So here’s our next project, we’re working on getting some sublimated jerseys, but not like the club fit kind. These can be worn for XC, DH and BMX. Here’s what our first round looks like.

The jersey is was created by my work place, TAI Sports. We do custom sublimation and softball equipment. I even run the blog, TaiSports.com/blog.

Here’s a close up of the jersey. Our next round of jerseys will most likely have the logo a larger diameter. Then on the back, across the shoulders would say “MtnBikeRiders.com”

Elite is only available exclusively by TAI Sports, and its Dry Fit!

I only had 2 made, but once we get the final samples and we feel good about them, we’ll get more made.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I had to borrow the camera at work to get these shots for you folks. Sheck it out!

Here’s the specs:
SID Race fork
Shimano DX SPD pedals
Alex Wheels
BBG Bash Guard-Red!

Sette Single Speed Tensioner
Sette Single Speed Conversion Kit
AVID Single Digit 5 Vbrakes
TruVativ Cranks, 170mm
Sweetskinz Eclipse Tires

Popularity: 17% [?]

Our friend Dave “Crash” Collins of Crash Innovations has come out with a fancy headset that is supposed to be way better than the standard headset spacer out there. Though I’m still waiting for specs, I was able to talk to Dave about his new product and he even had them installed on his Chumba.

We saw Dave at the Fullerton Loop last week and he stopped us to show off his new spacers.

He even gave me this cool shirt…

For more information about Crash Innovations, check out Dave’s Myspace page.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Priscilla just received the Tifosi Optics Vogel to review. It’s a great piece of eye wear that looks super hot on her.

Specs:

Weight: 22 grams
Fit: Small to Large Faces

Frame Features

* Grilamid TR-90 Open Frame Design
* Hydrophilic Rubber Adjustable Temples & Nose Piece
* Lifetime Warranty

Lens Features

* Polycarbonate Decentered Lens for Optical Clarity
* Glare Guard™ Glare Reducer to Decrease Eye Fatigue
* 100% UVA & UVB Protection

Priscilla will be posting her first impressions soon. Don’t worry fellas, if you like this style and design, they do offer them in more manly colors, unless you like the pink…Check out Tifosi Optics for more info.

Popularity: 6% [?]

First I want to apologize for not posting actual pictures of my newest project bike, well its all due to my camera taking dump and its at the shop being repaired. Anyhow, I started a new single speed project bike that involves the color RED!

Just to give you a hint on one of the items that adorns this Red Rocket, I’ve summoned the powers that be at PricePoint.com for a Single Speed Tensioner, and this is the baby that they provided me.

This bad boy retails for $19.98 at Pricepoint.com.

Here’s the specs:

The Sette Tensioner is a single speed chain tensioner that will work for vertical or horizontal dropouts. It will only add 100g to your frame and can mount using a quick release or bolt-on type hubs. The Sette Tension Guide will easily mount directly to your rear drop-out and derailleur hanger and allow for full adjustability to achieve the perfect chain line.

I’m also using the Sette Single Speed Conversion Kit from Pricepoint.com.

Once I get my camera back from the shop, I’ll make sure to post some photos of the Red Rocket. One last hint…click here to find it.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Check out Khoa’s newest project bike…21.8lb single speed carbon!

Read it here

Popularity: 11% [?]

I finished Priscilla’s new machine and its purdy! Here, scheck it out mang!

First order of business with this bike was personalizing it for Priscilla, thus the pink accents. She had the same Jagwire Pink derailleur cables and housing on her last bike, and she loved them. Rather than recycling her old cables/housing, I ordered me a new set. Pink Terry Butterfly saddle and of course her green froggy.

XT rear der. Dura Ace 12-27 cassette, yes, a Dura Ace. This cassette is a big contribution in what makes Priscilla fly. Mated it with an XTR/ Dura Ace 9 speed chain.

FSA V-Drive/Mega EXO cranks/bottom bracket. Those are Vuelta XRP wheels. Wrapped with Kenda Small Block Eight tires.

4 bar rocker assembly with the RockShox MC3.3 air shock w/motion control, floodgate w/3 position switch.

To answer Danny from Brazil, we went with disc brakes from Bengal. These are the Helix 1.1. We also went with the LX shifter pods.

Helix 1.1 caliper mounted on the Spinner Reason Fork.

In our next update, Priscilla will be talking about how the bike handled in its maiden voyage.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Ergon GC2 Magnesium Grips
Specs:

Multi-position grips with integrated cold forged alu barends, which have a dual function acting as the clamps for the grip. The shape of the grip is identical to the GP1. The GC2 is the replacement for the older R1 model. It features a longer, ergonomically optimized barend, which is adjustable in terms of its angle on the bar. Its size and shape are ideal for small to middle sized hands (Size S: 6.5 – 8.5) as well as for middle to larger sized hands (Size L: 8.5 – 10.5). The barend and the support platform on the grip can be independently adjusted for the correct angle to allow optimized fit for individual saddle position and riding style
Sizes: S, L GC2
Sizes: S, L GC2 Gripshift® compatible
Sizes: S, L GC2 Rohloff®/Nexus® compatible
Gender • Unisex
Size • Small, Large
Clamp • Forged Aluminum
Use • Mountainbike, Touring
Price (MRSP) 29.95 $US

I’ve been riding with the GC2 grips for about 4 months now. During the test period, the grips were mounted on the Sette Reken Single Speed project bike. This bike has seen various trails such as the Fullerton Loop, Turnbull Canyon, Aliso Woods, Southridge and many more.

Pros:
-Easy to install
-Very comfortable
-Multiple position possibilities
-Great bar ends for climbing, a must on single speeds
-Black, the best color in the world
-Bar end doesn’t stick out too far, great for aesthetics

Cons:
-Not the best grips for tackling very technical terrain

Installation of the grips were very easy. The outer portion of the grips have a lock on feature that keeps them in place. The grips are excellent for climbing, thanks to the bar ends. I’ve used other bar ends that attach separately from my grips and I didn’t like those because they would cause you to lose bar space since they needed an additional 3/4 of an inch on both sides to mount. But what I liked about the GC2 is the all in one grip set. Not only do you have the bar end attached to the ergonomic grip, but it also fully adjustable for your needs.

The GC2 are very comfortable grips to use, they allow multiple hand positions in which you can even rest your palms on the wider portion of the grip. Changing hand positions during a long grind can help prevent hand fatigue in the long run.

My only beef with these grips would be the feeling that I wasn’t getting enough to grab. From what I understand, Ergon Grips are supposed to give you more hand coverage of their grips over standard grips. But what the weird thing was the feeling that I would get when going down trails like Rock-it and Lynx, both rocky and technical trails. Each time I rode down these trails with the Sette Reken, I found my hands grabbing harder on the bars, which then lead to hand fatigued. When I experienced hand fatigue, I would have to stop and shake my hands until I the burning would go away.

Summary:
Would I recommend it? I’m a bit on the fence on this one. The grips are comfy, the bar ends work great especially for climbing with a single speed. But I just didn’t like that feeling like I didn’t have a full grip. So with all that said, if you are doing strictly XC riding where technical downhills are at a minimum, then sure these would be great for you. But if you plan on using these grips on an AM bike, I’d pass.

Popularity: 21% [?]

I’ve been riding with the Yess Pro for about 5 months. It’s been installed on two different bike and ridden all over the place.

When I first started my full suspension single speed project, people had told me about the Yess Pro tensioner. In fact Pricepoint.com sell this item for $54.98. Originally I set up my FS SS on standard tensioner but I found that my gears kept skipping. I also was convinced that I needed my chain to wrap around my rear cog more than the standard tensioner was doing.

The tensioner was installed on the Woodstock 707 for about 2 months. Then I received a Sette Reken frame to use on another single speed build up. Again with the Sette, I used a standard tensioner. But I later found out that those things just sucks compared to the Yess Pro.


Strengths:
The Yess Pro has to be one of the best inventions out there that would benefit single speed mountain biking. I really enjoyed using the Yess Pro for the plain fact that it worked as described. I did drop my chain twice during the testing period, but that was only because I didn’t set the tension tight enough and when I landed, the chain slap had so much momentum that it fell off my chain ring. Other than that, the chain never came off the rear cog, nor did it have any mechanical issues what so ever.


Weaknesses:
2 things that I didn’t like about the Yess Pro. #1, your chain line cannot differ from how they built the tensioner. Basically meaning if you you’re using a typical triple crank, you’ll have to place your front chain ring on the inside of the spider. But for some odd reason my Shimano crank required that my ring to be installed on the outside of the spider, which mean that my chain line is further out.

So what happens is, the roller on the tensioner has a lip on it which your chain ends up riding on. I had to install 2 washers on both mounting bolts of the tensioner to bring it out further so the chain would site just right on the roller.
#2, The stainless steel guide plates on the pulley started to rub against my new KMX single speed chain. After a few rides I noticed that my chain showed some visible wear from the guide plate and after removing and inspecting the plates, they too had wear on them. So the I removed them and found that the tensioner will work perfectly fine with out them.

One thing I would like to point out is that there might be some fit problems with bikes with the Horst Link suspension. Joe Solancho has an Intense that he converted over to SS, and he had a heck of a time getting it installed on his bike. His LBS had to contact Yess Pro to get some advice to get it to work.

Summary:
Here’s shot of the Yess Pro installed on my hardtail single speed, the Sette Reken. In my opinion, this is a great set up for both full suspension and hard tail single speeders.

So overall, the tensioner never failed on me. Installation is pretty self explanatory, but keep in mind that you may need some washers in the event your chain line sits further out than what Yess Pro had intended their tensioner to work with. For more information about the Yess Pro tensioner, visit their site HERE.

Popularity: 25% [?]

I’ve been riding with the Kona Supreme Gloves for almost 2 months. I’ve done all sorts of riding in so many trails and streets that I feel that I have enough information gathered to talk about the quality and performance of the gloves.

Here’s some specs:

MSRP: $45
Men’s Supreme Glove in Black/White - also available in Black/Red and Orange/Blue

Air mesh ventilation panels
Chamude palm w/chamude overlays for increased durability
Silicone grip finger tips for better brake lever control
Compression molded airprene knuckle pads
TPR tab closure for adjustable fit and
Kevlar skid pad for added palm durability

When I first got the gloves, they were super clean and white…very sweet! I loved how they match the the black and white theme I have going for my single speed.

But after weeks and weeks of riding, fixing dropped chains, flat tires, and wiping the sweat off my face…they now look like this…a bit dirty as I had expected.

Let me dive into the meat or veggies if your a vegetarian, of the review. The Supreme Gloves are very comfy. I was sent a LARGE for my man sized hands and they fit like a glove, pun was totally intended. The gloves fit nicely and weren’t loose at all. Breathes really well and fingers flexed wit ease. I never felt constricted with these gloves and even provided me some great protection when I played airsoft guns with my nephews.

Here’s a shot of the left palm…after almost 2 months of riding time, they haven’t shown any type of wear. The gloves have reinforced double stitching on the chamude overlay, which worked great because I never felt heat develop from the friction that my gloves and grips would cause.

The silicone finger tips stayed sticky all through out the review process. They gripped even after getting grease on them from fixing a dropped chain as well as getting dirt on them. Another plus was the velcro straps. Once I set them they never came off.

One of my favorite features of the gloves was the lycra section where the knuckles are. This allows more flexibility and greater movement while riding.

So all in all, the Kona Supreme Gloves worked really well. I wasn’t dumb enough to intentionally crash and see if they would shred into pieces, but if I get that opportunity, I’ll make sure to report back on it. Otherwise, these gloves are pretty boss.

Popularity: 17% [?]