MOTSUV Oval Chainring

I just picked this beauty up freshly from the local post office after it's been delivered from the Far East. We are lookin' at a MOTSUV 34T Narrow/Wide Oval Chainring. I'm using oval chainrings for more than a year now, so the decision was pretty straight forward. 

But lets see some details:

The weight is 50 grams

It is a 34T chainring with 104 BCD that has a narrow/wide profile, so it's ideal choice for riders who rather prefer single chainring at the front. It is made out of 7075-T6 alloy and has a friendly enough weight also. 

Got it fitted with a set of custom made 1,8 mm thick spacers

I'm pretty curious about this ring, especially about the lifetime of it. I've been using very similar products (also from China) before and I was super happy. So, I hope it'll be the same story once again! :) 

Ready to roll, will test it in the next few days

 Stay tuned for short term review!

  

2016 Trek Superfly 7 // First thoughts

Today was the day when I finally managed to get on the on the new bike and had my first test spin on it. I was absolutely dying to see what's the bike like as I got sick pretty much staright after I got it. So it was sitting in The Shed waiting to be ridden. But only until today! 

I took the bike only for a short 2 hours spin around the local hills. Unfortunatelly the weather is still pretty grim with a massive amount of mud so there was a very little off-road along the way.  

Anyway, my first impressions are very good I have to say. The bike feels nice! The frame is very rigid yet still comfortable. The spec of the bike works well and it is more than perfect what I need it for. The riding position is bang on and the handling feels very responsive too. So all in all it's a savage XC machine and I can't wait to give it a proper go on some sweet trails. Come on dry weahter, help me out here!! :) 

Going wide range with 11-42 cassette

As I'm running a single-ring setup at the front I was planning to have a wide range cassette that will create the perfect 1x10 system. Recently I got a SunRace 10 speed cassette with 11-42 ratio from my good friend Józsi, thanks a lot dude!! :)   

This should be more than ok and the way I see it: if I can't climb something with 36T x 42T than I rather get off the bike and run it. :) 

Operation Stem Slam

The part

The final touch on the new bike was to get the handlebar position nice & low. To be able to get things done the way I like them to be I got a beautiful piece of kit from my mate Gyuszi. Thanks a million dude! :)

The details:

Specialized // 90 mm lenght // -17° angle with additional -4° spacer. 

The job

So, there was nothing else to do but to cut the steerer tube of the fork. Luckily I have what I need to get a job like this done easily.  

The setup

After the 15 minutes job the front of the bike was ready. Freakin' awesome setup it is and honestly I can't wait to give the beast a go. Roll on next weekend!! :) 

2016 Trek Superfly 7 // My new machine

Yep, something has changed recently! I sold my faithful Niner and got this lovely Trek Superfly 7 XC machine for myself. This is the 2016 model from the range of Trek and there is plenty of change compare to my last 2,5 years: the bike has gears and also has a suspension fork. I guess I'm getting back to my roots after the longish single speeder years. :) 

But lets have a closer look at the machine itself!

The frame is made out of Trek's Alpha Platinum Aluminum and it comes with tapered head tube, internal cable routing, bolth through axle and press-fit bottom bracket. The lines are sweet and the weldings are nice & smooth. This is a 15,5" size that means the bike runs 650b wheels. The seatpost size is 27,2 mm and it has my old Fi'zi:k Tundra saddle on.  

At the front there's a sweet FOX 32 CTD fork with 15mm bolt through axle and 100 mm travel. We can't ignore the decal colour design, it looks absolutely brilliant! The cockpit is nice and low thanks to the 100 mm long Specialized stem with -16°drop. The 690mm wide Bontrager handlebar is the right size fro the bike and the beast looking ESI grips will make things comfy indeed.     

I've made some changes to the gear system of the bike as I'm running a single chainring at the front. There's a lovely 36T AbsoluteBlack oval ring fitted to the Shimano M627 cranks (massive thank you to my good friend Majláth Gyuszi for sorting me out with this brilliant piece of art). Of course I put the old set of Shimano XTR pedals on, they are simply the best out there in my opinion. At the back there's a 10 speed Shimano HG50 casette with the range of 11-36. The Shimano XT Shadow Plus rear mech does a perfect job. 

The stopping power is provided by the Shimano Deore hydraulic brake system. They will stop the wheels (Bontrager Mustang Elite) just fine! The Bontrager XR2 Expert 27,5x2,20 Tubeless tyres will keep me rubber side down on the trails.     

So, this machine will be my new companion on the trails. Am I excited to ride this bike? Jaysus I am!! Can't wait to get out and have my first proper test spin on it! Stay tune for first impressions!! :) 

Good by single speed... // Hello gears!

Yep, the decision was made and there was no turning back. I could say: it was only matter of time my friends. But lets see how did I get here after riding single speed for more than 2 years.

Long story short: riding single speed was great fun and challenging in a way. Something that I really liked indeed...but the main issue was the speed. The bike wasn't fast enough. It was brutally fast uphill but the speed on flat and on descents was very slow. And that's not something I want right now. 

What I need is speed. Speed that keeps me with the group during XC Maraton events. Speed that doesn't allow me to get dropped on a fast training spin with my mates. 

The Niner got a 1x9 setup fitted last night. Massive thanks to my awesome training buddy József Király for sorting me out with his spare parts left over from previous bike builds. So, here I am, back on a geared bike again! Yeow, bring on the speed baby! :) 

19T-1 tooth... it's time for a new one!

Here we are, another part of my bike has finished its life. This lovely 19T cog from Niner have seen it all I think. Hundreds of hours, thousends of kilometers and countless hours of fun on the trails. Served me for long and there is nothing left but to fit a new one. 

  

Shimano Alfine chain tensioner on a single speed XC mountain bike // First impressions

I've done a few spins since I got the Shimano Alfine chain tensioner fitted. Done about 90 km and 4,5 hours so I guess it's about time to see my first thoughts. 

Lets have a look at the details here:

• The firts thing that pops in my mind is that the system is super smooth & quiet. Once the chain line is bang on the chain runs real nice. Of course this is how it should be anyway but still, it's lovely!  
• The body of the tensioner is very stiff, there is no flexibility whatsoever.
• The tension of the spring is at another level folks, it keeps the chain über tight!
• Oh, it looks savage! Did I mentioned that? Sure I did!! :) 

I have picked some rough local trails to see how the Alfine performs off-road. The test went well, can't mention a single problem so far. Of course the brutal winter spins are still ahead with all the mud, sleet and snow. But I have a great feeling about this tensoiner and I'm sure it was a good decision to fit the Alfine for single speed mountain biking! 

Fabric cage-less water bottle system

Now, here is something truly special! We are talking about a bottle cage. Is it there? Is it not there? What's happening?! 

It's the revolutionery cage-less bottle from Fabric. The award winning idea that completely rethinks the classic design. And sure, it is there but it does look fairly different compare to normal bottle cages. Lets see the details:

It's a 600 ml BPA free plastic bottle with direct mounted screws and studs. The studs are mounted directly to the bottle bosses and the bottle sits over them. Simple as that. 

The kit contains the bottle itself and 2 sets of mounting kit. This way you can have the studs fitted on both tubes on the frame or just simply have a spare set in case you run only one bottle. 

Extremely light-weight 

Simple as that. No more bottle cages just nice and smooth lines of the frame. I love the idea altogether, finally there's something on the bike market that raised my eyebrows. I'm excited about this cage-less system and I look forward how it will actually perform. Especially in some savage off-road conditions. Let the testing begin! 

Shimano Alfine (CT-S500) chain tensioner

I have been struggling with chain tensoiner problems recently. After a bit of a research I made up my mind and got a new chain tensioner for the single speed beast. I had my eyes on the Shimano Alfine CT-S500 mondel for a while. It looks savage and the spring tension is outstanding for sure. Ah, sure... it's not quite common part on single speed XC bikes but you know me well: I'm not too worried about things like this. :)  

The weight is just over the 200 gramm mark

It's a non-adjustable tensioner with fixed chain line. Runs two pulleys and got kitted out with a mega strong spring to keep the chain nice and tight. Juuuuust what I was after! 

The box contains 3 spacers with the total of 5 mm spacing thickness. They go in between the drop-out and the tensoiner itself. This way there's a slight adjustment to have the chain line bang on. They were handy indeed, I had to use them all to have everything running smooth. 

All set, good to go!

After the short work I had the bike ready to be tried. The tensoiner is on and it looks... well, it looks awesome in my opinion. The Alfine isn't a single speed specific part that's designed for XC machines but I'm sure it'll work well for me! Stay tuned for some first impressions post in the near future! 

YAWYD // Bit of a personal touch!

Snail Oval Chainring // First impressions

It's a special kind of upgrade on the bike for me as I had my eyes on these oval chainrings for a while. Thanks to my good training mate I managed to get one fitted and I'm after my first test ride with this setup.

Where should I start? I think we can skip the introduction part, I'm sure we all know the benefits of the oval chainrings by now. Got the ring last night, got it fitted and I was full of excitement this afernoon when I left the house.  

The details:

It's a Snail Oval Chainring with 104 BCD, 34T and Narrow Wide profile. I was running 36T normal ring on the single speed bike and based on many articles and advice I've decided to pick a size 34T. The ring looks sturdy yet still light. Good looking design and a small indicator mark that helps before mounting. It's a nice piece of bike part with a nice finish! 

First impressions:

The first test spin was only a 30 km long ride with a few kicker climbs on the local hills. The first thing that popped into my mind was that there is no difference on flat. Didn't feel different at all compare to the normal chainrings. 

But this feeling has changed pretty quickly as soon as I hit the first climb. The difference was quite remarkable I have to say! The climb felt definitely easier on a weird and unusual way. It is hard to describe... it feels like the pressure of the climb gets less for a short amount of time and it repeats itself with each and every pedal stroke. It feels unusual but definitely good!

It was awesome to try this ring and I'm happy to experience the benefit that I was only reading about before. Although it was only a short test ride but I can definitely tell it'll be nice to ride with an oval chainring mounted on the bike! 

Short and long term review to come, so stay tuned! :) 

Operation Stem Slam // Inverted 17 degrees

I just finished my latest project in The Shed a few minutes ago. I have been searching for a -17 degrees stem for a while and luckily I managed to get my hands on this lovely piece recently. It is not a very common size the least to say, so I am pretty damn happy to see this beauty on the bike. 

Nice & low... just the way I like it :)

So, I fired up the good 'aul woodburner and put on some savage metal music. Oh, and got the stem fitted on the Niner without wasting a single minute!! :) 

Looks the business alright and I can't wait to go for a test ride with the new setup. I'm not sure when that's gonna happen but I'm sure I'll love the agressive low front! 

The Big Bike List

I was talking to a good friend of mine just a short while ago about old bikes and all that good stuff. And then the question was asked "Dude! How many different bikes did you actually have?!" 

So I figured it would be fun to make a list that has all my bikes over the last 15 years or so. Here we go!

Mountain bikes

- BCA steel MTB (my first bike)

- Magellan Polaris

- Magellan Crux

- Magellan Pyxis Team

- Specialized Stumpjumper

- Specialized Epic

- Tomac Taos

- Giant XTC

- Look 986

- Giant Anthem 650b

- Cannondale F29 Carbon 3 29er
- Niner E.M.D. single speed 29er (my current bike)

Cyclocross bike

- Giant TCX


Road bikes

- Trek 1.5

- Sintesi Infinity

- Trek Madone 4.5

Commuter bikes

- Peugeot steel (single speeed)

- Tomassini Super Prestige (fixed wheel)

- Some retro steel frame road bike (fixed wheel)

- Giant (fixed wheel)

- Torro TenFour (fixed wheel)

So, when the list was complete I couldn't believe that I've had more than 20 bikes since I started this whole "being a cyclist game". And I also have that feeling it won't be the end of the list either! ;)  

Niner Carbon Fork // Review

Last night I've been doing some TLC on my bike so I took the opportunity and grabbed the fork to write a few words about it. 

I'm riding with Niner's rigid carbon fork since the summer. This is the first rigid for that I have experience with and all I can say I surprised in a very positive way. Sure, it has a very different feel to it compare to any suspension forks but it definitely has it's own benefits! First of all it's light as hell. Then it has zero maintenance to worry about and last (but not the least) it looks awesome. :)

It's just uner 600 gramms...not too bad for a fork that takes proper off-road beating!

But lets see the details: it's a disc only fork that comes with carbon (tapered) steerer tube and can accept rotor up to 185 mm. It works with standard QR and has Niner's classic black & white finish that gives the iconic look to this award winning fork.   

So, it's no secret at all: I'm pretty impressed! Neath looking MTB fork that's also durable and comfortable thanks to the damping charecteristics of carbon. I had some question marks at the beginning but all that went away pretty much straight away. So, are you thinking abouth making your move and gettig a rigid MTB fork? Then wast no time, go for it!   

Niner Carbon Fork // First thoughts

I'm riding on this rigid carbon fork from Niner for almost a month at this point. I've done just a bit over 350 km on it, so I figured why not write a few words about it?!

Going off-road and hit the trails on a rigid fork was a completely new experience to me. I was very curious and I also had about 1% doubt. Sure, I didn't worry about the durability or strength of the fork as the carbon fibre technology is very advanced these days. I was thinking more about the technique and riding style that's requested to handle something like this.  

Alright, let's see what my thoughts are at this point:

• the font end of the bike feels very light thanks to the total weiht of 565 g that's stated by Niner
• the handling feels very precise
• the whole thing feels super stiff
• thanks to it's unique design it takes advantage of the damping characteristics of the carbon fibre and this make the fork feel very comfortable indeed 
• on rough trails it takes a little getting used to it as there's no forgiveness if you hit a big rock with a high speed

All in all I like this fork. First thoughts are absolutely positive: it's light, it's stiff, it's comfortable and it look super sexy! What's not to like?! I also like the way it changes my riding style a bit as well, it seems like I pick my lines a lot more carefully 'cause I know if I make a mistake I'll pay the price. 

Oh, and one more thing: riding a mountain bike with rigid fork is badass! :)

Niner EMD 9 - SS // First impressions

Taking out a new bike and spend the first couple of hours in the saddle is always a brilliant feeling. This is the time when I get to experience something I was only reading about up until now.  

Alright, let's have a look at this. Since I picked up this Niner EMD 9 SS just a few days ago I had 2 spins on it with the total of 3 hours and about 60+ km. So, I guess it's about time to post this first impressions post.

The bike is a 29er and I'm sure we all know by now how freakin' cool it is to ride one. The geometry is great, the bike feels comfortable and handles very well. But I think it's no surprise from a 29er specific company. I won't get into too much details I think, instead I'd like to talk about the rigid carbon fork and the single speed setup as I find both of them pretty unique. 

No suspension 

I've been riding off-road for almost 20 years but I never had a bike without a suspension fork. So, rocking my favourite trails on a rigid bike was a new experience! It's pretty rough but once you find the flow of the trail and you get things right it's absolutely manageable. Tyre pressure can be critical, so I need to find my way around that too. 

1x1

So, single speed, eh? I was riding the SSWC '11 and back then I was usin a 2:1 ratio on the bike. This one has slightly easier one with 36T x 19T, but when you're riding a single speed MTB off-road the word "easier" has a completely different meaning...

...it is hard as hell. Dealing with the climbs with only one gear knowing there's no option to change gears is a savage task. But it is also very rewarding! I also love the simplicity of the bike, simple and straight forward with no complications. It feels very pure!

A new chapter has started in my mountain biking life with the machine and after 2 rides I can tell one thing: it's gonna be a savage, brutal hard but fantastic chapter indeed. All I need to do is raise to the challenge! Bring it on!

Niner EMD 9 - SS // Here's the new chapter!

Good bye Cannondale - Hello Niner! I just got this beast of a bike as the replacement of the faithful F29 that I've been riding recently. The change was from one unique bike to another. And this time I opened Pandora's Box I think: I'll be riding this fully rigid, single speed Niner EMD 9 XC weapon from now on!  

Niner has been also on my wish list for a while and I can't deny that I'm happy to get my hands it. I always loved their bikes and of course their rigid carbon fork is a whole new level in my opinion.  

What a beauty! 

Real nice & tidy

But let's see some of the details here: the frame is a Niner EMD 9 that isn't single speed specific model, so there's always an option to build the bike up with gears. The fork is Niner's full carbon, rigid 29er fork. The bike rolls on Mavic CrossRide 29er wheels and WTB tyres. The stopping power comes from the set of Avid Elixir 7 brakes with carbon levers. 

The drivetrain is built from Truvativ Stylo cranks with a pair Shimano XTR M-980 pedals fitted, Hope 36T front chain ring and a 19T Niner rear sprocket. To keep everything tight I have a chain tensioner fitted also.

As simple as it can get

As a finishing kit I have a 720mm wide Niner alloy handlebar with a 90 mm long inverted stem, ODI grips, Truvativ seatpost and my favourite Fi'zi:k Tundra saddle. Sweet setup I think!

Riding single speed mountain bike is not new to me, I have tried it before and even competed on a single speed bike back in 2011. It is a hard work...and it can be brutal many times...but in case I'm havin' a hard time here's a nice message from the lads from Niner:

Motivation when needed! :)

So, this is my new machine from now on and I can't wait to enjoy all the simplicity and brutal hard work that only a single speed MTB can give you. 

I couldn't resist anymore so I had a sneaky little spin already on it last night and all I can say: it...is...awesome! Sorry, I mean AWESOME!!! :)

Blast from the past // My first bike

I was going through my old stuff here in the family home just a few days back. Found a big bunch of old photos and I came accross this real treasure: a photo of my very first "proper" bike that I first built when I started mountain biking.

This baby started as a standard mountain bike. Wasn't for mountain biking or anything like that at all. Then I started to save money and upgrade the bike slowly. 

It had steel frame and got an RST-180 suspension fork fitted. It had rock solid 60mm travel. Had "V" brakes with "must-have" brake boosters. I was running 3x8 gearing and wheels that were built on steel rims. To finish the machine I got rizer bars and a man sized saddle bag that was big enough to carry food for 3 days! :)

Every time I look at this photo I remember how much fun it was to get out and ride this bike up in the mountains. It was about 1999 and it ment the World for me back then. Beautiful memories indeed!