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Letter of the Month
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Dear MBT:
I just wanted to drop a line to let you know that photos from the Downieville Classic Downhill are now up and can be viewed through the link below. Please let me know if you would be interested in using any of the photos for your digital magazine. I’ve got another 500+ photos from the XC division as well.
Enjoy the galleries!
http://redwoodtrails.smugmug.com/gallery/3171313
Eric C. Gould
Eric:
Thanks for offering us use of your material. In a world full of get rich quick schemes, internet scams, and spammers, it is refreshing to encounter some genuine generosity. Not only will we take you up on the offer, we'll give you a bit of exposure by publishing your links for the world to see. We’re big advocates to the truth that mountain bikers are a cut above the rest both on the trails and here in cyberspace. To thank you for thinking of us, let us award you a $20 gift certificate for Evomo. Tell you what, submit a pic of you in your new Evomo garb and we’ll run that in a future issue as well!
For making us think, we’re going to send you a $20 gift certificate to spend at Evomo. Go get yourself a kick ass shirt, and send us a snapshot of you rocking it out: www.evomo.com/
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Dear MBT:
My friends tell me the new Rocky Mountain Element 70 has been designed by a world champion I’ve never even heard of. Is it true or am I the brunt of one of their childish jokes?
Keith Biddle
Keith:
Your friends are half right. The character in question is one Andreas Hestler, multi-time Canadian and TransRockies Champion. We haven’t heard anything about World Champion but he has certainly participated in the Olympics.
Dear MBT:
Do the manufacturers weigh their bikes with or without pedals for the stats in their brochures?
Ron “Ronny Mac” McNeill
Ron:
Unfortunately this is a question that not only are we ill-equipped to answer, we suspect that you would have no better success even if you could ask the manufacturers themselves. Since there is no standard protocol when it comes to marketing materials, it is likely most of the weights listed by the manufacturers are derived from bikes with the bare minimum of add-ons. In a world where riders can be swayed on account of mere grams, we suspect that you too would try to shave off every ounce possible when writing a sales brochure. Bear in mind too that published weights of many parts are not correct. Sometimes forks are weighed without oil, brakes without rotors and hardware, and wheels without quick releases. Simple things like that can add up quickly and cause a weight weenie fits of hysteria.
Dear MBT:
I’ve been a fan ever since you tested the Santa Cruz Nomad way back when. One question though, how come you guys never test downhill bikes?
Kevin L Calligan
We don’t discriminate when it comes to mountain bike disciplines, Kevin. We do, however, typically stick to reviewing bikes that we are asked to review. Many of our readers are quite vocal about what they wish to read about in future issues. The downhill fans out here in cyberspace have been persistent enough to send us careening down the side of a mountain on a Cove Shocker, which just so happens to be tested in this issue. Generally though, downhill bikes are the ultra specialists of the bike world, and there's not a lot of places to downhill compared to places to trail ride. If our readers want it, we'll certainly try to make it happen.
Dear MBT:
Anyone from your digi-mag ride the Titus El Guapo yet? I’m close to pulling the trigger but haven’t heard a whole lot about the bike- good or bad.
Sergi Tessnya
Sergi:
It’s funny you should ask. It just so happens that the roommate of one of our regular contributors recently sold her well worn Bullit for an El Guapo. Here is what she had to say about her decision:
Overall I’m pretty happy with the Titus so far. The bike can definitely take a beating but don’t expect it to zip up lengthy climbs either. Mine weighs in at about 34 lbs and there were definitely more beefy builds available than the one I chose. I feel mine is well rounded enough to mix an occasional all day epic in with my main attraction, bike parks. My next upgrade (or downgrade, depending on how you look at it) will be an air shock to shave a few pounds. Overall I’m pretty pleased. The chassis is stable but the handling becomes a little twitchy in sharp corners. If you happen to spend your days in places like Whistler, this bike is a hoot. If you like to hammer climbs or explore trails all day, you may want to consider something a little more pedal-happy. Looking back I think I fell into the hype surrounding this bike a little bit. At close to five grand, the world was my oyster. I regret not getting something a little lighter but that regret is quickly forgotten each and every time I nail a sweet run. -Terra Gibbons
Earn Money by Making Us Work
Attention ASK MBT fans: You’ve always got questions and we like to think that we have the answers but now you could earn some swag just for putting our collective melons to the test. In each issue we will choose a winning question or comment to become Letter of the Month and send its author $20 toward the Evomo online store. What are you waiting for? Get hammering on those keyboards.
Got a question? Fire it away to us and we'll do the best we can to answer it. Send your inquiries to Ask Mountain Bike Tales.
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