Coop Photo Sesh

The Coop's resident photog, Steve, has been taking some killer images recently. You can find more of his work here.

Fresh from the Transition Factory

Wonder what it could be....

Crappy Cam Photos of New TR250 Build

Transition TR250

'11 Fox 36 Talas

RC4 w/ Boost Valve

Hope Pro 2's to Mavic 819s

Avid Elixer CRs

Sram X-9 shifting

Thompson Stem/Seatpost

Hope headset/BB/Seatpostcollar

E13 SRS Chainguide

Saint Cranks

Sunline Bars

Xpedo Pedals

Transition Saddle

Softail

Over spring break I had the true pleasure of riding my uncles "mountain bike." This interesting piece of mountain biking history was given to him by none other than Jim Sullivan (a nominee for induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame). While you may laugh at the appearance of this bike - I went out for a ride with Jimmy and he can jam on a softtail.

The suspension stem worked surprisingly well at diminishing small bumps but hindered my bunny hopping abilities and of course the "rear suspension" only works when you're sitting down. Altogether an interesting experience....

New Core Member Bike: Black Market Mob

I recently came across the holy grail of craigslist finds - a ridiculously inexpensive complete black market mob. The bike had its share of problems but with the right set of friends, spare parts, and a few hours of work - it has been transformed.

The the most important changes I made were replacing the Hayes 9 brakes with Avid Juicy 7s, selling the original Argyle 409 and spending the proceeds on a new '11 Xfusion Velvet, and purchasing a nutted rear axle.

The new XFusion fork I installed three days ago is absolutely incredible. It has that same buttery smooth feeling that makes you think you're riding a Fox but with the added satisfaction of knowing you paid literally hundreds less. Furthermore, the fork is over a pound lighter than my Argyle was. Without the extra weight in the front the bike is more balanced overall. The thing just pops, turns, jumps, and manuals if you hold on. Definitely a great investment. XFusion is based locally and the guys are all supercool in person so I'm glad we're a dealer now.

Finally, I'd like to thank Transition. Switching from a 20mm to a 15mm thru axle fork requires a different hub spacing. The 15 mm shares the conventional 100 mm spacing with traditional qr's while the 20mm standard requires a 110 mm hub. All it took was a simple phone call and the boys at Tranny shipped me out new flanges for my hub on the cheap to make my OG v1 revolution wheelset compatible with my new fork.

Sneak Preview: Transition TR250 Build

Caution: you may see things differently after watching this video.

A Hill in Spain from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Raw is the only way to describe Chris Akrig's riding style. He's the only rider I would pit in a game of BMX against Danny MacAskill.

Cellphone Pics of the Newest Tango.

Jeff calls his latest creation the "the jeffe." The bike weighs upwards of 30+ lbs and is intended for all mountain use. After a brief fling with a half steel/half carbon fully the former core member is returning to his hardtail roots. This custom built frame has several unique features such as beautiful lugging, chainstays made from fork blades, triple triangle styling, and foam lock on grips. Its a beautiful beastly thing.

New Internet Addiction

I should be studying for a calculus midterm in a few hours but I stumbled across this game - Canvas Rider - today and its been nothing but a distraction. Players can submit and create their own tracks as well as session these tracks on either a dh or bmx bike. Of course I would highly suggest wearing a helmet when performing similar stunts in real life...

Test Ride Kit

A set of nine hardy, stylish, saddles arrived at the Bike Coop today. The majority will soon be mounted on the various bikes in the shops fleet for your testing purposes. The single speed of doom with the shimmed bmx stem and bars now sports a lightweight silverado and the resident chameleon traded its Brooks for a vigo. So if your butt has been unhappy in its current relationship then perhaps you should come down to the bike coop and test out some alternatives.