nsmb’s Christmas Wishlist
We’re getting down to the wire. Christmas is less than a week away, but if you’re still not sure what to ask the old guy in the red suit (or your signifiant other) for, scroll through the list and see if something catches your eye.
Dan Barham – photographer @ DanBarham.com
Just because you’re on a bike, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dress with a bit of style. For me, it’s the Rapha Tailored Jacket.
Sartorial elegance for the suave cyclist. Photo © Rapha.
Dan Gronross – nsmb tester and race organizer
I will be racing for Team Dunbar in 2011 but am looking to log some much needed time in the “Epic All Mountain Trails” column. Maybe I am getting older but long hours in the saddle with amazing views is definately something that I look forward to. The Chilcotins have been calling me for years, or is it Todd rubbing it in how many times he has gone? Either way, it is a venue that I want to explore and the Devinci Dixon looks like the perfect bike for the job.
It looks fast and suited for exploration. And knowing Dan, he’ll put the Dixon through its paces. Photo © Devinci.
Tim Coleman – nsmb tester
I definately know what I’d like under the tree. I’d like a height adjustable seat post. It seems as though the Rock Shock Reverb is the best of the bunch, so I’d probably pick that one. The reasons that I want one of those is fairly self-explanatory: I ride quite a lot of all-mountain style trails, and am seemingly always changing the height of my seat.
In fact, I’ve changed the height of my seatpost so much that the height markings on the post have now worn off completely. It usually takes 2-3 adjustments before the seat is at the right height again for climbing.
The RockShox Reverb is a hydraulically-controlled height adjustable seatpost. No cable, no contamination. Photo © SRAM.
Since changing seatpost height is such a pain, I wind up just bombing short downhill sections with the seat jacked up. But I think we can all agree that’s a less than ideal solution.
My only concern with the Reverb is that the cable mounts to the seat clamp portion of the post. I’d rather the cable mount to the section of seat post that stays fixed relative to the frame so the cable doesn’t have to rub up and down the frame. Besides a slight increase in overall weight, I can’t think of a reason not to have a height adjustable seatpost.
Andrew Gower – nsmb tester
Dear Santa,
all I really want for Christmas, other than a new lower back, is a Cane Creek AngleSet. You see, my venerable Banshee Scythe, while very nice, has a realtively steep head angle at 65°. If I run it in the 8″ rear travel setting, not only does it get steeper, but the bottom bracket height goes atmospheric!
With up to 1.5° of adjustability, the AngleSet would not only rake the Scythe out, it would allow me to run the 8″ rear travel setting, have a half degree slacker head angle overall and a slightly lower bottom bracket. How much awesome is that?
Just in case you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, check it out on the Cane Creek web site.
And to answer your final question, yes, I’ve been very good!
Your best buddy ever,
Andrew
Andrew wrote such a nice letter that he really should get what he wants. If you’re not sure what an AngleSet looks like or what it does to your headset, here are some pix. Photos © Cane Creek.
Todd Hellinga – nsmb tester
What do I want for Christmas? Well, seeing as this is entirely fictitious, I’m going to swing for the fences and go with an Eriksen Titanium hardtail frame. Ha! Yup, told ya I was going big!
After spending a couple rides on one when I was visiting Steamboat Springs, CO in the fall, I was reminded that there are certain aspects of this industry that aren’t pushing the next, and last, greatest suspension design ever, those designed to be obsolete and relegated to beat down and clapped out within years. Then I saw into the world of custom ti hardtails, and the concept of buying something that will literally last you the rest of your life.
Eriksen 650b hardtail with a Cannondale Lefty fork and a 2 x 10 drivetrain. How’s that for a niche market ride? Photo © Todd Hellinga.
Amazing attention to detail, beautifully laid down welds, and your choice of flavor from the traditional 26” wheel, the middle of the road 650b, or the wagon wheeled 29’ers. They aren’t cheap, but if you know exactly what angles you’re looking for, Kent will build you the bike that will last your life, and maybe longer.
Jerry Willows – nsmb team rider
DT Swiss 2050 wheels. The latest version is 300 grams lighter. The best got better.
They’re definitely red. And if Jerry thinks they’d work well for him, then you know they’ll take a beating. Photo © DT Swiss.
Truvativ Descendant cranks. 240 grams lighter than the Holzfeller OCT I’m currently running and they lasted Sam Hill a season.
Double endorsement – Jerry AND Sam Hill. They also look pretty slick. Photo © SRAM.
Dan Austin – nsmb tester
Under my tree this year, I would be uber happy to see a nice double crown fork. Not just any fork, but a 2011 Rockshox Boxxer R2C2. After getting behind the bars of a couple bikes sporting a Boxxer this past summer, my eyes were opened to a new reality – dual crown forks are AWESOME.
Having always been of the mindset that my burly single crown forks are completely sufficient for the riding that I do and that an upgrade to a dual crown fork would lead to more of a hindrance in weight and maneuverability, I have had my mind expanded to show that the benefits certainly outweigh the costs.
Double crown goodness in the form of a Boxxer. Photo © SRAM.
Holding normally sketchy lines with ease and flying at speed into berms with way less brake makes me wonder, why haven’t I tried this before? I’m not crazy enough to want the WC level because – let’s be honest, I would rather be riding than rebuilding my fork – so the R2C2 would well handle my needs.
So Santa, please please please can I get one for Christmas? I haven’t been particularly good this year but hey, it can’t hurt to ask.
Stuart Kernaghan – nsmb editor
I’m fortunate to be able to ride a lot of different bikes during the course of the year, and to have built up a respectable quiver of bikes. The one type of bike that has yet to find a permanent home in my collection is a downhill bike. I don’t race, but I really enjoy riding the Shore and bike parks on a big, stiff bike with 8 or 9″ of rear travel. Fun, fun, fun.
There are quite a few big bikes to choose from these days, but the one that always catches my eye is the Trek Session 88. The ABP suspension design has earned good marks from just about everyone, the bike looks sexy as hell, it’s less than 40 lbs., and I can’t think of anything at all that I’d change with the spec. Best of all, it comes in big kid sizes, which is handy when you’re 6′ 4″. Woo hoo! Slide one down the chimney, Santa!
This bike just looks fast. Plus, you get lots of great technology and a parts spec that is damn hard to beat. Photo © Trek.
Now, if I had a SECOND wish, Santa, it would be for a new road bike. I love road riding, and the idea of cruising on a sweet carbon fiber road bike with top-of-the-line parts is pretty appealing. Giant Bicycles makes its own carbon fiber, resin and lay-ups, and I’d take a Giant over lots of other carbon road bikes any day. Specifically, the TCR Advanced SL 1. Thanks. Much appreciated, Santa.
Holy crap, this bike is sexy. Sexy, sexy, sexy. There’s not really much else to say. Oh, yeah – it’s got a a complete DuraAce group, including wheels. Which adds to the sexy. Photo © Giant.
Eamonn Duignan – nsmb team rider
What I would I like to see the most under the tree this year from a selection of the companies I ride for? My wish list…
Love to see a shiny 2011 Rocky Mountain Flatline World Cup and a Rocky Mountain Slayer. Why these two? Well, the Flatline for those heavy days, and the Slayer for everything else. All basses will be covered for 20-11 with this combo.
Bike one – for those heavy days. Readers can make up their own jokes at this point. Photo © Rocky Mountain.
Bike two – for those lighter days. Have fun with that softball… Photo © Rocky Mountain.
From Urge Bike Products I would love to see an Endur-O-Matic Helmet. A little Euro flash for my head.
Too much style, or just enough? It’s a tough call, and not everyone can pull it off. Photo © Urge.
From Cromag, the Lynx saddle. Stylish, ti rails, 265 g. Enough said.
Two choices: white with black or black with white. They’re both good choices, regardless of the intensity of your flow. Photo © Chromag.
And lastly, a RockShox Reverb seatpost. The days of falling behind the pack to adjust my seat height after those hot laps of Bob Sled will soon be over! (We’ve already seen what it looks like, so we’ll skip another photo…)
David “Fergs” Ferguson – nsmb photographer and writer
When Stuart (Santa?) asked us to do a quick write-up of some sort of bike related item that we’d like to see under our tree, I decided I’d be greedy and ask for something blingy. How about a new 6” all-mountain bike? My downhill bike is aging nicely, but is (in my opinion) too big for the Shore (it’s a first generation Demo 9), and my Shore-worthy hardtail (second gen .243 Racing) is a bitch for climbing despite my efforts to lighten it up as much as possible. And Cam makes fun of it (jealous).
I don’t have a do-it-all bike, something I can pedal up and down Fromme or take on an afternoon singletrack journey. As well, space in a Vancouver condo is always at a premium, and I could probably benefit from turning two bikes into (gasp!) one. So what would I like? It’s a toss-up between the Norco Range, Specialized Enduro Comp, Knolly Delirium and the Rocky Mountain Slayer (pictured above). What would you chose?
The Norco Range 2. Not quite as loud as the Range SE, and not nearly as many bucks flying out of your wallet. Photo © Norco.
The Enduro Comp frame is a love-it or hate-it kind of thing. And Fergs loves. Photo © Specialized.
The Knolly Delerium definitely fits into the boutique category. Photo © Knolly.
Cam McRae – nsmb editor
I love it when Christmas comes early. Ever since riding Edge Composites (since renamed as Enve Composites) on the carbon Santa Cruz V10 this past summer, I’ve been lusting after a set of carbon wheels. They were extremely light but more rigid than a comparable aluminum wheel – and the even seemed to provide some bump compliance. And unlike aluminum, they didn’t dent.
Acoording to Santa Cruz engineers, these carbon hoops have been much more durable than aluminum wheels under the most abusive riders in the world. Stronger, stiffer and significantly lighter: sign me up for that.
As luck would have it, the package that arrived for us was from Easton not Enve and the wheels are meant for all mountain riding rather than DH. The Haven Carbon wheelset weighed in at exactly 1450 grams with valve stems (610 g front and 840 g rear). This is almost half a pound lighter than other wheels I have used for an AM application, even though the rims are a full 28mm wide (outside diameter, 21mm inside).
Carbon hoops are pretty high zoot parts. You’d expect that they would be for more than two grand. Photo © Easton.
Now the bad news. The Haven carbons will set you back US$2,300 (We don’t have CDN numbers yet). What makes this price a little more palatable is the insurance policy Easton is hooking you up with. The wheels come with a two-year, no-questions-asked replacement policy. I guess that means if you scratched your rims, you could run over them with your car and get a new unblemished set?
If you’d rather save your pennies for your next trip to Whistler, you could pick up the aluminum Havens for $850, but you’ll add 200 grams of rotational weight; the aluminum set weighs 1,650 grams.
The wheels are of course tubeless compatible and the rim is sealed, so no rim strip needed. They’re available in standard QR as well as 15 and 20mm up front ,and with 135 QR and 135 and 142 thru axle in the rear.
I haven’t mounted these up yet but I’m hoping to get on them before the New Year.
Happy Holidays!
Ed Snyder – nsmb tester
There is always something else to want at Christmas… especially in the cycling world. This time of year, I start to think more about giving than getting. If you are going to give in mountain biking, one really good way is trail work. Pretty simple really: trails are our sport. No trails, no mountain bikers.
So this year I want to take all that inspiration that guys like Digger, Riley McIntosh, Jay Hoots and ton of other folks shell out every year, and go write my own name in the dirt a little bit. I want to build something that I like to ride, share it with others and then watch them smile.
I can’t think of a better piece of gear for that than a Dakine Builders pack. Of course, you have to top it off with a full suite of tools, but that is perfect chance to round out the kit with whatever works best in your neck of the woods.
The Dakine Builders Pack. Room for your saw, hammer and nails, shears and even a little lunch. Photo © Dakine.
Once the whole thing is together, you can not only go create your own masterpiece or wood, rock and dirt, you can also easily help out with more basic tasks like clearing your local trail system after a storm, or restoring sections that took a beating over the winter. Think of it as the gift that can keep on giving.
There you go, one super-sweet wishlist from the nsmb crew. If that doesn’t give you some ideas for the next year – or get you inspired to do something nice for your local trail builder – then you’ve got a serious Scrooge complex going.
Anything that you’re lusting for that didn’t make our list? Santa reads our boards, so be sure to post your wishes there and let us know what you think about ours here…
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