Next up on the chopping block at Bike198 is the Mission 4 from Diamondback. This 150mm rear wheel travel all mountain styled mountain bike comes kitted out with some of the best the industry has to offer with the Truvativ Hammerschmidt AM mated to a 9 speed X.0 drivetrain with top of the line Fox Racing Shox components to handle the suspension work. The Mission 4 is the top of the line in the Mission lineup with several more options all the [...]
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Review: Specialized Enduro SL Pro Carbon – Sub 30 lbs 160mm
For the past 7 months, the Bike198 crew has been ripping up the Specialized Enduro SL Pro Carbon 160mm travel mountain bike around the southeast on trails ranging from cross country to light free ride. This sub 30 pound AM killer from Specialized was redesigned for the 2010 model year and brought many of the previous requests of Enduro owners to the trail. Let’s take a look at the changes and how the Enduro SL Pro Carbon performed when rubber [...]
Specialized S-Works Epic Carbon 29er Mountain Bike Revealed
The Specialized Epic Carbon 29er marks a new entry point for Specialized Mountain Bikes…a race worthy 29er that is going to see podium spots. Up until this point, Specialized only had the Stumpjumper HT available in carbon for those that loved the big wheeled platform. If you wanted full suspension carbon, you had to settle for the 26″ version of the Epic. Now, with the introduction of the 2011 Specialized Epic Carbon 29er, we are going to see a full [...]
Video: 2011 Cannondale Jekyll – Adjustable 150mm Trail Bike
Cannondale is completely revamping their mountain bike lineup for 2011. This new lineup from Cannondale bikes is the first complete redesign since the Doral buyout, so all eyes are on Cannondale to see if they can keep the “boutique” feel going with big box backing. As part of the new mountain bike lineup announcement, the big C brought back the Jekyll. To bring back an old mountain bike legend like the Jekyll, Cannondale knew they couldn’t bring just another run [...]
First Look: Santa Cruz Tallboy – Carbon 29er Mountain Bike
Santa Cruz Bicycles finally came to the market with a 29er mountain bike. From the looks of the Tallboy, it appears that Santa Cruz didn’t want to jump into 29ers with a “me too” product just to have something to offer. Instead, they jumped in head first to produce a full carbon, full suspension, 29er frame featuring their VPP (Virtual Pivot Point) suspension design. With the ability to run a 100mm or 120mm front fork, this 100mm (4 inches) travel [...]
Santa Cruz V10 Carbon – Long Travel Carbon DH Bike
Yes…you are looking at a carbon Santa Cruz V10 with carbon Edge rims. For those of you that don’t already know, the V10 is a 10″ travel sled from Santa Cruz that has carried Steve Pete and the rest of the Santa Cruz Syndicate to multiple victories and championships. With the addition of the carbon Nomad released earlier this year, the carbon V10 is showing Santa Cruz’s dedication to the carbon platform on longer travel mountain bikes. Who would have [...]
First Look: Ellsworth Glimpse – Affordable 5.5″ from Ellsworth Bikes
Ellsworth Glimpse – 5.5″ Travel Mountain Bike From Ellsworth Bikes: MSRP: $3,299 Frame: US Spec SST Aluminum Shock: Fox Float R (specifically tuned for the Glimpse) Fork: Fox 32 Float R Fit w/ 15mm Axle Wheelset: Ellsworth All Mountain Bars: Easton Monkey Lite Stem: Easton EA70 Seatpost: Easton EC90 Crankset: Shimano SLX 175mm Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX Features Shaped, Swaged and Tapered tubing Instant Center Tracking (ICT) suspension technology Anti-Squat Tuning and optimization Drawn seamless tapered [...]
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 [...]
First Look: Specialized Enduro Pro Carbon Mountain Bike
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 hill now? For 2010, Specialized revamped the FSR suspension on the Enduro to more of a direct push [...]
Review: Turner 5.Spot Mountain Bike – 140mm DW-Link Suspension
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 5.Spot still have that unique Turner feel? [...]
Review: Niner W.F.O. 9 – 5.5″ Travel 29er Mountain Bike
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 parks. After a talk with Chris Sugai over at Niner Bikes (check [...]
The Best MTB Reviews of 2009 on Bike198
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 moving to Bike198.com…and with that…we are opening up [...]
Quick Review: Eriksen 29er Mountain Bike – First Impressions
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, he let me demo one of his 29’er hard tail mountain bikes. Kent [...]
First Look: Niner W.F.O. 9 Review – Long Travel 29er Mountain Bike
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 of these rigs and hit dedicated downhill runs on big wheels. Needless to say…this mountain [...]
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