'Pro Tuned' suspension service.

Out of the box, suspension forks and shocks can range from very good performance to barely adaquate. It's not uncommon to dissassemble some makes of brand new forks and find there is little or no lubrication in some parts of it, even ones costing $2000.00, making the life of the fork very short and performance nowhere to be found. The suspension fluids and lubes used by the majority of suspension manufactures can be of questionable quality or the volume of oil in the damper units is less than needed for proper performance.

Black Peak Cycles 'Pro Tuned' suspension service is similar to the 'Pro Build' complete bike building service, where in the fork or shock gets completely disassembled, all parts inspected and replace if needed, then rebuilt piece by piece using the highest quality lubricants that I have personally tested in various parts of the world, from the bike park in Whistler to the mountain ranges around Wanaka.

You can except a dramatic increase in sensitivity to terrain changes, the ability to ride faster over rough terrain and generally more control and much more fun, which at the end of the day, is the reason for having suspension in the first place.

Shimano M-230 Shoes

This pair of Shimano M-230 shoes came in the post about a month ago and even though we are still in the grips of winter, I'm still managing to get out up to 4 times a week, consequently the new shoes don't look that new any more.

That said, this latest offering from the the big 'S' is the top of the line Expert/Performance competition shoe. Not as light (807grms) or as stiff as the Elite M-310, but it's still got a carbon sole and custom fit heat moldable insole and uppers to give a precise fit with no pressure points.

I seem to have developed a bit of a bad habit of wearing out riding shoes prematurely of late. There was a time not that long ago when a nice pair of Italian riding slippers would last up to 4 seasons of riding. My last 3 pairs of shoes only lasted 2 1/2 years between them. Yes I'm doing a shed load more riding than I did in the past, but man, stuff just doesn't seem to last like it used to.

So this pair of Shimano shoes seem pretty well made with lots of rubber 'Armor' around the outer edges of the shoe, multi layed materials to add some durability, a nicely tucked in main buckle and some good deep tread on the sole if you have to portage nasty terrain. The 'Wide' model that I'm wearing has good room for those of us with wide fore feet and the added bonus of having room for thicker winter shocks and will I'm sure be great on hot days, letting more air flow around my feet. Something the Italian slippers were not to good at.

I've got 8 weeks of prep riding to do for a two week tour of Bhutan in mid October, which in it's self is about 700k's of mixed riding from 2000m climbs and descents, to virgin single track and everything in between. So these shoes will get some thorough testing long before summer even kicks in.

Stay tuned to see if they hang in there.

Pro Build for World Champs

I offered a local athlete my professional services to help him with his second attempt at the World Masters Road Racing Champs in France. So I went to work on him and his bike.

He had been having some comfort issues in his training lead up to the event, so I re-fitted him to the bike, lowering saddle height, moving him forward and changing the tilt on his saddle. He reported that he had no more numbness, more power and much better seated climbing.

Next was to give his bike the full Black Peak Cycles 'Pro Build' service. The bike gets stripped back to the bare frame and then reassembled in a way that optimises each components full potential and limits any chance of mechanical failure. This is a very important part of bike racing and performance riding. Having your bike properly preped and tuned so that your bike can perform at it's full potential.

2011 FOX 36 Talas Forks

Unless you've had your head in the sand lately, you would know that FOX Racing Shox has released their 2011 fork line up and it's available in limited numbers over the counter from switched on retailers. I was lucky enough to receive my forks at the end of May, so I've had a month or so to put in some winter mileage on them. You can get the full tech low down from http://www.foxracingshox.com/

First impressions always come from putting the forks on the scales and I was amazed to find that the 'Talas' fork has lost over 400grms in the 2011 model. Also the new 'Kashima' coated fork legs look way trick and really stand out from the older models. The first ride was spent riding easyish terrain and the compression felt just a little on the harsh side and the rebound kind of slow compared to my 2010 models, that admittedly had had the full treatment internally to make them perform at their full potential. I put the harshness/slowness down to the newness of the forks, air temperature being about 6 Celsius and the fact that the new suspension fluid is a heavier viscosity than in past forks. After another ride in more technical terrain with a few medium sized jumps and drops, I knew that I had some tinkering to do to get them to respond to my liking.

I removed the lower legs and drained the factory splash lube and replaced it with a new mix I've been working on for the past year. I didn't want to go into the new inverted cartridge at this point and wanted to see what effect just changing the splash would have. I've set the forks up with 45psi in the air chamber and both the rebound and low speed compression on full fast. The forks are working extremely well now, most noticeably plusher and at the same time more controlled, than my 2010 models in landing drops and hitting the backs of rocks and large tree roots. It will be interesting to see if a change in splash lube is needed when the weather gets warmer again. The new two stage 'Talas' is just fine and really all that is needed and I've even used the lockout a couple of times on smooth road sections during my rides, just to reassure myself that lockouts are really strange on a 160mm travel fork. Maybe I'll use it when I'm riding down to the shops.

Meta 5.5 'Factory' build

This is a nice light and very fast build using a Meta 5.5 Carbon 'Factory' frame kit. The 'Factory' comes with a FOX Float RP23 XV shock,a FOX Float 150RLC fork, Easton EC90 bars and post and Raceface stem.

The owner wanted a fast XC Marthon/Trail bike, so I built it up with a full XTR groupo, Gore Ride-on cables and XT wheels. He couldn't manage to fit in to his budget the cost of a hand built wheel set and the XT wheels are 15QR compatible out of the box, ball park weight and so far have held up very well. This bike weighs 26lbs on the noise with pedals. Very respectable for a 140/150mm travel bike. Super fast I'm told.

Commencal Meta 6 VIP build

Another bike from the Commencal stable. This is a Meta 6 VIP. It's their 160mm travel frame and the model, VIP, comes with a carbon swingarm to stiffen up the rear end and make it hold it's line much better than the all alloy model and climb much more efficiently as well.

There is a pair of 2011 FOX 36 Float 180's hanging off the front, which strangely don't make the bike feel to far from what it would with a standard pair of 160mm travel forks. As you can see, the fork lowers hang below the axle, meaning lower ride height.
The rest of the build is XTR/Saint/XT drivetrain and brakes, hand built wheels with Hadley hubs and Sun EQ31 rims. The bike is off to Whistler soon for a few weeks of big mountain fun.

Hand Built wheels

I've never been a big fan of factory built wheels, espacially for mountain bikes. There are so many odd ball design's with spokes that your local bike shop doesn't carry, hubs that last only a few months and rims that only fit there matching hubs. You really don't want to get stuck somewhere off the beaten track with a lot of these new wheels, let alone have to repair them.

So hand built custom wheel set's is something I've been doing for nearly 20 years. I prefer to use and recommend Hadley hubs. They are simple, easy to service, bomb proof and fast. Highest grade alloy bodies, titanium freehubs and very free spining bearings. This set of wheels has Bontrager Rhythm Pro scadium rims, 28 hole Hadley hubs laced up 2 x with Wheelsmith double butted spokes and alloy nipples. Stiff, light (about 1700grms) and fast. Tubeless ready.

Phil's Zaskar

A classic GT Zaskar LE rebirthed into a modern ride. The owner had the old frame polished and some new decals made and I built it all up for him. It has a good mix of recycled quality parts and some new stuff where old bits weren't going to cut it.

Rides real nice and the owner is very proud of his shinny new/old ride.

24inch dual suspension trail bike

Here's a trick little bike I built up for a friends daughter. The frame is an Intense 5.5 in x-small and it has shortened and revalved forks and shock, running on custom built 24" wheels. All the controls etc are normal and it runs short crank arms too. As she gets taller, the suspension can be lenghtened back out to standard travel and a pair of 26" wheels can be fitted.

The bike works amazingly well and she can ride terrain on it that many adults find testing.

New ride.

This is the newest bike to my stable, a Commencal Meta 5.5 Carbon. I first rode this bike at the Inter Bike show in Las Vegas last September. There was a 2 day demo at the begining of the 5 day show, where you could ride virtually all the new model bikes coming out for the next model year. I rode 10 different bikes over the 2 days, spending up to 1 1/2 hours on each bike. The Commencal Meta 5.5 and Meta 6 were by far the most fun and exciting bikes to ride. I had been a Trek rider for over 20 years and had been excited about the new Carbon Remedy, as I had been riding the alloy Remedy's for 3 years, but the Commencal just blew the Trek out of the water. So much more sure footed at speed and climbs like a goat!

The bike I rode at Vegas was built up as a light trail bike, but I have built mine up as more of an All Mountain bike. Fox Talas 36's, custom Hadley/Bontrager wheelset, XTR/Saint drivetrain, Gore Ride-on cables, Tompson post, WTB saddle, Race Race Atlas stem, Oury grips on Bontrager bars. Weighs about 30 pounds with pedals.

Welcome to Black Peak

Hi ya,



I've created this blog so you can see for yourself whats going on in the world of Black Peak Enterprises. My business is made up of 3 different elements all revolving around cycling.



Firstly there is Black Peak Cycles, which is a bicycle servicing business that specializes in custom build work, suspension tuning and servicing, high performance bike tuning and race bike preparation. I also offer riding skills coaching for those who want to learn how to ride their bikes faster with more control. Go to www.blackpeakcycles.com for more details.



You can check in to see the latest piece of cool bike stuff I'm now using, a new bike or wheelset I've just built up for someone and get some insightful tips on what works in the real world of cycling without the marketing hype. If you would like to get in touch directly, drop me a line at blackpeak@paradise.net.nz or phone 0274347212.



Secondly, Black Peak Travel is a guiding service I have set up to take people mountain biking in some of the coolest and little discovered places around the world. Go to www.blackpeak.co.nz/travel.html to check out trips currently available.



Thirdly, Black Peak Photo Works is an outlet for the images I take when I'm out riding, skiing or generally living and experiencing life. You can go directly to my web site http://www.blackpeak.co.nz/ and see some interesting images of where I have been and what I've experienced.

Cheers, Doug.