Moots has teamed up with Dirt, Sweat & Gears as the title sponsor to assist with IMBA/SORBA’s continuing efforts to provide trail accessibility for the Southeast mountain biking community. In addition to event support, Moots will donate one of its signature handcrafted titanium mountain bike frames for the Dirt, Sweat & Gears grand prize drawing. 2010 marks the second year of Moots’ two-year sponsorship commitment to Dirt, Sweat & Gears and IMBA/SORBA.

Each $10 donation to IMBA/SORBA is an opportunity to take home a handcrafted Moots titanium mountain bike frame. Tickets can be purchased on the Moots and Dirt, Sweat & Gears websites.

One lucky recipient will be announced at the Dirt, Sweat & Gears awards ceremony on Saturday, May 15.

The fourth annual Dirt, Sweat, & Gears (DSG) endurance mountain bike race festival is scheduled for May 14 and 15, 2010 in Fayetteville, Tenn. The 12-hour DSG race event on Saturday May 15, is one of five on USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar.

Dirt, Sweat & Gears is one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing mountain bike events. In 2009, DSG raised more than $3,500 for IMBA and SORBA for trails, hosting more than 400 competitors from 31 states and Canada including 2009 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rush and 2009 24 Hour National Champion Josh Tostado.

Moots will be part of the DSG festivities offering mountain bike demos of their handcrafted frames Friday and Saturday. Several Moots “factory” athletes from the company’s Steamboat Springs, Colorado headquarters are scheduled to compete along with members of the Southeast GrassMoots team.

Pro Men, Women and Single Speed Open classes will complete for an $7,000 cash purse with equal payouts to both Men and Women for the top three finishes. Amateurs will pedal for more than $15,000 in prizes.

Festivities continue throughout race day with live music, a vendor village, random prize drawings and a kid’s race. A bonfire, BBQ and awards ceremony will immediately follow completion of the race. Camping and RV spots are available with port-o-lets, running water, trash collection and recycling.

The new Crank Brothers Cobalt 29er wheels have finally arrived and we wanted to pass along some pics.

Find out all the details here.

Yesterday USA Cycling announced a change in the dates and venue for the 2010 USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships.

The event will now return to Moab, Utah for 2010, to be held in conjunction with the 24-Hours of Moab event, October 9-10.

The USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships were originally scheduled to take place alongside the 24-Hours of Big Bear in Hazelton, W. Va., June 12-13. However, due to financial concerns, 24-hour race series promoter, Laird Knight, cancelled the 2010 edition of the West Virginia race.

“It’s unfortunate that Big Bear isn’t happening this year,” said USA Cycling’s Mountain Bike Events Director, Kelli Lusk. “But it’s exciting to have the 24-Hours of Moab host our 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships again. We are certainly looking forward to a great second year in Moab.”

For some, it's not so exciting. Big Bear's location in the population-dense East and its delicious course layout had become a "go-to" event for many racers during the past five years. Speedgoat's own Steve Schwarz and Ernesto Marenchin had circled nats at Big Bear as target events in their respective race calendars.

"I'm bummed out in general about the cancellation," Marenchin said. "I've always considered the GrannyGear WV 24-hour event my 'hometown' course and was really looking forward to racing there, having a ton of support and not having to carry super long-distance endurance so late into the season. The early date was also allowing me the opportunity to specifically train for cyclocross and to hit up the Cincinnati 3-day 'cross series that happens to be on the same weekend of Moab."

"I appreciate all that Laird Knight has done to keep the races going in the past," said Schwarz. "It's unfortunate that Big Bear couldn't happen this year. I know Laird, and I think he's a great guy. He's told me a couple of times that all of his races except Moab either break even, or operate at a loss. So, given the economy, I can understand that he's unable to keep Big Bear going this year. I trust he'll do everything he can to resurrect the races in the future.

"As far as the switch to Moab for 24 Hour Nationals, well, that really takes the wind out of my sails. Having won Big Bear twice in the past, I felt great about my chances at Nationals. Also, I felt like the June race date favored east-coast racers like Brandon Draugelis, Ernesto, and me over guys located out west where snow prevents riding most of the winter and spring. The switch back to Moab takes those factors out of the equation. Also, traveling to Moab is costly and time-consuming, and, for personal reasons, I'm not sure my wife and I will be able to travel out west in October. So, I'm tentative for Moab right now."

On the positive side, I'm looking at this as an opportunity to try some new things that I've been contemplating for years. I'm working out my revised schedule for 2010, but I'm leaning toward doing more of the NUE series races, and possibly doing the BC Bike Race as a solo. I've wanted to do both of these events for a few years now, but there were always scheduling conflicts."

This will be the second year that the 24-Hours of Moab host the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships. National titles will be awarded in fifteen different categories: Male and Female Solo, Single speed, Duo, 4-person team, Junior 4-person team, Master 4-person team 35+, Master 4-person team 45+, as well as Mixed Duo.

For more information about the 24-Hours of Moab, or to learn about registration for the event, please visit the official website by clicking here http://www.grannygear.com.

Here are the latest updates from Steve @ Niner Bikes on the new Jet 9...




More to come as we receive further updates.

When Bikes Belong speaks, people listen, which is why - when this message from executive director, Tim Blumenthal, arrived, there was no doubt that something important was going down.

If your wildest dreams include being able to ride your bike more conveniently/more safely in your neighborhood and beyond, then you'll want to keep reading:

"Imagine one million people speaking out for bicycling with a united, powerful voice.

Last night, at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, Bikes Belong officially launched peopleforbikes.org – a brand-new initiative to put more people on bikes more often.

We're collecting one million names in support of a better future for biking – one that's safer, more convenient, and more appealing for everyone. And we're giving people the tools to support pro-bike policies and spread the joy of bicycling in their own communities.

At this very early stage, the peopleforbikes.org movement will depend heavily on support from bicycle advocates, enthusiasts, and leaders like you. Please take a moment to visit our website and become one of the first to sign our pledge:

http://peopleforbikes.org

Every day, millions of Americans ride for their health, for the environment, for their communities, and for the pure joy of bicycling. But until now, only a fraction of riders have stood up to help improve bicycling in America.

Peopleforbikes.org is going to change all that. We'll build on the expert work of existing bike advocacy groups – our partners – to develop a powerful movement with the clout and influence to get things done. That means promoting bike-riding on an individual level, but also sending a unified message to our elected leaders, the media, and the public that bicycling should have their full support.

Check out our website and learn more about this effort:

http://peopleforbikes.org

Though peopleforbikes.org is already up and running, we're planning a broader public launch to coincide with the Bicycle Leadership Conference and Sea Otter Classic in April. Right now, your support is essential to launch and grow this effort.

After all, life is better when it's experienced on two wheels. You and I know this – and now we can take this message to millions of people across the country.

Sincerely,

Tim Blumenthal
Executive Director, Bikes Belong Coalition"

This anticipated bit of news lit up the cycling world via the WWW today. No fewer than 91 emails landed in my Inbox, all of which declared that biking directions had, indeed, been added to Google Maps:

from the Official Google Blog
"Whenever I meet someone who finds out that I work on the directions team for Google Maps, the first question I'm asked is often "So when's Google Maps going to add biking directions?" We're big biking fans too, so we've been itching to give you a concrete answer. I don't want to keep the good news a secret any longer, so the answer is: right now!

Today we've added biking directions and extensive bike trail data to Google Maps for the U.S. My team has been keeping close tabs on all the public support for biking directions that’s been steadily coming in, but we knew that when we added the feature, we wanted to do it right: we wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of bike lanes, calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills and customize the look of the map for cycling to encourage folks to hop on their bikes. So that's exactly what we've done." Read on...

Speedgoat Bicycles proudly supports the 2010 Appalachian Road Race Series

The 2010 season of Appalachian Road Race Series gets underway in a little over three weeks with the Morgantown Road Race starting things off on Saturday, April 3. All categories for men and women plus men's masters (40+ and 50+), junior (12-18) and tandem categories will be contested and it only costs $20 to enter.

Series promoter, the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association, doled out this advice for racing Morgantown via the race registration page:

"Leave your expensive Flux-Capacitors and fancy wheels at home cause it's WV and we got pot holes, but do not forget your climbing legs, and yes, they can have hair on them too. We don't judge! If you want to climb your legs off come join us over in West "by god" Virginia for some wicked hard yet truly fun grassroots road racn'!! This race course has just about everything a cyclist could wish for in ridge top views, back country road, big climbs and gear pounds flats."

This is the first in the series of six road races, which will take place over the next five months before switching over to a 'cross series.

Speedgoat Bicycles has shown its support for the entire series by providing prizes, which series promoter, ABRA, preferred over - we can only guess - the impersonality of cash.

Win Without Suffering
Each month ABRA distributes a newsletter that highlights vital information pertaining to racing. In addition, each newsletter features a contest that awards the winner some necessary item that any self-respecting cyclist wouldn't live without.
View March's Newsletter here and see if you can win this month's prize, a Camelbak Lobo Hydration Pack.

Series overview:
April 3, 2010 Morgantown Road Race APRRS # 1
May 8, 2010 New Martinsville Road Race APRRS # 2
May 16, 2010 The Crimson Classic APRRS # 3
May 29, 2010 Tour of Tucker County Road Race APRRS # 4
July 3, 2010 Barbour Detour Road Race APRRS # 5
August 14, 2010 Appalachia Visited Road Race APRRS # 6

For complete information and registration, visit the series page on ABRA's website: http://www.abraracing.com/Schedule.html

The rain in Spain fell mainly in Portugal prior to the start Xacobeo Galicia's three-day, 595-kilometer, intense training stint along the Portuguese branch of the world-famous Camino de Santiago, a centuries-old pilgrimage route extending across the northern Spanish province of Galicia and beyond to all corners of Europe.

The team set out today from Lisbon under bright, clear skies that hinted nothing of what was ahead along the 225-kilometer stage 1. Rains in previous days flooded the road to such a depth in some places that the cyclists were diverted by local firemen.

Although an occasional sign warned the team of the dunked roads, perhaps a sense of adventure prevailed and the team took their chances with the rain and with their BH G5 bikes, which doubled as amphibious vehicles to get them through the oversized puddles.

In the end, the team added an extra 30 kilometers to the day, which cost them two hours. Heavy rains throughout the Iberian Peninsula this winter have caused problems in nearly every region, which - on the bright side - may result in a more scenic Clásica San Sebastián on July 31.

This little kit is a great way to add more zing to your DT rear hub. It is an affordable, easy-to-do upgrade that doubles the points of engagement of your freehub (fits the 190, 240 and 440 FR models). The added benefits also include a small weight reduction and a richer, louder sound to the ratchet mechanism (if you’re into that sort of thing) and ten-degree engagement. I really liked the sound change and I can’t wait to see what the improved engagement feels like (I’ll get back to you on that as soon as we get some warmer temperatures here in Pennsylvania).

Before you get started, please familiarize yourself with the official hub overhaul instructions: http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Accessories/Hub-Accessories/36-T-upgrade-kit-for-star-ratchet-hubs.aspx (look for the link on the right side of the page called “Manual Hubs 240s.pdf). This blog entry is a brief overview of the procedure; it is not intended to replace precise instructions.

Start by pulling off the non-drive end caps (these may be a bit stuck: hold both end caps and twist several times to warm and loosen o-ring seals).


Stick a Bic pen into the axle and give it a few gentle taps until the drive side end cap pops off (be careful or the freehub and ratchet guts will pop out too).




Dismantle the freehub and ratchet mechanism (pay close attention to the order and orientation to apply during reassembly).




Comparison: 18 vs. 36 steps
36-step star ratchet offers 10 degrees of engagement (compared to 20 degrees from the original 18-step) and additional machining that saves 10 grams.


Don’t forget to clean and lube!








Here is where all of those memory games you played in Kindergarten pay off.

Finesse with a twist and a gentle push to guide the ratchet assembly into the hub shell. Finish off by replacing the end caps on the axle (you have to do this while holding the freehub in place since the springs tend to push the assembly back out until you get the end caps back in place).

We're glad to announce that Uvex sunglasses are now available here at Speedgoat Bicycles.

Featuring German engineering and styling and ranging in price from $30.00 to $100.00, you don't have to break the bank to get your euro-look groove on.

Chris and Mike from Niner Bikes stopped by the shop this week with a pre-production sample of the newly redesigned 2010 Jet 9 in hand.
The Jet 9 is Niner's lightweight cross-country, full-suspension frame that features 80 mm of rear wheel travel in the form of Niner's own CVA™ suspension system. First debuted in 2008, the Jet 9 has received multiple improvements for 2010.
The head tube is now a tapered 1-1/8” to 1.5” design that uses an integrated upper and lower headset assembly to keep the stack height low and steering precise. Niner includes a custom FSA headset with each frame and also provides both a 1.5” and a 1.5” to 1-1/8” reducer base plate assembly for your choice of running a standard 1-1/8” or tapered steerer tube fork. This new tapered head tube allows for a larger hydro-formed down tube, a larger hydro-formed top tube and a new top tube-to-down tube gusset area – all of which drastically increase the torsional strength and steering response of the frame.
The new hydro-formed top tube and seat mast are also larger in size and have an increased weld surface area where they meet the seat tube.
The entire front triangle is completely reworked and much stiffer than the previous version of the Jet 9.
The swingarm forgings have also received a redesign and the Y-brace from the R.I.P. 9 and W.F.O. 9 has been added for additional strength.
The seat stays have been changed to a square profile and the chain stays are now hydro-formed for additional gains in stiffness and torsional strength.

The most impressive result of all these changes…the weight.

I wish I had a weight for the complete bike, but I forgot to put the bike on the scale. Give a call to Niner and set me straight on that, however we can confirm that the target weight of the frame only is 2810 grams/6.2 lbs for a Medium in Licorice Anodized.

Parlee just sent us this photo of a Z5 in the Ghost Matte finish option and we felt the need to share...