On Saturday Priscilla and I headed out to Aliso Woods for a nice leisure ride. I decided to bust out my newest MtnBikeRiders.com jersey, RAD.
One of our first customers for the RAD jersey was Jeff Morgan. Here he is with his son from a ride on Sunday. I think Jeff looks RAD!
For anyone that has been to my garage, they’ll see this…
I always seem to justify it by saying, “But each bike has a different purpose!” Not trying to show off, but I think the last count yielded close to 20 bikes…I know this officially makes me a bike hoarder.
Boss Man RL is going for the big 2-9 today… or was that the 3-9… awwww fuhgedboutit.
Boss Man RL is turning a year older today. Not only does he have the best mountain biking blog known to mankind, RL is also a great family man and friend. We can all attest that we are better for having known RL.
Thanks for the blog, thanks for the mountain biking and most importantly thanks for the friendship. Happy Birthday, RL!!
ALWAYS THE LEADERS
It comes to no surprise that DAINESE has always lead the way when it comes to innovation of safety in such sports as motorcycle road racing. They were the first to come up with the back protector, Titanium/carbon fiber for elbows, knee, and shoulders in suits as well as on there top racing gloves, plus a host of other things.
OK, OK I know what does this have to do with mountain biking, well it has a lot to do with our sport, especially when it come to protection. It’s the trickle down effect, and we owe quite a bit of our sport to the motorcycle industry for the innovations that have been past down.
You ask what, well OK let see, there’s the suspension fork, rear shocks, and hydraulic brakes just to name a few things for bikes. What about protection.
DAINESE brought to the sport of mountain biking the first CE rated back protector, plastic elbow/knee guards (That were CE rated.), gloves with palm sliders and composite knuckles, plus the first fully padded downhill specific suit which incorporated back, shoulder, elbow, chest, tail bone, hip, femur, and knee/shin/ankle guards made with CE rated plastic protection, all this before the host of others you see out there.
There dedication has been to the protection of the racer as well as the casual riders out there.
NEW INNOVATION
This year DAINESE showed off some new gear at EuroBike and InterBike. The new OAK PRO knee and elbow guards and a new RHYOLITE vest with chest/rib, shoulder, and back protection.
The OAK Pro incorporates a BOA retaining ratchet system that will tighten on the Knee with a twist of a knob just like on a ski boot with the same system. It also has
BACK VIEW OF THE BACK PROTECTION
an aluminum knee slider on it just like there road racing suits, plus there will be a type of rubber impact material to absorb a hit to the knee.
The RHYOLITE vest that is coming out will incorporate the same rubber material as on the knee in the chest, and sides. The back will have their new memory foam that absorbs impact.
NEW DAINESE RHYOLITE PROTECTION VEST
NEW OAK PRO KNEE WITH BOA SYSTEM AND ALUMINUM KNEE SLIDER
PRESS RELEASE WITH STYLE
I was at the 2012 DIANESE product press release where they went all out to show off their new motorcycle line. They do it up right with great food, great drink and a great show bringing out models to show off the new DAINESE line and AGV helmets.
YOU TO CAN LOOK LIKE ROSSI
All the motorcycle media was there for a great presentation from the staff as well as two of their AMA sponsored racer’s Blake Young and Steve Rapp.
ANOTHER FIRST FOR DAINESE
DAINESE does it again by bringing out the first fully functional air bag system for road racing safety, call the D-AIR racing suit. This suit has a air bag that deploys when it senses the rider is about to fall or impact the ground. All this is done in milliseconds of impact using sophisticated electronics, gyro scopes, and a charged canister linked to a GPS satellite. “Very impressive!”
The air bag is not unlike the air bag in a car, when it deploys the bag inflates around the neck and shoulders giving even more protection around the rider.
DAINESE has done there homework on this and I mean home work. It has been ten years in the making with extensive testing in the lab as well as on the MOTO GP circuit with the like of Marco Simoncelli, Valentino Rossi, and just last year the first D-AIR suit hit the U.S. AMA circuit with our racer Blake Young.
THE NEW D-AIR SUIT
VENTED TITANIUM SLIDING SHOULDER VENT PLATES
WHEN YOUR LIT UP, YOUR GOOD TO FALL DOWN. WELL HOPEFULLY NOT.
WHAT’S THIS MEAN FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING
Well it could mean the next step in safety for us. Think about this, forget the current crop of neck braces out there and put this in it’s place. No hard stress on the shoulders or back where you have the vertical brace on your back and you won’t feel it while racing.
This could be a good thing to come for us, so lets hope for it and start writing DAINESE to bring one out for us mountain biker’s. “Oh and by the way sign me up for one when they come out.”
Click here to see the D-Air in Action
NEW AX-8 EVO DOT HELMET
Just the other day my buddy Juan Diaz of Specialized Bicycles called me and said that he had a Carve Pro 29er for MtnBikeRiders.com to review. He made arrangements for me to pick it up at one of the local shops. Please forgive the quality of the photos since it was taken with my Andriod phone. An official photo shoot will take place in the near future.
If you haven’t already seen it, check out this well done video by Specialized featuring the Carve Pro 29.
Specs:
FRAME Specialized M4SL fully manipulated alloy frame, 29″ XC geometry, fully butted w/ smooth welding, tapered head/seat tube, forged post mount 160mm dropouts w/ replaceable derailleur hanger, disc only
FORK RockShox Recon Gold 29 SL, magnesium lower, 32mm alloy stanchions, 1-1/8″ to 1.5″ tapered alloy steerer, Solo Air spring, TurnKey damping w/ Pop-Loc remote LO, external rebound adj., 80mm travel
HEADSET Integrated 1-1/8″ upper and 1-1/2″ lower threadless, Campy-style, full cartridge bearings
STEM Specialized 3D forged 6061 alloy, 4 bolt clamp, 7º rise, 31.8mm
HANDLEBARS XC flat bar, double butted alloy, 10º backsweep, 4º upsweep, 31.8mm
GRIPS Specialized Body Geometry XCT Men’s lock-on, dual compound, Kraton rubber, closed end, 131.5mm
FRONT BRAKE Shimano Deore Servo Wave hydraulic disc brake, metallic pad, post mount, 180mm 6-bolt rotor
REAR BRAKE Shimano Deore Servo Wave hydraulic disc brake, metallic pad, post mount, 160mm 6-bolt rotor
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano BR-M596, hydraulic lever
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Deore, 10-speed, 34.9mm clamp, bottom-swing, dual-pull
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano XT Shadow, 10-speed, SGS cage
SHIFT LEVERS Shimano SLX, 10-speed Rapidfire plus, SL type w/ optical display
CASSETTE Shimano 10-speed, 11-36t
CHAIN KMC X-10L, 10-speed, hollow outer links, reusable Missing Link
CRANKSET Shimano Deore, 2pc., 10-speed, outboard bearing style
CHAINRINGS 42/32/24, replaceable
BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano, outboard cartridge bearing, 73mm, included w/ crankset
PEDALS Alloy 1pc. body and cage, reflector kit, 9/16″
RIMS Carve Disc 29″, alloy double-wall, sleeve joint, 32h
FRONT HUB Formula disc hub, alloy 7075 axle, high-low flange, double-sealed cartidge bearings, machined disc mount and flange, QR, 32h
REAR HUB Formula rear disc hub, cassette, high-low flange, double-sealed cartidge bearings, machined disc mount and flange, 19mm contact, QR, 32h
SPOKES Stainless, 2.0mm (14g)
FRONT TIRE Specialized The Captain Control, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, aramid bead, dual compound, 29×2.0″
REAR TIRE Specialized The Captain Control, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, aramid bead, dual compound, 29×2.0″
INNER TUBES Presta valve
SADDLE Specialized Body Geometry Carve SL, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm width
SEATPOST Forged 6061 alloy, 2 bolt head, 27.2mm, 12.5mm offset, micro adjust
SEAT BINDER 31.8mm, forged alloy, extruded QR lever
Stick around because in a few short weeks we’ll have a full review for you.
As you may have figured it out, I am a huge fan of my Pink Tuxedo Jersey. Well check out what The Sweet Cakery made for my birthday.
Here I am matching with the cake,
Our team sponsor, Airborne Bicycles is accepting applications for their Flight Crew. If chosen, you get free gear and a free bike! Heck if you get a Taka, then you might be as cool as us…not quite, but close enough.
Check out the newest rig to be tested by MtnBikeRiders.com. This is the Ibex Asta Expert.
Asta Expert Specifications
Frame: 6069 Aluminum
Fork: Rock Shox Reba RL 100mm Travel
Rear Shock: Rock Shox Monarch RT
Shifters: SRAM X-9 Trigger
Front Derailleur: Sram X-7 Low Clamp
Rear Derailleur: Sram X-7 Long Cage
Crankset: FSA Comet 175mm (42/32/22T)
Cassette: Sram 9-Speed (11-34T)
Chain: KMC Z99
Brakes: Avid Elixer R
Rims: WTB Speed Disc Cross Country
Hubs: WTB Laser Disc Lite
Tires: WTB Wolverine 2.2 Race, XC 60tpi
Headset: Cane Creek S-3
Cockpit Set: FSA
Saddle WTB Speed-V
Pedals: Wellgo Cr-Mo Clipless
Here’s some pit’chers…
S’mo pit’chers…
This bike is pretty. The white pearl is something that I rarely see on a bike.
Here’s a video of me unboxing the Ibex Asta.
Last weekend was the Team’s first race of 2012. We were all eager to perform at our best. Through out the course of the weekend, the team encountered some unique situations that affected some of the guys. For starters there were some fierce winds that hit Fontana. Saturday wasn’t bad at all, in fact, we were all doing pretty good. So good that even the our Speed Stars, Dan Burdett and Mark Tomas did great in their own races. Dan scored a 2nd place in Super D, Mark also a 2nd place in the 35+ Single Speed cat. Way to go guys!
What I really appreciate about the team is the willingness that each other has in wanting to help each other out during DH practice. One way or another, our top riders, Corey Pond and Art Aguilar took us under their wings and showed us the best lines. In this case, Corey showed Neal the best part of the day…sunset.
On race day we were goofing around and Neal snapped this photo of Art and I…
As I mentioned, the team camaraderie is awesome in the team. Check out how Art was cheering for me and how he’s got my back.
By the end of the weekend, we had some fun times and great race runs. Art was taken out by the wind. He literally got picked up and thrown down by the strong winds, causing his chain to derail. This yielded an 8th at a time of 4:33. Corey Pond was succumbed by the strong winds as well. While en-route to the race, his bed liner lifted and threw his bike and belongings onto the freeway! Ya, he and the bike were ok. Neal Bryant came in at 8th place with a time of 3:32. Bryan Doney placed 12th (with 2 crashes) and a time of 3:54. Wes Castro placed 14th with a time of 3:35. Yours truly took 6th with a time of 3:17.
I would like to thanks Airborne Bicycles for their continued support. They have been pretty awesome just like the Taka!
The website that made wearing Pink Tuxedos acceptable and totally manly, is now giving one away! MtnBikeRiders.com will randomly select from comments left below from the person who can TELL US WHY BACON IS SO GOOD!
But check this out, we’re not just giving you a pink tuxedo from our shelves, NO! We’re giving you one that is fully customized with YOUR NAME or SYMBOL in the back!
***US Only and Sizing limit is from Adult Small to 3XL**
We’re taking submissions until January 31st, 2012. Good luck!
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