Welcome Back... To Mountain Biking

  Hi all! Sorry to not be able to post in the ski season, but now I am really looking forward to posting on the biking season. This article will cover a lot of stuff, from bike reviews, trail reviews, and product reviews. There will also be a lot of photos in this post. Hope you enjoy this article!

BIKE REVIEWS

2012 Specialized Demo 8 II
  This is one of the best bikes I have ever tested is the 2012 Specialized Demo. The frame was versatile enough to take on the huge 40 foot drops that I put it through. It peddled very well through some flatter sections of the downhill course I was testing it on, like the final stretch to the finish line. It's suspension, when set up right, felt so smooth that sometimes I wondered if I was seeing things right and if I was riding on a smooth road. While the rear shock took some time to set, it was well worth the time. The Cane Creek Double Barrel was very smooth and allowed the Specialized Butcher DH tire to keep very good grip through the rocks, roots and whoops on the technical parts of the test tack. The RockShox Boxxer fork up front worked extremely well through huge jumps and unexpected landings. On the massive 100 foot gap jump on the DH test track, I landed a little awkwardly, with my bike tilted heavily to the left. Still, the RockShox Boxxer fork did not flex. The overall stiffness of the entire bike felt unrealistically awesome, allowing me to manoeuvre through the tight and twisty sections of the test track with ease. The tires kept good grip with the track, and I was really surprised how little rolling resistance they had compared to other tires. The braking power of the bike was very strong, and the Avid Code 4-piston callipers stopped the bike at just a touch of the X0 levers. The only thing that could improve braking performance further would be Avid Code levers, which would add some features like tool-free reach adjust and contact point adjust. While this would be a welcome change, it is not necessary because the existing X0 levers are adequate. Overall, this is one of the best bikes money can buy, and if price isn't a restriction for you, go ahead and buy this bike, and you will have the best bike in the world.

Trek Session 9.9

  The Trek Session 9.9 is a new carbon DH bike inspired by world cup champion Aaron Gwin's bike. It can take on huge drops with ease and riding technical trails like Mont-Sainte Anne felt at home. The bike also features an air Fox Shox 40 RC2 fork. Talk about bringing prototype products to the market! The Trek Session 9.9 features a complete Fox Shox suspension setup, with the 40 RC2 up front and the  DHX RC4 shock in the rear. Both of them were extremely smooth, but the Cane Creek Double Barrel in the rear would be a welcome change. The fork was buttery smooth and the Kashima coating was noticeable. I liked how stiff the fork was, and even on the biggest gap jumps it didn't flex. The frame was very stiff, just the way we all like it. This bike had awesome stiffness throughout the frame and I enjoyed drifting through turns: hard. The Avid X0 brakes provided suffice braking power, although the Codes found in some other DH bikes provide more stopping power. Also a Shimano Saint package would work perfectly together with the Fox 40 in my opinion. In conclusion, this is a very good DH bike, but at $8 929.99, it's definitely not cheap.

BIKE PARK REVIEWS

Whistler Mountain Bike Park

  This is one of the best bike parks ever created. I enjoyed trails like Whistler Downhill Upper And Lower and Canadian Open. These were the best trails because they combined technicality, tightness and jumps perfectly to make for some of the trickiest trails to manoeuvre. If you like jumps (like I do), the A-Line trail is for you. Packed full of jumps and berms, you will love this trail to practice your jumping and turning skills. The Whistler Downhill and Canadian Open trails felt at home to my prototype Specialized Demo, while I enjoyed riding the A-Line course with my custom Specialized SX bike. The tracks felt very good to race down, and while not everybody is a extreme DH racer/freerider, everybody will enjoy Whistler's trails. Overall, this is probably one of the best extreme DH/Freeride bike parks ever.

Canada Olympic Park

  Home to a UCI World Cup race in 2004, this is a cool bike park inside Calgary city limits. I enjoyed the downhill course and liked how there were lots of jumps in he end followed by a fast pedalling stretch. This was one of the places a good bike was really required, and my prototype Specialized Demo served. Other cool trails included Laser Fade, which was a really cool extreme freeride trail, littered with jumps. It also has a few fair sized wooden drops that I managed to 360 with my prototype carbon freeride bike. The dirt jumps felt at home to my dirt jump bike, although sometimes I felt that the biggest set's lips were too steep. Even though this bike park may not be the same as Whistler, it is definitely one of the best bike parks around.

CLOTHING REVIEWS

2012 Troy Lee Designs GP Air Jersey/Pant

  The first thing that jumped out at me was the flashy colour scheme: or course, exactly what you would expect from TLD. The next thing popped out when I begun riding: it was one of the best ventilated, most comfortable jersey/pant combination I had ever worn. Also after numerous crashes from huge jumps (I'm thinking 60ft...) I didn't even tear this combo up one bit, even after I managed to catch it on rocks. That being said, I don't mean that it snags on rocks easily: it was just how I ceased ended up being the best (or worst... you know what I mean!) case scenario to catch it on rocks. The pants cuffs ran slightly on the larger side, but in my opinion, unless the pant cuffs are extremely large, a little loose is good. This was one awesome gear combo!!!

2012 Fox Rampage Helmet

  This is an extremely good helmet and even though it is not the top-of-the-line helmet from Fox, it's the preferred choice of the McCaul brothers and many World Cup athletes. Probably the coolest feature of the helmet was the steel reinforcement on the bottom of the helmet. The helmets graphics are very cool, and it has the traditional 'Fox' look to it. The helmet is well ventilated and is quite comfortable. It has a wide range of vision, and works flawlessly with my Oakley goggles. One of the only problems with this was that the helmet seemed to create a pressure point at the top of my head when I started wearing it, but this issue was gone after some usage. The only constant problem with this helmet was that the top padding attached between the inner shell and the outer shell on the outside, and was prone to slipping. I also thought that it's chin bar and overall design should be sleeker and smaller. All in all, this was an awesome helmet, not Fox's top-of-the-line but still awesome.

PHOTOS NOT OF ME

Welcome Back... To The World Of Skiing

  This blog is back! The topic through the winter will be skiing, because I am a skier. Since gcn279 is a snowboarder, there will also be some snowboarding posts. Below I have explained skiing for those of you who know nothing about it. In later posts, I will not be covering a lot on what skiing is, so please read this post carefully if you don't know what skiing is.

What Is Skiing?
  Skiing is a sport that involves a skier, with skies on his feet, glide over ice while jumping, turning, etc. Skiing has many disciplines, but the most popular ones are freestyle, alpine and cross-country.

Video
    Here is a video of my favourite discipline of skiing: freestyle.

Your Knowledge

  Hopefully, you have sufficient knowledge of freestyle skiing to be able to understand later posts. If you don't, be sure to check out some of the links below. And remember, the best way to gain knowledge of skiing is to ski yourself!

Links

  Here are some helpful links that will get you up to speed on skiing.

• A Wikipedia Article On Skiing
• What Is Skiing?

Some Mountain Biking Photos

  Here are some awesome pictures from the Red Bull Rampage. They're not the best but they are pretty good. They have been in previous posts. There are only 2 pictures but they are some of the best!!! Here are the pictures.

Whips

  Whips - they look good, they are fun and they don't require too much skill. In a whip, a rider leans his bike in midair until it is perpendicular to the ground, holds it there, and then pulls the bike to normal position for the landing. How do I whip? I imagine me doing it when I want to whip and then, as if by magic, I do a whip!!! If you are good at whipping like I am, (I don't mean to brag but...) you can probably make the bike lean a little further than completely sideways, a whip almost going upside down sideways. There is another way to whip too!!! You can get the side of the bike facing in the direction you are going. This is a whip in which you are 90 degrees rotated while in midair. Here is a photo of a really awesome whip. The whip is the type mentioned in the first method. The picture has been in previous posts.

  Here is a photo of a whip mentioned in the second method. This whip is also very good; awesome if you ask me!!! I am sure that you will like it. This picture has also been in previous posts.

Some Good Bike Companies And Bikes

  Here are some really good bike companies: Specialized, Trek, Mongoose, Intense Cycles, Transition Bikes and GT Bicycles. The companies mentioned are just some. Here are some really good bikes: Specialized Demo II, Trek Session 9.9, Mongoose Boot'r Expert, Intense Cycles SS2, Transition Bikes TR450 and GT Bicycles Fury. Here is a picture of the Specialized Demo II.

Some Nice Images

  These are some very good pictures. The pictures may have been in previous posts. I think you will like the photos. There are 7 photos. I have chosen them after looking at a lot of pictures. Thee are some extremely good shots by some of the worlds best photographers. These photos are really good. I mean, I would definitely not have told you a lie. Okay, back on topic. These pictures are really good and thats what matters. I hope you you like the photos.

Wear Your Protective Gear

  Biking, mountain biking in particular, has a lot of injuries in it. Wear your armour!!! I wear kneepads, a long sleeve jersey, shorts and a neck brace. A neck brace is only required for extreme riding!!! I don't wear elbow pads because I feel that they restrict movement, but, you can wear them if you are not doing extreme manoeuvres. "-Wear your protection and go like hell-", said Travis Pastrana at X-Games 17, in which he crashed attempting a backflip 360. Travis is a dirt biker, just so you know. He is not a mountain biker. What Travis said is right, do anything, but, have the right protection on. Have fun riding safely!!! Below are pictures of Travis's crash; a crash that could have been way worse if he did not have protection. Good luck healing Travis!

Skiing

  As the new month arrives, we are getting closer to ski season. Have fun while skiing!!! On the blog, I will also be posting a little about skiing when ski season starts. Enjoy winter!!!

Designing Tracks

  I have a suggestion: why don't you design tracks? You should design them on paper, computers, etc. These designs will help you become more creative and if you want, you can make them real. I design a lot of tracks and I have also designed a whole bike park. Below is a design of a pump track. It is not designed by me.

  Do you like the design? It has been made with various computer softwares and hand drawing. I hope that this pot has inspired you to design your own tracks. Have fun designing tracks!!!

Doing Tricks

  In this post, I will explain how to do tricks. Doing tricks looks cool and is an added addition to jumping. Doing tricks that are hard is a big accomplishment. Doing tricks is also fun. So how do you do tricks?
  Commitment is very important in doing a trick. You don't want to jump in a competition trying to do a new trick and not do it. This would also result in a crash, because, say, or example, you have planned to whip 180 degrees to continue your run and you don't whip at all, you would crash.
  Another important thing is willing yourself to do a trick. Most professional mountain bikers use a phycologist to help them will themselves into doing a trick.
  Imagining what you want to do in a trick is also very important. I, instead of actually doing the trick, imagine it when jumping. This makes me do the trick subconsciously, which is how I don't over extend or under extend my tricks.

Everything You Need To Know About Bikes

Bike Types: Always Choose The Right Bike 
  There are two types of extreme, shredding type mountain bikes. One type is downhill. This type of bike is usually for racing. The handlebars are wider and the suspension is plusher in this type of bike. Usually forks are double crown and rear shocks have a coil spring. The next other type is a freeride mountain bike. This type of bike is usually for doing tricks but not just tricks, or the would be BMX. The handlebars are narrower than downhill bikes and the suspension is usually very stiff. Both double crown and single crown forks are used. Also rear shocks that are both air spring and coil spring based are used. Usually, freeride bikes are modified downhill bikes.

Bike Sizing

  For downhill biking, 1 inch of clearance between the frame's top tube and your pants'/shorts' inseam is sufficient. But, for freeride mountain biking, 2 inches of clearance is better. This is because in freeride, you really have to move a lot around your bike when doing tricks. For downhill, on the other hand, our feet always stay on the pedals (okay, usually). This is why there is a difference between downhill bike and freeride bike sizing.

Bike Components
  There are so many components in a bike. If you order your bike online, usually the front end, seat assembly and pedals are dismantled and you will have to assemble the components. The fork and shock take care of suspension work. The pedals transmit power to the rear wheels. They also provide a solid place for you to put your feet on. The stem attaches the handlebars to the head tube. The brakes stop the bike when required. The wheels allow the bike to roll forward. The gear system allows you to change the speed at which your wheels turn when turning the pedals. The handlebars provide something for your hands to hold on to.

Handlebar Sizing
  You can choose between narrow handlebars, wide handlebars or anywhere in between. The wider the handlebars, the more aggressive stance you are in until the bars get too wide. The narrower the handlebars, the more control you have over your bike through corners and jumps. Too narrow handlebars on the other hand, are not good at all. I personally prefer a handlebar width somewhere in between of narrow and wide, but I mostly ride a custom 760mm bar, and thats pretty wide for extreme freeriding.

Tire Pressure 
  Tire pressure is a very important aspect when setting up your bike. Too high tire pressure and you get a very, very bumpy ride. If your tire pressure is too low, you are not going to get proper feeling of the ground. I ride with 40psi in the front and back tires. This is towards the high side.

Suspension Setup
  Setting up your suspension is extremely important. If you freeride, set your suspension up stiff. But, be careful that your suspension is set up to be able to absorb smaller, jittery bumps. The best way to do this is have a softer low-speed compression. Cam Zink, and extreme freerider who took part in the Red Bull Rampage and won, set up his suspension to a little less than 200psi in his fork. He set up his rear shock to be  little stiffer than his fork. I think his settings were very good for extreme freeriding. Downhill bikes should be set up plush to absorb small impact like rocks and roots. These obstacles are popular in downhill courses. Do not set up your suspension too plush or you will not get a feeling of the ground. Sag is also very important. I set my fork and rear shock to 30% sag. For best setting instructions on setting up your suspension, go to the manufacture's website and the product's Owners Manual.

Types Of Forks: Double Crown vs. SIngle Crown
  Double crown forks are awesome for extreme jumps, rock gardens, and overall big time hucking. These types of forks are usually used for extreme riding. These types of forks reduce twisting and make the fork stiffer. And by stiffer, I mean side to side movement, not shock absorption. I don't use a double crown fork even though I shred big. Instead, I use a specially designed single crown that lets me do bar spins, tail whip, etc. The single crown I use has very, very, very little flex, lesser than a double crown, and works for the 40-45ft. drops I do. My fork is specially designed so not all single crown forks will work for 40-45ft. drops, but what I mean is, single crowns are good.  Now for the single crowns. This is the type of fork which is commonly used. If you have a good quality version of this fork, it will be as good as a double crown but with the advantage of being able to do a barspin. Single crown forks do flex more than double crown forks, but, they are way cheaper.

A double crown fork's photo is below.

A single crown fork's photo is below.

Different Types Of Pedals
  There are two types of pedals. One type has pins coming out of it to increase grip between the riders' shoes and the pedal. The other kind does not have pins. The type of pedal that does have pins is popular among mountain bikers. This is because in jumps, bumps, rocks, roots and odd positions, your feet should never slip of your pedals. Always use pedals with pins!!! If there are too many pins, the pedal is not good. Put your feet with shoes that you wear while biking to test the pedals.

Crankworx Pictures

  Below are some pictures taken at Crankworx. Crankworx is a very cool event for all sorts of disciplines of mountain biking. Enjoy the photos as they are some of the best. The images below could have been in previous posts. Have fun!!!

Rampage 2010: Redefining The Limits

  The 2010 Red Bull Rampage was as crazy as every other Rampage. Cam Zink won the event after landing a 360 of a new 40 foot drop called the Oakley Icon Sender. The drop was so scary that many riders refused to even hit it. Thomas Vanderham had an extremely creative line through the top of the mountain, treating it as if it were a half pipe. His 60 foot gap jump was also amazing. Taylor McCaul's boulder jump was very cool. All in all, I think the 2010 Red Bull Rampage was awesome.

  Don't you think that the finals were cool!? And Cam Zink landed that enormous 360 of the Oakley Icon Sender. All the riders did very well. Gee Atherton's step-down to wall ride was amazing and Darren Barrecloth's 360 and wall ride were pretty cool. There is a picture below of the huge 360 that Cam Zink did below.

A Very Awesome Picture

  Today I have put a picture on this blog. The photo is different from other photos. Photos are really important in mountain biking, because, without them, the sport would not grow and we don't want that. You should like the picture because I also liked it a lot. Also, I have chosen it and I have been looking at a lot of photographs. This just proves that I have been very picky with the photo. I think that you will like the photo. Enjoy!!!

Just Photos

  Below I have posted some pictures. I like them although they may not be the best. Some of the pictures may have been in previous posts. Enjoy!!!

Some Very Good Angled Photos

  The photos below have the best angles to them. The photos may have been in earlier posts. Enjoy the extremely well angled photos!!! Some photos may also be of good shadowy shots.

Favourite Pictures

  The pictures below are some of my favourites. They may have been in earlier posts. Enjoy them all!!! I am sure that you will because I have chosen them and I was very picky.