Mike and Mary Take The Podium At The Trans Andes Challenge

It’s hard to transition from Chile to Northern California to South Africa with a stable of race bikes, enough tools to build them up and break them down, all the other clothing and gear you need, and a shred of remaining sanity to carry you through the first mountain bike World Cup race of the season.

But that’s exactly what Seven riders Michael Broderick and Mary McConneloug did over the last 6 weeks, and their brand new Seven IMX SLX race bikes went along for a maiden voyage on some of the most challenging dirt in the world.

Mike reported back to us from the post-race wind down in South Africa:

“Mary and I literally turned hundreds of heads as we spent the weekend on our new IMX bikes at the World Cup in Pietermaritzburg. The bikes stand apart visually from our previous frames and the majority of the bikes being used by our competitors. The carbon Ti lugged IMX frame design is visually stunning and we were able to build these bikes up to the limit. They really look fantastic!”

If looks could kill, they wouldn’t have the race though.  Mike added, “Those capable of looking beyond the initial bling (including all our on-site sponsors) were impressed especially by the inclusion of the 44mm head tubes as these (or alternative oversize head tubes) are fast becoming an industry standard.”

We built these bikes specifically to give Mike and Mary critical advantages in the toughest race conditions and according to Mike, performance improvements were obvious straight away.  “The bikes ride with a lighter touch. Changing directions requires less effort in tight, low-speed situations, and they exhibit an overall greater level of confidence, inspiring control throughout the majority of demanding off-road situations.”

Mike and Mary are particularly agile riders, so we aimed for a more lively ride, an overall more manageable bike for all trail purposes, which meant shortening the chain stays for maximum obstacle clearance capability.  Mike said, “Mary and I both feel an increased ease when we lift up and over obstacles. Mary was especially tuned in to the ease of being able to manual her bike over trail obstacles without pedal input. This allows for a quicker trail read as last minute input and corrections are more significant and accurate. This, along with the stiffer front end, translates into greater confidence when hanging it out at high speed.”

He also said,

“The bikes absolutely track quicker around corners when traditionally steered (cutting through the apex)  as well as with our preferred hairpin corner attack (hugging the inside of the corner before the apex,  steering the front wheel through while initiating a rear brake skid to slide the rear).  We  both  have a good  stable feeling on these bikes enabling us to keep our feet clipped in while performing this move all the way through to letting off the brake, regaining traction and pedaling out for a quick exit.”

How’s that for a pro maneuver?

Shorter chain stays and subsequently shorter overall wheelbase make the bike more agile, but the oversized head tubes give them maximum stiffness and stability.  Mike and Mary appreciated that stability as well.

Mike said,

“The increased front end stability is probably most apparent when muscling the bike through low speed trail obstacles that take maximum strength and input on the bars and pedals at the same time.  A good example would be when out of the saddle splitting a large trail feature (between the tires) and torquing the pedals and the bars simultaneously to try and move forward.  I can feel that there is far less flex and a better power transfer in these cases.   The increased stiffness at this point also really helps with the confidence when in a rough spot and looking to commit to a feature that is at the limits of our confidence levels.”

As you can imagine we’re anxious to see how the bikes perform at the next round of the World Cup in Houffalize, Belgium next month.  As we type, Mike and Mary are getting their gear together, breaking everything down again for shipping and trying to keep their bodies  on track for what promises to be a grueling and exciting MTB season.

When we sat down to design new bikes for Mike Broderick and Mary McConneloug to race in the upcoming World Cup mountain bike season and possibly the Olympics, the big question was how to improve on the bikes they’d been riding for the two previous seasons.

Their all Ti Sola SLXs have been race winners.  When most other riders on the circuit were trying to pack more carbon onto their bikes, Mike and Mary persisted, quite successfully, with titanium.  We went to the absolute limit of our building experience to make those bikes light for them.  We shaved down their cable guides. We drilled holes in their bottom brackets.  But they were all metal bikes. And they were fast.

So, the biggest change they made from past seasons was to go to a Ti/carbon mix frame, our IMX SLX, but without the integrated seat post (ISP) that distinguishes that model. Instead Mike and Mary opted for an adjustable 30.9mm post that is fatter, stiffer and has a thinner-walled carbon than standard seat posts.  The weight savings and added stiffness were big bonuses, and we ultra-butted all the frame tubing to save every last gram for them.

Mike knew he wanted to experiment with shorter chain stays to optimize front end maneuverability.  A shorter overall wheelbase lets you make tighter turns on technical courses, and the agility he hoped to gain suits both Mike’s and Mary’s aggressive riding style.

To dial in the chain stay length we built multiple rear end modules to test the interaction and spacing of wheels, tires and components.  It’s a game of millimeters, but over time we settled on the right set up for them, and then built their bikes based around that rear triangle.

Mike and Mary also knew they wanted to add over-sized head tubes and tapered forks for extra front end stiffness, and they wanted an opportunity to experiment with Cane Creek’s new angled headset.   As an inveterate tinkerer, Mike thought he and Mary could both dial in the handling response they liked for each course.  Being able to adjust that responsiveness might be a huge advantage in the variable weather conditions they see while racing in Europe, Africa and South America.

The final act was getting the bikes in their hands.  We shipped them out to coincide with a short stopover in California, between their pre-season training in Chile, where they won the Mixed Open category of the Trans-Andes Challenge, and the first World Cup race of the year in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Photo Courtesy of Natalia Boltukhova Pedal Power Photography 2011

It was sunny and hot at the Providence Festival of Cyclocross this weekend, which everyone found disorienting and dusty.  We managed to see several of our favorite riders do well despite the trying conditions.

On Saturday,  Mary McConneloug of Team Kenda/Seven/No Tubes finished second in the elite women’s field, and then outsprinted the Day 1 winner, Laura van Gilder, for top spot on Day 2.

These were extra impressive results for McConneloug who is only just back from racing the World Cup circuit in Europe for the summer.  Making that transition from mountain to cross can be difficult, but it’s a testament to Mary’s sheer class that she can hit home soil, swap bikes and come up with a big win and a second place. Laura van Gilder, who topped Mary on Saturday, said of McConneloug after Sunday’s race, “the ideal cross racer is a mix of mountain biker and roadie.  Mary has those both, she’s incredible.”

Bob’s Red Mill and Seven racer  Mo Bruno Roy took 10th on Saturday and 7th on Sunday, a pair of results that bring her to 5th on points with two weeks break before Downeast Cross in Maine.

Andrea Smith of Ladies First Racing rode her  Seven Mudhoney SLX to 7th on Saturday and an impressive 4th on Sunday.  Smith won the Verge Series last season and stands 3rd on the New England points list for 2011, just behind van Gilder.  Since winning at Monson in her opening race of the season, and finishing 11th in a super tough field at Cross Vegas, she’s been solid and consistent, big keys to winning any series.

With Mary, Andrea and Mo doing so well, that’s three Sevens in the top ten in Providence, BOTH DAYS!!!!!

Carl Ring was there to represent the Seven Development Squad on the men’s side:

“I lined up both days, I got stuck behind a bad start line crash on Saturday, fought my way up to the front half of the field, then lost all my spark.   Back slid all the way back to the tail of the field. Sunday was better.   I managed to advance pretty well in the first two laps, but I’m still lacking the fitness I need after knee surgery early this year.   I hope to be back to full strength in 3-4 weeks. Still it was fun racing and a great venue…(it) was great to see Mary McConneloug line up.   I noticed that Andrea Smith and a few of the other Ladies First riders are also on Seven’s now.   Looking foward to seeing you at the Maine Verge Series races.”