Mini Canyon Strive CF 8.0 review
My friend Alex can afford any bike he wants, and he regularly buys expensive bikes on a whim. He’s been on a Canyon Strive for a couple days, and I got to ride it at Valmont Bike Park. Thoughts:
Pump Track Nation: Black Forest, Germany
Hey Lee,
Last year I bought your eBook Welcome to Pump Track Nation.
This year I started with the project “our own pump track in our garden.”
I wanted to thank you. Your ebook was really helpful and answered a lot of questions that I had.
Attached you will see the result. Maybe I will cover the track with better dirt, but the track works and my kids like the track.
Thank you for your ebook.
Kind regards from the Black Forest, Germany.
Meini H.
Meini!
Thanks for reaching out.
This is a beautiful track. I like all the line options, and the shapes look very good. It’s amazing what you can do with small rollers.
Have fun!
Lee
Kung Fu MTB training with BandJRacing
World class XTERRA racers Ben and Jacqui Allen of bandj.racing are in Boulder, CO for training — and that means RipRow and skills classes with me. These elite athletes are amazingly great at learning and implementing new skills. It’s like they should be pro or something!
Fun video too:
We just finished a ride at Heil Valley Ranch near Boulder, CO, and these two were ripping! I asked them how their riding is improving:
Ben and Jacqui Allen are having more fun on their MTBs from Lee McCormack on Vimeo.
May the Forces be with you
I was riding my pump track the other day — deep into a 10-minute non-stop set, and this occurred to me:
When I pump perfectly, the forces are internal (generated within my body and bike). When I make a mistake, the forces are external (coming from the trail). This got the wheels turning, so to speak.
XC racing: Should I use race tires or trail tires?
Lee, my frugal ass bought Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 3rd Edition instead of waiting for it at the library. I ride a Pivot Mach 429 Trail and it’s versatile enough for general trail riding and XC racing. I live in New England. I have a set of 2.35 Vittoria Barzos on now for some upcoming races, both are which have a lot of climbing. However, on the front they’re sketchy for me especially compared to my Schwalbe Hans Dampf I use for trail riding. Do I just go with what I’m more comfortable with or any specific tips on riding with a front race tire. Thanks.
John K.
400 pounds for a dirt jump bike?
Hi Lee,
Hope you have to time to offer some help 🙂
I’m new to dirt jumping. I went out twice yesterday for the first time, Having ridden extreme XC/enduro I now want to jump. Thing is I have to be careful. I’ve been out twice with pal on his jump bike and have tackled some doubles. Im 48 and have to be careful, I don’t bounce like I used to. Hence Im never gonna jump massive.
Im 6ft 1 and range between 13 and 13.5 stone. Will 100mm travel be adequate for me?
What about this then? I never land heavy, in fact incredibly light but yesterday afternoon I nearly lost it 3 times on landing. How I stayed on only God knows. My pal runs 80psi which I think is crazy. On the morning session the pressure was fine but on the afternoon the ground was wet, soft and slippery. If I am slightly off, do you think 80psi would have reduced my grip and caused me to wobble to the extent where I nearly fell off?
Ideally I’d like to spend about 400 on a second hand bike, will this get me something decent?
What should I look for in terms of spec when considering a purchase. Things which are a must, things to avoid etc?
Thanks in advance if you have the time.
Barry
Shredding the Breck Epic
Hey Lee. Paul and I are having fun at the Break Epic in the duo 80+ division. We have won arguably the two hardest stages, Guyot and Wheeler, not in small part due to shredding skills we picked up from sessions with you. Ciao.
Mike D. and Paul R.
Both Mike and Paul have done private and semi-private MTB skills classes with Lee, and they are both active members of the Lee Likes Bikes MTB School. This stuff works!
Meanwhile, our coach Kristie Van Voorst, who teaches our women-only Level 1 classes, is riding her bike solo from Boulder to Durango.
She reports:
“Ran into racers from the Breck Epic 2 days. The first was on a downhill. I was farther back in the pack but pretty much kept up on a fully loaded hard tail… I kept watching everything they were doing wrong… ”
Ha! When an exhausted, fully loaded bike tourer hangs with you on a downhill while you’re racing, there’s some fruit on your descending tree. All you XC racers: You can’t believe how much faster you can be!
We offer lots of instructional options, both in person and online. Get faster now!
Not the ideal descending setup, but Kristie makes it work.
Go Kristie!
Shredding with XTERRA legends Ben and Jacqui Allen
As a teacher, I love helping all kinds of riders ride better and have more fun. The amount of improvement people can enjoy … it’s staggering! You just need to spend a little time with me. Afterward you’ll say “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
Last week I got to work XTERRA legends Ben and Jacqui Allen. These are two of the best racers in the world … and they got way better in just a couple hours of RipRow™ and bike work.
How’s the Enduro Öhlins Coil?
Hi Lee, how’s everything going? Busy with release of book and Riprow at the same time I guess.
I have a question about Enduro 29 coil
I just rode the “old” Enduro 29 Comp and for the lack of a better expression “it blew my fucking mind”. Me and my friend rode a lift accessed, proper downhill trail a few times and on the 4th or 5th run after I got quite familiar with the track we swapped bikes. Now he was local, he knew every corner. So for first few runs I had a hard time staying just behind him. We are same size very similar weight so we didn’t turn the dials much. Not only i did not need to get used to his bike, I felt more confident right away, I left him behind like hell. I wasn’t doing almost any brake checks, just open gas all the way, braking hard in tighter corners or switchbacks. And hey, Switchback and wagon wheels? No problem, that thing was equally swift as my “smaller bike”. Not only that, I was fresh, I felt like I could do the whole 5-6 minute track without stopping.
Now The only thing Enduro was worse at, compared to my somewhat boutique 27,5 super bike, was suspension. Enduro was not as forgiving for big hits. Landings were a bit wobbly. Later on I had to rent another 650B bike to chcek if my setup isn’t crap. It wasn’t.
So finally to the point… is latest Enduro with Öhlins coil, as fresh to pop around yet buldozer when asked as the old one? And is suspension noticeably better?
I still have goose bumps cpoming up when thinking about that bike…
Cheers!
Wacek K.
Advice for a bad back
Our friend Chris is having back issues.
I think he should see a professional … and he should insist on a top 1% performer.
Focusing on focus
I enjoy a life of purpose and possibility. I work a lot, but I love what I do — and I’m helping other people love what they do. When I’m not working, I’m doing my best to be a great father and husband. When I ride outside of my “job,” it’s for training — body, mind and spirit — and it happens near home, and it has to be efficient. Since I do the same things over and over, my adventures occur in nuance.
2017 Specialized Fuse Comp fork upgrade
Lee,
What would you suggest that won’t break the bank? I have $500 to spend.
I weight 225 lbs. Like to hit the jumps at the local bike park (Rockburn) and go through and not around stuff. Live in Maryland. Ride allot at Patapsco.
Do I need 34 mm stanchions? It is my one bike quiver.
Michael