THE FIRST WIN IS THE SWEETEST

Jaroslav Kulhavy rode a perfect race to score an historic first win for big wheels! (Ph: Victor Lucas)

When Ned Overend won the first Cross-Country World Championships on a RockShox RS-1 fork in 1990 in Durango, suspension forks entered the world of mountain bikes with a bang. Over 20 years later, just a couple weeks after RockShox introduced the new SID 29” to the public, Jaroslav Kulhavy from Specialized Factory Racing became the first racer to ever win a World Cup on a 29er.
With RockShox suspension leading the way again, Kulhavy’s landmark victory scored a big win for bigger wheels. Riding on a RockShox Reba 29” chassis with Brain technology, Kulhavy led from nearly start to finish at round 2 of the 2012 UCI World Cup Series in UK’s Dalby Forest.
While some still debate, discuss and hesitate, many riders are already benefitting from the new mountain bike experience: 29” Are you riding a 29" bike? Are you going to try one? Tell us what do you think on our RockShox suspension facebook page!

 

Truvativ : Bellingham : Committed

Back in January, Truvativ swung through Bellingham, Washington and witnessed the supreme creativity and perseverance a diverse group of trail builder’s had. Committing yourself to months in the woods for a trail no one is asking for is a special skill. It’s an unlearn-able and thankless task.

This edit is a little tribute to the calloused hands and sore backs that make our trails a reality. These things don’t just happen. The images shown here are from a nameless trail that is still under construction. Consider this part one of two. Second edit will drop upon the trails completion. We are as excited to see it as you are.

Every Ride Has a Story

Photos : Adrian Marcoux

Video : TSage

The boulder was almost a deal breaker. It rolled onto an access road from a cliff wall after night of heavy rains. There was no getting around it. Move that earth or turn around.

Turns out boulders are heavy. This took 6 dudes, the biggest pry bar I’ve ever seen and tie-downs to get it off the road. No progress was impeded this day.

Supplies. Only the best.

Straight to work. Cut and debarked beams are laid to span the length of creek.

Some proper craftsmanship happening here. This bridge will stand the test of time.

Carhartt’s. Flannel. Cut hands. Official builder uniform.

Tools of the trade.

Helping. Everyone says their dog is the best trail dog. Those people haven’t meet Kira yet.

The fuel.

The Food.

“Always be honest, always be courteous, and most importantly once you start something don’t you ever stop until you’re finished.” - Daniel DeLaVergne

To the debarker.

Nature’s fridge.

The plans, the foundation and the people involved with this project are beyond solid. Looking forward to ripping down this trail with it’s creators some day. Thanks for letting us crash your trail day.

The bikes of Ranch Style

From the outside it seems like Santa Cruz spits out new talent weekly... But, in fact, R-Dog has been training, building and training some more!  He throws down the industry standard for the "nastiest" style. watch for the dumped three...

Reece Wallace aboard his SRAM equipped Chromag. This kid is one to watch! With great combo's (in and out of the fruit bowl) to the sensibility to organize and execute fun events! Stay tuned to pinkbike.com and his column for updates from abroad.

Its always a treat to work with an athlete from day one... Right from the get go Jamie was on the team and ready for anything. He kept the crowd pumped and the tricks nasty. One of the only guys to run the full 140mm of travel on the Argyle aboard his Santa Cruz HT. Seems wild...

This Cove bike shop mechanic has the knowledge and the skills. Eric Lawrenuk rides for SRAM and Jordie Lunn...

Kyle Strait has two of these limited edition Pivot Slalom frames, one for Slalom and one for Slopstyle. This one has a downtube shifter via B-LABS, RS Argyle and some stiff wheels, while the Slalom bike runs a RS revelation, and a couple lightwieght pieces you can spot at the races. Kyle's next stop is the US Open of Mountain biking.

Your winner of the weekend! Greg Watts was like a video game... Hard to beat.

Ranchstyle 2011: Dual Slalom Course Preview - More Mountain Bike Videos

Enjoy a look into one of the funnest and fastest growing events in Colorado that's set just above Grand Junction, CO on a privately owned ranch. Thanks to Grassroots cycles for hosting a great event!

Cheers

TM

Mellow Johnny's Race day

This weekend we watched as SRAM took the top three spots of the men's Pro podium at the Mellow Johnny's Spring Classic. We witnessed a brutally hot race that had us guessing the whole way... Sid Taberlay (SRAM/KENDA) led the first two laps just a head of what would turn out to be a mix of the  men's podium; Todd Wells(SRAM/Specialized), Max Plaxton (SRAM/Specialized) and Sam Schultz (SRAM/Subaru TREK). After the current US national champion Todd Wells surged ahead of the pack with almost a minute lead, he wavered and let his team mate Max Plaxton ride away with the win. This left about the same sized gap between Max, Todd and Sam, who, rounded out the top three.


The Spring Classic isn't just about the pro's but its focus on the family and the amazing cycling community based in Texas. XC racing is alive and well in this state and we love seeing the support! Over 800 people raced the weekend on the 8.9 miles of singletrack. and countless people cheered, drank and generally had a load of fun on the ranch that sits just out side of Austin, Texas.

 Doesn't matter about the age but its the time that matters.

 These two look on and discuss the results and go over what to work on for next time.

 The crowd is unbelievably nice in Texas and just down-right-mellow. They showed up in droves to line the course. This is the pro men field warming up.

 Adrian Marcoux (SRAM Photographer) capturing the start with a new 4x5 camera.

 The pack!

 Sid leading Todd early on.

Max Plaxton riding away with it!

 Todd had an amazing middle of the race but the heat got to him.

First

Second

Third

A podium without the champ... Max Plaxton had a flight to catch.

TRUVATIV ICE CREAM PARTY

What's the best way to end a nice saturday spent in Lake Garda riding bikes, looking at bikes and talking about bikes? With a big tasty ice cream of course! We picked the best after-riding hangout in Riva del Garda, Cafe Flora, and asked people to come tell us their best riding story. We rewarded them with free ice cream (and beer...), Truvativ t-shirts and some great photos you can see on the SRAM MTB facebook page by clicking here.

Rush hour at the Gelateria!

We tried convincing the stuff to name this cup "Boobar" after our handlebars...they'll think about it.