Commencal Releases First Photos of 2010 Models

June 24th, 2009 by adam

Brand to hold something in reserve for North American market

(Santa Fe, NM) June 24, 2009 - COMMENCAL Europe made its 2010 range public last month with a kickoff event in Andorra. The company is now hosting links to ‘Spy Shots’ courtesy of their own website (link: http://www.commencal.com/news/spy_shots.htm). These offer fans a first look at models that will be available to European customers starting this fall. As expected, carbon fiber abounds, making its way into some of the highest spec bikes in the range for the first time (if you’ve been following the development, BTI unveiled a new prototype of the carbon Meta 5 at Sea Otter).

Here in the US, COMMENCAL still has a few surprises left in store for the 2010 season. According to Mike Raney, brand sales manager, Commencal will “fully leverage its unique relationship with global parts distributor BTI and their joint suppliers” this year. Huh? When pressed for an english translation, Raney gets cagey and clams up. There is a blanket of secrecy over the project. But if you listen to the conversations around the coffee maker at BTI, ‘choice’ is the buzz word that seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

Without spilling the beans, some have speculated that we will see a US launch with multiple component levels for each bike. But there has to be more to keep Mike Raney this tight-lipped. “It’s big” is the most anyone has been able to pry out of him. In fact, the complete rundown of US spec bikes will be kept under wraps until later this summer. Time (and Interbike) will most likely unravel the mystery for most of the rest of us.

In other Commencal news:

The Atherton family has been pounding away on their Commencal test mules all spring. In May they also became the subjects of an online reality series thanks to sponsor Red Bull. The Atherton Project Episode 3 just debuted last week. Watch it online here http://video.mpora.com/watch/4G3eFjaUp/

Wildflower Rush Sets the Stage for Nationals

Golden, Colo.– The fourth stop on the Mountain States Cup landed in Crested Butte June 19-21, where the wildflowers were rampant around the freshly cut singletrack and courses, and racers braved the elements in their last quest to qualify for USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships.

The cross country race on Saturday started with pristine conditions for the 7.5 mile loop. This course was new to even the locals of the mountain, and gave racers a taste of what pure Colorado singletrack really is like. By the time the pro race kicked off at 2:30 p.m., the conditions drastically changed, making it a challenging effort for the most prepared athletes on the hill. Andy Schultz (Durango, CO- Kenda/Tomac/Hayes), Macky Franklin (Taos, NM- Transparent Racing) and Jay Henry (Avon, CO- Tokyo Joes) battled it out to claim, first, second and third within 11 seconds of each other, despite the slick singletrack that otherwise would have been a fast, non-technical course.

The pro women faced the same conditions for three laps. Judy Freeman (Boulder, CO- Tough Girl / Scott) put a substantial lead on the pack finishing in 2:30:44. Jennifer Gerbasch (Avon, CO- Dale’s Pale Ale / Spot Brand) and Kelli Boniface (Steamboat Springs- Moots Cycles) came in third and fourth with a 2:41:46 and 2:44:59.

This was the first year a moutain cross course was built on Mt. Crested Butte. It was well received by all the gravity racers and brought a larger crowd than in years’ past. Pair that with a brand new downhill course, and the notoriously XC-centric venue became one of the gravity favorites overnight. Petr Hanak (Winter Park, CO) won the pro men’s mountain cross race againgst Joseph Backus (Mesa, AZ- Factory Staats) in the big final. Thomas Tokarczyk (Durango, CO- Jamis Bikes) and Michael Buell (Aspen, CO- Team Geronimo) took third and fourth.

Course conditions for the downhill changed throughout Saturday and Sunday, but despite the slick, muddy trails, racers still put down fast times for the downhill on Sunday. Chris Boice (Albuquerque, NM- Yeti / Fox National) won the men’s downhill with a 3:41:36. Brian Buell (Boulder, CO- Team Geronimo) and Joey Schusler (Boulder, CO- Yeti / Fox National) took second and third.

The MSC Photo Contest continues, and new posts are arriving every day at the MSC Photo Gallery at pinkbike.com. We are waiting for the final submissions to trickle in before we choose the final winner, but tune in to the homepage at racemsc.com to see the winner soon. Photos from USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships can be submitted into the MSC Photo Contest for the overall.

USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships will commence in exactly three weeks, where the best talent in the country will converge to battle it out for the official stars and stripes. The courses are now set and marked for cross country. Visit www.solvistanationals.com.

The Mountain States Cup will take a hiatus for the month of July, but will return for the fifth stop on its

circuit, August 7-9 in Snowmass Village, CO for XC, SD, MX and DH. For any inquiries please contact us at info@racemsc.com or 720-407-6142

MTB: Gaya Hidup & Ramah Lingkungan

BATAM - Langit cerah di atas dataran engku putri pada pagi hari Minggu (7/6) kemarin mendukung suasana semangat membara warga Batam yang ditaja oleh komunitas Bike To Work dengan menggelar sepeda santai bersama Walikota Batam dengan menempuh rute yang cukup jauh dan membutuhkan stamina yang kuat. Acara yang dikaitkan untuk memperingati hari lingkungan hidup sedunia yang jatuh pada 5 Juni lalu tersebut langsung dimanfaatkan oleh Walikota Batam, Ahmad Dahlan, untuk mengkampanyekan penggunaan sepeda dalam kehidupan keseharian yang disambut antusias warga yang hadir di dataran Engku Putri Batam Centre tersebut.
Dalam sambutannya, Wako Batam yang memakai peralatan lengkap dengan helm sepeda tersebut, menyampaikan upaya pemanfaatan sepeda bukan lagi hal yang baru, akan tetapi khusus bagi warga Batam yang langsung disuguhkan dengan kelengkapan fasilitas transportasi yang menghasilkan gas emisi, penggunaan sepeda dalam berbagai aktivitas keseharian termasuk untuk bekerja perlu dikampanyekan untuk mendapat dukungan riil dari warga secara mandiri dan dengan kesadaran yang tinggi, ungkap Dahlan dihadapan para komunitas pecinta sepeda tersebut.
“Dengan bersepeda, selain menyehatkan, juga akan mengurangi tingkat polusi dan untuk mengangkat olahraga ini, kita akan mengagendakan Tour De Barelang pada tahun 2010 yang melibatkan masyarakat Batam, Indonesia dan mancanegara”, pungkasnya lagi dengan semangat yang disambut tepuk tangan para bikers yang antusias menunggu pelepasan.
Ajang ini diikuti ratusan bikers dari beberapa club sepeda di Batam. Rombongan start dari dataran Engku Putri Batam Centre sekitar pukul 07.00 pagi dan dilepas secara resmi oleh Walikota Batam. Wako Batam juga ikut mengayun sepedanya mulai start dari Engku Putri kemudian menuju ke Simpang Kabil dan belok ke kanan ke arah Simpang Jam. Dari sini para bikers bergerak ke Jalan Bunga Raya-Simpang Empat Baloi-Lucky Plaza Nagoya dan finish di Simpang Lippo Bank, Nagoya.
Selain dari jajaran Pemko Batam, ajang bertajuk ‘City Tour, Bersama Kita Selamatkan Bumi dari Perubahan Iklim’ ini juga diikuti sejumlah pejabat Otorita Batam (OB) yang diwakili Ir. Prijanto dan tokoh masyarakat seperti Ricky Indrakari dan yang lainnya.
Kepala Bagian Humas Pemko Batam, Drs. Yusfa Hendri, M.Si, yang hadir dalam acara tersebut juga mengatakan, saat ini Pemko Batam sudah menggagas pembangunan track khusus bagi kendaraan roda dua, termasuk sepeda. ”Saat ini yang terealisasi baru jalur sepeda motor di Penuin. Ini akan terus dikembangkan pembangunannya,” kata Yusfa.Untuk track sepeda gunung, lanjut Yusfa, saat ini baru diusulkan lokasi di kawasan Duriangkang. Lokasi ini bakal dijadikan track off-road sepeda gunung. “Kita masih usulkan. Kalau disetujui nanti dianggarkan sesuai mekanisme yang ada,” katanya sambil mengiringi rombongan city tour sepeda tersebut.