Flash Review — 2023 Santa Cruz Tallboy
Santa Cruz calls the Tallboy a "downhiller's XC bike" and our early impressions are that it's a good one.
Mountain Bike Reviews
Reserve 30|HD Wheels
We've been spending a lot of time on the new Reserve 30|HD wheels, and they've proven to be a nice update to the longstanding and super-popular Reserve 30.
2023 Santa Cruz Hightower
The Santa Cruz Hightower has long been a very versatile, well-rounded Trail bike, and with the new V3 bike, Santa Cruz hasn’t messed with a good thing too much. But they’ve still found things to refine and improve, and the Hightower remains a very good all-rounder.
2022 Pivot Firebird
Pivot talks a big game about the Firebird being a hardcore Enduro race bike first and foremost, and having spent several months on the bike, they’re right to — it’s a good one.
9point8 Fall Line Dropper Post
The 9point8 Fall Line is a lightweight dropper post with a bunch of unusual features that set it apart from many of its competitors.
Flannel Shirt Roundup — 2022
Flannels — they’re basically the unofficial uniform of fall, and for good reason. Cozy enough to lounge in at home, and (usually) nice-looking enough for town. Check out our roundup for a bunch of options for women and men.
Camelbak M.U.L.E. Pro 14 100 oz
Camelbak is a very well-known name when it comes to hydration packs, and the M.U.L.E. name has been in their lineup since the ‘90s. This experience definitely shows in the M.U.L.E. Pro 14 100 oz, and it has a generous feature set and storage space that could work for a lot of riders.
Hope Tech 4 V4
Hope’s disc brakes got a major overhaul in the form of the new Tech 4 generation earlier this year, and that brought a very major increase in power to the range. But how does their burliest brake, the Tech 4 V4, compare to the competition? Check out our full review.
Giro Latch Flat Pedal Shoe
The Giro Latch is a flat pedal shoe designed for all-around use, going squarely head-to-head with the venerable Five Ten Freerider Pro, and the Latch succeeds at being a compelling alternative with good grip, solid durability, and a comfortable fit.
RockyMounts GuideRail
RockyMounts’ new GuideRail looks quite a bit like the venerable 1Up hitch rack, which has been a longtime favorite of many, but having now spent a lot of time with both, the Guiderail is significantly nicer to use in several key ways.
2023 RockShox ZEB
RockShox recently gave their longest-travel single-crown fork, the ZEB, a major overhaul, and the new fork is a big improvement in several key areas — without really compromising what the previous version already did very well. Check out our full review for the rundown, including how it compares to the Fox 38 and Öhlins RXF38.
LoamLab Components Grips and Counterpunch
A lot of mountain bikers have probably crashed by clipping a tree with the outside of their bar. LoamLab’s Counterpunch is meant to save folks from some of those crashes (and potential broken pinkies) with a subtle aluminum guard that replaces the outer clamp of a lock-on grip — and having gone and punched some trees with them, they work.
2022 Rocky Mountain Element
The Rocky Mountain Element has long been a traditional XC race bike, but the new one very much is not. It’s got a bunch more suspension travel and wildly more aggressive geometry than the bike it replaced, but still maintains a fair bit of XC influence, too. So how does that all add up, and who is it going to work best for?
Women’s MTB Jersey Roundup — 2022
In our Women’s MTB jersey roundup, we’ve got nine options across a range of sleeve lengths and levels of warmth, from full-on technical pieces to ones that look great off the bike, too.
Men’s MTB Jersey Roundup — 2022
We’ve been testing a ton of mountain bike jerseys across a huge range of styles and intended use cases, and in our men’s roundup, we’ve got 13 options to compare.
Sage Flow Motion
The Sage Flow Motion is a beautifully constructed titanium Trail hardtail, but unlike the XC-oriented options of yesteryear, it’s got modern, aggressive geometry and 29’’ wheels, and the result is a whole lot of fun.
Five Ten Trailcross Clip-In
Five Ten’s new Trailcross Clip-In is the first, well, clip model in their Trailcross line, and Five Ten talks as much about its hiking performance as the on-bike portion of the program. So what does that mean for its performance as an actual bike shoe, and who is it going to work best for?
2023 Norco Fluid FS
Norco’s affordable all-rounder Trail bike, the Fluid FS, just got a big update, and while the new bike is marketed to beginner and intermediate riders, it’s got great-looking geometry and a nice build spec that seems like it could attract plenty of price-conscious experts, too.
Vorsprung Smashpot Coil Spring Fork Conversion Kit
There aren’t many coil-sprung forks left on the market, but Vorsprung’s Smashpot conversion kit opens up a lot of options for riders who miss that option. And having now spent a lot of time testing the Smashpot, it makes a compelling case for why certain riders might want to ditch their air springs. But who is it going to work best for, and what are the downsides? Check out our full review for the rundown.
Shimano AM903 Shoe
The Shimano AM9 has been their top-tier gravity clipless shoe for a long time now (and a personal favorite of ours), and while the latest AM903 generation is mostly a case of leaving a good thing alone, it’s got some nice refinements over the earlier iterations.