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Ergon GA1 Grips

Specs:

New for 2009, the GA1 is a specific all mountain grip. Using the knowledge gained in the development of the GE1, the GA1 features a sculpted shape, and various textures to offer many of the advantages of our platform grips, in situations where absolute freedom of movement is called for. Securely bolted down with a slim aluminum clamp, available in two sizes, and three colours. Ergonomics aren’t just for XC or Endurance riders

Price:around $30.

I received a pair of the Ergon AM grips from our friends and team sponsor, Ergon USA. We first saw these at the 2009 Sea Otter Classic and Jeffery Neal (Ergon USA BIG Queso) asked me to try them out and see how I liked them.

I mounted the grips on the the KHS XCT 555 and it immediately raised the cool factor of the bike. I totally dig white on bikes, clothes, shoes, snow, clouds and in food…white rice is my favorite. Anyhow, The Ergon AM grips are super easy to install, and it has a very strong collar to prevent it from slipping out of the bar or rotating on their own.

I installed them according to the directions and when I grabbed a handful of grip, you definitely feel a huge difference between the Ergon AM grips and standard grips. For one, standard grips are cylindrical and don’t contour to your hands natural shape and could easily cause some pain or numbness during a ride.

If you carefully look at the grips, you’ll notice they are not entirely shaped like a cylinder. Nope, they have some character to them where it has raise and lowered portions of the grip where you hand’s ergonomic needs are met.

So how do they feel right when you grab them, felt good. They leave you feeling like your hand is full…does that make sense? Ok, think of it this way, place a pencil into your hand, then grab a large Sharpie or one of those Crayola Markers…feel the difference? Do you see how much fuller the marker feels in your hand compared to the pencil. Well that’s about the same feeling you get with the Ergon AM grips, but better. It basically I felt like I had more grip and surface area in my hand. Don’t get me wrong, these grips aren’t fat in circumference, no! They just feel way better than regular grips.

What I also liked about the grips was the dual density design. Much like other Ergon grips, these babies have an upper section for a bit of cushion and dampening, and the other side is textured so your fingers do not slip.

Lows-Can we get real for minute? I have to be honest, cuz’ I’m keepin’ it REEEAAALLL. The first 2 rides I had with the Ergon AM grips, my hands ached. I wasn’t sure exactly why, but my guess is that they were not used to the shape of the grip. But after my 3rd ride, I had gotten used to them and no longer ache, in fact, they feel pretty good.

Summary-The Ergon AM Grips are wicked hot. They look great and they feel awesome. I’ve installed this on the bike that I use for everything. So that means these grips have been in riding conditions such as XC and Downhill, and you know what, even after a bad crash on the DH course in Fontana, they still feel and look awesome. So that means if you’re tired of the same uncomfy grips that are available, try out the Ergon GA1, heck try out any of their grips, you won’t be disappointed.

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One of my pet peeves in life would be riders not calling it. What I mean by calling it is the mere courtesy of letting riders know which side you’ll be passing. This practice has long been used in road biking, and I remember when I was a young pup riding a road bike, I quickly learned what “Right”, “left” meant. Ok ok for you folks that get all angst about which side you need to pass on, common practice leads us to pass on the left. But in mountain biking, sometimes its ok to pass on the right, but call it!

Anyhow, I’m sure you’re wondering why am I bringing this up. Well a few weeks ago, during our weekly night ride at the Fullerton Loop, I get buzzed by some douche bag passing me on my right. He completely spooked me and caused me to jerk my handle bar which could have ended in a crash. I yell out to the guy in a sarcastic manner, “thanks for letting me know!” He was completely oblivious to my statement as he raced further ahead.

A couple things came to my mind, this guy was probably pretending to be racing and wanted to feel good about himself by passing up people on the trail. Another scenario I could think of was he had the runs and needed to get to a restroom ASAP. But by all means, you a person still needs to call it.

For Pete’s sake (he’s a really cool guy), at all the races we’ve been at during the Shimano Winter Series, the pros and all the way down to the little kids were calling which side they were passing and because of that reason, I can’t figure out why that douche bag or any other douches out on the trails do, or should I say, don’t do that.

By the way, after that chump passed me, two other guys on CycloCross bikes came up from behind, called left, and as they passed by they asked me if I knew (in their own words) “who that ass was?” I said no and the CX riders just shook their head and said, “what a punk” (anger directed to the douche). We eventually caught up to some trail runners and they asked Priscilla and I if we knew who that guy in the orange (local bike club) jersey was. We said no, and the runners mentioned that they want to give that guy a stern talking since they too, were buzzed by without warning.

By the time we finished our ride, I felt really tough and I scanned the parking lot to see if I could spot the guy…no luck. But if I did, I would have kicked his ass! Jk, no I would have talked to him and ask him to start calling it. Not only is it important for safety, but if you act like a douche on the trail, people such as hikers, walkers, runners, and equestrians will start to stereotype mountain bikers as rude people…

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Approximately 6am Sunday morning we got up to get our day started.  We had a full day of racing ahead of us, especially with the Two-Run format.  We had a quick breakfast at the hotel where we were joined by Kim & Tony, then repacked my truck with our gear and bikes.

We arrived at Woodward West shortly after 8am and practice had already begun.  Practice was for only two hours then they would have to clear the course for the start of the race.  The Moe and I suited up and headed to the top via shuttle.

Looking back to my practice runs on Saturday (3 total) I did fairly well.  As I described on the previous post, we have to go through two small rock gardens – one at the start and one towards the middle of the course.  My problem was the first section… much like my previous races in Fontana, I have the fear of these rocks.  During Saturday’s runs, I could not get myself to go over the first section.  With the coaching and encouragement from my team mates it didn’t help.  What’s strange is the first section is very similar to the second rock garden where I just plowed through the middle…

Back to Sunday… geared and ready to go, off we went on our first run.  Approaching the first rock garden I chickened out and stopped just short of it.  I walked over it to find my line and hoped to go over it on the next run.  The rest of the run went smoothly despite some of the turns and corners being chewed up.  Second run the same (as the first)… out of time for practice, I never got myself to go over the first rock garden.

Inspecting the first rock garden.

Overall I was very comfortable with DH course except for that one section.  As the race started with the Pros (and the rest of the categories), I watched as they flowed through that section.  Obviously the Pros and others with jumping capabilities picked a different line; they jumped over the rocks and made it look so easy.  I was trying to convinced myself to just go through it like the others and I’ll be fine.

1st Run: I was 3rd in the seed list and will be following The Moe.  Up on the ramp I was ready…just need to get through one section and it’s all gravy.  As Donny counted me down, 3,2,1…

View from the top as The Moe starts his run

I rolled down the ladder onto the course.  It starts off on a singletrack then up and over a boulder, no problem.  As I approached the first rock garden I see an opening on the left side of the garden.  Between the rocks and the post holding the tape for the boundaries I shot through this section totally avoiding the garden…whew I made it.  No harm no foul, I stayed within the boundaries.  I made my way down the S-turns, towards some fast corners with berms.  As I approached the table tops, I started scrubbing some speed.

Approaching the table top.

Now I’m not one to jump; like Sea Otter I rolled/pumped through these sections.  I’m sure I would have gained more time if I learned how to jump, but for now, this is how I roll  

I rolled through the second rock garden successfully but at some point my feet became unclipped.  For the next three jumps I was bouncing up and down on my saddle trying to get my feet together! (see 1st part of the video) What the @#$%!  This was a terrible feeling not knowing where your pedals are.  At the same time unable to pedal and losing some time.   I finally got my footing and finished the run.  Disappointed as I found a way to get through the one section that hindered my practice runs and something else slowed me down.

During our wait for our 2nd run, they posted our time.  I was currently in last place.  I had plenty of time to review my last run.  Disappointed at the loss of pedals I was determined to do much better than the last.  Also now that I knew that I can squeeze by the first rock garden I was much more confident.   My goal now was to better my previous time.

2nd Run:  At the top of the ladder, I was poised and eager to do my 2nd run.  As Donny counted me down I rolled down the ladder and headed towards the first rock garden.  Same line as the last, I actually heard someone comment as I passed that it was a good line.  With much more confidence I felt good on the course.  My feet and pedal stayed together through out my run.  At the end I felt good and I was able to better my time.

I finished 5th overall.  With my second run, I was able to edge out The Moe.  It wasn’t an easy task as he was riding really well that day.  I need to go on a “learn how to jump” clinic.  I can definitely use it.  Check out the video from my helmet cam.  I’ve added the segment where I lost my footing.

I also want to send healing vibes to our friend Wes Castro (also in our Class).  At the end of his first run we watched him crash at the Finish Line.  Approximately 15-20ft before the Finish Line is a jump/kicker; many were launching off this.   Wes took this jump; he looked good until his front end started pointing downward… Wes endo’ed and crash at the finish line.  Fortunately he was able to get up and walk away from it.  As a matter of fact he finished 4th in our Class.  Get well and congrats!

I had a great time at Woodward West.  Racing is so much better when you are joined by great friends.  Many thanks to our sponsors KHS, Hoss, Serfas, Evomo, Ergon and Bike Commuters.com.  Also thanks to Roy for taking pictures.

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So there I was riding my mountain bike through some wilderness that was known to be chock full of crazy and dangerous animals. Priscilla was TRYING to keep up with me on the trail and I often had to stop, then go back down the trail to check on her.

Then during a long climb that took us from 4400 feet up to 6700 feet, I spotted something ahead. It was a mountain lion. I said to myself, “ugh…not again…” I said this because the last time I encountered a mountain lion, it wasn’t good…for the lion.

When I saw the lion, I wasn’t too concerned since I figured he would just run away. But this fella wasn’t budging. He actually came out of the brush and stood right in the middle of the trail. I stopped my bike, I motioned to Priscilla to stop right behind me and place her bike in front of her for added protection from the lion.

I locked eyes with the lion and said, “what’s up kitty…” he just looked at me, then he took an aggressive stance in which his head lowered, while taking 2 steps forward. He did this without breaking his cold stare.

I dismount my bike and took off my hydration pack, the kitty is slowly making it’s way closer. He and I are now only 20 feet away from each other. I take my sunglasses off and hand it to Priscilla. She tells me to be careful. But she should have said that to the kitty. I advance forward while taking my shirt off. When I did this, Priscilla says in a low tone…”oooh!”

Then with a blink of an eye, the kitty and I run towards each other! I’m yelling a battle cry, much like you’d see in the movie 300 or Gladiator. The lion does the same thing with its blood curdling roar! We jump up in the air, kinda like an old kung fu movie. We exchange punches in mid air, we land on the ground and I say to the kitty, “hmm, your kung fu is good, but NOT good enough!” Again we take to the air, but this time I’m on the attack, I throw a punch, he blocks, I kick, it hits him, he winces, I throw another punch, he goes down!

I land back on the ground, I wait for him to get up…”had enough kitty?” Then he says to me, “pssh, is that all you gots bro?!” Then he lunges, claws me, it cuts my forearm, I start to bleed. He laughs…I get mad and this time I’m going to use my specialty move to defeat the lion. I jump up in the air, then fly towards him, then I yell, “Pedal KICK!!!! HIYA!” I get him square on the jaw, he falls back to earth very discouraged. I yell to him, “let us be kitty (lions hate it when you call them kitty), or face the consequences!”

The lion retreats into the wilderness, Priscilla and I continue with our ride. By the way, she’s totally digging on me since I just saved her life. She kept saying something about how strong I am and yada yada yada.

We crest the peak of the mountain and we sit for a moment to enjoy the scenery. Then I hear some rustling in some near by bushes. A bear and a tiger come out…then guess who shows up behind them, yup, the lion. I look at them, and I sigh…”Are you serious? I beat you up, and now you come here with your back up?”

The lion starts to laugh and says…”its 3 against 1 bro…you’re out numbered!” I respond, “first of all, I ain’t your BRO! Secondly…KITTY (he’s visibly upset when I said that), I still take care of you three all by myself!” I motion to Priscilla to step away from the danger. I suggested that she get our picnic lunch ready as I will be super hunger after fighting these animals.

On this fight, I decided to stay on the bike, my KHS XCT 555. One would think that fighting while on a bike would hinder one’s abilities. But what these animals didn’t know was, that my XCT 555 was from Cybertron and could easily transform in to ANYTHING I ask it to.

The lion, tiger and bear start to surround me, one is on my left, the other on my right and the last, behind me. They yelled something to the effect of “Attack!” That’s when they all lunged at me, I do a super quick and high bunny hop 20 feet into the air, when I did this, all 3 of them end up running into each other and bonking their heads together. I land back to earth…laughing. The animals gather themselves and are now madder and want to really do some damage.

The tiger and bear attack and I see that the lion retreat into the bushes, I honestly thought he gave up. The bear jumps in the air, and is aiming to land his knee to my face, I jump out of the way, but the tiger grabs me and gives me a titty twister, I yell in pain (I hate those!). He starts laughing, then the bear throws a kick to my head, I some how block it with my leg, and I grabbed the tiger’s titty and give him a twist. He yells and in the process, he lets me go. I get back on my bike, I do another bunny hop into the sky. As I was leaping 50 feet up, I see Priscilla had nicely laid out our picnic blanket and was getting our lunch ready.

Both the tiger and bear follow me to the skies. Since I was hungry, I wanted to end this fight quickly. In mid air, I do a back flip with the bike, my rear wheel hits the bear right on the gut and the impact causes the bear to fly clear across the valley. Then when it came to fighting the tiger, I had my KHS XCT 555 transform into a pair of nun-chucks, I grab my bike, er, I mean the nun-chucks and whack the tiger into another mountain range.

I drop back down to the picnic area, and I noticed that Priscilla wasn’t there. I look to my left and saw that the kitty had Priscilla. He was holding her while he had his gun pointed at her temple. I look at the kitty and say, “dude…I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” He says to me, “oh yeah? What’s you gonna do about it BRO?!”

Priscilla says to the kitty, “He already said he ain’t your BRO!” At the end of her sentence she did some fancy kung fu move where she grabbed his gun, twisted his arm and at the same time she knees him to the face. The force of the knee knocks him out cold!

I run up to the kitty and I stand over him say….”oooh you got knocked the (BLEEP) out!!!” Kitty finally comes to, and runs away. Priscilla gives me a smile, I nod…and we both sit down and enjoy our picnic lunch.

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