Mountain Biking

Fox Racing Shox released information, today, of their new Float iCD electronic suspension project, previously seen in prototype form on the bikes of Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox Racing) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna). The new electronic damper will be available for sale in 2013 for both forks and rear shocks.

While we’re still anticipating a highly advanced terrain-sensing system to be announced in the coming months, for now Fox say the system is essentially what it appears to be: an electronic remote lockout system that controls either the fork only or the fork and rear shock simultaneously.

The new system is part of Fox’s Intelligent Ride Dynamics (iRD) advanced development group and switches between an ultra-firm ‘Climb’ mode and fully open ‘Descend’ mode (but not a ‘Trail’ mode like on the MY2013 traditional forks and rear shocks) via a bar-mounted rotary switch with two or three positions depending on the application: Climb (fork and rear shock), Climb (rear shock only), and Descend (fork and rear shock).

Developed in cooperation with Shimano, Float iCD uses a rechargeable Li-ion battery borrowed from the Japanese company’s Di2 electronic road transmission to power a tiny actuator rod inside the fork and rear shock. The wires are identical to those used in the current Ultegra Di2 6770 group and claimed battery life is upwards of 2.5 months.

According to FOX, the Float iCD system can also be hooked up to a laptop computer to customize the remote switch settings, update the firmware, and access diagnostic protocols. Claimed weight for a complete fork and rear shock is as little as 1,860g (4.10lb) while the fork alone will start at 1,555g (3.43lb). Projected consumer availability is this September.

The new FOX Float iCD system will be offered in both forks and rear shocks starting this September

While certainly intriguing, Float iCD is also very expensive with a complete fork system estimated at US$1,499 and a fork-plus-rear shock setup costing a whopping US$1,999. All Float iCD forks with include FIT dampers and Kashima-coated upper tubes with options to include 100mm or 120mm of travel, 26″ or 29″ wheel fitments, and 9mm or 15QR thru-axle dropouts. Rear shocks will be offered in 6.5 x 1.5″ to 7.875 x 2.0″ sizes and in standard or high-volume air can options.

At this point, many of you are undoubtedly wondering: if the Float iCD system is little more than an electronic lockout (at this stage, anyway), what’s the point?

According to Fox global marketing communications manager Mark Jordan, Float iCD’s main advantages over a traditional cable-operated remote system are a faster initial setup, lower maintenance, and easier operation while on the trail.

Claimed actuation speed is also lightning-quick at just 0.25 seconds for the fork and 0.45 seconds for the rear shock. “The most important advantages happen on the trail through the speed of the adjustments, ease of use and very low remote activation force required,” he told BikeRadar. “These three features promote increased use over a standard cable system with less fatigue, which allows riders to take advantage of this system much more often to greatly increase the efficiency of their mountain bike by constantly matching the suspension tune to the terrain.”

Not convinced yet? We’ll admit to being skeptical ourselves but Fox have promised a sample setup for testing soon, so we’ll reserve any judgment until then.

Source: BikeRadar.com Mountain Biking

We know the price will make a lot of you flinch, but if you’re a devotee of merino wool you’ll already know that it doesn’t come cheap. Plus, the Rapha Country is actually a more complicated version known as Sportwool. 

It’s a mix of merino and polyester, with merino inside and a smooth polyester outside. The idea is you get all the natural comfort benefits of merino wool against your skin, but once sweat is wicked through to the manmade surface it disperses and dries more quickly than it would in an all-wool jersey.

We like the way merino gets warm to a point and then suddenly your temperature seems to regulate, and we weren’t disappointed by this version of it. It’s especially good when a ride starts in the morning chill then warms up.

The cut, we cannot lie, is slim to roadie-skinny. It’s also very short. We’d like to say go up a size if you prefer the relaxed look, but suspect the immaculate styling wouldn’t work, so you’re just going to have to suck it in…

The finish is exceptionally high quality. Details such as a hem gripper and hidden drawcord add value, and we love the practicality of the inner pump sleeve and oversized zip pull on the valuables pocket. 

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Source: BikeRadar.com Mountain Biking

As technology advances, the cost of many mountain bikes has gone through the roof. Is it even possible to get a good mountain bike for $1,000 or less? Yes!

For riders just getting started — or those looking to get a new mountain bike without breaking the break — there are a few good options. We recently trail-tested 10 mountain bikes that cost $1,000 or less, and came away with some surprising finds.

If it’s been five years or more since you last bought a mountain bike, you probably have a bike with 26-inch wheels. The trend these days is ‘bigger is better’ — and nearly all the models tested have 29-inch wheels. For those of you new to mountain biking — welcome! The benefits of 29-inch wheels are plentiful: you can roll over obstacles more easily, you have more suspension in your tires with the larger volume of air, and you can get better traction than with a 26-inch wheel.

BikeRadar sent out a five-man test crew over the course of a few days to test ride 10 bikes over and over on a 3-mile loop. Special attention was given to each bike’s elements of control — the brakes, the suspension and the tires.

At this pricepoint, bike companies are limited in what types of parts, suspension forks and wheels they can use. But, as BikeRadar technical editor James Huang likes to point out, geometry is free. Geometry means the angles of the bike’s tubes, which have a huge impact on how the bike handles.

We tested the following 10 bikes:

• Trek Mamba, $959
• Diamondback Overdrive Comp 29dr
• Specialized Rockhopper 29
• Redline D610
• Jamis Exile Sport
• GT Karakoram 2.0
• Giant Talon 29er 1
• Cannondale Trail SL3
• Scott Scale 29 Comp
• Felt Nine Sport

Check BikeRadar next week for the complete results of the test.

Source: BikeRadar.com Mountain Biking

Cube’s extravagantly-named AMS 100 Super HPC Pro sits towards the cheaper end of the German company’s short-travel line-up, with only the aluminium AMS 100 below it. £2,199 is an impressive price for a full-carbon fibre frame with decent equipment.

Ride & handling: Aggressive riding position lets you put the power down

The Cube is very much in the European head-down cross-country tradition, with steep angles and forward weight distribution. With geometry generally getting ever-slacker, it’s easy to forget that bikes like this work very well in singletrack – you can stay in the middle of the bike, pedal and flick it through corners.

The downside is a nervousness on faster, rougher trails, although the AMS’s stiff frame and decent fork keep things going in the right direction. The rear suspension is best run stiff to avoid blowing through the travel, which keeps the bike feeling taut and lively at the expense of small-bump sensitivity. It’s a convincing off-the-peg race with upgrade potential.

Frame: Full-carbon chassis at a great price

Traditionalists will love the look of the AMS 100. Of all the available full-suspension layouts, a four-bar back end with the shock under the top tube looks most like how you expect a bike to look. There’s another advantage for racers, with room for two sets of bottle bosses inside the main triangle. Despite the almost old-school appearance though, the Cube packs in plenty of construction tech. 

A key advantage of carbon fibre is that it’s of sufficiently low density as to allow designers to use lots of it without much of a weight penalty. Cube have taken full advantage of the press-fit bottom bracket shell to push the triangular-section down tube out to the maximum possible width. The gear cables are routed inside the down tube, while the rear brake hose is routed down the outside to save having to detach one end to fit or remove the brake. A stainless steel plate protects the carbon chainstay from any potential chainsuck damage.

Equipment: Decent spec but there’s scope to go lighter with future upgrades

Cube have gone to town with colour co-ordination on the AMS 100, with the yellow and blue frame graphics mirrored on the DT Swiss wheelset and Selle Italia saddle. It’s an eye-catching combination. Look past the colours and you’ll find a well-rounded parts spec based around a 3×10 Shimano SLX/Deore XT transmission mix – XT for the bits you’ll notice (cranks and rear mech), SLX for the rest. You can’t really go wrong with SLX and XT.

A RockShox Reba RL fork graces the front end, complete with remote lockout lever. DT Swiss wheels are shod with voluminous 2.25in Schwalbe Rocket Ron tyres. They’re the high-spec Evo tubeless-ready versions too, which is good to see. Formula RX brakes do the stopping while the finishing kit features a Syntace cockpit (plus rather bulky foam lock-on grips) and Cube’s own RFR seatpost.

This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Source: BikeRadar.com Mountain Biking

If you’ve never tried riding with flat pedals off-road, we suggest you give it a go. The connected-but-not feeling takes a bit of getting used to but will sharpen your skills immediately. Having a good shoe helps, and Salomon are pushing their new (snappily titled) XA PRO 3D Ultra 2 (yeah!) as bike-ready.

They’re not wrong, either, with those Schwalbe Rocket Ron look-a-like treads being soft enough to engage with pedal pins as well as any Vans we’ve ridden in. They’re also way better equipped to hike up loose tracks than smooth soled shoes.

They’re not quite Five Ten’s Stealth rubber sticky, but they’re effective nonetheless. Also, not everyone wants the Sam Hill ‘frankenboot’ look. We love the cool, airy feel of this shoe with all that mesh for hot summer riding, and a chunky plati-rubber toe cap gives your no-doubt precious tootsies more protection than your average skate shoe. 

Build quality and durability is superb, which is just as well; as they look like trainers you’ll probably find, like we have, that you start leaving them on before, during and after the ride. Loads of colours, from plain old black to hmmmm-grey to full colour-blocking madness will make the trendies smile too. 

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Source: BikeRadar.com Mountain Biking