Bike Hugger 

The decisive moment

Ever since getting back into mountain biking and riding Scott Bikes, been following N1NO, and he just won the world championships. His 4th and the biggest moment of his #huntforglory campaign in 2015.

The race unfolded perfectly for N1NO. In the first lap he managed to get down the technical section in first place while Julien Absalon was held back by some fast starting riders. After two days of rain the sun was out, but in some sections the track was still very slippery. The technicality of the course played a huge part in deciding the outcome. None of the racers got through without little mistakes or crashes. Even N1NO had to get off the bike few times, less than the rest of the field however. He demonstrated that once again when it comes to tricky sections, nobody can keep up with him. After the first lap Julien Absalon closed the gap. While Jaroslav Kulhavy was out of contention with a broken rib, his fellow countryman Ondrej Cink put in an awesome showing. He was the only one staying close to the leading duo and eventually won the well deserved bronze medal. At the front N1NO was playing yoyo with his big rival Absalon. Always gaining some seconds on the descents, and letting let him close the gap again after. Midway through the race it started to look a bit different. N1NO made a mistake on a technical uphill and immediately Absalon launched an attack. But Absalon’s luck would run out. N1NO got back on and soon took the lead again. With One and a half laps to go it was this one traverse in the woods, full of slippery rocks and roots that decided the race between Julien and N1NO. Even though N1NO only gained 4-5 seconds there, it added up to be 10 seconds at the end of the descent. From this moment on it was all out to the finish. Sometimes Julien would get within 5 seconds, then N1NO would once again gain time. One little mistake and the race would be totally open again. N1NO resisted the strong pressure from Julien and brought the 10 second lead all the way to the finish line.

Pressure is on

Hunt for Glory

I’ll see more Scotts next week at Interbike and waiting to ride their new CX bike again.

First it was the Pinks and now the Cohos are running in Elliott Bay, near Hugga HQ. Today, another fisherman rode up with this old Raleigh Technium. As noted on our Instagram, a great second career for that bike….

A photo posted by Byron (@bikehugger) on Sep 5, 2015 at 10:38am PDT

Just arrived on our Amazon store is the latest in Biologic’s case line, the SportCase for iPhone 6. Earlier this year, the case won a Design and Innovation Award at Computex and it combines robust protection with a secure mounting system. The SportCase is manufactured with a tough hard plastic shell bonded to anti-shock thermoplastic rubber with an AnchorPoint mount system. So your phone is mounted and protected on the bike, in the car, or wherever you’re traveling with it. The thickened corners provide extra cushion from the drops and non-slip texture helps prevent them. Shipped for free with Prime, the SportCase retails for $34.95.

Check the video….

Sage Titanium, CX

Today the Sage/Lucky Envelope Brewing cyclocross team was announced for the 2015/16 season. As you can see on the back of the jersey, Bike Hugger is involved as a media partner. The Sage/Lucky team will focus on strong race results in the Pacific Northwest, Single Speed Worlds, and Nationals, but more importantly connecting with, and contributing to the cycling community. “Sage is extremely proud and excited to partner with Lucky Envelope Brewing,” said Sage Cycles owner David Rosen. “Sage has been a feature on the Portland cross scene for the past couple of seasons, and by partnering with Lucky Envelope Brewing we are able to expand our racing schedule throughout the Northwest. Lucky Envelope Brewing is a true supporter of cycling and an ideal partner.”

“After meeting with Sage and hearing about the vision for their quality-crafted cycles, we saw many similarities with our business goals here at Lucky Envelope Brewing,” said Raymond Kwan of Lucky Envelope Brewing. “Our decision was largely driven by Sage’s desire to build a relationship between their brand and the CX community, both on and off the course.

Pint of Lucky Envelope Beer

That meeting took place at Lucky Envelope’s brewery in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA. As Raymond told me, “Cyclists are a major part of our customer base and of interest to our staff, so this sponsorship extends the Lucky Envelope family beyond the tasting room and into the growing cycling community in the Pacific Northwest.

The tasting room

Sage and Lucky are excited about the new team and so am I with the rest of the story to follow. It’ll start at CrossVegas later this month with events at Lucky’s tasting room to follow; and, of course, at the races too.

Well that reminds me, it wasn’t quite A Line at Whistler, but did ride a Scott CX bike at Park City

1st Ride Playlist: Nail driver to Road to Ruby, to a Fire Road, descend Empire Pass; then to Silver Baron and lifted back. @bikeonscott Addict CX #scottweek

A photo posted by Byron (@bikehugger) on Jul 20, 2015 at 1:57pm PDT

and it was as much fun as the video above. Best part too, watch how he slides off the bike when the front tire loses traction.