New product Review Part 4: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

4 times I have had to check to make sure this bike really does have 29" wheels....

There are a lot of people out there, diehard Specialized owners included, that were bummed that it took Specialized so long to come out with a 29er. Their first couple 29er bikes were a little lackluster in fact. It's as if they were only half hearted attempts. In 2008 we saw the addition of a Stumpy HT Comp 29 & the Stumpy FSR 29. It was great to see although many thought a little late. I had the chance to ride a Stumpy HT Comp 29er, truthfully it didn't feel right. Granted I had ridden many other 29ers up to that point (Niner SIR9, Orbea Alma, SyCip Super Unleaded, Gary Fisher's, etc.), not all of them rode the same but, the Spec felt too much like a hybrid bike.

One of my favorite traits of any good 26" bike is the ability to rail corners. How the tires feel glued to the dirt, constant hook up, the stable feeling on climbs... it's the epitome of MTBing. This bike, S-Works Stumpy HT 29, has all of those qualities and more. They NAILED the geometry. The organic lines of the frame make the bike look very aggressive and it is.

Being that I am a Clydesdale rider I made a few upgrades to the bike for my own fit. I swapped the Specialized Carbon 30.9 seatpost out for a Thomson Masterpiece 30.9. It's a little longer and less flexy under me. I also changed out the Spec Phenom SL saddle out for a custom Fizik Gobi XM saddle. I have Gobi's on all my other MTB's and realized I could live without it. I am also toying with changing out the wheels for a set of Industry Nine 29er XC wheels. We have sold several pairs of their wheels lately and I like their ruggedness yet lightweight. Something about those thick aluminum spokes plus they would look awesome on the bike. Nothing wrong with the Roval Controle's just personal preference.

In 1993 I switched from flat bars to riser bars. Since then whenever I see someone running flat bars I either think they are old school racers that won't make the leap to risers or weight-weenies. Senor Plastik, as I like to call the bike, came with a set of Spec Carbon flat bars, yikes. I was already dreaming up the perfect riser bar even before I bought the bike. Then I rode it offroad. I'm sticking with the flats! The flat bar quickened up the steering 100%. Sometimes 29ers are built with too much head tube angle and the steering is super slow, tight technical sections are a nightmare. This bike steers just like my 26er's! Wow.

I'm riding again this afternoon. I haven't ridden another bike since Senor Plastik has been added to the stable. Not saying I won't, just not right now.

Look for Part 5 soon....

SoCal Prestige Cyclocross Heats Up, Draws Mountain Bikers, Women and Juniors

by Dave Sheek
Southern California Cyclocross is now through its second weekend of the season and dual events as CX met MX in San Diego, CA. It was another mountain bike (mtb) and cyclocross back-to-back weekend as San Diego’s rising ‘cross scene piggybacked the Racers and Chasers mtb event Saturday to start the first race of the San Diego cyclocross series season Sunday morning. Overall, it was the most motocross-like race experience cross fanatics have seen as the hot temps and twenty-foot doubles seemed to push racers off their bikes or off the course.
The racing heated up with the skies Sunday morning as the temps reached 100 degrees by midday. Competitors who thought last weekend was hot were begging for the cooler conditions. The amount of sand and jumps on course were not kind enough to allow riders areas of rest, as it was a non stop suffer fest. However, those who had the right descending skills were definitely using them to their advantage as they smoothly pumped through the many transitions.
The early morning competitors showed with a more prominent force and commitment than the later. The women and juniors for the second week brought out the best in So Cal, comprising 35% of the day’s participants! In the Elite Women’s field it was Dorothy Wong (Team SoCalCross-CICLE) taking the win as she hashed it out with Team Duke’s Jill Sisamis. In her first season of cross Sisamis looked strong as she started the pace for the group and continued strong finishing in second with Annette Padilla (Celo Pacific) in third.
The Elite Men’s race brought another weekend of hot action as temps were at a high 102 degrees at race time. It was Gary Douville (Platinum) who took the hole shot to lead the group through the first set of sandy switchbacks and into the first lap. John Bailey (Bailey Bikes) and Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L) followed Douville as the three set a strong pace, opening a gap on the rest of the field. On the second lap, Prenzlow took the lead and opened a gap to take a comfortable win on the day. In second it was Bailey who had a powerful finish even with a rough crash in one of the gravelly dirt sections. And, rounding out the top three was early race leader Douville of Team Platinum in the last race on the day.
Next Race Preview
The next race is on October 4^th, and the guys from the Velocity cycling club have been working hard for their second annual cross race when not working, racing, riding, and or occasionally pulling a B.O.B. full of beer. The race was a great success last year with much accolade from the racers and spectators alike. This year, they are making it better.
They have improved the course, eliminating a few of the tight twistys, and will be once again making the effort to build the much applauded hillside stairs. Along side the course improvements this year’s kids race will be a standout. And, again as is standard with Velocity club leader Mike McMahon’s involvement with an event, be it mowing the lawn or racing, there will be beer available.
The racing will be fast and furious and the fun will be plentiful. It’s a local event, for most SoCal riders, at a great venue with easy access, held in the private parks behind Irvine Lake just off of Santiago Canyon. Come on out, bring the kids and enjoy the day.
Pre-register at SportsbaseOnline and save $$$ 5 and 10 race series passes available. More info at: www.SoCalCross.org

CX Magazine

New product Review Part 3: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

SRAM XX.....

The cassette is amazing, we've gone over that. The chain, not surprisingly, is a standard SRAM 1090 10spd chain. You can also run the lightweight 1090R that has the hollow pins. The XX brakes are basically Avid Elixir brakes rebadged XX although they have Titanium bolts throughout. You can easily run these brakes one finger style. Plenty powerful. Also pleasantly surprised to see Avid went with a floating rotor with the XX brakeset. I have been running floating rotors for years with my Hope Mono Mini's.

The XX shifters are pure butter. The front shifter is amazing, short throw & light action. I assume it helps that there are only 2 chainrings to go between but, it also helps that the front derailleur isn't a rebadged XO model. The front der is completely new. There are 18 versions of the front der (Direct mount, top mount, bottom mount, + top pull, bottom pull & each chainring combo). And yes all the sdjustments use a T25 driver, cable fixing bolt/ seattube clamp/ limit screws.

The rear shifter is very similar to its XO brother, except the low gear paddle is made of carbon whereas the XO is aluminum. Not to mention the extra gear. I adjusted the levers to allow 5 cogs at a time. You can adjust the levers to your shifting style whether you are a 1 cog at a time or 5. Awesome.

Next up: The rear derailleur, S-Works cranks, Roval wheels, RockShox fork and most importantly the frame.