MtnBikeRiders.com

Yes and apparently it’s not long enough.

Gary Fisher’s new carbon hardtail 29er, the Superfly, has a metal sleeve in the seat tube. Apparently the sleeve is a little too short and is causing the seat post to rock back and forth inside the seat tube even if the collar is cranked on correctly.

If you’re the owner of a Superfly (I’m envious of you) and it’s a Small or Medium, then the sleeve should be 120mm long. If its a Large or X-Large, the sleeve should be 140mm long.

You currently have two options:
1. Ride the bike and Gary Fisher will replace the frame, if it has the short metal sleeve.

2. Bring in the frame and Gary Fisher will replace it, again assuming you have the short metal sleeve.

Notice that this is not a recall and is not shown on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall Announcement webpage.

For more info, contact your local Gary Fisher dealer, here.

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Mountain biking is a fantastic sport, except for a couple of drawbacks. For one, it can be difficult just finding time to get out on the trails, especially with the recent time change. If you don’t have a light your plum out of luck. Also if it’s raining, as it has been the last day here, you’re usually going to have to stay off the trails to keep them in pristine condition for the next ride. This is the time of year when it can be especially advantageous to have another sport or way to workout when jumping on the bike isn’t ideal.

Running is a great way to keep up your stamina and work some of the different muscles in your legs. It’s also more feasible in the rain than biking. Throw a rain jacket on with your ear warmers and you’re set. Hill running will help to build up those quads and calf muscles too. Yes, running isn’t everyone’s favorite past time but it breaks up the constant of always biking and helps work muscles you wouldn’t normally use during pedaling. I used to run trail running races and noticed my fitness level shot up quickly. I’d then race cross country on a 40 pound hardtail rig and was actually able to beat about half the pack. Plus running just has that different feel to it. Like it’s you against the elements.

If you’re not into running or you feel like it’s too boring for your tastes, then maybe try some type of organized sport as another option. I’m certain the majority of us riders played some sort of sport either in school or in an after school league. Are you telling me you don’t miss it? Maybe try playing basketball, baseball, football, etc., with your kids or friends. Much like running, other sports offer something cycling can’t and that’s a means to use other muscle groups. Heck, even if your not playing a sport you can lift weights. A pair of dumbbells are about $20 at your local sports outlet.

I think cross training is a great asset to any athlete. It gives you versatility in the muscles you use and increases your skillset. And if you’re playing a competitive sport the focus and hand/eye coordination required can only help your biking. So if you can’t get on your bike or you have some free time, try something a little different. Variety is the spice of life.

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Product Tested:
Slider The UnScooter

MSRP: $129.99 + Shipping & Handling

Specs:
6-inch polyurethane wheels
Dual handle brakes
Sturdy steel construction
Action-Decks with drive-spring propulsion
Hand grip height 32�?
250lbs weight limitation
Colors available: Black, Red, Blue, or Pink

Advertised as:

Patented Action-Deck™ Propulsion
Designed to propel you forward without your feet touching the ground.
3-Wheel Steering
Pivoting polyurethane wheels provide the most maneuverability, yet is more stable than 2-wheel scooters.
Dual Handle Brakes
Sturdy Steel Construction

During Interbike 07 we got a chance to chit chat with the cool people from Slider. They gave us a demo of how their product worked and even gave us the opportunity to test it out for them.

The Slider is definitely one interesting piece of machinery. There are several things you could do propel yourself without having to touch the ground. I found a scissors action with my legs to be the easiest way to make it go. Simply push both your feet out then retract. It’s drive springs and pivoting wheels seen above would do the rest.

The Slider’s action deck combined with the back wheels ability to pivot 45 degrees gives you stability and awesome maneuverability. It’s stable enough that I could turn 180 degrees when riding at full speed. You just have to lean into the turn and counter steer the front wheel.

Strengths: Such a super fun ride! It only takes a few minutes of riding before you‘re thinking of tricks to do. It’s affordable. MSRP for this particular model is $129.99. Trikke one it’s competitor is asking $369.99 for a similar item.

Weakness: During the test period, a weld on the right action deck broke causing it’s rear wheels to be uneven. I noticed it after my brother RL and I were riding it around his neighborhood. I spoke with George Tarrab one of the Slider’s representatives about the problem. He told me that it might have just been a fluke on this particular Slider. He then assured me that their 6 month warranty would cover any type of problems a customer would have with their Slider.

“We will of course warranty the unit by providing new rear caster assemblies with upgraded bearings, but will also include a new set of wheels to freshen the unit up for the customer’s trouble…�? said Mr. Tarrab. It’s good to hear a representative of a company stand behind their product.

Summary: The Slider is definitely a fun ride! Everyone who jumps on this bad boy instantly falls in love with it. It only takes a few minutes to get used to before you’re out there riding it like a pro. This is a must have piece of equipment. I actually plan on ordering one of the smaller models for my daughter.

For more info check out the SLIDER the UnScooter site.

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You all may remember that I stripped the paint off my Woodstock 707. Since everyone thought a brushed aluminum look would be better than painting it, I went ahead and got some advice from two people that I knew who has some experience with this stuff.

After talking with Randy and Khoa they suggested that I take some wet/dry sand paper and buff out any of the lines that were created when I was brushing the frame. For those of you that didn’t know, Khoa is totally obsessed with body finishes on cars and has been known to polish aluminum bike parts to the point where they look like mirrors. Randy did some work on his old Mustang in which he was able to get any of the aluminum parts to look like glass too.

So I drove down to the local Wally World and got myself a 2000 grit wet/dry paper and went to town on the frame.

I treated the down tube and check out the mirror finish!

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