2011 Lama Cycles DH Team

May 17, 2011 at 11:18

Lama Cycles, the Canadian distributor for NS Bikes, Morewood Bikes, Industry Nine, Kali Protectives,
Straitline Components, Octane One, Creme Cycles, Formula Brakes and Nema International is proud to announce its official DH team for 2011. For a fifth year in a row, the Lama Cycles team will take part in the Quebec Cup events, the Canada Cup events, selected BC cup and Pro GRT events and will also be attending the two North American World Cups. Throughout the 2011 season, the team will be training for these events on their Morewood Makulu Bikes at the local DH hill, Bromont.

Here is the complete spec list of the 2011 team bike:

Frame and size	2011 Morewood Makulu
Rear Shock	Cane Creek Double Barrel w. TI spring
Fork	Manitou Dorado Pro
Headset	Cane Creek ZS44/ ZS49
Crankarms	Shimano Saint, 165mm
Chainring	Straitline 36t
Bottom Bracket	Shimano Saint
Pedals	Straitline
Chain	SRAM PC-1051
Cassette	SRAM PG-1050 11-26
Rear Derailleur	SRAM X0 10spd. Short Cage Black
Shifter Cable/Housing	Stock
Shifter Pods	SRAM X0 10spd Black
Handlebar	ODI Flight Control w. ¾ bar extender
Stem	Straitline Integrated 28mm
Grips	ODI Ruffian MX lock-on Black
Brakes	Formula Brakes
Wheel set	Industry Nine DH/FR with Enduro rim front/DH rim rear
Tires	Maxxis Minion 3c 2.5
Tubes	Maxxis FR
Saddle	SDG I-BEAM I-FLY Storm
Seatpost	SDG I-BEAM
Extras	Straitline Silent Guide and Seat Post Collar
Weight	38.6 lbs

Wow! 1,2,3,4,5…6 years and counting! We’ve come a long way from our first year as a team (remember those Chumba Evo frames? Oh geeze!) but I guess we all start somewhere! You have to remember that back then, in 2006, the company (Lama Cycles Distribution) was also searching for its own identity, being one of many start-up passion projects in the MTB industry.


In hindsight, I’m very pleased by the way we worked around massive obstacles and kept our noses on the grindstone. We have a thriving distribution company and a driven team with excellent athletes, dedicated sponsors and supporting followers. The two go hand in hand since the team has always been used as a marketing platform for the products we import and distribute. With the help of our numerous sponsors we’ve managed to present to Canadian racers, riders and fans the products we place our trust in, believe in and would recommend to anybody in a heartbeat. That’s the company’s main motto: We sell and promote products we personally use, ride and prefer. It is by extension the team’s motto as well.


So back to the platter at hand: season 6 episode 1: The 2011 season begins with the team unveiling. This year our roster remains practically the same and we are very proud of the bond we have weaved with our racers, creating a family type atmosphere. When racing with a team and on the road every other weekend, it’s important to get along with your teammates. The synergy with the Lama crew is pretty much as good as it gets and that’s what makes the whole racing experience so much better. It’s not only a whole season on our bikes, racing down awesome tracks, but also a season with friends with whom we have a blast. Whether it’s chilling in the condo, laughing our asses off in the lifts on the way up, having fun trying impossible lines in rough sections or swapping stories in the pits with our techs we couldn’t ask for a better group of people to hang out with. Each brings his own flavour and adds to the team spirit.

Lama Cycles is proud to announce that Yann Gauvin is back on the team for 2011.
Age: 21
Category: Senior Elite
2010 Highlights
-2nd Overall Quebec Cup standings
-7th Overall Canada Cup standings
-6 elite podium finishes (one of them being his first win as an elite)
-84th UCI WC #4, Champery
-81th UCI WC #5, Val Di Sole
-73th UCI WC #6, Windham

Lama Cycles is proud to announce that Franck Kirsher is back on the team for 2011.
Age: 27
Category: Senior Elite
2010 Highlights
-4th Overall Quebec Cup standings
-4 podium finishes

Lama Cycles is proud to announce that Sky Gustin is back on the team for 2011.
Age: 19
Category: Senior Elite
2010 Highlights
-Broken collar bone Tremblant
-4th at Panorama Canada cup
-3rd at Mt.Washington BC Cup
-4th Overall BC Cup standings
"I'm really excited to be back with lama again this year. We have another sick bike/gear set-up to amazes everyone. Last year I was lifting houses with them, this year we'll be lifting whole cities. Tuff." Sky Gustin

I’ve got to take the time to send a shout out to our two (2) team mechanics that do an awesome job for the team and for the other racers without support. Alex and JayPee, you’re the reason our wheels keep turning (quite smoothly I might add!). So thanks for being part of our racing family!


For those who don’t know, race techs are as rare as rocking horse shit. When putting a team together, it’s hard to find good racers with ambassador skills but it is even harder to find talented and dedicated mechanics. The time, effort, odd and rough hours they put into the team bikes is astonishing. As proud as they are, a team bike’s condition will reflects this pride. And our techs make sure everything is tip top, even if that means working past sundown and eating supper in the pits after everyone else has packed up and called it a day. Now that’s true dedication, especially considering the conditions they work in and the minimal pay.


This success is only possible with the best products, riders and support out there. We would like to welcome our new sponsors to the Lama Cycles team for 2011 and thank the continuing ones for their commitment to the program.

In addition to Lama Cycles distribution co. and Morewood Bikes, the Lama Cycles team is sponsored by Industry Nine, Kali Protectives, Straitline Components, Formula Brakes, Nema International, Maxxis Tires, Five Ten, ODI, SDG, Manitou, Spy Optic, SkiBromont.com, Finish Line, Sport Beans, OGIO, THULE, Camp of Champion and NSK.

We invite you to meet up with our riders at SkiBromont where we frequently ride and to follow up on the team's evolution throughout the season on www.lamacycles.com, our facebook page and our Pink Bike page.