This video was shot during the practice runs at the last National of the 2010 season at Mankele. The clips were compiled in sequence from the start to the finish in order to give viewers an idea of how the course runs from top to bottom. All footage was shot by myself on an entry level camcorder, so please excuse the quality. Enjoy.

Matt Smith is a very well known and respected local DH racer and also an overall good rider of all two wheeled machines. Here is race report of the 2010 SA DH National Championship…

On the Edge

With the Regional and National Points races all wrapped up it was the turn of the one day race to crown the National Champions of South Africa.

For Matt Smith and all the Downhill racers 2010 has been a marathon of endless races all crammed into the first six months of the season and most, including himself were looking forward to the National Champs to end the very tough season on a high before the club season starts.

From the beginning of the year it was reported that the Champs would be at the old downhill venue of Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria. Over the last few seasons the venue has held many National, Regional and club races but before this particular race there was some confusion as to which course would be raced. Always known as a wheel eater of a track the Gauteng riders were hoping for some practice to gain a home town advantage. This was not to be.

The race organizers delivered a brand new track that was completed only the Thursday before the race weekend. This equaled the competition and Matt along with all the Gauteng riders lost any advantage they may have gained from a familiar track.

After walking the track on Friday Matt had this to say.

“I’ve always liked Fort Klapperkop as a race track. It reminds me of the races I did as a Junior when I first started out. I learned how to ride rocks and the harsh powdery dirt that we have in JoBurg and Pretoria on tracks like this. I practiced the National track that ran down the other side of the hill last year and was fast and comfortable on it so was hoping for something challenging like that or even the short flowing regional track we raced earlier this year.

None of this though as they have gone and built a brand new track completely and stretched it out so it can finish at the highway. The top section is a bunch of flat corners with some jumps and berms thrown in for good measure, then a road crossing, a long pedaling straight, a bomb hole, another long straight then a drop into a veldt with blind grass corners leading to the finish. The organizers are hoping for a two minute win time but I think it’ll be a bit shorter than that.

On first inspection it looks like a track that I may not enjoy but should be able to do well on. I’ll been in good shape all year and haven’t really let of the training cos of racing almost every other weekend so my form is good. The only problem I see is that there is no rest on this track so even though it’s short I’ll be pedaling flat almost the whole track.

Through Friday and Saturday practice the track did start to come to life in places but with it being brand new and not run in, it soon deteriorated and started blowing out on the corners and jumps.

There was some debate early in the weekend as to whether the racing would be run on International rules with a qualifier and one race run or as in the National Series and have two runs with the best counting. It turned out to be the later which was a good thing as a course like this could throw up punctures and mechanicals out of nowhere as rocks were being dislodged on every run.

Early Friday morning Matt Smith got a boost for the weekend. He received an email from Cycling South Africa informing him that he had been selected to represent South Africa at the upcoming Masters World Championships to be held in Brazil in September. This decision was based on his consistently high finished and commitment to the National Series.

“It’s so cool to be selected, the last time I made the National team was when I was half a lifetime ago when I was seventeen…a full 16 years ago!! I’m happy about the selection but I’ll try and use the news to build me up for racing this weekend. Nice to know I’m one of the fast guys and can really go for it now”.

Racing

“I’ve felt good the whole way through practice and actually enjoyed the old-school feel of the track with the drifting off camber corner that really suit my style. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had my foot clipped out so much and putting the bike sideways. I think that’s the advantage I have on the other guys in that I can use my experience on this terrain. I tried not to over train through practice as I knew it would make me too tired coming into the racing on Sunday.

My first race run felt good but way to loose and I racked up a whole load of mistakes but still had third fastest in the Sub-Veteran category. Kelsey was leading on a 1;46 with Rumbelow on the same second. I had a messy run with a 1;50 and Dirk Lourens had double flatted so was way off the back and none of the other Sub Vets were coming close.

In the second run I felt like I could pull back five seconds, that was my aim anyway. I absolutely pinned the top section as fast and hard as I could and it all held together so I

was fired up. I crossed the road and laid down some horse power in the long straight into the double. I had a sneaky line around the right hand side of the jump that had been working for me so I stuck with that and still felt fast. Only problem was I pedaled so hard into it I though I’d get kicked when I hit the landing so a braked a little bit for control. Then nice and quick through the bomb hole and down the fence and Super-moto sliding off the drop (one of my funnest sections and moves to pull). Dropped into the veldt section and was flying, knew it was a faster run but about four corners in I was out of juice. Tried to stand up and crank but my legs were gone. I carried speed where I could but could feel myself slowing down towards the finish and definitely lost time over the last ten seconds or so of the track.”

Matt improved his first run time by two and a half seconds to come home on a 1;48;52. This would have been good enough for a third place but Lourens had not punctured this time and punted Matt off the podium and down to fourth.

Results:

1^st Robin Rumbelow 1;44;60

2^nd Myles Kelsey 1;44;90

3^rd Dirk Lourens 1;48;32

4^th Matt Smith 1;48;52

“It’s hard not to be disappointed but I really don’t think I could have gone any faster on this track at the moment. My top section was as fast as any of the top pro-elites but I faded at the bottom and that’s something I need to work on. This result has come at the

end of one of the hardest seasons of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever raced so much and looking back now I was probably burnt out after the last National four weeks ago at Manklele so a top five was quite good considering.

I’ve nailed down number one plates in the Regional points and Champs and taken number four plated in the National Series and Champs so those results are pretty good and a strong base to build on for next season. The plan for next year is to podium every National and aim for a top three number in that and defend the number one plate at Regionals. A big goal for 2011 is to be crowned National Champion so I will fine tune my training towards a win at this event next year. There’s still plenty of racing to come the rest of this year and I’m looking forward to the more chilled out club season and

getting down to Natal for some of the Gravity dices too. I will also get on the Moto-x bikes a bit more and work on my upper body which showed me up a few times on the technical track.

Riding and racing is all about learning so you can get better and at the ripe old age of 33 there’s still a long way to go.”

So far this 2010 season Matt Smith has achieved the following results:

• MTN National Points Series 4^th
• Gauteng Regional Points Series 1^st
• Gauteng Champs 1^st
• MTN National Champs 4^th

Matt’s next race will on Sunday the 22nd of August for Round One of the Gauteng Gravity All Stars Club Series (Venue to be announced).

Big Thanks go out to all my Sponsors for giving me the equipment to hold it wide open!

Mongoose Bikes, Match Insurance, Thor MX, Von Zipper, Liqui Moly, Mikes Bikes in Greenside, Frerichs Customs, DC Shoes, Kenda Tyres and tubes, RedBull, Giro Helmets and KTM

The 3D trend continues in this abysmal attempt at a documentry…

I had high expectations for X Games 3D since ESPN’s last effort (Ultimate X) some years ago for IMAX was breathtaking. In the first minute of the film I wanted my money back as the aspect ratio was not setup correctly which left almost everyones heads chopped off. At R60 a ticket to watch this crap that is a problem. Things got worse as the film progressed and I realized that you could watch almost any of the film on YouTube or on ESPN re-runs. An unassuming narrator (Emile Hirsh) mumbled on about how extreme everything was mixed in with inane comments made from the ESPN crew. Anyone listening to Sal Masekela trying to bro down with the whole planet will have them wishing to be struck deaf.

The entire thing is also not in 3D. When they get the 3D right it looked very impressive and what I wanted to see however several times I could have sworn it was post production 3D. Post production 3D is not proper 3D but thrown on afterwards as a sales gimmick to get people to what sub standard movies. The quality is awful and you constantly feel like your eyes are shifting out of focus. Just compare Avatar (correct stereoscopic 3D) to Alice In Wonderland (post produced 3D).

The action segments are joined together by athlete interviews which are dull and lack any insight. Danny Ways jump over the Wall of China caught my attention when it was mentioned that a Mountain Biker had tried the jump previously and died during the attempt. I looked it up because I had never heard of this before and his name was Wang Jiaxiong. I’m not finished taking this film apart either. Filming: could have been better. Watching the tracking and the composition on several shots I got the impression whoever was behind the lens, they had not shot much footage of that particular sport before. The guy in the street wont notice this at all, but to us we can pick it up. Something which bugs me personally is their morbid fixation on people crashing and hurting themselves. Some might find it entertaining but from my side some of these guys have families watching and money on the line when they hit the ground. I want to see a guy conquer the odds with style and be entertained, not breaking his ankles and failure.

Nothing new here. Uninspired cash-in crap that Ster Kinekor and their clueless projectionist should pay me R60 just to watch. Save your money and visit Clay Porters Vimeo page for free instead.

Quite a few riders out there have opted for a standard Motocross helmet as opposed to the usual bicycle one so I had a look at the Fly Kinetic…

Out the box I did not like the helmet bag: its too thin and feels like it can tear with very little force. If you drop cash on a helmet you want to keep it as scratch free off the track as possible and the Fly bag does not cut it. First thing I did was adjust the peak which took all of 2 seconds and then I had a look at the custom graphics. They kept it quite simple with a few of their logos scattered around and “Determination” stylized on the top which I liked. Putting the helmet on I noticed the padding on the sides pushed my cheeks together which was something new to get used to. The strap is pretty standard but with my helmet it took me a little while to clip in the final button that stops the strap from floating around while you ride.

The view/goggle area is definitely a lot smaller than what I was used to. I think this might impede some riders but it never bothered me and my goggles fit in no problem. The ridge on the rear gives you a reference point where to leave the goggle strap. The main selling and marketing point of the Kinetic is its “10 Point Air Intake System”. Unlike the Motocross riders we do not always have a rush of air towards the helmet to help cool us so I paid close attention to see if it felt any cooler. Before I warmed up I sat around with the helmet on and definitely felt some airflow from just sitting around. Once in motion those 10 vents worked for me keeping my head cool.

Having ridden with light weight bicycle specific helmets for a while, I could feel the difference right away with the Kinetic. Granted it will be heavier but after 10 minutes I had adjusted my riding somewhat to compensate for the weight difference. To date I have 3 concussions so a good helmet is very important to me. The Kinetic did something for me which it does not say on the box and that was give me confidence. The slightly more bulky and heavily padded DOT approved (listed on the box but for some reason the certification stamp was nowhere on the actual helmet) Kinetic made me feel a lot safer knowing that if I did fall over, my chances were better. It looks good, it feels good and aside from the helmet bag and fiddly strap I think this is a solid helmet. Although built with Motocross in mind the Kinetics 10 air intakes definitely make it appealing for cyclists who use full face helmets.

]]> http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/fly-kinetic-helmet-review/feed/ 1 http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/linebreak-compression-pants-review/ http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/linebreak-compression-pants-review/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 07:22:04 +0000 Lloyd http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/?p=3644 Spandex on NSR? Spandex on NSR. Read the review and if you are serious about racing see if it is required…

What are compression pants? Similar to wetsuit material the basic purpose of them is to speed up muscle recovery time. Most of the UCI BMX Supercross field already use compression pants and I have even seen Jarred Graves use them for 4x. Before you stop reading about all this “spandex” know that compression pants really do make a difference to your riding. If you are serious about gaining every advantage you can on race day, read on.

I visited the official Linebreak website to see what they were all about and they have a simple marketing approach: none whatsoever. The Australian company keeps it very simple and avoids all the usual marketing mind tricks which is a refreshing change from having products rammed down your throat.

I gave the Linebreaks several race and practice tests to see if they really work. They fit well and after one ride you forget that you even have them on. Wearing them in summer with long race pants on I was worried I would overheat and lose all my energy through sweat loss. Turns out my legs felt cooler with them on and Linebreak claims they help reduce fluid loss by up to 31%. The pants do this by regulating your core temprature, something I feel right away when I always put them on. Its definitely a plus to have something which helps your legs to recover and then keep them cool at the same time.

After a race and a lot of sprints my legs would definitely feel less stiff and fatigued afterwards as they usually do. Using the Linebreaks throughout the Sunday race, my Monday legs did not even know they had been on the track. I also rode for a whole day without them and used them afterwards to recover which I found helped as well. As a control test I rode hard without them the entire day and afterwards I could feel that I had not been wearing the Linebreaks.

Yes, the other kids will make fun of you wearing tights but they are easily hidden under riding pants if that sort of thing bothers you. I would not wear them with shorts as a slipped pedal would easily tear them as it would any garment. To back up everything I have said about these pants is reams of medical data which you can read up on more via the Linebreak website. For the purpose of this review I wanted to keep it simple: do they work or not? Yes they do everything it says on the box and I never race without them now. More Downhill/BMX/Motocross racers use compression wear than you think but you would never know with them being under their race pants.

I reviewed the Velocity tights which retail locally for around the R680 mark and are available nationwide from various bike stores or online via cricketshop.com (mention NSRMTB for a 10% discount and order via email). Note that compression wear is divided into mens and womens categories so check the label if you are not sure. For MTB and BMX the Velocitys are best suited since they cover the entire leg. Linebreak makes several other products which are aimed at other sports such as running with their compression socks and tops.

]]> http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/linebreak-compression-pants-review/feed/ 0 http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/dvd-review-brighter/ http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/dvd-review-brighter/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:20:39 +0000 Lloyd http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/?p=3641

Just released and ready for you to consume, its Brighter…

First impression right away is the organic, green hue of Brighter which sets the tone for a laid back video. Heavily post produced the entire feature has a surreal tone to it with the majority of shots edited in some way. Great use of rider titles and slick editing, the Brighter crew are definitely skilled behind an editing console.

The editors went buck wild with the lens vignetteing in post production giving the majority of the shots a looking-through-a-keyhole effect. Its a cool effect used by many photographers including myself. After watching Brighter I felt right away there was a time and place to watch it and that would be on those warm, lazy Sunday afternoons after you are done riding. The chilled out (for the most part) soundtrack and organic visuals should make you want to hit the couch. The clips distance themselves from hyper realistic HD shots which can sometimes make the riding too obvious and sterile.

The riding and spots are as good as any other film with the guy freeriding on narrow bridges 15 feet up in the air, running Skyway mag-like wheels standing out for me. Along with the main feature are the standard extra features with B roll material as well a tour of the Transition Bikes warehouse. Cool to see more rider owned and operated bike companies.

Although new school in many ways this video took something from when the action video started and that is a narrative to join all the riding sections together. Pointless and unentertaining I would rather have seen more of their brightly beautiful stop motion or hillside shots. Overall Brighter will be unique on your DVD shelf for its well produced, natural aesthetic mixed together with dudes hucking off huge jumps.

The circle is complete. There has to be room on your shelf for Dust and Bones…

I guess NWD10: Dust and Bones is the last in the series which is just as well since I would hate to try follow up this release with a sequel. Nothing too flash with the packaging other than a cool faux 3D treatment to the design. You open the box and there is the DVD right away. No crap from a marketing department or overly complex jewel case. No time wasting, just put the DVD in and go. I wont dissect each persons sections because, well they are all damn good and you need to watch them instead of reading what I have to say about them.

I have watched NWD9 and was impressed with the high production levels and NWD10 is just as high. The videography is the best I have ever seen for MTB with solid compositions and amazingly well tracked high speed rider shots. Freeride Entertainment did something really smart and I am guessing they did it intentionally: they cranked up the contrast on quite a few clips adding some noise into the picture as well as some grime. If you have ever watched an entire video that consists of super sharp HD footage it gets sterile towards the end. The littered high contrast breaks up the visual treats of the untouched clips giving the look a balanced feel.

Freeride Entertainment dropped some serious cash for the soundtrack and have a good collection of songs. Record companies charge extortionate licensing fee’s for using their songs and that is why so many action sport DVD’s out there have lo-fi garage bands in their videos. The choice of tunes is radio friendly for 2010 so that might date this release a few years from now when the trends change. A good thing however since by the time their next release is ready they can approach this release like “that was 2010, this is 2011″. Kurt Voreis part is a well spaced interlude that has no music in the background at all but consists of ambient bike riding sounds. His part is a great example of how each section has its own uniqueness from riding style to riding spots to editing.

Tricks for the most part surface into the world in this order: Skate – BMX – MTB. That gap between BMX and MTB has now been closed in 10. The big bike riders are more dialled with their trick execution and a lot smoother. It is clear that MTB’ing has caught up in terms of freestyle and from now on I am sure we will start to see new tricks coming from them as opposed to BMX first. Just look at Cam McCauls part to see what I mean (one trick in particular which you will figure out).

The 3 transitions of Semenuks part, the sweeping beauty of Gee Athertons section in Italy, the A to Z of tricks with Greg Watts, the street shredding with Adam Hauck and the FMX inspired airtime of the Zinc/Sorge section: Dust and Bones is THE Mountain Bike video. Don’t be a dick and download a copy because it is worth every cent and we need to help fund releases like this. The world needs more disorder.

]]> http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/new-world-disorder-10-dust-and-bones-review/feed/ 0 http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/snafu-pedal-review/ http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/snafu-pedal-review/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:11:27 +0000 Lloyd http://www.nsrmtb.co.za/?p=3339

The brand that Mcgoo built has some plastic pedals…

What’s with all the pedal reviews on NSR? Someone send us some different products and we can get off the pedals. These are the first of the new generation plastic pedals I have ever tried so was keen to see how they worked out. Out the box they felt about the same weight as a pair of magnesium pedals if not a bit lighter. The needle bearing complete with bushings in the centre of the PC pedals and the polycarbonate body definitely help keep the weight down. Fitment was a bit annoying since the R and the L are stamped so small on the spindle I really had to look. Some people would look at the thread and tell but I am one of those who always looks for the stamp.

As is pretty standard on all the pedals I have reviewed lately is the alan key slot in the inside of the spindle. If you like pedals with little grip these will suit you since I found little. This is what I always feared about plastic pedals and riding these in the wet must be very sketchy. Snafu have chosen quite a different tread pattern on them with no standard molded pins anywhere. Bearing wise they felt a bit rough out of the box but when riding they rolled just as smooth as any other pedal.

The pedals tested here are the Smoke coloured ones and are also available in Orange, Clear and Green from www.theriot.co.za for R190. Overall the packaging was simple and clean which I liked. For the low price they are ideal for anyone who wears through pedals quickly and the weight watchers will also be happy. If you are looking for a very grippy pedal that can clip rocks, these are not the pedals for the job. If you have a jump bike or BMX they are worth a look. Perishable bike parts like these pedals are a smart move on bike companies behalf for sure.

After asking several people which pedals to use for converting to clips they suggested Time’s Z Controls…

A long time disciple of flats I needed something that would adjust to my style of turning my feet on the pedals in some situations. Too look at they are completely non platform looking and I doubted how well my foot would sit on them. Once clipped in I did not notice this at all however.

Pedal wrench as well as alan key compatible they were easy to install. Complete in the box came the lower section of the clips for my SPD shoes. The clips themselves are marked with a R and L as well as an arrow illustrating the direction which they are supposed to point making them entirely idiot proof.

Weight wise these felt almost double the weight of the magnesium flats I have been running but I did not bother to weigh the difference. The clip system on the pedals definitely work and really hold your shoe to the pedal. Just ask the entire Dutch national BMX team and 2x WC DH Champ Bas De Bever as I fell over in front of them clipped in and got stuck. Getting unclipped was a huge problem at first due to the not so great condition my ankles are in from years of riding and the springs on the pedals are so tight.

After a few rides the springs wore in and it was easier to unclip. The Time’s definitely suit my style of riding since they allow for a large degree of rotation of your feet on the pedals. However it does make learning to unclip a lot more difficult and I found these were not the best pedals to convert with. Once clipped in they roll real smooth and do not feel restrictive at all.

Whats really bad about these pedals and surprising at the same time is that after 1 ride they already looked several months old. The black paint came off all too easily and the surface of the pedals is too easily damaged. I have seen another pair where the rider hit a rock and one of the 4 main teeth on the flat section broke right off. If you are a hucker these pedals will probably not last you long.

For more information on Time pedals visit the official site here

I had heard about NC17 once or twice so was keen to have a look at their products. Having experienced misery from a year of using easily the worst pedals ever I was keen to find something that works…

When I got them in my hands I forgot just how light magnesium can be. Instant weight savings right there but probably not ideal for hitting rocks. The NC17’s are definitely good candidates for your jump bike. Some pedals just cannot get the pins perfect but the NC17’s are just the right length offering plenty of grip and even made me feel like I was using clips sometimes. In terms of design there is nothing revolutionary here but the grip, weight and sealed bearings are what sold me on these pedals. Having run both sealed and un-sealed pedals in the past I definitely find the former a luxury. Un-sealed just never feels right after running a pedal that rotates so smoothly. I did notice that the spindle does not run the entire length of the pedal body like so many others do. The rationale behind this surely stems from the desire to shave weight.

Offering more options there are holes in which you can fit reflectors if so desired. Another feature which I first noticed on Odyssey pedals is an alan key thread on the inside of spindle facing the BB. This allows quick removal by inserting an alan wrench through the side of the crank arm that faces the bike. Pedal wrenches are usually on the larger side to carry around so I thought this was useful.

More information on the pedal and other NC-17 products can be found here