Im sorry

hey,
Well recently I have not been posting much, and I sadly say that Im still lost. Somehow I dont know why I cant think of a topic to talk about. So, I would like to announce that I will be taking a break from posting till I finish my important end year exam which is at November. Sorry

Kayuh Lasak : Beyond Limits!! update

Well the registration for 08 Kayuh Lasak has closed and for those who missed it, dont worry, this event is held every year so make sure you dont miss the fun next year. Names of those who are registered are posted here

Ellsworth Rims

Okay, Im finally back from my holiday and honestly speaking, I totally have no idea in what to write. I would appreciate if some readers would contribute topic bout what I should write. You can email me at XCRIDER@MTBNNETWORK.TK

Anyway back to my topic, after searching through MTBR for inspiration, I ended up with Ellsworth wheelset. Its very interesting bout Ellsworth making their own rims cause so far only Specialized makes their own rim and with Ellsworth making carbon rims it makes it more interesting. Yeah, they are many company who make rims, but there are only a few bike company which make their own rims.

Basically, nothing much is known bout this rims, my concern is the durability cause Ellsworth frames are known for cracking and they are experts at aluminium but their knowledge bout carbon is questionable. I said this cause they are 2 types of rims Ellsworth is producing which is carbon and aluminium. Carbon rims? Yeah, so far DT Swiss is making carbon rims and it just amazes me that Ellsworth is also producing carbon rims while other known wheelmaker (

2008 CrankBrothers Conclusion

Well, this article is just going to be about the summary of all the 08 CrankBrothers articles. It seems that CrankBrothers have been planning new products for quite a while cause they released 2 new product of their own, 1 revised version and 1 licensed product.

So anyway, it seems CrankBrothers is really into the cobalt, sage or etc names. Their wheels uses the same name as their headset and its no suprise that we might see DH and FR wheels in the future. It is possible that CrankBrothers might change the name of their pedals into this new names. Anyway below is the links of all the posts, so knock your self out :

2008 CrankBrothers:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Now I got some announce to make, as some of you might know, Ramadan is coming to an end and today (in Malaysia) its the last day of Ramadan so Im going back to my parents hometown. I'll be going back for about 1 week which means MTBN Network wont be updated around that time. Im very sad that I wont be able to update and add new articles but I hope you guys understand. Sorry.

2008 CrankBrothers (Part 4)

Ahh, finally part 4 of our coverage and this is the final one. Thank God!

Anyway, time for part 4 : If you have been doing a lot of browsing over the net, you might realise that CrankBrothers isnt the first company to make a 4 sided pedal. Look is actually the original maker of 4 sided pedal. So what am I trying to point out?
Well for 2008, instead of going through the trouble of inventing a new adjustable seatpost, CrankBrothers decided to use another company adjustable seatpost design and relabelled it as theirs.

The product is called Joplin (see pic below)



Those who have been a frequent reader will notice that the seatpost look very familiar. Well of coarse you do!, I posted a article bout adjustable seatpost before ( click here, if you forget about it).

So anyway its obvious that the seatpost has been bought from Maverick, CrankBrothers have been very secretive bout its newly bought product. So far what I can guess is since its bought from Maverick, its mostlike to have this specifications:

Length : 382mm
Weight : 454 gram/16.01 ounce
Diameter : 30.9 and 31.6

Im not sure if CrankBrothers is planning to release a remote version of Joplin and if CrankBrothers is planning to release a different diameter (smaller is good) of the seatpost. Also if they are going to be a lighter weight version of the seatpost. There is no word bout the price yet.

The advantage of CrankBrothers taking over Maverick Speedball seatpost is it will be easier to obtain and customer support will be no problem.

Hmm, so I have covered all of CrankBrothers new and improved product for 2008, the rest of the current product will just get some slight updates, so I wont be writing bout them. Please email me if you are interested in me writing bout them too.

Update @ 11 OCT

I recently added a photo of CrankBrothers hub cut out in yesterday post, so be sure to check it out.

2008 CrankBrothers (Part 3)

Now its time for the third chapter of 2008 CrankBrothers extensive coverage, so far I have covered the crankset, their hoops and now I'm going to elaborate bout a unit which is placed between the fork steerer tube and headtube. The unit im talking bout is the headset.

CrankBrothers call their headset as Directsets. There is one word to describe CrankBrothers headset and that is....light. Its seriously light and its heaviest duty platform weights at 110gram. So how light is most of the range? Try 50 - 70 gram. Its lightweight will appeal to weight weenies and Chris King headsets weights around 90 - 120 gram. So CrankBrothers headset is about half the weight of a CK headset. CrankBrothers manage to get the weight down is cause of the headset simplicity.



Instead of the traditional headset which usually has about 8 - 11 components in it (vary to manufacturer), CrankBrothers Directsets have simplify some of the parts, for example : the headset cup is the bearing itself (outer race of the bearing is outside). The disadvantage of making it so simple is the bearing aint replaceable, meaning you need to replace the whole headset once the bearing worn out. Dont worry bout this though cause the price isnt too shabby either (depending on which model you are getting). CrankBrothes opted for 3 different price points, The most expensive models will be priced at USD 300, middle range is USD 130 (Chris King price), and the lowest range is USD90. The weight between the 3 different pricepoints is very marginal (if its me, Im getting the cheapest model). Again, Crank Brothers decided to stick to their 08 product names, see below:



Cross Country : Cobalt (Blue)
Ti - 58g : USD 300
SL - 65g : USD 130
C - 65g : USD 90

All - Mountain : Iodine (Copper)
SL - 65.5g : USD 130
C - 65.5 : USD 90

Downhill : Opium (Red)
SL - 70g : USD 130
C - 70g : USD 90

Freeride : Sage (Green)
SL - 92g : USD 130
C - 110g - USD 90

* SL and C difference is SL stands for Stainless Steel while C stands for Steel. I guess this has something to do with the headset internals, considering the same weight but different prices (except Sage).

With all this headset choices, CrankBrothers certainly will be a worthy competitor in the headset department. The heaviest headset weights at 110g which is design for heavy duty purposes and its as light as most XC headsets out there. Well since this headset havent been released yet, guess we have to wait for some real world reviews. From the specs, this headset sure sounds good.

*Pics provided by cyclingnews.com and mtbr.com interbike page.

*Update #1 :
I recently checked BikeRadar.com and I found a cut out of CrankBrothers Hub, enjoy!

2008 DT Swiss Site is up!

Well after drooling over DT Swiss 2008 lineup, DT Swiss finally updated their site and its a definate improvement over their previous website design. The XRC wheels is sweet

DT Swiss official site

2008 CrankBrothers (Part 2)

Sorry for the late post, been busy studying for end year examination. Anyway time for part 2 of 08 Crank Bros extensive coverage. CrankBrothers has build their reputation from their 4 sided clipless pedal and last year they expand their range to crankset. This year its planning to expand its production, one of which I would like to post about today is their new range of wheelset.

For 2008, CrankBrothers will be releasing 2 wheelsets for different purposes. For cross country (XC) usage, its called the Cobalt (blue coloured), while for all-mountain (AM) is Iodine(copper coloured) (Gotta love the names). The wheels is only offered in a set, which means you cant get just the rims or the hubs or the unique spokes.




So what so special bout CrankBrothers wheels? From the pic CrankBros has decided not to stick with traditional rim design in favour of a 'Y' shaped rim design and it has eliminated the need of drilled rim holes, except the valve hole. The advantage of this is the wheels will be much stiffer and at the same time reduce weight cause the wheels wont be needing any unnecessary metal. Being hole less naturally mean its a tubeless rim. The design of the rim is clean and simple, I wonder why no company ever though of this design.

The most eye catching part of the wheelset is the spokes. The spokes is a CrankBrothers exclusive 2 piece spoked called 'TwinPair Spokes'. Its made out of 2 materials (the coloured is made out of aluminium while the silver/non-coloured is steel). The spoke is connected to the rim via a plug (see the small silver round shaped thing?) and is connected directly straight to the hub. This 2 piece spoke design is totally a new design so they is nothing can be said bout the durability of the spokes.




Next is the hubs, the 6 bolt disc hub works on four cartridge bearings and incorporates a six-pawl driver mechanism. The body of the hub is made of aluminum. CrankBrothers is plannning to offer the front hub in both 9mm quick-release and 20mm thru-axle. There is no news if CrankBrothers is planning to offer the 6 bolt disc hub in Shimano Centre Lock configuration.

Lastly, its the QuickRelease lever (QR). CrankBrothers again has decided not to follow other wheelmakers in the QR design. CrankBrothers QR works on a 2 step process. As you can see in the Iodine QR (see below pic)



CrankBrothers said the reason for this design is to reduce the effort needed to close the QR with the same clamping force compared to conventional QR design and it will be very sad once you get scratches on the beautifully design quick release lever.

CrankBrothers have been secretive bout the price of the wheels and when it will make its debut so only time will tell. BikeMag states in their site that the Cobalt wheelset (XC-usage) will weight around 1550 - 1600 gram. Being CrankBrothers, the price of the wheels most probably aint going to be cheap and with the weight around 1.5-1.6kg, CrankBrothers need to make it lighter to make the money spent worth it.

*Pic taken from MTBR.com CrankBrothers Interbike virtual booth

2008 CrankBrothers (Part 1)

CrankBrothers, the company which is known for producing the best mud shedding clipless pedal in the industry. For part 1 of my 08 CrankBrothers blog posts, Im going to elaborate on their Cobalt SL crankset. Somehow the Cobalt SL crankset didnt get any limelight from any magazines. Partly is cause the Cobalt SL crankset is using ISIS BB and the price of the crankset aint cheap. Riders dont want to spend that amount of money on a ISIS BB when they can get a XTR crankset which is currently the best crankset out there by spending slightly more.

So for 2008 CrankBrothers is releasing the Cobalt SLi, i as it stands means integrated (not sure what are they integrating, but from the pics, it looks like the BottomBracket is attached at the non drive crankarm side). Also the crank will feature external BB. (pic below, taken from cyclingnews.com)



There is no official word why CrankBrothers decide to change to external BB eventhough they give comments why they decide to stick to ISIS in their Cobalt SL mini site. Below is a quote of why they stick to ISIS (taken from CrankBros Cobalt SL minisite)

Why ISIS, when everyone else is going integrated?
We choose not follow a trend just because everybody else is. We don’t consider the “new” external bearing two piece crank system to be the best solution to attach the crankarms to the frame. As we see it, these integrated cranks do not have any big advantages and in some cases they have disadvanages: Weight and stiffness is not necessarily improved in an integrated system. Integrated crank systems rely on the frame manufacturer for bottom bracket alignment, and misaligned bearings wear faster. We think that integrated cranks are yet to be proven. ISIS is already proven. The ISIS system offers flexibility, durability, stiffness, reasonable cost, and choice. ISIS bottom brackets have evolved and improved since they were first introduced. With the Cobalt SL, you have the freedom to choose your BB, which gives you the flexibility to customize the weight, durability and price of your setup.

Overall, whatever the reason is, changing to external BB is a good move for CrankBrothers cause riders never liked the idea of ISIS crankset since external BB appear in the market, furthermore external BB is much stiffer then ISIS. Hopefully CrankBrothers have fixed the cracking issue which are found on the current Cobalt SL cranks. You can read all bout the cracking issue here.

So for those who doesnt know about Cobalt cranks, to make it short and simple, its chainring is created by Truvativ and the crankarm is made by a combination of 2 materials (outer side: steel, inner side: aluminium)

Oh yeah, CrankBrothers is also releasing a SingleSpeed Cobalt crank for 08 which is known as Cobalt S. There is no word if CrankBrothers is planning to keep the current ISIS Cobalt SL cranks for 2008.

Be sure to check back for more extensive 08 CrankBrothers coverage, only at MTBNNetwork.tk.

P.S: Registration for 2008 Kayuh Lasak MTB Jamboree is still open (see bottom posts), so be sure to join if you want to skip winter for a couple of weeks and to enjoy a well deserved holiday.

Update @ 2 OCT

Yesterday I wrote a post about Kayuh Lasak 2008 and I made some mistakes, so please re-read again and sorry for the inconvenience, the post can be found below this post or you can click the link below to go directly to the post:

Malaysia MTB Event : Kayuh Lasak 2008 : Beyond Limits!! - 1 & 2 Dec

Kayuh Lasak : Beyond Limits!!

Okay so what is this post going to be about? Its not going to be about Mountain bikes gears though, but rather towards a MTB Jamboree which is the last MTB event in Malaysia (thats between Singapore/Indonesia for some of you guys who never heard of Malaysia). The date of this event would please riders who still want to ride in the winter (without the cold weather :D ) and enjoy their holidays.

This event for your information is a jamboree which means that its not really a competition, to make it quick and not boring, medal is awarded to each participant who managed to complete the jamboree and at night, there is a dinner where riders talk bout the morning ride and laugh at each other, for this year, the first 500 participant who registered is entitled to a free sponsored cycling jersey, and when you wear it (the free sponsored cycling jersey) during the jamboree and complete the event (by collecting 8 checkpoint stickers) will entitle you to a 10 special lucky draw prizes . Also for those who missed to be the first 500 participant shouldn be sad cause like past years, they are the normal/traditional lucky draw for all the participating participants. Which means this year they will be a special lucky draw and the traditional lucky draw event.

The event is a 2 day event, which is held on the 1st and 2nd of December in Penang Malaysia, officially the Kayuh Lasak 30-40km ride is on 2nd December (Sunday), on the 1st December there is CycleHunt event in the morning where you will be able to cycle on road around Penang town area, which is can be considered as a tour around Penang town and later that night is a pre-ride briefing that is compulsory to all riders. On the 2nd December, the bike event will begin and at night, there will be a jamboree dinner where local food will be served.

Okay I participated in last years jamboree and I will shed some facts bout it, the Jamboree trail for each year doesnt change much, so last year Jamboree is a very interesting experience for me since its the first Jamboree I participate. Its pretty hard for me to explain but believe me that the terrain will challenge riders from almost every aspect of Mountain Biking so you will be entertained.

For more infomation, you can go to the official site: kotrt.com.my

Before I forget, Kayuh Lasak is in Bahasa Melayu which if translated into english means Pedal Hard/Challenging. It sounds weird if translated to english so its best to just pronounce it as 'ka-yuh la-sak'.

Make sure you register ASAP because only the first 500 participant will be entitled for the free sponsored jersey and the special lucky draw event (if you manage to complete it that is). For additional information, the registration usually last about 1 week (Im trying to point out that many riders register for this even ASAP) So make sure you reserve your hotel accomodation (I recommend staying near the Tanjung Bungah area cause they are a lot of hotels that area and the jamboree will start near there).

You can also email me at xcrider@mtbnnetwork.tk if you have any enquiry.

Below is the map link of Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia:

GeorgeTown, Penang, Malaysia Google Map Link


*please take note that I have edited this post cause they are some mistakes, sorry for the inconvenience