Out with the old (news)

Well, Christmas has come and gone. Santa got me a new iPhone so that was totally awesome and completely unexpected! Keen and Dakine hooked up the entire R&D "Lab Rat" program for One Ghost with shoes, packs and gloves so that was epic as well! We owe those guys major props for such an epic hook up. I won't go into details but know we have about 22 full time racers/test pilots for One Ghost Industries for 2009.
We got to take a little time off and are still just working on 1/2 staff around here until after New years. We are working on some good things though. I don't really have anything new to report other than the reviews for the test Wakazashi are off the charts, everyone who has ridden them loves them so we will be full steam ahead for production on them. Still waiting for the decals to show up for the painters, should be any day now though. Our Saint crank/BB and brake sets are all back ordered until Feb so it may be a while before we can even ride one of the Katana frames. Tanto pre-production frames will be in mid Feb. in a plethora of color options (ano gold?!?).
so for now, have a safe new year. drink responsibly if you do drink and please don't drive.
keep it real and safe.
peace out.

Looks like winter is here!

Wholly Crap! I never expected Portland to do this but we have 3" of standing snow on the ground, blowing snow, total blizzard conditions right here in the downtown metro area! We are expected to have 4-8" more in the next 24 hours to boot and with that, they are calling for freezing rain on top of the snow come Sunday/Monday. Our poor friends at Dakine are full on snowed in, they have over 20" of snow and the town of Hood River has officially declared a state of emergency and are experiencing a full on blizzard from now though Monday morning!
It is the first day of winter though, co grab some wassail, whiskey and popcorn and kick it by the fire. we are gonna be here a while!
Happy winter everyone

New film coming soon...

On The Line - Trailer from Goldstein Productions on Vimeo.

what up yo?!?

Stopped by Trail Head Cycles out in Hillsboro the other day to show off the rig and they sent me home with this pic! Haven't shaved since Interbike!

What I am thankful for

There are many things I am thankful for. Mostly the love of my life, Stephanie. Without her I would more than likely not be here as she give me meaning and love. I am most definitely thankful for my boy Ghost without him we would not have One Ghost Industries. For it is Ghost who makes me want to be a better human and the person he thinks I am. I am thankful for finding our other little joy Freida. the silly lab/pit/heeler mix we found living under a car in the back roads of Pecos, NM one day. She has turned out to be one of the most awesome, wonderful additions and a very dear friend to all of us.
I am thankful for all of you and all of my friends I have known and will yet meet, for those we have lost and are watching over us and the wonderful, unexplainable thing called life. My world is full of blessings and I can go on about material things like having a roof over my head, food in my belly and clean drinking water and no one running up on me in the afternoon with an AK-47. I don't live in Somalia or Tibet or Serbia. I don't need to watch over my shoulder and can freely life my life within moral law and for that I am thankful as well.
My life growing up was not the easiest but to put it in perspective for myself, even though I have been homeless and have had my @$$ handed to me a few times on the streets as a child but I made it this far with lots of help from teachers, family and friends and for them, I am deply thankful

Without all of them, we would not have this:

Quite possibly the most advanced downhill race bike on the planet. 40 lbs out of the box, 240mm (9.6") of sweet, bottomless and super plush travel/ long, low and mean and able to handle anything you throw it down!
So one more thing to be thankful for today..

Downhill, dark, loamy soil and epic singletrack full of rocks and roots and drops!

Team race kit

Here is the final draft of the 2009 Team kit for the One Ghost Industries Factory team. Shorts by Jett MTB, jerseys made through the Jett/3Sixty Group. I'll post the sweet flex fit hats later (which will be available for retail!)

check it whilst we wreck it!

Look ma! we all up in the news!

So we got this totally cool write up in Pink Bike.com today. Yeah. Props to Terri-Anne Howard for the interview and getting it posted.
I built up the Wakazashi TR. today (Trail) basically a trail duty version of the slope style frame. more all mountain meets freeride than freeride meets BMX if you catch my drift. I'll post some pics of it tomorrow after I get it dirty. Our first batch of prototype Katana frames are being sent back from heat treat (my oven here at the lunchbox labs is not that big contrary to popular belief) so there will be much rejoicing in the house here real soon.
Check the vid to the right to learn more.
Peace.

we OWN!

e-mail server is back on line and our web server is moving as well but I wanted to share something special hot out of the heat treat (notice the white smears..uh, well..maybe you shouldn't..)
more later..

moving sucks

We are currently moving our ISP and E-mail clients to a new server and host and all that hoopla so please be patient with us until the move is complete. If you need to contact us, please e-mail our sales team at sales@oneghost.net and title the subject line to who and where you want the e-mail to go. We'll be able to get back with you if you need anything. Until then.. go ride what ya got!

CNC bits done

Check it out kids, while the fires rage down in Cali, we are raging the CNC machines to the max. here is the first look at some of the CNC pieces for the Katana....

2009 kit

I'll have pics of the Jett Lightning shorts posted soon but they will match the jersey in the middle for the team. the other ones are concepts. The most popular will be chosen for retail sale to the public. vote now!

Red Bull Burner wrap up

Clayton Shank here with a report from the first annual one of its kind, "Red Bull Burner" hosted in Angel Fire, New Mexico.
Angel Fire had three courses to pick from. a new trail "supreme" featured huge jumps, STEEP sections, big flowy berms, and an epic 250 ft bridge. if you have ever seen the movie "seasons" it would be like all of those trails put into one. i gave it an OG 5 star rating.
the second trail was the original hold on for dear life "World Cup DH" which had huge gnar rock gardens, and super fast sections. this trail was the trail of choice for most people in the race. not only was it fast, but it wore you down.
the third trail was pretty much the cool down "super D" trail the trail is pretty easy and long, not much to say about it.

One ghost had some killer results in the open division we took home 4th with Clayton Shank, Riley Strickland, Dillon Duke, and Hunter Stuwart.
6th with Josh Barnett, Scott Polly, and (i totally forgot the other guys name ill give it to you once i find out.)
also the Gromits, Riley Farrar, Jayce Heatly, and Brady Heatly took 8th
all in all I believe One Ghost did an awesome job in angel fire. we stuck it out till the end like true samurai's. I'm proud of the team and how much each individual has done weather it be first or last place.

Never Give Up,
Clayton Shank

The long and the short of it..

Not sure if these came out like I wanted them to but here is the long and short front triangles of the Katana.
We'll be at Interbike for the rest of the week and maybe, just maybe, next week We'll have a new podcast.
Peace.

Wakazashi in the Hizzouse

first generation prototype/Test Wakazashi frames are done, here is a sneak peak..







No, you didn't just see things.. 5" travel, concentric bottom bracket pivot, hydroformed tubeset, yeah, we got game (and these are just our prototypes!)

only a matter of time

Hey all, been a while. Working everything out here at Lunch Box Labs and getting ready to get the CNC machines rolling. The numbers are crunched and the computers are programed. We will have some actual images of the Wakazashi SS and the Katana here real soon. I know you all have been patient with us and it takes time to start a (re)evolution, especially one like what we are doing. Now I know there are other companies out there doing a floating shock and using fancy names and terms and some have huge marketing budgets and lots of hype, but they don't have what we have: love.
yeah, love of our sport and supporters. Over 20 years rolling duce-six and here it is time to show what racing is all about. Not just winning, not just the technology, not the hard work or the training. Not the preparation, tire pressure...
It is the trip to the venue, the stopping to fill the tank in some run down 3-leg dog town, it is the smell of the crisp air at 6AM on race day after a night of not sleeping. It is that first sip of bad coffee you paid too much for...
Racing is the experience, the bright green leaves in the summer, the smell of fresh dust or deep, dark soil, the "competition" you hang out with each weekend as you develop life-long friends. The warm beer and cold coffee, the faces in the truck stops and all night diners, the camp stove explosions and the can of beans you are left to clean up off your tailgate at 10 PM the night before your "perfect run."
Racing is all this and so much more.
This is the experience and joy One Ghost Industries is going to bring to you. It isn't about the bikes or the CNC this or high speed compression that. It is friendship, brother and sisterhood. Sharing scars, tattoos, beer and inner tubes. Meeting your "Johnny T" for the first time or finally beating him. Racing is life and many times we do get caught up in the techno babble of it all and we don't stop to look around the pits and take it all in. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, sometimes you flat, sometimes you get to stand on the box but you never, ever give up.
I have had that lesson handed to me too many times to count and this...One Ghost Industries.. is my way of teaching that lesson to all of you; Never give up, stop and listen, and most importantly....
"Flow like water, my friend."

How To...

I came across this and wanted to post it for all of our loyal fans. good information here...


Taken from BIKERADAR.COM

Technique: How to Freeride, Part 1 - Steep Terrain

By Andrew Dodd

Avoid taking a foot off the pedals because you'll find it hard to regain control. (Robin Kitchen)

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These days a freeride bike can be ridden all day for cross country and also tackle some of the roughest terrain. Follow these simple pointers and more advanced techniques to discover how you can benefit from using a freeride bike.

Use your weight to maintain control

On steep terrain you need to keep your weight back as far as possible – it keeps you steady and prevents you from vaulting over the handlebars. But you need to lean back less than you think.

Hovering just behind the saddle will allow you to support your body weight on your legs properly, while maintaining full use of your arms for steering. The weight on your front wheel will give you a surprising amount of grip – but take it steady until you’ve discovered your limits.

Keep the rear wheel planted

When you need to roll over the edge of something very steep, try to control your speed – you’ll accelerate quicker than you want to in this position because the front wheel is unweighted.

If you’re tackling really steep terrain, avoid taking a foot off the pedals because you’ll find it hard to regain control.

How to maintain traction while braking

Braking on steep terrain is difficult, and in order for it to be effective, you must maintain traction. There are two types of braking that allow you to do this – dragging and hard braking.

When dragging – or squeezing – the brake levers, try not to lock the wheel or you’ll clog the rear tyre. Keeping it clear will improve grip quite a lot.

For hard braking, you need to use the bike’s suspension and identify areas before and after hazards – such as roots – where you lose speed naturally. When you spot a suitable area, pull the brakes and squash the bike into the ground, compressing the suspension. This forces the tyres into the ground for extra traction and allows you to lose a lot of speed quickly.

How to turn on steep terrain

If you come across a turn during your descent, you must get your speed under control before you reach it, especially if it’s a tight turn like a switchback. Use any traction you can to lose speed and spot your entry and exit points before you turn. Make any movements you carry out as smoothly as possible, and let gravity help you round.

Make sure you’ve lost some speed before you start turning, grabbing a handful of rear brake will have you on your arse before you realise you’ve cocked up. And don’t worry about picking up speed too much – momentum will aid you.

How to tackle cambers

One of the harder parts of descending on steep terrain is negotiating tricky off-camber sections. It can affect you mentally – you’ll be tempted to head away from the camber, but you must stay focused on your exit point.

Put all your weight on the outside pedal and pull up on the inside section of handlebar. Force the shoulders of your tyres to dig in. Again, keep looking at your exit point and you should be able to keep your line – but if your eyes wander downhill, you’ll be heading that way too…

Tri-podding through rough stuff

When negotiating rough off-camber sections, you’ll sometimes have to dab a foot – but this can be used to good effect. If you’re off the back of the bike, you can use this foot as an out-rigger and as an aid to footplant your way over rough stuff. It feels pretty natural, but it does take a bit of practice.

How to bail out when necessary

The last thing you want to do is go over the bars, because you don’t know where you’ll land. The best idea is to try to lay the bike sideways and slide to a halt with the bike as a barrier between you and obstacles.

If you need to get off quickly, ditch the bike by jumping off backwards. If you’re quick, you’ll be able to grab the rear wheel to stop it running away from you.

How to tackle obstacles (rocks and roots)

Once you’ve mastered the braking techniques to get you down really steep terrain, you need to learn how to tackle obstacles. If you approach something like a rock garden you need momentum to get over it – but momentum doesn’t necessarily mean speed.

Control your speed, then come off the brakes and preload your bike as if you’re about to bunny hop, then pummel through the rough stuff, keeping a good line.

Time it so your weight comes back onto the bike as you reach the end of the section – that way you’ll be able to land using the brakes.

Pre-load the suspension

On steep cambers, things like roots can make your tyres slide out from under you easily, so riding lightly over them will reduce your footprint on them, and therefore your chance of slipping. Compressing the bike before them and springing up will take your weight off the bike.

How to take on drops

Like when tackling obstacles, you have to control your speed before taking on drops. The one thing you shouldn’t do on a steep descent is roll off a drop – this could pitch you over the handlebars.

The best option is to lean back to keep the front wheel up and allow the rear wheel to leave and meet with the ground.

As you land, brake firmly to get the bike under control – otherwise you’ll pick up speed like a runaway train, and you won’t be able to muscle it back into control.

Utilise the wheelie drop

If riding slowly, you may not be able to raise the front wheel sufficiently to get off a drop safely, so learning to pedal in order to raise the front wheel is an essential skill.

Equipment tips for riding steep terrain

Saddle height

Keep your saddle low when tackling steep terrain. Seatposts such as the Crank Brothers’ Joplin are perfect because you can adjust them on the fly…

Flat pedals

Until you’re really comfortable with steep terrain, flat pedals are a must – unless you fancy vaulting over the bars while clipped in!

Brake lever position

If you spend a lot of time on steep terrain, you’ll benefit from raising your brake levers. The nearer they are to your hands, the less you’ll have to struggle to reach them.

Armour

You will crash at some point, so make sure you are wearing good protection. Knee pads are a good idea, as are elbow guards and gloves. We shouldn’t have to mention a helmet…

Tyre pressure

High tyre pressure doesn’t allow the tyre to conform to the shape of the ground. Experiment with lower pressures to find more grip – even as low as 20psi.

Clearance

On a freeride bike you’re going to hit the chain rings and pedals on rocks and logs. Not everyone needs an outer chainring, so it may be worth buying a bashguard that’ll sit in place of the chainring.

Rebound damping

Sufficient rebound will stop the rear end being kicked about on drops and rocks, so get dialling.

Freeriding can sometimes seem scary, but with these tips and techniques, some practice, and the right attitude, soon you'll be throwing yourself down hills with the best of them.

Technique: How To Freeride, Part 3 - Corners

By Doddy

Entry,Corner,Exit (Robin Kitchin)

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Anyone can go fast in a straight line, and practising jumps is fun. But improve your cornering ability and you’ll better your riding every time. We show you how to assess different turns over a variety of terrains, with the right techniques and tips to help you shred.

The three stages of every corner

Any corner you come across needs to be broken down into three stages – your entry, the actual turn and the exit. This is affected by the speed at which you hit the turn and any obstacles in the way, but the important thing is to spot your exit when on the way in, and set yourself up accordingly.

Your tyres simply don’t have enough grip to corner and brake at the same time, so you must control your speed before the corner. If keeping speed is what you want, then you should take a classic outside-inside-outside line to straighten out the turn and give yourself the best chance of grip.

1 Entry. By the time you get here you should have spotted your exit point, and have set yourself up at the right point in order to make the turn

2 The turn. With your exit point decided, you just need to make the bike get there. Don't use the brakes or the tyres will break loose, and keep your eyes on the exit point

3 Exit. As you get to the exit you must look ahead at your run out – when people mess up it's often because they're not looking ahead

Now that you understand basic cornering strategy, let’s look at different techniques required for specific turns.

How to ride switchbacks

Switchback turns are commonly found on goat paths and mountain trails where there’s steep terrain.

There are two ways to tackle switchbacks – the planned and well set-up approach, or the more aggressive ‘throwing the bike into the turn’ method. Obviously the latter is only normally used when riding balls-out, or if you encounter a switchback unexpectedly.

• To get round a turn at speed you need to shift into a lower gear on approach – ready for exit – and briefly counter turn before turning sharply to initiate a slide.
• Allow the rear wheel to overtake the front and continue to counter steer.
• As soon as the bike is in line with where you want to be heading, get cranking for a smooth exit.

Or you could just slow down before the turn and use the three-step method.

1. Change into a lower gear on approach, ready for the exit

2. Get the rear end sliding and counter steer to keep moving

3. Get cranking to continue riding

How to master flat turns

Flat turns are one of the hardest turns to master because you have to rely on technique and trust in your tyres to manoeuvre them. Although it’s hard to get round them fast, it’s essential that you know how to deal with them because they’re the most common turns you’ll come across.

1 Weight the front wheel. Unlike bermed corners, there’s nothing for you to use as support – you have to provide the traction on your bike. The best place to have your body weight is on the front wheel – this drives it into the ground and gives maximum traction.

If the rear wheel breaks loose, it will regain traction as it follows the front wheel, but it’s important to learn this because sudden movements can force the bike to lose it rapidly.

2 Be prepared to dab your inside foot. On certain turns you may find it helpful to take your inside leg off the pedal to use as an outrigger – without actually planting your foot on the ground, you can get a bit more weight on the inside with the safety of being able to dab a foot to steady yourself if need be.

3 Maintain your form. As well as ensuring your weight stays over the front wheel, you need to stay loose and hold a good posture. You don’t want to be too high on the bike, nor sitting down. Hovering over the saddle is ideal – when it’s a turn that’s not too bumpy, you can perch on the end of the seat.

Keeping your elbows wide and your shoulders over the bars is great form and will allow you to react quickly when necessary – look at photos of downhill racer Sam Hill for an exaggerated example.

How to turn on berms

Berm is short for ‘banked turn’ and it’s one of the most fun things to ride. Many people think they’re there to make the turn easier, but they’re actually there to allow you to pick up speed around a turn. How much exactly depends on how hard you’re willing to try…

You can maximise your turn on a berm by looking at the best line to hit it. Some berms are placed in a manner for railing, and others, called catch berms, prevent slide and spit you off in the right direction.

On a fast berm, it helps to get your outside pedal down and lower your centre of gravity. Catch berms are best hit with your feet horizontal, so you can push into them.

To test your limits with a berm get to work on a few different types.

How to approach tricky off-camber turns

Off-camber turns are tricky because the bike naturally wants to decline away from the camber. Using a technique similar to the flat turn, you need to keep the front wheel weighted, and really push the weight into the bike to keep those tyres gripping as you carve a line.

Using your inside leg as an outrigger allows you to dab to save the front end, and also keeps the outside foot down, and most of the weight on that pedal, which really forces the tyre’s shoulder into the ground for grip. Leaning the outside knee on the top tube can help aid position too.

You’ll never get off-camber turns 100 per cent dialled because cambers are very unpredictable to ride. Shying away will mean you won’t make the turn, so stay committed and remember your three turning points.

How to tackle loose and busy turns

Turns with lots going on can be intimidating – you’ll want to shy away from any hazards that may make your front wheel slide out from under you. Roots, rubble, twigs and leaves all camouflage the ground you’re trying to ride, so you need to assess the terrain as you ride, thinking about what’s most likely to lose you traction.

• Keeping in mind your three points of entrance, turn and exit, try to be as direct as possible.
• During the turn itself you may have to use weighting or unweighting of the bike to keep traction.
• To unweight during a turn you have to search for ‘pools of safety’ – areas you can push into to load the suspension.
• As you come away from these the bike will spring up – allow it to do so and you’ll roll over most loose stuff that would have otherwise put you off.

One way to attack corners like this is to imagine you’re flying an X-wing and you’re aiming for the Death Star – you’re being fired upon but must stay on target at all costs. Keep focused on your exit point and aim to get there whatever happens. And stay loose!

How to rumble through root-infested turns

Roots can be the end-all of many a rider – they can be challenging to ride, especially on turns.

They’re best hit square on so the tyre can roll up and over them, but they’re almost certainly going to be crossing your path at an angle – so you must deal with them accordingly. Preloading the bike as you hit them is one of the best ways, because your tyres will keep traction for longer with no rider weight on the bike.

Another thing with roots is commitment – if you think you’re going to slide out, then you probably will, but if you attack them you’ll be fine. Even if the rear wheel skips out from under you, another root will generally stop it from sliding – so let it be and worry about the exit of your turn.

Of course with wet roots, there will be almost no traction, so keeping the most direct line will be the safest way through. As mentioned before, tyre pressure will help here – lower pressures allow the tyre to conform to the shape of the roots, thus making it less likely to slide away from them.

How to tackle rocky turns

Don’t let yourself become too concerned by rocks in your pathway – it’s still a turn that requires an apex. If you avoid rocks you could be on for a bad line…

Rocks are hazardous like roots, but for the main reason that they’ll easily damage your bike. Stones can slash tyres, dent rims, prang chain rings, dent down tubes and, not to mention, make messy work of your toes – so you have to be on guard when tackling them.

Of course, you only see the worst rocks on downhill courses, but out in the mountains you’ll come up against plenty of loose rocks. These can be harder to ride than bigger fixed rocks, because they can move as you’re picking your way through them.

The best way to hit loose rocks is by attacking them – your wheels will slide around as they bounce off the rocks, but never fear, they will grip again as soon as they make contact with solid ground.

Your body has to be as loose as possible on the bike – still sticking to your entry, corner and exit points, but allowing the bike within reason to pilot itself underneath you – you’ll be amazed at what most bikes can roll over these days.

Nine tips for confident cornering

1. Use a short stem

A long stem puts your weight too far over the front of the bike – if you lean forwards on a stem like this, the front wheel is likely to slide out. A short stem puts your weight nearer the centre of gravity of the bike, allowing you to move weight fore and aft – you’ll need to take off with your wrong foot (the one you don’t usually use when riding).

2. Keep your weight up front

Keeping a good position is the key to weighting the front end of the bike successfully. Sam Hill’s exaggerated position is near-perfect for cornering duties – no wonder these happen to be his speciality.

3. Brake before the turn

Get your braking done and wash off excess speed before the turn – the tyre just doesn’t have enough grip to turn and slow the bike at the same time.

4. Squaring a berm off

Squaring off berms is a great skill because you can use banks and roots to act as small berms.

Ride towards a berm at a fair pace and turn sharply, aiming to get the front wheel to hit the last third of the berm. The rear wheel will break loose and slide into the berm, and you’ll be propelled forwards.

5. Vary your tyre pressure

The harder the tyre, the less grip it will have, because less of it will be contacting the ground. If you go too soft, the tyre will lack support – find a few turns you can do well, whatever they are, and try various tyre pressures. It’s important to understand what the bike wants to do.

6. Tweak your suspension setup

To improve handling, make sure your suspension is set up well. If the rear end is too soft it’ll feel wallowy and the front will lack traction. If it’s too hard then the suspension won’t absorb bumps. If the front end is too soft, you’ll have too much weight on the front and you’ll lose traction.

7. Spend some time sessioning

Sessioning is one of the best ways to perfect a corner – find one you struggle with and ride it, trying new methods – fast in, slow in, and various lines. You’ll soon find what works for you.

8. Prepare for the worst

Wet roots are about the worst thing a biker has to ride, so why not make the most of the enormous amount of wet weather we’re graced with and practice them. Be prepared to slam down though…

9. Make some video sessions

Watching yourself back on camera can show up mistakes you may not have been aware of. Also watch films of the best riders, and you’ll be able to glean tips on how to correct your riding.

Maintaining flow through turns can be the difference between a good rider and one who just thinks they’re good. When out freeriding and hitting bike parks, you’re going to hit all kinds of turns, so it’s time now to get down to the nitty gritty and get to work on cornering. Staying on board and in control through a gnarly turn will be its own reward.