2015 Specialized S-Works Demo
“I've been on the bike for about a month now," says Gwin about the completely redesigned World Cup bike he and teammate Troy Brosnan will be debuting at Mont Sainte Anne this weekend. "We got on it right after the National Champs because we wanted to get on it right away for comparison to the old bike on the same track."
"The thing I noticed right away was just how fast it was," says Gwin. "It’s a really playful bike, but it’s a race bike through and through." Gwin believes this bike "reacts quicker than any bike he's ridden before."
"It accelerates fast because of the [lack of] weight and the stiffness." Gwin says. "You can plant it and change directions really quick because of how your feet sit on the bike... there are not a lot of pivots so when you put force into the bike it reacts straight away."
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One of the interesting points Gwin makes about the new Demo is how the single-sided seat tube allows for easy in-and-out access to the rear shock.
"The switch was really easy and setting up suspension was easy," says Gwin."It's something non-racers might not have to deal with very often. But anyone who races seriously knows how often you need to service, set up and remove your shocks. The access on the Demo makes it so easy, plus I just think it looks rad."
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2015 Specialized Demo, Aaron Gwin, S-Works, Specialized Bikes, TTX |
2014 EWS Round 5 Winterpark Justin Leov's Diary
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Next stop on the EWS Calendar was Winter Park Colorado. This round presented a few differences to previous races, such as the bike park environment, which saw the racing moving away from the European alpine terrain, also the racing at high altitude. Coming into this event I was nursing a couple of small injuries, which I had been working to recover since La Thuile and Valliore. A strain in my knee is awaiting diagnosis and treatment until I return to New Zealand in September, while ongoing tendonitis in my wrist was triggered by the long runs in Valliore. The weekend saw me relying on ice and kinesio tape to see me through the racing.
Once again we had a different format of racing for Colorado. Three days instead of the usual two. The format also saw us practice two stages, race them the following day, then the afternoon was spent practicing the following days stages. This meant that through the weekend you were either racing, practicing or sleeping!
There seemed to be a typical weather pattern, which was hot and dry in the mornings and around mid afternoon each day a storm rolled in. As a result of this the lift would shut down due to lighting. We were lucky for the first day of racing that our stages were to be raced in the morning.
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Day 1:
Stage 1: This was a stage which was one of the longer bike park trails. Lots of berms, jumps, up hills and some physical pedalling straights. First stage of the weekend is always the one I find I’m nervous for. Generally after the first stage you settle into a rhythm or look at the areas you need to improve on. Before this stage I did a short warm up, my knee was sore so I wanted to save it as much as I could for the stages. Dropping in for my run and I was feeling tight. When I hit the first uphill section my usual power just wasn’t there. The jumps were fun on this stage but I finished off the pace in 11th.
Stage 2: This time less on the pedals and more of a Downhill Bike park stage. A couple of rock gardens and a section at the bottom where you needed to carry speed through rocks and flatter corners. A short but fun stage, a lot of guys knew this one, as it was the main trail of the bike park. With a stage already in the legs my body felt a lot better than the first stage. My knee felt good and I was ready to give it a charge! This stage seemed to flow a lot better, you could breath both of which contributed to a better feeling crossing the finish line in 5th place.
The rest of the day was spent practicing stage 3 which was over the backside of the mountain, it was a big day in the saddle. An important piece of equipment for reducing the amount of runs we need to make is a helmet camera. Being able to study the footage of a stage is so beneficial and with limited practice time its a valuable tool. On top of being the world's lightest full face helmet my MET Parachute comes with a very handy removable support for the helmet camera. Cool stuff!
Day 2:
Starting day 2 we had another surprise to the format. We would be meeting at 8am to practice stage 4 and 5 after a pedal liaison from the paddock area. A good warm up for the day with a decent climb before we would then race Stage 3, 4 and 5.
With only the one run on stage 4 and 5 I knew they were going to be hard. The terrain on these two stages was natural with tight corners in the trees and small stop start corners in some places, which made it hard to keep the flow. You needed to watch your handlebars on the trees and keeping traction while racing would be a challenge.
Stage 3: The name of this stage was Mountain Goat. A rocky natural stage, technical up top and then sections where you needed to carry speed over rocks in the middle then finishing on wide open fast fire road. I liked this stage and felt good in my run crossing the line in 4th. The finish of this stage saw us have a small climb to get to the start of stage 4.
Stage 4: The shortest stage of the weekend, just over 1 min 25 of racing with awkward trees to catch your handle bars on and the loose tight corners which were hard to hold speed. I never got into the flow this stage and fighting my bike and the terrain I was happy to see the end of it. 18th position, was a kick in the teeth!
Stage 5 was the final stage for day 2, a longer version of stage 4 but more physical. The terrain was in a forest which had been cut down so logs and stumps were everywhere. Care needed to be taken not to clip the pedals, it was easy to make time costing mistakes. As I sprinted off the start line I caught something with my back wheel and nearly had a big crash. Somehow I managed to stay on my bike but it was one of those moments when your heart nearly jumps out of your chest. The rest of my run was a mixture of small mistakes and fighting my bike again. I was frustrated to close the finish line but happy at least the stages were over. 13th place.
I couldn’t help but feel frustrated as I sat on the lift to go and practice stage 6 and 7 for the afternoon. I needed to make up some time on the final day and to do that required a big effort in both stages. I worked hard learning the final stages and when I got back to the Condo I could feel the efforts of the day. An ice bath and stretch to recover.
Day 3:
We started stage 6 and this would be the most physical stage of the weekend. This stage had some really long flat sections in the trees, while it also had the challenge of catching your handles bars, especially when you were tired. It then had a big flat pedallly section in the middle of the course which basically finished you off before a fast fire road to the finish where your really were just hanging on your bike. The unfortunate surprise of this stage was that once we got through all the pedalling and to the fast finish we came across an accident. It was awful to come across one of the women riders who had injured themselves. People were on the course trying to stop us but in such a fast section and without any sort of warning flags myself and 3 riders were past the accident and finished the run before all the other riders were stopped. Back in paddock there was discussion as to what should happen, re run all or just the riders who were stopped. It was one of those moments when you didn’t want to go up for a rerun but the sporting thing to do was to go back and do one to be fair to all the other riders. I made the decision to go up and so did the other 3 so I was happy to see everyone pushing for a fair race.
The effort in the second run was equivalent as I dropped in for the rerun. My legs didn’t have the same power any more and I was having to ride a gear lower. Without any warning I lost the front wheel in a turn and down I went. I was a bit gutted because it was not the stage you could afford to crash on and I was trying to make time not lose it! I finished out my run with everything I had left in the tank and crossed the line in 10th.
Final stage: This was the downhill stage of the weekend and all I wanted to do was to leave nothing on the hill and really go for it. With a tire change and a few adjustments to my Remedy I had little time for a warm up, I was straight off the lift and into the start gate. My run seemed to fall into place this time, I was able to carry good speed and hit all my lines. The final stage went great and I had held it together to finish 3rd. A good way to close the weekend.
It has been a mixed race for me this weekend, some up and downs for sure but keeping the consistency going with a 5th overall finish has kept me in 3rd in the points series.
A big thanks to my Sponsors/team/coach/ and wife for all the help to get here this weekend. Without all this support I just couldn't do it!
Trek Factory Racing, Fox Racing Shox, Shimano, Bontrager, MET, Bluegrass, Adidas eyewear, Stages power meters, CNP.
I now have two days testing with Trek and Fox Racing shocks so come Whistler in 2 weeks we should have some more time out of the bike and suspension.
- Justin -
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2014 EWS, Enduro, Enduro Worls Series, Trek Bikes |
Niner Announces New RIP 9 RDO
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NINER'S FLAGSHIP TRAILBIKE
“Quiver Killer” meets RDO Carbon Compaction in our top-end trail bike. Winner of Outside Magazine’s Gear of the Year award as well as the Eurobike Award for design, the RIP 9 RDO sets the standard for bikes that need to get up to really get down. We’ve incorporated global rider feedback as well as our rigorous carbon design, engineering and testing standards to take a bike that is known for ride quality and handling, and up the ante with the RDO Carbon Compaction System, carbon linkages, ISCG compatibility and exactly the right amount of travel.
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Features
- Carbon full suspension from the only 29er only mountain bike company
- 125mm of patented CVA suspension is efficient in every chainring
- Compatible with 120-140mm forks
- Tuned for CVA – Fox Float CTD shock with Kashima coat
- Removable ISCG 05 tabs and offset linkage design for chainguide compatibility
- Carbon suspension linkage and unique Niner alloy hardware
- 142mm x 12mm rear spacing
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29er, Enduro, Niner Bikes, Niner RIP, RIP 9 RDO |
Fox 40 Float FIT RC2 Review
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- New air spring - 152g weight savings vs. Ti spring
- New chassis (crowns, upper tubes, lower legs) - 307g lighter
- New RC2 damper - lighter weight and revalved
- Total Weight Savings - 1.16lb / 526g
- Crowns reshaped for increased downtube clearance
- Details: air bleed system, mudflap mounting bosses, replaceable pinch bolt hardware
Specifications
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Fox has been making shocks for mountain bikes since the late 1990's. It wasnt until the early 2000's they entered the fork market with the Fox 40. It was a grey legged 40mm monster. At that time the Marzocchi Monster T was also 40mm but was in the 9 lbs range. The 40 was a lighter animal and was offering High and Low speed compression adjustments.
Jump forward to Fox's current state and they are making everything from XC to DH suspension for mountain bikes. The 2012 coil sprung Fox 40 weighed in at just over 7 LBS. The new 40 Float is 1 LB lighter than it's coil brother. The chassis has been altered by removing excess material and also tapering the lower legs. This shaves weight and also makes the fork a bit more forgiving in the rough chunder which in theory can help cut down arm pump. The crowns also saw some weight saving along with drilled holes underneath in case a mud guard was being installed on the Float.
Fox also added pressure relief valves to the back of the fork legs. This will allow for riders to release pressure build up from heat, elevation and before any tuning is done to the fork. This has been common on MX forks since the early 1990's and it is good to see it finding its way into the MTB suspension world.
Overall Fox has made some major changes to the Float versus the coil 40. It has lost one pound and is now closer to a Boxxer WC weight but still offeres a stiffer chassis. The fork mounted easily and without issue. Our fork weighed in at 6.20 with a full length steerer.
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Having spent about 90% of ride time over the last 3 years on a Dorado the stiff chassis was probably the most noticeable thing. The fork held its line through rough stuff and showed little signs of flex. The last time I had ridden a Fox 40 was 2011 so it would not be easy to compare the two. Weighing 210 lbs with gear I can usually notice flex in frames, wheels and a fork. The new Float 40 felt just right it had some give but not much. So Fox by shaving some weight out of the chassis and tapering the lower legs accomplished a more forgiving fork with a lower weight, just what they were after.
I ended up running 80-85 PSI in the fork and sag was about right. I rode it for awhile and was not able to get more then about 6 inches of travel from it. I moved the air spring compression to make it more linear by one. I rode the fork for another 4 weeks. It was still too pogressive. I ended up moving it up one more spot and it now seems about right. This was the biggest gripe with the fork. It came set in the middle and that seemed way to progressive even with almost no compression.
"The 2014 40 FLOAT uses a simple air chamber volume adjustment system as part of the air topcap assembly. By switching the position of internal spacers to change the location of the compression bulkhead on the shaft, nine different compression ratios are available. The stock position for the compression bulkhead is in the middle (3.04 compression ratio).
- Increasing your forks compression ratio will make your air spring curve more progressive.
- Decreasing your forks compression ratio will make your air spring curve more linear.
Use the following instructions to change your 2014 40 FLOAT air spring compression ratio."
Both the rebound and comprssion adjustments both made noticeable differences in the way the fork felt on the trail. One click on rebound or either compression makes a noticeable difference while out on the trail. Overall its adjustability is very broad and once you lock in the air chamber volume adjustment the Fox 40 Float should be easy enough to tune. Keep in mind changing the chamber alters the compression settings slightly. I went about this wrong and tried dialling in LS compression and Rebound before locking down the air chamber setting. So I had to increase compression once I made it more linear.
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The Fox 40 Float FIT RC2 does well as a racing fork. It has a big range of useable adjustments, the weight is decent, has a stiff chassis, and seems realiable. We had the fork for about 6 months and it never had a seal issue. In that time the Rebound Adjuster was ripped off the lower fork leg. The adjuster essentially sticks about 2 inches out of the lower leg if you live where it is very rocky I can see this possibly being a problem. The fork legs never hits large rocks at high speeds but in older 40 fork models many people in this area had problems piercing the fork. Luckily we didn't encounter this issue with the fork.
Conclusion
Overall the Fox 40 Float Fit has proven to be a good fork. Its tuneability, weight and responsiveness are all up to the task. A fork as a component on a bike can have a big influence on how a rider handles the terrain they are riding it can be a vital component. Riding the 40 for the last six months I always felt the fork to be very prcise. Where you pointed it the bike would go and once you dial in the Air Chamber its small bump compliance is pretty good. The Air Chamber was the one issue with the fork. Being able to adjust the way the fork behaves from linear to progressive via it is a good idea. But upon opening the fork and finding it being set to the middle was a shock. It would be hard to imagine someone running it full firm and being able to use all the travel. It is very possible that I am just not pushing hard enough to ride it with a more progressive air volume. Just dial this in first and your experience with the 40 Float should be great! We would suggest the Fox 40 Float RC2 to the racer looking to find a fork that can be set to varying track conditions and cannot handle the more flexy Boxxer chassis. Take your time setting it up and the fork will reward its rider with a confident and controlled ride.
Fox 40, Fox 40 Float, Fox Float FIT RC2 Review |
Cane Creek Angleset Review
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FEATURES
| Cups and Covers |
7075 T-6 Aluminum |
| Head-Tube Length |
Design is head-tube length independent |
| Alignment | Spherical bearing interfaces allow the AngleSet bearings to be aligned with the steerer-tube regardless of head-tube length or slight cup mis-alignment. |
| Offsets |
Steeper or Slacker +/- 0.5, +/- 1.0, +/- 1.5 & Neutral 0.0 |
| Crown Race |
Fully face-sealed crown race |
| Bearings |
Dependable black-oxide, sealed cartridge bearings |
| Interlok® |
Interlok® spacer compatible |
| Manufacturing |
Cut in Cane Creek’s Fletcher, NC machining facility from U.S.- made aluminum |
| Warranty |
1 year |
| Compatibility |
Internal parts are cross-compatible across the 10, 40 and 110 series |
The AngleSet™ threadless headset makes it possible to change the head angle of a mountain bike with ease. The AngleSet™ offers up to six offset angle adjustments. With steeper or slacker adjustments from 0.5 to 1.5 degrees, dialing in the perfect geometry to attack the trail is a breeze.
The proprietary design of the AngleSet™ is head-tube length independent and fits most standards. A self-aligning feature between the bearings and steerer tube ensure a perfect fit and allows for easy fork installation.
There was some complaints early on of creaking from some users. Upon further investigation, we found that improper installation was the culprit. So we developed an initiative to educate consumers about the finesse required. This was not a headset that could be pounded in on the side of the trail. In addition to our videos we include a bright yellow "Critical Instructions" sheet wrapped around the headset and secured by a black band which reads 'Knowledge is Power - Read the Instructions!". The result has been a huge success - gone are the reports of creaking - which makes us extremely happy.
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Mountain bikes have evolved drastically over the last two decades. They have gone from being full rigid to full suspension, lost weight, better brakes and tires. With all the advancements in technology allowing riders to travel at ever increasing speeds many riders have found it neccesary to slacken their bikes out to keep tham more stable at higher rates of speed. Also the terrain being ridden by the masses has gotten steeper as bikes have progessed. Gone are the days when only a few would brave the rough rocky descents. Now many of these trails are being ridden by the genral public. Mountain bike companies have seemed to fall behind rider demand on getting slacker frames made. Cane Creek saw a need to be filled and created the Angleset to help slacken out frames in need.
This began in the Downhill segment and has evolved into the trail bikes being ridden by the masses. One Downhill bike we tested with an Angleset was The Banshee Legend MKII although this bike is already "slack" we ran it in the -1 setting for almost our entire 2 years with the bike. Install was pretty easy, we greased everything and the headset never made a sound!
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The bike we are using to test this Angleset is an Intense 275. The bike comes standard with a 67.5 degree head angle. The bike works well on most trails with this HA but there are some faster, steeper trails in the area where a slacker HA would make the bike that much better.
The Cane Creek Angleset uses more parts than competitors angle adjusting headsets. First there’s an upper and lower CNC’d aluminum cup, then a pair of gimbles that accounts for the angle regardless of headtube length, then bearings and normal headset parts like a crown race and bearing cover, etc. The one problem with this design is that it can creak. I have heard of people having really creaky anglesets, and it seems to be the only drawback to them. That said, mine has been quiet as a mouse for the course of 6 weeks since I got it. Cane Creek makes it clear in the instructions about lining up the cups perfectly, and I guess that I managed to do that, because I literally have not had one creak from the headset. I also have an aluminum frame which may have something to do with it.
I used Progold EPX grease because it’s pretty thick and has some good stick to it. Then I greased everything: the inside of the headtube, the cups, the inside of the cups, the gimbles the bearing seats, the crown race… you get the picture. If there was a possibility of metal to metal contact, it got greased. I tightened the top cap bolt to 3.5 Nm and the headset hasn’t given me a single issue. The only thing that this does is it makes your steering tight. Not so tight that you feel it riding, but when standing over the bike, it takes a tiny bit more effort to turn the bars one way or the other. It’s a small price to pay for the handling benefits, but one that should be noted. As to why other people’s Anglesets have creaked, I can only think of a few possibilities. First, they’re probably radder than I am. I’ll be the first to admit there are faster people out there. Second, they may have been used on carbon frames, which don’t have the best reputation for being quiet. Third, I think the EPX grease may have something to do with it. It’s pretty thick, much thicker than Park. It’s thick enough that I don’t use it on bearings, but for assembly applications, it’s perfect though. I’ve also never torque’d my top cap bolt before, but putting it to 3.5 Nm was much more than what I would have called “tight” when adjusting any other headset. Lastly, if the cups aren’t perfectly aligned, it’s obvious why that would create a problem and creaking would ensue, which is probably why Cane Creek mentions it in multiple times in the instructions. Although, Cane Creek says that the gimbles are designed to make up for a slight cup misalignment.
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The Cane Creek Angleset might just be the best upgrade you can make to your bike. It was for mine. When I got my Tracer 27.5, it felt much too excited. Almost like it was trying to be a 26” bike. The short stays and 67.5 degree head angle kept the bike from feeling planted. Rather it was lively and flickable. This may not sound like a bad thing, but I wanted it to feel planted and stable. So I put an Angelset on and installed the -1 degree lower cup and bam, my bike is now a downhill sled with some agility. Nothing seems to upset it. In fact it feels like it picks up speed even better now. It’s much more composed and stable. The angleset brings my geometry numbers to 66.5 degree head angle, 17” chainstays, 13.3” bottom bracket height, and a nice long 46.75” wheelbase. The bike feels like it was made for this head angle. The only drawback is that the front wheel sticks out a bit farther, so it takes a little more effort to pull it up over obstacles. However, I got used to it after one ride, and it’s a sacrifice I am happy to make in exchange for the stability the bike now has.
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Overall The Cane Creek Angleset allowed us to set up the Intense better for our local trails. It is almost impossible to have angles for a bike that will work weel everywhere. Using a headset to adjust the head angle of your bike is a way for the customer to fine tune their bike for their local riding conditions. The ANgelset does as Cane Creek intended. With this owners can slacken or steepen their bikes somewhat easily. This can bring new life to an old steed or allow a more Freeride based bike to be turned into a more XC based one.
The angleset cups are machined in North Carolina. The bearings are black oxide coated for longevity. Everything about this headset screams quality. There’s no reason to think it won’t last for years, and at the same weight as a Chris King headset of the same size, there’s no real downside either. We have had good luck with the Anglesets we have used and would for sure suggest them to friends to use. Their install is pretty straight forward just use grease on every part and they will not make a peep!
Cane Creek has created a game changer with this headset. It will allow the customer to tailor the headangle of their bikes to the terrain they ride on a regular basis. We would for sure reccomend an Angleset to a friend that is in search of a new one and has they desire to alter their bikes ride characteristics.
Rider: Brad Smith
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Angleset Test, CC Angleset, Cane Creek, Headset |
