We’ve been working the design team hard here at Kona. Testing, drawing, refining, inventing, creating, coming up with entirely new models, while ensuring existing models are the best they can possibly be. In this series of 2011 Sneak Peeks, we get up close and personal with our product team on the why’s, how’s and wow’s of a few highlight bikes that will be hitting stores a few months from now.In this installment, we catch up with Freeride/DH product manager, Chris Mandell, offering up the first official, break-it-to-the-world look at our entirely new Downhill series…the Operator. (more…)

e*thirteen have merged with Hive, putting their name to the super light DH cranks you see below. Available at the end of July, check out the press release and ALL the details below:

Petaluma, CA and Leominster, MA

The Hive proudly announces a merger with chain retention manufacturer e*thirteen. Independently, both companies are dedicated to designing and manufacturing industry-shaping cycling components. Together, we’ll build on our shared philosophy of strong engineering principles and quality manufacturing to deliver even greater innovation to a discerning customer base. Neither company would exist without loyal customers and industry families, so we thank you for being an integral part of our progress and inspiration. In the near future, we’ll be revealing several new products to be released under a shared brand. In an effort to get you back on the bike instead of in front of the computer, we’ll keep this short and sweet: e*thirteen is integrating into the Hive, replacing the Fifteen.G Offroad product phylum. Current Fifteen.G cranks will be re-branded as e*thirteen and we’ll soon have additional product offerings under the e*thirteen offroad phylum–both gravity and XC. From here on, the Hive consists of e*thirteen Offroad, Chub Wheelgoods, and Revl Road. Since we all love to ride anything with two wheels, we are happy to offer groundbreaking products for all categories.

More details about the merger can be found on www.e13bythehive.com, an informative website specifically set up to provide the details of the merger.

Details about the new DH crank are as follows:

More information and pictures can be found on the merger site here: e13bythehive

e*thirteen DH Crank – Finally a lightweight DH crank without strength sacrifices.
• Forged and then machined 7050 Aluminum arms.
o 7050 is 40% stronger than most common hollow forged alloys.
• 30mm heat-treated cromoly spindle.
o It is 200%+ stiffer than 24mm steel spindles commonly used in external bearing cranksets.
• German DIN 32711-P3 Polygon interface provides 100% surface contact between spindle and crankarm
o Eliminates fretting corrosion – the prime cause of dreaded crankset creaking and loosening.
• 14mm pedal thread engagement + 7050 arm construction + quality pedal washers.
o Eliminates the need for costly and unreliable pedal thread inserts.
• High quality titanium-nickel hybrid spindle coating.
o Increases durability and extends material life (to just about forever). Tell your machinist friends. They might hug you.
• Standard 104 BCD
o Of course!
• Lengths:
o 165mm, 170mm and 175mm lengths.
• BB:
o Larger BB 6806 (7×30×42)Bearings carry 20% greater static load and dramatically increase BB durability.
o 68/73mm and 83mm BB shell versions.
• New: 24-38 Shift ringset option available.
o For you core freeriders who like to earn your downhill.
o Inner ring bolts to outer ring requiring no inner ring tabs on crank.
• Weight: 870g: Crank weight: 759g (165mm x 83mm) / BB weight 111g.
• MSRP: $349 w/BB and BB install tool.

Ring Configurations
• e*thirteen guiderings: 32-40T in one tooth increments. Available in black, silver, blue, red, green, and purple. 36-72 grams.
• 24-38 shiftrings: 9 & 10speed compatible. The 24T chainring bolts directly to the 38T chainring to optimize tooth location and provide the greatest amount of modularity and compatibility seen in a heavy duty All Mountain / race weight DH crankset. No grinding of granny tabs and eliminating front shifting options. 138 grams.
• 22-36 shiftrings: same as above, slightly lower gearing for our comrades in steeper locales. 130 grams.

Release Date: Global availability by the end of July 2010.

The single biggest news from the GT Bicycles 2009 product release, currently underway in Livigno, Italy, is the new Fury downhill bike. Kept under wraps until its unveiling yesterday, the new all-carbon fiber monocoque-framed machine will replace the DHi model currently being sold by GT.

The most important point about the frame that GT engineers stressed was that the Fury was designed out of carbon fiber for strength purposes and not for lightweight purposes. Many carbon fiber frames have been designed in the past to be lightweight, and when they are designed to be light, they can fail easily if improperly used, leading to the misconception that carbon fiber is a weak material. The fact is that carbon fiber has a strength-to-weight ratio over ten times that of aluminum. So it should be possible to design a much stronger frame from carbon fiber, at a similar weight as an aluminum one.

The Fury uses a complete monocoque frame design, meaning its front triangle is all one piece, as is its rear triangle. By making it from one piece the design avoids lugs or welds that could form stress risers. The design has optimized tube construction and tube shape using FEA analysis as well as a proprietary blend of fiber types. The engineers have gone so far in their testing of the fury frame they have even, albeit not so scientifically, banged on it to failure with a ball peen hammer—and it did not fail quickly. This frame was designed to be tough, the engineers assured us that rock impacts should not be an issue.

The new Fury features an increased top tube length compared to the DHi, a 1.5-inch integrated headset, a 64-degree head angle and 8.3-inches of rear wheel travel. The frame uses a standard-sized shock for compatibility and a 2.8:1 leverage ratio. The lone model shown here was functional, but we were not allowed to ride it unfortunately. Team GT downhiller Bryn Atkinson has been hanging out with us in Livigno at the product release and he hasn’t even ridden it yet, but is slated to race the Fury in the future. The Fury has a claimed weight comparable to the existing DHi, or around 38 pounds. It will be sold in two models and one frameset at retail prices of $5999 and $3999. The frame-only price is still to be determined.

“First introduced in 2006, the Shocker is Cove’s fresh-from-the-factory DH bike. Designed and built for major speed and amplitude, the Shocker features our new Dual Link suspension platform, delivering a mega 8.75 watts of rear travel. A SRAM Maxle rear axle and Easton RAD tubing bring it for a super stiff ride that takes corners and rails them. Tested and proven by Canadian National DH Champ Tyler Morland, the Shocker is love Cove Tribe style.”

Theme Track: AC/DC – Shoot To Thrill

Minnaar and Jonnier take new DHI wins

There were two familiar faces on the podium for round seven of the downhill series in the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano. Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) took her sixth consecutive win in the women’s category, while Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) took his third in the men’s, at Bromont, Quebec in Canada. Jonnier has now locked up the women’s overall title with one race still remaining. Sam Hill (Monster Energy-Specialized) retains the lead in the men’s series after finishing third, but Minnaar is only 16 points back, so this title will come down to the final round in Schladming, Austria, one month from now.

The off again – on again rain of the past week finally moved away overnight, with blue skies and bright sun appearing shortly before race time. The open sections of track dried out quickly, however, in among the trees the mud remained, forcing riders to carefully negotiate slippery rock gardens and rooted sections.

Women: Sixth consecutive win for Sabrina Jonnier

Junior World Cup leader Anais Pajot (Team Sunn) was the first to go below three minutes and 12 seconds in the women’s race, and took the Nissan Hot Seat. Jonnier was up only a few riders later, after an uncharacteristically slow qualifier that had her seeded fifth. The French rider obliterated the rest of the field, becoming the only rider to clock under three minutes. Floriane Pugin (Iron Horse-Kenda-Playbiker) took second, while Japan’s Mio Suemasa was third.

“I’ve been sick all week,” revealed Jonnier “and I had no energy. I was really disappointed with my qualifier, it was the worst that I have had. But the weather changes dried the track out and made it more to my liking. Even so, I was really surprised at how fast my time was.”

Men: Another win for South Africa Greg Minnaar

Mick Hannah (GT Bicycles), with 11 riders remaining, was the first to make a significant dent in the top time, taking it below 2:34. His time would hold until the young American revelation Aaron Gwin (Yeti Fox Shox) knocked a quarter of a second off the best time, to eventually take the fifth podium spot. World champion Gee Atherton (Animal Commencal) bumped Gwin, but Minnaar was only two riders later, and his time would prove to be the best, as the final two riders – Hill and number one qualifier Fabien Barel (Subaru) – could only manage the second and third fastest times respectively.

“The course was really tough after all the rain, many of the sections were just blown right out, and it was easy to make mistakes. I didn’t have a clean run; I don’t think anyone did, but I just tried to keep it clean and flowy, and be as smooth as I could. Definitely, this win is a confident booster, going into the Worlds, and I’ll be looking forward to having it all come down to the Final in Schladming.”

Mens
1  RSA MINNAAR Greg                   SCB 2:31.65
2  FRA BAREL Fabien                      SUB 2:32.11 +00.46
3  AUS HILL Samuel                        MER 2:32.28 +00.63
4  GBR ATHERTON Gee                   ANC 2:32.68 +01.03
5  USA GWIN Aaron                         YET 2:33.06 +01.41
6  AUS HANNAH Michael              GTB 2:33.32 +01.67
7  GBR PEAT Steve                            SCB 2:33.48 +01.83
8  AUS KOVARIK Chris                   CRC 2:34.44 +02.79
9  GBR BRYCELAND Josh               SCB 2:35.72 +04.07
10 GBR FAIRCLOUGH Brendan   MER 2:35.74 +04.09

Womens
1 FRA JONNIER Sabrina               TMR 2:58.28
2 FRA PUGIN Floriane                   IKP 3:00.92 +02.64
3 JPN SUEMASA Mio                                3:01.23 +02.95
4 GBR MOSELEY Tracy                  TRK 3:02.24 +03.96
5 FRA GROS Céline                          MLG 3:04.24 +05.96
6 CAN GATTO Micayla                            3:06.31 +08.03
7 CAN BUCHAR Claire                   CRC 3:06.75 +08.47
8 FRA RAGOT Emmeline               SCT 3:06.97 +08.69
9 SUI SIEGENTHALER Emilie     STT 3:07.55 +09.27
10 USA PRUITT Kathleen                      3:09.06 +10.78

Source: DirtTV – Trackwalk, Helmet Cam and Qualifying

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup racing heads west to Bromont, Quebec, after a wet weekend in Mont Saint-Anne, where upsets in the men’s downhill and women’s cross-country rankings renew competition heading into this weekend’s round.

Trackwalk

Bromont Helmet Cam

Qualifying

Top 10 Men:

Fabien Barel 2:38.32
Samuel Hill
Greg Minnaar
Steve Peat
Gee Atherton
Chris Kovarik
Steve Smith
Aaron Gwin
Justin Leov
Matti Lehikoinen

Top 5 Women:

Tracy Moseley 3:07.43
Emmeline Ragot
Floriane Pugin
Mio Suemasa
Sabrina Jonnier