toot Shimano's horn anymore then I already am but i've been on the same pair of Saint brakes for nearly 4 seasons now.They've been on 4 different bikes,2 seasons of DH,2 seasons of trail bike duty.2 bleeds and a set of pads is all they've asked for in all that time.And mind you i'm an overweight hack who typically is a passenger on his bike.So they've seen plenty of rotor-turned-blue runs at Northstar and over braked steep sections on my trail bike.
Example number 2 would be pretty much anything under that ever known red and black logo of Rock Shox.Semi open bath damping?Really?It's fucking 2012 and your flagship DH fork still uses this?Fox has this shit down.Seperate the damping oil from the bath oil,keep contaminates out of the internals,and specially formulate certain viscosities of oils for both.Instead of adding an elastomer cone on a dial to the bottom of your fork and calling it "bottom out control",create a cartrage damper,quit using oil seals,and add more bath oil.Also,the Reverb is something else huh?Already on revision number 3 and the thing has been out for just about a year.No matter what you do the main air seals are still blowing,people are still ripping the barb off,and they still need bleeds at random intervals.Scrap that turd and let Gravity Dropper do what they do best.Make the everlasting gobstopper of seat posts that go up and down.
And we reach example number 3,the ever lovely products of the company people can't pronounce right most of the time,Truvativ.From the wallowed out left side crank arms,to the oddly shaped Boobar,to the $20 stems.It all sucks.Howitzer BB's?Come on...those are a joke right?You made a BB and crank arm set that rivals the weight of most boat anchors yet has the durability of most bruised bananas.Finally example number 4,the house branded products of Sram.The drivechain.I really don't know what peoples obsession with this shit is.Personally,I couldn't keep a chain in one piece and if I did she typically reached the great 1.0mm mark in the sky far before anyone elses offering.Shoddy knuckle bushings in any level of their derailers kept me from down shifting when I wanted to.Now,not to toot the Shimano horn again,but i've had the same Saint derailer getting it's teeth rattled out from being bolted onto the back of my DH bike for 2 seasons.3 seasons on my hardtail...with both shifters going on a record 4th season this year.Not to mention the loud and usually extremely flexy cassettes Sram puts their name on that keep me from up or down shifting.
I just hope people will finally pull themselfs out from the warm,cuddly blanket that is the Sram warranty department and step barefoot onto the cold wood floor that is constantly having to have your bike down for a week or 2 multiple times a year and realize that their products are shit.Absolute shit.
San Fransisco
So last Sunday I went down to the city for the day with Brett and Jake to ride street for the day. I just got a fresh new fork and front wheel on the hardtail and im jazzed as hell to be riding it. Took the good old GoPro and filmed various parts of the day. Check out the little edit and cruise around on a beautiful January day in California.
Untitled from Camden Bos on Vimeo.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Goldie Locks.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/01/27/650b-mountain-bikes-coming-backed-by-rockshox-wtb-schwalbe-more/#more-39327
Oh fuck me.
I guess it's pretty offical now.650b is comming.The so called "middle child" of wheel sizes.It blows my fucking mind that i'm even talking about a "middle" wheel size.If you got a time machine,went back to whenever Fisher and his homeboys were pitchin' drifts on beach cruisers down Mt. Tam and told him that eventually there would be 3 wheel sizes in the sport he invented,he'd probably tell you you're an idiot.And that would be comming from the future Mr.29'' himself.
Now,the last thing I want to deal with is more people shoving why this wheel size blows mine out of the water down my neck.I don't wanna hear how this bike is still flickable(whatever the fuck that means),but can still roll over stuff and keep the speed up.I don't wanna hear about the lugged steel frame you just had -INSERT NICHE HANDMADE FRAME BUILDER-custom build for you.I don't wanna figure out spoke length for your King to 650b wheel set,nor do I wanna lace them.I don't wanna order you a pair of 650b Schwalbe Nobby Nic's,and I absolutely don't wanna hear you elaborate why said custom built,single speed,lugged steel frame rides so smooth and how your 650b wheels are sooooo stiff through the corners.Your average speed is 6,and your top speed is 14 on your weekly XC route.I don't value your opinion,now let me by when i'm stuck behind you on the fun part of said XC route.
All I know is I expect to see these all over my local trails within the next year.I also expect the usual that comes with a new wheel size.The arguments of wheel sizes,the "this is the future" people,and a new size of the Kenda Nevegal.I can only hope and pray that the "industry" won't try and talk this wheel size up for DH use.It's not gonna happen.26'' will always be the wheel size of my bike of choice.Don't try and tell me why it's better,because I won't believe your wild claims,guy with visor down and hardsheel elbow/forearm guards on.Oh,and before you steal it "industry",i'm trademarking the company name "Twentysevenpointfiver" bikes.
P.S.-If you look nice and close at that screen grab from Rock Shox it says the axle size of that fork is 15x110 and that it can accept up to a 215mm rotor.New standards?I fucking hope not.
Oh fuck me.
I guess it's pretty offical now.650b is comming.The so called "middle child" of wheel sizes.It blows my fucking mind that i'm even talking about a "middle" wheel size.If you got a time machine,went back to whenever Fisher and his homeboys were pitchin' drifts on beach cruisers down Mt. Tam and told him that eventually there would be 3 wheel sizes in the sport he invented,he'd probably tell you you're an idiot.And that would be comming from the future Mr.29'' himself.
Now,the last thing I want to deal with is more people shoving why this wheel size blows mine out of the water down my neck.I don't wanna hear how this bike is still flickable(whatever the fuck that means),but can still roll over stuff and keep the speed up.I don't wanna hear about the lugged steel frame you just had -INSERT NICHE HANDMADE FRAME BUILDER-custom build for you.I don't wanna figure out spoke length for your King to 650b wheel set,nor do I wanna lace them.I don't wanna order you a pair of 650b Schwalbe Nobby Nic's,and I absolutely don't wanna hear you elaborate why said custom built,single speed,lugged steel frame rides so smooth and how your 650b wheels are sooooo stiff through the corners.Your average speed is 6,and your top speed is 14 on your weekly XC route.I don't value your opinion,now let me by when i'm stuck behind you on the fun part of said XC route.
All I know is I expect to see these all over my local trails within the next year.I also expect the usual that comes with a new wheel size.The arguments of wheel sizes,the "this is the future" people,and a new size of the Kenda Nevegal.I can only hope and pray that the "industry" won't try and talk this wheel size up for DH use.It's not gonna happen.26'' will always be the wheel size of my bike of choice.Don't try and tell me why it's better,because I won't believe your wild claims,guy with visor down and hardsheel elbow/forearm guards on.Oh,and before you steal it "industry",i'm trademarking the company name "Twentysevenpointfiver" bikes.
P.S.-If you look nice and close at that screen grab from Rock Shox it says the axle size of that fork is 15x110 and that it can accept up to a 215mm rotor.New standards?I fucking hope not.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
TEAM DUMPED!
Oh,yeah...I forgot something.
I'll just leave this here,for you.
I'll just leave this here,for you.
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| Various limited shirts and stickers comming before Sea Otter,I swear.Watch this space. |
Products I can't live without,Vol.3.
Chain guides.
The slient solution for your double or,god forbid,triple ring set-up.I don't really care if you think you still need more than one chainring up front or not.Truth is,you don't.I'm lazy,have the shittiest diet ever,and ride maybe 3 times a week if i'm lucky and I am,and have been running a 1x10 set up on my pedaly bike for close to 2 years now."But what if I climb alot?",you ask me?Take about $60 out of your bank account,invest in 2 chainrings,then take 10 minutes out of your day and switch them if you plan on climbing or doing a long ride.It's really that simple.Now,when you go single ring you're clearly going to need some sort of chain retention.There's plenty of options out there now-a-days.Paul has their seat tube mounted joke of a "chainguide",MRP and e13 both have seat tube,front derailer,and BB mounted half guides,and Gamut,MRP,Sram,and a couple of others have traditional full guides,bottom roller and all.But there's always one specific brand,with one specific guide that's always my go-to.The e13 Lg1.She arrived in the mid 2000's under a bit of hate from certain frame companies.They said impacts on the "Taco" would put the ISCG tabs on their frames under too much stress.Also,she was somewhat more difficult to set up then your standard issue of old,the MRP System 2,and took a bit more time and effort to take apart in the case you needed to get to your BB or chain ring.But alas,the Lg1 was here to stay.Mainly due to the looks and weight,not to mention performance.A few years after the original a redesign took place.They made it easier to install,easier to access your BB area,and surprisingly enough made it even lighter.At that moment they created,what I believe to be,the ultimate chain guide.I've had roughly 8 of these ingenius little devices scattered across my bikes of the past 4 years or so.Currently every bike I own is outfitted with one.My hardtail still has the first gen. still bolted to it because the thing just works.Packed with mud,ran bone dry cause I lost my bottle of lube,or cross chained up a climb for 40 minutes straight.It just fucking works.
So may you live a long life,Lg1.I'm looking forward to many more years of race runs being finished,rides not having to be stopped,and my bikes running silent and clean.
The slient solution for your double or,god forbid,triple ring set-up.I don't really care if you think you still need more than one chainring up front or not.Truth is,you don't.I'm lazy,have the shittiest diet ever,and ride maybe 3 times a week if i'm lucky and I am,and have been running a 1x10 set up on my pedaly bike for close to 2 years now."But what if I climb alot?",you ask me?Take about $60 out of your bank account,invest in 2 chainrings,then take 10 minutes out of your day and switch them if you plan on climbing or doing a long ride.It's really that simple.Now,when you go single ring you're clearly going to need some sort of chain retention.There's plenty of options out there now-a-days.Paul has their seat tube mounted joke of a "chainguide",MRP and e13 both have seat tube,front derailer,and BB mounted half guides,and Gamut,MRP,Sram,and a couple of others have traditional full guides,bottom roller and all.But there's always one specific brand,with one specific guide that's always my go-to.The e13 Lg1.She arrived in the mid 2000's under a bit of hate from certain frame companies.They said impacts on the "Taco" would put the ISCG tabs on their frames under too much stress.Also,she was somewhat more difficult to set up then your standard issue of old,the MRP System 2,and took a bit more time and effort to take apart in the case you needed to get to your BB or chain ring.But alas,the Lg1 was here to stay.Mainly due to the looks and weight,not to mention performance.A few years after the original a redesign took place.They made it easier to install,easier to access your BB area,and surprisingly enough made it even lighter.At that moment they created,what I believe to be,the ultimate chain guide.I've had roughly 8 of these ingenius little devices scattered across my bikes of the past 4 years or so.Currently every bike I own is outfitted with one.My hardtail still has the first gen. still bolted to it because the thing just works.Packed with mud,ran bone dry cause I lost my bottle of lube,or cross chained up a climb for 40 minutes straight.It just fucking works.
So may you live a long life,Lg1.I'm looking forward to many more years of race runs being finished,rides not having to be stopped,and my bikes running silent and clean.
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| The e13 Lg1+.Keeps your shit legit. |
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