Ecusta Trail studies finished, meeting in March!

For more info on the Ecusta Trail Here

Via MTBR.com

Hey folks -- I know this isn't strictly mountain-bike related, but those of us in Henderson County are pretty excited to have a direct, car-free connection to Pisgah. Please consider coming out to the meeting in March!

If you're able to attend, email jenniferm@summitresults.com confirming your participation.


Ecusta studies are finished! Will you attend?

Let's show
tremendous 
community support!

Results of Planning and Economic Impact Study 
Wednesday, March 28 at 6:00 pm 
Hendersonville, NC 


The presentation will include recommendations for trail surface, width, support facilities, detailed maps, prospective trail heads and implementation strategies. Representatives from Henderson and Transylvania County will be there, as well as the media. This is a great opportunity to come show your support, and we need as many people there as we can get! 

Although we have the time and date reserved, we need an idea of how many attendees we will have so that we can book a venue. The discussion should last no longer than 2 hours. If you can commit to coming on March 28th at 6 pm, please respond by clicking the orange link below. We will then let you know the location when we determine the venue. 

Please click HERE to commit to attend, and let us know how many will be in your party.

Share this with others. This is the opportunity to get involved that you have been asking about! We can do this! Thank you for your support of the Ecusta Trail.

Click to read more ...

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale Hoarding...

Unknown to many... There is an abundance of Highland Cold Mtn Winter Ale still available!

In the storage refrigeration, at the Pisgah Tavern, is what is believed to be over 500 pints worth of heavenly nectar. It came at a cost: The hoarder, who remains unnamed, sacrificed much to make this discovery an excitement for others.

So.... Come by the Pisgah Tavern, located at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest, and enjoy a draft pint, 22oz bomber, or blue bottle 1liter of Highland's Cold Mtn. Winter Ale.

Case Specials and $3.50 pints.

Shimano XTR Shadow+ Derailleur = Tested

I have been testing the Shimano XTR shadow+ rear derailleur for some time now. This derailleur harnesses some quality technology. The real question is "Is it worth 250 big ones ?"

 
Shimano XTR Shadow+ Rear Derailleur

From Shimano:
"A new addition to the SHIMANO XTR Dyna-Sys drive train is the RD-M985 SHADOW PLUS rear derailleur. It features a switch at the pulley cage to enforce a heavierspring tension and activate a friction stabilizer to counteract the forces of up and down chain momentum in rough terrain.  Chain bouncing can often cause noise as the chain slaps the top and bottom of the chain stay, or even derail from the front chain ring in extreme circumstances.  The switch when selected to the “ON” position dampens the cage and consequent chain movement for a nearly silent and stable riding experience. In the “OFF” position it eases the installation and removal of the rear wheel by relaxing the spring tension of the cage" 

 My Take

Shimano accurately describes the derailleur and it's intended purpose. I have been a 1x & 2x rider for some time now, and always have chosen a chain guide device to help reduce dropped chains. An Ibis Mojo HD frame showed up at the shop a few months ago. With everything ready to build 'er up, except the appropriate chain guide, this was my chance. I quickly opted to test out the new Shimano XTR 985 Shadow+ Derailleur. 

Installation: The derailleur was quite simple to set up. Limits, body adjustment, chain routing, and turning it "ON".  There is an On/Off which is primarily used to remove/replace the rear wheel. The only tricky adjustment was the adjustable tension of the derailleur arm (will describe later).

Ride Quality: Once installed, and checked over, I put the RD-M985+ derailleur through the paces: Trips up and down Black Mountain Trail, Bennett Gap, Farlow Gap, Avery Creek, Squirrel Gap, and many other classics in Pisgah National Forest. My goal was to rock, rattle, or wack the chain off of either chain ring. The chain never dropped, and there was a tremendous reduction in chain slap. The derailleur responded the way Shimano designed it to. Not only does the RD-M985+ derailleur keep adequate tension on your chain, but it aids in a "positive" shift feeling, by adding a bit of clean resistance to the shift lever. 

Cons: With all great products comes hidden burdens. In the XTR Shadow+ derailleur, the burden is the cost of replacement parts. After a month or two of riding, "The Pisgah", your bike and components take a beating. In my case, the rear derailleur took a stick perfectly inserted into the derailleur cage and pulley wheel. This unintentional consequence, of riding, exploded the carbon derailleur cage.  OUCH!  After a phone call to my Shimano Rep, I was able to replace one for a hefty penny, actually several thousand. As of now, there is no alloy replacement option. Kind of a bummer. I love carbon, but the weight savings is minimal vs. strength. 

The last issue that was a bit tricky was the arm tension. When my replacement cage showed up, I decided to break down the derailleur and explore its inner workings. As the derailleur became worn, the spring tension became a little low.  So I decided to turn up the resistance on the derailleur, which is easy. After removing a few small screws, you use the built in tool to turn the tension adjuster knob (see below). Getting the right tension is the tricky part, especially with a full suspension bike. Too much tension equates to a bit much resistance on the shifting and low-speed suspension compliance. Too little and chain slap is quite apparent, again. 

Adjuster and tool

Final Thoughts: The Shimano RD-M985 Shadow+ rear derailleur is a crucial piece of equipment. As Press-Fit BB's and frames evolve, chain guide set-ups are becoming harder to use. The 2x system is the new Justin Bieber and not all frames accept chain guides at the BB. This is where the RD-M985 shines.  It performs flawlessly when installed and tensioned correctly. There is less resistance than a typical chain guide that deflects the direction of the chain, via pulley or roller.  If you are building a new bike and require a 1x/2x/3x chain guide, for you riding style, do not overlook the Shadow+. At $250, it kills two birds with one swipe of the plastic. If your a Sram person: sorry, it's not compliant. I would love to see an alloy cage version in the future. Carbon has its place, but not on a derailleur cage. 

Winter bike tunes-ups on Sale

It's that time of year again, time to get your bike overhauled. Bring it on down The Hub, Jimi and the gang will strip it down, clean it up, lube and tune your bike to get it ready for the warmer months ahead. (good for the month of January)

The real deal is the Uber Tune, $50 off. 

Basic Tune-up..............................................$40  $35 12.5%off

Includes: Brake adjustments, Derailleur adjustments, Headset adjustment, light wheel truing, bolt check, and lubing the chain. (parts not included)

Advanced Tune-up.......................................$75 $65 13.3% off

Includes: Bike Wash, Brake adjustments, Derailleur adjustments, Headset adjustment, Hub adjustments, full wheel truing, complete bolt check, suspension set-up, and lubing the chain. (parts not included)

The Uber-Tune.............................................$200 $150 25% off

Includes: Complete bike break-down and rebuild; Brake adjustments, Derailleur adjustments, Headset overhaul, Hub overhauls, full wheel and rotor truing, complete bolt check, suspension set-up, pivot maintenance and lubing the chain.  Also includes labor for cables and housings, brake-bleeding…The works. (parts not included)

Bike Test: Transition TR250 from Bike Mag

via Bikemag.com

Anthony Smith Reviews Transition's TR250

Transition TR250
$4,700 ($2,500 for frame with shock) / transitionbikes.com

Aesthetically speaking, Transition’s TR250 stands out from the other big-travel bikes in our test. Out on the trail, the Transition proved just as unique: It’s a nimble-yet-fearless, mini-DH bike.

The TR250 has the ability to run at either 160 millimeters of travel or 180 millimeters of travel (which is how we tested it). Even in its long-travel setting, the TR250 would be considered ‘short travel’ by typical downhill bike standards. The Transition’s adjustable geometry, however, enables you to run a head angle as slack as 64 degrees (and it is also Cane Creek AngleSet compatible) and a bottom-bracket height as low as 13.75 inches. Those figures put the TR250’s geometry squarely in the downhill category. At speed, I loved what those angles did for the handling of this single-crown missile. No matter what I threw in front of it, the TR250 ate it up and asked for more. I didn’t miss the ‘missing’ 20 millimeters of rear suspension.

What really set this bike apart, however, is how short you can run the chainstays. Three rear-axle positions are available, but I had the most fun running the rear chainstays as short as they would go. The stiffness in the rear swingarm was a noticeable asset and was aided by the inclusion of the 12×150-millimeter rear wheel. The stiff, compact rear end held a great line through the corners, and the short rear end was ready to roost out of every turn. Combine this with a maneuverable, yet stiff, single-crown fork, and the TR250 proved fun and playful when I wanted it, yet when it was time to keep up with the big bikes, I was hot on their tails.

There’s no question that Transition’s ‘rider-owned for life’ motto shines through in the TR250’s smart parts spec. Highlights include a great bar-and-stem combo, an 83-millimeter bottom bracket spinning SRAM’s new Descendant cranks and, to top it all off, a set of Maxxis Minion DHF tires mounted to Transition’s burly, house-brand wheels. This was one of the rare occasions when I built up a test bike and didn’t find anything I immediately wished I could change.

Full-blown DH rigs don’t always feel necessary on our Southern California test grounds, which include big doses of smoother, wide-open downhill trails. The Transition gave me the best of both worlds: The ability to pop off little lips and manual out of corners. And when it was time to man up and lay off the brakes, the TR250 answered the call every time.

Final Take: This bike is about having as much fun as possible while charging as fast as you possibly can.