Technology Trickledown
August 07, 2009
I like to think when I am out pedaling. Some rides accommodate this better than others depending on terrain; but, when possible, I like to let my mind wander. I find it amazing how instinctual the riding process can be. As I am riding in another world the bike still finds its line as if on autopilot. With no specific thought given to best route or best line, you have just arrived. Now that is cool stuff. I guess that is what people call being "in the zone". Meanwhile, at the same time, the priorities of the day or what I really HAVE to get done today seem insignificant compared to before.
By now you are probably thinking what the heck does all this rambling have to do with Technology Trickledown?? Yeah, yeah, I’m getting there… just in my usual roundabout way.
So… here how this whole thought process came about. I was pedaling along this morning nice and early (darn farmer blood) for my usual morning trail loop through the local park. My riding partner Molly—a high energy Border Collie bounding through the woods enjoying the morning rip as much as me, and I started thinking about how amazing bikes are with technology trickledown! I am lucky/fortunate enough to be riding on a beautifully equipped Norco Fluid outfitted with the works of Shimano XTR. These are expensive but super functional works of art. I’ll send props out to the engineers and designers of these products as they just work so well.
But then, just as XTR works on top end bikes, the Saint group slides in right beside it, then the good ole faithful XT, Hone, SLX, LX, Deore and all the way down to Alivio groups. All of these complete component groups designed specifically for off road and dirt action.
As great as XTR is, reality dictates that not everyone needs this much 'bling' on their ride. What is really incredible though is what you can get when looking at a $500 bike. Not even 10 years ago, this price point meant steel parts, low powered brakes and inadequate suspension, Today if you walk into your local bike shop and put your five bills down on the counter, you are going to get a high performance machine. If 10 short years ago I told you that you could have an aluminum framed, dual disk brake equipped bike with a 3" travel front fork, 21 speed Shimano gears, crank and double wall alloy rims you would have laughed at me. Have you ridden a $500 bike recently?? I have and they rock. But you can... that is the beauty of Technology Trickledown. These alloy bikes are now feature suspension, fully indexed shifting, and the safety and consistency of disk brakes for less than $500!!! AMAZING.
Yes, I am talking about mountain bikes here, but the same trickledown has happened on road too. Beautiful 10 speed full carbon bikes are available at 1/3rd the price they were even 5 short years ago. Cool stuff… great value for people looking for mid range priced bikes that really have top notch technology and performance. I don't see a lot of other sports or recreation equipment that this has happened to. Maybe it's out there, but not to such an extent.
You may wonder why there is a picture of a GPS in an article all about gearing and bikes. Well, just like bikes, back country navigation has changed dramatically over the past 10-15 years too. Not that long ago we would have maps spread out and the compass in hand trying to triangle in and sort out where we were. Now with the push of a button the GPS locks on to up to 12 satellites and spits out your exact location, how far you have gone, your elevation, how much vertical you have climbed or descended and way more. You can bring up on the screen the maps that you used to fold out and lay on the rocks to figure stuff out, scroll around and find your trail or route you are going etc. Talk about Trickledown... This stuff used to be for military use only and now you can now have all this for less than $300. Amazing stuff... but don't forget to still carry a map and know how to use it OK.
Sunny days and tail winds to you all !!
Steak Sauce
2010 Norco Product Launch
August 05, 2009
The 2010 Norco Product Launch recently took place in our backyard of Vancouver BC. Surrounded by world renound freeride trails, fantastic All Mountain terrain and an urban playground, Vancouver is the perfect place to have launched the new lineup.With dealers, distributors and dealers coming in from around the world we had some big news to share with those from abroad.
The event kicked off with Ryan Leech doing a demo in front of the Sheraton Wall Center, home of the launch. In addition to the attendees of the launch a group of lucky passer-byes managed to catch the show. After dinner and the show, attendees waited with anticipation for the riding to come and the bikepresentations to come.
There are some cool changes to the 2010 lineup such as a the Fluid LT 6.1 with a Joplin adjustable post, hammerschmidt crankset, The DH with two pricepoints and additions to the linup including belt drive bikes, an expanded forma series plus more, much more. Have a look at some pics of the new bikes at pinkbike.com
Once the bike presentations were over, attendees were given a chance to try out the new products. Through a series of rides from urban to shore, all mountain to DJ, any bike could find its home somewhere. The product launch was a great venue for riding some new bikes, seeing some incredible trails and experiencing the home of the 2010 Olympics.
Riding in the Yukon - North of 60
August 05, 2009
The Yukon is not the best known riding destinations in the world. In fact before about two weeks ago, I didn't even know mountain biking was popular in the far north of Canada. Being offered to part in a filming trip with Ride Guide in the Yukon Territory was not something I was going to turn down. With little knowledge of the area and 10 days of riding sitting on my plate, the one thing I was sure about was that I was in for a treat.
Flying out of Vancouver was Ryan Leech, Josh (our cameraman extraordinaire) and myself on a riding/filming expedition out of Whitehorse YT. There were a few things stereotypes made me expect such as bugs, cold, and perpetual light . . Turns out only one of these was fully true. There were a few bugs along the way but not the fist sized mosquitoes I was expecting, As for cold, well it was around 30C all week (86F), but as for light I was correct. Having a sunset at around 11pm meant that riding was possible just about any time between 4AM and midnight. Where else can you do that?
While staying in Whitehorse we were put up at Boreal Mountain Biking where I had my first opportunity to stay in a Yurt. The Yurts were not what I expected. With hardwood floors, leather couches and a full kitchen, we were being wined and dined in the lap of luxury. If you are ever heading to Whitehorse check out Boreal, in addition to accommodation they provide catered meals and Sylvain, the mountain Bike Guide Extraordonaire.
The riding in Whitehorse is nothing short of incredible. From fast rolling descents to technical rock faces, wide open alpine to tight forest singletrack there really is a little bit of everything. The only thing that was consistent for each type of trail was that there were spectacular views the whole way. If you are looking for somewhere to fit the ultimate all-mountain adventure while experiencing the views of a lifetime, the Yukon is it!
While the mountain biking was fabulous through the entire trip, Ryan made a point of bringing his trials bike as well to hit some of the local hot-spots. Even riding trials it was hard to miss the scenery, it is everywhere. In addition to riding the local terrain, Ryan conducted a trials demo for the local kids or all ages in Whitehorse in conjunction with the Bike Your Brains Out helmet promotion.
Whitehorse truly is a world cycling destination. From epic trails and incredible views the Yukon has it all. To see more photos from the Yukon check out flickr.com/norcobikes.
Thank you to Yukon Tourism, Boreal Mountain Biking and Ride Guide TV for making it all happen.
Dustan
