Main Page - Helmet List - Photos

Dainese D-Raptor LE

Chin Strap Clip	Liner Falls Down	h Inside Chin Strap	D-Raptor Back
Padded Liner Out	EPS Liner	Inside Helmet

Description:

The Dainese D-Raptor LE helmet is a visually jarring and lightweight. The see through fiberglass shell and dinosaur like ridges along the top and huge air vents make this helmet stand out in a crowd. The big chin guard design has caught some negative comments from a few riders, but this helmet is sure to draw attention with its unique style, and I’ve mostly heard positive things about it’s looks.
The helmet has six massive, screen-less vents in the shell and four screened vents on the chin guard. The chin guard vents are set on the sides instead of right at the noise. I didn’t notice any lack of air flow from this design style.

The visor is a tanned see through plastic that is held on by three low profile screws that have a latch type design for tightening or loosening. They work so so. The wire latch can’t really handle a lot of force with out bending. With in two months of use one of the screws feel out never to be found. I took the screw from the visor adjust and put it on the side, put lock tight on the remaining two, and used a zip tie at the top. A bit irritating for a $325 helmet.

The visor adjust screw is easy to access and use, and does hold the visor in place very well.
The chinstrap uses a high quality metal buckle design that did rust a bit over time but never lost strength or function. Most riders tend to shy away from the buckle style chinstrap, and with cheap plastic ones that warp over time I can understand. The metal buckle though is awesome and is very convenient. On pedals up the hill it is very easy to just unclip the buckle, than click onto the handlebars right near the stem, and pedal away. The D-ring takes more time, and normally I have to take my gloves off as well.

The inner padded liner is very soft and can with stand several seasons of sweat and abuse. The cheek pads are thick and slightly firm, running from the temples to about mid cheek. The cheek pads are held in place by a combination of metal clip and Velcro. Velcro holds the rest of the liner in place and over time the back sticky side of the Velcro can become unstuck to the EPS shell and liner and cause the liner to not stay in place. This is a major issue in the liner design on this helmet. The padded liner along the forehead can move down during a ride and start to cover the eyes, or at least make the helmet uncomfortable. Really, this is very frustrating, but buying more Velcro and replacing easily fixes it. Though a better designed inner liner would be ideal.

A metal screen covers the chin vents but vents on the top of the helmet don’t have any screen or filter. The screens on the chin guard have come loose over the past two seasons and just rattle around inside the chin guard now. The screen-less vents on the rest of the helmet are very large, and allow for a massive amount of air flow and cooling, but you can allow sticks and bugs into the inside of your helmet. Not some much fun when it is a bee, but mainly getting a stick inside from low hanging branches is more irritating.

The inside of the chin guard is not as plush as some other helmet nor as hard as the O’Neil 9 series. I’ve had many chances to get up close and personal with the inside of the chin guard and I’ve never found the padding to be lacking.

With Helmet On:

This helmet is amazingly comfortable. It probably fits better than any other helmet I’ve ever tried so far. It is snug and supportive around the cheeks and the lower back of the head. It is lightweight and vents the best of any full-face helmet I’ve tried to date (20090225). It can’t help it, with those massive whole on the sides and top.

There is very little side-to-side play and almost none back and forth. This is a stated size of XL at 62cm and fits my head perfectly. Even though my head only measures 59cm around. Every head is different, but if you get a chance to try a D-Raptor LE on I don’t think you’ll be quick to take it off. Comfort is where this helmet shines best and above manly others I have tried.
Even though the inner padded liner is a bit sparse there is no discomfort from the hard EPS liner against the skull.

The helmet can easily fit larger goggle sizes with out putting pressure on the nose and seeing side to side and down in front has never been an issue. One place I have found issue with the visor is sometimes on sharp G-outs or very sharp berms the curve near the front of the visor can cut off just the slightest edge of sight when you are looking for your exit out of those sharp places. This is with the visor moved just about all the way up and out of the way as well. Visor movement range is fairly normal.

The chin guard does a good job of covering and protecting the chin and the bottom of the helmet levels off below the jaw making sure it isn’t easily exposed in a crash. It is a good helmet in a crash. I’ve done it many times, and can still think coherently about 80% of the day.
The helmet fits similar to the TLD D2 and SixSixOne Evolution carbon. It also has a low profile. No Jack-in-the-Box head.

Cleaning:

Cleaning the cheek pads is very simple and easy. Unfortunately the rest of the liner is not removable. Well, it is if you take the whole EPS liner out, take off the tape holding the padded liner on, wash it, and re-tape and reinsert the EPS liner. Basically, a pain and waste of time. I would suggest not doing it and just washing the liner inside the helmet.

Fits Similar To:

TLD D2 and SixSixOne Evolution. Though it is way more comfortable than either, at least for me.

Goggles:

The Raptor LE fits large goggles just fine with out forcing down the goggles and putting pressure on the bridge of the nose.

Leatte Brace:

coming soon….

Value Rating:

For the money the Dainese Raptor LE is very light weight, flat out amazing venting heat and air flow, and made of good quality material. Though, for $325 I would like to have seen better inner padded liner design and screens on the vents.

Overall Rating:

This helmet works for DH and certainly can take a bashing. Though in all honesty I think it is basically perfect for the XC rider who wants a full face. It is light weight, and has large vents similar to XC style helmets. For me personally and I glad I’ve owned it and used it for so long. I know what to look for in other dh helmets that the D-Raptor LE is missing.

For the record I’ve heard that Dainese is revamping its line of dh gear so I look forward to what they have planned. If they can solve some of these issues I think they would have a knock out helmet worth every penny and more.

Main Page - Helmet List - Photos

By: Robert Myint aka ‘pineapplebob’

Travel bikes have been around for many years and have been enjoyed by countless cycling enthusiasts, but these were mainly road bike models. There haven’t been too many options for mountain bikers as far as travel bikes are concerned, except for a couple of cheaper “folding” models that were very heavy and cumbersome. Developing a mountain bike that’s lightweight and compact enough for airline travel (without the oversize baggage charge) and tough enough to withstand serious trails (not just bike paths or gravel roads) was in the works, though.

Well, along comes Ritchey with their years of experience in the bike industry, including their expertise in the breakaway road bike arena, and what do you know? They did it - a breakaway mountain bike that performs as well as most high end hardtails on the market with the added bonus of breaking down and fitting into a normal-sized piece of check-in luggage. All of this at 30 pounds – yeah, that’s correct, 30 pounds for the whole shebang – bike, packing materials and case!

The folks at MTBR.com had the tough job (once again) of testing out this latest innovation from Ritchey. They sent an 18” Breakaway Ti MTB frame outfitted with their WCS signature carbon fork & components, WCS wheel set, and Shimano XT drive train/brake set. Now they needed someone to put it to the test…

This is where I come into the picture. I’m an avid mountain biker, but also travel quite a bit – since I live in Hawaii and work out of LAX as an airline pilot. MTBR’s testing guru, Francis, thought it would be a good idea if I put the Breakaway to the test. So I agreed (yeah, twist my arm!).

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3…

The first test was to try and put the bike together. Ritchey provides a CD and some written instructions along with the bike and most guys would do, I took a cursory glance at the pictures and dove in. My first attempt took about 35 minutes – a bit longer than I would have hoped for, but like anything else, practice makes pretty good. Subsequent attempts took me near the 20 minute mark. The breakdown took nearly the same time overall, because of the extra time it takes to pack the parts back in the case.

Simple frame design – notice the coupling on the down tube.

Cable couplings helped to keep things simple, as well

page 1 page 2 page 3

Colorado Springs, CO- Chris Carmichael, founder of Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. (CTS), announced today that CTS will be the Official Training Authority of the Leadville Trail 100 and a sponsor of the full schedule of Leadville Trail 100 events for the next three years (2009-2011).

• Leadville Trail Marathon – July 11, 2009
• Heavy Half Marathon – July 11, 2009
• Silver Rush 50 (mountain bike) – July 25, 2009
• Silver Rush 50 (run) – July 26, 2009
• Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race – August 15, 2009
• Leadville Trail 10k (run) – August 16, 2009
• Leadville Trail 100 Run – August 22-23, 2009

Carmichael Training Systems’ focus on inspiring and empowering the athlete in every body makes the Leadville Trail 100 events a great fit for the company. Competitors range from beginners to professionals, each racing side-by-side and pursuing their own personal goals. There are even “Leadman” and “Leadwoman” competitions for athletes who accept the challenge of completing all Leadville Trail 100 events in a single year.

In addition to a financial sponsorship of the Leadville Trial 100 events, CTS will be hosting two mountain bike training camps (June 24-25 and June 26-27) and one run training camp (June 19-20) on the 100-mile mountain bike and running courses, respectively. Camp participants will preview key segments of each racecourse, and learn techniques and strategies for pre-event training and optimal race-day performance.

“The Leadville Trail 100 events are incredibly challenging, whether you’re a first-time competitor or a professional racer,” commented Chris Carmichael. “We’re proud to coach athletes who are going for the win, just trying to reach the finish line, and everywhere in between. Everybody is out there digging deep and we’re here to help them accomplish their goals.”

Chris Carmichael and CTS also have personal connections to the Leadville Trail 100. Chris has completed the 100-mile mountain bike race four times, CTS Premier Coach Jason Koop finished 13th overall in the 100-mile run in 2008, and dozens of CTS Coaches and Athletes have competed in Leadville Trail 100 events over the past five years. In 2008, finishing second in the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race was an integral part of CTS Athlete and 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s decision to launch his comeback to professional cycling after three years of retirement.

Founded in 2000 by Olympian, US Olympic Committee Coach of the Year, and bestselling author, Chris Carmichael, Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) inspires and empowers the athlete in every body to perform at their best. For more on Carmichael Training Systems and its approach to fitness, nutrition and healthy, go to www.trainright.com.

source: Carmichael Training Systems

Feb, 2009 - Jamis Bicycles of Northvale, NJ is now an official sponsor of Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park located in Cleveland, Ohio. With the sponsorship, Ray’s has a fleet of Jamis Kromo’s available for customers to ride at the indoor facility. The Kromo, Jamis’ dirt jump/street bike inspired by Jamis Gravity Team riders Jordie Lunn and George Ryan, is one of Jamis’ newest models. The 4130 chromoly steel frame, hardtail design and single speed drivetrain is perfectly suited for the ramps, ledges and terrain featured at Ray’s. The deal also includes a new Jamis sponsored feature which includes a stretch of the expert rhythm section, located adjacent to the rider lounge.

Josh McClean and his wife, Carrie, of Rochester, NY visited Ray’s recently. “The new Kromo’s looks like a great ride, unfortunately they were in use the entire time we were there.” Josh commented that the bikes had the perfect geometry and spec for the indoor mountain bike park.

“We are really excited to be a part of Rays Indoor Park. It’s a great partnership that enables us to help keep people riding in the cold winter months!” commented Jamis MTB product manager Craig Hoyt.
Ray’s, opened by Ray Petro in an industrial area in downtown Cleveland, is open during the winter months 7 days a week. The facility features obstacles that reach into all realms of mountain biking, from ramps and jumps to rock gardens and ledges. Ray’s is the only indoor mountain bike park in the US and is quickly becoming one of the top riding destinations in the country.

www.jamisbikes.com

www.raysmtb.com

source: Smith, Andrea

Prokop & Author. Author & Prokop. Though to separate those two names. Prague based company and Prague native rider worked together ever since 2003. Six years in a row and the successful story will continue in 2009 race season! You would spend a long time with searching for a better example of loyalty in the field of the Mountain Bike World Cup.

Never change the winning team!

Michal Prokop and Author bikes were always the benchmark for rest of the fourcross scene. Hand in hand, they brought home the rainbow jerseys from the Fourcross World Championships in Lugano 2003 and Rotorua 2006. Put two World Cup overall titles, ten World Cup wins, three Jeep King of the Mountain titles plus two Euro Champ titles on and what you get is the gravity mountain biking history making alliance. Never worse than second in the World Cup 4X overall standing from 2003 to 2007… that’s true domination!

Prokop became the face of Author, the leader of Czech cycling industry and top player on the European market. First generation of the Author Prokop 4X signature frame joined the wide range of Author products back in 2005 and still remains to be the first choice of many 4X riders. With unbelievable 19 wins and five titles of seven years of the World’s unique Czech 4X Cup history, the quality was approved.

Prokop says… “Even the whole cycling industry gets currently really hard times and many riders had to change team colors, Author was well prepared for that situation and still remains the one of the strongest bicycle producers in Europe. Those guys supported my career a lot for a long time and they also have big plans for the future. They are involved in the mountain bike racing ever since 1994 and understood what a racer needs. I can ride frames made exactly in accordance to what I feel to be the best for me. High-end bikes are available to me no matter what I am going to do, training on road, flying above trails or working hard on a velodrome.

After all that Olympic BMX rush, I am looking forward to be back on a big bike. There are some new but already hell fast kids in the World Cup and it seems that also some more BMXers want to try what is fourcross about. Anyhow, I will play my game and then we’ll see if it’s enough for rainbow jersey from Canberra or another World Cup trophy. You know me, I am living for winning… I will fight for A gang!”

source: Zdenek Pol

Review by Robb Sutton
Mountain Biking by 198
Original Article: 2009 RockShox Reba Team Review

For 2009, RockShox completely revamped the Reba lineup. As a previous owner of several RockShox Reba’s, I was excited to see the changes and get this new fork out on the trail for some real testing.

What’s new for the Reba in 2009?

As stated in previous articles, the new RockShox Reba sees a host of new features for 2009.

• Post Mount Disc Brake Caliper Mounting
• 20mm Thru Axle Maxle Lite Option
• 120mm Travel Option
• Revamped Damping for BlackBox and Motion Control Systems
• Redesigned Dual Air Spring System
• Power Bulges on Fork Lowers for Increased Stiffness
• Hollow AL66 TV Crown on All Models
• New Look

All of these new features equal a stiffer, lighter Reba for 2009.

2009 RockShox Reba Team

The unit that RockShox sent over for review is the new Team model with the new 20mm Maxle Lite. For 2009, the Team model sees the introduction of the all new BlackBox damping system. This titanium spring tube foundation was based off the original Motion Control design and features a Dual Flow compression and rebound. This equals a more controlled damping system that provides excellent trail feedback at a lighter weight. With these new features, this new RockShox Reba Team weighs in at 3.84 lbs (uncut) including the the new Maxle Lite using a Ultimate Digital Alpine Scale.

Note: Conventional QR based fork weights do not include the quick release. Keep this in mind when comparing fork weights.

For the purposes of this review, I kept the new Reba at the 120mm travel setting. You can adjust the travel down to 100mm and 80mm via the RockShox all-travel spacers, but this does require disassembly. U-Turn travel adjust models use a dial located at the top of the spring side fork leg for travel adjustment.

Note: U-Turn option only available on 26 inch models.

page 1 page 2 page 3

source:Furious Agency

Sea Otter – A Must Attend Event! Athlete Registrations – UP 18%! Expo Sales – UP 34%! With only 8 weeks remaining until Sea Otter, athletes and exhibitors are making a statement – thesy’ll be in Monterey in April! “Sea Otter is an incredibly fun venue. It is hard to think of it as a bike race; since it’s so much more.” —Brook Miller, U.S. National Criterium Champion “There is no limit to the fun and surprises that can be had if you take advantage of all the world-class cycling activities that Sea Otter has to offer.” —Mark Davidson, 10-year Sea Otter Attendee “It’s been said before, but Sea Otter really is the season kickoff. This is the weekend that everyone has on their calendar, where you see colleagues and competitors from all over the world, show off your new team or new employer, see this year’s new equipment and work out the kinks in your bike set-up. If you start the season without going to Sea Otter, you don’t start the season properly.” —Eric Wallace, Sponsor To race one of cycling’s greatest events – CLICK HERE! To sell or demo your product at cycling’s largest consumer expo – CLICK HERE! (Statistics based upon current registrations as compared to 2008 registrations through February 16th)

source: Sea Otter News

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Feb. 23, 2009) - As a part of its mountain development program, USA Cycling will be hosting a series of European development camps in the spring/summer of 2009. The U23 and junior cross-country camps will be based in Kirchzarten, Germany, each running for a three-week period. All interested parties must complete and return petitions for one of the three camps to USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Development Director Marc Gullickson no later than April 1. Click here for more information.

The first camp will run May 7 – 25 and will be open to U23 riders only. While the second and third camps, May 28 – June 15 and June 18 – July 6, will be open to both U23 and junior 17-18 riders. All riders who are eager to improve through international competition are encouraged to use these camps as a primary development tool.

“These camps bring our cross-country mountain bike development program in line with USA Cycling’s philosophy of focusing on developing our top young riders through international race experience,” explained Gullickson. “This plan will provide European mountain bike racing opportunities to a larger number of riders so that the World Championships isn’t the first experience a young rider has racing outside of the U.S. In an effort to fill the World Championship team with medal capable riders, it is important to give these athletes an opportunity to prove they can compete and win against top international fields in advance of their selection to the World Championship squad. The camps will be an important stepping stone for young mountain bike riders to reach the top level of elite racing.”

Levels of financial support will vary per rider qualifications. Full financial support will be offered only to 2008 USA Cycling Cross Country National Champions in the U23 Men and Junior Men 17-18 age categories. Riders who qualified for automatic nomination to the 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, and will still be competing in the same age category, will only be required to pay round trip air fare to Europe. All other attendees will be required to pay round trip air fare as well as an $850.00 camp fee.

All interested riders should petition for a specific camp using the mountain bike development camp petition form which can be found at the following link: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/mtb/09MTB_DevCamp_Petition.doc. This form should be e-mailed directly to Marc Gullickson at mgullickson@usacycling.org on or before April 1. Riders will be selected based on past international and domestic race results as well as performance at the 2008 USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Talent ID Camp.

One non-funded spot will also be awarded to the top finishing 21-22 year-old who places inside the top 10 in the Sea Otter Classic’s pro men’s cross-country race. One additional non-funded spot will also be awarded to the top finishing 19-20 year-old who places inside the top 20 in the Sea Otter Classic’s pro men’s cross-country race. A third non-funded spot will also be awarded to the winner of the Sea Otter Classic’s junior men’s cross-country category one race on April 19.

About USA Cycling

Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross.  As a membership-based organization and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams. Associations of USA Cycling include the United States Cycling Federation (road, track & cyclo-cross), the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), the BMX Association, the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the United States Professional Racing Organization.  USA Cycling is also responsible for the identification, development, support and promotion of American cyclists through various athletic initiatives and programs including the USA Cycling National Development Team, the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, the USA Cycling Junior Development Team, Talent Identification and Regional Development Camps, domestic and international race calendars, direct athlete funding and support programs, and educational camps and seminars. USA Cycling also fields and supports U.S. National Teams for various international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Continental Championship and World Cups across all levels and disciplines of competitive cycling.  USA cycling further supports grass roots and locally-based initiatives through its 32 Local Associations and comprehensive network of licensed and certified coaches and officials. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts National Championship events for amateur and professional cyclists, awarding more than 600 national titles annually to men and women in junior, U23, masters, elite, professional and paralympic categories throughout the various disciplines of competitive cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org. For media-related or general inquiries, please contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867 or alee@usacycling.org.