Welcome to the mud fest - riding UK style

Here in the UK, we are well into our "winter" season, yesterday was -2 degrees and we had snow on the ground here in London for the second time this month

The snow was so heavy in the morning I rode to work in my Spy goggles so i had some chance of seeing where the hell I was going!

But as the snow never lasts and the rain always come back, it quickly turns our trails into a mud bath

Now some riders hate mud riding, others seem to love it, and in the UK its so wet and muddy most of the year that you either deal with or give up riding...



I've never been shy of bad weather or riding in the mud, cleaning the bike afterwards is definitely a hassle but its all part of the game

I took my Mythic Rampant out this morning and soon got caked head to toe in mud whilst having great fun sliding around the trails above NW London, an hour and a half of mud riding is a great workout for sure

The Rampant doesn't seem bothered by the mud, probably because Canada is also somewhat muddy from time to time!



The pivots are holding up fine, despite lots of muddy rides, post-ride cleaning with Muc-Off cleaner and the occasional re-grease using Keith's clever grease axle system

It may be muddy out there, and freezing cold, but hey..I'm having fun

happy trails!

Rob C

CPSC Prop 65. bahhhhh!!!!

One of the super cool things you get to do when you're in the bike industry is deal with lawyers, legal stuff and the navigating of government regulations. I especially like reading legalese - you know the language made up by lawyers so that you have to pay them 1000's of dollars just to translate it.
So the bike industry is in a bit of a scramble right now for anyone that ships into the USA. I've spent plenty of hours on the CPSC home site and figure I have digested enough to give me a pretty decent understanding of what we'll need to do. We're already in compliance, but just need a little peice of paper stating that we are. I just need to confirm one thing with the gov. office and then we'll be good to go. So don't worry if your Banshee will get to you... it will! We're all over this like flys to sh*t... or lawyers to ambulances.

For those of you who are in other bike companies that look at this blog... here's the latest. http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr09/certification.pdf .

Rob C goes Mental !!

I've always been a huge fan of Syncros components...going way back to the early 90's when I was a shop sponsored, expert-class, cross-country racing guy churning out 200+ off-road miles a week and doing pretty well in the Nationals and long distance events across the UK



In 1993 I had an awesome XC racing bike courtesy of my sponsors "Hardisty Cycles" (a shop in Newcastle, N-East England that also sponsored UK DH legend Jason McRoy)

My KHE Team (heat-treated True Temper steel) was dripping in Syncros finishing kit including their legendary ahead-set stem (with the angle stem cap), iconic seatpost, alloy bar and titanium bottom bracket, although I never managed to get my sticky hands on their True Temper steel crankset....

Its funny how I ended up involved with Mythic, the UK side of Banshee bikes, born of Pippin Osbourne, founder of the original Syncros, and one of the founders of Banshee bikes - the same engineering know-how and attention to detail that I loved about Syncros shone through with the Banshee and Mythic Screams, Chaparrals and Morphines!

Well Syncros got relaunched some time back, and is currently part of the Tom Ritchey portfolio, but they still make some innovative, tough and well engineered stuff

I've been running their Mental Alloy pedals for over 2 years and finally they started squeaking and getting a little loose...time for a rebuild kit

Considering they have had some serious abuse in Whistler, the North Shore of Vancouver, Welsh and Scottish trail riding, English winters, Dirt Jumping and everything in between, they have been super durable and an example of why I always spend good money on good pedals

Then I got talking to the importers of Syncros and realised the price had dropped on the Mental Magnesium pedals, which are also a sweet off-white colour, a great match to my red/white Mythic Rampant



One rebuild kit and one set of Magnesium pedals later (thanks to Jungle UK ;) ) I am back on my favourite "new" pedals and rebuilding my old Mental Alloy pedals in the workshop at Freeborn over the weekend

nothing like treating yourself to early Christmas presents, especially with such a sweet bike as the Rampant?

happy trails......

rob C

Matej's first impressions of the Rampant

Rampant after two weeks:

I built up my Rampant two weeks ago with an exact idea in my mind. I wanted to have a fast, light, versatile 4X/Dirt/Slopestyle bike which fits me. Considering that, I built it up with these components:

Frame: Banshe Rampant, size: Long, color: Team Red/White
Fork: Fox 32 Talas (QR)
Bars/Stem: Funn Full-on/SMX
Cranks: Funn Hooka DH
Rims: Mavic
Brakes: Formula ORO K2
Seat: Funn Skinny RL
Shifting/Dear.: Sram X9
CG: Shaman Racing 4X Comp

I didn’t put on it any lightweight components and it weighs about 13.8 Kg (30.4lbs). Cool, isn’t it?

How does it seem to be after two weeks of riding?

First feature which I love on my Rampant are the looks. Everytime I show it to someone, they always say: ‘Oh, It’s a pimp‘ or something like that...Nice!
Now let’s check the riding features. The first time I sat on it, I felt a bit weird. It was long and super low. But when I tried it first time I was hooked! The lowness of that bike and its geometry...awesome. Fast accelerating powered by VF4P independent suspension which makes it possible to pedal and brake on rought surface without any unwanted feelings.

I also love the way the Rampant feel in corners. It’s predictable and fluent handling is lovely due to low center of gravity and the right angle of headtube.
I’ve been riding it on a lot types of tracks. BMX tracks, Djumps, Trails, Local DH tracks etc.
When I’m riding Djumps or BMX I’m using a lockout on my rear shock and high compression om fork. It makes it possible to hit the takeoffs better and accelerate faster.

When I’m riding in the woods or rough terrain I use my shock unlocked and I switch the fork to 120mm/140mm setting to use all the advatages of suspension.

I love to ride my Rampant and at the moment it’s the only bike I use!!

Thanks Guys.

Matej

Whoops... so thats why you do prototypes

as anyone knows who works with turning a drawing into an actual product, whether it be on a construction site, building airplanes, or even less complicated bicycles, sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men go a little squirrely; as has been the case with the Paradox. No big deal really as we tack the frame together with a few spot welds and then start basically doing what we're doing, checking to make sure there aren't interferances and alignment is correct before doing the full welds.
So once we get the new bends adjusted on the seat and chainstays we won't have the brake rotor rubbing against both of them. Also I'd like a little more clearance for higher knobs so instead of using a tube I think we'll just use a plate in a slight V shape to give a good amount of mud clearance for the rear tire.
All in all though i'm super stoked on the bikes lines, and its pretty light. I'll fire up a final weight when it all gets put together with all the welds. In the pic there will be a BB drop so the pic isn't aligned totally perfect to show what the angles will actually be - you'll need to imagine it or use the rotation tool in photoshop to see.
Anyway i'll have more updates as we go... I'm pretty stoked on this bike.

Goodtimes in TW

Thanks Gabriel for making the vid... looks cool

So what is a Paradox??

Its the bike formerly known as the V29 or Viento 29. These were just pre-production prototype names that we make up just so we know what we're all talking about and never intend to use them going forward when the are finally available for sale.

Anyway the really cool thing about the Paradox is its not just another 29r hardtail. The only other 29r that I know that might come close is the Sinister one.

Ok so what makes this hardtail different from other 29rs is that its designed for the rider that likes to ride a 29r but doesn't want to punish their body. Its kinda like the weekend warrior 29r and we're doing an extra large size for those big dudes who love the bigger size but until now have been left with something that is so spindly lightweight that they end up having to compromise on stiffness. If Banshee is known for anything its for the stiffness that we bring.
In fact we wouldn't even have gotten into doing a 29r unless we thought we could bring something unique to the table.
Our Scirocco was voted best of MTBR and we figure if we could take a Scirocco and make a 29r out of it... well how cool would that be.
Personally I love the ride of a 29r and although I may not totally agree with Chris at Niner, that eventually 26" will fade out being replaced by only the 29", I do agree that it has its place and is here to stay.

They say the devil is in the details and to follow is why this bike will be unique in the 29r hardtail world.

1] it was made to be an agressive allmountain 29r hardtail

2] it is possibly the only 29r hardtail geo adjusted around a 120mm fork rather then the other 29rs which are always adjusted to a 100mm. This should provide a more comfortable riding position.

3] Short 17.oo" chainstays. Check out that bend in the seattube... thats how you can do that. It will still also be able to accept a front derailleur in the correct angle for crisp shifts. What it provides is quickness in handling tight corners and getting the front end up and over stuff.

4] we've added ISCG tabs ... for the All mountain Hammerschmidt of course.

5] cable guides have been added for the Joplin telescopic seatposts as well.

6] using our Sun tubes with the internal rib will make this probably the stiffest 29r out there and we've also incorporated the "shock block" that we've been using for a few years. It keeps the lateral rigidity but takes any harshness out of the ride letting you keep riding for hours without feeling like you went 10rounds with Hollyfeild.

7] our thinking that we wanted it to be a less punishing ride, we have gone with vertical dropouts. If you're a die hard and really need to run single speed there are still options. Devon has been testing the White Brother concentric Hub, and Linden uses a chaintensioner. No its not a true core SS setup but thats not what this bike is truly about. Most who appreciate what they're getting will want to run a geared option... possible nine in the back and a single upfront with a guide like the E13... thats probably how I'll run mine. Having nine in the back just takes the edge off when the going gets long and steep... sure you can walk your bike but is it not better to ride up those steep sections?

The bike will look very similar to this when its done. Protos should be done in a few days and I'll be sure to post them up.

Banshee Legend in Team Green, Pics and Ride Report

Aaron sent me this to bait your green eyed monster! (wow did I just made a Shakespeare referance... what's that all about?) I have to say that I think this is one of the best looking builds I have ever seen, good work Aaron!

'Santa came Wednesday! Immediately booked Thursday and Friday off from work so I could build her up and bed her in... Here are some pics and a ride report from the weekend...

Banshee Legend Mk1

Size: Large (Rider: 6'3")
Fork: Stock Boxxer Team ('cept for decals)
Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel – heavy steel spring
Stem: 50 mm Point 1 direct mount (lovely!)
Bars: Sunline V1 (745 mm)
Brakes: Formula The One (180 mm)
Drivetrain: Gravity Lights (170 mm) with 38T back to Ultegra 27-12 cassette and mech, MRP G2 chainguide
Wheels: Industry 9 with Swiss 6.1d
Tires: 2.7 Maxxis Minions DHF front and rear, super tacky, light tubes

Weight: 39.5 lbs

I hopped on the Legend and two things surprised me in my first parking lot test. First is the acceleration. The combination of the CCDB, quick engagement of the I9 rear hub, back end stiffness and high virtual pivot suspension means this thing just takes off at any hint of pressure on the pedals. There’s no noticeable bob even in a standing sprint, and it doesn’t feel like your putting extra tension into the chain either. The nearest thing I can compare it to is a V10, and I’ve got to say it pedals even lighter! It feels like my 6” bike. I’ve let a few people ride it and the pedalling is always the first thing they mention.

The second thing I noticed is for a bike with such a slack (64 degrees measured), long (47 1/8” measured) and low racing geometry is how playful the bike is. The front end comes up easily and you can hop around on it. It feels way more light and nimble than I was expecting. I didn’t expect that, especially from the CCDB from what I’ve read, but it’s a good feeling.

Get this baby on the track and it shines even more. Again, the pedalling is the best part – anywhere and everywhere this bike is ready to accelerate. The cornering is fantastic as well – very predictable and precise. I can place the bike exactly where I want to. The bike feels light in the corners as well, very easy to modulate the lean angle, possibly because the CG is so low. I was riding 2.7 minions on a wet and slippy courses, so I did a fair amount of drifting, and not being exactly of Sam Hill’s calibre I was surprised how easily I could control the drift, although that could be down to the tires as well. But I could sense just the amount of traction they had and adjust my angle of attack accordingly.

I haven’t spent much time in the air yet – I’m not really a big air kinda guy, more of a ground hugger. I’m still finding the front to rear balance point in the air, as the damping on the front and especially rear is still new to me, but the CCDB didn’t feel as “dead” as I thought it would on the take offs.

The cockpit on this bike is way different than I’m used to. It’s set up fairly low (could go lower) and wide (745 mm). Being quite lanky, I’m liking the wide bars, not so much for leverage, but for the attack position they put you in. They get you a bit lower on the front and I found it easier to come forward when I needed to weight the front wheel – like they’d opened up my chest. I prefer a longer cockpit to get the power down, and I’m running a 50 mm direct mount stem. I’d say the cockpit feels pretty medium, definitely not long, and a find myself riding a bit back of center most of the time. The front end lofts really easily and I can feel exactly what’s going on down under the rear tire. Considering my height, I think they got the geometry just about right for what the average guy wants. And pardon the cliché, but this is one of those bikes that you feel your “in” it, not “on” it.

We’ve only got one small rock garden to play with at my local hill, so I’ve got limited info on the suspension performance on big hits. What I can say is that on my last run I was having a blistering top section and came in hot and off line in this rock garden. I lofted the front just a little but the Boxxer still went “thunck” on a very hard hit. But I didn’t feel it in the rear, must have just sucked it up. Still haven’t checked to see if I’ve dinked the front 6.1d rim – I’m afraid to look!

So what’s the bottom line? My friends are pissed. They used to be neck and neck with me, and now I’m 4 seconds in front of them, and that’s on a short track! Lovin’ it… And this bike get’s a lot of attention. The finish is the best I’ve ever seen on any bike. You should see the green metal flake in the sunlight!'


Thanks for the write up Aaron. Go faster and grin wider!

Mythic AMP price confirmed for the UK

We've been getting calls from UK riders asking about the price for the new Mythic AMP hardtail frame, which is due quite soon, with more AMP's to follow in February 2009

Our initial pricing was looking to be GBP£285, which would have put it in-line with other DJ/Park/Street frames from DMR, Identiti, Flow, etc.


Keith's prototype AMP back in Spring 2008 at Esher Shore

However, due to the recent fall in Sterling (£) against the US dollar and other Global currencies, all prices are rising on bikes, parts and accessories coming into the UK (not just Mythic!)

Based on current exchange rates we have set our AMP frame price at a retail price of GBP£399.99, but the actual selling price through Freeborn Direct is £349.99

Its still a great deal for an awesome hydroformed aluminium frame, which is definitely very different to the generic cromoly DJ frames flooding the market

And of course the cromoly DJ frames will also be rising in price as distributors pay more as the pound weakens, so the AMP is not "overpriced" by any means

Supplies of the AMP from the first drop before Christmas are very limited, so get in quick if you want one....they are coming in raw finish, short and long sizes, and we will be doing great deals on Rockshox Argyle 318 forks if you want a sweet fork to go with your new AMP frame!

More info here: http://www.freeborn.co.uk/shop/frames/hardtail/909-mythic-amp-frame

cheers!

Rob C

hOOray the weekend... and other stuff

Wow I have been super busy this last month. Gotta get all the crap organized for the "man" -government- so that you can then pay them more money.
In addition we're still assembling Legends, working on another prototype -the Paradox- and working on production bikes.

The bright spot is when I get to do a few emails [about 80 -100 a day] and it grounds me because I get the email that says "yo dude I just love my new Wildcard" or whatever... the last one was from Nate in Utah that sent me pics and said he was super stoked and it was the best bike he ever rode... If that doesn't make you feel good and keep you busting your ass then nothing will. It lets you know why you are doing what you're doing.

It isn't all fun and games and I seriously think i rode more when i was out of the industry, but you really cherish the times when you do get to grab a bike and head for the hills.

You meet alot of cool people working at the factory and some are pretty damn good riders - like the Canfields for example. This time I got to ride with the former 3X Belgium DH Champion Steijn [pronounced stain... ha!].

By far the best trail in TW that I have found so far is the SpeedTrap and it was back to do a days worth of runs on my freshie ride the Legend.

So i went first but I wish I hadn't... they have these freakin huge-ass spiders that build webs right across the trail. Not that i'm totally afraid of spiders, I just don't want them on my face.

The trail had changed a bit, the skinny across the creek was gone and they were building a road so the very last part was lame, but the top part was its usual steep, fast, and some parts tech, self.

It was lots of fun as usual. Last run Steijn took my bike and flatted so we just called it a day as it was getting dark.





















I decided it was time to go and visit my new distributor -Pinoy Bikes- in the Phillipines.

I really didn't have time to pack up a bike and it was super last minute so I didn't want to impose on them and Gregorio [Goyo] had been awesome and postponed a flight he was suppose to take earlier that day so he could spend the day showing me around.
I arrived in the late afternoon and took a taxi to my hotel where I setup my virtual office and started to back to work again.
The plan was to go out for dinner but Goyo had a family birthday party that was in fullswing so we arranged to meet each other next morning, which was cool because I had a ton of urgent stuff I had to do.

Next morning we climbed in the car and headed off to Bike Town which is shop he has with his friend Tony. Man if you thought traffic was crazy in Taipei you've never been to Manila... the first night i was kept awake by non-stop honking of the cars horn. In fact I don't even think you honk to warn somebody... it was more like honk to the beat of the song on the radio... it was like craziness and at all hours. I can drive in Taipei no problem... parking is a bitch... driving in Manila that is something I will need to get my head around.
I had heard earlier that it wasn't the safest city but to be honest I never once had my spidey senses tingle and even though the security guards carried what looked like sawed of shotguns and assualt rifles they were super nice and open doors for you and said hi. It was a hella lot better then the attitude you get on the other side o the pond.
The other thing that struck me was how easy it would be to live here. Everyone speaks English, theres every manner of fastfood place and the mall was like a transplanted American mall. There seemed to be ALOT of foreigners running around too.
I chilled with Goyo in the early part of the day and then we got a possie toghether for some Phillipine food. OMG was it tasty... kinda like Tai food, and I wish I could remember what all the names were but it was pretty awesome.
Anyway I'll try to not make this too long but had a great time. Big thanks to Tony's wife for the 80 proof Filipino rum... i've already cracked into it and it is soooo tasty hahaha so tasty i'm not sharing... i don't care what they taught me in kindergarten.

We came back to the shop after a really long extended lunch. Customers were showing up, but they didn't really seem like customers as much as friends who bought stuff... it was such a cool environment and reminded me of the shops back home where you show up, everyone knows you, you chat about shit, maybe pick up a few things and then get on your way. We actually stayed pretty late as Goyo was fitting a bike. Anyway it was awesome to meet everyone and was cool that they made me feel so welcome.
I'll be back in March for the Terry Larrazabal Bike fest http://www.tlbf.org/ and I hope I can hang out with Hans Rey and Brian Lopes and Cedric cause apparantly they're going to be there.
It'll have racing, dirt jumping... and from what i heard about 3000 people will come out to it.

Anyway I'm back in TW now, working away.
Talk to you soon and if I race on the 30th in Hong Kong I'll post something up and take more pics - i'm so bad about that.