Stephanie on the Pro Podium

Stephanie raced the Prot GRT/Eastern States Cup this past weekend at Plattekill.  Battleing the shale with her trusty Morewood Izimu and iXS helmet the infamous Red Izimu Bandit had this to say:

"Awesome weather and a crazy fun course at the Eastern States Cup and PRO GRT at Plattekill last weekend! My Little Red Izimu felt great over the roots and loose shale, sticking the berms. I'm really excited about a 4th place finish...my first pro podium! Off to Attitash in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire this weekend, one of my favorite courses from last year! Wheeeee!!!!"

Photo Nicolas Barry

Check out all Matt's photos on VitalMTB.

Stephanie and her Little Red Izimu

Stephanie Levesque Sowles attended the Pro GRT#2 and ESC#1 at Mountain Creek Bike Park in NJ this weekend aboard her Morewood Izimu.  Not the results she was looking for but she displays the best attitude on the mountain.  Good luck at the next race Stephanie!

"Not one of my most stellar race runs. I wrecked twice in a short stretch. Dead last. Someone has to be last so I guess I'm honored to take my turn in that spot! But another bonus of the Izimu...it's light! Less weight crashing on top of me! hehee"

The Mad Haderer takes Port Angeles

Sea Otter was over and it was a quick trip home to stop by work then off to meet up with the Harmonys and the boys up at Unique in Oregon so Steve and I jumped in the van and headed up to Central Point. Got in right around breakfast time and rearranged some seats and bikes and we caravan-ed with the DeathStar North towards Port Angeles. A whole bunch of the big guns from Sea Otter decided to come up to the venue as well. The Syndicate, Brendan, Steve Smith, Team Yeti, Norco, KHS, DRD Intense, Mick Hannah, and Trek World Racing were all on the same road as us to ride the first real DH of the year. Long day of driving and a camp out in the local Walmart parking lot and we were at the venue ready for a course walk.

Steve the Official Pit Wolf.

Track was a good mix of everything the northwest had to offer. Some highspeed slick rock and turns up top with some rooty rutted turns in the middle that we have raced on before going on to a whole new wooded section with lots of fresh loam and BIG holes. They finished up the track with another new steep and loose section nicknamed the  "Chunder Dome" and with waist high braking and suspension bumps the name fit quite well. the team had just bolted up some of our new rear shocks from Cane Creek so it was time to do some tuning and testing on the first day of muddy practice. Put on the fresh new IXS Pants and hopped in the first shuttle truck for afternoon practice. The track rode fairly slow with the early morning rain so it was going to be a struggle to keep speed up. After a few practice runs it was time for some good old fashion BBQ for dinner. The motley crew headed out to the Blue Flame BBQ joint in town and was fed entirely too much dead animal. Back to the deathstar for the nights rest going into seeding day on Saturday.

Saturday morning woke to some light showers overnight which actually helped keep the track from getting to sticky but made it a bit slick. We all decided to go with dry tires and the Hutchinson Barracuda was the tire of choice for the weekend. A few clicks and turns on the Double Barrels and the bikes felt great. Now it was just time to keep speed up and try to stay out of the holes that were growing bigger every run. I hoped in the truck to grab one last practice run before seeding when near the top the truck started to shake and move and before we all knew it the Uhaul van started to roll. Being inside of the box we really had to reference to what was going on other than the floor was now at nearly a 45 degree angle I felt as though i was going to flip over and land on top of Mick Hannah who was now below me. After the were finally let out of the truck we could tell that the driver must have been facebooking while driving and slid us off the side of the raised shuttle road and had it not been for all the logging recently done on Dry Hill we might have kept rolling down the side of the mountain. After this little incident the track didnt seem at all scary anymore. Seeding runs came around and lets just say I did my best impression of a full motion Sunny Bono and smacked right into a tree coming to a stop. Ran a time somewhere in the top half but knew I had a LOT more to take off for finals the next day.

Finals day. Woke up early to find the whole hill Socked in completely with fog as well as a fair amount of rain which turned the already scary fast top section into a small stream and extremely slick at speed. We are allowed one practice run on race day with nearly 500 racers going off that day it became a day of HURRY up and WAIT. Sitting around the pits for about 5 hours before finals really took a bit of a toll on me and i dont think i was really ready for my race run. Finally it was time to ride and headed up the hill just in time to roll into the gate. Set off on my run and just couldn't quite get my rhythm in the first few turns. I tried to get things back under control but after about half the run I was still struggling to ride smooth. Overbraking in turns and having some very interesting encounters with roots it was probably my worst race run in memory without coming off the bike. Finished in the same second and my qualifier with a whole lot of disappointment on my mind.  All and all it was a good learning race for me and gave me some new fire to spend alot more time just on my DH bike. On to the next one. Stay tuned for some new bike news!

Read the Harmony's Race Reports HERE.

Now, go here and click "Like": Facebook.com/UniqueMTB

Pink Izimu, Pink Makulu, Pink...

Pink, it's my new obsession, yeah 
Pink, it's not even a question 
Pink, on the lips of your lover 
'Cause pink is the love you discover 
Pink, as the bing on your cherry 
Pink, 'cause you are so very 
Pink, it's the color of passion 
'Cause today it just goes with the fashion                                                                                     

- Aerosmith 

Go Tracey Go!

 No doubt you have seen Tracey's Pink Izimu.  Tracey won the 2012 Australian National Champs and the first World Cup in South Africa aboard this bike.  Well the factory in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa has been cooking up a Makulu...in pink.  Check out the last photo below.


Sad to see the Izimu go.  So, let's see, here in the USA you can get a handmade, Championship winning, Cane Creek Double Barrel equipped, adjustable geometry frame for $2,136.84.  Can anyone match that?


That's right adjustable geometry, with the turn of an allen key you can raise/lower the bottom bracket, shorten/lengthen the chainstay, and change the head angle.  Oh yeah!

Podium Pink

Soon to Podium Pink

TriRide Velocity.ZERO // Pietermaritzburg DH World Cup 2012

Watch Hutchinson UnitedRide team members Mick Hannah and Tracey Hannah shred the DH World Cup #1.  Mick rolls on the Morewood Makulu while Tracey kills it on the Izimu.  Mick's section starts at 4:00 and Tracey starts at 5:45.  Although you will want to watch the whole thing.  



TriRide Velocity.ZERO // Pietermaritzburg DH World Cup 2012 from TriRide on Vimeo.

Fontucky...Winner, winner; chicken dinner...

Fontana, California was the first stop for the iXS Unique Team to shake off the Winter as a team.  The Team's Makulus were not ready for action so Jackie and Dante climbed aboard one of Unique's other brands for the weekend; still handmade single pivoty goodness.  While the Harmony's got used to their rides Mikey dialed in his 888's on his Izimu with the help of the awesome support at Marzocchi. 


Come race time the sky opened up and the rain began.  Sorry for the lack of action shots, next time we will bring more weatherproof camera equipment.


Jackie got top spot on the podium...not bad for receiving the bike the day before.  Can't wait to get her on her Makulu.  Mikey shared the 2:10 time slot with five others riders good for a 16th spot out of 41 Pro Men.  Dante also having spent a few hours on a new bike pulled a 24th spot with a time of 2:13.09.   


Results:
Pro Women DH
1. Jacqueline Harmony       2:25.12
2. Gabriela Williams            2:27.40
3. Margret Gregory              2:32.43


This is another "W" in the column for iXS, USCO, VP, Cane Creek Double Barrel, Marzocchi, Deity, MRP, and Feedback Sports.


We shared our pit with Privateer racers Ben Mclelland, Ryan Sholes, and a couple members of Unreal Cycles Team Sprockets Grommits.  


Morewood Makulu Rider Results:
DNF Ben McClelland - Sprain Ankle...get better soon buddy!
8th Ryan Sholes - Expert Men 27-34
8th Scott Punt - Expert Men 19-26


Let's get ready for Sea Otter!!!  Wooooooo!

Those Split Tails are BRIGHT!!!

Lance added a dropper post to Mikey Haderer's Izimu right before the race. 

Pretty little ladies all in a row...

VP in the house!

Too hot for the internet? You decide!

Is that a Cane Creek Double Barrel Air on that Makulu?  Dang!

Steve approves this message.

Shhhh...Jackie is resting from her win.

A big thanks to all our sponsors...we hope to put you up on the podium again soon.

First in Qualifying

Tracey coming in at first spot in qualifying aboard her Morewood Izimu!!!  

1st - Tracey Hannah

2nd - Emmeline Ragot

3rd - Floriane Pugin

4th - Sabrina Jonnier

5th - Jill Kinter

Full results from our Morewood Brothers Southern Downhill HERE

The Izimu features adjustable geometry through the XPI Pivot.  With the turn of an allen wrench you may adjust the bb height,  chainstay length, and head angle.  Check out how the XPI works HERE.  Click and hit the XPI tab.

Mick Hannah qualifies in 6th aboard the Makulu!  Full men's results HERE.

Mick is ripping it up on the Makulu.  So stoked for Sunday!

Ride along with Mikey Haderer in Chile

Mikey takes us down the course at VCA...


Unofficialnetworks.com:

"Telluride local Trevor Martin takes a journey down south to South America to take part in an international urban downhill mountain bike race known as the Valparaiso Cerro Abajo in Valparaiso, Chile. Unfortunately, after confronting a handrail at the bottom of a set of stairs, he had to forfeit the event. (great crash footage in the credits) Thanks to Mikey Haderer for sporting the camera afterwords for Unofficial! Better luck next year!!"

Valparaiso Cerro Abajo 2012 - Trevor Martin from UnofficialNetworks.com on Vimeo.


Ouch Trevor!  We wish you better luck next year!

Tracey Hannah wins 2012 Australian National Championships

Congrats to Tracey Hannah who took the Australian National Championships! She won by more than 8sec in front of the best Australian riders aboard her Morewood Izimu.  Seriously...can you name another handmade adjustable geo DH bike with a Cane Creek Double Barrel for around $2,100?  That's right...on usa.morewoodbikes.com we spec this bad boy with a Cane Creek shock.  Yes, we ship internationally...but contact your Morewood distro.


That's beside the point.  Tracey has killed it every round in the series!  Here in a few weeks Tracey will switch from her Izimu to a Makulu and attack the World Cup Circuit.  Congrats and good luck!  Go Tracey go!

Tracey Hannah - 2:15:07

Jill Kintner - 2:23:59

Shelly Flood - 2:31:77

Alyssa Lyons - 2:36:01

Lisa Mathison - 2:42:80

Tracy Hannah Practicing at the Nationals

The Izimu is on it's way to yet ANOTHER National title.

You want a Tracey Hannah Replica Pink Izimu?  Yeah, we can do that.  Hit "CUS" for color in the cart.

Podiums, Loss of Shorts...iXS Morewood Factory Report

The iXS Morewood Factory Team attacked two races in two countries over the weekend.  Mikey Haderer hopped onto a Morewood Izimu and headed South for the Valpariso Cerro Abajo Urban DH race in Chile while the Harmonys headed to Boulder City, Nevada to compete in the Reaper Madness Super D and DH.


Valpariso Cerro Abajo
In Chile Mikey made go with a bike that had been assembled hours before departure.  Mikey is known for his red, white, and blue bikes.  When the red, white, and blue frame arrived the red Deity bar, stem, and grips were icing on the cake!  The bike was lacking the teams standard rear shock, the ultimate in adjustment, the Cane Creek Double Barrel.  Unfortunately, the bike was a bit under sprung for giant leaps to flat.

Mikey Haderer:

I survived but not exactly any sort of result...had a near death in qualifying that actually pulled my pants all the way off and then same spot in finals and a massive bottom out bounce that sent me into the guard fence.

After qualifying Mikey gave an interview to the live feed of 88,000+ viewers who got to watch Mikey butcher the Spanish language.  This was a bit of a dry run for Mikey on the Izimu but he is confident about the future.  Soon Mikey will be aboard the Morewood Makulu, for you fans out there we will also get Mikey tighter shorts.  Stay tuned!



Valparaíso Cerro Abajo 2012 from VCA on Vimeo.


Reaper Madness
Meanwhile in Bootleg Canyon, Jackie and Dante Harmony were about to hit the DH race at Downhill Mike's Reaper Madness!  Shipping and other issues delayed the arrival of the Harmony's team bikes.  Some sponsors like Marzocchi and MRP carried over from last seasons bikes.  The Harmony's ran their newly acquired VP-69 Pedals and iXS Slope EVO guards.  Like Mikey, the Harmony's will be decked out ready to go on the next outing.  


Dante had gathered up a 6th in the Pro Super D on Saturday while Jackie has suffered some issues on a borrowed bike.  Fellow iXS rider Josh Bender lent Jackie his 29er for the Super D.  Out of the gate things appeared to be going fine when Jackie heard an awful sound from the derailleur.  Looking down she saw that the chain had just ate the rear derailleur.  To no avail she wrestled the chain to make the bike coastable.  This was not her race.  On the other hand she eventually crossed the finish line and earned enough money to buy Bender a new Rear Derailleur!  Doh!


In the DH Jackie went to business as usual and took both the Womens Pro DH and the Womens Unchained DH.  Dante pulled a 12th in the Unchained DH out of 52 entered riders.  

Photo by Leslie Pitts

Pro Racer Ben McClelland took 10th in the Pro DH.  You may remember Ben from his Fontana race where he broke his chain.  Read that post HERE.   Ben put his chainless DH skills to the test in Boulder City in the Open Chainless race where he ended up in 6th place.  Awesome work Ben...can't wait to get you in full iXS gear!  Ben is also adding the smoothness of a Cane Creek Double Barrel to his already sick Morewood Makulu.

Photo by Kris Burke

Superbowl Weekend = Two Podiums for Morewood!

In the Superbowl this weekend...oh wait, who cares?  Morewood picked up a couple of podiums thanks to Tracey Hannah and Richard Santana Ramos!  

Tracey got top spot in Pro Women on the third stop of The Australian National Series.  Watch an interview video of Tracey HERE on Vimeo.  This was Tracey's first race aboard her new adjustable geo Izimu!

 (Photos: UnitedRide)

The 2011 Champion of Gran Canaria Richard Santana Ramos pulled a 2nd on the podium at the first stop of the Gran Canaria Cup!  Richard was aboard his spectacularly equipped Makulu.    

 Congrats to Tracey and Richard on their top spots this weekend! 

Morewood Bikes at 2012 Sea Otter...

The iXS Morewood Factory Team will be joined by the Hutchinson UnitedRide Team, iXS Grammo Enduro Team, and a few privateers.  That is a LOT of Makulus...Makuli?  Of course maybe we will just break out a Sukuma or two.


iXS Morewood Factory
Jacqueline Harmony (Can/USA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Mikey Haderer (USA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Dante Harmony (USA) - Pro DH - Makulu


Hutchinson UnitedRide
Mick Hannah (AUS) - Pro DH - Makulu
Tracey Hannah (AUS) - Pro DH - Izimu
Fabien Cousinie (FRA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Guillaume Cauvin (FRA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Timothy Bentley (RSA) - Pro DH - Makulu


iXS Grammo Enduro
Jared Hobbs (USA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Avery Morin (USA) - Kalula
Wyatt Morin (USA) - Izimu


iXS Morewood 
Ben McClelland (USA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Ryan Sholes (USA) - Cat 1 DH - Makulu
Scott Punt (USA) - Cat 1 DH - Makulu
Ned Kajko (USA) - Cat 1 DH - Makulu


Privateer
Kyle Davids (RSA) - Pro DH - Makulu
Danny Mendoza (USA) - Cat 1 DH - Makulu


Wishing we could add...


Melic Bros Racing
Richard Santana Ramos (ESP) - Pro DH - Makulu

More Pink Izimu World Cup Photos...

Ok, sure the rumors have been flying about the WC rider that gets this bike; but, this Izimu has got me thinking.  Maybe we should build Jackie a 34lb. race bike.  VP, Deity, MRP, Cane Creek DB Air, Formula, Marzocchi...