cool new things

We've got quite a few neat bits in lately. I wanted to put some pics of them up, along with why they are so sweet. Check 'em out:


First up, the Chris King 1.5 Nothreadset. This headset is not just a thing of beauty because all Chris King items are things of beauty and it's bigger. It goes beyond that. Solving 2 problems out there (heavy abuse seen on freeride bikes and lack of a good 1.5" starnut setter), Chris King has come up with what is probably the coolest headset thru bolt retention out there. This is more than a long, long bolt with a cap on the end that goes with the bike. The Pre Loader is adjustable to fit about any head tube length and is milled out to retain strengh and shed weight. It's an impressive piece that screams efficiency in design. And 1.5" is cool. :)


Next up. 29er suspension peeps will appreciate this one. Fox has been making arguably one of the best 29er suspension forks out there, but it was limited to 100mm of travel. Enter the 120mm Fox F29 RLC. This is also a good piece for folks out there with 100mm 29ers that want to slow the steering down a bit. Unnofficial eyeball reports say that it's "much" taller than the Reba, thus slowing steering geometry by about a degree.

Last but not least, we're finally stocked on 26" and 29" Maxxis Ardent tires. Lots of folks have been waiting patiently for these morsels. They're high on volume and low on knob height so these will be fast rolling and good hooking up treads.

That's all I've got for now. How 'bout that Tuesday nighter this week. Anyone else still feeling bruised from the wet rocks of SSV?

New Favorite Tires - Maxxis Advantage

Having been on a 29er for the past year and a half, I haven't had the chance to personally sample any of the current crop of 26er tires. Now that I've recently built up a Turner 5 Spot, I get the chance to play with 26" treads once again. I built the Spot up of parts I had around, some lightly used and some new. My wheelset of choice was non UST (DT240s laced to Mavic 717s - had this pair on 4 bikes already) so I'd be running "normal" tires with tubes. I also happened to have a nearly new set of 2.1 Maxxis Advantage tires.




Allison Dunlap (hence the AD) helped develop these tires for use in her conditions. AD is a Colorado Spring dweller. Her terrain mostly decomposing granite and hardpack. With that background, and since this is one of our drier summers on record, I thought the Advantage would be a good tread for our gravel over hardpack and our crumbling conditions in steep terrain. I didn't know if the 2.1s were going to be enough but, hey - I already had 'em, so I mounted them up.

My first several rides were around Peaceful Valley and Camp Dick. Lots of embeded rocks and the trail conditions were still relatively moist. The 2.1s were good, but I couldn't help but think that they could be better. With that thought, I grabbed a 2.25 off the wall and mounted it in the front, leaving the 2.1 in the rear. Results were definitely improved - better front braking and cornering traction. Conditions were drying out still, though, so I thought I'd bump up a size again all the way around.

2.25 in the rear

2.4 in the front


On to my current setup and probably my favorite all conditions/all mountain (god I hate saying that) combo that I've tried to date. Maxxis Advantage 2.4 front, 2.25 rear. This combo hooks up everywhere and still rolls relatively efficiently. The front tire has been great so far for everything that I've encountered - sand, deep dust, crumbly rocks, roots, and baby heads. The 2.25 in the rear hooks up better and slides more controllably than it's 2.1 little brother but doesn't weigh that much more. As a Hall Ranch tire, it excels. To be effective at Hall, a tire must roll fast, grip on rocks, and not slide in the pea gravel covered hardpack. The 2.4 has given me confidence to rip corners at Hall faster than I have on a 26" bike in a long time.

These Maxxis Advantages have been a confidence boost all the way around. It's good to be back on 26" and I'm glad I have these tires for that.

Here's the stats:

Maxxis Advantage 2.1 kevlar, 70a durometer - 640g
Maxxis Advantage 2.25 kevlar MP60 durometer- 660g
Maxxis Advantage 2.4 kevlar MP60 durometer - 860g