July AM 3

More July AM pics of recent sessions. I working up my cardio, but there is still some work to do. Meanwhile we gotten alot of rain, and while that might sound bad, its actually improving the trails I ride, as they usually get really dusty and litterly get torn apart in the summer due to the heat and dryness. Rain hinders this, holds the lines together, and sometimes creates "hero-dirt" -the perfect mix between moisture, and dryness - the best trail conditions there are.

Drea ripping into a corner on the switchback line on his Norco Range.

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I really like this pic for two reasons; first it has an asymetric wibe to it when looking at the kicker and the rider, secondly, drea is still way up there in the air here, landing nowhere to be seen. Go ahead and enlarge.

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Im getting more and more frustrated by the lack of grip on the Superstar pedals. The pins just dont offer great grip, and often makes my foot wander around on the platform, even tho im on 5.10. shoes. For DH, the grip is downright poor.

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I play along.

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Review: Rock Shox Vivid R2C 2011

Ok, so more than 3 months of versitile testing is finally complete. This shock has seen pretty much everything, from AM to bikeparks. And im happy to say that its done very good. Last time I was on a coil shock was a FOX DHX 4.0, an ok shock, but it never really impressed me. This time around things are stepped up, performance wise, not price wise, mind you.

Im talking about the Rock Shox Vivid R2C 2011, the improved Vivid coil shock, for DH, FR, and AM.

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The Vivid R2C has a low speed compression adjust, and for once its actually effective. Set it high, and its actually usable for AM. I was actually testing this shock entire two months for AM, including alot of climbs, and sure, a good air shock would have been preferable, but the Vivid did a surprisingly good job, its definitely capable to get you UP as well.. Set the compression low, and enjoy that buttery smooth trail absorption on the downhills. The fact that the compression adjust is so effective, makes this shock very versatile.

So how does it feel? Well to sum it up in a simplified manner: Linear. What you'd expect of a good coil shock. Amazing ground tracking, great mid stroke, and a solid end stroke.

Rebound feels consistent, and due to the high/low speed adjust its very controllable as well. The fact that you can make it work fast over trail chatter, but give you that controlled slow rebound on big hits, makes the 2 rebound adjustments (dual flow) very attractive.
The bottom out adjuster might seem a bit primitive at first glance, being just rubber bumbers you put on to the shock, but it works, so im not going to whine about it.

Make the rebound feel exactly how you want, no matter what your bike is doing:

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Weight is what you'd expect from a coil shock, the shock shown is a 222mm x70mm with bushings.

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Note the "M" and "H". These are codes for what tune this particular shock has. Bikes have all kind of different suspension types, and leverage ratios, so having a standard tune that's supposed to work with it all types just doesn't make sense. Rockshox acknowledges this and makes the Vivid in different tunes, so that you get the best possible tune for your bike. So the "M" you see is a Medium rebound tune, and the "H" is a High compression tune.

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Let the shock work for you on the DH trails, where it really shines. FOX - you better watch it!

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Go for the jumps and drops. The Vivid will be doing a great job giving you a controlled landing.

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Crank up the low speed compression, and use it for AM as well - and have a blast.

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The good:
-Controlled and liniear compression.
-Highly tunable low and high speed rebound.
-Very efficient low speed compression adjust, allows AM use.
-Different tunes available.
-Reliable.
-Price.

The bad:
-A high speed compression adjust would be nice, but now im just pushing it.

Score: 6/6

July AM 2

Got some air-corrupted pics to share, from recent rides, check it out.

This jump actually goes all the way around a small rise, im just peaking it in this pic. Great stuff.

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I really need to get some new grips. Note the scratched up brake - all battlescars from Braunlage bikepark.

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Inspecting the landing, of a new drop. Takeoff is just visible to the far left.

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Its not big in any way, but I really like its "authentic" feel to it, in the way that you really need to stick your ass way back to land it properly. Fun stuff.

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The rest:

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Review: E-Thirteen LG1+ Chain Guide

Ive taken the E-Thirteen LG1+ Chain Guide through its paces, so much so that I can do a review.

Im done being letdown in terms of chain loss, and the bash plate has proved it can withstand brutal impacts. Sure there are several other chain devices that can also fulfill those criteria, but where the LG1+ really excels is in its user friendliness. All the subtle design details mean that it’s a joy to work with, and thanks to the range of adjustments on offer it also fits a massive range of frame designs. The fact that it also happens to be one of the lightest systems is just an added bonus.

Its taken a few very hard direct hits in the bikepark sessions not long ago, like, the only thing that touched the rock was the taco guard itself (!), and the guard shook it off with a smile. At worst, I had to re-adjust the screws that keeps it on the ISCG, it took 1 minute, but other than that it just continued, nothing got broken. There is no real rocket science to this device, so all im going to say is, that it works really good.

Propably the lightest chainguide/bashguard system out there.

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Honey comb design ditches weight, but keeps the guard strong.

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Indicators for front ring size:

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The bashguard has taken a good beating, but its still going strong.

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The E-Thirteen LG1+ does its job, the fact that its silent, adds to the score.

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The good:

-Tough

-Light weight

-Silent if set up properly
- Easily change chains and chainrings without removing wearplates

-Adjustable

The Bad:

-Silly expensive

Score: 5/6

July AM

Back on the single crown, and shreddin' the AM trails. Love every bit of it. Its all about tech riding for me these last few months, so my cardio suffered a bit, as I havent been doing those long 3 hours riding sessions, where stops where few and far between. I do however believe that I got the best out of it, as I feel that I stand stronger than ever tech wise, very rewarding and motivating btw. Best part? Im having so much fun.

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Choice, its all about choice:

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This bike is growing on me every time I ride it hard, its such a crazy tool for aggressive riding. Btw the Monarch RT3 is working really well with the ONE for AM, efficient climbing, supportive mid/end stroke for the hits.

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I recently got my hands on some FOX Launch Pro Knee Pads. I have been on 661 Kyle Strait for several years now, and I know alot of you guys out there are using them as well, but seeing all the positive feedback on the FOX Launch Pro Knee Pads, made me want to try them out. Sofar its been very positive, these pads stay in place! Im thinking about doing a comparison; Kyle Strait Pads vs Launch Pro Knee Pad. I pulled up my shorts a bit in this pic so that you can see the entire pad.
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Got lucky with some sunset in the wing mirror.

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New Vid: PARK

I did a vid from our latest bikepark trip. Footage from 3 days, in 2 different German bikeparks, boiled down to 3 minutes. be sure to check out the crashes as well in the end of the vid. Enjoy:

Do me a favor and watch the higher resolution version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X34VDrb_s&HD=1

Embedded version:

Think it turned out ok, I intentionally left out all music, and wanted the sound-side of things to be as "raw" as possible. Its been fun cutting this vid together, but I was once again reminded of 2 things; A) Of all the footage we shoot, below 1% is actually used. B) Making a vid is very time consuming, no matter what I try to speed up the process. Tell me what you think in the comments section, comments does not require a log-in.