Yeti SB95

MSRP : $3200.00

 Weight  : 26 lbs 11.2 oz

Yeti's SB95c is a long-travel 29er that you can ride every day

Until I rode this bike’s predecessor, the SB95, I didn’t enjoy 29ers with more than 4 inches­ of travel. Other 29ers made me feel like a passenger, but that one turned me into the pilot—just like my favorite 26-inch bikes. I could put that Yeti where I wanted,­ choosing my line and dancing through challenging terrain. The bike also provided­ enough comfort to let me hammer the hardest­ trails. It felt agile, reacting to changes in the trail and moving in sync with my inputs.

But at 7.5 pounds, the aluminum SB95’s frame is relatively heavy. To keep the 95’s best attributes and reduce its weight, Yeti turned to carbon, which shed 1.75 pounds. The material also increased the bike’s stiffness by 15 percent, Yeti says, and I never noticed any twisting between my knees. The SB95c also responded more easily to my prompts, feeling sharper and quicker than the aluminum bike. The material also does a better job than aluminum of damping vibrations, further smoothing the ride.

While improving on some of the 95’s better features, the bike also maintains some others: The Switch suspension system, found on all of Yeti’s SB-series bikes, is one of the best available. It isolates the rider from bumps, keeps the wheels on the ground, unifies the chassis, and doesn’t bob when you pedal. Like many of Yeti’s suspension models, it handles steep trails with stability and feels composed at high speeds. It’s not as agile at slower speeds as some other bikes, but its playfulness on the trail is more important to me anyway; I had a blast tossing the 95c into berms and blasting out the other side, boosting off small lips and launching over obstacles. I also found it suitable for enduro racing: It easily got me up the climbs then helped me cruise back down.

The SB95 is already expensive, and building it in carbon adds­ $1,000 to the price. But the new bike is even more fun to ride, and for me, that justifies the cost. It’s not for value hunters, but it is a bike I might pick if I had to choose just one to ride every day. That’s not something I’ve ever been able to say about a 29er.

City Bikes and Mountain Bikes: Alias Multisport Bike for Women -Specialized

City Bikes and Mountain Bikes: Alias Multisport Bike for Women -Specialized:             The Specialized Alias features an aerodynamic frame and removable aerobars. Last Thursday at T2 Multisport ...

Alias Multisport Bike for Women -Specialized

            The Specialized Alias features an aerodynamic frame and removable aerobars.



Last Thursday at T2 Multisport in New York City, Specialized unveiled a new 2014 road bike for women.

But the Alias is not just a road bike. It’s an aero road bike. And it’s a triathlon bike, too.

That’s right. It’s a bike with multiple identities, kind of like the woman Specialized hopes will get excited about it: The woman who wakes up at 4 a.m. to get in her tempo intervals and then heads to work. The woman who squeezes in a triathlon before her kids’ soccer games on the weekends. The woman for whom the label “triathlete” gets equal billing alongside lawyer, teacher, or mom.

“We all have an alias—an aspirational assumed identity,” says Erin Sprague, Specialized women’s product manager. “This is the bike to help women become their best and most empowered selves—and it’s the first bike of its kind, designed for women participating in mid-distance triathlon.”

To that end, the full-carbon Alias combines tri-specific geometry with aerodynamic tube shaping, a zero-offset seatpost, and a set of aerobars that clip onto a traditional road handlebar. Remove the aerobars, swap in an offset seatpost, and the bike is ready for a group ride or a long day of climbing. Specialized believes that this product will help women stay excited about triathlon by eliminating a common issue they face when getting into the sport—the perceived need to have two bikes: one for training and a dedicated tri bike for racing.

              Cambered airfoil seatstays taper to a round shape for comfort near the seattube. (Courtesy Specialized)



 Though it’s tempting to compare the Alias to Specialized’s popular aero road bike—the Venge—it’s not entirely accurate. “They are designed for different experiences,” says Rita Borelli, Specialized women’s road product manager. “Alias geometry is built around a triathlon position,” she says. For example, on the Alias, the headtube is taller and the seattube angle is steeper, which better accommodates the more-forward position favored when riding in aero bars (77.5 degrees on a 51cm Alias compared to 74 degrees on a Venge in a comparable size). All this makes for a frame that’s optimized to be more stable when you’re tucked into the aerobars.

The two models do share some similarities, however, most notably in the aerodynamic tube shaping. “The Alias fork, downtube, headtube, and seatstays are inspired by Venge,” Borelli says. “But the Alias has other features that contribute to the compliance of the ride.” These include a round seatpost and seattube, as well as seatstays that taper from a flattened-oval shape to round near the seattube junction. “The takeaway,” says Borelli, “is that the Alias balances aerodynamic benefits with a smooth ride so you can set a personal record and have fun while doing it.”

                               Carry your nutrition in a sturdy $25 frame-mounted container called the Remora.


Will there a similar bike for men? “The short answer is no,” says Borelli. “We design bikes around a given experience to meet the rider’s needs—and the experience is different for male and female riders who are finding their way into the sport of triathlon.”

Dealers will be offering three versions of the tri-ready Alias. Each uses a frame made from the same FACT 10s carbon, with different parts packages. The Alias Pro Tri (shown above) will cost about $6,000 and features a Shimano Dura-Ace drivetrain, carbon aerobar extensions, Specialized Pro carbon crankset, and a Roval Rapide CL 40 wheelset. The Alias Comp Tri will sell for $3,300 and comes with Shimano Ultegra, alloy aerobars, FSA Gossamer Pro crankset, and Fulcrum S5 wheels. The entry-level Alias Sport Tri has many of the same parts as the Comp but will run about $2,600, thanks to a Shimano 105 drivetrain. All the bikes are equipped with the Specialized Oura Comp Gel saddle and will start hitting stores in the next couple of months.

Faster Fitness

The average pro cyclist trains 20 to 30 hours a week and logs 20,000 to 25,000 miles each year. Too many of us mere mortals mistakenly believe we need to approach that sort of volume to reach our peak. But if you work 40 or more hours per week, cramming in another 20 on the bike may wear you down rather than speed you up. The best results come from a smart blend of rides of all lengths and durations. Long, steady efforts are still important for boosting your circulatory system's network of capillaries, which enables you to deliver more nutrient-and oxygen-rich blood to your cells and increases your body's fat-burning ability. But don't turn up your nose at outings that last less than two hours. Exercise science shows that you can build speed, raise your sustainable pace and even ratchet up your endurance with rides that last between 30 and 75 minutes. To meet your cycling goals, mix it up: Each week clock one long ride--three hours will do for most riders--and take at least one day off. On the other days, choose from among the following workouts.

WORKOUTS
If You Have...30 to 45 minutes
30-SECOND BLASTS Warm up for 10 minutes, sprint all out for 30 seconds, then spin easy for 21/2 minutes. Do this 12 times, then spin easy to cool down. Don't perform this workout on back-to-back days or more than twice a week. The Benefit Research shows that all-out 30-second intervals can improve your VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during extreme exertion. One study found that seasoned cyclists improved VO2 max by 3 percent and 40k time-trial speed by more than 4 percent in four weeks thanks to sets of these intervals.

SPIN-UPS Warm up for five minutes, then shift into a small gear and spin up to as fast a cadence as possible while maintaining a quiet upper body and smooth pedal stroke for one minute. Recover for three minutes. Do six to eight intervals, then cool down. As the efforts become easier, increase the duration of the fast spins and decrease recovery. The Benefit You'll improve your efficiency by shifting some effort from your easily fatigued legs to your more resilient cardiovascular system. If you typically push big gears, it will take some time before the higher cadence feels right.

THE MEANDER When is the last time you totally unplugged, tossed a leg over your bike and rode like a kid? Yeah, we thought so. Leave the bike computers and agendas behind, jump on a bike—any bike—and ride around. Enjoy the breeze, the lawn ornaments in your neighborhood and the sights and sounds of your local rec path. The Benefit Easy movement will loosen your legs, help your body recover from previous hard efforts and make you feel happy and recharged.

 If You Have...45 to 60 minutes
THE TRIPLE THREAT Warm up for 15 minutes. Then boost your intensity until you're working very hard (a 9 on a rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, scale of 1 to 10). Hold that intensity for three minutes. Recover for three minutes. Repeat two more times. Finish your ride at a moderate pace, including a cooldown. The Benefit Your VO2 max is your fitness ceiling. To raise that roof, you need to do lung-searing efforts like this one that force your body to find ways to increase VO2 capacity.

HILL ATTACKS There are two ways to do these. One: standard hill repeats. Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes. Find a hill that takes about five minutes to climb and ascend it hard, staying at your max sustainable pace, or threshold (RPE of 7). Descend for three minutes to recover. Repeat for a total of five intervals. Cool down. Or, take a more organic approach and map a 10- to 15-mile route that includes four to six good climbs. Hit the hills hard and ride moderately between efforts. The Benefit You know the saying: Hills make you stronger.

CROSS THE THRESHOLD Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes. Increase your effort to beyond your comfort zone (about an RPE of 8) and hold it five to six minutes. Back off and ride just below your threshold point (RPE of 6) for five minutes. Do three or four sets. You won't feel fully recovered between them. Cool down. The Benefit Your threshold, the point at which you produce more lactate than you can absorb, is your max sustainable effort. A high threshold lets you ride hard and long before your legs scream; this workout raises it.

If You Have...60 to 75 minutes
TEMPO TRAINING Warm up for 10 minutes. Reach a pace that feels like hard work but is sustainable for a 40k race (an RPE of about 7). Ride for 15 minutes, then pedal easy for three. Repeat twice more. Cool down. As you gain fitness, increase the tempo time and decrease recovery until you are at tempo for an hour. The Benefit You will gain power to climb or bridge a gap—and be able to sustain such efforts. Tempo intervals train your cells to be efficient at producing energy, which improves your threshold and boosts your sustainable race pace.

ADULT RECESS Find a few friends who can sneak away (your lunch hour is an ideal duration), and practice your pack-riding skills. Experiment with various pacelines: You know you can do a single file, now try a double or a rotating paceline. Challenge each other to town-line sprints and king-of-the-mountain wins. The Benefit Time spent riding with a small group will hone your balance and riding skills, your drafting technique, your ability to read other riders to predict their moves and your group-race tactics. Plus, it's fun.
And i lovit :)

Reasons to start Bike Riding

People are jumping on the bicycle bandwagon. It's no surprise, given the thousands of miles of new bicycle lanes in cities across all over the world and the environmental benefits. Riding a bike is good for more than saving the planet and your hard-earned cash. It's also one of the most effective workouts you'll ever do. Here's how it can make you a lean, fat-burning machine.

1. A 153-pound woman pedaling 12 to 14 miles an hour blasts 508 calories in 60 minutes.

2.Half of American workers live within five miles of their workplace, according to the most recent National Household Transportation Survey. That's a totally doable 20-minute ride each way. If you live close to your office, you can pedal to work twice a week and burn up to 3,000 extra calories—close to one pound of fat—each month.

3.Cyclists are notorious for having killer legs. After all, the quads, glutes, and calves are propelling the bike. But working the handlebar sculpts your upper body too, giving you balanced tone, says Erik Moen, a physical therapist who treats elite athletes.


4.Feeling sluggish? A study published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics found that bike riding improved energy levels by 20 percent and decreased fatigue by 65 percent. Why? Cycling triggers your brain to release the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is linked to energy, says lead author Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia at Athens. There's no need to ride hard to harness the perk. People in the study who pedaled at a low to moderate pace three times a week fought fatigue best.


5.Riding a bike puts a lot less stress on the knees, ankles, and spine than walking or running," Moen says. Get the perfect fit: Your knee should bend just slightly (about 25 degrees) on the down pedal stroke. If it's too straight or too bent, bring your ride to a bike shop and have a professional fitter adjust your saddle.

6. Find a hill that takes three to 15 minutes to climb, suggests Rebecca Rusch, a world-champion mountain bike racer. Ride up two or three times, spending roughly half the time pedaling out of the saddle. Pedaling while standing engages your core and triceps as you stabilize your body over the bike.

7. Heart disease is the number-one killer of women in this country, and two top risk factors are high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol. In one study, researchers had 32 women ride at a moderate to high intensity three times a week for at least half an hour. After a year, they'd lowered their blood pressure and LDL, as well as significantly increased their aerobic fitness. "Look for a road or path where you can ride for at least 30 minutes without stopping so you can keep a consistently high pace," Rusch says.

8.It's very fun. and i like it :)

City Bikes and Mountain Bikes: BMX Full Loop Attempt

City Bikes and Mountain Bikes: BMX Full Loop Attempt

BMX Full Loop Attempt

Dangerous ride

Very dangerous ride you should watch this