WHISTLER 2011 part 1/2

Whistler, Canada. The best place to ride - on earth.

Whistler has a legendary rep, so no wonder most mountain bike riders all over the world dream of coming here. So did I. The idea started to materialize in my head 2 years ago, back then my bike technique was not honed in yet, I didn't feel "ready" just yet. If I was going to Whistler, I would want to ride everything, every line, drop, jump, wallride, whatever the park had - I wanted to roll it. 2 years later (and many bikepark rides later) I felt that Whistler had to be next. Got the the plane tickets, packed my stuff and went to Canada : ) 

Let me start with some praise of the Canadian people. Besides being helpfull and friendly, they are very social as well, and you wont wander long before someone wants to get a small chat goin'. I really enjoyed that, and I wish it was more like that here where I live. Canada also left me with an impression that its a very clean country, and it seems to me like people care about keeping it clean. Props for that.

Whistler is a beautiful place, dirt, vegetation, and the mix of rocks and stones really make it a perfect place for this sport. I was amazed. Oh, and I finally got to see some bears in the wild.

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My first day at Whistler bikepark, I got lucky, within the first 30 minutes I stumbled upon Paul (white shirt), and his brother Ian (black shirt), they where kind enough to show me around the park. And before I knew it we where all rippin' together. Such cool guys. Paul was actually a whistler-local, besides being ridiculously fast, he pulled whips like no other, just wow! I have so much to learn.

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I planned to bring my own ride, but changed mind last second. I had a feeling that I could get away with a rental. I packed my body armor, and pedals - thats it. To my surprise, the rentals in Whistler where of a very high caliber; 2011 Norco bikes, 2011 Giant, 2010 Specialized and 2011 Trek to mention just a few. My ride was a 2011 Devinci Wilson. While not as playful as my Canfield Brothers ONE, it sure was a sweet bike to ride, slack, fast and very controllable, the rear end felt bottomless.
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Gettin' mah wheep ooohn, some of the tables where absolutely huge here, and gave the opportunity for some serious airtime. I wont show too many pics of the park and rides itself, as im in the midst of making a short vid. So stay tuned for that. 

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Tight section on lower A-line. The Whistler bikepark is HUGE, you could easily ride here an entire week without getting too repetitive.

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The famous GLC drop. Hit it fast and enjoy the air-time.(Paul just landed in this pic) 

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I met freeride legend, and mtb pioneer Brett Tippie. Such a cool character!

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Im chasing Paul, he salutes with a whip : )

The park wasn't fully up and running due to the snow. The more popular trails where open. Im sorry I missed Dirt Merchant tho'  - A good excuse to come back ; ) The trails I rode where very fast, and so much fun! The lines where often quite wide, making it possible to make multiple lines in one, at some points. Clearly the main focus for the park is good airtime, so dont expect your bike to be grounded for too long. Lines are as professionaly crafted as youdd expect of a place like Whistler.

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As I mentioned earlier, I wont be posting much more Whistler pics, as I have 12 gigs of vid, that im currently compiling into a short vid. So, this wraps up my bikepark side of Whistler. If you got any questions, feel free to ask, the comments section does not require any sign-in.

I got more stuff tho', you see, I stumbled upon some trails outside the park, and got a bit of a surprise..

Stay tuned.

Sorry for the lack of updates.

But my hands are full

Stay tuned

Teaser Video

60 seconds of trail action in 2 German bikeparks.



Follow the link to see a better quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v96zA8ypSUY&hd=1

Gear update 2

Got back from an AWESOME weekend of German bikepark action(Winterberg and Braunlage). I had such a blast, and had a great time testing my gear. Biggest surprise is the RockShox Boxxer R2C2 2011. Just WOW, what a difference! Plush beginning beginning stroke, a midstroke that actually exists, and a end stroke that wont bend your bars when you get to it. Adjusting low and highspeed rebound took an entire day to find the sweetspot, but I think I got it now.

The bike itself was just shredding, it has such a playfull character. You sit deep into the bike, so its more like that, rather than sitting on the bike, its more intuitive with your body movement, that's the best way I can describe it. I also got a chance to test the claimed "active suspension while braking" - and it does just that. The 200mm up front and rear makes everything faster and more forgiving in the bikeparks than my previous bike, the Enduro SL. I had a blast.

Anyway, more gear landed at my door step, so let me take you through it:

My SRAM X-0 shifter finally died. So I went with a SRAM X-9 this time. BEWARE, its a full 5 GRAMS(!) heavier than the X-0. Silly.

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Got the newest Freerider 2011 shoe from FiveTen, propably the best shoe for platform pedals there is. Its the third generation, and the one that has seen most revisions and improvements. Shredding almost 200 grams, a bit lower profile, and its a bit more ventilated up front.

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Got a direct mount stem from Superstar Components for my Boxxer. Im not sure what size fits me best, so I went with a cheap option to see if it fits. It might be a bit hard to see the weight numbers, but the scale says 150g.

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Specialized Clutch SX Dual Ply for the DH trips. I was using this on the rear wheel this weekend for the DH runs, but I originally intended this tire to be up front for wet/muddy or very loose conditions. Actual weight: 986 g. More on this tire later.

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Forgot all about posting the weight of the RockShox Boxxer R2C2 2011. 3.09kg (6.8lbs) Uncut steerer:

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Gear update

Ive had alot of things going on right now with my gear. So I thought ill give you guys an update.

Finally got my Monarch RT3 back from service, the compression and rebound adjuster didnt work, so I had to send it in. Now I got it back and installed it onto the bike, and was happy to see the compression adjuster is working - however the rebound adjuster still didn't work! Man that sucks! I though SRAM would at least check the shock after servicing it. Apparently they dont. CanfieldBrothers.EU told me they where sorry (its not their fault), and that they would contact SRAM in order to get this right - once and for all.

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Got a new set of PointOneRacing Pedals under warranty. Im quite sure that PointOneRacing has continuous revisions, some of it is already evident, so im hoping for a longer lifespan for this set ; ) Check out the new raw finish. I have a weak spot for these pedals, so even tho I gave them a hard time in my review, I still gladly run them - they are that sweet (when working). I still havent got the longer pins, so im not installing them just yet.

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..What I do have installed are these flat pedals from SuperStar Components. The CNC Nano Tech pedals has got alot of very positive reviews, and I have to admit that they feel pretty good, sturdy, and are pretty thin. Lets see how they hold up. 450g btw.

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Its late spring, and the bikepark trips are queuing up. So check out the bikepark setup. Following changes are made compared to my normal AM setup:
-RockShox Boxxer R2C2 2011 up front.
-Vivid RC2 2011 in the back, coil set to 30% sag.
-Adjustable seatpost swapped with a normal one, with a lightweight saddle.
-Dual Ply tire up front. 2.3"  (Specialized Chunder SX)
-Pedal boots on my SIXC crank.

Im really looking forward to test this setup. I got a Dual Ply rear tire ready for installation as well, should the conditions require it.

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15.98 kg. Thats 35.16 lbs. Not bad.
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A BOXX of fun..

Low/High speed compression, Low/High speed rebound, and bottom out resistance - right at my fingertips.

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Stick around.

Testing the GOPRO HD

Got my hands on the GO PRO HD. Ive just got it, so im still fumbling with functions. I took it for a spin today, just a test session, and tried different positions with the chest mount.

Its got some neat vid functions such as the ability to record 720p at 60 fps - for that silky smooth recording. Or up to a 1080p at 30 fps. I'm playing around with the 960p as im told its the best mode for a chest mount.

Sound isn't good, the cam is tucked into a "bulletproof" housing, and that hinders proper sound recording. No biggie for me tho'. Other than that my initial impressions are very positive, it seems to be a quality product. The outer lens has a bit of a fish eye effect, great for trail shooting when cam is mounted on a helmet or chest strap.

Chest mount - obviously without the cam attached. It fits me well, and im currently trying to make it co-work with my Camelbak - no real issues yet:

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The GOPRO HD is also capable of taking pics (5mp):

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Trail pic from the GOPRO (compressed). I just had to share this. Story behind pic: I love to attack corners, but I almost took it a bit too far this time - my rear end drifted more than planned, and I came so far down horisontically that I almost hit the ground with my left hand (see pic). Crazy thing about this is that I actually came out of this without crashing - and without foot tapping the ground(!) See last section of the vid below to see this move in action.

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Raw test-video.Compressed. 40 sek.

Review: Point One Racing Podium Pedals

9 months of testing complete. It was all good and dandy - untill the testing suddenly ended. So lets take it from the beginning; Lets go 9 months back:

First thing that came to mind when I got hold of these pedals is that they are big! Its 100mm x 100mm but thats the platform itself, actual size is bigger. Second thing that struck me was that these pedals are VERY thin, coming in at 11mm, these pedals are literally thinner than your little-finger.

Ive mostly been running these pedals at my local trails. Definitely not a place thats hard on pedals, ive also taken them to several bikeparks, and some evil rockgardens as well. But the pedals mostly (90%) saw pedal friendly trails.
So it came to me as a surprise when they recently died on me. These pedals are some of the most expensive platform pedals money can buy - I figured they would at least outlast their warranty. Somehow the pedal-body torn itself from the axle. Bummer. Warranty has me covered tho'.
So my excitement for the Podium Pedals went from sky high, to pure dissapointment.

The quality is very high - with beautiful CNC cutting at angles and places I didn't even know was possible, it just oozes quality. Work it Minion:

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Instead of spilling more words, let me just sum it up for you:

The Good:
-Very thin
-Pedal-BODY is tough
-Big and comfortable platform
-Weight
-Easy on the eyes, man are they sweet looking.

The Bad:
-Pins can be hard to swap if they get damaged
-They ultimately failed

I hate when stuff fail, and I refuse to recommend you guys stuff that doesnt cut it, score obviously reflects that:

Score: 0/6

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I got some longer pins, increasing grip.

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Ultimately it failed

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April AM 2

Been doing a ton of riding, im so stoked about the new lines that I can hardly keep my bike still. 2 tight swithback sections, and a huge whip-compatible(finally) jump with an oversized transition with enough room to land a friggin 747 should you mess up the whip. Handy. No pics yet tho'

Besides sessioning the lines, I managed to continue my gear destruction: First it was the Podium Pedals, then my Camera (third time, fuck you right back Casio), now its my X0 rear derailleur - this really has to stop. Im still riding, so cant really complain ; )

Enjoy the pics, got lucky there.

I really like this picture - it has a sort of anti-symmetric vibe to it. Btw, make no mistake, im working hard here : )

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There is a line between all those trees:

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Small offcamber drop:

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A bit bigger drop, and uber smooth landing IF you get the transition right. Spitfire landing here, takeoff in upper left corner:

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Ditching the front derailleur was a good decision, definitely improves on explosive acceleration when needed - the clean look is just a bonus : )

April AM

We had some awesome rides lately, some of the more recent lines are still getting dialed in, but they are getting faster everyday.

Sessioning a fun descend, the bike absolutely rips when pointed downwards:

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Drea on his Norco Range, sweet bike

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Some steep tech:
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Mr.Madsen on his Specialized SX:
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Man, why do these things keep happening to me:
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More to come

Shock trouble

Quick summary of recent events:

The bad: Turns out that my Rock Shox Monarch RT3 is faulty. Rebound and compressions settings didn't work properly. Huge disappointment! Ive sent it back to CanfieldBrothers.eu and they promised me a quick resolution.

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The good:

Just got the RockShox Vivid R2C 2011. The top of the line coil shock from RockShox. So Im technically still on two wheels.

HOWEVER, the Vivid R2C shock is setup for bikeparks and DH sessions only, its sagged at 30% for that reason - not ideal for techy AM.

So for the moment im riding the coil, and it does admittedly feel a bit weird, a bit unresponsive, and harder to pedal. But as soon as I point the bike downhill, it just blows my mind! Such a sick shock for the descends! Watch out for the preview of the Vivid R2C right here on All Mountain Next.

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Review: Michelin Wild Rock'R 2.25"

Michelin hasn't been on peoples mind for a long time regarding mtb tires. Michelin somewhat lost grip of the market, and other companies has been more than villing to fill the gap. So for 2010 Michelin decided to get back into the market with a fresh new line of tires, some revised classics, as well as a new approach to costumers via marketing. One of these tires is the Michelin Wild Rock'R, an All Mountrain compatible tire, that somewhat resembles a Maxxis Minion tire, one of the best tires out there - so does it mimic more than just the looks?

Ive been running this tire for some time now, in soft and loose conditions, both dry and wet, and this is actually a decent performing tire, I have a hard time putting my finger on a single bad thing for these conditions - well besides the slight-above-medium rolling resistance. The big side logs does its job in the corners, in off camber situations, and the tire hasn't let me down a single time yet, to my surprise, and Ive been trying to push this tire hard. Speaking of rolling resistance, the big and tall center logs provide great grip in loose/wet/muddy conditions, but Its not a fast tire on hardpack, so dont expect Maxxis Highroller/Specialized Chunder performance. Do, however, expect mistake swallowing performance.

UPDATE: Been also using this tire as a rear-tire for the last 3 months, and it shows a performance thats to my linking. Great control, predictable drifting, and a serious grip. The thread holds up just fine, well more than just fine, because I can hardly see its been used, michelin did a good job there. The Wild Rock'R  performs great in muddy and wet conditions as well. I really feel that this is a very good balanced tire. There is just one thing, and its the rolling resistance, its not BAD, but its definately there. Is it worth it? It is yes. The rolling resistance does wear off abit after some bedding in.

Great tire for the All Mountain biker who gets his bike into loose trail conditions,  its a tire that really sticks to the line and keeps it there. The generous size also adds to the score - this tire has a great volume. Wild Rock'R is preferable in the fall/winter/spring time due to its cut out. 

Size: 2.25" 
Tested on: Front and Rear
Claimed weight: 690 gram
Actual weight: 717 gram
Score: 6/6

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Put it into wet or moist conditions, and watch it work.

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Competent as a rear wheel tire as well.

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Recent All Mountain sessions

There has been a ton of riding recently, and I got to ride a bit more on my new frame, yay for that! : )

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..whilst still stumbling upon new lines:

Im a bit uncertain about how big this drop actually is, feels smooth tho' - IF you hit the transition that is.. 

The Banshee Spitfire rips into a corner. Go ahead and enlarge the pic, its a lucky shot with all the "debris" in the air:

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But the result was this, tire popped out of its rim:

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Its a bit hard to see, but this is actually a decent sized stepdown:

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More to come.