Armstrong's Trek time trial bike had been stolen.

DAVIS – Lance Armstrong’s distinctive time-trial bike was stolen sometime Saturday night, and the cycling legend is offering an unspecified reward for its safe return.

"There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," Armstrong wrote on the Twitter page he uses to keep fans abreast of news as he competes in the Amgen Tour of California.

The bike was stolen from the Team Astana truck during the night before Stage 1 of the Tour of California.

Picture and news from sfexaminer

Sam Hill's Specialized Demo?

Demo at Specialized booth at Interbike that might be Sam Hill's new ride next year, according to bikeradar

Cool urban bikes at Interbike

Electra, long known for its beach cruisers and recently the Amsterdam line, have expanded into the delivery boy and iPod-listening market, with racks and storage galore. Not only can one choose from a range of retro commuter style bikes, one can also pick a colour to match your latest iPod player.
from bikeradar

2008 Giant Glory DH

from mbaction

$4700

46 pounds

8.8-inch rear wheel travel
Full test: June 2008
Highlights: The Glory DH is a competition-specific, big-hit build, separating itself from Giant's more park-style performance-oriented bikes. The Glory DH is intended for racing. With nearly nine inches of rear wheel travel, the Glory's Maestro suspension is designed to be fully active over a variety of impacts while operating independent of pedaling and braking forces. The same suspension concept is on the Giant Trance (tested February 2008) and Reign trail bikes, and we've been very impressed with those two.

Best quote:

"There's one feature that's critical to a downhill bike: solid descending. With 17.5-inch chainstays, 8.8 inches of rear wheel travel, and a wheelbase of over 45 inches, stability in rough terrain was a constant aboard the Glory DH."

Bottom line: With the Giant Glory DH you get a World Cup proven downhill bike that's fantastic on technical terrain, pedals efficiently and is one of the best-handling all-around downhill bikes we've tested.

Not only is its performance reason enough for you to throw a leg over one, you get a durable, race-ready, high-end component package at a killer price. Giant offers the Glory in sizes extra-small to large, so finding a perfect f����it shouldn't be a problem. And, at over a $1000 less than many of its competitors, you'll be able to afford your bike park season pass, too.

Eurobike: Santa Cruz V 10

from bikeradar

Earlier this year Santa Cruz revealed an updated design to their popular Nomad frame, with revised links, shorter chainstays and a redesigned front triangle. This followed in the footsteps of the makeover given to the Blur LT cross country trail bike.

Santa Cruz have continued their overhaul programme with a new Jackal too, which boasts a Chub Hub rear hub and cleaner, less rounded look. Santa Cruz Syndicate riders Kirt Voreis and Jamie Goldman have been riding the new Jackals this season.

Santa Cruz’s V10 downhill machine – as used by Steve Peat and Team BikeRadar riders Neil Donoghue and Marc Beaumont – was on show with a fresh green colour.

NIck Jonas' cruiser

Nick Jonas (jonas brothers) is a cruiser fan too!

IBIS TRANNY

What is tranny bike, anyway? or Ibis tranny, in this case?
according to Ibis or probike
It’s a carbon fiber hardtail.
It’s a geared bike.
It’s a single speed.
It’s a travel bike.
It’s all of the above.

It’s the Ibis Tranny.



Lopes' tranny


The The Ibis Tranny is a strong and lightweight monocoque carbon fiber hardtail. And a lightweight, laterally stiff, vertically compliant one at that. The Tranny goes far beyond being just a hardtail, resulting in some unique features. The features are a result of the removable, adjustable-length, chainstay. This means you can transform it from a single speed to a geared bike to a travel bike in a matter of minutes.



At the section behind the bottom bracket. There's some hidden equipment down there we call the "Slot Machine". It's not really a machine, but it does have a slot that makes it adjustable. That allows us to lengthen the chainstays, so we can make this thing into a bona fide single speed. It's lighter than an eccentric bottom bracket, and cleaner than a chain tensioner. Look at our little animation of the Slot Machine in action. One bolt cinches the whole thing up.
As an added bonus, that same box of magic along with the curious little bolt up along the wishbone allows you to take the whole rear end off of the bike. Two bolts and it's in two pieces. Why would you want to do that? Easier to travel with my friends, and also possible to fly with this thing in a travel case and not pay the exorbitant fees the airlines like to charge us to carry our bikes.

Lopes' new mojo

pic from mbaction

Brian Lopes at the Sea Otter and his new Ibis Mojo.

Yeti Downhill and Slopestyle Prototypes

Information and photos courtesy of Yeti Cycles
from mbaction
by Ryan Cleek

Yeti has been working on designs that utilize the 303 technology. And, these prototypes are focused entirely on the gravity market and will fill-out their product line in downhill and slopestyle segments.

The 303 technology is unique because the wheel path and shock rate can be controlled independently. The new designs use a single rail to either control the wheel path or shock rate. This coupled with the pivot layout allows Yeti to create bikes that are lighter, less complicated, and still have many of the attributes of the 303.

All rail bikes will start with 303. If there is an R in the name, they are using the rail primarily to control the rate of the shock (horizontal rail). If there is no R, the rail is used to control the wheel path (vertical rail). All of these bikes are still prototypes and Yeti will spend the race season testing and optimizing the design.


Proto 303R-SS
Designed for aggressive trail riding, slopestyle, and gravity bent all-mountain. The rate on this bike has been designed to be stiffer so it holds the rider up in g-outs, berms, and really flowing terrain. The stiffer overall rate also makes it more difficult to bottom-out.



Travel: 5.4”
Projected weight: 7.5 lbs w/Fox DHX Air shock
Head angle: 68 degrees w/Fox 32 Float (140mm) fork, 66.3 degrees w/ Fox 36 Float (160mm)
Chainstay: 16.5 “
Bottom bracket height: 13”
Price: N/A



Proto 303R-DH
A less expensive DH bike that uses a single pivot coupled with their 303 technology. By utilizing a horizontal linear rail Yeti was able to create a rate similar to the 303 DH. The single pivot design has a different wheel path than the 303 DH, but they were able to simplify the design and lighten up the frame significantly.


Travel: 8.5”
Projected weight: 10lbs
Head angle: 64.5 to 65.4 degrees
Chainstay: 17.25”
Projected price: $2499

Iron Horse Sunday Elite-pimped hard

The Sunday Elite with long travel single crown fork according bike radar is "A fantastic performing frame, with a fork which just can’t quite keep up". From bike radar. Your thought of the golden bike??




By Ian Collins

For the first time this World Cup downhill-winning frame wears a set of long-travel single crown forks. Designed and proven as a race warrior, is this new configuration a chink in its armour?
Ride & handling: coil vs air

As you would expect from its heritage, this bike is no slouch when given some negative gradient. It tracks supremely, turns in perfectly at speed is perfect and its rider weighting and position is balanced and low.

We also found amazing control under hard braking and we just couldn’t bottom the thing out.

Such a compliant rear system with its immense traction is going to need a fork to match it, and the air sprung Totem just couldn’t keep up.

The fork having having 20mm less travel than the rear and the single crown weren’t the issue. A coil Totem would even things out, but an air spring never feels matched against a coil.

That said, this is still a great bike that inspires great confidence.
Frame: bottomless travel from DW link

Carrying the ‘Sunday’ moniker means the bike shares the same frame design as Sam Hill’s world dominating Sunday World Cup bike.

As with all of the Iron Horse Sunday complete bikes, the frame is made in Taiwan rather than the USA. This really has little – if any – detrimental effect on the frame quality, but it does carry a smidgen more weight.

DW links tune the travel path of the rear wheel and the actuation ratio of the shock to eliminate brake jack, pedal feedback and bob, and to give a ‘bottomless’ suspension stroke.

There are three stages of travel. The first stage sees most small bump sensitivity and resistance to pedal-induced bob, thanks to its slightly rearward axle path.

The second stage sees the rear suspension work in unison with fork action, and the final stage sees the leverage ratio ramp up for big hit absorption.

This is all dependant on having the correct sag set-up though, at 33-40 per cent at the shock.

The bike comes stock with Marzocchi’s ROCO World Cup shock.

Frame detail includes a special Max-E bearing with twice the amount of ball bearings for strength and a smooth action, 12mm through axle and a 1.5in head tube.
Equipment: pimped-out but confused

The Park Bike spec has a single crown Totem Solo Air fork, which adds manoeuvrability and versatility, but gives 20mm less travel than at the rear. This does separate it from other Sundays, but seems a little confused on such a race-oriented frame.

The 165mm Funn Hooka cranks, short cage SRAM X-9 mech and racer width 28in bars all point towards downhill racing, as you would expect on a Sunday.

The Horse is reigned in by Avid’s superbly performing Code brakes, running 203mm rotors at head and tail ends.

Then there’s the look of the thing, smothered in gold anodised Funn kit and matching Sun ADD wheels – even Westwood couldn’t pimp this ride any further.

The 2008 Ellsworth Moment

from mbaction
$5300

33.3 pounds

6-inch rear wheel travel

Maxi test: February 2008




Highlights: The Moment's frame and its fine attention to detail and craftsmanship grabs your attention and imagination. You find yourself wondering how the prominent four-bar-linkage, all-new Fox DHX 5.0 air shock and Fox 36 Van RC2 will perform (while catching the eyes fellow riders) ripping up the most technical trails. Our Moment test bike is built up with the versatile Shimano XT component group, which is becoming a staple on high-end do-it-all bikes with between four and seven inches of travel.

Best quote: "With a few hundred feet of our very first descent aboard the Moment we knew we were experiencing something special. The combination of suspension stability and traction puts the pilot in complete control, while the all of the bike's moving parts disappear below, allowing the rider to purely focus on the terrain."

Bottom line: Without knowing what to expect from the new Moment, the overall performance was a wonderful surprise. It's unique component spec is perfect for a trail rider who doesn't shy away from any trail obstacle, and is pure enjoyment in the hands of an experienced downhiller. The trail capable Moment is a steady climber, but truly shines on the descents in the corners.

Brian Lopes signed with Ibis Cycles

It has just been announced that current world Four-Cross champion Brian Lopes, who unceremoniously parted company with GT at the end of the 2007 season, has signed with Ibis Cycles.

Below the article about lopes' new ride by mr Sal Ruibal, read here for the full article and more photos.





BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Sal Ruibal

Beauty (Ibis Mojo Sl) meets the Beast (Brian Lopes). Brian Lopes is the best all-around bike rider in the world. He rules the 4-cross and dual slalom world and could probably kick buttocks on the XC circuit if he set his mind to it.

On banked and bermed tracks, there’s no one who can catch him. In a road sprint, look out Boonen and Cipollini, he’s on your wheel. He can freeride like a Canadian on fire and hop over picnic tables like like a kangaroo on caffeine.

So that’s why I was set aback to hear from Mr. Lopes that he was switching from longtime bike sponsor GT to Ibis, a brand known for exquisitely crafted bicycles that are so beautiful that many are on living room walls instead of bike racks. The back-order wait is longer than getting a green card in El Paso.

But Lopes can ride whatever he wants and he wants Ibis. It is hard for me to visualize Lopes bombing down the 4X course, swapping paint with the rough trade and exposing all that wonderful, curvaceous carbon to mud and rocks.

He’ll start his Ibis era with the scrumptious MojoSL, a full-suspension carbon machine better known for sculpting lines on singletrack trails than bashing miscreants hubs-over-head in 4X. It just looks too pretty for the sport.

When the super stiff Ibis Tranny hardtail debuts later this year, Lopes will be more in his element. Full power transfer and explosive sprinting will rule the day.

Brian Lopes will just keep on winning, but now he’ll look cool while he does it.

Orange 224-Evo World Cup dan Race

penasaran dengan sepeda yang dipake Popo untuk bertanding di SEA Games?



pics dari http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2008bikes/224-evo-race.php

Harga frame only dengan shock DHX 5.0 coil £1,799.95

Trek Bikes Fuel X8 (08) | £1700

BikeRadar verdict
4 out of 5 stars
"Infectious enthusiasm and agility for all-round fun"

By Guy Kesteven
It has the same name and same 120mm of rear travel as the 2007 EX, but otherwise the '08 model is a totally new beast. It's smoother, tighter and adds greater substance to its already proven, playful persona.
Chassis: Angular looks, plenty of mud clearance
The angular egg-timer head tube and trapezoid cross-section tubes add a neat geometric edge to the look of the bike. Trek has given a real edge to the ride, too, with a stiffer 'Evo' rocker linkage removing the 'articulated' aspect of older EXs.

You may have seen the adverts about the new suspension setup. 'ABP' (Advanced Braking Pivot) puts the seat stay/chainstay pivot concentric with the rear axle to minimise brake movement as the suspension moves. 'Full Floater' sits the lower end of the shock on forward extensions of the chainstay, effectively moving it away from the top rocker as it tries to compress it.




It's got a British amount of mud space, too, and the whole bike is open and easy to work on. A new 18.5in size closes the awkward 17.5in to 19.5in gap.
Ride: Light and tight, but back end creaked by end of test
The new EX has shorter stems than its predecessor. This gives a light and eager steering feel that meshes perfectly with the bike's playful character. It's just one of those bikes that's great to hop, pop and skip all over the trail.
The new suspension has a much smoother and more capable mid-stroke feel, with no trace of harsh bottom-out off big stuff. This means you can squat it into corners and fire it out again, and it rolls through square-edged stoppers far better than it used to. There's a bit of 'sting' at the start of high-speed shock loads such as big flat landings, but the payback is a pert pedalling feel that makes the Pro pedal shock lever pretty much redundant.
Overall feel is definitely far tighter than before, with much better tracking precision on off-camber or cross-thread trail sections. There's still a slight tendency for the heavily asymmetric rear end to twang left under power, though, and the back end was starting to creak noticeably by the end of the test. Despite having an extra 10mm of fork travel when compared to some direct competitor bikes, it still felt more cross-country than all-mountain on more challenging descents, too.
Equipment: value plus function
Fox's new damping guts are a big factor in the massive control offered by this type of bike, and the Trek's rear setup showcases them well. The tubeless-ready Bontrager wheels and tyres make it easy to remove weight and add extra suppleness to the ride.
XT/LX kit represents impressive value and function, while the Bontrager Race gear is all good. The saddle was certainly one of the comfiest we've tested, and the seat post now seems to stay in place without titanic torque. The Avid brakes have more than ample power, too.

Summary
Everyone who rode the Trek absolutely loved it for its get-on-and-go enthusiasm and agility. The new suspension has impressive smoothness, the bike ticks all the practicality boxes, kit levels are excellent and there's real potential for a lightweight upgrade. If you're after addictive all-round fun, the EX has to be on your shortlist.


Kesimpulan
Setiap orang yang pakai Trek pasti menyukainya karena gaya antusias nya yang mengajak ayo-naik-dan-pergi dan agility nya. Suspensinya yang baru lembutnya impresif, praktis, level kitnya sangat baik dan berpotensi untuk di upgrade ke komponen yang lebih ringan. Jika kamu mencari barang yang terus-terusan menyenangkan dan bikin ketagihan, masukkan EX dalam daftar.