Stuff
An overview of cycling products, equipment and accessories
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on October 28, 2009
Thule’s communications manager, Karl Wiedemann, has gotten back to us re our recent reports on T2 rack failures. Essentially what happens is that the outer most tray (spar) slides off the rail (backbone) while the car is in motion, potentially creating all kinds of havoc, from bike damage to collisions with trailing vehicles. As Wiedemann [...]
Posted in Accessories, Mountain Biking | Tagged t2, thule, thule t2 rack failure
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on October 8, 2009
Regarding the FTC’s new mandate that “bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service,” we consider it worth repeating Bike Intelligencer‘s review policy. The reason we head our reviews with the tag “by someone who paid for one” is that the phrase sums [...]
Posted in Accessories, Mountain Biking | Tagged bike reviews, bikehugger, cyclelicio.us, mountain biking reviews, mtbr.com, robb sutton
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on October 5, 2009
To its credit, Thule has responded to the case of Andrew Sell, who lost a bike off the back of his vehicle when the rail it was mounted to slid off the strut on his T2 rack. We ran a post on Andrew’s mishap and documented similar episodes from other mountain bikers. Here’s the message [...]
Posted in Accessories, Mountain Biking | Tagged thule t2 rack failure
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 29, 2009
Alert! Another report of a Thule T2 tray sliding off a rear hitch rack has been logged on the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Yahoo! egroup list. Lots of comments have come in regarding this failure, which has been reported before. Here’s the latest, from the list: I was driving home from Whistler last night when [...]
Posted in Accessories, Mountain Biking | Tagged catastrophic bike rack failure, Kuat NV, sportworks, thule t2
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 29, 2009
Interbike 2009 dribblings … Attendance a mixed bag. Overall attendance declined, but buyer numbers were up. Exhibitors were said to be happy, so that’s good, because if the exhibitors aren’t happy, then the booth bimbos aren’t happy, and if the bbs aren’t happy, well, you know… Great video from Mountain Bike Action with Richard Cunningham [...]
Posted in Accessories, Interbike, Mountain Biking, News Cycle | Tagged bikesnobnyc, doping, Ibis HD, Interbike, kuat racks, mountain bike action, richard cunningham
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 27, 2009
Another edition of Interbike has come and gone, and a good time was had by all. Lots of 29ers, lots of carbon, lots of improved this and streamlined that. But if there is anything that Interbike 2009 will be remembered for, it’s that there isn’t anything Interbike 2009 will be remembered for. Unlike past Interbikes, [...]
Posted in Accessories, Interbike, Mountain Biking | Tagged 29er, Camelbak, GoPro Hero, Ibis HD, Interbike, Santa Cruz Tallboy, thule bike racks, Turner RFX
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 25, 2009
It’s hard to know what to make of the 29er explosion on display at Interbike this week. Most boutique manufacturers are coming out with 29-inch models, and Lenz even was showing a 29er downhill bike — 7 inches of long travel (really long when you consider the bigger wheels) with a 26-inch mod kit for [...]
Posted in Accessories, Interbike, Mountain Biking, Racing | Tagged 29er, downhill mountain bike racing, Lenz, Santa Cruz Bicycles, steve peat, tubeless bicycle wheels
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 24, 2009
Following up on our previous post re the carbon conniptions at Interbike, some random links: The belt drive gets a thumbs up. Some folks questioned my skepticism about the Gates carbon drive system, pointing out its proven service for motos, lawnmowers and the like. I say give me a year with this thing on a [...]
Posted in Accessories, Interbike, Mountain Biking, News Cycle | Tagged 29er, Ellsworth, gates carbon drive, magnetic pedals
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 23, 2009
When it comes to cycling, carbon, which used to be called carbon fiber, which was actually a technical implementation of plastic, is becoming the new metal. From the early 1990s days of carbon road frames that pioneering manufacturers like Watsonville, CA-based Kestrel and big-name companies such as Look and Trek built, carbon has made inroads [...]
Posted in Accessories, Culture, Interbike, Mountain Biking | Tagged carbon fiber, Gary Fisher, Gates belt drive, Ibis Mojo, Interbike, Jeremy Honorez, Kestrel bikes, pivot firebird, Santa Cruz Bicycles
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on September 21, 2009
I’m on the road to Interbike and have only sporadic connectivity. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it. Anyway, the bike world’s big wheel keeps on turnin’ … IMBA is coming to the Point Reyes National Seashore this weekend for trail work with Chris and Leslie Kehmeier of the Subaru Trail Care Crew. It’s [...]
Posted in Accessories, Culture, Interbike, Mountain Biking, News Cycle | Tagged bike magazine, Cedric Gracia, David Byrne, Ellsworth Moment, imba, Interbike, pivot firebird