BIG Check-in from Tyler

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I've done an update and I've been up to a lot the past few weeks so I figured I'd send one out. At the end of last month was a jump jam at the post office jumps in my hometown of Aptos called the "Ham and Steeze Jam." It's always fun when events get organized here because this is the place that I grew up riding and digging at since I was 10 years old. The beginning of the day started with an amateur contest and then it ended with a pro demo that had awards for best trick, best steeze, and best overall rider. I rode real well and had a lot of fun and ended up getting 2nd place in all three of these categories. There were no prizes for 2nd here but it still felt good to know that I was up there in all of the categories. There were a lot of good photos and video that came from this jam and I've attached a few of them. Here is a link to a really good video that was made by a local filmer. I appear at 1:40

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/107862/

The day after the jam, I worked on a bike check on my GT Ruckus with Jordan from Pinkbike. It should be pretty entertaining so check for that coming up on the Pinkbike homepage sometime soon.

Since then I was lucky enough to get the chance to go out to Ray's MTB Park in Cleveland, Ohio for their grand opening. GT sent me out there and I met up with Romo to shred some of the best indoor riding in the world. There was a super big turnout and Ray set us, along with a few other riders, up in the kitchen and we served food to all of the customers and local riders.

It was a fun and different way to interact with everyone and then we all rode together after everyone was stuffed to their mouth. Some of my BMX hero's were in attendance as well and I got to ride with Anthony Napolitan and Daniel Dhers. Watching those dudes ride in their own element is nuts and I definitely had one of my favorite sessions ever riding with them in Ray's new "Rhythm Room." That's where I spent most of my time because the room is filled with box jumps of all shapes and sizes. Hips, step-ups, step-downs, and rollers make the big set feel like dirt jump trails and it made me feel just at home. I also spent a lot of time in the foam pit working on dialing in some new tricks and that was definitely productive for me. I finally figured out my 360 downside tailwhips and made more progress on the infamous bike-flip. That one still needs a little more practice though. Hopefully next time I make it out there, I'll be throwin them over the big set in the Rhythm Room! Thanks to GT for sending me out there and to Ray and his crew for the hospitality...I wish I could've stayed longer!

I got back from that Trip on Monday and then jumped right into filming with local videographer Josh Talatzko at the Post Office jumps once again. He had a cable cam set up across the span of the jump set and this was the first time anyone had one out there. I got a few good shots until about 10 minutes into shooting when I took one of the worst crashes ever. I just screwed up on a no footed can and next thing I knew I was on the ground. I hit my head super hard but luckily my Giro helmet saved my life. It was crushed but luckily my head wasn't. I was pretty concussed though and I haven't started riding yet since then. I'm taking a few days off to let my brain heal up a bit! There is a video of the crash and it ended up getting Video of the Day on Pinkbike the other day and already has 17,000 views. Not the best way to get views but hey, I'm glad it was on film! Check it out..

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/109020/

I plan to get back on the bike again tomorrow and take it slow. I'll be preparing for AT's Showdown at the Cow Palace in San Francisco this coming weekend so hopefully I'll be ready to go by then. After that I'll be preparing for the X Fusion Side Flight Championships in San Diego on the weekend of the 5th. It's a contest to see who can do the best whip and it's something that I'm pretty excited about. I'll let you know how all of that goes for me.

Thanks again for all of the continued support!

-Tyler

Why Spend the Money?

So I'm going through my Google Reader the other day and I stumble across this gem of a release.


http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/3411.html


Amazing. So what you are saying is that for $100 plus parts, plus labor, plus however long a lead-time, you can have your bike actually ride like it's supposed to. Wow. That is innovation at its finest. I'm typically not one to add fuel to a fire (who am I kidding, yes I am!) but we here at GT felt the need to craft our own press release, albeit fake. It's no industry secret that there has been no love lost at an executive level between the letters G, T and S, but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. To my friends at the S, you know I love you, For everyone out there, enjoy.

GT Launches No-S-Tune for Dealers

Bethel, CT – GT Bicycles has launched No-S-Tune – a basic concept in which you do not have to spend any extra money on custom shock valving to make your bike work properly.

Since 1998, GT has offered a patented suspension technology that allows the rider to get the most out of his/her suspension with minimal effort in pedaling. This all without a special shock or custom tuning on the valves. In an effort to raise the bar even more, in 2001 GT simplified its suspension system to make service and maintenance even easier. By using common parts found in any shop and making the pivots easy to service, GT has found that No-S-Tune is exactly what dealers and consumers are looking for.

For 2010, GT will continue to offer this same, no cost service to all of its customers. “Riders shouldn't need to spend money on their bike to make it work right.” says GT Marketing Manager Robb Zbierski, “Our commitment is to provide the most efficient and effective suspension system available right out of the box, and this is another step toward that commitment. We love big riders and small riders and riders in between and we don’t want to see individuals spend unnecessary funds to tune their suspension just because everyone's a little different.”

Regular No-S-Tune service will start at nothing, and for those older hard to find models service also starts at nothing. In the event you need new bearings, no need to search around for or ship your bike to a service center that only works on one brand. GT pivots are so easy to service, you can actually take your bike to any bike dealer and use common parts that are likely already in stock.

Zbierski also noted that No-S-Tune is a simple, service concept that GT has seen work well in other industries and can’t believe other bike manufacturers haven’t caught on to it. “We’ve done plenty of research and studies” adds Zbierski, “and found that once a person buys a bike, they just want to ride and not worry about spending more to make it work right.”

For more information on Independent Drivetrain and how it stacks up to the competition, check out www.gtbicycles.com/tech

A Quick Hello From Dave

Hey guys, I just got back from Orlando dew tour last night, I drove down there from NC which wasn't too bad.

I was going into the comp with a bit of a hurt wrist so I wasn't too excited. I rode dirt on Thursday and my wrist wasn't holding up too well. I ended up in 24th place. Saturday was park prelims and I still could hardly pump around the course, it was real annoying cause I was looking forward to this contest but couldn't even give it my all. I ended up taking it easy and took 30th place.

I went to the doctor this morning in Greenville and had some x-rays. everything looks normal but it does not feel like it. I have a MRI appointment tomorrow at 4 30 to get it checked out more.

I'm flying to Cali Friday morning for the Ride BMX video "Range Of Motion" premiere that I have a full section in. The premier is Friday night at the Ride offices in Orange County. Then I will be in Cali for the weekend. Back home Monday and then to the doc Tuesday to see the results of the MRI. Hopefully nothing too crazy going on in there. Until then I will keep you posted!

Dillsy

GT Demo at the Jambo-Ree Nov 1.

Attention East Coast peeps!!!

Louis and the GT Demo fleet will be at the Jambo-Ree on Nov 1 in Elkton, MD.

The 4th Annual Mountain Bike Jamboree, hosted by the Delaware Trail Spinners, is a celebration for mountain biking in the Mid-Atlantic region. This is a no cost event, with free food, and free entertainment.

In case you can't read the flyer, head over to www.trailspinners.org.

Anyone headed out there needs to make sure to give our new sales rep Brian a hard time. If that isn't the best kind of free entertainment, I don't know what is!

So head out to the Jambo-Ree, and be sure to post pictures of your GT test ride on our Facebook fan page.

See you there!