Gone are the days of 1.8 tires filled up with 50 psi just hoping that you do not pinch flat your tubes and have to tear the tight tires off the v-brake rims. With wider and lighter tires, wider and lighter rims and a wide variety of different options for mountain bikers, you can enjoy the benefits of more rubber in more ways than ever. Running a set of tubeless tires used to mean heavy rims and heavy tires, but [...]
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First Look: WTB TCS Customized Integrated Wheel System
For 2010, WTB is releasing new lineup of wheels implementing their TCS (tubeless compatible system) to provide a lightweight wheelset option to compliment their lightweight TCS lineup of tires. The idea is to bring high volume, lightweight, tubeless tires to a lightweight wheel setup to bring down overall rotational weight while still getting the benefits of running tubeless. The 23mm wide AM version is going right in line with the trend of wider rims at a lower weight that was [...]
Review: Shimano SLX Mountain Bike Component Group
When Shimano set out to design a new budget group for mountain bikers, they ditched the LX (moved to commuter) and Hone (discontinued) packages for mountain bikes to create the Shimano SLX mountain bike component group. This groupo promised to mix the durability of Hone with the proven reliability of LX to give entry level to intermediate mountain bikes a quality component group that might not be the lightest on the market, but performs to expectations on the trail. Sitting directly below the Shimano [...]
Poll Results: Who’s Mountain Bike Suspension Are You Running?
Last week, I hit you guys up with a question: “Who’s mountain bike suspension are you running?” The idea was to get a polling of what you guys are running as your front and rear shocks in terms of brand. With multiple options available on the market, we get to see a spread of usage across all platforms with the simplicity of this poll setup. So…how did everything shake out? Front Suspension: Brand Breakdown from Poll Results Rear Suspension: Brand [...]
Who’s MTB Suspension Are You Running?
Outside of bike brands, the largest competition in the market has to be suspension manufactures. With 99% of the bikes on the market getting some form of suspension treatment from the factory or in the aftermarket, mountain bike suspension component manufacturers are all competing for a spot on your mountain bike. The long time favorites have been Fox Racing Shox and RockShox in recent memory but veterans like Manitou and new comers like Fusion are starting to mix up the [...]
Review: Hive Fifteen.G XC/AM Mountain Bike Crankset
The Hive (recently merged with e*thirteen) has come to the mountain bike component marketplace with some impressive new gear. This Fifteen.G crankset marks the first of crank in their line and promises high performance, low weight and a lower price than you are normally used to from a weight weenie setup. The beautiful black ano blends with just about any mountain bike perfectly, so let’s take a spin and see how these impressive cranks performed on the trail. the Hive [...]
First Look: 2011 Shimano XTR 10 Speed MTB Component Group
The year of 10 speed mountain biking continues to move forward. With SRAM’s release of a completely revamped product line with X7, X9 and X0, Shimano is hot on their tails with a completely redesigned XTR lineup and their new Dyna-Sys 10 speed system hitting Deore XT and SLX as well. Now, Shimano has a complete 10 speed mountain bike component group lineup to hit the trail with in late 2010 and 2011. On the surface, the Deore XT and [...]
New RockShox Release: Reba RLT 140mm 29er Fork
For sometime now, we have been waiting on a competitor for the Marzocchi 44 29er fork (review). The market was in need of another 140mm travel 29er suspension fork to bolt up to the growing market of longer travel 29er mountain bikes. Finally, RockShox has stepped up and they are going to have their Reba RLT 140mm 29er fork ready mid-July! I got word from the crew over at Niner bikes that they are actually going to have this fork [...]
You Voted: The SRAM vs. Shimano Poll Results
Honestly…I can’t say I am too surprised. These two heavyweights of the mountain bike component market have been going at it for awhile now. Ever since SRAM stepped up its game with the X series and 1:1 actuation ratio, Shimano had lost its lack of competition in the world of dirt. With two different component makers competing for the same riders, each has their own series of positives and negatives associated with their contrasting products. Let’s take a look at [...]
Review: Maxxis Ardent 2.4 26″ Mountain Bike Tire – 26×2.4
Gone are the days of 1.8 tires pumped up to 60 psi as we bounce off of every rock and root on the trail. Larger 2.3 and higher mountain bike tires are now finding their way onto recreational riders with 5.5″ travel mountain bikes to increase grip and…with new tread designs and rubber technology…riders are able to get this higher volume and more grip with lower rolling resistance and weight than ever before. The mountain bike component market is really [...]
Battle Of The Titans: SRAM vs. Shimano Mountain Bike Components
As with any great battle amongst the top two competitors, there is a decided split amongst the masses as they choose sides and defend their choice. In the mountain biking world, there is no greater rivalry in the component market than SRAM and Shimano. Each with their loyal followers that scream their greatness from the mountain tops, SRAM and Shimano each offer something a little bit different from the guy down the street in the pursuit of component part supremacy. [...]
First Look: SRAM 10 Speed MTB Components – X0, X9 and X7
With Sea Otter coming to a close, manufacturers throughout the mountain biking industry have released some new offerings at the beginning of the season for the rest of us to drool over before they hit the shelves and retail bike lineups. The biggest news of the year is the movement towards 10 speed drivetrains on mountain bikes, and SRAM has jumped in head first by supplying a complete line of 10 speed shifting options ranging from their budget X7 groupo [...]
First Look: Formula RX Hydraulic Disc Brakes for Mountain Bikes
The crew over at Formula Brake USA sent over a set of the RX hydraulic disc brakes for mountain bikes to review on Bike198.com. This brake from Formula rounds out the bottom end of their lineup but still offers some great features for mountain bikers looking to upgrade their current cross country or all mountain rig. Before these new brakes from Formula get bolted up with 180mm rotors to the Turner 5.Spot for review, let’s take a look at the [...]
First Look: Specialized Purgatory 29×2.4 29er Mountain Bike Tires
Towards the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, we started to see the 29 inch wheel size for mountain bikes get some big rubber. There were other companies on the market that were providing large widths with high volume, but that normally came with a lower, faster rolling tread pattern to appeal to the lighter end of the 29er spectrum. With the introduction of more capable AM styled 29ers (Niner R.I.P, Niner W.F.O. 9, Turner Sultan, etc.), the [...]
First Look: The Hive Fifteen.G Mountain Bike Cranks
The Hive bike components sent over a set of their triple ring Fifteen.G cranks for review on Bike198.com. I first became aware of The Hive components with their introduction of a unique hub coined the Chub, so I was floored to get in some of their components. Triple Ring Fifteen.G Cranks from The Hive From bythehive.com: Fifteen.G brings you cutting edge mountain bike components. If we can’t engineer a product that provides a tangible benefit, we’d just as soon work [...]
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