Moeschler and Weir between runs at The Dirty Sanchez Enduro

WTB went big last weekend (May 5 & 6) with sponsored athletes on the podiums in both Nor Cal and France! Team WTB’s Mark Weir and Jason Moeschler took first and third, respectively, at the Dirty Sanchez Enduro race, an invitation-only event that was held in an undisclosed California location.

“We’re starting to see a lot of ‘invitational’ enduros over here,” Moeschler explained. “It’s an indication that US promoters are catching on but trying to keep the events small so they can figure out the format and timing logistics.”

Jason Moeschler riding Bronson 2.3 AM TCS tires to a third place finish in the Dirty Sanchez Enduro.

Some format options he’s seen include ones the rider pedals to the top and some have shuttles; some have multiple courses or some have a couple that overlap; some  start in order and others start as soon as you get to the top of the course; some have five minute descents while others are 35 minutes long.

Mark Weir shuttles to the top of the course with invited riders and Ron Sanchez (race organizer) at the wheel.

Whatever the variation, Weir and Moeschler couldn’t be happier about the increased number of their favorite events that means less traveling and better times closer to home. Weir has been traveling to France for the past 10 years to compete in the French Enduro Series. He brought Jason in 2009 & 2010 to compete in Vars and Valloire. This is also where the Team WTB riders met up with Jerome Clementz, who was sponsored on sight! They’ve been inspired by his talent and ever since. Flashback to 2010 French Enduro Racing with Moeschler & Weir…

Ben Cruz riding "fast and loose" on prototype TCS tires in the Metabief Open Enduro..

Meanwhile one guy who can’t get enough of the French Enduro scene is Ben Cruz, who is spending the month of May couch surfing, eating cheese and racing what he is calling “the real deal.” As he should, since Clementz had a hand in organizing the new series called the Bluegrass Enduro Tour, located in a small village called Saint Marie Aux Mines. “Very French,” Cruz laughs and explains the format for the five-stage enduro race. “We took a shuttle to high points then had to pedal to the stages. Stage One started with a 20-minute shuttle that was followed by a 20-minute climb and a 10-minute downhill race—very rad!”

Next, he explained the 30-minute climb to Stage Two for the most technically demanding course he’d ever raced on with “tight switchbacks and super high speed singletrack—also rad!” Stage Three was an hour-and-a-half liaison (or untimed climb) to the start but the 15-minute downhill was worth it. “It’s so amazing they are allowed to just rip through the woods with no trails here and call it a race. In America people would be bitching and moaning about it, but here everyone loves it.”

Stages Four and Five were on the same track with a 15-minute shuttle and 30-minute ride to the start. “It was the best track of the weekend,” he said, adding that Stage Four was a timed race and Stage Five was the kicker—a post race. He clarified that a post race is after all the previous stages and uses the rider’s accumulated time as the seating position for the start. How far off your time is from the leader’s is the interval time between riders. “I was 1 minute 15 seconds off of first,” Ben explained. “He started at 12 and I started at 12:01.15 and the first one down is the winner. It’s a battle and a half.”

WTB rider Jerome Clementz on top of the podium with fellow WTB riders Florian Golay in 4th and Ben Cruz in 5th.

Stay tuned for more enduro updates as Team WTB  gets ready to take on the Oregon Enduro Series at the end of the month.

CID – Compatible Integrated Design – Something every WTB rim, hub, or wheel has in common. What’s so great about it? It means you can wander into any bike shop and they can service your wheel with the most common spokes and nipples.

Picture this: you and your riding buddies escape the city and are road tripping somewhere awesome, say Moab, UT for instance. You’re riding and you go for the pass on your friend, who just so happened to be making a mockery of your bike earlier that day. In a matter of seconds a game changer occurs. You hit a rock, go over the bars, break a spoke and land in a cactus. Not a problem, well except for maybe the cactus and a slightly bruised ego. Even though you’re a thousand miles from home, thanks to CID, there is a 99.99% chance every bike shop in Moab has a new spoke for you. Ditch the proprietary tools and the hassle of waiting for special order parts and get on the CID program. Be back on the bike in a day with another chance to be a hero.

We’re bringing back a WTB favorite and for good reason.

In 2009 WTB’s Moto tire was shelved due to production complications at the factory. Not content to let it sit there collecting dust, we set resident Mountain Bike Hall of Fame designer Mark Slate to work, re-designing the Moto to give it a fresh look and feel. Now after three years, the Moto is back and ready to ride again.

Photo: Milliman

The Moto was the first tire to win the Downieville All-Mountain race in 2005, under employee-rider Jason Moeschler. Seven years later,the Moto is still Jason’s go-to tire for almost every ride. Here he is above putting the new Moto prototypes through their paces at “The Ranch” last April, just like the good ‘ol days.

Welcome home old friend.

The new Moto is available in 26” 2.1, 26” 2.3, and 29” 1.9 at your local bike shop.

Great times were had by all at the 8th annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show. The three-day event held in Sacramento, CA contained 171 exhibitors and a record breaking 8,100 attendees. Requirements for companies to show their frames is that they must be handmade in the good ‘ol USA. WTB, founded in Marin County, CA, maintains close relations with many domestic frame builders and is the last independently owned, American bicycle component supplier in the U.S. We were thrilled to see the WTB booth and expo always packed with passionate cyclists and a line of anxious spectators strung out the door. WTB set up a booth in the middle of the action and never had a dull moment spreading the gospel of Tubeless Compatible System (TCS).

(Ok, there was a dull moment before the show opened)

Walking around NAHBS takes you into a world where dreams come true; you name it and it was there: Wooden rims, alloy rims, big wheels, little wheels, titanium frames, steel frames, carbon frames, bamboo frames, wood frames, road bikes, mountain bikes, commuter bikes, tandem bikes, belt drives, internally geared hubs, and custom paint jobs. No other show even comes close to offering this much diversity in one weekend (Thanks for the great event NAHBS). Add it to your bucket list. Check out some of WTB’s top picks.

Soulcraft bicycles won the ribbon for most WTB product featuring Stryker TCS wheels, Bronson 29” 2.2 TCS tires, a Silverado saddle, and Moto-X clamp-on grips.

A WTB employee favorite, the alcho-hauler. The frame builder, John Boisclair, from My Dutch Bike, loaded it up with two empty kegs and all the gear for the weekend then rode 80 miles from Oakland to the show in Sacramento.

So not TCS! However, there is always a special place in our hearts for wooden rims.

Heads up! WTB is giving away three sets of TCS tires to three lucky purchasers of the all new Frequency TCS rim. All you have to do is buy a pair of frequency rims then post a picture of them built up on our Facebook page between February 27, 2012 and March 2, 2012 telling us what tires you want and why. Offer not valid with other promotions. WTB will select three of the picture submissions after March 2, 2012 for the winners.

In case you havn’t heard the hype, check out what our friends at MTBR have to say:

CupOfJava,

“Building: these rims are probably one of the easiest to work with.”

“On a scale of 1-10 I rate the Flows a 10 and [the Frequency rims] a 10.5.”

4slomo,

“I am completely impressed by the quality of these new rims.”

“very nice design details”

loC,

“MTBR forums call them comparable to Arches but says they’re stiffer and ‘harder’ (don’t dent as easily).”

Enduro Practice = Fun - photo: Brian Raphael

Thank Goodness for Enduro Racing. NSMB.com just posted this great article featuring WTB’s very own Mark Weir and Ben Cruz. Read this excerpt from Mark and definitely check out the full article here.

Enduro is about enjoying yourself, it’s racing the best parts of trails with gas still in the tank to ride the trail at maximum speed in technical situations. Not about relying only on fitness and coasting down the hill. The perfect Enduro is one that leaves you with the feeling of power left over but the trail was so technical it made it hard to lay down that power. If you are too hard on equipment and lack finesse Enduro makes you pay. Either a weight penalty, which in turn is a time penalty. By a running a heavy set-up to make up for straight line mashing you just lost a minute on the climb. Enduro racing is calculation and knowing the way you ride and building the bike to get the most you can from your strengths. You can’t hide your weaknesses but you can disguise.

Andy and Matt exchanged vows on Goosebury Mesa. Matt rode in on his singlespeed, with a rose in his mouth!

WTB would like to congratulate Matt Hebberd and his new wife, Andy, on their Union over the past weekend. Matt was hired in 1986 as our first official employee and continues to be a great supporter of everything WTB. This Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member recommends and uses WTB products on all the cycling tours he runs in the Southwest for his business Rim Tours out of Moab, Utah.

A fun time was had by all on Gooseberry Mesa in Southwestern Utah where many cycling community friends assembled in the high desert for days of dry camping, riding and a fantastic wedding celebration. A fully outdoor catered wedding including a lighted disco dance floor and DJ were brought onto the mesa for the wedding day. This area, located on BLM land outside Zion National Park in Utah, is one of our most scenic and spectacular places to camp and ride. Matt and Andi’s wedding was a one of a kind event and we wish them well in their adventures together.

Enjoy the Ride!