Hyperformance Hardware

National Champs XC - Dirk Peters IS the 2012 XC National Champion

2012-01-29T09:06:00.004+13:00

This was a very good day in the office, Dirk Peters IS the 2012 NZ XC National Champ.
Winning the race a very healthy margin of 2min 39s, Dirk set a grueling pace which made a great race to watch. Dirk told me it was he felt he was on fire and loves the Nelson 'codgers' XC course and it showed.
And this was one tough and packed field too, not one of the other 27 pro-elite men were there to make Dirk's life easy.

What does an over 2 minute gap look like? Well, can you see anyone behind Dirk?

Dirk just seemed like he was always on the gas......his Blur XC Carbon worked for Dirk on the Codgers trail network.

Ethan Glover had his second amazing ride for the weekend. After a fifth in the Super-D the previous day, he did one better with a 4th in Pro-Elite XC. Look out for Ethan at the Coppermine, he's gunning for the win.

Tom Bradshaw also had an amazing race, his fifth place must be one of his best results and he was literally flying on his Highball.

Tim Wilding, always the dark horse and never to be under estimated. Tim's new Tallboy Carbon was finished by Oli at Road Works on Thursday, for Tim to race to 7th on Saturday. Look out for Tim at the Coppermine too, I'm sure he'll be wanting to better his second place from last year.

Ed Crossling, punctured at the Super-D so the only reasonable thing to do is race the pro-elite XC race on your Nomad Carbon. 22nd place in a field loaded with weight weenie XC whippets on a Nomad Carbon wasn't too shabby at all.

The under19 men had a tough battle. Anton Copper set a pace that nobody could match, Anton was across the finish line 7minutes 14 seconds before anyone else and was the only rider of the day to break a sub 15 minute lap.
Tom Filmer finished in 5th place, which included a tussle with what was described as a 'magnetic tree', which seemed to be popular with some of the riders. Tom will be looking for a win at the Coppermine too, then will jump on plane and race the Wellington MTB cup round on Sunday.

Jake Glover using his Super-D skills to finish in a very credible 8th place in the packed U19 field.

Our new 2012 XC National Champs.....STOKED AS.
Congrat's to Anton Cooper, Karen Hanlen and a MASSIVE 'bloody well done mate' to Dirk Peters. So glad you're part of the Hyperformance Hardware family.

First National Champs Super D - Nelson

2012-01-28T08:28:00.001+13:00

Super D racing is still the new black, with it's popularity growing in regional competitions, it's time for a national level event, So here we have the first Super D National Champs.

All photos thanks to David Chadwick http://www.davidchadwick.co.nz/

Recent Nelson resident, Sven Martin, styles it up for the camera's (a reverse situation from the norm). Sven set the 15th fastest time of the day, but that wasn't enough to get him on the podium. Enough for the forth fastest Master30 isn't too shabby at all....considering this is probably the most over competitive class of Super-D racing.

Harriet Harper set a scorching time and was fastest women and 21st faster time of the day. Harriet takes home M30 women's medal. Make sure you get to the DH to see how Harriet does on her home track on her V10 carbon. Harriet also get's top honors for being the faster board member of the day.

Insane result of the day goes to Ethan Glover, 5th fastest time of the day on his Blur XCc, seat up, full lycra kit and using all of his 100mm of travel. Honestly, it pretty hard to comprehend just how fast Ethan's run was, he was beaten by world cup seasoned racers, Justin Leov,Kieran Bennett, Joseph Nation and Jared Graves (yes that Jared Graves).

Not sure how much sibling rivalry there is between Jake and Ethan, but these boys basically ride the same bike, the same kit and are fast. Jake Glover set the 13th fastest time of the day, which was more than fast enough to secure the gold for the junior men's category.

Anka Martin showed that she is getting the hang of the Nelson trails, getting second in the M30 class and the 4th fastest women of the day. IMPO riding the best coloured Santa Cruz NomadC too. Anka will be contenting the DH race on Sunday too.

Ricky P set down the 14th fastest time of the day, which was enough to squeeze him onto the podium of the M30 class. Bronze in the most over competitive class is great result.

Fifth place in M30 class and 25th fastest time of the day, means that Boyd will be cooking dinner for Harriet. The pressure is really on in the M30 class......and the person setting the pressure is the man pictured below.

On a perfect day Jamie Nicoll can get his Blur LTc down a Super-D course faster than most.......on a good day, he set's the 6th fastest day and takes out the M30 class by over 32 seconds. This is man who is setting the standard in the M30 class....no pressure.

For some riders not everything went to plan, Andy Reid had a big biff and was looking very worse for wear after his run. Ed Crossling suffered a puncture on one of the hot lines. (Ed pictured above from his practice run)

This unknown rider had a reasonable run, but it could hardly be called fast....but then again, you only need to do enough to get you down the hill and onto the podium...can't complain about a bronze medal.

Official results should show up here, sooner or later. If you were too slack to turn up to some of the best racing around, there will be a Super-D race at the Oceania's in Rotorau. Hope to see you there.

Petrol Head Friday - Chris Harris and his GT3 RS 4.0

2012-01-27T07:29:00.000+13:00

Really I shouldn't be thinking about car's this PHF, National Champs in Nelson, Super-D today, XC tomorrow and DH Sunday.....so a big weekend for mountain bike racing.

But, Chris Harris is the Seb Kemp of the petrol head world (I'm sure he'll come out with a video of 'shit that petrol heads say') hooning his Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 can't be missed.....and yeah the spoiler on the back of the car is big enough to hold your breakfast.

Shit Mountain Bikes Say

2012-01-20T15:29:00.002+13:00

NZ MTB Cup - News So Far

2012-01-19T19:07:00.001+13:00

picture thanks to Aaron McGroover's facebook page

Stormin' Norman (Leighton) Kirk, had a fantastic result at the Dunedin round of the MTB Cup. Leighton's winning time in the senior men was the 2nd fastest time of the day, ahead of many world cup seasoned racers (124 DH entrants, not shabby mate). Leighton's new V10 carbon making easy work of the wet and slippery signal hill course....should make up for his result at Queenstown. Leighton seeded 2nd in the Queenstown, but a crash on his race run meant he ended up in 39th.
Nick McConachie took 2nd place, to make it a V10 carbon podium hog in Dunedin.
Jake Boylett took the open class win in Queenstown, proving that the old alloy V10's still work well.
Vero Sandler got some nice constant result with a 3rd in Queenstown and 4th in Dunners.

Results and reports can be found here for Qtown and here for Dunners.

Dunedin may not have had the best weather, but with all new DH and XC courses, which are challenging without the rain.
Dirk Peters came in a very credible second place, he was unable to match Carl Jones pace, but they both put a big gap on seasoned Aussie racers Chris Jongewaard and Paul van der Ploeg. Anywho, you can check out Dirk's thoughts on his blog.
Interesting to note some of the elite XC racers are opting for Highballs, one piloted by Tom Bradshaw & Melissa Newell.
You can check out results and report for the Dunedin XC here.

Vero on the hot line, photo thanks to Andrew Bias fb page.

This weekend it will be Christchurch's turn to host the 2012 NZ MTB cup.

Santa Cruz Coppermine Entries Still OPEN

2012-01-18T11:34:00.001+13:00

A refreshing Sprig & Fern beer at the top of the climb.

OK, you've missed out the ten buck saving, but you can still enter the Santa Cruz Coppermine, enter today.
Whatcha waiting for?

Also, looks like we'll be giving away a Santa Cruz Blur LT,

This is what a Blur LT looks like.

Petrol Head Friday - The Driver trailer

2012-01-13T12:00:00.000+13:00

Don't know much about this at all, but if you're into car chases, vigilante super heroes and Gorillaz style animation with a side of Gran Turismo, you'd be thinking the same as me.......looks bloody cool.

Whaaaaaat? Blur LT carbon now available in Red

2012-01-11T13:54:00.002+13:00

Gotta say, I really like red. Check it out at the Santa Cruz bike builder or possibly in real life at Bike Culture, I managed to sneak one out of Santa Cruz before they officially existed.

Santa Cruz Higball- Dave Sharpe's 'Bikes of Amateurs'

2012-01-10T15:49:00.000+13:00

Dave Sharpe is a witty man with an old collection of mountain bike action mag's (honestly, it's OK to admit you have some MBA's magazines, we all do....and I for one would check out the pro's bike in every detail).
Check out Dave's 'Bike of Amateurs' post on his blog. It's a Santa Cruz Highball if you can't be arsed clicking thru to his blog.

Check out item 22.....not your usual Highball accessory.

Blur TRc - Is Bicycling/Mountain Bike is 2011 Mountain Bike of the Year

2012-01-06T09:12:00.001+13:00

This is a nice way to start 2012, Bicycling.com/Mountain Bike listed their 2011 mountain bike gear of the year and the Blur TRc gets front page billing.

I'm still raving about my Blur TRc.....and currently creating my 2012 upgrade list for it......must get another XTR shadow plus rear mech....since I munted the last one.

The TRc is probably well ahead of the bell curve, I predict more bikes will come out with less travel in the future (less is more as they say).
Least we forget, Santa Cruz came out with the Nomad back in 2005 and some people are only just getting their heads around it.......hands up those of you who have only just got your first 6 inch travel All Mountain bike? (I still love my Nomad too)......back in 2006, MBA called the Nomad the Ultimate Trail Bike.

Season's Greetings From Hyperformance Hardware

2011-12-23T13:14:00.001+13:00

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year from Hyperformance Hardware.....we're off to ride our bikes.

What.....what are you still doing here? Go ride your bike.....stay away from the computer.

Super D Action - Round 4, Turners & Dead Dog

2011-12-23T11:39:00.000+13:00

Nelson Super-D number 4 (number 3 was canned due to a little bit of bad weather) and to be honest, it's quite surprising how quickly a bunch of local volunteer's rushed out and sorted out the tracks in Nelson so we could all ride our bikes again........thanks very muchly guys.

Super star of the Nelson Super-D's has to be Jamie Nicoll, if you haven't heard of Jamie by now, you should probably ask around. Long story short, Jamie had 2nd and 3rd degree burns from a work accident in Chile, just over a year ago.
Not exactly sure when Jamie got back on a mountain bike, but since he set the fastest time, I think his recovery is going well. Jamie is the man to beat at Super-D racing.

Harriet takes a short study break and again sets a scorching time and then rushes off to work

Anywho, another great Super-D in Nelson, looking forward to the National Champs and Oceania Super-D events this summer.
Strongly recommend you get out and do a Super-D, most races are sub 10 minutes long and mostly downhill.....probably the perfect race.

Bob sticking to the low and fast technique, seemed to work for her, 2nd fastest women.

Ethan, fastest XC whippet, 2nd in the Senior men and just broke the sub 8 minute barrier.

Mildy fastest 40+ (not sure what the guy who came in second was doing), keeping it low and fast.

Boyd G getting BIG air, which I think may of been 8 seconds of air time?

Jake Glover, part of the XC whippet Glover family takes out the U19 class.

Unknown rider, pretty happy to get got some air for the camera.

Righto, massive thanks to Mildy and the Nelson Mountain Bike Club for a fantastic series. To the board members....we do remember that some of you still owe a round of beer. David Chadwick for hanging around in weird arse places to take some great photo's.

Petrol Head Friday - Xmas Special

2011-12-23T09:13:00.000+13:00

Righto, some video clips to get you in the Xmas spirit and we here at PHF will wish everyone a Merry Xmas and we'll see you in 2012.

First up BMW give us the fastest Xmas card.

Jonnie Walker advise us not to drink & drive with a AMG Mercedes.

Dirk Peters wins final round of the Mid-Nth series

2011-12-19T10:54:00.000+13:00

Dirk looking smooth, as per.......photo thanks to Cycleshotz

Looks like Dirk is in good form leading up the the 2012 race season.
You can find a write up on the race at Sportzhub.

Petrol Head Friday - Some Real Petrol Heads

2011-12-16T08:35:00.000+13:00

This could be bloody good, a new youtube channel called DRIVE, starts in early January. It will include one of my favorite motoring hacks, Chris Harris, the rest of the list of contributors is basically a who's who of the petrol head world......so a bunch of guys thrashing cars we can't afford in places we wish we could get to.....sounds perfect to me.

Check out the clip below and then click subscribe, supposedly launching the 2nd Jan, just in time to avoid the family over the holidays or distract yourself if your 'working' and saving your holidays until later.
Press release below.

DRIVE on YouTube Set to Launch January 2, 2012

New York, NY and London, England — DRIVE, the new YouTube original channel that celebrates the culture of cars announces a launch date of January 2, 2012. DRIVE takes our audience on the road, to the races, to the factories, to the studios — and to other places car lovers have always wanted to go, but never had the chance.

Focused on telling real stories of communities around cars, trucks, and all sorts of things that go, DRIVE enlists a wide range new-media talent including hack motoring journalist Chris Harris, Matt Farah from SPEED's The Car Show, transcontinental speed record holder Alex Roy, Mike Spinelli and Ray Wert of Jalopnik, Leo Parente from Fast Lane Daily's SHAKEDOWN, and professional motorcycle crash test dummy Wes Siler and automotive gadfly and raconteur Jon Alain Guzik.

Watch DRIVE starting in January to activate your passion in the world of cars, performance, racing — and even plain ol' commuting — that surrounds you. Cars may be something you need, but drive with us and you'll never look at them the same way again

Makara Peak Enduro - People Riding Santa Cruz's do quite well.

2011-12-14T11:23:00.000+13:00

Ed Crossling looking smooth and relaxed

Enduro racing is probably the new black, while we here at Hyperformance Hardware are getting our heads around Super-D racing, those cool folk in Wellington are all into Enduro racing now.....hard to keep up really.

Although, living in Nelson didn't seem to disadvantage Santa Cruz riders at all.
Jamie Nicoll was so fast on his new Blur LT Carbon that Vertphoto's didn't even get a chance to take a picture of him. I would say Jamie Nicoll (occasional board member too) would be the man to put money on at any similar events. (That's my gambling tip of the day for ya.)
Anywho Jamie took the win, with Ed Crossling being edged out to second place on his quite new Nomad Carbon and Ricky P (another occasional board member) taking out the real result of 4th place on his Nickel.

Ricky P, do you have your fingers on the brakes going up hill?

All photo's thanks to Pete Marshall and a BIG 'Good Work' to Andrew King for organising the event.....really wish I could have made it. Results can be found here.

Petrol Head Friday - Toyota Shows us the Future

2011-12-09T06:56:00.003+13:00

The 42nd Tokyo motor show has just been and as you would expect, there are a lot of new cars shown off and a few concept cars flaunted too.

This is what Toyota thinks the future of the car will be, if this is the way things turn out, I will spending a lot more time cycling.

Now before we all rush to conclusions about Toyota and the future of the automobile, Toyota released an actual car too. The new GT 86 (the name plays homage to the AE86, which you should really should know more about).

Toyota have been working with Subaru (they have the BRZ), to create a car that all petrol heads should go slightly ga ga over.
The important bits to know are;
2.0L Boxer engine (naturally aspirated)
197hp @ 7000rpm and 151 1b-ft of torques @6,600prm
6 speed manual (and for some reason there is an auto option?)
53:47 weight distribution (to some this is the holy grail of weight distribution)
Rear wheel drive.
Really, really low center of gravity
Light, 1220kg's.

Why should you be excited about these new little coupes? These are REAL sports cars, they used the Porsche Cayman as a reference (which is good). These are drivers cars, cars that are all about handling, handling and handling.
Anyway, I'm pretty excited that car companies are still making cars with the priority of driver involvement and handle, not about blue tooth connectivity, driver aid systems (with as many acronyms they can muster) and not just marketing spiel about being fun to drive, premium looks, intelligent motoring and more electronic things on the dash than something out of USS Enterprise.

Right, enough rambling....I'm going off to figure out how I can convince my better half that we need another car in the garage...........oh, I prefer the Subaru......but not sure what they were thinking about with the music to the above clip.

Xmas Gifts that will keep you away from the Mall - No. 1.

2011-12-08T10:45:00.000+13:00

Xmas is a mixed time for most, depending if you are glass half full or glass half empty sort of guy (or gal...equal opportunity marketing here at Hyperformance Hardware), you'll either love or hate Xmas.

One thing's for sure, you don't want to spend any time at the malls.....any who....straying off topic.....half full, half empty? These will sort your Xmas gift ideas out.....or just keep them for yourself.....I still have a few in stock.

Ibis Mojo SL-R - Good Things Take Time

2011-12-07T15:51:00.000+13:00

What's black & blue, large and rare as.......Ibis Mojo SL-R's in NZ.
I haven't even seen one in the flesh (carbon) yet, been rushed off in the dead of night to waiting dealers.
If you haven't got a call from your local friendly Ibis dealer, chances are, it's not your bike. Next shipment will have more medium and/or large frames.....but not many.

If you want to see one in the flesh, Planet Cycles and Bike Culture will have their bikes in store for a short time, before their awaiting owners take them away.

As we all know, the waiting is the hardest part.....but, good things take time.

Official Santa Cruz Coppermine Video Now Up

2011-12-05T14:59:00.001+13:00

Coppermine Epic from bikeworks on Vimeo.

That descent is honestly around 20 minutes long.....don't forget to enter here and vote for the Santa Cruz spot prize here.

Morvelo - Ride Everything

2011-12-04T15:03:00.000+13:00

Anja McDonald used to ride with the Morvelo guys, explains why she's so handy on her 'lugi.

Yeah, it's raining in Nelson too, what's the world coming to?

Petrol Head Friday - Old Skool Datsun vs. New Skool Nissan

2011-12-02T07:18:00.000+13:00

40 years of technology between these two 'Datsuns'....as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
My first car was a 1971 Datsun 1200, a great first car, but nothing like a Nissan Juke.

CG shredding his Tallboy - Megavalanche Reunion

2011-12-01T07:12:00.000+13:00

Is it just me, or does CG just make everything sound better?....even though I can't understand what he is saying.

Megavalanche de La Réunion 2011

Arthur from Suspension Therapy goes for a ride on his Tallboy.

2011-11-29T19:06:00.000+13:00

Suspension Therapy from nsmb.com on Vimeo.

Straitline AMP Pedals - Got Some

2011-11-23T16:02:00.000+13:00

Managed to land a handful of AMP Pedals, they look great, feel light as and of course, are up to the usual very high straitline standards. Honestly they are a work of art.

So if you're a flat ~~earth~~ pedaller .....you NEED a set of these.

'Like' Santa Cruz Bicycles - Press Like

2011-11-23T08:48:00.001+13:00

OK, so I just noticed that ONLY 39 of my supposed facebook friends 'like' Santa Cruz Bicycles facebook page.

Santa Cruz Bicycles ONLY have 13,989 friends, which isn't that much...really.

Go on, go and press 'like'

What's in it for me? Well, if I am really lucky, I'll get an old un-ironed T-shirt, which is one size too big for me, but I have always wanted one......and it's almost my birthday too....well, less than a month.....and it is the time for giving.

Ultimate Utility Bike, The Oregon Manifest

2011-11-22T09:06:00.000+13:00

Oregon Manifest 2011 Constructors' Show from oregon manifest on Vimeo.

Maybe the death of the internal combustion engine is just around the corner?

Super D2 Action - 30+ Men Hogged the Podiums

2011-11-18T09:18:00.001+13:00

Mildy setting a scorching top 10 over all time and 20+ seconds faster than everyone else in the 40+ class
Nice Bike

You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but we do have wisdom from experience. KB is the man to beat at the Nelson Super-D series, he's raced as a pro-DH in the US of A and he's not shabby riding up hills as well. But us older folk know, that no matter what your engineering mates tell you, 3 bolts are not enough to evenly distribute the stress of your rotor. Click here for clarification.
Anwho, top fastest times were set by local shreder Derrek Winward and second fastest by Ricky Pincott on his Santa Cruz Nickel. Full results can be found here.

Boyd G, fastest board member, fastest Mojo SL in Nelson (NZ?) and 3rd in the 30-39 class....so it's his shout today.
Recovered from his nasty 'mud in the eye' incident.

Ethan Glover, fastest whipper snapper, 3rd fastest time and just broke the 9min barrier, nice bike too
thinks he would be faster of a Blur TRc, can't argue with that. Also not a board member (yet), but we will be happy for him to shout us a round.

Bob, 3rd fastest woman and looking smooth, as per, on her LTc, setting a time quicker than some of the younger folk.

Chris Burr, keeping it low and fast.....but not quite fast enough. But real winners come 4th.
Also, he is recovering from either avian bird flu or giardia, well that's what I reckon and I sell bikes for a living.

Unknown TRc rider sporting the new Santa Cruz Tech-T

All photo's thanks to Dave Chadwick.

Petrol Head Friday - Sex Stills Sells the Abarth 500?

2011-11-18T07:59:00.001+13:00

The Fiat 500 is a great little car, although not selling as well in the USA as expected, I could on for days on why that could possibly be.....but that's another story.

Anywho, JLo is the face of the Fiat 500 in the USA(check out the clip below....man I think I just fell asleep), but for the Abarth 500, they went back to the basic Italian Marketing Formula. Sex Sells.
Now if only they made a Abarth 500 wagon, so I could try to squeeze my bike in the back.

Dun Mountain Trail Officially Open Now

2011-11-17T17:43:00.000+13:00

Dun and Dusted, the Dun Mountain Trail is now open, it's officially part the of the NZ Cycle Trail (thanks to our tax paying dollars) and it's always been the Santa Cruz Coppermine Enduro course.

Unfortunately, I was out of town for opening day, so I missed the 7.30am ride in the mist and the speeches and the ribbon cutting and the sausage sizzle.

Here are some photos so we can all live out our lives a little more virtually.
All photos thanks to Murray Drake, "Thanks Murray".

1 point for spotting Damian and other point for spotting Chris Mildon and 200 points for spotting Mildy's Butcher with red straitline levers (nice)
Also Mr. Kennnett (of Kennett Bros. fame) had this to say about the course
"The uphill is one of the best in the country - gradual and scenic. But the downhill is an unforgettable buzz."

The beginning of the unforgettable downhill

Damian always looks good cornering.

Katherine (Mrs. Firepit pump track) making easy work of the perfectly designed corners on her Nickel

Nathan Faavae - A Quick Wrap up from the Adventure World Champs

2011-11-17T14:01:00.000+13:00

This just in from Nathan Faavae about the 2011 Adventure Racing World Champs. You can find more info here; www.arwc2011.com

Nathan tells me that in general, there were a few levels of disappointment, but mainly with themselves.
The team forgot to take our GPS tracker on the second stage. They knew it was a mistake that they shouldn't make.
The organizers slapped a 4-hour penalty on them, (wow) which pretty much took them out of the race.

Nathan tells me they felt let down that the other competitors didn't support them, traditionally in the sport the top teams have raced with a lot of integrity and stood up for each other, but this race was really cut throat.

In Nathans own words,
"We raced our guts out trying to put the penalty into void, but it forced us into racing to hard, damaged a bike and blew in the process.
We led the race for 51 of the 53 checkpoints, then we had to sit out a 4-hour penalty, 35km road ride from the end."

"2 teams passed us during that time, we ended up 90-minutes behind 1st and 3-minutes off second, settling for 3rd. Gutted."

"We take responsibility though, had we truly raced like world champions, we'd be world champs."

"2012 ... utu."

"The Santa Cruz (tallboy), as expected, was faultless"

2012 is almost here.

2011-11-15T18:18:00.000+13:00

Some of the new Santa Cruz colours are starting to show up, the new blue Tallboys look good.....only got one of these in the country, more on their way. Lime Green Nomad Carbons look flash as too, but I forgot to take pictures of those......doh!

Been waiting on a Santa Cruz Tech-T? They're on their way to your local now.....they look good and they are a nice fit (the medium doesn't look to big on me). Short sleeve riding top's, just in time for summer.....might wear mine at the Super-D tomorrow.

Good Guys Wear Black...with green or grey.

Petrol Head Friday - Even Petrol Heads Cry (Vicki Butler-Henderson gets emotional about the new 458 Spider)

2011-11-11T07:33:00.000+13:00

The new Ferrari 458 Spider will bring a tear to your eye and it's not because of the price tag.

Tom Flimer Video by Matty Bruce on PinkBike

2011-11-10T16:16:00.001+13:00

Two young local talents in one blog post, Matty Bruce of Fixedfocus.co.nz can usually be found snapping photo's at Nelson MTB events, has made this clip for his mate, Tom Flimer (nice bike, by the way).
Tom was lucky enough to be the recipient of an AMP scholarship too.....nice work....to both Tom and Matty.

Tom Filmer Edit on pinkbike.com

Santa Cruz Bicycles - Spread the Like Contest.

2011-11-10T12:57:00.000+13:00

Santa Cruz Bicycles are trying to help Rob Roskopp tidy his office (hell looks better than mine, I haven't been able to get inside my office for about a year...although I do wish I had some Enve carbon wheels just lying about).
So they are running a facebook competition and will give something potentially awesome.....anywho, click here to go to the facebook competition.

A nice Mojo HD build, topped off with some Straitline pedals.

2011-11-09T07:00:00.002+13:00

Built by Sooke Mountain Cycles in BC.....just down the road from Straitline....or there abouts.

Straitline appear in MTB Zombie movie - Strahan of the Dead (for 1.2 seconds)

2011-11-08T10:21:00.000+13:00

We all know that Zombies are the new black and we all love mountain biking, so Alan LaRocque made this short film to combine both. Also Greg from Straitline appears for 1.2 seconds.....nice.

More on Pinkbike.

No PHF - Here's the Super D

2011-11-04T15:11:00.001+13:00

Nelson Super D round one, you can look up the real results later on the Nelson MTB website.......but it's all about bragging rights for the Board Members. With excuses-a-plenty, only five board members turning up for round one. One things for sure, the Firball, Pipiline Super-D track is probably the hardest sub 1/4 hour race you will ever do.

First shout goes to Andy Reid, still waiting for official times.....but he was the clear winner of the board members. Looks like the rest of us need to get some practice runs for the next event.

Boyd G, had a bad case of 'mud in the eye', which slowed him down.

Straight from the firepit and into the flame? Damian looking quick and smooth, as you would expect......but no man-made berms for him to carry his speed.

Bob dressed for the muddy conditions, a lot white going on to match her bike....got the race face sorted!

Aero race plate and looking well ahead, didn't help out this geeza.....and did he have the excuses? Broken rear derailleurs....man, he had a week to sort it out.....anyway, no bragging rights for this guy. Who ever the hell he is.

Pictures thanks to David Chadwick photography.

Anka Martin talks about her Blur TRc and the Trans Provence

2011-11-03T12:46:00.002+13:00

Bike Check: Anka Martin's Santa Cruz Blur TRc — More Mountain Bike Photos

Preparing for the Coppermine

2011-11-02T09:56:00.001+13:00

The Santa Cruz Coppermine Epic is no walk in the park and the organisers start early, sorting things out, so come race day, everything runs like clock work.

One of the first task is to pre-ride the new descent from Coppermine Saddle. The complete loop in now part of the NZ national cycleway, which will also include an extra 6km from the Maitai dam. This should be ready come race day.

But before we did anything hasty, it seemed like a good idea to have lunch at Middy Hutt, which was about an hour and a half of mostly downhill, techy, rooty, rocky single track. Honestly this ride was so much fun, nobody remembered to stop and take photo's.

There was no mucking about, a quick break for lunch and the bikes had to be reload ready for quick trip back to Coppermine saddle.

So an hour and a half down and about six minutes back.....in a helicopter.

Back on the bikes, we had a job to do, pre-ride the new descent and get some footage for the Coppermine promotional clip.

Of course all good things come to an end, so all of us who enjoyed our heli-biking outing are recovering from post 'greatest ride for a while' blues.

The other thing that has come to an end, of it's short and sweet life, was my XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur.
It didn't actually let me down, I made it back to the car, just needed to go easy on the shifting, but as you can see, the cage is busted, it's quite bent and doesn't really work any more. Oh well....at least it has a good story to tell.

Coppermine Epic - Which Santa Cruz to give away? Vote, Vote.....Vote.

2011-11-01T16:53:00.002+13:00

So many great bikes, so little time to ride them all.
Since there is a general election on and everyone is getting into the swing of voting.....you can vote for the bike that we here at Hyperformance Hardware will give away......and there is no MMP here, it's first past the post......unless you want a Nickel with 29er wheels and LT rear swing arm?

Blur LT
The Blur LT rules. Seriously. It has a super-durable and comfortably light aluminum frame with 140mm of VPP suspension travel, featuring grease ports in the lower link, carbon fiber upper link, and big 15mm alloy pivot axles running on adjustable angular contact bearings. Straddling the line between XC performance and all-mountain abuse, the LT is a leggy trailbike that climbs sweetly, throws nicely into turns, and flat hauls ass downhill. If you could only have one bike, this would be a hard choice to beat.

The Nickel
Meet our newest all-round trail bike, the Nickel.
With a long top tube and snappy pedaling manners, it's a climb-happy, nimble bike with sure-footed geometry that begs to go claim some tall peaks in the backcountry. And with five inches of sophisticated APP suspension travel designed to eat rocks and roots and jumps with all the ability of longer travel bikes, it also does a mighty fine job of whipping the descents into shape as well. Does that sound a little schizophrenic? Maybe so.
The Nickel's a perfect bike for those days when you have to flip a coin to decide where you want to ride.

The Tallboy
Tallboys have become mighty popular bikes in the relatively short time since we introduced them, and they have been getting rave reviews from the press and, more importantly, from the thousands of riders who’ve rolled off into the sunset aboard them. The pairing of VPP suspension and 29” wheels created a fast rolling, crisp handling, versatile bike that exploits the benefits of big wheels to the best of their advantage, at home anywhere from remote alpine singletrack to crowded jittery start lines. Now the tall can is available in aluminum – same geometry, same lines, same great suspension, teeny bit more weight, whole lot less money.

To vote, you have to rush off the facebook to answer the question......and you go could win your Coppermine entry back.
And of course, to the enter the Coppermine, go to coppermine.co.nz

Another great clip from Andrew Whiteford and his Mojo HD

2011-10-29T07:52:00.000+13:00

Leaf Peeping on Lithium from Andrew Whiteford on Vimeo.

Petrol Head Friday - A VW, A Girl and a Blur TRc

2011-10-28T06:58:00.000+13:00

What more would you want?

Cross Country from Skyline Cycles on Vimeo.

Want a Free Entry to the Santa Cruz Coppermine?

2011-10-26T18:36:00.001+13:00

Free stuff, we all love free stuff and here's your chance to get a free entry to the Santa Cruz Coppermine Epic.
Hurry, this competition will finish at the end of the month.....but it's easy as one, two, three.

1) Go to the Coppermine Epic facebook page.

2) Post a picture of your Santa Cruz Bicycle....you're allowed to be in the picture too.

Here's one of Damian Stones of Firepit.co.nz fame

3) Post why you just bloody love your Santa Cruz Bicycle, e.g......"I love my Jackal because it just rails the pump track"......as seen in the above picture.
4) Yeah, the free entry will go to a current Santa Cruz owner, but who knows, maybe we have another competition next month, maybe we won't....although I do have an idea for the next competition already...but it might be really hard.

SMALL PRINT, we, the Coppermine People will decide on the free entry, we'll take bribes, but it might not help your cause....but then again, you'll never know until you try.

Did I miss anything?

Firepit Dirtpark - Spring Dirt Jam video

2011-10-26T09:20:00.000+13:00

BIG THANKS to Damian Stones for a great day.

Firepit dirtpark spring jam 2011 from bikeworks on Vimeo.
Firepit dirtpark spring jam 2011

www.firepit.co.nz

www.facebook.com/Firepitpumptrack

twitter.com/pumptrack

Santa Cruz pump track enduro

Pump track King and Queen flying lap

Straitline Whip off

http://firepit.co.nz/2011/10/07/firepit-spring-dirt-jam/

Sponsors:

- Straitline components - http://www.straitlinecomponents.com/

- Santa Cruz Bicycle - http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/home/

- Hyperformance hardware - http://hyperformancehardware.blogspot.com/

- Spoke - http://spokemagazine.com/

- Bikeworks

Momentum Trail Concepts - Make Great Trails and Ride Great Bikes

2011-10-26T08:35:00.002+13:00

Momentum Trail Concepts - More Mountain Bike Videos

Petrol Head Friday - 2012 Toyota Camry

2011-10-21T10:26:00.000+13:00

It's a funny old world, the Toyota Camry is a very important car for Toyota, so you want to make sure you appeal to a wide market.

No prizes for guessing which advert I prefer.

Yeah, you need email access in your car....and that's still not a big dog.

Don't forget - Firepit Dirtpark Spring Jam, this weekend

2011-10-20T16:41:00.000+13:00

Nelson Super D Series - Board Member's Rules.

2011-10-18T20:02:00.001+13:00

Nelson has a Wednesday night Super-D series......which can only mean one thing.....all the people that I usually ride with will be entering......and of course since they're all a competitive lot, we can continue with the board member's rule 'fastest time, buys the beer'. It's the simple things.

Chris Burr bought all the beers last time....third fastest time overall too.

Ben Warrick - A Quick Report about the Trans-Provence

2011-10-18T09:42:00.000+13:00

If you haven't heard of the Trans-Provence, best you click on the link and school yourself up. It's a 7 day AM race around Europe with some very technical sections.
It's also limited to 55 people, not many......on ya 'to do' list yet?

Ben Warrick was lucky enough to be one of this years entrants...below is his report and there is a great write up on Anka Martin's blog too.

Trans-Provence, The battle for Monaco. 7 days of gnarly descending, gruelling climbs and epic carries awaited. After arriving in Nice, bikes were built and expectations high.

"The best week ever on a bike" quote from a mate was what had got me there. Nothing could have prepared me for what we were going to encounter. 15,000 vertical metres of epic rocks, roots, dirt and clay tested man and machine to the limit. To get across just how steep and technical the trails are is impossible. Mark Weir summed it up best when after finishing a stage he proclaimed "that's above my pay grade" Never before have I felt gravity like it, I'm sure it pulls harder down there in the maritime alps. I've always maintained that DH racing is the hardest competition out there, try doing 3-4 races a day, carrying bike and kit up between them. A war of attrition like never before, my new Ibis Mojo HD had done me proud, every mil of my 180 TALAS was appreciated. i needn't have worried about having been over biked. Frustrated by foolish tyre choices had left me out of contention from the early stages, I was left hungry for day stage glory. With the bike setup sorted the only weak link was me. Moments of flow (well ish.) had me in the top 5 on a couple of days, seeing my name up on the screen was good. Suddenly I wanted it there again. Inevitably this lead to crash mistake and crash but for the first time in my competitive history I'd been in contention.

Ash had done us proud, i salute him for even considering racing through the terrain we did. Great camps, great food and great people finished of the most fun it's possible to have on a bike in a week.

Trans Provence Day 3 from Trans-Provence on Vimeo.

More Anja McDonald - Love NZ

2011-10-15T11:03:00.000+13:00

You may of seen Anja with her Blur LT carbon on the giant sized bill boards for the Love NZ Campaign

Now here's the youtube clip.

17 seconds of fame too.

Petrol Head Friday - Fiat/Abarth 500 Are So Cool

2011-10-14T08:19:00.000+13:00

Thanks to Timo St Anton for posting this on facebook.....just gave me another reason to want one.

Dave Sharpe IS Living the Highball Life

2011-10-13T07:43:00.001+13:00

Dave Sharpe has something to write home about, the new Santa Cruz Highball. You can read more about Sharpie's adventures here;

With a couple of assignments due by Friday, I've been coming up with new and exciting ways to procrastinate. Walking, spending more time a'strumming my geetar - even housework! The logical progression of things sees me now performing a 'review' of sorts, of nothing other than a Santa Cruz Highball.Now, I'm no Richard Cunningham (although I am laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant) so bear with me.

I picked up a Highball frame courtesy of some mean hooking up from Stylie and Bicycle as a replacement for my previous carbon 29er. Starting with a bare frame is always heaps of fun, and lets the new owner spec the machine out just 'so'.

I've popped a bunch of XTR on my Highball (Brakes, shifters, derailleurs, pedals), with an Easton cockpit, some HOT (but wonky, and mockery inducing) Rotor cranks, Fox suspension, and some plastic wheels. Bike weight is ~9.4kg with no unreliable components - the only weight weenie part being the Tioga saddle, which has more recently made way for my preferred Fi'zi:k Aliante XM.

Build aside, I was particularly interested in the way the Highball frame handled the rigors of the varied riding and terrain I intended to throw at it, and how it compared to my previous steed. The numbers are different on paper, but sometimes going from frame to frame they make an imperceptible difference to the ride, handling and general "feel" of a bike.

The frame I am using as a benchmark (and spent about 11 months aboard) is a Niner Air 9 Carbon. (This isn't a "head to head" as such, but handy to have a reference point).

The geometry of the Santa Cruz is only a little different from the Niner - it's slightly slacker in the head angle, with a lower BB. This part of the equation seems to add up for me - the Highball feels more stable, and I instantly felt a little more comfortable on the descents. The lower BB feels like it keeps the bike more 'planted' when the going gets steep or rough - with these two subtle but important geo differences, the Highball feels fantastic to descend on. Yes, it's still a carbon hardtail, so will punish poor line choice where a fully might allow more ploughing and gnar-steamery. On familiar trails where line choice isn't an issue the Highball certainly gets down to business.

Another thing I really liked about the Highball frame was the standard threaded BB shell - while it may be retro, it was lovely to be able to fit the quality bottom bracket I already had, not having to worry about pressfit (and the associated "standards"). The Highball takes a mixed inset headset - Chris King call it the "type 3" (now with split ring!), which are now fairly easy to find. Also, the chainstay clearance seems fantastic with regard to newer two chainring setups - I haven't heard of any issues running the range of systems available, from the "trail" XTR (26/38T rings) through to the race XTR, with 28/40 rings. I'd assume the same could be said for the Truvativ cranks. Rear tyre clearance is pretty good too - I'd imagine a 2.4 would be a little toight, but anything around a 2.0 - 2.2 is great.

For me, it strikes a very good balance between a bike that feels snappy at "race" pace on singletrack, yet encourages a bit more fun and enthusiasm when descending. The low weight is an added bonus.
I've deliberately neglected to mention how fricking AWESOME this frame looks too btw - I'm a matte fan myself, but the Black/Red gloss is also cool (if you're into that sort of stuff).

So, who is the Highball made for? I reckon it's a pretty versatile wee beast - with the setup I'm running it's probably tailored more towards the XC racing side of things, but as I've said, it's comfortable on long rides too. Throw on a 120mm fork and a slightly burlier build, and you've got a very capable and versatile hardtail that still weighs less than most bikes on the start line of your local XC race. I'd recommend the Highball to anyone looking for a high-end 29er hardtail, but doesn't fancy the all-out XC geo of most of the other offerings, but instead wants something a little more fun - that's what it's all about (yeah!), and the Highball delivers.

Spring Dirt Jam @ Firepit, October 23rd - Be there

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000+13:00

More info at firepit.co.nz.....of course.

Petrol Head Friday - New BMW M5

2011-10-07T07:40:00.001+13:00

BMW have the knack of making great fast salon cars, that don't look like they are fast. There is a now a new one, the new BMW M5. Best your quickly brush up on your BMW M5 facts, by clicking here;

Now check out the Stig doing what he does best with the new M5.

Good to see that things have progressed for the better.

More M5 testing

Want one yet?

And hopefully the new one will come out with an estate (station wagon)

Hannah Thorne's Report on the BC Bike Race

2011-10-05T18:06:00.000+13:00

Hannah Thorne finished in 2nd place in her first attempt at the BC Bike Race.....then she went on to win the TransWales, but that's another story.

Here's Hannah's report.

BC Bike Race 2011

It was a relief to finally arrive in Canada after ash clouds and earthquakes threatened our departure. But we made it, minus our bikes that overnighted in San Francisco before rejoining us 24 hours later.

Our pre-race week was spent in Vancouver, with our friend Joe Sales very kindly ferrying us around and showing us the sights. He and his son Paul and their crazy Australian dog Kevin treated us to some awesome North Shore and Squamish trails. In Vancouver, we were kindly put up by Georgina (a friend of a friend) who didn’t know us from Adam but nonetheless made us feel very at home, even entertaining us with a margarita evening.

Day 0 (aka day before race start) saw Marc (my partner and team mechanic) and I make the perilous journey across Vancouver in an enormous RV Marc was charged with driving from place to place during race week for Team Rabbit Ranch Racing, also from NZ.

At race briefing, as with all races in foreign countries we were warned of the dangerous wildlife which could potentially ruin our holiday. This time it was black bears and cougars (“fight to win” if you encounter these) and grizzly bears (adopt foetal position and await painful death). This was about all I took away from the race briefing before we were herded onto the bus, ferry and another bus to Cumberland on Vancouver island.

Here I met up with fellow kiwis (and Christchurch evacuees) Bridget and Craig with whom I shared many laughs throughout the week. At the pasta dinner in Cumberland that night we also became acquainted with Huw and Mark (aka team Scumbags, a comedic duo from Wales) and the cast list for the week was mostly complete.

Day 1 – Cumberland

Finally, after months of build-up I was in the start chute, heart hammering at over 100bpm, “Welcome to the Jungle” blaring from the speakers amping up the crowd. The start was an insane sprint off the line as if it was a short-track XC race and not a seven day endurance race. I hadn’t anticipated such a frantic start and suffered badly in the bottleneck into the first piece of singletrack.

With a sizeable trail network including trails such as “Thirsty Beaver” ,”Teapot” and “Buggered Pig” I figured we would be in for a treat in Cumberland. The first descent did not disappoint and was a fairly steep, fun, rocky, rooty affair where I was able to make up some ground. I had to grit my teeth and try to hang on along the flattish gravel road section in the middle before we hit more rooty, fun singletrack (woohoo!) again to finish.

I managed to pull off 3^rd place in the Open Women’s category, before uncharacteristically and confidently proclaiming “I can do better!”

We dined in style that evening at the only Japanese restaurant in the one street that makes up Cumberland, and crawled into our tents ready to sleep before 10pm.

Day 2 – Campbell River

We awoke in Cumberland and after breakfasting on sautéed potatoes with maple syrup and chatting with Mark Weir and Brian Lopes (as you do) we jumped on the bus to Campbell River.

After again letting myself down against the roadies on the 7km gravel road sprint for the singletrack and finally clearing the bottleneck of people struggling to negotiate a 3 inch thick “log” across the trail, I started to have fun. The majority of the course was rooty, rocky, slippery, techy gnarliness, followed by a final fast, flowy descent back into town, all set in the moist lush green ferny forest. This was one of my favourite days and I managed to sneak up a spot on the podium into second place.

That evening we gorged ourselves once more on a pretty amazing spread and were tucked up in our tent next to the sea as the sun was barely setting.

Day 3 – Powell River

Today involved some travel before we could race: a 45 min bus trip to Little River and over an hour on the ferry to Powell River. We were greeted by cheering locals as we walked in procession through the small town: hundreds of lycra-clad bodies each carrying their special little red gear bag must have been an interesting sight.

Today was hard work. An essentially flat/undulating course with roots everywhere – on the uphill, downhill and flat-made for very slow progress and provided a good upper body workout. I was involved in a tussle for 2^nd place with my friend Yeti Beti (US rider Wendy) who would repeatedly overtake me on the gravel roads, then I would pass her on the singletrack before I was finally able to pull clear on a short downhill section.

My body was feeling pretty beaten up after the day’s efforts and to add insult to injury we had to queue for the showers as the organisers had wised up to the fact that there were about ten times more men than women at the race. All showers had been converted to unisex. It was a little disconcerting to see random male heads popping up over the tops of the cubicles whilst completely naked!

We camped by the sea again in probably the most beautiful campsite all week.

Day 4 – Earl’s Cove to Sechelt

After a quiet night in Powell River, we were on the move once more. A bus and very scenic ferry ride took us to the start line in the Earls Cove ferry terminal. This would be the longest day so far, and with a late morning start it was hard to engage the brain and body for another day of above threshold activity.

I felt very lethargic climbing out of Earl’s Cove and was passed by several girls on the long and exposed climb up and along a grassy ridge largely on 4WD track. The temperature was the highest it had been in the last few days. I was frustrated. “Damn this 4WD track? What’s wrong with my legs? Why am I so slow?” As the day progressed and we headed into the trees for the odd bit of singletrack and the climbs got more technical I sighted my targets and was able to reclaim second place, feeling strong again. At the aid stations, I stockpiled Clif Shotbloks(like really good wine-gums) and kept shoving in the calories and guzzling water.

At one point I encountered a guy who was having chain troubles. He grudgingly made way but not before he had informed me that I better watch out because he was “really fast on the downhill”. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this, but didn’t see him again until a lot later – boys! The day ended with a long descent to the town of Sechelt where the curry and noodle van awaited. Marc was quite excited to share some Thai noodles and race stories with me, but after a big day I sort of forgot to stop eating after he had to go sort out some mechanical crisis with the Rabbit Ranch boys....

After the stage I started to sneeze and feel an unpleasant scratchy feeling at the back of my nose. It was official – I had a cold. I was immediately plunged into a deep depression at the thought that my race was over. Thankfully Bridget was on hand with her mobile pharmacy and provided me with a cocktail of “cold-be-gone” remedies. I had finally jumped into second place open woman overall and wasn’t keen to give it up.

Day 5 – Sechelt to Langdale

After a ropey nights sleep I awoke feeling decidedly rough. Marc dutifully shot off to the pharmacy for my decongestant of choice –Otrivin and also came back with a freshly baked croissant as I hadn’t quite been able to stomach the bagel with melted cheese that I had picked up at breakfast. We were informed that today’s ride had been shortened to 30km from the initially planned 40km(hooray) so I hoped this would act as a “recovery day” for me. I started well on the steep, loose, rocky 4WD track climb but soon lost my advantage and watched my rival Yeti Beti’s long skinny legs and lycra-clad rear power away from me on her wagon-wheeled hardtail up the smoother gravel road. I couldn’t quite hack her pace today and in a defeatist moment decided on a “damage limitation” strategy hoping I would feel perkier tomorrow.

I struggled on the final downhill largely due to my anger at the fact we were 30km in according to Garmin nerd and where the hell was the finish line? Er, not here and not for another 10km it turns out. I cursed the Ewoks for their out of control construction of “skinnies” and I struggled to follow the bits of course- marking tape intermittently dispersed amongst the trees. I was passed by Jen, the race leader. “Grrr local knowledge, grrr damn Ewoks, I feel like crap, when will this end?” This was not my best day and it was a shame as I’m sure I would have loved the descent if I hadn’t been so annoyed. My usually super grippy Maxxis Crossmark and Ikon tyres weren’t feeling so good and I seemed to be bouncing off every tiny little root. I put this down to me “riding like a Muppet” and ploughed on towards the finish. As it turns out, overnight in secure storage the helpful race mechanics had kindly pumped my front tyre to 36psi thinking my usual 20psi was too flat!! Marc said there were lots of happy faces at the finish, so maybe a return trip might be in order to appreciate it.

I was back into third overall but not far back. I boarded the ferry with a face like thunder but was soon lulled into calm by hot chips and the exchange of amusing race anecdotes with Bridget and Craig. We arrived in Horseshoe Bay near Vancouver to a wintery blast.

We racers were bussed up to Squamish where the rain was lashing down and the wind was doing a good job of trying to rip the tents out of the ground. After reconstructing our half-erected tent and mopping up the large pool of water inside, we were hopeful of a dry night. Our campground for the next two nights was the Squamish Recreation Centre, surrounded by trees and large snow-capped mountains. It was very beautiful despite the first dose of crappy weather during the race.

Day 6 – Squamish

Every dog has his day and today was mine.

I had woken many times in the night unable to breathe with my nose and cheek submerged in a puddle of drool. I was then rudely awoken 30mins before the official wake-up call by Johnny foreigner having a loud cell phone conversation in the tent opposite. I felt decidedly below average. Drugs were required. I snorted decongestant from an industrial American sized bottle (the size of a chain lube bottle) and guzzled vitamin C, a mysterious “cold and flu” tablet that Bridget promised me was really great and a caffeine tablet. Thirty minutes to race start and I felt knackered. It was time for a ten minute power nap. I woke at 8.40am, grabbed my bike and wrestled my way past a few beer-bellied guys (“we’re all racing for a podium position, you know”) in the already packed start chute.

The start was the usual panicked surge for the front and as per normal the roadies came out on top. A fairly sustained gravel road climb weeded out a few who only had gas in the tank for the first ten minutes. Then we were into the first singletrack bottleneck “The Tracks of Hell” – another Ewok construction over swampy ground. I just managed to keep balance at the snail’s pace of those in front and avoided piling headlong into a bog.

Thirty minutes in and it was time for a gel. I grabbed and guzzled the first one to hand and realised too late that it was my super duper GU Espresso gel with extra caffeine. As a caffeine sensitive soul I wasn’t entirely sure how my mega dose of caffeine would pan out. Pretty good as it turns out. I felt high as a kite as I motored past people on the next climb then was in heaven as we descended Half Nelson – a wide, fast, bermed, mini 4X track through the trees : ) I caught Mark of Team Scumbags , who obligingly responded to my polite “out of my way hardtail rider” request. Another short climb where Mark promptly passed me again took us to Pseudo Tsuga for another fast, flowy descent. With heaps more singletrack including a rocky, rooty, slippery descent down Powerhouse Plunge, the roadies were soon left behind and I was able to power on, eager to reach the finish before the caffeine high wore off.

I finished the stage 1^st in open women – so great to finally get a stage win. This was topped off at the stage awards later that evening with the news I was the women’s winner of the “Race Within a Race” (the fastest combined time on two timed downhill sections). I apparently resembled a stunned guppy fish at the news. Some guy called Brian Lopes won the men’s race (probably the only time I’ll ever make the podium with this guy!). I am now the proud owner of a limited edition freeride top with the BCBR psychotic bike-riding bear logo as a souvenir. Big thanks to Joe for the trip to Squamish to scope out Half-Nelson and Pseudo Tsuga prior to the race!

All in all, this was a great day achieved without the abuse of any UCI banned substances (I checked).

Day 7 - Whistler

After one last night under canvas it was time to pack up and bus to Whistler for the final stage.

I got a good spot in the start chute thanks to Mark and Huw who manhandled my bike over the railings. At the sound of the hooter, the roadies started to surge past me once more and I felt like I was going backwards as we hit a short, sharp climb. That was until I received a welcome and not so subtle shove up and over the rise by Craig on his way to the front of the pack. Then we were into the long climb up Blackcombe mountain past the Olympic luge track and on upwards. My legs were heavy and burning from 6 days of hard riding. At the top we were disappointed by a rough gravel road descent (well all of the Santa Cruz riding Kiwis were!) before we reached the singletrack we’d all been waiting for. I was forced to follow a brake dragger and skidder to the bottom of the short steep descent before we ascended again towards Comfortably Numb via a new uphill track called Yummy Nummy.

I heard very few favourable accounts of this rooty, slippery singletrack climb, where at times it was impossible to maintain momentum in the crocodile of riders slipping off roots and falling by the wayside. After what seemed like an eternity of smacking my knees into the toptube and using every last ounce of energy left in my body, we reached the junction with the Comfortably Numb descent. This was gnarly on an XC bike, even one as capable as my Blur XC. There were lots of rock slab roll-overs, sharp rocks and plenty of opportunity for an O.T.B excursion. Local knowledge would have been a massive advantage here I realised as I gingerly approached each roll-over searching for a line and for the course marking tape. I was relieved to reach the bottom without any O.T.B mishaps or torn sidewalls. The last couple of k’s were spent in the Lost Lake trails(really fun) before a final sprint to the Olympic plaza and the finish line.

I finished second open woman overall which was a great achievement for me and well beyond my expectations. It was great to finally find a race where a technically competent rider was sufficiently rewarded against the gravel grinders. My bike (Santa CruzBlur XC carbon) with Fox F120 fork was superb and only once on the descent of Comfortably Numb was I wishing for something slightly bigger (a Blur TRc, perhaps!). I would love to do this race again -the riding is amazing fun and the school camp atmosphere of a stage race makes it all the more enjoyable.

“Fight to Win”

Thanks to Marc, R&R Sport, Matty Graham of Exponential Performance for whipping me into shape, Stylie at Hyperformance Hardware for my awesome Santa Cruz Blur XC and Fox Racing Shox for the smooth ride.

Bicycling Mag give the Santa Cruz V10 Carbon best DH bike for 2011.

2011-10-05T08:17:00.000+13:00

I love mine....you can read the whole article here;

Damian Stones Springs into Action for Ground Effect

2011-09-30T14:51:00.000+13:00

New Spring 2011 Ground Effect Catalog is out and Damian Stones makes an appearance, he didn't make the cover, nor is the page three girl/guy......you have to flick all the way to page 17....but it is an action pic.

Petrol Head Friday - Toyota Hilux - 'Now I know what you're thinking'

2011-09-30T07:24:00.000+13:00

Best thing about a new Toyota Hilux, the TV ad's.

First up, the ad specifically designed for New Zealand.

The one for Oz, this one's a bit of a tear jerker, so get your hankies ready.

The South African ad sticks to the tired and true stereotyping

And least we forget, the Barry Crump commercials, 'hold on it gets a bit bumpy'

Santa Cruz Highball vid from Eurobike

2011-09-29T16:56:00.001+13:00

More info on the Highball

More Mountain Biking Videos

This video is especially for Richard, who likes leaving amusing messages on my phone.

Drink Beer (or any other liquids)? More SC Pint Glasses have landed

2011-09-26T16:29:00.001+13:00

Just in time for that post ride brew, just landed more of the SC pint glasses. Go and see your dealer and secure yours now or flick me an email. Operators are standing by....honest, the last batch sold out faster than I could pack them.

Also just landed, the new SPX kits too, now with shimano XT brakes....so nice. SPX29er, SPX XC & SPX AM.

Tallboy Carbon - two more colour options.

2011-09-24T10:18:00.002+12:00

Santa Cruz have been busy beavering away on the bike builder......plus added a little surprise too, the Tallboy Carbon has two more colour options, blue and gloss black with red (think Highball).

For more info via the official Santa Cruz newsletter, click here

Petrol Head Friday - Bike Magazine Porsche Duathlon

2011-09-23T10:01:00.000+12:00

I think Bike Magazine and Porsche are fans of Petrol Head Friday....well someone reads my blog....all eight of you.

The real PHF action starts at about the 2.43 mark....unless you're into watching someone try to ride a bike around a track designed for cars.

Bike Magazine / Porsche Willow Springs Duathlon from Bike magazine on Vimeo.

Now I am all for safer roads etc......but sometimes, I do wonder about if we have too many road rules?

Daylight Savings is THIS Weekend....Time to Dust Off Your Bike

2011-09-22T18:23:00.000+12:00

Damian, at the Firepit

Tristan, Queenstown

Anja, CX National Champs

Jake Boylett Kaka DH

Dave A, probably Wellington

Another man called Dave, Cape Epic

Not Dave (Ben actually), TransWales....it's summer too.

Eloise, Heaphy

Jamie (with the Butcher he won at the Coppermine), Kill Devil

Dirk, World Cup Racing in Europe.

Tim....holding 2nd place in the Coppermine

Nathan, Kaiteriteri MTB Park

Ian, RNR Super-D

James, a secret location in Nelson.

Some Gezza, Nydia Bay (it's such a sweet track too)

Pink Bikes Tech Tuesday - Adjust the Pivot Bearings on any Santa Cruz VPP bike.

2011-09-21T12:40:00.000+12:00

Just spotted this on Pikebike.com, thought you might want to know....it is pretty easy to do, even I can managed it.

More of Mike Ferrentino in front of a camera at interbike, with a public service announcement for young DH'ers.....that means you Blinky and Brook

2011-09-17T17:49:00.001+12:00

Petrol Head Friday - Most Exciting Things of the Show

2011-09-16T14:09:00.002+12:00

Yes, yes, yes......I am a little late with PHF because Interbike is keeping me distracted. On the other side of the world, Frankfurt to be precise, the Frankfurt Motor Show is going on.

The best news is that Alfa Romeo WILL put their 4C into production. Looks like the perfect mountain biker's car too me.

The next most exciting car is still by the Fiat Group and that's the Abarth 695 Competizione. Need a super car squeezed into a Fiat 500 body? How about 180bhp in a car that small too? Rear seats are over rated too.

Of course there was a whole bunch of hybrids and electric cars that were all on display too. A few concepts that will never see the light of day, but looks like a good collection of cars. The death of the internal combustion engine is not here yet....but some of the alternatives are looking pretty good now too.
Need to know more about the cars on show? Check out autoblog.com (FYI pictures are from autoblog.com too)

And I will leave you with this clip of a stolen Porsche Boxter chase scene in Queensland.
My only question, why steal a yellow one?

What We've all been waiting for - Mike F at Interbike in front of a camera

2011-09-16T08:05:00.000+12:00

It's not just me raving about the TRc

2011-09-13T12:02:00.000+12:00

I know, there are a bunch of you skeptics that think I just rave about every new model of bike that I am riding.....but honestly, I don't make this stuff up.
Here is an email from a good customer (who we'll call Matt from Taupo) of Bike Culture (have you checked out their new website yet...go on, click on the link).
Anywho, Matt from Taupo just got his new Santa Cruz Blur TRc, and he sent Bike Culture and myself the email below. Matt from Taupo previously had a LTc and previously to that an alloy LT2.

I have to admit with all the build up and accolades the TRc had been given (yourselves included) I was sceptical has to how (if any) real improvement there would be over the LTc, if fact I did wonder if I was really doing the right thing?

Until I rode it....... Oh heck! The difference of “Day & Night” is not worthy of a phrase of comparison. The TRc is simply amazing. Finally I have a bike that I feel “grounded” to when riding, the suspension works better and for the first time “I” am actually jumping my bike in the air, I feel that confident (this is big for me).

After a 3 hr ride my ave ride speed was 2km faster than on the LTc, true and I felt less fatigued, honestly crazy facts.

Faults: ..... I am always changing gears “up”, the dam thing just rolls so well it increases speed and I am always clicking up to keep the cranks speed up, this is honestly a pain! I seriously put this down to the carbon rims, they do all the work for me (again, the rims are a must).

Biggest impressions: Rolling Speed, Stable confidence, How incredible quiet it is? I can hear twigs breaking under my wheels “true”! Chain guide is again so quiet, it perfect. The brakes are also perfect XTR is way better than my old brakes.

Most of the ride I was truly lost for words, there were so many advantages I was not expecting and couldn’t believe. I thought the change over from the LT2 to the LTc was big, but this is that much bigger than any bike I have changed too.

Matt from Taupo

Thank you Matt from Taupo.

Santa Cruz SYNDICATE - Downhill World Championships - Champery

2011-09-12T14:00:00.000+12:00

Santa Cruz SYNDICATE - Downhill World Championships - Champery 9/4/11 from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.
Video above, press release here;

And Danny Hart's winning run here...listen closely to Rob Warner

Petrol Head Friday - Good News

2011-09-09T08:41:00.000+12:00

Good News, the Alfa Romeo 4C will go in production in 2013.....might only be left hand drive.

Good News, Lapo Elken (heir to the Fiat/Chrysler empire) is a bigger ass-hat that you or I, he managed to block traffic in Turin, by parking over some tram tracks.

Good News, the Bugatti Galibier will not go into production, it's not outrageous enough.

Good News, the Pink Panther's Panthermobile is up for auction, you better rush, bidding closes 14th October.

Good News, the first person to crash a Lamborghini Aventador found.

Anja McDonald is the face of the Love NZ billboard campaign

2011-09-08T10:39:00.001+12:00

If you happen to be driving around Auckland CBD, you might of noticed the large billboards for the loveNZ campaign......actually they are pretty hard to miss. The billboards are pretty massive.

Who's that girl with the Blur LT carbon you ask? Well that's Anja McDonald, Anja told me it was a hard day of riding her bike and stopping to be photographed on what looks to be a damp day in Queenstown. Or it might of been a really sunny day in Queenstown and I got sent some blurry photo's of the billboard.

The really interesting coincidence is that Anja's fiancee, Tristan Rawlence, is currently appearing in local mtb magazines (like the latest issue of Spoke). This advert came out without Tristan's knowledge, he was racing the 6 hour Super-D in the picture. Nice bike Tristan, looks familiar.

Dirk Peter's - World Champs Champery 2011

2011-09-07T09:44:00.001+12:00

World Champs is the toughest race of the season, everyone comes in at the top of their game and the excitement and nerves are a level above what I normally experience at any other race.

I arrived the weekend before, which gave plenty of time to ride the track. The first few days of practice weren’t the best and I seemed to spend more time rolling around on the ground than on the bike. I think I was feeling the pressure to ride fast and was pushing too hard and making mistakes which was easy to do on such a technical course. Thankfully after several days with multiple crashes I was able to rethink my approach and settle down and get some good smooth error free laps in.

Although the week shot by pretty fast race day was a tough one. We didn’t start till five in the afternoon and I endured a long day of sitting around watching the time tick slowly away. We got there eventually and it was a relief to finally get things underway. A big crowd turned out and it was great riding with such enthusiastic and vocal support particularly on the main climb and the ‘Hell zone’ climb and descent. I was strong for the majority of the race it was just the beginning that let me down. I seemed to be able to ride at only one speed from the start to the finish where as everyone else started fast and then either settled down and got into a good rhythm through to the finish or blew up and got slower with each lap. Unfortunately I got too far behind early on and was playing catch up the whole time. I did feel quite strong and enjoyed the race even though I wasn’t able to improve on my previous years result and finished in 36th position for the second year in a row.

It is now time for reflection with World Champs completed. My season is over and I am looking forward to getting back home to New Zealand and catching up with friends and family after three months away. This trip has been a very mixed bag. I have had a great time and have learnt a lot with some ups and downs and great character building moments along the way. I will be able to take a lot out of the experience with plenty of valuable material to apply to next year.

I would sincerely like to thank everyone who has supported and helped me out along the way. It’s now time for a break and a good long rest.

There is also a good write up by Chris Mildon on Endurance Sport

Ibis at Eurobike 2011 and new Ripley Video

2011-09-07T07:19:00.003+12:00

Eurobike 2011 - IBIS Cycles von nuts auf MTB-News.de

Not the PHF - More Bike Stuff from Around the World.

2011-09-02T10:37:00.000+12:00

I've been a little too distracted the last couple of days to think about Petrol Head Friday.

Firstly a MASSIVE congrat's to Anton Cooper for his silver medal win at the UCI World Champs Junior Men XC race. Anton won the last two world cup rounds and he's being noticed.......who's noticing, how about Greg Minnaar! More info on Spokemagazine.com, where else?

@GregMinnaarGreg Minnaar

Anton Cooper rider of the day, 21st ish through to 2nd.... Nice one mate

So I really wish that I was in Champery to see his race and of course, there is a lot more racing to going on at the World Champs.
The UCI are also causing a little bit of controversy over their new sponsorship arrangement with a website that no one has heard of.....more on this over at Dirt.mpora.com

While the Mountain Bike World Champs are on, there is also Eurobike to think about.

Ibis are showing off their new bike the Ripley 29er, with it's new eccentric DW linkage design. If you want to know more about this new DW linkage design, Dave Weagle himself is posting on mtbr.com forum.

Straitline Components are also at Eurobike showing off their wares, like their new AMP pedals and what they're currently working.....like the AMP stem.

Santa Cruz are also at Eurobike and of course their Syndicate Team are at the world champs and they are the main sponsors for the Oregon Super-D which is having it's final this weekend.
Santa Cruz are showing off their current range and of course their new editions, the Blur TRc, Tallboy Alloy and the Highball.

picture thanks to www.portugalbike.com

And of course we're all missing the Eurobike fashion show, thanks to the guys at Santa Cruz Bicycles for posting this on facebook.....it's just like being there.

OK, if you've got this far, then you deserve some PHF to get you through the weekend.....I'll be fine, I have the latest issue of Evo to read.

Ibis 29er - Believe it or Not.

2011-09-01T07:18:00.003+12:00

Introducing the Ripley 29er from Ibis, if you're lucky enough to be sifting around Eurobike (oh why am I not there right now?), you'll be able to check out Ibis's latest bike. The above picture of their proto-type.

Now Ibis have been working on the Ripley for about 3 years, the really funky thing about it is they're using DW's new eccentric links to replace the usual links.

Big Up's to Caleb @ Spoke Mag for being one of the first to post info on the Ripley too, looks like he was burning the wick at both ends to get this story out.

Also , Bikerumor.com, seem to have more pictures of the eccentric link.

Here are Some of the Features of the Ibis Ripley 29

29" wheels
120mm rear wheel dw-link travel
Twin angular contact composite bearing eccentric linkages
Full carbon fiber monocoque with sacrifical core molding
Tapered head tube (Cane Creek AngleSet & Chris King InSet compatible)
Kashima coated Fox Float RP23 with Adaptive Logic Boost Valve technology
Clean cable routing with molded carbon cable stops and provisions for cable-actuated adjustable seat posts
BB92/Press GXP style integrated BB is lighter and stiffer and better for molding
142mm Maxle rear axle provides high axle stiffness with QR ease of wheel removal and installation
160mm carbon fiber post mount rear brake mounts
High direct front derailleur, mounted to swingarm
Geometry designed to work with 120-140mm forks
34mm fork stanchion approved
4 Sizes (S, M, L, XL)
Weight TBD
Price TBD but in line with our other frames
Delivery TBD, but not in 2011

Santa Cruz Syndicate - Val Di Sole

2011-08-26T09:52:00.000+12:00

Santa Cruz SYNDICATE - Val Di Sole, Italy 8/21/2011 from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.

Petrol Head Friday - The Rotary Engine

2011-08-26T09:34:00.002+12:00

A sad day for petrol (rotary) heads everywhere, Mazda has killed off the RX-8 due to falling world wide sales and not being able to meet tighter emission standards.

Felix Wankel was awarded the patent for his wankel engine way back in 1929. The wankel (or rotary) engine has always seemed like a good idea, the supposed advantages always looked good on paper. The engines are lighter and contain less moving parts than the equivalent sized piston engine. It is also supposed to be smoother, have better power to weight ratio and be very reliable.

The problem was the engine seemed to have far more disadvantages than it should. It was not a very economical engine, it is even less economical than a V8 outputting similar power. And best we don't mention the emissions of the engine.
Also we have all seen a Rotary powered car on the side of the road with a bunch of guys in black t-shirts looking under the bonnet and scratching their heads at why the car is not running.....so it's reputation for reliably has also been on the weak side.

Of course the rotary engine is responsible for the yoof of New Zealand (maybe the world?) being able to do this;

Is this someone we know? RockShox sticker on the window.

Of course the Mazda RX-8 was a very liked car by the media, Evo mag gave it 4/5 and even Top Gear like it....well sort of.
Rumor is that Mazda are still working on the next generation rotary engine, but we'll see what happens. The death of the internal combustion engine may well be greatly exaggerated.....but the writing is probably on the wall.....currently it's just on a white board...but it's there.

Anywho, you can pick up a used RX-8 in NZ for less than $20K and they all seem to have low miles?
So if you want to experience the best of the rotary engine, this might be the time......who knows, they might all become collectors items and increase in value.
Ok, just for Mr. Woodward, who thinks I am taking the piss about the rotary engine, a video clip of the 787b at Le Mans.

Oh yeah on a completely other petrol head tangent, (Ex-?) Libyan leader, Ghaddafi owned an all electric Fiat 500. I suppose it makes sense, best not eat the candy if you own a candy store, right?

Oregon Super D Finals - Sandy Ridge Course Preview

2011-08-25T10:48:00.000+12:00

This little clip has been going around the ol' Internet for the past few days. I first spotted it when Brian Lopes tweeted about it, then Santa Cruz Bicycles stuck it on their facebook page.....well Jamie Goldman is in the clip.

Hmmm, is just over $3k in airline tickets to get to Portland......Looks like a great course.

Sandy Ridge Course Preview from Kris Jamieson (Jaymo) on Vimeo.

Almost Spring - Get Out and Ride.

2011-08-23T07:35:00.002+12:00

Jono Gooder, when he's not showing off the latest XTR components, he's borrowing Basic Bikes Stigmata and thrashing the bejebus out of it. Photo thanks to Timo St Anton

Emma (Mrs. Spoke Magazine) riding the North Face.....and why wouldn't you, it's not everyday there is snow in Wellington and her Blur LT carbon needs some single track.
Photo thanks to Caleb Smith.....of Spoke Magazine fame.

Hannah Thorne winning the TransWales, after seven grueling days of racing, Hannah wins by just over a minute margin. This great picture of Hannah was borrowed from the MTBtransuk website.

Santa Cruz Blur TRc - I'm Still Smitten With It.

2011-08-22T15:11:00.000+12:00

With the only constant being change (my ancestors figured that out around 500BC, who am I to argue?), I thought it was time for some small upgrades to my TRc.

First up, the 2012 RP23 with kashima coating and adaptive logic (man that's a mouth full).
After a weekends riding with it, I am pretty sure that the kashima coating does make the RP23 plusher (no, I am not just making this up) and the rebound seems to have more usable adjustment. I still keep the pro-pedal knob on the fully open position.

The kashima coated RP23 will be a standard option on the TRc.

Those of you that are paying attention, will notice that I have decided to put a red straitline seat clamp on it. Nice eh?

I doubt that any of you will be surprised to see that I have new forks. These are the 2012 Fox Float 32 130RLC Fit, factory tune with kashima coating. This WILL be available as an option on the Santa Cruz build kit.....with the black legs.....nice.

They feel a lot nicer to ride than the Float 32RL's and of course look a lot better too, what more could you want? Oh yeah, they also seemed lighter too, which is pretty important.

Last, but not least.....a RED Cane Creek IS110 headset. Mainly because it's red and possibly because of the 110 year warranty. Can't argue with that.
Not a standard Santa Cruz option......but I am sure I can track one done if you NEEDED one. Also available in blue and black.

I'm still smitten with the TRc, it's like Santa Cruz put all the best bits of all their bikes into one, light weight, nimble, great handling, great pedaling, fun bike. Honestly, it is hard to explain how much fun this bike is to ride, you just want to ride all your favorite tracks at 11 and then go back and do it again.

Santa Cruz have come up with a bike that is just that little bit more special than anything else on the market and I like it....I really can't see how anyone could not.

Anywho, daylight savings around the corner and the tracks are starting to look mint (especially if they aren't covered in snow)....so get out and ride!

Petrol Head Friday - Best Open Top Super Car on the Stelvio Pass

2011-08-19T08:40:00.000+12:00

I think the guys at Evo are just showing off now, OK I get it, you guys have the best job in the world.

And this one is easy, the Alfa Romeo 8C. Looks and Sounds wins it for me.....and I like Alfa's....now where did I put that Lotto Ticket?

I See Red!

2011-08-17T18:05:00.000+12:00

Into matching coloured anodised bits? Maybe we can help?

No matter what you ride, we can probably add some lovely red bits to your current ride.

We've got bit's from Straitline Components, grips for you Ibis or Santa Cruz and even some red upgrade options like a red cane creek IS110 tapered headset.

Or maybe you actually need a new frame to match your collection of red bits. Check out the new 2012 Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy...thought you might want to know what they look like.....since they're aren't released until Interbike time. Mmmm kashima coated rear shock too.

Also, we can do other colours too.......but I kinda like the Split Enz video.

Blur TRc Faster Than Snow Melting in Rotorua

2011-08-17T12:01:00.000+12:00

For most parts of New Zealand, snow has been falling in places it usually doesn't or has more snow than usual.
So even though it's a bit nippy out, Nick Lambert (current NZMTBer cover model) didn't stay inside by the heater, no, he had his new Blur TRc to go and ride.

Nick's thoughts after his first ride, it's bloody fast, which is the feed back I have got from my other customers.

I'm still smitten with my TRc and I'm about to give mine a few little upgrades, but that's another story.

Steve Peat Dual World Champs

2011-08-16T12:33:00.000+12:00

Oldnews.com?
Since I feel like staying on the Butcher topic for a little longer....and I only just stumbled across this little clip of Seb Kemp winning the 2011 World Dual Champs at the Steve Peat compound.

Seb Kemp wins the world dual champs at Steve Peats compound - More Mountain Bike Videos

Petrol Head Friday - Ayrton Senna

2011-08-12T07:26:00.000+12:00

Drove Fast, died young. 41 Formula 1 wins, 65 Pole Positions and 3 World Championships.

You NEED to see this movie.

Spoke Magazine - Butcher, Three Month Update.

2011-08-10T16:43:00.000+12:00

Spoke give us a three month update (hmmm, April to August...that's three months, right?) after thrashing the Butcher around. It's very thorough, thought out and a well explained account of riding the bike for 3+ months.
Personally I can't wait for the next installment......hopefully they will test it's 'huck to flat' ability, which is very important test.
Anywho; click here to jump to Spoke Mag.

Straitline Silent Guide 32T Specific.

2011-08-02T16:33:00.000+12:00

Right-t-o then, Straitline have made a run of 32T specific Silent Guides. They use the older ISCG standard, because the b/b adapters are lighter, slimmer and more minimal.

So you need to get your hands on one of these;

Then you need to get one of these;

Then you simply install the ISCG adapter via the bottom bracket and bolt up the Straitline Silent Guide to the ISCG adapter. Now would be a good time to change the slider colours to the ones that match your eye colour...or what ever.

Then install your cranks with a Straitline Race Ring and the bash ring supplied with the Straitline Silent Guide.

Go riding!

Petrol Head Friday - Nurburgring in the Wet

2011-07-29T07:37:00.001+12:00

Think you're a pretty good driver? Check out Andreas Guldin's (chief instructor at Nurburgring driving academy) wet lap in a Formula Super Car, the guy has some skills.
Check out how quick he is to correct over steer in the wet, very cool.

Oh yeah, still lusting after a Porsche Bike? Here's the new one, yours for about Euro 6000.00. Nice eh?

Oh, I will leave you with this......just how cool is Red Skull's car in the new Captain America movie?

Straitline - New Stuff

2011-07-27T12:31:00.001+12:00

The guys at Bikemag.com were lucky enough to see the new AMP pedals from Straitline, when they were at Crankworx.
These new pedals are designed to be an all mountain pedal and lighter than the current pedal (which will now be called the De Facto pedal). They AMP pedal has a claimed weight of 330 grams and the bush and axle systems remain the same as the reliable De Facto pedal. So you get Straitlines reliability and easy maintenance with less weight....don't worry, you can still stick them on your DH bike if you want.

Will keep you in the loop when I can get my hands on some.

Check out how the outside edge of the pedal has been angled, to cut down on pedal strike, those guys at Straitline are always thinking.

Got to have a good selection of colours too.

Don't forget about Straitline's new Race Rings (which I just landed), they are made from 7075 T6 hard anodised aluminium. Come in 32T, 34T, 36T & 38T, any colour you like as long as it's the titanium-ish colour pictured below. Because they are hard anodised, they are stronger than you and will probably out last your bike. Also quite light.......just going around fitting them to my bikes now.

Straitline have also been working on a Gyro headset system, in their spare time.

It obviously works really well, since Brandon Semenuk took out the Crankworx Redbull Joyride.

Lopes and Anne-Caro win the Canadian Open Enduro....on Mojo HD's

2011-07-26T13:45:00.000+12:00

Day 10 – Canadian Open Enduro presented by Kona Highlights from Crankworx on Vimeo.

Whip Off Worlds

2011-07-26T09:21:00.000+12:00

Check out the Whip Off Worlds, got taken out by a young Brazilian rider, Bernardo Neves....who is riding a very nice bike.

Whip Off Worlds - More Mountain Bike Videos

Petrol Head Friday - 2012 Nissan GT-R Top Gear Test Track

2011-07-22T08:50:00.000+12:00

I've been away, so just getting back to our usual programme of Petrol Head Friday.

Short and sweet, why you should lust after the 2012 Nissan GT-R? Because it's a lot faster than you think.

Don't forget that the GT-R is really easy to modify too, how about 850HP?

Also "Big Ups" to the hard working guys at Blue Shark (they are the nice people that distribute and service Fox Racing Shox for NZ. Actually your forks probably need a service now, best you rush them down to Blue Shark, give them a call on 03 443 8414).
The guys at Blue Shark tracked down this clip of Monster Tajima's record breaking run of Pikes Peak. I recommend you watch the whole thing.
Also good luck to Rossco, who is looking to buy his first hot hatch.

A Cool Santa Cruz Jackal Build.

2011-07-14T07:29:00.002+12:00

Syndicate Team - Mont Sainte Anne, Bryceland takes 2nd

2011-07-13T07:48:00.000+12:00

Bryceland takes 2nd at MSA 7/23/2011 from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.

More here;

Santa Cruz Blur TRc - Better than Xmas

2011-07-08T11:12:00.002+12:00

I've been pretty excited about the release of the TRc and I just love the way carbon frames are lighter, stiffer and so much nicer to ride.
The numbers of the TRc look good, sweet geometry and crazy lite weight.
At the same time I didn't want to over-hype the Blur TRc to myself and make it so mythically good, that it wouldn't live up to expectations.
So what is the new Santa Cruz Blur TRc all about, Super light weight trail bike? Blur 4X reincarnation? Mini Nomad? Marathon Race bike? A bike that's too slack or not slack enough? All of the above? None of the above?

7 Questions at Sea Otter: Santa Cruz Blur TRc - More Mountain Bike Videos

Still not excited? Righto, go and grab your bike, what's it's frame weight (that heavy eh?) What's it's wheel base? Made from flexy alloy? Geometry all over the place, because you've been 'upgrading your bike' over the years and your b/b is as high as a kite, stem is as long as a fishing rod and head angle is steeper than a farm gate or slacker than Richard Linkalater?

The 4.9lb frame means that you will easily end up with a 26lbs bike without stupid lite parts...it also mean that Mike Metz will end up with a sub 22lbs bike. Of course, since the TRc is made of carbon, you can expect it will be laterally stiff and very nice to ride.

The TRc's long(ish) TT means XC race bike aggressive feel and you can run a 50mm stem on the bike and not be super cramped. Short chain-stays, scalded cat climbing ability (no really, I'm talking XC race bike climbing not just good climbing). Long wheel base, stable at speed and/or when the going gets steep....the slack head-angle means you're still feeling confidant.

So what do I think, well the TRc is just bloody amazing, it's been forever since I have spent any time on a bike with less than 140mm of travel.....to be honest, 160mm front and rear has been my standard fare for as the last 5 years. So moving to a bike with 130mm front and 'only' 125mm rear, I was ready for a shock to the system.

The TRc is noticeably faster to ride 99% of the time, the low b/b meant that carving corners was just so much fun and required little effort, it was like the TRc was reading your thoughts. I just kept going faster, trying to see how much speed I can carry through the next corner. The long(ish) wheel base and slack(ish) makes the TRc so stable when you point is downhill, you would think you're on a bike with a lot more travel....think Nomad.

The 68 degree head-angle is a little steeper than what I've been used to for quite sometime, again, Santa Cruz know what they are doing and this just keeps the handling feeling crisp. Honestly, you will just be blown away at how well this bike handles and just how capable it is.

The bottom bracket height will mean that I won't be just smashing my way through rock gardens any more, but I am sure that it's time I started to actually pick lines and become a smoother rider. Been relying on long travel to get me out of trouble for a while now.
The TRc make you feel more in tune with the ride, you have more feed back and get a lot of joy picking your way down the trail, instead of just flattening the terrain beneath you.

So, I'm pretty much smitten with the new Blur TRc...that I think my current fleet of 160mm travel bikes will be having a rest. I'm looking forward to my weekend rides and my old favorite trails seem new and exciting again.

Santa Cruz have done it again, the bike does exactly what Santa Cruz wanted it to do and it might be the bike that you've been looking for and you might not have realised.

Petrol Head Friday - Monster Tajuma

2011-07-08T09:10:00.003+12:00

If you haven't heard of Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajuma, you better click over the the wiki page and brush up.
Two days before Tajuma's 61st birthday, he set the fastest time up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.....breaking the 10 minute barrier, with a time of 9min 51.28 secs. As these things go, Tajuma held the current record, set in 2007 in a time of 10min 01.41 secs. Tajuma drives a modified (850 bhp modified) Suzuki SX4....so if you currently drive a Suzuki and think it's not very cool, I suggest you rush out and get some coloured mud flaps and an "I ❤ Monster" sticker....and you'll instantly be cooler than before.

This is probably be the last year the Pikes Peak Hill Climb will be run in it's current format, the 19.99km road, with over 156 turns and climbs to 1,439 meters will be completely sealed by 2012. Any who, thank you 'Monster' Tajuma, you are an inspiration to Petrol Heads everywhere.

Enough jibber jabber, here's the clip of Monster's record breaking drive.

Dirk Peter's, A Bad Day in Geneva

2011-07-07T12:03:00.001+12:00

Picture not of France

Dirk's start to the week has not been good one, well you would probably call it a bad start. On arrival to Geneva, Dirk's got bag stolen, which contained all his money, his passport and basically everything you need when you are travelling in Europe.

His bad day did not end there, his Blur XC Carbon was then stolen from the youth hostel.....and it was locked up.

Things are starting to look up (well the only way is up from there, isn't it?). His bag has been handed into the police, so Dirk at least has his passport back.

After a couple of emails to Santa Cruz, the Swiss Santa Cruz distributor (http://www.santacruzbikes.ch/) is helping Dirk out and sorting out another Blur XC Carbon for Dirk to ride.

Gaz from NZO clothing has organised a bank account for donations to help Dirk out, account details are;

BNZ 02 0412 0071745 66

Better than International Rescue eh?

Any-who, here is Dirk's report from the Coupe de France VAL D’ ISERE....where his last worry was a chain dropping on the start line.....hardly counts as a worry.

After two Swiss Racer Bikes Cups so far this trip it was good to head to France and get a taste of the racing in a different country. I arrived after a long train journey from Switzerland on Thursday and was able to get out on the track for a look around on the Friday before race day on Saturday. The venue was high at 1800m above sea level and this added an extra element to what was already a hard course. Also it was longer than what we have been racing recently and lap times were 19 to 20mins in duration. It was a great location, right up high in the Mountains and we were treated to beautiful weather each day although because of the altitude it was still a bit chilly at times. The track was a good test with a nice mix of climbing and descending and in practice I was riding well and feeling confident for the race.

Unfortunately I had a horror start. As the gun went and I put the power down to move off the line my chain came right off the big chain ring. Initially I thought I had broken it but thankfully it had just fallen off. By the time I got going again I was dead last and with 106 starters I had a fair bit of catching up to do.

I was able to make good progress back up through the field taking advantage of any chance to overtake. I may not have made many friends with some slightly dodgy passing manoeuvres but within two laps I was up into the top 30. I could monitor my position each lap with the aid of the timing board at the start finish line and although it got harder to gain places as I moved up inside the top 20 I could see that I was racing well. The last couple of laps were especially hard as the constant passing accelerations I had been making all race began to catch up with me. Still I picked off a few more riders and after a bit of a battle up the last single trail climb I finished up in 11^th place. In the end it was actually a decent result but a bit frustrating as I knew I would have been capable of much better.

I now have quite a big break from racing with nothing planned until the Czech Republic World Cup round in August. So a good chance to get back into some quality training through July and enjoy the European Summer.

Anja McDonald is the 2011 NZ CX Champ

2011-07-04T12:44:00.000+12:00

Photo thanks to NZ CX Champs Facebook page

Anja takes out the 2012 NZ CX Champs.....Anja's pretty multi-talented bike rider and now has a host of national titles, which includes the 2010 Single Speed National Champ and 2007 NZ National XC champ.

Full results can be found here;

Images of Squamish

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Marc & Hannah are currently in Squamish, supposedly the riding is crap and they are not having any fun....as we can see from Joe Sales great photo's....riding looks boring.....NOT.

Hannah is preparing for the BC Bike Race, so wishing her the best of luck.

Photo's thanks to Joe Sales, check out joesales.ca for more of his work.