If you’re anything like me, an absurd percentage of your clothes are bike related. With that in mind, it’s still good news when somebody else jumps into the ring making clothes for riders, on or off the bike. Division26 is the latest company to join the party, and with Eric Carter backing the effort, expectations are high. Carter has joined forces with Bob Burns and Dale Rowley to launch “street and music influenced apparel and accessories aimed at the Mountain Bike lifestyle.” Yes, these guys like riding enough to capitalize the words “mountain bike.”

So far there’s only the standard fare of t-shirts, hoodies, and hats, but according to the press release, some technical clothing is on the way. Better start clearing room in the closet now. My advice: throw out the blue and green 80s riding shorts first.

No matter the outcome of the legal mess that is brewing, it appears clear that the relationship between LeMond and Trek is rocky at best, and the future doesn’t look bright for continued partnership. What, then, is Trek planning to fill that LeMond-sized hole in its line with? Gary Klein to the rescue: Trek has announced that it will be resurrecting the Klein brand in the US, as early as this summer. Klein silently shrunk away from the US market several years ago, but has continued to develop and sell new models elsewhere.

According to a report by BRAIN, plans are only to bring Klein’s road bike line back this summer. However, Klein does still have a mountain bike in its stable, so there is a possibility that Klein may make a push back into the fat-tire fray. Past Klein mountain bikes such as the Mantra and more recently the Palomino have brought some innovation and fresh thinking to the mountain bike world, so we’d be excited to see what a modern take on a Klein trail bike would look like.

If you are in the market for a MTB in the Moment class [which I personally belive (sic) is one of the most versatile, efficient and sexy machines around], you may want to consider waiting and seeing what gets launched at Sea Otter. If you already have a Moment order pending [which typically involves a deposit], I would contact your IBD for an update.

We normally wouldn’t give much weight to forum chatter, but this particular rumor has an element of believability to it. The current Moment will be about due for a refresh when 2009 rolls around. The Moment is one of the better riding 6″ travel bikes out there as it stands, so our hopes are definitely up for what the redesign will deliver. Stay tuned.

Update: New details have turned up, including some pictures of the sexy new Moment. Check it out here.

To find out when the short-bus of fun is going to be close to you this summer, check out the website that Rocky has set up for the event.

Not too long ago, when hucking was all the rage, the Karpiel Armageddon stood at the top of the heap of monster-bikes. Coupled with a Risse Bigfoot fork up front, the Armageddon had up to 12″ of travel front and back, and weighed as much as a Buick. That weight didn’t matter, of course, to the Josh Benders of the world who pointed the bike off of the biggest cliff they could find, and hoped for the best.

Well, times have changed since hucking’s glory days, and the Armageddon now appears to have changed with it. Some pictures of a prototype of the redesigned Armageddon have surfaced over at the MTBR forums, and they show what appears to be a leaner, meaner version of the former huckster. Specs and hard numbers aren’t available yet, but expect the travel to be reigned in to around 9″-10″, and price to be in the $3000 range (frame only, of course). Karpiel’s website is all locked up until the bike’s official release, so check back soon for all the details as they come available.

Kenda’s Nevegal is widely held as one of the best tires going for all-mountain riding. The Nevegal is light, has a nice, high-volume casing, grips well in most conditions, and is among the fastest-rolling full knobby tires. I’ve personally put a few seasons on Nevegals, and have been quite impressed with their performance.

So what about the 650B riders out there (both of you) that have been craving some Nevegal love? Well, Kenda has heard you, and will be offering the Nevegal in the emerging 650B size, in widths of 2.1″ and 2.35″. For those of you who aren’t up to speed on exactly what 650B means, it is a new (to modern mountain bikes), third wheel size which presents an alternative to the standard 26″ (which gets a lot of love on this site) and tall-boy 29″ diameter wheels. 650B measures out to a 27.5″ diameter, and the rationale is that it rolls over obstacles better than a 26″ wheel, while not being quite as ponderous as a full-blown 29″ wheel. However, there is of course the counter-argument that 650B is heavier and weaker than 26″ wheels, while not gaining the full smooth-rolling benefit of a 29er.

Confused? So are we. Until the industry settles back down (and that will likely take a very long time) on a single wheel size, rest assured that you can wrap your wheels of any size in some quality tires, and get back on the trail.

The advantages of such a gearbox would be twofold. First, the elimination of the front derailleur, with its lazy shifts under power and dropped chains in the rough stuff, would be a great step forwards. Second, and probably the more significant benefit, is that by fixing the position of the chain up front on a single chainring, one of the chief drawbacks of single pivot suspension designs would be eliminated.

Single pivot bikes have been given a new lease on life recently, largely thanks to improvements in platform suspension technology which allow the bikes to pedal acceptably without the aid (and therefore extra weight and complexity) of extra pivots and linkages. However, one of the significant drawbacks of single pivot bikes is that they are still sensitive to changes in the position of the chain on the front rings in relation to the main pivot. When the main pivot is placed directly in line with the chainring which is holding the chain, then the tension from pedaling is neither pulling the suspension up nor down, and therefore the suspension is left free from pedaling forces, and pedaling bob is nearly eliminated. If the position of the chain changes up front, (as it does when you change from the small to the big ring) then pedaling forces are no longer kept out of the suspension, and the bike will either firm up under power, and lose its ability to soak up bumps, or soften, and start to bob more under power.

Bike designers have found a decent compromise in single pivot bikes by placing the main pivot in line with the middle chainring, which is where most riders spend most of their time. However, the suspension still firms up when you are in the granny gear, and softens noticeably when jamming in the big ring. If the Hammerschmidt is able to replace the front three rings with a single ring and a gearbox, then regardless of what gear you are riding in, the chain could be designed to always pass directly in line with the main pivot.

Scans floating around from the German magazine Bike illustrate this point well. Check out the location of the main pivot in relation to the single chainring. Sadly, however, our German is not nearly up to par, so if anybody can translate the article, we’ve posted it after the jump.

Intense Cycles makes some of our favourite downhill bikes. In fact, the new M6 excites us in a way that no bike should. So when word comes in that Intense has unveiled a slick new website, it doesn’t take much further prompting to waste the next half hour of the day.

The new site looks great, and even if the side-scrolling through the bikes is mildly annoying (and strongly reminiscent of Specialized’s website, circa 2005), the eye candy makes it all worthwhile. Do yourself a favour and check it out. Bonus points for browsing while at work.

How fast have you been on your mountain bike? 50 mph? 60 maybe? Well, Markus Stoeckl has you beat… by a lot. Stoeckl is the rider who hit 130.7 mph, the world speed record for a mountain bike, blasting down the Chilean Alps. Sure, the full skinsuit and 45 degree slope had something to do with that speed, but we all know the real reason that Soeckl was able to hit a top speed faster than many cars was his trick, Red Bull helmet. Well, good news for you, then, because Red Bull is auctioning off that helmet, along with some other pretty amazing sports gear, in the Wings for Life charity auction.

Wings for Life is a non-profit organization which is working towards a cure for spinal cord injuries causing paralysis, something that is near and dear to any dirt rider’s heart. In order to raise some funds for the cause, Wings for Life is auctioning off some unique and significant pieces of sports history. Aside from the Stoekl helmet and skinsuit, you can get Nicky Hayden’s or Dani Pedrosa’s MotoGP helmets, ski-jump gear from Adam Malysz and Thomas Morgenstern, and amazingly, even a replica of David Coulthard’s 2007 F1 car.

The bidding is happening on eBay starting March 23, and all items (yes, even the F1 car) are starting at $1, so dig deep and help out a good cause, while picking up some unique and amazing sports swag!

Check out the ridiculous video of Stoeckl’s record run after the jump.

The inaugural 24 Hours of Dubai race was ended after less than two hours after a rider died on the course. 45 year-old Thomas Graessler reportedly crashed while riding a set of steps into the course’s amphitheatre section, and suffered severe neck injuries. Graessler was found unconscious, and medical personnel were unable to help. According to race organizer Stephan Salscheider, ”We are shocked and stunned by the death. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. In consultation with the other participants, we have decided to end the race immediately out of respect for him and his family.”

This was the first mountain bike race held in the United Arab Emirates, and we hope that this tragedy doesn’t mean that it will also be the last.