Whoops

Can anyone see what is wrong with this picture?

Seems I forgot to tighten a couple of bolts.

Needless to say, I was very rattled from this experience, I had just completed a pretty high speed descent on part of the Perry Hill Trail System, and was on my way out, when my handlebars slipped in the stem.

I was riding a section we call "ZZ", a section of switchbacks that trail through a pine forest . The name of the game is momentum. I always play the "no pedal, no dab" game on this section. If you are unfamiliar with the trail, you will most likely dab once, or crank 1/4 of a pedal stroke to keep you going. It is a very BMX'y trail that requires a lot of body english to keep you rolling. I found that my handlebars were loose during a high speed manual through a dip, and lost control of the bike. In the picture, the bike points left, but the trail goes right...

After that, I was completely unable to get back up to speed.

I had lofty goals of getting the rest of the data for the Jet vs. Spider shootout, but today, I just had to get out of the woods safely.
With only my pride bashed up, I will regroup and try again in the morning.

Jet 9, Long Term Update

I've spent the last couple of weeks really getting to know the Jet on my local trails. It is by far one of the most "flickable" bikes out there, but it can come at the expense of mental comfort. By flickable, I mean it has the ability to go wherever you point it at a moment's notice, whether you are ready for it or not. It can be challenging at times, especially when you are feeling rusty. It has been my primary ride, although I do change it up for the RIP from time to time. That comparison is forthcoming...

There is no better way to describe it, the Jet is an animal. Definitely a race bike.

I have mine set up with a 100mm Fox, and it is still a very quick handling bike. It shines in the really tight stuff if you are on your game. If you are slightly off your game though, it will quickly wake you up.

It is very capable. It is very fast. Stand up on the pedals and it goes. I have not found even the most minuscule amount of flex in the rear end. Power up and you go. Mid turn course correction at any speed is not a problem.

It is most certainly a Jet, the sort that should have controls and devices that "dumb it down" for us mortals, similar to the way an F-16 has to be reigned in so the pilot doesn't die for blinking. I spent the weekend up in East Burke VT riding the Jet and a few other bikes, and, much like an F-16, I'm convinced that you should not be hungover while riding it.

While it is a demanding ride, you will be rewarded with speed, agility and quickness you've never thought possible.

I'm working on the grace part.
I would imagine, that if I was in the sort of shape to put this bike to real use, I'd be winning a couple of races...

Rolling with the Squadron

Mother's Day.
Three guys, out in the woods. The spouses had first dibs on the singletrack for the day, and fortunately, they were kind enough to leave some scraps for us.
Trail conditions were awesome. Dry as dry can be.

Nat, JayPro and myself headed up Perry Hill for some great riding today. Nat logged some flight time on my RIP, while Jay and I spent some time fine tuning our Jet 9s.


While the shop continues to be very busy, I did manage to get out for a ride last week, and I actually rode my RIP. I had a great time riding it. With any luck, I'll be able to spend a bit more time on trail, and now that both bikes are set up just the way I like them, I ought to be able to get a good comparison between the two. They are very different bikes.


I thoroughly enjoyed my Jet today. However, I took some time pre-ride, and swapped the Conti Mountain King tires for the Schwalbe Racing Ralph (2.4s). I think that I will go back to the Contis when it is a little colder and wetter, but for now, I am enjoying the high volume and very round profile of the Schwalbe much more. The tire swap was a good move. Cornering is very predictable, rolling resistance is lower, and I dropped .5 lbs in overall weight.

It was nice to let the Jet loose on some familiar, yet rugged terrain. I maintain that it is a quicker bike than the RIP. While not as sure footed at times in certain scenarios, it more than makes up for in maneuverability. You can change your mind at any point and switch lines at will. It outclasses the RIP in it's ability to climb technical sections with ease. We made the climb to the top of Joe's in no time at all.

I remain steadfast in my thinking that the Jet is a race bike. There have been some folks out there on the interweb that have complained about the weight of this frame, but I built Jay's bike at a respectably raceable 24.6lb (with pedals and bottle cage folks - real weights here). Take weight out of the equation, and what you have is a bike that can outclimb, out corner and straight up out perform the competition. The rest is up to the rider...

Lack of Posting = Too Much Work!

As some of you may have noticed, it's been a while since I posted. Over a week!

The shop has hit ludicrous speed. Repairs and sales are way up, and I mean WAY up. The new location has already proven itself as a good move, and continues to perform in a way I couldn't have imagined.
In addition to our screaming retail business, Bike 29 continues to gain momentum. Last week I filled our Outback wagon with packages just to go to the post office. That's a lot of boxes.
The weather has not been the best for riding, so we've been keeping our head down and grinding on.

Here are some important updates.

Schwalbe Racing Ralphs are in stock in both sizes.
Niner Jet 9s continue to arrive, but I am almost sold out of my entire order, not just the ones I brought in early.
09 Fox F29s are here, update soon.
Several sets of I9 wheels have arrived, with more on the way. Call for details.

Bike 29 is proud to announce the addition of Lynskey to our catalog. The Lynskeys are the family that originally brought you beautiful titanium frames under the name of Litespeed. While what happened to Litespeed was truly tragic, and out of the Lynskey family's hands, they pulled themselves up by their boot straps and rose from the ashes under the Lynskey Performance Designs name.

And guess what?
They have a 29er that will blow your socks off.
Look for more on that very soon.

JET 9, First Flight

Thanks to planetary alignment, good planning or just plain dumb luck, I was able to take flight on my Jet 9 tonight. My regular test loop is dry and riding very well right now. I ride every single one of my bikes on this loop, and I know it like the back of my hand. This is what makes it the best proving ground.

The Jet, well, this is some sort of awesome.


My initial impressions are that this bike delivers. It is quick!

I put a lot of new components on this bike. The brand new brakes aren't yet up to the task of slowing my 230lb carcass down fresh from the box, which made for some exciting cornering. Nonetheless, the bike was able to go where pointed despite my subconscious efforts to attempt low earth orbit.

I forgot about "taking it easy" many times, and often pushed it way over the line. When you are having fun, you just have to run with it. I made some tricky sections my first attempt tonight that often take me weeks to work up the gumption to even try.

This is the first bike I've built in a long time where the bars have been lower than the seat. It threw me at first, but this bike was originally marketed to be a "race" bike. I sort of have it built up as one, with the exception of the wheels. I built identical wheels to my RIP, knowing that I was going to wail the crap out of this bike right out of the gate.

My Fox fork was riding extremely saggy tonight, but that was entirely my fault. Over the winter I had the fork Push'd, totally re-valved and dialed in just for me and my ham fisted riding style. Tonight I felt the need to let some air out of it Fortunately, I remember it's Push'd settings, so I'll be fixing that IMMEDIATELY.

There are a lot of NEW (for me) parts on the bike; Ergon grips, narrow EC90 SL bars, and the rubber, Continental's Mountain King 2.4. What a weird tire! More on this in an upcoming post. I really like this tire, but not in a way that I can easily talk about at the moment.

It's very hard for me to be precise about my initial thoughts on this bike. It's not often that I am stymied when trying to find fault in something. Sure there are things that I wish may have been different with this bike, but wow, it I like it! It's impressive to be able to throw down on a brand new bike, the same way one might on a bike they may have had for years.

bling!

Internet Free Zone

Not by choice either.
So much of the work I do goes on after store hours, and since the internet has decided not to work at my home, I'm forced to reduce my work load slightly. Apparently, I'll be waiting until they can get a technician over to sort it out. What is even more annoying, is that my Crackberry has also decided to stop receiving emails, so I am in true radio silence.
Stupid technology...

So the Gravel Grinder was a huge success, we have a great post on the Five Hills Bikes blog with pictures, and a video of the descent down Loomis Hill that someone was brave enough to film one handed. Next year, we'll have more room. We had to turn away a bunch of folks, which was a huge shame, but we had planned for a certain number. A huge thanks goes out to all of our sponsors.

I've been building Jets and shipping them out furiously. What an amesome bike. I should be able to get mine dirty this weekend, if I can ever get caught up in here!

The Plane has Landed

After what seems like FOREVER, I finally have my Jet 9.

I'm not even going to talk about what it took to get these 10 frames here, but rest assured, they are here. Everyone that pre-ordered the Jet before 1.31.08, will get their frame before the rest of America. I just need a chance to do final QC before getting them packed up and on their way again. They will leave on Monday.

All I have to say is WOW!


What a beautiful machine. Everything is well thought out and executed to perfection. Typical of Niner. I had a really hard time deciding between the Kermit frame and the ano black, but I eventually chose black. I already have a Kermit, and he has been very good to me. I plan on holding on to my original Kermit for a long time, so it's best not to piss him off. In fact, Kermit gets the nod for the big ride this Sunday.


The Jet is a different beast. For my personal ride, I chose to bling out on the lightweight components, yet go with a beefier wheelset. I'm a trail rat, not a racer, but I wanted something I could duel with at Catamount if I needed to. With my "stock" set up, the bike rolls at 27.6lbs (with pedals and bottle cage). A full 2 pounds less than my RIP. It's set up with a "PUSHed" Fox fork, and an all mountain double (on a sweet set of cranks arms too!). I have a feeling that there are a great many things to be learned about this Jet...


An absolutely gorgeous beast this is.
I have a handful of medium and large frames that don't have homes on this run, but I have another 10 coming. I have a small amount of small and XL frames unspoken for.

Want one?

Call!!

Jabberwockies!

The newest batch of Jabberwockies are beginning to arrive. Aside from the hot new colors, there are no major changes to this single speed specific steel hardtail. The colors are None More Black (think Spinal Tap), Snuffalupagas Orange, and Bone White.


The Jabberwocky is made from Vassago's proprietary butted 4130 tubeset. It is a comfortable ride, lightweight and completely capable of devouring any trail you point it down. Vassago's Wet Cat geometry puts you "in" the bike, lowering your center of gravity, allowing you to climb technical sections of single track the way a wet cat climbs grandma's curtains.

Vassago's price will not, however, put you in the poor house. The Jabberwocky frame is $439, add the rigid O.D.I.S. (Oh Damn It's Smooth) fork is available painted to match for just $100 more.
These beasts don't stick around long. If you were thinking of trying to snap one of these up, now is the time to pre-order. We will be shipping all of our pre-orders later this week.

In other news...
Wheelset delivery is a bit delayed due to stock at the moment. DT is out of spokes, and Stan's is out of the Arch rim, although I'm told the spokes should be arriving any day now. Arch rims are somewhere between the factory and Stan's HQ. I have plenty of rims on back order, so when they arrive the wheel building will resume it's furious pace...

Niner Jet 9s are going to be here soon! They have left the factory, and are on a boat headed for California. If you haven't already ordered one of these, you may not get one til the next production. I still have a few sizes and colors left available from my pre-order.

We are continuing to settle into our new digs. The showroom is open Monday thru Friday 9-6, and Saturday 10-4. If you are up in the area, come on by! We have lots of 29er goodness to check out, including Fisher's amazing arsenal of 29er hard tail and full suspension bikes.

Think Spring!

Updates

We plan on having a fully armed and operational battle station within the next 2 weeks.
We are just about there right now, but it all comes down to having a few things happen. These things are rather large and important things, but the picture above is a pretty good metaphor for where we are at. Notice the giant super laser. The business end of this thing is all there.

I've been able to process Bike 29 orders in a pretty timely fashion, thanks to the flexibility to do business wherever I have an internet connection. I've been able to ship in stock items very quickly, and things I have to build, like wheels, have not taken any extra time than they normally would have. Sometimes, I amaze even myself...

Here are a couple of updates for folks that may be waiting for stuff. If I haven't addressed you individually, please excuse me.

Wheels
Building them like mad, 3 sets built today to ship tomorrow. Will be continuing building wheelsets throughout the week. I expect no further interruptions here, pending availability of King hubs. They are a little shy of certain colors.


Jet 9
Niner is experiencing a production delay. Current projections are an end of March ship date, but we'll have to see. If you haven't ordered one, now might be a good time, as I only have a few sizes and colors left that aren't spoken for.

Five Hills Bikes
It's coming, bigger and badder than ever. Obviously.
But, what you may not know, is that I have a growing demo fleet. When the trails dry out, you will be riding distance from finding out why bikes like the Bandersnatch and RIP9 are so awesome. I even have a couple of Superfly's on the way for the new digs.

The best part about it, no Bothans were harmed!

Now Booking Flights - Niner Jet 9

Lots of folks ask me about the Niner Jet 9, and I'm pleased to be able to say, that we are taking pre-orders!

If you want to book one, simply visit the Niner Jet 9 page on my store.
And here's the kicker, Niner is giving away a really cool embroidered Patagonia Half Mass messenger bag to anyone that pre-orders their frame by December 14th. I have one of these bags, and it is nice! Think of it as a little Christmas present.
As if that isn't enough, Bike 29 is offering a pre-order special to our customers, in addition to Niner's offer. You need to sign up for our newsletter to get the deal though. And I'm not going to say what it is either, you have to sign up to find out!


If for some reason you are not familiar with the Jet, it promises to be one of the most sought after bikes of 08. With a little over 3" of rear travel, this bike is the ultimate XC machine. Pair the amazing CVA suspension design with the 29" wheels ability to roll over stuff, and you have a match made in heaven.

The first run of these will undoubtedly run out very quickly.
Catch your Jet, book your flights early!

More JET pictures

Ryan from Niner was kind enough to forward me some shots of the new beast at Sea Otter.
The bike as pictured weighs 22.99lbs, pretty impressive, despite the high zoot components.
I have been told that we'll be seeing these in August, which is much too long to wait for!
I want one now!


I love the machined and anodized hardware. This is the upper rocker assembly...

...and the lower.

I'm interested to see if the bushings will provide the same lateral stiffness that the RIP has. The RIP has bearings, and each of it's rockers feature stiffening brace. The pivot axles are stepped too, and the RIP has no lateral flex or wind up at all.

I remember that my old bushing generation Ellsworth Truth had no cross member either (the newer bearing one does). I don't remember there ever being any lateral flex on that bike.

Needless to say, the JET has many compelling attributes. I am most anxious to see how this bike performs on the trail.

The JET 9

While I was enjoying epic mid-April powder in the woods at Stowe VT, others were enjoying the sights and sounds at Sea Otter in Monterey California. This is the event where manufacturers unveil the shapes of things to come.

Niner Bikes debuted the RIP 9 here last year, and sticking with tradition, this year they are showing the JET 9. I've had a picture of this bike for a long time, but was sworn to absolute secrecy on the matter.

Photo courtesy of Twentynineinches.com

This is essentially a short travel RIP. It gets 3" of travel, and instead of using bearings, it uses bushings. This helps the frame loose almost a pound over it's big brother. I've always said that bushings are better than sealed cartridge bearings, they are lighter, and can take more side loads than a bearing. Bearings are great for things that spin, like hubs and cranks, but for a system that moves 15° or so, a bushing is a much smarter choice. The only caveat, is that they need some loving from time to time.

I'm guessing that the bike in my head is going to be about 23.5 lbs, a great race weight for a bike with the manners we have come to expect from Niner. With any luck, this bike will not be plagued with the same production gremlins that the RIP9 had, and I'll be riding one in June.
So far, the scheduled colors are anodized black, and the ever present Tang.

I would imagine that this will be a hot bike.