he shake-down ride actually ended up being a time trail at Big Creek’s Two Ways in a Day. Big Creek is a Atlanta local trail that provides great insight on how a bike will act in tight, twisty, quick up with quick down situations. As you can see by the elevation map, you really don’t get a break at this place when you are going for the lowest time. The trail still, even after all of the traffic it receives, has loose rocks and steep climbs.
With its new duo of long-travel bikes, Cannondale returns to the cross-country/trail bike battlefield dominated by the likes of Specialized, Marin and Giant.
Steve Stickel is a name that many of you probably don’t know…but should. His custom frames are hand made out of Asheville, NC and have incredible craftsmanship. For those of you local to the Atlanta area, you can see Lonestar’s white 26″ singlespeed made by Steve at the local trial head. LS will be the first to tell you how great the frame really is. Custom touches, like brake rotors used as gusseting, really set his frames apart from others I have seen.
Brian Lopes’s recent announcement of a sponsorship deal with Ibis caught many of us by surprise. Much speculation quickly followed suit regarding which Ibis models he’d be riding. Bike magazine HQ happens to be right around the corner from Casa de Lopes so last week he swung by our office to give us a complete tour of his new quiver.
Mountain Bike Action just did a great write-up on the El Ciclon. For those of you that don’t know…the El Ciclon is the 5″ travel bike in the Ventana line-up.
The Sultan is one of the most lusted after 29er full suspension bikes. With 4″ of travel, this bike feels like it has 5″. Made out of 5 Spot tubing, this bike is a great all around machine. With the introduction of the 20mm 29er Reba coming soon, there should be some great AM styled Sultan’s in the near future.
got a chance awhile back to get some serious saddle time in on an ’08 Turner RFX. This particular one was custom sparkle white with a Marzocchi 55ATA and a Cane Creek Double Barrel. The ’08 RFX’s received a weight decrease…
It was only a matter of time before I blogged my sled. I am actually surprised it took this long quite honestly. Built by Sherwood Gibson of Ventana Mountain Bikes USA, this in one of the highest quality bikes I have ever owned. As my riding style started to change…so did my bikes. I ended up needing something that could handle more of a beating than what I had been riding previously. Apparently large drops to flat aren’t a good idea on 4 and 5 inch bikes…who knew?
Another incredible ss 29er. This Independent Fab belongs to Jason up in Asheville, NC. The component list ranges from Phil Wood, Eno, Fox, Brooks and Chris King. Independent Fabrication makes some of the best steel hardtails on the market and this one is no exception. The midnight blue against the white of the Fox F29 is a perfect mix.
Ham is building up another incredible sled, the Ibis Mojo. I will admit, I had my reservations about this bike when it was introduced, but even just a parking lot test will tell you that this is a great ride. Granted, this one has a Push’d Pike and RP23, so it has the best air suspension components available.