NORCO 650 Carbon Sight :)

Over the last couple years, Norco Bicycles have put a lot of energy into designing 650B trail bikes. At Last year's Sea Otter Classic, I was the first rider to test out this carbon sight, and it won a gold. Since then, a few modifications have gone on to make this bike a truly polished machine for the consumer.

Norco offers a few trail bike options; the 650 Carbon sight, 650 Aluminum sight, Carbon Range, and an aluminum Range. Bryn and I have ridden all of these bikes, except the carbon Range (which will arrive in the next few weeks:).

I use the sight as my number one all rounder bike. I feel like 5.5" of travel is plenty for any kind of xc, plus it pedals well, and is really versatile. You can use that much travel for really aggressive trails, as well as more mellow stuff. Prime example was going from the Northwest down to California where you have to do lots more pedaling over smooth terrain. We use a Fox Float 34 Talas fork, which I think is magic with this bike and makes the head angle spot on.

The range has 6.3" of travel, is bit slacker head angle, etc. It's also an awesome bike, and really comes alive through rough stuff. It's a tough choice. Bryn rides the Range because for the extra inch of travel plus the shock options, he uses the Float X by fox with a reservoir.

Either way, these new 650 Carbon bikes are beautiful. I built my new sight up the other day, and just wanted to share some of the details of this bike with you.

DETAILS OF THE NEW NORCO CARBON 650 SIGHT:

CARBON: Obviously having the material change is the biggest difference. Carbon can be made with so many options with how many layers they put, the direction of the fibers, width of the fibers, the bonding agents, etc. The engineering of these bikes has a lot to do with where loads are, how it pedals side to side, where they want flex or not, etc. You see this a ton with the Road bikes, so there is a similar application to mountain bikes considering forces and outside factors like strength upon landing, wear and tear, the elements, etc.

Carbon has a really nice ride feel, and very clean lines. The lateral stiffness was one of the most noticeable improvements, in my opinion. Plus it is a bit lighter, which is awesome on the climbs.

INTERNAL ROUTING: There are little portals for the internal routing on this bike. Accounting for the new internal routed dropper seat posts, brake lines, shifting cables, etc. We run a single ring, but the front derailleur set up is pretty clean just mounting off the frame above the front chainrings. They offer options to not have that post as well. Anyway, I feel like getting routing as clean as possible is so important, and this bike succeeded in that.

INTEGRATED HEADSET: I wasn't really expecting this, after my prototype, but norco took one more extra step to make an integrated headset. This means , no cups need to be pressed into the frame. The bearings sit directly into the frame, which is really cleaver. Take note that the cups are a bit different size for this new frame 42/52 for a tapered steerer.

PRESS FIT BOTTOM BRACKET: I haven't had a mountain bike with this kind of set up, but it all went together really simple, and looks nice. Bearings are in the frame instead of outside will give more strength.

DIRCT MOUNT HANGAR: This is sort of standard issue these days. Works well.

650B WHEELS: It doesn't take long to get used to the bigger sized wheel on these trail bikes. The suspension kinematics are designed around the bigger wheels, so  the center of gravity feels perfectly balanced. We noticed a bit more grip on the corners, and a little smoother feel over rough stuff. The benefits are obvious now that tire selection has come around.

I love this bike!! Check it out..

http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/trail/sight-carbon/

Five Ten - New Impact VXI Shoe review

Find out what improvements have been made to the new Five Ten Impact shoe. These guys are revamping quite a few models of bike shoes, so make sure to check out the www.five ten.com website for more info. Here is a link to my blog, first thoughts on this new shoe.

http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/14566-the-new-impact-vxi-first-thoughts-jill-kintner

"

First of all, the old Impact shoe by five ten has been a staple piece of gear for YEARS to any downhill mountain biker. Sam Hill Won the first Elite Downhill World on flat pedals with that shoe in '07, and many many other riders have had it as their go to shoe ever since.

Over the past year and a half, Five Ten asked a bunch of riders from their "Elite" team about ways to improve a few different shoes. With the redesign of the Impact, the Impact VXi addressed issues regarding the weight, protection, and weatherproofing, like the athletes requested.

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Impact VXi - Sam Hill
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So my first thought on this shoe was that the weight was hands down the most notable improvement. This shoe is so light compared to the old Impact, but stiff in the right places, malleable through the toes, with the same amount of stiction to the pedals with the Mi6 rubber. The whole shoe overall is a bit more sleek too. The little impact dots on the bottom are smaller in diameter, but it didn't really seem noticeable vs the old bigger dots of the last generation impact and freeriders. It might be better for hiking, but hard to say after one ride.

Weatherproofing is such an important part of this new shoe as well. Wet soggy shoes are no fun, and weigh you down. This has been considered, and water and mud seem to shed off a lot better rather than absorbing into the material. It's a smooth coated surface.

Toe protection seems really good on this shoe as well. If you have ever clipped anything with your foot on a trail , you will know the importance of a bit of reinforcement. The pinkie toe has a bit of reinforcement too on the side, which is a must. Cowboys have the same idea with their steel toe boots; keeping toes safe when kicking rocks. These are not steel, but there is some sort of rubber/plastic composite to keep your foot safe. You can notice the protective quality along the sole of the foot as well, while still being able to feel the pedal. Wizard engineers know their materials. Really impressive to have damping in the rubber, stiffness on the platform, and still be able to feel for control of where your foot is on the pedal.

The only real other thing, that may be different for other people, is that I would probably order a half size smaller. The toe box area is nice and roomy and this shoe is comfy, but a little tighter fit would be better, I think. I had some extra room in a 7.5 where in the old Maltese clips and Minnaars 7.5 is my standard size. 7 for these probably.

So there you go. I think these shoes ride really well. Sam Hill was wearing/ racing in these bad boys at the last two races of 2013, so he must like em as well. Colors look good too.

Pinkbike.com had a bit of a review here if you want to see more : http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Five-Ten-Impact-VXi-First-Look-2013.html "

Team Expansion

The word is out. We added a couple more riders to our program to make for a solid World Cup roster representing Team Norco International. Besides Bryn and myself, the Italian National champ- Lorenzo Suding, and Norwegian National Champ Isak Leivsson will be joining us. Both riders have a ton of talent, speed, and style, not to mention are top quality people. We are excited to welcome them to the program!! Congrats fellas. LORENZO SUDING

ISAK LEIVSSON

Here is the official Press release...

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Team-Norco-International-Expands-Team-Roster-for-2014.html

Norco Bicycles is thrilled to announce Team Norco International's 2014 roster. Returning to the team are World Cup downhill racers Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson, who partnered with Norco Bicycles in 2012 and have made considerable contributions to product development and to proving the Aurum on an international stage. For 2014, the team also welcomes Italian National DH Champion Lorenzo Suding and Norwegian National DH Champion Isak Leivsson.

"When we built this program, our goals were to ride the best equipment, have a solid image, and win races. I think we accomplished our goals," says Jill Kintner, 2013 US National DH Champion. "The 2014 expansion came about because people took notice of our hard work and our good relationships within the industry. We wanted to be able to provide opportunity to riders who have serious talent, but maybe lack the support they need to take the next step. Bryn and I have a lot of experience and know what it takes, so we thought having teammates would be fun and exciting. Big thanks to Norco for believing in us, and for moving forward with the expanded Team Norco International."

Lorenzo Suding comes to Norco following his fifth National DH title at the 2013 Italian National Championship. Racing the World Cup circuit in 2013, Lorenzo had three top 20 finishes; he is aiming for the top 10 in 2014. "Joining Jill and Bryn is a dream come true, as I see great benefit in working together on the track," says Lorenzo. "Discussing line choices and tactics will be help greatly in race preparation. I think inspiration can be linked to change and this is a great opportunity to build great success with Team Norco International."

Isak Leivsson has ridden with Norco Bicycles since 2012 as a privateer from Hafjell, Norway. Isak is coming off a successful 2013 season: he won his third consecutive Norwegian National Championship in his hometown and finished 26th at the World Championships. Isak's affinity for seemingly impossible riding conditions will aid him in key 2014 events such as Fort William, Méribel and the World Championships in his backyard of Hafjell, Norway.

Norco's commitment to Team Norco International and to earning top results on the World Cup stage created this exciting opportunity for expansion. High caliber, World Cup-level athletes are a source of invaluable product testing and feedback and we work very closely with them in our pursuit of engineering excellence. Athletes racing at the World Cup level push themselves and our bikes to the absolute limit and our design and engineering teams are right there with them, ensuring they have the best possible tools to do the job. Jill, Bryn, Lorenzo and Isak each bring world-class style and experience and we couldn't be more excited for them and for the upcoming downhill race season!

www.norco.com/

Back in Seattle:)

After about a month and a bit, I made the drive back home to look after my mom while she gets hip surgery. It's nice to be back. I liked Santa Cruz a bunch, but had a nasty battle with poison oak, and being sick. I rarely get sick, so it's pretty difficult to rest and do nothing, especially when the sun is out. Anyway, lots if rest, accupuncture, and movies. Team business is going good, we have a couple new partners and riders to announce soon.

Nw air is glorious. I'm glad to be back to hero dirt.

Bryn is still down there hanging out, but will be back soon:) c ya

Pump tracking

Santa Cruz has a crazy amount of pump tracks!! You should see how many little kids are there tearing it up, and adults. Er um and pros:). It might have been due to the holiday break the number of people, but after school is the same. Our buddy Alex builds tracks professionally, and enven made one at the office of Google so employees can get some exercise. There are 4 community pump track spots within 15 minutes, plus about 5-6 private ones. You can imagine my excitement. The good ones have plenty of transfers and gaps. Without that, and steep berms, I think pump tracks are kinda boring, more combos the better. We have been running the gauntlet with afternoon skills and intervals:)

Maxxis adventure

Maxxis is having a contest for people who want to win a go pro 3. Follow @maxxistires on instagram and then vote at http://maxxis.com/sya . Maxdaddy will be stoked that you did:) Here's the info. ____________________________________________________________

California

With a long season, wedding, and planning our team program for next year, Bryn and I decided to head south for sunnier skies and dry dirt. California has a lot of opportunity and most of our sponsors are down here anyway, so we will be handling as much business as we can, training hard, and riding as much as possible.

Cold weather riding tips….

SEATTLE, WA These past couple weeks have been exceptionally cold. That is a matter of perspective I know as some people have it rougher. But here in Cascadia (NW), anything below 40 is testing, below 30 and I sorta draw the line, and it has been 20degrees!!. I've done my share of permafrost and snow, but I can't say it's really all that worth it. Suspension doesn't work as well, tires are cold, hands barely can grab the brakes, camelbaks freeze, feet go numb. This all seems to be amplified for females, cause once I go past a point of the chills, it's quite hard to get back up to temperature. Soup and coffee get me through most days.

Training still has to happen in some capacity, so I have a few tips that might help till the cold snap passes and frozen ground turns back into mud. Bear in mind that I go riding to rip corners and live for good descents. I usually climb hills to stay in certain heart rate zones and just get to the top.

______________________________________________________________________

With that said. Here are my basic pro tips. Gearheads take notes...

1. Wear a Marino wool long sleeve base layer. This keeps you warmer and drier than cotton.

2. Wind jacket or something that'll block the chill (rain coats work too) on the outer layer. I sometimes use a down coat underneath as an insulator too.

3. I use a marino wool Buff daily, it's like a neck scarf but tubular, I always have one!!. There are many other Bitchin ways to wear it too:) JK

4. Waterproof gloves do exist, but they seem too thick and stiff to feel the brakes. I use surgical gloves under normal riding gloves. It blocks the wind and insulates, plus is super thin. You still get a little bit damp from the sweat inside, but it works pretty good once you get used to it. I put a spare pair of gloves in a ziplock in my pack too.

5. Goggles- eyes water a lot more, so goggles block the cold wind and protect your peepers. I'm not a fan of the look of xc lid with goggles, so you won't see many pictures of me wearing this, but it's pretty vital. Bring a cloth for the fog. Only wear them on the decants and keep the bag dry.

6. Tires: Try using Maxxis 3c tires tires on frozen ground. It's a softer rubber that still rolls ok, but will grip a lot better than a 60 comp or a super tacky. They still get hard, but I feel the difference. Tires like minions or ikons are good for rolling speed. The ground will roll faster but be sketchy in places, use a tire like the HR2 when the soil is muddy and soft.

7. Socks. and wool socks. The Dissent socks actually work the best I have found, they are wool and have compression as well.

8. If it's really wet and muddy and your shoes are prone to getting soaked, try duct tape over the whole shoe as a waterproofer.

9. Have a thermos in the car with water. I filled my pack up the other day, and the hose froze within 10 min:( it's too cold some days. Also those Nuun tablets are good to use for drinking more water if your pack doesn't freeze. It's easier to dehydrate, and they add electrolytes and flavor.

10. Have a garbage bag ready for post ride clean up . We sometimes use our rain coats and zip everything up so the clean side faces out.

___________________________________________________________________________________________ If that doesn't sound like fun then you can always slam a Red Bull, go to the gym, rock climb, hike, dig, snowboard if there is snow, or head to warmer places. Winter riding makes you tough, but there are options. Indoor BMX goes off in winter- look for a track, skateparks, etc. Anything that keeps you on a bike is sweet. We ride our hard tails a lot and a trainers inside to get the mileage. Road riding is too sketchy I seriously don't recommend that. Guess there is always the other option of sitting by the fire and drinking some schnapps , or whiskey to stay warm. Most normal people can do that anyway:) Well have one for me, it's full on from now on… c ya. Jill

Gym Rat...

SEATTLE, WAWe are a few weeks back into the training routine. It feels pretty good to have structure again. To move forward in anything, I think you need a plan of attack, to know your weakness, and have none:). We have been through a few different trainers over the years, and through trial and error found a good program that works best for us.

Bryn and I are a lot different, so having something tailored to specific needs , injury rehab, etc. this time of year is key. Our stuff is super balance and stability based right now. Stretching, cool downs, yoga, gym, riding for fun. Skills, etc. If you have a reaccuring weakness or one body part that effects your stability, fix it, instead of just adding more weight. Use Dumbells or pulleys with one arm and get the other one equal. Simple concept, but a lot of die hard recreational riders are missing this . Especially hip stability and shoulders for women.

This is the perfect time of year to do a vo2 test as well to get zones accurate. Low heart rate for long time sets up the base. It sucks doing this stuff, but it makes you stronger than xc riding with high hr for 2-3 hrs. hold back on the hills, keep it steady, and it'll help. This is why people have road bikes. I don't personally enjoy road riding at all, especially in winter, but using an indoor trainer and watching tv works. Its a matter of putting the time in with intent.

Anyway. If anyone in Seattle wants to get some tests done, we work with a lab called PotentRx . Mention my name:)

Brill Wedding

Best day / week ever. Loved having all our friends and family in one place. Good times!! Our actual photos will take a bit of time to get back. Here are a few for now:)

Indoor with pouring rain behind. Very fitting. xoxo

My pal amelia did all our lovely flowers. Perfection!

Handmade pottery cups made by Regnor - Jill and bryn. Group effort with some friends as well to get it all done. Mass production pottery is tough, but regnor is a champion!! We did labor and decorating at his studio, but he is the master.

Wedding

Been a bit quiet on the blog front due to Weddings, contracts, team expansion, and house remodeling. End of season chill time does not exist at the moment. So excited to see all our friends and family all in one place. Brill Wedding is happening next week:)

Instagram - @jillkintner

More pics and stuff are posted on my Instagram and twitter accounts under @jillkintner .

World Cup Finals- Austria

LEOGANG, AUSTRIA Pretty happy to fnish up the season with a World Cup Downhill Podium- 4th!! Ended up 8th overall with missing a round and crashing out in Norway. I felt really good on the track all week, and just knew I was ready.  Turned out to be a dry tire day, warm, and a bit faster, also a bit loose and sketchy (I used the Maxxis Minion DHR II for dry and the new Shorty tire in the wet and for quail ). Tire choice was tough this weekend, I tried cut spikes as well, but like the shorty a lot better. Anyway, doesn't matter now!!! Pumped to get home and see Bryn and the crew to kick back and enjoy some off time in the N-Dub:)

__________________________________________ Season Recap....

RESULTS JILL
NW 1 2nd *
Sea Otter Classic 1st DS, 1st DH
Underworld Cup/ ProGRT 1st DH
NW 3 1st DH
World Cup #1- Scotland q.6th, 8th DH
Ashland Enduro/ e.13 2nd
World Cup #3 - Andorra 8th DH
USA Champs 1st DS, 1st DH
Crankworx Whistler 1st DH, 1st DS, 1st PT
WORLD CHAMPS 4th DH
World Cup #5 - Norway q. 6th, DNF
World Cup #6 - Leogang q. 3rd, 4th DH
World Cup Overall Rank 8th DH

Contract time

2 years goes by pretty quick:) Bryn is at interbike feeling things out as I am racing the final World Cup round here in Leogang, Austria. Wish us luck!!! If anyone wants to be involved with sponsorship, get in touch:)

Hafjell finals

NORWAY After a nice week of riding pinned in the dry, race day was wet as could be. It's been awhile since I've had to race in pouring rain and wind, but just adds a little bit of difficulty, tear offs, etc. Slippery rocks and a bit of greasy dirt is not ideal, but race day comes on sunday no matter what. Unfortunately for me, I had a couple crashes in my run and broke off my derailleur, big ol DNF. Boo. All I can do is learn and move forward. In the dry I felt really good here and qualified 6th with a decent run and room to improve.

The course in Norway was quite easy to remember, fairly straight forward, but by the time sunday comes, lines changed and things were rougher like usual.

Overall a fun place to ride, and I had a good week. The people here are awesome, so we will be back next year fro worlds.

Hafjell World Cup- NORWAY

NORWAY When the announced that Norway would be a world cup stop for 2012, I was sooo excited. That is a place I always wanted to see. I broke my arm last year and missed out on the adventure, but this year, I am here, and really excited for this race. It looks awesome with a big mix of bike park and technical. High speed, good dirt, beautiful scenery, etc:)

From Africa, I only have my trail bike here, but the bike park is a lot of fun. Has a lot of trails similar to whistler but without the crowds or blown out corners.

Norwegian Champ, and fellow Norco rider Isak LEIVSSON , showed me around the park yesterday. Lots of jumps, fun turns, rocks etc. Trail bike is getting all it's travel. Few more days of hanging out till we start practice:) c ya.

House of Needles- Capetown

The Neethling family was kind enough to host a few of us for the last few days at their place in Capetown. We have known Andrew and Jonty for such a long time, and always spoke about coming to visit, but there never seems to be enough time, etc. Bryn actually planned this adventure, as he and neethling are good mates, but he wasn't able to come:(  He missed out too cause I got to see South Africa up close and personal with an action packed trip.

The Davinci crew was camping out with me as well; Stevie, Gabe, Mark Wallace, mechanic Flo. As well as Casey Brown and Marcelo Gutierrez. Paris there the first day too but left early.

We did Road riding on the strand, ate at this awesome themed restaurant with Ryan from Red Bull RSA, went on a Safari, did a Shark Cage adventure, visited Table mountain, went xc riding, gym, more good restaurants, etc. Full tourist mode, but good fun.

Big thanks to Penny and Arno, Andrew and Jonty:) It's awesome to see how these guys live way out here in Africa. The terrain is awesome, similar to Australia but with different vegetation and bigger mountains encircling the bay. Once you get out aways over the mountains, the terrain has a Temecula-esk feel with the rocks and schrubs, but less bro-ed out:) Capetown is awesome, wish I had more time there.

4th at World Championships

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Well in a place that may possibly be the farthest away from home, I placed 4th in Downhill amongst the best in the World, just 1 second off a medal... Seems like however hard you go, there could always be more!! Grr. I am proud of my effort here, but a little gutted as well to be that close. Seemed like between the nerves, ever changing weather, horrible sprint intervals, and all the fuss over bike set up, I managed myself pretty well and raced with purpose. I was the top Elite finisher for USA, with Junior GOLD going to Richie Rude!!! Nice work Richie!!!

Rachel Atherton won the women's race, Ragot 2nd, Tracey Hannah 3rd.

Greg Minnaar was the biggest star of weekend though, he took he elite win in his hometown, put the whole venue on their feet, and earned his third World title in Downhill. The DJ had the beats turned up really loud and had been pumping up the crowd all day. For him to be able to succeed under that kind of pressure was inspiring. http://dirt.mpora.com/news/dirttv-world-champs-2013-finals.html Mic Hannah almost ruined the party, he was 2nd by a small margin, then Jared Graves 3rd on his trail bike.

Off to Cape Town next to spend a few days with Neethling crew :) Stoked to finally get to explore a little bit more than just one town in Africa. Glad this week is over:) C ya.

Jill n mechanic Reg.