May 18, 2013

Details and specs on the carbon beauty taken from NSMB.com. Words and photos by Morgan Taylor for NSMB.com.

The carbon Demo does what it’s told. You want to turn, it turns. Jump? Yes. Rally the chunky stuff? Yup. Dance, monkey. The Demo’s ability to track trail and pump through bumpy sections gaining speed is immediately evident, and makes for a playful on-trail feel. While I recently lamented the death of the freeride bike, the Demo fits the bill as long as it’s pointed downhill – and that is the point of a modern downhill bike, right?

Getting to know the Demo followed a quick learning curve and we have gotten along very well since. While at first the cockpit felt short, this boiled down to a bar-stem spec as the carbon Demo’s measurements line up with its trusted aluminum predecessor. Our test bike … Read More »

May 7, 2013

Check out a recent Pinkbike.com article on the new Santa Cruz Bronson. The reviews are rolling in and they look very good.

Santa Cruz announced the Bronson on April Fools’ Day, but the first mid-size-wheel trailbike from the Coastal California bike maker was no joke. We traveled to the new SC factory, situated at the foot of some of the area’s choice riding, to get a first-hand impression of how the bike performs. Those who have ridden in the coastal mountains of Santa Cruz will verify that the dirt, trails and average temperature are near-perfect 260 days out of the year – and the other 105 days it’s fisherman-cold and pissing rain. We were fortunate to enjoy one of the 260 – shredding between shaded redwood forest and oak woodlands for a most enjoyable day of riding on the trails where the … Read More »

April 14,2013

Santa Cruz has been busy this season and secretive about its plans – the first of which is the Bronson 650B line. The six-inch-travel VPP design will be offered in both carbon and aluminum in a wide number of build kits (Shimano and SRAM) that range in price from $4150 to $10,419, so there is a Bronson suitable for both thousandaire and millionaire Enduro pilots alike. Most of the release is about the top-line Enve/SRAM XXI build, which is quite stunning. The new carbon frame is updated with all of the bits that were developed for the Talboy LTC – co-molded aluminum pivot bosses, and the simplified swingarm design. The lower rocker is still sturdy aluminum and all the main suspension bearings are adjustable.

Bronson Details:
• 27.5″ (650b) wheels
• 142 mm rear axle spacing.
• New molded rubber swingarm and downtube protectors.
• 2 x … Read More »

April 8, 2013

If you’ve been following the turning of the wheels here on the Shore as of late, then you know there’s some good things happening. For those of us that live here, dig here and ride here, that’s definitely an understatement. What has been quietly building in momentum for the last three years is now exploding out of the gate like Stevie Smith at Mont Ste. Anne! What once was lost, now is found, and our future here looks brighter than ever.

You’ll never take the gnar outta the Shore. Simmons knows where the nugs are. Photo: Sterling Lorence

Not so long ago, the Shore gave birth to Freeride on the shoulders of some of the biggest names in the sport. Simmons, Super T, Gully, Vanderham & Shandro rode into the history books on outlandish creations borne from the hands of … Read More »

March 28, 2013

Steed Cycles is proud to be a sponsor and supporting partner of the NIMBY Fifty, an XC mountain bike race in Pemberton BC! After coming on board as a sponsor in 2012, the crew here at Steed Cycles decided to come back again in 2013.

The NIMBY is truly a unique event created for riders by riders. Pemberton has some of the best singletrack in the world coupled with stunning mountainous views and green fields in the valley below. Heading into it’s fourth year (2013), NIMBY Fifty continues to grow, attracting some of the Worlds top athlete’s as well as passionate riders ready to take on the event.

The race is approximately 35 km in length, boasting a lung busting 101 switchback long pristine single-track climb. You get’n the picture? This ain’t your typical XC race. The NIMBY Fifty is what … Read More »

March 14, 2013

Check out a recent post our friends at NSMB.com did for the launch of the much anticipated Specialized Enduro 29er. This bike could be a game changer!

Specialized had a hard time keeping the Enduro 29er under wraps. Rumours had been tossed around for a while, with the general consensus being that the Big S would not delve into 650B and it was inevitable that we’d see a big wheeler bigger than the capable 130mm Stumpy Evo 29. Photos had surfaced over the past month and it was clear that we’d soon find out what was happening behind closed doors.

This morning, the internet caught fire with some imagery that preceded Specialized’s offical release. We jumped at the chance, but now we’ve got some more official data. The raw numbers: 155mm rear travel, 67.5º head angle, 430mm chainstay, three sizes … Read More »

March 11th, 2013 | By Mike Murphy

One of my favourite races of the year, the Dirty Duo, happened yesterday. The entire event was sold out, and mother nature was giving everyone a rare March gift (sunny and warm). Heather and the volunteers did an amazing job, especially considering the number of racers and the number of trails covered.

Last year, the DD was pretty much my perfect race: red-lined the whole way, and mentally tough as nails. I expected to be even faster this year, as conditions were better and i felt like i was stronger (both running and riding).

This report isn’t the full play-by-play, but more of an overview; a discussion on bonking, suffering, and getting your ass kicked.

**Let me throw in some foreshadowing now. I had made some ‘slight’ dietary changes  in my lead up to the race**

8am, and … Read More »

December 11, 2012

Mountain Bike Slopestyle will make its first appearance at the X-Games in 2013, at the Munich, Germany event, according to a release from ESPN.

“We were always taking kind of a global look at things while selecting which sports would appear in which cities,” said Tim Reed, X Games senior director of content strategy. “[Slopestyle] was an event that the locals felt very strongly about and felt it was relevant,” Reed said. “The hill has a great elevation change, so we figured it out.”

Read more:
http://www.nsmb.com/x-games-adds-mtb-slopestyle-for-2013/ 

December 1, 2012

Check out UK BikeMagic.com’s long-term review of the Santa Cruz Tallbo aluminum.

The aluminium version of Santa Cruz’ revered Tallboy 29er trail bike gives nothing to its carbon stablemate except for a few grams a smaller hole in your bank balance. 

Santa Cruz’s first foray into the 29er world was the carbon fibre Tallboy, at a time when there was much more scepticism towards the bigger wheels than there is today. It’s fair to say it’s been well received and is one of the most popular 29ers in the UK right now. No wonder either that it’s their best selling model.

The carbon fibre version that it launched with was far from cheap though (£2,499), and this year they produced an aluminium version which at £1,749 is £750 cheaper. A significant saving and instantly putting the new frame into the realms … Read More »

November 26, 2012

Sunday, November 18th marked the last TAP trail day of the 2012 season for the NSMB crew supported by RockShox. Over the season, we double-TAPped Expresso, laying down a total of 12 trail days with MEC doing their own share on the new alignment.

Digger’s vision led the way for Expresso’s new alignment, a more sustainable take on a classic line down Fromme. Even with two solid crews working on Expresso, however, Digger has spent countless hours working on the trail on his own time, making sure every last rock is perfectly placed and covered in solid gold.

Under Digger and Jerry Willows’ guidance, we regularly headed up the hill with 25-30 willing workers for our TAP days, and completed huge sections in a short time. It’s amazing what a focused crew can accomplish, and we really would like to … Read More »