Derek Parra, sponsors and University of Utah and Brigham Young University cycling enthusiasts helped this non-profit achieve fundraising success with its Dinner Auction and Red vs. Blue Time Trial.

SALT LAKE CITY - Sept. 24, 2008 - Bikes for Kids Utah, a non-profit 501(C)3 organization that annually provides 1,000 new bicycles to underprivileged Utah children, today announced the combined fundraising efforts of its annual Dinner Auction and time trial event raised $10,000.

“Bikes for Kids Utah had, yet again, a successful year,” said Debbie Reid, founder of Bikes for Kids Utah. “Whether it was through donating items for the auction, purchasing seats at the dinner or riding in the time trial up Traverse Ridge, we are so grateful to all the community members who came out and supported our efforts to provide new bikes for Utah children.”

Bikes for Kids Utah Dinner Auction
The Bikes for Kids Utah Dinner Auction was held at La Caille on Wednesday, September 17. The fundraiser had dozens of items for the 180 guests to bid on, including a weekend getaway at Snowbird Resort, dinner and brunch at La Caille, a private bike ride with Eric Heiden and a session of speed skating at the Olympic Oval with Derek Parra.

Parra, the first-ever Mexican American to win a medal in the Olympic Winter Games, spoke at the Dinner Auction about the confidence cycling gave him to pursue skating and the positive influence it can be in the life of a child who has the opportunity to own a bike.

“Whether it is confidence on skates, or confidence on a bike, learning something new gives kids the opportunity to be challenged and have personal success,” Parra said after he reflected on the confidence-building experiences he had on his bike as he was riding to his skating training sessions.

Parra continued, “I promised my daughter that I would buy her a new bike as soon as she learned to ride her first bike without the training wheels. The first time she got on that new bike, she rode it from Draper to Taylorsville without falling, a three hour ride. It really hit me that her first cycling experiences are preparing her to live a confident and successful life.”

Red vs. Blue Time Trial
To raise funds for Bikes for Kids, close to 80 cycling club and team members, alumni and fans of Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Utah (Utah) gathered at Traverse Ridge for a three-mile hillclimb time trial with an elevation gain of more than 1,300 feet and 10 percent to 12 percent grades in some locations.

According to Millisecond Sports Timing, which averaged the top 10 speeds of each university’s official cyclists, Utah cycling team won the team race with an average time of 18 minutes, 39 seconds. BYU’s club followed with an average time of 20 minutes, 13 seconds.

However, when including the schools’ fans and alumni in the average, BYU finished the race in 22 minutes, 4 seconds and Utah finished in 22 minutes, 21 seconds.

The Utah cycling team was awarded a $1,000 cash prize to help with its future racing efforts and BYU was awarded the O.C. Tanner Cup for the fastest overall time, including fans.

“As a cycling club, it was exciting to race against the team from the University of Utah,” said Patrick Davis, president of the Y Cycling Club. “We even had tryouts to select the 10 fastest members for the race.”

Joel Hsia, University of Utah cycling team president, was excited about his team’s success and the cycling support the event generated.

“For the majority of the team members, it was their first time on the course,” Hsia said. “It was great to have a change of scenery and exciting to race the BYU riders. This event really demonstrated the strength cycling has in Utah.”

Michael Romero of the Bad Ass Coffee Co. racing team faced Traverse Road as confidently as he hopes the Bikes for Kids recipients will approach the opportunity to own a bike. “Hello hills!” Romero said to introduce himself to his cycling challenge for the day. “My name is Michael. I’m here to conquer you.”

Romero started building his cycling confidence as a child. “I first learned how to ride on a bike that probably cost around 50 bucks,” Romero said, “If I can give a kid a new bike, helmet and lock for that same price, I want to donate what I can to make that happen.”

The next Bikes for Kids Utah event will be the annual bike giveaway scheduled to take place on May 30, 2009.

Bikes for Kids Utah
Bikes for Kids Utah, a non-profit 501(C)3 organization, has provided 1,000 new bicycles annually to underprivileged Utah children since its inception in 2006. Proceeds from annual bicycle fundraising events, auctions and corporate donations allow Bikes for Kids to give pre-selected children in the Salt Lake Valley recreation, learning and confidence-building opportunities by giving them free bikes, helmets and locks. www.bikesforkidsutah.org.

source: Chip Smith, for Bikes for Kids Utah

Cannondale Moto2 2008

Review by Sharon Bader

The Cannondale Moto replaces the Prophet MX bike for 2008 as their foray into the 160mm “Big Mountain” class. This lighter, stronger all mountain bike is built to climb with no compromise in descending. With their new Hatchet Drive and carbon frame this bike is stiff, plush and light. First impressions of this bike suggests a big heavy and unresponsive ride. The oversized carbon tubes, busy main triangle and burly rear triangle follows Cannondale’s legacy of innovation. Once on this bike the great standover and nice settling of the suspension puts you in control. A capable if not snappy climber, the suspension falls into its world when you start heading downhill.

Non Drive side view of the red accented Moto2.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Read the rest of this entry »

Product Specifications:

Model: Pacenti 650b Neo Moto Tire
MSRP:$55
Weight: 745 grams

Bottom Line:
This tire is so good it has singlehandedly fueled the 650b wheel size movement. If there can only be one tire for all conditions and all applications, the Pacenti Neo Moto is it. It’s a bit pricey at $55.

Value Rating:

4. out of 5 Stars

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

————–

Product Specifications:
Model: ZTR 355 650b
MSRP:$475 pair

Weight: 686 grams

Bottom Line:
Wow, just wow. This 650b rim weighs in at 370 grams. It is nice and strong and is Stans Tubeless compatible. The front wheel is 686 grams with rim tape and valve. The weight is just amazing.

What about performance? So far it has been flawless. I’ve used this on a variety of bikes and the confidence factor just goes up and the weight goes down.

The fate of 650b has yet to be decided. Meanwhile, I’ll keep putting on my secret wheel on my 26er bikes and gain an unfair advantage.

Value Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Photos:

Model: Kuat Alpha Rack
MSRP: $329
Weight: 15 lbs.
Manufacturer Link: http://www.kuatinnovations.com/

Kuat is is a refreshing name from a company with new ideas about bike racks. Notice that in the specs above, I mentioned that the rack weight is 15 pounds. Why should we care what a bike rack weighs? Well sit back and listen to my story.

I’ve always thought that tray racks are the best. These are the hitch racks where the wheels sit on two trays. This allows the user to just place the bike into the tray, drop a clamp that presses on to the tires and voila, all done. Sportworks (now part of Thule) revolutionized this segment with their racks derived from public transit models.

So I have a couple of these tray racks. They are big, heavy and sturdy. I like them and I put on the family minivan for the bike excursions. Well, I found a couple of serious problems. The first is it’s always in the way. It’s in the way when it’s down, it’s in the way when it’s up. The kids trip over it and I can’t access my stuff in the back of the van easily. So when we’re not using it, we take it off the van. Herein lies the second problem. It’s kind of heavy at 35 pounds! My wife can’t muscle it around so I’m always called in to take it off. Take it off, put it on. After a while I decided to look into those ‘other’ type of racks.

The good news is a company called Kuat has recognized my problem and tried to address it with a quality bike rack. This is a ‘hanging’ type of rack where the bike hangs on the rack by its top tube. Normally, these racks are good for recreational riders and the normal weaknesses are:

• it cannot accomodate full suspension bikes or kids’ bikes with a small front triangle
• bikes get scratched and hit each other
• bikes are not secure and move around a lot
• mounting the bike takes more time

But, I saw the video below and noticed it was 15 lbs and I decided to give it a try.

Ok, the review already
So I’ve been using the rack for about a month and I am extremely pleased. This rack solves most of the problems I stated above. It’s not as quick-mounting or as accomodating as a tray rack but it is easier to live with on a day to day basis.

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Introduction

Rocky Mountain Bicycles (RMB) will be resurrecting a venerable name from history when they release the Altitude in 2009. A marked departure from the racing-light steel hardtails that formerly bore the name Altitude, this new Altitude is described as a trail bike that keeps its wheels on the ground for “epic cross country”.

RMB provided me with a prototype Altitude aluminium 50 frame for review. The Altitude is slated to replace the ETS-X in the category which RMB calls XC Marathon and what other manufacturers loosely refer to as “all-mountain”. It will be produced in an aluminium version and in a (lighter, higher-end spec and more expensive) carbon version. As the Altitude is further refined to a production frame with a production spec, some details of this review may be redundant (I’ll highlight those details further in the review) so I urge the readers to also check the RMB website which should be considered to be authoritative.

I’ll note at the outset that I am reviewing the frame and NOT the components. My bike was built with a heavier-then-stock package for riding the Downieville downhill course. Although it is difficult to separate the bike from its parts, I will do my level best to confine my remarks to the performance of the frame. Because there is currently a paucity of information about the Altitude, I will be excerpting from a RMB presentation about this bike in lieu of my standard practise of directing readers to a website. I’ll then present my general impressions about this frame’s performance.

Whistler Alpine

South Chilcotin ~ photo Mark Rowe

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Mountain View, CA, July 9, 2008 – INTEGRATE Performance Fitness (IPF) today announced it will offer its new “Fat Tire Fitness” performance improvement program this October to prepare riders for the CCCX 2009 race season Sea Otter Classic.

IPF’s mountain bike (MTB) specific training methods have already scored an MTBR.com Pro Review of 9.5 out of a possible 10 (http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/integrate-performance-fitness-group-and-personal-athletic-training-bike-oriented-strengthening-review/).

The 16-week program is aimed at:
· increasing power in the saddle for better race performance
· enhancing balance for better handling skills
· improving flexibility to prevent injury
· optimizing training by leveraging a team of experts.

The program includes training both on and off the bike in either individual or group settings. It is scheduled to take place September 15, 2008 through January 31, 2009. In order to maximize their training results, all participants will have access to exercise physiologists from Stanford University and nutritionists from San Jose State University as part of the program.

The strength training facet will be facilitated by IPF, while the bike training component will be based on the methodologies used by SportVelo Premiere Coaching (www.sportvelo.com).

“Riders preparing for the 2009 CCCX season as well as Sea Otter Classic will see tremendous results and benefit greatly from our proven program,” said IPF President and Founder and 2005 CitySports Magazine Best Bay Area Personal Trainer, Al Painter.

“This Training approach has already been successfully used by several of the Bay Area’s top riders, including the Santa Clara University Cycling Team, the Northern California High School MTB League and SportVelo Premiere Coaching. We even worked with a national champion on the track who attributes part of his success to our training methods.” Mountain bike racer JL Dejong, who has been training at IPF since May, agrees.

“I beat some other racers for the first time at my last CCCX race after working at INTEGRATE! I felt especially strong on the short climbs, where I could stand up and propel myself faster up the hills,” he said.

Richard Jacinto who is preparing for a run at a national championship says he has seen “dramatic increases in power and stamina.” Jacinto went on to say “I heartily recommend this program, it works.”

IPF’s unique training program combines both aspects of MTB specific sports performance improvements: sports specific strength training as well as on the bike conditioning to properly prepare riders to take the start line in February ready to compete.

For additional information on INTEGRATE Performance Fitness’ “Fat Tire Fitness” program, please contact Al Painter at 650-941-9148, or via email at al@integratefitness.com, or visit www.integratefitness.com.

INTEGRATE Performance Fitness is the Bay Area’s Premier endurance athlete training facility.

source: Al Painter

EPIC Action Sports Video Camera Rides into Interbike Expo 2008
Stealth Cam’s new attachable digital recording device exhibits at booth #6019

LAS VEGAS, Interbike Expo (September 11, 2008) – The EPIC Action Sports Video Camera by Stealth Cam is upping the ante for outdoor enthusiasts at the Interbike Expo, booth #6019. EPIC, an attachable and durable digital video recording device weighing 2.5 ounces with thumb-size dimensions (1.3″ x 2.75″), captures high-quality VGA video or shoots still images through its built-in five mega pixel camera. Outdoor footage can be documented from a unique point-of-view perspective and uploaded to sites like YouTube for easy file sharing.

Visit booth #6019 during Interbike, September 24th – 26th, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas for live product and video demonstrations with the EPIC Action Sports Video Camera. EPIC’s various mounting devices and accessories will be on display, showcasing the creative ways the tiny recording device can be worn or attached during extreme activities to ensure the next outdoor biking adventure will never go undocumented.

“The EPIC is perfect for mountain bikers and road bikers,” says Doug Mann, vice president of marketing & product development for Stealth Cam. “As an avid mountain biker myself, I’ll demo the various mounting options such as the bike bar mount, seat mount and helmet mount with the biking industry.”

Highlights of the EPIC Action Sports Video Camera include:
- Dual-use functions shoot video (VGA: 640 x 480 / QVGA: 320 x 240) at 30 frames per second and up to nine consecutive still images (Hi: 5 mega pixels /Lo: 3 mega pixels) through its trademarked Burst Mode Technology™.
- Easy video sharing with the YouTube Action Upload for both “show-and-tell” and “believing” purposes; check out footage on the YouTube EPIC channel: www.youtube.com/epicstealthcam (view on high-quality).
- Two-button design with LCD screen for image count and unit status.
- 2x zoom, stores up to 200 minutes of video in AVI format and supports up to 4 GB SD memory card.
- Durable mounting devices include Bike Bar Mount, Adjustable Hardware Mount, Helmet Mount, Strap Mount, Waterproof Housing, and Shock Absorbing Pad to easily adapt to any live adventure video needs, such as mountain biking, road biking and other action sports like kayaking, surfing or skiing.

Availability
EPIC by Stealth Cam is available now at select sporting good retailers and on www.epicstealthcam.com with a suggested retail price of $159.00 to $199.00. Visit the Web site for more information or call 877-269-8490.

About Stealth Cam
Stealth Cam, LLC offers specialty digital cameras along with a variety of accessories to enhance outdoor pursuits. Stealth Cam, LLC, a division of GSM, LLC, was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in the video recording field and expert in the digital camera space. “Set it, shoot it, share it.” For more information, visit www.epicstealthcam.com.

source: Suzanne Brose

Description:

Manufactuer Link: http://epicrideresearch.com/index.php

On a recent trip to Oakridge, Oregon I was introduced to an unexpectedly useful product for carrying food and supplies. The Mountain Feedbag is a storage bag that mounts in between the handlebar and the stem. It is secured on both the stem and bar and is anchored on the fork as well. It is quite big at 80 cubic inches and it has storage outside the bag as well with nets with elastic openings.

This is basically a saddle bag replacement since it can store food, tools and accessories. The main problem with saddle bags is they are hard to access during the ride and can thus be inconvenient for storing food. The other similar product is the Bento Box which sits on the top tube. The Bento Box seems quite popular with roadies and endurance riders despite its unfashionable appearnace.

So what’s good about the Mountain Feedbag? I believe it’s a novel design and it’s very versatile. First, the location of the bag is counter-intuitive since it looks like it will get in the way of steering or out of the saddle efforts. But after several rides in different conditions, it really is out of the way. It is easy to install and is quite secure.

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Well the long season came to a climax this past weekend in Schladming, Austria with possibly the best track of the year according to most of the riders. There was some upsets and great rides and unfortunately we didn’t have the best of weekends.

First off in qualifying Matt Simmonds had a horrific crash at the top of the course on a high speed section when he was in the air over a big jump and a spectator with a camera stepped out too much into the track. Matt hit the guy while he was still in the air and had a huge crash knocking himself out for about 5 minutes and having to spend the night in hospital with concussion. The spectator was injured worse than Matt and we all hope he is recovering OK.

For the rest of the guys qualifying went pretty good Chris had a mediocre run according to himself to place 9th, Ruaridh had a blinding run for 10th which was his best of the year and what we all know he is capable of and Julien placed 16th with a small crash so all 3 where looking for a top 10 in the final and a podium if not 2.

Anyway lady luck wasn’t with the team this weekend Julien had a bad run and just couldn’t find his flow but ended up 14th and 10th Overall for the season which was amazing really as he didn’t get any points from 2 rounds and was injured at a 3rd.

Ruaridh was on great run and set for his first top 10 finish but just clipped his back wheel on a large root and spat him off and his bike hit him in the head. He got back on and gave the crowd an amazing show on the flat out grass piste section at the bottom of the course with some huge feet up drifts and still finished 37th less than 7 seconds off the top 10.

Chris was fired up at the top of the course and set off looking faster than we have seen him all year as he descended on the big screen but just before the split time which we eagerly awaited to see his time he caught his pedal on a big root and went over the bars and landed hard with his stomach on a big root winding himself really badly and ending his race and his battle for the 5th place overall.

Needless to say we were all a bit disappointed to end the season like that as we had huge goals for our first year and we were very close to achieving them.

To finish off the season with 6th place in the overall team standings and 2 riders in the Worlds top 10 Chris Kovarik 9th and Julien Camellini 10th and the team well and truly established as being one of the major factory teams in just one year I think we have had a pretty successful first year.

We would like to congratulate Sam Blenkinsop for winning his first World Cup race with an amazing ride at the weekend winning qualifying and the Final and also to Greg Minnaar for taking the Men’s Downhill overall World Cup for the 3rd time in his career.

We are already looking forward to next season and with a little more preparation and training we will be back bigger and better next season.

On behalf of the whole team I would like to thank all our sponsors for being amazing and providing us with enough of the best available products to get us through the year. I hope you have all been happy with what we have done in our first year as a team and feel free to ask me any questions about next year or if you want any images of the team for advertising and marketing.

Take a look at our website www.crcintense.com for images from Schladming provided by Victor Lucas and Dave from Burgtec.

Mens DH results from the  Nissan World Cup finals at Schladming, Austria:

1         BLENKINSOP Samuel         4:10.16
2         HILL Samuel                       4:11.80
3         ATHERTON Gee                 4:12.36
4         PEAT Steve                        4:13.20
5         MINNAAR Greg                   4:17.56
6         LEOV Justin                        4:18.33
7         BAREL Fabien                     4:18.49
8         GWIN Aaron Holmes            4:21.44
9         DELFS Mitchell                    4:21.60
10        NEETHLING Andrew            4:21.87
11        DONOGHUE Neil                 4:22.12
12        RANKIN Nathan                   4:22.16
13        SAIZ CASTANE Oscar         4:22.29
14        CAMELLINI Julien                4:22.39     Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense
15        PASCAL Mickael                 4:22.41
37        RUARIDH CUNNINGHAM     4.28.42     Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense
80        CHRIS KOVARIK                 9.52.64 Chain Reaction Cycles / Intense

source: nigel page