Hands up, I’ll admit I’m a bit slack when it comes to competitions and sorting out winners. We’ve got a few comps outstanding, notably the NS Bikes Holy 1 and the ABD Derelikt 3 bike but I promise I’ll sort them out now that the World Cup hoopla has finished.

So, remember the Greg Minnaar Gamut P30 Chain Device comp? Well Sebastian Revell was the lucky lad who won it, and here he is.

Yeah this is a bit of a last minute one to say the least, as the race is this Friday and Saturday, but if you’re a fan of such last minute shenanigans then all you need to do is tell us in the comments section below why it should be you that wins the prize.

Oh, and to make it clear the prize is two entries to the Maxiavalanche race (basically a shorter Megavalache, but just as much fun) in Åre, two lift passes which will cover you from this Thursday until Sunday, and an apartment that the two of you can share for three nights! That just leaves you with having to sort out getting the pair of you to Åre in time to take up this great offer.

The competition will close at 5pm BST on Tuesday 21st August and we will notify the winner straight after closing in order to give them enough time to arrange travel etc.

Also, please only enter this competition if you’re serious about going as otherwise it might mean that someone who really did want to go misses out.

Full details of the event can be found here.

That’s right, just answer the simple question at the bottom of this post and you can win yourself a sweet as you like dirt jump bike.

The NS Holy 1 features a quality full Cr-Mo frame which shares exactly the same geometry as the legendary high-end aftermarket NS frames such as the Majesty. The components have been just as well thought out as the frame itself and the rigid fork means that money isn’t being wasted on some cheap suspension fork that you’d never want to run anyway. For legal reasons they’ve had to fit a front brake and that’s why it’s a cheap one. No point fitting something fancy when you’re just going to rip it off the second you get the bike. For 2012 NS have also included an upgraded rear hub which runs on cartridge bearings.

The Holy 1 is available in both 26″ and 24″ wheel versions, but the one up for grabs is the 26″ one.

It’s no surprise that the NS finishing kit is just as nice as their frames.

It’s great to see the quality SALT by Wethepeople 3-pc tubular Cromoly cranks fitted to the bike. So often bikes like this are let down in this area.

The Octane One integrated seat-post combo weighs next to nothing and because everything is fixed solidly in place there’s little if anything to go wrong.

And you even get a pair of the excellent Sam Pilgrim signature grips…perfect for a bit of light reading when the trails are flooded.

Here then are the main features:

• Frame with integrated seatpost clamp & clearance for fat tires
• NS bikes cockpit including: Quark stem, Mint handlebar & Sam Pilgrim grips
• Integrated headset
• Avid BB5 disc brake in the back
• Small drive train (28:13)
• Sealed bearings Octane One singlespeed hub
• Odyssey Twisted PC pedals
• Strong Mid-BB system
• Odyssey 13t freewheel
• Strong NS Fundamental rear rim
• Black spokes with DT Swiss nipples
• Light Octane One seatpost combo

And here’s the full spec:

Frame: NS 100% Cromoly
Fork: Rigid NS fork 100% Cromoly, 435 mm (a-c)
Headset: Salt by Wethepeople, sealed angular bearings (Campy spec: 45x45deg, OD41.8mm)
Stem: NS Quark
Handlebar: NS Mint
Grips: NS Sam Pilgrim signature
Brakes: Avid BB5 160mm rear / v-brake Alhonga front
Bottom Bracket: SALT by Wethepeople, Mid-BB, 19mm x 8 splines with 2-sealed Spanish BB bearings
Crank: SALT by Wethepeople, tubular cromoly
Chainring: SALT by Wethepeople, 28T CNC alloy ring
Chain: KMC-410
Freewheel: Odyssey 13T
Rims: NS Fundamental rear / Jalco DBX front
Hubs: Joytech 9 mm front, Octane One Single Speed (sealed bearings) rear with 13T Odyssey freewheel
Spokes: Velogross black spokes w/14mm DT Swiss nipples, laced 3 cross
Tires: Kenda K-Rad 2.3 rear & front
Seatpost + Saddle: Octane One integrated seat-post combo
Pedals: Odyssey Twisted PC
Weight: 24”: 12.1 kg / 26”: 12.5 kg without front brake

Geometry: 

Frame size: 24”: 301 mm / 11.9” 26”: 308mm / 12.1”
Head angle: 71.5 deg
Seat tube angle: 72.5 deg
Chainstay: 24”: 374 mm / 14.7” slammed 26”: 381 mm / 15” slammed
Top tube length (c-c): 24”: 554 mm / 21.8” 26”: 574 mm / 22.6”
BB height: 24”: 308 mm / 12.1” 26”: 312 mm / 12.3”

Price: £629.99
www.hotlines-uk.com
www.nsbikes.com

And last but not least, here’s the question…

[competition_24]

Entries close at the end of July.

We might as well come straight…all our usual film makers are missing in action and all you Dirt website lovers are going to be sad if we haven’t got any footage of the event, so a bit of hectic brainstorming has led us to the following idea…

Basically there must be a load of you budding film makers out there who we don’t yet know about, so why not show us what you can do this weekend. The best edit will win nothing short of £150! Even the runner up will take home £50. Plus, there’s a strong possibility that we’d be up for using your skills in future, paid of course.

Rules are simple…all videos must be uploaded to Mpora by midday on Tuesday 24th of July at the absolute latest. You must also ‘tag’ each video ‘National Champs Video Comp’, and entries are strictly limited to amateur efforts, i.e. they can’t be shown elsewhere.

Now all you need to do is go and dig out that video camera…

All you’ve got to do is answer the super simple question below (there’s a clue here if you need one!)

What’s a Bender Fender?!

The Bender Fender 2.1 is our latest fender reincarnation. It has the same profile as the 2.0 – just slightly thicker (0.3mm to be precise). You could consider it a ‘heavy duty’ 2.0 but at 22g it’s not exactly hefty.

The only reason for going thicker is to improve durability so it’s better at tackling a fall or those pesky pine cones when they get pulled through by the wheel. So if you prefer the downhill and wooded trail this is the one for you. For anything else or you’re a bit of a weight weenie stick with the 2.0 and save 6g.

Bender Fender 2.0….£7.98

Bender Fender 2.1….£7.98

Here’s a reminder of the Bender Fender’s plus points:

• It stops any muck, horse, cow and dog s*** from being flung into your face.

• It is fitted as close as possible to the knobbly bits for optimum ‘muck’ catching.

• It protects your fork stanchions and brace from getting caked, reducing the need for cleaning and servicing.

• Discretion is its middle name. It’s small but effective. Don’t just take our word for it! There’s loads of positive chit chat on the forums and in the online mags.

• It’s the lightest mudguard available!

• Uses hook and loop straps to attach to the brace and stanchions, so it’s easy to fit and take off. If you don’t like – just use zip ties!!

• It’s compatible with all forward and double sus brace designs.

• It can be used as a rear shock guard on some full sus arrangements.

• When off, it’s easy to clean as it’s flexible and opens flat. Simply wipe it and you’re done!

• Patent pending

Bikemagic said:

“It’s also really good looking, in a sleek minimalist style, and in our books is preferable to stretching a bit of inner tube between the forks. Oh, it’s pretty cheap too”

[competition_23]

There is an apocryphal camping shop in the UK that ran a promotion during the low season whose strapline was…

…“Now is the winter of our discount tent”

You can’t get cheaper holiday accommodation than free, but even if you don’t win this competition these wooden wigwam things are a great cheap base for biking adventures.

As you can see below these wigwams probably aren’t anything like the kind of wigwams you were thinking of.

Accommodation might be on the basic side but it’s warm and comfy, and crucially it’s also bike friendly. This particular site at Glentress has bike washing facilities, secure bike storage, laundry room, and you’ve got the amazing Glentress trails right on your doorstep. The DH trails at Innerleithen are also only four miles down the road.

What more do you need? Somewhere to fix your bike and a BBQ, sorted. Oh, and as for a bed this is what you can expect…

It might not be the Hilton but it’ll comfortably sleep three, and with a bit more squeezing it’ll house up to five of you. Inside you also get a fridge and kettle, plus there’s also a separate communal kitchen for you to knock some grub up in. The separate toilets and showers are first rate and there’s even an onsite shop and Wi-Fi.

Wigwam Holidays actually have 50 of these wigwam sites dotted throughout the country and a whole load of them are close to other great riding spots. To back up their bike friendly credentials they’ve even started up their own Wigwam Racing team which currently consists of three Scottish DH rippers.

So, how do you win two nights in one of these for up to five people at Glentress? Simple. Just tell us a wigwam/camping/holiday/somehow related joke and our favourite will win.

And if you don’t win but are still interested in some great value accommodation for your next bike trip then check out www.wigwamholidays.com for full details.

Oh, and we reckon listing to this should be compulsory during any wigwam stay…

WIN AN ABD DERELIKT 3 COMPLETE BIKE

All you have to do is answer this super easy question in the comments:

Who is ABD’s rider on the Derelikt?

a) Lewis Jones
b) John Lewis
c) Lewes near Brighton

Here’s the full spec of the ABD Derelikt 3:

Frame ABD 4130 Cr–Mo, Mid BB, Integrated Seatclamp
Fork RockShox Argyle R 80mm Travel with Rebound Adjust
Crankset Tubular Cr–mo with 28T CNC Alloy Chainring
Brakes Avid Elixir 5 Hydraulic Disc
Brake Levers Avid Elixir 5
Wheelset/Rims Alienation 440 36H
Hubs Joytech Alloy
Spokes DT Swiss Industry Stainless Steel
Cassette 11T Internal Driver
Handlebar ABD Slayer Bar 22.2 x 75
Stem ABD Slayer Ahead
Headset FSA Impact Campy
Grips ABD Consume Less
Pedals ABD Composite
Tyres Kenda Kranium 26×2.1″
Saddle ABD Pivotal
Seat Post ABD Pivotal
Bottom Bracket Mid BB 48 Spline
Chain KMC Z–510H

ABD are new to the UK, so here’s a little bit of info about them.

The company’s roots are firmly based in Dirt Jump and BMX, having designed and built some of New Zealand’s first BMX bikes back in the early 80’s and operating the first successful BMX team.

Introduced as a new brand in 2004, ABD is 100% designed and developed in New Zealand and has asserted itself as one of the preferred BMX bikes down under on the back of Sarah Walkers’ gold medal performances on the track and riders like Paul Langland’s on the jump parks and streets.

The Derelikt range has been developed over a number of years and are available in the UK now.