2011 Tall Boy Time

Yup, Time to get a 29'er. I had the opportunity to demo a Santa Cruz Tall Boy down at the Interbike Trade show last year and really took to how it handled. At first, like most people, I didn't really know what to expect in terms of performance, for climbing, technical descending, and whipping it around. The bigger wheels just looked weird to anyone who has been riding mountain bikes since the beginning... 


By the way, if you know Seb Kemp, he is one of the reasons why I showed so much interest in this bike. Every bike has it's limitations, and I'd decided 29'ers weren't shore worthy until I saw some of the stuff Seb was putting this bike through. Of course Seb could make a shopping cart look graceful so I had to test it myself to be sure.


We decided to order a demo Tall Boy in for us to test out and put through the ringer, to see if it was going to be a contender for our tight sales floor. The demo bike we chose is the SPX complete with an Fox RP23 rear shock and Fox Float 32 fork set at 120mm of travel. We put a Rock Shox Reverb post on it as well... because once you have used an remote adjustable height post, you'd know it's a necessity!

Rock Shox Reverb Post. This photo was taken down at Interbike's Dirt Demo Day. This was the first time I'd seen one in person. Rock Shox has really polished up on all the details. Aside from the looks, my favourite detail is the hydraulic remote; it is essential for the wet winters here as you never have to worry about the cable getting seized up mid ride!

I have taken out the demo bike for about 5 rides in the past couple of weeks on a range of different types of trails and conditions. The key remark that sold me on the bike was that the bigger wheels 1. didn't slow me down on the tech descents and 2. were faster on the flat sections and rolling technical single track. One critical part of my test was taking out my Santa Cruz Nomad the day after several rides on the Tall Boy on the same trails and riding the same lines at similar speeds. To be honest it made me love the Nomad more than I had remembered, as my eyes watered with the speeds it railed corners and the sheer stability and suspension quality. All bikes have their advantages, that's for sure. Hey I guess more than one bike is an idea, ha-ha!

Ok, for build kit, this is what I am thinking. It's also pretty much the Santa Cruz XTR complete Kit with a few minor changes:

REAR DER:    Shimano M980 SGS (XTR) 10spd

FRONT DER:    Shimano M980, M981 or M981-D (XTR) 10spd

SHIFTERS:    Shimano M980 (XTR) 10spd

CRANKSET:    Race Face Next SL

Race Face Next SL Cranks....uhhh did you say 680 grams? Holy moses, get them on my bike please!

BOTTOM BRACKET:    Included w/Crankset

CASSETTE:    Shimano M980, 11-36 (XTR) 10spd

CHAIN:    Shimano M980

BRAKES:    Shimano XTR

BARS:    Easton Haven Carbon

Easton Haven bars at 28 inches wide, 170 grams, and did I say carbon.
I really like the sweep of these bars too, it just feels right.

STEM:    Race Face Turbine

The new Race Face Turbine Stem. Beautiful and simple CNC design and again very light.

GRIPS:    Ritchey Foam Grips (The only way to go, especially if you ride gloveless)

HEADSET:    Chris King taper

Chris King Taper Headsets are so clean and classy. It's all in the details...

SEAT POST:    Rock Shox Reverb

SADDLE:    WTB Silverado SLT

WHEELS:    Mavic TN 719 disc rims laced to Chub 15mm front hub and DT 240S rear hub w/ DT 14/15 guage spokes, alloy nipples


There is a joke running around the shop that I will have the 29'er Envy carbon rims laced to Chris King hubs...it might happen, but not right away... The incredibly stiff Envy rims are notorious for transforming ones opinion of how a wagon wheeled bike handles apparently. Word's out that once you've run the envy carbon rims on your bike, you can't ride an aluminum wheel because the carbon hoops are so stiff they transform the control you have over the handling of your rig. I would like to give them a try, but hard to justify at almost $1000 per rim. We'll see...

TIRES:    Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 folding (I will run Schwalbe Nobby Nic's when they are available)

TUBES:    Maxxis .8mm tubes (probably go to tubeless ASAP, I hate tubes)

Fox 32 Talas- 95mm-120mm

Last part on the menu, is the fork. I decided to go with the Fox 32 Talas 29. It has two travel settings of 95-120. I have only ran the Tall Boy with a 120, which feels pretty good but a bit high in some steep climbing situations. My buddy Arthur from Suspension Werx, runs his Fox Float 120 at a customized 110mm, which he swears by as the perfect travel setting for the Tall Boy. I am not one to argue but I have always liked the Talas forks for the versatility they bring any bike. Talas allows the bike to be equipped with a fork that can be run nice and low for the gut busting climb, then popped up for a slacker front end for the high speed tech descent! It brings the best of both worlds!


Now I just have to wait for it all to show up! The waiting is always the worst part once you have decided on exactly what you want for a build.

-Kim Steed

Steedettes in 2010

It's January and time to reflect back on 2010 and to make some goals for 2011.  I cannot report on my year without including Mary Shaughnessy, my riding partner and good friend.

Last year Mary and I became the "Steedettes," supported in our training for the 2010 racing season by an awesome "team" of experts, including Steed Cycles, Monika Marx (Marx Conditioning), Cynthia Young, and the dudes at Suspensionwerx.

Fromme, Winter 2010

Unlike our typical winter season, we did not run, grind, ski and snowshoe.  Instead we rode!  Through the snow and rain, the way to train for riding is to ride...so ride we did.

I bought a road bike and we put in our miles.  We learned to love the speed, the rhythm of it.  It allowed us time to think and talk, something we rarely get to do on our mountain bikes.

Picture thanks to Simon Chester f/otographique!

In March came the Dirty Duo. What a crazy time to have a MTB race!  2010 was particularly nasty... notice my leg colour (I am only wearing knee warmers).  The one benefit, very few women participate and your chances of reaching the podium are pretty good.

Finally spring arrived, but the trails did not seem to dry out much.  Even though Mary and I had been riding, running, and skiing together for years, we had never raced as a team.  It was time to try!  We approached the upcoming racing season as practice for the our big event of the year, BC Bike Race.  Each race was an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and each other, and how to get the most out of us as a team.  We also practiced what it would feel like to race after big rides.  So our coach would set it up for us to ride 6 days in a row and then race.  Not the typical taper!

Photo from Todd Helinga's website

Here we are in the NIMBY 50. Some people loved the long climbs, others did not.   The Pemberton organizers put in a really good effort and the post-race burgers and beer rocked!

The Sunshine Coaster, North Shore Bike Fest and a few time trials were all the races we did prior to the big day.  And then it came!

BC Bike Race
We had just spent 6 months preparing.   We looked at the 7 days as a great gift...7 days to just ride.

By Day 3 we had no clean clothes and had to resort to the retro Steed gear!

Day 7 riding Whistler bike park...just lots and lots of fun!

The Finish Line...Mary's face says it all!

We were thrilled with the result. We had hoped to reach the podium 1 of 7 days and we managed 5 of 7, as well as third overall.

Nothing will be able to top the feeling on July 3rd, 2010.

Now it is January 2011.  Neither of us have any big racing goals this year.  We want to ride and ride lots, but purely for fun, and hopefully lots with our friends.  Mary has started a riding group called Women in the Woods, and I am really enjoying trail running again.

Seven Summits is definitely on the agenda, as well as continuing to explore this fantastic place we live in! 

But for now the snow is here, so its time to ski.  See you on the trails!

Colleen Little and Mary Shaughnessy
THE STEEDETTES