We want to thank everyone that drove up to ride, camp, and eat some good food with us in Keyesville. There was a strong gathering of riders who played on the local trails and scheduled a shuttle ride to the top of Cannell Trail. Paul arrived early Friday morning to mark the spot of this year’s BBQ. Unfortunately, he was not able to ride last weekend because his fractured wrist is still healing, but I am sure he will be up there once again before the snow falls. Close to thirty riders who wrote up the pass in the luxurious MRA Shuttles and they quickly discovered how worthwhile the service is compared to doing a self-shuttle. Thanks to John Stallone and the crew for having the vans gased up and ready to roll!

Keep an eye out for other fun riding events. You don’t have to ride a Bionicon bike to come out and have fun with us. We just want to host fun weekends for everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

CORBA’s Annual Fat Tire Fest is set for October 12, 2008.

Bionicon is proud to support the ongoing advocacy work of CORBA, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Assocation. Bionicon will be at the Fat Tire Fest, and will have a fleet of demo bikes available for test rides.

This is a family event with rides for everyone from beginner to experts. Win prizes in the legendary raffle, the poker ride, wheelie contest, hill-climb contest, log pull, or the silent auction.

CORBA, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclist Association, an all volunteer-run non-profit, has been instrumental in gaining and maintaining access to Southern California trails for mountain bikers. This is their annual fundraising event, the proceeds of which go to fund their trailbuilding crew, their ongoing advocacy work and fight for new trails.

The Fat Tire Fest will be held October 12, 2008 at Castaic Lake.

Read more at CORBA’s FTF Site:
http://corbamtb.com/FTF/2008/FTF.shtml

Register by Mail or on Active.com:
http://corbamtb.com/FTF/2008/register.html

Thanks to everyone who came and paid us a visit at Interbike this year. Thanks to all of you, we were slammed and barely able to leave the booth for a bathroom break for the five days (just kidding, of course).

We did however notice a significant change in attitudes this year from previous ones. Ten years ago when Andi Felsl walked a prototype bike around interbike trying to raise interest in his newly patented adjustable travel fork, he was given the cold shoulder by most manufacturers. After that experience, he realized he’d have to build his own frames to take advantage of this ingenious design.

Ten years later, with a complete line of full suspension bikes, numerous patents, and the fastest growing and most innovative brand in Europe, we had engineers from many of the major frame and component manufacturers coming by to take a peek at what we’re up to, as well as hoards of riders, dealers and people who’ve heard of or read about Bionicon’s technology, but hadn’t seen it in person.

The usual questions of reliability, parts availability and serviceability often came up, but with a near-perfect four-year reliability track record in the U.S., and longer in Europe, those doubts are easily assuaged.

During the outdoor demo we sent out bikes constantly for the two days…. our favorite comment about the Edison was “this bike isn’t cocaine… it’s crack!  When can I get my next fix?”

While our U.S. Presence is growing steadily, Bionicon is now the fastest growing Mountain Bike company in Europe, and their presence at Eurobike was one of the largest booths at the show. With our new line of commuter bikes, Fixie Inc. distribution and a cycling and technical outerwear clothing line, Bionicon is leaving its mark on the industry.

Bionicon’s time is here, and again we’d like to thank those whose interest and passion for what’s new and possible helps keep us motivated to innovate and inspire.

Superb Single Track

Bionicon will again host the a BBQ at the Kern Valley Gathering, October 24 - 26, 2008.

Last year’s event was such a great success and we’re excited to be a part of it again this year. Keyesville is known for the Keyesville Classic course, Just Outstanding and Cannell trail.

The Gathering is an informal event with free camping at Keyesville, or you can stay in local hotels or forest service campgrounds. We’re suggesting a ride schedule, but participants are welcome to set their own itinerary, and we’ll be glad to recommend trails. Some of the must-ride trails are:

Keyesville Classic Course: an 8 1/2 mile XC loop that snakes it’s way around the mountains. it has some fast rolling and flowing sections, some moderate climbs and quick descents. Suggested for Friday afternoon.

Just Outstanding: A shuttle run single-track from Shirley Meadows at 6,800′ down to the Kern Valley at 2600′. There are some optional routes that will bring you all the way back to Keyesville. Suggested for Sunday Morning.

Cannell Trail: This 24 mile classic has 8000′ descent with 2000′ of climbing. Starting at 9,000′ at Sherman Pass, it winds it’s way from the alpine meadows and pine forests down to the Kern River, just above Kernville. We’re suggesting this ride for Saturday morning. You can self-shuttle, or use Mountain River Adventures shuttle service (800-861-6553).

Northstar’s legendary bike park and ski resort has put up a new billboard in the town of Truckee in northern Californis. The sign features Bionicon team rider Jon Widen riding his Bionicon Ironwood during the Pro Open series at Northstar in 2007.

Jon, after taking a few years off from competition, started the 2008 season as an Expert. His results soon had him bumped up to Semi-Pro where his results continued to improve, and he’s now earned his Pro license for downhill, as well as a place on the Northstar billboard for the season!

Jon Widen’s Billboard

We are growing a Brand and look forward to sharing our Passion with you!

Bionicon has come a long way since it’s humble beginnings in Germany back in 1999. It’s an exciting journey, and we’re enjoying every minute of it. The company has grown into a highly respected innovator in the mountain bike industry, with divisions on three continents.

We cordially invite you to come and say Hi, talk about mountain biking, and catch up on Bionicon’s latest technology. Daniel Kohl will be there from Germany, as well as Mic De Min, Paul Ferguson and the full Bionicon USA crew.

Some of Bionicon’s newest innovations will be on display at Interbike this year.  We’ll be showing off the new B-Boxx transmission, developed in partnership with Nicolai. There’s a new Ironwood for 2009, and the 170mm Double Agent FR fork. We’ll also be showing off Bionicon’s line of urban commuter bikes.

Look for us at the Bootleg Canyon Outdoor Demo on Monday and Tuesday at Booth #D3940.

At the Sands Convention Center we’ll see you in Booth #864.

For more information or to schedule a meeting, contact Mic De Min at 760-446-3089 or write to mic@bioniconus.com

Bionicon’s Urban cargo was introduced in Europe earlier in the year, but most of our brethren across the pond are getting their first glimpse of it at Eurobike this week. Here in California there are already some Urban Roads out on the streets, and we’re looking forward to introducing the Urban Cargo at Interbike.

On Road.cc and UrbanVelo.com the Urban Cargo is described as “Part cruiser, part load carrier, part urban machine…” They also show off the Urban Road in a series of close-up photos.

Read the rest of this entry »

A great little video showing how the Bionicon system works, and how it functions on the trail.

More Bionicon-related videos can be found on our Video page.

MTBR today published a re-print of the Mountain Bike Tales review of the Bionicon Edison. This originally appeared in Mountain Bike Tales back in February, when we were just getting started with this blog. It’s a stellar review, and we definitely had some Bionicon believers after the month they spent with the Edison LTD.

Their conclusion:

In this day and age where riders continually seek one bike capable of conquering half a dozen different riding disciplines, Bionicon has answered the challenge unlike any other bike company in the world. After spending a month with the Edison, we believe we may have finally figured out why Bionicon doesn’t classify their bikes’ versatility as all mountain; the label’s simply too restrictive.

You can read the review here on MTBR or the original version from MountainBikeTales.com

BikeRumor and other web sites are today spreading word of the B-Boxx, Bionicon’s internal planetary geared front derailleur transmission, which is making it’s debut today (September 4, 2008) at Eurobike.

Bionicon’s presence at Eurobike is large, and the B-Boxx debut has been much anticipated. If you happen to be in Germany for Eurobike, stop by and visit the Bionicon crew in stall FG-A7/4.

Read the rest of this entry »