BPX Blog – BikePartsExpress.com

There aren’t many 29er-only manufacturers out there but Niner are a big part of the vanguard, promoting big wheels with almost evangelical zeal. The Air 9 Carbon is their flagship hardtail, incorporating the geometry that the company have been refining since they started but rendered in ultra light carbon fibre.

Ride & handling: Light, stiff and comfy all at once, and spectacularly fast at all times

In common with many 29ers, Niner’s sizing isn’t quite what you’d expect if you’re used to 26in wheels. Our test model was a medium but had a top tube length that you might expect from a large and a seat tube that would be at home on a small. But with a 400mm seatpost it was a good fit for 6ft tall testers, with height to spare. The cockpit setup was well thought out, with a flat but wide bar keeping the grips below the seat and delivering suitable weight distribution.

As 29ers go, the Niner is fairly low and steep at the front, and short at the back. Combined with its light weight, this gives the Air 9 Carbon a real edge out on the trail. This is a blisteringly and addictively fast bike. Pedal and it goes – instant gratification on two wheels. Cornering responses are equally lively, to the extent that the bike can feel a little bit nervous at speed.

But have confidence and take control and it will see you through – the big wheels and sure-tracking chassis will work in your favour. As well as being fast in every sense, the Niner somehow manages to be comfortable too. Looking at the huge tubes and fat seatpost you might expect it to be bumpier but a combination of big tyres and clever carbon layup makes it a fine place to be on long rides.

The Air 9 Carbon is race light but trail capable, stiff and comfy at the same time. It’s also fast as you like and one of the best-looking bikes made by anyone, anywhere, ever. Yes, it costs all the money in the world but it’s properly ace. We’re off to look for things to sell…

Frame: State-of-the-art chassis with amazing looks; big tubes amplify clonks and bangs

Niner managed to cause quite a stir when they debuted the Air 9 Carbon at the trade shows a couple of years back. And trying it out now it’s not hard to see why. First up, this is a fine-looking mountain bike – we’ve found that even people who go out of their way to dislike 29ers tend to like the look of it. From the tapered head tube to the carbon post mount back end it’s a state-of-the-art frame.

It’s also extremely low-slung but packs huge tubes. There’s not much point mounting a Crud Catcher to the Niner’s hexagonal down tube, for example, since the tube itself is as much mudguard as you’ll be likely to need this winter. Despite the girthsome tubes, the frame comes in at well under 3lb – pretty good for a big-wheeler. The tube merges seamlessly into the bottom bracket, where you’ll find Niner’s CYA bottom bracket system.

This essentially involves having a bigger hole in the frame than any bottom bracket/crank setup needs and then using adaptor cups to step it down to the required size. You can fit pretty much any kind of crank in there with the right cups. Or the CYA system will accept Niner’s own eccentric bottom bracket system so you can tension the chain on a singlespeed setup. If you’re doing that you can also swap the drive side dropout insert for one without a derailleur hanger for a clean look.

Niner clearly realise that scraping your new, extremely expensive carbon frame would be a painful experience. So the Air 9 Carbon comes with a hefty strip of helicopter tape along the underside of the down tube, plus titanium plates by the bottom bracket and on the chainstay to ward off damage from a dropped or sucked chain. Gear cables are routed internally, with the housings entering via holes in the head badge, which is a rather neat touch.

In common with most high-end models, the Air 9 Carbon is supplied as a bare frame – all you need to do is add parts to taste. It’s designed for an 80 or 100mm travel (3.1 or 3.9in) suspension fork or Niner’s own super-light carbon rigid fork. Our test bike arrived with a 100mm Fox F29 RLC up front, with a QR15 axle to add extra steering authority.

We were pleased to see a flat Syntace bar up front, compensating for the inevitably high front end that a 29in wheel and 100mm of fork travel dictate. Transmission and brakes were all from SRAM’s new X0 group and worked without complaint, though the acoustic properties of the carbon frame made the shifts seem clankier than we’re used to. SRAM’s always a bit clickier than Shimano anyway, but once the sound has echoed around the big hollow frame it sounds louder.

This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine.

(Via BikeRadar.com.)

Lazer Helmets have given their Nirvana off-road helmet a modest facelift for 2012, with a newly height-adjustable rear retention that improves on what was already a well-fitting lid.

Total adjustment range is a fairly generous 25mm but we found the most secure fit with the cradle set as far down as possible. Even in the uppermost position, though, the new cradle sits a bit lower on your skull than the previous version and the helmet is notably more stable over rough terrain.

Though secure – even with lights installed – the Nirvana is still very comfortable thanks to the even pressure distribution of Lazer’s excellent Rollsys retention system. Rather than use some sort of ratcheting dial or stepped buckle, the Nirvana instead uses a single top-mounted dial that tightens or loosens a stainless steel cable that’s anchored up around your forehead and wraps around the circumference of your noggin. All of the plastic bits are pleasantly flexible, so nothing digs into your skull even if you have a shaved head.

Aside from the revised retention system, not much has changed on the Nirvana from last year and that’s mostly a good thing. The gaping vents do a good job of exhausting hot air, overall styling is Euro without going over the top, there are lots of color options available, X-Static antibacterial pads are comfortable on bare skin and pretty adept at warding off odor, and the single-density foam holds up well to being stuffed into luggage and day-to-day abuse.

Deeper interior channels would help more cooling air pass across your head at speed, though, and we’d still like to see a full lower shell to minimize visual dings. Also, the included visor does the job but it’s not adjustable, the traditional nylon webbing is starting to feel a bit thick as compared to lighter, sleeker and more flexible options from some competitors, and Lazer only offer the Nirvana in two sizes – neither is all that light, either, with our smaller size coming in at 283g.

(Via BikeRadar.com.)

So, I am a pretty strict Paleo proponent. I don’t like the word diet, as it usually conjures a negative emotion of food deprivation. So, I like to describe my eating habits as just a lifestyle, not a diet. Paleo is the eating lifestyle that seems to fit me best. Paleo, short for paleolithic, is very easy to follow. Eating Paleo style is eating 3 main things; Meat, Fruit and Vegetables, thats it. Pretty simple. It seems to work very well for my cycling and racing lifestyle. It is not low carb, but the carbs that it does provide are very nutrient dense and useful to the body. As a cyclist, we all know that we need carbs to perform at our best. Paleo provides carbs from fruits and vegetables. I have been eating Paleo style for a year or so now, and one thing the has always been a problem is getting enough fruit and vegetables each day to satisfy my bodies needs. If I always eat at home it is not an issue, but when not able to eat at home it is an issue as most restaurants don’t provide many fruit and vegetable options, or if they do the portions are too small to provide enough nutrition. The portions of starchy foods is always huge, like bread, rice and potatoes, but fruits and vegetables are usual minimal if at all. So, I recently started doing some research into meal replacements called “superfoods”. I wanted to find something that I could eat or drink to replace a meal and that was portable and didn’t require refrigeration, so that if I find myself in some location where I couldn’t get decent meal, I could just make my own on the fly. I wanted it to have carbs and protein but without dairy and without gluten and I wanted it to be in the most raw form as possible so that the nutrients are better absorbed. What I found was a product from Garden of Life, called Raw Meal. It has all the good stuff that i was looking for and none of the bad stuff.

It fills me up when I am hungry and keeps me from overeating and from eating the wrong thing. I have been using it for a couple of months now and i have seen a dramatic weight loss and an good increase in my energy levels. I don’t own any stock in the product and I am in no way connected to the company, but I would highly suggest it if you interested in controlling the amount and type of calories that you are consuming.

So the weight weenies here at Sage Cycles and BPX  as the premier Scott Bike Dealer in San Antonio, are stoked about the super legit New 2012 Scott Spark RC 29er HMX Carbon bike announced at least weeks Interbike. We ordered a bunch of them, I personally ordered a frame to build up as I like. So, I am starting to do research into the best bicycle parts for a lightweight build to match to this awesome frame. I am starting with the wheels. Some of the interesting ones on the market today are the Easton EC90 XC Wheelset and the ENVE 29 XC Wheelset. Clincher or tubular? What comments do you have on carbon 29er wheelsets? What works?