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This was my second year visiting the Sea Otter and just like last year the Otter delivered. What did the Otter deliver you say? Fun, sun, bikes, new products, sweet single track and great people. Crank Brothers has been a fixture in the bike world for some time now and I am a multiple user. I have come admire this company and the innovative products they produce. Like any company they have had their share of problems when trying to deliver a new product but what they always deliver is superior customer service, at least in my experience. I was looking forward to seeing in person some of the new products CB has developed and just like last year, there they were camped out in the middle of the Otter. Find below some of the new products from CB.

CB 29er front Wheel - 798 grams, 6061 Aluminum, 2.0 1.6 2.0 spokes

24 Total Spokes...

Cool Spoke Shot...

Cobalt 3 Low Rise with Iodine Stem

Cobalt Stem/Cobalt 11 Flat Bar

We Want Candy...

Cobalt 11 Seatpost, 157 Grams, Aluminum

Crank Brothers did not fail to impress this MTB’r. I really dig their design philosophy and really like the direction they are going in right now. From diggin a little deeper into the company I have discovered their design inspiration comes from co.s such as Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Knog, Salomon, Marc Newson and others. I dig it and maybe, just maybe, one day some of their new stuff will find it’s way on to my bike, but for now, it’s look but don’t touch.

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Voodoo has a new bike that they are pretty proud of and I would be too. Voodoo Cycles is making their first foray into mini-link frames. Normally a 4-bar linkage company Voodoo worked with Joe Murray in designing a Floating Pivot Point (FPP) that exhibits anti-squat tendencies in this full suspension frame. Introducing the Zobop FPP:

Voodoo Zobop FPP… bell not included

The Voodoo is made out of 7005 butted aluminum tubing and has a stiff rear triangle. It has a zero stack headtube and Rock Shox Monarch rear shock. Voodoo recommends a 120-140mm fork. Frame MSRP: $935. Yes, you read that right: $935.

The red rockers are a great contrast to the gray/black frame

Close up of the lower linkage and shock mount to frame

Also, being introduced is the Soukri 29″. The Soukri 29 is a Reynolds 631 hardtail frame designed around a 100mm fork. The frame weighs in at 4.7lbs for a size 18″ and is priced at $575.

The Soukri 29″ is really a beautiful bike with the classic panels done up “Voodoo” style

20mm sliding aluminum vertical dropouts have built-in tensioners

Neither bike is on the Voodoo cycles site yet.

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Need to make your own bike wash? It’s simple…Simple Green! Here’s what I did. I take a spray bottle, fill half of it with tap water and the other half with Simple Green.

Spray it on your bike, let it sit for a few seconds, then wipe away clean! The diluted Simple Green gets all sudsy and cleans up the bike nicely.
Here’s my dirty rear wheel.

Spray it all over the place.

Wipe clean. See the difference.

Works great on the frame.

Sweet…

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This video is from a few years ago and it has become one of my favorites. Just watch his mad skills of disappearing! It’s like he’s a magician! He’s there one second, and then he’s gone! Wow!!!

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Titus Rockstar on the XC loop

On Saturday afternoon Tim & I took out a couple of Titus’s on the XC loop (about 18 miles and almost 3k feet of climbing). I grabbed a Titus Rockstar. The Rockstar is Titus’s full suspension 29er with 100mm of travel. It comes equipped with all the new stuff including the tapered headtube, hydroformed front triangle along with a beefy carbon rear.

Aluminum front triangle with a nice low standover height and nice graphics/color

Our short ride netted me just a few thoughts on the bike: the suspension is very active. On climbs and on downhill sections the horst link was active even when locked out. I really enjoyed the plush sensation on the downhills and although plush, the carbon rear end still felt stiff and strong. The carbon rear is really quite thick which I am sure increases stiffness.

Carbon rear triangle was nice and stiff

The Rockstar climbed very well with the caveat that the suspension was moving even with propedal engaged. This could also be a matter of set up as the rider before me was “about” my weight so I didn’t touch the shock. The XC trail loop at Sea Otter does not have any particularly technical climbs but it did have some nice singletrack climbing which the Rockstar did great on. There was a little front lift on the climbs but not enough that better pedaling form couldn’t fix.

Nicely executed Horst link suspension and the white is HOT

And if you’re a fan of the old Racer-X geometry, the Rockstar can be setup to handle that way. For the Rockstar Titus slackened out the head angle for a more stable ride, but this Rockstar used a low handlebar setup which lent a “Racer-X”-ish feel. I had no quibbles with this either way as I enjoyed the snappy handling.

About the only negative with the bike is the choice of tires which did not work well for the trails around Sea Otter. The Mountain Kings hampered my confidence to rail the bike on turns and through the singletrack.

For more info on the Titus 2010 Rockstar, click here.

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