Review: SuperStar Components CNC Nano Tech pedals 2011

Superstar Components are rapidly growing, the reason they do so is that they rebrand existing products, and sell them at a lower price due to the fact that there is no middleman. Its an old trick, but its still a smart way of keeping the cost down. I gave it a shot with a pair of pedals.

One of the things they put their sticker on is the CNC Nano Tech pedal. Big and tough, yes. Heavy, with poor grip, yes to that one as well im afraid.
It does have a satisfying big platform, and there where no reliability issues in the 4 months period I have been testing this pedal. But heres the thing; I want my feet to be sticking to the pedals as much as possible, while still giving me the freedom to move my feet should I need it. Problem is that these pedals have such poor grip that you'll be using energy/concentration just to keep you feet on these things. Unacceptable. They where just barely usable for AM, but when used for DH the pedals just couldn't keep up with the grip, and I found myself to be "bounced off" several times. This pedal-behavior spawned some unwanted situations, and in the end; a slower speed.

Quite heavy

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In desperation I tried to sharpen up the pins. It still didn't do the job. Pins are simply too fat and short. 

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The good:
-Reasonably priced
-Tough
-Satisfying big

The bad:
-Poor grip
-Heavy

Score: 1/6

September AM

Christain brought his new camera to a recent ride, and the 3 top pics in this entry is a result of that.

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Christian:

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I think most mountain bikers that like seeing some airtime, would agree that they have a "favorite" side they throw the bike into, being right or left. This is established early in the riders "career", and it will probably stick with the biker rest of his time on the bike. My strong side is definitely my right side, as seen in the first pic of this post. Recently ive been trying to un-program this behavior, by forcing myself to control the left side as well. Why? It definitely adds to the flexibility, and improves skills as well as flexibility, oh and its fun as well.  Last thing: I honestly dislike seeing myself hiding in my "safe-zone" that is my right side. Variation is good. Trying new things is good as well. Pic below shows me doing a small "leftie".

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Twisted branch

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Seriously Cannondale? I had these grips for what, 3 weeks? And they are already coming apart.

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My Selle Italia saddle snapped as well, just during a normal run. Thats 2 saddles in 3 months time. Whats up with that?

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The Harz mountains; Trip number 492 (or so)

Shot some pics on my most recent ride to the German mountains. Here is a good mixed bunch.

You have to look hard to find ultra lush trails like this one in the Harz area. It pays off tho'. Riding these rooty offcamber descend sections is not only tech as hell, but also provide a big joy. Sniff it it, and let it work inside your brain : )

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Got lucky with the lighting in this shot. Rider is unknown.

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Roots, I loove roots..

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..and I love beer as well. Germans do a great job regarding that.

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Finally a pic that justifyes this drop in Braunlage Bikepark. The transition is...interesting..not only due to its steepness, but due to the fact that it consists of big roots and rocks. Somehow it doesnt pose a problem tho' The far left drop, is actually a stepdown, and is about 3+ meters(9.8 feet), the one in the middle is about 2 meters (6.5 feet), and the one on the far right is about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet).

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I was positively surprised about the FOX Launch Pro Knee Pad (review pending), I went ahead and got the bigger version, called the FOX Launch Pro Knee/Shin Guard. It covers the shin and the calves. To my surprise, this version is INFERIOR to the FOX Launch Pro Knee Pad when it comes to knee protection. You see, the padding on the sides of the knee is very thin, barely offering any protection at all. The shin protection is fine, and the guard itself is pleasent to wear. But if you are looking for addtional protection, then look otherwise! You screwed that one up FOX.

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Video. Last run on the DH line.

Last run of the day. The DH setup works very good, as of now I cant really pinpoint anything I would like to change (well there's allways that BlackBox gear, but you know what I mean). Cant wait to test this setup in Winterberg, where gravity will be in focus. 

Anyway, didnt shoot much in Harz, but got this, and the "crash" in the end was just plain stupid, you can allmost feel my frustration. What a waste of flow. Ok, lets get to it;

Raw edit. 2m55sek.

Direct link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K0mM4Oiyvs

Embedded version:

(do yourself a favor and choose the 480p resolution)

Current DH setup

Just returned from a DH session in Germany, and had the opportunity to test my new setup. Even tho the changes are subtle, they are critical. Well, instead of spilling more words, lets get to it, first a pic of the entire setup shot on the Bikepark parking lot:

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About damn time I install a direct mount stem. The 70mm stem before worked "ok", but this will work way better. The stem is a Blackspire, with adjustable length (42-47mm) and a 30 deg rise. Note the integrated topcap. Its from Point One Racing, cool little thing.

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I had some problems with my former I-beam seatpost and saddle, well the seat got destroyed on the last Bikepark trip ("Tour of Destruction" as I like to refer to it) Anyway, slapped on a Thomson seatpost and a Selle Italia Shiver saddle (Corratec edition). Simple, and more reliable.

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Im back on the Point One Racing Podium Pedals. Even tho I gave them a hard time in my review, they are still the best pedals I have ever been on. Superb grip (with the longer pins), lightweight, and thin as hell. This version is from a newer batch, so lets hope the durability has been improved.

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Weight is pretty much the same, it dropped a tiny bit to about 15.9 kg. Thats 34.9 lbs.

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Thoughts: After alot of riding I can conclude a few things. First up the shorter stem works great. Bike is more maneuverable and I like how its positioned me a bit further back. Secondly the Point One Pedals are a blessing after those piece of shit pedals from SuperStar Components, that definitely didn't go well with DH.I would also like to comment the RockShox BOXXER R2C2 fork. I'm still in awe of how amazing it works, it just EATS the trail. Just wow! I also found myself adjusting the Vivid coil to its medium compression setting, and it works better than full open. Softer is not always better.

Btw a small video of some riding is coming up. Stay tuned.

Preview: Troy Lee Designs CP 5955

Troy Lee Designs has been spending the last few years on the drawing board with the Shock Doctor team, the ambition was to design the best chest armor possible. A little year ago they presented their result; the CP 5955. I wanted a better and more cooling upper body armor, so the CP 5955 cought my eye. Now I finally got my hands on it, check it out:

The CP 5955 is highly adjustable, with no less than 50 different settings.

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Exploded exterior view. The protection is definitely concentrated around the chest, ribs, the clavicle, shoulder and upper back.  

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Exploded internal view. Notice the massive amount of channels. They are there to make the air flowing. The system is called VENT-TRAK.

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Troy Lee Designs is keen on telling that this armor is based around a neck brace device. Lets hope others will follow just as passionately. 

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Insert the Leatt Brace into this "slot" on the back of the armor to hold it in place and to stabilize it. Works surprisingly well. 

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1.14kg (2.51 lbs) Thats pretty damn light.
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The CP 5955, plain. Are few front plates are removed to allow the Leatt Brace to fit into it.
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The CP 5955 with the Leatt Brace attached to it.
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All together. Im used to a bulky armor. This is just the opposite.

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Initial opinion:

I have been using the acclaimed Rockgardn Trailstar armor. Its protective, but gets silly hot, and is a bit too bulky. Strapping on the CP5955 is something different! I have been using it in a bikepark just recently, and even tho I haven't had any chest-related crashes, it feels nimble, light, and noticeably less hot than the Rockgardn Trailstar. Works flawless with the Leatt Brace, no straps needed, the brace stays where its supposed. 

I need to test this armor a whole lot more before writing my concluding review here on All Mountain Next. Stick around.

August AM

Wheather has been somewhat dissapointing, with quite alot of rain. When it didnt rain, I had to move fast to get some riding. And man do I crave riding when weather hinders it.

Oh I do enjoy this pic despite its low res character. Bike is allmost sideways, compared to the landing area (brown spot on the ground)

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This stepdown is new. And its pretty big. Note the wooden kicker in the far left, and bike is placed where the preferred landing is. Now all it takes is two wheels, and alot of speed.

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Seeing a deer is not a rare sight, in fact I see them all the time. What is rare is that this deer allowed me to stop up, take my Camelbak off, find my camera and position myself for the shoot, all while this deer just stood there and observed me. Normally these animals shit bricks when they see someone. Shot turned out great imo.
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Bad tan, or dirt? Perhaps both : D
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Trail riding

I had the opportunity to spin my bike in a forest I rarely visit due to the distance I have to drive to get there. Happy to say that I had a great time, and found some new stuff as well. I really didnt expect going for air on this trip, but the trails wanted otherwise : )

I really enjoy finding small kickers like this one. You could easily ride by it without noticing, I did by accident. An evidence that this forest has its own air-loving riders. Enlarge the pic to see the arrow I made that shows the discrete kicker.
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It would be nuts of me to ride past it without giving it a go. The entire road can be cleared.
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I remember seeing this drop for the very first time some years ago. It looked way to big for me, and I had my doubts. Progression has led to a different evaluation of the drop.
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The faster you go, the bigger the drop, I prefer faster as it gives me a feeling of stabilization, I can easily pull a 2 meter (7 feet) drop from this huck.
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Not all my post-ride meals look like this, but I sure enjoyed this one.

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New Drivetrain

Chain, casette and front ring where dying on me. So I did a small swap, shot some weight pics along the way, for those of you who enjoy actual scale numbers:

XTR chain, 9sp, 114 links. (I will be reducing the chain-lenght for my use)

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11-32 XT cassette

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E13-guidering 32t 2011
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Yearh I know that grips dont have anything to do with a drivetrain, but ill post this one anyway. Got these by accident; 2011 Cannondale Foam Grips, with a lockring. Still not decided as to what to say about them, they are on the shorter side, and a bit thick. Ill give them a go.
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Recent AM sessions

More trail shots, from recent rides. Cardio slowly getting better btw ;) Met up with some old riding buddies as well. Stay tuned for more.

Lars brought his Specialized SX Trail 2 to the fun. Such a cool bike. I definately see a resemblence visually between the SX and my ONE bike. The similarities pretty much end there tho'

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And there he goes.

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My take, on my own bike. I gave the SX a quick try, and really liked it, fun and playfull.

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KS 900i galore. Going a few years back, such sight wouldnt even have been possible where im located. Its so cool to see not only the evolution in gear, but gear-use as well.

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Propably the thinnest singletrack trail I know of, the width is about the size of a palm : )

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Michelin Wild Rock'R tire review UPDATE

Updated my review of the Michelin Wild Rock'R tire after testing it as a rear-wheel tire, check it out here