Oh yes, we did it..... Again!



CG, along with the Athertons, Max and a few others helped us celebrate getting Commencal Dealer of the year, again!

How chuffed are we?

More pics here

Where the hell are you guys getting the cash from? Seriously. It's the last week of Jan and personally I'm broke, but feck me, you guys have dug deep and bought some damn nice bikes this week .Thanks. Or really, the tax man should be saying thanks. For those of us who are effectively self employed our tax for 06/07 is due now, we were looking like coming up a bit short, as usual, but we just scrapped it by the skin of our cleats. Anyway, can't wait to see some of the bikes you lot have had on the trail :-)

More Macs? This week the constant threads on our MTB community site forum about Macs went into overdrive, so it was time for a dedicated Mac forum. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Check out the chaos at www.mtbrider.com

New brand? Hmm, we've been talking about this for ages. Lots of new bike brands are in the Uk for 08, and with the new shop opening and the workshop in the existing shop moving out the back we had the space for a third bike brand in Real Cycles. Only, well, I couldn't make a decision. They all had their strong points, and all had their potential issues. So I was stuck, postponing the decision until the very last moment. Then the last moment came and went and I still hadn't made a commitment. Then as I'm about to successfully convince myself that actually we didn't need a third brand after all, a new one comes up totally out the blue, totally unexpected, and totally so perfect for the shop, it's crazy that I didn't think of it in the first place. More on that one soon, very soon.

New shop stuff? Stevo, the elite rider from our DH team is also a joiner, a good joiner and he's done some bits for us, not a lot, but enough to let us dump the silver MDF monstrosity that TimH built in then ten minutes about 5 years ago (It'll do til we get something sorted new month!) and the horrible counter I picked up for £150 about a million years ago. The shop is looking almost, well, like a proper shop. Just wait til I get to Ikea and get some proper display cabinets, the shop will look... Well, like a shithole shop with some Ikea furniture in it!

Finally.....

New shop? OMG the rumour mill went bellistic after the post mentioning it a while back. I've been questioned like the spanish inquisition (cue Python renditions) about it. All I'm saying is it's gonna be in Belfast, it's gonna be good, and...... It's not called Real Cycles!!!!!! We've got the keys, we've started fitting, slowly, and it'll be open by Easter at the latest, maybe sooner, maybe later.

I think that's it for this week. Seeya.

Steve.

This week has been more about Macs than bikes for me, bit sad I guess, and a bit daft updating the blog with stuff that's non bike related, but hey, there really is nothing bikey worth talking about this week!

So, Macs. Well this week I started the long overdue revamp of the shop network, at the moment we have 2 Mac Minis and then my Macbook on top of that, and they all need to talk to each other. They do more or less but the network has been more a case of a collection of plasters than a proper bandage holding it all together. One week on it's still got a few plasters in there, but the bandage is getting bigger and soon the plasters will be gone, most likely to blockup the plug hole in the bath for a few weeks more, like all old plasters seem to do.

The final step in the network was getting the main shop Mini onto Leopard, which went smoothly enough, cept for Parallels, it just refused to work after the upgrade. Parallels! I hear you say, why on earth are you running Windows on a Mac??? (Parallels in a clever little application that enables Windows to run on a Mac in case you didn't know). Well, yes sadly we still need Windows, for one job, to complete our online finance agreements. Back Horse, our finance provider, has a special secure website for doing finance agreements online, only it's not Mac friendly, you must use Windows and IE, how crap is that! Anyway, after a few updates and yet more money spent Parallels is now happy and working again.

Al we have to do now to complete the network is drop in a few miles of cable, convince an access point to work for wireless internet and get a new coffee machine.

Coffee machine? Oh ya, the other reason for the new network is because in the next few weeks we're having a big shake up of the exisiting shop. The workshop, that has sat in the back half of the shop floor for the last 6 years is finally getting moved out to it's own location, we had to move it, we've totally run out of space in the shop. Once the work shop is relocated (don't panic, it's only into a new building out the back) the space will be turned over to some bike display space, a couple of sofas, a coffee table and coffee machine, and the play station will be making a welcome return.

It was always my plan to put a chill out zone with free wifi, a PS area and decent coffee into the shop, finally it's nearly a reality.

Gentleman, fill your mugs and start your engines :-)

Oh ya, bikes, great ain't they?

Into 08 with a bang here, normally we get to ease ourselves into the new year in relative calm but not this year, it started with a bang and it's not slowing down. Where the hell do you guys get the money to spend on top end MTB's in January? I've no idea, but I'm not complaining, thankyou :-)

So, what's new?

Well first up is new staffer Luke. He's in Real Cycles at present but will soon be moving over to head up our new shop (new shop?? more later in the year on that one), eventually he'll straddle both shops (ooer misses) but that won't be for ages. In the meantime he's getting his head around how our business works in the shop: fixing bikes, packing packages and making coffee. He's a cracking rider, ex roadie racer (he likes to keep that bit quiet) but now rides a DJish hardtail and a monster DH bike. If your a shop visitor demand a coffee from him next time your in if your a mail order client go easy on him, he's still getting his head around the gear we sell.

This morning a new mag/fanzine landed on my mat, it's called Distilled, as I recall it's produced by a NI guy who lives in NY. This is the 2nd issue we've had in, it's not bad, bit like Dirt, when Dirt was a decent read.



Printed on great quality paper with some great photos, it could go on to great things. Only if you lot buy it though, so hot foot it over to www.realcycles.com and buy a copy. Cover price is £3.00 and we'll do postage for free. Better still, buy anything from us over say £50, ask for a free copy in the comments section of the order and we'll throw in a freebie while stocks last.

Other than that, well we have loads going on, a few new brands due to appear pretty soon, a new look to the RC shop (once the other shop opens) and a riding trip back to Spain in May. That;'s purely for me and some mates and will not effect the shop at all, but hey I'm excited about it so I'm telling everyone.

Otherwise, happy new year and seeya all soon.

Steve

It's seems like an age ago that I first saw the new 08 Kona range, well it was, it was nearly 6 months ago! The top end Konas have taken a bloody age to hit the UK, but they're here finally and we're starting to get them in.

Already is is a smattering of mid range stuff, including the new Dawg and the really interesting FiveO, just arrived today is this bad boy. The Kona Stab Supreme.





I'm not even going to try to describe it, it's just plain mental.

It's a demo bike so call in for a fondle. And don't bother asking for a demo ride, unless your very very serious!

OK, well where do i start? First off I have to say I'm pretty pissed off with the 666.

I own a Meta 5, in fact I have two, one as my main bike and one that I leave at a holiday location so I've always a bike there. I love my Meta 5, I've ridden one since they first came out in 05. It makes me a better rider. This is not some salesy BS but it really does. I can descend fine, but I need all the help I can get on the climbs, and this bike helps me climb. It's also a exceptionally versatile bike. I've downhill'd on one with long travel forks in Spain for a week, I've also done many epic rides on one, with only a swop to lighter shorter travel forks. I've been riding MTB's since about 1989 and the Meta 5 is by far my favorite bike ever. Even over by beloved GT LTS that I had in the mid to late 90's.

I've only ever had two issues with the Meta5: One is the low BB which to be honest I've now got very used to and appreciate the benefits (but it does still bug me from time to time), the other is the slack seat angle. I'm pretty tall and have some pretty big problems with my lower back. I really need to be right over the BB when seated else my back starts to cry. On the Meta 5 I've always had to run an inline post with the saddle right forward on the rails. Looks a bit odd but it works for me. I guess the other thing is having ridden six inch bikes as regular rides since about 2000 I've always liked the idea of having just a wee bit more travel that the 5 offers. But I've always accepted that to get longer travel means slacker angles (great for DH, crap for climbing) and a lot more weight than say the Meta 5 frame.

I've more or less got over these few issues and have been in love with the five for nearly 3 years now. On paper the 666 was always going to be a contender for my affections, but having ridden a couple of them (albeit in too small a size for me) it never really did it for me in the way the five does, so I kinda discounted it for my own use, and to be honest, never fully "got" the point of the bike, in the UK at least.

Last week a customer came in and wanted a Meta5, he's the same height as me so we looked at options and he tried my bike. He loved it, but coming from a Supreme Mini DH he was not sure if it was a little under sprung for him, so we started to look at the 666. It just so happened I had an XL frame in stock so in the end the decision was made to do a custom build on it. He spec'd more or less the same parts that I had on my Meta 5 so I knew it was going to be a great opportunity to compare the two.

God I wish I hadn't.

After finally getting the 666 finished I got to have my first proper ride (test ride you understand!) on a 666 that actually fits me. Bottom line? I hate it. I hate it for many reasons, but the main reason is it's just made me fall out of love with my five, and more over Christmas is coming and like everyone else I've got to spend all my money on the wife and kids, so how the hell am I going to find the cash to replace my Meta 5 with the awesome 666?

Life is just not fair some times.

I hate the 666 because the angles are just so so perfect. The head angle is about the same as the five, which contrary to what the mags have been saying is a very very good thing. I've no real idea why everyone was expecting a Meta to have a super slack DH head angle. It's a Meta not a supreme after all!

Best of all though is the seat angle, it's way steeper than the 5, by at least a degree I'd say, meaning your sitting right over the BB, very central on the bike. These two things along mean it's a killer climber, with no real need for adjustable forks (providing you stick to the recommended 160mm option). Of course this also means if your so inclined, and if you want the bike a bit slacker, the option is there is to run an even longer fork. Putting 180mm of bounce up front will slacked off the head angle to DH standards and return to seat angle to that of the Meta 5. It would also most likely invalidate your warranty, so don't go crying to mama if you break it.

So, the 666 climbs as well, or dare I say better than the Meta 5, what's it like in the downs? OMG it's perfect! it feels just like the five only with a bit more travel and a bit more beef behind it. You do need to work the bike a bit as the BB is a bit higher off the ground than the 5 (the 666 BB height is exactly in the middle of that of the five and Supreme MDH), but that work is rewarded with an awesome ride. It grips like the 5 yet soaks everything up like the Supreme MDH. It never wallows in it's travel and just like the five feels very direct when you put the power down.

So, is the 666 a Meta 5 or Supreme DH killer? Well, it's neither really. It will do the job of both, pretty bloody well, but it'll not replace either: The Meta 5 will always be the 30lb trail bike, and the Supreme MDH will always exactly that, a high 30lb short travel DH bike. Sure the 666 can be built up to a near 30lb bike, but it's kinda missing the point, to get to that weight you can forget about anything other than lightweight XC tyres, and a chain device, and a coil fork upfront. What it will kill is the desire to over build the Meta 5. Why would you now when the 666 is every bit as good (even better if your picky about the seat angle) and have a bit more travel and is a bit burlier?

Finally, why do I hate the 666 so much? Well until now my biking life has been simple. I've a Meta 5 as my main ride and a Supreme MDH for when things get a bit downhilly. The 666 has just messed all that up. If I get one I'll never be out on a ride and feel I'm on the wrong bike for the terrain. But to get one means some harsh decisions have to made: Does Santa forget to stop at my home this year, or do I sell a kidney on Ebay?

Decisions decisions decision. (Anyone want a 2nd hand lung? One not very careful owner from new)

Back in the good old days, when men were men, woman were woman and full suspension mountain bikes were a new fangled idea that most thought would never take off, a new grip burst onto the MTB scene. It was quite different from everything that went before it, it was big, and soft, and rubbery and had flanges on the end. It looked just like those we all had on our BMX's in the 80's, which is not a surprise really cus it was effectively a BMX grip!

BMX grips on a MTB? D'oh, why hadn't we all thought of that before? It was an obvious thing to do. But no one had thought about it. Until Oury did it. Then of course everyone else copied, but no one else quite got it as right. For mountain bikes most (including Oury) eventually dropped the flanges cus riders just cut them away anyway so they could get at their shifters, but no one else really got their grips to feel like an Oury. They all tried lots of fancy patterns, and different thicknesses, and fancy rubber compounds, but none felt quite the same. No idea why. Oury Grips were hardly hi-tech in appearance: Big thick slabs of rubber with a basic box pattern and erm that's it, no obvious fancy hi-tech gimmicks, just grips, that work.

In the UK at least they were the grip of choice for those in the know for all of the mid 90's, then they just kinda disappeared, then the lockon came along and every other grip seemed to die a death over night. Lockons changed everything, they are easy to get on and off, don't slip are pretty lightweight too. So why the hell would anyone want to go back to using old fashion grips then?

Cus Oury's are back that's why!



I guess it's fair to say they never actually went away, we just all went a bit lockon bonkers, and it's fair to say that when it was suggested to me that I should maybe try a pair of good old fashion Oury Grips I was kinda at a loss as to understand why, and I told the guy trying to sell me some as much. Then the next day a pair of limited edition Khaki Brown's turn up in the post, on the very same day I was getting a new bike sorted for myself to take away on a riding trip to Donegal so I thought what the heck, lets get all retro and give them a try.

First thing was remembering just how much fun it was to install retro grips, no nipping up a few tiny bolts and away, oh no, you gotta glue these puppies in place. An old trick that we all used to do was give the inside of the grip a good coating of hairspray, it's nice and slippy when wet but dries real sticky, perfect for old style grips. Thing is, who the hell uses hairspray in this day and age? Thank god for the blue rinse brigade hairdressers next door. Two mins later and the grips were on, albeit with an interesting smell. A few hours later they were stuck fast.Happy days. Off riding.

How the hell can such a tiny thing like two bits of rubber bring back so many memories? After five minutes on the bike I was no longer a old, heavier, balding, mortgage ridden 40 something, I was transported back to the early 90's, when I was lots younger, lots faster and lots fitter. I love these grips.

But it's not just cus they made me feel younger (ya, OK, artistic license applied for!) they are actually better than all the lockons I've got used to using over the last 5 years. First off they are fatter, so if you've big hands they're a much better fit. And they are softer, not squidgy soft, but comfy soft. I suffer a lot from numb hands after a while riding, this was not entirely alleviated with Ourys but it was much improved. Best of all though, they come in loads and loads of colours, and just make you smile.

What more could you want? Lockons? OK, they make them too, just not in the funky colours.

All the coloured "retro" grips are now in store, with the locks on following soon. Come on, join in the revolution, go retrogriptastic.

Look, I've been busy, it's been really really mental round here, add to that we've been understaffed since July, and well, something had to give. And it was this blog. What can I say? I won't let it happen again. For a while anyway.

Now on with business....

So so much has been happening, the new 08 Commencals have been flying out the door, the new Fox forks are in and are so sexy, the new Konas arrive next month (how late???), and..... Well can't say too much but we have a new brand coming soon, very soon.

Over and above all this it's kinda wind down season now for us, as the dark nights set in and the weather turns we hit our quiet period, and although it's never fun having no money in the til it will give us time to catch up on everything that's been forgotton about since the beginning of summer. And also get in those cool little items that are not part of our regular stock, but are things we like, so want to have in the store. (Or roughly translated we wanted some for ourselves so ordered in enough to get them cheap ;-)

First up are Commencal Beanies.



Lots of colours, two different styles, cool Commencal logos and head warming abilities. What more could you ask for? I doubt these will ever make it onto the website for online sales, we should but we'll never get round to it, but they are instore for personal callers, and if you really really want one, give us a call on 02890 814914 and we'll sort it out.

More cool stuff in some seriously funky colours tomorrow.

I can't beleive Sept is gone. Where did it go? What happened to all those blog posts I meant to make?

I have so much to add to the blog, just no time to do it. Saying that though, Sept was pretty uneventful really, few of the new bikes arrived, and we spent the entire month run off our feet clearing out the 07 stuff. So, you've missed nowt!

However the remainders of the 08 Commencal stock arrives tomorrow, including the Furious, pics soon!

It's new bike month!

The new Commencals are due in anytime in the next ten days, hopefully! I had a feeling they might arrive this week, but my feeling was wrong. Saying that it really does look like we will have them this side on the middle of Sept, which is really quite a feat as normally bikes due for the end of August/mid Sept never normally appear till well into October!

I was out seeing the new Kona's on Wednesday, they look really good, Kona have listened to the feedback they've had this year and have really revamped the range, for the better. I'm working on a big blog about the new bikes, with pics and all, I'll try to get it online this weekend.

All that remains is for me to shift this bloody cold. I've been down with it for two weeks now and it's showing no sign of ending. I've attempted to ride my bike, but am knackered after a few pedal strokes, I've not even commuted in the last ten days.

Finally Eurobike...

A picture surfaced yesterday of a new Orange prototype that on first glance looked very much like a Commencal Meta!



After a lot of Googling I found bigger pics (available on the CoC), and on closer inspection it's really nothing like one, only perhaps trying to look a bit like one! Other than that all the pics I've seen so far of Eurobike bikes are sooooo boring! No one seems to have anything new, everything is just a variation on an old theme. Time for some proper R&D me thinks.