Sea Otter 2010 - Hayes Prime Brake

I got a nice technical walkthrough of the soon to be released Hayes Prime brake system by their Disc Brake Product Manager Joel Richardson. The brakes look very trick and some of the features are interesting, but some hands on time with the brakes will be the final judgment! Better adjustability and more power are the two key things that I liked!

Sea Otter 2010 - DT Swiss

DT Swiss finally had their new forks ready for prime time (functioning) at Sea Otter, and it was nice to test out how the mechanisms work. They had on display the upgraded EXC (130,150), and XMC (120,140), and the new EXM (130,150), XMM (120,140), XRC (100) and XC (80,100). The ending 'C' designates them is having Carbon lowers, while the 'M' is Magnesium. The Magnesium forks will have a very competitive price point, especially in comparison to their uber expensive Carbon forks.

EXM 150

Sea Otter 2010 - Sram X0 and X9

Last year Sram released their uber expensive and very trick 2x10 XX system. At Sea Otter, Sram introduced the 2011 X0 and X9 variants, trickling down the XX technology throughout the family line (X7 was released earlier this year). Sram emphasized that they are not gruppo's, but families, due to the separate drivetrain (Sram), brake (Avid) and crank (Truvativ) and especially suspension (Rock Shox) companies. All four levels of the component families provide 2x10 transmissions, TaperBore brake systems and integrated suspension, and the X0 and X9 have color options! The X9 is available in three colors (red, grey and white), while X0 comes in four ( black, red, gold and blue).

Sea Otter 2010 - Fox Shocks

I got an in-depth technical walkthrough, and nice hands-on of the 2011 Fox fork and shock line up. There were a couple of interesting things, mostly over in the fork realm, including a slippery coating, the Terralogic system has returned, new 32 fork 29'er versions, and a 180mm has been added to the 36 forks.

36 TALAS FIT RC2 180

Sea Otter 2010 - Shimano

Shimano had on display their new 10 speed mountain bike group, on the Deore XT and SLX versions. The system is called Dyna-Sys, and is comprised of a 3x10 drivetrain. The groups include a new crank, chain, cassette, rear shifter and derailleurs.

Sea Otter 2010 - Formula Brakes

On display at the Formula booth, was there recently released RX, and the revamped The One and Mega, along with their trick R1. Hidden away in the innards of the booth was some very interesting Skunk Works projects that Chris Costello of Formula Brakes USA was kind enough to show us.

First off, was a lightweight and very powerful brake, that is so far unnamed, so let's call it Uberpower! The brake uses 2 large oval shaped pistons, for maximum pad contact and pressure, without the added issues of a 4 pot system. The squat one-piece forged aluminum caliper offers a stronger and more stable body, and top loading pads!

GoPro HD HERO Review

The longingly anticipated GoPro HD HERO was released early this year, and I have gotten around 6 months of testing experience with the camera. It brings a lot of unique features to the table, such as its waterproof and durable housing, and an incredible assortment of attachment accessories, such as the best quick release vented helmet mounts in the business. The HD HERO records in a vast array of high definition video resolutions up to 1080p, and has proven itself to take excellent footage with great clarity and vivid colors.

"Being a hero is about the shortest-lived profession on earth."

Fox 36 Talas FIT RC2 Review

I got around 5 weeks of enjoyable testing of the new 2010 Fox 36 TALAS FIT RC2 fork while I was demoing a Yeti ASR 7 (review forthcoming). The TALAS has just about every adjustment possible crammed into the fork, making it a functional and practical beast. And it sure is a beast! The stout 36mm stanchions, and stiff arch keep any hint of flex virtually unnoticeable, giving forth a stable and smooth platform. The FIT cartridge damper system is a really nice feature, as is the upgraded crown, which is lighter and stronger. The TALAS was one primo All Mountain fork!

Tool Time - Forks Part 1

I needed to do fork maintenance on my Ibis Mojo, which entailed swapping out forks (DT Swiss EXC 150 to Manitou Minute Elite), and changing the Manitou damper to the new Absolute+ that was set up with a custom tuned shim stack.

I located this very cool tool while I was ordering some fork oil. It is a fork oil leveling tool. Just fill the fork leg with oil, adjust the metal engraved tube to the desired millimeter height (top of the fork tube to top of the oil) using the adjustable ring, place the tube into the fork leg with the ring resting on the top of the fork leg, and using the syringe pull oil until you get air. Presto, the oil is exactly at the proper height, no sticking a ruler down into the tube to check. Excellent! Cost: $24

Motion Pro - Fork Oil Level Tool