National Youth development rider Leah Maunsell took the win in the Under 14 girls category at the Ticknock NPS round on Sunday. Thi sis her account of the weekend, just don’t tell her brother about her handlebars! Incidentally entry is now open for Round 4 in Lady Dixon Park on the 26th May. Full details here.
This weekend was the 3rd round of the XC NPS hosted by MAD MTB in Ticknock, Dublin. I began getting everything sorted on Friday evening starting with washing my brother’s bike which I had out test riding on Thursday night. Jonathan had given me his new Unovelo 29er Carbon Hardtail to race this weekend.
Packing takes a long time because you have to pack for every weather possibility. [Read more →]
South Eastern MTB club Racing 795 have announced an event with a difference. Billed as an MTB sportif it should be a fantastic day on the bike given the great events the club has run in the last few years. I still remember the Thai grub after their first XC race… be worth it for something like that alone! As an often overlooked area of the country for MTB make sure this is on your list!
Here is a little taster of some of the trails.
Racing795 Mt Leinster MTB Challenge – 7th July 2013 [Read more →]
After a great weekend of XC racing in a wet Three Rock we are off again to Sea Otter for the race from the Specialized point of view in slightly better conditions… Congrats to MAD on a great race!
Now the DH guys including Aaron Gwin’s first ride in a red shirt and not on a DH bike. Even more controversial it’s a 29er!
Shimano has launched an 11-speed version of its popular Ultegra groupset. Muchas XT is to XTR in the MTB world, Ultegra is to range topping Dura-Ace. Durable, with great quality and many of the features of Dura-Ace but at a more accessible price point, Ultegra is a really great product. Now available in 11 speed for when you just need that one more gear ratio…
Here is the video preview for Round 3 of the XC NPS next Sunday on Ticknock. Our all time favourite place to ride in the world (!), Ticknock boasts some super amazing trails which the organising club MAD have been busy adding too and utilising to make one tough course from the vid. Go here - http://www.madmtb.com/mad-nps-rd-3-2013/ for all the details.
Trek World Racing lost it’s lead racer Aaron Gwin at the cusp of the transfer market closing and unfortunately for them it shows. Faced with a season bereft of a real star of the DH world they have had to fall back on a more documentary style video format. Here is the first episode. We were a little underwhelmed… Gwin incidentally won riding for Specialized just to rub salt into the wound.
Here is a sneak peak at the new Rostrevor trails courtesy of Andy Yoong. Looks fantastic! remember to keep away until the official opening. For those of you looking for that dream job, look no further – Mourne Mountain Bike Trail Ranger
More new product news in what is a busy year for SRAM and Rockshox. The company have revamped their excellent SID and Revelation lineup. Both forks are now available in a full range of 26″, 27.5″ (650B) and 29er models with SID going from 80-120mm and Revelation from 120-150mm. They have also updated their excellent hydraulic X-LOC lock out lever to allow it to control both front and rear shocks in one push and added Rapid Recovery to the Monarch shock. Phew! Full details below.
RockShox introduces the new SID and Revelation
The new RockShox SID and Revelation retain all the character, which made them two of the most successful XC and Trail forks ever [Read more →]
The board of Cycling Ireland have announced tonight that they will convene an EGM regarding the nomination of Pat McQuaid for a third term as UCI president. This follows sustained pressure from many quarters in the wake of the vote to nominate him on the 12th of April that saw board member Anto Moran resign. Details for the EGM will be announced shortly. [Read more →]
Well it was only a matter of time… The Federal government has joined Floyd Landis’ case against Lance Armstrong which also interestingly includes Tailwind Sports (which owned and operated the U.S. Postal Service cycling team) and Johan Bruyneel.
US Postal was sponsored for a total of US$40 million between 1998 and 2004 and the case seeks to recover triple this in damages leaving the defendants facing a potential US$120 million in damages plus costs in the event that they lose. Armstrong’s legal team have dismissed the case as “opportunistic and insincere” according to the Associated Press (published by Outside Online). See the opening part of the action below -
The United States brings this action to recover treble damages and civil penalties pursuant to the False Claims Act, 3l U.S.C. $$ 3729-33 (the “FCA”), and to recover damages, restitution, and other monetary relief under the federal common law theories of fraud, breach of contract, payment by mistake and unjust enrichment. [Read more →]
Former professional cyclist turned award winning journalist Paul Kimmage is the subject of a new film project which will examine the 100th edition of the Tour de France this summer. Kimmage has competed in the race and his now infamous book A rough ride (if you have been hiding under a stone get this book and read it!) is seen as the original whistle blower on drugs in cycling. Kimmage hounded Lance Armstrong throughout his Tour winning spree and was the subject of personal attacks and law suits that eventually cost him his job. The final indignity was a lawsuit launched by head of the UCI Pat McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen which has now been put on hold. The film is due for completion in November 2013 and should make for interesting viewing. Kimmage is not one to hold back…
The most spectacular sporting event in the world in 2013 will take place next July, when for twenty‐one days, the 100th Tour de France sees 180 cyclists pedal over 3,000km around the French countryside. [Read more →]
There are less than three weeks to go until the 2013 European 24 Hour and 12 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships and already over 100 riders from 7 countries have entered. The final preparations are being made to the new course at a new venue and sponsor details are being finalised. New for this year we are also adding a 12 Hour Fat Bike category.
The race will take place on 11th May 2013 at Wasing Park near Aldermaston, just a one hour drive from London’s major airports. [Read more →]
The 2013 Gravity Enduro Ireland Series kicked off with a cracker at Carrick Mountain in County Wicklow last weekend. The highly anticipated event sold out in record breaking time, with all 350 riders keen to make a good start to the new season. The trails had been tweaked from last year, with some challenging new technical sections making for exciting racing and a fun day out for everyone including the sun!
Shimano have just released detials of a revamp to their legendary XTR groupset. Now divided into XC and Trail, this release is a new brakeset for XC and a new 29er wheelset. 40 grams per wheel may not seem like a lot but to the XC set that’s a whole heap of weight and with XC racers now predominantly riding 29ers the quest for the lightest production wheelset continues with this release of a tubular wheel for the masses!
Well the weather outside is.. amazing! Finally spring is truly here and the Irish Enduro season kicks off in style this weekend with not one but two races. Wicklow venue Carrick hosts the first round of the Gravity Enduro (completely sold out) while the new Davagh trail centre hosts the Davagh Enduro. To get you in the mood here is the highlight reel from the first round of the Italian SuperEnduro series. Happy trails everyone.
Here is episode 1 from the new Danny MacAskill series. Anyone who is wondering where the dynamic Scotsman has been for the past while will find this illuminating!
Click here to go to the Red Bull site and watch it.
SRAM certainly have been busy. On top of the Pike, wheelset and Monarch shock announcements here are details of the companies trickle down effect in full swing with the XO trail brake being converted to X9 and X7 product levels. These new X9 and X7 trail brakesets are designed around a powerful 4 pot caliper perfect for the higher performance demanded of the longer downhills which are features of enduro courses and all mountain riding. These aim to have downhill type power but with the weight and modulation of a good XC brake. Specifically these brakes are aimed at the XC, trail and all mountain market.
SRAM have just announced some new wheelsets, a follow on to their RISE series, but this time focusing on more trail and all mountain applications. Not before time we say, the RISE wheelset is fantastic. Their are carbon (ROAM) and aluminium (ROAM & RAIL) versions, all in 26″, 27.5″ (650B) and 29er varients.
All the wheels have hub end caps which can be swapped out for the various standards (9mm/15mm etc.etc.) was is most welcome. It allows you to future proof yourself against switching frames or forks. The wheelset that has us most excited is the Roam 50 which seems to be a do-it-all perfect for those that like a bit of all kinds of riding. You could race this in XC, switch to Enduro and back again. This reflects the way the industry is going with light weight trail bikes offering big travel and suspension systems that offer multiple settings based on the trail.
Over to SRAM for all the gory details… [Read more →]
Easter weekend saw the first round of the Bluegrass Enduro Tour in Castelbuono, Sicily. Here is the video for the first round. Remember the Bluegrass Enduro Tour will visit Ireland in September! Oh and watch out for Giant Dublin rider Daragh Smith who took the top step of the podium in his class.
Rockshox have just announced the reintroduction (and redesign) of their Pike fork, a new Monarch Plus rear shock and changes to the Reverb and Reverb Stealth seatpost including the aptly named ‘Connectamajig‘ quick release hose for the Stealth.
Pike
The Pike is back after a period of absence in a new package and available in three wheel sizes. [Read more →]
More frame building. Ahhh steel, the simplicity, the ride quality, hard to beat. I still have a steel Rocky Mountain Blizzard hardtail that I bought in Canada eighteen years ago and can’t bear to part with. It still has the original Rockshox elastomer fork that I bought for it too. About 20mm of rubbish springy travel. Those were the days….
A recent arrival in Spoke towers is this rather nice Orbea Occam 29er full sus. Packing 100 mm of rear travel and 120 mm of front suspension it is a trail oriented marathon weapon.
Orbea have been on our radar for a while. Obviously Julian Absalon did them some favours but the range has expanded beyond the iconic carbon hardtail with the funny shaped tubes. [Read more →]
