Welcome to Summer!

It has been a while since we’ve kicked a newsletter out the door, and with summer cresting the horizon we figured that now is a fine time to spread the word on the latest from the trenches here at SCB.

Carbon Blur LTs are hitting the trail…

photo: kelley richardson

We shot this one across the public’s bow at the Sea Otter this spring, and said bikes would be shipping by the end of May. Then we crossed our fingers and hoped that everything went according to plan. Well, the first shipment arrived here, went through QC, and is rolling out the doors into the big brown trucks. Given that the introduction of the bike went over very well, we’ve got a lot of backorders to work through, but hitting the stated release date is cause for celebration as far as we’re concerned. This was also the first time we managed to bring a bike to it’s slated launch date without having some internet zealot hack their way into leaking the bike beforehand and totally ruining our party. Anyway, yee-haw! The new Blur LTc is out in the world, and it is going to wreak havoc on some sensibilities.

2010 parts, new bike builder.

Our resident webgnarlogist is getting ready to spit out the latest version of our bike builder function (except he keeps getting distracted by newsletters and other petty requests), featuring a new look as well as updated kit info for all the new goodies that are flowing in. In fact, the build kit info is already up and running on the site (click here) if you want to check out what exactly makes up the latest nut and bolt details of all our bikes. Hang tight, and the new bike builder will be along real soon.

How’d ya like to win an entry into the Downieville Classic AM race, on one of them new Blur LT carbon jobbies? Maybe even keep the bike?
We designed the Blur LTc with high country singletrack railing first and foremost in our minds, so it makes sense to throw together a contest based around two of our favorite things - Downieville and new bikes. This’ll be a no-frills exercise in doing the right thing with your conscience and stepping up for some good old-fashioned masochism. We’ve got a free entry into the completely sold-out and heavily wait-listed Downieville Classic All-Mountain race. If, by some chance, you are unaware of what this race entails, best do some homework before stepping into this one’s teeth. We also have a completely dialed and ready to go Blur LTc (which should cash out at about $7k retail value) that we’d like to let some lucky soul use for this race. AND, if that lucky soul happens to finish the whole enchilada in less time than our boss, Rob Roskopp , said lucky soul gets to keep the bike.

This’ll be a quick and dirty contest based mostly on luck, and a little bit on conscience. Here’s how it will work:
One, you must be a member in good standing of the Sierra Buttes trail Stewardship. These are the folks who shower the trails in and around Downieville with love and sweat. Membership includes free socks, free entry into their Epic rides, and lots of food and drink and merriment to accompany those rides. It costs $50 to join, and is worth a huge amount more than that in karma points.

Two, you must not be a Pro racer, or an employee of SCB. Roskopp would prefer it if you only had one leg or something, but it’s not up to him. Just don’t work for us, and don’t be a pro racer.

Three, the contest will run between now and July 1st. On July 2nd, we will verify the stewardship member-osity of all entrants, throw all verified names into a hat, and pick a winner.

Four, the bike in question will be set up exactly the same as the one Roskopp will be riding. We understand that there might be personal tire and seat preferences and the like, but for the sake of this contest, no substitutions will be allowed, except for pedals. The winning entrant will be responsible for bringing his or her own pedals, and getting him or herself to Downieville in a race-ready manner.

Five, you can only enter the contest via our blog. Send your name, SBTS member number (if you have it. If not, no biggie. We have ways of finding that out…), and preferred frame size.

Wait, did we say “Blog?”
Yep. We have one now. Some might laugh this off as quaintly 2005, but we like the place. We get to tell secrets, get into the nitty gritty of our bikes, let the public see a bit more of who we are, have some fun, engage in lighthearted industrial espionage, subvert the dominant paradigm, and every once in a while give away the boss’s bike. Don’t worry. We promise that we won’t start tweeting anytime soon. Whatever the hell that means…

Things are going downhill fast…

Meanwhile, we’re almost halfway through the 2009 race season already. At the pointy end of things, the Santa Cruz Syndicate has been having a very good run on their V-10s. Three races into the UCI Downhill World Cup, and so far three victories for the tall men - one for Greg Minnaar, two for Steve Peat. Peaty’s most recent win moves him into the lead in the World Cup points, as well as the all-time World Cup victory hot-seat, with 17 wins for his career. Between them, and with the increasing speed of Josh Bryceland, the Syndicate has also eased into the lead for the overall team standings.

They’re in Fort William, Scotland, this weekend. Fingers crossed! Keep up with the racing here, or check back with our news section next week for results, photos and exclusive video content.