Soul-Riders.com have just done a feature story on Straitline Components. Andrew Day from Soul-Riders caught up with Greg Parish from Straitline to find out what drives the company and where they are headed in the future. It is quite an interesting read and an insight into a company who are still the “new kids on the block” in high end MTB components.
Well I have just jumped on the BlackBerry band wagon in a possibly fruitless attempt to bring my mobile phone bills down in price. They have been sky-rocketing due to the amount of email I send and receive on the go. But to be honest I had pretty much destroyed my old phone in the space of 6 months, much the story with every phone I have owned.
So there were 2 main issues with my previous phones; durability and water resistance. Now water resistance was mainly due to me making a lot of calls while on my bike and with a cruddily sealed screen next to a sweaty oily ear and cheek you know what the outcome is going to be. I have decided the solve that problem with a BlueAnt Z9 bluetooth headset which will also keep 2 hands on the bar and get rid of sore necks from holding the phone with my shoulder. Now the durability issue was another thing…I don’t want to get boxed into buying some phone because its “durable” because they never have any features I need. That is when I stumbled across OtterBox Cases.
I purchased a OtterBox Defender series case for my BlackBerry 8310. It comes with an inner splash proof cover, a polycarbonate shell and a silicon rubber holder which absorbs shocks. I had a go at putting the thin, clear, splash and scratch proof membrane on. But I just couldn’t work all the air bubbles out of the screen and the feeling of the membrane over the keyboard wasn’t to my liking; so I binned it. Besides I have solved my water resistant issue by using a bluetooth headset and I don’t plan for it to get doused in water (Otterbox make some fully waterproof cases too though!).
The main reason I bought it was to basically ruggedise my phone. Now I can just chuck it around, just like it normally would but it won’t get dented or scratched. The silicon rubber holder absorbs shocks too so will make any larger than normal falls (which are regular) less of an issue. I have given it a few test throws and drops and very happy with how it works, rock solid, phone doesn’t blink an eye. It also comes with a magnetic belt clip holder which holds the phone extremely securely and has a rotatable clip so I can put it on my belt, bag or whatever takes my fancy.
You can get this particular case in 2 different colours for the polycarbonate, yellow or black. I chose yellow because it looks Tonka tough, plus it is company colours and it is easy to find if I can’t remember where the hell I put it.
I bought my case and headset at the same time to cut on shipping costs from CrackBerry.com but you can just buy the cases alone at OtterBox.com . They make a range of different cases offering varying ranges of protection for a larger amount of phones, PDAs, iPods etc. Check ‘em out!
Well the frame is finally complete! Sicklines.com have been granted exclusive access to finished pictures of the frame for the first few days, so make sure you keep an eye on their site; although we will mirror what they receive on here too.
Well here it is, the first Banshee Legend Mk 1 Prototype. This frame is only available to 50 pre-selected riders for the first year and will possibly still have a pre-selection beyond that for future years. It has 8.5″ of V4FP (Virtual 4-bar Floating Pivot) suspension and all the geo has been dialled to create hopefully the fastest DH bike in the world. Production weight is aimed to be at around 10.5-11lbs with all bolts, including shock! And going by the prototype weight (which still has a lot of meat to come off it), it is well on target to being a very light frame indeed, without sacrificing strength, stiffness or longevity. The bike is built to be a long lasting race bike, not a 1-Season-Wonder throw-away. It’s pivots run on iGus bushings and are around 20mm big to provide plenty of stiffness as well as serviceable grease ports for ease of cleaning.
Check out the Banshee Blog for all your technical info to be satisfied!
Well we have some more pics that Jay from Banshee has taken at the factory in Taiwan. The front triangle is complete and so are the links and rear triangle. Welded parts are now being heat treated and we should have pics tomorrow of a complete frame and not long after that a complete bike!
If you haven’t been keeping an eye on the Banshee Blog then you wouldn’t know that the Legend is being prototyped right now. All the tubes are ready and other components being CNCed. The prototypes will be unfinished, machined alloy; but the production big it will all be smoothed out to save some more weight and for asthetics.
We should have a finished Legend shortly and we will have some pics up here as soon as it is ready. I am expecting it in the next day or 2 as it is being built for the Taipei Bike Show which I believe starts today, so keep your eyes peeled!
Sicklines have just done a review on the Gamut P30 Chain Device. As always Sicklines have done a very thorough review and been analytical about everything. You will get a great run down of the guide and proof of it’s light weight, adjustability, ease of installation and performance.
I am particularly fussy when it comes to turning. If you don’t feel comfortable in the turns then you wont produce fast times. This is not the case with the Scythe, it turns sharply and precisely in any sort of corner. The biggest stand out point with the Scythes turning ability is how comfortably it power slides when the speed is high, without feeling the need to unclip your foot. This is a major benefit for any downhill racer.
What has been reinforced when riding the bike is its versatility. Whether it is dirt jumps, drops, gaps or any line where the wheels leave the ground, the bike does so with ease and stability. My confidence with this type of riding has increased significantly to the point where I will hit lines that I wouldn’t usually do everyday without a second thought.
Another major positive of the Scythe is its ability to gain speed quickly on the ground during a downhill run. A combination of the stiff, lightweight frame and power going straight to the back wheel make this possible. So getting the power down out of a turn, pumping through the turns and just pumping in general is a breeze.
I am particularly fussy when it comes to turning. If you don’t feel comfortable in the turns then you wont produce fast times. This is not the case with the Scythe, it turns sharply and precisely in any sort of corner. The biggest stand out point with the Scythes turning ability is how comfortably it power slides when the speed is high, without feeling the need to unclip your foot. This is a major benefit for any downhill racer.
So far the bike has needed no maintenance what so ever and is holding up strong. So far so good.
