Crankzone

Bicycles from automakers are nothing new. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, and BMW are just a few of the car companies that have offered bikes in the past. Some of the designs are better than others, but usually they are really just relabeled bikes that were designed and manufactured by another company. In many cases, the bicycles are just accessories added by the marketing depart…

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Ten days ago I reviewed the RockShox Totem fork and I mentioned testing the matching Vivid 5.1 rear shock as well. Now it’s time to let you know a little more about this shock.
The RockShox Vivid 5.1 is chock full of features but first I want to talk about its construction. Using race proven, hard anodized forged aluminum construction and a 12.7mm hard anodized 7075  aluminum piston shaft,…

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This year Ellsworth will debut SST tubing on their Truth, Evolve, Epiphany, and Moment frames and it looks like an interesting development. SST stands for “swagged, shaped, and tapered” (sounds like something from the Waffle House) and unlike hydroformed tubing, this method relies on hand shaping. According to Ellsworth, the advantages are plenty:

Enhanced clearances: Makes it easier…

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photograph by Tommy Chandler | riding by Dustin Schaad | Truckee, CA
A couple months ago I met mountain bike photographer Tommy Chandler and was blown away by his portfolio of rad MTB shots. I asked Tommy to talk about his photography and MTB background and he even shared some great tips for aspiring mountain bike photogs. Here’s what he had to say.
How did you get started in mountain bike …

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If you have a minute this morning, head over to PeopleForBikes.org and sign the online petition. The group is working on “uniting a million voices to improve the future of biking” and big time bikers like Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens, and Gary Fisher have already signed up.
And in case you think this is just for roadies or commuters don’t worry - you can specify that you’re…

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The 29er mountain bike platform has proven itself in the world of cross-country mountain bike racing and these days the bigger wheels are slowly making their way deeper into all-mountain territory. The Kona Hei Hei 2-9 (pronounced “hey hey”) is the company’s first and only full suspension 29er that’s dripping with XC race cred while dipping its big fat toe into AM waters.
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Trek mountain bikes have teamed up with the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) to help promote cycling in the capital city. The programme is aimed at encouraging people to commute on bicycles to ease congestion and to protect the environment.Original post by Guitar Ted

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The USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (Pro GRT) kicked off on Sunday with the NW Cup #2 on the trails at Dry Hill in Port Angeles, Wash. With wins in the elite men’s and women’s contests, Bryn Atkinson and Tracy Moseley grabbed the early leads in the Pro GRT standings.Original post by kkahn@usacycling.org

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Eric Stoddard of Speed Studio Design recently posted some nice velomobile sketches on his blog. One of his sketches is featured here, but follow the link to see the other two. Eric is an automotive and product designer based in Seoul, Korea, so that makes a perfect segueway into the next topic I want to mention.
The first annual Seoul Cycle Design Competition is currently acceptin…

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After clocking dozens of miles over the past few months with Answer products on all my bikes, I’ve finally come to grips with my love (pun #1) for the ProTAPER 780 DH ($65 MSRP + $10 for white) and the ProTAPER 720AM bars ($60 MSRP). I’m also smitten with this gem of stem, the Answer DJ stem ($72 MSRP). The all new 2010 line up from Answer really fills the needs of the modern DH / FR …

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