chinamtb.com

The Crankworx finals will soon be playing on Rip.tv. They have also started a cool 'Chat While You Watch' feature.
Take a look here.

Source: Rip.tv

Source: Da Bomb Bikes

The popular Cherry Bomb slope style/jump frame from Da Bomb has gone through a few changes for 2008.

The rear end is much bigger and tougher looking and has new Cnc'd yokes and dropouts. The bearings also look bigger and the link plate seems shorter. The frame still produces 4 inches of travel, but this time via a Manitou air shock instead of the Metal spring shock of last year.
The main triangle is made of Double-Butted 7005 Trumpet Tubing, which coupled with the air shock should cut down the overall weight.

The 08 Cherry Bomb will available in 15 and 17 inch frames (c-t) and a choice of new colours, Super Nova White/ Pitch Black/ Cool Grey and most interestingly Hooker Lipstick Red!! A Matt Camouflage custom paint job is also in the works.

The frame will be available after the Eurobike show. Keep posted for pricing and more new Da Bomb news.

It is the first time in the history of the Olympic Games that the BMX is part of the Olympic sport program. The Laoshan Venue is the first standard Olympic BMX venue.
The workers used a total of 6,000-8,000 cubic meters of soil to lay the track. After comparing as many as 14 soil samples, the UCI experts found the best one in the soil of Dong'erqi Village, Changping District of Beijing. It has the right proportion of sand and excellent permeability, they concluded.
The UCI (International Cycling Union) dispatched a group of experts to the site to guide the project. As a result of close cooperation with the local constructors, the project was finished on schedule.
Construction of the venue started in December 2006 and it is expected to be completed in July 2007. On August 20 this year, it will host its maiden international event – the UCI BMX World Cup as a test event for the Olympics.

MTBcut is a mountain bike specific channel. We will give the mtb scene our 100% focus. Some of the best mountain bike filmmakers in the world are preparing content just for you!. Guys such as John Lawlor (Last Chance films), Don Hampton (Chain Reaction, Sevenvision), Clay Porter (Hypnosis, Between the Tape) and many more are producing features specifically for MTBcut!!! If you are a film maker and think your work is good enough then give us a shout at info@mtbcut.tv .

From day one we want to know what you guys want to watch. Your feedback will influence what we film – so drop us a mail let us know. There is only a few of us here at MTBcut, but we want to grow and develop with our viewers and produce features that you want to watch.

MTBcut.tv is being hosted with all the latest technology for TV distribution over the internet. Our servers are dedicated only to TV channels and use all the latest hardware and software for high bandwidth streaming and Video On Demand output.

All content is encoded for a variety of different qualities of line speed. This means that whatever line speed you have available we can feed the highest quality full screen picture your internet line can take. Fast line speeds will receive TV quality of picture and very soon we will be capable of showing High Def features!!!

We will very soon be launching our full site and be following it up with a massive announcement about future events!

The first one to come riding down the crowded main road towards the finish line was Darren Benson, holding hands with Martin Breuvart as they took in the crowd’s applause. A meager one second was given Darren Benson in advance to Martin Breuvart, making him the winner of the third and final stage, finishing at 1:10:25, and Martin Breuvart at 1:10:26. Even though the third place at the final stage was won by孙成义, finishing at 1:12:57, it didn't have any effect on the overall result. After three stages Martin Breuvart, Darren Benson and Chris Edward Lawson were standing alone at the top, receiving their justified applause from the 20 000 gathered around the stage.
In the women’s competition, the yellow lead shirt belonging to 刘婷 was the first to cross the finish line after 1:24:28, just beating吕桃涛 by 22 seconds, and hence winning the overall competition. 蓝彩婵came in third place, finishing at 1:26:58. 
The last three to stand alone in the women’s competition, the overall winners from the three stages were刘婷, 吕桃涛 and 蓝彩婵, who also received their justified applause from the massive amount of spectators standing at the town square. 
After the whole race was all done and over with, it was time for all of the 200 participants to let the past days experience sink in, and no one had been disappointed. From the winners to the participants who where there for nature and culture, they all had been given more then they asked for. 
When cycling the vast and desolate grasslands, surrounded by horses, birds, cows and sheep one could see for almost 100km in each direction, the green grass spreading towards the never ending horizon. 
After the races had been over, the participants had experienced traditional Mongolian barbeque, music numbers, horse shows and traditional Mongolian wrestling. The Inner Mongolia Genghis Kahn Mountain Bike race truly was adventure.
For more photos click here.

Total distance: approx. ?? km +
Total climb: est. ?? meters
Estimated time back to town: 7pm

Sign-up:
beijingmob-owner@googlegroups.com
Book as early as possible.
Cancel before 5 pm on Friday

If you cancel late or don't show up on Sat morning you will still be expected to pay.

Time to meet:
Present yourself at 7:50 for a 8am sharp departure.
An early and prompt start is essential;

Place to meet:
Agricultural Exhibition Hall,
400m south of the Sheraton,
opposite the eastern end of Dongzhimenwai

What to Bring:
Mobile (in the consideration of any case
may happen and in case you do not give your mobile number to the
organizer, please DO when sign-in), Bike, HELMET (compulsory), water
(there should be some shops), 100 RMB, sunglasses, snacks, BIKE
GLOVES, suntan lotion, spare tube, pump & basic repair tools

Cheers!
Pat & Xingou

If you need rental bike, let us know when sign-in. Rental bike, RMB50
and helmet RMB10.

Check out the MOB's Victor Loup photos from July 21, 2007 here.

First part of the ride is well a walk, unless your feeling fit (my body will only let me pedal my 35 pound single speed so far uphill) once at the top of the downhill you can enjoy the view of Qingdao.

Now for the downhill, which is made all the more exciting for the fact one of us is bound to hit one of the large spiders, which made its nice big sticky web the night before. I really like this trail as the terrain changes from tight smooth single-track to rocky dusty decents and back again in mere seconds. The track is always changing (especially with the recent rain) which makes for a few early crashes (5 in 5 min is the record!).

Once through the single-track you have the choice of an easy downhill or the 'Rock'. The 'Rock' is, as you would expect a large rock, its quite steep, sometimes slippy and has a small 1-foot drop half way down. The first time is always a bit sketchy, but once you get used to it its really fun.

Now we've come down we have nowhere to got but up to the next downhill. The uphill is not too steep buts it’s rocky and can sometimes be a bit tricky.

At the top we have time for a short break before we head back down again.

The next downhill starts of smooth and fast but soon turns into a rocky rut filled rollercoaster ride, which I managed to crash on in spectacular fashion a few weeks ago while riding on my own.
When you hit the smooth sandy bottom it’s a quick flick to the left and sprint up before the next downhill, which twists through a small wooded area.
After flying down to the bottom we head left again along a cobbled path and past the fire station and small basketball court, this part of the ride loops round back to the top of the previous downhill. Up past the fire station, left again and follow the fence along until you reach the start on a rather dangerous looking toboggan, then another walk up hill!!!

Another quick rest and back along more single-track to another fast, slightly rocky downhill, which brings you out back on the sandy path we left a few minutes before.
We ride past the downhill we did earlier and turn left down another rocky track, but before reaching the bottom hop over a small wall and ride through a really short but fun twisty sandy section.


Out in the open again and we have managed to gain entrance to Zhong Shan Park another 5-10 minutes uphill will bring us to the top of our last downhill. The last downhill of the ride is great fun thanks to the natural berms and smooth fast pedaly sections ending up in a steep twisting chute to a small bridge.

And that’s it! (Yes, I know I shouldn’t start a sentence with and).

I hope you enjoyed the write up of what is a great, if short ride and if you’re ever in the area on a Sunday drop us a line and come along.

It wasn't long before I found the Scratch frame by Banshee bikes. Banshee design all their bikes in British Columbia in Canada, where most of the riding is Northshore style, ladders and big drops are the norm. All of the Banshee frames have been designed and tested especially for this purpose and the Scratch is no exception. 4130 cromo tubes with an Eastern RAD style downtube are hand welded together, in the Scratch’s case in Taiwan.

The Scratch can be ran with either gears or as a single speed. You can also choose to build it with two 26"/24" wheels or a mixture of the two. The geometry 'morphs' with your choice of wheels and fork. Anything from a rigid fork, for park riding to a full on 7 inch travel dual crown for downhill.

The dropouts are separate from the frame and are able to slide to allow a longer or shorter wheelbase. A few riders have ran into problems trying to build the bike as a single speed as the frame is designed to take a 14mm axle rear hub in this guise. I just used a 10mm axle single speed hub with the 'gear' dropout, it works fine it just doesn't look as neat.

Also due to the design of the dropouts the rear wheel and brake caliper come off together if you ever need to fix a puncture or change wheels.

Ok, now on to the build.


I chose to run a Marzocchi All Mountain 3 fork. Why? Well it's cheap relatively light and simple. Just pump up the air chamber to how you like it and ride. Swapping the oil for a different weight or increasing the height can change damping characteristics.

Between the fork and frame I'm using a Da Bomb Reactor headset.

This is a real tough piece of kit. Cnc'd from Cromo steel and with larger diameter bearing in the lower race than the top to help distribute the load well on heavy landings.

The Banshee Scratch doesn't use a conventional size bottom bracket, it uses the BMX or "American" size. This gives you the choice to run either standard mountain bike cranks with a B.B convertor or use a 3 piece BMX set up.

I choose the BMX set up and got a pair of Perv cranks with a sealed bottom bracket, which uses huge bearings. The arms are cold forged alloy and have steel inserts for the pedal threads. The arms grip the B.B axle via to pinch bolts, no chance these are coming loose on the trial. Another reason I chose the Perv cranks is the fact they are surprisingly light and also have an uncanny resemblance to Primo Powerbite cranks.

The chainring is an Adura Bikes 32 tooth item which turns a 16 tooth rear cog via a KMC 'Z' chain.

Da Bomb provide the pedals, these have been used for over a year too, and I thinks its time for an upgrade (probably another set of Da Bombs).

For the wheels I went for my favorite rims, 32 hole Sun Singletracks laced 3 cross into a Da Bomb front up front and a Novatech single speed hub out back. I'm really light only 65kg so the Singletracks hold up fine for jumping and trail riding, they are good for street too as long as you are a smooth rider. The Da Bomb hub has been in service for well over a year and still runs super smooth (it even had a swim in the ocean once, which dissolved my B.B and freehub). The rear hub is from Novatech (Thanks guys) Its single speed specific and uses a shorter cassette with 4 pawls, similar to the Hope setup.

As for tires I stuck to what I know. 2.35 Maxxis Minions great for most conditions, but sometimes fill up with mud on wetter rides.

Hayes 9 brakes perform the stopping duties front and rear. Not much to say about these that hasn't all ready been said. Cheap, light, powerful and easy to set up (but I never liked to bleed them).

The handlebars are oversize Truvativ bars, which are light and strong. The stem is, again from Da Bomb and holds the bars tightly with 4 5mm bolts.

The seatpost is an old one I had lying about and will soon be replaced. The seat and grips are BMX items that I picked up in a sale in Decathlon!

Well that’s my build and I'll let you have a rest from my babbling so you can have a look at a few pics.

Check back next week to find out how the Banshee performs in the field.

Source: Dir Traction






The 3rd off-road, cross-country mountain bike race organized by DirTraction! Here’s your chance to experience a brand new extended jungle trail and a first roll over the other knoll of the Tampines MTB Track!

Prior to race day, DirTraction will be conducting a basic bike clinic on Saturday, 4 August 2007.
We hope to spread the enthusiasm of mountain biking to more bike enthusiasts, and help newbies improve their skills.
Click here to sign up and for more information.

*Our mistake the Nuclear headset is made from CNC'd aluminum, not Cromo.

We have just received a sneak bit of info from Zeke over at Da Bomb.
The Nuclear headset is intended for cross country use, and is made from CNC'd Aluminum. As you would expect it comes with sealed bearings and is available in a choice of colors: Black, Orange, Green and Red.

Expect your Da Bomb stockist to start getting them soon.
Keep posted for more new Da Bomb Info and product news.

When building a bike designed for really hard riding you really need to choose your components well. You need 'Fit and forget' components, low or zero maintenance, ride your bike hard bring it home give it a wash and then head to the bar. The Da Bomb Darector Cromo headset fits into this 'Fit and forget' category. The head cups are machined from cromo steel and are highly polished for zero drag. The bearings are simple ball bearing fitted to a cage, the lower bearings are massive oversize items (as that is where most of the stress will be) and the top set are standard sized balls.

The crown race is also steel and the headset has rubber seals top to toe to keep the mud and dirt out (just don't go washing it with a pressure washer).
The headset reminds me of my old FSA Pig headset (possibly is the same) which is no bad thing as that is a tough piece of kit.

The Darector will be fitted to the Banshee Scratch frame and put through its paces over the next few weeks.

What a stroke of luck!! Just as we start to build the Banshee Scratch frame, we receive a pair of Perv BMX cranks to test.

The Perv cranks (also known as Primo Powerbite) use a BMX/U.S size bottom bracket with huge sealed bearings and a splined cromo axle. The arms are made from cold forged alloy and have steel inserts for the pedal threads.

On the pictures they look a little thin but in real life make my Raceface Evolve DH cranks look like something from a road bike. The weight is also around the same as the Raceface cranks (including isis B.B).

The Banshee should be ready for this weekend so ill post pictures when its finished.

Not the most breaking piece of news, but the Fireangel website will be opening in August instead of last week (7-7-07).
Fireangel are a Russian freeride and downhill bike manufacturer.
Incase you can't wait till next month to see what their bikes are like, here are a few pictures.

RST have been making forks for a long time, you may remember their earlier forks such as the Mozo's and High 5's. These were the first budget downhill and freeride forks on the market.

RST have been away from the after market fork arena for a few years, but now they are back with a great looking range of XC, freeride and downhill forks.

The new range has been tested by pro riders and have been put through there paces at some North American events.


Let's hope RST have really done their homework and we have more quality budget forks to choose from.

Certain models are available in the U.S now with the rest of the range coming out by the end of the month. We in China will start to see RST products creeping through in the next few months.

Banshee hail from the home of the Northshore and Freeride movement, Canada, B.C. They have been building super tough frames for the past few years and are so confident in their product give some of the Freeride frames a 10 year warranty!!

Recently I decided it was time to replace my old Mosso 4x frame as I haven't really been treating her all that well. The Mosso is a lightweight race frame designed for smooth riding and small jumps, I've been doing silly urban riding and sketchy drops, not really what the old girl is meant for.

I looked long and hard to see what bike would replace my trusty stead and came to choose the Banshee Scatch, the main reasons being its super tuneable geometry (you can use 26" or 24" wheels or even a combination of the two, and run up to a 7 inch travel fork) The fact that I can run it as a single speed, its hand built from 4130 cromo tubing and also the fact that there is probably only a couple of Banshee's in the whole of China.

Ill be building the Scratch up over the next few days and writing a full report on its performance soon, so keep posted.

You may not be aware of who Reckless bikes are so here is a very brief intro. They are a rather new bike company based out of Taiwan and they specialize in BMX bikes and accessories and also MTB Dirt Jump/Street frames and bikes.

We spotted both their all alloy and cromo jump frames at this years bike show in Shanghai and were really impressed by the attention to detail and spec for such a low price, well designed cromo and alloy frames, Sun rims, Truvativ cranks and Marzocchi forks.

Anyway it seems they are really trying to build a name for themselves and will soon have a Titanium version of the frame available, it will be designed along the same lines as their current frames which means you can use 24 or 26 inch wheels, single speed or geared.
The prototype will be finished in a few weeks and be on show at Euro bike.

Keep posted for more details.