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...

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...

Specialized sent over their new EnduroSL Pro carbon for review on Bike198.com. This 160mm travel mountain bike frame comes equipped with some of the best the industry has to offer bringing you 6.4″ of rear travel at a weight under 30 lbs. That’s right…it wasn’t a typo…this bike kitted up as pictured weighs in at 29.42 pounds. Ready to go tackle...

The Turner 5.Spot has been the go to trail bike out of the Turner Bikes lineup for mountain bikers looking for a do it all rig. For 2009, Turner Bikes made a huge change to the DW-Link suspension design and the 5.Spot was one of the first out of the assembly line to get the new treatment. With a completely new design for 2009 away from the traditional 4 bar, does the new...

The Niner W.F.O. 9 turned a lot of heads last year by being one of the first longer travel 29er’s in the mountain biking industry. With big hoops and bigger travel, the W.F.O. 9 promised to eat up any terrain you could throw at it…even to the point that some of the Niner crew threw on Manitou Dorado’s and shot pictures of using this mountain bike in DH/FR...

Before we jump straight into 2010 and get to reviewing new products that are going to make you a faster mountain biker instantly (I wish it was that easy)! Let’s take a look back at what we have ridden and achieved in 2009. During this calendar year, Mountain Biking by 198 has seen a lot of growth and a lot of review product that has hit the trail. In 2010, we are...

John Collins headed up to Eriksen Cycles to setup the process for his new titanium ride. Thankfully, while he was there, he was able to grab a couple of questions from Kent Eriksen (you can find the info and interview by clicking here) and test ride a Eriksen 29er mountain bike. The following article is John’s recap of the Eriksen 29er. After spending the day with Kent,...

Niner Bikes has done it…brought 5.5 inches of rear wheel travel to their full suspension lineup. Matched up with the 140mm travel Marzocchi 44 29er fork, the W.F.O. 9 promises to be that 29er that fills your all mountain, freeride and downhill needs. To make matters even more interesting, some of the crew over at Niner have even bolted up a Manitou Dorado to one...