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We may have a lot of coverage from the Western United States here at the Radavist, but North Carolina is my home state and I personally grew up mountain biking in the Pisgah. It was a lot different back then and all the improvements I’ve seen over the years keep pulling at my heartstrings to return and ride there, especially with projects like this!
Keep reading for information on the fourth consecutive year of the Pisgah Project raffle…
Modern mountain bikes have low bottom brackets. There are many reasons for the push for lower bottom brackets but like each technological or geometric advancement, there is always an effect. One of which is you’re very likely to smash your chainring on rocks with a low bottom bracket and while there is a multitude of bash guards out there, I’ve recently tried out the Wolf Tooth CAMO BashSpider and chainring. Read on below for a quick review of this system on my Starling Murmur with Cane Creek eeWings cranks…
Bikes are an extension of the rider in every sense of the word. Not only do the wheels and bars act as our contact points to the terra firma, but everything becomes more than the sum of its parts. Those parts bin grips or meticulously color-matched fasteners all create a piece of rolling poetry. Found art, master-planned, functional, beautiful.
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself only riding 150mm travel hardtails and full suspensions with slackened front ends and steep seat tubes. In my mind, why would you want anything else? Then I moved to Santa Fe, where we have even bigger backcountry loops, steep climbs, and long, rocky descents. Yet, we also have sweeping, undulating XC trails. Suddenly, all those 150mm bikes are a little too much for a lot of the trails here, most of which are in my neighborhood. Then Chumba came to the rescue, sending along their Sendero 130mm 29er hardtail for me to review and I fell in love with XC bikes once again.
Read on for how this beauty of a bike handles our chunder and Chamisa-lined trails here in Santa Fe…
The Cane Creek Helm fork is a personal favorite of mine but even good things need an upgrade. The Helm MKII was announced this morning, featuring a newly-designed damper with a new compression and mid-valve circuit for even better control. There’s also a new SKF oil seal head and 2.5 weight damper oil which reduces friction and provides a more supple ride-feel.
Even the air spring has seen a redesign with new air pistons which reduce friction, more air volume, and a threadless seal head for easier travel change. Helm MKII also has low-friction SKF wiper seals as a stock feature.
Helm MkII maintains its tokenless air volume adjustment design, independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers on the air spring and rider-adjustable travel which allows HELM MKII owners to change the travel of their fork at home with just a few common tools.
The 29er Helm MKII comes in gloss black and the 27.5 in matte black. There’s also this Hot Pink limited release, with only 50 units available.
Continuing the tradition of limited releases, Cane Creek’s eeBrakes get coated in a Platinum and Burnt Orange “El Fuego” edition. With an unparalleled look and incredible stopping power, eeBrakes can’t be beat, especially in a look like this. Head to Cane Creek to see more.
Cane Creek has two new bottom brackets rolling out of their North Carolina facilities, the Hellbender 70 and an update to the Neo line with a T47 model. With the Hellbender 70, Cane Creek wanted to create a long-lasting bottom bracket. The Hellbender 70 bottom bracket utilizes a bearing made of 440C stainless steel, offering longer life and better ride qualities.
While not quite as resistant to contamination as the SKF MTRX bearings found in the Hellbender Neo bottom bracket, the stainless steel bearing provides excellent durability and corrosion resistance. This BB is available in both 30mm and DUB specifications.
The world of T47 has hit the Neo BB lineup as well. Head to Cane Creek to see more!
Cane Creek’s eeWings titanium cranks epitomize a true balleur upgrade for your gravel or mountain bike and now they come in black, or as I like to call them “goth”. The name, “Raven”, is so fitting, as these indestructible cranks have received a durable, glossy black finish. They’re not available at Cane Creek but I hope you saved your stimulus check! These will set ya back $1,049.00.
Cane Creek’s Thudbuster was a game-changer for commuters and all riders who needed some compliance at their seat post when it first launched. Since then, it’s gone through various permutations and this week, the brand announced a series of updates to their trusty Thudbuster.
If you love the look of Cane Creek’s ma EE Wings cranks but wanted to know what they’d look like covered in LSD-induced unicorn pee, well, today is your day. These cranks look insane. $1,100 insane but wow. I love that the team at Cane Creek had this epiphany. Head on over to Cane Creek to see more details and if you’re a big balleur, to order.
Since taking over the manufacturing and distribution of the eeBrake in 2016, Cane Creek has done up the brakes with fancy limited edition colorways a total of six times, with this month’s announcement being the latest and greatest. The El Real color scheme features a vibrant violet anodizing mated to the classic jet black caliper. To buy a pair of the eeBrake El Real Edition in regular mount and direct mount versions, you must place your order at your local Cane Creek retailer by September 18, 2019 with expected delivery in November 2019.
Named after North America’s largest salamander that calls the streams of the Blue Ridge Mountains home, Cane Creek’s new bottom bracket, the Hellbender, looks to up the ante of bearing design. It starts out like most bottom brackets and is machined from 6061 – T6 aluminum, then it receives a two-stage anodize black and gold finish. What makes it different however is Cane Creek’s all-new Hellbender Neo bearing technology:
“The bearings incorporate Swedish manufacturer SKF’s patented MTRX technology – an oil-filled, solid polymer matrix that completely fills the free space in the bearing. During use, oil is released from micro-pores in the polymer, continuously lubricating the bearings.”
The Hellbender is available in BSA threaded, PF41, PF30, and BB30 variations and retails between $120 and $150 depending on the options. See more specifications at Cane Creek.
A lot of companies are standing behind their products with Lifetime Guarantees now. Cane Creek Cycling Components is the latest brand to announce a 100% lifetime guarantee on all 110 series headsets – including bearings – purchased after August 28, 2019.
Cane Creek Cycling Components and LaMere Cycles just announced the pre-order for their eeWings Titanium cranks optimized for modern fat bike hub and bottom bracket standards. The fatbike crank kit will come with a longer bottom bracket spindle to allow for optimal frame clearance and q-factor.
LaMere Cycles will be selling the eeWings fat bike cranks as an option on their complete bike models or aftermarket consumer-direct at a retail of $1049. Those interested in pre-ordering can do so now at Lamere Cycles with expected delivery in November. Check out more specifications below.
The Helm surprised me. A lot. Cane Creek’s front suspension fork has it all, including a high price up until now. The Helm is now $899 and it’s not often we hear of brands dropping hundreds off of their product’s retail! See more at Cane Creek.
Now through September 21st, Cane Creek’s in-house brand eeBrakes – formally eeCycleworks from California – is offering a pink and black, El Rosado limited edition set of these amazing caliper brakes, complete with eeBarKeeps and eeNut preload stem cap. They’re available in regular and direct mount sets and in my experience offer the most tire clearance out of any caliper I’ve used. Plus they look damn good. This kit isn’t cheap at $700, but in my experience with the eeBrakes, they make a rim brake bike stop like a disc brake bike. Check out more at Cane Creek.
Since acquiring eeCycleworks and their phenomenal brakes last year, Cane Creek has been implementing ee’s MO to products within their lineup. The eeSilk is a recent example of that. Weighing in at only 295 grams, this post weighs around the same as many rigid posts on the market, while offering 20mm of vertical compliance, improving the ride quality on rough surfaces and reducing fatigue on long rides. By comparison, a Thomson mountain post weighs 228 grams. The eeSilk post comes in 27.2mm only, but Cane Creek offers a variety of shims to make it work on your bike. Each eeSilk is is made in North Carolina. You can see more at Cane Creek.
A legendary crankset returns for modern riding, with world-renown weight savings (400 grams!) and classic looks. Head to Cane Creek to order their new eeWings ti mtb cranks for $999.00. Hey, lookin this good sometimes comes at a hefty cost.