Sunday July 6th saw the running of round two of the ‘King of Ballarat’ downhill race series. Fine but cold weather conditions greeted the strong field of elite riders which featured both the current Victorian State and Victorian series champions, and the previous two times King of Ballarat champion (Also Dave Hetherington!), as well as other top riders. The three race run format proved popular with both riders and fans who had lined the tracks to cheer their favorite riders down.

 Local Banshee rider Dave Hetherington won by 3.6 seconds (despite snapping a chain on his final run) saying after the race that his Scythe had worked well on the technically difficult tracks. “The bike was set up perfectly and seemed to float over the rough and root ridden sections,” he said. Dave has now won the first and second rounds of the series and is looking forward to the third round to be held next month.

The Banshee Amp has landed in Australia and is now available for purchase! We have been awaiting this new frame with eager anticipation, it’s versatile, light, has killer geo and a price that puts the competition to shame.

It utilises an alloy construction with custom engineered hydroform tubing for maximum strength. This combination allows us to make a rock solid frame at the scant weight of 2kg! Keep the weight down, as well as your stack height, the frame uses an integrated headset which also helps to keep everything well sealed out of the way and provide a perfect head angle. The horizontal dropouts allow you to run single speed and also have an adjustable wheel base, but the frame also comes with a derrailleur hanger so that you run gears making it perfect for assaulting a 4X or BMX track which ever way your gear fetish swings.

The frame is raw with a clear coat and the only logo is on the inside of the left hand chain stay as well as the headbadge, so that you can keep the bike simple and stealth. Or sticker it up to your hearts content. Either way, it’s your choice.

Price:

• RRP: $750
• Special Price: $650

Currently as a part of our Banshee Bikes special the price of the Amp has been reduced from $750 to $650! A great saving off an already awesome price for a frame of such quality and stature. But make sure you get in quick, because this special price is only available on a limited number of frames.

Special prices are still available on the majority of the Banshee line up as well, Wildcard and Scythe models are almost entirely sold out at this price though so get in touch with us ASAP if you are thinking about it……especially with tax return approaching! - Special Price List

Straitline Components Platform Pedal Cutaway - Simple eh? Greg just posted up some parts diagrams of the pedals and some videos on how to pull apart, service and put back togethor your Straitline Pedals. They are a super simple design and extremely easy for you to service and clean at home. We also stock a full range of spare parts so you can rebuild your pedals and keep them running for years. All the spares are cheap too:

• Axle: $35 RRP
• Soft Rebuild Kit: $27.50 RRP (new bushings, teflon washers, frisbees, poodle clips for 1 set [2] pedals).

The bushings are rated for 1000+ hours of use, but obviously if you get mud, fine dirt etc. in there it is going to wear them out quicker. So given them a clean and service every now and then to keep them in top shape. The bushings take an absolute beating though and are a much better option than bearings for this application. Other big name companies are already following Straitline’s lead with their use. Read more! (more…)

Well the lads just got back from Austria, which they we’re obviously carving up! Shame it got cancelled due to too much rain on the day….although they kept rippin’ anyway with a bunch of others.

Good luck to Pokoj too, sounds like he had a really nasty accident.

Farkin.net have just put up a long term review of the Industry Nine DH wheels, check it out!

This picture just got POD (Picture of the Day) on PinkBike.com, it is Banshee Bikes / Straitline Components factory rider Scott Alleyn.

PinkBike.com has recently reviewed the Banshee Wildcard, check it out!

Gamut USA has launched a new P30 bashguard designed to protect 36t single ring set-ups. The design consists of a new polycarbonate blend and a never before used spoke and cavity structure that reduces the weight by 25% while providing greater protection. By employing a smarter approach to energy distribution when absorbing impacts, the new design channels energy away from the frame and more critical (not to mention expensive) drive-train components.

In early 2007, Gamut started working on prototypes to break the 200 gram mark for a complete guide/device system. At 222 grams, the new P30 is the lightest guide available which can take the rigors of a World Cup season. It utilises a new material developed by Mitsubishi Motors that is much better at absorbing energy, making it highly resistant to cracking and fatigue.

“Although the riders we survey demand weight reduction in so many areas of their bikes, we knew we needed to lower the weight without compromising protection. The new material enables us to create the lighter structure which distributes energy away from more critical and expensive drive-train components and in no way compromises the frame or ISCG tabs like direct mount options” states Juan Graziosi, co- founder of Gamut USA.

Gamut’s approach to protecting drive-componentry is derived from rider feedback which surfaces 5 main elements; performance, durability, weight, ease of installation, and cost. These same principles were also followed in the design of Gamut’s new Race Rings which will be out later this year. “We had riders on our Race Rings all last season and now we are getting ready to release them to the market. They are lighter than anything else we are aware of and compliment the guides nicely” said Mike Poutre, co- founder of Gamut USA.

Gamut has also been working on their dual-ring chainguide, which will utilize the new bashguard design making it the lightest dual-ring on the market. Gamut would like to give special thanks to the riders who provided input and to our guys and gals that tested our prototypes all of last year. They help make Gamut’s products a reality.

Banshee Factory riders Markolf Berchtold and Marcelo Gutierrez have both claimed victory at the 2008 Pan-American MTB Championships held in Venezuela. They claimed wins in Elite Men’s and Junior Men’s respectively, which will secure them positions to race at the World Championships in 2009 for their federations; Brazil and Colombia respectively.

They both piloted their new rides to victory, 3 seconds clear of their 2nd place counterparts. A solid victory over some very fierce competition. Marcelo rode with a spring that was 150 lbs too heavy, so well done for even getting that thing to turn Marcelo!

Well done to both of them from us here at XXIV and everyone involved in Banshee in Australia. A great result by both and a fantastic result for Banshee, proving that they are producing not only fantastic, well engineered bikes; but bikes that will pin it and take the victory!

Results:

Downhill - Male
1 - BERCHTOLD, MARKOLF - BRA - 02:20,593
2 - FRANCO NAVARRO, JUAN FERNANDO - COL - 02:23,543
3 - MIRANDA, WALACE - BRA - 02:24,053
4 - ARAYA, CRISTIAN - CHI - 02:24,149
5 - BASCUÑAN, PABLO - CHI - 02:25,550

Downhill - Female
1 - MARGGRAFF, DIANA - ECU - 02:44,840
2 - MIRANDA, VERONICA - CHI - 02:56,337
3 - RODRIGUEZ, KATHERINE - VEN - 03:04,623
4 - LASSO, JULIA - ECU - 03:20,999
5 - FIGUEROA VERGARA, GRECIA - VEN - 03:49,136

Downhill - Junior Male
1 - GUTIÉRREZ, MARCELO - COL - 02:25,364
2 - LEON, JOHAN - CHI - 02:28,049
3 - KUKULIS, ANDREAS - CHI - 02:35,780
4 - ZESCHAU, BRUNO - BRA - 02:35,110

Downhill - Junior Female
1 - DROMUNDO, DIANA LORENA - MEX - 03:02,818
2 - ANGULO, ANDREA - VEN - 03:25,709
3 - TORREALBA, IVONNE - VEN - 03:45,736

Jeff Lenosky is under review by the Guinness Book of World Records for his records after it has come to light that Lenosky may have been using performance enhancing products when he set the world record for side hopping 48 inches.

At the centre of the controversy is a Precision Engineering firm; Straitline Components. It appears Straitline has been manufacturing illegal performance enhancing products for Mr Lenosky for some time now, so we set out to dig up the dirt on this spiralling relationship.

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