Fall Yeti Demo, Saturday, 14 November 2009 at Gestalt House, Fairfax

Big Swingin' Cycles is hosting another Yeti demo day at Gestalt House in Fairfax, to celebrate Fall, and the return of traction! Abby and Ariel from Yeti will be on hand with their complete line of bikes, from the 20 lb. ASR Carbon and 575, to the new ASR 5 (aka the "California Special"), 7 inch travel ASR Seven and 303 DH bike. Gestalt House is now open in the old Bookbeat location and will be serving up brews and brats. From the launch pad at Gestalt, it's a short pedal to Camp Tamarancho, Pine Mountain and the Water District Lands, and Mt. Tam. The details: Gestalt Fairfax, 28 Bolinas Rd. 94930 Date: 11/14/09, Time 9 AM - 4 PM, hotline: 415-441-6294, e-mail: contact@bigswingincycles.com.

Lion of Fairfax 2010

4th annual Lion of Fairfax Cyclo-Cross race in Marin County set for Saturday, 10/17/2009, with a cross clinic on Saturday, the 10th of October, at 10AM at the race site, White Hill Middle School. We're expecting a stellar turnout this year and strongly encourage you to pre register.

Crank Bros. Iodine Wheels

We've recently had the opportunity to demo / install Crank Bros.' Iodine wheelset, shown here on a Yeti ASR Seven we recently delivered to a customer. We're typically reluctant to sway from the tried and true when it comes to wheelsets. It's just too critical of a part to take a chance on. But, after a thorough tear down and examination of the new Crank Bros. wheels, as well as some demo time, our faith in these wheels is strong.

Both the Iodine, and their XC counterpart, the Cobalt, share a rim with no holes, as well as a vertical reinforcing rib, (like an I beam) that runs axially around the rim and provides a mounting point for the spokes. Extra long, alloy nipples reduces spoke length, improving strength. Simple, oversize cartridge bearings are used throughout, along with a three paul freehub body (with a cool, spring retainer that keeps the pauls from falling out when the freehub body is removed). Everything is held together by friction, not complicated fasteners - preload is achieved with the q.r. Multiple hub end caps are provided to accommodate a standard q.r., or common thru axle set ups. Conclustion - what at first appears different and complex, is actually simple and smart (looks pretty nice too!)

Jewelry For Your Ride

In stock now at Big Swingin' Cycles - the Chris King bottom bracket is specifically designed for Shimano-compatible external type crank/bottom bracket systems and delivers every benefit you've come to expect from King and in the wide array of colors only King can do.

An available grease injection tool allows the bearings to be purged of existing grease and debris and new grease run through. What better way to maximize the life of your bearings than to do routine maintenance? Especially when it's this easy.

Racers take note! With the Chris King bottom bracket and injection tool, you can train day-to-day with a durable high-viscosity grease and race with a light, fast-rolling low-viscosity grease or oil. Imagine your current Friday night leg-shaving ritual finishing with a few minutes in the garage to get your bike as smooth as you are. Available in 10 colors.

Yeti ASR-7 First Impressions

We recently had an opportunity to demo the long awaited Yeti ASR-7 trail bike. ASR-7 is Yeti's new platform for riders seeking a bit more travel and stability over a bike like a Blur LT, Nomad, or Yeti 575.  Tag lines might include long travel trail bike / enduro / free ride / agressive XC.  Immediately catching my eye - the 1.125 to 1.5 headtube, squared off hydro formed tubing, short, 16.9 inch chainstays,  carbon dog bone, direct mount front derailleur and relatively light weight (in the 30 lb. range) for a 7 inch travel bike.  Like the 575 and AS-R SL - the bike utilizes an elegant, but durable, single pivot attachment of swing arm to frame.  So how's it ride?

We met up with Yeti's traveling side show duo Ariel and Abby  at Skeggs for a little dirt time.  I was wary of riding such a stout bike at a place like Skeggs - I knew it would be fun going down, but climbs at Skeggs are steep, the thought of pedaling the 7 uphill was daunting, and I was curious about bike handling in tighter, switch back type trails.

Yeti's golden touch remains in tact.  We laid tracks down Manzanita trail, arguably the roughest trail Skeggs has to offer - the 7 was rock solid - you noticed the 1.5" headtube plowing over boulders and through rutted sections.  On twisty trails like Blue Bell and Steam Donkey, the bike was surprisingly nimble, probably from Yeti's decision to keep the chain stays short (a full 1/2 inch shorter than a Santa Cruz Nomad) and keep the head tube angle at a modest 67 deg.  Climbing out wasn't as painful as I expected - like the Yeti AS-R and 575, the 7 pedals exceptionally well - my only complaint was the lack of a travel adjust fork on the front (available as an option) - all that travel makes the front end pretty light - nothing a Fox 36 TALAS cranked down to 100mm can't fix!  Ultimately, the ASR-7 is a great choice for a rider who values a "do everything - anywhere" trail bike - the term "Nomad Killer" comes to mind.  Downieville and Northstar would offer great canvases for a 7, but the bike is still viable west of the Sierra.  Get more info on the ASR-7 from Yeti

Just In - Foes XCT 5

Not familiar with Brent Foes? If you like to mountain bike, you should be. He's a guru in full suspension design and has spent the last 14 years innovating and leading the industry. Designs we take for granted today, were pioneered by Foes: monocoque design, single pivot simplicity, swing links, 2:1 leverage ratio. Foes' latest innovation is the exclusive rights to Curnutt shocks for bicycle applications. Curnutt was the first to introduce innovations like stable platform, position sensitive damping, and now, 2:1 rear leverage ratio.

2:1 leverage ratio is of particular significance. Most bikes utilize a 3:1 shock leverage ratio (for every 1 inch of shock stroke, there are 3 inches of rear wheel travel). Foes bikes use a 2:1 leverage ratio to take advantage of the 2:1 ratio's inherent benefits: lower pressure, greater sensitivity, increased shaft velocity and fluid flows.

We have an XCT 5, five inch travel bike available to demo. Come on by and give it a ride. This bike rides very different from anything else we've encountered. It pedals with supreme efficiency, thanks to the Curnutt pioneered platform valving, but once you hit the rought stuff, you can feel the platform give way, and large shock piston stroke as it sucks up the bumps.

Santa's Elves Got Nothin' On Us!

We've been busy as elves assembling SF's coolest collection of kids' bikes and cruisers. If your looking for a truly unique, fun, and high quality bike for a little one, or even one of us big kids, stop by and check out our great selection of Electra cruisers and commuter bikes. These bikes are absolutely inviting. They offer a fun, stylish, and refreshing means of getting out of the car and on a bike!