Written by: Tim Banning

Over 40 mountain bikers gathered for 5 days of singletrack goodness on the Kettle Crest trail system in Eastern Washington for the 2009 Kettle Crest Advocacy Fest. The Kettle Crest trail system is rugged, vast and mountainous, where the quality of riding is only surpassed by the variety of sub-alpine ecosystems and epic sweeping views. It is a premier trail system in that it is a non-motorized area chock full of singletrack goodness set in an epic backcountry setting. Unfortunately, mountain bikers may lose the area because it is under review for possible Wilderness Designation, which would eliminate mountain bikes from trails the area.

First few days of riding brought fun descents on the Midnight Ridge Trail, with big pine, open field with colorful wildflower and frolicking badger. Challenging climbs through cedar grove and rock outcrop on Hoodoo Canyon Trail. The weather was unusually iffy, as rain randomly rolled through, but nothing dampened the spirits of our group congregation as riders settled in at the Jungle Hill Campground.

Friday came, and volunteers rolled up their sleeves for a work party on Old Stage Coach Trail #1. Washingtons first state highway, Old Stage Coach #1 was originally intended for wagons to ferry goods, but was too steep and ardous. The wide trail suffers from springs seeping onto the trail and creating long saturated sections of mucky goopiness. The combined effort of 26 mt. bikers from Seattle, Washington to Boise, Idaho resulted in a sustainable trail segment which minimized water erosion by applying established IMBA and Forest Service trail building practices. Forest Service Recreation Specialist Dave Lent commented that our group had “brought the thunder”. Little did Dave know, we brought the bbq as well, as the trail crew was provided with food provided by the Evergreen MTB Alliance from Seattle, beverages provided New Belgium Brewery and schwag from Niner Bikes, New Belgium Brewery, MSC Bikes, Joyride Cycles of Boise, Idaho, and MTBR. com.

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Reviewed by Brian Mullin aka Gram and MTBR.com Pastajet
http://www.gramslightbikes.com/

I have been the using KMC SL series of chains for many years now, they are very lightweight, have a plethora of technical features, with good shifting capabilities, and even look good (especially in gold).

I tend to ride with a slow cadence on technical terrain in very small gears, so I cause an enormous amount of torque on the drivetrain system, and especially on the main conduit, the chain. This can wreak havoc fairly quickly on a chain, so I tend to go through them pretty quickly, no matter what brand they are.

I found that with the KMC SL chains, I tended to get premature wear in comparison to other chains. When they finally lengthen beyond their specified limits, they tended to mis-shift, and on occasion I would catastrophically snap a link.

Chains do not stretch, they lengthen (elongate), and they do so because their hinge pins and sleeve hole wear, literally making the chain sloppy and loose.

You can check chain elongation with a chain checker tool (Park CC-2) or measure with a ruler, but both methods can be slightly error prone.

At the 2008 Interbike, I spoke with the KMC staff about the wear issues I was encountering, and they told me they had an upgraded version of the SL series coming out soon that should alleviate that issue.

In November, I started to test out the latest X9SL and X10SL chains on my 9 speed drivetrains, which included an XTR and Sram X.0 system. Although, some people report issues (front shifting?) with using a 10 speed chain on a 9 speed drivetrain, I had never had any shifting issues with that combination, nor have many others on the MTBR.com weight weenie forum. The main reason to go with a 10 speed is to save weight. The KMC SL chains are available in either silver or gold colors, in both a 9 and 10 speed, and are compatible with Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo.

KMC History
KMC Chains was established in Tainan County , Taiwan in 1977 by Charles Wu. The company makes bicycle chains as their core business, and they also make motorcycle, automotive, garage door opener and industrial chains. In the mid 80’s they partnered with Shimano to supply them with a whole series of their chains. They make over 500 million feet of a chain a year, which is a heck of a lot of chains!

Next -> Installation

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For Immediate Release:

X-Fusion is proud to announce the newest member of its Team, Anthony Trujillo. He will take on the role as Engineering & Product Manager.

Anthony joins the X-Fusion Team with over 11 years of suspension component engineering experience. Having spent over 9 years at FOX Racing Shox, he brought to market such products as the FLOAT RL, Remote Lock Out, AVA, Specialized Itch, TALAS, 1st generation Propedal, DHX, DHX Air, and Van R rear shocks, as well as various custom products, designs, and general improvements to all products. He also represented FOX on the World Cup and US National Circuits from ’00-’06, tuning for pros and developing product. Later, he joined the Specialized Suspension Team where he helped build the Suspension Program and designed the innovative Epic micro-Brain shock, as well as made design and quality improvements to existing Specialized brand Stumpjumper and Enduro rear shocks.

“I could not be more excited about this new opportunity at X-Fusion. For where I am at in my career and where X-Fusion is at as a mtb suspension design and manufacturing company, I could not think of a better time to join the Team. I have been working with the X-Fusion factory since around ’01 and have seen them grow to a company that should have global OEMs, dealers, and end users reconsider who the big hitters are in the suspension world. If they haven’t already, they soon will!”

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Mountain States Cup #7 is the Latest Major Competition to be Held at Granby Ranch

GRANBY, Colo. – August 27, 2009 – For the second time this summer, Granby Ranch will host a major mountain bike competition. The Mountain States Cup #7, Sol Survivor, is happening September 4 – 7, 2009, at SolVista Bike Park at Granby Ranch. This latest race comes on the heels of July’s prestigious USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships and helps solidify Granby Ranch’s reputation as one of the nation’s premiere mountain biking hot spots in a 5000-acre residential community.

Thousands of professional and amateur riders and spectators are expected to turn out for the three-day Sol Survivor. Competitions will be held in cross-country, short track, four-cross, downhill and Super-D. At the request of several top tier riders, the Sol Survivor courses will emulate the World Cup standard and promises to offer exceptional challenges and awesome spectating. The Base Area offers terrific food, amazing retail, volleyball, horseshoes and a vibrant marketing village. Event information and details are available at http://www.racemsc.com/events/solsurvivor/

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Highland Mountain Bike Park Brodown Showdown Jump Jam is slated for Saturday September 5, 2009 in the Highland Jump Park from 2pm-5pm.

The chillest event of the year, the Brodown Showdown is about coming out for a day of riding. No pressure here! It’s simple, you throw down we give you sweet stuff. Music, BBQ, beer garden and the most polished jump park on the east coast. what more could you ask for? So come and celebrate Labor Day weekend with us. The event is free with the purchase of a lift ticket (or for season pass holders) and only $25 if you don’t want to ride the lift. For more information visit www.highlandmountain.com

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the park.

The Highland Crew.

source: Doug Smith

The SoCal Fat Tire Epic 50 is right around the corner and racers are gearing up to tackle the tough 50 miles at Vail Lake Resort in Temecula, CA. This event is sure to become a Southern California Classic!

Along with the West Coast Marathon Championships is the SoCal Bicycle Expo. More and more of the industry is coming out to demo and display the latest and greatest for 2010. Some of the Expo attendees include:
Intense Cycles
Cannondale
Ellsworth
Baja Designs
Nimbus Water
Spinergy
Crankbrothers
Russ Denny custom bikes
Canari Cyclewear
Shoebacca
Plus a bunch more!

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Trail Work on the Olema Valley Trail
“Hikers, bikers and equestrians come together!”

SHARE THE TRAIL, working with Point Reyes National Seashore’s Adopt A Trail program, announce a trail work day and picnic on Saturday, September 26.

Share the Trail, a coalition of user groups working to make Marin trails more accessible and safe for everyone, is organizing a trail day and picnic at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County. Hikers, bikers and equestrians will be working side by side to make some much-needed improvements to the Olema Valley Trail, one of the few multi-use trails in the park. These improvements will increase the longevity of the trail, preserving the trail for future generations. The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will help with the project and will offer a trail building School, teaching sustainable trail design. There will be a picnic following the trail work with great local food and beverages, including hamburgers and sausages from Marin Sun Farms!

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For Immediate Release:

East Coast Cycle Supply (ECCS), a global bicycle importer announces today its partnership with Mountain Cycle, the highly respected mountain bike specialist. ECCS plans to expand Mountain Cycle sales of its full line of mountain bike frames to Independent Bike Dealers across the US and Canada.

“We are very pleased to be working with East Coast Cycle Supply,” explains Krien Dawson, COO of Mountain Cycle. “We feel they encompass the knowledge and expertise needed to grow the Mountain Cycle brand,” he adds. “Mountain Cycle product is quality driven and our customers will receive all the attention to detail required for each sale and we believe ECCS will continue to market our products in the same fashion.”

Currently Mountain Cycle offers four frame sets; the Shockwave, Battery, Rumble and Fury, each built with the well known, durable monocoque swing arm or reinforcement technology. Designs are classic and simple focusing on quality and targeting the specific disciplines of downhill, slope style, all mountain and trail riding.

“Mountain Cycle is an iconic brand,” states Jeff Bruno, President of East Coast Cycle Supply. “Our sales team has all the passion and drive to sell Mountain Cycle’s well constructed and engineered frames. Mountain Cycle’s high end product is the perfect addition to the East Coast Cycle Supply family.”

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LAUGHLINTOWN, Pa. - (August 27, 2009) - Each year Speedgoat Bicycles invents a bike for its annual raffle benefiting the Breast Cancer Fund with only one absolute: the bike must be pink. The campaign however, has proven so huge that Speedgoat has become a victim of its own success and spawned a few entrepreneurial souls who have gone on to fashion pink bike raffles of their own. Rather than turn purple with rage at the copycats, this year’s bike simply turned purple - and gold too, which are the colors that distinguish the Breast Cancer Fund.

The bike this year started with a graciously donated Lynskey R230 frame and fork featuring custom purple and gold panels to go with gold hubs, headset, and bottom bracket, courtesy of Chris King. With a nod toward the original Pink Bike concept, Cateye donated three pink Strada wireless computers. For a modest charge, Velocity offered up purple rims and George Yoder, Speedgoat’s custom wheel builder, has kindly given his time to build up the wheelset. Speedgoat donated the balance of parts and labor.

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We are proud to announce that the 2009 Pro Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) has been nominated for a 2009 SportsTravel Award in the BEST NEW EVENTS category! With our inaugural year nearly to an end, the Pro GRT has already experienced great attention and praise from within & outside the cycling industry!  We are truly appreciative at the overwhelming support from everyone involved. 2010 is already in the works & should be even better!

Voting continues through September 14, 2009, at http://www.SportsTravelMagazine.com. Click on the VOTE NOW button on the right!   We’re located under the bottom area under “BEST NEW EVENTS!”

Don’t forget, you MUST CONFIRM your voting by the email link you will receive after you cast your ballot!

Please help us spread the word!

Cheers,

Dylan

source: Dylan Dean Inc