iXS European Downhill Cup 2008

iXS Sports Division is proudly announcing that a venue for the Italian part of the iXS European Downhill cup has been found. The second race of this series of five will be held in Canazei, Italy. This will spread the iXS European Downhill Cup to the fifth country in addition to the already officially confirmed locations in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The need for such a series became obvious at last year test run in Leogang where riders from more than 20 nations attended the iXS European Downhill Cup run. This race series will close the gap between the national series and the World Cup and contribute to a successful development of the European Downhill scene.

05.-06.07.2008  iXS European Downhill Cup EDC #1  Scuol (CH)
26.-27.07.2008  iXS European Downhill Cup EDC #2  Canazei (ITA)
09.-10.08.2008  iXS European Downhill Cup EDC #3  Châtel¬ (FRA)
23.-24.08.2008   iXS European Downhill Cup EDC #4  Ilmenau (GER)
20.-21.09.2008  iXS European Downhill Cup EDC #5  Leogang (AUT)

For further information please visit www.ixsdownhillcup.com

 

Here's a couple of shots of the new '08 Race-Lites, they have been totally redesigned to be a true light weight platform pedal. They are 4mm smaller in profile and approximately 2.5 mm smaller in width and height. They'll also have 2 smaller bearings on the outside and a Super Oilite bearing closest to the crank. The axle shares the same austempering process and because of the smaller platform it's 5mm shorter in length. The biggest change is most definitely the weight, they come in at 520 grams for the set!       Color options will be as follows: Green, Black, Gold, Blue, Grey  

    

          

After a successful 2007 season, the iXS Downhill Series are back bigger and better for 2008. iXS Sports Division will organize in addition to the “iXS German Downhill Cup” and the “iXS Swiss Downhill Cup” a new international series. The “iXS European Downhill Cup” will fill the gap between national series und the UCI World Cup. The series grows with new venues for 2008. 

1^st Race            Scuol (CH)                               05/06 July 2008

2^nd Race           Châtel (FRA)                            09/10 August 2008

3^rd Race            Ilmenau (GER)                          23/24 August 2008 

4^th Race            Leogang (AUT)                         20/21 September 2008 

Please note that the new iXS Downhill Cup website is now live. The new site debuts with a completely new look and feel. The navigation and most of information are available in three languages: www.ixsdownhillcup.com

For questions please do not hesitate to contact the organizers of the series via e-mail: info@ixsdownhillcup.com

 

"NYCFLTD."

(NYCFreeride) is proud to announce the addition of George Ryan, Adam Hauck and Nick VanDine to the team for 2008.                        

The 2008 NYCFR LTD. members are:
MTBMX - Chris VanDine, Nick VanDine, Adam Hauck,  Jim Dellavalle and George Ryan  

NYCFR LTD. will also continue its
grassroots program for up and coming   shredders. These members of the NYCFR family are local riders who have attracted our attention and support.
They are - Ross Brownstein, with more to come soon!

 

Press Release
Contact: Andrew Grossi
General Manager
Phone (877) 858-6165

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9am February 6, 2008

NYCFreeride Sponsors Diablo Freeride Park
BROOKLYN, N.Y., February 6, 2008/ PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- NYCFR LTD. is very pleased to announce an exclusive product sponsorship of Diablo Freeride Park for the 2008 season.  As part of this agreement, NYCFR LTD. will be manufacturing a limited edition run of custom Glory Hole Pedals produced exclusively for the park.
The “Diablo” Glory Hole pedal will feature a custom logo and color scheme and will be available to purchase exclusively at Diablo Freeride Park. In addition, the custom NYCFreeride “Diablo” Glory Hole pedal will be offered as prizes as the exclusive pedal of the 2008 U.S. Open of Mountain Biking and the 2008 Diablo Domination Series. “As the most-visited park in the east, Diablo Freeride Park is the perfect venue for NYCFreeride to showcase our products as we embark on a new phase of product development”, said Andrew Grossi, NYCFreeride General Manager. “Diablo Freeride Park plays host to several high-profile events and will provide us with product exposure benefits that are second to none.” 
NYCFR LTD. is known throughout the industry for producing not only artistic bike components but also cutting edge designs with bomb proof durability, Just as bikers continue to push the limits of riding in competition and for leisure beyond the limits, we at NYCFR LTD. aim to provide the industry with top quality components built to handle the extreme limits of technology and complete function. We are a rider owned and operated Brooklyn NYC based company who manufactures our own components that are built with pride, and although we want our influence to be felt worldwide, our focus is to help support and shape the east coast scene. We also want to help and support others who share these same goals. Without loosing sight of our small beginnings, with hard work, and competent design principles, we plan to take what started out as a passion for bicycling and evolve into a significant influence in the mountain bike and BMX arena.  
NYCFR LTD. is also proud to announce that we relocated into a new state of the Art facility that houses an entire line of new CNC machining equipment which has allowed us to keep all of our manufacturing in house and most importantly keeping production in NYC. We are working on an exciting new line of components currently in development. While we continue to produce our current product line, our company is known for manufacturing the most durable pedals you will ever use, every component is built to the highest manufacturing standards with the most state of the art materials available.
                                                                                                                                                        

Jim Dellavalle was given the honors of

Jack Daniells Squire

Through hundreds of applicants Jack Daniels selected Jim as a squire The squire recieves a plaque to keep at home, bio on the website, a small plot of land at the jack daniels distillery in Lynchburg,Tennesee, and a place set aside at the factory to stay and visit. The squire community can be viewed at:  www.jackdaniels.com/squires

January 28, 2008
Posted by: Andrew via Ebbett

Tara Jam 2008
Rye Airfield New Hampshire
Saturday February 23 at 9pm

Hosted by Kyle Ebbett
Riders in attendance include Aaron Chase, Cam Mccaul, Jamie Goldman, Jeff Lenosky, George Ryan, Dave Smutok, Seth Lolli and Kyle Ebbett.

$15 is the minimum donation to get in to ride the park or spectate. Once inside, you’ll be able to ride with the pros or try your luck in some festival skill games and win sweet bike gear. Prizes include frames, pads, helmets, components, and more.

AMATEUR of the night voted by the pros. The criteria is flow, style, and having fun, so don't get caught with your competition face on. The park will be wide open and the games will be in the game rooms.

I know all you Tara Llanes Fans will show up and support our friend who is on the road to recovery. Show her you care and have a great time doing it.

Contact: kyleebbett@hotmail.com
Make donations: www.tarallanesroadtorecovery.com

Jim Dellavalle and several coaches from Mad March Racing will be holding riding clinics at Rays throughout the winter months from basic to advanced levels of riding.... for more information and calendar scedules go to www.madmarchracing.com , to preview Rays MTB Bike Park go to www.raysmtb.com.

This March there will be a Urban Downhill race in the capital Quito in Ecuador March 16th, then on March 22nd is the countryies annual National Downhill race.

 I will be competing in both events and doing  some coaching with the Mountain Cycle team for Patricio Navas.  Along my trip with a translator by my side I will be riding all the hot spots.

Dirt jumps spot in the town of  del Valle, and the two other downhill areas where the locals practice and session. We will also be stopping at local bike shops to see how they work on bikes and manage there growing businesses down there. 
I will be bringing with me two bikes the shockwave and the battery.  Patricio has organized a samll shuttle truck for me for a few days whilehe's preparing for the urban dh race to get around and between the races we'll be shuttling  around and getting  familiar with the countryside. 

Patricio is tying to get some other pro's down here to race and visit making his area a destination for us in the winter months to train practice etc...

If you'd like more info on it let me know.

Ray's Mountain Bike Park is hosting the first urban womans weekend Feb. 24-25th 2008. Woman are free to ride the entire weekend, there is a long list of ladies already planning to come.....  go to www.ray'smtb.com  for more info.  It is sponsored by DirtRag magazine as well....  It should be a great time. Events are hard to come by like this and they're  popping up like crazy at the mecca as we call it...Rays MTB Bike Park.... so get in on it.... bring a lady and she can ride for free , there are bike rentals etc... clinics etc....

Jim Dellavalle

CLEVELAND, OH - Though the weather outside is frightful, on January 11th Ray’s Indoor Park in Cleveland, OH will be more than delightful!  Shaums and the MMR crew of coaches will hold a one-day “closed session” of Freeride Skills.  “ I have been to Rays twice over the past couple years and each time I see the park continually growing and getting more fun to ride.”  MMR owner and founder, Shaums March, continues, “after discussing ideas with Ray, I instantly saw the potential for them to host Urban Freeride clinics.  Riding outside this time of year is tough, but there is still a demand to ride and learn!”
 
Friday, January 11th will include lunch and a full 6 hours of instruction covering everything from bike set up and basic skills to advanced bike handling.  “Don’t be surprised if you ride away at the end of the day with a back flip under your belt!”  Four additional coaches have been scheduled to share their riding knowledge alongside the legend Shaums March.  “I am excited to have this crew of coaches to work with,” states Shaums.  “We also have Jeff Lenosky and Jim Dellavalle on the coaching roster.  I’ve known Jeff  and Jim for years.  They are both amazingly skilled rider and really are true legends of the sport.”
 
Fridays coaching session 9am-3pm with lunch $185. With season pass $175.00 The $225 Package includes one night accommodation with transportation to and from the park, lunch, instruction and the weekend pass for Ray’s. This would be a great Christmas gift!
 
Sat private coaching sessions 10am-1pm and 3-6pm Max 3 riders per group 3hr $150. Season Pass holders $140.

Here are some bad ass photos taken by Francois Portman and Dan Lee of Jim Dellevalle this past summer.

You can check out more photos on Francois's site: http://www.fotoportmann.com

Here's a link to an article about a new legal freeride park in Arkansas. It's great to see other states joining in on creating legal areas for mountain bikers!

http://epaper.ardemgaz.com/Repository/ml.asp?Locale=english-skin&Mode=Gif&Ref=QXJEZW1vY3JhdC8yMDA3LzExLzEyI0FyMDI3MDA=

This is from their site enjoy and congrads to our friend Frank!

Induction Year: 2007

FRANK WADELTON

I was born in Hollywood, California. My Father worked for the motion picture industry as a machinist and I spent most of my weekends at work in his machine shop or out motorcycle riding in the Mojave Desert. I got my first bicycle as a hand-me -down from my sister. It was a Schwinn Stingray and as soon as it was in my hands it was being modified for "moto cross". I was never good at throwing or catching a ball and never really fit in with that crowd. My bicycle was the freedom machine that took me to the nearby foothills and the surrounding neighborhood. Having a welding set and a few machines made me a good friend to have in those days. Cross bars needed to be welded into handlebars, and frames needed to be repaired. I had built my first frame in the summer before 7th grade (1972) from materials gathered from 10 speed frames and shopping carts. It was a “mono-shock” suspension frame, a copy of a motorcycle prototype I had seen in a magazine.

I continued to ride throughout Junior High but before long a drivers license had replaced my bike as my most valued possession. I had begun to race motocross in ‘79 and was working at a contract shop welding Mongoose BMX frames. I saw a 26" wheeled racer they were producing and just had to have one. I fitted it with taller bar and stem and used it to train in the local foothills to build endurance for Motocross.

By ’83 I was married and had sold the motorcycle to buy diapers and was working as a ironworker in San Fernando, CA. A friend had purchased a Stumpjumper and soon I was blowing the dust off my Cruiser and riding again. I entered a race in the local foothills. It was a Hill-climb/Downhill and many of the early "Hot Shoes" were there. It was the first time I had heard names like Tomac, Sloup and De Angeles. I entered the downhill event (my bike was still a single speed) and ended up tying Mark Langton for the win in novice class.

The friend who had purchased the stumpjumper has Jim Herting, father of Chris Herting (Yeti/3D) and Eric (Atomic/Easton). I used to frequent the bike shop where Chris worked, and he had told me that he had purchased a T.I.G. machine and a small mill and was going to make bike frames. I offered my services as a welder and we began producing one-off frames for friends and shop customers. It was there that I built my first mountain bike frame. I used the lightest tubes I could find and drilled holes in everything I could. It was as flexy as could be and the stays were so short that I had to notch them to get the chain rings to fit.
Around 1984 or so, we had moved to what was once a Mexican watering hole in San Fernando and were building frames after work and on weekends. John Parker of Yeti had seen an ad in BMX magazine and approached us about building frames for him. After a few years we were made partners in Yeti and had moved to Durango. I was living the frame builders dream, going to the races and building frames for the biggest names in the industry. It was during these years that I worked on several projects for Shimano, Campagnolo, Onza, Barracuda and many others.

I had left Yeti by 1993 and went to work in Phoenix, AZ. I went through many changes in my life. I started a company but it seemed I would rather give frames away than sell them. I kept it up for a few years. I was building a lot of frames for Pro’s who weren’t willing to ride the frames their sponsors had supplied.

In 1994, I had built 100 frames for a company called "Spooky". The name sounded silly but they had a fresh attitude and the checks cleared so we stayed in touch. By ’96 I had closed up shop in Arizona and headed east to check out the slippery singletrack of rural New York. I have been working at Spooky and living in the east for two years. I really liked the people I work with and the singletrack couldn’t be better...people love to ride here in a big way!

Funny story: when I was working for Yeti, some of the boys from Easton had dropped off a prototype set of frame tubes. I had always loved Aluminum but Parker had mentioned several times that Yeti would never build an aluminum frame. I was really excited, but John had insisted that the tubes would not be touched. The team had left for Mammoth to attend the races and it was just me, a couple of the crew, and John’s wife, Linda. I grabbed those tubes knowing full well that I would be punished. I had the frame almost done when Linda came out and saw what I was doing and called John in Mammoth. I knew I was dead. He told me to pack my stuff and hit the road! Just then, Zapata Espinoza (MBA) walked in. We knew each other well. He saw the frame and loved it! I asked him to call Parker and see what he could do. He said, "Parker you’re a genius!! That’s the coolest frame I have ever seen!! I need to do a review of this!" Needless to say, I was back on Johns good side and the subject was never brought up again.

Cycling to me has always been the link between one part of my life and the next. My friends are cyclists. I choose everything in my life according to its relation to a bicycle. My bike has always been a way to both ease the pain and celebrate the joy in every aspect of my life. I still go to races as often as I can. My son races BMX and my daughter raced her first downhill race on a custom 7" travel 24" wheeled bike. (She took second place!) I race downhill in 40+ expert, raced BMX every Wednesday evening for years, and ride my cross-country bike in festivals and local fun rides. I also sponsor some kids in BMX who can’t afford bikes.

My biggest accomplishments in the cycling industry include: 1) Input in development of Easton frame tubes; 2) Made Zapata’s top 100 list some years ago; 3) Fabricated first set of two fingered Shimano brake levers; 4) Welded first set of two sided clipless pedals for Don Mirah; 5) Designed A-tac stem for Answer products; 6) Designed new bar ends for Onza; 7) Co-designed all Yeti frames; 8) Pioneered "soft tail" design that is currently popular on XC bikes; 9) Pioneered use of plastic bushings in pivots; 10) First to use MMC material in frames; 11) Designed tires and grips with Yeti; 12) Built frames for John Tomac, Juli Furtado, Lisa Muhic, Tinker Juarez, Brian Lopes, Miles Rockwell, Missy Giove, Sarah Ballentine, Don Mirah, Daren& Kurt Stockton, Davis Phinny, Greg Orovits, The Evian team, Leigh Donovan, Jimmy Deaton, Russ Worley, and others who escape my memory just now. I think I have built more different bikes by hand than most anyone (aluminum, steel, Ti, MMC, and frames for DH, DS, XC, trials, track, BMX, road and even a unicycle out of wood).

I think my greatest contribution to the sport is always reminding people to have fun. I
have worked on some awesome bikes with some great athletes and designed some neat
stuff but FUN is always where it’s at. I’ve promoted some races for St. Jude’s Hospital
and some nuns came to watch us race. They really enjoyed the races and fresh air. They
commented that they had never seen so many people having fun and enjoying life.

The thing I have always loved about mountain bike racing is that the industry has
always embraced innovation and evolvement. I love to try new things technology-wise:
suspension, disc brakes or whatever. I always encourage new designers to do what they
want and always "go for it". There is no such thing as a bad idea.

My most memorable ride was with a group of about twenty riders on the Hermosa Creek
Trail north of Durango. We were several hours into the ride and it was raining and the
views were awesome. We had spread out quite a bit, and I was all by myself on a sweet
stretch of singletrack. I heard a thumping sound and thought I had flatted. I slowed a
little and noticed that I was riding in the middle of a heard of elk; I settled
into a pace with them. I could feel the warmth of their breath. They began to veer to
the left as I went to the right I could almost swear that I got a "nod of approval"
from one of the bucks. It was something that still brings tears to my eyes as I type
this now.

I have had so many wonderful cycling experiences in my life and could keep going page
after page. Right now I race Downhill, BMX, ride XC, and don’t think a day has ever
gone by when I didn’t at least touch a bicycle. What else can be said?


What you just read was a bio I submitted in ’01 to the MBHOF . That was the year Rich Long was killed motorcycle riding near Big Bear. What a tragedy!

So much has changed since then. Can you think of a four-year period in which more has changed in the cycling industry?! Many quality bikes are made from plastics and heavy bikes are not necessarily cheap. A lot has changed in my life and career in the same four years. I got married, tried my hand at entrepreneurship again and relocated to New England to promote and develop the Sinister Bikes brand. I am still committed to focusing my creative energy on a diversified product line and the evolution of performance cycling at Sinister Bikes.

Being considered for induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame is an honor which would pour juice onto my creative fires, as I have much yet to contribute. Thanks!

 

For those of you that have been waiting, stems are here but missing a few key components ie. the steerer clamp and handle bar insert. Hopefully they will come this week. Here's a few photos they look sick!

The shop is finally done and the machine came this morning!

NYC has purchased our first CNC milling machine and a lathe will soon follow. Our new shop is located in the historic area of Red Hook Brooklyn. It's a small shop that we're sharing with a fab shop that produces architectural metal products like staircases and various other products. The owner who now is partnered with us is a real cool guy that went to Cooper Union Art school and also is a cyclist. He has an extensive background in metal fabrication so he'll help out in all future endeavors. I'm really excited about all this as it will bring new possibilities for NYCFreeride. Everything will now be in stock!  Pedal are the real focus right now so we're gearing up to manufacture them first, I'm also going to work with Jeff Lenosky in developing a more 'dialed' signature pedal for him it'll be a lot lighter and most likely follow a paralellogram shape.The new H.O.E. stem should be here next week in black and gold (That's the last of the "out-sourcing"!)

So stay tuned for updates!......................out 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 

Every year Rye Aifield skate park in Rye, NH assembles to offer an opportunity for non-pro riders to get noticed and get sponsored.  This year was the first year a mtn bike class was offered and needless to say we showed up and we threw down!  There were two catagories this year.  A 15 year old and younger and a 16 ond over.  Sinister Bikes shredder Andrew "Future" Davies killed the 15 and under competition with his HUGE tuck no handers and crazy smooth style.  Look for very good things from this kid in the future.  Caldwell killed the adult class with his bad of trick and his insane ability to be smooth with everything park.  A close second was the tactition Ryan Comstock who has a bag of tricks comparable to any pro out there.  Third place went to Sinister Bikes rider TimBob who won't show up unless he can go huge!  The kid throws shit that will make kids cry!  So nasty and so big.  The comp went off big and everyone threw the nastiest of the nasty and let everyone know mtn bikes are at home and comfortable in the park, love it or hate it.  Big thanks to pro shredders Dave Smutok, Seth Lolli and Joey Appleton for judging the the comp.  Good times had by all and NYC was represented with the Sinister Bikes crew!  The winners of their respected classes were offered a year sponsorship from Rye Airfielf, Monster Energy drink and given the opportunity to participate in future invitationals.  Keep shreeding guys!

Officially opened last weekend and the place is blowing up!  They're open for runs and their races are on July 29th, August 12th and September 9th.  Hope to see some people there as they will not be let down by this place!  Outside of a top shelf mountain it also has a dialed Jump Park built by New England's own Dave Smutok. 

 

Hope to see some good people there!

Highland Mountain Bike Park

75 Ski Hill Drive
Northfield, NH 03276

(603) 286-7677

http://www.highlandmountain.com/

 

 

We have finally recovered from the mayhem of the US Open and we're on our way to Plattekill.     

Be sure to look out for the NYC Freeride crew!

Plattekill DH Race #2 and Gravity East Series Race #4 June 3!                                                          

Plus DS Race #1 on  a new coarse June 2 @ 3PM.