chinamtb 08

Mountain biking, well biking in general, is getting more and more popular and the people involved here in China are willing to spend more and try new things. This is excellent news for us as it’s now even easier to pimp our bikes with the latest and greatest!

Rockshox Sid WC (Olympic Edition)

How cool is this? I’m not an XC rider myself but when I saw these I was pretty impressed. This fork is pretty much the same as your regular Sid, lightweight, air sprung….. blah blah….. but! these guys have Chinese writing on and cool decals especially produced for this Summers Olympics.

I’m not sure on availability however there are a few vendors claiming to have them. Prices are around 5000 RMB. Also check out the retro blue edition of the Sids, pricing is around the same.

Quad Disc Brakes

Designed by a leading British engineer and tested by some of the top UK magazines and riders, Quads brakes have impressed everyone who has ridden them. There are 4 models available here in China at the moment. Each model features a ‘flip flop’ style lever, meaning you can fit the lever to either side of the bar, and a split 2 bolt clamp (so you don’t have to remove the grips to fit them). Prices range from 800 RMB (pair !) to 1600 RMB and all models are available in either black or white. We hope to have a pair on test soon!

Quad also have a nice range of hubs, rims and complete wheelsets available at good prices too.

Big Cat 853 Team Issue

I’ve been feeling a bit retro recently (this might explain why I have just bought a 14 year old frame) so this Reynolds 853 steel XC frame really got me excited. Priced at an amazingly low 1300 RMB!! This skinny tubed XC frame is sure to have you whipping around your local singletrack in bright pink 90’s lycra in no time!

We have finally got hold of a couple of pairs of the new ‘Improved’ Kowa 160ss Air forks. At first glimpse they look the same as the previous version, however once you look a little more carefully you will notice the redesigned crown. The new crown looks a lot bigger than the last model’s and also has a ‘ribbed’ machined finished rather than the smooth finish on the older model.

Externally the fork seems to be the same as the 06/07 model, with the exception of a red rebound knob, labeling on the travel adjust knob and the new crown, that is.

The Kowa still uses a Boxxer style brake mount (which were waiting for) and is still one tall fork! My 06 Marzocchi 66 at 170mm are the same length as the Kowa when it is set at 155mm travel. It also seems to have gained a bit of weight over its predecessor, however I can’t be sure until I get it on the scales.

Thats it for now, once I get the Boxxer mount I’ll post the fitting and setting up of the fork, and more photos.

Tyres are sometimes an overlooked item on a bike. Everyone talks about and researches the latest fork or brake they are considering to adorn their steed, but very few sit down and research which ring of knobbly rubber they should run. To me this is crazy! Yes, a fork and brake will change the ride of your bike, but the tyres are the things which keep you rolling along the earth and, if you chose wisely, they’ll also be the component which prevents you from slipping in rocky/muddy/rooty sections to your possible doom!!! Ok, a little dramatic, but your tyres are an extremely important piece of your bike, and can make you faster and keep you out of trouble.

Continental have been in the tyre making game as long as many other companies (longer in fact than most) and they know a thing or two about making a good bit of sticky rubber.

The Mountain King 2.4 Tyres (also available in 2.2 and 29niner!) are billed as a lightweight large volume tyre for all round use. They are made by hand in Germany using a three layer construction for a TPI count of 180, the thread is added per inch count (TPI) which is totaled to get 180.

The tread pattern is made up of widely spaced, low profile diamonds and triangles, which we imagine will roll well on the tarmac to and from rides and should also clear mud well (due to the wide spaces).

With Spring moving along and Summer just around the corner, we are going to be experiencing a vast array of weather conditions here in Qingdao. Just this morning it was raining, and now it is sunny and dry. Perfect conditions to test Conti’s latest ‘All round’ tyre.

Keep posted for first ride impressions and full review.

Thanks to Colmax for sending the Mountain King’s to us for testing.

UPDATE

Dry weather review can be read here.

Wet weather impressions can be read here. 

Yes, that’s right we’ve bagged our selves a couple of ‘Improved’ Kowa 160ss forks to test. They won’t be available until after the 21st March, and we have no idea as to what the improvements might be (Stronger was the word used, but stronger chassis or more competitive product we’re not sure) but we can’t wait for them to arrive!

We’ve been pretty impressed with the current 160ss up to now (report to come) so an ‘Improved’ model sounds excellent!

What we would like to see is a regular/readily available disc mount (the current model uses a Boxxer mount), maybe a shorter chassis and possibly some sort of compression adjust (internal or external).

Only time will tell!