We really do ride (and ski)what we sell. Read the Sunnyside Testing Crew's bike and cross country ski reviews below!
--- Sunnyside Sports - Bend, Oregon ---
Jake's Dream Bike Review--the Yeti 575
I got to test ride a lot of bikes at the Dirt Demo in ‘Vegas, and I liked most of them, but the bike I wanted to own was the Yeti 575. There’s something about the 6” (well, 5.75”) of travel…it completely smooths out the small bumps and makes you feel totally confident on the big ones. The 575 has more travel than most cross country bikes, and I like that because I like to catch at least three feet of sweet air every time I ride.
Susan's Very Own Orbea Orca Review
We call her Shamu and she is, in the immortal words of Derek Zoolander, ridiculously good-looking. She also rides like a dream--very smooth, light, and quick. Interestingly, this bike is one of the few in the industry that is woman-designed, and it's winning design awards all over the place. I spec'ed her out on the cheap side with Ultegra compact drive train, and then I zooted up the wheels to Rolf Elan. The result is 16 pounds fun. Because I'm tall and have gorilla arms, I went for the men's frame. It's also available in a women's model, however, called the Diva, and it is gorgeous as well.
Susan's Review: 2007 Lemond Sarthe
It's odd that in my nearly 20 years in the bike business I've never ridden a steel bike for any length of time. Yesterday I took a Lemond SARTHE out for a spin, and I'm here to tell you, steel is real. The Sarthe retails at $1650, and it rides like silk. Sure, it's heavier than a comparable aluminum model, but this bike isn't about weight, it's about comfort and ride. Big thumbs up on this one!
Don's New Lemond Victoire Review
I have been riding an ORBEA ORCA the last couple of years. This year they redesigned the ORCA--the new one is the most beautiful bike I have seen-- but I decided to try a Lemond. We became a Lemond dealer this year and they introduced a new carbon road bike series called Triumphe. The model I picked is the Victoire. The frame weighs in at less then 1 kilogram (950 grams) and the bike comes equiped with Shimano DuraAce. I, liking to be different, put on the new Sram Force road group.
The Lemond rides well as do most carbon fiber bikes. It is smoother then a Trek Madone but stiffer than the ORCA. It is has a nice tall head tube so it is easy to set up a little taller or you can be as low as a pro. The complete bike weighs 15 pounds so we can't complain about weight.
The SRAM FORCE group is different from both Campagnolo and Shimano. It only has one lever to go both up and down. I won't go into details, but it works super well and it is the best shifting compact setup I have used. We have a couple of Victoires in stock for you to try. We also have a couple of ORBEA bikes with the SRAM shifting to try. Thanks for reading.
Don
Susan's Review: BREEZER Uptown 8
This one is my pride and joy! It is so well-designed, really it is the ultimate metro-mobile. The shifting is 8-speed internal, the generator-powered lights come on automatically, it has fabulous fenders, a chain guard, and a euro-style wheel lock. It just makes it so easy to hop on your bike!
--- Sunnyside Sports - Bend, Oregon ---
Mike's 2008 Trek Remedy Review
2008 Trek Remedy is the new “all mountain” bike from Trek. I rode this baby up and down Bootleg Canyon outside of Las Vegas at this year's Interbike. This was a dealer invite so our small test group included Andrew Shandro and Travis Brown.
I have been trying to figure out what “all-mountain” means--sometimes these bikes have two chainrings with a bash-guard, sometimes they weigh well over 30lbs, sometimes they have a coil-over shock. The Remedy 9 has none of these things. It is around 28lbs, has three chainrings, a Fox rp23 XV rear shock, blah, blah, blah. How did it ride, you ask, and does this thing have a place in Bend? If you don’t know me, I’m a cross country rider. I currently ride Trek's 2007 Fuel EX 9.5. The Remedy is my current bike's big brother.
Our group started out climbing up some technical singletrack--the equivalent trail in Bend would be the technical climbing of C.O.D. The Remedy rolled over everything and is one of the best pedaling 6” bikes I’ve ridden in or out of the “pro-pedal” setting. Good start. I did notice the weight (which is my XC bias) and the headtube angle, which at speed adds to a rider's confidence factor. While climbing slowly the stable feel makes you point the bike at the rocks rather than steering around every pebble. The downhill was rocky, exposed and...did I say rocky? This bike ripped it. A place in Bend? If you like an occasional weekend at Post Canyon in Hood River--If you want to be ready for the more aggressive trails that are in the works by our friends at CODA and the Forest Service--If you want to add to your mountain bike quiver--then the answer is Hell yeah. Otherwise the Yeti 575 or the Trek EX line match our trails a bit better.
To sum up, the Remedy 9 I rode is a 6” travel bike that can handle gap jumps and rock drops but you don’t need a pickup truck to get you to the top.
Jake's Bad-Ass Black IF Single Speed Review
It's the ultimate town bike. This custom built Independent Fabrication single speed is exactly what I dreamed of. Weighing in at a slight 28 pounds, I can get like, three feet of air. It wheelies like a tractor pull, and there are none more black. Here are some details: Hookworm 2.5 slick tires, Thomson seatpost and stem (black, of course) Phil Wood hubs, White Industries crank set, Easton Carbon riser handlebar, and Avid Ultimate brakes and levers.
Barb's Trek Fuel EX 9.5 Review
I've always ridden a road bike--I thought mountain bikes were for Other People. Then I rode this TREK FUEL EX9.5. Within one hour, I ordered one. I could probably go on and on about the comfort of the ride, the lightness of the bike, the various adjustments that make this bike perfect for this 57-year-old woman or the racer-dude who can also be found on this page. What I really want to say is that every single time I ride this bike, I smile so much that I have to get a jaw massage after each outing. The incredible XTR disc brakes enable me to ride things I never considered before, the 5-inch travel of the shocks ensures that Wonder Woman has nothing on me. I even named my bike the Vaporizer, because every time I approach a rocky outcropping in the trail, as I go over it, my bike makes a woosh sound and the obstacle disappears beneath my tires. Oooooh, I am having fun riding this bike!
Mike's Review: Trek Fuel EX 9.5
Versatile...that sums up the new Trek EX 9.5. All the new Fuel EX bikes from Trek (except the base model EX 5) have gained travel, lost weight and include rear shocks with pro-pedal. The 9.5 is top-of-the line, with new XTR and many other zoot parts. The versatility comes from the fork and shock adjustment. You want a stiff XC race feel? Turn the travel down to 90mm on the Fox Talus and turn up the low-speed compression,and match that with the pro-pedal set to 3. This will not completely lock out the bike but will set up the platform. The bike will still react to big fast drops and rocks but keep a racey feel. If you prefer a supple five inch ride, open the fork to 130mm, loosen the low-speed compression, turn off the pro-pedal setting, and this bike will melt most any terrain. The new XTR brakes will blow your mind. This bike is sweet.
--- Sunnyside Sports - Bend, Oregon ---
Susan's SE Stout 29er Singlespeed
OK, OK, I caved into the Sunnyside peer pressure and bought myself a single speed. Here is what I wanted:
1) Simplicity--one speed, no suspension
2) Cheapness--I don't ride off-road that often, and I didn't want to break the bank.
3) Light weight--I am a confessed weight-weenie, and I'm used to a road bike, so my bike has to be light.
And here's what I did:
I ordered a SE Stout 29er singlespeed, which retails at $575. I made a couple of upgrades--Mavic wheels, and Avid juicy 7 mechanical disc brakes. And...I LOVE that bike! It is 100% fun, rolls over everything, and makes me feel as bad-ass as a 40-year-old-married-mom can feel. I totally recommend the Stout to anyone looking for a fun bike on a budget.
Eric's Fuel EX 8 (and a half) Review
When I heard that Trek was bumping the travel on the Fuel EX line of bikes up to 5 inches of travel I thought sounds like a downhill bike. And then I rode one. WOW! I didn't want to quit! How is this possible? With Fox shox front and rear it eats bumps like magic, while the pro-pedal setting on the rear shock kills any pedal-induced bob. Say what? It pedals like a 2 inch travel bike, and descends like a downhill bike. The icing on the cake is the handling. Perfect angles allow the EX to carve the tightest corners better than before, yet it is super-stable on fast technical descents. Also the new High-Low rear end drops half a pound off last years bike, and with more travel to boot. This bike is a steal at $2085 with Avid hydraulic disc brakes, LX cranks, Bontrager tubeless ready wheels and XTR rear derailleur. I added some XTR cranks, brakes and shifters and dropped the weight to 26ish lbs.
This is my favorite bike yet for sure, but don't take my word for it, test ride or rent one and have fun.
Happy trails, Eric
Chris' Orbea Opal Review
In my humble opinion, this bike rocks like a Van Hagar album. Light and stiff,extemely comfortable on our chip-sealed tarmac or those long six-hour rides over the mountains and through the woods. This is my first carbon bike. I've been riding steel and titanium frames for years and I can't believe how good the ride quality is. I loved it so much that I sold my beloved custom steel ride. So when you're ready to step up to an ORBEA, come on down and check out the bike that won the Championship of Zurich '06. Also in stock are the Orca and Onix, both carbon fibre and equipped with the all new SRAM RIVAL and FORCE groups. May the wind be at your back and happy riding.
Kathy fondles her new Ritchey break a way
after a brief foray across the border for a cafe au lait. Then back into Spain for some cycling on the roads of the Vuelta. After switching from a triple on my stay-at-home bike, I found the Compact double on my RITCHEY gave me plenty of gears to pedal the Pyrenees. Sagrada Familia? El Drac? No, give me the svelte lines of my beautiful new, easy to carry BREAKAWAY. Oh, and who is that handsome dude to my left? My mechanic, of course!
