Last week, Seven-sponsored mountain bike racer Mary McConneloug took the overall title in the elite women’s field at the  2013 Pan American Continental Championships. The race was held in the high mountain valley basin in the small town of Tafi de Valle, Argentina.  Both Mary and teammate/husband Michael Broderick, who also competed, arrived 10 days early to acclimate to the higher altitude and prepare for the challenge as best as they could.

This is Mary’s 4th Continental Champion Title in the past 10 years riding a custom Seven.

Mary reported to us after her win saying:

“My IMX 29er was incredible once again… and especially fast as she lost a bit of weight (over a pound) when we installed SRAMs XX1 components…  It was surely a team effort!  THANK YOU all at Seven Cycles for your commitment to building the best bikes on the market!  We are honored to represent!”

For pictures check out their blog.

Congratulations to Mike and Mary for another amazing win. We are proud to have you as representatives of the Seven Cycles team.

Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick took the 2012 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho by storm last weekend!

On Saturday, July 7, Mary raced to a podium finish taking the 5th position in the Women’s Pro Cross Country race.  Later in the afternoon Mike put in a solid performance finishing 17^thoverall in the Men’s Pro Cross Country field.  On Sunday morning, Mike raced to a 12th place finish in the Pro Men’s Super D and returned in the afternoon to take 19th place in the Pro Men’s Short Track Cross Country race.  Mary raced in Sunday afternoon’s Women’s Pro Short Track Cross Country field and took a podium spot and bronze medal in her race!

Here is what Mary had to say about the races in sunny, parched Idaho:

“It is high and super dry out here with little chance of badly needed precipitation.  The XC course consists of a single steep fire road climb that sorts everything out before dropping us into a no passing single track descent.  It makes for some hard racing at this altitude but it was a good weekend and we are both stoked to be healthy and fit!”

At Nationals, Cycling Dirt interviewed Mike about his IMX SL 29er.  Mike raced all of three races on this bike, and we are happy to hear he’s satisfied  with its performance.  Check out the video here.

When Nino Schurter won the first World Cup mountain bike race of the season in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on a bike with 650b wheels, it sent a ripple through the cycling universe.  Anyone viewing 650b – essentially a size midway between 26″ and 29″ – as a novelty wheel up to that point, suddenly had to take this new/old wheel standard very seriously.

Seven has been building 650b-specific mountain bikes for a few years now, and in our experience, 650b gives a nice balance between the handling of a 26″ wheel and the obstacle clearance of a 29″ wheel.  It manages to maintain momentum better than the 26″ and dive through switchbacks better than a 29″.  Certainly, for smaller riders interested in the benefits of a larger wheel, the 650b standard can be easier to build a well-fit frame around than a 29″.

What we find, time after time, is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for building a great bike, and we think 650b is a good example of the big benefits to be gained by thinking outside of the conventional wisdom.

Seveneers Joe Wignall and Dan Vallaincourt take a break from the shredding

At Seven, several of our employees are riding 650b for their everyday trail bike, including Joe Wignall who has his set up single-speed with an eccentric bottom bracket and belt drive system, and John Lewis who stuck with chain drive, but is also running single speed. These bikes give a pretty pure trail experience.  You work for the climbs.  You pick your way through the more technical descents.  There’s a lot of stripped down, old-school fun to be had on bikes like these.

The industry looks to be expanding into 650b for the coming season, and while the cynical among us might view that as just another opportunity to sell stuff to cyclists, the benefits of 650b are pretty tangible, once you take the time to ride it.