PinkBike: Cove Bikes spy shots of its 2010 line, basically tweaking the quiver. They’re all here, the STD, the Hummer, Sanchez, G-Spot, Handjob … all well and good, but Foreplay for an MX bike? Aren’t the gromz kinda young? Well I guess that’s one way to start a conversation…
Race Face will be there with SixC, which if you pronounce it just right is a homonym (maybe just a pun), its new carbon process in lighter cranks and handlebars.
I run the Deus (not carbon) cranks on my Pivot Firebird and am real happy with them, especially the gold granny. RF’s machining is not only bombproof but dazzling to the eyes.
The fact Race Face is offering the 6C with a double-ring and bashguard setup indicates it’s spec’d for freeride. If so, that’s unusual and may even be a first for a freeride crankset (I can’t think of another off the top of my head).
The bars look sweet as well.
One we’ll be checking out at Interbike.
More, including photos, at PinkBike…
One to, um, watch for: Watch26.tv, a new Web platform specializing in mountain bike videos.
They’re aiming high: Video profiles of mtb stars, users creating their own accounts, YouTube style, and uploading their own modest efforts (watch for a lot of helmet cam clips of someone’s backside and a long trail, mixed in with 5-second point-and-shoot hucks and jumps), full-length movies and travelogues.
The concept holds some appeal. As it stands, there’s great mountain biking video everywhere, sprawled all over the Web, where you have to go hunting and pecking and sorting the good stuff. PinkBike often has the latest downhill racing vids, but sometimes it’s Mountain Bike Action. YouTube has tons of stuff, but Vimeo’s higher res appeals to more professional (read “with a budget”) production.
If it were all under one umbrella, it would save a lot of clicking. Watch26.tv will have to offer something better in terms of convenience or features or quality to lure posters from the usual suspects.
I’ve sampled Watch26.tv on a variety of computers. It tends to load slowly, but once up and running it offers dazzling image quality. HD quality in a fairly good-sized window. Your mileage may vary with your Internet access speed.
So far, though, not a lot of content. Searches on Moab and Galbraith turned up zip, Whistler just one hit. It’s a lot of commercial filler — trailers, teasers, etc. — and although it looks good, it’s not going to sustain the site. We’ll keep an eye on it and report back (Although it attended Eurobike, Watch26.tv is not listed among Interbike vendors. We’ll see if they cover the Big Show.)