Little Shop of (Bike) Horrors

The shop I work at is in full swing with early spring tune ups and repairs. From time to time, we will get to work on some stuff that is just amazing. Then there are the horror stories. You know.........cases of extreme neglect, components that are not right, crash damage, that sort of thing.

Todays picture, which is a bit fuzzy, sorry! Well, it's a Trek 5200 bottom bracket shell. The grease was so contaminated with water and dirt that it had turned into an awful, gooey spooge. This picture shows you what I saw after the removal of the cartridge, Octalink bottom bracket, which itself was rusty and completely shot. The crankset banged around and was so loose that I advised this customer to replace the bottom bracket, which is why I was in there in the first place.

The upshot came; however, when I leveled out the bike on the stand. There was about a pint of water that gushed out of the bottom bracket shell! It just vomited out right at my feet! Amazing stuff, I tell you. The bike is ridden in all sorts of conditions and was pretty dirty and unkempt when it came in to us. Apparently, this fellow either rides in a lot of rain or uses a high pressure washer to clean his bike. At any rate, this bike had more water in it than any bike I've worked on before. (My vote is for the high pressure washer)

So, take care of your bike by never using high pressure water spray, and take the time to clean it by hand. It's the best, least costly, and important maintanence that you can perform on your bikes. Remember: A clean bike is a happy bike! It's an easy way to avoid today's horror story!

Little Shop of (Bike) Horrors

The shop I work at is in full swing with early spring tune ups and repairs. From time to time, we will get to work on some stuff that is just amazing. Then there are the horror stories. You know.........cases of extreme neglect, components that are not right, crash damage, that sort of thing.

Todays picture, which is a bit fuzzy, sorry! Well, it's a Trek 5200 bottom bracket shell. The grease was so contaminated with water and dirt that it had turned into an awful, gooey spooge. This picture shows you what I saw after the removal of the cartridge, Octalink bottom bracket, which itself was rusty and completely shot. The crankset banged around and was so loose that I advised this customer to replace the bottom bracket, which is why I was in there in the first place.

The upshot came; however, when I leveled out the bike on the stand. There was about a pint of water that gushed out of the bottom bracket shell! It just vomited out right at my feet! Amazing stuff, I tell you. The bike is ridden in all sorts of conditions and was pretty dirty and unkempt when it came in to us. Apparently, this fellow either rides in a lot of rain or uses a high pressure washer to clean his bike. At any rate, this bike had more water in it than any bike I've worked on before. (My vote is for the high pressure washer)

So, take care of your bike by never using high pressure water spray, and take the time to clean it by hand. It's the best, least costly, and important maintanence that you can perform on your bikes. Remember: A clean bike is a happy bike! It's an easy way to avoid today's horror story!

A Tale of Madness and Long Bike Rides

I've been asked several times by different folks to write a story about Trans Iowa. The thing was, where do I start? There are so many angles to a story like this. It's pretty hard to find focus when you are mired in the middle of it, like I am. When you are so close to the story, it's like having a girl friend that you think is cool, but all your friends can see that she is sooo wrong for you. (Didn't you just hate it when you found out later?) Anyway, I digress..............

So, I was finally persuaded to write about this Trans Iowa mess. Cory at The Biking Hub suggested I try it for his site. The results can be found there today. It's just the first chapter of the story, so you'll have to check back every week for more. Maybe I'll do a more narrative type of piece on Trans Iowa someday. I do have loads of stories from the racers, and my recollections on the hard drive to draw from. Hmm.......I'll have to give that some more thought after T.I.V2!

Give that a read over at The Biking Hub, and let me know what ya'all think after a couple of weeks. If there is enough interest for more, I'll be even more motivated to put out a crusty, rustic yarn on that madness called Trans Iowa.

A Tale of Madness and Long Bike Rides

I've been asked several times by different folks to write a story about Trans Iowa. The thing was, where do I start? There are so many angles to a story like this. It's pretty hard to find focus when you are mired in the middle of it, like I am. When you are so close to the story, it's like having a girl friend that you think is cool, but all your friends can see that she is sooo wrong for you. (Didn't you just hate it when you found out later?) Anyway, I digress..............

So, I was finally persuaded to write about this Trans Iowa mess. Cory at The Biking Hub suggested I try it for his site. The results can be found there today. It's just the first chapter of the story, so you'll have to check back every week for more. Maybe I'll do a more narrative type of piece on Trans Iowa someday. I do have loads of stories from the racers, and my recollections on the hard drive to draw from. Hmm.......I'll have to give that some more thought after T.I.V2!

Give that a read over at The Biking Hub, and let me know what ya'all think after a couple of weeks. If there is enough interest for more, I'll be even more motivated to put out a crusty, rustic yarn on that madness called Trans Iowa.

"29"er-ville"

Well, the Sea Otter race and exposistion are over again for another year. It seems that with it's perfect timing of about six months after Interbike that alot of companies are choosing to introduce new products at the popular event. Shimano unvieled it's new XTR group, SRAM unvieled it's production road groups, and several bicycle manufacturers were on hand to show some "mid-year" model introductions. The over riding theme of the weekend; however, was the slew of 29"ers that were shown. This is really interesting when you consider that the news of the weekend has Shimano competing for attention with a bunch of big wheeled bikes. Then there was the racing.........crickets.........which wasn't very well covered, or was just not that interesting- you choose. I didn't see many headlines on it.

The numbers of new introductions of 29"ers was surprising. Here is a short rundown of what got shown: Niner Bikes full suspension R.I.P.9, Orbea's Alma 29"er, Redline's Monocog 29"er, Salsa's 25th anniversary "El Mariachi" steel hardtail, and Haro with two bikes, the SS Mary single speed and geared. That's alot of big wheeled goodness all at once!

So, what does it all mean? What is going on here with all these new 29" wheeled bikes getting all the "media time"? I had posted last year about how 29"ers were about to hit the "big time". (appologies to Mr. Gabriel!) Maybe this is what is going on. Perhaps the days of people saying, "What?", when 29"ers are mentioned are coming to an end. What with all these new models, and more tires and other 29"er specific gear coming later in the year, what other pssibility is there? 29"ers are not just here to stay, but dare I say it, they are poised to become as mainstream as 26 inch wheel bikes. (!)

Your Inbred Update: My 29"er Inbred is now a "rolling chassis"! I got the wheels finished with the tires and tubes mounted to the wheel set. The saddle, seat post, temporary stem, and handle bars are mounted. I also re-strung some Nokon cable housing in blue and silver annodized colors for brake housing. Ever strung beads before? ......for full length housing? Yeah, my days as a jeweler came in handy there! It was like stringing pearls! Anyway, I've got all kinds of annodized bits going on there. With the addition of the Avid BB-7's, I should be about ready to ride the thing. That'll happen later in the week when I can pay for the brakes! (It's payday on Thursday! Wahoo!)

Trans Iowa Course Update: Well, we got some early week rains last week which made the course even worse for awhile. Since then it's been relatively dry, with high, gusty winds. That should have the gravel pretty dry and fast by now. The B roads will take a bit longer to recover. Fortunately, the weather looks to be dry and warm for at least a few more days. I hope to actually get out on course shortly before the event. I'll try to update regularly right up to the event. 19 days and counting!

"29"er-ville"

Well, the Sea Otter race and exposistion are over again for another year. It seems that with it's perfect timing of about six months after Interbike that alot of companies are choosing to introduce new products at the popular event. Shimano unvieled it's new XTR group, SRAM unvieled it's production road groups, and several bicycle manufacturers were on hand to show some "mid-year" model introductions. The over riding theme of the weekend; however, was the slew of 29"ers that were shown. This is really interesting when you consider that the news of the weekend has Shimano competing for attention with a bunch of big wheeled bikes. Then there was the racing.........crickets.........which wasn't very well covered, or was just not that interesting- you choose. I didn't see many headlines on it.

The numbers of new introductions of 29"ers was surprising. Here is a short rundown of what got shown: Niner Bikes full suspension R.I.P.9, Orbea's Alma 29"er, Redline's Monocog 29"er, Salsa's 25th anniversary "El Mariachi" steel hardtail, and Haro with two bikes, the SS Mary single speed and geared. That's alot of big wheeled goodness all at once!

So, what does it all mean? What is going on here with all these new 29" wheeled bikes getting all the "media time"? I had posted last year about how 29"ers were about to hit the "big time". (appologies to Mr. Gabriel!) Maybe this is what is going on. Perhaps the days of people saying, "What?", when 29"ers are mentioned are coming to an end. What with all these new models, and more tires and other 29"er specific gear coming later in the year, what other pssibility is there? 29"ers are not just here to stay, but dare I say it, they are poised to become as mainstream as 26 inch wheel bikes. (!)

Your Inbred Update: My 29"er Inbred is now a "rolling chassis"! I got the wheels finished with the tires and tubes mounted to the wheel set. The saddle, seat post, temporary stem, and handle bars are mounted. I also re-strung some Nokon cable housing in blue and silver annodized colors for brake housing. Ever strung beads before? ......for full length housing? Yeah, my days as a jeweler came in handy there! It was like stringing pearls! Anyway, I've got all kinds of annodized bits going on there. With the addition of the Avid BB-7's, I should be about ready to ride the thing. That'll happen later in the week when I can pay for the brakes! (It's payday on Thursday! Wahoo!)

Trans Iowa Course Update: Well, we got some early week rains last week which made the course even worse for awhile. Since then it's been relatively dry, with high, gusty winds. That should have the gravel pretty dry and fast by now. The B roads will take a bit longer to recover. Fortunately, the weather looks to be dry and warm for at least a few more days. I hope to actually get out on course shortly before the event. I'll try to update regularly right up to the event. 19 days and counting!

R.I.P.9 Pictures and Impressions

Here are a couple of the full profile shots that Chris Sugai of Niner Bikes sent me yesterday. This is the new R.I.P.9 full suspension 29"er that should be available mid-summer. These two bikes are production protos.












With that in mind, here are my initial impressions of the platform.

Clearly, Chris and steve have been very busy with this bike. The proto-type shown at Interbike back in October of '05 is vastly different than this bike. The overall design is similar, but all aspects of the design have been refined a great deal.


It would appear that the design is reminiscent of the recent offerings by Giant, Iron Horse, and Intense. The suspension is a multi pivot affair with cartridge bearing pivots for longevity. I can also see that the top and down tubes have been placed to give maximum clearance to the rider and suspension fork crowns respectively. The planned travel is 4.5 inches which should be right inbetween the current "XC-ish" and "All mountain" 29"er offerings. The original proto was meant for six inches of travel, but they retracted that. Perhaps when a truly long travel front fork for 29"ers becomes available we will see that idea resurrected? Hmm.......

Chris at Niner has indicated to me that they would rather not release any details on the R.I.P.9 until it's actually available. Their may be a few minor tweaks yet before actual production begins. Also, they are very concerned about piracy, which I feel is legitimate considering these bikes are breaking new ground, being 29 inch full suspension bikes and all. So, all my meanderings are merely observations, okay?

Okay, so what we have here is a great platform for all day rides and endurance events. Probably not a hucking machine. No, more of a fun trail bike, can do the minor drops, catch some air, and give you greater control over your riding experience. Hmm......isn't that the type of riding most of us do? If this bike performs as such, has a reasonable light weight, and is affordable then Niner will have hit a home run here, in my opinion. Tall order to fill, but I know that Chris and Steve are up to the challenge. I can't wait to see these bikes hit the trail! It'll be interesting to see how they perform in real world conditions.

R.I.P.9 Pictures and Impressions

Here are a couple of the full profile shots that Chris Sugai of Niner Bikes sent me yesterday. This is the new R.I.P.9 full suspension 29"er that should be available mid-summer. These two bikes are production protos.












With that in mind, here are my initial impressions of the platform.

Clearly, Chris and steve have been very busy with this bike. The proto-type shown at Interbike back in October of '05 is vastly different than this bike. The overall design is similar, but all aspects of the design have been refined a great deal.


It would appear that the design is reminiscent of the recent offerings by Giant, Iron Horse, and Intense. The suspension is a multi pivot affair with cartridge bearing pivots for longevity. I can also see that the top and down tubes have been placed to give maximum clearance to the rider and suspension fork crowns respectively. The planned travel is 4.5 inches which should be right inbetween the current "XC-ish" and "All mountain" 29"er offerings. The original proto was meant for six inches of travel, but they retracted that. Perhaps when a truly long travel front fork for 29"ers becomes available we will see that idea resurrected? Hmm.......

Chris at Niner has indicated to me that they would rather not release any details on the R.I.P.9 until it's actually available. Their may be a few minor tweaks yet before actual production begins. Also, they are very concerned about piracy, which I feel is legitimate considering these bikes are breaking new ground, being 29 inch full suspension bikes and all. So, all my meanderings are merely observations, okay?

Okay, so what we have here is a great platform for all day rides and endurance events. Probably not a hucking machine. No, more of a fun trail bike, can do the minor drops, catch some air, and give you greater control over your riding experience. Hmm......isn't that the type of riding most of us do? If this bike performs as such, has a reasonable light weight, and is affordable then Niner will have hit a home run here, in my opinion. Tall order to fill, but I know that Chris and Steve are up to the challenge. I can't wait to see these bikes hit the trail! It'll be interesting to see how they perform in real world conditions.

"Ted-terview": Chris & Steve of Niner Bikes: Part II

Today I am posting the rest of the text from the Interview of Chris and Steve of Niner Bikes. Once again, I thank them for participating in this and for being class guys.

1. The new full suspension model had to be one of the more difficult models in your line to develop and get it right. Tell us why you made the choices you made and some of the challenges involved in getting a full suspension 29”er right.

Chris – Yes the r.i.p. 9 is the most difficult bike we have made so far. Steve has been working on this design for quite sometime now. We have made 3 generations of prototypes so far and are refining our final production version. Steve and I have had the luxury of riding many different suspension designs over the years so we both know what we like and dislike in suspension design. The trick is getting as many of those features in a workable design.

Steve – full suspension is TOUGH! Especially with a 29er. Chris and I have definite geometry parameters we want all Niner’s to have, and putting that into a full suspension frame and getting everything to clear is really, really difficult. Front derailleurs, tire clearance, short chainstays, shock mounting and MOST importantly, linkage angles and locations to insure that the suspension movement is dialed is really challenging. I’ve been developing this frame since we started Niner, and that might sound like a long time, but the stakes are high, and we won’t be happy until the bike is perfect. The bike we’re showing at Sea Otter should be our last prototype.


2. Tell us how you envision the future of 29 inch bicycles and how Niner fits into that.

Chris- I have ridden bikes for almost my whole life and really believe that the 29er wheel is the best thing to come to the mountain bike market in a long time. I think the market will flip and 29er’s will be the more common wheel size vs 26 wheels. Niner plans on building the best possible 29er bikes we know how and giving the consumer and bike shops the best service we can provide. There will always be a place for a company like that.

Steve – I just want to make sure Niner is on the cutting edge, always pushing the envelope in design. I want Niner to be the leaders of the 29er industry and I want our customers to know that we are there for them. It gives me great pleasure to hear firsthand how much somebody enjoys riding one of our products.


3. On your welcome page for the Niner Bikes website it says, “Our goal is to build a complete line of 29er mountain bikes and parts and everything we do is dedicated to this end”. You have almost completed your line of bikes, but do you have any plans for more 29 inch specific parts?

Chris- We have not completed our line of bikes. There will be more models to come. Steve and I are also looking at where we can make 29er parts that are beneficial to the 29er rider. We have some designs in place and are deciding if we should move forward with them or not.

Steve – Like we said, we’re never done, and we’ll never just sit back and relax. Chris and I are always asking each other “what can be done better?”


4. Several objections are raised concerning 29 inch wheeled bikes, but I’d like to focus on the sizing for smaller riders. Chris, you are a shorter rider. Does the shorter mountain bike rider need to look elsewhere for a mountain bike? Are there some changes that could be made, in your opinion, for the 29”er to better accommodate the shorter riders out there?

Chris- Yes being 5’ 6” is a little challenging to build a 29er bike around. I think riders down to 5’ 3” can still benefit from a 29er wheel. Below that a 26 inch wheel will probably be better. Some will dispute this and hey if you still want to ride a 29er more power to ya!

Steve – There is a definite cut off point to height for a 29er. Right now I would say it’s about 5’4”. If you build a dedicated frame around a non suspension corrected rigid front fork, you could probably get that height down a bit, but it’s pushing it. Everybody talks about fork rake and getting a longer rake would allow for a slacker head tube angle which would allow for shorter top tubes without having toe overlap, but the handlebar height is still an issue, and the shorter you go the worse this gets. At some point, a 26” wheel just makes more sense.

9. There are some folks who say that there are not enough choices in tires, forks, and wheels for 29”ers, so they are not interested. Do you see this changing soon? What types of products are on the horizon for those that are waiting for more choices?

Chris- There are lots of tire choices now and even more in the very near future. The tire manufactures have started to climb on board and get behind the 29er revolution. WTB and Kenda are leading the charge and have some great tires coming. There are now more companies that offer a 29er tire than those who don’t which is a big change from just 2 years ago. Forks are a big investment for the manufactures and most are busy with the big hit market at the moment. Rock Shox Reba and WB forks are as good or better than anything the others can produce so I don’t see a problem with fork selection now. We would like to see a 5 and 6 inch fork being made.

Steve – This is really turning around and as far as tires go, there are really a lot of choices. I think more fork manufactures will be climbing on board as they see this market rapidly rising. Nobody wants to be caught off the back. We aren’t really at liberty to say what’s coming down the pipeline, but let’s just say a lot of companies are approaching us about the market.

That's it for the interview! Look for some pics and my take on the R.I.P.9 in a post this weekend!

"Ted-terview": Chris & Steve of Niner Bikes: Part II

Today I am posting the rest of the text from the Interview of Chris and Steve of Niner Bikes. Once again, I thank them for participating in this and for being class guys.

1. The new full suspension model had to be one of the more difficult models in your line to develop and get it right. Tell us why you made the choices you made and some of the challenges involved in getting a full suspension 29”er right.

Chris – Yes the r.i.p. 9 is the most difficult bike we have made so far. Steve has been working on this design for quite sometime now. We have made 3 generations of prototypes so far and are refining our final production version. Steve and I have had the luxury of riding many different suspension designs over the years so we both know what we like and dislike in suspension design. The trick is getting as many of those features in a workable design.

Steve – full suspension is TOUGH! Especially with a 29er. Chris and I have definite geometry parameters we want all Niner’s to have, and putting that into a full suspension frame and getting everything to clear is really, really difficult. Front derailleurs, tire clearance, short chainstays, shock mounting and MOST importantly, linkage angles and locations to insure that the suspension movement is dialed is really challenging. I’ve been developing this frame since we started Niner, and that might sound like a long time, but the stakes are high, and we won’t be happy until the bike is perfect. The bike we’re showing at Sea Otter should be our last prototype.


2. Tell us how you envision the future of 29 inch bicycles and how Niner fits into that.

Chris- I have ridden bikes for almost my whole life and really believe that the 29er wheel is the best thing to come to the mountain bike market in a long time. I think the market will flip and 29er’s will be the more common wheel size vs 26 wheels. Niner plans on building the best possible 29er bikes we know how and giving the consumer and bike shops the best service we can provide. There will always be a place for a company like that.

Steve – I just want to make sure Niner is on the cutting edge, always pushing the envelope in design. I want Niner to be the leaders of the 29er industry and I want our customers to know that we are there for them. It gives me great pleasure to hear firsthand how much somebody enjoys riding one of our products.


3. On your welcome page for the Niner Bikes website it says, “Our goal is to build a complete line of 29er mountain bikes and parts and everything we do is dedicated to this end”. You have almost completed your line of bikes, but do you have any plans for more 29 inch specific parts?

Chris- We have not completed our line of bikes. There will be more models to come. Steve and I are also looking at where we can make 29er parts that are beneficial to the 29er rider. We have some designs in place and are deciding if we should move forward with them or not.

Steve – Like we said, we’re never done, and we’ll never just sit back and relax. Chris and I are always asking each other “what can be done better?”


4. Several objections are raised concerning 29 inch wheeled bikes, but I’d like to focus on the sizing for smaller riders. Chris, you are a shorter rider. Does the shorter mountain bike rider need to look elsewhere for a mountain bike? Are there some changes that could be made, in your opinion, for the 29”er to better accommodate the shorter riders out there?

Chris- Yes being 5’ 6” is a little challenging to build a 29er bike around. I think riders down to 5’ 3” can still benefit from a 29er wheel. Below that a 26 inch wheel will probably be better. Some will dispute this and hey if you still want to ride a 29er more power to ya!

Steve – There is a definite cut off point to height for a 29er. Right now I would say it’s about 5’4”. If you build a dedicated frame around a non suspension corrected rigid front fork, you could probably get that height down a bit, but it’s pushing it. Everybody talks about fork rake and getting a longer rake would allow for a slacker head tube angle which would allow for shorter top tubes without having toe overlap, but the handlebar height is still an issue, and the shorter you go the worse this gets. At some point, a 26” wheel just makes more sense.

9. There are some folks who say that there are not enough choices in tires, forks, and wheels for 29”ers, so they are not interested. Do you see this changing soon? What types of products are on the horizon for those that are waiting for more choices?

Chris- There are lots of tire choices now and even more in the very near future. The tire manufactures have started to climb on board and get behind the 29er revolution. WTB and Kenda are leading the charge and have some great tires coming. There are now more companies that offer a 29er tire than those who don’t which is a big change from just 2 years ago. Forks are a big investment for the manufactures and most are busy with the big hit market at the moment. Rock Shox Reba and WB forks are as good or better than anything the others can produce so I don’t see a problem with fork selection now. We would like to see a 5 and 6 inch fork being made.

Steve – This is really turning around and as far as tires go, there are really a lot of choices. I think more fork manufactures will be climbing on board as they see this market rapidly rising. Nobody wants to be caught off the back. We aren’t really at liberty to say what’s coming down the pipeline, but let’s just say a lot of companies are approaching us about the market.

That's it for the interview! Look for some pics and my take on the R.I.P.9 in a post this weekend!

"Ted-terview": Chris & Steve of Niner Bikes

The Sea Otter race and expo are in full swing at the moment out in soggy California. I was contacted by Chris of Niner Bikes who wanted me to come out and join Steve and himself to see off the debut of the new full suspension 29"er that was dubbed the r.i.p. 9. Unfortunately, being the poor shop rat that I am, I wasn't able to pony up for the trip out to the shindig. However; the fine fellows of Niner Bikes did submit to doing an interview via e-mail with me about their company, their philosophy on 29"ers, the new full suspension platform, and their love of bikes in general. They even are going to send me some "official" pictures of the new r.i.p.9, which should show up sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the first half of the interview here. The full text will be appearing on The Biking Hub soon. Be sure to check that out when you can!


1. G-Ted My own introduction to Niner Bikes was through your sponsorship of the 29”er Forum on mtbr.com. Was this your primary target for your marketing? Has your relationship with the web community been a profitable one?

Chris- We felt the best way to reach the 29er community was through the mtbr site. I (Chris) have spent a lot of time on the boards reading and learning from others. When I got my first 29er it was because of all the talk on the boards. It has worked out well for us and we hope for all those who read and contribute to the mtbr community.

Steve- This was an awesome opportunity to really hit our target audience, and we’re really proud of being able to sponsor the forum. It’s obviously a perfect match for us, since 29” wheels are the only thing we do, and we love what the mtbr posters bring to the passion of the sport.


2. G-Ted: Niner Bikes didn’t just come out of thin air. Tell us how your passion for cycling turned into a company solely focused on the 29 inch wheeled bicycle.

Chris- I have had a love affair with bikes since I was a little kid. I used to race BMX when I was a teen. I used to spend all my allowance on bike parts like Araya rims, Phil wood hubs and doing mods to my bike like filing the pedals for better starts. I went to mountain bikes after that. My first real mountain bike was a Cannondale fully rigid. It was purple and got stolen.

Steve- I’ve done a lot of things in the bicycling industry, and product managing/designing was definitely the best fit for me, but I wasn’t really happy working for ‘the man’. So as Chris and I started brainstorming about starting our own company, it just really clicked. I have to say, his passion for the 29” wheel really won me over, and it wasn’t long before I was converted in an irreversible way.


3. G-Ted: With the business savvy you guys bring to the table, wouldn’t it be fair to say that focusing only on 29”ers is quite risky, or maybe even suicidal for a new business?

Chris – Well if you believe in something you just put your heart and soul into it. I truly believe that 29er’s are better than 26er’s. I am so confident that is all we are going to focus on. We will see in 5 years if it was a suicidal decision or not.

Steve – I don’t see it as that much of a risk. Chris and I knew that this was the right time and right place for this to just LAUNCH! The way I see it, it would have been more risky to come out with another 26” wheel bike in a market that’s totally oversaturated. In the 29” world, we can really stand out as the company shaping “The Big Revolution”.


4. G-Ted: Niner Bikes has become one of the fastest growing brands in the cycling business in a very short period of time. How does one keep that momentum going over the long haul?

Chris – Well I don’t know if we are the fastest growing brand, but thank you if you think so. We are constantly working on new products for the 29er market. There are lots of areas for us to cover so I think we have our work cut out for ourselves over the next few years.

Steve – Yeah, thanks for the compliment. It’s pretty overwhelming at times, and luckily for us we love what we do. We just have to keep riding and keep innovating. I don’t think that you should ever just sit back and relax, or next thing you know, the market will blow by you.
....................................................................................................................

My deepest appreciation goes out to Chris and Steve of Niner Bikes for even offering the opportunity to me to come out to Sea Otter and cover their debut of the r.i.p.9. I regret not being able to do that, but hey! ( pockets inside out) All I got here is lint, pal! I really appreciate the extra effort that Steve and Chris gave to this e-mail interview! They didn't have to do it, but they did. Thanks! (bowing low towards the west)

"Ted-terview": Chris & Steve of Niner Bikes

The Sea Otter race and expo are in full swing at the moment out in soggy California. I was contacted by Chris of Niner Bikes who wanted me to come out and join Steve and himself to see off the debut of the new full suspension 29"er that was dubbed the r.i.p. 9. Unfortunately, being the poor shop rat that I am, I wasn't able to pony up for the trip out to the shindig. However; the fine fellows of Niner Bikes did submit to doing an interview via e-mail with me about their company, their philosophy on 29"ers, the new full suspension platform, and their love of bikes in general. They even are going to send me some "official" pictures of the new r.i.p.9, which should show up sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the first half of the interview here. The full text will be appearing on The Biking Hub soon. Be sure to check that out when you can!


1. G-Ted My own introduction to Niner Bikes was through your sponsorship of the 29”er Forum on mtbr.com. Was this your primary target for your marketing? Has your relationship with the web community been a profitable one?

Chris- We felt the best way to reach the 29er community was through the mtbr site. I (Chris) have spent a lot of time on the boards reading and learning from others. When I got my first 29er it was because of all the talk on the boards. It has worked out well for us and we hope for all those who read and contribute to the mtbr community.

Steve- This was an awesome opportunity to really hit our target audience, and we’re really proud of being able to sponsor the forum. It’s obviously a perfect match for us, since 29” wheels are the only thing we do, and we love what the mtbr posters bring to the passion of the sport.


2. G-Ted: Niner Bikes didn’t just come out of thin air. Tell us how your passion for cycling turned into a company solely focused on the 29 inch wheeled bicycle.

Chris- I have had a love affair with bikes since I was a little kid. I used to race BMX when I was a teen. I used to spend all my allowance on bike parts like Araya rims, Phil wood hubs and doing mods to my bike like filing the pedals for better starts. I went to mountain bikes after that. My first real mountain bike was a Cannondale fully rigid. It was purple and got stolen.

Steve- I’ve done a lot of things in the bicycling industry, and product managing/designing was definitely the best fit for me, but I wasn’t really happy working for ‘the man’. So as Chris and I started brainstorming about starting our own company, it just really clicked. I have to say, his passion for the 29” wheel really won me over, and it wasn’t long before I was converted in an irreversible way.


3. G-Ted: With the business savvy you guys bring to the table, wouldn’t it be fair to say that focusing only on 29”ers is quite risky, or maybe even suicidal for a new business?

Chris – Well if you believe in something you just put your heart and soul into it. I truly believe that 29er’s are better than 26er’s. I am so confident that is all we are going to focus on. We will see in 5 years if it was a suicidal decision or not.

Steve – I don’t see it as that much of a risk. Chris and I knew that this was the right time and right place for this to just LAUNCH! The way I see it, it would have been more risky to come out with another 26” wheel bike in a market that’s totally oversaturated. In the 29” world, we can really stand out as the company shaping “The Big Revolution”.


4. G-Ted: Niner Bikes has become one of the fastest growing brands in the cycling business in a very short period of time. How does one keep that momentum going over the long haul?

Chris – Well I don’t know if we are the fastest growing brand, but thank you if you think so. We are constantly working on new products for the 29er market. There are lots of areas for us to cover so I think we have our work cut out for ourselves over the next few years.

Steve – Yeah, thanks for the compliment. It’s pretty overwhelming at times, and luckily for us we love what we do. We just have to keep riding and keep innovating. I don’t think that you should ever just sit back and relax, or next thing you know, the market will blow by you.
....................................................................................................................

My deepest appreciation goes out to Chris and Steve of Niner Bikes for even offering the opportunity to me to come out to Sea Otter and cover their debut of the r.i.p.9. I regret not being able to do that, but hey! ( pockets inside out) All I got here is lint, pal! I really appreciate the extra effort that Steve and Chris gave to this e-mail interview! They didn't have to do it, but they did. Thanks! (bowing low towards the west)

Putting His Money Where His Mouth Is

I saw something on mtbr.com awhile back that I thought was really intriguing. A fellow had posted that he was going to start a bike shop which is no big deal. However; he also was going to simultaneously launch a webstore dedicated solely to selling 29"ers and related product. He had a link in the post to a blog, so I checked it out. Being a bike shop employee myself, I was taken in by this fellows enthusiasm, so I linked him on my blog. Through commenting on his site, we exchanged e-mails and I discovered that George Wisell also likes to play guitar! ( Okay, that rates pretty high on my scale of coolness!) Well, now George is up and running in his "brick and mortar" and just recently, he publicly announced his opening of the webstore too.

As you might have read in the press release, George fell in love with 29"ers right after his first ride. Obviously, living where he does in Vermont, he has a pretty good idea of what makes a good trail bike. To see him dedicate his entire business to 29"ers is rather telling I think. Call him a zealot if you want to, but I think ol' George is on to something here. People like George are passionate about bikes. They want to have the best experience possible everytime that they sling a leg over their machine. If someone like George finds a tool that does the job better, then why shouldn't he, or anyone else for that matter, be excited about that? Now he's sharing that passion and the tools to make your experience a good one on the world wide web for all to enjoy. Zealot? I don't know about that. I prefer to think he is smarter than your average bear, but that's just me! (ha ha!)

Anyway, I'm glad to see that George's ideas have come to see the light of day and I wish him all the best in his business. I don't get paid for this, by the way, I just think it's really cool that somebody believes in the format so strongly that they stake their entire business on the idea. Being a "29"er nutcase" myself, I thought I would give you all out there a glimpse of the future, (muwah-ha-ha-ha!) and say "Good on ya mate!" to George Wisell and all at Bike29.com .

Putting His Money Where His Mouth Is

I saw something on mtbr.com awhile back that I thought was really intriguing. A fellow had posted that he was going to start a bike shop which is no big deal. However; he also was going to simultaneously launch a webstore dedicated solely to selling 29"ers and related product. He had a link in the post to a blog, so I checked it out. Being a bike shop employee myself, I was taken in by this fellows enthusiasm, so I linked him on my blog. Through commenting on his site, we exchanged e-mails and I discovered that George Wisell also likes to play guitar! ( Okay, that rates pretty high on my scale of coolness!) Well, now George is up and running in his "brick and mortar" and just recently, he publicly announced his opening of the webstore too.

As you might have read in the press release, George fell in love with 29"ers right after his first ride. Obviously, living where he does in Vermont, he has a pretty good idea of what makes a good trail bike. To see him dedicate his entire business to 29"ers is rather telling I think. Call him a zealot if you want to, but I think ol' George is on to something here. People like George are passionate about bikes. They want to have the best experience possible everytime that they sling a leg over their machine. If someone like George finds a tool that does the job better, then why shouldn't he, or anyone else for that matter, be excited about that? Now he's sharing that passion and the tools to make your experience a good one on the world wide web for all to enjoy. Zealot? I don't know about that. I prefer to think he is smarter than your average bear, but that's just me! (ha ha!)

Anyway, I'm glad to see that George's ideas have come to see the light of day and I wish him all the best in his business. I don't get paid for this, by the way, I just think it's really cool that somebody believes in the format so strongly that they stake their entire business on the idea. Being a "29"er nutcase" myself, I thought I would give you all out there a glimpse of the future, (muwah-ha-ha-ha!) and say "Good on ya mate!" to George Wisell and all at Bike29.com .

Going Too Fast?

I got an e-mail from a company trying to sell me a training plan the other day. Amongst the selling points was a bit of wisdom that I thought about. It seems to ring true with me, so I thought I'd share it with you all here. (Don't worry! I won't be "spamming" you, and I promise I'm not selling anything!)

The point was being made that as Spring begins to make it more appealing to go for extended rides outdoors, you must be aware of your tendency towards over doing it. You know, it gets to be about 60 degrees out, you can shed that jacket for the first time in ages, and you've got the afternoon off. After three or four hours go by, you come home feeling great. A couple days later, it's the weekend and your buddies call. Hammerfest! As Mr. 24 would say, you ride yourself retarded! So what?

Well, you are stressing your body to a high degree in a short period of time without a proper buildup, that's what. It's possible that you will burn out later in the year. It's probably also true that you are not training in the correct zone, and that you don't have enough base miles in yet. The best thing to do is slow down, check that enthusiasm, and discipline yourself to ramp up the intensity. Don't go from zero to sixty! (If you know what I mean)

Now, granted, I'm no training guru, but this makes sense to me. Obviously, if you've been on a rigid, disciplined training regimen all winter long, (as Mr. 24 has), you can probably skip this advice. But for the rest of us knaves and peasants, it might be good advice. Take what you can from that!

Reaction to Give Peace a Chance: I wanted to acknowledge all the encouraging comments recieved from yesterdays posts. Thank you all! I was not expecting any sort of reaction of that nature. I was just merely trying to point out that, yes I was upset, but that when we are provoked by sensless comments, it might be best to not react in like manner. Anyway, I'm flattered that you all took the time to comment, and I wanted to publicly acknowledge that. Now,..............back to blogging!

Sea Otter: I'm supposed to be getting something in to post about a product introduction for Sea Otter this weekend. I haven't heard back fom my contact yet, but hopefully that will come through and I will have something to present. At any rate, the weekend looks to be a big one for new gear and of course, racing! Check here for anything worthwhile from the mountain biking world.

Well, it's almost mountainbiking! Paris-Roubaix that is. It's this weekend ( I think) and if it's wet in Europe, then it's like mountain biking on skinny tires! This has to be one of my favorite road races.

Going Too Fast?

I got an e-mail from a company trying to sell me a training plan the other day. Amongst the selling points was a bit of wisdom that I thought about. It seems to ring true with me, so I thought I'd share it with you all here. (Don't worry! I won't be "spamming" you, and I promise I'm not selling anything!)

The point was being made that as Spring begins to make it more appealing to go for extended rides outdoors, you must be aware of your tendency towards over doing it. You know, it gets to be about 60 degrees out, you can shed that jacket for the first time in ages, and you've got the afternoon off. After three or four hours go by, you come home feeling great. A couple days later, it's the weekend and your buddies call. Hammerfest! As Mr. 24 would say, you ride yourself retarded! So what?

Well, you are stressing your body to a high degree in a short period of time without a proper buildup, that's what. It's possible that you will burn out later in the year. It's probably also true that you are not training in the correct zone, and that you don't have enough base miles in yet. The best thing to do is slow down, check that enthusiasm, and discipline yourself to ramp up the intensity. Don't go from zero to sixty! (If you know what I mean)

Now, granted, I'm no training guru, but this makes sense to me. Obviously, if you've been on a rigid, disciplined training regimen all winter long, (as Mr. 24 has), you can probably skip this advice. But for the rest of us knaves and peasants, it might be good advice. Take what you can from that!

Reaction to Give Peace a Chance: I wanted to acknowledge all the encouraging comments recieved from yesterdays posts. Thank you all! I was not expecting any sort of reaction of that nature. I was just merely trying to point out that, yes I was upset, but that when we are provoked by sensless comments, it might be best to not react in like manner. Anyway, I'm flattered that you all took the time to comment, and I wanted to publicly acknowledge that. Now,..............back to blogging!

Sea Otter: I'm supposed to be getting something in to post about a product introduction for Sea Otter this weekend. I haven't heard back fom my contact yet, but hopefully that will come through and I will have something to present. At any rate, the weekend looks to be a big one for new gear and of course, racing! Check here for anything worthwhile from the mountain biking world.

Well, it's almost mountainbiking! Paris-Roubaix that is. It's this weekend ( I think) and if it's wet in Europe, then it's like mountain biking on skinny tires! This has to be one of my favorite road races.

Give Peace a Chance

There are some things that I don't even really want to write about, but at times, I feel prompted to say something. This is one of those times and yes, I'm going to write some stuff that maybe I shouldn't! We'll see!

It all started when I began to start to submit articles for The Biking Hub , a website dedicated to the mountain biker. My write ups were about introducing folks to the concepts, advantages, and disadvantages of 29"ers. To be honest, my articles are probably a bit sanitized from my usual rustic flair that I use here. So, no inflammatory remarks, nothing like that. ( Which I don't think I do much of here either!) Anyway, there is a comment section after each article. I began getting comments from a certain poster over a week ago. Just one random comment, which was a little negative and provoking. Then after last weeks article, the commenter was downright nasty, referring to me as being "egotistical and pompous". (Note: the comment was deleted by the webmaster and the commenter was banned) There was more to it, but I think we all know what a troll is.

So, what's the point? Well, I could have gotten upset. I could have ranted back at him in the comment section. Both would have been wastes of my time. The thing is, you just can't respond, because that's what the commenter wants. It's like verbal terrorism. I just won't stoop to that level. Nope, not gonna do that! If someone wants to have a calm discussion about my views without resorting to childishness, I'm all for it.

What's going on here? I think it's one of two things. The commenter is bothered by what I write because it's challenging his/ her empirical viewpoint of mountain biking, or they are just picking a fight to pick a fight. Maybe both! All I know is that you aren't making a difference in life if there isn't a reaction to what you are doing. Sometimes that reaction is negative. Sometimes it's positive. At least I'm impacting someone to the point of acting, although it wasn't my intent to motivate a hater!

Well, for whatever reason, I hope you are getting something out of this blog that's a benefit to you. But please.................don't be a hater!

Nobody gets anything good out of that!

Give Peace a Chance

There are some things that I don't even really want to write about, but at times, I feel prompted to say something. This is one of those times and yes, I'm going to write some stuff that maybe I shouldn't! We'll see!

It all started when I began to start to submit articles for The Biking Hub , a website dedicated to the mountain biker. My write ups were about introducing folks to the concepts, advantages, and disadvantages of 29"ers. To be honest, my articles are probably a bit sanitized from my usual rustic flair that I use here. So, no inflammatory remarks, nothing like that. ( Which I don't think I do much of here either!) Anyway, there is a comment section after each article. I began getting comments from a certain poster over a week ago. Just one random comment, which was a little negative and provoking. Then after last weeks article, the commenter was downright nasty, referring to me as being "egotistical and pompous". (Note: the comment was deleted by the webmaster and the commenter was banned) There was more to it, but I think we all know what a troll is.

So, what's the point? Well, I could have gotten upset. I could have ranted back at him in the comment section. Both would have been wastes of my time. The thing is, you just can't respond, because that's what the commenter wants. It's like verbal terrorism. I just won't stoop to that level. Nope, not gonna do that! If someone wants to have a calm discussion about my views without resorting to childishness, I'm all for it.

What's going on here? I think it's one of two things. The commenter is bothered by what I write because it's challenging his/ her empirical viewpoint of mountain biking, or they are just picking a fight to pick a fight. Maybe both! All I know is that you aren't making a difference in life if there isn't a reaction to what you are doing. Sometimes that reaction is negative. Sometimes it's positive. At least I'm impacting someone to the point of acting, although it wasn't my intent to motivate a hater!

Well, for whatever reason, I hope you are getting something out of this blog that's a benefit to you. But please.................don't be a hater!

Nobody gets anything good out of that!

Rain Check

If you live in the Mid West, you probably had your ride shortened, rearranged, or cancelled altogether by the rains that swept through the area. I'm no different. I didn't get nearly the riding in that I had wanted to, not that my body would have put up with it. A strange soreness in the muscles was felt on Sunday, so I relaxed all day instead of riding. Not that I missed much. It was miserable here most of the day anyway. By the sounds of things outdoors right now, the wind is roaring out of the North West, which should make up for any lost riding yesterday by putting the hurt on the commute to work this morning. Thanks...........I guess?

Inbred Update: I did manage to get some progress made on the Inbred last night. I installed the Chris King pink headset sinister style, ( You'll have to wait for the pictures if you don't understand) The crazy thing was that I was able to install the headset cups by hand. Hi-yaah! One sharp blow on each and they were in! I also got some measurements taken with the wheels on her to find out what I need for a stem. Actually, I have one that would do the job, but it's a painted stem in electrical cord orange. Not going to happen! I'm ordering a black Salsa stem in the same length and rise to use instead. I've agonized over the handle bar set up way to long. I wanted to go with a Titec H-Bar, ( not available yet) or another Midge bar, ( $60.00 retail), but I decided that I'd go with a bar I already have. I've even used it last year on an eight hour ride with no complaints, so I'm going with the Old Titec 118 titanium flat bar. At least I can use it until I decide on something else, or my options open up a little more. One thing I do know, that titanium bar is smoooooth! Finally, I've been reading with some interest about saddle choices and the SLR by Selle Italia keeps coming up. I'm going to check into that, but the front runner is still the Fizik Arione right now for this bike.

Nothing too exciting today! Look for some Sea Otter product release news later in the week. If anything rant-worthy comes up, I'll be on that, too. Inbred Updates, Trans Iowa news, and local race and training news will all be featured coming up soon as well. Have a great day!

Rain Check

If you live in the Mid West, you probably had your ride shortened, rearranged, or cancelled altogether by the rains that swept through the area. I'm no different. I didn't get nearly the riding in that I had wanted to, not that my body would have put up with it. A strange soreness in the muscles was felt on Sunday, so I relaxed all day instead of riding. Not that I missed much. It was miserable here most of the day anyway. By the sounds of things outdoors right now, the wind is roaring out of the North West, which should make up for any lost riding yesterday by putting the hurt on the commute to work this morning. Thanks...........I guess?

Inbred Update: I did manage to get some progress made on the Inbred last night. I installed the Chris King pink headset sinister style, ( You'll have to wait for the pictures if you don't understand) The crazy thing was that I was able to install the headset cups by hand. Hi-yaah! One sharp blow on each and they were in! I also got some measurements taken with the wheels on her to find out what I need for a stem. Actually, I have one that would do the job, but it's a painted stem in electrical cord orange. Not going to happen! I'm ordering a black Salsa stem in the same length and rise to use instead. I've agonized over the handle bar set up way to long. I wanted to go with a Titec H-Bar, ( not available yet) or another Midge bar, ( $60.00 retail), but I decided that I'd go with a bar I already have. I've even used it last year on an eight hour ride with no complaints, so I'm going with the Old Titec 118 titanium flat bar. At least I can use it until I decide on something else, or my options open up a little more. One thing I do know, that titanium bar is smoooooth! Finally, I've been reading with some interest about saddle choices and the SLR by Selle Italia keeps coming up. I'm going to check into that, but the front runner is still the Fizik Arione right now for this bike.

Nothing too exciting today! Look for some Sea Otter product release news later in the week. If anything rant-worthy comes up, I'll be on that, too. Inbred Updates, Trans Iowa news, and local race and training news will all be featured coming up soon as well. Have a great day!