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Troy Lee Designs A1 & A2 Mountain Biking Helmets: Superior Protection and Style

Still have the same bike helmet you bought when you first started riding? With greater awareness of the long-term damaging effects of concussions, bike helmet design has improved industry wide: helmets are no longer designed just to prevent skull fractures. One improvement is Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), a revolutionary technology that lets the helmet slide relative to the head, adding more protection against rotational violence to the brain caused by angled impacts. Troy Lee Designs feels that MIPS is so important to prevent concussions that they no longer make helmets without it. Come into Start Haus in Truckee and check out our full line of bike helmets, including the A1 and A2 helmets by Troy Lee Design.

The Classic A1 by Troy Lee is an aggressive all-mountain half shell helmet that has been a mountain biking industry leader for more than a decade. Known for being the most comfortable

Biking season is right around the corner in Tahoe and going strong in any direction down the hill. The bike side of Start Haus in Truckee is ready to get you out on the trail or road, with knowledgeable bike mechanics and Giant, Liv, and Norco bikes and gear, including kids’ bikes. Getting kids riding early and often sets them up for great riding experiences throughout their lives. Truckee Bike Park is a great place to hone skills and have fun as a family – and it’s free. Just as you care what you ride, the right equipment can make all the difference for getting kids excited to ride.

Norco youth bikes –  from their smallest kids’ run bikes to their 24” full suspension mountain bike – feature lightweight aluminum frames, custom geometry, and kid-specific components, like short stems and wide bars for more stable handling. Ample standover clearance and short chainstays make it possible to fit kids on bikes with larger wheels, helping them roll over bumpy terrain. Norco bikes help build

In Part 1 we looked at ski waxing basics, and in Part 2, we got a little more advanced with edge tuning. This week, we’ll take a look at finishing both of those jobs up with brushing and sidewall finishing.

Brushing

A common mistake we see at Start Haus is folks who think they’re trying to create a glass-smooth coating on the bottom of their skis with wax, and the more the better. The truth is, glass smooth isn’t fast – in fact it creates suction drag on the snow. That’s why ski bases have a pattern in them, and we don’t want to plug up that grind pattern with wax.

We want the wax inside the base, not on top of it. So after waxing and letting the skis cool, it’s critical to finish with scraping and brushing.

It boils down to taking the excess wax off in steps from scraping with a plexi scraper down through a few levels of brushing.

For those who really want to do a detailed job:

• Start with a wire brush to really dig into the grind structure
• Follow up with a nylon brush to start smoothing

Don’t wait until the trails are snow-free and prime to start looking at your mountain bike – now’s the time to get it dialed in for the season.

To get the most out of your bike, there’s a few things you can do at home, and a few you might want to schedule some time with our amazing mechanics for.

Tires:

First off – check your tires. Do the treads look ok? Are the side knobs undercut? Center treads worn smooth? And if you’re running tubeless (we hope you’re running tubeless) – now’s a great time to open up the bead to see if you still have sealant, or if it’s formed a big snot ball at the bottom of the tire.

If it’s time to replace tires, check out our tire guide here. And if you don’t have the tools to get a tubeless tire off or back on the rim to check sealant, swing by Start Haus.

Suspension:

Quality suspension makes or breaks a good mountain bike – and too many of us neglect these high-tech pieces of our bikes, resulting in degraded performance and diminished lifespans. Fortunately,

Let's dust off winter and kick off spring season with a ladies' group ride celebrating the warmer days and the bike season ahead! We will meet at the Start Haus and then head together to Nevada City to explore the new and wildly popular Hoot trail. The Hoot trail is a short, smooth, windy, single-track, 1.3 mile descent, followed by a short climb back up on the road. We will plan to do two laps. Those who want to ride more are welcome to stay. This is a fun ride for everyone meant to bring ladies who bike together for a no-pressure day to ride and make new friends who ride. We'll freshen up on our cornering skills so that we can make the most of this trail.

Where & When:
Meet up at Start Haus 9AM. From there we'll shuttle and/or carpool to Nevada City. Coffee and pastries available at Start Haus before the trip.

This event is open to women riders at all levels. See you then!

UPDATE: DirtGypsy Adventures will be providing a free shuttle service for the first 14 people to sign up in the

Winter is holding steady in Tahoe, with 12+ feet of new snow so far in “Miracle March” and resorts are extending their seasons. Start Haus in Truckee’s winter blow out sale is still going on as well, with sweet deals on-top-of-the-line skis. Here are some that you could still snag:

Dynastar Legend Women’s X84 We get it, life is busy and when you can hit the slopes, you want to grab a reliable ski and go. For “one-quiver” skiers, the Legend X84 is an all mountain ski that can cover all terrain with confidence. The X84 is made with Dynastar’s newest Powerdrive Free construction, delivering great response, power and control. Touted as a comfortable ski with great response, Dynastar’s Legend X84 has the torsional stiffness and edge grip needed for high performance on firm snow and is also very versatile with its 5-point sidecut and tip and tail rocker. The X84 has a full wood core with 100% fiber sandwich construction and ABS sidewall to drive energy more efficiently to the edge of the ski

Norco Sight 29 & 27.5: Two Top Tahoe Bike Contenders

The perfect Tahoe bike is something we can debate until we’re blue in the face – but for a bike that can take on our region’s gnarly terrain just as well as it can head out for an all-day epic on the Tahoe Rim Trail, the new Norco Sight is tough to beat.

Start off by picking the personality you’re looking for –29-inch wheels with great rollover and speed, or 27.5 for a more nimble ride perfect for those who prefer to pop off of little lips and rocks rather than plowing through them.

The 29er gets 130mm of well-controlled travel in the rear, 140mm up front. Enough to mash through the local rock garden, but without slowing you down on the climb. The 27.5 gets a little more with 140mm in back and 150mm in front – great for getting rowdy without dumbing down your favorite flow trail.

But geometry is what really defines the character of these bikes, and the Sight hits all the right angles and measurements on the head. The head tube angle backs

Tahoe’s “Miracle March” has skiers celebrating and calling in sick to work. Start Haus got another great score in March - an early release of the new version of Volkl’s iconic ski, the M5 Mantra and the women’s 2019 Völkl Secret.

The Mantra has been an innovative leader in all mountain skis since it first hit shops in 2005, earning a loyal following that has held strong for more than a dozen years among competition that rushed to add metal to their all mountain skis. The Mantra’s composition of Titanial sandwiching with a solid wood core inspired a whole new segment of 90-100mm waist width category skis.

But with the M5 (named for the 5^th generation of the Mantra), Volkl is raising the bar again by heavily modifying the first layer of Titanal, resulting in a lighter ski with the same Mantra chargeability. The M5 brings back the traditional camber underfoot, with a rocker/camber/rocker profile. There is a full sheet of Titanal underneath the wood core, but the first layer only has Titanal

Home Ski Care 101 – Part 2

Last week we talked about the first step you can take in home ski maintenance – waxing. This week we’ll take a step up in technique and tools for edge tuning. This can be a little more intimidating than waxing, and if in doubt the expert tuners at Start Haus will get your skis singing – but if you’re ready, follow this simple guide.

Like last week, we’ll assume you aren’t a ski racer for today’s blog. For most of us, a few files and a few guides to set base and edge angles will give all the performance we’re looking for.

Guides - Setting the Angles:

The most common ski tune at the Start Haus is a 1-2, or a 1 degree base bevel and a 2 degree side bevel. That’ sharp without being crazy sharp, keeps the ski from catching when it’s not on edge, and works in a variety of conditions.

So we’ll need a 1 degree base bevel guide and a 2 degree side bevel guide.

It isn’t required, but a custom clamp will help keep the file on the guide.

Files – Shaping and Smoothing:

We

Salomon Shift – Shaking Up Backcountry Bindings

For a long time now, backcountry skiers had a fundamental choice to make: the lightest, most efficient binding design for going uphill, or the best performing, safest for going downhill.

Tech bindings, pioneered by Dynafit, are light and efficient, using toe pins to rotate with each stride in the skin track. Frame bindings, like Marker’s venerable Duke, skied like a real alpine binding but are heavy, and stay attached to your foot while in walk mode, meaning you lift the binding with each stride.

Salomon’s new S/Lab Shift binding, available at Start Haus next fall, promises to deliver the best of both worlds for the first time. Sure, the Marker Kingpin gave the touring function of a tech toe and the skiing prowess of a alpine heal, but the S/Lab takes it a step farther, giving alpine toe piece performance to complete the package.

Basically, a new mechanism lets you seamlessly swap between a tech toe and an alpine toe while on the hill. It’s

Get to the Slopes Safely: Winter Driving Tips

A lot of people have the misconception that winter driving in Tahoe is all about chains and treachery. That's not true - chains are mostly required only during active snow storms, and sometimes for a few days after in higher elevation neighborhoods/off the main roads. But, as you've read on the Caltrans leaderboards, "Weather can be unpredictable; carry chains" (unless you have an AWD vehicle with snow tires). Here are some tips for driving in the mountains.

1. Check the weather forecast. The National Weather Service (NOAA) for the greater Lake Tahoe area is very reliable, as is Weather Underground. For longer range forecasts, try the Tahoe Daily Snow Report. Bryan Allegretto at OpenSnow.com is all about giving hope to the multitudes who are praying for snow (but with no candy coating; he’s usually very accurate). If you see winter storm warnings, it’s best to drive to Tahoe before or after the storms are predicted. And if the NOAA issues a blizzard

There’s nothing like a freshly tuned and waxed pair of skis from the Start Haus award-winning ski tuners. But many of our customers like to take on some of the regular tasks of keeping there skis running smooth and fast, and we’ve got the tools to get you started.

First, let’s talk waxing- a great way to regularly keep your skis running smooth.

We’ll assume you aren’t a ski racer today – who have there own special waxing needs for training and race day. The rest of us can get a whole lot of benefit from a much simpler regime done regularly.

The Wax:

While racers deal in all sorts of high-tech additives, overlays and such, the rest of us can happily start off with simple hydrocarbon wax. Regardless of brand, colors typically correlate to temperature ratings.

Blue Hydrocarbon: for the coldest conditions we see in the Tahoe-Truckee area. It’s harder wax to stand up to the sharp crystals of truly cold temperatures (below 21 degrees F).

Red Hydrocarbon: If you just