New Bikes from Salsa

We rode two new rigs from Salsa - the El Kaboing trail bike, and the 29er Big Mama. We'll have some First Look mini reviews next issue and a full blown review in the not too distant future.

Would you like Salsa on those?

Wow. Today was unreal. We scored ourselves a sneak tour of Quality Bike Products (QBP) today, in Minneapolis, Minnesota (we think that's how you spell it). QBP is the largest distributor of bike parts IN THE WORLD. It is just simply mind blowing. The systems these giys have in place are incredible - fully automated, hydromatic, systematic....just grease lightning. We also got to go behind the scenes with Salsa, a brand with a cult following like few other. These dudes are massive advocates of the 29er scene, and we've got to say, their new bikes are unreal - the best 29ers we've ridden to date. We'll have a mini-test on their two new trail bikes (the 29er Big Mamma and 5" travel 26inch bike, the El Kaboing) next issue. Good stuff from these quirky fellas!

Thanks Hayes!

Just arrived back from a fantastic tour of the Hayes/Manitou/Sun facilities. Those guys have got it going on! So does Milwaukee beer, mmmmm....delicious. The new Dorado is incredible looking, and nice and light too! We've also secured the first set of Stroker Ace brakes to test in Australia - Yeeeeha! We'll be reviewing them soonish, just got to get them bolted on and a few hundred runs under our belt first! Check out the new Dorado above, only 6.2lbs!

What will the day reveal?

Off to Hayes Manitou in just a minute. Well, 14 actually. Will we see the new Dorado? Will Hayes have any new lightweight Ace brakes in the works? What does the future hold for the oldest disc brake manufacturer in the game? All will be answered in just a few short hours, so check back soon.

Exclusive online 'runch' competition

AMB love the word 'runch'. Hell, we like it so much that Mick has promised to name his first son Runchius. So in honour of our runch-fetish we're giving you the chance to win som tyres! Sure they're not brand new...we've used them a couple of times, but they're still pretty runchable. So count how many times 'runch' appears in AMB this issue and send us an email with your answer along with the style of riding you're into and a set of tyres will be coming your way! To get into the spirit here's a photo of Chris runching his DH bike - click on it to check out the bottom out!

Rad sticker

Check out the sticker we saw on the back of freeride pro Matt Hunter's truck - cool.

Oh, so 20:30 is 8:30pm?

Yes, for the first time in his life Chris missed his plane...We're sure it won't be the last. Note to everyone - don't assume that you're in the same timezone after you've just got off a two hour flight, because you might actually be in a timezone that's an hour ahead! So after an impromptu stay in a Denver hotel, Chris is back at the airport again. Denver is hot and flat, but there are some big old mountains in the distance that promise good shred. Why are all these big cities built in the most boring terrain imaginable where it gets excruciatingly hot in the summer, with the nice cool and interesting mountains just out of reach? Why not build at the base of the mountains so at least the view is nice and it might be a little more temperate? Rant over. Chris is looking forward to seeing Hayes Manitou tomorrow though, and perhaps taking advantage of the strong Aussie dollar to by some bike junk and bad t-shirts for the peeps back home. Meanwhile, here's a pic of Dan playing a new sport he and Chris invented, called bike limbo.

Where did my bike go?

Mick's NT adventure got off to a not so flying start a couple of days ago! After being stung for $240 excess baggage (thanks Jetstar, that's great) he arrived in Cairns for his connecting flight to Gove, but unfortunately his bike decided it liked Sydney more and stayed there. Now if you've ever attempted to ride 900km without a bike you'll know it just doesn't work. Luckily the bike, along with PM Rudd, turned up in Gove the following day. We haven't heard from Mick yet, but as soon as he finds a carrier pigeon he promises to dispatch a message to us. Meanwhile Chris is leaving Canada for a brief rip around the northern parts of the US where he'll be visiting Hayes/Manitou and Salsa. After a week of solid bike park riding in Whistler, Sun Peaks and Silver Star Chris' hands look more like sundried tomatoes with callouses. Ouch...but not as painful as the 18hrs of travel Chris has today...gotta love airport downtime.

Ummmm...where's my bike

Mick's NT adventure got off to a not so flying start a couple of days ago! After being stung for $240 excess baggage (thanks Jetstar, that's great) he arrived in Cairns for his connecting flight to Gove, but unfortunately his bike decided it liked Sydney more and stayed there. Now if you've ever attempted to ride 900km without a bike you'll know it just doesn't work. Luckily the bike, along with PM Rudd, turned up in Gove the following day. We haven't heard from Mick yet, but as soon as he finds a carrier pigeon he promises to dispatch a message to us. Meanwhile Chris is leaving Canada for a brief rip around the northern parts of the US where he'll be visiting Hayes/Manitou and Salsa. After a week of solid bike park riding in Whistler, Sun Peaks and Silver Star Chris' hands look more like sundried tomatoes with callouses. Ouch...but not as painful as the 18hrs of travel Chris has today...gotta love airport downtime.

Update from Canada

The Norco 09 launch was unreal - lots of great new stuff from the long established core brand. Look out for a full review of the line up and even a test of the brand new Empire Five slopestyle bike in the next AMB. Hot stuff. We even got a sneak peak of the new Truvativ Hammerschmidt t00! But we're not allowed to show just yet - you'll have to wait a couple of weeks before all the details are revealed...we will tell you that it is awesome however. Chris is over the moon after spending the last two days riding with some of his all time heros - Rylan Leech and Wade Simmons! Pretty stoked!

Chris is in Canda, Mick's going to the crocs

Chris is now in Canada, heading off to the 2009 Norco launch, Sunpeaks and Silverstar resorts and a meeting with Raceface. Mick is going on a completely different kind of adventure - he's doing an 800km ride from Gove to Jabiru up in the NT. If the crocs don't get him, the buffalo will. Read all about it in the next AMB.

Our next group test....who will win it?

We just completed our next group test on some slippery, secret trails. After two days riding the roots and greasy mud at our secret location, who will come out on top?? Will it be the flashy Andorran Commencal Meta 4? The plush GT Marathon 1.o? The firey and lively Mongoose Canaan? Or the light and precise KHS Team XC? What a test. We're exhausted...

What am I doing....?

Well it's 5:20 am and I'm about to roll out for a ride. Yes, with the tour coming up AMB has been bitten by the road riding bug and I'm out to do some miles. Does this make me lame?