Bicycle

Everything is changing so quickly in mountain biking. I can barely keep up with things. Even new models coming out of embargo are two generations old. Some companies get it but are held back by consumers. Other companies are just blind. It’s a lousy time to be cutting carbon molds. I’m in an exciting place … Read more

Bent seat tubes on bicycle frames are nothing new. They have been used for years in both mountain and road bike design. The rear wheel often needs to be forward of what space would otherwise allow. The seat tube is adjusted to give tire clearance. In recent years, it’s become almost impossible to build a quality mountain bike … Read more

After the initial assembly of any new bicycle or motorcycle is complete, the shakedown starts. This is where ridingn starts and problems are realized, fit is adjusted, and tuning begins. On a new mountain bike, the first ride will include a pack filled with 2-3 stems, spacers, shock pump, tools and parts for a chainring swap, … Read more

The Incom T-65B X-Wing Starfighter in the Red Squadron of the Rebel Alliance. The call sign of this fighter in the Battle of Yavin, Red Five, became the ships name. This bird flies circles around Imperial TIE fighters and blows up Death Stars. Boom! I like to think about out running TIE Fighters and blowing up Death … Read more

I had intended to have raced both downhill and dual slalom at the Sea Otter Classic this year. That didn’t happen. Money and time. I’ve been making a push at building a few bikes that is eating up some resources. Whatever. I was able to get down to the event for a quick one day … Read more

I figured that I’d have a little fun with this since I, once again, worked out this system. I call it StepDown. It allows a frambuilder to design a rear dropout that is a little more compact than the existing IS would allow. Since most bikes and especially hardtails don’t need to ever run a … Read more

Windy and I went down to UCSC to ride this Friday. I took the day off just to have some fun. She had a rental of a Santa Cruz Hightower 27+ (Large) reserved. She’s been riding lots of modern bikes in her quest for a good purchase. Some bikes are just experiments and good times. … Read more

I got the new Reverb B1 170mm seatpost right away. Of course. Riding the B1 is really nice. After riding on Reverb Stealth A2 150mm and KS LEV Integra 150mm posts (until now, both the best in the business), this post is noticeably more solid, smooth, and controlled. It really feels like the great part … Read more

If you hold onto some clothes long enough, they’re sure to come back into fashion. The same can be said for some bike junk. Tools mostly. Air/nitrogen loss when removing the filler from suspension equipment is a big problem when specific internal pressures are required. The part is pumped up to the desired pressure but will reduce when … Read more

NAHBS 2016 was a good show. Lots of cool folks showing cool stuff. Excited spectators. Fun parties. It is always nice when the show is local. This year, Sacramento. It’s a great venue for the event. I like coming to Sac for this. Also, the weather was great. The home town folks really stoked everyone out. … Read more

The Specialized Command post has long been known as one of the worst dropper posts that money can buy. I got this post from a friend in new condition for $80. It was for a ‘C’ bike of mine so I wasn’t too worried about perfectly pro functionality. The post had an offset which was … Read more

The KS LEV 27.2 Integra post is a great problem solver for older fashioned and light bikes that use 27.2mm seatposts. I certainly wouldn’t design a bike with one of these in mind but they do solve problems. These days, 150mm of drop is considered average. 100mm is simply minuscule. The big problem with these … Read more

I love KS LEV and RS Reverb seatposts. They are both the best in the business and excel in different ways. Most people think that the LEV isn’t serviceable. It is. Like anything else. The 30.9/31.6 versions come apart easy enough with a right angle snap ring tool. Functionality is similar to the Reverb. It’s got … Read more

Dropper stems. Are they a thing? Do we need another lever on our handlebars? Will these break at the worst of times? When is enough, enough? Many in the mountain bike world dismissed dropper seat posts when they first appeared. Many swore they had no use for one…until they rode one. Then they had to have … Read more

During the winter here in Northern California the mountain bike riding is excellent. Traction is for days, but also slippery roots and moss covered rocks, a little mud and maybe even some rain. Winter storms cut new ruts and change trails into different animals. It’s great. Some of the best riding you can imagine. What these winter … Read more

Yesterday was such an incredible day. I spend from 10am to 4pm in the woods of UCSC. I rode with two different groups. Hit all kinds of stuff. It was one of those incredible days that you just want to squeeze every little bit out of it. It was warn, sunny, and traction was epic. … Read more

What Happens when you put mineral oil (HSMO) in a set of brakes designed for DOT fluid? A lot of people have been talking about how nice the new SRAM Guide brakes are. About how these quad-piston brakes seem to work almost as well as Shimano twin-piston brakes. For years, Avid and SRAM brakes were some … Read more

I’m a very lazy mechanic. I don’t want to do any more work or pay any more attention than I need to when I’m repairing something or tuning a system. Because of that, like most mechanics, rather than use a torque wrench on every bolt I turn I’ve learned a feel for the metal, parts, … Read more

Yesterday was a fun ride. Getting my injured knee back up to speed has taken longer than I thought. I folded my left knee sideways snowboarding a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s fine but the pain and swelling have persisted and give me doubts. Anyway, I felt good on Sunday and we took … Read more

Following my last post where I was able to adapt and move forward in development, I produced an offset insert for the 55mm Euro lower headtube on my new 2016 Scott Genius LT. One of my goals is to see how long I can run this thing so it goes super fast down hills. It’s interesting how … Read more

While putting my new 2016 Scott Genius LT together, I learned about yet another industry ‘standard’. The ZS55. Not 56, 55. WTF? The headset on this frame is ZS44/28.6 top and ZS55/40 bottom. ZS55 is a rather rare size. There seems to be no good reason for this divergence. This is referred to as European Standard. … Read more

My riding in the past year and a half or two has changed quite a bit. I’m now 46 and my strength and stamina isn’t what it was in the past. Training hard still resulted in slower climbing and shorter rides. The truth is that I wasn’t born to be a real athlete and years of … Read more