Groovy Evolution

Seems like only yesterday....

















Last week was was fun and brutal. The weather has been much better so I rode Reagan, Quail Hollow, Mohican, and then West Branch. This gave me a great chance to test out the Xfusion Velvet 650B. The fork sits slightly lower than my fox, making the headtube angle 73+ degrees! I honestly don't know why major bike brands use such slack angles, this bike rocks the tight stuff. It cornered fast before but now it's on steroids. It's laterally stiffer than the Fox also.
At Mohican the Chief and I were taking the downhill switchbacks like complete fools. He's finally got a bike built up and claims he will be at Manitoc. Oh well, better to lose to the Chief than some stranger I suppose.















Wang:Hey Spock, check out my new fork. It steers really tight.

Spock:Sir, your head tube angles are illogical, you will certainly crash.

Wang:What do Vulcans know about mtb geometry, I won Findlay didn't I?

Spock:I prefer the Fisher G2 geometry.

Wang:I rest my case.

All natural fork enhancement. I grew 20 mm!

Rody got my xFusion Velvet 650B in and it is installed ready for abuse. My Fox29 was 80mm but I really want 100, and Fox doesn't do a 650B so they are out of the picture now. The fork looks to be nicely made and I am told that xFusion makes the internals for Fox anyways. Going from the 29/80mm to the 650B/100mm dropped my front end down a few millimeters it seems, but who am I to complain about even tighter steering, bring it on baby! Unfortunately it just rained at least an inch so the trails are going to be a mess...again.























Look at that sweet paint, I didn't know this baby existed. I hope this guy doesn't live near me. If we show up at the same race it would be like two girls with the same prom dress on.

Good move Jamis...650B hardtails coming soon!

Well I am very pleased with my Groovy 650B but can't afford to get one for the wife at this time. So I am thinking about one of these for the wife next year since she has been pretty dedicated in the dirt. If only some of the other large bike companies(Trek) had to foresight to see why the 650B IS the ticket for so many applications. It comes with a fairly racy geometry, and a 71 headtube. With the new Angleset I could make that about 72.5, which would be pretty good.
If I was to start my own bike shop Jamis would be at the top of my list for brands to stock.






















I'm going to be making some changes to the Groovy soon as well. A 650B Xfusion Velvet should be on the way soon. I like the Fox 29 I have now but it's only 80 mm and I really miss that 100mm of travel. Not to mention I want to support a company that believes in the 650B format.

Thorn TT...unfair advantage

Stop #3 of the NEO Powerseries was at Findlay state park with a one lap time trial around the twisty Thorn trail. Despite the recent rain the course was pretty dry and I knew if there was ever a day I could perform well this was it. The trail is a handlers course and my Groovy gave a me a serious advantage. The 650B wheels and tight geometry allowed me to really nail the turns like there was no tomorrow. I was skimming trees with my shoulders so I knew I was at full speed.
Only by the grace of God did I not crash and I nearly vomited with 200 yards to go. I ended up with a 39:39, a mere 14 seconds in front of Ross Clark, and just behind him was Jeff Cochran and Tom Franek all within less 30 seconds.
This was a much needed win and a serious confidence boost to an otherwise lackluster season. Steve Twining took the win in his class with a reported new course record making it a very nice weekend for Groovy Cycles. That boy rides like a freak.