Cross Vegas 2009

Here are some pics that I took last night at the infamous Cross Vegas cyclocross race! Pretty fun event, tons of people, good ole cross fun (even though it is in a soccer field)!





My good friend Tuma after racing the Industry race!

Pro womens field:

New Chris King Road hubs!

I was really excited to get over to the Chris King booth to check out their new road hubs. And I must admit, in standard King fashion, the hubs did not disappoint!


They are substaintially lighter than the Classic hubs, plus they are coming in lower count drillings... Perfect for that next high-end race wheelset!

Here's a couple other fun CK pics:

'Sweet's Picks' Pix

Here are some pics of a few of my favorite rides from the demo!

BMC Pro Machine


Ellsworth Roots


Felt Breed (with a classy bottle opener/locknut wrench)

Demo bike list

So, dirt demo is over, and I must say it was once again a fabulous two days!

All in all, I managed to get in almost 30 test rides! And now, I'm bruised, sore, and really dehydrated...

There were a few gems in the lot, a lot of good rides, and just a couple bikes that fell short of my expectations. Here is a list of the bikes that I rode and I'll write reviews of several of them. But if you have any questions about any of the bikes, feel free to ask! (One's with * were my favorites)

BMC Pro Machine * (road)
Ellsworth Roots * (cross)
Felt AR1 (road)
Felt F1 (road)
Felt Z2 (road)
Felt Nine Solo (mountain 29 SS)
Felt Nine Comp (mountain 29)
Felt 15X (cross)
Felt Breed * (cross SS)
Ibis Hakkalugi (cross)
Kona Band Wagon (fixie)
Kona Grand Wagon (fixie)
Kona Major One (cross SS)
Kona Major Jake (cross)
Kona Unit (mountain 29 SS)
Kuota Kross (cross)
Moots MootoXYBB (mountain 29)
Moots Vamoots SL * (road)
Parlee Z5 (road)
Parlee Z2 (road)
Parlee Cross (cross)
Ridley Noah (road)
Salsa Chilli Con Crosso (cross)
Salsa Mamasita (mountain 29)
Salsa Selma * (mountain 29 SS)
Specialized S-Works TriCross (cross)
Surly Karate Monkey (mountain 29)
Surly Pugsley (all terrain mountain)
Van Dessel Gin and Trombones (cross)

Day One Toys

So, today was a brutal day for the first day of dirt demo. I had less than 5 hours of sleep, and the wind was horrendous. But, that of course just meant that I spent more time on the trails less on the road.

I rode a lot of cyclocross bikes and a lot of 29er's (yes, I've given up on 26")... heres what I thought of some of the key players:

Salsa Cycles:

I started off my morning with a cruise around the Salsa Chilli Con Crosso cross bike on the xc trails. It was a rather plush ride, not the fastest acceleration, but I could see myself not fatiguing while riding this bike.

I moved on from the Chilli to the Selma; a beautiful 29er single speed. I was somewhat disappointed that they only had my size in a full rigid setup, but in the end I was rather surprised. This was my personal 'Bike of the Day' pick. It was nimble and agile, light and forgiving. It has a scandium front triangle with a flattened carbon rear. I took this thing through some terrain that I should have steered clear of, but it hung in like a champ. It had fabulous acceleration, good climbing ability, and performed beautifully on super technical terrain.

...more to follow...need to rest...just a few pics of the demo for a taster!

INTERBIKE 2009

OK, post one is gonna be quick cause I have to go meet some friends for dinner, but pics and full ride reviews will hopefully come tonight. Got in 22 test rides today. Bike of the day was a clear winner... the Salsa Selma SS 29'er!

More later... too hungry...