Transition Bikes re-defines ‘all-mountain’ genre with an all new Covert

Moving forward into a new realm of design, Transition Bikes has completely revamped the existing Covert all mountain bike to create a new 6” travel quiver-killing bike capable of more aggressive riding. The new Covert sports a refined frame at the same weight as the old model, but is significantly stronger. The new frame comes in at a respectable 6.7 lbs without rear shock, and builds up to a 28-32 lb bike made for efficient long days in the saddle

At the core of the Covert is a completely new proprietary tubeset designed by Transition Bikes. The new tubes create a stronger frame with better contact points for welding shock mounts, pivots, and the headtube. In addition to the new tubes Transition has created a one piece CNC’d rocker link to increase stiffness and strength, as well as new dropouts and chainstay/seatstay yokes. All these new features not only add to the aesthetics of the bike but increase strength while shedding weight.

Rear suspension is handled by the Fox RP23 large volume or DHX 5.0 Air. The shock rate on the Covert is slightly progressive with only a 2.8% change throughout the stroke. This allows for consistent feel throughout the travel and allows for easy tuning and setup of the shock. As the Covert goes through it’s travel, the leverage decreases slightly and allows the natural progressiveness of the air shock to ramp up and soak up large bumps and hits. This also gives the bike excellent small bump sensitivity and feel at the top of the stroke while allowing the rider to use the travel without a harsh bottom out.

Alongside the Covert’s structural refinement, the geometry has progressed to be modeled around a 160mm singlecrown fork, such as a Fox 36 or Lyric. The new geometry maintains the all mountain roots of the old Covert which was very climb friendly and nimble, but gets slackened out just a bit to make room for the larger fork without raising the BB. “Geometry and fit is everything in a bike and that is why we didn’t change the geo and sizing too much on the Covert. We really felt like we hit some perfect numbers on the Covert and our customers loved it. On the re-design we made sure to maintain that magic fit and feel that we loved about the bike,” says Kyle Young, owner of Transition Bikes.

“When we released the Covert we were really going for a lightweight all mountain only frame but soon found our customers putting larger forks on the bikes and pushing the limits of the design. Most of these customers are people that can only have one bike but love to pedal singletrack and also hit more aggressive freeride trails. They needed a bike that could handle both. Our solution was to make the Covert work for both worlds without the weight penalty. The reality is that mountain bikes are expensive and while most riders would love to have a full quiver of bikes, they can only afford one bike that needs to do everything,” says Kevin Menard, owner of Transition Bikes.

Additional features include internal chainstay cable routing which is super easy to setup and change the housing and a tapered headtube which allows for excellent weld contact for the top and down tubes as well as providing lower stack heights for the handlebar and fork. Transition Bikes will also be releasing a headset for sale with the frame for both tapered and traditional 1-1/8” steer tubes.

Transition plans to be shipping the Coverts by early June just in time for prime riding conditions.

For More information:

www.transitionbikes.com

info@transitionbikes.com

VIDEO LINK: http://broadbandsports.com/node/26763&loc=mostpop

source: Brad Walton

Support Historic Opportunity for NEW Mountain Bike Access in Marin County, California California State Parks has announced a proposal to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project. This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California, Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years. Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26. Additional Information Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review. California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties. A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.” Bill’s Trail winds through dense forest and provides amazing views of the surrounding area Three Things You Can Do 1. Take Action! 2. Help IMBA improve bike access in Marin County and beyond by donating to the IMBA Legal Advocacy Fund. 3. Tell your friends to take action!

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source: IMBA

Ride In Style with Kona At Crankworx Hit The Kokanee Crankworx Party This Summer With A Six-Day Travel Package To Whistler’s World Class Bike Park KONAWORLD (May 27, 2009) – What are you doing in mid-August? Oh, that’s cool, mowing the lawn, getting a root canal and watching re-runs of The Bachelor. Hopefully not. So, we’re giving you the perfect chance to change your late summer itinerary and get up to Whistler’s premier Bike Park and ride with us. KonaWorld Travels and the world-class Whistler Mountain Bike Park have teamed up to offer you a kick-ass, six-day travel package to get you on the trail and breathing fresh mountain air. Focused around this year’s Kokanee Crankworx – the world’s greatest mountain bike event – your “best vacation ever” starts on Aug. 12 and runs through Aug 19. Enjoy an extreme week of watching the sport’s best athletes compete, while exploring 150 miles of buff singletrack and 5,000 vert of lift-accessed, gravity-fueled Bike Park runs – with classic’s like A-Line, Crank It Up and Ninja Cougar. To top things off you’ll be surrounded by five-star cuisine, alpine vistas and free live music. Crankworx runs from Aug 8-16, so you’ll be getting the best of both worlds - the crazy pulse of freeride mania along with the more relaxed pace of a few days post Crankworx to enjoy Whistler Blackcomb, the Bike Park, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola and Whistler village. The six-day package includes: daily lift tickets with Bike Park guides and instruction, rental of a Kona Garbanzo or Stab bikes, helmet, gloves and armour, a welcome reception, VIP seats for some freeride event viewing, a celebrity ride with a Kona pro, meal discounts, BBQ and more. You don’t have to eat, sleep and breathe mountain biking either - there’s something super-fun to ride for all skill levels and enough entertainment options within shouting distance to keep you occupied. For more than six years, Kokanee Crankworx has continued to make its mark as the most ground-breaking festival of its kind bringing in thousands of mountain bike enthusiasts and backflippin’, 720 huckin’ athletes each year. KonaWorld Travels works in tandem with local Kona partners to promote cycling adventure in rewarding destinations around the globe. Where in the Kona World are you going? For more info CLICK HERE and to take a peek at a detailed itinerary CLICK HERE. 2455 Salashan Loop, Ferndale, WA 98248 tel: (360)366-0951 www.konaworld.com | www.konabikeparks.com | www.konaworld.tv | www.konabiketown.com

source: Base Camp Communications

Main Page - Helmet List - Photos

Rockgardn Blacklite

D-Ring and Chin Strap	Visor Adjust	Vents above forehead	Inside Chin Guard
EPS Vent	Inside Helmet	Removable Padded Liner	Extra Mesh Cloth

(Click on Thumbnails to Enlarge)

Description:

The Rockgardn Blacklite helmet strikes me as a mature helmet with its simple but good looking black and white coloring and sleek chin guard design.  It also has a fairly small profile for a DOT certified helmet. Looking at it straight on it isn’t as wide as some others, which will help reduce the Jack-in-the-Box head effect.  It is fairly light weight as well.  The XL ranges in weight from 1350-1450 grams which is only slightly lighter than  XL Kali Aatma, 1278 gram at double the price.

The quality of the helmet is very good.  The stitching  and quality of the padding very nice and the outer Thermoplastic shell with it’s screen covered vents and molding are all inline with what you would expect from a more expensive helmet.  The molding around the bottom of the helmet is white, so it tends to show dirt and abuse more, but it cleans up fairly easily.

The padded liner on the inside is on par with other most other helmet, not as soft as the Kali Aatma nor as plush as the Azonic Fury.  Which is fine, because the softness will fad at some point and the plushness restricts airflow.  So this is a good middle ground.

The padded liner is semi removable.  The cheeks pads are held in with a well stitched Velcro, something I would have liked to have seen on $375 TLD, which just uses Velcro stickers.  The padded liner around the head comes out but it doesn’t remove all the fabric and liner from the helmet.  There is still a bit of light weight mesh that is clued in.  My one complaint on this test helmet is that it appears that in the construction process there was too much clue used and it clued the removable liner to the EPS shell and ripped it when removing. This would obviously only happen the 1st time the liner is removed, but it is a bit irritating.

The Blacklite appears to only have four vents in the EPS shell and three in the chin bar.  There are two above the forehead with the ability to be closed and two near the back of the head that vent out of rear.  The EPS shell is rippled similar to the Kali Aatma, but less so.  This creates some space for air to flow over the scalp cool the rider down.  For me, the helmet didn’t get that hot, but I talked to another rider who just switched to a Blacklite off a Remedy and he said his one complaint was that it gets hot.  Otherwise he loved the helmet and the DOT level of safety it provides.  This is in a way not a fair comparison because the Remedy isn’t a DOT certified helmet, so doesn’t surfer from the less vented EPS shell that the Blacklite and other DOT helmets have. But it is a fact, it is a less vented helmet.

The visor adjust screws on the Blacklite are more in line with the O’Neil Series 9 helmet, moto style and you need a flat head screw driver to adjust the visor.  There are two adjust screws located at the back of the visor near the peak of the helmet instead of located below the visor with a thumb adjust screw.  The range of the visor has been increase this year over last years but it is still a narrow range compared to some other helmets.  Mark from Rockgardn said a couple guys had issue with the visor being in their peripheral field of vision.  That has been resolved in the ‘09 model.  The visor itself is of a nice sturdy build and fairly wide.  The visor pivot screws on the side of the helmet have a smooth and low profile and shouldn’t get snagged on anything in a crash.

The chinguard on the Blacklite is a bit sleeker and doesn’t have the birds beak at the end like the Aatma and Series 9 do.  This is nice, it keeps the design in line with downhill helmets as opposed to moto helmets.

With Helmet On:

The fit of the Blacklite is like no other helmet I’ve tried on.  Which is great. It means for riders with heads radically different than mine there is a helmet that will feel comfortable.  The Blacklite was tight against the front and back of my head. It has a more round feel and the chin pads were and loose.  I’ve got a more narrow and long face, especially as I’ve lost some weight over the past year, and the Blacklite is better for a rounder face with a larger profile jaw.  If a Remedy fits you well the Blacklite will probably as be a good fit as well. If a TLD doesn’t fit you well, you might want to look into the fit of the Blacklite.

Do to the fact the helmet fits my narrow and long head so tightly around the top of my scalp there is very little side to side play when I push side to side near the temples.  But conversely when I push side to side down near my jaw there is a large amount of side to side play which did rattle a bit when riding.  So, know your face, if it is longer and narrow the Blacklite is probably not your choose.  If you have a rounder face with a larger jaw the Blacklite is probably going to be a good fit.

There is plenty of room for my ears in the helmet and the chin guard is spaced at a normal and good length away from the face.  The inside of the chin guard has a medium soft feeling foam.  It wouldn’t be too unpleasant a feeling to have the jaw smashed up against it in a crash.

The cheek pads on the Blacklite start at the temples and come to about half way down my cheeks.  The pads themselves are pretty thin and soft but they do their jobs.  One interesting thing about the Blacklite is the EPS shell come down and out to where the cheek pads are.  Comparing it to the Kali Aatma which has no EPS liner along the cheeks, and the O’Neil Series 9 which has thicker cheek pads hide the EPS liner that comes down along the cheeks.  The Blacklite is a good in between.

The helmet meets and/or exceeds the 105 degrees of peripheral vision standard laid out in the CSPC standard and the helmet handles large goggles just fine.

Cleaning:

The cheek pads and liner are easy to remove, though with it not being a fully removable liner my suggestion would be to just soak the full helmet in a bucket rather than removing the liner and having to re-insert it.  Which is a bit tricky.  The cheeks pads are easy to remove and re-insert.

Fits Similar To:

This helmet fits completely differently than any of the helmets this remove.  My only suggest from another rider is that if a Remedy fit you well than the Blacklite probably fit fine as well.

Goggles:

I had no problems with the bigger Blur B-1 goggles on this helmet. There appears to be enough space for large goggles with out smashing the nose.

Leatte Brace:

coming soon….

Value Rating:

This helmet is a very good value. It is well made and can obviously take a beating. For $149 it is obvious that Rockgardn didn’t cut any corners in design and manufacturering.

Overall Rating:

Overall this helmet is great.  The only complaint I had is the extra glue which ripped a bit of the removable liner.  Otherwise, for $149, DOT certified with a low profile and sleek DH designed chin guard, fair weight, you can’t go wrong.  Seriously this is a great deal if you are looking for a DOT helmet.

www.rockgardn.com

Main Page - Helmet List - Photos

Julien Absalon Wins Madrid World Cup on XX First World Cup Victory for New Component Group

Madrid was the location for one of the most dramatic races of the season so far. The drying race conditions allowed for a very fast start, and shortly after the start, Julien Absalon found his way to the front along with Ralph Naef. Naef launched several solid attacks against Abslaon, but it would be Julien’s day once again.

Julien’s win marks his 19th World Cup Cross Country win and continues to build on his solid grip on the overall series lead.

SRAM Product Category Manager, Ron Ritzler said, “This is a groundbreaking victory for both Julien and SRAM. Absalon is one of SRAM’s key athletes that has been involved in the development of our new XX group.” Ritzler goes on to say, “SRAM is estatic that Julien was able to race to a World Cup win on the new XX group right as we roll this product out to the rest of the world.”

Men’s XC
1 Julien Absalon (Fra) Orbea SRAM, RockShox, Avid, Truvativ
2 Ralph Naef (Swi) Multivan Merida Biking Team SRAM, Avid
3 Moritz Milatz (Ger) Multivan Merida Biking Team SRAM, Avid
4 Marco Aurelio Fontana (Ita) Cannondale Factory Racing SRAM, RockShox, Avid
5 Nino Schurter (Swi) Scott-Swisspower MTB-Racing SRAM, Avid, Truvativ

Women’s XC
1 Margarita Fullana Riera (Spa) Massi
2 Marie-Helene Premont (Can) Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain
3 Lene Byberg (Nor) Specialized Factory Racing SRAM, Avid
4 Sabine Spitz (Ger) Central Ghost Pro Team
5 Catharine Pendrel (Can) Luna Pro Team

www.sram.com

source: Eric Schutt

Team Jamis prepares for US Cup #3 Bump & Grind Adam Snyder and Rotem Ishay debut with team Northvale, NJ  (May 18, 2009) — 6 time Israeli nation champion, Rotem Ishay and Adam Snyder of Team Jamis are looking forward to joining Seamus McGrath in their national calendar debut in the team’s colors on May 31st in Birmingham, Alabama. Team Jamis is looking strong coming into the 2nd part of the season. With more more National events and bigger races on the calender, the team is  targeting races in Texas, Colorado, Quebec,and Jamis territory New York! Team manager Jason Sager made a return to his Texas roots with a win at the Golden Bike event in Coldspring, TX. The mountain biker followed it up with a 2nd place in San Antonio’s University Oaks criterium the following weekend before  returning to Utah. New addition Rotem Ishay followed suit in mixing up skinny and knobby tires by taking 5th at Salida, Colorado’s stop of the Mountain States cup before again securing a podium spot at the Collegiate Road Race National Championships in Fort Collins, CO. New recruit Adam Snyder, as part of his East Coast tour, attended the first round of the Canada cup series in Baie Saint Paul, Quebexico. Fighting a poor start grid position, Snyder moved into the top 5 towards the later laps. ”I was having to take very ‘alternative’ lines out there to pass guys, and I took one that I shouldn’t have.” said Snyder regarding a mechanical that forced him to withdraw from the race. With what looked to be a strong ride, look for Snyder to make an impact on next week’s 2nd round of the Canada Cup series before he rejoins Seamus McGrath and the rest of the team in Birmingham, AL. Next up for Team Jamis: 5/23 - Iron Horse Classic, Durango, CO - Rotem Ishay 5/25 - Intermountain Cup #6, Draper, UT - Jason Sager 5/24 - Canada Cup #2, Quebec, Canada - Adam Snyder 5/31 - Bump & Grind US Cup #3, Birmingham, AL - Seamus McGrath, Blake Harlan, Rotem Ishay, Adam Snyder, Jason Sager 6/6 - Teva Game, Vail, CO - Rotem Ishay, Adamy Snyder, Blake Harlan, Jason Sager 6/14 - Colorado Springs Classic US Cup #4, Colorado Springs, CO - Seamus McGrath, Blake Harlan, Rotem Ishay, Adam Snyder, Jason Sager For more information and to follow along with the team, visit http://www.teamjamis.com Team Jamis will be supported in their adventures and racing conquests by Jamis Bicycles. The bikes are fully equipped with SRAM shifting components installed with Gore RideOn fully sealed cable systems, Edge carbon clincher and tubular wheels, handlebars, stems, and seat posts, FSA cranks and bottom brackets, WTB saddles and grips, Geax tubular and clincher mtb tires, Chris King precision hubs, Hayes hydralic brakes, Fox suspension products, Crank Brothers pedals, and Clif Bar nutrition. Team jerseys and all technical apparel are provided by Mt. Borah clothing, helmets and gloves by Louis Garneau.

source: Jamis Media

TURNER DEMOTOUR INFO ::.

source: Joshua Barney

Review by Sharon Bader (some additional comments by Lee Lau)

Introduced in 2008 and following Specialized’s catch phrase of “Innovate or Die”, the Pitch Series of All Mountain Bikes complements its big brother the M5 Enduro. While both have 150mm rear travel the Pitch comes equipped with the proprietary 140mm Rock Shox Pike Coil U-turn fork and Juicy 4 brakes. Specialized’s buying power has allowed this company to create this bike as an affordable, uncompromised option to its higher end Enduro line.

The Bike

This bike was obtained by Obsession: Bikes in North Vancouver, Canada and loaned to us for this review.

Using similar characteristics as the Enduro SL M5 frame, this M4 frame offers a more cost effective bike. While lacking the finer frame construction of the Enduro it shares some of the same forging and offers a better value frame. Specialized’s ability to order large quantities of components allows it to equip their bikes with parts unique and specific to each frame. The Pitch shares the same patented FSR suspension which separates braking and chain forces from the suspension to prevent brake jack and ensure control on steep descents.

The slack 67 degree head angle and low standover provides confidence on steep rough descents. Paired with the 140mm to 95mm adjustable travel Rock Shox Pike, fork height was easily selected for efficient climbing or confident descending. Even in the high travel mode, the Pitch was an apt climber. Riding over large roots and rocks would result in impacts with the big chainring and cranks despite the 14inch bottom bracket height and 175mm cranks. The tires were great in dry and wet conditions. They climbed with confidence over dry roots and would only slip on the steepest of wet rooty terrain. Maintaining good climbing posture and consistent pedaling allowed the bike to climb through a slipping rear tire. The tires did loose grip on wet steep rock face descents.

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New course for the Hit Mountain Bike Downhill European Championships 2009 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, is almost finished and organizers can focus on side events, final promotional activities and registration. They also came to a deal with Eurosport 2 that will broadcast the Sunday finals live.

Live international broadcast of the Downhill European Championships is very important for the promotion of the region and glory of the continental championships itself that might have lost a part of its reputation in the past years. This way fans from all over Europe will be able to watch and support their riders during the race from Vitranc Mountain in Kranjska Gora. Live broadcast on Eurosport 2 will be on Sunday, June 14, from 13:15 to 15:00 CET.

Final call for masters

Registration for national teams is just about to close while riders for masters and open category can still register on event website www.dhvitranc.eu. Final date for registration is Monday, June 8th 2009, same date is also set for riders from other continents that would like to compete in junior and elite open categories. Next to best Slovenian masters riders from following countries have applied for the race: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and San Marino. List of riders for the elite and junior championships is being finalized and will be released soon.

Party in Kranjska Gora

Mountain bike is all about fun and even a serious competition like European Championships should be like that. Karaoke Welcome party in Grand Hotel Prisank on Thursday evening will greet all the riders and team members in Kranjska Gora. On Friday and Saturday the organizers, local tourist organization and title sponsor Hit Alpinea will prepare two big open air parties with live concerts. Hit European Championships will officially start on Friday (June 12) evening with the opening ceremony in center of Kranjska Gora with presentation of national teams. Concert of popular Slovenian group with English lyrics Billys will follow in the finish area. Open-air party will also take place on the same location on Saturday evening with bands: The 80’s Band, Candle with Hair and Arizona Band.

Visit http://www.dhvitranc.eu/ for more event information, press photos, media accreditation etc.

source: Grega Stopar