I noticed the failure starting to happen on my first run down Alpine on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning I decided it was probably time to change the pads. I did so even though the existing pads still had a little bit of life left. Took it for a short ride on Salmon Creek to break in the new pads and now my stopping power was even worse. I got back and asked around and one mechanic suggest I clean the rotor with rubbing alcohol, tried that and nothing. Others said I probably just needed to brake them in more on a good downhill. I finally asked one of my fellow guides, Tori from Gracie’s Wrench, explained what was happening and what I’ve done so far. Tori said the only thing she could conclude was a contaminated rotor.

So how does one contaminate a rotor? Brake rotors are made with a very porous metal and absorb oils very easily. It’s likely that I may have gotten over spray on it while lubing my chain. Even the oils from our fingers can contaminate a brake rotor.

Fortunately for me I was at MBO with industry vendors galore and a big thanks to Mike from Titus (you have a six pack coming at August MBO) for kicking me a 160mm Avid rotor that he happened to have laying around. I replaced the rotor, took some sand paper and cleaned up those new brake pads. Considering all I had done at this point,  I figured I might as well recable the rear brake too.

About 1 minute into the first DH I had all the stopping power I needed for another great bombing down Alpine Trail in Oakridge. I’m pretty sure Tori was right about the contaminated rotor because having new pads and knowing the brake cable wasn’t that old… what else is left?

The world premier took place last month in Monterey and is now available on DVD.  Check Out the Trailer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Follow Me is shot on location is some of the best mountain biking regions in the world including Queenstown NZ, Baja (Punta San Carlos), Whistler, Sun Peaks, Silver Star, Mt. Washington, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Kamloops, and Mt. Hood.

Follow Me is all about good times, pushing limits with your friends, crazy adventures and most importantly having fun riding your bike. Follow Me will change the way you see mountain bike films and get you stoked to get off the couch and ride!

Pick up your copy of Follow Me today

To find a Ride of Silence near you visit…  http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php

Contains:

• T25, T30
• 5mm Flat driver, 7 mm Flat driver
• 2 Phillips screwdrivers
• Socket wrench coupling
• 8/9/10 mm sockets
• L-grip for socket wrench
• 3 nylon tire levers / 1 tire repair kit
• Crank puller
• Chain tool
• Hex wrench set w/ ball driver 2/2.2/3/4/5/6/8/10 mm
• 15mm Pedal wrench w/ 24mm inset wrench
• Hollow Tech II Crank arm tightner
• Double ended Cone Wrench13/14mm and 15/16 mm
• Chain Whip
• 8/10mm box wrench
• Cassette lock ring remover w/ pin
• O-spoke wrench
• Isis compatible 22 tooth bb cup remover
• Outboard bottom bracket cup wrench
• Doubled ended head wrench 36/40 and 30/32

Find the XLC 33 Piece Bicycle Tool Kit at these retailers…

Amazon.com: XLC 33 Piece Pro Tool Kit with Rugged Carry Case – $67.98
Jenson USA: XLC 33 Piece Pro Tool Kit with Rugged Carry Case – $64.99

• 40 air squats
• 30 sit ups ( I used a yoga ball)
• 20 push ups
• 10 Pull-Ups
• 600 meter run

My time: 18:11

1000 M Row

3 Rounds of

• 20 Wall Balls (#20)
• 20 Box Jumps
• 20 Kettle Bell Swings (#32)
• 20 Sit Ups

Time: 13:53…. this one left me breathing pretty hard. The box jumps kick my ass every time.

From the crew that brought us ROAM.. Anthill Productions recently released a trailer from their brand new mountain bike video entitled “Follow Me.”

The world premier of Follow me is scheduled for April 16 in Monterey California.

Enjoy!

What I think is cool is that this isn’t a just a mountain bike race.  The goals of the race promoters are to create awareness, sustainability, and solutions through environmental awareness and education. This is a green / sustainable event.

Location: Oakridge, OR
Oakridge is located of Hwy 58 about 40 miles east of Eugene. Oakridge is considered and IMBA Ride Center (because it has terrain for all aspects of off-rode cycling). Oakridge is also host to the Cascade Creampuff Endurance Race and Mountain Bike Oregon.

I personally am currently training to compete in the Fat Fifty Five, so be prepared to hear more about it in the future. I’ll probably as well as posting training info as this is my first ever race and will be learning about training myself.

To learn more about the event visit http://www.fatfiftyfive.com/

I popped into the reviews section of MTBR to see what others are saying about the Maxxis Swampthing. There were 29 reviews with an overall rating of 4.90 out of 5. A couple of the comments I read were that they were a little heavy but not too bad.

The Official Product Description from JensonUSA
The Swampthing is a great downhill tire constructed from soft rubber that will hook on rocks and stumps to give you traction, but still tough enough that it won’t fold when stressed.  A cleated knob design allows you to corner, brake, and accelerate without slipping.

Not sure how long the Maxxis Swampthing Tires are gonna last at $20, but you can pick them up at JensonUSA.

If you’ve used these tires then post up some feedback of what you did or didn’t like about the Maxxis

This is my first real night riding light but while in the purchase process, I had the chance to try several lights on my light list before buying. In the end it ultimately came down to price. Being on a tight budget the Magicshine 900 Lumen MTB light provides more than enough light to see everything, even on the lowest setting.

I’ve yet to run the light on high for 3 straight hours to test its life, simply because all I usually need is a the low or middle settings for a little over a couple of hours. I did notice that I have a bad connector on my light.. it turns off periodically based on it’s position. To keep it from turning off I simply tape the connection to not allow movement.

All in all it’s a great light at a great price. If you need a light and money is tight, the magic shine is the way to go.

I do recommend you buy a helmet mount. I’ve found it easy to mount the magicshine  straight to my helmet using the vent wholes but all bike helmets are created differently.

I like this light so much I’m considering buying a second one.