Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

That's because it's a standard engine which they keep on manufacturing for second hand / warranty claims. Bike manufacturers don't continue an old production run for previous generation bikes just for warranty purposes. That they provide you with a new, current freame is a bonus - improved geometries, stiffness etc. Because it's a newer standard for some bits, there may be an amount htat you have to pay in order to get it rideable again (fork reducer etc) but it's nowhere near the cost of a new frame.

TOPANGA! I had one of those. It was too big for me so I then "upgraded" to a Sedona. Then an ATX 830 with a whopping 60mm travel

Nope. His (current) one is black with blue accents & straight black wiele. And more travel does NOT equal slower. That's just a myth fed to us by LBS's and marathon / XC befok okies who think that jeep-track is considered "technical"

great looking wheels, but good luck getting replacement bits. Both locally and internationally. Soft, too few spokes for hard riding and generally poorly built, they're typical Crap Brothers stuff...

Ito cost, it goes like this (cheapest first) X5 X7 X9 X01 X0 XX1 XX

TECHNO lime green, to be exact, martin... Got e same ones on my sled.

Total riding weight incl knee and elbow guards is 130 or so.

Yeah, trance is now 150mm. SX model is moooooarrrrr! Glad they're committing to a single size (mostly) I think it's a good move. That mondraker... Awesome frame but I just can't like the way they've done that stem. Needs to be beefier.

Any idea on $$$?

Vaginally Attracted?

Don't know the rest without looking it up though, sorry Kosmo.

175mm cranks will increase your leverage ratio by a bit and make it a tiny bit easier to climb due to the reduced pressure you'll have to put on to the pedals to get the same rotation.

Then I'm definitely screwed.

There is no delineation between pseudo ephedrine from flu meds vs "doping" by injecting or ingesting ephinedrine.

@ Swiss. You mean like medinite, medlemon, most protein shakes and cold / flu meds, most vitamin supplements and countless other substances? I reckon 80% of the amateur field would test positive for some banned substance.

Incorrect. The junior who doped would have to go through a rigorous testing regimen in order to get that pro sponsorship, and if he had doped it shoudl show up. If he stops doping after the fact, his results will show for it and he will be booted. As far as the UCI rules go - you're correct - for all the LICENSED riders. There's a difference between a cyclosport license, and a racing license, like the one you HAVE to get when you enter a UCI event like the XCO / DHI events in order to qualify to ride in teh Elite / Sub Vet / Vet racing class. If you just go along for the ride, you're in the Sports class. Different rules, no UCI points allocation nothing, as far as I understand.

No, EZ - this is the thing. As soon as you put it into competition, ie: league, prize money, logs and recognition, you HAVE to be registered through a body. ITO your son, that is through his school, and there is a structure in place. For all intents and purposes, he is NOT an amateur. He is a competitor. As such there are different rules associated with this. As with league rugby, professional rugby etc Likewise with my wife's squash league. In competition (JARVIS / Kaplan / WP open etc) they HAVE to abide by the WADA rules & regs, as they are playing in competition for prize money. Comparing that to a recreational rider in ANY race not an accurate or fair comparison...

CAN'T! BREATHE! or, BRAAAAAAAAAP!

Agreed. And was Barry a UCI Licensed rider? No. Not as far as I understand it, at least...

42.

Not as simple as that, Swiss - and you know that.

ROFL. I was a bit flabbergasted for a moment, tbh. Thought your reason and logic had been frequenting the restaurant at the end of the universe... But Agreed. In terms of testing, rules regs and so on, there should be a black and white delineation between pro & amateur for testing purposes etc. Also agreed that it gets a bit tricky when it comes to the local Church race, where you may have a good chance of winning but (like me) you're on supplements that contain a banned substance (like pseudo-ephedrine) It may be as simple as a logical conclusion from the dopers side of things though. If you're on the juice, you shouldn't "race" for a position. Just ride. But there are myriad different scenarios where the "doper" may not necessarily know whether he has a banned substance in his system or not. Case in point, this situation. 6 months is a helluva long time for a trace amount of dwelms to be in a system. So in terms of the reasonable man argument, Barry was spot on when he signed that he was not taking any PED's. He plain wasn't at the time, and hadn't been for 6 months before the race itself. So he was fully within his rights to sign that waiver. Take an example of that cough syrup, or some of the flu medication. If he had had flu-end (a common flu medication containing pseudo ephedrine) up to 2 weeks before the ride, it still may have been in his system. And he would have been bust again. Wilful infringement or harmless error? Was he racing for position? No. He was bottom half of the pack. Logic follows that he should receive a ban (as any person above him would have received) but as it was a harmless medication that he may not have known contained a banned substance (not being a paid athlete, therefore not being bound by UCI's rules as he is not a licensed UCI accredited rider) should he have been targeted at all? My argument is no...

Dude, are you seriously comparing Barry here (a weekend warrior by his own admission) to a dude on the TDF, who makes a living out of cycling and IS there for monetary benefit? If Barry were Georgie Porgie, then yeah fine. But he's not. Also the TDF is only open to licensed, qualified cyclists. The Epic is open to all.

Hot bird, hot bike...

First Look: Niner Debuts Long-Travel Protos at Winter Park EWS Jul 29, 2013 by Richard Cunningham Follow Add to Favorites http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb9897745/p5pb9897745.jpg http://lp3.pinkbike.org/p1pb6168857/p1pb6168857.jpg Nate Adams poses with the new Niner enduro proto - Philip Roupp photo Niner spoke candidly in a recent interview about its plans to enter the enduro and gravity arenas this year, and the first prototypes were seen in the pits of the Colorado venue of the Enduro World Series. Niner's Nate Adams and Brad Cole raced the new design and Nate Adams allowed PB photographer Philip Roupp to snap a few quick shots of the bike. The bike had Jett graphics and sported RockShox suspension, with a 160mm Pike fork and an apparently customized Monarch Plus reservoir shock, spray-painted white. http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb9897749/p5pb9897749.jpg http://lp3.pinkbike.org/p1pb6168857/p1pb6168857.jpg The aluminum chassis is built significantly lighter than Niner's 140-mm travel WFO-9 AM/Freeride frame. - Philip Roupp photo No details were forthcoming from Niner about the exact travel and geometry of the bikes, but '150' was etched onto the top of the shock and rough calculations of the linkage and shock-stroke indicate that rear wheel travel should be close to 150 millimeters. The drivetrain was SRAM X0, and there appears to be a provision for a front derailleur. As far as frame design and geometry goes, the new frame follows Niner's established RIP and WFO DNA, with a deeply curved top tube, CVA (constantly varying arc) dual-link rear suspension, and a seat tube with a pronounced curve in its mid-section to assist rear-tire clearance at full compression. Measuring from the side shot gives us a head angle in the neighborhood of 67 degrees - plenty slack for a big-wheel bike intended for AM/Enduro. http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb9897755/p5pb9897755.jpg http://lp3.pinkbike.org/p1pb6168857/p1pb6168857.jpg Nate Adams at speed on the new Niner. - Philip Roupp photo Niner has a strong foothold in the XC/trail community, but has yet to make a sizable dent in the long-travel and gravity side of the mountain bike spectrum. With a significant number of gravity riders on board, Niner is not short on passion or motivation, so its forthcoming Enduro and DH projects will be worth watching. We'll keep you posted.