Weve seen them on the trails at races for a couple years as prototypes, but Sours two all-new steel Cowboy Cookie and Double Choc full-suspension mountain bikes are ready for the big time. Pick from the downcountry SRD Cowboy Cookie if you are hitting local singletrack or heading out on bikepacking adventures. Or go all-in on Sours SRD Double Choc if you want to take on bigger all-mountain trail rides.Just act fast, as these are coming only in seriously limited small batchesSour SRD steel & alloy full-suspension German mountain bikesSRD Double Choc (All other photos/Sour)SRD Cowboy Cookie (Photo/Cory Benson)These two Sour mountain bikes mark the official debut of SRD Sour Racing Development. These are the Homebrew project bikes Sour created for their own team and their athletes. Ever since Sour brought all of their production from Taiwan back to Germany, they knew reduced lead times and shorter development cycles meant they could take on more fun new projects. 2021/2022 Sour MTB prototype (Photo/Cory Benson)The folks at Sour ride a lot of mountain bikes. And one of the first things they did building bikes in Germany, was start tinkering with full-suspension bikes. I actually saw the first linkage-driven single-pivot Double Choc almost 4 years ago. SRD single-pivot prototype (Photo/Cory Benson)(Secret insider bike rumor a simpler, lower-cost single pivot MTB project is still developing in the background of Sours workshop, from what we hear.) But it takes a long time to perfect even a classic design, so now Sour are hyped to offer their first two full-suspension mountain bikes to the masses.Well, a small mass. The two SRD bikes are available to the public in super limited edition batches a few times a year. All, entirely made in Germany, at pretty reasonable prices compared say to a carbon frameset or something exotic in metal like an Atherton or Frameworks frame.Sour SRD Cowboy Cookie vs. Double Choc(Photo/Cory Benson)The Sour SRD Cowboy Cookie is a 120mm XC to Downcountry bike ready for adventure, paired to 120-130mm forks. And the SRD Double Choc is a full-on Trail bike with either 136mm or 148mm of rear wheel travel depending on different rockers, and 140-160mm of travel up front.(Photo/Cory Benson)Both share the same classic Horst-link 4-bar suspension design in fact, only the front triangles are different between these two new mountain bikes. They both feature a flip-chip at the lower shock mount that lets riders tweak their geometry: +/- 0.3 at the headtube & +/-5mm in bottom bracket height.And theyre both entirely made-in-Germany. Manufacturing & material details The Cowboy Cookie and Double Choc both match Sour-welded steel mainframes to Actofive-machined seatstays & rockers, literally CNC-machined 600m down the street from Sour HQ. You may notice the similarity with Actofives own short-travel I-Train which was developed alongside this SRD project with Sour.All of these prototypes we see here had chainstays welded by Nicolai. But Sour have their own welded 6061 swingarm in the works now too, which will be ready for this first round of production bikes. Sour were just anxious to get the new SRD mountain bikes out to riders as soon as possible, so we havent seen the new rear just yet. Eventually, we hear there will be Sours own seatstays too, to help bring costs down.All elements are designed by Sour, from suspension design to the intricately machined steel bottom bracket clusters holding the main pivot and lower shock mount. Sour makes what they know best welding butted 4130 steel. Then, they lean on their fellow German craft manufacturers to do what they do best working the aluminum rear end, rockers, and geometry adjust hardware.Into the weeds of shared tech details & adjustable geometryBoth custom-butted & heat-treated 4130 chromoly steel frames feature a custom-machined tapered headtube to fit an integrated headset (EC44/ZS56). They also feature similar custom-machined steel bottom bracket assemblies that fits a 73mm BSA threaded BB, the main pivot, and the flip-chip. Sour designed the bikes with their geometry in the High flip-chip position. And they deliver the bikes with alloy hardware for the High/Low position swapping to Low drops the BB 10mm, slackens the head angle 0.6 & slackens the seat angle 0.94. But they also will offer a Mid chip to split the difference for any buyers wanting a middle-ground geo option.Out back, the rear ends are all the same, so you get UDH compatibility, a replaceable direct Post Mount 180mm brake bracket, a Syntace X-12 Boost thru-axle, and max 2.5 tire clearance. Sour recommends 2.2-2.4 tires for these type of bikes, though.Both frames also build in a steel seatpost clamp (that Sour says can always be chopped off & replaced with a conventional clamp down the line if you ever damage it) for a 31.6mm seatpost. Cable routing is external on top of the downtube, but of course theres internal dropper routing, too. The frames come standard with 1 set of downtube water bottle bosses, plus a set of braze-ons above the shock for a tool carrier. Optional additional cage mounts under the downtube and toptube bag braze-ons are also possible.Sour SRD Double Choc 136 or 148mm steel mountain bikesWith a 64.5 headtube, Sour designed this bike for all-mountain riding, or even the bikepark. You pick the rear travel you want based on how you plan to ride it 136 or 148mm with one of two rocker links. The Double Choc comes in three stock frame sizes (M-XL). It features a lower toptube for extra stand-over clearance, with a pair of gussets to support the extended seattube, and still plenty of room for long travel droppers.Headtube: EC44/ZS56 tapered, with additional gussets Wheelsize: 29 (M, L & XL)Fork travel: 140-160mm, with 44mm offsetShock: 210x55mm shock dimensionsDrivetrain: 1x-only, 34T max chainring, UDH & SRAM T-type compatibleWeight: 3480g, raw medium frame including linkage, bearings & all hardware (+50-200g for powdercoat paint)Sour SRD Cowboy Cookie 120mm steel Downcountry mountain bikeWhile the almost-enduro Double Choc was the first full-susser to come out of the SRD workshop, this Cowboy Cookie was really SRDs first racing mountain bike. But not for XC racing. Instead, Sour created the Cowboy Cookie to have an efficient-pedaling ultra-distance bikepacking racer. Designed as a short-travel trail bike or long-travel marathon bike, it combines a smooth ride over any terrain with expedition-ready durability.Sour athlete Quinda Verheul has put the new Cowboy Cookie through the ringer. Shes raced the new bike in loaded bikepacking races from the mountains of Morocco to the deserts of Death Valley to the rocky, rainy terrain of the Scottish Highlands. Sour gave her a prototype last year and told her to go break it. She hasnt yet.With a 65.5* headtube, the Cowboy Cookie comes in four stock frame sizes (S-XL) with progressive, but all-day stable geometry.Headtube: EC44/ZS56 taperedWheelsize: full 29 for sizes M, L & XL; mullet with a 27.5 rear wheel for size S coming in late 2024Shock: 195x45mm metricFork travel: 120-130mm, with 44mm offsetDrivetrain: 1x-only, 36T max chainring, UDH & SRAM T-type compatibleWeight: 3180g, raw medium frame including linkage, bearings & all hardware (+50-200g for powdercoat paint)Sour SRD MTB: Cowboy Cookie & Double Choc Pricing, options & availabilitySRD Cowboy Cookie bikepackingAs part of the SRD program, both the Sour Cowboy Cookie & Double Choc are strictly limited editions. Sour will offer 20 of each new SRD mountain bike at a time, in 4 time slots over the year. That means that pre-orders for each set will open on 4 Jun, 23 Aug, 17 Oct & 18 Feb 2025. In each pre-order window, once 20 of each bikes sell, youll have to wait 3 months for the next slot. Sour will deliver frames 10-12 weeks later. That is, the first buyers now should have their frames at the end of August, in time for autumn adventure races?Both new SRD bikes are offered exclusively as frame-only for 3500, without a shock (including 19% German VAT). Sour is happy to set you up with a Fox or Manitou shock too, depending on how you plan to ride the bike and what you are looking for. Then, you can coordinate complete bike builds with your local bikeshop. Sour.bikeThe post Sour Cowboy Cookie & Double Choc: 2 Steel SRD Full-Suspension Bikes Made-in-Germany appeared first on Bikerumor.

Although pre-race Remco Evenepoel was very clear that his goals for the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine did not include a general classification challenge, the Belgian's quietness over the opening stage continued on stage 3.I had a good day, said the Belgian champion in his post-stage 3 interview, hav...

The 2024 Criterium du Dauphine's fourth stage will be crucial to the classification as a whole. On the race's first time trial, the yellow jersey is expected to change hands once more. We now know the start times and order in which the riders will go down the start ramp.First to get going will be 2...

Regina Doherty claimed cycling infrastructure has turned Dublin into a "spaghetti junction of cycle lanes that have divided the city like East and West Berlin", comments that caused disbelief among her rivals

Stage 4 of the Criterium du Dauphin will be a very important day for the overall classification. The yellow jersey is likely to change hands once again on the sole time-trial of the race, and we preview a day where Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel will be among the favourites, but will be far from...

Just a week or so after Miguel Angel Lopez was slapped with a four-year doping suspension, the UCI have ruled with a firm fist once again, this time in the case of former Alpecin-Deceuninck rider,Robert Stannard, who was riding for Mitchelton-Scott at the time of the transgression."The Tribunal fou...

Dynaplugs latest machined aluminum Micro Racer is 25% smaller than their original mini Racer ultralightest tire repair tool. Yet it still packs-in 2 pre-load plugs to fix a tubeless tire puncture fast on the side of the road. And it sells for effectively the same price as the plastic original, at essentially the same light weight. If youre looking to fit a tubeless repair solution into a jersey pocket, small saddlebag, or pack without tacking up extra space, this looks like the best Dynaplug solution yet!Dynaplug Micro Racer: big tubeless repair skill in tiny package(Photos/Dynaplug)First, they launched the ultralight $48 Racer a 95mm-long x 14g fiber-reinforced nylon tube with 2 pre-loaded Dynaplugs, one on either end. Then, came the upgraded $58 Racer Pro a 108mm-long x26 aluminum upgrade that expanded your tire fixing capabilities, with 4 pre-loaded Dynaplugs, double-ended Twin Tube plugs on either end. But how often do you need to fix 4 holes at once?Dynaplug took the Pro back to the drawing board and realized that thanks to the Twin Tube solution, they could give you the capabilities of the OG Racer in a much smaller package. All they had to do was chop off one end. The result?Whats new?The new $50 aluminum Dynaplug Micro Racer is only 72.6mm long, 12.4mm in diameter, and weighs just 15g. Inside Dynaplug puts one hardened 304 stainless steel Twin Tube, with 2 pre-loaded soft nose tip plugs at-the-ready. It threads into the small one-ended handle. And a snap-fit cap slide on from the other end.The handle & cap are machined from 6061 aluminum, and polished to a nice shine. The whole thing is made in the USA, in Chico, CA. Get it now directly from Dynaplug or their retailers. More plugs are available separately. Dynaplug also says that gravel & mountain bikers could in theory separately buy a 2-size Standard/Megaplug Twin Tube, to convert the new Micro Racer to have a combo setup with a small & large plug pre-loaded to fit any puncture you might encounter. We havent seen the Twin Tubes available separately yet. So fingers crossed on that front. Dynaplug.comThe post Tiny Alloy Dynaplug Micro Racer Packs 2 Fast Tubeless Tire Repair Plugs, Smaller Than Ever appeared first on Bikerumor.

For Giulio Ciccone, the start of the 2024 season was something of a nightmare. The Italian is beginning to pick up form though, as showcased by his performance in the opening three stages of the Criterium du Dauphine, just in time for the Tour de France.It was a bit of a strange ending because the...

Recently, I found myself riding my Advocate Hayduke (now Esker Hayduke) a lot more. It turns out that a plus hardtail with relaxed geometry is a nearly perfect bike to ride around the neighborhood with your kids as they learn to ride. The only catch? I didnt find the standard 9 backsweep all that comfortable while sitting upright and noodling around town. I dont have a lot of experience with high-sweep bars as Ron is our resident Alt-bar expert, but I knew that Hudski has a few options. I liked the idea of trying the same bar with three different sweeps to figure out what I liked best. The Hudski Longhorn is an alloy handlebar made from 6061 T6 aluminum that comes in three variations. Equipped as the standard bar on their Doggler ATB, the Longhorn 16 is right in the middle with a 16 backsweep. They also offer a Longhorn 10 and Longhorn 27 with 10 and 27 backsweeps respectively. All three bars have the same 790mm width, 50mm rise, 4 upsweep, and 31.8mm clamp surface. That makes it so the backsweep is the only difference between the three perfect for a backsweep shootout. Right away I knew I would like the Longhorn 16 as that was the bar I rode on the Doggler. But how would the 10 and 27 fare? For me, the 16 ended up being the Goldilocks setup. I found that the 10 wasnt a big enough change from the 9 bar I was already riding, and the 27 bar felt like too much backsweep for my liking. The 16 bar is more comfortable for casual cruising, but it still feels confident if you want to ride more aggressively. Im not about to switch all my bikes over to higher sweep, but for bikes like the Hayduke, it works. The Longhorn has minimal branding, just a debossed Hudski logo, and Longhorn script with specs. Theres also a small alignment guide on the back. One thing to note though I found that I needed to increase my stem length by at least 10mm to keep my preferred positioning on the bike. I was after a bar that put my wrists in a more natural position, not a shorter reach. Some riders will welcome the more upright positioning that comes with bringing the grips back closer to your body though, so Id recommend doing some experimentation with the bar and stem. Overall, Im very happy with the new hand position on the bike, and at $79.00 per bar, its a relatively inexpensive way to make a big change to your comfort. If youve ever been curious about high-sweep bars, the Hudski Longhorn seems like a good place to start. hudskibikes.comThe post Looking for a More Comfortable Handlebar Position? Hudski Longhorn Sweeps Provide Options appeared first on Bikerumor.

The ZLM Tour takes place from the 5th to 9th of June this year. The Dutch race has become a popular preparation race ahead of the Tour de France as it features plenty opportunities for the sprinters to fight for and take victories ahead of a big goal. We preview the race ahead.The race starts off w...