“Black Sheep” is No Misnomer

36″ Wheels?  The ZAMer

The fifth annual National Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Indianapolis was overwhelming. Mind blowing, actually. Over one hundred exhibitors laid out their wares to be gawked at by industry professionals and tourists alike. Mountain bikes, road bikes, track bikes, urban fixie commuters, tandems, polo bikes, and just plain ol’ regular (but beautiful) bicycles. Seeing all those beauties in one place made me feel, strangely, a little jaded. “What comes next?” I wondered, “where can we go from here?” I was certain I was standing among some of the finest and most beautiful bikes on Earth. The level of craftsmanship was extraordinary, my mind reeled trying to calculate all the hours of intricate and painstaking work that went into creating such exquisite machines. Hand-polished lugs, seamless welds, expertly executed geometry, and a dizzying array of sparkling paint jobs and powdercoat lay all around me, most of them looking too beautiful to ride (almost). How do you improve on the modern bicycle, right? Humans have been messing around with the general design for about a century, you’d think we’d have figured out the ultimate bike by now. Alas, perfection is unattainable, but the pursuit of it is the sublime quest that defines us as a species. Before I fell into a philosophical gloom (typical), I came upon Black Sheep Bikes‘ exhibition booth.

Standing out in the crowd was the 36-inch-wheeled ZAMer, an eye-catching behemoth of a bike that drew onlookers from all corners of the exhibition hall. Hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, Black Sheep is notorious for aesthetically-pleasing and mold-breaking designs, and I doubt you’ll find any in your local bike shop. This thing shatters molds. After ogling the impressive if somewhat befuddling 36-inch wheels sitting underneath a flawless titanium frame, the ZAMer solidified my vote for the People’s Choice Award. After about fifty laps around the convention hall, I confidently scribbled its entry number on the voting ballot provided at the door. Boldness deserves recognition.

Black Sheep Bikes didn’t invent the 36-inch wheel–there are a few floating around out there.  However, this was the first 36er I was privileged to examine.

Read more

All Harlot and No STD’s

The snow finally melted enough for me to break out the old steed after her long winter nap. While back in the saddle I tried out the new Harlot Hawkeye mountain bike shorts. These shorts are typically what you would consider a downhill short, but since the downhill trails are covered in snow and mud I figured why not a cross county ride?

These shorts are great, but they are not perfect, so let me start with what I don’t like, then the rest is what I do like. First off, if you are going to name your company Harlot your model names should be Harlot names. Hawkeye was a doctor in the TV show MASH, and he was no harlot. A boozer yes, but not a harlot. Harlot should use names like Jezebel (sounds like a harlot from biblical times) or Mustang Ranch (not really a ranch, but if you are familiar with Nevada you know what I mean). This is more a marketing issue, so Harlot if you want to hire me to make your line sound more sleazy consider me your newest harlot.

Second, and this is a complaint across the board with mountain bike shorts. I have not ordered one pair that fits right. They all run way too small. What is the deal with the mountain bike industry? When I order board shorts in the same size I have way too much crack hanging out. Mountain bike shorts…I feel like Santa Clause climbing into a wet suit. In reality, especially with a downhill short, mountain bike shorts should run big so you can fit pads under them if you so desire. There are some pretty nifty impact shorts on the market, but now in order to wear them I need to get another pair of mountain bike shorts. Sure I could lose a few pounds to fit better into them, but it is still winter here in Utah and I still have my winter coat…if you know what I mean. This must be a conspiracy to make shorts run small to motivate us to ride so those lbs will come off. I am sure this is one of those back smoke filled dark room conversations that take place at Interbike, and oh yes they do exist.  Read more

Ventana Mountain Bikes USA: Still Rockin’ it Gringo Style

Sherwood Gibson, owner of Ventana Mountain Bikes USA, has been enjoying the mountain bike scene longer than most of us have been riding. Coming from a BMX background, Gibson built his first steel hardtail in 1985. The past twenty years or so has seen Ventana catapult from humble beginnings to one of the more recognized high-end mountain bike manufacturers in the United States. Unlike most companies that have been around for the past few decades, Ventana still produces bikes exclusively sourced and assembled in the U.S.A. The company’s philosophy places an extraordinary emphasis on quality control and drive for impeccable manufacturing. Mountain bikers lucky enough to own a Ventana are a critical source of marketing for the company. Like many builders, Sherwood admits he enjoys building bikes more than selling them. He was kind enough to talk with me from his shop outside of Sacramento, California. Feel free to drool at Ventana USA.

MTO: So,where were you guys at the National Handmade Bike Show this past weekend?

GIBSON: We didn’t go.  We were planning on it but my wife ended up having to travel for her work and that kept me home. The other thing about that venue is that there isn’t a category for best aluminum bike or best aluminum weld, so quite honestly it was for the old-school steel guys, it’s a better venue for them, we’re not really even thought of as a custom handmade bike company even though we are.

MTO: That’s what I wanted to touch on right away. Your company, and I hesitate to use the term “boutique,” but being a popular high-end brand that isn’t one of the big three, have truly maintained the “handbuilt in the USA” standard, do you face any challenges in keeping things American? Is any level of production or sourcing done overseas? Is it a point of pride for the company?

GIBSON: Not at all. [As for company pride], I guess you could say that, but really, I like making stuff. I got into making bikes because I like making stuff and I thought I could do a better job. And so with that in mind, since I’m the guy that’s out there making it happen, if we can bring it in house and it makes sense and we can have better control and have a better product, then we do. At some point in time, maybe our customer base shrinks and we’re priced out of the market, but for now people who appreciate that we can give them a product, and so I don’t have any interest in going offshore because quite honestly I’m way better at building bikes than I am selling them. So if I were to go offshore I would have to be better at selling them, and I’m not very good at that! A lot of times I can build a bike quicker than I can tell you about it. It’s crazy that way, but that’s the way it is.

MTO: Before we go any further, you are privately owned?

GIBSON: Yup.

MTO: Would you be willing to divulge your sales in terms of bike production?

GIBSON: In terms of bike production, right now we’re doing between 600 and 800 year, which sounds like a lot, but when you spread it over 15 models it’s not that many. What that has allowed us to do is get really good at doing one-off bikes. We do a lot of custom bikes for people. Of those 600 to 800 bikes, 200 to 300 are customs in one form or another. And we’re able to respond to that demand because we’re in-house. So that works out quite well. In general, a custom frame that gets ordered today likely gets started tomorrow or within the next couple of days. And we also do production of our main selling models, we keep those in stock in various sizes, we do powder coating in-house so I go next door and shoot whatever colors we’re gonna shoot, and that’s how I keep up.

MTO: You say you have 15 different stock models, I’m familiar with the product line, but is that the official number in production right now?

GIBSON: Well, there’s not really an official number, if you go to our website and you change the model name in the URL to a previous model name, all the geometry and information is still on the website, and if someone really wants it, we’ll still build it. As long as we have the capability to build it for someone we will. That 15 is not a hard number. We probably do 10 very regularly, and then we do road and cross bikes, so it’s a fluid number. We used to make bikes for Tomac, Specialized, Ellsworth, a bunch of different bikes for a bunch of different manufacturers. At that time, we were doing about 3500 frames a year. So we have more capacity than what we do, but what that does is allows us to focus on our customs in more detail. I would have to add some employees to get back to that number. We have six employees now, had 11 when we were at that number. Read more

Hoss Technical Gear Stallion Mountain Bike Shorts Review

For too long mountain bikers have endured some of the worst fashion options from all the major cycling clothing companies. Ironically, the cycling world has frequently intermingled with the fashion world (Ciao!), but we grubby mountain bikers have suffered through poor design and ugly styles. It seems simple, right? All we want is a decent chamois coupled to a pair of baggy shorts that don’t make us look (too) dorky. Why has this been such an elusive product? We’ve had to endure uncomfortable polyester blends, ragged and irritable elastic that rubs your butt after one wash, no pockets, that horrendous full-diaper feeling, and worst of all the ubiquitous black/khaki/disgusting-print options we’ve been offered for style. Finally, after a few decades now, we’re starting to get a few options on the market we haven’t seen before, from multiple manufacturers. I hesitate to say I see cool shorts everywhere, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction.

Fortunately for us, the good people at Hoss Technical Gear seem to have listened to the wailing complaints of the market place. Look, I ride a road bike (occasionally), and yes, I wear your typical black spandex when I’m posing as a roadie. Through most of the winter I’m a poorly disguised mountain biker logging miles on my road bike while I wait for the warmer months (just for fitness, I swear!). So I don’t mind looking like a tool, and sorry Lance, you look like a tool on your road bike. We all do, no matter how hard we try. Nobody gets into cycling for the fashion, and I can only think of a few people I would like to see in a roadie kit, and I never see them out there pedaling.  Read more

Dakine AMP 12L Hydration Pack Review

The 2009 Dakine AMP pack gets a makeover including the all new reservoir making it a great backpack for mountain biking.  DaKine makes a huge improvement by teaming up with HydraPak to include HydraPak’s Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System with the 12L Amp.  The addition of the new reservoir automatically increases the stock value of this unit.  If you are unfamiliar with this hydration system, read our review of it…hands down, one of the best bladders on the market!

In addition to the Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System, the pack comes complete with XC helmet carry straps (works using helmet’s chin straps), quick access mesh pockets, fleece sunglass pocket, tube/pump sleeves and a molded back panel with air channel ventilation.  Although we didn’t use the helmet carry straps in our testing, we really loved the numerous zippered pockets included the fleece lined sunglass pocket, tube/pump sleeves and padded MP3 player pocket were a huge plus.  Commuters and night riders will appreciate having a small loop located at the bottom of the front of the bag specifically designed for a reflector or flashing light.

The pack uses a light weight nylon material and integrates a breathable mesh material on the shoulder and removable waist strap as well as on the back panel.  We found that the tube sleeve was large enough to fit up to two tubes which we thought was a nice feature for long epic rides over challenging terrain. We used the large tube sleeve to our advantage for stuffing our multi-tool and CO2 cartridges in with 1-2 tubes.

The padded MP3 player pocket is well situated inside the large compartment of the pack and shares the same opening as the reservoirs tube for the headphones leading to an elastic strap on the should strap opposite the shoulder strap with the reservoir tube.  This was a very noticeable feature compared to other packs that fail to include either a designated pocket for an MP3 player or those that don’t take into account the headphones of such devices and leaving them unsecured.  Read more

HydraPak Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System Review

If you are familiar with the traditional hydration reservoir like the bladder found inside of a CamelBak you are well aware of one major problem, the inability to easily clean the bladder.  After a ride a year ago or so I said the following to my girlfriend, “it’d be great if there was a bladder that sealed like a Ziploc so it’d be easier to clean.”  My thought was that if the opening at the top was larger it would be easy to clean the inside of the unit without using the “hanger” or “freezer” method and eliminate the need for something like the ZeroGoo unit that we previously reviewed.

HydraPak took my simple idea and made it far better with their Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System.  We first became acquainted with this reservoir hydration system when we tested the Dakine AMP backpack, however the reservoir was first introduced in 2008.  We quickly stopped using any other reservoir we had on hand.

The Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System features a 36″ Drink Tube, 90deg. Bite Valve, Quickdraw Tube Attachment, Plug-N-Play Connector, and Straight Bite Valve Base.

We loved everything about the HydraPak Reversible Reservoir II Hydration System

The reservoir itself is ingenious.  The opening of the reservoir folds over itself and is secured in place by the easy on, easy off, Slide Seal, a sliding  plastic clip which slides across the top of the reservoir.  Think of the bladder as a Ziploc bag that gets folded over itself and then you slide the white little plastic piece across the top…it is very similar.  When it is time to clean the bladder you simply slide the plastic clip off, unfold the reservoir, reach inside and turn it inside out.  Amazing!  Read more

True Beauty Comes From Within

One of my most favorite people to converse with online is Keith Scott who is the design engineer for Banshee Bikes.  Keith is a wealth of knowledge and has helped me understand the design and mechanics that go into mountain bikes.  From time to time (when he finds time) he will be contributing articles to this site.

Today I asked Keith to explain Banshee Bike’s internal ribbing design for their seat and chainstays.  To my knowledge (and Keith’s) Banshee Bikes is the only bike manufacturer using an internal rib.  So what is it?

Internal ribbing makes the rear end of Banshee Bikes very laterally stiff meaning all your pedal power goes to the wheel rather than frame flex.  Frame flex is something that most riders overlook.  They think a lighter bike will always accelerate faster.  However, a heavier and stiffer bike is much more likely to beat a lighter one off the line.  Frame flex is probably equally as important as suspension design because it accounts for a lot of the efficiency when pedaling.

The process used to manufacture internal ribbing on bikes is cold form extrusion. Cold form extrusion is a process in which the material is drawn and pressed through a die which creates the shape by aligning the material.  The nice thing about extruded tubes is that the grain structure of the metal is all aligned in the process which makes the material stronger than it was before extrusion.  Similar to how forged parts are stronger than CNC machined parts for the same weight.

The rib not only increases the second moment of area and structural rigidity of the tubes, but it also makes the bikes much more quiet.  You’ve probably ridden a big hollow monocoque frame and have noticed the really loud and hollow sound made from chain lap or objects clashing agains the metal surface…with internal ribbing this noise is significantly reduced.  Not that noise when riding is really important…  Read more

IceToolz Xpert “Click” Torque Wrench Review

A torque wrench is a tool used to precisely measure the amount of force applied to a threaded connection. It is usually in the form of a socket wrench with special internal mechanisms. A torque wrench is used where the tightness of screws and bolts is crucial. It allows the operator to measure the torque (rotational force) applied to the bolt so it can be matched to the specifications. This permits proper tension and loading of all parts.

A good torque wrench is an essential tool for even the most basic mountain bike maintenance and repair. It’s important to ensure that all of the fasteners on a mountain bike are tightened to specifications for reasons of safety and to maintain its original design integrity.

The lightweight alloys used in mountain bikes make it very easy to over-tighten and strip a screw or bolt. Don’t guess! Know the correct torque settings for every screw and bolt and use a torque wrench.

The IceToolz Xpert “Click” Torque Wrench kit comes in a fitted case a contains bits of Hex, Pozi, Phillip, Slot, and Torx…32 bits in all, and a 1/4″ adaptor.

We recently used the IceToolz Xpert “Click” Torque Wrench when Installing the cleats of my Shimano SPDs on my new SixSixOne Flight cycling shoes.  For instance, Shimano recommends a tightening torque of 5-6 Newton Meters (N-m) {43 – 52 in. lbs.}.  Read more

Mountain Bike Frame Geometry

When designing any basic hardtail mountain bike there are several important geometric aspects to consider. As soon as a decision is made to design a bike with rear suspension, then a number of dynamic factors must also be considered. The relevance and importance of the dynamic constraints becomes even more crucial as the amount of rear wheel travel increases to the amount required to compete in the extreme-freeride and downhill race markets.

The most important parameters such as lengths and angles considered during basic frame design are shown in Figure 5.

The dimensions of the front triangle on a well designed frame should be governed by the geometry of human bodies, and designed to be ergonomic in order to provide comfort and control. As a result most bikes are designed in three or more different sizes to suit people of all shapes and sizes.

Crank Brothers Cobalt Wheels Review

Out of the box I was super impressed with the look of these babies. Super bright blue rims with a cool new spoke design. The spokes are in two pieces that join in the center for tightening and loosening that gives the wheel a cool modern look. The hubs are definitely the highlight of these wheels, machined to perfection and coated with a shiny chrome look.

I threw these wheels on the Thursday before the 12 hour race. The transfer took about an hour and I was amazed at how well the Maxxis tires set in the rim. The dual tension skewers further add to the look of the wheel which provides a super tight and stable fit.  Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »