Niner S.I.R. 9

When I got on the Trek, I noticed immediately that it had a different approach than the playful Niner. The Superfly (in all editions) is billed as a race-oriented XC bike, and it shows in how it rides and handles. It was a nice bike, but I didn’t really get that grin on my face that I look for when testing a bike out. To be fair to Trek, part of this may have been because the brakes on my test bike were REALLY dirty and noisy, so I was distracted by that for much of my ride.

Trek Superfly Al

This was my first real experience testing out multiple bikes at a demo event (I was supposed to have a 2nd a couple days ago, but it got rained out), and it was a lot of fun! I’m sure many of you do this when you can, but I’d encourage everyone to attend demos when possible – it’s an easy way to check out one or several bikes fairly quickly, whether you’re looking for a new ride or not!

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When we received the Ibex Asta Expert to review, I assigned one of our Team Racers, Nick DiBlasi to test it for MtnBikeRiders.com. Read his review below.

Summary:
The Ibex Asta Expert is an all 6069 Aluminum cross country bike that everyone will love. It comes with virtually ever feature you would want or need. Ibex spared no expense on getting the right components for this $1319.99 price point.

I have taken it on several rides now switching it up to see how it reacts to each different environment. I must say that this thing brings a smile to my face every time I hop on it. The feel of this bike is so agile and light that I keep forgetting its a Mountina bike. I would attribute the smooth shifting and pedal feel to the Sram components matched perfectly with the Avid Elixir braking system.

The good:
The Ibex Asta Expert 16” has amazing handling and is extremely agile. It feels as if you have total control at all times and a very positive feel for the terrain. The moderately lightweight feel and control makes this perfect for light trail use and in tight cornering conditions. It brings me back to the BMX riding days where I can pretty much put the bike anywhere I want it. Once clipped in you feel like you are one with the bike. When it comes to braking, they sized everything perfectly. The Avid Exlir R’s could not have been a better choice for Ibex. The brakes are effortless and complimentary to the quick handling of the bike. Overall I would categorize this as an extremely FUN bike.

The not so good:
The design of the rear link causes the bike to do more of a sharp rebound than actual absorbing energy into the suspension. After several many setting adjustments I got it fairly comfortable. Not 100% ideal, but to the point where I can feel confident on any trail. This can be a little harsh on your body on long rides where the trail has constant bumps instead of long smooth dirt paths. The second gripe I have is the cable routing on the top tube. For shorter people like me (5’-8”) my stand over height is always within 1” of the top tube. The routing of the cable often comes in contact with my legs or shorts when coming off and on the bike. The welded tabs have scratched my legs up a few times causing some discomfort. This would not be a problem for taller rides, however if you are near my height or under you WILL definitely notice.

Would I buy it?:
If you are looking for a fun and full featured cross country bike for around $1319.99 this is a pretty decent deal. If fits right in the middle of the price point for non major brand bikes and comes fully loaded. Almost anyone can pick this bike up and have a good time virtually anywhere. It might not be the best bike for serious terrain, but it will definitely get you around and out the trails.

FTC Disclaimer

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Win this gift pack from Clif Bar.


All you have to do is leave a comment on why your mom is the best or worst in the world. We’ll randomly pick a winner. (US Only). Contest ends 05/13/2012 12noon.

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Now I have gone there wearing different hats, one as a race, one as a vendor, and one as media, but I have never gone wearing all three, which I gotta say is really pretty tough to do. As a vendor you have to get up real early in the morning to set up your booth, get breakfast, and sit there more or less all day talking to people, get lunch, go on pee breaks, and at the end of the day tear it all down to do it all over again for the next four days. If your lucky you get to do a walk a round to see what’s going on, which I say is a must do. I Got asked to go for my work and of course I said “Yes!”

Good Morning Sea Otter!

Hat number two, as a racer you’re there to do one thing, get up some what early and practice, practice, practice, and then RACE. Their is one good thing though as a racer you get to see all the stuff Sea Otter has to offer, plus you get to see the Pro’s race. Lots of fun doing this.

AIR TIME ON THE DH COURSE TABLE TOPS!

Hat number three is the media hat, now this is a cool hat, but it’s not without it’s hardships. You get up early take LOTS and LOTS of pics, talk to lots of people, and you get to go allover the event to cover all things and believe me you do miss things, you have to go to the media booth to do post,  refuel and get back out to do more coverage while walking everywhere. When your day ends its time for the night life, a industry party maybe or big movie premier, and now once you get in time to get up and do it allover again.

Man this all sounds like work to me, when do you get to relax. So all this being said Its time to give you some pics from this year’s Sea Otter 2012. Enjoy the fun, cool and funny of Sea Otter.

BEER PARTY WAGONS, NIGHT LIFE, GREAT FOOD WITH FRIENDS, AND ME PLAYING GUITAR

BIG BIKES WITH BIG MTB STARS "MR. BRIAN LOPES"

NOTHING LIKE KID POWER, "YOU GO GIRL!"

OLD SCHOOL!

ONE DISCIPLINE THAT WAS LONG OVERDUE AT SEA OTTER WAS CYCLOCROSS. IT WAS A BIG HIT!

NOTHING LIKE COOL PIT TRANSPO.

DH LEGEND MARLA STREB, "PARTY TIME!"

NOW THIS WAS ONE BAD ASS SPECIALIZED DEMO!

THE SIDE-HACK LIVES ON!!

THIS WAS ONE COOL BIKE MADE OF WOOD BY LARRY BANUELOS.

DIRT JUMPERS LOVE SEA OTTER!

IT WOULDN'T BE AN EVENT WITHOUT THE BULL!

NOW I KNOW WAY PROS ARE SO FAST.

FOX WAS OUT IN A BIG WAY WITH THEIR MOBILE SHOWROOM.

THIS LOOKED TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SEA OTTER'S IN A LONG TIME. WHAT A SHOW.

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The Beer shorts will come with an elastic/drawstring waist for that custom fit you so deserve. It is also equipped with 2 side pockets, and a cell phone pocket on the thigh. Estimated cost on these, $25. I forgot to mention the best part, the MtnBikeRiders.com logo will be embroidered on the cell phone pocket.

You’re probably wondering, “why call them BEER shorts?” Well the two side pockets are big enough to hold 2 bottles of your favorite beers. Plus they’re really comfortable and everyone knows, when you are drinking beers, comfort is king. But if beer isn’t your thing, you can fit a bottle of wine in each pocket, or gerbils, and even Twinkies. Perhaps some Tots?

For now I’m the only one who has a pair…of shorts. But if you are inclined to get a pair, leave a comment. Comes in the same color as I like my men and my coffee, BLACK. Wait did I say men? I meant Bikes…ya Bikes! I like my bikes black.

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So I thought about it really hard, and I think the only one who is daring enough and probably has the biggest balls on payroll at MtnBikeRiders.com is Team Racer, Art Aguilar. Don’t let his party animal facade fool ya, Art actually is a very talented downhill racer with years of experience under his belt and I think he’s the only one that could pull of this experiment. Team Racer Corey Pond would certainly be up for the challenge, but he’s too pretty to mess up. I’d hate for him to mess up his money maker or something. But with Art…eh, we’re good to go. Oh by the way, I probably should ask him if he’s willing to take on the roll…

The next step is to peruse the local Craigslist Ads to see if we can acquire a very inexpensive or free POS bike and see how many DH runs we can make on it before it starts to fall apart. We’ll keep you all updated with our progress.

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I’ve always believed that half of riding is looking good. Take my tuxedo jersey for example. Above is a photo of me looking great, and check it out, my dog Cowboy looks pretty darn fantastic if you ask me! I guess I’m a bit spoiled for having my own line of mountain biking jerseys to chose from. But do you take the time to pick out what you’re going to wear, or do you just go with what’s clean?

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