Hans Rey on TV

Hans Rey recently shot a TV show in Maui called Kenny Belaey's Big Time Trials Adventure TV. Watch it here first. It will also be broadcast on the Extreme Channel worldwide.

Kenny Belaey Show Episode 2 (part 2 of 2) from Luke Rainbird on Vimeo.

Tyler's Side Flight Recap

Last weekend I went down south for a contest that was put on by X-Fusion called the Side Flight Championships. It was the first of it's kind and the object of the contest was to see how whipped out you could get your bike in the air and bring it back before landing. Riders were judged on amplitude, style, and how sideways they got. They have this same event in the X-Games for Moto but this was the first for bikes.

I came pretty prepared and even built a practice jump in the woods at home to feel out my whips before I went to the contest. I also built up a special bike for the event that I thought would be well suited for the course. It's a prototype GT frame called the Ruckus 7 and I built it up as light as possible to help me whip it around. I even put a semi slick rear tire on it to help me gain as much speed as I could into the jumps which were super big and definitely suited my style. It started out with a 45 foot slightly stepped down double into a 40 foot step up and ended with a 30 foot hip jump. There were lots of different types of riders that came to this event from top dirt jumpers to world cup downhill racers. We had a practice session Friday evening and once we started riding it was evident that there were about 6 or 7 people that were standing out, including Thomas Vanderham, Brendan Fairclough, Kevin Aiello, Ryan Howard and Sean McLendon. I felt good and never really stepped out of my comfort zone in practice and was feeling that I could possibly take the title the following day.

On Saturday we woke up to howling winds but tried to make it happen anyways. I think it's safe to say that everyone that tried to jump on Saturday had a near death experience. The wind was coming head on and killed all of the speed that we had going into the first jump. We were all optimistic about making it work until until we saw Cody Warren sprinting into the jump and still not gain enough speed to make it over the landing. He came up about 3 feet short and broke both of his cranks off on impact. Once we saw that, we decided it wasn't safe and that we should wait it out in hopes that the wind would stop. Unfortunately it never did. The wind just kept getting worse so the event holders decided to call it. Results were then based on the practice session the day prior and it was rider judged.

Later that night we went to a local sports bar where they announced the results and they went as follows:

1st: Sean Mclendon
2nd: Tyler McCaul
3rd: Brendan Fairclough
4th: Ryan Howard
5th: Thomas Vanderham

I was bummed that the contest ended the way it did, but I was super pumped with the outcome. There's already talk of trying to hold these types of contests more throughout the year and it's something that I think could get really big in the future. It was a fun contest that wasn't as dangerous as most but still put on a really good show. Hope to see more in the future like it!

Here's a video clip of the practice session that was made by Shawn Spomer from VitalMTB.com

http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/Sideflight-Champs-Practice-Blasting,993/sspomer,2

Thanks to all of you for the continued support!

-Tyler

A Post-Op Dilley Checks In

Hey guys,

Just had my one week check up at the docs for my wrist. Everything is looking great they said and I got the OK to head back to Australia on Monday. He said I can start pedaling around in 2 weeks and start jumping in about 6 weeks! so hopefully after that time Ill be riding with no pain in my wrist!

I also just finished up with my signature flix trix finger bike too, so hopefully they will be out in stores soon!

Here is the Xray of my arm after surgery.

cu
Dave

A Letter From a Fan

Remember the Jambo-Ree last month? We just got this great letter and pictures from a little ripper out east who was there with his family.

Thanks for the great note, Jeff, and keep rocking that Stomper. We're looking forward to seeing you on some podiums in a few years.

Anybody else have a great pic of yourself (or you and your kids) and a GT? If so, please post them on the FB page.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Ray's Rumblings

Thought we's spread the love and help Ray promote a couple of events at the park. Check out the Indoor XCTT.

For anyone participating in the Indoor XCTT, you can enter to win a 2010 GT Zaskar Carbon Team

You can check out all the details at

http://raysmtb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=38

And don't forget about the 2nd annual Tri-Flow XC Indoor Invitational.

Hope to see you there!

Dilley is Getting Fixed!

Hey guys,

I'm heading out to San Diego on Tuesday to meet up with Dr Chao and get my wrist fixed! I get new xrays Tuesday and they will book me in for surgery Wednesday. I plan on heading back to Australia after surgery and be chilling out there while I recover! Not happy about surgery but I'm happy I will be healing and getting better for next year's season!

On Saturday night I had a little in prompt premier of the ride bmx range of motion dvd. Most of the Greenville locals made it out and everyone though it was a decent flick! Here is a pic of my lounge room filled with riders.

So next time i'll be updating with my wrist fixed! Can't wait.

Cheers
Dave

Tyler at AT's Showdown and His New Sponsor

On Satuday there was a contest at the Cow Palace in San Francisco called AT's Showdown. It was a head to head format with an hour qualifying jam beforehand to determine seeding for the finals. There were about 25 or so riders and that got whittled down to 16 riders. From there it was like dual slalom where the 1st place qualifier does one run against the 16th place qualifier and so on til it's down to 2. There were 4 judges that determined who would advance and who would be sitting on the sidelines.

The course was biggg and definitely suited my style. I felt real good during the qualifying jam and when the results came up, I was in 1st!! I was feeling pretty confident and made it to the round of 8 easily. Then I was matched up with Jamie Goldman who was the 8th place qualifier.

He threw down one of the best runs of the day and ended up knockin me out of the game. I was pretty bummed and wished that I had strategized my run a little better to beat his but it was all good, he deserved it and later went on to get 2nd place. My brother Cam won and I was super pumped for him. I ended up in 5th and was happy with that, but have higher hopes for the next contest I do. Check out some pics that I attached from the contest...the jumps were huge!

In other news, I recently signed with X Fusion and there was a press release that came out about it the other day. I shot with local photographer Justin Brantley and we worked hard for two long days of shooting to get the shots. I'm super happy with how it turned out and I'm also very happy to be working with X Fusion for 2010! Here's a link to the press release:

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/tyler-mccaul-x-fusion-2009.html

-Tyler

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!

If Only Videos Could Have Moustaches and Sideburns

What do seductive music, lemonade stands and bikes tipping over have in common? You can find them ALL in EC's latest shop visit video to the Singletrack Factory in Denver, CO.

I swear, all I want to do after I watch this video is roll around on shag carpeting. Does anyone else envision EC in his editing room working on the first part of this video wearing a huge Ron Jeremy mask, kind of like how John C. Reily does his taxes in Stepbrothers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW6RgA7mKhI

or



Enjoy!

New GT Section at Ray's MTB

I'm sure a lot of you have heard, but the guys at Ray's MTB have been working their fingers to the bone getting ready for the 2009/2010 season.

GT is proud to be a sponsor of the park since it opened. For anyone that's been there, you probably have spent some time in the GT Sport Section or if you have a little more gusto, been over the GT box jump.

Check out these pics that Ray sent me of the changes to the GT deck. I, for one, can't wait to get to Cleveland to give the new lines a try.

Don't forget that opening weekend is right around the corner. We'll be sending one of our pro athletes out to join in the festivities. Who is it? You have to come to the park to find out!

Team Jelly Belly Headed Down Under

Hey, did you know that GT is the official bike of Jelly Belly, the longest running sponsorship in domestic cycling? Actually, the JB guys were instrumental in helping us design the new GTR platform.

We asked them what they were looking for in a new bike. It's no surprise that they wanted super high BB and head tube stiffness. We tool this into consideration, and when developing the GTR carbon bikes we incorporated Shimano's BB86 standard for the bottom bracket and we created a brand new GT-exclusive full carbon fork that tapers from 1 1/8" at the top to 1 1/4" at the bottom. I can tell you, and the guys agree, that this is one of the stiffest, most precise handling bikes we have ever created.

I just got this email from JB and they are headed down to Australia to take part in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour...

"Jelly Belly arrives in Australia this week to compete in one of the worlds oldest stage races, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. As their third year participating in the event, Team Director Danny van Haute said he is looking forward to competing in this late-season race.

This is definitely one of our favorites throughout the year, he said.

Will Routley has competed in this race before, however this is his first Sun Tour with the Jelly Belly Squad.

It is always exciting to do a race with such a good history, he explained. This race is so well organized and has a lot of support in NSW, (the state in which it takes place) it is great to be a part of.

When asked what was unique to racing in Australia, Kiel Reijnen explained the difference in racing style down under.

From what Ive heard, racing in Australia is pretty aggressive, Reijnen said. They have a lot of fast guys, especially sprinters, and I imagine they wont do down at their home race without a fight.

A difference from Australia to racing in other countries is that there are kangaroos and a lot of little bugs that will kill you, Routley laughed. On the racing side, though, the Australian racing is tough and aggressive. It's the kind I like.

The Jayco Herald Sun Tours 58th year runs from October 11 through 17. Jelly Belly is bringing Will Routley, Kiel Reijnen, Bernard van Ulden, Brad Huff, Matt Rice, Matt Crane and Johnny Clarke to contest the final trophy this year. To find out how the guys do at each stage continue to check the Jelly Belly Cycling website for details."

Based on our luck in Australia so far this year (Way to go again, Mick!) we're feeling good about the guys' chances. Go get 'em boys!

Thanks for Joining us at NEMBA Fest!

Thanks to everyone who came out to NEMBA fest and stopped by to say hi! Thanks also to everyone who test rode a GT. Here's some shots from the weekend, courtesy of our Outside Sales Rep Chuck Webster, or Webstaaahhhhhhhhh as we like to call him (because he's got the accent).

6 of 8 tents were GT...not bad!

Philip Keys, the man with the plan at NEMBA. This is as close as he got to being a Golden Race winner...

Well represented.

Thanks again to NEMBA for letting us be a part of the weekend. For more info on the great stuff going on out east, visit www.nemba.org.

For more shots from the weekend, check out http://singlespeedphoto.com/p579403341

GT BMX in the UK

If you haven't already, check out Leon Perkins in his latest web edit.

Leon represents GT over in the UK, and based on this video, it looks like he's doing a hell of a job doing so.

Leon Perkins - Entrance and Exit from Leon Perkins on Vimeo.

If you can't see the video, check out http://www.vimeo.com/6679845

As they say on the other side of the pond, Cheers!

The Rest...of the Kamikaze Story

Anyone who follows the action at Mountain Bike Action may have seen the big ring setup that EC used to take the Mammoth Kamikaze win. We'll call it the Mood Ring, since I know EC was in a damn good mood after winning!

Just like Paul Harvey, we have a "Rest of the Story" from EC's win. Here's some "inside the pits" info that you may not have heard about...

After surveying the course, EC knew that it was going to take something special to win it. Horsepower isn't the issue, as the Electric Catfish has been known to hold over 1700 watts in training. The right gearing was the topic of discussion during practice. EC had an old (I'm pretty sure it had sideburns from the 70's) 56-tooth (that's not a typo) chainring laying around and thankfully for EC, his mechanic John, "Sniper" Canepa was ready to Frankengear EC's Fury to give him every advantage he needed.

Why the Frankengear? A couple of reasons. First, our boys at e*thirteen make some kick ass chainguides, but they only fit up to a 40-tooth ring. Second, the bolt diameter of current DH cranks doesn't jive with the bolt diameter of EC's Mood Ring.

According to Sniper, all it took was a bunch of e*thirteen parts, an old drill, a dull drill bit, some misc. nuts and bolts to hold it all together, and a couple of hours to build.

The result, as you can see is that something special that EC needed.

Spot-on effort Sniper! Here's a comparison shot so you can see just how big this thing really was. And for reference, Sniper's got a melon on him that would make a roadside produce vendor jealous. (I kid because I love, Snipe!)

Got a crazy gearing pic or story to share? Send it over! For anyone out at Interbike ODD, Sniper is working the Demo booth. Be sure to stop by and give him a pat on the back for a job well done.

The Ugly Duckling has Become the Swan

Greetings from the other side of the world (well, for some at least). We're getting started on another gorgeous day here in the 'Shafen. It's officially Day 1 of Eurobike and we are planning for a LONG day. The good news is that GT is hosting it's annual beer party in the booth tonight and Hans will be there to sign autographs. Maybe we'll see if we can't get a few more volunteers to put on their best Hans face. Be on the lookout.

For those of you not in Germany, don't worry. You can still check out all the new stuff. How? Well, the all new, totally improved gtbicycles.com went live today and it is awesome.

Some of the exciting new features include:

Links to all of GT's social networking sites
Close-ups and 360 shots of our key platforms
Bike comparisons
Updated team rider info
a user interface that is actually usable

But don't just take my word for it. Head over to gtbicycles.com and see for yourself.

Setup is Complete and a Teaser

We finished getting the GT booth set up for the big show today. It was a long day, but we fought through. THe 2010 stuff looks TIGHT, and we were even able to bring a couple of new bikes to the show. Our big reveal is tomorrow, but here's a couple of teasers for you

It's always really stressful getting set up for the biggest bike trade show in the world. One thing that's really important is to keep a good sense of humor. Things were getting a little dicey around lunch so we decided to have a contest to see who could make the greatest Hans face. Here's MDL and GT's Mark (our GM) doing their best Hans Rey imitations.

So we are off to Austria tonight for a big comapany-wide opening dinner. I'm looking forward to some shrimp on the barbie.

More updates to come.

BTW, for anyone reading this on Facebook, be sure to click over to the actual blog site. You're missing out on some excellent links!