Read the full review here: http://twentynineinches.com/2012/03/23/transition-bikes-trans-am-two9-final-review/

Transition TransAM 29er

Waking up saturday with it being overcast and the sign of rain during the night I knew that the track could be quit interesting with parts of the track being off camber making grip would be to a minimum. However with the forecast being overcast on the saturday and sun-shine on the sunday and 300 riders going down the track it wouldn’t take long for it to dry out.

Sam Marzetti at Combe Sydenham

The track started with a few catch burms into a double which landed into a tricky little rock garden which changed every run down the hill. This then lead into a section which contained three bus stops which long flat sprint sections in-between, coming of the last bus stop was a step down into a wooded off camber section which contain some difficult corners. Coming out of this section was a massive 33ft step down road gap into two massive corners which could be hit flat out. The field section contained some huge doubles, tables and a moto x style quad which was insane. The fastest speed though the doubles was clocked at 29.63mph by Marc Beaumont the overall winner. The bottom section which was the most technical of the track as there was a lot of line choice and not much room for error. At the very end there was a large rock drop into a nighty degree corner which was easy to go over the bars on, this then followed into a short sprint over two doubles then across the line.

Seeding run was going well for keith until he caught up with the rider in front through the whole field section which lost him valuable time, however he was still able to seed 7^th in the veteran category which was pretty good considering. I (Curtis) was able to put in a safe run with only a few mistakes made which put me in 16^th in senior.

Race runs and everyone was anxious to get the runs over and done with with Keith off first and all that he had to do was put a clean run in and a podium spot would be in sight and so it was being in 5^th on the first split at the end of the field however a mechanical soon after, one of the fastest parts of the track, he had no brake which sent him ploughing over the top of the burm. However keith being keith he soon got back up and completed the rest of his race run with no brake which to say the least was pretty insane. I was able to get all of the lines I wanted at the start of the track through until the massive road gap as the in the corner before I tried to pedal to some which meant I got off line and slipped a foot however I was already committed to jumping the step down and cased it quit hard which messed up my field section, nearer the end I found some energy and ended up having a good lower section for a run.

Results keith getting 7^th with a time of 3:15.654 which he was gutted with. I was able to get 12^th in senior with a time of 2:47.711.

Sam also gained a good result after having a good run, 14th in Junior out of 57 riders with a time of 2.47.167, 99th overall.

It was a good test for my new Giant Glory 00 2012, and it rode really nicely. It pedalled really well and handled all of what the course had to through at it with ease!

It was a very successful and enjoyable weekend for the first big race of the year for us all and great to race against lots of top, world cup riders.

The track stared with a sprint into a table top into some fast long sweeping burms which you could pedal in and with the temperature so high you can easily see how people were struggling to get the cranks in. luckily after this section most of the track was rollable with only a few cranks in some sections, this was because most of the rest of the track was made up of switch backs which where a lot more difficult then they sound as they all had steps in which meant grip was to a minimal. Nearer the end of the track there was a new off camber section which was catching most people out dew to the dry conditions hug ruts where forming and roots were showing, however this for me was the most enjoyable part of the track. At the bottom of the track there was a step down into a fast short sprint to the finish.

Sam Marzetti - Aston Hill

The Bournemouth Cycleworks team got off to a great start with me(Curtis), Sam Marzetti, Keith Saunders all getting 5^th in are categories. Sadly Ben Hargreaves crashed and hurt his shoulder which lost him a lot of time which placed him at 48^th in his category.

Second runs went even better with everyone making at least another 2 seconds getting higher up on the podium. Sam managed to put in a time of 1.31.74 which put him in 3^rd place in the junior category, I was able to put in a time of 1.28.11 which put me in 4^th in senior, keith put in a time of 1.36.83 which also put him in 4^th in veterans. Ben who had crashed in his first run decided to do his second run even though he had hurt his should and was able to put in a time of 1.43.10 which was a massive 7 seconds quicker which put him in 37^th masters.

Giant XTC Composite 29er

“The Giant XtC Composite 29er 1 is so smooth and carries so much speed it almost feels like cheating”

What Mountain Bike magazine carried out a £1300 – £1700 ‘Mid-Range Machines’ test in their April issue; pitting full-suss vs hardtail in a no holds barred fight for supremacy. Giant’s XtC Composite 29′er 1 rolled up its sleeves, gritted its teeth and emerged from the melee victorious.

Coming in at the top end of the test budget meant the Giant had a lot to prove, but Giant’s Composite technology was so silky smooth testers soon realised they were riding a best in category winner that was definitely worth it;

“If you want a fast, smooth, mile-eater, look no further. The XtC Composite 29′er is a joy to ride and was the bike that kept popping out for “just one more lap”.’”

What bike is ‘What Mountain Bike Test Winner’, ‘What Mountain Bike Best 29in Wheel Bike’ and ‘What Mountain Bike Best Hardtail’? Giant XtC Composite 29′er!

Give us a call to discuss your 29er needs! 01202 424945

Excludes finance, cyclescheme, servicing and repairs.

Curtis braving the snow

This was the start of a new and upcoming downhill events series held at the well known Rogate. This was the first time Keith and I had been to Rogate. To go there for the first time doing a push race was pretty daunting, however as we arrived first impressions were good as we commenced to the track walk, luckily the track was only short and not too steep which meant pushing up was easy and we were able to complete a good few practice runs.

The track started with a small hip jump which enabled you to carry a lot of speed into the next section, which consisted of a couple of tight switch backs which were tricky dew to the amount of rain we had overnight and during the whole of the day. The bottom section of the track was fast flowing with long sweeping burms and big tables.

Due to some technical difficulties the race was delayed for a hour or so and because of the rain and snow everyone was cold, wet and miserable which didn’t make the race very enjoyable. When the racing finally started and everyone got down the hill we were able to get our results. Sam Marzettie was able to put in a super quick time of 1.07.59 making 2nd in junior cat, I was able to put in a time of 1.08.23 which put me at 10^thin senior and lastly Keith was able to get third in veteran with a time of 1.14.65.

Sam picking his way through the slop

“the Giant P-SLR 1‘s are a clear winner”

Cycling Weekly got hold of Giant’s new P-SLR 1 Aero wheelsystem as soon as they arrived in the UK; and that was the last we saw of them for some time! What resulted is one of the most extensive wheel tests we have ever seen, featuring detailed lab testing coupled with extensive real world riding.

Giant P-SLR Wheel Set

Being selected as one of their 10 best aero wheelsets was a fine accolade with such a choice available in the market – but the Giant’s went one better – coming out on top scoring an incredible 9/10 and a Cycling weekly Recommended to match!

The Giant’s ranked highly in the lab testing – but it was the real world conditions that proved the Giant’s were something special;

“Every tester agreed, the P-SLR1 Aeros are a great all-round wheel suited to a multitude of disciplines.”

Not sure? We have a demo set you are more than welcome to try out. Pop down to the shop and have a play. Deposit required.

Curtis on the Podium

The track it’s self was pretty flat which meant you had to pedal at every opportunity and on a hardtail pedalling on roots doesn’t go down too well. However with my dad on his new Glory 00, Supplied by Bournemouth Cycleworks, and with clips he was dialled.

With some big names in the veterans category the pressure was on Keith, and with this being my first hardtail race I wanted to do well. With the first runs started and hardtail’s off first the pressure was on to get the fasted time I was second from last off in my cat, when I got down I was in the lead by 10 seconds however I new the local lad was on track and had the track pretty much sussed however I was able to say in the lead by 1.4 seconds. Keith’s cat was next on track, I was able to watch him go down part of the track which he was by far the fastest in that section. And he was to take the lead by 2 seconds.

I new the pressure was still on so I pushed even harder for the next run but in doing so had consequences and I came out of a berm too early and ending up slightly off course loosing me valuable time meaning the local lad took the win leaving me in 2^nd which I was disappointed with but that’s how racing goes. Keith’s second run was totally different he somehow managed to pull another two seconds out of somewhere to take the lead with a bigger margin of 2.5 seconds.

All in all the race was great, the venue/track was great and the results were great.

Longleat Tickertape Race – 19/02/12

I turned up to race the Longleat Tickertape race on the Sunday morning and went to have a look at the course. My first impressions were that it looked like a good, fun course that contained a bit of everything. The course started off with a nice little step down jump of the fire road which led into a small rockgarden which weaved through some tight trees and then the course dropped into a steep shoot that had a nice big muddy rut at the bottom of it, it then went  through some nice flowy berms and jumps and finished off with a pedally weave through some tight trees and ruts.

Sam Marzetti

After my first few runs I didn’t feel too confident as I wasn’t properly warmed up and I could see that everyone else was already going fast, including FLC team mate Curtis Saunders who was flying past on his little Transition hardtail. Once I warmed up I grabbed a freelap watch and went and did a timed run. My first run was ok with quite a few mistakes and it put me about 5^thoverall,

Curtis Saunders - Pinning it!

I then went on to do a couple more timed runs and put in a time of 57.68 seconds which put me into 1^st place overall beating team mate Curtis Saunders by 0.4secs. Curtis then went onto get a time of 57.14 seconds which pushed him back up to 1^st. I then did another run and managed to boost my time up to 57.11 seconds which left Curtis on the edge of his seat.

With 10 mins to spare we both went and did a final run. I was tired so I only got a 58.65, I watched Curtis come down the hill boosting out of corners on his Dad’s Giant Glory. It looked like he was going to smash my time but he was also tired by the time he got to the finish and couldn’t push hard enough in the final sprint he ended with a 57.15 seconds, 0.01secs of his best time.

It left Curtis with 2^nd place with a best time of 57.14 which put me in 1^st overall with a best time of 57.11. I was happy with my result as I beat team mate Curtis Saunders on his home tracks and also beat lots of other fast riders like Steve Geall and Identiti and Halo sponsored rider Chris Smith.

Well done Boys, great day out!

You can following Sam, Curtis and the rest of the team over at CWRacing.co.uk shortly!