First Impressions: WolfTooth NarrowWide Chainring

Just fitted: WolfTooth NW chainring

I've never been a fan of chainguides: they rub, cause friction, can be noisy and are a bugger to set up so when an alternative to using one came to market I was excited to try it out! With the idea being pioneered by the revolutionary SRAM XX1 groupset and quickly reproduced by multiple manafactures it wasn't long before the "narrow wide" chain ring concept was popular and relatively widely used. With various brand producing different offerings I chose the WolfTooth NarrowWide chainring to test using a standard 104BCD and 34 teeth (what I've found to be the best set up for local riding) and promptly went out for a test ride!

On the bike: full view

The chainring was a doddle to fit and after removing the existing guide/ring combo and mounting the WolfTooth all that was left to do was remove a link from the chain and go for a blast! Initially I was impressed as the first climb gave me an opportunity to compare friction and shifting in comparison to the previous set up. The ring was noiseless when pedalling and shifted beautifully and without friction - no drawbacks there then but how would it fare on an actual trail? The ring was given a baptism of fire to say the least as I dropped into a brand new trail I'd never before seen which turned out to be fast, steep, fairly rough and choppy. As such my riding was not exactly smooth and there was a fair few moments that I'd have expected to drop a chain however I reached the bottom with chain in place and grinning ear to ear. On continuing my ride I found that I completely forgot about the lack of chain guide, something that only shows the security of the NarrowWide ring and I rounded the day off with no drops whatsoever despite actively attempting to make the chain drop on some trails by riding purposely messily. Overall initial impressions are very good and although nothing can yet be said for long term durability, the first ride out brought nothing but positives to the table: who needs a guide?!

The top of Pitch Hill, halfway through and no drops!

Cheers Vectiox for hooking me up with a NW ring to test!

http://www.vectiox.com/

Spy shots: Shimanos answer to XX1?

Most recently in the wide drivetrain news was the fact that SRAM had released X01, a trickle down group from their top tier elevel speed drive train. What was puzzling about this new groupset was the fact that it weighed just 40-60g more than XX1 and retained both similar features and the blindingly high pricetag! SRAMs argument was at the original equipment level X01 worked out far cheaper meaning complete bikes would be both eleven speed and fairly affordable. Where however does that leave the riders who, like me, buy a frame and either build it up with a custom specification or alternatively use many parts from their old bike to keep the cost down. The rumours are still circulating about XX9 and how soon we will see it being released however on Jared Graves' winning Yeti from the EWS at Crankworx Whistler something exciting was being tested. Although Graves appears to be using a standard 10 speed XTR mech (likely long cage) it's coupled up to what appears to be a 11-40/42 cassette (standard freehub compatible), providing similar ratios to XX1 but without having to replace the rest of the drivetrain! Even if cassette prices were similar to the prices SRAM are charging merely by making the system compatible with the existing shifting gear brings the price down massively. RRP for the existing XTR cassette is £209.99 (cheapest XX1 ~ £245 (Bike-discount.de) so even if it went up by another £50 it would still be undercutting SRAM massively! Some healthy competition can only be a good thing for the wide range cassette market although it'll be some time yet before we can purchase the Shimano offering. Although the lower 7 cogs appear to be of the standard XTR variety the upper 3 seem a very rough prototype - no doubt Shimano will wish to refine these further prior to releasing more information.

Graves' custom set up - credit GeeBeeBee Media

Avid Chasing Trail - Kenny Smith

Chasing Trail - Kenny Smith on Pinkbike

Kenny Smith shows us how it's done, ripping up Whistler Bike Park on his SRAM equipped carbon Demo 8! An incredible rider, with the ability to shred technical features just as easily as sending huge jumps and gaps!

Video: Peter Sagan parks on a car

Peter Sagan shows there's more to his riding that sprinting for a stage win! Showing trials skill he hops onto the roof of a car to park his bike! Don't try this at home guys!

Back to basics

A note: I have had revision/exams at college these past couple of months and now they are finished plan to update my blog more regularly. I am heading to Megavalanche in 2 weeks so I will post a full blog post about that soon after the event!

When I first took mountain bikes off road it was a good friend who convinced me into it. We went down to the local hill and rode down it as fast as possible, pedalling like mad men before coming to a halt at the bottom. It was amazing. Nowadays there seems to be so many different disciplines; downhill, four cross, all mountain, cross country, trail, enduro, freeride and dirt jump. Each rider is pigeonholed into a certain category, each ride a certain type. Recently this has begun to grind my gears as we see trail riders calling cross country lads the lycra brigade and freeriders berating enduro riders for enjoying climbing! This kind of an attitude is why I've started just riding in the woods. I'll pull on my knee pads, stick an open face helmet and a pair of gloves on, then pull my 150mm travel full sus out the garage and go for a hoon. I don't need to ride a certain set of trails on this ride. After a steady climb to the top of the hill I crank hard and begin to plough my way down Almost Cut My Hair, a flat-out, rooty set of steep(ish) chutes, grinning like someone from the funny farm! I'll then steadily climb back up before picking up the pace down Rad Lane, a long trail full of smooth corners, smaller roots and a few small jumps to keep things interesting! After that I'll feel like something with a really natural feel - a more worn out trail - so I'll ride Evian! After I can climb over to Fly Tipper and Northern Monkey, one a jump fest with the other steep corners into a flat out berm-filled wonder land! As you may have gathered on these rides I ride everything from trails firmly parked in the cross country category, all the way up to proper freeride style trail with 10ft gaps and serious potential for carnage!

But hold on a minute. Did I just ride all of that with the same bike and kit?! Many mountain bike magazines would argue that you couldn't possibly ride all those trails on one bike, surely you would need a whole garage worth of steeds?! The point of this post is essentially to try and blow away the myth that you need a different bike for each type of ride! Sure it's nice, but for the most part, completely unnecessary! To summarize I basically hope for mountain biking to go back to its roots, where one bike did it all and people just having fun on bikes!

Tech news: Fox Suspension 2014

Rumours have recently been flying about as to the new products Fox will be releasing for 2014, with concrete news hitting the internet just hours ago! With a new damper for their Talas forks and a brand new shock the suspension competition is set to be better than ever after the release of the Rock Shox Pike and charger damper!

The new 2014 34 Talas fork - photo credit Vital MTB

First up is the news that the Talas system has been redesigned to give a feel more akin to their fixed travel Float forks. The damper is designed to give better bump eating ability whilst still having the hydraulically adjustable Talas capability, so the bike's geometry can be steepened to aid climbing. This new system is going to be available on all 2014 Talas forks. As well as this the  CTD (climb, trail, descend) damper has been updated for their Talas 34 160 fork. The idea of the damper is to simplify suspension adjustment, having just 3 modes, one for ascension, one for rolling, flat single track trail and the final for descending. Previously being criticized for diving in the descend setting and not offering enough support the Fox technicians have changed the tune of the damper, aiming to provide more efficiency and support in each setting.

Specification:

- New Talas adjustment system
-160mm/130mm travel (full/dropped)
-CTD damping
-Trail Adjust
-15QR thru-axle
-1964g (4.33lbs) for the 26" option
-Available in both 26" and 650B
-Rebound adjustable

The new 2014 Float X CTD shock - photo credit Vital MTB

The perhaps more exciting news for Fox fans is the release of their Float X CTD shock, a beefier design than the original with a piggy-back reservoir to improve performance. Hidden inside the shock is increased oil volume and a dual piston design which allows the shock to stay composed over rough terrain without overheating or becoming inconsistent. This is great news for the all mountain market, who've had to look to other brands for a heavy duty air shock, with the DHX air being known for a lack of support and underwhelming performance. With the ability to change between the climb, trail and descend settings the Float X is set to be a staple on many enduro bikes, growing ever closer to the performance of a coil shock without the large weight penalty! With the capability of all mountain steeds increasing by the day this is going to be high on many riders wish list!

Specification:

-CTD damping
-Brand new piggy-back reservoir platform
-Trail Adjust
-Remote option available
-Rebound adjustable
-Low friction hardware
-365g (0.8lbs) for the 8.5x2.5 option with no hardware

Tech news: SRAM Roam and Rail wheelsets

Two years after the release of their Rise cross country hoops, SRAM have given news of two new wheelsets aimed at the trail and enduro market. Aptly named Roam and Rail these come with two alloy options and one carbon, in 26", 27.5" and even 29"!

With both products SRAM started from scratch, the first product being the Roam trail hoops. All budgets are catered for with both a carbon (Roam 60) and aluminuim option (Roam 50), using hub internals from the DT 240s. The 60s weigh a claimed 1495g for the 26", 1550g for the 27.5" and 1625g for the 29" which is actually heavier than their aluminium alternatives - the 60 aimed at more of a range of hardcore riding than the 50. The 60s are slated to arrive in July for the 26" and August for the other sizes. Pricing is expected to be around the £1700 mark.

Both the 50s and the 60s have an internal rim width of 21mm, the 50s using an aluminium rim to keep costs down and weight low, in fact coming in 20-24g less than the carbon option, being aimed at lighter riding. The set of both wheels comes in at 1475g for the 26", 1530g for the 27.5" and a sprightly 1611g for the 29". An RRP of £840 is what SRAM are currently planning however this could change closer to the time.

The Rail wheelset is designed to be a wider, burlier version of the roam, aimed at all mountain riding over trail. It only comes in aluminium, with a 23mm internal width and extra material in high stress areas! The 26" rim weighs 500g, just 90g more than the Rise 50 equivalent. The 26" weighs 1690g, the 27.5" 1750g and the 29" 1830g. They are expected to cost the same as the Roam 50 (£840), aiming for the mid to high end target market.

The new hoops from SRAM look set to make an impact on the wheelsets, offering a lightweight, full UST rim system, with top quality hubs at a mid range price-point. Only the future will tell how reliable and strong they are and if durability has been sacrificed for the sake of lightweight.

Tech News: Giant's 650B trail bike prototype

Photos have emerged today of a new trail bike from Giant. Sporting 650B (27.5") wheels, internal "stealth" dropper post routing and ISCG05 chainguide tabs this bike has all the modern add-ons expected for a trail weapon in 2013. Travel is expected to be around 150mm with both aluminium and carbon options to cater to all budgets.

This bike is likely to be a direct contender with the Santa Cruz Bronson, Banshee Spitfire and the rest of the crop of 650B trail bikes. The prototype weighed in at a svelte 12.4kg (27.4lbs) which is lighter than the build on the Bronson featured at it's launch (claimed weight ~28lbs with an actual weight closer to 30).

650B wheels are supposedly the best of both worlds, the rolling abilities of the 29er with the agility of 26 however the lack of tyres, wheels and spares limits build up options. I for one am eager to try out one of the new trail bikes with 650B but only time will tell if this inbetweener size is here to stay.

Trickle down tech: XX1

Recently, SRAM released a revolutionary new groupset: XX1. This drivetrain was a brand new concept, one by eleven speed, with a huge ranged 10-42 tooth cassette matching up to a range of chainring sizes from 28tooth all the way up to 38. This groupset changed trail riding completely, allowing a single ring set up that had the range to cover most terrain, whilst the need for a chain guide (thanks to the alternate profiled teeth) being nullified.

Although fantastic, the price of XX1 was hugely inhibiting, with prices of around £1000 for the complete groupset - more than many riders spend on their bikes. The latest on trickle down technology is that SRAM are slated to release XX0 in the spring of next year and XX9 later on in the autumn. If this new tech does reach an accessible price point where does that leave Shimano? Are they planning to launch 11 speed, pioneer DI2 mountain shifting or in fact follow in SRAM footsteps? The trend of previous releases would suggest Shimano will showcase a product similar to XX1, however perhaps more refined. At this stage it is mostly speculation, but one thing no one can deny - the future is bright for trail and all mountain riding!

Perspective

Over the last few weeks I've been taking a long look at mountain biking. I've evaluated what I wish to gain or get out of the sport, and what I am currently getting. Sadly, at the moment these are two different things. I currently ride mostly downhill and all mountain, good for technique but poor with regard to fitness and stamina. I have spent the majority of weekends over the last couple of years racing downhill also, going and practicing one line for a day, before 2 or 3 race runs, resulting in less than half an hours actual riding for the whole day. For me, those races were a laugh, the riding was top quality however there just wasn't enough of it!

As a direct result of this, I plan to still race downhill but to focus on enduro, as this is a way to encompass the competitive element into my riding, whilst still getting an entire day on the trail. For those less au fait with enduro racing, it essentially comprises of multiple (usually five) timed stages on flat or downhill trails roughly 5 minutes long. Much like a rally these stages are linked by longer, climbing stages which although not timed, do have a time limit. This means that you get multiple hours on the bike, rather than short minute long bursts! Compounding this is you can ride accompanied by other riders, giving a social element that just isn't present in downhill.

As you may have read (or seen on my Twitter feed) I have signed up to compete in the Megavalanche this year, in Alp d'Huez, which is one of the widest-recognised enduro races. It differs in format slightly to the UK enduros comprising of one long stage roughly an hour to an hour and a half and 30km in distance. This event is predominantly downhill however is interspersed with climbs to prevent it being one long downhill race. I am incredibly excited about this as the event gives a chance to ride incredible terrain, whilst rubbing shoulders with seasoned professionals such as Jerome Clementz and Dan Atherton. I expect this to be somewhat of a baptism of fire however ultimately rewarding (assuming I exit the race unscathed).

So, is downhill dead? Enduro the phoenix rising from the ashes? By no means, the UK downhill scene is flourishing more than ever with the recent crop of enduro events just adding to the vista of competitive mountain biking available in the country. Will I stop racing downhill in lieu of enduro? No, however I will be racing less of the former and just getting out and riding, to paraphrase a well known mountain biking publication.

Motivation

Motivation is something that we all want, yet for the most part (for me at least) is something I find fairly hard to obtain. Certainly in the depths of winter, with pouring rain clattering against the window, the urge to get my bike out from the garage and go for a ride is almost non-existent! Even if the ride itself is enjoyable, the hideous routine of cleaning my bike back to mint condition, only for it to get coated the next weekend is something I battle with on a regular basis. Cleaning my bike is a joy and I love being able to spend a couple of hours making sure every little nook and cranny is mud free and sparkling, yet it is massively demoralizing that within 100m of trail the bike will look exactly as it did before with perhaps slightly more mud.

Perhaps then, it's the current state of the trail network that's putting me off riding. With the torrential rain that's fallen over the recent days and weeks, each slither of dirt winding it's way through the forest has degraded to little more than one big puddle. During summer I live on the trails, drifting turns, boosting jumps and having a blast, but in the winter the speed drops so dramatically that the sections which were once flat out and insanely fun to ride have become slow and uninspiring. So have I stopped riding? Short answer no. Although I spend less time out on the trails over winter on my mountain bike, I still put the miles in, and spend more time on my road bike. This coupled with regular gym sessions to boost cardio and strength mean that once the good weather does eventually turn up I'll be fighting fit to enjoy it!

Overall I think that leaving the bike to a degree over winter is a good thing. It allows me to relax and turn my attention to something else instead of just doing something again and again for the sake of doing it. In my mind, it's better to ride less often, but when you do ride have an absolutely incredible time, than to ride on a regular basis and not particularly enjoy it!

Progress

Although this is only my second week at the gym, the combination of a regular work out and a healthier diet (cutting out the chocolate) seems to be working wonders! When I first started gym work I could do 10 reps of the 80kg leg press, with a goal of just being able to press the 124kg weight (twice my body weight) yet just one week on I accomplished my goal doing 10 reps with the 124, something I was not expecting!

It's not just weights I've been doing at the gym however and cardio work plays an important role as I'll need to be fighting fit for the Megavalanche! As such I've been hitting the treadmills, spin bikes and cross trainer! The cross trainer is a particularly miserable experience, as you sweat gallons of liquid onto the surrounding equipment, silently crying inside. Although not remotely enjoyable it is really good for cardio work outs and improving my general fitness, so the suffering is worth it!

All in all I'm a big fan of the gym, and plan to keep training right up until the Mega, hopefully peaking fitness just before then! Over and out for now.

Training

As some of the readers may know I've recently got tickets to ride the 2013 Megavalanche in Alp d'Huez, 30km of insanely difficult downhill trails interspersed with some short but steep climbs in case we find it too easy - fat chance!

As a result I've decided some serious training is in order to make sure I can enjoy the race and with that in mind I signed up to a gym yesterday and completed my first spin session there. A class basically consists of a group of sweating people hunched over exercise bikes whilst a piece of lycra carrying a woman screams abuse (read words of encouragement) loudly at you. The clear upside of this is that little of her words make it through to you over the overwhelming pounding of the music that although designed to motivate us to push harder, only succeeded in deafening all those involved.

Having said all this and shown an apparent dislike to the event my experience was in fact the polar opposite. I found the instructions of the leader to be handy, and more effective than just plodding along in the same gear, whilst the music did seem to help phase out the screams of agony from my legs! All in all I found I pushed far harder than I would have on a normal bike ride, sweating multiple gallons and was eager to do it again.

So what's next? Well I plan to spin twice a week and go to the gym at least once, maybe more dependent on cost/free time etc and hopefully will find my local Sunday rides to get easier, more fun and faster; ready for the Megavalanche in July - bring it on!

One of those days...

Occasionally every cyclist will have "one of those days" where you should have left the bike in the shed and just watched a bit of telly with a nice warm drink. Sunday's ride was one of those days. The ride had serious potential to go wrong from the moment I opened the front door with pouring rain and an evil wind greeting me in conditions of 2 degree above 0.

Half an hours drive later we parked close to the trails and got the bikes out, gearing up ready to go. As we began to climb towards the trails the ominous sight of a river running through the uplift path should have been a large warning sign! Regardless we pushed on and soon arrived at the trailhead after eyeing up some rather large (read 20ft+) drops and deciding to "hit them next time". We began to pedal down the trail which although chalky and wet was running surprisingly well however we soon had to stop to remove our goggles that had become overwhelmed in the appalling conditions rather quickly! The rest of the trail passed without incident and we got to the bottom coated in mud and feeling like Danny Hart after his race run at Champery (google it!) having ridden at a fair pace over wet and new terrain.

Soon after things began going downhill quickly as we got soaked to the skin and began to cool down. Despite out best efforts our temperatures continued to plummet and after a couple more runs we called it a day. The final descent was by far the best as we plastered down the footpath we had climbed earlier that now resembled a river, grinning from ear to ear and smashing it flat out! We reached the bottom to find out the road we'd ridden was also rather lake-like and so we plastered down that doing our best to soak each other in the process!

We grabbed lunch from Truffles in Steyning (who deserve a big thanks for not minding 2 muddy mtb'ers coating their shop in gunk) which was completely delicious and much needed but we were still freezing and not really enjoying ourselves. At this point we called it a day as a legendary, memorable ride but one that would have got dangerous had we continued it!

Overall, Steyning downhill was great fun to ride and I can't wait to go again once the weather improves: there are some big jumps there I want to perfect but in the freezing rain it's less than fun!

Going tubeless

As far as changes to my bike go, it's all been rather manic! After writing off my previous 6 year old rim I decided to update my wheel/tyre system to something far lighter and a bit more up to date. Some online research and a few phone calls later and a lovely set of Hope Hoops were on their way to me: their uber-reliable Pro2 Evo hubs laced up to Stans No Tubes Flow Ex rims. I chose this wheelset as I wanted reliability and strength matched with relatively light weight (1880g), something this wheelset gave in spades. Whilst I was at it, I decided to refresh my tyre choice as well moving away from my trusty high rollers, instead fitting a set of Schwalbe Hans Dampfs. This is Schwalbes brand new all condition tyre, something I was excited to try out.

I decided to go tubeless at the same time, using the Hope/NoTubes conversion kit for the Flow rims. This is a fantastic piece of kit and proved laughably easy to set up. It was a case of sticking the tape firmly down in the rim bed (I left the original cloth rim tape on), fitting the valve stem and seating the tyre sans sealant and finally adding sealant and inflating. The whole procedure was trouble free and simple but that could well have been down to both the tyres and rims being brand new.

I am running the Hans Dampf tyres at roughly 30psi at the moment however I expect I will drop them down further but my initial impressions were very good! The first proper ride was at some local (ish) downhill trails where the conditions were muddy, chalky, wet and horrible! The tyres gripped well and slid predictably whilst staying composed on roots, everything I wanted from a tyre! I dropped pressures steadily throughout the day yet never experience burping. Having said that we stayed clear of the big jumps due to the conditions.

Overall both the wheels and the tyres are very good: they're reliable, strong, light and easy to set up tubeless.  If you're looking for a reliable and relatively lightweight wheelset for less than £350 then you can't go far wrong with the Hope Hoops for all mountain riding, but more XC orientated riders could get lighter if they are willing to sacrifice strength! A few months down the line I'll post up a long term review, to see what shape the components are in after some serious hammering!

Long term product review: Shimano Zee mech/shifter

Shimano's latest groupset, Zee, is aimed at the gravity/enduro market bringing an affordable, efficient and hard wearing 1x10speed drivetrain to the masses. Having written off both mechs and mech hangers using a widespread cassette with a long arm derailleur I jumped at the chance to do a long term test of the new shifting equipment.

There are two key qualities I look for when purchasing drivetrain components, namely functionality and long life. If a mech has incredible shifting action that means nothing to me if the first time it collides with a rock I have a long walk back to the car! In that respect the Zee parts have been faultless. Running a complete outer cable to prevent grime ruining the shifter seems to be working so far. I've been using the same cable (both inner and outer) since fitting way back in August of last year, meaning it's survived 7 months of riding including most of winter, not a regular occurrence! 

Still running sweet after a hammering at PORC

Since the setting up the gears with the wide range 11-36 cassette (Deore grade) they've remained maintenance free, somewhat of a rarity and a key reason why I love this set-up. A combination of work, studies and college mean what free time I have I want to enjoy riding my bike not fixing it. As a result the reliable and solid nature of the Zee gear more than makes up for the minimal weight increase over XT (12 grams for the derailleur) which can be saved elsewhere by having a smaller breakfast prior to riding!

The most anticipated feature for me was without doubt the Shadow+ rear mech essentially a clutch system designed to stiffen the cage to quieten down the bike. Although something you don't initially notice when riding the bike, the moment you hop aboard one without a clutch-mech fitted the difference is noticeable. It sounds as if you are riding with a bag of spanners dragging behind! 

Moving on to the shifter it is a well thought out desig, with comfortable ergonomics and a dimpled thumb release for extra grip with gloved hands. Although perhaps lacking the "snap" of a SRAM shifter, the gear change is both definite and smooth, with the multiple downshift being a handy feature when a climb sneaks up on you! 

Overall the both the mech and the shifter are well thought out and neatly executed however very much aimed at the gravity market and those wanting more than a double and bash at the front would want to look elsewhere. Shimano Zee is a bombproof, value for money alternative for those not wanting to shell out for Saint, keeping most of the features but not the hefty pricetag!

Film Review: Where The Trail Ends (original version)

Original version of review

The latest mountain bike film from Freeride Entertainment and Red Bull Media has landed: Where The Trail Ends. Spread across a variety of locations across the globe ranging from Canada to China, this movie certainly has the locations, but does it meet the hype?

Kurt Sorge sending a huge superman, credit Where The Trail Ends

Where The Trail Ends is very well shot, with stunning cinematography at all times, featuring some incredible riding. There are breathtaking and bone crunching moments in equal measure throughout, keeping the viewer entertained and involved, however some of the features on the culture of the country being filmed in can disenchant the watcher, if these segments were cut down upon I don't feel it would detract from the film as a whole, though these scenes played a key  part in the atmosphere of the film and should by no means be cut out completely.

Darren Berrecloth smashing a huge road gap, credit Where The Trail Ends

Overall if you love stunning scenery and incredible riding then Where The Trail Ends is definitely a film you should be putting on your watch list, however if you prefer tricks and slopestyle then give this one a miss, as it's pure, unadulterated freeride through and through, an absolute cracker!

Film review: Where The Trail Ends (re-edit)

Edited version based upon feedback from readers

Where The Trail Ends; a stunning mountain bike flick from Freeride Entertainment has landed, with locations across the world, from Canada to China, featuring mind-boggling riding coupled with breathtaking cinematography. With riders such as Berrecloth, Doerfling and Lacondeguy this movie is going to go off with a bang!

Kurt Sorge sending a superman, credit Where The Trail Ends

The riding is both breathtaking and bone crunching, keeping the audience captivated throughout, as stomach-flipping head cam shots are coupled with cinematic vistas shot by helicopter of incredible lines. At times the background of the culture can intrude upon the flow of the footage, however it breaks up the non-stop freeriding, a big plus for the less fervent viewer, acting as both a positive and a negative factor.

Darren Berrecloth smashing a huge road gap, credit Where The Trail Ends

Product Review: DMR Brendog Vault pedals

Pedals are one of the most important parts of a bike; the major contact point and the only way to drive the bike. As a result, pedal choice is absolutely key in the ride quality of your bike, so it's worth investing in a decent set. Pedals come in two varieties, flat and clips, with different people opting for different styles. Personally  I use flats as they better suit my riding style of "foot out, flat out". Over the past couple of years I've been using my tried and tested V12 pedals, but DMR have now updated them in the form of the DMR 'Brendog' Vaults and I couldn't resist giving them a go!

Pre-box opening, expectations were high

Initial impressions were very positive as I opened the box. They were nicely presented and well protected with a slip case with some info and a nice shot of Fairclough, capturing that understated, pure style he has on a bike. Once opened the box contained the pedals themselves (in separate compartments to avoid damage), some spare 'extra long DH/FR pins', a couple of spare standard pins and the spanner/allen key to fit both!

The pedals are very well built and have a large area on which to place your foot, something I found very handy on their virgin ride through some frankly horrible snow conditions. On one side of the pedal across the centre brace they are logo-ed 'Brendog' with the other bearing the brand name DMR Bikes, each finished in a classy gloss black typeface, however only time will tell how long the logos hold up. The rest of the pedal is finished in matte black which will hopefully prevent flaking of the paint, and Fairclough's twitter name, his signature and the motto S4P (sorry for partying) are printed on the inside edge of the pedal, viewable when seated upon the bike. Overall the pedal has top notch build quality, with a classy finish that will compliment most bikes. The Vaults come in at a claimed weight, and actual, of 410 grams, which is something of a rarity!

Pedals and box, impressive design and build

As far as fitting goes, the pedals were a doddle to fit, however the lack of labeling of left and right on the pedals may leave the less mechanically minded cyclists confused, however it's easy to work it out by orientating the logos, or just examining the threads. The actual fitment of the pedals was easy, just adding some grease and screwing them in, even the most cack-handed guys will have no trouble whatsoever!

I first got a chance to ride the pedals earlier today, on a short trail ride in some rather snowy conditions. Initial impressions were very pleasing, as I found the larger platform to give me significantly more support than I was used to, with the arrangement of pins being both comfortable and grippy, giving me immediate confidence to push my speed, even in the slippery conditions. When dabbing a foot in corners it was easy to get my foot back on the pedal in a comfortable position, and coupled with my rather battered 5:10 Freeriders I had no shortage of grip, more than can be said for my riding buddy who was slipping pedals left right and centre! On my current set up, the bike has a low bottom bracket, and as a result pedal strikes can often be an issue. Pleasingly the low profile design and tapered edges of the Vaults seems to have improved their rock dodging capabilities over the V12s, however a true test will be when I get to hit some rocky downhill tracks in a few weeks time, but I had no problems whatsoever on my initial ride!

Pedals on their own, works of engineering art

 Overall the Vault is a much needed upgrade over the traditional V12, which was beginning to look rather overweight and small in comparison to similarly priced pedals. The finish and build quality are spot on for the budget and the pedals are comfortable, grippy and confidence inspiring. At £109.99 RRP the DMR's are by no means cheap, but compared to offerings from Straitline, Twenty6, Kona and NukeProof the Vaults have more than proved they are value for money. If you are looking for a high end pedal, with high end features and a build to match then take a good, long look at these bad-boys, because they are well worthy of their namesake, the king of style.

A semi-eventful day.

Had a few downs, but lots of ups, surprisingly including a Chemistry exam! I was dreading the paper in the run up, but in actual fact the exam was far less trouble than expected! There were 5 questions, spread across the course including calculations, bonding and electronic structure however despite the wide range, all of the questions were doable and I felt fairly comfortable on most, hopefully when I get the results my confidence will be proved correct!

The key low point of the day was a lesson of a subject (used in it's loosest form) of TRAK, or Thinking, reasoning and knowledge. This subject is a joke, with lessons ranging from how to play sudoku (thought this was a hobby not a life skill) all the way through to the challenging topic of counter arguments; yes it did take our teacher an entire lesson to explain this simple phenomenon to us! Today's lesson tackled the mock exam paper, and general revision for the exam tomorrow. The first task passed with ease and I picked up a Distinction, hardly surprising when the pass mark is 23, considerably lower than 50% of the possible 60 marks available! It genuinely astounds me that it's possible to fail an exam where we are provided with such gems of questions such as being able to rearrange numbers to figure out a pin number; part of a simple arithmetic puzzle. The challenge of revision however was far more tiresome, as we were taken through such fascinating subjects of fallacies, how to draw a Venn diagram along with going over what a counter argument was, for those in the room with 3 or less brain cells! Just at the point I was beginning to doze off in the corner, the teacher ended the lesson, and we all stampeded out, the cry "revise for tomorrow" falling upon deaf ears!

Overall however it was a good day, and the promise of study leave tomorrow, before a 2 o'clock exam should leave me more than enough time to have a healthy lie-in, go for a short ride before cleaning the road bike! Barring the exam, not at all a bad day!

A little introduction

Hi, I'm Sam and this is my blog.

So, a little about myself; I'm 16 years old, fanatical about bikes, work in a bike shop and go to college! This blog will hopefully be a stepping stone for me into the bike industry, my dream job, be it writing articles for a magazine, working in a distribution centre, or just spending my days tinkering with bikes and selling accessories to customers.

Bikes have been a major part of my life since I was 12. I remember the day well, it was warm, summer and at Centre Parcs Longleat where I had at long last been coaxed into putting foot to pedal. There was a short dirt bank, with a little ramp up the other side. I remember chasing my dad down it, flying out the other side with a grin plastered across my face, and from then on I was hooked. I started off slowly, riding tow paths and freewheeling down the local hill but soon I began to progress. Over the period of a couple of years I went from riding a bike on light cross country purely on occasion, to owning four bikes, riding everything from road to downhill, and even occasionally racing!

Over the next few years I hope to turn my attention to gravity enduro racing! On January 15th tickets for the Megavalanche on Alp d'Huez become available, something I cannot wait for as it is an event that has to be seen to be believed! 2000 mountain bikers hurling themselves down a sheet of ice before spending an hour and a half riding one of the gnarliest (and I mean gnarly!) downhill courses on the mountain, including a savage climb part way through! This event will push my bike handling abilities and fitness to the edge, hopefully giving me a real taste of mass start racing!

Well, that's me, my past, present and planned future! I'll be using this blog to document various events and parts of my life along with utilising it as a portfolio of my writing skills and work, so read on, enjoy, and most importantly, drop me a line with any feedback, it's all welcome!