Bill Kaloudis reckons he has spent up to $10,000 building the lightest of his five bicycles, a 7.5-kilogram mountain bike.
“Weight is evil,” he says. “It works against you. It’s like loading up a hot-air balloon, it doesn’t want to take off.”
Kaloudis’s quest for a light bike began six years ago when he decided to become competitive in mountain biking. He regularly monitors bike forums such as weightweenies.starbike.com for information and weighs parts at home to create spreadsheets of technical data to ensure his bike is both featherlight and strong … Details
The mountain biking community has maintained a love, hate relationship with downhill riding. Seen as too recreational by serious cross-country riders, it actually requires a level of attention and skill that can sometimes be hard to appreciate.Â
Fear grips you as you hurtle down a mountain side; throwing yourself into corners, that, if misjudged, could see you fall down a cliff edge, helps create a sport like no other. As well as tackling jumps and technical challenges, riders need to be drawing on their  best skills, and will have their concentration and stamina tested to … Details
The Sea Otter Classic, which will take place from April 15 to 18, will feature mountain bike races in downhill, dual slalom, Super D, cross country and short track, but it’s what’s happening off the race course that makes up a large draw of the four-day event. Organizers expect the event to draw 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and 50,000 fans.
Read on for highlights from Sea Otter Classic organizers about some of the special events … Details
