Hamish's hot wheels

Wellington rider Hamish Gordon has just taken delivery of a hot new El Saltamontes, complete with DHX air shock and quad bearings. As well as having some nice backyard Hydrangeas, Hamish was a staunch hardtail rider, but came to the 'dark' side in response to the awesome lateral stiffness and build quality that Ventana had to offer. Reports say the frame is "bloody awesome" on the downhills, and Hamish is working through shock setup with frame builder extroardinaire Sherwood Gibson to get it dialed. So look out for Hamish ripping the Wellington trails!

Mountain Pedaler out...

Team rider Tristan's new digs

Tristan Rawlence, Ventana NZ team rider and all round legend has taken up his new position with DOC on the remote Codfish island. Situated off the coast of Stewart Island in the deep south, his role as a ranger sees him caring for some serious wildlife including the endangered Kakapo. Czech out these sweet pics of his new digs below.
In between stints on the island, Tristan made the excursion to select MTB events such as the MTB national rounds in Dunedin and Queenstown. Look for him to lay down some single speed domination on the El Toro at Karapoti, where he described his tactics as "Put on a big gear, run the ups and bomb the downhills" a good strategy given the challenging profile of the course.
Look for an update soon, which in Tristan's words "may require the deletion of some expletives!".
Mountain Pedaler Out...

Takaka hill big day out!

A determined pair of Ventana riders made the trip across from Nelson to the famed Takaka hill where they were treated to a seven course degustation of single track!
Rameka was the name, and tight winding single track was the game. It all begins at a surreal set of sink holes at Canaan downs on the Takaka Hill (Top of the South Island, Aoteoroa).
By all accounts the track was in excellent condition, with only a spot of mud bringing on a guest appearance of the 'slippery salmon'. Roots, rocks and the other usual suspects were abundance, so grin factor was off the scale.

The photo above is Jo & Sue near the end of the 18km descent. Both rode the El Saltamontes, easily the most popular Ventana frame in NZ right now and perfect for the demanding conditions.
For more info refer to Classic NZ Mountain Bike Rides by the Kennett brothers where this epic trail is given a 3+ rating.

Mountain Pedaler Out