Mountain Bike Marin Hawk Hill

With 17 models that range from dirt jump dirtbag to cross-country race whippet.Mountain Bike Iconic Californian brand Marin’s hardtail range is nothing if not comprehensive, The Hawk Hill occupies a position one rung above bottom in the Hydro HT range.

It aims to take some of the design cues from the race bikes, inject a little practicality and end up being a bike that’s just right for most riders, most of the time. With its easy-going handling and (mostly) decent spec, it ticks most of the right boxes. But there are lighter, better specced and more inspiring bikes at this price.

Ride & handling: Easy to get on with; competent in most areas without excelling

The Hawk Hill counters its decidedly average all-up weight (13.25kg/29.1lb without pedals) with the spot-on geometry and ride manners we’ve come to expect from Marin. It’s an easy bike to get on and ride, delivering just the right combination of stability and manoeuvrability to keep both newbies and experienced riders happy.

The stem’s a tiny bit too long for our tastes and tends to give the front end a rather ponderous feel. More importantly, the Hawk Hill feels like it's missing something. Conservative tubing wall thicknesses and small touches like the budget SRAM derailleurs mean it lacks the overall sparkle of the best of the competition. It’s okay, but that’s not really enough at  this price.

Frame: Good attention to detail, but could do with more mud clearance 


Lurking underneath the Hawk Hill’s unassuming grey paint is a frame that positively bristles with tweaked, shaped and pro?led tubes. The subtly curved top tube features triple butting to save weight and a hydroformed ridge at the head tube joint, presumably for extra strength and rigidity in this critical area.
The down tube also gets the triple butting treatment, but arcs far more obviously into the head tube.

Flamboyantly curly chainstays plug into elegantly cut away dropouts, which in turn lead to a pair of surprisingly straight-laced seatstays with, it has to be said, rather miserly tyre clearance. Rack mounts add some real word practicality, and there’s a pair of bottle bosses too. 

Equipment: Average spec and weight dull the riding experience

The Marin’s stop and go bits are about par for the course, although SRAM’s X5 derailleurs are no match for Shimano’s budget offerings in the looks department and, in our experience, don’t stand up to hard use quite so well either. It’s nice to see Marin opt for a good-looking FSA crankset instead of the Shimano Alivio found on many bikes at this price.

The Hawk Hill's Suntour Raidon coil fork is among the better ones we’ve seen. It offers a useful 100mm of trail-taming travel with adjustable lockout and, unusually for this price, adjustable rebound too. The wiper seals are rather ineffective, though, and soon leave a trail of grey gunge all over the stanchions. This doesn't bode well for long-term durability.


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Core Bike 2011 with a Merida's full range

Core Bike 2011 has a Merida's full range which makes it too large to be able to fit in where he was in the UK's Core Bike show, however there was room for the news.Naturally the World Championship-winning O.Nine hardtail and Multivan-Merida's full-suspension choice, the Ninety-Six, were on display, but they're little changed for 2011. The One-Twenty Carbon trail bike and Reacto road racer, on the other hand, are new for this year.
One-Twenty

The key new model in the mountain bike range is the One-Twenty Carbon, Merida's latest entry in the 120mm full-suspension category, which bulges with strong contenders. The One-Twenty Carbon uses the same carbon fibre construction as the O.Nine and Ninety-Six, and at a claimed 1,830g (4lb, plus shock) for the frame it's only 160g heavier than the latter.

The rocker link is carbon too, and the gear cables are routed internally through the front triangle. Three models are available, with the 5000-D (DT Swiss fork, Shimano XTR) being the scary-money option at £5,699.99. The 3000 is a couple of grand cheaper with an FSA SL-K chainset, Shimano XT transmission and Avid Elixir R brakes.

The entry-level 800-D is something of a value highlight. £2,699 is still a fair bit of money, but for a full-carbon frame, Fox F32 FRL fork and most of an XT transmission (the chainset is a cheaper Shimano model) it's pretty decent – especially considering that the One-Twenty Carbon frame alone is £2,249.

The aluminium One-Twenty HFS bikes have been updated with a new, cleaner-looking front triangle that includes a tapered head tube. As well as the stiffness benefits of a tapered steerer, the new frame is said to be significantly lighter than the 2010 model. The range starts with the Shimano Deore-equipped One-Twenty 300 at £1,349.99.

Reacto

On the road side, Merida have done a similar technology cross-breeding job with the new Reacto. The Reacto takes features and design ideas from the Time Warp time trial bike and construction tech from the ultralight Scultura Evo to deliver an aero road frame at under 1kg. It's a striking-looking bike, especially in the Dura-Ace equipped 909 version.

While the seat looks like it's mounted on an integral mast, it's actually a fully-adjustable aero seatpost – the graphics tie it all in visually. Despite the deep-section tubes, Merida claim that the carbon layup used delivers “Evo levels of vibration damping”. The top-line Reacto 909 comes in at £5,599.99, but the 907 – using the same frame, a slightly heavier fork and Shimano Ultegra parts – is a more accessible £2,999.99. Or get the £1,849.99 frameset and roll your own.

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Take a bike tour this summer to the French Alps and live your dream

You've probably dreamed of many times in your life to see a live tour de france and observe the mythical climbs in the Alps and the magnificent sprint final step in both deliciao.Well, and if i say that you can live your dream by taking a bike tour this summer to the French Alps? True,there is one bike tour company that offers these types of trips is In Situ Travel. They run European bike tours, including one in July to watch France’s Pro Tour. “We’re pleased to offer what we feel is one of the best alternatives for fans to watch the race unfold in the Alps.”, states Jace Gifford, In Situ’s founder.




Gifford quickly points out what distinguishes In Situ Travel’s bike tours from other tour companies’ trips: keeping the groups small. “Our trip in July is limited to only 14 guests. We don’t try to pack in as many guests as possible, like many of the competitors.” He’s got a point since it’s not uncommon for some of the other European bike tour companies to have trips where the guest count exceeds 40 people. Instead In Situ believes that guests will have a more “local” experience, by having a smaller group for their trip.

Additionally, staying true to In Situ’s core principles, there are not van transfers during the week. The entire week is spent at one hotel, located right on the race route. As In Situ iterates, this equates to more time riding and less time sitting in a van. Especially during an event as large as this, where there will be an enormous amount of fans trying to drive to and from the race, not having to deal a vehicle is a real benefit to this type of tour.

Gifford also notes, “We’ve also taken great care in choosing where our trips stay. Not only are we along the race route, but we are in easy riding distance to many of the epic alpine climbs: the Col du Glandon, the Col du Telegraphe, Alpe d’Huez, the Col d’Izoard, les Deux Alpes and more.” If your goal is to ride many of these famous routes, this itinerary might be for you.

How does a guest go about deciding on the right bike tour to see the race in France this July? It can be challenging since it’s not always clear what the benefits of one tour operator are over another. When speaking with In Situ, they believe they have found a unique niche in the market. “We feel that we offer the best value for our guests, in a smaller more personal environment to that of our competitors.”, claims Gifford. Maybe they do, but regardless of whether you choose this or another tour company, it’s clear that guests have a greater selection of tour operators than ever before.

Learn more about France’s Pro Tour. Stop by In Situ Travel’s site where you can find out all about their other Bike Tours in France and what they can offer you.

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MSA Endurance team caught USA Cycling’s attention in their inaugural year

Miller School of Albemarle (MSA) Endurance team caught USA Cycling’s attention in their inaugural year. The high school established road and mountain bike teams separate of the growing national league.
The Miller School is an international day and boarding school that is situated in Charlottesville, Virginia, which is has a burgeoning scene of professional and amateur cyclists. The city is also a potential host one of the national sport governing body’s annual regional development camps.

“They run a program independently and it was successful,” Andrea Smith, of USA Cycling, told BikeRadar. “They do a great job and we are hoping to add them as a regional development camp as an entry to our Development Pathway. We are trying to bring them in as one of our camps and potentially speak about how to unify high school cycling.”

The team includes 15 riders and is expected to expand to 20 over the next three years with help from a cycling scholarship fund. Peter Hufnagel, the program’s founder and MSA believe they’ve created the ideal place for junior riders to attend school while striving to meet their training and racing goals.

“The school wants to grow the program into the premier cycling team in the country, and we are actively seeking junior racers who want to incorporate their passion for cycling with an outstanding prep school education,” Hufnagel said.

The program received coaching assistance from local professional cyclists Andy Guptill (Jamis-Sutter Home) and Andrea Dvorak (Colavita Forno D’Asolo). US Pro Road Champion Ben King (RadioShack) recently donated funds to the program in honor of his coach, USA Cycling’s Vice President of Athletics Jim Miller.
“Having the leaders of the school behind the program has been absolutely key to the program's inception and quick growth,” Hufnagel said. “Ben King has taken an active role in the program and has help to establish a relationship with USA Cycling which we plan to grow over the next few years.”

Hufnagel started the junior road and mountain bike program last winter at the request of the international day and boarding high school’s athletic director Scott Willard and the MSA administration. The school funds roughly 25 percent of the cost of running the cycling team and the remaining 75 percent comes from community and industry donations and gifts-in-kind.


The Miller School's campus offers space for off-road training and racing

The riders have the run of the high school’s 1,600-acre campus that includes an abundance of off-road terrain. Off campus, Albemarle County’s trail and road system is situated in the foothills of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

All student-cyclists are enrolled in an advanced bicycle mechanics class held at new on-campus bike shop renovated from an historical building. Students learn to build their own bike before training and racing school issued bike.

“Having athletes understand advanced bicycle mechanics has been a big selling point of the program,”

Hufnagel said. “We can do all repairs and builds on campus. Before an athlete races one of the custom road bikes, he or she has to know how to build it up, including everything from installing the crankset to cables and housing. MSA athletes can pretty much repair anything that could go wrong on a bike.”

Industry supporters of MSA include Kazane Bikes owned by Stratton Delaney, who made the team fully custom road bikes and equipped them with SRAM Rival build kits. Other supporters include TREK, Bontrager, Kona and Park Tool. Athletes are also outfitted with kits, helmets, shoes and an individual training program.

Hufnagel would like to take high school bike racing in Virginia to the next level and form a state wide cycling league. For now, he is working with the Virginia Off-Road Series in addition to hosting races with other Virginia high schools.

Virginia is not a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), a national governing body for mountain biking in grades 9-12. The association currently includes leagues in California, Texas, Washington and Colorado.

“We’ve had a number of inquiries from the Virginia area as well as North Carolina, Maryland and Washington DC and we would love to talk to anyone out there that is interested in starting a high school mountain bike league,” said NICA Executive Director Matt Fritzinger. “In 2012 we will have band width for more leagues. There are a lot of states that are interested and we have a lot to offer them.”

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Allan Davis in his second year with the Astana

The Australian sprinter Allan Davis, in his second year with the Astana team, turned 30 last year and after nine years in the pro ranks he hopes his maturity and experience will help him win one of cycling's big classics.

"I think the next five years will be the best of my whole career," Davis told Cyclingnews at the official Astana team presentation in Monaco last week. "I'm not getting any faster, but I'm getting stronger, both mentally and physically. I'm getting stronger on the climbs."

The Australian has finished second and fourth in Milano-Sanremo and the 'Classicissima' remains his big objective for the first part of the 2011 season - even if he has other goals. "Milano-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders, those are the races I think I have room to improve in," he said. "The older I get, the more I think I can win these sort of races. I'm getting to know the roads a lot better."

Despite more than 30 victories, Davis still lacks that one big win that would consecrate his whole career. But he feels confident that one day, luck will be on his side and his experience will pay off. "I've had several top finishes in big races, so I know if I can do that, then I can also win one," he commented. "So hopefully this year, I'll score not only one, but a few big wins."

"Experience counts a lot, especially in the Belgian races. It's something that you don't get straight away, it comes over time. I've only really learned all the roads in the last three or four years and now, I have this experience which makes me more confident."

The Astana sprinter said that he felt on track for Milan-Sanremo on March 19. He started the year well with ninth overall at the Tour Down Under, which he had won in 2009. "For me it was a good start to the season," he said. "The Tour Down Under is a good guide of how you've looked after yourself in the winter, and the preparation I have done turned out well. I'm happy with my condition."

Davis feels that he has excellent support at Astana to help him achieve his goals. "We have quite a strong team for the sprints, also considering the newcomers. Mirko Lorenzetto is quite fast, and Tomas Vaitkus as well."

Another big objective for Davis will be this year's World Championships in Copenhagen. "I've seen the course on paper, and I'm planning to recon it some time during the year. But I've spoken to guys who have raced around it and it sounds like a good course to me," he concluded.

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First look at the teams invited to the sixth Tour of California

Sources close to the Tour of California  race have provided us with a first look at the teams invited to the sixth edition of the event, which gets underway in South Lake Tahoe on May 15.

Included in the ProTeams is BMC Racing, which had previously ridden the event as a ProConti team in 2010. Despite losing defending champion Michael Rogers to Team Sky, perennial performers HTC-Highroad will return, as will Rabobank, Saxo Bank-Sungard and RadioShack.

Rogers' new squad gets the nod as does the super team of Leopard-Trek and the renamed-for-2011 Liquigas-Cannondale.

Local ProConti squads are well-represented, with two American, one Canadian and one German outfit attending, as Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling and Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis represent, along with Steve Bauer's Team Spidertech Powered By C10 and Team NetApp.

There are also five Continental squads with an American base, including Bissel Cycling, Jamis - Sutter Home, Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda, Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health and Kenda Presented By Gear Grinder. These teams often provide some extra spark to the racing and there's no indication 2011 will be any different.

Teams lineup for 2011 Amgen Tour of California:
UCI ProTeam: BMC Racing Team (USA), HTC-Highroad (USA), Leopard Trek (Lux), Liquigas-Cannondale (Ita), Rabobank Cycling Team (Ned), Saxo Bank Sungard (Den), Sky Procycling (GBr), Team Garmin-Cervelo (USA), Team Radioshack (USA)

UCI Professional Continental: Team NetApp (Ger), Team Spidertech Powered By C10 (Can), Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis (USA), Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling (USA)

UCI Continental: Bissel Cycling (USA), Jamis - Sutter Home (USA), Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda (USA), Kelly Benefit Strategies - Optum Health (USA), Kenda Presented By Gear Grinder (USA)

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With a good pair of cycling glasses

While cycling, our eyes are exposed to the high-speed air flow, and harmful UV ray, which will bring harm to our eyes. With a good pair of cycling glasses, we don’t need to worry about this problem any more. But as for how to choose the good pair of cycling eyewear, the following may give you some ideas.

When we choose cycling eyewear, which should be the most important factor we should consider first, looks or function? Of course, function should be considered first. We must ensure our cycling glasses can give us enough protection they should have, also help us to see clearly, and prevent us from fatigue after long distance cycling as well. Therefore, it is important to find the pair of cycling eyewear with the above functions, instead of considering style and looks only.

And which kind of frames will be better for cycling eyewear? It is advised to have the pair with a wrap frame, which can give us additional protection against wind and flying debris. So this kind of frame can offer us more protection compared with ordinary frame.

For cyclers, it is common to sweat. And for ordinary eyewear, after sweating, it will be easy to fall from our nose bridge. In order to avoid this problem, we are wise to choose the snug fitting cycling eyewear, which can ensure the glasses at its very place while cycling. But this does not mean the tighter the glasses, the better, or else, our blood flow will be blocked.

As you can not make sure you cycle only under sunny days. Under days with fog, the fog will prevent our eyesight. Therefore, it is recommended to choose the pair with vents to prevent fogging.

As we all know, there are several harmful rays from the sun, such as UVA, UVB, UVC and blue rays, which will bring harm to our eye health. Therefore, people should make sure to choose the pair resistant to these harmful rays.

In fact, cycling eyewear can not only give us some protection and clearer vision, but also can add to our appearance. The glass color plays a role in it. When we choose the glass color, we can try to choose the one fit us. And do you know some colors have the function of reducing fatigue and glare? Research shows brown and amber color can avoid high glare. So when we choose the glass color, we should consider this point.
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