Go Clipless

2006 Cannondale Rush Preview

Cannondale is preparing to launch a new mountain bike in the line-up that appears to be aimed squarely at the enduro market. The 2006 Cannondale Rush, as its called, fits in between the cross-country racing Scalpel and the all-mountain Prophet according to this review by a shop in Georgia.

Moving stuff around...adding new lists

I started doing some house cleaning to the site and moved some things around. I also added a few more link lists as well. I've moved all of the trail review information over on the right-hand side in one location. The left-hand side is reserved for other miscellaneous information. I'm still not satisfied with all that I have on the left so I will be continuing to work on it in the near future. Here's an overview of a few things that have been added:

Product Review: Hutchinson Spider

Hutchinson Spiders came stock on my Jamis Dakar.  I had read mixed reviews about this tire.  One thing I did notice was that most of the negative comments seemed to have a similar characteristic: riders in the 200+ lbs range.  I'm below that range (ever so slightly), so I tried to have an open mind about these tires.  After riding a single set of Spiders for almost a year w/o a flat or serious signs of wear and tear, my opinion is that these tires are a good XC option for folks.

Log-hopping and bunny-hopping

I became aware of two really great visual mountain biking tutorials in the MORE Forums that are just begging to be released to a wider audience.

Product Review: Panaracer Smoke Classic

I saw the Smoke at Performance Bike on the clearance rack for $17, and I figured: "Hmmm...what the heck, let's give 'em a try, they can't be any worse than the Bontrager Revolts on my bike now."  Good Move.  For the price...this tire rocks. 

Legally speaking at Schaeffer Farms

This past Sunday morning Dr. P stopped by to coordinate a ride. He had some chores to do in the morning so we decided on a ride in the afternoon. Thank goodness, as I was still recovering from a late night out the night before. We debated between riding Fountainhead or Schaeffer Farms in Maryland (a full review to follow shortly), and settled on Schaeffer as neither of us had been there before.

We knew Schaeffer was a popular mtb destination, but were amazed at the number of riders in the small parking lot when we arrived. I would say there were nearly as many riders starting their rides (around 2:30 pm) as had ended. There was even a group that was tailgating after their ride.

National advocacy efforts are finding success

There are two new bills in the U.S. Congress that, if passed and signed into law, will have a direct and beneficial impact on cycling in general (with specific measures aimed at mountain biking).

The first known informally as the "New Transportation Bill" or by it's formal name the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU (pronounced safety-loo)) will increase funding for programs benefiting cycling by more than $2 billion through 2009.

More 2006 Gear from Specialized

Just a quick follow-up to my post last week about the 2006 lineups from Specialized, Trek, and Cannondale. Bike Magic from the U.K. has a fairly comprehensive preview of 2006 gear from Specialized that should be of interest to many. Specialized has really come a long way toward becoming an all-encompassing brand in cycling. Seems the only thing they need to fully accomplish this strategy and really give Trek a run for its money is a more comprehensive parts and components division (similar to Trek's Bontrager division). Look for an acquisition from Specialized in the near future.

Shimano XT Dual Contol Levers (2005)

When I first saw the Dual Control Levers, I was very skeptical about the design.  In fact, most MTBers out there either love these things, or absolutely despise them.  When I went to buy my new Trek Top Fuel (review coming soon) which had the Dual Control Levers, I debated whether or not to have the bike shop switch them out for the traditional "rapidfire" shifters.  In the end, I chose to go with the Dual Control, and I have not looked back since.  I think the main reason for this is that I have only been riding for a little over a year, and I didn't really "grow up" with the rapidfire shifters.  There is a real technical innovation going on here, besides the fact that the traditional triggers are gone.  These levers are combined with Low Normal shifting, in which cable pull moves the derailleur to smaller sprockets instead of larger ones (more on Low Normal later).