Just received this bad boy the other day for testing from KUAT Innovations.

Specs:

Here’s some photos on how it looks on the Limo.

The NV came with additional adapters to allow 700c wheels. But what you see can also handle 29er wheels. Plus it ratchets so you can make sure your bike is snug and with a simple press of the button, it releases.

Wheel tray.

Large quick release lever allows multiple rack positions.

Tilt forward

Flat

Up

Built in lock and cable

See that knob, you crank on it and it will tighten the rack against your hitch to prevent sway.

Here’s the best part of the rack, built in repair stand!

I’ll be testing this rack in the next few months. For more information, check out KUAT Innovations.

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Today is the shortest day of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere. This means that the sun will gradually be setting later in the day. This is good for those who ride after work as, soon, they will be able to ride in the sun.

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If you haven’t noticed, on the right side bar, there is a small banner add that says “Sell your bike stuff here.” Well that right there is the new classifieds section that we’re offering our readers. Guess what, its free!

Just set up an account and start selling. Here’s the classified section link.

Disclaimer

This is an automated classified advertisement service. mtnbikeriders.com shall not be liable in any manner whatsover for the placement contents use or otherwise of the advertisements that appear on this service. MtnBikeRiders.com will not tolerate any message which contain sexuality, social sensitive issues and also message that abuse the marshmallows and pixie stix.

You can post as many ads as you like as there is no limitations on how many ads you should be posting. MtnBikeRiders.com reserves the rights to delete any classified advertisement as and when it deems necessary

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MtnBikeRiders.com would like to congratulate our very own staffer, Jeremy and his wife Michelle Yang on the birth of their new son, Judah Yang, who was born on Dec. 7, he weighed 6 lbs 9oz. 20 inches. Mom & Jude are doing great.

Congrats to the Yangs!

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The other night, Priscilla and I set up a time where she would meet me at the trail head for a night ride. I got to the destination and started to get ready. As I was gearing up, she rolls in on her bike. Usually she’s dressed in some sort of cool jersey with a pair of shorts or skort, but this time she was wearing her skort and a simple cotton t-shirt. No hydration pack, just a water bottle on the frame and a cute smile.

I don’t know what it was about the cotton T, but I liked it. Maybe it was the “girl next door” look or something, but I liked how she looked like just a regular person riding a mountain bike. Usually when I see a person in a fancy jersey with its big bright colors and logos, it gives an aura about them that they are “serious” about riding or it even ups their credibility by sight. Or it tells me that they spent over $40 for a shirt.

I realize there are benefits to wearing a dry fit type of jersey since we all know that they pull away moisture from your skin. However, when I see a person wearing just a cotton shirt with a pair of biking shorts, two things speak out. 1. Newbie 2. This person is soooooo good at mountain biking that they are confident about their abilities and don’t care for the “look” of the sport.

Perhaps I’m looking way too much into this. But personally I’d rather wear a cotton shirt when its a bit cooler. It helps keep me warmer than a polyester shirt.

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Are you addicted to Facebook as much as we are? Well if you are a FB whore, then come join the newest group on the block!

To join, just click HERE or look for the MtnBikeRiders.com is Super Cool group on Facebook.

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We would like to apologize to the Niner owners who have been patiently waiting for us to address the problems you have been experiencing with the Jet 9. Please understand that it has nothing to do with Niner ignoring or not caring about our customers.

In fact, we have been very hard at work analyzing the issues with the Jet 9 so that we could fully understand the warranty cases we received and provide a definitive solution. This analysis included destructive testing, metallurgical study, and FEA computer modeling. Using these methods, we examined the quality of the base metal, filler material, heat affected zone of the weld, structural design, and finish quality of the frames. We built over 20 new prototypes and tested them in every way imaginable.

In light of test results and after many hours of discussion on how best to serve our loyal customers, we decided to voluntarily recall Jet 9 frames with serial numbers from P8001682 to P9400454. These frames risk welding defects in the front and rear triangles that may lead to a premature failure of the frame. Unfortunately, there is no way to visually check for these weld defects. You should stop riding the frame immediately because a failure could occur at any time.

We cannot overstate our concern in regard to these issues, and we are investing a significant portion of company resources into correcting the issue in the most expedient manner. Niner puts great care into producing bikes that we are proud to put our name on. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service and we realize that this recall is a huge inconvenience. The amount of time we have put into this testing process has caused production delays, leaving orders unfilled. We know that customers spent hard-earned money on a Niner, and now we are asking that you to send the frame back for replacement. For some people this is the second time. We are extremely sorry and we promise we will make things right.

Read more about it here

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Below are the official dates for the upcoming 2009 Triple Crown Series in So Cal.  As you recall, our Team did fairly well in 2008.  Priscilla and Kim won the overall for their respective categories.  I’m betting they’ll bring home new jerseys for 2009

                      2008 Triple Crown Series winner’s jersey

I’m looking forward to another exciting series of cross country racing!

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The Leadville 100 is set for this Saturday August 15^th.  Back to attack is Lance Armstrong, who finished 2^nd in 2008 to Dave Weins, 6 time winner of this race.  Lance fresh from his impressive return to the 2009 Tour de France is ready to give it another shot.  Per Velo News “Armstrong plans on smashing the Leadville 100 mountain bike race course record”.  Whether he does or not, it’ll be another epic race.  After seeing the 2008 video of Lance and Dave going head to head for most of the race I can’t wait to see this year’s race. So Cal local Manual Prado (3^rd place in 2008) is also on the roster for Saturday. 

 picture from 2008

Brief description of the course:

The course of 100 miles is within the beautiful, high altitude mountains and valleys of Leadville, Colorado. The race is an out-and-back course; 50 miles out to the highest point on the course, the Columbine Mine Aid Station at 12,600 feet.  The majority is on back-country dirt roads with some short sections of paved road. The entire course is above 9,000 ft with six well-supplied aid stations.

Check back next week for the results.  For more information, go to www.leadvilletrail100.com.  You can also watch via webcast through the official site (listed above) for $5.95.

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The newest Kona newsletter is out and the 2010 Kona line-up has been announced, check it out!

KONAWORLD (August 1, 2009) – The good people at Kona have been busy. Seventy-eight unique models of bicycles, with 14 new models, each built to sparkle and shred. From track classics to classy downtown fixies, highly adaptable trail bikes to a Andreu Lacondeguy signature dirt jump frame. 2010, our 22nd year building bikes, is an exercise in diversity…Kona style.

It starts with our commitment to the trail. The flexibility and flow of Magic Link finds a new home in Kona’s super fresh mid-travel all-mountain ripper, the Cadabra. With paradigm shifting suspension characteristics that can adapt to a massive variety of terrain, the new Cadabra and Abra Cadabra is our sub 30-pound solution to the quiver. “Simply the most versatile, capable bike to span the widest range of conditions,” says Brian Berthold of Brake Therapy, the Cadabra’s chief designer. “From the steepest, gnarliest granny gear climbs and tightest switchbacks, to fast & hairy DH descents, not another bike on the planet can perform the magic like this bike.”

We’ve also introduced new mountain bike models, the Kula Gold and the Hei Hei 100. A tribute to our legendary hardtail XC speedster, the Kula Gold comes pimped components that go bling, not to mention frame refinements like an internal headset. The Hei Hei 100 hops up our honed Hei Hei XC dual suspension steed with an extra smattering of travel.

And we’re just getting started.

Aside from lightening weights on our shred-ready line of Kids bikes, we’ve added the Cowan 2-4, a tricked out dirt jump bike for tween aerialists.

For fully-grown dirt fiends, we’re bringing back the Stuff, an affordable, durable, rip-ready hardtail that excels and doing it all and doing it well.

On to the road!

At Kona we believe in the complete cyclist: riding trail, riding pavement, riding as a means to travel through this big wide world. This commitment to all means of self-propulsion shows in our extended range of refined, performance savvy asphalt bikes.

The new, super affordable, tough as nails WorldBike will rock the reggae from Minneapolis to Macau. The Dr. Fine, a sleek, high end, internally geared addition to the street slashing Dr. Dew series is the perfect bike for commuters seeking simple elegance. And the Super Dew, the ultimate downtown speedster.

To our beautiful line of drop bar asphalt and cyclocross bikes we’ve also added the Honky Inc., a fender ready, disc brake loaded utility ride; the Band Wagon and the Grand Wagon, two new fixie/singlespeed art pieces that ride like masterpieces. There’s also the new Major One, a Scandium frame singlespeed cyclocross beauty.

Because more women are riding every day, we’ve introduced two new female-specific models for 2010: an entry-level mountain bike hardtail, the Lisa, and the perfect downtown commuter, Dr. Lisa.

And that’s not all. We’ve also got three new frames this year, for those aficionados who prefer to build up their bikes all by themselves. The Kilauea, a new carbon XC hardtail, the Lacondeguy Inc., a cromoly steel dirt jumper, and The Rat, a stylish steel track frame.

Throughout the rest of Kona’s 2010 collection, we’ve made endless refinements. Almost every single frame has been re-drawn and tuned to perfection.

Part of that refinement is shaving weight off of our existing bike designs. Sixty-one out of the 64 returning models are lighter than 2009. On average our bikes are 8% lighter than last year. Examples? How about a sub-40 pound Stab Supreme? A 16.8 pound steel Haole? Or a 17.9 pound cyclocross race Major Jake?

We poured our sweat and passion into these new bikes. Now, it’s time to ride.

Visit our newly minted website: www.konaworld.com

Media is invited to a sneak preview of the 2010 range from August 5-7, but are requested to hold off on releasing photos and details of the bike program until August 8, when the new KonaWorld website goes live to the world.

See it here: http://bikes.konaworld.com/bikes.cfm

NOTE: this is a preview site only. Only the bike navigation is functional.

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