Dirtscrolls

Devinci is starting to make a push into the U.S. market. Last year, the Quebec-based company showed off three new full suspension models based around Dave Weagle’s Split Pivot suspension design. For 2012 Devinci will add a 29-inch full suspension to its three 26-inch Split Pivot bikes.

Kuat’s NV Core has many of the key features of the Kuat NV in a stripped down, no nonsense package. The NV Core lacks the Trail Doc rack-mounted repair stand and does away with the integrated cable lock. At $439 The Core NV is $110 less than the full-featured NV model.

If you’ve picked up a copy of issue #159 then you were one of the first to get a sneak peak at Moots’ two new full suspension bikes. The Divide (above) is a 26-inch bike, while the Divide MX (below) is its big-wheeled brother. The Divide and Divide MX will be replacing the aging Zirkel and Cinco in the Moots full suspension line.

By Karen Brooks

A small but pesky obstacle for women getting serious about mountain biking: it’s tough, if not darn near impossible, to make a full-suspension frame with complex linkages in smaller sizes. Granted, you don’t necessarily need complex linkages to enjoy dirt, but sometimes it really helps.

Read Part One of Team Dicky’s exploits at Interbike here.

By Rich Dillen

By Rich Dillen

Max Commencal’s vision for his brand is very simple: they build bikes for people who like to have fun riding. By fun, Max means shredding technical terrain, pushing yourself and the bike. To this end, they prioritize handling, suspension quality, and capability over outright pedaling performance. Commencal believes you’ll ride fastest when you’re having the most fun.

Meta AM

Yeti unveiled the SB-66 earlier this summer, and now its big-wheeled brother is almost ready for prime time.The SB-95 we rode was a pre-production version. Small changes, like water bottle bosses on the underside of the down tube and routing for a dropper post were absent on this bike but will be included in the production version, which should be available in early 2012.

Development of an air version of the Double Barrel began some two and a half years ago, soon after the coil version was released. The “DB Air” is expected to be available to consumers in January, though price is yet to be determined.

Like many other companies, Marin dipped their toes in the 29er pool several years ago with the introduction of their 29er hardtails. This year Marin is introducing their first big-wheeled full suspension bike, the Rift Zone 29. The Rift Zone has 100mm of front and rear travel supplied by a Fox RL fork and RP23 shock. There will be two aluminum and two carbon models in the Rift Zone 29er line.

Trek’s Slash replaces the outgoing Scratch Coil and Scratch Air in the 160mm-travel category. We reviewed a 2010-model-year Scratch 9 and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I’ve been intrigued by the Slash from its announcement. With the Slash, Trek is hoping to deliver technical tra,il aptitude equal to that of the outgoing Scratch, but with better pedaling performance.

KS is set to release their all-new Lev adjustable seatpost in early 2012. The post’s remote-control cable routes directly into the stationary (lower) portion of the hydraulic post, therefore the cable does not move up/down when the post is actuated. Very clean.

By Eric McKeegan

Downhill bikes are money, no two ways around that. For many years Specialized has offered an inexpensive DH model called the Big Hit in addtion to their high end DH model, the Demo. A certain Dirt Rag staff memeber has one sitting next to his desk, 24" rear wheel and all. After many years Specialized is ready with a redesign and a new name, the Status. 

Originally launched in 2008, Pivot’s Mach 429 stormed onto the scene just prior to the widespread acceptance of some of today’s standards. For delivery later this year, Pivot has revised the 429 to include a tapered headtube and a 142x12mm rear dropout.

The new Breezer Lightning looks much like steel the Breezers of years gone by but with the incorporation of modern technologies.

The Lightening Team uses a BB92 bottom bracket. The wider bottom bracket shell allows the use of an offset, and quite large, non-driveside chainstay. This is necessary to provide tire and chainring clearance with the frame’s short, 439mm chainstays.

EA70 XCT

Easton took the lightweight UST rims of their EA90XC wheelset and paired them with the more affordable hubs used on the EA70 wheels to create a performace-oriented wheelset at a price that is within the reach of most weekend warriors. They will be available in 26 and 29-inch versions, weights are 1,620 and 1,750 grams respectively. Price is $725 for the 26-inch wheelset and $750 for the 29-inch version.

Here we are again, Interbike; land of pre-production prototypes like the Pivot 5.7 Carbon I swung a leg over this morning. The 5.7 Carbon was announced just over a month ago and there are just a handful of bikes floating around the show.

By Eric McKeegan

Ellsworth has been in the long travel category for years, but lacked a true downhill bike. For 2012 they have a new 180mm travel bike, the Method, which replaces the Rouge. Ellsworth was kind enough to hold on to a brand new Method in the larger of the two soon-to-be-available until I could make it to the booth for a test ride.

Building on the success of the Sortie line Diamondback is introducing four 29-inch versions of the Sortie in 2012.

The new 29 models will be available at four price points from the $2,600 Deore-equipped Sortie 29 4 to the $6,500 XTR-spec’d Sortie 29 Black pictured here, with XT and SLX bikes in between.

It was easy to miss if you we’re looking for it. VP Components is showing off an adjustable angle headset that can be adjusted on the trail with 4mm Allen key in about two minutes. Unlike Cane Creek’s Angleset, which uses gimbals to adjust the orientation of the steerer tube in the head tube, VP’s adjustable angle headset uses conical bearings to change a bike’s head angle by +/- 1.5 degrees.

The Dragon has been in the Jamis line for 15 years. Although it has undergone many updates the Reynolds 853 steel tubing has always been the frame material of choice. For 2012 the Dragon will be offered in a 650b, as well as the current 29-inch version.

Twenty niner trail bikes are proving to be the hot item at Interbike this year. Salsa’s Horsethief sports 120mm of front and rear travel—and the Fox 34 fork is internally adjustable to 140mm. On the surface the Horsethief looks like a Spearfish on steroids, but it actually has a very different personality.

By Josh Patterson

I’ve always loved Interbike. I may not always be in the market for a new bike but I enjoy seeing the direction the industry is headed and how they are attempting to get there. This year, there are two trends I’m watching with selfish curiosity.

Disc Brakes for Cyclocross

Riding near the top-30 going into the first section of singletrack, Salsa Cycles team rider, Tim Ek (159) was well positioned to avoid bottlenecks that could slow his progress.

By Karl Rosengarth

Easton’s UST-compatible Haven Carbon wheels are designed for the abuse dished out by all-mountain bikes with 4-6” travel. The carbon rim is made from a hybrid carbon/HMPE (high modulus polyethylene) composite material that’s held together with resin that involves rubberizing and other impact-resistant components.

By Jeff Lockwood

Illustration by David Biber.

In the fall of 2001 we sent out a request to our readers to share with us their reactions, their experiences and their feelings about the events of that day. What we recieved was a flood of contributions. Far more than what we expected. Here are some of the notable responses, ten years later:

In Issue #159 we visited the Moots factory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for our Homegrown – Made in America series. Here are some additional photos from our visit. Photos by Adam Newman Welder Matt Pronovost lays down one of Moots’ signature double-pass, stack-of-dimes welds. The signature brushed Moots finish is achieved by blasting the frames ...

Horsethief

First up is the all-new Horsethief, a 29er trail bike, build around 120mm of travel front and rear. Don’t think of it as a replacement for the Big Mama, either. It takes many of its styling and engineering cues from the Spearfish.

Details include a 6061 alloy frame, PF30 bottom bracket, ICSG tabs, 142x12mm rear axle, cable guides for dropper seatposts, and sealed bearing pivots.

By Jeff Lockwood

The annual bicycle trade show circus season opened this week in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Eurobike can boast being the largest show of its kind. As such, the show floor scenery is diverse, interesting and colorful. And since Eurobike precedes the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas by a couple weeks, many companies use Eurobike to unveil new product.

Just two short months ago, Windham, New York, welcomed the international mountain biking community for the excitement and festivities of the seventh race of the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series.

Sticker Shock

I have acquired a used Shimano XT770 crankset. The big ring is trashed and I am going into sticker shock at Shimano’s replacement prices. Anyone have luck with other brands i.e., Blackspire, FSA, Race Face for this particular model? I have a hard time throwing down $60-$100 for a chainring.

By now you likely know the story of klunking, the first genesis of mountain biking in Northern California. But in the late ’70s and early ’80s the idea of riding a bike down (or even up) a mountain was still considered crazy. CBS Evening Magazine aired this story about the craze and caught up with some of the legends of the sport, including Charlie Kelly (pictured here in the white shirt) and Gary Fisher (in the plaid).

RockShox combined two of its most advanced technologies, a carbon fiber air can and the XLoc hydraulic remote lockout, to create one of the most advanced rear shocks for cross country racing and trail riding.

Ibis pulled the wraps off their new 120mm 29er, the Ripley, today. The highlight of the fullly carbon fiber frame is the new, miniturized dw-link with eccentric links.

Dirt Rag has been around a long time—22 years and counting, all in the same office. As you can imagine, we have acquired quite a collection of Stuff. Since 1989, we’ve been writing about some of the best and not-so-best mountain bike products ever brought to the market.

Last week we showed you some interesting stuff we found in a dusty old box. Now we’ve got some more. Some of the stuff we can’t even identify. Recognize any of this stuff? Let us know in the comments below!

By Justin Steiner

Let’s face it; all hobbies are expensive, particularly if you want nice things. Despite that fact, we receive a fair bit of hate mail for testing expensive bikes and products in Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times.

The votes are in and Ben Thornton is the winner of the 2011 Dirt Rag / Dirty Kanza 200 video contest, sponsored by GoPro. The unpredictable Kansas weather forced many racers to throw in the towel. Ben fought through the wind, rain and mud to finish. Best of all, he kept filming. For the uninitiated, the Dirty Kanza 200 is a grueling 200-mile gravel road race through the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Editor’s note: As the Mountain Bike Forum, we welcome readers to submit their stories, photos, or whatever. Send them to [email protected].

By Frankie Cates

By Eric McKeegan

By Matt Kasprzyk

I have a new riding buddy.

Royal Zero the Zombie Killer has been a part of my pack for about 17 months now. He’s not a fox. He’s about a year and a half old Shiba Inu, one of the oldest breeds in the world, despite almost going extinct after WWII. My goal has always been to develop him into a great trail dog.

Surly finally pulled the wraps of the super-fat Moonlander bike they’ve been teasing us with, plus a bunch of other new stuff and updates to their classics.

Moonlander

Hometown?

Sioux City, Iowa

Current location?

Hayward, CA

What do you do for/with/to bicycles?

I am the Global-Go-To Guy at Panaracer tires. I help design and market bicycle tires

What’s the best thing about your job?

Niner Bikes announced considerable changes to two of its most popular bikes today, the aluminum Air 9 and E.M.D. 9. Both new frames benefit from new tubing shapes, feature tapered headtubes and new finishes.

Air 9

The Air 9 drops the scandium alloy in favor of newer 6000-series aluminum, allowing for more advanced hydroforming tube shapes. The new frames have tested stiffer than the outgoing, round-tubed models, Niner says.

Matt Weatherbee, photos by Theodore Barrett Van Orman

Devin Lenz has been building performance mountain bikes under the Lenz Sport name since 1997. Lenz Sport bicycles are all hand-crafted by Devin in his warehouse, adjacent to his home in Fort Lupton, Colorado.

Hometown?

Sioux City, Iowa

Current location?

Hayward, CA

What do you do for/with/to bicycles?

I am the Global-Go-To Guy at Panaracer tires. I help design and market bicycle tires

What’s the best thing about your job?

By Josh Patterson and Karl Rosengarth

There’s a lot of information flying around out there about disc brakes, some more accurate than others. Here’s a cribsheet of what you need to know from brake experts at SRAM, Magura and Finish Line.