Morning Staff Ride | April 30

Nothing like getting up early for a good old fashioned hill climb on the 36 pound "keep it real" Nomad. Branden, Steve, Dave and I, all riding Santa Cruz Nomads made it out for a pre-work ride up Fromme. The forecast was for rain but ended up being dry and pretty warm; sweet!

Branden Grass | Bukwus | Fromme

Climbing up Fromme, we came across an old rusted Ford that had been dragged out of the woods just off the fire road. It was completely mangled. Makes you wonder what the story is with this car. How long was it in the woods? How did it get there? Who owned it? Maybe we'll find out one day.

Steve Savage | Steed Cycles Store Manager | Fromme | North Shore

The ride ended up being perfect timing for a pre-work ride. We finished up after 2.5 hours of riding at the store for 10am! The weather is getting better and the days are getting longer, and the trails are getting drier, so it's time for post ride work rides too!

-Kimbo

TransPortugal 2010 - Coolest race ever?

Well, I am parked on a hard wood seat in Terminal 3 Heathrow waiting for my flight to Lisbon, Portugal for the 8th Annual TransPortugal Garmin. This is a race that has been on my to do list for the last several years. It’s a bit different than the “what now has become the average” multi day mountain bike endurance race like the TransAlp and the TransRockies. This one is limited to just 60 riders and is “hotel to hotel” rather than camping along the way. The organizing committee takes great pride in making the race very personal for the racers. They are extremely proud of their country and go to great lengths to make sure that the racers get a significant flavor of the areas that they are riding through. There are two further quirks. The race is GPS guided. (i.e. the course is unmarked) In the morning, the organizers slip a SD card into your GPS unit and then say “go”. It is also unsupported so you must be completely self sufficient; so much so that any water needed along the way must be found or purchased. It is also handicapped for age and gender, giving us old guys a running chance at hanging with the young bucks.

I first heard about this race from a fellow Whistler rider in 2007. She had done the race in the spring of 2007, and raved about the quality of the organization. The race sells out fast, so that when I tried to enter in 2008, I ended up on the waitlist. I was on my to the Cape Epic in South Africa in March of 2008 when I received an email informing me that my name was up on the waitlist, and I was in if I wanted to go. Too many races too close together that year, so unfortunately I had to beg off. Last year, I concentrated on road riding and the TourTransalp, so this year TransPortugal was number 1 on my list.

Over the years I have talked this race up among my friends, and in the end we have a great group of seven riders from the Vancouver area heading over. This group includes my 20 year old daughter, who literally wrote her last first year university exam in Calgary less that 36 hours before she was on the airplane out of Vancouver.

The race is 9 days long (the longest race I have ever done) and will cover close to 1200 km. We start pretty much on the north border of Portugal and before we finish on the southern beaches of the Algarve we will have climbed about 20,000m. My daughter tells me that that elevation gain is about the same as climbing from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest 3 times. Why does she have to make it so dramatic???

For all of us, getting ready for the race has been a real challenge. It is difficult at the best of times to be in peak physical shape this early in the season, and with the Olympics in Vancouver this winter, all of us had a very difficult time getting in our training. Many of the local XC ski resorts were closed for a good portion of the winter because of Olympic events, so cross training was challenging. When challenges present themselves it is always good to think outside the box, so a few of us tryed some high altitude training on snow. Pretty sweet!Riding a bike in Vancouver in the winter can result in a lot of wet days. It seems to me that I have not seen dry road in months. Even a early April road training trip to California resulted in several days of torrential rain inter mixed with some great sunny days.
I am looking forward to the challenges that will meet us in Portugal. Stay tuned for the results.

Back in the Saddle

I haven't done a downhill race in nearly 9 years, so I thought I'd start with something pretty straight forward. I watched the chest-cam footage of Luke Stroble riding the Pro-GRT course in Port Angeles and thought, hey, that looks easy enough. Fast, no big jumps, no problem.

(The camera has an amazing way of making things look flatter and easier than they are)

The volcano in Iceland caused a lot of cancelled flights for the pros who had come in from Sea Otter. Stuck in America, they chose to drive up to the PNW for the race, and the field was stacked: Greg Minnaar, Dan Atherton, Aaron Gwinn, Tracey Mosely & of course Canuck Steve Smith.

After shuttling up with some super fit dudes sporting the latest and greatest in Carbon wheelsets & air shocks I pedalled out for a run. As I came around the first corner it was pretty clear that the track was going to be a lot steeper and gnarlier than I had imagined. The entire way down the corners were bermed up right vertical against the trees, so you had no excuse for using the brakes. Most guys weren't.

(Actually, not as bad as it looks)

My first day was pretty scary. There was a big step down into a rock garden that was throwing me for a loop. I avoided it completely on Friday but got it done on Saturday. In the end the drop wasn't such a big deal, the issue was getting your speed right for the right/left chicane that came about a second after the landing. If you came in too hot or on the wrong line you would either blow through the tape or, at best, miss your line.

(It was like this the whole way down... Bermtastic!)

The balance of the course was fast & flowy. It was great watching the top guys in the world double up all the little rollers and hit the berms so fast that they shook. Aussie Bryn Atkinson took the win with 2:34. Top Canadian was Steve Smith who managed 2:41 without a chain, but he looked fast! Nick Geddes from Whistler put in a great run for 2nd in a strong Junior field.

(As usual, the Evil just wanted to rail)

For myself I managed to hit the drop and the chicane clean and the rest of my run was pretty safe. I'm still not letting the bike go as well as I'd like to, but every run was a bit better.

(Greg doubled this section, I rolled it. via http://crash23.pinkbike.com/)

Zen and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance!

Zen can be described as "enlightenment". Well I have been enlightened with regards to my bike maintenance alright, the hard way, by paying big.
You know how those great guys at the back of Steed, Jordan (left)and Dave (right) are always telling you to bring your bike in more often for small tune ups so that you can avoid those big cost overhauls. I obviously did not listen, and now I am paying the consequences.

Last week I went to visit Arthur Gaillot (left) and James Downing (right) and his very entertaining dogs at SuspensionWerx (http://www.suspensionwerx.com/) for some basic shock maintenance. As soon as they saw my bike they told me I was going to need a new front fork. I was blown away!

I quickly learned that if your front suspension looks like this it is NOT GOOD. The discolouration and striations are caused by friction. I guess the mud and grit of north shore riding (particularly the very wet and muddy conditions of the last few months) can take a real toll on your bike.

With race season here, I need my bike in top condition. I had no option but to buy a new fork.

I had a big learning curve ahead of me, so I relied heavily on Kimbo, Scott, James, and Arthur to give me the heads up. I did a lot of comparisons of different models but everyone I spoke to felt that the new model FOX SHOX are really worth the money. At 3.38 pounds, with low speed compression, lever lockout and a FIT remote damper my new FOX 32 FIT RLC is going to be the perfect shock for multi-day cross country racing. And although I am not one to really understand all of the technical jargon, I can tell you that my ride this morning was incredible! My previous shock must have been gradually getting worse and I did not realize how rough it was. But today-I noticed. The entire ride was less effort as it seemed to float over the rocks and roots. I know I will soon forget the cost and just enjoy the ride!

James said I can make this fork last for 5 years (my last one only made it just over 2), but I am going to have to be diligent about caring for it. So take my enlightenment as a warning: if you are not one to clean around the seals thoroughly after each ride and get your shocks serviced regularly, its time to start-or get caught paying the big bucks to replace it!

Colleen Little of The Steedettes (only 63 days until BCBR!)

cali time :: 2010!

This man is going to make me suffer / Adam enjoying a glass of white

Last year in May, Adam Pid, a former staff member of Steed Cycles and I, did a three day bike ride in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains in California that was legendary. All tolled we ended up riding over 400k's in three days. This burst of long milage made a massive difference in my riding level leading up to BCBR. I recommend this type of training camp for anyone planning a multi day event. I am not doing BCBR this year, this trip is purely for fun!

This year we are riding for four days and the plan is to cover 500k's. We'll have to see how things work out as this is by no means flat riding. Every day we are climbing and descending multiple times, giving every gear some time. Some of the climbs are close to impossible to keep turning over the pedals but somehow we are able to paper boy our way up the steeps.

At the end of each day, it was cold beer and mexican food that refuelled us for the next day.

I am riding my Giant TCR Advanced SL which will help push me up every hill and allow me to enjoy every sprint and gut wrenching descent. Stay tuned for a daily report on how each day played out; I fly out tomorrow and the first days ride is Thursday!

-Kimbo

The West Coast Super D

Super D, what does it mean? Super Duper? Super Deluxe? Super downhill? fun?! I'm pretty sure its meant to be Super Downhill, but fun was the name of the game. I wouldn't call myself a racer, or specify that I am an XC rider, or DH rider, I just ride bikes and love it! The West Coast Racing Super D at Balcarra Park in Port Moody seemed like it would be a good time, so I took time off of studying for an exam and went to the race.



There were a lot of good people to run into at the Super Duper, Paul Kalish from Sombrio Clothing was there racing his Chromag Stylus hardtail. Bill MacEwen and Bryon Enns, were supporting Steed Cycles, and lot of other great folks looking for a good time! The weather turned out to be great, which really helped make it a great day of racing.



The race course was a real mixed bag, that made you earn your turns. It was real good fun. For this reason it was rumored that a more XC, or 5 x 5 style bike would be the best choice, so I chose my 2010 Giant Trance X1. I saw a couple other Trance X's there as well. However there was a real range of bikes, from one of our Customers on his Santa Cruz V10, to Dan Skogland on a damn light looking titanium Cove Hummer with full XTR Yumeya parts, Trick!

This section of the course was where I had a big crash... we'll talk about that later.



Arthur Gaillot was on his game, and pulled a mega fast 2nd place overall! He was running a Santa Cruz Blur LT, a KS i950-R adjustable seatpost, that one might say is a must to complete the perfect Super D rig. Arthur was all about the speed, running 2.1 (looks more like a 1.8) Continental Speed King tires. Apparently they're good enough for 2nd place! Go Team Suspensionwerx!



Bill MacEwen took a different approach riding his Santa Cruz Nomad, fronting a Rock Shox Totem. There were a few Nomad's on course that day. Bill was having a good time, and what the Nomad was too heavy for on the uphills, he made up for on the downhills. This is a Super Downhill right?



I chose to ride my 2010 Giant Trance X1, 2.0 Maxxis Larsen TT tires, and xc set-up. I wasn't about to make a bunch of changes just for a race I was going to to have fun at. So, I left the KS seatpost on my Nomad, and left the longer stem on. I felt good on the bike, but the course was not easy. There were some tough climbs, and some grease post rain roots to watch out for, as well as some good rock slabs. It was a well rounded course that kept riders on their toes! I felt the Trance X1 was a great bike for the race.



I did run into some issues though, literally. I don't exactly know how it happened, but I had a good over the bars moment. I felt it, it wasn't nice. But this was a race after all, so I picked up my bike and kept going. I didn't realize that my front derailleur had turned sideways, and my chain was on on. After crashing the adrenaline buzz kept me going, and I had some good sections for sure.
When I hammered to the finish I got to the top and took a look at the damage... Well, looks like a couple threads will hold me together!



When racing you never know what might happen. All you can do is try and be prepared, and do your best. And, of course, have fun! I for sure had a great time. There were a bunch of great people at the race all supporting eachother. I definitely suggest checking out a Super D race or two. Thanks to everyone for the great support, it was a great day!

-Scott

Shimano Dyna-sys

Dyna-Sys: Shimano’s next generation 10-speed MTB drivetrain

Shimano presents a completely new drivetrain technology for mountain bikes: Dyna-Sys. This revolutionary technology uses a 10-speed cassette, but that is not the only feature of this new system. Highlight is a completely redesigned drivetrain that creates real added benefits to the rider.

Dyna-Sys

Ø It’s not only an extra gear…
Ø It’s about closer gear ratios for a smoother shifting performance and improved power transfer
Ø It’s about riding optimized gear combinations that improve efficiency and durability
Ø It’s all about performance: Dyna-Sys offers a more stable drivetrain for any type of rider!

Shimano introduces a wide range of 3 X 10 Mountain Bike components with Dyna-Sys drivetrain. Available already this spring will be the new DEORE XT and SLX groups, as well as a Dyna-Sys non-series crankset FC-M552 in black and silver. These products are an addition to the 9-speed components; they can easily be recognized by the Dyna-Sys logo. Visually, the components are identical to the 9-speed versions. Technically, they offer the new state-of-the-art in component technology: Dyna-Sys.

Completely new drivetrain
Shimano has changed the standard set-up of the drivetrain to increase the efficiency and achieve a remarkable stability. The current standard set up is 44-32-22 teeth chain rings combined with 9-speed cassette sprockets. This will change to 42-32-24 teeth chain rings combined with 10-speed cassette sprockets.

The advantages of a closer ratio front drivetrain with wider range cassette sprockets:

1. Increased efficiency
Ø A wider range 10-speed HG cassette means riders can spend more time in the 32T middle chain ring. And when they do have to drop to the granny, it’s a smoother, faster shift thanks to the more useable 24T inner chain ring. Also the 42T big-ring is easier to ride and smoother to get into so riders will use it more.
Ø Traditionally, riders have had to get used to making two or three recovery shifts in the rear every time they drop into the 22T granny. With Dyna-Sys, it’s just one recovery shift and it’s needed less often.
Ø Dyna-Sys makes shifting to the granny a seamless transition, letting riders deliver consistent, efficient power while maintaining cadence.

2. Remarkable stability
Ø An all-new directional mountain bike specific 10-speed chain means smoother shifts, lighter weight and greater overall performance.
Ø Closer gear ratios mean smaller jumps in between gears, more efficient chain movement and less chance of dropping a chain in rough conditions.
Ø Tighter cable routing and shorter rear derailleur housing make the system less prone to contamination, trail chatter or suspension movement.

Overview of the new Dyna-Sys products

SHIMANO DEORE XT (3 X 10)

FC-M770-10 HOLLOWTECH II crankset
42-32-24T
Steel/carbon composite middle chain ring for great durability

RD-M773-SGS/RD-M773-GS SHADOW rear derailleur
Total capacity 43T (SGS), 35T (GS)
Pulleys with sealed bearings

FD-M770-10 Top Swing Front Derailleur
FD-M770-10E Top Swing Front Derailleur (BB Mount)
FD-M771-10 Down Swing Front Derailleur
FD-M771-10D Direct Mount Front Derailleur

SL-M770-10/R
Two Way Release, Multi Release
Removable Optical Gear Display

CS-M771-10 Cassette Sprockets
11-36T / 11-34T
Two spiders with 3 sprockets each
Alloy lock ring

CN-HG94 HG-X 10-speed chain
Directional chain for optimized shifting performance
Right side optimized for perfect front shifting at the chain rings
Left side optimized for perfect rear shifting at the sprockets
Excellent mud shedding thanks to the special outer link plate design
Zinc-alloy plated
Not compatible with 10-speed road chains!

SHIMANO SLX (3 X 10)

FC-M660-10 HOLLOWTECH II crankset
42-32-24T
Steel/glassfibre composite middle chain ring for great durability

RD-M663-SGS Shadow rear derailleur
Total capacity 43T

FD-M660-10 Top Swing Front Derailleur
FD-M660-10E Top Swing Front Derailleur (BB Mount)
FD-M661-10 Down Swing Front Derailleur
FD-M661-10D Direct Mount Front Derailleur

SL-M660-10/R RAPIDFIRE PLUS shifter
Two Way Release, Multi Release
Removable Optical Gear Display

CS-HG81-10 Cassette Sprockets
11-36T / 11-34T
Two spiders with 3 sprockets each

CN-HG74 HG-X 10-speed chain
Directional chain for optimized shifting performance
Right side optimized for perfect front shifting at the chain rings
Left side optimized for perfect rear shifting at the sprockets
Excellent mud shedding thanks to the special outer link plate design
Grey
Not compatible with 10-speed road chains!

SHIMANO NON-SERIES (3 X 10)

FC-M552 2-piece crankset
42-32-24T
Steel/glassfibre composite middle chain ring for great durability
Available in silver or black

With Dyna-Sys 3 X 10, Shimano brings the benefits of increased efficiency to the classic mountain bike riding style.

For more information about Dyna-Sys check out our website: http://www.dynasystech.com

Introducing- The Nickel and the Butcher!

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: APP SUSPENSION

With a long top tube and snappy pedaling manners, it's a climb-happy, nimble bike with sure-footed geometry that begs to go claim some tall peaks in the backcountry. And with five inches of sophisticated APP suspension travel designed to eat rocks and roots and jumps with all the ability of longer travel bikes, it also does a mighty fine job of whipping the descents into shape as well. Does that sound a little schizophrenic? Maybe so.
The Nickel's a perfect bike for those days when you have to flip a coin to decide where you want to ride.

Way up in the Sierras near Downieville, California, is a trail that leads into more than 5,000 feet of descending during a sixteen-mile feast of singletrack. Along the way, riders encounter frenzied rock gardens, brake searing straights between tight switchbacks, jarring compressions, flowing turns, sphincter puckering transitions into cliffside traverses, and some of the fastest ripping, tree-lined singletrack anywhere in the world. Superb suspension, strong pedaling legs, a tough bike, and a relaxed grip all count for a lot here. The name of that trail is Butcher Ranch. We named this bike, with six inches of abuse-hungry APP suspension and a frame designed to be shown the meaning of tough love, in it's honor.

What Is APP?

In the words of the lead engineer on this project, APP is "a kind of bogus acronym." It means Actual Pivot Point, and since we are an acronym-averse company, those three letters represent both a totally new suspension system and the fact that we don't take our marketing nearly as seriously as we do our engineering. The name "Actual Pivot Point" initially came about as a spoof on "Virtual Pivot Point," and was used in joking reference to our single pivot bikes when we first began working with VPP a decade ago. When it came time to name this new suspension system we were working on, the APP moniker resurfaced, and in spite of our best efforts to come up with something else that accurately described what was going on and sounded cool, the name stuck.

Yeah, But What Is APP?

APP is a single pivot suspension that utilizes a pair of links to create a variable shock rate. It represents the confluence of two different SCB technologies- combining our proven single pivot location with the shock rate characteristics of our VPP suspension - and is the result of a design process that started back in 2005.

We built some mules so ugly only a mother could love them and proved to ourselves it would work. Then we applied for some patents, the first of which was granted in 2009. By this point, we had four years into the design, and had evolved it away from an initial floating shock concept toward the more streamlined bikes in this presentation, the 150mm-travel Butcher and the 125mm-travel Nickel.

Not all single pivot suspensions are the same, so don't go tarring them all with the same dismissive brush. The single pivot used on our new APP bikes is similar to that found on our highly evolved Superlight and Heckler models. It features a high (but not too high) forward (but not too forward) placement that is about the very best place you can locate a single suspension pivot. The placement creates a slight degree of anti-squat, which allows for lively pedaling response, and the high-forward positioning provides a more neutral braking reaction than other lower, more rearward, locations.

We use 15mm diameter aluminum axles in the main swingarm pivot and at the APP link/swing link pivot. Those axles roll on angular contact bearings, thread directly into their swingarm or link counterparts on one side of the bike and feature locking collet heads on the other. The links themselves are stout little chunks of forged aluminum. They don't flex. The axle and bearing design, aside from being a whole lot more sophisticated than just about anything else on the market, is sturdy, reliable, and when the time comes, easily serviceable.

APP employs a variable shock rate. At the beginning of travel, the shock rate is slightly falling, it flattens in the middle of travel, and then changes to a rising rate near bottom-out. Looking at it on a graph you would notice two things - it looks the same as a shock rate curve for a similar travel VPP bike, and it resembles a smiley face. What this means is that during the initial falling rate part of travel, the suspension is very responsive to bump forces - it uses more of the suspension for a given bump size. Basically, this feels like "more travel" than is really there. As APP suspension progresses through mid-stroke, the shock rate flattens and then changes sign to a rising rate. This translates to a gradual shift from the plush initial travel into more heavy impact resistance deeper in the stroke. As the suspension nears bottom-out, the shock rate progression helps resist bottoming, and creates superb jump landing and g-out characteristics.

Nickel frame w/ Fox Float R shock starting at $1350 US MSRP
Butcher frame w/ Fox Float R shock starting at $1350 US MSRP
Both models will be available mid-June.
Kit and complete prices tbd.
Available in our usual medley of powdercoat colors, and introducing chocolate brown.
Come to think of it, our color swatch is looking more and more like a bag of M&Ms every year.

*prices and spec subject to change