2010 Photography with Laurence CE

A slide show showcasing some of my work from 2010. Following me from Big White (Kelowna, B.C.) and its deep powder snow stashes to the dusty trails of the Whistler Bike Park and other great riding areas in BC, then back home to the UK.

What will 2011 bring?

Just going to kick this article off with the slideshow and let the photos do the talking!

I must add, the video quality isn't 100%, due to my computer starting to cry when I tried rendering in HD!



Music - E-Voski - Shutter Flow (www.soundcloud.com/e-voski/e-voski-shutter-flow-free-download)
Also if you guys liked the music, then hit up this artist on his sound cloud, where you can find a FREE DOWNLOAD of the track exclusive to you guys. But I also urge you to check out the rest of his work - E-Voski

That's my 2010 season in photos. And wow it's been a good one. I have got so many big shout outs to everyone who made 2010 an amazing year, and I'm already eager to see what 2011 brings. Currently working on a new project with my old friend Duane Walker and I've got some other stuff in the pipe to get you guys stoked.

I would like to give a few shouts to companies that have helped out this year:

Pinkbike - (Big shout to Ty and Jordan!)
Big White
Sign Designs - Kelowna, BC
Sun Country Cycles - Vernon, BC
The Lost Duck
Banshee Bikes
One Planet Adventure
Switch Bak Mountain Bike Threads

I'm sure that I've missed some, but I thank everyone that has helped along the way (beds, work, bikes, laughs!) - Thank You!


-Laurence CE
www.laurence-ce.com

Lear Miller's Winter in the South

Lear Miller is quickly making a name for himself within America's race scene, and it looks like Team Geronimo/Banshee Bikes scooped him up for 2011.

Check out this incredible video of how Lear spends his winters



Thanks to Brandon Turman for the front page Vital MTB and Pinkbike posts ...

Keep Riding.

Rob Dunnet

Titanium 150x12 axle update

Some of you may know that we have been testing some titanium axles on legends around the world for the last few months, that will fit into any maxle compatible frame to replace the maxle.

The V1 Prototypes were slightly out of tolerance (as is often the case with protos), so they were reworked and then sent out to racers around the globe to put through their paces.

The V2 version (as seen in place on my legend above), was just an experiment to see if there would be an issue with the axles loosening over time due to sticky hub bearings unscrewing them... there was one case where the axle loosened half a turn... so even tho some loctite could solve this issue, I thought it wise to just add a lock bolt to remove this issue completely.

The V3 axles as pictured above use a very simple lock bolt design which in itself is not load bearing, but just there to keep the axle in place by locking into the frame and then holding the axle in place not by opposing thread directions, but just variation in thread pitch.

The axles and bolts are made of Grade 5 6Al 4V titanium alloy for excellent strength to weight ratio... the V2 axles and bolts combined weigh about 55-60g according to kitchen scale (sorry, don't have an accurate scale here). However this does match the theoretical value of 57g based on volume of alloy used.

The 3 versions will now be put through their paces to check there are no unforeseen issues and that they are more than strong enough (calculations suggest that it is more than 5 times stronger than Maxle Lite, and supports the hub body completely). The idea behind the project is to come up with a lighter, stronger and better supporting (to the hub) axle.

Once we are happy with the performance and strength then these axles will come as standard on all applicable Banshee bikes, and will also be available aftermarket for people looking for another option to the maxle system on whatever brand of bike they ride. When we start shipping them, we will post it on the blog so that you can pre order.

Good excuse to travel...

If you want to travel the world a bit and attend lots of major mountain bike events, ride the world cup tracks and just have an amazing time, then you should check out http://www.pinnitmtbtours.com/

If you make it to any of the WC events, then remember to chear on our guys, Matej Charvat and Adam Brayton!!

Finally 2

Look out for Banshee factory team rider Adam Brayton sending big airs and slaying tight corners.


More Mountain Biking Videos

Mike's Amp

After Mike landed himself on the podium at Crankworx he stopped taking my calls, he stopped returning my emails and now only communicates with me through his "team". Just kidding, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Mike he is one of the most down to earth guys I know. He just wants to ride his bike and blow minds.

After we did the purple and black amps for Nic's Eyes, Mike asked if we could do something special for him. In my mind if you podium at one of the biggest competitions of the year then you get custom stuff. We (Mike's "team" and I) started tossing around ideas and came up with something that was totally Mike.

Mike has been bugging me daily for pictures ... I have been sending him little teasers. But nothing like this ... "Hey Mike, here is your amp!!!"

Mike Montgomery Green and Black ...

Mike told me about a font he liked, I took it and started doodling with it, then I took a picture of it and loaded into Illustrator. The result is pretty cool.


The "SD" logo that Mike sports on all his stuff. I believe it stands for San Diego and as everyone knows was discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale's vagina.

Keep Riding.

Rob Dunnet

VOD on Pinkbike!

Conner, Luke, and I shot this back in September and it made VOD on Pinkbike today!

Fogelsode S2 #5: James' Santa Cruz Trip

James Visser just made the trip up here from San Diego to ride and chill for a week.  Due to the steady rain, most spots were far from running, but with a little work we got in a nice session on Hone’s jumps early in the week.  The trails were running great despite a few puddles here and there, so we got some runs in out there as well.  However, we spent the most time at the step-up, as the sand soaks up most of the rain and it runs great this time of year.  Towards the end of the week we got a big sesh going out there, with Greg throwing down some big tricks like a bar to tailwhip and even a double flip!  James went for the double flip, and got close, but under rotated on one and landed right on his head.  Thankfully he was perfectly fine after a moment of shock, so everyone decided to call it after that.  It was a rad week of shredding, enjoy!

James did quite a bit of filming with his GoPro as well, so check out his view of the week in his latest video!

-Fogel

Mikko's Amp

Mikko from FOX sent me this today:


Hi Rob, Keith and Jay!

Sending a few pics of my AMP finally!

As I’ve said before, I LOVE my AMP and ride the ramps, dirt jumps and skateparks with my kid on a regular basis. I used to spend more time on the trail, but I’ve devolved into a park rat, adopted by an awesome crew of delinquent teenage kids who have seen fit to humor me and push me into all variety of danger. I came to this type of riding late in life (57 last August) so I don’t really have my own crew . . .

The bike is really tight, balanced and comes in around 26lbs. I just installed a Fox 831, set @90mm travel, a couple weeks back and have to say it’s such a great fork. (Might be biased being a Fox guy, but I call ‘em as I see ‘em). I’m running Mavic 321’s with the new Maxxis 26” DTH tires; Race Face D2 stem for that bmx-ey style; Shimano XT cranks; Avid Code 5 rear brake; Thompson post and SDG Bel-Air saddle. I always get lot’s of comments and compliments on the bike and despite it’s stealth looks, everyone knows it’s a Banshee. I’ll keep hounding the other Fox guys to get you pics of their sweet new Banshee’s . . .

May the new year find you guys healthy, happy and ready for a seriously big year for Banshee Bikes!

All the best,

Mikko Biffle
Powered Vehicle Division
Fox Racing Shox

Christmas in Taiwan

Christmas 2010 was my seventh Christmas spent in Asia. My Christmas Goal was to do a tuck no hander. I pulled one out, it might be my fastest tuck to date and the one with the least amount of air. But hey I broke my back in July.

After seeing pictures of my air time and style I was thinking I should retire from all bicycle related activities. But then I saw how good I look posing with my bike, maybe there is a future for me in bike posing ... thoughts, anyone, anyone?

James was feeling like he had a case of SARS, but he was still taking it up. He had a couple decent whips but I missed the shot.

Then I climbed up a hill and tried to get some shots from a different angle. Picture is not cropped at all. Sure with some cropping this picture would look a lot better.


Happy New Year. Keep Riding.

Rob Dunnet