Another year, another chance to view and ride next years offerings at the hugely anticipated bike event of the year, INTERBIKE, Las Vegas. Once again, the first two days of the show were held outdoors at one of the sweetest trail networks in the USA, Bootleg Canyon of Boulder City. Just 40 minutes in the tour bus and we were far away from America’s gambling sin city and into the mountain pass early settlers used to smuggle gin and such past the Federales. Our posse wasn’t about to miss out on such an opportunity to ride the latest bikes on these trails, so Sunday flights were booked for Shawn, Ford, John Cannon and myself.

We busted on the scene early Monday and immediately jumped on bikes. Curious about the new Rocky Mountain Slayer 50, I took Johnny Halliday’s offer to ride one and the Rocky Mountain guys set up the suspension for rider weight and installed my Time pedals. JC got on an Switch S2, never having ridden one, Ford grabbed the new RMX and Shawn jumped isles and got hooked up on Santa Cruz's V-10. The shuttle line was short, so we were at the top in no time, ready for some single track love. The first thing I noticed on the Slayer 50 was how tall the front end felt. This has been dubbed Canadian Style, I believe due to the slow technical and steep descents found near Vancouver. The shifters were SRAM’s new triggers mated to the 7.0 rear derailleur, which I am very fond of. Wicked quick shifting and less chain slap than the Shimano offerings. I also noticed the fresh Marzocchi All Mountain 2 fork with six inches of love on an air spring, travel adjust system (TAS), extension travel adjust (ETA) and external rebound adjustments. Fox made the large air volume RP3 for the rear shock and Maxxis 2.35 Minions on the wheels were just begging for less air pressure. I obliged on the psi and we were off.

Not long into the ride and I could tell my rebound needed slowing down in the rear and sped up in the fork. The Zoke responded nicely to the adjustment, but it seemed the rear was already set slow, and didn’t want anything of it, so I had to ride her down with the rear feeling springy(Since then we have been told that this has been corrected). Then JC’s wheel nearly fell off the rear of his bike! The axle nuts hadn’t been tightened down. A quick bolt check found the stem bolts backed out as well. Scary. I checked my skewers and found them under snug. First riders of the Demo scariness, and this is a cheese grater of a mountain. Big time exposure and no good place to fall anywhere. You’d best stay on your bike at Bootleg Canyon.

The rest of the ride was fun, but the Slayer felt sketchy to me. Like the travel was there to get you into trouble, but the geometry wasn’t slack enough to get you out of it. Despite the long stem, the top tube felt short and the bottom bracket felt tall. I’m sure one could get used to it over time, just not me. JC liked the Switch after tightening down everything, and Shawn felt the V-10 was damn hard to get out of control. This is Shawn though, so we know he was able to at least once. Ford was sort of under whelmed by the new RMX, so we sort of walked away from Rocky Mountain a little bummed on the bikes. Not to be overly harsh on Rocky or nothing, but we at Trail Head haven’t had the best of luck over the past few years working with the Vancouver based company and came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t be ordering any 2006 models. I’d like to see where they go over the next few years, hopefully adding value to their dealers and longer warranty times for their bikes.

I needed a pick me up, and found it in the Intense Booth called 6 point 6. As the name implies, there are 6.6 inches of love found in the rear with Fox’s new DHX-5 Air shock stroking things nicely. A Nixon fork by the Answer boys matched up the front travel and the rest was cross country all the way. Long stem, XTR drive train, ‘narrow’ 2.35 Intense tires mounted on Easton’s fresh wheel set. Sweet, I’ve been wanting to test out the new Intense tires and that set of hoops from Easton! Shuttled to the top again and we were ready for a sweet trail called East Ridge. Super tech style narrowness with big exposure and littered with square edge bumps, this trail was perfect for testing out a trail bike, which we had in spades. Except JC, who had to taste the V-10 Shawn traded in for an Intense Uzzi VPX. Ford had an Uzzi as well, so this run was dubbed the VPP run, virtual pivot point bikes all around.

I was a bit doubtful of the 2.35 Intense tires, but soon forgot all about ‘em as the 6.6 railed down the ridge. A couple of shallow shelf drops set us up for two steep and deep switchbacks that had JC’s dual crowns all locked up! My Intense just railed down and through the turns, so confident was I that it really didn’t feel like I was riding someone else’s bike! Well, aside from the dual control levers. Those levers just feel weird to me. Some speed runs and a g-out had us flying into a rocky climb. Middle ring style, powering over square edges up and around another cheese grater on the left with nothing but air on the right. Confidence baby, do not look to the right. I was standing on it and she delivered, then the trail leveled out a bit and I was able to reflect on the way VPP climbs over square edges... I could really tell that the chain was holding the axle in that pocket position closest to the cranks. My suspension seemed super firm, as I could feel the rear wheel clicking through the rocks. Sticky rubber grabbed at those rocks with authority, and a good thing too, as I wondered how well a lesser tire would have done without the suspension working independently of the drive train... That experience mentally noted, the trail demanded I focus on her and found the 6.6 rhythm right where I left it. Out of Ridge trail and into the cutely named Girl Scout trail, all of us were laughing out loud. Felt like we were breaking the law, just railing banked turns into dells only to boot out of ‘em and land backside into another. Mid Pen would not understand. I could feel those Easton wheels carrying my speed through the turns. Truly groovy, and the 6.6 was spank’n like Jackson Brown. OOOoowww, get on down, huh! I feeeel good. Nananananana Nice pick me up... Thank you Intense. Shorten up the stem, throw on some trigger shifters and that bike is the shit.

Holy desert heat. Water, shade, food, another bike! Woohoo! This time full on cross country style with Yeti’s AS-Rsl from the Fox Racing Shox trailer. This bike was all bling. Carbon stays, RP3, Float 100RLT, XO-Race Face, CrossMaxSL’s, you get the idea. Ford jumped on the coveted 303, so we parted ways as he rode the shuttle to the top and I took off up the hill to the xc track. (I flew to Keystone Colorado to test the 303 just two weeks prior, so I knew what he was in for!!!) I left my pads at the trailer and found myself ripping up hill. I have to say, that bike makes me feel like a stud. Into the single track and carving, pumping and accelerating past riders that were just plain in the way. I even ripped past some dude by going off trail through all kinds of crap. I don’t know if the carbon stays had anything to do with it, but that bike soaked up bumps so well I was confused by how light and fast she felt. I rode the long loop, trail 3 and still found myself pulling back into the trailer too soon. I can’t think of a better cross country weapon. Funny that Yeti has this ripper of an XC bike, yet all the buzz in on their long travel. Just goes to show you were the Colorado roots are. Their 575 is a lot like the AS-Rsl, but better at handling drops. And the 303, well let’s just say Graves had a little help this year! Nice work Yeti, I’m proud to be a dealer.

I was on a mission to ride sweetness now, so I cruised over to Maverick’s trailer and found not a bike available to ride, but the good folks Ariel Lindsley, Abby Hippley and new head honcho Ed Kuh. Ed hooked me up with Colorado’s finest Pale Ale and we had a good time catching up while I waited for the new ML-7.5 to return. Turned out Ariel and Abby weren’t at Nationals ‘cause they were ripping it up at some long ass growler of a race in the Rockies. I did get the long version of Ariel’s Downieville race. I can’t believe they started that guy eighth for the DH run... He would have put some serious heat on Mark Weir had he not gotten tangled with the riders he was catching. Next year Ariel! Ah! The ML-7.5 came back, and it has the new Maverick Seat Post with the height adjust action. Sweet! So, this is the fifth version of the ML-7, it has five inches of travel and the rear shock is part of the rear mono link just like the ML-8. Very cool, very stiff, very light too. Typical of the Colorado crowd, the tires were a little skinny, but with less pressure, I was ready to rip some trail.

Had to take the long loop, and stoked I did. The line for the shuttle was ridiculous, I was there to ride, not wait around. Climbing the ML-7.5 is rewarding, super crispy feel and she tracks like a cross country bike would. Even more so if the DUC-32 fork is set down to 4 inches, but I found the ride to be more fun with the full six up front open all the time on these trails. Up steep arroyos, then lofting into another dell. Boot out of that and carry your momentum into the next climb. The trail turns loose midway with this steep ass drop into a steep ass climb. Riders falling all over themselves or just clogging before it. Super confident on the Maverick I just floated past the rubber neckers, lofted into the drop and powered that 7.5 through the beach of a climb without a hitch. Nice. The following decent is swoopy and fast if you pedal it, which I did, like Abby was on my tail. Braaap! Hook’n through the turns, power laid down is returned on the exit. I was haul’n the mail boys, FedEx style. Or VetEx if you’re my age... Again, I found myself returning a bike too early. This one is going to do a nice job of replacing the ML-7.3 if you ask me. There doesn’t seem to be any penalty for the extra inch of travel, so why not? The post they make is rad. Works like a desk chair, but way lighter. When you pull the lever and sit on it, you just compress air that pops the saddle back up when you release it. Sick! Keep up the sweet work Paul Turner!

Sweet day of riding, not as hot as it could have been. Still, I was ready for a cold beer at the Hayes trailer. FAT TIRE ALE, of course. The four of us had a good night sharing stories from the day and macking good mexican and swilling Patron Margaritas. Hot tub and a bed, thank you very much. Day two would come early.

And it did. I went straight to the Ellsworth trailer for the new Rogue. A freerid’n six, seven or eight incher with a Van 36 on the front. This is a cool bike, but I’m not sure that the Van is the right fork for a bike with an eight inch option. I think I would opt for a Fox 40 trimmed down to 180mm. We rode that ridge trail again and I fell into the rhythm of the Rogue. Which was good at mowing down rocks and keeping the suspension independent of pedaling, thank you Instant Center Tracking. The “FSR” in Ellsworth. What I really picked up on soon though was that the rear linkage is not as laterally stiff as what I am used to on the Specialized Enduro. I would load up the rear, grooving through a turn and would expect that energy to return coming out of it. But it was just gone. Lost. I checked my rear skewer (yup, skewer) to be sure it was tight. It was. The linkage bolts were all good too, so I just racked it up as the rocker arms being to long and light. Light is good, stiff is better in my book. But that is for the rider to decide, and some will definitely appreciate the light weight of this “free ride” frame. I’d call it a longer travel trail bike. And as such, it is super fun. (Interesting note...I checked the catalog just now on line and the geometry was set assuming a 180mm fork was used...and I thought the stays felt a little rangy)

When I returned the Rogue, I hung out for a little while soaking up the shade and vibe of Dirt Demo while waiting for the medium Epiphany. I guess if you find the Truth in a Moment, it’s called an Epiphany. True enough, this bike was Truth light and Moment stiff. My favorite of the Ellsworth quiver. I rode it on the XC loop three trail and it railed. Climbs sick, holds a line and coiled it for you if you asked. Very nice work Ellsworth, I can see why they are so proud of this 5.25lb wonder.

So, I was on a mission to ride bikes we don’t sell, right? What better way to answer our customer’s questions about other bikes than to have ridden them like I stole it? Who else builds a cool quiver of bikes I rarely get to test out? David Turner does. I rode most of ‘em too. First the legendary 5 Spot. A little portly at 6.3 lbs for a frame, but that weight soon disappeared while railing the XC loop again. Not as crispy a climber as the Epiphany, but more stable at speed and cornering. Sweet ride, I understand why so many riders lover their 5 Spot. Next I wanted either the new 6 pack or High Line. Both wouldn’t come back, so I took a Flux instead. Whippy fun 3.5"-4.7" ride took turns with authority and climbed like a goat. Out on trail three again I came up on the guy riding the 6 Pack and we struck up a conversation. He liked his, I liked mine, we wanted to trade. Back at the trail head, we swapped pedals and were just about to go and I flip the 6 Pack back onto a flat rear tire. Doh! He swears he didn’t know; I cruised down to have a cute lass not help me in the Maxxis booth twenty feet away and was soon on my way, solo. Ugh, not the Flux’s crispy acceleration, but settling into the character of this bike, I spun my way back to the top and found it to be just fine climbing. All the while knowing the decent should be sick. Actually, it wasn’t bad at all after I forgot I was just on an XC bike. The seat angle wasn’t too slack (72) so I could keep some weight over the 23.3" top tube. Ah, the downhill... Well, it wasn’t steep enough. Sure a few sections were fun, but this bike craves steeper trails with it’s 68 degree head and 17.1" stays. The ‘hard’ sections seemed mellow. One thing I should mention about these Turners. The ‘Horst Link’ is gone. David says it really doesn’t make any difference, but I beg to differ. No, it’s not night and day, but I can tell there is just a touch of pedal feedback deeper in the travel. David actually noted that he had to adjust the shock damping since the leverage ratio curve changed a bit... As for that elusive High Line? It didn’t show up. Doh.

OK, I’m on the six inch thing, and I see a Maverick ML-8 is back in the corral. So I saddle up and rip that beast for a loop. Cool riding this back to back with the Turner. The ML-8 climbed easier and seemed to be a little bit more responsive. So, naturally, it required a little more attention on the downhill. This frame yields 6.5 inches and sure didn’t feel like it while pedaling across the flat sandy section. However, the bumps mysteriously disappeared beneath her. Definitely a sick Downieville weapon! And the hard anodized version is nearly impossible to scratch, so go ahead and get ahead of yourself. Just don’t expect the frame to show any battle wounds!

With time for one more bike, I wanted to stay the course with the six inchers and ride a Santa Cruz Nomad. They were gone, of course. So I waited. And waited. Then jumped on it when it arrived. Swapped my own pedals and hit the trail. Nice bike. Light enough to throw around, but stable in the rough. Climbs right briskly for six inches, sorta like the 6.6 and holds a line on the decent. With room for bigger tires and a curvatious swoopy frame, the Nomad is sure to become the new favorite Santa Cruz. Tired and hungry, I made for the Turner frame raffle. Close! But only got a t-shirt. XXL. Traded with some big guy for his small. At least that would fit Karen, my Love.

Beer, Bus, Bath, and Dinner! We grubbed some good eats and told our stories from the day. JC rode the Foes Fly with a floating brake arm which was cool. Ford told me about his trip on the 303. (I think he earned some frequent flier miles) Shawn railed the new P3 on the BMX track and said he knows how to jump now! Everyone got to ride the new carbon S-Works Stumpjumper that I already rode at Wilder. Now they know. That bike is Sick! I think I’ll have to write up another story on my time with the Specialized folks at Wilder Ranch. For now, I think this story has gone on long enough. Hopefully you all have some fresh insight on some of the new bikes and are feeling the itch to get out and ride hard, take chances!!!

Lars
Still riding my Enduro 150

©Trail Head Cyclery, Inc. All rights reserved Site Maintained by Rudy Quan with contributing articles by Lee McCormack