LAS VEGAS III. SERIOUSLY NOWOCT 13.
LAS VEGAS III: NOWOCT 13
Richard Cunningham
Interbike is a model of a city with its well-organized streets and tall displays that are adorned with corporate logos. It is nearly impossible to visit all addresses on the map because of the five-acre Sands Convention Center. Many attendees retraced « you are here? » in groups. Maps were traced by attendees using their fingers, much like tourists from Manhattan. This is the last chapter of MBAs Interbike coverage. We explore the technical side of Interbike?with a few personalities added.
Roy Turner, who is responsible for Progressive Suspensions stable platform shockeds, said that the Fifth element coil/over can now be purchased with remote reservoir. Three lengths of connecting hoses can be purchased. A three-inch stroke version of the Fifth Element Air was also created by him for all-mountain and freeride applications. To increase the dampers’ lateral rigidity, and to reduce stiction, the internals of the??05 air shocks were redesigned with a glide ring and a more robust air seal.
Santa Cruz gave in to customer pressure and made its Blur Four-X racing chassis for sale. It features a lower head angle than the cross country version, and heavier gusseting. It has been raced by everyone who has ever stood on the podium.
Take a look at the V-10 for next year while you’re at it. It has everything you want, especially the bulged monocoque front section which has been widened to reduce lateral flex around the head tube.
SRAM is Avid’s parent company, and Chicago-based parts manufacturer is proud to announce two lower priced versions of its disc brakes, the Juicy Five hydraulic and BB Five mechanical. Although the Levers do not have the multi-adjustable function of the Avid, the power and modulation are not compromised.
Hayes introduced a multi-adjustable brake lever as well as a one-piece disc brake system with a caliper called the El Camino. The caliper can be adjusted quickly at the handlebar to adjust reach, engagement point, and leverage ratio. It works with either six- or eight inch rotors. After trying different wavy designs, Hayes decided to stick with the standard rotor design. We found no difference in braking performance between the fancy-looking wavy designs so we stayed with our original rotor. A top official said this.
Lighting systems are a hot topic now that darkness is creeping in to our riding time. You don’t need the mega halogen. The?heavy metal hallide and the?mega halogen? Super systems?Everyone who rides at night uses one of these. Interbike’s big news was about lightweight, long-lasting lighting systems that use powerful LED lamps. These bulbs are very efficient, but the output depends on the reflector used. A few manufacturers claimed that they had candlepower comparable to ten-to-30 watt halogen lamps. A single LED lamp can lighten the trail just as well as a Halogen one, but battery times are longer. The Nicad battery is compact enough to last six hours, while the 35-watt batteries will last for over 24 hours when plugged in to an LED lamp. The Cygolite arrangement was our favorite. These systems were affordable and could be used to switch between high and low beam outputs. The HighFlux 200 is less than 100 dollars
Titus was able to show off a new model, the ‘MotoLite? It has more than five inches of wheel travel, and can be used between the Racer-X cross country chassis and the Locomoto long-legged trailbike. The best part is that the Moto Lite costs less. You can order the Moto Lite custom with Titus ‘Isogrid? carbon fiber and titanium composite tubes. Standard Butted aluminum is also available in a female-specific configuration.
Troy Lee Designs showed us a selection its lightweight carbon-fiber-shelled gravity headgears. Vanessa Quinn, a downhiller, graciously showed us a gorgeous blue one.
Honda accidentally or consciously modeled the RN01 bike after it. It has now been redesigned with more travel and a?modern? design. Trailbike geometry and stable-platform suspension. Mountain Cycle San Andreas DNA is the longest-running dual suspension mountain bike?and possibly the most influential?
Specialized presented a special presentation to announce the results of German tests that showed male and female pelvis sizes were different. This new information about blood flow to manly parts forced the big S saddle designs to be redesigned to combat numbness. If you visit www.mbaction.com you will recall that Toby, a cool guy from SQ Lab, told the exact same story last spring. Sq Lab saddles were the best for blood flow. They solved the sit bone controversy by creating a simple corrugated cardboard template. This template takes an impression of your pelvis and can be used to measure the saddle’s width. Toby now has a laser-measuring tool that is very affordable. Place the cardboard on one end. Next, move the lasers to align the depressions. Finally, place as many saddles as you like on the device until they line up with your padding. You’ll find the perfect seat, man or woman.
