Let me start this by saying that I am pretty sure I have used EVERY bike specific tape product to protect frames on the market. I have way overpaid for private branded, logo’ed up clear tape that ends up failing by getting dirt and moisture underneath or leaves a nasty glue residue on the frame. It’s frustrating and expensive when all I really want to do is protect my frames from scratches and cable rub. We spend a lot of [...]
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Discount Bike Parts: Where To Find and What To Trust
Finding the best discount bike parts and mountain bikes is going to become even more crucial as years roll on. It is painfully obvious that the prices of new mountain bike frames and components are not decreasing anytime soon (seems like the price of mountain bikes and components keep going up! Check out the new SRAM and Shimano components), so by keeping an eye out and looking in the right places, you can find the best mountain bike deals and [...]
Why Total Bike Weight Should Be Discounted In Purchasing Decisions
Back in the day, when basic geometry was pretty much set and 3″ of front suspension travel was considered DH (hard to believe it wasn’t that long ago), the race for the lightest bike meant you were also riding the fastest rig on the market. With little to really distinguish the differences between brands outside of paint, the weight wars begun and everyone was on track to find the lightest bike that would still stay together on the trail. Fast [...]
Building A Single Speed Specific Mountain Bike Frame
Last week, we took a look at the nuts and bolts required to convert a standard mountain bike frame over to a single speed. As the single speed craze caught on more steam, the mountain bike community started integrated methods typically found in commuter bikes to develop single speed specific mountain bikes with integrated methods of adjusting chain tension. If you are ready to completely jump into the deep end of shiftless mountain biking, here are your options as you [...]
Single Speed Mountain Biking: The Nuts and Bolts
Single speeding is a completely different animal when it comes to mountain biking. The simplicity and riding style is unlike any other form of fat tire obsession. While many think they can just ‘not shift’ and get the same experience…they are wrong. The quiet tranquility and momentum keeping riding style of single speeding is unique to bikes with only one gear. Single speed nuts will tell you it is the only way to ride. Single speed fanatics will tell you [...]
Advice: Buying A New Mountain Bike Frame Or Part
Buying new mountain bike parts and frames can be stressful for even the most experienced mountain biker. On one hand, it is great how many options we have today in mountain bike components and frames, but it can make choosing the right one for your trail and riding style difficult. I get asked a lot about my opinion on other riders buying decisions and while I can’t tell anyone what the perfect bike for their riding style is under their [...]
Top 10 MTB Gifts Over $50.00
Yesterday, we went over the Top 10 Gifts Under $50 for mountain bikers. Today, we take a look at the more expensive side of the industry with the top 10 gift for mountain bikers above the $50.00 mark. This is the drool zone and if you are looking to really make a holiday impact on that mountain biker in your circle of family or friends…this is the list you need to pay close attention to (and forward to my wife!) [...]
Dual Suspension – Mountain Bike Suspension Explained
With all of the new dual suspension mountain bikes on the market, how are you…as the recreational mountain biker…supposed to pick out the best mountain bike for your needs as a rider? It seems like their is a new dual suspension platform for mountain bikes released every week that promises to bring your riding to a completely new level and be the best mountain bike for you in the years to come. In reality, all of these new mountain bike [...]
Death to the Mountain Bike Quick Release – The Birth of Widespread Thru Axles
There is change on the horizon and it is going to be a great advancement for mountain bikers across the world. The death of the mountain bike quick release is coming…and quickly. With lighter, cross country oriented forks getting spec’ed with 15mm and 20mm thru axles, mountain bikers of all orientations are starting to see what used to be a DH/FR exclusive. In all reality, the quick release axle for front mountain bike forks should go away. The thru axle [...]
The Best Mountain Bike – Disproving the Myth
You are on your favorite mountain biking forum or local mountain bike trailhead. You hear a friend or fellow rider start talking about a new bike purchase, and like any obsessed cycling fan…they ask the opinions of other riders in search of their best and perfect mountain bike that will carry their riding to new extreme levels. The first rider to pipe up and offer their intense information for this fortunate rider is normally the mountain biker that is going [...]
Are XTR and X.0 Mountain Bike Components Really Worth It?
A reader of Mountain Biking by 198 sent me an email over the weekend that had a very simple question that plagues the minds of many riders out there as they put together their first high end mountain bike build. I had a random question… i was in the market for a new bike. I have a Trek 8000. I wanted to go for FS and I was checking out the FS Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon. Do you think [...]
The Art of Buying and Selling Used Bikes and Components
There comes a time in every mountain bikers life that they want to upgrade their current sled or get rid of unused parts. This is a normal progression as tastes, riding styles and parts change over time. Some of us fortunate riders carry a huge monkey on our back known as UGI. UGI…or in the medical world known as upgradeitis…is the constant need to have the latest and greatest from the mountain bike world to thrash around some great singletrack or dh run. In [...]
MTB Buyers Guide – Mountain Bike Saddles
Picking the correct saddle for your mountain bike can be one of the most important decisions you make. A mountain bike saddle is one of the essential 3 contact points between you and the mountain bike. The wrong saddle choice can equal ruined rides out on your favorite singletrack. Take a look over this guide to help you pick out your next mountain bike saddle.
MTB Buyer Guide – The Importance Of A Test Ride
So you are ready to buy your first, second or upgrade mountain bike. You have read all of the industry rags, listened to all of your friends and maybe even read this site in your journey to find your next perfect mountain bike to carry you through singletrack bliss. Once you find your perfect ride, you find a local dealer that carries it…walk in the front door and say “I want that one!”
MTB Buyers Guide – Mountain Bike Suspension Forks
9 times out of 10, the first component a rider looks to upgrade or replace is the suspension fork…and why not? Suspension forks get some of the most press, biggest advancements in technology and seem to change on a daily basis. I remember my first suspension fork and the gigantic difference it made on my ride.
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