Yep, it's a glorious spring day and those miserable freezing Westerly
winds are diminishing. The sun is shining, and the magpies are
plunging from above in a cacophony of flapping feathers, evil beaks and
angry squawking.
All this means 2011 stock will be arriving soon. Some cool stuff from
Kona, Apollo - which means a lot of the remaining stuff is still on
sale. If you're in the market for a new bike, make sure you check the specials page!
Other stuff too - all Schwalbe mountain tyres (Racing Ralph, Rocket
Ron, Nobby Nic etc) are marked down in both 26" and 29" sizes.
There'll be more exciting news soon, so keep an eye on this space!!
Winter News Saturday, July 17, 2010
Winter's here with some lovely -5 buster mornings... but this means that new bikes come soon, and balmy weekends make great riding weather. Keep an eye out for a new range of Kink and Verde BMXs at great prices, a larger range of Radius kids bikes. We're also getting some exciting new bikes from Jamis, and returning to a new old favourite with Rocky Mountain.
The sale's still going on - pretty much all 2010 bikes are at great prices with some unmissable deals. See the "specials" page for more info!
The shop has also undergone a change of season - the walls are all colourful and there's lots more light flowing through. We think it looks kind of funky, at least according to a 1960s definition of funky.
Australian Singlespeed Nationals Thursday, June 24, 2010
September 10th-12th, Majura Pines..... the one-speed warriors descend to ride beer and drink bikes, or something like that.
If you ride a singlespeed, be there. If you don't, we'll happily remove your gears.
The best of Majura's classic flow will be on offer in a variety of one-speed forms. A technical ITT and a hillclimb for the whippets, a good old fashioned XC race on a smooth and flowing course, and then the novelty events such as Sled dog racing, 16" pump track and Huffy Toss.
There'll also be plenty of relaxing beverages, and even some pretty cool prizes. Entries are now open, get in quick to get jersey orders!
Mawson Marathon Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Some folks we know recently headed over to the scenic Flinders ranges in South Australia for a very special race.
360km continuous racing on dirt, in pairs. Staff super-duo Claire and Joel took out the mixed pairs and an impressive 5th place overall by completing the 360km in a smoking 17.5 hours. Brett "Judas" Bellchambers took his gears, forsook his faith and was rewarded with a fantastic 4th place finish with Jason McAvoy behind a field of big hitters. Bec and Phil went for the organised approach on their Fargos - gear loaded in panniers, and drop bars for the headwinds.
Adventure by bike indeed! And on the topic of such things, check out the http://tourdivide.org.
Mal's Super-Gibungerous Sale! Sunday, June 6, 2010
This sale has now been going on for a couple of months. Given the prevalence of the word "super" at the moment, and that there can be a "super" profits tax, we have think adding the word "super" to the front gives it the air of something controversial and vaguely official, as well as alluding to various childhood cartoons.
Ok, so we also know gibungerous isn't actually a word. But there was no suitable word in the English language, so we got a bit inventive.... right? The following may resemble warehouse spruiking:
As the title might indicate, this sale is big. There are hundreds of parts and accessories all marked down to 41% of the original price. Categories include (but are not limited to) computers, tyres, chainrings, rotors, powerful lights and random bits and pieces. To namedrop disgracefully, there are good bits from Continental, Vittoria, VDO, NiteRider, Blackspire, Ravx and others.
There is also a gibungerous amount of clothing at half price. This includes heaps of stuff from Netti's Summer 2009/2010 range including reflective gear, jerseys, knicks, shorts and jackets. There's also stuff from Castelli, Giordani and Fox. Definitely worth a look!
There's also 50% off almost all forks and wheels, including stuff from RockShox, Fox, Surly, Easton, American Classic, Mavic and Velocity.
Yes, it's June and still going. Prices have now changed to 59% off the remainder of the selected parts, because we decided everyone can benefit from bizarre mental arithmetic. Similarly, all Maxxis tyres are now 29% off. Bikes are also on sale - there's up to 40% off bikes, and pretty much everything is dicounted. No, it's not just leftovers. There are some genuine bonafide once-in-a-lifetime deals. Just don't tell our accountant!
Kiwi Brevet 2010 Monday, February 1, 2010
Joel, Phil and Ed are about to head off to New Zealand to do an 1100km self-supported dirt Brevet around the South Island. There's a blog here for their adventures, where they may or may not post updates and photos, depending on the levels of internal strife and general exhaustion.
Gear choice is crucial for this sort of ride - with 50% tarmac, 50% dirt and loads of brutal climbs, it's a challenging bike choice. You need something relatively light but rugged and capable of carrying load, something that can climb 20% dirt pitches and descend like a mountain bike. Funnily enough, we're all taking various builds based around Salsa's excellent Fargo frameset. It's probably the most versatile touring bike out there.
Touring stuff! Monday, December 21, 2009
It's the time of year to be plotting touring - from cross-continental epics to smaller credit card rides or wilderness tours through the Brindabellas. We've got plenty of experience in this - Phil has ridden across two continents, and the rest of us have done other (slightly less epic) tours. This is reflected in the shop: lots of touring bikes and goodies to go with them for the long haul!
There's the reputed and tested Surly Long Haul trucker, a "steel is real" workhouse with a nice XT group, which also doubles as a great commuter. These have always been popular and rightly so: they're comfortable, durable and deceptively quick, all bundled up at $2000:
Another great steel tourer is the Kona Sutra. They make a steady long distance bike (just ask Phil), and come fully equipped with racks, fenders and retro faux-leather bar tape and WTB Rocket V saddle. Also included are Avid's cable disk brakes and plenty of clearance for some fat tyres, so these bikes are quite capable of going off the beaten track too. The Sutra is priced at $1899:
Then there's something a bit different... the bike that almost epitomises the spirit of the shop. Funky, but capable of doing pretty much anything: the Salsa Fargo. An adventure tourist, this bike is designed for rough, uncompromising terrain, and can fit huge 29" tyres. With brazed mounts everywhere for racks, fenders and six (!) bottle cages, this is probably the ultimate wilderness expedition bike, and we'll be taking them to the Kiwi Dirt Brevet for this exact purpose. They also make surprisingly quick mountain bikes... priced at $3000 with full XT gear:
There are also lots of accessories to go with the bikes: racks (featuring the MTX system) from Topeak with backs to suit, Surly's bombproof Nice racks, Deuter and Ortlieb panniers, and even a BOB trailer or two.... click here to see Ed ride a BOB on singletrack!
The Big Wheeled Revolution Thursday, December 3, 2009
From America, this whole idea of big wheels has emerged and is finally
penetrating mainstream mountain biking - the 29er has arrived. My
secret race weapon is no longer so secret!
Big wheels roll and plough. They hold speed through technical
sections, punch over rocky climbs and motor through fireroads.
Fantastic traction, high rolling speed, low tyre pressures, bump
absorption and efficiency - these things make great rolling machines.
Anyway, we here at Mal Adjusted have been selling and riding 29ers
since 2006. Kona, Soma Salsa have been selling 29ers from the start,
and know the important facts on geometry and spec, rather than just
jumping on the bandwagon. We've been riding them forever too - from
rigid steel singlespeeds to bling XC race bikes and everything
inbetween, we know what works and what doesn't, and have parts and
accessories to back this knowledge up (including tubes, of course).
This includes what is probably Australia's widest collection of 29er
tyres. WTB, Maxxis, Schwalbe, Kenda, Continental and Geax tubeless -
it's all here.
We also have what is arguably the best value introductory 29er in
Australia - the 2008 Kona Kula 29er. Featuring a lightweight Scandium
frame with RockShox Toras and XT bits, this things are great value at
$1599, down from $2299.
We also have the higher end stuff - Australia's only Kona Hei Hei 29er,
blinged out Salsa Mamasitas, Selmas and Mariachis as staff bikes, the
smoooooooth Soma Juice... and soon.... the Niners will be coming. Look
for the first SIR9 steel and AIR9 scandium hardtails soon!
Singlespeed and Fixie fun.... Tuesday, December 1, 2009
You've probably heard someone wax lyrical about their singlespeed/fixed
gear state of Zen. The silence of the drivetrain, the efficiency of
the pedalling, the raw challenge of the experience.... or just how cool
they look.
ANYWAY, we here at Mal Adjusted are big fans of the whole singlespeed
thing. Heck, we have a single speed race team. When we go to the pub,
we hear people whispering "they're from Mal Adjusted. They all ride
singlespeeds" as if it's something quite rebellious and subversive.
Which is sort of is - who wants to hear that a singlespeed might be
more fun than an XTR equipped bike? We also have the knowledge and
parts to back this stuff up - we can tell you why Surly sprockets
should use 8 speed chains, spec you up with White Industries ENO hubs,
and can tell you the best gear ratios for various riding locales.
We've also done the whole fixed thing - pretty much every staff member
has ridden fixed over the past ten years, some for incredibly long
distances. Look for lots of bling bits - Velocity Deep V wheels, All
City grips, cages and bling bits, Soma's awesome annodised bars and
accessories, or even Sugino cranks... and we have pretty much every
conceivable fixed cog size covered.
In offroad singlespeeds, it's all about the old mantra: steel is real.
Hop on a steel SS and you'll be riding and smiling. For the big wheel
inclined, there's Kona's venerable Unit 29 (mmm, smooth) with a
fantastic spec at $1349.
Our favourite 26er is the Charge Duster, a super fun and balanced hardtail at $1479.
In the world of singlespeed road bikes, we've also got you covered.
From the track inspired Charge Plugs to the stunt-ready Freestyler, the
supersmooth Salsa Casseroll or even a singlespeed cyclocrosser (coming
soon!), we've got enough range to satisfy individual styles, tastes and
riding purposes. The eternal favourite is still here - Kona's
bombproof Paddywagon at $999:
Or for something even more special, there's a very, very exclusive
Charge Plug Griffin. One of only 500 made, it is individually badged
and numbered. These things rock - Tange steel tubing, classic track
geometry, super fast and fun handling, and they look fantastic, all priced at $1,299
