UNIT is one of the newest brands to enter the FMX, BMX & MTB freestyle apparel markets and have had good success with the recent establishment and development of the brand. The brand is the brainchild of Paul Everest and since it’s humble beginnings on the gold coast of Australia in 2002 there has been no turning back with the brand launching it’s online store in Cali, USA recently as well as hitting the shores of sunny South Africa…

UNIT brings an edgy, sexy, true to dirt feel to the market with some phenomenal designs and a fresh approach on how the riding community is perceived, by incorporating all the various elements one is used to associating with the freestyle riding culture. For those of you who have been frequenting some of the recent DH MTB and freestyle MTB events locally i am sure you’ve come to notice the brand around events like the last SA National DH cup race at Stonehouse, Malelane Toyota DH Challenge as well as the Contermanskloof lake jump session and shuttle day.

UNIT will be distributed in RSA by Luksgroup, who also brought us Skullcandy, Hurley, Metalmulisha, Nike 6.0 and various other world renowned brands. Look out for the UNIT clothing and apparel range at a Sidewalksurfer, Shesha, Boogaloos and other related retailers in future where brands like FOX and Von Zipper can be found. No doubt the UNIT brand will make it’s presence felt and have done so globally by getting involved in the events and riders of it’s core market.

Not only does the brand recognise the worth of getting involved with local organisers and events in getting their name out in the market but internationally UNIT already has some of the top names amongst their team of riders who have lamented their stature as world leaders in their respective disciplines. Riders like Chris Kovarik, Andreu Lacondeguy, Rhys Willemse & James Doerfling are but a few names who are proudly sponsored by UNIT. And judging by their accomplishments as riders and ambassadors to their sports it is easy to see that the future looks bright both the UNIT brand as well as the riders they associate themselves with.

With the recent success and growth experienced in the local DH scene over the past few years, as well as the spin-off effect it has had on other events like the Contermanskloof lake jump session, i think it’s safe to say that the synergy between big brands and sports organisers are a winning combination in ensuring the growth of extreme sports and the establishment of brand partnerships and brand identity like that of UNIT. But enough sweet talking, scroll down for a little taster of what UNIT has to offer.

For more information regarding the full range and it’s distribution in SA contact dustin@luksbrands.com or to view the full catalogue of UNIT merchandise  CLICK HERE.

Herzogenaurach / Redlands, California – The adidas Group announced that it has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire Five Ten, a leading performance brand in outdoor action sports. The adidas Group intends to purchase the entire Five Ten business, which includes all of the issued share capital of Five Ten USA…

The total purchase price is USD 25 million in cash at closing and contingent payments, which are dependent on Five Ten achieving certain performance measures over the next three years. The transaction is expected to close in the next couple of weeks.

As part of its Strategic Business Plan Route 2015, the adidas Group expects sales in the outdoor segment to exceed € 500 million by 2015 based on organic growth. Through the acquisition of Five Ten, the adidas Group will be even better positioned towards the goal to become a leading player in the outdoor market.

“We are very excited to join forces with Five Ten. Five Ten is a leading brand in the technical outdoor market and within the outdoor action sport community. Climbers, mountain bikers and other outdoor athletes around the world highly value their products,” said Rolf Reinschmidt, Senior Vice President adidas Outdoor. “Five Ten has continuously been at the forefront of innovations and shares the same passion for athletes as we do at adidas. It represents an excellent addition to the adidas Outdoor portfolio and will allow us to expand into complementary market segments. This acquisition underscores our clear commitment to the outdoors and our ambition to play a leading role in the outdoor industry going forward. I am very much looking forward to working on this journey together with Charles Cole, Founder and President of Five Ten.”

“The deal provides exciting prospects for Five Ten. Supported by the adidas Group, we can finally reach the full potential that the ‘Brand of the Brave’ has to offer,” commented Charles Cole, Founder and President of Five Ten. “Here at Five Ten, we like the philosophy of adidas’ founder Adi Dassler, with his focus on product quality and in doing whatever is necessary to give the athlete the advantage. adidas has the same principles of putting athletes and performance first that have guided Five Ten for nearly 30 years and we are thrilled to be partnering with them.”

Five Ten has been at the forefront of innovation in the technical outdoor market since the day Stealth, a revolutionary high-friction rubber compound, was created in 1985. Today, the Stealth product family includes more than half a dozen award-winning compounds that provide the highest friction to athletes in various conditions. The Five Ten Elite Team consists of some of the world’s most exciting athletes such as Dean Potter, National Geographic’s 2011 athlete of the year, JT Holmes, champion big-mountain skier and Suz Graham, the most versatile and progressive female action sports athlete in the world.

adidas is the athletic brand in the outdoors. It has a long history in innovative outdoor products including highlights such as the ‘Super Trekking’, the first light trekking shoe, being worn by climbing legend Reinhold Messner for his first Everest ascent without oxygen support in 1978. Its award-winning TERREX collection offers lightweight, technical equipment to athletes in the outdoors. The tradition of adidas founder Adi Dassler, who worked individually with athletes to make them better, continues today. adidas Outdoor has teamed up with top outdoor athletes like the Huber Brothers (Climbing, Germany), Beat Kammerlander (Climbing, Austria) and Barbara Zangerl (Climbing, Austria) as well as prestigious organizations such as Zermatt Alpin Center (Switzerland) and Ragni di Lecco (Italy).

About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 46,000 employees and generated sales of € 12 billion in 2010.

About Five Ten
Five Ten is a family-owned company that is dedicated to making the best outdoor sports footwear available. It offers innovative products to athletes in categories such as climbing and mountain biking. Five Ten was founded by Charles Cole in 1985, is located in Redlands, California and employs 37 people. In 2011, annual net sales are expected to be approximately € 16 million excluding distributor business in Japan and Korea.

If you are interested in monitoring your progress or looking for a way to get that little bit extra out of your training sessions, this wonderful litle timer is just the answer…

When it comes to getting the most out of your training regime, keeping track of your performance is the first and foremost point of control in order to gauge whether you are making progress in your efforts to reach the top step. Having a friend around with a stopwatch helps you keep track of your laps/runs but comes with the inherent problems of training on a track where the start and finish is not at the same point, or when there are pleasant distractions around like scantily clad pit girls. This is where the Velo X lap timer comes to your rescue in ensuring your runs are timed accurately.

The unit is ergonomically designed to fit any size handlebar by means of a three way clip system to ensure a snug and secure fit which is conveniently located next to your dominant hand. Now you can start the clock at the exact start of your run and stop the clock once you cross the finishline without the worry of missing a split second. A big enough lcd screen displays the lap time and you can record up to 9 999 lap times. Once you completed your training session you can access the following information:

Total time elapsed

Fastest lap ( indicated by lap number )

Slowest lap ( indicated by lap number )

Average lap time

The Velo X timer has a rugged and durable outer casing which is scratch resistant, shock resistant and water resistant up to 50 meters. The Velo X timer is powered by a long life Lithium battery and comes with a one year warranty covering it for quality workmanship and operational functionality. The test unit i used worked perfectly all the time and survived several riding conditions including hot dusty training, wet muddy riding and even the odd biff now and then. It has proved invaluable in helping assess whether you are making progress in your fitness, gaining time through tricky technical sections as well as overall performance gains when you compare average times over consecutive training sessions.

The unit sells for around R500 and is directly imported from the states and only available through mail order and hopefully we’ll see them available in stores soon. If you are interested in getting your hands on one please mail us at info@nsrmtb.co.za with Velo X timer as the subject and we will be happy to get the supplier in contact with you in order to facilitate delivery.

Pretty unique bike you got there James, how many similar ones have you come across?

I am the first person to start racing the KTM brand on the DH circuit in South Africa. As far as I am aware there is one other currently racing in Cape Town, but  it is its first year racing here, so hopefully we will see more Austrian rigs on the hill soon. There are hundreds of KTM XC bikes at the various events country wide, but as you know the DH scene is a smaller one, but growing from race to race.

Why the choice to go with a new brand in DH like KTM, versus choosing from one of the more popular brands currently on the circuit?

KTM have a very proud racing heritage, and while the push bikes and motorbikes are two separate companies I was very intrigued by the brand. The Aphex is incredibly well spec’d, so much so that all I needed to change were the Bars, for a wider pair. Coming from an enduro back round, the name KTM already has a place in my heart and when given the opportunity to ride the APHEX for 2011,  I jumped at it. Being part of the brand since its launch is exciting, and I am inspired to continue the growth of KTM in the MTB scene.

You are currently the log leader in the national Veterans class, how long have you been doing DH?

That’s right, I am currently leading the National and Gauteng Vets class in Downhill with one race to go in each series. The first time I ever threw a leg over a Downhill bike was in June 2007 at Whistler bike park in Canada and fell in love immediately. On my return I purchased a Heavy 10 inch travel bike and started to race in 2008, so this is my fourth year racing. Last year I did the Cape Epic, so I hardly rode my DH bike, but I am back with a vengeance this year.

Do you have aspirations to aim towards competing at the master’s world cup?

I would relish the opportunity to compete at the Masters World Cup, that would be a dream come true! Perhaps with the right backing it could be done in the near future.

What is it you would like to see happen with DH in SA for the coming years?

This is a hotly debated topic at the moment. I think to put it simply, I would like to see the sport grow. Grow in terms of participants, coverage and support from the local commissions. In order for Downhill in South Africa to grow we need to get much more coverage, in all forms of media, TV, online, press and print. It would be good to see our National races getting more than 3 minutes coverage on a TV slot, in this short period you cannot do the sport any justice. You guys at NSRMTB are phenomenal at creating awareness for our sport, thank-you!  A big thank you must also go out to the people who are prepared to put their money back into DH including my sponsors  KTM Bike Industries; Titanium Designs; Adidas Eyewear; Motorex and Maxxis.

For detailed specs on the standard KTM APHEX click here.

There you have it folks, a one of a kind bike ridden by a one of a kind rider. If you would like to see your ride featured in the READERS RIDES section, go to the NSRMTB contact page and send me a mail ( subject: READERS RIDES ) with some pictures of you and your bike and i will reply with some questions to beef up the article.

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For more info on other Nuke Proof products click HERE.

Neko is a young rider with great potential and his feet firmly on the ground and his wheels in the air. For more info on this young new rider click HERE.

As per TREK World Racing press release:

Over the past few weeks Neko has been busy designing the colors for his new helmet for the 2011 season, and the folks at Kabuto Helmets in Osaka, Japan, have just sent us the final artwork.

(There’s a special edition for the Worlds, but we’ll let Neko show that one off later in the year!)

The design takes its cues from the new Trek World Racing team kit, the US flag in mono, features his NM moniker, and is sponsored by Worldwide Cyclery. The helmet itself is a custom version of the new IXA carbon from Kabuto, and these will be on sale worldwide in March

Neko will have his new helmet for a Trek World Racing testing camp in Spain later this month.

There are more images at www.23degrees-sports.com