Been having fun with my helmet cam down in Sedona. Single track down there is absolutely amazing! Perfect terrain for our bikes! ~jb

Fwd: Voodoo Bizango Video

Got this email from VooDoo Fan Raymond Howard today. Video is posted below. This reminds me I should post some helmet cam vids I have taken while riding in Sedona... ~jb

Begin forwarded message:

From: Raymond Howard

Date: December 28, 2009 6:58:24 PM MST

To: info@voodoocycles.net

Subject: Voodoo Bizango Video

My brother and I both purchased Bizangos back int the late 90's and we still love them and ride them today. Here's a video of us riding that you guys should put on your site. I get a few close ups of the bike as we're racing up our local trail. Thanks for making a sick steel steed. It's the only part on my bike that still from the 90's. Oh yeah, you have my permission to use on your site. Raymond Howard.

Soukri - Sacred Temple

Check out the new graphic style of our new 29'er due out Spring 2010. The name Soukri is a 'sacred temple' in the Voodoo religion. This frame should have no problems becoming the temple of your daily trail worship! We decided to route the cables under the top tube and improve the gusset under the down tube. And it will be made from Reynolds 631 tubing. Run it with either a 100mm or 120mm travel fork. Single or geared. Disc or linear pull "v-brake". Don't run it rigid unless you can find a fork that is at least 490mm long from axle to crown though!!

Hopefully we'll have more new stuff to show you early in the new year. Until then... ~jb

Friends from Malaga!

From: José 

Date: October 8, 2009 4:04:23 AM GMT-07:00

To: <info@voodoocycles.net>

Hi.
 
Just wanted to send you all some pictures of our bikes. We are fans of Voodoo. In southern Europe there is a small city (Malaga) where we enjoyed the Joe Murray design by our mountains. The bikes are fantastic and fun. 
 

We would like to show our Voodoos.

Thanks Voodoo's team and especially to Joe Murray for making us happy with their bikes.

 

Cheers.

J.M.-

 

 

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Fwd: voodoo bakka pic

Just wanted to send you all a pic of my bakka that i picked up from milewide about a year ago.. I built it up as a 96r with the rigid voodoo fork..  Im running a 1x9 drivetrain. Its a great bike in the rock gardens and the frame lent it self well for the 96 conversion.. the bottom bracket is nice and high (13.25) and great for all the logs and rocks here central maryland. I work part time at a local shop and have  had all sorts of custom and high end stuff, but this is by far the most fun I have had on a mountainbike in a long time..This bike is a keeper.. If you want some more high res shots for the sight let me know..Any new jerseys avail to the public any time soon.??   keep up the good work.. I like reading the blog as I am from the left coast   greg

High on Victory at the High Cascade 100 (Bend, Oregon)

It’s been five days now, and I’m still coughing up the dust I swallowed last Sunday, August 23, while competing in the inaugural High Cascade 100 endurance mountain bike race in Bend, Oregon.

The air I had been breathing for half the day was suffused with tiny particles of sand, kicked up by nearly a hundred riders spinning their wheels thousands of times to complete the epic century distance and rack up 11,000 feet of climbing. Whether I was leading the charge, hot in pursuit of another racer or riding a segment of trail all by my lonesome, there was a constant cloud of dust hanging suspended in the air like a layer of smoke. My lungs protested, of course, but after winning the women’s race and finishing in the top half of the men’s field, a little sand on the lungs didn’t seem all that bad.

The Course
The race began in Wanoga Sno-Park 11 miles west of Bend and featured 70 percent singletrack, 10 percent ATV trail and 20 percent doubletrack across high-desert terrain. My lungs held up through the first 45-mile loop around Mt Bachelor, where racers climbed up well over 7,000 feet and dropped down through threatening lava rock fields. Next came two 20+ mile loops around Old Swampy (the dry, dusty singletrack proved the name a misnomer). The last 11-mile loop brought riders back to town for some fun technical descents down such popular trails as “Tiddlywinks” and “Funner,” followed by a seven-mile ascent to the finish line. Throughout the day, the soft sand sucked our wheels, making us work absurdly hard to power through even the smallest patch of momentum-stealing soil. It also made for some quite scary, nearly-out-of-control descents at speed. But that’s not the half of it.

The Race
We began early—at 6:15am—and we began cold, amid near-freezing temperatures. But once we started spinning our wheels on the slight-incline up the dusty doubletrack toward Mt. Bachelor, we forgot the chill and concentrated on the long, long day ahead. Chris Sheppard was an early leader, attacking from the start and taking only a few pro men along with him. Sheppard would go on to win the event handily, with Sloane Anderson taking second. I settled into a manageable pace, concentrating on having an efficient race, fueling well and keeping myself out of trouble. Of course, the harsh desert conditions (wheel-sucking sand, choking clouds of dust, tube-puncturing lava rock, etc.) took out nearly a third of the entire field. We racers were warned about the “über-technical” Kwol Butte section ahead of time, but to be honest, I felt far more at ease riding the rocky sections to bombing down the miles of sandy trail that never failed to surprise with sporadic, traction-less slides atop soft sand. But at least it’s soft sand, right? It could be worse. . .

Doh! Mechanical.
Mid-way into the race—at 45 miles—my free hub began to act up. And by “act up,” I mean, every time I began to descend, my bike would make the sound of a swarm of angry bees—or of a prop plane coming in for a crash landing. My bike would shake like it was falling to pieces, and the rear hub would begin to seize up until I slowed down. And I still had 55 miles left to go.

The volunteer mechanics at each of the three aide stations assured me that my bike would not explode, though they could not fix the loose bearing in the hub on the fly. So I kept riding, albeit at half-pace on the descents. I did "Big Ring" it on the less steep descents, pedaling for as long as the terrain would allow me on my hard tail. But when the trail got steep and I had to coast, the angry sound returned. I surely must have scared several riders half to death as I passed them on my deafening bike.

I may have lost tons of time on the descents (descending is my riding strength), but I still managed to cross the line in first place out of the women’s field at 11 hours, 55 minutes. I finished thirtieth overall. I was also thrilled to win a pair of DT Swiss wheels at the post-race raffle. Extra wheels—exactly what I could have used during the race!

Many Thanks
Mike Ripley and Mudslinger Events put on a great show, as always, and they raised $3,500 from the inaugural race to help support COTA (Central Oregon Trail Alliance) in future trail construction efforts. Thanks to all for putting on a well-organized event on a challenging course—and thanks to all the other racers who suffered along with me. It was great to play in Oregon’s biggest sandbox with you.

You can read other coverage of the event on cyclingnews.com and singletrack.com.

Until next time—see you on the trail!
Angela + Sobo = :)

Angela Sucich,
Freelance Copywriter
http://www.angelasucich.com/

Voodoo Kids’ Series: Cascade Bicycle Club’s Dirt Camp ‘09

Don’t you wish you had learned to mountain bike when you were kid instead of in your mid-to-late 20’s? I do! By the time I finally learned to ride, I was already somewhat breakable. So when I was asked to be a guest speaker at Cascade Bicycle Club’s Dirt Camp ’09 a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance to help kids learn and hone the skills I didn’t acquire until a more “mature” age.

Led by instructors Kat and Jay Sweet and two assistant instructors, the CBC Dirt Camp was a week-long play date on two wheels at Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore, Washington. The curriculum included bike handling and survival skills, covering everything from Negotiating Obstacles 101 to Special Topics: Fixing a Flat.

The camp also featured guest speakers, such as trials rider Joel Moreland, who inspired the camp kids with trick riding and general coolness. The kids took Joel’s energy and intrepid spirit to heart as they themselves rallied over ramps, teeters and small jumps. The kids even practiced manuals! You can check out their accomplishments in filmmaker Jay Sweet’s Dirt Camp ‘09 movie.

My task as a guest speaker was to talk about XC and endurance racing. As a Voodoo Cycles rider, I was thrilled to share some of my racing experiences and teach the kids about the equipment, training regimen and racing strategies that are part of those disciplines.

We played a fun game of name-that-racing-accessory: “What’s this? “A tube!” “What’s this?” “A chain-breaker!” “What’s this?” “CO2!” “What’s this?” “Electrolytes!” (Okay, so they didn’t get that one). As it turns out, a couple of them had already jump-started their young racing careers this year at the local Indie Series. Ah, can you imagine how fast those racers are going to be when they’re our age?

All in all, we had a great time together, fixing flats and riding through the park. Then we finished the day with cookies. I tell you, it's good to be a kid again!

Until next time, see you on the trail!

Angela Sucich,

Freelance Copywriter

www.angelasucich.com

Voodoo Race Report: Feeling Born Again at the White River Revival (Greenwater, WA)

For all you former mountain bike racers out there disillusioned by fire-road racing that passes for “mountain biking” these days, or the easy, buffed-out singletrack that makes even an 80-mil-travel fork overkill, prepare to have your faith restored.

At the White River Revival in Greenwater, WA on Saturday, August 8, the course took mountain bikers down trail they’d actually choose to ride for—get this—fun. Now I know there’s burley XC racing in our sister cities to the north in B.C.—I love ‘em, too—but last Saturday’s race in the shadow of Mt. Rainier is as close as one gets to technical XC racing in Washington State, and I was happy to be there to enjoy it. I think I even heard myself giggle on some of the downhills.

The Place: The White River Revival, 10 miles east of Greenwater (an hour and a half drive southeast of Seattle). The race began and finished on the Ranger Creek airstrip just up the dirt road from the Buck Creek Recreation Area off HWY 410.

The Course: 30+ miles in two laps (Trail 1194 to Road 7160 to Fawn Ridge section of Suntop Trail 1183).

The Race: The open/pro race got underway around 2:30 when the afternoon was cool with a slight breeze—perfect conditions for climbing up the fire road (yes, I guess there was a fire road, after all) and dropping into the lower (and bermier) portion of the popular Suntop Trail. The climb was long but not too steep, and I settled into a constant quad-and-hamstring burn for countless turns, until the singletrack trailhead thankfully appeared before me. I was in second place, and as I dropped into Fawn Ridge, I was determined not only to use my descending skills to catch up to the woman ahead of me and put more distance between me and the riders behind me, but also to revel in the unadulterated fun that was the lower Suntop Trail.

Fawn Ridge was aflame in pinkish-purple fireweed and alive with racers snaking down the exposed, dusty slope, switchback-style. As the course descended deeper into the forest toward the Buck Creek and White River areas, the mist rising from the valley hung over the trail like a ghost. The course dropped all the way down to hug the river bank, and it was this final section of trail that me feel as if I were channeling a deer in flight—bounding over every rock, root and stream in my path. Then I turned my bike uphill and rode the second lap, urged on by the dangling-carrot promise of a second, thrilling descent.

As I whipped my bike around the last couple of miles of what can only be described as a hacked-out trail, it finally registered that much of the lower trail meandering along the river was cleared or at least widened for us racers’ benefit. In fact, as I heaved my bike over stumps, roots and rocks that plugged up the path, it pleased me to think that this trail—our red carpet—was rolled out just for me and the other happy racers who came out for the White River Revival. When I crossed the finish line in second again (ah, always the bridesmaid!! but a much closer second to Kari Studley than last race, and far ahead of Melanie Lewis in third), I felt more revived than tired. Faced with proof that the kind of XC racing that tested bike handling skills as well as fitness did exist in Washington, I felt born again.

On the men’s side, Benaroya Research Institute rider Russell Stevenson claimed first, and teammate Toby Swanson came in second.

For visitors and locals alike, I highly recommend Suntop. Whether you shuttle or climb it, you will enjoy this ride. Believe it.

Until next time, enjoy the ride!

-Angela Sucich,

Freelance Copywriter

angelasucich.com

Craaazy 88

This past Saturday was the Crazy 88 race here in Flagstaff.  The brutal but very fun course included dirt roads, fast descents, and some amazing singletrack.  I decided to just do the first 44 mile loop because I didn't want to destroy my knee since it is still in some pain, but had a great time and was the first to finish from the second group that left at 9:00.  The first loop included a new section of the Arizona Trail on the back side of the peaks, which may be my favorite new trail.  The weather was great, a lot of people showed up, and the Aizan worked perfectly.  But I think one of the best parts of the race was all the cookies, beer, and twizzlers you could eat at the finish.  Huge thanks to Nathan Friedman who put on this awesome race, and congrats to Adam for taking the overall win with a super fast time of just over 8 hours.

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Get free photo software from Windows Live Click here.

It's all Black and White with the Canzo

The black frame sure looks nice with all the white parts! Just got
these new wheels from Stan's using their new hubs. Pretty sweet so
far. Also running 2x9 with a 26t-36t front rings. So far it is just
right for the trails in Flagstaff.

Racing Gets Hot in Roslyn, Washington

Brutal. I’m talking about hot, muggy, end-of July central Washington weather. I’m also talking about how I felt by the end of my last lap on the Roslyn MTB Festival course this past Sunday (July 26): brutalized.

With proceeds from the race going to benefit the Roslyn Library, sweating a bit for only 18 miles (22+ if you count the practice lap) seemed like a minor sacrifice. Ah, the blissful optimism that gets crushed and kicked around by hindsight.

The place: Roslyn is a tiny town (population ~1,000) near Cle Elum, Washington (also a tiny town). Primarily known for its cameo in the "Northern Exposure" television series’ opening credits, Roslyn was hopping with cross-country mountain bikers this weekend.

The conditions: By 2 pm Sunday afternoon, the arid terrain was radiating heat. It was a mere 94 degrees, but in the thick of the woods, it felt like a stifling 110. By the time the pro/open categories got underway, the switchback descent portion on the backside was “technical” by virtue of it having become a dustbowl. But we aggressively-hydrating riders were game for it.

The course: Everywhere you looked, and everywhere you rode, there was dirt, dust and sand. Riding behind someone won you a lungful of fine dust, which you were sure to be coughing up later in the day. The first half to two-thirds of the smooth-rolling course traveled in the Up direction, but after the steep climbing sections and an intermission or two of snaking descents, you found yourself flying downhill, the dust flurries gusting off your wheels. One lap down. Repeat.

The race: After feeling strong for the first half of the race—maintaining the lead for most of the first lap and settling into a close second for another lap or two—the sun pointed its blazing finger at me and said, “Die.”

By the final lap, it was all I could do to keep making little circles with my feet while trying to convince my stomach it really didn’t feel that bad. I kept it together and finished the race in second—not as strongly as when I began the race, but stronger than how I felt when I began that last lap. Grimy and dust-covered, I sped down the final express descent, knowing my Sobo and I had put in a solid day’s work together. On the men’s side, Toby Swanson of Benaroya Research Institute placed first, and BRI teammate Eric Atwood came in second.

Post-race: On the drive back to Seattle, a friend and I stopped for dinner at Rogue Brewery in Issaquah, and my friend ordered one of the special brews called Brutal Bitter. As I tasted it, I felt quite satisfied. A brutal ride isn’t all that bad, once it’s over:)

Until next time: Angela + Sobo = :)

Angela Sucich,
Freelance Copywriter
angelasucich.com

Summer is Racing Along

Photo courtesy of Adam Leahy

Here’s how to start the week off right on your Voodoo Sobo:

· Sunday: a 15-mile race through wooded groves in Bellingham, Washington

· Monday: a 30-mile, get-lost adventure in central Washington’s West Fork Teanaway wilderness near Roslyn

· Tuesday: a climb up above 5,000 feet on Sun Top for a scenic photo shoot overlooking Mount Rainier.

On Sunday, July 12^th, the 17^th annual Padden MTN Pedal race at Lake Padden in Bellingham, Washington, brought out the local talent to frolic in the blustery, surprisingly cool weather. The half hard-pack, half-loamy course was roller-coaster fast, and the few short but steep climbs made this race a “roadie” fave—except for a few surprise technical sections. Thanks to all the nice men who pulled over to let me pass on the downhill side, and thanks to Mark Peterson and the course designers for including a few crucial sections of technical trail punctuated with roots and small drops, not to mention a thrilling sequence of switchbacks carved like smiles all the way down the mountain foothillJ

Photo courtesy of David Waugh

Local pro Russel Stevenson of BRI won the open men’s race, with Eric Tonkin riding into second place for Kona. The women made up a small but fast field, and after five undulating laps my hot, fire-truck red Sobo steamed in second, just a minute or so off the lead.

Then on Monday I took my Voodoo and went exploring near Roslyn, Washington, with some friends. Here we are, bushwhacking through a mountain meadow. Don’t let rainy Seattle fool you; central Washington is way drier than the Seattle side of the Cascade Range.

Although it doesn’t look like it from the hike-a-bike pics, I did, in fact, get on my bike during our ride. Here I manage to pick my way from stone to stone over one of several creek crossings without getting my feet wet. Surprisingly, neither of the gentlemen I was riding with offered to carry me across. Ah, the chivalry...

Finally, on Tuesday I headed south from Seattle toward Mount Rainer to climb Sun Top (over 5,000 feet) for some photo ops. Is this gorgeous or what? Just don’t look down.

Until next time—Angela + Sobo =J

VooDoo Nakisi Monstercross Spy Shots!

Here is the first look, we haven't even had a chance to build it up yet!!

Nakisi first frame sample. Similar to 2009 Agwe, Nakisi (and 2010 Agwe) has larger TT and more tire clearance. Also keeps horizontal TT for classic look with standard drop bars.

From Nakisi - Sacred Medicine

Nakisi front view. Will fit the WTB Stout 29"x2.3 tire front and rear. 50mm offset fork as well with a 430mm axle to crown.

From Nakisi - Sacred Medicine

Nakisi horizontal dropout with disc tabs.

From Nakisi - Sacred Medicine

Nakisi dirt drop specific stem with 100mm (4" rise) and 60mm reach. Sits on top of steer tube and has headset adjuster bolt stop welded in place. This stem looks goofy on the bike, but feels great when your hands are in the drops riding single track!

MSRP $399.00 frame and fork. Stem price TBD. Available late Summer / early Fall at BTI - Bicycle Technologies International in the USA. www.bti-usa.com.

Back at it

 

Last February a knee injury kept me off the bike for a few months, but after a slow recovery I can finally ride again and the trails here in Flagstaff have never been better thanks to lots of rain.  It's been hard not training or racing, but I'm super excited to ride my new VooDoo Aizan 29'er, and hopefully be back racing by July or August.  It's amazing how much bigger wheels can help, and the bike can fly up hills like nobody's business.  Today I borrowed a downhill bike and rode some of the crazy trails on mount Elden.  Jumping strait into downhilling after only a handful of cross country  rides in the last few months may not have been the best idea, but it was still awesome.  Can't wait to ride lots more.

 

Kevin

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I <3 Bike Racing

I <3 Bike Racing

Its official, race season is here.  For some it has been here for a few months, but for me it started this Sunday.   I was not sure that I even wanted to race. It has been almost a month since I rode my mountain bike, and I spent the last 2 weeks on the road for work.  Getting shelled seamed like the only thing that could happen.  I was pretty sure that I was just going to go watch the race and hang out and see everyone and wait till I had a little more training under my belt before I started racing again.  My girlfriend Ms, Lauren Browne had some good words for me and reminded me that the reason that I go to bike races is because I like it.  Win or loose racing is something I enjoy.  So I raced.  I was even kicking ass till I got a little flat and dinged my rim to the point where it wouldn't hold a tire. Not a bad day, a bike race and a little hike back to the start finish.  Could be worse.  I still did not do that bad, even with the unplanned hike I still did not finish anywhere near last. Can't wait to race again!
-Raney

Fruita

Oh man. Made it to Fruita Fat Tire Fest in 7 hours and met several
cold beers as soon as we hit town. The buzz here is amazing and people
are so psyched to ride bikes! It is a who's who of the bike world as
well as a
Yearly reunion for tons of people. This is an event for every
mountainbiker! ~ jb

Canzo 29ner

So this year for my Voodoo team bike I elected to
go a little different direction. I've already got my Ti 29 Zaka frame
from last year which is still my dedicated race bike, so I needed
something to expand my quiver. John Benson has been raving about his
Canzo 29 for the past year, so I figured I'd give it a try for this
year. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about a full
suspension 29, considering the size that I ride and the potential for
frame flex and pedal slop. I built the frame up with a XT groupo and
some sick new Shimano 29ner wheels, which are a must for anyone who
owns a 29ner. I tried two different forks a 100mm fox which the bike
was designed for and a 130mm Manitou. Once again I am amazed at Joe
Murray's ability to design a bike. It has been a few years since I
have ridden a full squish and I have to tell you that this bike is
like nothing I remember. The first couple of rides took place in the
red rock nar of Sedona, a proper proving ground. I had the 100mm fox
fork installed first. The bike handled like it was on rails. It sailed
through every loose turn without the slightest hesitation. The wheel
track was spot on and this was only in the first few minutes of the
ride. I began to notice that I was going faster through rocky sections
then I would normally, I would see the rocks, prepare for the bike to
bounce around and then re accelerate out of the rock garden, uh wait,
there is no bike bouncing around and I felt like I was getting shot
out of a cannon rather then leaving an otherwise speed sucking rock
section. Ok, so the bike flows like water on the DH and rocks but how
is it on the technical up hill? Once again i amazed at the design work
here, the rear shock and suspension work perfectly to provide you with
what you need when you need it. Getting the traction for the steep ups
was no problem weather you were in the saddle or over the front of the
bars. The bike was effortless on the big pick ups and rock moves, but
still had positive enough steering that you didn't feel like you were
playing ping pong with your handlebars while you were climbing. The
adjustability of the Rock Shox monarch eliminates any pedal bob
issues, making it feel in a sense like a virtual hardtail. I mounted
the Manitou 130 minute just in time for some of the Fagstaff trails to
open up. The adjustment in steering to the new fork was minimal, the
bike was able to climb some of the most technical trails in flagstaff
like a goat. Now keep in mind this bike already railed on the DH with
a 100mm fork, it was like a beast was unleashed with the 130mm
Manitou, a few that have ridden with me have been jealous. Bottom line
this bike lays to rest any notions that a full suspension 29 is
lacking stiffness, stability and ride quality up or down. This is one
of the most enjoyable bikes I have ever ridden.

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