Electronic suspension - the future of MTB?

Slowly but surely electronics are making their way into mountain biking. Recently Shimano released their Di2 Dura ace electronic groupset for road bikes. It wasn't long before mountain bikers started experimenting and now the term Di2 hacking is used for an aftermarket version of the electronic shifting mechanism for mountain bikes. Ki2 has commercialised this and is offering what they call a new standard in high performance.

The first real OEM mountain bike electronics were announced by Fox this month. Fox unveiled what looks like the future in mountain biking suspension with their 2013 ICD ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION REMOTE SYSTEM. With acronyms like iRD (intelligent ride control) and iCD (intelligent decent control) MTBs are starting to sound like 4x4s. This system has been on the bikes of the team pro riders like Geoff Kabush for a while now. So now there is no more speculation about the mysterious battery and wire leading from the bar to the fork. Essentially it's an electronic switch to toggle between Climb and Descend modes on the fork and, on full sussers, the shock. A rotating switch activates this on the bar. Eventhough this technology has been unveiled now before the new bike season it is probably too late for 2013 bikes as they will have already have been specced last year and gone into production.

With more and more single speed rigid bikes hitting the trails, the arrival of 2X10 and now 1x11 XX1 from SRAM, it makes you wonder if all of this is electronics is necessary. With many riders looking to go back to the simplicity, reliability and lower cost of these basic machines well have to see if increasing the cost and complexity is going to be the right route.

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More online training fun with Strava

So what now? With Sani2C coming to an end this weekend the racing feast that kick started this year is now finished. So now its time to get off the race track and hit the trails. A while ago we posted about a free online tracking system for your rides, Endomondo, where you can track rides via a GPS phone or GPS and see your ride history online. Well we came across another system www.strava.com that is gaining popularity as it has some new and interesting features.

The main difference is that Strava is slightly more performance orientated as it keeps track of your ride and allows more analysis of your performance measurements from the ride. It also keeps track of who rides where and allows direct comparisons of entire routes or segments of routes. So there are leader boards of the various segments making it really fun to see how you compare to other riders on the same routes. But be warned it can become a bit addictive as timed segments become mini races and quests for KOM status, some call it "Stravacide".

Strava is compatible with Garmin GPS units and has downloadable apps for iphone and Android. You can also import gpx data so if you are on Endomondo just export files and then import into Strava, quite easy really.

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Sani2c getting bigger and doing more

Farmer Glen and the Sani2c team are hard at work as the Sani2C race series kicked off yestertay with the Trail event, then today its the Adventure and tomorrow the Race riders set off. Its no small operation moving almost 4000 mountain bikers from Underberg down to the sea in Scottburgh over the 5 day period.

 

As the event grows so does the amount and variety of community support and the development of the region. More than 1500 trees will be planted along the route thanks to rider donations this year. There is also construction of a cycle and walking path "Charlies catwalk" in the Highflats area to make commuting for the locals safer. Its a win win situation for all, the riders love to ride this unique route with its legendary singletrack and the community welcomes them in, knowing that they have contributed to making life better.

 

This year there is TV coverage on supersport every evenning at 10pm with a highlights package starting tonight. So look out for that if you are not one of the fortunate ones to be experiencing it all on your bike.

 

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--
Alan
www.mtbonline.co.za
Mountain Biking in South Africa - MtbOnline

Do you think cyclists look strange?

If you answer yes to that question then you are probably just entering the rabbit hole.  But if you answer no to that question then you are probably already really far down the rabbit hole. So far down in fact that you are completely oblivious to how strange we really are once we are all dressed up. To get a reality check you just have to talk to someone who is just entering the sport and getting to grips with all the gear, what to do and what not to do and all of the unspoken stuff. On the surface it is easy to work out many things, like lycra shorts, cycling tops, helmets, cycling shoes with cleats, bottles, camel backs etc. 

However when you look a bit deeper then there are some of the "unknowns" that to a newbie may seem very strange if not absurd. Bib shorts is the first, the resemblance to a Borat outfit is too close for comfort for some. On a more practical side is how do you pee once you have these bibs on, pretty obvious for those who wear them but a mystery to those who don't. Then there is bum cream, say what? yes bum cream or chamois cream or anti chafe cream if you prefer, that friction aid that prevents, here is the next one, saddle sores. Now that is something that you really don't want to experience so you do what ever it takes to avoid getting even close to being in that situation. And so tight fitting bib shorts that require skill and technique to take a pee out of and copious amounts of chamois cream applied liberally to avoid even a hint of chaffing become the norm and something that you don't even think about anymore. Its all part of the natural progression of becoming a cyclist. Of course many mountain bikers don't think they are cyclists but they are just in denial.

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Singlespeeders - Who needs gears?

Grant Usher and Nic White are proving again that its not all about the bike (or is it?) as they ride the 9 day 900km Joberg2C race on their rigid singlespeeds. They are doing more than just riding like singlespeeders like to, dressed up and fooling around at the back. 

They are doing this all in the front of the race. Sitting comfortably in the top 10 overall they must be getting some serious stares from riders with seriously expensive bikes with more gears and suspension than they know what do do with. These two are no slouches having raced at the elite level so you would expect them to do well. 

It is quite amazing to see just what is possible on a very simple bike. They are doing a great job creating some publicity for the Singlespeed World Champs 2012 taking place in Winterton later this year.

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