Remember what we said about being your guinea pigs? Well, here's another review for you guys. This time it's the Astrix Rook 29er hardtail.

The Frame
The Rook is crafted out of 7005 series aluminum tubing, with custom butting. Weld quality is top-notch, as the brand is produced in one of the largest bike factories in Taiwan. The same factory that builds the likes of Niner, Banshee, and Canfield.

The head and downtube junctions has a massive, yet graceful gusset. You will not feel any frame flex here!

The frame also comes with removable v-brake bosses (for you retro grouches), and overall fit and finish is excellent. A brilliant pearlescent blue paintjob makes the frame standout on the trail (see pic!)

We built up the size S frame, because we'd want to dispel the myth that 29ers are for tall riders! For more detailed geometry specs, go here.

The Parts and The Build
We built up the Rook with the following:

Rock Shox Reba SL 29 (with U-Turn)
Chris King headset
Forte 110mm stem
Salsa Moto Ace flat bars
ESI Chunky grips
Shimano M-629 hubs
Double-butted CN spokes
Velocity Blunt rims
Specialized Fast Trak Control 29x2.0 tires
Salsa Shaft seatpost
Titec Ithys Gove Seatpost
SRAM X9 transmission
Truvative Stylo GXP Crankset
Time ATAC Alium pedals
Hygia SLP brakes

Now, for the burning question. How much does it weigh? With a claimed frame weight of sub-4 pounds, the whole bike tips the scales at 26.5 pounds. Not too bad for a non-weight weenie build. You could easily go sub-24 pounds by swapping out some parts.

Notice that we've outfitted the Rook with several other products from our portfolio (see underlined, above) that we carry. We'll include mini-reviews of the goods as we go along.

The Ride
The ride begins with a pretty good stretch of tarmac has more than a few climbs, with some gravel sections thrown in. The paved roads were good to get a feel of the frame, and positioning on the bike as well. I'm accustomed to a longer top tube, but a few tweaks hear and there (particularly saddle height) on the way up helped dial things in. The Fast Trak tires rolled nicely on hardpack, and the Reba once again proved why it's remains a popular choice. Very good small bump sensitivity and a smooth stroke really complements the direct ride of a hardtail frame (and in this case, one made from aluminum). I also fiddled with the Reba's U-Turn adjustment, starting out the ride at a full 100mm, then dialing it down to around 90mm. FYI, the Rook is designed with an 80mm fork in mind, but it feels really good at 90 or even 100mm.

While the Blunts may not be the lightest rims around, they are certainly the most versatile. Especially with the extra width they give to any tire mounted on them. I had no problems maintaining traction, even in the muddy sections of trail. A wider contact patch and a more forgiving ride are other benefits you get with the Blunt. Only caveat is the reduced clearance you have when paired with a front derailleur such as the SRAM X7. The X7 has mounting points for either top-pull and bottom-pull configurations. It's this tab that comes close to the tire. Alternatively, a smaller tire, or a narrower rim, should give you more wiggle room. Despite the mud, the wheels kept on rolling and the front shifted trouble-free.

Heading into singletrack, the Rook was surprisingly nimble. No doubt the shorter wheelbase of the S frame contributed to this. But it feels like a good old 26" hardtail. None of the so-called 29er sluggishness (which by now, with the evolution of frame design, is all but a fallacy). It responds well to weight transfers and quick changes in direction - almost intuitive.

Bombing downhill the Hygia SLP brakes provided consistent stopping power, this fresh out of the box set bedded in halfway into the ride. They felt really good paired with the stock rotors of the more affordable Usagi model. Braking power can only improve if we fit a larger rotor, that's for sure.  The ESI Chunky grips helped keep the bike going to where I pointed it.

The Conclusion
After spending some time on the Astrix Rook, we feel that we  have validated the glowing reviews it has received on MTBR.com. Though the design will be going on it's fifth year by 2011, it goes to show that if something ain't broke, there is no point in trying to fix it. Then again, with Astrix hard at work bringing the 2011 Monk to market, you'll never know.

Our only regret is not bringing these frames in sooner!

Disclaimer: While we are the local distributors of White Brothers and MRP, this particular fork was purchased and used before the first batch of forks had been ordered/arrived. We at My Next Bike make it a point to test a product before bringing it in and making it available to the local market. Yes, we are your guinea pigs.

OK, now that the disclaimer's been, umm, proclaimed, let's start with the review.

White Brothers Cycling is part of MRP (Mountain Racing Products), a small company based in Colorado that specializes in what else - mountain bike products. MRP also designs chain guide systems, Tamer suspension seat posts and Power Grips pedal straps. But we digress! We're talking about forks here. Suspension forks.

The fork in question is the Magic29 110. Now, let's break the model name down. Magic because it has White Brothers' patented IMV (Intelligent Magnetic Valve) damping technology. As the tech speak states, the fork's threshold is controlled by magnets, which influence the amount of oil that flows through the system. Threshold is set by a dial atop the right fork leg. The dial has 30 audible clicks. At the bottom of the right leg is the rebound knob. Air spring rate is set at the top of the left leg.

So, setup was pretty straightforward. In my case (155+ lbs all geared up, singlespeed bike) it was the following:

Air: 70psi
IMV: 4 clicks from full negative (aka full open)
Rebound: halfway

Now, your typical "push down on the handlebars fork test" will not work with the Magic. The magnets need a force applied from the bottom of the fork in order to activate (told you the system was Intelligent). The true test was of course, riding it out on the trail. So expect to do a fair bit of tweaking to set your fork up to your tastes - bring along a shock pump on the first few rides, write down all your settings, and change just one parameter at a time.

The first thing I noticed on the trail was how the front end of the bike went where I pointed it to. The Magic has one stiff chassis. Next thing: zero bobbing. The IMV works as advertised, only opening up when I hit a root or rock. Finally: Once moving, the fork's action was smooth and controlled. It isn't was plush as some other forks out there, but in terms of efficiency, and "set and forget"-ability, the Magic surely does the trick.

After months of riding in various conditions (both trail and weather), the fork remains trouble free, and the stanchions clean. No leaks whatsoever.

It's a solid fork that's efficient in every aspect. Perfect for a singlespeed or for a cross-country bike.

NB: The great thing about working with a small company is how they keep on improving their products. Our first retail batch of forks have an improved fork crown, which helps reduce weight. The techs at WB also said that these forks are plusher out of the box. Nice. Who knows what the next improvement will be?

ADDENDUM (07/14/2010)
For the past two weeks I've been riding the latest revision of the White Brothers Magic 29 110. Compared to the older model, this one is a lot plusher out of the box. Small bump compliance is improved. Although the trade off is a bit more bob (which can be dialled out using the IMV). Incidentally, the IMV dial turns more easily now as well.

I've had to revise my setup as follows, which are actually the stock settings from WB HQ:

Air: 75psi
IMV: 15 clicks in (halfway)
Rebound: halfway



Travel is buttery-smooth. This fork just begs to be ridden more. If only the weather would cooperate!

Initial observation.  From the minute I installed the Usagi's they had a very familiar feel.  It could be due to the fact that the system uses the standard Shimano brakes pads and the caliper design is very similar if not identical to the Shimano calipers which were found on the XTR 900 series Dual Control system that I used to own.  Power seemed to be there right after installation even before I performed any type of bedding of the brake pads.  I chose to use the standard unmarked rotors and hardware that were included with the system.  

If not for the previous experience I have from installing other brake systems, I wouldn't have been able to figure out the orientation of the rotors.  Where rotors are typically laser etched showing the rotational direction, the usagi rotors leave it up to us to use our imagination.


*MNB: All Hygia rotors now have laser etching indicating rotation and torque details.


Let's start off with the pros of this system.  Mounting of calipers went without drama.  No additional lever or pad adjustment was necessary.  They calipers centered over the rotors very easily without drag.

Lever feel was very light like previous Shimano Dual control systems.  Modulation is good, although it could be a little bit firmer.  Even coming to a stop from high speeds, the brakes are very controlled and composed and predictable.  No instant on and off here.  No surprises with the feel of the brakes.

Weight is also a big big plus of the system. I think we are around the XTR weight and lighter than formula oro k24 weight at a fraction of the cost


*MNB: JM has since weighed his Usagis, and the numbers are:

Front, complete set, including rotors: 378g
Rear, complete set, including rotors: 398g

Now for the cons.  Because this system is an XC system, it has its limitations.  Power is good but not hair raising. There is also quite a bit of brake fade on medium to long descents so you can't really feather the brakes on descents.  You need to stay off them completely to cool down then get on them again when you need to.  I am also presently getting some leakage of brake fluid from the main lever reservoir cover.  I tried tightening the allen screws but did not want to over tighten them.  I have ridden a little over 200km on the system and the leakage is ever so slight but enough to let some air in causing a little bit of expansion when the brakes heat up causing some sponginess on my rear brake. Might try to bleed it this weekend to see if it will yield any improvement.


Overall, this brake system is a great bang for the buck.  It's difficult to shoot it down for its faults because of the value it brings to the table.  You'll have a hard time finding another brake system out there at this price point with this weight, nice design, and pad availability.

Here's some footage from the Aguinaldo track. Hehe.

Here's a little something I conjured up to sort out the lighting situation. The ideal setup, in my opinion, is to have one bar-mounted "flood" light and a helmet-mounted "spot" light. Now, prudence had gotten the better of me and instead of purchasing a dedicated (and pricey) lighting system from say, Lupine or Dinotte, I decided to buy a pair of BJ's LED lights. Basically they are Cree Q5 LEDs done up in a flashlight or torch configuration. Comes with a charger and rechargeable batteries. Claimed output on high is 250 lumens. With a run time of 3 hours on a full charge.


Now for the price (P1,900 - around US$45, each), and the versatility—these can be used as flashlights as well—I don't think there's anything out there that can match these babies. Initial tests have shown these lights give out adequate output for their size. Plus, they have no wires to snag. 


The beam pattern has a nicely-defined spot, but there's enough spill to illuminate the radius. I snagged two of these for redundancy's sake, and at the same time I wanted to experiment with using them as a helmet/bar-mounted duo.

Here's the result. The light is secured to a base salvaged from a plastic container via cut-up sections of inner tube. Another section of tube then wraps around the base, keeping everything together. The base neatly and snugly plugs into one of the vents of my helmet. Initial rides have proven The Plug stable and secure.


The perfect partner to the bar-mounted version.

Coming to some night-time singletrack near you. That'd be the real test of this setup. I won't bore you with more photos of the bar-mount. It's not as sexy as my DIY jobbie. Hehe.

MTB Guru Keith Bontrager has a famous saying: "STRONG, LIGHT, CHEAP—PICK TWO," this theorem basically summarizes the qualities you can find in any one MTB part (or frame). It's held true for quite a while. But we may have found something that has all these three qualities. OK, substitute CHEAP with AFFORDABLE, and you know what we mean.

Hygia designs and manufactures brakes that tick all the boxes in terms of weight, price and performance. We're giddy with excitement as these brakes will be landing on our shores soon, and they'll be in All Terra and Gran Trail soon after that. We've been testing them for more than a month now and so far they haven't disappointed us. We're sure they won't let you down as well and you will be pleasantly surprised as to their performance. Did we mention they're lighter than other similarly-priced and more affordable than other similarly-spec'd brands?


Let's take a closer look at one of Hygia's offerings. The Usagi.

HYGIA USAGI
The Usagi is billed as Hygia's XC brake, and that very much it is, offering a good combo of modulation and power in a svelte package. You can dial tool-free, with the red knobs and pad contact can also be tweaked with an allen key. The brakes use DOT and we've spec'd them with stainless steel braided lines, so no need for aftermarket hop-ups there. The levers are designed to be used by one or two fingers, and give very good tactile feedback without being overly firm. 

Weight for the front is around 320g with SS lines, and 335g for the rear also with SS lines.

Here's Mike's Aizan getting a little TLC from the handy wrenches at Gran Trail Makati. Mike is suffering from the early symptoms of upgraditis, but we expect it to become a full-blown case soon enough. No doubt the Aizan and Rock Shox Reba are a solid pairing to build on. Mike runs a Kenda SB8 on the rear to provide drive traction, while the always-dependable Nevegal takes care of directional duties up front. Other build details include:

Truvativ Stylo crank
SRAM x9 fd/rd/shifters
SRAM x0 cassette
Avid juicy 7 brakes with alligator rotors
easton monkeylite xc handle bar
easton ea70 seatpost
mortop headset

- still waiting for the ea70 stem to arrive
- wheelset will be upgraded soon!


Ride on!

Here's Jun. The proud owner of a VooDoo D-Jab. Jun's got a well thought-out build going, with a Marzocchi Marathon SL fork, Spank polished rims (which match the frame!), and a host of other low-key components that only a seasoned rider would recognize! He's set it up singlespeed, naturally!

Before we suffer a massive hangover from partying like it's 2009, we're giving you guys and gals a quick update on what's in store for 2010. Specifically this January. Here we go, by the numbers...