Santa Cruz Bikes

Joe's Corner : Instantaneous Center Migration

Migration is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as: "To change location periodically". For a bicycle suspension system, the Instantaneous Center (IC) is the point that the rear axle is rotating around at any given instant. On a single pivot suspension, the IC is the pivot - and it doesn't migrate. Other mechanisms can change the point that the rear axle is pivoting around as the suspension compresses. Most common in bicycle suspension is a four-bar linkage with the axle located on a link that is not connected directly to the front triangle. It's referred to as "instantaneous" because the pivot point can move, unlike the single pivot mechanism. Therefore, at any given point in the suspension motion the IC can be at a different location. IC Migration is the subject of several patents on bicycle suspension, some with detailed claims and some with more vague claims of the advantage of a particular system. Some patents don't say why its better, but simply protect something about the configuration of the mechanism. The IC can be determined by tracing lines through the first and third bars of the linkage (see figure 1).

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Minnaar 3rd At Schladming World Cup Finals, Syndicate #1 Team

Schladming, Austria

It was a great showdown and an amazing end to the 2009 UCI World Cup Downhill Series in Schladming, Austria, as it came down to four racers in contention for the overall title

In the end Sam Hill won the race, and the overall, with Santa Cruz Syndicate's Greg Minnaar and Steve Peat (SRAM/RockShox) giving chase and placing 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively. Josh Bryceland pulled out a great run to finish the race in 8th place, just .02 seconds behind teammate Steve Peat who struggled to find his rhythm and placed 7th on the day. Minnaar focused on his performance and came back solid, if a little conservative, from his major stack in his qualifier, and placed 3rd. Their efforts boosted the team overall points to the top and the Syndicate won the best downhill team title.

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Interview with Steve Peat: 'Downhill is one of the hardest sports'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/16/steve-peat-interview

Finally The Bride, Peaty Wins The Big One, Minnaar His Bridesmaid

Canberra, Australia

Finally in the record books, Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Steve Peat (SRAM/RockShox), makes history as he bags the big one winning the UCI Downhill World Championships in Canberra, Australia. Syndicate’s Greg Minnaar finishes a mere .05 behind Peat in the closest margin in World Championship history, and Mick Hannah takes the last medal just .69 behind Peat.

I’ve just finished dropping off the rental van and riding my bike home from Avis in Temecula, which concludes the last ground logistics from the Syndicate’s World Champs trip. I can now start on this press release and I just thought I’d write it from my point of view.

There will be plenty of releases with the standard interviews, so I’ll give you my take on the lead up to the World Champs and how we got there. Riding home today across the meadow with the wind blowing through the tall grass reminded me of how we started the season on safari in South Africa which resembled the open meadow I just rode across. The season was wide open then and full of promise, and now we are writing the final chapters to the 2009 downhill race season with most of the promise realized.

As I pedaled my jet-lagged legs up the single-track I thought what makes this world champs win so special is the emotion. At the end of the day it is just a bike race, someone rode their bike fast down a hill and was faster than the others. That is just a fact. But what makes it so special is that the man who did it has had a 15 year career of winning every race but the world championships, and to finally do so, on his terms, makes it gratifying for every fan, sponsor, support crew, and every family member involved, or who has ever been involved in Steve’s career. These people make up the building blocks of the foundation on which Steve can excel, and every sacrifice Steve has made, his family has made, every effort his support team put into him, it was a payday; one whopping huge payday of relief, respect, excitement and satisfaction for a job well done.

With tears flowing, a choked up Steve said, “This is the way I wanted to win it, with all the top guys having their best race, no mechanicals, no crashes, totally legit. It is going to take some time for this to sink in.”

The road to Canberra started with the 6:00 am arrival of the Syndicate into Sydney a week and a half before the race to acclimate to the time zone. First stop, Bondi Beach for breakfast on a fine spring day. Doug was the only brave soul to take a dip while the others enjoyed some Frisbee on the fine sand beach.

Checking into the Holiday Inn within view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House young Bryce and I took a dip in the rooftop pool.

Paul Begg was meeting us later to show us the hotspots, but the boys needed fancy shoes to get in the clubs so shopping we went. Minnaar tested his shoes out doing his version of the moonwalk while Josh picked out a pair of very pointed shoes, and Steve pimped himself out in a slick version of slip-ons:

Hitting the rooftop for evening cocktails we were treated to a bat show, thousands and thousands of bats were flying past us coming from the Botanical Gardens on their way to find a nice evening meal. Ben Monroe picked us up and whisked us off to the most amazing Thai dinner we’ve ever had. Meanwhile the UK mechanics arrived and joined us for the rest of the evening’s entertainment. A few of us got some sleep, but some were in the hot-tub rooftop at 6:00 am soaking in the sunrise.

Lunchtime we hit Deus, a vintage and custom motorcycle shop and café that is a must stop for anyone passing through Sydney. After lunch we made the hour and a half drive to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains for four nights of rest, relaxation and some training rides. I made sure the boys were eating well and we had some great meals, the standout item being the Sweet Potato Soup recipe that Steve gave me.

Scott Sharples and Bryn Atkinson live nearby, and Brian Lopes flew in and we had a neighborhood full of talent. Some went golfing and hiking, and some of us went to the movies and saw Inglorious Basterds (a must-see movie).

We had a fun rental car and cruised the small main street of Katoomba. Arriving back to the rental house the boys treated the front garden to a trim, well, tore it up in the name of fun, and lucky for us Paul’s brother Michael (the home-owner), took it all in stride and had a laugh with us:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDn2ZI2jkRg)

Sadly, Greg received the news that his beloved Grandmother had fallen ill and had be admitted to the hospital. By evening she had slipped into a coma. I worked on flight details to send him home, but by the next morning she had passed. It was a difficult time, a time where this incredible job we have takes a toll, to miss the things in your personal life, and to be a world away when they happen is a downside to the wonderful experiences we do have. Gran would’ve wanted Greg to stay and race, so he put his mind forward to do so.

Leaving the Blue Mountains on Monday we picked up the motor home for shelter for our pit and arrived to Mt. Stromlo in time for walking inspection. Some changes had been made to improve the course, thank goodness, and the organization of the event was quite good. It was a long practice week and we stayed at some apartments where I could cook and we had a lot of fun with Steve and Greg driving the rental car ragged back and forth to the track.

The Pump Track World Championships on Wed. was a highlight of the week. The boys had fun and Mick Hannah won the event, perhaps due to some timing malfunctions, I heard. Everyone had a good time and we hope to see this event again at future World Championships. Friday was a timed practice run where we were able to do a race simulation as staff, and the riders could test themselves on the track.

Saturday was the last practice before Sunday’s race and Greg and Steve both said they had a case of the nerves. Keeping the normal race routine was helpful as we stayed relaxed and calm at the apartments and had distractions like watching the “Hangover” and rugby games on T.V.

Race morning was like clockwork with lunch prepped and mechanics out the door. Ricky Bobby, Doug Hatfield and Martyn Hoyle had the bikes in their rooms and had been over the bikes with a fine toothcomb, everything was in perfect order. Driving to the racetrack Billy Idol’s song, White Wedding was playing and I thought to myself, “Yes it is a good day for a wedding, and Peaty needs to be the bride today”.

We knew from practice that Steve was very fast on the top of the track. British Cycling had timing on the track and Steve was the man to beat on top. Greg was strong on the bottom of the track, so they knew each other was their biggest adversary.

Josh was having a fun week and entertained the crowds on the jumps while focusing on the fitness it would take in an all out effort in the race.

As the race neared the end Josh came down and was unable to unseat Nathan Rennie from the hotseat. He struggled a bit in the top of the track and the bottom was a long pedaling challenge, which took it all out of him, and he placed 28th with a time of 2:39.63.

A crowd favorite, Mick Hannah took to the track and when he crossed the line he went into the lead by .14 over Fabien Barel. Pumping his fists in the air he was stoked, he had planned on a win here. Now Steve was on track and fastest at the first split by almost a second, and a second and a half faster at the second split, clearly he was going into the lead. The crowd cheered loudly when he crossed the line and we waited. Sam Hill fell short of Steve’s mark by 2.71 seconds. Greg was next, and slower at the first split by 1.15, then 1.22 down at the second split. I was in suspense knowing he could make time on the pedaling, and then he crossed the line a mere .05 behind Steve. Greg rolled up his sleeves to reveal his oneLife mock tattoo, a tribute to his Grandmother.

Both my boys were in the medals, with just Gee to come. He was down over 2 seconds at the first split, and the second, and we were very hopeful until the last moment when he crossed the line and Steve had done it.

Steve collapsed in the back of the hotseat as beer was poured over him. “I wanted to just lay there for a few minutes to soak in the moment, to realize what had just happened.” But the swarm of media surrounding him propelled him to his feet and he pumped his arms in the air celebrating this victory that was so long in coming. Everyone was cheering, it was mayhem, Rob Roskopp and I were crying, Steve was crying, every person there was happy for him.

The podium celebration was outstanding with Steve so excited he sprayed himself in the face with the champagne while Greg and Mick also sprayed him. It was a happy moment, tears running down my face seeing all our efforts and sacrifices realized on that podium. I’m so proud of “my boys”, and the job the Syndicate has done every step of the way. I’d like to thank Rob Roskopp for making it all possible, our top wrenches Ricky Bobby, Doug Hatfield and Martyn Hoyle, and our families, Adele, Jake and George Peat, my husband Chuck who supports me so I can give my all, and every sponsor and fan out there. Steve’s success is our success and the world is celebrating this significant moment in mountain bike history with us.

WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RESULTS:

• 1 - Steve Peat GBR Santa Cruz Syndicate
• 2 - Greg Minnaar RSA Santa Cruz Syndicate
• 3 - Mick Hannah AUS
• 4 - Fabien Barel FRA
• 5 - Sam Hill AUS

Thanks to the SYNDICATE Sponsors:

• Santa Cruz Bicycles
• SRAM
• RockShox
• Truvativ
• Avid
• DT Swiss
• WTB
• nkbrothers
• Lizard Skins
• Clif Bar
• Troy Lee Designs
• Chris King
• Five Ten
• Galbraith Chiropractic
• Martin the Masseur

It's Sixteenth Time Lucky as Steve Peat Finally Grabs The Rainbow Jersey

Canberra, Australia

In a nerve-racking finish to the 2009 UCI DH World Championship in Canberra, Australia, Sheffield's Steve Peat put past dissapointents behind him to claim his first rainbow jersey, but it wasn't easy, edging out Syndicate team-mate Greg Minnaar by only 5 one hundredths of a second.

Check out all the coverage of this historic moment below, thanks to Freecaster, MTBCut, Dirt TV and Vital MTB.

Warning: these clips might contain some swearing.

Race Day: MTB CUT

Race Day: Dirt Tv

Freecaster: Rob Warner post race interview with Peaty

More

Full Replay of Mens DH (forward to about 1hr30mins to get to the juicy bits)

Vital MTB

Post Race Interview with Peaty

Bonus Vital MTB Content

Check out the fancy-pants V10's the Syndiate Boys were riding this weekend

WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RESULTS:

• 1 - Steve Peat GBR Santa Cruz Syndicate
• 2 - Greg Minnaar RSA Santa Cruz Syndicate
• 3 - Mick Hannah AUS
• 4 - Fabien Barel FRA
• 5 - Sam Hill AUS

Thanks to the SYNDICATE Sponsors:

• Santa Cruz Bicycles
• SRAM
• RockShox
• Truvativ
• Avid
• DT Swiss
• WTB
• nkbrothers
• Lizard Skins
• Clif Bar
• Troy Lee Designs
• Chris King
• Five Ten
• Galbraith Chiropractic
• Martin the Masseur

Joe's Corner : Axle Path

It's easy to claim that something sucks. And it's easy to claim something else is "better". But it's hard to prove that the claim is true. And it's even harder to define what "better" is. However, you need to do both.

This is the first in a series of articles in which I'll talk about what we at SCB know about bicycle suspension technology and what we're working on for the future. After years of developing and selling suspension bikes, and watching the industry evolve with us, we think it's time to take stock of what is happening right now and what we can all look forward to. We plan to come clean about things we've learned and things we don't completely understand. Along the way we'll debunk some myths, explain some commonly misunderstood concepts, and generally give a sense of where we are and where we're going.

Bicycle suspension is complex. We're not interested in taking years of experimentation and accrued knowledge with our group of dedicated engineers and techs and converting it into a simplified claim that is drowned out by the chorus of "me too" heard annually at Interbike.

Axle Path Don't Matter No Mo': Part 1 of a Series

Here's something that nobody wants to hear: Axle path doesn't matter for bicycle suspension. At least, it doesn't matter nearly as much as some people say. It's true. Axles move up and down, and everyone can imagine that they follow a certain path, so it's an appealing thing to think about. But unfortunately, describing an axle path as "vertical", the classic "near-vertical", "s-shaped", or "rearward", is an over-simplification of the suspension system. It's also dead wrong. Santa Cruz once published a postcard showing the axle path of the original V10 as being "S-shaped". It was misleading and technically incorrect, and we apologize. We even have a US patent that covers that specifically: Patent # 5628524. But we no longer employ it in our designs, because it doesn't really matter.

Basically, the center of your rear wheel can't move much more than 20mm in distance from the center of the bottom bracket or your pedals feel like they are getting tugged around a lot. It has taken some time, but this is something known and understood to us, and it should be known to everyone else making suspension bikes. This is especially true for multi-ring set-ups, because smaller chain-rings make the cranks move more for a given amount of chain growth. Our V10 has more than 30mm of chain growth, but since it's meant to be ridden with a big ring all the time, pedal feedback isn't such a big issue. Check out this image.

So, the endpoint of your 5-inch travel bike can be anywhere from no chain growth to 20mm of chain growth. When you combine that with the fact that any effect in compression has an opposing effect in rebound, there aren't many legitimate options from the bottom to the top in that range. Not enough that it's really going to mean the difference between a good bike and a crappy bike. Or that something "pedals great" or "is neutral under braking" - whatever that means. That's bogus. It's what marketing guys, get paid to do: Make up a simple, believable reason why a product is superior. And then repeat those reasons over and over until they become accepted as common knowledge despite the lack of real justification. The truth is that axle path should be a result of other parameters, not a goal in itself. Therefore, axle path doesn't matter.

Joe's Corner : Shock Rates

With each of these columns, the areas we are talking about have become more complex. This one, dealing with shock rates, is not gonna be a walk in the park. But hopefully it'll give some of you a little bit more insight into the how and why of suspension workings, and how our designs in particular behave.

Levers

We have to start with this. Levers are one of the "simple machines", of which there are five (or six, depending on how nerdy you are). They hold company with the inclined plane, wheel and axle, wedge, pulley and screw. In a nutshell, this is what leverage is: you get a longer lever arm, and through the principal of torque (force x lever arm) you can exert high forces via a small lever arm by exerting less force on a longer lever arm.

With suspension bikes, Wheel Travel divided by Shock Stroke = average Leverage Rate (eg, a 5 inch travel bike with a 2.5" travel shock has an average leverage ratio of 2.0).

Shock rate is the inverse (opposite relationship) of leverage. Shock Stroke divided by Wheel Travel = average Shock Rate. The aforementioned bike would have an average shock rate of 0.5. Why use shock rate instead of leverage rate? The hell if I know, but it's common for bike people to use the term "falling rate" and "rising rate", both of which refer to shock rate. So at some point in the past, I decided to use shock rate so it fits that nomenclature. It's easy to convert - just remember that a high leverage is a low rate, and that rising rate means falling leverage. Ready? I didn't think so.

Bike Rate

Rising rate on a bike means that at the beginning of the travel, the rear axle has a higher mechanical advantage than at the end of the travel. This typically implies that the bike won't "bottom out" easily. Falling rate means the opposite; the bike may bottom out easily, as the mechanical advantage increases through the travel - it "uses" the travel easily. A bike with a constant leverage, or shock rate, has the same leverage throughout the entire travel. I usually figure that +/- 3% can be considered constant.

Spring Rate

Spring rates are a measure of how much the spring pushes back at you as you push into it. A constant rate spring is assigned a value, typically referred to as "k". The k value of a spring is in units of force per unit length, or "lbs per inch". Practically speaking, if you have a 500 lb. spring, 500 is the k value, meaning 500 lbs per inch compressed. At zero inches compressed, it pushes back zero pounds, which is handy because then it just sits there on your desk holding your pencils. At one inch compressed, it pushes back 500 pounds. At two inches compressed, it pushes back 1000 lbs, and so on. Coil springs on bike shocks aren't perfectly linear, but they are damn close. Air shocks are different, though. Air shocks work by compressing air, which doesn't push back the same way as a metal spring does. The air's force pushing back has to do with volume, which is tough to make a linear. So you set air the pressure (the volume is typically constant, and set by the shock manufacturer), and when the volume is cut in half, the pressure is doubled (remember PV=nRT from chemistry?). So half way through the shock stroke, the force pushing back is doubled. Then, 3/4 of the way thru the stroke, the pressure doubles again. And so on. Hence, that "rampy" feeling, since the spring rate skyrockets toward the end of the stroke as the volume gets cut in half over and over and the force goes way up.

If you increase the volume a lot, the spring rate doesn't do a linear progression like a coil, and has what is sometimes called a "cavitation" or a place where the spring rate drops below a constant k value. The beginning of the stroke on an air shock also doesn't start at zero force, due to negative springs and all sorts of trickiness that air shock designers could write a book on. Preload doesn't change your k value, it just makes the start point go higher since you start compressing the spring, but you haven't compressed your bike yet.

Wheel Rate

Wheel rate could be defined as the sum of Bike Rate and Spring Rate. In practice, it's really how your bike is going to behave. I don't typically use wheel rate, since it means picking only one shock, and I like having different options for shocks. Typically we're going for a bike shock rate that behaves well with various spring rates that the bike will be used with. So let's talk about bike rates.

VPP Rates

I don't know of another current design that has a mechanism that allows for a change in shock rate that can be manipulated like VPP can. Typically a linkage moves in a linear fashion, and the shock can be positioned to have a falling or rising rate, but not both. The VPP system has two links that rotate in opposite directions. The top link moves counter clockwise, the bottom link clockwise (from the drive side viewpoint). This is unique to VPP bikes, and is specifically protected by US Patent 6488301.
As the suspension compresses, the two links rotate, but not at constant rates. The upper link starts rotating quickly, then slows down mid-stroke, and then speeds up again. The lower link does the opposite, starting slowly, then faster, and then slows down later in the travel. Exactly how much they speed up and slow down can be manipulated by changing pivot points, link angles and lengths. Attaching a shock to one of the links makes it compress at different rates through the travel. On a VPP bike with the shock attached to the upper link, the shock starts w/ a high rate, decreases through the middle of the travel, and then increases again. This gives the rider a feeling of great bump absorption on small and medium size bumps, but then ramps up so the suspension doesn't bottom out on larger impacts.
The V10 shock rate starts very low (it means a very high leverage at the beginning). This allows the rear wheel to move very easily when it drops away into a hole, and then gets hit hard and fast by an obstacle. Instead of "kicking" the bike, the wheel easily moves back to mid stroke which is where it should be when a rider is aboard.

As always, there is a balance here. Too much "falling" in the middle in the shock rate can yield a bike that feels like it wallows in the mid-stroke, or mushes down in corners, without a nice snappy feeling on the rebound stroke. Too much "rising" from mid-stroke to bottom out can give a bike that doesn't use full travel under normal circumstances. Complicating the matter is that different shocks have different spring rates, and can change the way a bike feels. A Fox DHX Air shock, for instance, has a different spring rate than a Fox Float. In fact, different Floats have different air volume canisters to manipulate this. Santa Cruz worked with Fox during the development of the first Blur to offer adjustable air volume (AVA was the Fox acronym) and later Fox fixed the larger air volume to save cost and weight calling it XV (extra volume).

Finally, A Note On Super Low Leverage

Low leverage rates also get big play these days, and we've tried to figure out why. Our latest V10 uses 2.75" of stroke to get 10 inches of vertical wheel travel. Blind back to back testing with longer stroke shocks on prototypes wasn't enough to convince anyone it was worth the weight penalty. Shock durability hasn't been a problem for our bikes, even for Nathan Rennie (although, one potential problem with high leverage ratios is for riders that are up in the well over 200 lb. range, and can't get springs that are large enough weight to fit in there). Our latest Heckler redesign changed from a 200 i2i, 57mm stroke shock to a 216 i2i, 63.5mm stroke shock because it really made a substantial difference in bump feel. The additional half inch of shock length apparently lets the shock designers get stroke over two inches that feels better for a 145mm travel package. It can make tuning of damping characteristics more difficult for lightweight riders (under 140 lbs) however, as the spring rates drop very low, and the damping adjustment range available with the shock may not be sufficient. We continue to try different shock lengths on different bikes, but won't use something just because it's the cool thing to do.

No matter what Roskopp says.

Joe's Corner : The "New Standard". Revision 1.6

Words by: Joe Graney, SCB Engineering

Each time we work on a bike design - and we're always working on new bikes- the engineering group and our product manager sit down to haggle about what the frame is going to be like, and what type of parts it will accept. This used to be a fairly simple process - it basically consisted of deciding 68 or 73 mm width on bottom bracket width. We try to make a lot of components interchangeable between our various models. If there's not a damn good reason to have different diameter seat-posts or front derailleur clamps, then those numbers remain the same. Recently, however, we've seen a proliferation of new "standards" representing conceptual minefields that must be crossed when designing a bike frame. An incomplete list would include (stick with me through the list, there's a point somewhere near the end):

Headsets: 1 1/8, 1.5, 1 1/8 to 1.5 tapered. And then you have integrated and semi-integrated options for each of those. Stems and forks are both subject to these dimensions, and each one can affect clearance between the fork crown to down-tube as well as influence bar height and frame geometry. To figure out what makes sense for what, we have to balance stiffness versus weight of the entire system, including the frame, headset, adaptors, stem AND fork. I've been told that the purpose of the tapered steerer "standard" (Sram and Fox have different taper lengths...) is to make it easier to find stems. WTF? So they're basically saying there is a new standard (1.5) that hasn't yet been adopted fully, so we're introducing another standard to address it, even though finding a headset or a fork will be more of a pain than finding a 1.5 stem ever was.

Bottom Brackets: 73mm BB shells are fairly standard now for 135mm rear axle spacing, but now we've also got 83mm BB shells, and 100! (my knees ache typing that), and Shimano's new press fit version that still gets you the same chain-line with no weight difference or discernable advantage, and now the "BB 30". Kill me please. In reality, there are only two chain-lines being widely used at the moment; 50mm and 57-ish mm (there's some squabble about a few mm around that one), so why does everyone want to change this? The BB is the part that frames are built around. It's "Manhattan real-estate" for a frame design.

Hubs and Spacing: 135mm QR rear, 135x12mm rear, 150x12mm rear, 100mm QR front, 110x20mm front, and now 100x15mm front. Let us not forget the special dropouts needed to accommodate the old Saint, or the current Maxle, on a frame. And of course there are Maverick's special hubs, and some other company w/ even bigger front axles.

Brakes: 120, 140, 160, 180 and 200mm rotors, you got your six-bolt and your center-lock action. Plus different adaptors for post mount, Boxxer mount, ISO mount, post mount for 200mm, not to mention the Dorado mount, Hayes 22, etc.... Now and again people who make brakes try to tell me that we should put post mount type attachments on our frames, cuz' everyone knows post mount is rad, right? So, uh, how do you face those tabs in a shop anyway? A die-cast fork leg is different than a welded swing-arm assembly. I've been told - multiple times, actually - that it's better for the bolts. Yeah, those M6 bolts used for an IS mount are just crying out, can you hear 'em? Can you?

Wheels: This is a subject that is not only related to axle diameter and spacing and rotor attachment, but also spokes and rims. These are fairly abused items on a bike, rims and wheels being the things that actually hit those rocks we ride over. There are very few "cool" wheels on the market today that can be repaired without a long wait, special tools and lots of patience. Oh, and they cost more. Cuz its freakin' bitchin' to have white spokes when I'm x-in' up, yo. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the 29" and 650B wheel sizes. Yup. At least the hubs remain the same for those things, thanks to the freaks for leaving that much alone. [Late update: I just read about 135mm spacing front hubs for 29ers, what a relief!] I can see the message boards lighting up now, a boycott might start any minute now.

ISCG "standards" include about 13 different ways to configure three stupid holes around the bottom bracket. And even then half the chain-guides on the market don't fit right without spacers, and putting your cranks on, then taking them off, and on, and off to get it right. And then there's ISCG05, same 3 holes 'cept we moved 'em! These holes initially held a back-plate to orient rollers that weren't abused much, but now people are hanging "taco" style bash guards on there which puts a lot more force on that little frame tab. And how do you weld that tab on anyway? It's only in the way of the freaking DOWN-TUBE on a lot of bikes. Beauty standard you got there. Well thought out.

Seat-posts: I don't have to list every diameter post there is, but to add to that mess, road and XC bikes are now getting super neat by not saving weight and adding a new way to screw up your bike by integrating the seat-post into the frame. Anyone ever cut a steerer tube too short by accident? I wonder if anyone out there has had to buy a "tall" saddle to make up for a mistake... Wanna sell your bike ever? Here's a great way not to.

Saddle/Post: There are different rail diameters of course, along with the unfortunate execution of the I-beam concept. I predict this relatively constant area to blow up in the next few years. It's just too predictable and easy not to have new "standards". Roadies are already getting into one piece molded post/saddle combos.

Bars and Stems: Forget about the varying stem length and bar widths, that's something justifiable. But if, speaking as a bike company, you figure on two steerer diameters, 5 stem lengths, and two bar diameters (25.4 and 31.8), then we've got 20 different combos right there. No wonder you can't find the combination you want for a particular type of riding (from a product manager point of view) that doesn't suck or cost a ton. Nobody can commit to tool up that much crap.

Derailleur mounting and cable routing is another thing, but probably more arcane than is worth getting into - top and bottom pull, top and bottom mount, 31.8, 34.9, E type, etc. Shimano should be applauded for doing a great job in recent years of making their FDs work in multiple situations though with adaptors and clever design. Just wait though; new "standards" are coming your way.

I won't even get into shock mounting or annual height increases of fork top caps, as I think my point is made. There are lots of different "standards". Fans of evolutionary theory might argue that this sort of proliferation is good for mountain bikes, and I tend to agree with that sentiment - in theory. However, the concerns I have are when a trend conflicts with two core values I hold when designing a new bicycle: choice and long-term support. There's a crew of mountain bike freaks that work at Santa Cruz Bicycles engineering department. We're not old-school curmudgeons and don't sit around lamenting the day that clunkers weren't used anymore. We get paid to push the envelope and be creative and come up with new stuff. But evaluating "performance gains" versus our core values is something we take very seriously - we put a lot of time into figuring out if the new way will be better than the old way. And I mean things that are fairly basic, albeit time consuming, like calculating the system weight by switching a frame to integrated headset from a plain old boring press in style. Call us crazy, but that seems like something that should be considered in the decision making process. Turns out, it doesn't save more than a few grams, it decreases your choice in headsets, and it looks kinda dumb with some forks.

Choice, as we define our customizable mountain bike builds, depends on compatibility. Long term support, to a great degree, does as well. It's hard to be confident that the newest steerer tube diameter or BB attachment scheme is going to be supported for a long time by the company introducing it, and for that reason it's difficult for us to spec a frame with a new "standard", since we want our customers to use our bikes for a long time. And if only one or two companies adopt the new specifications, one's choices and chances for long-term support are even more restricted.

On the surface, this multiplication of options seems a boon for cyclists that appreciate performance gains. Look a little closer, however, and sometimes new options are introduced merely because the manufacture has nothing new to offer, so they create "buzz" by making something different even though it doesn't provide much in terms of increased performance. Companies introducing new standards have a vested interest in their success, and we should all be wary of accepting the marketing claims. The performance data (if there even is any) should be independently vetted. Often, it takes years of evolution with any new design to optimize it, since engineers are typically (and hopefully) initially conservative with the design to ensure rider safety.

Some critical questions that get in the way of the rad factor with any new product can go a long way in determining if that product has been well thought through. Beyond the system weight comparison mentioned previously, there are some even more basic ones: How do you get those bearings out? Does your local shop have a tool? How much does the tool cost and when will it ship? How exactly does pressing bearings in make a difference? Did you make up a problem to solve after you made this thing? What other problems does it create? Let's take this marketing BS down to brass tacks here, because I don't want to screw with my bike all the time. I want to ride it, put it away and go drink beer, okay? Tomorrow, I want to pick it up and do that again. Maybe some people have the time and patience to screw with their bikes all the time, but I bet many of these people (a) don't ride enough, or (b) don't have a life, or (c) consider working on their bike a hobby. (If you are (c), I have some stuff to sell you, gimme a ring.)

There's plenty of opportunity for improvement on bikes. Hey, it's what I do for a paycheck, so there better be. There's a flip side to the coin though. I have the first frame I ever designed (a fixed gear made in Waterloo) that I can't get the bottom bracket out of, because the new "standard" tool that the manufacturer dreamed up in 1996 is extinct, and it worked so poorly anyway that it destroyed the interface the last time I tried to remove it six years ago. I'm lucky that the spindle still turns, which is more than I can say for some of these brand new "oversized" bearings that don't last six months without seizing up (and those were created by the people that want us to change). Does anyone understand how much work that is? There's moving front derailleur mounting, pivot locations, tire clearance, down-tube welding, alignment, QC tooling, machining tooling, etc., etc... It better be for something, but the track record is not looking good.

Let's face it, we've all been burned before with glittering promises of radness, stiffness, and the newest bestest thing ever. But when you open the box, does it really deliver as advertised? When do we wake up and not believe the same old song and dance? Show me something that lasts ten years and I'll change to it tomorrow. Boring, huh? I just want my bike to work well and last a long time without spending more money on it.

Done well, product improvements can make our bikes lighter, stronger, faster and more fun to ride. Done poorly (no perceptible improvement but a 100% increase in incompatibility), they can disenfranchise riders who find themselves unable to get parts and have their vacations or after-work rides ruined by simple mechanical failures that can't be easily repaired, and create a whole scrap heap of prematurely obsolete bicycles that could otherwise have had longer functional life-spans. The "market" (that's you by the way) has the last word in this. If you can control your addiction to shiny new stuff for a few minutes, and ask the right critical questions when faced with "new standards", manufacturers and suppliers might think twice - or even once - about those questions before they dribble out their next batch.

The Race For the World Cup Championship Hots Up As Minnaar Claims Victory in Bromont

Bromont, Canada

Santa Cruz Syndicate's Greg Minnaar(SRAM/RockShox) reels it in for his third win of the season in Bromont, Canada winning his 11th career UCI downhill race in the 111th UCI World Cup Series event.

His brilliant race run eclipsed the times of Fabien Barel, Sam Hill, Gee Atherton and Aaron Gwin for a big win this weekend under sunny skies on a rugged race track. Steve Peat makes a costly mistake and comes 7th, and Josh Bryceland steps it up and places 9th.

Coming off of the race at Mt. Ste. Anne the Syndicate rolled into Bromont early for a few days of relaxation before the race week started. The boys went golfing and had massages. We had a Christmas dinner complete with white elephant gifts that had the night ending up with fireworks going off, Steve singing his hair people running around in funny underwear and crazy flip-flops.

Practice started and everything went well. The mechanics had the Santa Cruz V-10's pimping and the boys got their lines dialed. Weather was on and off with rain during the week. Regardless of the conditions they enjoyed the challenging track. Steve was fighting a bug and felt under the weather but he was able to pull off a good qualifier in 4th. Greg was focused and qualified 3rd, and Josh wasn't pleased with his 15th place qualifier.

Race day went smooth as silk and the race program is dialed with everyone playing their part perfectly. The guys had their hot lunch and a nap at the Syndicate mansion and were ready to deliver the goods with me bringing the boys to the track. Josh had a great result and did a stint in the hotseat and he emerged 9th at the end. Steve charged the course but had a dab in a section that cost him precious time and he came 7th. All hopes were now on Greg and he didn't disappoint rolling into the hotseat with Sam and Fabien to follow. The split times were revealing and hopes were building, and in the end Greg was the victor !to the excitement of us all as he raised his shirt in celebration to reveal a "oneLife" mock tattoo.

Greg's mechanic, Doug Hatfield describes the ride up the lift for the race start when he, Ricky Bobby and Greg rode to the top, "The fans were so great and they were under us on the lift. They were cheering for Greg and us so loudly and had lots of noisemakers and when Greg lifted his shirt to reveal his "oneLive" tattoo they went nuts cheering. It was incredible!"

Greg describes his week; "I had a lot of pressure coming in from Mt. Ste. Anne's terrible weekend. It was a pressure to be on top. We had a good week in Bromont leading up to the race, which helped ease the pressure. A game of golf definitely took my mind off of racing. My qualifying race I tried to go for the win, but I rode to timidly. I hammered all the open sections but rode really cautious in the technical areas. I knew I could put together a better run in the final but I had to go faster on the top as I was 8th fastest on the top section in the semi final. When It came down to the final I made an error up top and didn't feel that I carried as much speed as I should have so I pushed really hard in the middle and lower sections to make up time that I thought I had lost. I'm now a bit closer to Sam in the overall points so it's definitely going down to another big weekend in Schladming. I'm just oneLifing it for life."

Josh says, "The course here in Bromont is short but tough. There is no rest and it's full on rocky, gnarly. I think after qualifying in 15th I knew I had a bit of work to do so I changed some lines on the track and worked hard. My race run wasn't as good as I had hoped but another top 10 makes me happy and it's a step in their right direction. I'm looking forward to world's and the finals and I'm just going to hang out with the Sessy's until worlds."

A disappointed Steve says, "I'm pissed off with finishing 7th. I had a weird week with being ill. I'm not happy to come away with a result like that. I felt good on the track and my bike was hooking up awesome. I made a dumb mistake in the final. Not a good place to do it when times are so tight. At least the Syndicate came away with a good day. The points are still really tight. Bring on Schladming!"

The Syndicate is stoked to be back in the overall points lead. Just 16 points separate Greg from Sam Hill's individual overall lead and Steve is in striking distance just 69 points back of Sam. It's going to be a showdown in Schladming for the finals, but we'll be heading down under before that for the World Championships.

WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RESULTS:

• 1 Greg Minnaar (RSA) Santa Cruz Syndicate 2:31.65 0
• 2 Fabien Barel (Fra) Subaru Mountain Bike Pro Team 2:32.11 0.46
• 3 Samuel Hill (Aus) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Cat 2:32.28 0.63
• 4 Gee Atherton (GBr) Animal Commencal 2:32.68 1.03
• 5 Aaron Gwin (USA) Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team 2:33.06 1.41
• 6 Michael Hannah (Aus) GT Bicycles 2:33.32 1.67
• 7 Steve Peat (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 2:33.48 1.83
• 8 Chris Kovarik (Aus) Chain Reaction Cycles/Intense 2:34.44 2.79
• 9 Josh Bryceland (GBr) Santa Cruz Syndicate 2:35.72 4.07
• 10 Brendan Fairclough (GBr) Monster Energy / Specialized / Mad Cat 2:35.74 4.09

MEN'S OVERALL STANDINGS:

• 1 HILL Samuel MER 142 (4) 185 (2) 100 (8) 180 (2) 182 (2) 250 (1)180 (3) 1219
• 2 MINNAAR Greg SCB 240 (1) 113 (6) 165 (3) 240 (1) 156 (4) 59 (24) 230 (1) 1203
• 3 PEAT Steve SCB 165 (3) 250 (1) 230 (1) 117 (6) 73 (16) 200 (2) 115 (6) 1150
• 4 ATHERTON Gee ANC 132 (5) 150 (4) 200 (2) 175 (3) 119 (6) 155 (3) 147 (4) 1078
• 5 HANNAH Michael GTB 210 (2) 170 (3) 132 (4) 140 (5) 71 (17) 98 (9) 108 (7) 929
• 6 LEOV Justin TRK 110 (6) 80 (10) 126 (5) 70 (13) 165 (3) 95 (10) 86 (11) 732
• 7 FAIRCLOUGH Brendan MER 49 (33) 145 (5) 101 (7) 59 (24) 128 (5) 102 (8) 86 (10) 670
• 8 BLENKINSOP Samuel YET 60 (25) 102 (8) 79 (14) 165 (4) 70 (18) 90 (11) 80 (13) 646
• 9 GWIN Aaron YET 64 (19) 67 (19) 65 (20) 89 (10) 67 (19) 153 (4) 127 (5) 632
• 10 BAREL Fabien SUB - - - 66 (17) 212 (1) 132 (5) 210 (2) 620
• 11 SMITH Steve MSE 61 (24) 78 (12) 93 (9) 69 (15) 110 (7) 104 (7) 59 (23) 574
• 12 BRYCELAND Josh SCB 42 (39) 57 (27) 85 (11) 104 (7) 73 (15) 78 (14) 90 (9) 529

Thanks to the SYNDICATE Sponsors:

• Santa Cruz Bicycles
• SRAM
• RockShox
• Truvativ
• Avid
• DT Swiss
• WTB
• nkbrothers
• Lizard Skins
• Clif Bar
• Troy Lee Designs
• Chris King
• Five Ten
• Galbraith Chiropractic
• Martin the Masseur

Peaty grabs his 50th World Cup Podium with Second in Mt Sainte Anne

Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec, Canada

Santa Cruz Syndicate's Steve Peat celebrates his 50th career UCI Downhill podium by placing 2nd in the UCI World Cup Downhill in Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec.

Greg Minnaar's race run was marred with a high speed crash, yet he managed to salvage a 22nd place finish, and young Josh Bryceland put together a 18th place run. Not a stellar weekend, but "Old School" pulled it together for the Syndicate and Minnaar is licking his wounds. Sam Hill takes the win and the leader's jersey going into Bromont next week. Aaron Gwin has his first career UCI podium and Gee, Fabien, Sam, and Steve destroyed him with a champagne blast.

It was a great week here with a Syndicate reunion after being apart for 4 weeks, everyone was jovial and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Greg enjoyed a day on the links in the shadow of the MSA racetrack, fired off some long drives, and lost a few balls.

Things may have been too relaxed when wrench Martyn "Tango" Hoyle drilled through his hand and off to hospital he went. Luckily the drill missed nerves, bones and ligaments and 3 stitches fixed him up. Jokes about it ran through our pit while he took the ribbing all in good stride and he was still able to get Josh's V-10 perfect in spite of the accident.

We were greeted with a new downhill track with a lot of changes from year's prior. The track is still very fast interspersed with tree sections and newly added berms and jumps. The guys were flying in practice. Qualifier came and Steve qualified 2nd and Josh had a solid 10th. It was a huge disappointment when Greg flatted losing valuable points. Luckily he is a top 20 protected rider, so he still made the show.

Race day, hoping to overcome a bad qualifier, Minnaar set off in his race run pinning it. He lost some rhythm through some berms, but got back into the flow again quickly. Flying along a high-speed section his rear wheel skipped out sending him skidding along the ground, pulling his glove half off. He carried on after throwing his glove off but had lost a lot of time and speed in the crash. Finishing an uncharacteristic 22nd, Greg tended to his bruised body and spirit. He says, "OneLife tribute to MJ, 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough'".

Josh says, "After qualifying 10th I was excited and really wanted a good result here. Unfortunately my race run didn't go as planned. My top section was really bad but I didn't let it phase me and I continued on and I managed to still get an 18th, not what I wanted. The track was really rough here and me and Tango managed to get the V-10 dialed in and it was really good on such a physically demanding track. "

Steve was pleased to finish 2nd, as he felt his run wasn't all that good. "I'm pretty happy to come out of Mt. Ste. Anne with 2nd place. My bike was working awesome all weekend and the track was it's usual tough, hard old self. The Syndicate didn't have the best weekend but we're all still in the mix. Bring on Bromont," said Steve.

Steve remains 2nd in overall standings while Greg drops from 1st to 3rd, with Sam taking the #1 spot, the first time this season the Syndicate hasn't held it the overall lead. Josh drops back one position to 13th overall. The Syndicate retains the overall team points lead by only 10 points over Trek World Racing who took top team honors on the day. We are looking forward to next week in Bromont as the series is looking like a four horse race. We will every attempt to get the leader's jersey back in the house.

WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RESULTS:

• Samuel HILL AUS 4:38.44
• Steve PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) GBR 4:41.48
• Aaron Holmes GWIN USA 4:42.91
• Gee ATHERTON GBR 4:43.51
• Fabien BAREL FRA 4:44.63
• Chris KOVARIK AUS 4:45.53
• Steve SMITH CAN 4:46.39
• Brendan FAIRCLOUGH GBR 4:46.58
• Michael HANNAH AUS 4:47.58
• Justin LEOV NZL 4:47.73
• 18 Josh BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) GBR 4:52.31
• 22 Greg MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) RSA 4:54.58

MEN'S OVERALL STANDINGS:

• 1 Sam Hill 1039
  
• 2 STEVE PEAT (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 1035
• 3 GREG MINNAAR (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 973
• 4 Gee Atherton 931
• 5 Mick Hannah 821
• 6 Justin Leov 646
• 7 Brendan Fairclough 584
• 8 Sam Blenkinsop0 564
• 9 Steve Smith 515
• 10 Aaron Gwin 505
• 13 JOSH BRYCELAND (SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE) 439

Thanks to the SYNDICATE Sponsors:

• Santa Cruz Bicycles
• SRAM
• RockShox
• Truvativ
• Avid
• DT Swiss
• WTB
• nkbrothers
• Lizard Skins
• Clif Bar
• Troy Lee Designs
• Chris King
• Five Ten
• Galbraith Chiropractic
• Martin the Masseur