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Why the 650b wheel movement in mountain biking should be killed before it gets started

I'll say it. Do it now. Just kill it. DoA. Please.

Just when the industry seems to be embracing the 29er wheel platform, in comes the next blast from the past bike trend. Enter the 650b wheel platform. When tires are added to this mostly abandoned wheel-base, we are presented with a 27 and a half inch tire, halfway between the 26er and the 29er.

Look. I could care less what you ride. If you want to ride a 650b go ahead and do it. My thing is that I don't want the industry diverting it's energy toward filling this niche. Instead I'd like to see the industry spend it's finite resources on perfecting the engineering and technology that goes into the existing platforms. Particularly since the 29er platform may actually be nearing the tipping point for widespread adoption (it already has crested in the single-speed market - would anyone really consider a 26 inch single speed these days?).

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where there is consumer demand for the 650b anyway. I don't see anyone rallying in the streets with signs that say "just set me free, give me the 650b", or anything like that. Do you? No. This is an industry driven trend. Though a mistaken one.

The only place where I can see the 650b succeeding is with big hit downhill or freeride bikes. I can understand that there are certain mathematical truths in the geometry of a 29er that limit it's potential as a big hit bike. But what benefit do we get in the cross-country or trail bike category? Slightly better roll-over capability? If that's it, I'll stick to the 29er.

And don't give me that crap about 650b's being able to provide you with tried and true 26-inch geometry. If you ride the current crop of newly designed performance 29ers you will most certainly find the no-nonsense 26-inch steering you thought you would lose when you made the switch.

Can you imagine bike shops having to carry three different wheel sizes for each of the brands that they carry? What a zoo. Most still haven't bitten the 29-inch bullet. Wait until they have to describe the differences and benefits of each type to the unsuspecting newbie.

While I'm sure there are some in the industry that believe they are expanding the market by adding yet another wheel platform, I think that we will find the opposite to be true. With too many choices available to consumers they may just throw their hands up and give up on the whole thing. Move to road riding, or simply get fed up and buy from Wal-Mart.

So I say to the industry...kill this compromise platform now or commit to it as the platform for the future and phase out the 26er. For if you try to live with all three, you will cause too much confusion and limit mountain biking to those that have already been bitten by the bug. Just a thought.

You?

Update: Just noticed this post with an alternate perspective over on Twentynineand650b.com...ha.

Masters Cycling is the new magazine for "geezer jocks"

Extra. Extra. Read all about it. Get your old geezer cycling news right here.

Yup. GeezerJocks, LLC. is publishing a new cycling magazine aimed at the gray-haired set. The magazine is called Masters Cycling and will be published five times a year.

In all seriousness, what do you think about this?

On the surface, my first thought was that this is completely ridiculous. Do old people want to read about other old people? I would think they are just like everyone else who enjoys reading magazines and seeing images of people doing unattainable things with unattainable bodies. The whole celebrity culture is built on this very premise.

On the other hand, one of the largest generations of Americans, the baby boomers, is on the verge of retirement. And they are one of the most active generations of old people. These are not people that will wither away into the sunset. No. Many of them will be cycling.

So maybe this is a smart move?

I really don't know. Any baby boomers out there that might shed some light as to whether this is a good idea?

Oh yeah, I just realized that the magazine is really only for older men, what, with the title of Masters Cycling and all. Who's going to cater to the older women? What about Mistress Cycling? Oh, yeah that has a different connotation. Come to think of it Mistress Cycling might be a great idea, but it would have to be one of those sexy calendars, however. You can have the idea, but I get a percentage of the royalties. ;-)

(Via FutureLab)

Representative Patrick McHenry uses the mamby-pamby, luddite argument to get dumb people to agree with him

What an ass. Take a listen to this clown and come on back and read this.

Look. I'm what you call issue oriented. An independent sort of guy. I've voted Democrat and I've voted Republican. Some may call this flip-flopping. I call it smart. But whatever, I do think that lately Republicans have deployed a strategy of "appeal to the dumb people."

You often here arguments like this one where one point is taken out of an entire proposal and ridiculed to the point of absurdity.

I don't know about you, but I haven't heard any serious politician propose that the bicycle is the sole answer to the U.S.'s energy problems. Maybe an answer as part of a comprehensive proposal that includes all kinds of solutions, but not the sole answer. In fact, the Democrats tend to propose multi-faceted solutions that include new sources of energy from the most modern technologies such as solar and hydrogen-powered vehicles, while also suggesting that more energy use is not necessarily better.

Imagine if there were a Democrat that put forth arguments like McHenry. What might he or she say? Something like..."The Republicans will have you believe that more is the answer to all of our problems. Buy more. Be proud of you big bloated automobiles. Eat whatever you want whenever you want. Waste like it's going out of style."

I think it's possible for anyone to be elected to the House of Representatives. Thank goodness there are 435 of them to balance each other out. Jeeesh.

(Via The Piton via Bike Satan)

Testrider.com while promising, launches prematurely

I get a ton of press releases in my inbox daily. Most of them silly, but a few catch my eye. The other day I received a press release from TestRider.com a new site that will provide video reviews of bikes and accessories from experts and let users rate and decide.

Sounds cool, so I checked it out. The site was featuring a video review of the new 2008 S-Works Transition Time Trial bike. While the review was well produced and the reviewer seemed credible, it felt more like an infomercial than a review. I don't want to be overly harsh here since reviews are difficult to do well and nobody does them perfectly, but I would like to provide a bit of constructive criticism since I'd like to see this site do well in the future.

Why should we care?

Quite simply, it's time the bike review evolves into three dimensions and breaks beyond the 2-d world of the printed page in a magazine, the gratuitous "sneak-peek" bike porn photos found on blogs, and the sometimes hit-or-miss reviews of MTBR.com. Yes. Testrider.com is on to something with their professional quality video reviews and user ratings, but they need to hold back their launch until they do most of the following:

1) Give us all sides in your reviews; pros and cons, not just the pros. Of the four reviews currently on the site, there were no critical words about any of the products. The reviewer seemed to give the new Sram Rival road gruppo a perfect 10. What will the higher-end Sram Force group get, an 11? Give us the con side too and a basis for comparison.

2) Change that proprietary video viewer out for one that's shareable. For one thing, it's too small and there aren't enough user options. But the main thing is that it must be shareable if you want it to become viral. Better yet, post it on YouTube and embed their viewer on your site. People will find your site through YouTube and spread the word for you.

3) Each review should have it's own page with the video embedded and written specifications as well. How about some links to where you can buy it? This could even mean additional revenue to TestRider.com if it uses affiliates.

4) Allow users to submit video reviews as well. It looks like user reviews are planned for the site, but I would recommend that they be more than just user ratings for products you review. Maybe hold contests for users to submit their own video reviews and you'll get more content faster and a more highly engaged user base.

Ok...there you have it. My four-step plan to help TestRider.com take the bike review to the next level. I'm sure a lot of hard work went in to the four reviews that have been completed already, but you need to temper the excitement and take a deep breath. This press release was a bit premature. Maybe implement a few of the suggestions here (and possibly in the comments) and hit the streets strong in a couple of weeks. I think it will be welcome.

Why you better be watching the Tour de France, or at least DVR'ing it

If you don't, it will be gone. Maybe forever. The best we might be able to hope for is half-hour summary shows on ESPN 6 or whatever they're up to these days. Remember those days? It's either that or you'll be squinting at grainy images on YouTube hoping to catch a glimpse of some action. No Paul, no Phil. Just some crazy dude running after the peleton with a Canon SureShot in his hand.

I know, I know. You're over the Tour. You're sick of the doping accusations. UCI, USADA, WADA, who needs 'em. If you never see/hear these acronyms again it'll be too soon.

Do what I do...ignore it. I can't stand it either. I don't know what/whom to believe. So why bother trying? This is not a wishy-washy position either. I just want to watch some cycling.

Remember how the Tour started last year? After Basso and Ullrich were left out of it? It was actually pretty interesting. On any given day you had no idea what to expect. That's where we stand today. Shed your hang-ups about doping and you will find a very interesting race underneath it all.

So I for one will be DVR'ing the Tour and will watch as I have done in the past. You better be doing the same or you will screw it up for the rest of us, you hear?

Thank you.

P.S. It starts today, so get your lazy ass out of bed and press record.

P.P.S. If you don't like my reasoning here's 10 more reasons you may want to watch.

Lance Armstrong does Leadville, may choose to race after all

Is Lance Armstrong going to race the Leadville 100 after all? Maybe he read my letter. Lance, you know I wrote it with love, don't you?

You may remember that this past winter Lance Armstrong announced his attention to race the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. Not to be out done by the former champion, Floyd Landis announced that he too, would race. No sooner did this happen, when it was learned that Lance had a, yet to be explained, 'scheduling conflict.'

Now it looks as though Lance may be contemplating the race once again. Lance's former coach, Chris Charmichael tells the story of how he, Lance, and another buddy, rode a 45 mile chunk of the course seemingly on a whim. I guess they just happened to be in the area all at once.

Anyway, despite how it may seem, I am a big Lance Armstrong fan and I would love to see this happen. Especially if Floyd joins in, though I think he'll need to do some serious training. It sounds like Lance is still an animal in the mountains.

Giant introduces new 2008 Giant Trance X, still no 29ers

It's getting to be that time of year again when bike manufacturers start wooing the press with their latest secret projects straight from the lab. Somehow Singletrack Magazine always seems to be on top of these things.

So the big news from Giant in 2008 is that they filled a hole in their lineup of mountain bikes. Yup, looks like the most exciting thing we can expect next year is the new Giant Trance X. The Trance X is a "trail" bike with 5 inches of travel and sits between the original Trance (with 4.2 inches of travel) and the "all-mountain" Giant Reign.

Now don't get me wrong. This looks like a nice bike. It's got the Maestro suspension design that Giant introduced a few years ago to much fanfare and many favorable reviews, and the reviewer at Singletrack seemed to have a blast riding it.

But I've got to wonder if this is the best Giant can do?

A few years ago Giant made a gutsy move and canceled their contract with Performance Bike. They did this - so the analysis goes - to get out of the low-end compete on price cycling game and move up market. A good move for the long term, I'd say. They began innovating again and the Maestro suspension was an excellent demonstration of such innovation.

One big question remains, however.

Giant, do you have any plans for a 29er lineup? It is simply hard to believe that despite the major bike media's desire to suppress the enthusiasm for this segment of the market, Giant is content to grow their revenue with a business as usual strategy. They must believe that their competitors Cannondale, Trek, and (now even) Specialized are making a strategic blunder adding 29ers to the lineup.

So here are my questions for the readers...

Am I crazy to think that to be a major player in the bike business a 29er lineup is required?

Where do you think Giant stands on the continuum of major players in the bike manufacturing biz?

If you believe, like me, that without a 29er strategy they are on the way out, who will take their place near the top? Kona? Santa Cruz?

Update July 3, 2007: The Dirt Rag blog's got more details on the 2008 Giant lineup for those that are interested.

Bike Magazine and Dirt Rag start blogs

The biggest problem magazines have in this Web 2.0 world of citizen generated media is that by the time their publication comes out each month the news that they report is already old. Bloggers and forum participants have already discussed and analyzed it all before the magazine even goes to print.

Nevertheless, magazines have a role to play in that they have considerable resources that the everyman blogger does not. One of the biggest advantages is that they are able to attend numerous press events, trade shows, festivals, and races. This gives them access to breaking news and information as well as the ability to interact face-to-face with industry insiders. Its the monthly publishing cycle, however, that limits their ability to leverage this advantage over the many bloggers out there trying to keep up with happenings in the sport that they love.

How do you solve this problem? Why, start a blog, of course.

Well that's exactly what both Bike Magazine and Dirt Rag have done. Good for them too. Now they won't be letting that first mover advantage go to waste. This is a great move for each of these publishers as I am sure that over time they will find that the blog will only serve to bolster their credibility. In addition, the blog will serve to humanize the magazine a bit more. While there is no doubt that the magazine itself takes on a personality of its own, it is sometimes difficult to get a feel for the individual voices that do the writing. Not only that, but readers will be able to comment in real time which will no doubt help the writers of feature stories for print get an idea of how people may react to certain points of view, product launches, news, etc.

Ok...enough pontificating. Here's what I suggest. Now, keep in mind each of these blogs is brand new and have not yet hit their stride. Head on over for a visit and subscribe to the feeds as I have done. In a couple of months I'll do a follow up and we'll see where they stand.

(Photo via Flickr)

Floyd Landis competes in first mountain bike race in 9 years, doesn't fare well

There's being in shape, cycling shape, and then there's mountain bike shape. I don't care who you are or how fit you may be if you haven't been mountain biking in a while, you are going to struggle.

Such was the case for Floyd Landis, yesterday at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado. While there were a few notables - Ned Overend, Travis Brown, Jay Henry, and Ross Schnell - the field of elite men was not especially competitive. Despite this, Landis only managed to muster a 36th place finish and was passed by Shonny Vanlandingham who started four minutes behind and won the women's race. (Via VeloNews)

He blamed his lackluster finish on the time off the bike during his doping hearing, saying:

There were quite a few weeks when I rode a reasonable amount, 200-to-300 miles a week...Then that hearing; I didn't ride at all. You're sitting there. The next thing you know, you're eating doughnuts and you don't even care. It was awful.

Now sure, if he ate one less doughnut and kept the training going he would have fared better, but I'll bet he wouldn't have cracked the top 15. It's going to take a lot more than miles on the road and good eating to compete with the big boys in the pro mountain bike world. In the 9 years that you've been away Floyd, mountain biking has grown up and the elite mountain biking world does all that, plus they get dirty.

Let this be a wake up call to all those past and future Tour de France winners out there (Lance are you listening?), that you can't just turn around and think you'll start dominating in the mountain bike world without even trying. This is not a game you can play in your retirement.

Still, it would have been fun to watch the Lance and Landis showdown at Leadville, even though they might have been competing with each other in the middle of the pack.

Read my letter to Lance Armstrong after he backed out of the Leadville 100.
Read my letter to Floyd Landis admonishing him for scaring Lance.

Will GM really say 'FU' to the H2?

Well, they've finally succumbed to the pressure - maybe. Sales are down 27% and GM is considering killing the Hummer H2. You knew it had to happen. Especially after those commercials showing the uber-mommy-bitches mowing people down in their Hummers all Napoleon Syndrome style. Speaking of little-d!*ks, remember this one? They even began marketing to this segment of emasculated men! I guess that's when they jumped the shark.

In all seriousness though, I'm usually not so militant about these things...I'm more of a live and let live type. Still, I've been trying to figure out why I am so bugged by these monstrosities. I think Dethroner may of hit on the reasons why:

I understand that a few people have a need for large SUVs and that a person’s willingness to pay the premium in fuel goes a long way towards justifying the cost. But what I don’t understand is what seems to the acceptance of edge-case preparedness...

What’s it going to take for the average American car owner to accept that owning a modest vehicle is, you know, actually cool? What’s wrong with buying a crossover SUV that gets great has mileage, still seats six (or the now-magical seven), but might not quite be able to tow your boat down the highway at 80 MPH?

Here's to the vehicle that inspired a movement.