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26 results found for "james crossland"
Bike Check: James' Edit V2
James is the 'other' member of staff at Airdrop. With a background in DH and a lot of bike park laps under his tyres, his custom built Edit v2 is unique. So we thought we would kick off our new series of bike checks with a look at James' bike, and why he's chosen to build it this way.
Bike Check: James' Edit v4
After a long development process and a lot of testing, find out how James has built up his own personal Edit v4. Spoiler - it's amazing.
Redbull Hardline 2024
Red Bull Hardline has built a reputation as the rowdiest event on the calendar. For 2024 the trail builders had been hard at it, building a whole new upper section ensuring the track was the best yet; insane features, enormous jumps, flat out sections, filthy tech and a few hero turns thrown in. It's always an action-packed week - working hard, hanging out with great people, fooling around on mini bikes, having a laugh and making some cool memories.
Bike Check: Nush's Edit v2
Nush Lee AKA 'Nushy P' , all round shredder and conveyor of good times. We take a look at Nush's fresh custom Edit v2 and find out why she chose to build it the way she did.
11: Ride Testing
This is the part we've all be waiting for... riding the Slacker. After a year of testing times (get it?) this is what we've learned.
10: Prototype Builds
The prototype builds let us get into testing but they're also an important step in determining how we might build up the Slacker production bikes...
19: The End
We made it. And although it's been a massive team effort, James has been the main man. So it's only fitting that he should have the last word...
5: The Package
You sit down to design a downhill bike from scratch. Where do you start? How do you fit everything you want in the same package, and how do you know if that's even possible?
Edit v3: Your Questions Answered
Since we launched the new Edit v3 we've had a lot of good questions coming through email and social media. With frames arriving any day, we thought we should take a stab at providing some good answers.
Introducing Ryan Middleton
Ryan saying YES to support from Airdrop was the proposal we all wanted. He's your favourite riders favourite rider, a true individual doing things for the right reasons. His dedication to the core MTB scene and cultural contribution to the fabric of the sport we all know and love speaks volumes about the man. Couldn't be more stoked to have Ryan riding our bikes, dream come true.
Introducing Jai Motherwell
Jai's an Aussie born QT local, big air specialist and all round GC. His style and creativity both on the bike and digging trails get us fired up to ride. And he epitomises what Airdrop is all about #sessionsnotseconds . We couldn't be more stoked to have him repping our bikes.
9: Prototype Teardown
The arrival of the Zeb fork last time meant we had to jump ahead a little bit, missing out the original Prototype Teardown blog. But it's an important step that you can't miss out so here goes...
13: Refining The Design
We've been riding the Slacker prototypes for nearly 18 months now. It's time to evaluate everything we've learned and roll that up into another round of developments. This might be the last big push before production.
Edit v3 Kinematics
In the first of our new tech blog series, we're getting into the details of the Edit v3's kinematics. Find out how the suspension works and what it's like to ride...
Bike Check: Pang's Edit v2
Pang AKA the "Huck Wizard" is a co-owner of Vertigo Bikes Queenstown and my old boss. Pang has one of the few Edits in the Southern Hemisphere and certainly knows a few things about how to build a sick bike, so we take a look at why Pang built his Edit the way he did.
18: The Devil's In The Details
One last chapter to nerd out on all the little details of the Slacker frame before we launch in a couple of weeks.
7: Geometry
Geometry: the last piece of the puzzle before prototypes. It's a critical step and an area that can inspire heated debate, so let's get into it...
6: Suspension
Getting the Slacker's kinematics right is critical to the whole project; this is the stage where we make big calls about how the bike's going to feel to ride.
2 Years At Airdrop
A couple of weeks ago it was two years since James started working at Airdrop so it seems like a good opportunity to reflect on everything that's changed in that time, what's new and where we're heading.
Longer, Lower, Slacker
Longer, Lower, Slacker! The current industry buzz words. What I like to call the Kool-Aid. It’s a phrase we hear a lot, whether that’s next year's bike launch, industry moguls preaching radical ideas or media journo’s praising the latest and greatest. For me its starting to wear thin. And I wonder have we gone too far?
Weight Matters
How much does it weigh? It's the age-old question, and one we get asked a lot. What is this obsession with weight and should we care? In his first contribution to the blog, James throws his weight behind a controversial idea...
Two Man Brand
If you've been following Airdrop for a while, you probably know it's been a one-man-brand until now. I've done everything myself, from designing the bike, to building the workshop... you name it. But when it got to the point where I was doing nothing other than building bikes all day every day, it became obvious that I needed help...
Bike Check: Callum's Edit v3
Callum's a freelance sports & adventure photographer based in Queenstown, NZ. He's also a good friend. With a bit of help from Vertigo Bikes, we hooked him up with a sweet Edit v3 custom build.
Get To The Chopper!
Pang's was the first Edit v2 to hit New Zealand a couple of years ago. Now he's got a typically unique Edit v3, so we caught up with him to see how it's going in Queenstown Bike Park.