The new bike is starting to take shape. It’s gonna be awesome with parts from brands that have really helped me out. It’s gonna be custom in my true fashion. It needs to be finished before the end of the month for the Nimby 50 bike race in Pemberton. Wish me luck.
Ive been super busy lately riding my bike as much as I can as the weather is great here in Vancouver. Sorry it has been quiet in here. As the sign on the door says ‘Gone Fishing’.
Last week I had the opportunity to test the new Santa Cruz Bronson 650b here on the Shore and in Squamish. I had a blast ripping it around the trails. It felt like it climbed a bit better than my Blur TRC and descended like my Nomad. The SPX build on the Carbon frame weighs in at 30lbs. It is fitted with 2.4 Maxxis High Roller EXO which are on the heavy side. With a nice tubeless tire set up this could be a nice sub 30 bike.
New features on this model include stealth Reverb access, 150mm travel and 142mm rear axle. Ive gotta say I really felt comfortable on this bike in all conditions and terrain. The bike really rolls well. Im gonna go out on a limb thou and say it is not the 650b (27.5) wheels. I think it is actually down to the new frame layout, slack head angle, steep seat angle and suspension tune.
The Strava does not lie….oh wait it probably does…..
Anyway I really enjoyed the ride and will probably ride it again given the chance. Sure it does what my Blur and Nomad do in one bike 
.
There are exciting times ahead this season. I am delighted to be joining the new Steed Cycles Race Team for 2013. The team will predominately be riding Road Races and Cyclocross but I will be also competing in Mountain Bike Races throughout the season. My aim is to compete in the big MTB Marathon races (Nimby 50, Test of Metal, Gearjammer) and select Canada Cups. In Cyclocross I will be moving up the ranks and joining the top Masters to compete in BC Cups, Canadian National Champs and some Cross on the Rocks events.
The team has some amazing Sponsors and partners for 2013. All our Helmets, Shoes and Gloves will be supplied by Giro Sport Design and the guys at OGC (Outdoor Gear Canada). Ill be rocking the cool new Code Carbon EC90 sole shoes in Flo Yellow and the superlight Atmos Helmet. My glove of choice is the full finger DND.
Also supporting the team for another year is Giant Bicycles Canada. I will once again be riding my TCX in Cyclocross complete with new PSLR Aero Wheels. Another partner returning is Roberts Composites who specialize in Carbon construction and custom work. Bean Around The World Coffee shop will be supplying us warm coffee and support throughout the season. I cant wait to start racing properly now. Stay tuned for updates over the year. Now lets go riding bikes in the hills
The truck is running sweet and doing its job of getting us to our daily adventures here in Vancouver. Im loving the fact that we can carry 5 bikes and people real easy. The Honda Ridgeline is all blacked out and ready for action. It may be heavy on gas compared to my old cars but it sure does put a smile on my face.
This video was made in the shop last week and its funny as hell. We all know somebody like this in real life. Well done Matt Dennison and the IFHT Crew. Have a look and try hold the giggles in.
Here are some great pictures from the Dirty Duo taken by Chris Thorn and Don’s Photos.
The race season is upon us once again and the first outing for myself was the Dirty Duo Race in North Vancouver. It is a Run and Mountain Bike race. It was my first time to do the race and opted to do the ride only. Its a 28km loop that takes in some of Mount Seymour’s toughest singletrack’s. Leading up to the race I did a pre-ride with Branden to check out the conditions and it was riding fast. The weather was set to dry and it did not dissapoint. Sadly I was coming down with a cold leading up to the race and didnt feel the best on the morning. But you just have to deal with what you are given. The plan was to try get in the top 10 and be under 2hrs.
Branden, Myself and Conor just before the start.
The race started off from Jayce House and rolled up the road at a moderate pace. Until we hit the cemetary and the riders at the head of the group put the hammer down and pushed it up to Richard Juryn and onto the Gazabo. They pulled a gap on my group as we headed to Circuit 8. I got sloppy in there and took two falls on the descent trying to catch the riders up front. Once I hit the Fishersman Trail I composed myself and set into a good pace.
From the Twin Bridges it is nearly all the way upward to the top of NEDS. So I set off up Hyannis Trail and onto Bridal Path and started to pick off the riders infront of me. I was riding a Santa Cruz Tallboy LTC which was great across the rough path. After a fast downhill to the bottom of Old Buck the hard climbing really starts. I could see a group of riders infront on the long climb so put in an effort and caught them before we turned onto the Baden Powell. From there it turns into a loose technical climb all the way to the top. The 29er steam rolled over the fist sized rocks and I was up at NEDS quickly.
I dropped the reverb and opened up the suspension and attacked the bone rattling downhill. This was my second time riding the trail but absolutely loved it. I was catching riders and runners and by the time I hit the trail to Bottletop I was buzzing. Again it was my second time ever hitting that trail and I was flying on the super drifty trail. The big wheel just gives you so much confidence at speed. This brought me back down to the Twin Bridges and the ride back to the finish.
The big climb up to the gazabo was the last big push and then down the Lillooet Road back to the Richard Juryn Trail for the last kicker climb. I was feeling ok by the end of it but the start didnt do me anygood. I came in with a time of 2.04hrs. I was 4 mins over the time I had set so I was a bit annoyed as I could have pushed a bit harder at the end. I looked back over my Strava time for each section and was happy with the times on some trails.
Conor was flying at the start and managed to stay with the group for most of the race to finish in 6th with a 1.59hrs. Well done dude. Branden got a 2.15hrs.
Thanks to Scott Sportsman for cheering and taking some pics. Thanks Ruth for being at the top of Severed cheering us on too.
Last week Giant Bicycles announced that they were joining forces with current Supercross points leader Davi Millsaps. The crossover between SX and Mountain Biking is getting bigger and bigger. Mainly it has been Specialized supplying bikes to Pro Circuit, Troy Lee Designs, Chad Reed, James Stewart and Ryan Villapoto.
Also riding on Giant is none other than Ken Roczen from KTM. Last year he rode with Danny Hart in California. Since the series went to the East Coast Roczen has been riding his Mountain Bike more.
In February Blanco Pro Michiel Van De Heijden posted this picture on his Twitter and it certainly stirred the pot. Two things are in front of you here. First off look at the hoods on the brakes. They appear to be larger than usual and Di2. Its a hydro disc lever from Shimano Dura Ace. Its way more slimline than Sram’s offering and looks like 140mm discs too.
Oh and the second thing in this picture is the new Giant TCX Advanced with disc mounts. I know a few people who have been waiting for this bike to come online. Well the wait is over. Expect Disc TCX’s in 2014 (delivery Sept 2013 maybe?). I for one cant wait. My current TCX feels great.
