PRODUCT TEST: FOX F100 FORK AND AZONIC STEELHEAD

New Bike Project:Steelhead

I recently built up a new urban/free-ride bike for riding around town with some of the guys from the shop. It started with an Azonic Steelhead frame that we happened to have here. The frame itself is a bit on the larger side for an urban frame, but being that I am 6' 4" it actually fits me quite well. Part of the reason I had stayed away from urban riding prior to this was I was unable to find a frame that I fit on comfortably. The frame has horizontal dropouts so it can be run single speed or geared. I chose to run a single speed setup for the time being.

The biggest choice I faced was picking a fork. If I wanted to invest a bit more money I could have run one of the Reba Team 120 mm maxel forks that we have. Nick runs one on his urban bike and finds it performs really well on urban gaps. I didn't want to invest the money in a 20 mm wheel set so I looked for another option. I personally, being a fan of fox, decided to go with one of the black F100 RL forks that we had. The fork has been excellent the times I have ridden it. Even though it is technically a cross-country fork, it has taken everything I have thrown at it thus far. Once I got the pressure right on it I have yet to bottom it out on anything within my ability.

The rest of the bike is composed of parts that we either still have or have had in the past on our eBay store. I have a set of Juicy 7's with 185 mm rotors front and rear. They are an excellent all around brake. I run the same brakes on my cross country bike. These brakes always tend to perform well, no matter what you do with them. I chose to run one of the new Truvativ Stylo World cup handlebars we have. With the 15 degree rise I found these bars good right off the bat. I didn't have to cut them and the rise is perfect. The stem, headset, cranks, and pedals were from previous builds.

The wheels are both Sun Rims. I put a Single Track in front and a single speed specific Hill Rod in the rear. On those wheels I put a set of WTB UK Graffiti tires. These provide a great balance of traction and rolling ability. I initially put a set of Hookworms on but I tended to slide around on grass and loose soil. The Graffiti tires made a huge difference. Don't get me wrong, the Hookworms were amazing on pavement, but I don't always ride on the pavement so the Graffiti tires were a great fit. I finished the bike off with a Sram Single speed chain and a WTB Speed V saddle.

Overall the bike seems to perform great. I have ridden it a few times and with my abilities as of now I haven't encountered anything it hasn't been able to take. The entire build came in at 29 lbs 12 ounces. I think that's pretty good considering what it was built for. With the addition of a couple Knog lights the bike was ready to go for any night time riding. With the 32 -16 gear ratio this thing seems to be an excellent all around free-ride bike. Overall it seems to be a solid setup and should be able to take whatever I throw at it for quite a while.

New Web Store

I would like to invite everyone to come check out the Wheel and Sprocket OS web store full of all the best gear for mountain bikes.

Sorry for the delay here but I did manage to snap a few photos at the WORS cup. Such a great race and venue out there I hope to be out there next year.

PHOTO CONTEST VOTING IS ON!!!

The Voting is on for the www.bikeforums.net photo contest.

Please Vote here is the LINK.

WORS CUP

Wheel and Sprocket OS will be at the WORS Cup at Nordic Mountain this weekend. It should be a festive weekend out there with racing on Saturday and Sunday. Check out the WORS site for more info.

Come stop by the tent out there for on the spot repairs and great deals on gear.

We might also have some goodies to give away!

Photo Contest

Wheel and Sprocket OS is running a photo contest. Winner gets a free set of wheels. Check out all the details right HERE and submit your photo.

PRODUCT TEST: RaceFace Atlas AM Crankset

Just got done installing a brand new Atlas Crank on my bike today. Even though the bike is technically a cross country setup the crank didn't add any weight. It actually came in a few grams under the Bontrager Race crankset that it replaced. The new crankset is much stiffer then the previous one and the appearance can't be beat. I have only been able to ride it once so far, but it felt very stable and responsive. Once I get some more time in on it on the trail I will post again with some more close up pictures.

As for the bike itself, it is more or less composed of parts we have available through our ebay store. The shifters and derailleurs are all Sram X9 components. They are almost identical to their XO counterparts except for the slight increases in weight and materials used(i.e. No carbon fiber or titanium on the X9 stuff). I also run a Sram PG-990 cassette and a 991 hollow-pin chain. I didn't think swapping the cassette for a 990 would make a huge difference over the 970 I had previously run. Besides looking great and the weight saved I have noticed a definite difference in shifting.

In addition to the drive train, I used White Jagwire Ripcord cable housing. We have it availible in a variety of colors on ebay. If you need something to set off the look of your bike, or you just want to add a bit of color, Ripcord cable housing is a must have.

I run a set of Juicy Seven Disc Brakes. They are a couple years old, but the design is still similar. Avid Juicy and Elixir series brakes are among the best disc brakes availble. After the intial wear in period, they have been nothing short of amazing. I run 185mm rotors for looks more then anything, but they are truly a great preforming brake.

What should I PRODUCT TEST next?

So here is my bike. What parts do you want to hear about before you buy them? Let me know and I'll try them out! I'll try to get some pics/vids while riding so you can see them in action!

PRODUCT TEST: Kore Torsion Handlebar

Began testing out the Kore Torsion handlebar as of May 15th. These bars come very wide, 800mm! Had to cut mine down quite a bit. The bar I had on before hand was the Race Face Diabolus. These two bars are fairly similar, however the Kore's are offered in a powdercoat white. I also like the bend in these bars better. I have been riding these bars very hard and they are able to take all the abuse.

Pros: Light, wider than any other bar out there (good if you like wide bars), available in white, very comfortable bend/rise

Cons: Very wide, only a few riders will not want to cut them down

PRODUCT TEST: Race Face Atlas Crankset

Just began testing the Race Face Atlas crankset as of June 1st. The performance level of the Atlas crankset is impressive. Being relatively light weight (in comparison to the Diabolus, Saint, or any cro-mo crankset) these cranks are extremely stiff and when matched up to the Diabolus bottom bracket spin smoothly and allow me to feel more confident on the bike. Another great feature about these are the color options that you can get them in. Adding a little color to my bike is great. I've done a lot of street riding on these and they can definently handle the abuse. 6' drops, stair gaps, and repeated spins off ledges have no affect on these cranks! I'll follow up in a few months with more details and how the cranks wear!

Pros: Decent weight, stiff, nice color options, 4 bolt will allow many chainring options

Cons: Small chainring mounts interfered with chainguide, had to grind them off.