Versus Cycles now has blog! Andrew Taylor will be writing updates and sending in images as he travels around the world this year competing in competitions and just straight riding!
New and updates will also be posted to the blog. Hey, and you can comment too. If you want to leave Herb, Vivian, AT or anyone else any questions, go for it.
Andrew Tayler and the New Valor
(, 2008-04-27)
AT talks about why he wanted a 5.5 versatile bike. Herb at Versus designed the Valor. Available Summer 2008
Rider: Andrew Taylor
Film by: Ambrose Weingart @ CKD Films
Tara Ripping Up P-Town - Local Grassroot Rider
Grassroots Rider Tara showing how doubles are done!
(p-town, CA 2008-03-13)
Tara is our new grassroots sponsored rider who rides a Jab, the 4 inch bike, and a Trigger for DH. She is from Marin and obviously knows how to ride!
Blitz II Wins BEST OF MTBR Full Suspension Bike Award from Users
(Fremont, CA 2007-11-16)
From the riding community of www.mtbr.com, the Blitz II wins an outstanding award. Versus is very pleased to make so many riders happy enough to vote us #1. We hope to make sure that the 2008 award comes back here again with a better version of the Blitz II.
Versus Virtual Trade Show Booth @ Interbike
Check out the new frames and a movie with Herb at the Mtbr coverage of Interbike 2007.
(Fremont, CA 2007-11-16)
Versus new frame were very well received at Interbike 2007. Check out the coverage on www.mtbr.comhere.
See the new mountaincross frame and the 5.5" AM frame.
We are rider driven. With the proliferation of mountain bike
corporations looking to out do each other with the latest and greatest
in technological gimmickry, Versus has chosen to keep its ears closer
to the ground level, far away from the preaching of corporate
marketers. Like the independent filmmaker who withstands the hurricane
forces of Hollywood sequels and saturation marketing, our mission truly
echoes from the voices and requests from our riders and allies: Your
local bike shop mechanic, the neighborhood freerider, the dirtjumper,
the street grom; from the 15 year old who emails us after the session
at the park, to the LBS owner who calls us to say how much her
customers love their new Versus.
We keep it real. “Versus” does not imply that we are against
technology or innovation; in fact, we apply some of the most advance
technology available when engineering our products and innovate where
it provides a major impact. Rather, we despise the hype associated with
pseudo-innovations or inferior products, which provide marginal results
in limited conditions for the purpose of following trends, inventing
fancy acronyms, or luring those who don’t know better. Some claim to
have the pulse on the freeride scene, but fail to execute on their
products. Go figure. Let’s face it, great racers will win regardless of
the hype and real freeriders will ride what works for them. We won’t
claim to have all the answers; however, one thing is for sure, at
Versus our mission is to keep you charged about riding for as long as
possible through the products we build, period.
Versus has always been a rider driven company which means we
have always listened not only to ourselves but to all of our customers
and riders for feedback. Based on this philosophy, we have again
developed some exciting new products that meet the demands of all the
feedback we have gathered.
Versus has your back. Not only have we stepped up the game, but we know you will be stoked on what you see.
Thanks to riders like you, Versus Cycles continues to create products that are “Built for the Way You Ride!”
Blitz II Reviewed
Blitz II gets an out standing review! Check out the PDF article.
Jason Sessums is competing at the first CrankWorx on American soil.
(Versus HQ, CA 2007-06-17)
Versus Cycles is proud to say we have a sponsored rider in Hawaii! Jason Sussums is a Freerider and Downhiller from Hawaii, and this July he will be flying to Colorado for the upcoming CrankWorx event. CrankWorx Colorado looks to be one of the hottest events this year, with all the big names and media attention that the original gets, but this time on American soil. Jason has recently taken delivery of a new Blitz II frame, and will be throwing it down with the big boys at what is one of the hardest, yet most crowd-thrilling shows that Mountain Biking has to offer.
CrankWorx Colorado is being held July 5th-7th. Click here for more info.
See the latest in the Hawaiian Freeride video series, the Vish Files, right here.
Andrew Taylor rips at Teva Mountain Games
Teva Mountain Games. Versus rider stands on the podium in the Big-Air competition.
(Versus HQ, CA 2007-06-13)
Versus Cycles rider Andrew Taylor rode hard to win the Big-Air competition at the Teva Mountain Games held in Vail, Colorado. He beat the likes of Jamie Goldman and Kyle Ebbett to stand on the top of the podium with a run that impressed both the crowd and the judges. Andrew was riding a prototype Jab hardtail, which was first unveiled to the public at the Sea Otter Classic. Check the News Bullitin below to see pictures of the Jab. Click here to find out more about the Teva Mountain Games.
Jab makes a big impact at Sea Otter
Versus Cycles unveils the Jab hardtail to the public at the Sea Otter Classic.
(Monterey, CA 2007-06-13)
Versus Cycles hot new chromoloy hardtail, the Jab, was seen by the public for the first time at the Sea Otter Classic held in Monterey, California. Although officially still in prototype form, the Jab seen at the Versus Cycles stand is very close to the finished product. The Jab has been given dialled geometry for dirt-jump and street riding. Sporting a brand new sticker job and pearlescent paint, the Jab was getting a lot of attention from passers by. The Jab was also featured in the Sea Otter edition of Decline Magazine. Click here to visit the Decline website. Versus Cycles rider Andrew Taylor has been our test rider for this bike, and has ridden a red version of the Jab in many competitions, including the Sea Otter dirt-jump contest and a first place win at the Teva Mountain Games dirt-jump contest. He loves the bike, and we hope you do too! We have sweated the details on this frame and dialed it in to get it to its present form.
Versus Jab at Sea Otter
Which do you prefer?
Details of the Jab: Optimised dirt-jump geometry, Heat-treated Cro-Mo tubing with Hydroformed top-tube, Short chainstays (adjustable down to 15.25 inches), Stiff chainstay yoke, Cam-adjusted tool-less horizontal dropouts, Very low rear-end, Internal headset compatible, Removable Gyrotabs, Intergrated seat-post clamp, 3 colours available (Blood Red, Pearl White, Blue), Rear derailleur compatible, ISCG-05 compatible.
Versus Cycles at Sea Otter!
Versus Cycles will be attending the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California.
(Versus HQ, CA 2007-04-04)
Versus Cycles is attending the Sea Otter Classic Mountain Bike Festival next weekend, 12-15th of April 2007. The event is the biggest of its kind in California and the US, featuring trade booths, Demo area, Downhill, Dirt-Jump, XC and 4X competitions, plus much much more!
Versus Cycles will have a booth in the Team/Sponsor Area, Booth number - 713.
We will also have a stand in the Demo area, where you will will be able to test-ride the Blitz II and Trigger. Also, we will also be unveiling the Versus Jab, our new DJ/Street hardtail frame.
Versus Cycles will also be represented in various events by a host of riders, from all over the US, as well as one of our riders from Brazil.
There will also be Versus Product Support on hand at the show.
Versus Cycles rider Rodrigo Gonzalez recently competed at the first Megavelanche National Race in Mexico City.
(Versus HQ, CA 2007-03-09)
February 17th - The first ever Megavelanche National race held in Mexico City, Versus Cycles rider Rodrigo Gonzalez took 2nd place in the Pro category. The Megavelanche was a 7 km (4.4 mile) downhill race, with 48 riders competing.
Rodrigo said, "The most challenging part of the race is the start line, because we all start together, all 48 racers at the same time. The only difference between the 3 categories at Megavelanche is the distance between the rider and his bike. Beginners start 50 meters from their bikes, Intermediates start 100 meters, and Senior Elite (Pro): we started 150 meters from our bikes! You can imagine that I was already tired when I reached my bike!
So the idea of doing this is that we had to pass each rider one by one and that is very difficult because we are doing this on a Downhill course with only one pedalling part of about 300 meters, which was very useful to pass many riders at the same time."
Rodrigo was only 14 seconds behind 1st place, in a race that lasted over 11 minutes! He also managed to take 7th place, Pro category, in the Downhill event the next day.
UPDATE - Andrew Taylor at Rays MTB Park
Andrew came in 13th place against some of the best riders in the USA.
(Cleveland, OH 2007-02-21)
The 3Ride Pro Invitiational Competition at Rays MTB was a great success, with a whos-who list of riders competing like Brian Lopes, Kyle Straight and Geoff Gulivich to name a few. Versus Cycles was represented by Andrew Taylor, who rode hard to earn a respectable 13th place in a very competitive gamut of riders.
Andrew was riding the Versus Jab, a prototype of the new steel hardtail dirtjump/street frame that we will be releasing soon. Andrew has been instrumental in helping us develop the Jab, and his comments about how it rode at the 3Ride competition shows how far we have come with this frame. He described his Jab with 3000 words...see his pics below...
Stay tuned for up and coming news on the new Jab frame! We are hard at work improving it even further.
Versus Cycles are “Built for the Way You Ride!”
Mazzaccaro On Top Of Podium!
Colorado Team ATG Versus Cycles Rider Takes First Place at the Biggest, Baddest Downhill Race in the World!
(Boulder City, NV 2007-02-21)
Matt Mazzaccaro, from Leadville Colorado, recently competed in the "Biggest, Baddest Downhill Race in the World", in the Expert/Advanced DH class, at Boulder City, Nevada. His performance took him to the top spot on the podium, a well-earned first place. Matt commented on how well his Versus Blitz II suits him:
"I chose my Blitz II equipped with a Marzocchi 66 as my weapon of choice. This bike is a great sprinter and allows me to be quick out of the corners. Not to
mention the low weight for a DH race bike, ideal for the enduro tracks.
I have been out cross training with the pup on a set of Cross Country skis.
Its my quick way to maintain and build on my fitness."
Versus riders Guilherme and his brother Ronny attend the DH Urbano in Brazil.
(Versus HQ, CA 2007-02-12)
Versus Cycles riders Guilherme and his younger brother Ronny attended the recent DH Urbano competition held in Santos, Brazil. Similar to the downtown race held in Lisbon last year, riders had to negotiate an urban course through the streets of Santos. Narrow alleys, multiple staircase drops, and wet weather meant the course was demanding for all riders.
Competing in the Pro Category against the likes of Cedric Gracia, Guilherme had a good run to take 5th place and a spot on the podium. His younger brother Ronny also rode well and took 4th place in the Junior category.
Both riders were riding the Versus Trigger, our DH/Freeride frame. Click here to find out more about the Trigger.
Ronny Guilherme
Guilherme on the podium!
Check out the link below to see a short video from EXPN, who were covering the race.
Check out our Gallery section to see more pictures of our Brazilian team!
Andrew Taylor at Rays MTB Park
Versus Cycles rider Andrew Taylor has been invited to the 3 Ride Pro Invitational, at Rays Indoor MTB Park
(Cleveland, OH 2007-02-09)
After taking 1st place at the rider-judged Huckfest Jump Jam last October, Andrew has been stirring up alot of interest at all the big name events and has frequently been seen at the Woodward West world-class dirt-jump facility, along side some of the other big boys.
Check this link out to see more about Woodward West:
Here at Versus Cycles we have been through several prototypes to get the Jab, our new dirtjump/street/park hardtail, dialled in. Andrew has been instrumental in the R&D process and has suggested several improvements on the prototype to get the Jab to its current level. Stay tuned to see pics of the new frame.
Versus Factory Freerider Andrew Taylor “kills it” at the 2006 Whistler Harvest Huckfest
Versus Cycles rider Andrew Taylor takes 1st place in the Air Dome Jump Jam and 2nd place in the Slopestyle competition at Whistler’s Harvest Huckfest last weekend.
(Whistler, Canada 2006-10-08)
This years Harvest Huckfest saw the introduction of the Jump Jam held at Whistler Blackcomb’s new Air Dome, an 8500 square foot training facility located at Base II.
Andrew Taylor
killed it on his prototype Versus hardtail and went on take 1st place in the rider judged Huckfest Jump Jam which was brought indoors and showcased some great urban terrain.
The weekend ended with an Amateur Slopestyle happening in the Boneyard. Andrew Taylor opened up his bag of tricks and dropped off the Giro box and 270’d the quarter, he then supermanned the step-up following the step down enroute to winning 2nd place overall in the juniors (16-18) age class aboard his Versus Blitz II slopestyle bike.
“The terrain at the boneyard was challenging but flowy, it was a slopestyle rider’s dream. I had my bike dialed for this course in a slopestyle single speed setup. The Blitz II felt “Hella” comfortable in the air and solid on the landings. There are some “big” stunts in the Boneyard and the Blitz saved me on a couple of landings where a bike of lesser travel and stiffness would have felt sketchy and unstable. Its geometry is spot-on and the rear end felt solid. The Blitz II felt “balanced” and it gave me the confidence to “style” more of the tricks”… says Andrew when asked about his two runs.”
“Andrew has been truly steppin’ it up in the “new school”. We are stoked to be part of the vibe by engineering and building products for riders like A.T. and all of the new school of riders out there.” Comps like the Harvest Huckfest for amateurs is great for all riders and the industry in general. We truly hope to see more of these popping up in the future for all to participate in”….says Herb from Versus Cycles.
Come back soon to see Andrews slopestyle set-up Blitz II
Versus Cycles are “Built for the Way You Ride!”
Versus at Interbike 2006
Versus Cycles continues their 2006 demo tour stopping at the 2006 Interbike Outdoor Demo and will show their 1st ever gearbox based frame at the Expo.
(Las Vegas, NV 2006-09-22)
Continuing the Versus Cycles 2006 demo tour, their next stop: 2006 Interbike Out Door Demo. Versus’ partner in brakes (as in Formula Brakes USA) will equip a fleet of Blitz II and Trigger bikes with their awesome line of hydraulic disc brakes. Stop by the Formula Brakes USA tent for a test ride.
Versus Cycles will also be at booth #4063 at the 2006 Interbike Expo to display their increasingly popular line of frames such as the Blitz II and Trigger. Versus will also introduce their latest creation:
The 1st ever Versus Gearbox Prototype frame.
Versus has been covertly developing their Gearbox frame in their NorCal facility for the past year and will be based on the latest G-boxx units from Universal Transmissions. This frame promises to be their most anticipated creation to date and will have designed-in features that have proven effective in the current Versus Cycles product line such as needle bearing pivots with grease ports, a laterally stiff, stress-analyzed rear suspension structure with optimized ramping curve, and spot-on geometry.
Photo Credit: Sicklines.com
Versus Cycles are “Built For the Way You Ride!”
Versus Cycles to Demo their latest Freeride bikes at Crankworx 2006
(Whistler, Canada 2006-07-21)
We’ve been getting tremendous interest of our new frames from freeriders in
Canada
in the form of emails, tremendous hits on our website, and interest from shops and distributors.
Our frames are primarily engineered for the type of riding that prevails in B.C., so we decided to pack up for a couple weeks and leave for Crankworx 2006 with a fleet of demo bikes. Our trip to Crankworx 2006 gives a chance to actually meet the folks we’ve been working with and to keep our ears on the ground level by meeting with more riders who are extremely passionate about the movement.
If you are coming to the 2006 Crankworx festival and would like to demo the new Versus Blitz II (slopestyle/freeride) and Trigger (freeride) frames on the world class Whistler terrain come by our tents at booth #31 at the Village Commons next to the Starbucks. We will be there from Wednesday July 26th to the end of the festival. Come by and say hello!
Versus Cycles are "Built for the Way You Ride"
Versus Cycles unleashes the completely redesigned Blitz frame
Versus Cycles has incorporated feedback from freeriders and trail riders from around the globe to develop and design the new Blitz frame.
(Fremont, California February 24th, 2006)
Engineers at Versus Cycles have been feverishly designing and testing the new Blitz frame for the past year.
We analyzed what our riders and customers liked and disliked about our frames and other frame manufacturers products and after an immense amount of work the new Blitz was born.
The new Blitz features full needle bearings at all pivots (with external grease ports), extremely stiff rear triangle via CNC’d stiffeners at high flex points, 1 piece bottom bracket/main pivot/bottom shock mount interface for increased strength and stiffness, strengthened head tube area, optimized suspension ramping rate at 170mm (6.7 inches) of travel with increased seatstay/saddle clearance, and optimized geometry including a low stand over height.
Under development is a 7.5-8.5 inch (adjustable) travel freeride frame based on the Blitz and will be available 1st quarter 2006.
