Full disclosure: this was a two-hour test ride, with no time to fine-tune or adjust set-up in any meaningful way. First impressions only. 

I ride far fewer e-bikes than regular bikes, and Sedona has few trails you can legally ride them on. So this review of the Ari Nebo Peak really is a ‘first-impressions’ review. We messed around on the jump lines for about half an hour to test for general shredability and speed of lapping, and then took the bike out onto the jeep trails to ride over as many rocks and ruts as possible. 

Ari Nebo Peak key specs

• Rider Profile: 6’’1” and 220lb with gear. Size X-Large tested
• Suspension travel: 150/140mm front/rear with flip chip in short position (default)
• Frame highlights: Full carbon with a dual-position control on the chainstay
• Geometry highlights: HTA: 65°, Reach: 505mm (XL), STA: 77.5°(effective), Chainstay: 434.6mm, Wheelbase:1,278.1mm (XL)
• Price: $7,999 for the build as tested
• Buy from aribikes.com 

One day they’ll all be like this

As the boundary between heavy-duty trail bikes and lower-weight e-bikes gets ever narrower, you’re going to see more and more bikes like the Ari Nebo Peak. It’s a ‘lightweight’ e-bike, squarely aimed at the rider who wants one single bike that can give them as much trail action as possible, but with enough maneuverability and playfulness to get into some trouble on the fun stuff too. 

It’s not ‘full powered.  The Fazua system on this bike has a 430Wh battery, which some people are calling ‘mid-assist,’ roughly half the 700Wh on something like a Specialized Turbo Levo. The idea is that what you lose in power and battery life, you hopefully gain in agility and playfulness. There’s no bulging lump at the drivetrain here either, because the whole motor’s elegantly hidden in the oversized downtube. Other frame highlights include guided cable routing that has separate channels to keep cables away from the electronics, adjustable geometry in the chainstays to alter length and headtube angle, and what they claim is their lowest standover height and lightest e-bike frame ever. 

It certainly looks good to me; the neat clean lines make for a distinctive profile and it turned some heads at the festival.

Take it light

The weight is immediately impressive. The Nebo feels light enough that you could complete your ride with a dead battery and still have a good time, rather than the  death march home that running out of juice usually spells for a bigger e-bike. It also transfers power much faster. There was none of that ‘cycling through molasses’ drag as it powered into the pedal stroke, unlike some other bigger e-bikes I’ve ridden. The Nebo felt nimble and agile on squeaky, awkward technical climbs, gobbling up sharp rock ledges and slabs, daring me to take the lumpiest lines. The Nebo also got me out of trouble in moments of unexpected traction loss or poor body position. 

The Fazua system’s fun to use, too.There’s a thumb-operated ring control on the left hand side, a little like a motorcycle throttle, that you push upward to change modes. It felt intuitive and quick, plus it has a (their words)- ‘ludicrous’ mode, that gives you a 10s burst of above-turbo power if you hold the control up for three seconds. It’s kinda like a power-up in MarioKart, but without any turtle shells or lightning strikes. You’ ve also got XO Eagle AXS shifting too, for even more whirring and lights, with Rockshox Lyrik/Super Deluxe Ultimate suspension front and rear. The SRAM Maven brakes were entirely new to me, but gave me no doubts at all on the trail given the heft of the bike. 

Flyboy

Overall, my brief encounter with this bike put a huge smile on my face. I love the looks, it let me play around with confidence immediately and it made riding up tough uphill rock gardens feel like cheating – but with someone fun. That lightweight design also made it pretty capable in the air, without the need for huge extra effort to tweak and tuck that a heavier bike requires. It’s still very obviously a chunky bike, and hasn’t created some magical hybrid of electrical power and featherweight handling, but If what you desire most in life is to get in as many laps on the jump trails and DH tracks as you possibly can, with climbs that you look forward to, then you could do a lot worse. I love the looks, it let me play around with confidence immediately, and I managed some respectable jumps within minutes. 

Pros and cons of Ari Nebo Peak

Pros

• Light enough to be ridden with abandon
• Fun, intuitive controls
• Direct sales model makes the price competitive

Cons

• Limited colorways
• The throttle’s too close to the dropper lever
• Frame adjustability feels a little redundant

Bottom line

This bike put a huge smile on my face. 

The article Ari Nebo Peak eMTB [Test Ride Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

We consulted an interactive map from NASA to find some of the best trails to experience the eclipse on April 8. Are you planning an eclipse ride or did we miss a spot? Tell us where you’re riding in the comments below.

All times and durations listed are approximations; be sure to double check the timing for your area so you don’t miss the big moment! Also note that early spring conditions may mean trail closures in some of these locations, particularly the farther you travel north; obey any and all trail closures posted online or at the trailhead.

Remember, it’s not safe to look directly at the sun so please follow the recommendations from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for safe solar eclipse viewing.

Spider Mountain, Station Mountain, and Reville Peak, Texas

2:37p EDT

Mountain bikers will have a few great spots to choose from in Texas, and with plenty of wide open spaces and generally clear skies, this zone seems like the surest best on Monday. The center of the eclipse should pass almost directly over this trio of popular trail networks, giving riders about four minutes to experience complete darkness in the middle of the day.

The Goodwater Loop, an IMBA Epic, is also located within the range of totality, and offers 26 miles of singletrack for your riding and viewing pleasure.

IMBA Epics and more in Arkansas

2:52p EDT

The total solar eclipse will pass across a wide swath of Arkansas, though the totality won’t be visible from Bentonville and the far northwest corner of the state. Instead, riders should head to the town of Hot Springs to ride the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT), an IMBA Epic ride with sweeping views like the one shown above. The Northwoods trail system in Hot Springs could be another good trail choice — just be sure to time it so you’re in an open area for the eclipse.

Syllamo is a lesser-traveled IMBA Epic located northeast of Little Rock that also lies in the path of totality. This trail is densely forested so while you may not find an unobstructed view of the skies here, you will almost certainly experience darkness for three to four minutes.

Mount Nebo is another popular Arkansas riding spot that’s part of the State Park system Monument Trails. The trails here are steep and challenging so don’t forget to turn on your light before you drop into the descent!

Brown County, Indiana

3:07p EDT

Brown County Park is one of the most celebrated mountain bike trail systems in the midwest with more than 30 miles of quality singletrack to explore. There’s a good bit of tree cover here which isn’t ideal for eclipse watching, but fortunately it’s still early enough in the season that many trees won’t be fully leafed out yet. Current trail conditions can be found on the Brown County trails website.

Mohican State Park, Ohio

3:12p

Mohican State Park in Ohio is an IMBA Epic with 23 miles of singletrack. Riders will get to experience about three minutes of the totality at the park, which is located near the town of Loudonville. This is another spot that features a lot of tree cover and questionable trail conditions at the time of the eclipse.

Ellicottville Loop, New York

3:20p

The Ellicottville Loop in western New York state promises spots for viewing the open sky along its 30-mile length. Riders will only get about two minutes in the totality, but that’s plenty of time to take some epic photos of the ride. With snow in the forecast over the next couple of days, trail conditions could be iffy on April 8.

Kingdom Trails, Vermont

3:28p

Kingdom Trails in Vermont is another great eclipse viewing location. The trails are currently closed for the season but Kingdom Trails Association offers this option (from Instagram):

“Although the KT network is closed at that time of the year while we navigate Vemont’s 5th and messiest “Mud” Season, on that day we are opening Bill Magill, a trail on the property that KT owns on Darling Ridge, for people to access on foot for viewing the eclipse.” More info can be found here.

Alternatively, I’d suggest grabbing your gravel bike and sticking to lesser-traveled roads in the area.

Even if you aren’t able to ride in an area that will experience the eclipse totality, April 8 still promises to be a unique time to ride. Atlanta riders will see 75-80% coverage while mountain bikers in Denver will see 60-65% coverage.

Remember, it’s not safe to look directly at the sun no matter where you are, but even in areas with lesser coverage you’ll still see signs of the eclipse. Please follow the recommendations from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for safe solar eclipse viewing.

The article The Best MTB Trails for the Eclipse, From Vermont to Texas [2024] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email jeff@singletracks.com.

Tout Terrain brings MTB trailers for hauling gear and kids to the US and Canada

The Tout Terrain Mule (now available for pre-order in the US and Canada) is a single-wheel trailer with a shock built in for riding rough terrain. The open cargo area could be used to haul trail building tools deep into the backcountry or enough camping gear for a multi-week trek.

The Singletrailer II Sport is a kid carrier, also with built-in suspension, rolling on a single, 24″ mountain bike wheel. This is the same trailer seen in the Danny MacAskill video, Danny Daycare.

• Price: $825 (Mule) and $1,700 (Singletrailer II Sport)
• Buy from tout-terrain.bike

Race Face Era carbon wheels go for lateral compliance

Race Face claims to have cracked the code for improved ride feel: more laterally compliant carbon rims. The new Race Face Era wheels are designed for enduro-level abuse and offer more lateral (side-to-side) compliance than most competing wheelsets while keeping the weight to 1750g for the set. Era wheels feature a Vault hub with 3° of engagement and come with a lifetime warranty that’s said to cover crashes too. 27.5″ and 29″ sizes available.

• Price: $1,599
• Buy from Race Face dealers.

Shimano expands, improves low-end offerings

Shimano announced a slew of new and updated products targeting the lower end of the bicycle market this week. The new Shimano ESSA 8-speed group brings features like a wider gear range and improved chain retention to the casual MTB/fitness/city bike segment. Eight-speed cassettes utilize the Hyperglide design with a 11-45T gearing range while single chainring cranks are available in 32T or 40T.

Along with the ESSA release Shimano has updated the CUES 9/10/11-speed shifters and brake levers to better fit riders with smaller hands. The brand has also improved their 11/10/9/8-speed hubs and freehubs.

• Pricing: ~$160 for a complete Shimano ESSA drivetrain
• Buy from Shimano retailers

NEMBA x Atomic Singletrack coffee

NEMBA and Atomic Coffee Roasters have teamed up to deliver a limited-edition Singletrack coffee blend. Atomic, founded by professional cyclists, says the blend “is a classic medium roast profile that is sweet and toasty with a round body. Our team tasted notes of brown butter, caramelized sugar, and walnut.” Two dollars from each purchase will go directly to NEMBA, supporting mountain biking in New England.

• Price: $18 for a 12oz bag
• Buy from atomicroastery.com

Bluegrass Jetro 3/4 shell helmet

The new Bluegrass Jetro is a 3/4 shell helmet; basically a full face helmet without a mouth guard. The helmet features MIPS-C2 tech plus a full EPS shell and breakaway visor, earning it a five-star Virginia Tech helmet rating. Twenty one vents promise good ventilation and the Jetro uses a Fidlock chin strap buckle for ease of use.

• Price: $270
• Buy from met-helmets.com

The article Off-road Bike Trailers, More Laterally Compliant Wheels, and a new Shimano Groupset appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Claudio Caluori is a seven-time Swiss National Champion and founder of Velosolutions, “a global network of professionals with profound knowledge in cycling, action sports, tourism and urban development.” He’s also a popular YouTube personality, delivering entertaining course previews and ride-alongs with top athletes.

In addition to building pump tracks around the world, Velosolutions recently helped with construction of the XC race course for the 2024 Paris Olympics and is working on an ultra accurate timing app for pump track competition.

• How did you get into downhill mountain bike racing?
• How are you able to talk while riding fast in your Red Bull course preview and Bla Bla Run videos? Does talking mess you up sometimes?
• How is designing and building a race trail different from building a trail for the public?
• What’s so great about pump tracks? Why do adult riders tend to avoid them?
• Tell us about Pump Tracks for Peace.
• Some riders seem to be against asphalt tracks. What’s your take?
• Is trail building and funding easier in some parts of the world than in others?
• Which Velosolutions projects are you most proud of?
• Tell us about Velosolutions Farm. What’s the vision?
• What are some projects Velosolutions is working on right now?

Get more information about Velosolutions at velosolutions.com.

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The article How Velosolutions and Claudio Caluori are Making Their Mark on the MTB World appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Full disclosure: this was a two-hour test ride, with no time to fine-tune or adjust set-up in any meaningful way. First impressions only. 

The latest short-ish travel bike from British-based Privateer is the updated version of their original 141 bike, and there’s some significant changes to the new version. Firstly, the Privateer 141 frame design is brand new — the formerly straight top tube now angles down sharply a couple of inches away from the stem, with a distinct brace between the top tube and seatpost. Also the downtube angle is steeper, with a sharper angle up as it reaches toward the bottom bracket which is slightly reminiscent of the older Mondraker Foxy frames from 2018. Privateer claims this changes the geometry to make  riders feel more ‘confident,’ which I take to mean more planted on the bike, more stable and in a better body position overall than the previous 141. Plus you can switch a new flip-chip in the chainstays to lengthen them if you want a slightly more stable ride. 

Privateer 141 key specs

• Rider Profile: 6’’1” and 220lb with gear. Size P3 with SRAM GX tested in short wheelbase
• Suspension travel: 150/141mm front/rear
• Frame highlights: Aluminium, with a flip chip in the seat stays to switch to a mixed-wheel setup
• Geometry highlights: HTA: 64.5°, Reach: 465mm, STA: 78.5°(effective), Chainstay: 440mm, Wheelbase:1237
• Price: $5,389 for the build as tested. Frameset $2,389
• Buy direct from us.privateerbikes.com

All-new tech

There have been a lot of component changes to this second version of the bike too. Hunt’s proprietary Trail wheels have been replaced with Hunt Enduro Wides and the Schwalbe tires switched to a Maxxis Assegai EXO+ 2.5 at the front with a very burly Maxxis DHR II Doubledown at the rear. The suspension has moved from Rockshox to Fox, with a 36 Performance Elite fork and a custom-tuned Float X Elite in the back. The rarely-seen Hayes Dominion 4-pot brakes are new too. 

The Privateer 141 has a chainstay protector that looks like a chainsaw blade and the notoriously crummy downtube protector’s been replaced with something more substantial.  And there’s a nice touch for riders who put up with wet, muddy conditions: the custom oversized pivot bearings on this bike are specifically designed to keep as much crud out as possible.  

Overall, this is now a bigger, burlier, better-specced bike than its predecessor. 

Weighty issues

The very first thing you’ll notice about the Privateer 141 is the weight. The substantial aluminium tubing size plus welds that look as chunky as any I’ve ever seen, combined with heavy-duty tires and beefy suspension, adds up to a pretty hefty 38 lb total weight without pedals. 

I’m not necessarily against heavier bikes, and this is a deliberate choice by Privateer, but if you’re used to a similar size/travel carbon bike, it’s going to be a bit of a shock. This 141 build is only a few pounds shy of some of the lighter e-bike models on the market right now. 

There’s a simple reason for all that heft. Privateer’s heritage is straight-up Enduro racing, and they want you to ride like a racer does, as fast and as hard as possible down unpredictable terrain.  If the climbs take a little longer as a result, so be it. But if you’re looking for a bike that climbs like a salmon leaping up a river, this definitely isn’t it. 

Ain’t necessarily slow

Weight on the scale and weight on the trail aren’t the same thing though. I’ve tried bikes that were light on paper but felt like riding through sand in real life, and ‘heavy’ bikes that didn’t feel that way in motion, and the 141’s that good kind of heavy. It doesn’t labor or strain in the climbs, isn’t hard to move around or shift body position on, and I stopped thinking about its weight almost immediately. The Privateer 141 is well-balanced, with a comfortable climbing position, and the (relatively) short reach keeps the front end feeling stable, but ready to pop up when you need to. It’s steady, rather than eager, but that’s how a lot of riders climb anyway. 

What this bike is really meant to do is feel very exciting indeed to ride downhill. This is where the 141’s steroidal build really comes into its own.  On the sharp, pointy chunk of Brewer, one of the faster DH trails in Sedona, this bike made me feel like The Thing from Fantastic Four, charging through whatever got in my way, flinging obstacles aside like confetti and generally making a big angry mess in all directions. The Maxxis Assegai handled that weight through the  turns really well, urging me to take corners sharper and faster every time, and the Dominion brakes’ stopping power is formidable. Brewer spits you right out onto a road at the bottom, and I was a little carried away by that point, but the brakes brought me up sharp. I’m no Enduro racer, but I certainly felt like one for a few glorious minutes, and that’s the closest most of us are going to get.

Pros and cons of Privateer 141

Pros

• Competitive pricing
• Extremely durable build quality
• Excellent wheelset

Cons

• Heavy
• Conservative colorways
• External cable routing

Bottom line

This is a British bulldog of a bike, unapologetically designed to do one thing really well, and there’s not a lot of bikes you could compare it to.  It’s not for everyone, but I liked it a lot.

The article Privateer 141 Gen 2 [Test Ride Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Sometimes it’s the least expensive items that we get the most use out of. Like the Swiftwick socks we’ve been wearing for six years that are still going strong. And the Muc-Off spray bottle we keep refilling.

Of course it’s not just about the miles but also the smiles you’ll get out of a fresh Maxxis Minon DHF or a feather-weight Camelbak Rogue Light hydration pack. This week we’ve got a mix of the practical and the fantastical, all priced under fifty bones.

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list and get deals like these delivered to your inbox!

Camelbak Rogue Light 70 oz

$85.00 | $39.99 sale

The Rogue comes with a 2L bladder and this Light version minimizes the weight while still offering enough storage for the ride essentials.

Buy from Jenson USA

Muc-Off Bottle For Life Bundle

$34.99 | $24.49 sale

Muc-off makes some of the best bike cleaning products we’ve tried. The Bottle for Life bundle comes with a re-usable bottle and two packets of concentrated cleaner.

Buy from Muc-Off

Park Tool Carbon Cutting Saw Blade

$15.95 | $8.95 sale

Why risk damaging your carbon handlebars but cutting them with a regular hacksaw blade? Pick up a proper carbon blade while it’s on sale so you’ll be prepared for the next time.

Buy from Amazon

Pearl Izumi Men’s Summit Shell Shorts

$105.00 | $36.75 sale

Woot – hundred dollar shorts for under $40! The lightweight, vented Summit Shell shorts are quick drying with a 12.5″ inseam and feature two zippered frontside pockets.

Buy from Pearl Izumi

Pearl Izumi Women’s Summit Shell Shorts

$105.00 | $47.25 sale

The women’s Summit Shell shorts offer some seriously fun prints, colors, and patterns like the “Lime Zinger Grow” version shown here.

Buy from Pearl Izumi

Maxxis Minion DHF 29 x 2.3

$84.00 | $39.95 sale

One of our favorite front tires of all time, the Maxxis Minion DHF delivers predictable control in the corners and is a great choice for your trail bike.

Buy from Planet Cyclery

Smartwool Men’s Active Ultralite T-Shirt

$50.00 | $37.73 sale

Wool-blend, t-shirt style jerseys are our go-to for trail rides, and Smartwool is known for their high-quality merino goods.

Buy from REI.com

PNW Components Range Composite Pedals

$49.00 | $44.10 sale

These nylon flat pedals are lighter than most of the pricier, aluminum ones plus they’re available in five bright colors (plus black and gray).

Buy from PNW Components

Tifosi Swank Cycling Sunglasses

$25.00 | $18.75- $22.46 sale

The Tifosi Swank is one of the brand’s more popular styles and at this sale price you don’t have to stress about bringing them along on the trail. (Pro-tip: several other Tifosi styles are 25% off at Jenson USA as well.)

Buy from Jenson USA

Wild Rye Women’s Salida Bike Jersey

$75.00 | $47.73 sale

Ladies, grab one of these quick-drying, relaxed-fit merino blend jerseys while they’re on sale for under fifty bucks.

Buy from REI.com

Lezyne Tool Insert Kit – Large

$49.99 | $29.99 sale

You don’t need in-frame storage when there are plenty of other spots to stash tools and supplies. This tool from Lezyne packs an 11-function multitool into one side of your handlebars!

Buy from Amazon

Duke Cannon Scent Seeker Bundle

$36.00 | $29.00 sale

Give these unique, outdoorsy scents a try with the Duke Cannon Scent Seeker body wash bundle. (No loofa required; just use a washcloth, guys.)

Buy from Duke Cannon

Swiftwick ASPIRE Five 3-Pack

$56.97 | $48.42 sale

We’re still wearing US-made Swiftwick socks that we picked up six years ago and they’ve stayed tight and hole-free all this time. If you ride every other day, this 3-pack will have you covered; everyday riders should pick up two packs while they’re on sale!

Buy from Swiftwick

Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article We’re Not Fooling, These MTB Deals are Under $50 appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

This isn’t a truly universal statement, but it is common that in most places around the globe known for great skiing in the winter, there is a mountain bike trail counterpart in the summer. Think of Whistler, the Rocky Mountains, Tahoe, the French, Swiss and Italian Alps, and so many other places.

And then there is Japan, the off-the-beaten path ski destination where Westerners flock. Winter trips usually mean airy, hip-deep powder through sparse trees, and buckets of ramen noodles for aprés. But, maybe to much surprise, six months later in the summer, the opportunities for mountain biking in the Japan pale in comparison to the handfuls of ski resorts and powder access on both the mainland and the northern island of Hokkaido.

That’s something that Allegra, a Swiss company that specializes in mountain bike trail development, consulting, and tourism all over the world is trying to change. Allegra has been involved in trail building projects all over the world and started their Japan chapter last year after growing interest and demand.

How to build a mountain bike culture in Japan

It might seem strange that mountain biking has been mostly dormant in Japan since the largest bicycle components manufacturer was started there and the country hosted three downhill World Cups in 1998, 2000 and 2001. But the reality is that most people use bikes as a means of transportation and not for recreation.

“And certainly, road is a lot more accessible, especially in Tokyo,” said Marc Wyckmans, Allegra’s business development manager for Japan. “So there’s a population of road cyclists. But then when it comes to actual mountain biking as a sports recreation activity, the lack of facilities, the lack of trails, the lack of infrastructure really hinders the visibility or the access to that sport. So that’s kind of where we have to start, if we’re gonna try and improve mountain biking culture, it’s creating easy access to well-designed trails.”

Allegra has been busy so far; building flowy singletrack with the help of Community Trail Design in Fukuoka on the southern Kyushu Island, in the major Tokyo suburb of Yokohama, and in the winter powder destination of Niseko, on the northern island of Hokkaido to name a few.

Demand for these trails has come from within Japan, Wyckmans says, from mountain bikers who are limited in trail opportunities, from bike manufacturers who want to sell more bikes in the country and from private businesses or investors. Most mountain bike access in Japan has been limited to ski resorts with a few trails open in the summer, and riders are strapped for public trail systems.

The trails have to be legal

Wyckmans says that aside from creating publicly accessible mountain bike trails and skills parks, they’ve got to raise awareness about the trails that are available. Though some outsiders might assume that everything in the country is tidy and lawful, there are illegal trails just like nearly everywhere else. And like everywhere else, people try to keep them secretive.

Wyckmans has been in the situation with local riders many times where they agree to show him a great trail, as long as he doesn’t share the ride to Strava or tell anyone else.

“Because it’s such a sort of ‘protect my little trail that only I can ride,’ because as more people ride it, then I’m gonna have to deal with control, gonna have to deal with making this an official trail. We’re not there yet. So all that knowledge is kept very, very secret and it’s still very much a sort of boys club in that sense. None of these trails, none of these places that you can ride are put up on the internet for people to know about.”

Everything that Allegra has its hands on will eventually be visible online somewhere.

Many of the trails that have grown popular with mountain bikers tend to be old hiking trails that have lost popularity, but when there are hikers, there is conflict sooner or later and then a vocal opposition group.

Wyckmans has found hits and misses in working with land managers around the country to gain mountain bike access. There are common public areas and open spaces which tend to be easier to build trails, but unfortunately land managers in charge of forestry plots have been unreceptive, as their relationships with mountain bikers have been limited so far.

Old forestry areas that have become public land however, do work in a sense, and Wyckmans says the application process is simpler. With old logging roads in place, there’s already a foundation for infrastructure. These old roads can be converted to trails, however that doesn’t make for the most sustainable or enjoyable singletrack out there.

Much like certain areas in the United States, working with private land owners who have less red tape has moved more quickly.

Trails also need to look fun

The benefit of working with a group like Allegra is that the operators have witnessed the evolution of mountain bike trails globally, from the hardcore, old hiking trails that became the early stomping grounds for riders to the new age, fun-for-everyone flow trails that are essentially commonplace in almost every new trail network. One of these trails happens to be more appealing to new riders.

“So that’s what the majority of the trails that we are building are like, because that’s what needs to be here because there’s none of that,” said Wyckmans. “Everything else is sort of unofficial trails. And that’s where most of the riding’s done in Japan: old hiking trails, old forestry roads that have somehow been converted into some sort of trail. It’s not the same experience as a well designed flow trail. So you [build] one of those. And it’s amazing, people are like, wow, what’s this? This is just like what I see on TV. But now I can experience it in my own country. It’s fantastic.”

Flow trails also help alter an old perception of the sport that some may have: that it is high-risk and dangerous, when in reality, riding can be enjoyable and safe.

When more people start riding, Allegra will need to ensure there is a continuum or progression of trail difficulty so riders don’t become bored.

Culture and etiquette

Wyckmans recalled a story where a newly built mountain bike trail directly collided with Japanese cultures and customs. Allegra was working on a new trail project and the singletrack began at a shrine. Typically at the entrances to shrines in Japan there are torii gates: the red, squared arches most of us have seen. Since shrines are considered sacred, the gate marks the transition into the godly realm and there are customs when visitors pass through the gates, into the shrine.

Some residents and visitors might not have taken issue with the intersection of the beginning of the trail and the torii gate, but some did and there were formal complaints. Eventually came a rule, where mountain bikers had to dismount, walk through the park, and then get on their bike again.

“So that’s a really interesting situation to have,” he said. “That’s a unique problem and what is the difference of why, walking my bike is OK, but riding my bike is not OK? Why did the trail have to be put in that position? Anyway, these are the kinds of considerations that need to go into the early stages. The worst way to go about it is to just start riding up and down the shrine and then it becomes an issue. People are angry about it. There’s outrage. You’ll never make progress in a positive sense coming from that starting point.”

Delivering a great trail product

A few months ago, my wife and I traveled 6,000 miles from Colorado to Japan with some friends during “Japanuary,” the few week period between late January and mid-February. So did at least four other friends and their friends in the same weeks, all in search of the endless “Japow” powder brought on by cold temperatures and storms coming in from Siberia.

To our surprise and discredit to the media representation of endless powder, we instead had several bluebird days of snowboarding on sometimes icy, packed powder. We met other Coloradans and folks from the States and Canada who had also made the journey only to get skunked. Of course, when we returned home, we had an excellent powder day in the Rockies and watched social media posts of the storms Japan had received since.

“It’s like going on a beach vacation and getting rained on,” our friend quipped. The snowboarding may have been sub-par, but the trip was well-worth the expense and 13 hours of flying each way.

I asked Wyckmans if he thought eventually mountain bike trails in Japan could hold the same power and beckon hordes of Westerners to visit the mountains in the summer. It’s a hot topic for Allegra, he said.

“How do these facilities and infrastructure benefit the community not just domestically, but drawing an international market? And tourism is both domestic and international if you want to make a successful destination. You need to have foreigners coming in and enjoying your facilities. Now, what that’s going to look like in Asia in the short term is gonna be other nearby Asian countries coming to enjoy sports.”

That means it might be more people traveling from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or South Korea to experience modern mountain biking in Japan since those countries are much closer than North America or Australia.

“That’s what international tourism for Japan mountain biking is going to look like in the short term, I would say. And then you can sort of branch out.”

Mostly what made our vacation excellent despite the lack of powder was going out for ramen and saké after a day on the mountain, visiting a castle, or temple on an off-day and exploring restaurants and temples all around Tokyo. It was impossible to be sour about bad snow.

Wyckmans says that’s a point of conversation in trail building. How can they weave in some culture with the trail experience? Maybe the trail finishes at an inn or onsen or there is delicious cuisine close by.

They’ll also look to the image of skiing in Japan and see how to replicate it for a different sport, but he cautions it’s not a copy/paste formula. After all, the feeling of carving a line in fresh white powder versus carving picturesque, loamy berms are two very different things. When it’s time, they’ll need to build great trails.

“So if we can make fantastic trails, then that’s what the appeal for those international tourists is gonna be,” said Wyckmans. “So it’s really a similar approach to what domestic tourism would look like, is having a really great product that’s gonna appeal to those guys. And then again, working with the tourism board here to promote Japan as a viable mountain bike destination. The same approach that we took for the ski marketing and the ski side of things. It’s a pattern that’s well established. And I think that if you apply the same methodology to it, it’s going to be successful in Japan as well.”

The article Can Mountain Biking in Japan Reach the Heights of the Country’s Ski Tourism? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Carbon mountain bike wheels have come a long way over the years, and they’re becoming a more common choice. Still, only the most high end builds feature carbon wheels today, leaving most riders to consider upgrading at a later date.

Do you own a set of carbon mountain bike wheels? *

• Yes
• No but I want some
• No and I don’t need them

Submit

If you said no, and that you don’t need carbon wheels, tell us why in the comments below.

The article Do You Have Carbon Rims on any of Your Mountain Bikes? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

When it comes down to it, there are really no appreciable differences between cross-country MTB, gravel, or cyclocross shoes. They all need to accomplish the same tasks: be lighter than most other bike shoes, be stiff, have some spikes and lugs on the sole, and be relatively comfortable.

That’s why I appreciate that the brand claims the new Ferox Carbon PNS X Fizik shoe is not just a one-trick pony, and that it’s for XC, CX, and GRV.

About the Fizik Vento Ferox Carbon bike shoe

• Price: $299 ($330 PNS collab edition tested)
• Buy from Backcountry

The Vento Ferox has a dual closure system: a BOA Li2 dial toward the toes and a Velcro “Powerstrap” toward the top of the foot. Fizik says the strap gives the foot security, especially while pedaling at a high cadence in off-road situations.

The sole is balanced for both speed and power transfer with its 10/10 stiffness rating and carbon plate. Then there are meaty studs and lugs for grip in loose dirt when you happen to come off of the bike.

And to keep in line with the rugged, off-road nature of the shoe, the Vento Ferox upper is made from a polyurethane-laminated fabric, layered over a translucent mesh. This, Fizik says, keeps the shoe breathable and tear-resistant.

The shoe comes in four standard colors; black, lilac, mud/grape, and red/aquamarine, with sizing from 36-48 and many half-sizes in between.

The retail price for the standard Vento Ferox Carbon is $299.

Then, there is this Ferox Carbon PNS X Fizik edition (PNS stands for apparel brand Pas Normal Studios, of course) and retails for an additional $30 if you would like for your shoes to match your kit.

On the bike

The Vento Ferox Carbons strike a nice aesthetic, and personally I’d opt for the non-special edition, because I am not familiar with Pas Normal Studios, and the PNS acronym is just not something I love on footwear. I’m sure in Denmark, folks probably don’t think twice about it, but some things don’t translate cross-culturally. Moving on.

I went with my standard size of 41 (or 8-8.5ish) and the fit is about spot on. There is a little room in the toes and a slight lift in the heels, but it is mostly unnoticeable on the move.

The BOA Li2s is a trusted lace system and is one of the nicer dials you can have on a bike shoe, with the ability to ratchet backwards and release tension if necessary. The “Powerstrap” makes for a nice fit too, though it’s hard to say if I can feel any difference it makes at a higher cadence compared to a shoe with two BOA dials. But the strap does add to the shoe’s unique look. That said, it may not be for everyone who just wants a dual BOA system.

The maximum stiffness of the Vento Ferox is great for putting the power down and the shoes have remained comfy with no pinching, discomfort or compromise as they hold their position between foot and pedal.

The upper fabric feels tough and it seems likely I won’t see any durability issues for some time. As Fizik promises too, they bring an exceptional amount of ventilation into the shoe too, but they probably won’t offer too much protection from the elements.

Pros and cons of the Fizik Vento Ferox Carbon bike shoe

Pros:

• Good looks
• Good fit
• Stable, secure and comfortable

Cons:

• Some might not prefer the Powerstrap
• Pricey, though in line with competitors

Bottom line

The Fizik Vento Ferox Carbon shoe delivers a comfortable and secure, but powerful option for cross-country MTB and gravel riding.

The article Fizik Vento Ferox Carbon Bike Shoe Review appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

I’ve held onto the Marin Rift Zone XR AXS for far longer than I should have. I don’t recall the exact date the bike showed up but I do recall riding the Comet Vomet group ride on it at the tail end of 2023. Anything before that is sorta hazy. The thing is, while I love riding it, the Marin Rift Zone hasn’t been easy to pin down. Is it more flash than function? A killer parts spec at a value price? After several months of riding it pretty much everywhere, I can confidently say it’s a solid trail bike that offers a unique mix of attributes that riders won’t find from other brands.

Marin Rift Zone key specs

• 150/130mm suspension travel front/rear
• Geometry highlights: 65.5° HTA, 77° effective STA, 515mm reach (size XL, tested)
• Build highlights: SRAM GX Eagle Transmission drivetrain, SRAM Code Bronze 4-piston brakes, RockShox Lyrik Select+ fork
• Weight: 15.7kg (34.6lb) size XL as tested
• Price: $4,899
• Buy from Marin.com. Select Rift Zone builds are also available online from evo.

The Marin Rift Zone XR AXS starts with a 6061 aluminum alloy frame featuring double- and triple-butted, shaped tubing. With a 2.36:1 leverage ratio, the Rift Zone is single pivot with a rocker link, a setup the brand calls MultiTrac. Like a lot of systems, MultiTrac is designed to deliver “small bump sensitivity and the feeling of a long travel system on large drops and rocks.”

The frame sports internal cable and brake hose routing through the front triangle of the bike. It makes for a clean look up top while simplifying the routing on the back end, and that seems to be a pretty good compromise.

Rift Zone XR alloy models (the XR stands for extra rad) are UDH-compatible and include an updated and robust chainstay protector. There’s a set of mounts inside the front triangle for a water bottle and the frame uses metric shock sizing with a threaded 73mm bottom bracket.

Our test bike features a glossy finish and two-tone fade paint job that turns a lot of heads. The real metal head badge is a nice touch along with the generally subtle yellow text and graphics. Altogether this XL bike weighs 15.7kg (about 34.6lb) without pedals.

Marin Rift Zone geometry

The Rift Zone aluminum models were just updated last year so it’s no surprise that the geometry is looking pretty fresh without going too extreme. The 65.5° head tube angle is just a smidge slacker than the average 2023 trail bike and the reach is longer too. The 77° effective seat tube angle is steeper than the average while the 430mm chainstays are significantly shorter than much of the competition. On paper those short chainstays suggest a more playful trail bike.

Marin Rift Zone 29″ XR AXS build

Marin says the Rift Zone 29″ XR AXS is the brand’s “highest-spec, highest-tech Rift Zone alloy model ever.” Leading the way is the SRAM GX Eagle Transmission wireless drivetrain, and Marin has specced 170mm arms on the crankset. Most buyers will agree it’s a nice change from 175mm-long cranks that have pretty much been the standard for a very long time. Pair that with a relatively high, 343mm bottom bracket height and riders are sure to find pedal strikes fewer and farther between.

Then there’s the newest SRAM Code Bronze 4-piston brakes. I actually got more comments about the brakes on this bike than the drivetrain. It’s funny how such a seemingly simple tweak to the hose position on the lever gets riders excited. And it’s exciting indeed, especially if you plan to run a bar bag or just like the look of a neat cockpit.

Buyers also get a RockShox Lyrik Select+ fork up front, a Super Deluxe Select+ shock, and 29×2.5″ Maxxis Assegai tires front and rear. The Marin-branded, aluminum alloy rims are 29mm wide and the TranzX dropper post drops up to 200mm on the size XL builds. The 780mm-wide bars and 35mm diameter stem, along with the grips and saddle, are all Marin house brand.

Marin also makes a carbon Rift Zone trail bike, and those builds are priced similarly to the alloy XR bike I tested. Buyers in this price range get to decide if they’d rather invest in the frame, or the component selection. My own bias is to save money on the frame and go for quality parts. Then again, upgrading parts over time is always an option; upgrading to a lighter frame would mean buying a new bike.

On the trail

I rode the Marin Rift Zone XR pretty much everywhere and every way you can imagine. It’s a trail bike after all, and not some kind of delicate flower. I loaded it up with handlebar and frame bags for some rides, attached a rear rack for others, and then took everything off again for riding at the local bike park.

Reviewer profile height: 190cm (6’3″) weight: 72.5kg (160lb) testing zone: Southeast, USA

Descending

At some point during one of my flow trail rides I blew the O-ring off the shock. That’s certainly not unusual, but the thing is that I never felt a thing. The leverage curve for MultiTrac suspension on the Rift Zone 29 shows a distinct leveling off toward the end of the stroke that I found really does reduce the effects of bottoming out. The Rift Zone feels composed upon landing three-foot jumps and hucks-to-flat, that is aside from the one time I landed directly on a large rock.

I enjoy descending technical trails even more than riding jump trails, and here the Rift Zone is a solid performer as well. I was able to dial in the RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ exactly where I wanted it, with the rear wheel sticking to whatever line I chose. I suspect the Assegai tires play a big role in the Rift Zone’s ability to track the ground courtesy of the quality Maxxis rubber that absorbs noisy trail chatter. With 150mm of suspension travel up front it’s easy to smash rocks and roots without losing too much control.

In the corners, the Rift Zone XR gets the job done thanks to the tire spec and also the shortish chainstays and long travel dropper post. The high bottom bracket and shorter cranks are welcome here as well, though that’s mitigated to some degree by the large platform Marin flat pedals I was testing which dragged the ground at the most extreme angles.

As I mentioned in the geometry section above, the short chainstays suggest a playful ride, and while they do play a role, I’d argue the part spec and overall weight play just as much of a role, if not more. With all of that in mind, I wouldn’t describe the Rift Zone XR as a playful bike. The bike is heavy so it takes a little extra effort to pop off roots, and while that didn’t stop me from doing so, I probably chose to pop off fewer roots than I would have if the bike was lighter. Here again the tires color the ride feel, excelling at keeping the bike glued to the trail as opposed to urging it to float just above the dirt.

Overall the Rift Zone descends more like an enduro bike than say a dirt jumper or freeride bike, or any bike that’s been optimized for riding-style points. It wasn’t until I started drafting this review that I realized how similar the Rift Zone feels to my own full suspension alloy bike, a custom-specced Canyon Neuron. I’ll be the first to admit that my bike isn’t the most nimble, or playful, but it is more than capable (and definitely fun!) for 90% of the riding I want to do. And because both bikes are alloy I have no problem using them to absolutely plow the trails.

Pedaling and climbing on the Marin Rift Zone XR

The Marin Rift Zone XR is well supported for pedaling with nice small bump compliance that delivers good traction without sapping power. Pedaling out of the saddle does start to feel bouncy, but no more than most of the other trail bikes I’ve tested lately. However the knobby tires and overall weight felt draggy whenever I had to traverse long, flat sections.

When it’s truly time to climb, the Rift Zone XR punches above (or should I say below?) its weight. The steep effective seat tube angle puts the rider in a comfortable position for delivering power to the rear wheel and the front tracks straight and true, even on the steepest pitches. The GX Eagle Transmission derailleur adds an assist in the climbs too with its ability to shift under load. Unlike a few bikes in this category, I didn’t totally dread the climbs on the Rift Zone.

Last year I had a hard time finding a good fit on the XL bikes I tested, and most left me hunched over the bars. The size XL Rift Zone proved to be comfortable overall and tempers a generous reach with a nice stack height. Looking at the geometry chart I might also be able to pull off a size large which I suspect would feel more playful, though slightly less efficient and comfortable on the climbs.

Circling back to the question of whether I’d rather own this Rift Zone XR or the similarly priced carbon version, I’m pretty much sold on the aluminum alloy XR. At least for now, the alloy Rift Zone delivers more rear suspension travel, the frame colors are way more fun, and the component choices are tough to beat.

Pros and cons of Marin Rift Zone

Pros

• Great parts spec for the money
• Frame finish is hotness
• Tough and dependable frame

Cons

• Heavy
• Not very playful

Bottom line

Is the Rift Zone XR more flash than function? I’d say it’s both flashy and functional, though perhaps not quite as playful as the paint job might suggest. Does it deliver a killer parts spec at a value price? Absolutely.

The Marin Rift Zone 29″ XR AXS trail bike looks great and comes with a nice parts spec that promises solid performance for everyday rides.

The article Marin Rift Zone XR Review appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Singletracks Managing Editor Matt Miller joined Singletracks almost six years ago, and today is his last day. As an editor Matt brought a level of professionalism and quality reporting across a wide range of topics from trail advocacy to industry analysis and product reviews. He will surely be missed by our staff, freelance writers and regular readers.

Last week I chatted with Matt on the Singletracks podcast about some of his most memorable articles over the years. The following is an edited transcript from our conversation.

You’ve written a ton for the site and over those years, like, I mean, literally hundreds of articles maybe 1000. I don’t know… I should have counted.

It’s over a thousand maybe.

Oh my gosh, crazy. Obviously it’s impossible to go back and read every one of them but I do want to highlight some of the ones that really come to mind for me. One was an article about the end of the pandemic-induced bike boom. You were one of the first to write about that. A lot of people thought that this crazy demand for bikes was going to keep going but you actually did a really great job interviewing people and coming away with a different conclusion.

I remember talking to some bike shops at that time who had been thrown into the mix and were still expected to keep orders that they had placed during the height of the pandemic, and just seeing the interest in those orders basically evaporate. And so I feel like the bike shops were kind of the first ones to really see this bike boom falling out from under them. We all know now that the industry as a whole is not doing well and, and definitely fell into that trend. I remember that article being a big one and getting way more reads and interest beyond our general mountain bike audience.

This wasn’t an accepted point of view at that time. You were courageous to say that maybe the good times won’t last.

I don’t know if it was veiled optimism from a lot of the brands. Many thought they were going to keep this large percentage of people who picked up riding or mountain biking and cycling in their neighborhoods after the pandemic. But you know once baseball games and bars and everything like that open back up, hopefully some people are still out there riding.

As a journalist you really try to be independent as much as possible and you have been really good at finding out for yourself like, is this true?

Journalism was a third or fourth career for me. I went to journalism school and felt really strongly about being independent doing it for your readers. That is still a very big guiding principle for a lot of my writing.

Yeah, that’s awesome. And you’ve definitely left your mark. Another one of your articles that’s not so serious but was extremely popular was a commentary on a Toyota marketing campaign that included an image of a mountain biker. How did you come across that?

Originally Toyota had posted an image to its Instagram and they were just getting trashed by mountain bikers and mountain bike influencers in the comment section. Obviously this isn’t like hard hitting news, but being a small, independent mountain bike website gives us room to comment on it. And so yeah, I kind of turned it into a news article in the sense that Toyota tried to appeal to mountain bikers by having a photo of this guy or gal or whoever it was, clad in this dirt bike kit. They’re like towering over this bike that looks like a Walmart bike, to be honest.

And it was all black like maybe they were trying to hide what kind of bike it was so that it wasn’t distracting.

Yeah, they probably just took a can of spray paint to it. But the other fun thing is that I own a 4Runner. Many of my friends own 4Runners or Tacomas or Tundras. Toyota is a hugely popular brand with mountain bikers and so it was fun to poke fun at them from the perspective of mountain bikers not really needing to be in the ads. You’re doing a good enough job but your marketing department kind of botched it on this one.

Did you ever hear from anybody at the brand or anything?

No but they came out with follow-up ads were like ‘the gloves are off now’ or like ‘the training wheels are off now’ or something like that. And they posted a more authentic-looking mountain biker. They still had ankle socks. You’re almost there, but maybe I’m just picky about socks, I don’t know.

That’s funny. Another series of articles that you wrote looked at wildfires and how that impacts mountain biking. The coverage wasn’t necessarily mountain-bike specific since obviously this affects a lot of things from recreation to people’s homes and it’s a huge topic and you did a great job researching it.

There was a ton of research and if you live in the Western US or even in the East with all the smoke coming down from Canada, you’re dealing with some trail-related impact from wildfires, whether it’s too smoky to have an enjoyable ride or the forest that you’re trying to ride in is closed because there’s massive fire damage. Or it’s a year or two after the fire has come and gone and you get rainstorms and then erosion and all these things have a big impact on the trail. So learning about forest fires and forest conservation and forest health is still really fascinating to me because it is an ecosystem but it’s also this little economy of all these parts that work together.

I’m interested to know which other stories were your favorites to cover or were there certain topics that you enjoyed the most?

Because I have — I don’t know if I would call it old school but — a rigid standard of journalism influence in my work, I do love trail access reporting. So I reported on the population boom in Colorado and how mountain biking has kind of evolved past some of the old ways of management. That was one of my favorites.

The reporting I did in Copper Harbor after some of the trail closures out there was great. There are so many different stakeholders to talk to and you kind of look at this like here’s what’s going on. Why is the trail closed? Local governments are worried about being sued even though if you talk to lawyers, they weren’t necessarily at risk. And then the question is, is this going to have an effect on the economy, on tourism? I like digging into those stories and having pages and pages of research and trying to figure out how to weave it all together.

There’s a recent one on hunting groups and their opposition to mountain bike trails in Steamboat Springs, Colorado that I wrote in December. That one was interesting to tackle because I’m a new hunter and so seeing the values that hunting groups have and how that interferes with potential new mountain bike trails is a clash of ideals for public land which everybody is entitled to in some aspect.

But I think that my favorite thing honestly was just being at a publication where I can write about almost anything as long as it’s related to mountain biking. So there’s, there’s a number of essays that I wrote and honestly, like, I feel like I got the most valuable or the most heartfelt reader feedback where I get a lot of personal emails thanking me for something I wrote, which is always nice.

For other writers, if you’re willing to open yourself up and be vulnerable to an audience, the audience generally returns the favor. People appreciate that kind of writing and that’s what made me want to be a writer.

I’ve done so many bike reviews that they feel fairly formulaic to turn out but every once in a while you’ll just hit the nail on the head and a review will do really well. Or you review something a little oddball, like an internally geared bike.

I would just say having the ability to write a multitude of different types of articles — essays, opinions, reviews and reporting — and having the ability to connect with readers on every type of writing was my favorite. There are a lot of digital mountain bike publications out there that solely focus on gear and I think it would have gone crazy if I was in that position.

Well you offer great advice for any writer in terms of being open and honest and vulnerable sometimes. Hopefully this is something that your replacement is reading and they’ll be able to pick up the torch and carry it on. What can you share with us about what you’re moving on to next?

I accepted a technical writing job with the Federal Aviation Administration. It seems like a pretty big jump from what I’m doing right now and it definitely is. I would add that I’m a military veteran and if you are a vet, there are pathways to get into the federal government which is notoriously difficult to get into. So it’s a change of pace for me and my wife trying to start a family. It’ll be a really solid foundation for us to have. So I’m excited about it and I’m planning to continue freelancing as long as you guys will have me.

Yeah, absolutely.

As much as I love mountain biking, and as big of a part of my life as it is, it’ll be nice not to have it consume my life for now.

We’ll certainly miss you, and your contributions will be felt here for a long time for sure. And we’re looking forward to having you come back every now and then to share your words with us.

Yeah I appreciate it. It’s been a dream. Eight years ago I decided I’m gonna give this journalism thing a shot and at the time I was going through school a lot of my professors, hardcore newspaper journalists and magazine journalists, were watching the Denver Post fall apart and get acquired by private equity firms and just gutted. And that was happening at every major newspaper across the country. So it was a long shot for me to get any sort of full time journalism job out of school. And looking back I would have loved to get into some sort of newspaper job back then, but then things worked out with Singletracks. I guess it’s not surprising if you look at the way that Singletracks is managed as an independent publication, but it is great to see it doing well in when many publications are not. I think that speaks to independent journalism and smart management. I’m really fortunate to have put in six years in this dream job as a mountain bike journalist and editor. I’m super grateful for the experience.

Singletracks will continue to publish Matt’s final articles over the next couples of weeks.

The article Farewell to the One and Only Matt Miller, Singletracks Managing Editor appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

A little over a year ago, my friend became coil-curious. We were on a ride, and he saw another mountain biker riding the same bike but with a coil shock. As we climbed back into his truck, he made up his mind—he would buy a coil shock.

He researched coil shocks for a few weeks, speaking of how plush coil-sprung suspension rides and its simplicity as if he were trying to convince me to make the switch. All reasons aside, we all know why he wanted a coil shock—they look cool.

So, after a handful of weeks, my buddy pulled the trigger on a coil shock he found on Facebook Marketplace. He carefully ensured this new shock would fit his bike, confirming the eye-to-eye measurement and stroke length. He purchased the shock, brought it home to install, and realized he had made a terrible mistake. 

The coil shock he’d purchased was a trunnion mount. His bike frame was not.

My friend, who was somewhat new to mountain biking, was unaware of the two different shock mounting systems: standard and trunnion. Fortunately, he resold the coil shock, recouping his initial loss. Sadly, he has yet to experience the plushness of coil-sprung suspension.

Why are there two different styles of shock mounts in the first place, embarrassing my friend so? What is the difference between trunnion and standard shocks, and why have more brands been using the trunnion option?

Naturally, I scoured the depths of the internet, and reached out to some industry experts to find the answers to these very questions.

Important factors and the big difference

Regardless of whether a shock is standard or trunnion mount, both styles have some of the same essential factors. There are two crucial measurements on either: eye-to-eye and stroke length.

The eye-to-eye measurement is the overall length of your shock, measured from eyelet to eyelet. These eyelets are on either end of your shock and are where the shock, using mounting hardware, attaches to the frame. 

Frames are designed to fit a specific overall length of shock. Using a shock with an eye-to-eye measurement that is too long won’t fit, and one that is too short will change your bike’s geometry and suspension characteristics and will likely damage it. 

The other important measurement is the shock stroke. Shock stroke is how much your shock compresses—essentially, it is the measurement of the shock’s stanchion. To be clear, this isn’t the same as how much travel your shock has.

For clarity’s sake, let’s acknowledge that stroke and eye-to-eye length aren’t directly correlated and vary from bike to bike. Just because two bikes have the same rear travel number doesn’t mean they will have the same eye-to-eye measurement or stroke length for their shock.

A third factor, where my friend didn’t do his research, is the most significant difference in trunnion and standard shocks. A standard mount shock has eyelets on either end of the shock, while a trunnion mount shock mounts directly to the linkage through the shock body. This direct-mount happens at the top of the shock, with the opposite end of a trunnion shock having a traditional eyelet.

A trunnion shock also has less mounting hardware than a standard shock. Each standard mount shock has different mounting hardware for each eyelet, depending on the frame. A trunnion shock eliminates half of the hardware due to the body of the shock using the frame’s linkage bolt to mount to the linkage. 

This also means that the linkage on a frame that uses a trunnion mount shock is much wider at the mounting point.

Why have trunnion shocks become more prevalent on mountain bike frames?

There are a lot of needs when it comes to mountain bike frame design. We want long-travel bikes that can hold a water bottle. That means putting a larger shock and a bottle cage in an already crammed front triangle.

But not all trunnion shocks are on the longer travel side. Steve Matthews of Vorsprung Suspension in Whistler, B.C., said that while he doesn’t have exact figures, he sees trunnion shocks on long, mid, and short-travel bikes. 

The trunnion mount’s advantage is fitting longer shocks into tighter areas. However, Matthews did mention a stipulation. “This is usually only relevant if the shock is vertically oriented in front of the seat tube and the bottom of the shock has to be a fair way up away from the bottom bracket,” Matthews said, using the example of fitting a shock with an e-bike motor.

Matthews also mentioned that trunnion shock mounting hardware tends to be much more standardized than “standard” eyelet shocks. “[Trunnion] is also a standardized size—54 mm wide and M10 bolts—rather than the literally 100 different ‘standard’ sizes of shock hardware.”

Trunnion-mount shocks not only make frame designers’ jobs a bit easier but suspension manufacturers like them as well. Since the overall eye-to-eye length is incorporated into the shock body, suspension engineers have more room internally for all the features they’d like to include. 

Downsides to trunnion mount shocks

While trunnion-mounted  shocks give frame and suspension designers a little extra room to work, they can have issues. One such issue has to do with how the trunnion shock is mounted.

With the trunnion shock mounted through the shock body itself, the shock has far less flex. This can lead to added stress at the shock mounts and in the shock as well. “Excessive rigidity puts a lot of side load on the shock when the frame flexes,” Matthews explained. “In our experience, this leads to a lot of premature shock failures. 

The frame, shock, or both could be damaged in extreme circumstances. In most cases, however, this will result in more stress on a trunnion shock, which could mean more frequent service intervals.

The article Digging Into the Differences Between Trunnion and Standard MTB Shocks appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

For decades, small mountain and desert towns across the Western USA have been confronted with a harsh choice: adapt or die. Hundreds of towns have built their economies based on extracting raw materials and resources for the earth. Inevitably, the resources that these communities have been pulling from the ground are exhausted, or the price drops so far that the effort just isn’t worth it anymore. 

So what do you do in this situation? You adapt… or you die.

Mining is one of the oldest resource-extraction economies in the Mountain West, with silver mining predominating in the Rocky Mountains. It’s fascinating to consider the wide swath of silver mining towns in Utah and Colorado and the different fortunes that befell these mountain towns. Consider three classic silver mining towns spanning the entire spectrum: St. Elmo, Silverton, and Park City. You’ve undoubtedly heard of Park City, but have you heard of Silverton or St. Elmo?

In its heyday, St. Elmo was home to over 2,000 residents high in the mountains of Colorado—a boomtown that sprang up around the silver mining industry. Today, it’s a beautiful ghost town that serves as a tourist attraction. St. Elmo is still home to old buildings in varying states of preservation, stupendous mountain views, one bed and breakfast, and a tourist gift shop… and not much else.

In contrast, Utah’s Park City was also founded around the same time (as were most mining towns across the Central Rockies) thanks to rich silver lodes in the region, but today Park City is anything but a ghost town. It’s now one of the wealthiest and most famous mountain towns in North America.

In between these two we have the town of Silverton. While Silverton is still home to ~650 full-time residents, it has struggled to make a successful transition to a sustainable tourism economy. During the summertime, tourists visit downtown Silverton thanks to the popular train that runs from Durango. But those seasonal loads of tourists can only do so much to supply the town with both cash and community. 

While many factors play into the rise and fall of mining towns, Park City is a classic example of the end-stage transition from resource extraction to recreation. Today, Park City’s economy is built upon some of the most famous ski resorts in the world, as well as one of the best-developed mountain bike trail systems on the planet.

One of the interesting things about Park City is that while it’s a relatively pretty area, there’s nothing geographically significant about the region. The ski resorts in nearby Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood canyons have much more radical terrain and dramatically better snowfall than Park City. The views from town are decent, but you can imagine the town inhabiting any one of a thousand random valleys spread throughout the Rockies. In contrast, both of the other towns mentioned here—St. Elmo and Silverton—boast radically more beautiful mountain views and taller peaks than Park City. But because of Park City’s pivot from resource extraction to recreation and tourism at just the right time, it’s now an outdoor recreation mecca, and the other two currently are not.

This pattern has repeated across the West for decades. First mining disappeared, and then logging was shut down through much of the Pacific Northwest toward the end of the 1900s. And finally, today we’re facing the decline of oil and gas.

The Decline of Oil and Gas Extraction

Despite the global economy’s ongoing dependency on fossil fuels, the extraction of oil and natural gas on most public lands across the Western USA is declining. But as I learned while speaking with Ashley Korenblat, the Managing Director of Public Land Solutions, this isn’t due to a backlash from environmentalists. Rather, it’s simply due to the reserves in many areas running dry—just like the silver mines.

“We’ve been leasing public land for oil and gas drilling since 1920. So by definition, a lot of the land that’s available right now is kind of marginal,” said Korenblat. 

Oil and gas leases last for decades, so many wells that were drilled decades ago are still pumping oil. But eventually, every well runs dry. 

“The reality is, more and more investors don’t want to invest in oil, and some of these fields are getting played out. Like, oil will last 20 to 30 years,” said Korenblat. “When you drill for oil, you pay a royalty, and some of that royalty goes to the local community, to the county usually. Different states do it a little bit differently, but basically, oil and gas royalties fund local and state governments. If you’re looking down the road and each year that [the city] does their budget, who depends on some mineral royalties, you have to assume a lower price for oil and gas. That’s not pretty. A lot of communities are realizing that oil and gas is not going to be a very reliable source of funding going forward. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be some wells pumping along for the next 20 years in that community. It just means that it’s not going to grow,” Korenblat explained.

As communities are faced with these declining revenues, they’re forced to face the stark reality: they need to adapt, or their community might collapse. The elected officials are forced to examine what resources remain to build a new economy upon. If they’ve already been leasing public land for oil and gas drilling, that means that they definitely have public land available as a resource. And one major and sustainable source of industry and economic growth that has been proven over and over again across the Western USA is recreation and tourism.

The Strength of Recreation Economies

Moab, Utah, serves as the poster child of a strong recreation economy in a town that once served as a hub for oil and gas extraction. Even today, you can still spot plenty of oil wells pumping around the Moab area, but now the economy is unequivocally driven by recreation and tourism.

An article in The Salt Lake Tribune says, “Outdoor recreation went from adding $6.1 billion in value to Utah’s economy in 2022 to $8.1 billion last year (2023), according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.” That’s an astounding $2 billion increase year-over-year, driven in large part by hot spots such as Moab and Park City. 

Zooming out even further, Headwaters Economics calculated that “in 2022, the outdoor recreation economy generated $1.1 trillion dollars in economic output” nationally, representing 2.2% of the nation’s GDP. “This is more than three times the size of air transportation, two-and-a-half times the size of oil and gas development, and nearly three-and-a-half times the size of motor vehicle manufacturing and performing arts,” they write.

While Utah’s recreation economy is one of the largest in the nation, similar numbers and statistics from booming outdoor destinations have been studied and replicated in dozens of communities. Towns across the nation have proven that pivoting from resource extraction to a recreation economy is not only possible, but it’s sustainable and even more lucrative than the resource extraction economy that preceded it. 

Yes, the local economies in these towns do go through a transition phase. While a few of the somewhat high-paying jobs associated with oil fields might disappear, those jobs are replaced not just by tourism-related service industry jobs but also by high-paying full-time careers in other industries as well. “We’re seeing different types of companies and different types of professionals move to these smaller communities, and they hire people,” said Korenblat. If you consider healthcare alone, the change is astounding. “When I moved to Moab, there was one doctor,” she said. “I think now you could get knee surgery here.”

The Power of Mountain Biking and Hiking Trails

Public Land Solutions (PLS), the non-profit that Korenblat founded and runs, partners with local communities to do a deep analysis of the natural resources that they have available to identify what recreational opportunities those communities can market immediately and what they can go on to develop. While destinations like Park City have successfully transitioned thanks to sports like downhill skiing, building a ski resort is next to impossible these days due to permitting and the financial overhead. And while some towns might thrive on access to one of the nation’s most iconic rivers, not every town has a river running through it. 

But what almost every town can do is build a high-quality network of mountain biking and hiking trails. “The amazing thing is, for mountain biking especially, you can’t look up at the Grand Teton while you’re riding singletrack,” said Korenblat. “You’ve got to look at the trail. So you don’t need the Grand Teton looming in the background. You don’t necessarily need some giant canyon. The amazing thing is that you can provide a quality trail experience in a lot of places that are not iconic.”

This point is absolutely critical, and it’s difficult to overstate it: with entertaining mountain biking trails, it’s very possible to build a high-quality trail system that will attract visitors from around the country with even moderately interesting terrain. Bentonville, Arkansas, is ground-zero for this model. The rolling forested hills of Northwest Arkansas are almost entirely unremarkable from a natural resources perspective. But with enough investment in mountain biking infrastructure, Bentonville has transformed itself into one of the best places to ride singletrack in the nation.

Now, building a mountain bike trail system from scratch is no mean feat, but compared to the cost of other infrastructure investments, it’s actually relatively affordable. A high-caliber, professionally-built singletrack mountain biking trail starts at about $7.50 per foot. That’s about $40,000 per mile, and for a 20-mile trail network, it would cost about $800,000 to build. 

Sounds somewhat expensive, right? 

Now consider another form of recreational path that many communities invest in: shared-use paved paths, sometimes called greenway trails. While costs for these paths range dramatically, most sources (1, 2) cite the average cost per mile between $480,000 and $800,000. Rounding to the low end at $500,000 per mile, building a comparable 20-mile paved trail would cost at least $10 million to construct—and possibly much, much more. According to pedbikesafe.org, the noted high cost for a single mile of paved shared-use trail was over $4.8 million dollars.

Singletrack doesn’t sound nearly so expensive anymore!

Of course, that’s not to say that paved paths are in any way “bad” or a bad investment. Korenblat notes that paved paths often lead to singletrack and form critical transportation conduits through urban areas. Rather, the point is that singletrack trails—even professionally built trails—are a reasonable economic investment that hundreds of communities can afford to make.

During the transition, it’s not an either/or proposition. 

As we talk about the switch from a resource extraction economy to a recreation-based economy, it sometimes sounds like a lightswitch that’s flipped, shutting off the oil wells and building the mountain bike trails. But the reality is very different. As mentioned above, some of the oil wells that have already been established will continue pumping for decades.

But that doesn’t mean that these communities can’t start building trails right now. 

New Mexico is a perfect example of this. In fact, one of PLS’s biggest projects ever was a comprehensive recreation review for the entire state of New Mexico. While New Mexico’s work is still in its infancy compared to states like Utah and Colorado, the public lands and natural resources are unbelievable—it’s probably the most underrated state in the Union for recreation and access to public lands.

While New Mexico is playing catch-up statewide, forward-thinking communities have already been striking out on their own to change their fortunes. While the story of how each trail system came to be is unique and different, as you ride mountain bike trails in many communities in northern New Mexico, you’ll find yourself pedaling past humming oil wells, climbing up pipeline grades, and connecting trails on dirt roads filled with rumbling oil field trucks. Yes, the noise of the oil field detracts from the natural beauty of the landscape, but as I’ve pedaled along fantastic, swooping trails with gorgeous views in places like Aztec, Placitas, and Farmington, I found myself marveling that recreation and resource extraction can so seamlessly coexist.

It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition while these communities transition. For now, it can be both.

The work might not be easy, but it’s definitely worth it.

There are inevitably hurdles and challenges to overcome with any project of this scale, especially if the entire community is slowly changing its economic focus. Other land users often take issue whenever the status quo changes. If your economy has been built on cattle grazing and oil wells for the past century, it’s no wonder that change is scary. But if the local government has already identified that they need to transition their community’s economy in order to survive, the doors that can be opened are incredible. “The power of local elected officials is often overlooked in the trail conversation,” said Korenblat. “When the mayor cares, that helps a lot. When your city council is paying attention to what your land manager is doing, that really helps.” 

It all comes down to the brutal choice: adapt or die. And frankly, due to their unwillingness to change, many local governments choose the latter option. But for many forward-thinking towns across the Western USA, their fortunes are changing, and biking trails are their ticket to a sustainable future for their vibrant communities.

The article From Oil and Gas to Biking and Hiking: How Western Towns Are Changing Their Fortunes appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

BYB Chrono promises highly accurate race timing

The new BYB Chrono is a multi-part lap timing system for race timing or training purposes. The system is made up of a GPS sensor combined with a wheel-based speed sensor and an external trigger that can be used individually or as a set for maximum accuracy. A companion app stitches all the data together.

• Price: 299€ (Chrono) and 149€ (trigger)
• Buy from bybtech.it

Fox Union flat BOA mountain bike shoe

There’s a new version of the Fox Union mountain bike shoe that’s designed for flat pedals with two BOA dials for an extra secure fit. Fox Racing has been making moves in the MTB footwear market lately, officially completing its acquisition of Ride Concepts earlier this year.

• Price: $225.95
• Buy from foxracing.com

Deviate Claymore MX

The Deviate Claymore MX is the brand’s first mixed wheel bike, delivering 165mm of rear wheel travel with a high-pivot design. Rather than simply swap the linkage on the existing Claymore 29, Deviate went with an all-new rear triangle to optimize ride feel and performance.

• Price: $3,200 (frame)
• Reserve at deviatecycles.com

New Feedback Sports bike tools

There’s a trio of new Feedback Sports tools, all in plier form. The adjustable wrench, mini diagonal cutters, and mini needle nose pliers aren’t necessarily bike specific but they do appear to be high quality tools.

• Price: $30-55
• Buy from Feedback Sports

Wolftooth singlespeed spacer kit

The new alloy Wolftooth spacer kit with stainless steel lockring lets you run a single cog on your 10- or 11-speed HG freehub body. There are also new cog colors to choose from, including orange and gold (shown).

• Price: $44.95 for the spacer kit plus lockring, $54.95 for a singlespeed cog
• Buy from Wolftooth

Specialized recently released the S-Works Phenom with Mirror saddle with a concave shape, 3D-printed contruction and a carbon body. The Phenom saddle shape is long and flat and can be used for both on- and off-road riding.

• Price: $450 (!)
• Buy from Specialized

Skratch Labs Everyday Drink Mix makes it easy to hydrate

Skratch Labs, known for their endurance hydration drink mixes has a new everyday formula to compete with the many options on the market now. Skratch says the mix meets two important hydration needs for athletes: The ability customize electrolyte intake or combine with other hydration mixes, and a need for an unsweetened hydration mix for those who don’t want the additional calories or sweeteners. Each serving has 400mg of sodium, 100mg of potassium, 50mg of calcium, 50mg of magnesium and 1-2g of carbs.

• Price: $1.65-$27.95
• Buy from Skratchlabs.com, Amazon and select retailers

The article A New High Pivot Mixed Wheel Bike plus More Accurate Ride Timing Data appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Matt and Jeff discuss the current trends around mountain bike weights. Are bikes too heavy, or are they where they should be given how durable and capable they are today?

This discussion covers:

• Examples of specific bikes and their weights
• Why bike weights might be increasing
• The benefits to lightweight — and heavy — mountain bikes
• Areas where mountain bikes might be able to cut weight

This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard.

Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of
soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of
public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain
biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and
DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need
a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and
gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all
adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more at
ExploreBrevard.com.

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The article Love It or Hate It, Mountain Bikes Aren’t As Lightweight as they Used to Be appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Cannondale has an all-new precision XC weapon on the market, just in time for the World Cup XCO season to kick off in April.

The Cannondale Scalpel gets a handful of new updates, but notably, the frame is made with a sleeker, straighter top tube, compressing the amount of space between the rear shock and the junction at the seat tube and top tube.

What’s new on the new Scalpel

The latest version rides with 120mm of travel–20mm more than the previous–and utilizes Cannondale’s FlexPivot design, still taking the place of a full-on Horst Link design, and saving weight where extra bearings and hardware would sit. Cannondale says the single pivot design delivers the best of both worlds on this bike, including the stiffness that would accompany a single pivot.

“Because FlexPivot remains a true 4-bar system, it retains all the precise anti-rise/anti- squat tuning characteristics mountain bikers know and love from the design. Less moving parts also means greater durability, and every frame is backed by a lifetime guarantee.”

Cannondale also continues to use their Proportional Response philosophy for the Scalpel, so each size gets suspension kinematics unique to the frame.

Geometry

Geometry evolves on the new Scalpel as well. For the most part, geometry has stayed pretty conservative on XC bikes like this one, but we’ve been seeing the numbers get pushed further and further on bikes like this.

The latest Scalpel gets a 75.5° seat tube angle and a 66.6° head tube angle, a 450mm reach, 1,169mm wheelbase, and 438mm chainstays (size M).

Geometry on the Lefty-equipped Scalpels is slightly different in areas like the wheelbase and trail.

Scalpel build levels

Dedicated race builds still come with a 120mm Lefty fork. It wouldn’t be a Scalpel otherwise, right? But on other builds, you’ll find either a RockShox SID or a Fox 34. Oddly, no Fox 32s are specced on the Scalpel builds.

Other build notes include a one-piece carbon cockpit, integrating both the stem and 760mm-wide handlebar.

There’s a wide array of build specs available for the Scalpel, ranging from 12-speed Shimano Deore-equipped bikes with the top-end bikes getting SRAM XO T-Type drivetrains.

Pricing

With Cannondale being such a widely sold brand, pricing is generally pretty inclusive, although there aren’t any aluminum frame builds available, as it’s still a dedicated cross-country bike.

The Scalpel Carbon 4 starts at a reasonable $4,000 price and the Carbon 2 sells for $6,500. The Scalpel Carbon 1 retails for $9,500 and the special edition LAB71 Scalpel with a Lefty Ocho carbon fork, SRAM XX T-Type drivetrain and Level Ultimate Stealth brakes, carbon DT Swiss wheels, carbon cockpit, and a very pretty paint job sells for $14,000. See the Cannondale website for more information.

The article The Latest Cannondale Scalpel XC Bike Ups the Travel for Rockier Courses appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Arguably the multi-tool market is pretty flooded these days, and some tools are better than others. The new Crankbrothers SOS (Save Our Shred) tools can be as minimal or as maximal as you wish, with options for pretty much every repair under the sun.

There are three tool bases to choose from, with the possibility of expanding two of them, for five different full options each, with one main multi-tool that fits each of the three bases. The three bases are either a bottle cage, a tube strap, or their ‘twin tube’ kit, each of which at their most basic level features a tire lever with an integrated tubeless plug kit. The bottle cage and tube strap can either be expanded later to carry the SOS multi-tool and either a CO2 or a pump, or can be bought as the full kit.

Quick facts

• Modular tool system that can be mounted to bottle cage or accessory mounts
• Multiple configurations to choose from
• Price: $29.99 – $119.99
• Buy from Crankbrothers

SOS BC2 Bottle Cage Kit

Starting with the Crankbrothers SOS BC2 Bottle Cage+ kit, priced at $39.99, it consists of a side-loading cage that can be flipped for either right-handed or left-handed loading, and is made of fibre-reinforced nylon that seems to be pretty tough. Snapping into the bottle cage base is a single tire lever with tire plug tool and two plugs hidden behind it. The lever snaps in nicely and seems secure, and there is enough room to leave a loaded plug in there for emergency use. While I never dropped a bottle, the cage doesn’t have as positive a feeling when loading as some other cages. The tire lever is exceptionally sturdy and well designed, and can be used solo to remove most tires. As far as baseline tools go, it’s good, but doesn’t have a ton of functionality.

SOS TS2 Tube Stash+

The second tool base is the SOS TS2 Tube Stash+ which mounts onto a plastic cradle with a wide hook and loop strap for securing a tube. It’s priced at $29.99, with the same tire lever and plug tool as the bottle cage. The strap is big and secure and easily holds a large 29″ tube in place. Designed to mount either in place of a bottle cage or on a dedicated tool-mount. This would be my pick for baseline tools, since if you squeeze a CO2 and inflator in with a tube, that’s all you need for a basic puncture repair.

SOS Multi-Tool

The centerpiece of the range is the SOS Multi-Tool, and it packs an impressive range of tools into a small footprint. The SOS tool has a long, cylindrical shape, and the main body houses hex keys from 2mm to 6mm, T10, T25, and a flat head screwdriver, with an additional 8mm hex bit that slots onto the head of the 5mm and lives inside the tool on a small magnet. Plus the side of the tool has slots for chain master links. The top portion of the tool is connected by a small plastic piece and houses a chain breaker, CO2 inflator, valve core tool and three sizes of spoke wrench. The spoke wrenches/valve core tool work well, and can be used with the tire lever for extra leverage; I found I could turn a nipple well enough without, but it’s good to know I could do that.

The chain breaker head snaps onto the end of the included tire lever for leverage, the main body of the tool driving the pin, and works remarkably well. Both pieces of the tool seem well made with the side plates being aluminum and the tool bits of hi-tensile steel, and are of good quality with a sharp edge. The tool handle is long and slim and makes it easy to use in tight spots, while providing plenty of leverage for tight bolts.

Overall, the SOS tool is a well-considered design and contains pretty much everything you could need out on the trail. The only thing I could think of adding would be a set of quick link pliers.

Crankbrothers SOS BC18 Bottle Cage Tool Kit

The $99.99 SOS BC18 Bottle Cage Tool Kit is essentially the base bottle cage kit with a carrier for the included SOS tool, and either a CO2 or Crankbrothers’ Klic HV pump, not included. The SOS tool is housed in a sealed screw-top aluminum canister and is spring loaded so that it doesn’t rattle, though in reality I did find it maks a little noise unless you get it just-so.

The canister cap houses a couple spare tire plugs in addition to the two already inside the included tire lever. The whole thing snaps into a plastic mount and is secured by a sturdy rubber loop – it’s a bit of a tight fit and could sometimes be difficult to remove, though there’s zero danger of it falling out. On the other side their Klic HV pump can be mounted, or a CO2 in the same way, with an included plastic shim for different sizes of CO2. This tool combo is the winner for me, and for anyone with only a single bottle cage mount; simply find a way to carry a tube, and everything you need is right there. Personally I’d probably carry a pump rather than a CO2, just to be always covered, though for shorter rides I’d take the risk of a single CO2, knock on wood.

Crankbrothers SOS TT17 Twin Tube Tool Kit

Finally, the $119.9. SOS TT17 Twin Tube Tool Kit is a folding metal kit, where the SOS Multi Tool is spring loaded inside one half, and the other half has space for a smaller 20g CO2, or storage for small spare parts. In the center is a slimmer tire lever without the plug kit; despite being slimmer, the tire lever is still plenty sturdy. The plug tool is relocated into the multi tool in place of the T10. Personally this is my least favorite incarnation of the SOS tool, partly because it’s fairly heavy with its all-aluminum construction, and there’s no provision for a pump or tube, and only carries a smaller CO2 suitable for narrower tires. However, for those who don’t want to carry a pump, and already have a tube stashed somewhere and want a really clean looking mounting solution, this could be the one. The weight and price penalties combined with form over function makes it less appealing to me though.

Bottom line

It’s pretty much impossible to design an on-bike tool system that does literally everything with no downside. It would be great to include quick-link pliers and another nice-to-have would be the ability to carry a Dynaplug tool. Additionally I think a package including a pump would really finish the line off. I realize that I’m really nitpicking here, and overall I’m really impressed — the SOS tools give me a sense of security on big and small rides alike and perform admirably when needed. I’ll happily continue to use and recommend them.

I really like being able to shift the tools from my person to my bike. There’s nothing gimmicky about the SOS tool, even as a standalone tool. It’s well designed and highly functional with a quality feel and a high level of practicality.

The five variations of SOS tool offer a good blend of price vs. performance, and there’s just about something for everyone. I like that that the system is modular, and while the bases can be a little fiddly to mount since there are a few pieces to align, once mounted they feel sturdy and are well up to task. The BC18 and TS18 bottle cage and tube stash solutions with all the add-ons are the standouts for me, representing decent value and when combined with a CO2 or the $39.99 Klic HV pump, deliver a solution for pretty much any eventuality. Both in terms of price and functionality, the SOS tools is a genuine rival to the OneUp EDC tool which is the gold standard of on-bike tool storage.

• Buy from Crankbrothers

The article New Crankbrothers SOS Tools Deliver Versatile Trailside Fixes appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Yes, mountain bikes are still on sale! But we’re not just talking about that leftover size XXL top-of-the-line build. Now is the time to save on some of the latest Santa Cruz bikes with sweet upgrades like GX or X0 Eagle Transmission, Reserve carbon wheels, and even a few mixed wheel setups.

The popular brand is well known for their modern design, quality construction, thoughtful builds and post-purchase support, and while their bikes can be expensive, they typically offer some of the best value overall. Here are some great choices you should definitely consider while these Santa Cruz bikes are on sale.

Not every online retailer has all the sizes and colors so we picked out the ones with the most selection here. Also, expect to pay extra for shipping. These are the oversize shipping costs for complete bikes from the retailers listed below:

• Backcountry – $79 shipping (US)
• Competitive Cyclist – $79 shipping (US) + 30-day free returns on bikes
• Jenson USA – $85 shipping (US)
• evo – $69 shipping (US)

Santa Cruz 5010

The Santa Cruz 5010 is a mixed wheel trail bike with 140/130mm of travel front/rear. The carbon frame boasts progressive geometry, in-frame storage, and UDH compatibility.

This C S build features Maxxis tires, a RockShox Pike Select+ fork, RaceFace aluminum alloy wheels, and 4-piston SRAM brakes with 200mm rotors.

C S Build Price: $5,799.00 | $4,999.00 sale

Buy at: Backcountry (green only) | Competitive Cyclist (green only) | evo

Upgrade! The C GX Eagle Transmission build gives buyers wireless shifting plus upgraded brakes for $900 more.

C GX Eagle Transmission Build Price: $6,899.00 | $5,899.00 sale

Buy at Competitive Cyclist (black only) | Jenson USA (M,L only) | evo

Santa Cruz Tallboy

The Santa Cruz Tallboy is the brand’s short-travel, downcountry bike with 130/120mm of suspension travel front/rear. This build is said to weigh just a touch over 30lb and comes with a Fox 34 Performance fork, GX Eagle mechanical drivetrain, Maxxis tires, and Race Face alloy wheels.

C S Build Price: $5,499.00 | $4,899.00 sale

Buy at Competitive Cyclist | Jenson USA | evo

Santa Cruz Bronson

The Santa Cruz Bronson has long been a category-defining mountain bike. With 160/150mm of suspension travel front/rear, the latest generation Bronson is mixed-wheel and features size-specific seat tube angles.

The C S build comes with a Fox 36 Performance fork, 12-speed SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, Maxxis Minion tires, and 4-piston SRAM Code R brakes.

C S Build Price: $5,899.00 | $5,099.00 sale

Buy at: Backcountry | Competitive Cyclist | evo

If you need the latest and greatest, this CC build is the one to get while it’s on sale. Upgrade to a SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission drivetrain, RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork, 4-piston SRAM Code Silver brakes, and carbon bars.

CC X0 Eagle Transmission Build Price: $7,999.00 | $6,899.00 sale

Buy at: Backcountry | Competitive Cyclist | Jenson USA (large only)

Santa Cruz Hightower

The Santa Cruz Hightower is the brand’s do-all 29er trail bike with 150/145mm of suspension travel front/rear. Both of the carbon frames linked below feature Glovebox in-frame storage, modern geo, and UDH compatibility.

The C S build comes with a Fox 36 Performance fork, SRAM GX Eagle mechanical drivetrain, and SRAM Code R 4-piston brakes.

C S Build Price: $5,899.00 | $5,099.00 sale

Buy at: Competitive Cyclist | Jenson USA | evo

The CC X0 Transmission build comes with the latest and greatest SRAM electronic drivetrain, Reserve carbon wheels (!), RockShox Ultimate suspension, and SRAM Code Silver Stealth brakes. Buy this build and you won’t need to upgrade a thing.

CC X0 Eagle Transmission Reserve Build Price: $8,999.00 | $7,999.00 sale

Buy at: Backcountry | Competitive Cyclist

Santa Cruz Megatower

The Megatower is the Santa Cruz enduro 29er with 170/165mm of travel front/rear. Like the Hightower the frame features Glovebox in-frame storage and is UDH-ready.

The C S build, on sale for a hair under five grand, comes with a RockShox ZEB fork, SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, and 4-piston SRAM brakes with a Maxxis Assegai tire up front and a Maxxis Minion DHR II in the rear.

C S Build Price: $5,899.00 | $4,999.00 sale

Buy at: Competitive Cyclist (purple only) | Jenson USA | evo

Upgrade to the C GX Eagle Transmission build for just $900 more and get the SRAM wireless drivetrain, a RockShox ZEB Select+ or Fox 36 Performance fork, and SRAM Code Bronze brakes.

C GX Eagle Transmission Build Price: $6,899.00 | $5,899.00 sale

Buy at: Competitive Cyclist (purple only) | Jenson USA | evo

Santa Cruz Bullit MX E-MTB

The Santa Cruz Bullit is like a bike park in a box with a big, 630Wh battery and 170mm of travel front and rear. This build is really well considered with 165mm cranks, Shimano STEPS EP8 motor, Maxxis Assegai and Minion DHR II tires, and WTB ST i30 wheels.

CC R Build Price: $7,699.00 | $5,899.00 sale

Buy from Backcountry | evo

Juliana Roubion

The Juliana Roubion is billed as a mid-travel enduro bike and with mixed wheels and 160/150mm of travel front/rear, it’s definitely ready to party. This is a solid build with a Fox 36 Performance fork, SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, and Maxxis Minion tires. Plus you also get in-frame storage, UDH compatibility, and a flip chip to dial in the geo to your liking.

C S Build Price: $5,899.00 | $5,099.00 sale

Buy from Backcountry | Competitive Cyclist | Jenson USA

The article Everybody Has Santa Cruz Bikes on Sale. These are the Ones to Buy. appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Once you tip over the Continental Divide on Colorado’s I-70 heading west, there are a slew of mountain biking pit stops before you reach Utah. There’s Eagle, just west of Vail, then Glenwood Springs and Palisade, Grand Junction, and Fruita.

What folks heading west in the springtime on the way to Fruita or Moab might not know is that Rifle, seemingly another small oil and gas or ranching town nestled along the Colorado River, has added 12 miles of new mountain bike trails over the past four years with another six miles on the way at the Grand Hogback trails.

Rifle, Colorado, originally Ute Territory, was founded as a ranching town, but over the years it’s shared an economy with the oil and gas industry and followed its natural highs and lows. The Bookcliffs, or the spiny mesas along the north side of I-70 that are seen all along the western part of the state, are said to have the richest concentration of oil shale in the world, making Colorado a top producer in natural gas.

This isn’t necessarily a story of an oil town gone bust, in search of a new answer for their economy. Rifle probably won’t balk at the idea of attracting visitors and tourists, but Rifle local, trail builder and mountain bike trail advocate Aaron Mattix says that the beneficiaries and primary ridership of the area’s latest trails are its residents.

More for the locals

“I think it’s a two way win,” said Mattix, owner of Gumption Trail Works and the designer of the latest Grand Hogback trail system. “It improves quality of life for locals, for people who live here. And then it does also make us more more attractive as a tourism destination.”

But, Mattix adds, “I would say it was much more motivated by quality of life for locals, than looking to bring in tourism.”

Rifle-area mountain bikers have had access to the Hubbard Mesa area on Bureau of Land Management land for a long time, but it’s also shared with dirt bikes and OHVs and recreational shooters. Mattix calls it the “Wild West.”

A 2015 story by the Post Independent details growing conflict and how mountain bikers and other trail users have had close encounters with irresponsible shooters.

It was that kind of free-for-all use that led Mattix and others from the Rifle Area Mountain Bike Organization (RAMBO) in search of something better.

“We were starting to put more pressure on the BLM and trying to find a way to organize, to address some of these issues and see what we could do to have a better experience for mountain bikers.”

After many conversations and bringing city and land officials out to see the Hubbard Mesa trails, Mattix says the BLM pointed them toward a zone north of town. The Grand Hogback area had been cleared by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for trail development and the BLM was ready to hand it over to RAMBO to start building.

The City of Rifle allocated $80,000 for the project and RAMBO received a $160,000 grant from CPW to kick it all off. Mattix drafted a master plan and started to survey the Grand Hogback.

Lay of the land

When Mattix is surveying an area for a new trail system, he usually relies on game trails to learn the terrain and the most convenient ways to move around, but it was evident early on that few animals had been in the area and he had to familiarize himself with the hills.

“This was sort of challenging, to have like just such a blank canvas really, like not any preconceived notions of the area and also just like the lack of game there,” he said.

Mattix ran into some parts, like deep gullies and drainages that wouldn’t work for the layout, but from the road, where the trailhead would lie, the land rises gradually, making it ideal to build a stacked loop system with a steady climb.

“It was pretty exciting,” he said. “Just the way that the topography is. It’s this kind of series of stepped alluvial mesas. So you have the largest, flattest, broadest mesas down lowest and closest to the trailhead and then they kind of get progressively steeper and smaller as you go up towards the hog back.”

Riding in Rifle, Colorado

There are essentially four stacked loops at the Grand Hogback and each trail or loop climbs and falls about 300-400ft.

Most of the trails at the Grand Hogback are somewhere on the spectrum of green- and blue-rated, but their latest trail, Pete Rock, is an advanced singletrack with rock rolls, drops and alternate lines. And there is another smattering of new mountain bike trails one town over on I-70 in the neighboring town of New Castle, not to mention one-third of the trails at the Grand Hogback remain to be built, hopefully by the end of this year, says Mattix.

He likens the network to being a mix between the rocky and tight trails at the Lunch Loops in Grand Junction and the flowy parts of Loma, just past Fruita. Even in the heat of summer, the dirt packs down nicely and riders can find their speed.

Mattix says the shoulder seasons in spring and fall are still the best time to experience the Grand Hogback for perfect temperatures, and when they’re getting most of the trail work done. The trails will be running again on April 15 after a seasonal wildlife closure lifts.

The article New Rifle, Colorado Trail System Bolsters MTB Options in Rural Western Slope appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

With constantly improving tech, mountain bikes don’t exactly age like fine wine. Still, it’s hard not to grow attached to your mountain bike. We spend hours customizing our builds to get exactly the fit, look, and performance we want, so why wouldn’t we hold onto our bikes for as long as possible?

For this survey we’re interested in knowing how old your oldest rideable — and ridden — mountain bike is.

How old is your oldest rideable mountain bike? *

• Brand. Spanking. New.
• About a year old
• About two years old
• 3 years old
• 4 years old
• 5 years old
• 6 years old
• 7 years old
• 7-10 years old
• 10-15 years old
• 15-20 years old
• 20-30 years old
• 30+ years old

Submit

Share a haiku (5-7-5) about your oldest mountain bike in the comments below. I’ll go first.

Hardcore hardtail once
Now my bikepacking buddy
Rust is now showing 😔

The article How Old is the Oldest MTB You Still Ride? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Full disclosure: this was a two-hour test ride, with no time to fine-tune or adjust set-up in any meaningful way. First impressions only. 

My my, we’ve come a long way. The Giant Trance X Advanced Pro SE I tested  is carrying just about as much tech as it’s possible to manufacture; add a wireless dropper and you’d have the complete set. Along with the SRAM Eagle AXS shifting, we’ve got RockShox Flight Attendant on both the shock and the forks too. Throwing a leg over feels a bit like donning the Iron Man suit. 

Giant Trance X SE key specs

• Rider Profile: 6’’1” and 220lb with gear. Trance X Advanced Pro SE 29” size large tested
• Suspension travel: 150/135mm front/rear
• Frame highlights: Full carbon with a two-position flip chip to adjust head tube angle, seat tube angle and BB height
• Geometry highlights (high/lo): HTA: 65.5°/66.2°, Reach: 485/487 mm, STA: 754/762 mm, Chainstays: 436/434mm, Wheelbase: 1,239/1236mm  Tested with flip chip in high position.
• Price: $8,000 (on sale for $4,500)
• Buy from giantbicycles.com

From a tech perspective, this is the latest and most blinged-out Trance X in Giant’s range, with top spec on everything: a Lyrik Ultimate fork, Super DLX Ultimate in the rear, TRP Trail Evo brakes, SRAM Flight Attendant cranks, a Maxxis Minion DHF tire up front and a Dissector tire on the rear. It’s hard to say how much it weighs, as Giant is a little coy on that subject for all their bikes, and it seemed impertinent to ask to weigh it at the booth. But carrying all that tech on the suspension must slightly offset the all-carbon frame and Giant’s proprietary carbon wheelset.

If you like the numbers, and want to analyze every possible aspect of a bike’s performance to dial in it, or make adjustments for different rides, this is your dream bike. There’s a huge amount of custom tuning available in a very reasonable package, and the cost of buying a similar frame and wheelset, then adding the electronics yourself, would easily exceed the $4,500 price tag before you even went near a drivetrain or brakes or anything else. All the bling, all in one place, for an astounding price.

How does it ride?

Giant bikes always have an inherent bulky quality to them for me, across the range, and the Trance X is no different. It’s not a weight thing, more of a design thing. Big tubes, and geometry that plants you kinda down and across the center of the cockpit, so you feel the width of the bars and your weight in the saddle. My first thought as I pedal out of the lot is that this is a bruiser of a bike. The muscular addition of the Flight Attendant kinda adds to that feeling too. The whole thing has kind of a MTB tactical vest vibe about it. 

But that pumped-up feeling doesn’t translate to the ride. The Giant X climbs pretty easily, with a centered-cockpit feeling that encourages a steady, mile-munching style of ascent. Unless you’re an especially gifted technical climber, that’s an advantage in Sedona; too much spirited attack can leave you at peak heart rate in seconds, so it’s better to slow down, take a deep breath, keep the cranks moving and let the bike do its thing. The Trance has my back. 

It’s not as nimble as some comparable bikes in its bracket – the front end isn’t quite as willing to let me change my mind as I’d like – but it does feel very firmly attached to the trail, and I didn’t have any of the mishaps or over-ambitious climbing fails I experienced on similar rides earlier in the weekend.  I avoided trying to monkey with Flight Attendant settings in the app and  just rode straight out, but that stability might well be due to the fork stiffening automatically under climbing conditions. And if you like sci-fi movies, you’ll love the little clicks and whirrs of the motors in the suspension tech. 

That feeling of security and protection is only amplified when rolling down the serious stuff. The Flight Attendant seems to do its job, because the Trance eats up the small bumps, plows over jagged rock edges like they’re inflatables and soaks up my ungainly drops with alarming ease. That bruiser feeling I talked about earlier? This is a bike that wants to square up to chunky downhill terrain and take it on, no questions asked. 

This is where the limitations of a quick test ride really become apparent, because my sense is that if you took the time to work with the flip chip to select your geometry, and to dial in multiple settings for the Flight Attendant to suit different kinds of trails, you’d be able to make this bike into, like, three bikes:  the nimble trail goat it appears to be, an impact-proof park bomber that could take big hits, and a taut XC greyhound for those flatter, faster days. The Swiss Army bike, if you will. 

Another unexpected thought: despite the fact that it’s all advanced and pro and whatnot, and the potential complexities involved in owning and operating such a digital bike notwithstanding, it struck me that this Trance X SE would make a pretty good first serious full suss, or a great upgrade for anyone moving up from XC riding to trail or enduro. 

Pros and cons of Giant Trance X SE

Pros

• Incredible value
• A tech geek’s dream
• Superb suspension package

Cons

• Complex to dial in
• Needs a lot of batteries – a total of 7 across Flight Attendant and AXS
• Lots of own-brand components

Bottom line

If there’s a heart-rate obsessed, gram-shaving, app-checking roadie in your life that secretly yearns for greater adventure, this is the bike for them. 

The article Giant Trance X Advanced Pro SE: An $8,000 Bike for $4,500 [Test Ride Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Mountain bike wheels are a big deal. We asked Singletracks readers what they wish they could change about their bikes, and aside from geometry, the #1 response was wheels. In another survey, the second-most common recent upgrade riders reported was wheels again. Wheels have a huge effect on ride feel, acceleration, reliability, weight and overall performance so no wonder they’re such a focus for so many mountain bikers.

For most riders a wheel upgrade means one thing: carbon fiber. When we refer to carbon wheels we’re really referring to carbon rims, as opposed to aluminum alloy rims which are generally less expensive. Just because a wheelset features carbon rims doesn’t mean it’s an upgrade over an alloy set; quality hubs and spokes are almost as important, if not equally so.

Are carbon mountain bike wheels worth it?

Most riders will see a benefit to upgrading to carbon mountain bike wheels. The main advantages are they tend to be lighter weight, are stronger* than alloy wheels, and generally offer improved ride feel and efficiency. Given these advantages, 60% of Singletracks readers who expressed a preference said they preferred carbon rims over aluminum. Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about the advantages of carbon mountain bike wheels.

Singletracks product testers have reviewed dozens of mountain bike wheelsets over the years, from top-of-the-line carbon wheels to budget-friendly alloy sets. For many, the sweet spot in terms of value is carbon wheels in the $1,000-$1,500 range. At this price buyers may not get the most premium hubs but they will usually find the same rims used on more expensive wheels.

The table below lists carbon mountain bike wheelsets from the biggest brands that are currently priced under $1,500.

Carbon mountain bike wheels under $1,500

Singletracks-tested carbon mountain bike wheels

These are the sub-$1,500 carbon mountain bike wheelsets Singletracks has tested and reviewed.

Bontrager Line Elite 30

Wheelset reviewer: Travis Reill

• Price: $1,000
• Buy from Trek Bikes

If you are carbon-wheel curious but don’t want to spend $2,000 or more, the Bontrager Line Elite 30 wheelset is a great option. They absorb trail chatter well, are significantly stiffer than the OEM alloy wheelset on many bikes, and have a high-engaging hub. But, there are limitations to this carbon wheelset, and you may consider building a custom, top-of-the-line alloy wheelset for the same price. Still, it’s hard to find a set of carbon mountain bike wheels for sale for less than $1,000 today. Read the full review of the Bontrager Line Elite 30 wheelset.

ENVE AM30

Wheelset reviewer: Matt Miller

• Price: $1,400
• Buy from ENVE

The ENVE AM30 wheels are billed as an all-around “Foundation” wheelset suitable for anything from trail to gravity riding and are priced starting at $1,400. (When they were released, they sold for $1,600+). Under cornering power, the wheels remain stiff and responsive and hold their line. I’ve been using the AM30s on my 120/130mm trail bike and they’ve added more character to the already playful and confident bike. Read the full review of the ENVE AM30 wheelset.

FSA SL-K i25

Wheelset reviewer: Gerow

• Price: $1,454
• Buy from fullspeedahead.com

I’ve ridden the SL-K Off Road i25 wheels on some inappropriately rough trails and through all forms of terrible weather and they remain true as the day I first mounted tires. The cartridge bearings feel smooth and clean, with plenty of life left for summer riding.

By today’s standards 25mm rims are narrow, even for cross-country tires. The brand makes a gravel-specific version of the FSA SL-K, dubbed AGX, that’s priced similarly and available from REI. A carbon wheelset with 29mm-wide rims is available too, though it’s priced just above $1,600 so it misses our price cutoff. Read the full review of the FSA SL-K i25 wheels.

Hunt Proven Race Enduro

Wheelset reviewer: Sam James

• Price: $1,299
• Buy from Hunt

Overall the Hunt Proven Race Enduro wheels are a strong contender, particularly for the money. While not light, they’re in line with most enduro-type carbon wheelsets out there, and in my time on them have proven strong and more comfortable than some stiffer competitors. With a lifetime warranty and easily available parts, the Hunt Proven Carbon Race Enduro wheels are a smart purchase for those wanting to spend good but not crazy money on a set of wheels that will last. Read the full review of the Hunt Proven Race Enduro wheels.

Hunt X-Wide Carbon Gravel

Wheelset reviewer: Matt Miller

• Price: $999
• Buy from Hunt

The Hunt 35 Carbon Gravel Disc X-WIDE wheels are not the lightest gravel wheels out there but for a carbon gravel wheelset, they pack a lot of value. They track well over choppy terrain and ride efficiently without feeling harsh. Read the full review of the Hunt X-Wide Carbon Gravel wheels.

Light Bicycle AM930S

Wheelset reviewer: Gerow

• Price: $1,116
• Buy from LightBicycle.com

Buyers can customize their Light Bicycle AM930S wheelset by choosing the hub, spoke type, spoke count and more. We tested a gravity-oriented custom set that priced out to $1,370, though it’s possible to get a set for less (or more). The Light Bicycle AM930S wheels proved to be lightweight and confidence inspiring, albeit quite stiff. This is the lightest set of sub-$1,500 carbon mountain bike wheels Singletracks has tested. Read the full review of the Light Bicycle AM930S wheelset.

Nobl TR37 carbon wheels

Wheelset reviewer: Sam James

• Price: $1,400 as tested
• Buy from Worldwide Cyclery

Nobl is another brand that allows buyers to customize their carbon wheelset. Unlike other carbon wheels in this group, the Nobl TR37s wheels feature a slightly wider, 31mm rim up front with a 30mm rim in the rear for an optimized balance of handling and tracking. We configured our test set with Hope Pro 5 hubs which offer 108 points of engagement, among the best in class.

Sam says the Nobl TR37 wheels “are a solid choice for all-mountain and enduro riding. While they’re not the most lively feeling wheels, they’re stiff, strong and reliable with a good warranty. Without spending mega bucks on something truly boutique, I feel like that’s about as much as you can ask for from a set of hoops, and the warranty is practically worth it alone.” Read the complete review of the Nobl TR37 wheels.

Roval Traverse SL II wheelset

Wheelset reviewer: Jeff Barber

• Price: $1,500
• Buy from Specialized

The Roval Traverse SL II carbon wheelset delivers a comfy ride feel and excellent tracking with minimal maintenance worries. In our tests they proved to remain airtight and stayed true despite some truly abusive riding. The Traverse SL II wheels aren’t the lightest in this category, but they’re not too far off. Read the full review of the Roval Traverse SL II carbon wheelset.

Silt Carbon AM

Wheelset reviewer: Matt Miller

• Price: $1,100
• Buy from SiltMTB.com

These wheels have a high quality ride feel that balances stiffness and compliance, and a hub with decent engagement and presumed durability. Silt has raised the price on this wheelset by $100 since our review but they’re still among the most affordable, and well worth the price. Read the full review of the Silt Carbon AM wheels.

We Are One Union carbon wheels

Wheelset reviewer: Gerow

• Price: $1,399
• Buy from Backcountry

The We Are One Union carbon wheels boast a fantastic feel on the trail thanks to quality construction. They’ve proven durable and impact resistant, and we didn’t experience a single tire or rim issue during testing. Read the full review of the We Are One Union wheels.

More carbon wheels under $1,500

Though we haven’t tested the following carbon mountain bike wheels yet, all are offered by reputable brands and promise competitive weights and features at prices below $1,500 so they’re definitely worth considering.

• e*thirteen Grappler Race carbon enduro wheelset: These wheels are on the heavier end for carbon MTB wheels but promise to be tough. The brand offers other carbon MTB wheelset options priced below the $1,500 mark too, including the all-mountain Sylvan Race wheels.
• Forge+Bond Shift AM: We’ve tested pricier wheelsets that use the same Fusion Fiber material in these Forge+Bond rims and the ride feel is excellent. And, the price is right on this set, especially with the high-engagement hubs. Listen to this podcast to learn more about Fusion Fiber rims.
• Ibis S28 Logo wheelset: The brand says all sales are final on the Ibis S28 carbon wheels so get ’em while you can. These look to be a solid choice for XC riders.
• Reynolds TR 329 Trail: Singletracks tested the more expensive Blacklabel 329 wheels and they are still going strong. Reynolds also offers carbon enduro and DH wheels at price points that are similar to the TR 329s.
• Zipp 1ZERO HITOP S: These XC wheels are crazy lightweight (under 1500g) and are priced starting at $1,350 for a set.

Carbon MTB wheels under $1,000

Just a few years ago mountain bikers could choose from several carbon wheelsets priced below $1,000. Excluding temporary price drops and closeouts, as of the time of publication we were only able to find one wheelset priced under $1,000, the Hunt X-Wide Carbon gravel wheel. Novatec M30 all-mountain wheels were priced at $950 (and on sale for $800) at the time of publication, though it appears these may be discontinued. The Bontrager Line Elite 30 wheels are priced right at $1,000, and though a few others were at or under $1,000 at the time of review like the Light Bicycle AM930S, Hunt H_Impact, and Silt Carbon AM wheels, unfortunately their prices are currently above $1,000 or are no longer available.

Carbon MTB wheels under $200

We were surprised to learn that a lot of people are searching for carbon mountain bike wheels priced under $200. Unfortunately this is not a thing. Even finding carbon mountain bike wheels for sale for under a grand is pretty rare today.

Some online sellers are taking advantage of budget wheel buyers with misleading product titles like, “Mountain Bike Wheelset, Carbon Hub MTB Wheels.” Look closely and you’ll see the rims are not carbon. Technically the title is accurate, and it only claims a carbon hub, though it’s likely the hub shell is simply wrapped in a cheap carbon-fiber tube that surely adds to the weight of the set. Sadly the $186 wheelset we found isn’t even Boost or tubeless-compatible.

*Carbon rims generally have a higher failure strength than alloy rims, however alloy rims may be more easily repairable depending on the type of damage.

The article Carbon MTB Wheel Upgrades Under $1,500 appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Full disclosure: this was a two-hour test ride of the Transition Spur, with no time to fine-tune or adjust set-up in any meaningful way. First impressions only. 

So – what’s new? The biggest change to the previous Spur is the switch to the UDH and ability to run a SRAM Eagle Transmission drivetrain. So now you can now get supposedly smoother shifting and a tougher derailleur set-up in general, with fewer breakable parts in the event of an accident. It feels like one of those things that everyone wants, really, and I know if I had it on another bike I’d never swap it for anything more complex or vulnerable. The build spec speaks to Transition’s view of this new Spur as an all-country bike – it’s light enough to race XC, (my XL test bike weighs 27.1 lbs with AXS) but tough enough for most anything else you’d want to ride.

Transition Spur key specs

• Rider Profile: 6’’1” and 220lb with gear. Size X- Large build with XO transmission and AXS tested. 
• Suspension travel: 120/120mm front/rear
• Frame highlights: Full carbon (made from Japanese Toray fibres) with lifetime frame warranty, plus extra shields on the bearings to prevent contamination, and lifetime bearing replacement
• Geometry highlights: HTA: 66°, Reach: 510mm, STA: 677 mm, Chainstays: 435mm, Wheelbase: 1,255mm
• Price: $7,899 for the build as tested
• Buy from Transition.com or dealers nationwide

Frame-wise, the geometry looks pretty slack for a bike you’re potentially supposed to spend all day riding, but it doesn’t feel that way in the saddle. I like a kind of BMX-y quality to my bikes, even road or gravel, and the straight line from the stem to the rear chainstay across both front and rear triangles looks good too; I like a design that’s instantly recognizable. 

The Fox Float 34 fork adds heft to the 120mm travel upfront and inspires confidence on the descents, and a Fox Float DPS Factory in the rear is unshowy, but more than capable of delivering smooth progression over 120mm of travel. It doesn’t feel plush or woolly, and that’s as it should be. 

I should also add that the SRAM AXS Eagle shifting had none of the glitchy lags I’ve experienced before on other bikes, and ran like a dream – maybe due the strength and stability coming from the UDH. I’ve had other bikes where AXS feels like a step backwards from manual shifting, but this made a tangible, positive difference. 

Out on the trail

I spent two hours or so riding on Ridge and Sketch trails in Sedona, with a lot of awkward, technical climbing, some steep ascents, and a couple of abrupt rocky drops and chutes. 

For a short-travel bike, the Spur feels amazingly at home on the brutal, square-edged rocks of Sedona. It might just have been the switch to a lighter, springier bike after a weekend on bigger travel bruisers, but the Spur felt like a recently freed mountain goat – straining to get up the climbs as fast as possible, and urging me on to do more with every turn of the cranks. A lot of the climbing in Sedona is best done as slowly and carefully as possible  – let the tires do the work and kind of crawl up, like an RC car – but the Transition had me attacking the uphill lines with the biggest hops, looking for harder lines and generally throwing my weight around for the sheer fun of it. 

You might also expect a reduction in fun when taking big hits downhill – there’s only 120mm travel front and rear – but Ridge has its fair share of drops, big G-out rolls and bone-shaking rock gardens, and the Spur didn’t feel under-suspended at all. I wouldn’t try Rampage on it anytime soon, but there was no sense from the bike that I should take it easy or avoid anything at all. More like a constant temptation to push things just a little further…

It may just be that the random gods of demo setup hit my suspension sweet spot – I like my suspension pingy and tense, like the strings on a tennis racket – but it felt like I could do really big hits on this short-travel bike without getting into too much trouble at all.  And with the sleek, clean geometry, you’d probably do fine on the pump track and dirt jumps too (not that I tried it.)

Everyone likes a different feel, so let’s be plain here – this isn’t one of those bikes that’s going to get you out of trouble by soaking up the tricky stuff, or carrying you over the jank like it isn’t there. Nor would I be chomping at the bit to do huge bikepark lines on the Transition Spur, even if I could actually do those. But for the 95% of riding that 95% of us do, this feels like a bike that’s punching way above its weight. I’d happily take this off into the rough backcountry of BC, or hit the biggest drops and jumps I’m capable of, and what’s more, I know I’d have a grin on my face the whole time. 

Because this isn’t a bike that will help you out of trouble – it’s a bike that’ll help you into it. 

Pros and cons of the Transition Spur

Pros

• Incredibly light
• Playful geometry
• Lifetime frame warranty

Cons

• Limited colorways
• Some might like more adjustability on the fame

The article Transition Spur Test Ride Review appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Mountain bikers around Montana and Idaho are optimistic about regaining access to a popular backcountry singletrack near Missoula, pending a decision in the coming months by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.

The National Forest is in the final steps of re-evaluating its forest management plan, which would restore mechanized access to the State Line trail, a backcountry trail that traverses and divides both the Nez Perce-Clearwater, the Lolo National Forests, and Montana and Idaho.

“Bicycle users, specifically mountain bike users, are a subset of non-motorized users that often were not planned for during past strategic planning efforts,” writes the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in its draft record of decision from November 2023. “We heard from many mountain bike users and advocacy groups on the importance of being specific in the suitability of this use.”

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, sitting on the southwest Idaho side of the trail, opened a comment period to re-evaluate mountain bike access back in 2019. Riders had previously enjoyed access up until 2017 when the forest updated their travel management plan.

The Lolo National Forest, on the northeast, Montana side, allows mountain bike access on the same trail within their forest boundaries, but the Nez Perce-Clearwater has had different rules regarding bicycle access due to a recommended wilderness area designation.

In the Nez Perce-Clearwater’s new plan, the forest supervisor has been tasked with acommodating and managing the interests of a number of user groups, such as hikers, hunters, backpackers, conservationists, snowmobilers and mountain bikers. Mountain bikers would get a 150ft travel corridor along the State Line trail to make mechanized travel possible in the summer season.

In the final plan, it’s likely that no single user group will be absolutely satisfied with the decision, especially non-motorized or non-mechanized trail users who will start to see snowmobiles in the winter and mountain bikes in the summer, where both have been absent for some time.

“We’ve waited about four years to see this newest version of the plan, and we are extremely disappointed with the result,” writes Wild Montana, a conservation group. “The plan proposes managing only 108,276 acres of the 151,874 acre Great Burn roadless area as recommended wilderness, opening up over 40,000 acres to snowmobiling and mountain biking.”

Opponents of the change are worried about the potential increase of traffic on the State Line Trail and how it may increase trail user conflict.

“I know there’s been a lot of discussion on that State Line Trail about stock use,” Haley Newman, the executive director of the Great Burn Conservation Alliance told the Missoula Current. “The second that mountain-bike use gets to a certain level, that completely displaces stock users. Even though it’s an open trail, it won’t be safe. Some of that trail is really exposed, and if you’re on a horse and meet someone going at speed, it’s dangerous,” Newman said. “I’m a mountain bike rider, I like to mountain bike. But I’m also a horse rider, and some places just need to stay slow.”

Ultimately, the amount of traffic will likely be a subset of mountain bikers who are fit and technically savvy enough to ascend the rugged backcountry trails. If the State Line Trail does allow bike access on the Nez Perce-Clearwater side, it will make it possible for mountain bikers to ride a complete loop around the Heart Lake and Pearl Lake trails. Currently, it’s only rideble in a Y-shape.

Mountain bike access would also mean better connectivity and more long-distance bikepacking trails in the area.

“From the opposition’s point of view, there is a notion that we can just go ride anywhere,” said John Stegmaier, the executive director of mountain bike group MTB Missoula. “There’s tons of public land and tons of trails, but in reality it just doesn’t work like that. There’s a limited number of trails that are really good. The State Line trail is one of them, for bikepacking, for superlative views, for experience in a primitive setting. This is one.”

MTB Missoula’s involvement dates back to 2019 when Nez Perce-Clearwater started their reevaluation. Stegmaier sees instances like this as why mountain bike advocacy organizations exist.

“We just see this draft recommendation as a victory and a validation to the work around bike access advocacy. Had we not tried to drum up a critical mass, it’s unlikely there would have been consideration for bike access.”

Aside from having what Stegmaier says are limited options in the area for these backcountry experiences on mountain bikes, the opposing rules from different forests on the same trail causes a lot of confusion for riders who are planning a route.

MTB Missoula doesn’t see the proposal to change bike access as something that would change the experience of the area for other trail users. Mountain bikers’ goals for experiences tend to be aligned with hikers and equestrians who want an unobtrusive, self-powered journey into quiet and remote portions of the mountains.

“This ride is sub-alpine, dramatic, and challenging, and opportunities such as this one are increasingly rare,” wrote the previous executive director of MTB Missoula, Ben Horan in a comment letter on a draft environmental impact statement by the national forest in 2020. “In fact, portions of the State Line Trail (Tr. 738) that made this ride possible have been closed to mountain bikes in recent years. The closure of unique sub-alpine riding opportunities has been increasingly common in both Montana and Idaho.”

Mountain bikers lost access to a swath of trails in Montana in the late 2010s because of wilderness designations across the state’s national forests.

The Nez Perce-Clearwater is expected to issue their Final Record of Decision and Revised Land Management Plan and to implement and monitor the plan sometime this spring.

The article Montana Mountain Bikers are Excited to Regain Access to a Beloved Backcountry Trail This Summer appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Singletracks is looking for a full time Managing Editor. Millions of mountain bikers around the world will count on you to help them find the information that will inspire their most epic adventure yet! It’s no small task, and you’ll need the following skills to get the job done right.

• Extensive mountain bike knowledge and a love for all things MTB.
• Mad organization skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to solve problems and learn new skills while juggling multiple ongoing projects.
• A positive attitude and willingness to take direction and work with a team.
• Tech savvy and comfort working in an all-digital environment.
• Knowledge or understanding of SEO.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Bike shop experience is a plus; data geeks welcome!

Singletracks Managing Editor

The Singletracks mission is to share the mountain bike information that inspires epic adventures. The Managing Editor is responsible for planning, producing, coordinating, and revising content that will appeal to readers.

Responsibilities

• Plan, source and produce online articles and associated multimedia content on a weekly basis.
• Schedule and publish articles using an editorial calendar.
• Evaluate freelance pitches and move submissions from draft to publication.
• Work closely with the Editor-in-Chief and editorial contributors to meet deadlines and goals associated with content production.
  • Edit articles and make suggestions prior to publication.
  • Discover mountain bike news and stories across the Internet. 
  • Travel to select media events and remote assignments.
  • Create sponsored content for ad partners.
• Be an active participant in the Singletracks online community.

Experience and education

• A portfolio demonstrating 2-4 years of writing experience
• 1+ years experience as an editor
• High quality photography and photo editing experience
• Post-secondary journalism degree a plus

In addition to sourcing, creating and editing content, the Managing Editor is responsible for communicating with readers and partners across a wide variety of topics and forums.

This is a 100% remote, full-time position and the salary will be based on experience. Singletracks doesn’t have a physical office and relies on technology to stay in touch so feel free to roam.

To apply, send an email introducing yourself, along with a resume and relevant portfolio samples to jeff@singletracks.com.

The article Singletracks is Now Hiring for a Managing Editor appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Ari Bikes release Wire Peak 2.0 PR alloy e-bike

Ari Bikes, formerly known as Fezzari, has released a brand new aluminum e-bike with a very attractive price point. The latest Wire Peak 2.0 has 145mm of rear travel with a 160mm fork and has a 635Wh battery with a Shimano motor. Each build gets a different motor: either the Shimano E7000, EP800, or EP600.

Geometry on the bike includes a 65° HTA, a 78° STA, and increased reach and wheel base from the previous generation. The bike still uses Ari’s Tetra-Link suspension layout.

• Price: $3,500-$5,800
• Buy from: Aribikes.com

Norco Fluid VLT E-MTB is an electrified trail bike

Norco Bikes has a brand new lightweight e-bike, the Fluid VLT, named after their Fluid trail bike. The Fluid VLT comes in two models: a sub-40lb, 130mm travel model with a 140mm fork and a 140mm travel model with a 150mm fork. Both get the Bosch Performance Line SX wireless ecosystem and a 400Wh battery.

• Price: Not included with press materials
• Available: Norco dealers

Revel Gives Rail 29 new colors, more fork travel

After hearing from customers, Revel Bikes has updated their Rail 29 to come with 170mm of fork travel, instead of 160mm. The bike also gets two new colors for the year: Cowboy Coffee and Flow State.

• Price: Frame kits from $3,599; builds from $5,999
• Buy from revelbikes.com

Industry Nine SOLiX gravel and gravel hubs

The new Industry Nine SOLiX hubs sit at the center of an all-new line of gravel and road wheels, bringing Hydra-like engagement to skinny-tire riders. SOLiX hubs deliver 605 points of engagement (Hydra has 690) and are said to create less freewheel drag in a more robust package.

• Price: $695 for a hubset; aroub $2,200 for a wheelset
• Buy from industrynine.com

Silca Grinta ‘fastpacking’ bags

Silca Grinta fastpacking bags are designed for riding fast and packing light. The premium handlebar bag ($95) is designed to easily fit a set of gravel bars and features a water-resistant zipper closure. The $160 Grinta saddle bag uses a roll top closure for weatherproof storage with two BOA ratcheting lace systems to keep the bag tight and secure.

• Price: $95 handlebar bag, $160 saddle bag
• Buy from Silca

Camelbak Steel & Titanium Water Bottles

Camelbak’s popular Podium water bottles now come in stainless steel and titanium. The double-wall vacuum insulation promise to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold, as one would expect. The steel bottles are available in 18oz and 22 oz sizes and should still fit most water bottle cages. At 240g, the 18oz titanium bottle is super-light, that is, until you add water.

• Price: $35 – $40 steel, $100 titanium
• Buy from Camelbak
• Save 25% off your Camelbak order with code TRACKS25 (excludes outlet, expires 3/31/24)

Stan’s tubeless tire sealant goes metric

Don’t worry, your Stan’s isn’t changing. It’s just the packaging. In addition to updating the look and moving to metric sizing, Stan’s is adding a new 250mL bottle that’s just right for filling two mountain bike tires.

• Price: From about $3
• Buy from pretty much anywhere

SQLab x ION collab

SQLab has teamed up with mountain bike clothing brand ION for a limited edition SQLab 6OX ERGOWAVE® active 2.1 saddle. There’s also a matching set of SQLab 7OX 2.0 Pro grips to complete the look.

• Price: 159.95€ saddle, 34.95€ grips
• Buy from SQLab retailers

7Mesh Glidepath trail pant

The 7Mesh Glidepath trail pants have been completely updated with new colors and improved performance. According to the brand, a “light 4-way stretch DWR fabric and new trim shape are combined with an updated set-and-forget belt system, increased knee articulation, double-snap zip fly, and updated cuffed hem.”

Scarab Paramo gravel bike

The Scarab Paramo is made in Colombia and it’s one of the first bikes to feature the Wolf Tooth integrated headset in combination with the ENVE Gravel IN-Route fork. The result is an immaculate cockpit that’ll have everyone thinking you’re riding a fixie.

• Price: $3,600 frameset which includes the headset, fork and bottom bracket
• Buy from scarabcycles.com

• Price: $170
• Buy men’s and women’s versions at JensonUSA

fizik Vento Proxy XC shoe

The fizik Vento Proxy is designed for cross-country and gravel racing, featuring a sole that reinforced with carbon fiber plus a lightweight mesh upper and rubber sole for grip off the bike.

• Price: 229€
• Buy from fizik.com

ABUS Granit Super Extreme 2500 Lock

No bike lock is completely unbreakable, but some are surely better than others. German lock brand ABUS’s new Granit Super Extreme 2500 U-lock is made to fend off the most effective theft tool of them all: the angle grinder. Though ABUS doesn’t claim it is angle grinder-proof, the brand does say the “Wolfram Carbide that armors the shackle and lock body greatly increases the resistance to cordless angle grinder attacks.”

The Granit Super Extreme 2500 has a hardened steel 27mm square parabolic double shackle and it includes two keys and a Key Code Card.

• Price: $300-$329
• Buy from mobil.abus.com/usa

The article Silca Bags for ‘Fastpacking’ Plus a Lotta New XC and Gravel Gear appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

What makes an ordinary place an “institution”? What gives a place—a restaurant, a record store, a bike shop—that gestalt, that common understanding that this place is special? Well, sure you could say “the people,” but a bike shop with no bikes would be kinda silly. And we all know that it’s not just the bikes/clothes/parts alone because there are plenty of retailers—online and brick and mortar—who will sell you stuff, but certainly don’t qualify as an institution. 

It’s one of those things—you know it when you see it. If you’ve been to Absolute Bikes in Salida, Colorado, odds are you know of which I speak. Yeah, it’s imbued with history. It’s got signed photos and jerseys from Alison Dunlap, Joe Murray, Ned Overend. But that’s not it. Lots of places have that, and frankly, it often just makes them look old, tired, and like their grasping at glory days gone by. Plus, 98.9% of the population doesn’t know or care who Ned Overend is.  

There’s a veritable museum hanging from the ceiling— Fat Chance, Breezer, Fisher, all circa 1980s, all with handy descriptions regarding the build, the intention, the unique things about each one. And it’s hard not to notice how positively archaic they look with a bangin’ new Revel Ranger hanging four inches away from them, but it’s pretty nifty to see the whole evolution of mountain biking right in front of your eyes, all within a 20-foot radius. 

So, they’ve got bikes, and nice ones too. All the modern bling. But they don’t really have road bikes cause honestly, road riding in the Arkansas Valley is just plain poopy (negligible shoulder, big trucks, poopy). From kids bikes to entry level mountain bikes to crème-de-la-crème bank account busters, it’s all here. But that’s still not it. 

Salida, then and now

Enter Shawn Gillis. Owner. Rider. Racer. Dad. Trail designer/builder/advocate/volunteer/philanthropist. Humble bike emissary. The first time I met Gillis was over Labor Day Weekend when a gang of pals and I secured five shuttle spots for the Monarch Crest. This warm, unassuming man does not immediately strike one as a 25-time Leadville finisher, an Ironman competitor in multiple countries, TransAlp, TransAndes, La Ruta finisher, among other things. 

“This summer will be my 27th time for the Leadville 100. This past year I was lucky enough to ride it with both my son and daughter. Cassidy and I rode most everything together and just made it in under the 12 hours.”

Nor would you know unless someone else told you that he has been a major force behind the Salida that mountain bikers love today. Gillis came from Flagstaff, Arizona in 1999 where he owned and managed a bike shop, and bought an old feed barn complete with a grain silo that is home to Absolute and an adjacent restaurant to this day. The building is iconic, and of course has always been on the river, but the riverfront of 1999 is not the same riverfront of today. Many towns across the country once turned their backs to their respective waterfronts, and in the past two decades have fomented a riverfront renaissance. Salida is one of those towns. 

“Salida has really changed over the past decade or so,” says Gillis, and it is a relief to hear this said in an upbeat, positive way. “We now have a trail system, a world class River Park, the Steamplant Convention Center, the Salida Skate Park, an improved Riverside Park with the new Rotary Bandshell, we have an amazing in-town trail system so we can get around on foot or on a bike.”  

So often when these words are said—“X place/town/city has really changed…” it is with a shake of the head, and more often than not you can be sure that a blast of bitter nostalgia is heading your way. And it must be human nature because you can surely remember your elders pissing and moaning “well when I was a kid…{insert dependable diatribe here},” and I would be a liar to pretend such sentiments have never escaped my own mouth. 

And yes, runaway real estate prices have found Salida, just like any other desirable location. But Gillis points to the fact that Salida kids are returning to Salida after college, not just leaving this small mountain town ASAP, never to return. Cause there’s stuff to do here now. The local trails group Salida Mountain Trails (SMT) did not focus solely on mountain bikers when building trails, and as a result, there is a large contingent of trail-runners sluicing through the S Mountain and Methodist trails. The rafting, kayaking, fishing and water sports are world class. Monarch ski area is 25 minutes away; Denver 2.5 hours. 

This proximity to the Front Range does not explain why most Absolute Bikes customers hail from there, cause you can be sure that Denver, Golden, Boulder, Colorado Springs etc. all have bike shops, and I’d hazard a guess that they are good ones to boot. It’s back to that gestalt, the secret sauce for which no recipe exists. 

“Aside from the Monarch Crest, there really wasn’t much to ride here 25 years ago. Tenderfoot and Methodist Mountain trail systems didn’t exist, and what was there were mostly social trails.” 

Building a destination bike shop

So the first few years at Absolute, business could be pretty quiet. Concerningly quiet. Town was full of cruiser bikes and Gillis was careful in the first years to stock only bikes with a lower price point. But the community rallied around its collective desire for more trails close to town–on S and Methodist Mountains. 

Gillis is a founding member of SMT and remains on the board of directors to this day. SMT has been working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service, and the City of Salida to plan, design and build a high-quality, top-notch system of trails both on S Mountain (so named for the giant “S” in white concrete that can be seen for miles) and Methodist Mountain on the opposite side of the valley. Both trail systems are rideable from town, though S Mountain is closer, located approximately 345 pedal strokes from the front door of the shop. 

“We are in the business of saving vacations” says Mike Franco, store manager at Absolute. “We understand that people put a lot of time, effort and money into coming to ride for the weekend, for a week, and a broken bike can destroy all of that pretty quickly.” 

Case in point, over the Labor Day weekend of which I spoke, I had loaned my bike to a friend for a few hours and a tip-over had snapped the dropper lever. She was mortified. I, on the other hand, was blissfully ignorant because it was ready for pickup before I even knew what had transpired. Gillis and Franco both pride themselves on creating and retaining a welcoming atmosphere, one that does not condescend, as far too many shops do. 

“It just doesn’t make sense to us that we’d want to make our customers feel dumb” says Franco, who’s got a passable “bro” halo and surprises me with stories of being victim of just such behavior through the years. 

Absolute has more women on staff than many similar sized shops, and not all of them are front-of-house recommending cute shorts. And not that there’s anything wrong with cute shorts. I like them, and I want to know where they are. But these ladies can sell you shorts and bleed your brakes, replace your cable housing, and probably wallop you on the trail, but in a really nice way. 

More than just sales and service

The shop shuttle to the Monarch Crest is a staple of the business, though not one that showers them in coin. “The shuttle is more about making friends than making money” says Gillis, and while that may sound trite and a touch saccharine, think about how much time for authentic connection a 30-minute drive provides. I doubt that Gillis consciously equates shuttle time into dollars—that would feel somehow crass, even for a business owner who needs to pay suppliers, employees, and the heating bill. You can tell that his low-key love for this place, these trails, bikes and where they can take us is genuine, and that he wants you to love it too. And yes, he wants to sell you a bike, but it truly feels secondary. 

Gillis, 58, wants to work less and ride more (hallelujah to that…), but the shop’s got big plans in 2024. A redesign of the service area a la the “open kitchen” layout in a fancy, high-end restaurant so you can see the magic unfolding. A new demo program where you pick tasty bikes from a menu then go shred on trails 34 seconds from the front door. Return, exchange, repeat…but maybe with a dip in the Arkansas River 12 seconds from the back door in between laps, and/or a burger and beer at the High Side conveniently located under the same roof as Absolute. 

And if you are a bike nerd/geek, you will want to check out the hanging collection that Gillis is clearly proud of.

“When we moved to Salida in 1999 this building had pretty tall ceilings so it was easier to display and we started with just a few bikes, and this allowed us to create some good conversations with people. Over the years as we did store remodels we could display much easier and add more bikes. Right now it is at about 56 bikes. We add or change 1-2 bikes per year.”

A few of Gillis’ personal favorites include a 1985 Cunningham, the American Breezer, and a Manitou FS, one of the earliest full suspension bikes. The Cunningham was one of the first bikes collected and he notes that it took several years to find the parts to get it close to period correct.

“Many times people visit bike shops and look at the new items and don’t really understand the amazing things that came from the early pioneers and designers. There was a lot of experimentation and broken things to get to where we are now, and many of these bikes show that progression.”

Gillis will be tackling the Vapor Trail 125 for the fourth time in September. 125 miles, 15,658 feet of climbing, the race starts at 10:00 p.m. on the F Street Bridge in Salida and finishes at…Absolute Bikes. Gillis’ 22-year-old son Camden finished this race in 17 hours, 19 minutes in 2023, and they will both be racing in 2024. 

“I hope to finish with a smile and have a great time…Sometimes people go to such extremes they forget to have fun and then they are a total wreck afterwards. My goal would be around 20 hours if all goes well. As for the father/son aspect, I hope to ride together in the neutral roll out and hear about where Camden is as I go through the Aid Stations hours later…”

Some places try to become instant institutions. Add a big name and an even bigger dollop of cash and that should be the recipe, right? Not so much. Like a freewheeling cook taking on the meticulous and fussy task of baking, the biscuits won’t rise, the cake will collapse, and the pizza dough will resemble a board. I still can’t pinpoint what makes this shop different, likely because it’s a magical confluence of people, bikes, community, location and probably some fairy dust. So go get some cute shorts, get walloped by a shop girl, and say hi to Shawn. He says he’s gonna ride more and work less but he’ll probably be there anyway. 

The article An Absolute Institution–Absolute Bikes in Salida, Colorado appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

*Editor’s note: A couple of readers have noted that the some versions of the new Yeti ASR frame may not require a wireless drivetrain as stated in the original title and text below. The Yeti website says “Dedicated Wireless (T-Type) Eliminates Routing Saving Weight” and we’re waiting to hear back from the brand to clarify what this means in practice. The original title was “The New Yeti ASR is for Wireless Drivetrains Only to Save Weight.”

The Yeti ASR cross-country mountain bike is back after a nearly 10 year hiatus. The brand says the bike is their lightest yet and utilizes a flex stay design to deliver 120mm 115mm of rear suspension travel. With a 120mm fork up front and a 66.5° head tube angle the updated ASR should be ready to tackle modern (and technical) XC race courses.

Yeti has managed impressively low weights with the new frame. The lightest build — dubbed T5 ULT XX SL Transmission — has a claimed weight of 22.97lb. The T5 ULT comes with a pretty jaw dropping price as well: $13,900.

Further cementing the race intentions behind the Yeti ASR, the bike features internal routing for the shock remote. However it doesn’t sound as if there is internal cable routing — or external routing for that matter — for the rear derailleur on some versions of the frame*, so buyers will need to stick with a wireless SRAM drivetrain for now.

For XC riders who prefer to run a dropper, the Yeti ASR features an uninterrupted seat tube to allow for the longest travel posts possible. The brand says size large and XL frames should be able to run posts with 200mm of travel or more.

Rounding out the feature set the Yeti ASR frame comes with two sets of bottle mounts inside the front triangle.

• Price: $4,000 frame only, builds from $5,600
• Buy from JensonUSA and Worldwide Cyclery

The article Some Yeti ASR Frames are for Wireless Drivetrains Only to Save Weight appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Will Hart is Product Marketing Manager at Cane Creek, a western North Carolina based maker of suspension and bike components.

• Besides looking cool, what are some advantages of a coil shock?
• Are certain styles of riding better suited to a coil shock than others?
• What makes some FS mountain bikes coil-compatible, and others not?
• How does compression damping work on a coil shock? Is there any air involved?
• Tell us about the Cane Creek Tigon. What’s the idea behind combining a coil with an air spring?
• How are progressive and linear coil springs different?
• How do you set sag on a coil shock?
• What about other settings? Are coil shocks as tunable as air shocks?
• What does tightening the pre-load on a coil shock do?
• How does bottom-out work on a coil shock?
• Is it difficult for lighter riders to find an appropriate spring?
• How does the weight of a coil shock compare to an air shock?
• Will a coil feel different over time as the metal fatigues? 
• Are coil shocks lower maintenance than air shocks?
• What is your advice for mountain bikers who are coil curious?

Find out about the Cane Creek Coil Curious program at canecreek.com.

This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard.

Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of
soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of
public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain
biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and
DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need
a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and
gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all
adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more at
ExploreBrevard.com.

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The article Coil Shocks Look Cool, Yes. But That’s Not the Whole Story appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Norco’s latest Optic, released last month, may be one of the most interesting of the year, for one reason: The 125mm bike went from a run-of-the-mill (but exceptional) short-travel, four-bar trail bike to a still exceptional four-bar trail bike, but with a high pivot and idler pulley!

How many other short-travel/high-pivot bikes are out there? Not many. I believe the Optic may have edged out the 130mm Forbidden Druid to take the cake for the shortest.

There’s a lot of room to debate if high pivots are necessary on bikes at this length of travel, and that’s fair, but what I can say is that I had a lot of fun riding the new Norco Optic around Sedona, and the move doesn’t seem to have taken anything away from the bike.

Norco Optic key specs

• Rider Profile: 5’8” and 175lb with gear. Size 3 29er bike tested. 
• Suspension travel: 125mm/140mm rear/front
• Frame highlights: C1 29er tested, available in full carbon or full aluminum, with VPS_HP (Virtual Pivot Suspension–High Pivot) suspension layout, mixed-wheel build or 29er
• Geometry highlights: 64° HTA, 472.5mm reach, 77° STA, 428mm chainstays, 1,221mm wheelbase
• Price: $9,099 for the C2 build as tested. Alloy frames start at $2,099.
• Buy from: JensonUSA

About the 2024 Norco Optic

The big change to the Optic, as we’ve discussed, is their VPSHP (Virtual Pivot Suspension/High Pivot) platform, which adds the high pivot and idler pulley to a Horst link layout.

The revised platform increases the rearward axle path compared to the previous version, which Norco says improves its performance in technical terrain and minimizes pedal kickback. The suspension has been tuned for efficiency and responsiveness.

The suspension characteristics feel very Norco-like and familiar to most iterations of a Horst link, just with a high pivot placement now. The rear axle and brake are mounted to the seatstays. With the high pivot, the chainstay is raised for better control of the axle path and an increased rearward axle path, keeping the bike more composed through technical trails and the idler pulley keeps chain growth in check as the suspension compresses.

Historically, high pivots and idlers have been reserved for longer-travel bikes, since with more suspension to compress, there is more chain growth that occurs, resulting in more pedal feedback. That isn’t to say that a short-travel bike like the Optic doesn’t benefit from the design, but probably not as much as a bike like the Sight.

Norco Optic geometry

The geometry on the Optic changes, but not severely. The HTA stays the same at 65° and the STA steepens by 1° (tested in a size 3). The wheelbase gets longer by about an inch and the reach has lengthened by nearly an inch too, putting the size 3 at 472.5mm. The chainstays are either 429mm for a 29er or a stubby 423mm if you’ve got the MX version.

Frame details

In order to do the 29″/27.5″ swap, you’ll need to invest in the Missing Link kit from Norco, a $135 kit with an extra rocker link and lower shock mount. It’s more complicated than a flip-chip, which is common on most bikes that are mixed-wheel compatible, however Norco says the kit is the best way possible to keep suspension kinematics and geometry consistent with the wheel swap. The new Sight works the same way.

Other details worth noting are the downtube and shuttle guards under the bike, internal cable routing, and a tool mount and water bottle mount inside the frame. There is no frame storage box or glove compartment. Norco has opted to keep things simple on the Optic.

The Optic is also now either a full carbon frame or a full aluminum. The aluminum frameset is priced at $2,099 while the carbon frameset is is $3,849. Completes start at $3,999 for an aluminum MX version.

Build kit

The price as tested on our C1 carbon fiber build is $9,099 and that includes SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, SRAM Level Stealth Silver brakes, a Fox Factory 34 fork with Grip 2 damper and Fox Float X Factory shock with We Are One carbon wheels and Industry Nine 1/1 hubs.

Everything worked great for me. There’s no surprises with SRAM Transmission at this point, nor with the Fox Factory level suspension.

One area that could use a boost is the brakes. The Levels are a decent light trail (or cross-country) bike brake, but the Optic proved capable of much more and the brakes were gasping for air holding my weight down the slabs of Hiline in Sedona. A Code brake might be overkill, but a set of Shimano XT 4-pistons or TRP Trail Evos would be perfect.

Bike setup

I set up the Norco Optic with the brand’s Ride Aligned program, entering my height and weight, riding style and position, and the type of terrain I expected to ride. The program gave me back my suspension and tire pressure and put me in the right range of pressures very quickly.

I did back my compression damping off a little on the trail. That can often change based on the type of terrain, but Ride Aligned got me out riding with much less fiddling around than on most bikes.

On the trail with the Norco Optic

I rode the Norco Optic in Sedona for a day with two main trails: a jaunt up and down the infamous and technical Hiline. If you haven’t ridden this one, it’s full of rocky, steep, brake-squeezing lines, with some faster chunk and flow toward the end.

At the end of the first day, we rode Brewer, a short but fast and flowy, chunky descent where I could let of the brakes and let the suspension eat up the red rock and dirt.

Climbing

I’d ridden the 150mm Sight the day before, and I was excited to shed an inch of travel for this climb. In reality, both the 150mm and 125mm bikes have their advantages climbing in Sedona. The Sight is more active for a wider range of its travel and it’s a very predictable climber that lets you pause and reassess without having to dab as the suspension glues you in place.

The Optic is a more spritely climber, but like a lot of shorter travel bikes, you can’t let off the throttle on a techy spot, or you’ll lose your place.

That was fine with me. Overall, it’s more efficient, so you’re not necessarily losing more energy, you just have to manage it differently. The shorter wheelbase and responsiveness of the bike made the punchy, leg-sapping climb up to the top of Hiline enjoyable as it hops up and over ledges and obstacles with ease. This was slightly surprising to me, especially with the longer reach. The geometry felt comfortable almost immediately.

The Optic is indeed a “shorter-travel” full-suspension bike, but it feels like it is skewed outside of the “downcountry” label and is squarely a trail bike, especially with the 140mm fork. The bike isn’t a slug, but it’s not nearly as quick under pressure as other 120-130mm bikes.

Descending

Everything about the Optic’s design suggests the bike will be a blast downhill: the full carbon frame, the high pivot and idler pulley, and stable but lively geometry. Hiline was an interesting test trail for the bike. There are a lot of steep and dicey lines, but it still doesn’t have a lot of high-speed drops or repetitive rock hits and the descents are short, so a shorter-travel bike is a great choice.

The frame is noticeably stiff, so dial in your suspension quickly on trails like Hiline. The Optic danced over ledgy, square-edge and repetitive hits with speed, a benefit of the rearward axle path.

I won’t go all-out and say I’m a believer on equipping all short-travel bikes with a high pivot and idler, but the suspension’s composure landing off of a drop and diving into the next stack of rocks was outstanding. You can feel the shock compress and return to neutral without a bunch of fuss, or even noise, from the chain. I’d say it’s one small improvement in suspension performance as the gains are mostly associated with deeper or faster hits on a ride. I suppose that’s the benefit of incremental improvements and it’s nice that we can benefit from the development at this point in time.

A handful of us that rode both the Optic and Sight agreed that the Optic made a better Sedona bike, with its punchy ups and downs, where every climb and descent is right around the corner. Somewhere like where I’m at in Colorado, the Optic would still do nicely, but you’d enjoy the Sight more on longer, rockier descents. The Optic is also more than capable of most lines in rocky Sedona too.

On our last lap on the Brewer trail we got a nice mix of rain and snow and had some wet trail conditions. I didn’t have a lot of time to investigate, but the drivetrain became more audibly grumpy with a helping of Sedona red dirt and grit. It’s probably nothing a quick rinse wouldn’t fix, but it would follow that with an extra cog in the system, there will be more noise in less-than-ideal conditions.

Pros and cons of the Norco Optic C1

Pros

• Versatile, short-travel trail bike
• Predictable, composed suspension
• Punches above its travel

Cons

• Wheel swap requires additional Missing Link kit
• Not as energetic as some other short-travel bikes
• Could benefit from stronger brakes

Bottom line

If you start breathing heavy just thinking about pedaling around enduro bikes and also like the liveliness and thrash-ability short-travel bikes bring, you’ll have a hard time finding a better bike than the Norco Optic.

The article The 2024 Norco Optic Mixes Short-Travel with a High-Pivot for Max Fun appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

REI Co-op Members can take advantage of their member rewards now, plus use code MEMBER24 to save 20% on one full-price item and one REI outlet item until 3/25/24. On top of that, there are Member exclusive savings on Co-op Cycles, North Face gear, and REI Co-op Tents.

If you’re not a member yet, the $30 one-time fee practically pays for itself if you use your coupon wisely. And the benefits will go beyond this month’s sale as you’ll get 10% back on future eligible purchases, free US shipping, and more.

As mountain bikers ourselves here are a few deals that just can’t be beat. We’d use our 20% off full-price coupon on a high-ticket item like a trusty hitch rack or a newer product that probably won’t be discounted anytime soon.

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list and get deals like these delivered to your inbox!

Cannondale Habit Carbon 1 Mountain Bike

$5,550.00 | $4,162.99 sale

This 140/130mm carbon trail bike is UDH-compatible and features a 55mm chainline for optimal shifting and tire clearance. Buyers get a Pike Select+, GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, and Stans Arch MK4 wheels on a frame with bottle and accessory mounts.

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NOBL TR37 Industry Nine Hydra Rear Wheel

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Rear wheels are all about the hub, and this NOBL TR37 carbon wheel build delivers with Hydras. The front wheel is sold separately.

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REI Co-op Skyward 4 Tent

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This four-person tent offers plenty of headroom and makes for the perfect basecamp shelter. Save 50%.

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Ripton Bike Jorts

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Jorts season is coming and Ripton has men’s and women’s styles. Oh, and for full leg coverage there are pants, too.

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Fox Union BOA Mountain Bike Shoes

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The new Fox Union BOA shoes have quickly become a favorite so use that 20% off REI member coupon to pick up a pair for under $200.

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DAKINE Bike Roller Bag

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A bike travel bag is an investment and one that pays stoke dividends for years to come. The Dakine Bike Roller Bag organizes and secures your bike and the wheels make it easy to manage.

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OneUp Components V3 Dropper Post – 31.6 mm

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If you’re looking for more drop out of your post, look no further than the OneUp V3 with up to 240mm of travel. Not only that, the latest version drops significant weight.

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Kuat NV 2.0 2-Bike Hitch Rack

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The Kuat NV 2.0 fits a wide range of bikes with tires up to 4.8″ wide plus it’s got an integrated bike repair stand and cable locks. Get the 2″ receiver version and you can add additional trays down the road.

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Co-op Cycles REV DRT 24 Kids’ Mountain Bike

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This aluminum kids bike comes with disc brakes, 8 gears, and 2.6″ tires which will roll over just about anything. All sizes and other styles of Co-op kids bikes are 30% off right now.

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Patagonia Men’s Dirt Roamer Bike Shorts

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Patagonia makes quality riding gear and these are some of the lightest-weight shorts we’ve tested. The 20% off REI member coupon is also good on one REI outlet item like this one.

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Outdoor Research Freewheel Half-Zip Bike Hoodie

$179.00 | $143.20 price with member coupon

This wind and water resistant jacket is part of Outdoor Research’s new mountain bike clothing line and promises to keep you warm and dry this shoulder season and is also a good choice for high alpine summer epics.

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Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article Unbeatable Mountain Bike Deals from REI’s Members-Only Sale appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

In 2016, Singletracks began a long-term trail bike analysis, looking at how the geometry of popular trail bikes changed over the years. And change they did, not only in geometry but also in travel and wheel sizes. 

As we revisited the numbers every few years, we saw a common theme arising—one you may be familiar with: bikes were getting longer, lower, and slacker.

At the end of 2023, we released the 4th edition of our trail bike geometry analysis and questioned whether we were seeing the end of the long, low, and slack trend. While the data didn’t show an across-the-board plateau, it at least looked as if geometry changes were slowing down. Aside from a few outliers, trail bikes were perhaps finding their sweet spot regarding geometry. 

But many bikes, like the new 2024 Canyon Spectral, have only grown longer. Canyon significantly lengthened the geometry of its popular trail bike. 

If the Spectral indicates bikes continuing to grow from now to the next production cycle, we may see an increase in another area as well—back pain. At least, that is the belief of Lee McCormack, who connects many of our aches and pains to our bikes’ geometry.

McCormack is a former National Champion downhill racer, author, and mountain bike coach. Over two decades of teaching, McCormack has coached over 11,000 mountain bikers, from first-time riders to professional racers. He has seen what he would say is a significant problem in the bike industry—bikes have outgrown their riders.

And while we may not be able to change the industry, there are things we can do to alleviate some of the aches and pains we may be feeling due to our long bikes. We sat down with McCormack and chatted about his perspective on the problem and possible solutions.

How bike fit and back pain are deeply connected

Back pain, shoulder pain, hips, and knees—McCormack feels that much of this comes from improperly sized bikes. McCormack spoke of the issue from two different angles. First, we are trying to fit our bodies to a mountain bike rather than the mountain bike fitting our body.

“If your foot is a certain length, there’s a shoe that is a good fit for you,” McCormack said. Shopping for shoes, we find a shoe that fits our feet. Rather than being presented with only five options upon entering the shoe store, there is an incredible range of sizes. 

Obviously, making shoes in twelve or more sizes is far less expensive than attempting to offer that many sizes for mountain bikes. Most companies provide five sizes, give or take, and a size chart with recommendations. 

McCormack argues that the reach–which we’ve seen grow and grow is now likely too long for us and we’re forced to over-extend.

Why are we “stretching” to fit a bike and not just sizing down? McCormack feels that has much to do with industry marketing and the current “long, low, and slack” trend., and long bikes sell. 

“Right now, long, slack, and low are the metrics—how stable it is,” McCormack said. “Back in the 90s, it was about agility—how agile the bike is.” 

He isn’t wrong; mountain bikes have grown over the years, with the industry touting that a long bike is a stable bike. A Specialized Stumpjumper’s reach has grown by more than 40mm since 2016. What likely didn’t grow in those eight years, however, is the length of our arms, and thus McCormack says, we’re stretching more to reach the handlebars during descents.

Yes, seat tubes have become steeper, and bring us closer while pedaling, but descending is a different story. Stretching to reach the handlebars can cause many different issues. 

“It’s the whole chain,” McCormack told us. “You’re looking at your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, back. You can get hip dysfunction, too, because if the bike’s really long, in order to reach, you have to hinge on the seat.”

A longer bike may be more stable, but McCormack feels they are a cause of chronic aches and pains.

What is span or Rider Area Distance? 

If you are in the market for a new bike, getting one that fits you well will significantly help reduce aches and pains. But, rather than going with the traditional sizing model or even determining the size based on reach, McCormack recommends reviewing another measurement.

While reach is still important, McCormack argues that the Rider Area Distance, or RAD, is the most significant measurement on a bike. RAD is essentially a measurement from your bottom bracket to your grips. It incorporates reach, stack, bar rise, sweep, and spacers under your stem.

According to McCormack, when a bike fits your RAD size, “You have optimal arm range for bike handling: descending, braking, cornering, pumping, dropping, and all the fun stuff. You can generate maximum torque for power moves: sprinting, steep climbing, pumping, manualing, hopping, and wheelie drops.”

UK mountain bike brand Privateer recently released the second generations of the 141 and 161 full-suspension mountain bikes and included a span measurement. The idea works similarly to RAD, with a line from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube. It’s one of the first brands Singletracks has seen incorporate the measurement into a geometry chart. 

To find your RAD size, take your height in CM and multiply it by 4.47 if you are a male and 4.6 if you are a female. McCormack said some of his clients take a length of string with a knot tied at their optimal RAD measurement to bike shops to shop for a new bike.

Your RAD measurement might place you on a smaller frame than anticipated. 

Exercise

If you’re not in the market or can’t afford a new bike, you can make do with what you have. And getting stronger will help.

A longer reach will cause you to hunch over more, stretching for the handlebars causing back, shoulder, and other pains. Intentional strengthening exercises can help prevent and alleviate some of this pain. 

“You can get really strong. That will allow you to ride harder and longer, but there’s a limit,” McCormack said. Focusing on strengthening your core, back, and shoulders can help offset the issues that arise from a longer reach.

Bike fitting with the proper components

If your bike is too long, changing your stem for a shorter one is a great option and will bring the handlebars back toward you. 

McCormack also recommends trying a handlebar with more backsweep “Most of the time, I put [my clients] on a handlebar with increased back sweep,” he told us. “I’m a fan of SQlab. There are other ones who make the 16-degree bar.”

These handlebars bring your hands closer to your body and can help prevent wrist pain and issues. “The natural grip angle of your hands is not eight or nine degrees,” McCormack said. A bar with an increased backsweep puts your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders in a completely different position.

Another simple change you can make is moving your seat position forward. This will effectively put your seat and handlebars closer. However, McCormack mentioned this only helps with pedaling and climbing, not descending.

In a 2018 Singletracks article on fixing five types of pain while mountain biking, professional bike fitter Jason Williams of University Bicycles in Boulder also suggested that too narrow of a saddle could lead to the rider rolling their pelvis back too much to relieve pressure, also increasing the length of the cockpit. A wider saddle may help the rider neutralize hips and mitigate back pain. 

Williams also said back pain is often a result of overextension, and riders should double-check their saddle height. A saddle that is even a little too high also causes back pain. 

Lastly, stretching tight hamstrings which are connected to the pelvis and can pull on your hips may help too, said Williams. 

You can always try a smaller, or older, frame 

Depending on how short you are, you may struggle to find any bike that fits. “If you’re 6’4”, you can finally find a bike that fits you!” McCormack told us. 

For those riders falling below “average” height, McCormack says it may get more difficult as time goes on to find a frame that isn’t too big–though every brand produces sizes differently, and the bigger the bike company, typically the larger their size range is. 

Working with a custom frame builder to design a bike of the perfect fit is always an option too. However, this may be out of reach financially for some people. So, McCormack offered some different options.

“Find an older bike,” he said. Older bikes tend to have shorter reaches, and you will be more likely to find a RAD measurement that works for you. McCormack stresses the RAD measurement’s importance over industry trends such as wheel size. “26-inch wheels didn’t stop rolling all of a sudden.”

It is also worth reviewing bikes from many different brands as some are more conservative with their geometry and others more aggressive and lengthy.

Above anything else, McCormack thinks mountain biking should be fun. Despite what some may say, he feels that suffering shouldn’t need to be a part of the sport. Aches and pain shouldn’t be prevalent when we choose mountain bikes that better fit our bodies and start caring better for our bodies.

The article Longer Bikes Could be Giving us More Hip and Back Problems appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Mountain bike reach lengths have been growing longer for a while now, part of the longer/lower/slacker progression we’ve seen over the years. By now though, some are saying enough is enough, while others are saying more please!

Are mountain bike reaches getting too long? *

• Yes, most are too long
• They’re generally about right
• No, most are too short

Submit

What do you think is a good mountain bike reach length? Tell us your number, along with your height, in the comments below!

The article Are Mountain Bike Reaches Getting too Long? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Marin Oso flat pedals aren’t just an OEM add-on. In fact, as far as I can tell the brand’s complete bikes don’t ship with pedals at all, not even the cheap plastic throwaway ones buyers have come to expect. I’ve been riding with the Oso flat pedals for a couple months now and they’re every bit as good as others I’ve tested.

Marin Oso flat pedal key specs

• Weight: 408g/pair as tested
• 9 pins per side, per pedal
• 110mm x 120mm x 18mm platform size
• Chromoly axle with bushing plus bearing
• Price: $55
• Buy from Marin

The Marin Oso flat pedals spin on Chromoly axles and spin on a bushing plus bearing system. The nylon composite body has a beefy and substantial look and offers a relatively large 110x120mm surface area. There are nine pins per side, per pedal and the Oso pedals are offered in two colors, black and blue. There are no wrench flats on the spindle so an 8mm hex wrench is necessary for installation.

At $55, the Marin Oso flat pedals are priced in line with nylon composite pedal options from popular brands like Race Face, OneUp and e*Thirteen. However they are about 50g heavier than similar pedals from those brands, though still lighter than most aluminum-body pedals.

On the trail

The Marin Oso flat pedals offer excellent grip when paired with a proper set of flat pedal mountain bike shoes. The pins, which as far as I can tell are basically the same ones pretty much every quality flat pedal uses, are sharp and tacky for a no-slip grip. This is especially important when riding in wet conditions, or with muddy soles, which would otherwise slip off the pedals.

Marin describes the shape of the Oso pedal as concave, and if I hold the pedals to the light just right I can almost see it. Essentially just the center material around the spindle is lowered a bit so it feels like my feet are entirely supported by the pins and the edges of the pedal. Concave or not, the Oso pedals have a flat feel to them.

Most riders will appreciate the large platform size which distributes body weight over a wider area and is easier to find when it’s time to mount up. I may be in the minority here but in spite of having larger than average feet I prefer a slightly smaller platform mainly to avoid pedal strikes against the ground and/or my legs. Among composite flat pedals in this price range the Oso pedals stand out for having one of the larger platform areas.

After about three months of winter-weather riding the Marin Oso flat pedals are still spinning smooth. There are a few scratches on the nylon body but otherwise the pedals are none the worse for the wear.

Pros and cons of Marin Oso flat pedals

Pros

• Durable and grippy
• Competitive price and feature set
• Larger than average platform size

Cons

• Larger than average platform size

Bottom line

The Marin Oso flat pedals are a solid choice when it comes to composite flat pedals, particularly if you’re looking for a large platform size.

The article Marin Oso Flat Pedals: Large Platform for a Medium Price [Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Mullet Cycles Peacemaker stands out among mixed-wheel mountain bikes, both in terms of ethos and design. With 160/150mm of suspension travel front and rear, a single-pivot rear end and dedicated mixed-wheel geometry, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would this be a good bike for riding park? A rock crushing trail smasher? Versatile enough for riding a little bit of everything from in-town to out of bounds?

After testing the bike this winter I’ve come away impressed with the brand’s attention to detail and found the bike to be a very capable technical descender, plus it pedals and climbs well enough for after-work rides too.

Reviewer profile height: 190cm (6’3″) weight: 72.5kg (160lb) testing zone: Southeast, USA

Mullet Peacemaker key specs

• 160/150mm suspension travel front/rear
• Mixed wheels, fits up to 27.5×3.0″ rear tire
• Single-pivot alloy frame
• Weight: 35lb as tested, size large
• Price: $2,500 (frame only). Customizable complete builds available. ~$6,700 as tested.
• Order from Mullet Cycles

On the surface the Mullet Peacemaker appears to be a straightforward bike, with an alloy frame and a simple, single-pivot suspension layout. But look closely and there are a lot of small design details that add up, starting with the top tube which is hydroformed to give it its unique profile.

“It was ridiculous expensive,” Miles, Mullet Cycles “designer and executioner” told me. “The tubes I actually had to have manufactured in China and then shipped to Taiwan to have welded.”

The seat stays sit in line with the top tube for optimal, straight-line cable routing that’s all external, save for the seat tube which has internal routing for the dropper remote cable. Both the seatstays and chainstays are mechanically formed rather than cut from normal tubing.

Even the bronze head badge is cast by a NY-based luxury jeweler.

With just a single pivot, the Mullet Peacemaker uses needle bearings on the outside of the main pivot point and the largest Enduro radial bearing inside of that, a setup the brand calls Double Stacked. Miles says this is so the bearings won’t creak and will never need to be replaced.

The Mullet Peacemaker uses the longest standard metric shock size, 230x65mm, a size that’s typically only used for the biggest enduro and downhill bikes. This gives the all-mountain Peacemaker a low leverage ratio which in turn allows riders to run lower air shock pressures that tend to be easier on the shock.

Mullet uses custom, CNC-machined dropouts that give the bike a unique and overbuilt look. Sadly the current dropouts are not UDH-compatible. The Peacemaker uses its own proprietary derailleur hanger, though Miles points out the hanger is wider and shorter than most others and has proven to be quite robust.

Thanks to the elevated chainstays riders can fit up to a 38t chainring on the Mullet Peacemaker. My test bike was set up with a 34t crankset paired with a 12-speed Rotor cassette. Because the chain runs below the stay the included rubberized protector attaches to the bottom of the stay, rather than the top. I found that my right heel rubbed the protector occasionally, perhaps due to a poor fit.

Miles says the single-pivot, elevated chainstay design also results in a smaller rear triangle that’s stiffer and lighter than is possible with more complex designs.

The name, Peacemaker, is a nod to the Colt Single Action Army (SAA), aka Peacemaker, a pistol known for its reliability in addition to its accuracy and power. Miles is a fan of the old west, and for a time he was a regular Tombstone reenactor in old Tucson. The SAA was a six-shooter; the Mullet Peacemaker is a 6-inch travel bike.

The claimed weight of a size small frame with the RawDog finish is 6.8lb (a little over 3kg). My size large test bike, with a custom parts selection, weighs about 35lb.

Geometry: The secret sauce

Mullet Cycles prides itself on being one of the few brands offering dedicated mixed-wheel geometry. Miles and business partner Mike Vidovich are big believers in the benefits of mixed wheels for mountain biking, and spent “years” dialing in the design and geometry of the bikes. As a result they’re protective of their proprietary geometry, and even the name Mullet itself, a trademark they officially registered in 2018 and that was upheld upon review in 2022.

Looking at the Mullet Cycles website you won’t find a typical geometry chart, just an abbreviated table listing the reach and a few tube lengths for the three Peacemaker frame sizes: small, medium and large. I tested a size large frame which has a 480mm reach according to the brand.

While official measurements aren’t available, there’s nothing stopping anyone from just measuring one of the damn bikes. So I did just that.

According to my calculations the Mullet Peacemaker sits at about a 65° head tube angle and an actual (not effective) seat angle that’s about 72°. With sag the effective seat tube angle is likely close to 75°.

Miles did tell me that the bottom bracket sits much higher on the Peacemaker than the average trail or all-mountain bike. According to my own measurements it’s about 345mm off the ground which isn’t too far off the average 2023 trail bike, where BB heights have been creeping up slowly over the past several seasons. The Santa Cruz Bronson, also a MX bike with 150mm of rear suspension travel, has a 344mm BB height in hi mode, and 341mm in lo. Miles notes that there’s an advantage to a high bottom bracket on mixed-wheel bikes.

“My bottom bracket is ridiculously high. But that’s because I’m turning around the rear wheel. I’m not turning around the bottom bracket because we’re on an elevated axle path. So just like a boat that raises its bow and turns around the stern, [the Peacemaker is] still stable when it turns. Whereas a sailboat needs a keel in order to be stable when it turns because the the bow and the stern sit in the water at the same height. With a symmetrical wheel bike, the front axle and rear axle are at the same height. So you need a keel (a low bottom bracket) in order for thing to be stable and go around turns.”

The wheelbase of the large Mullet Peacemaker I tested measures approximately 1232mm. However the one measurement that really sticks out is the chainstay length, which is just 412mm. That’s much shorter than the average trail bike and is made possible thanks to both the smaller, 27.5″ rear wheel and the elevated chainstays.

Of course all of these numbers are approximations at best so take them with a grain of salt. Overall the numbers point toward fairly standard, modern trail bike geometry.

On the trail with the Mullet Peacemaker

I tested the Mullet Peacemaker on a variety of trails at several different bike parks, from flowy jump-style trails to raw and natural steep tracks. I also took a couple spins on my local trails to see how well the bike pedals. The bike was set up with a 160mm Cane Creek Helm fork and a Fox DHX2 coil shock.

Descending

Looking at the Peacemaker it’s clear this is a bike that’s designed for descending. Miles and I hit a few small jump lines on my first test ride and I found the bike handled well, deftly cushioning the landings even if I wasn’t smooth every time. I got more comfortable jumping the bike after several test rides, though with a coil shock the Peacemaker isn’t as poppy as other bikes I’ve ridden. That’s not at all surprising given the fact that this is a single-pivot bike and there are limitations to running a coil shock with a single pivot. To get the most out of the Peacemaker I would suggest running an air shock, or perhaps the Cane Creek Tigon coil plus air shock that Mullet offers as a part of their custom build program.

Where the Mullet Peacemaker really shines is on steep, natural descents. In fact on no other bike that I’ve tested are the benefits of a mixed-wheel configuration more apparent than they are on the Peacemaker. With the larger, 29er wheel up front plus a longer-travel fork, the bike soaks up rock and root hits while maintaining control at speed.

The 27.5″ rear wheel, on the other hand, is noticeably quick and nimble, lending the back half of the bike a snappy feel. At Windrock Bike Park, where my bike was likely the only 150mm bike on the shuttle trailer, I noted how the big wheel up front convinced me to drop into some tricky situations, and the smaller rear wheel bailed me out of them. The front wheel would roll over a rock or into a root hole and the rear wheel would just fly right out with a flick. The faster I rolled through technical trails, the better the bike felt.

The smaller rear wheel, with its slightly lower relative axle position makes for a bike that’s super stable in the turns. For that reason I found the bike performed extremely well on sharp switchbacks and tight trails.

On especially steep trails the Mullet Peacemaker is well balanced front to back, providing good control and traction. It’s tempting to attribute weight balance on a mixed wheel bike, whether climbing or descending, to the relative heights of the front and rear axles. However that’s only helpful if you’re say, taking a 29er bike and putting a 27.5″ wheel on the back or going the other direction and putting a 29er wheel and fork on a 27.5″ bike. Because the Peacemaker was designed as a mixed-wheel bike from the start the weight balance has everything to do with the chosen head and seat tube angles given the differing axle heights.

All of that is to say the Mullet Peacemaker doesn’t necessarily deliver better front-to-back weight balance for climbing or descending than a matched wheel bike just because the wheels are mixed. As a trail bike — mixed wheel or not — the Peacemaker is as optimized and balanced as any of the bikes I’ve tested, with a slight lean toward the descending side of the coin just like any other long-travel trail / all-mountain bike.

Climbing

The Mullet Peacemaker is a fine climber. At Ride Kanuga the roughly 500ft pedal to the top on the High Rocks Climb trail felt like a breeze. The front wheel tracked arrow straight and with a coil shock the bike stayed absolutely planted, delivering fly-trap traction.

On steeper climbs the weight of the Peacemaker naturally makes itself a bit more apparent, and at grades above 17% the front wheel does start to feel a little light. Or maybe it’s just me feeling light headed. Either way, though I was quickly spoiled by the shuttles at Rock Creek, Windrock and Jarrod’s Place, I found the Peacemaker to be more than capable — and comfortable — for adding a little extra vert whenever the opportunity presented itself.

I got in more than enough testing at the bike parks but I also wanted to see how (if?) the Peacemaker would perform on my local trails, which have less elevation and a whole lot more pedaling. With the coil shock the Peacemaker feels well-supported pedaling flat out and is responsive through short bursts to get up and over technical features. This bike is overkill for my local trails but I could see riding the Peacemaker on the regular if I lived somewhere like the Front Range of Colorado or say Knoxville.

When mountain bikers talk about reach it’s usually in relation to descending where a longer reach is said to be more stable at high speeds. As a taller rider I find a longer reach (but not too long!) also puts me in a better position for climbing and here, the size large frame I tested comes up short (ha). With a 480mm reach the Peacemaker is about average for a size large trail bike, though there are certainly longer trail bikes like the 485mm Scott Genius and Yeti SB140. Based on my height, if Mullet offered a size XL Peacemaker with a longer reach — say 500mm — I suspect I could climb on it much more comfortably.

Single pivot

It’s been a while since I’ve ridden a single-pivot bike and I worried the Peacemaker might feel limited compared to bikes with more complicated linkages. In the end I found it rides as well as any other full suspension bike, providing good traction and control on both the climbs and the descents.

My experience confirms something Marin’s Aaron Abrams told me just last year. “Fast forward to 2023 and shock technology is fantastic,” he said. “Things like simple, single-pivot bikes and Horst link bikes especially were not that great until shock technology evolved to where it is now.” Even with a coil shock — not ideal for a single-pivot bike — the Peacemaker is a very capable bike.

Mullet Peacemaker build

If you’ve read some of the bike reviews and news releases I’ve written you know that I tend to gloss over build kit details. In truth that’s because most of our readers are already familiar with components from the major brands, and a Fox 36 Factory fork is going to perform almost exactly the same on a Pivot Switchblade as it is on a Yeti SB135. At best I can comment on whether I think a brand has made good component choices, and in the case of smaller brands like Mullet Cycles that allow buyers to choose their own parts, even that’s not really relevant.

That is, unless, a bike brand supplies their own parts. I was surprised to learn that Mullet makes their own wheels, though given that mixing wheels is sorta their thing I guess it makes sense. It makes even more sense knowing what an eccentric perfectionist Miles is when it comes to his offerings.

The Mullet wheelset

The alloy Mullet wheels are sold as a pair (29 front, 27.5 rear). Both feature a 35mm internal rim width which is on the wide side for a trail / all-mountain wheelset. Honestly I was skeptical at first but I found the wider rims give a tire like the 2.35″ Schwalbe Hans Dampf a nice shape for riding in rough conditions.

In an unusual move the Mullet rims are drilled for full-size Schrader valves. Miles told me he once broke a Presta valve while riding at Keystone and wanted something stronger. So, he had his own tubeless Schrader valves manufactured and drilled his rims accordingly. Just like a tubeless Presta valve, the valve core is removable for adding sealant.

One added benefit to Schader valves, besides being able to fill up at a gas station air compressor, is the variety of novelty valve caps that are available. My test bike came with skull-shaped caps. The skull caps, paired with the gambling-themed and perhaps tattoo-inspired decals, look as if Ed Hardy might’ve styled the wheels himself.

Still, these are serious wheels with real advantages on the trail. The Mullet hubs deliver 140 points of engagement which works out to less than 3° and is on par with much pricier hubs. And the driver body adds three galvanized steel strips to the teeth to reduce the chance of gouging.

I found the wheels held up to all the abuse I could dish out and have remained true throughout testing. I haven’t suffered a single pinch flat and the tires have proven to hold air well, even in one case without any sealant.

The Mullet wheelset is priced starting at $500 with the purchase of a frame or $700 for just the wheels.

Miles Wide

I’ll be the first to admit that I think single-pivot bikes are ugly. In general the elevated chainstays just look… not right. Mullet Cycles mitigates this to a degree by aligning the chainstays with the top tube which results in a continuous, swooping line for the eye to follow. Honestly though, I didn’t even notice the Peacemaker was single-pivot at first glance. Instead my eyes were drawn to the colorful, and dare I say tasteful, pops of color on this build.

A lot of those pops are thanks to accessories from Miles Wide Industries, Miles’s independent accessories company. Miles Wide makes the color-matched Sticky Fingers brake lever covers you see in the photos and also the Cable Buddies that keep the cockpit looking neat and dialed. Then there’s the Fork Cork, which you can’t see, and that’s by design. It’s a plug that fits in the bottom of the fork steerer tube so you can stash a tire plug tool or possibly an Apple Air Tag inside. At the Miles Wide website you can also pick up those tubeless Schrader valves I mentioned.

Completing the look for this particular build is the teal Jagwire cable housing and PNW bars with teal decals. There’s also the Limited Edition Cane Creek Helm fork with rainbow sparkle finish and an oil slick SDG saddle. Pairing these colorful components with the silver frame results in a bike that looks dialed, fast and fun. Everywhere I went riders were sure to comment on the bike, and nearly all were complimentary.

Pros and cons of the Mullet Peacemaker

Pros

• Burly alloy frame and simple design promises hassle-free maintenance
• Dedicated mixed-wheel geometry feels balanced for all-mountain riding
• Unique details make the Peacemaker one of a kind

Cons

• While the frame is coil-compatible, it’s probably better with an air shock
• No XL frames. Riders taller than 6ft will likely find the size large is too small

Bottom line

The Mullet Peacemaker capitalizes on the advantages of mixed-wheel bikes and delivers a quality bike that’s tough enough for rough descents and also capable of climbing back up to the top for another lap.

The article The Mullet Peacemaker is a 6-inch Technical Trail Shooter [Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Stoke is an occasional opinion series highlighting the things that get us stoked about mountain biking. 🤘 👍 👏 🙏

I’ve been a part of the same weekly mountain bike group ride for almost 15 years now, and looking back a lot has changed. Some of the trails we used to ride no longer exist while others have organically twisted and morphed to avoid the fallen trees. The regulars have aged by a decade or more and perhaps not coincidentally, the number of singlespeed riders has dwindled from most of us to none of us.

Recently I noticed another big change: we don’t have as many mechanicals as we used to. Mechanicals, in case you’re not familiar with the lingo, is mountain bike speak for mechanical issues. Basically, a mechanical is any problem with a bike that forces you to stop riding and make an emergency repair. And for the most part I’m stoked that regular mechanicals are a thing of the past.

I suppose I should start by thanking the product designers and engineers out there who have found ways to make our mountain bikes and components more reliable. Folks like Stan Koziatek, who in 2001 developed his No Tubes solution for bike tires. Or Roval engineer Chuck Teixeira who, after countless tests and prototypes, figured out that a wider rim bead profile would lead to fewer tubeless tire pinch flats. Of course it’s not just tires and wheels that have become more reliable — MTB drivetrains have come just as far, if not farther. But for our janky trail enthusiast group, flat tires were always our biggest foe.

Just to illustrate how much things have changed, on a ride two weeks ago, with 25 riders on mountain and gravel bikes, not a single person got a flat tire. Last year ten of us rode the 360-mile Huracan 300 on fully-loaded mountain bikes and no one got a flat on that ride either. Anecdotally it would seem the flat tire has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

Just as impressive is the fact that our mountain bikes have gotten more capable AND more reliable in tandem. Fifteen years ago no one was running a dropper post; today only Fitz is on a fixed post. (I’m still working on him.) Apologies to Notorious B.I.G. but as it turns out, more gears actually does not equal more problems. Our suspension performs much better and we’re not topping off the air pressure every other ride like we used to.

Yes, our bikes are way more reliable today. But so are we. Over time I know I’ve become a much better home mechanic, thanks in part to YouTube but also by virtue of time served grinding away in the garage. And then there’s the whole peer pressure thing.

Like every group ride our Tuesday night crew has a set of unspoken rules, one of which is that we’ll wait for you if you have a problem with your bike — but only once. And certainly not every week. Regulars have quickly learned that acceptance by the group is predicated on having a reliable bike that’s in good working order, week after week. Hell, I’ve been in the group as long as anyone and I’m scared to make Tuesday night my first ride on a new bike or component for fear that there could be a problem. I can’t risk the inevitable shame!

In some ways I kinda do miss the mechanicals. Whenever someone has a problem it’s a chance for me to rest, and to catch my breath. It’s the time to ask a friend how their week has been going so far. For some, though not me personally, it’s a chance to impart some hard-found wisdom about the best way to keep rolling on a torn sidewall when you don’t have a dollar bill or a Gu wrapper on you. Sure, mechanicals may be fewer and farther between today, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone. As soon as you get complacent and leave your flat repair kit at home, that’s when the snake decides to bite.

A lot of us are running electronic derailleurs now and I wonder if we’ll ever have to worry about having “an electrical” on the trail. In spite of the old-timers pining for the simpler days of singlespeeds and mechanical cables, so far so good. Yet, at some point someone will certainly forget to charge a battery. But, it’ll only happen once, lesson learned. Even then I probably won’t consider that an electrical, just a good old fashioned brain fart.

Yes, our group ride has changed a lot over the years. New riders have joined the group, new trails keep getting built and new bike days are regularly celebrated. And maybe, now that mechanicals are a thing of the past, we’ll find new reasons to occasionally stop and chat. After all, that’s the best way to keep the stoke going for years to come.

The article What Happened to all the Mechanicals? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The West Hill neighborhood in Albany, New York is a difficult place for a child to grow up. High crime rates and a lack of green space keep most of its youth indoors, robbing them of the joys of being outdoors. But one program is seeking to change that and give area children the opportunity to discover the joy of riding bikes.

To find out more, we spoke to Gregory Sheldon, the program director of WheelsUp, Valerie Johnson, the Albany County Youth Bureau Director, and Skye van der Laan, a local mountain biker and volunteer trail steward for WheelsUp.

The progression of a great idea

WheelsUp’s origins can be traced back to the work the Eden’s Rose Foundation started doing in Albany, New York in 2016 when it created the Albany Victory Gardens with the goal of teaching residents how to grow their own food. That project made a big impact on the area’s youth.

Shortly thereafter, the foundation started a youth development program that gave area kids jobs working in nature. The children the foundation worked with did not have much access to green spaces.

Then, in 2021, the foundation put on an Earth Day event where youth could complete different tasks, such as weeding a garden or painting a beehive. For every task they completed, the youth were given a sticker to put on a scorecard. At the end of the day, they could turn in a full card in exchange for a free bike. Sheldon said the bikes were donated by a local recycling program and members of the foundation had tuned them up.

Upon seeing the joy in their faces and noticing how much they started riding them after that day, Sheldon said the idea for WheelsUp was born. “It was an easy way to make a positive effect in these kids’ lives. It gave them wings.”

Local businesses and the county helped the program take shape

After the bikes were given out, Sheldon saw there was a need to teach the youth how to maintain and repair the bikes they had received. “We created community pop-up events where we teach kids how to work on bikes. That was the second piece of the project.”

He also recognized that the youth needed riding gear too. “We had a local law firm donate helmets and lots of other local partners have come in and helped as well.”

Then, the county provided financial assistance to the program. Valerie Johnson heard about the WheelsUp program during a stakeholder meeting. The Albany County Youth Bureau, which funds youth development programs in the county, had received money from the state to create programming to help deter gun violence. She was looking for programming that met the gun violence prevention criteria and WheelsUp did. “The program has a positive effect on the neighborhood. It gave out bikes to kids who could never afford a bike.”

The program also acquired property that was perfect for mountain biking

The Albany County Land Bank Corporation helped the Eden’s Rose Foundation purchase a 50-acre parcel of land at the north end of the West Hill neighborhood. The foundation wasn’t the only one who had been interested in the property. Skye van der Laan, a local mountain biker, had been eyeing the property for a few years. He had tried to find out who owned it, but the title records were murky, and it appeared the property was abandoned.

Van der Laan had built 3 miles of “modern old school” singletrack on the property. “It’s narrow and has lots of exposure, but I built it in a way that’s both sustainable and fun.” The property has great topography for mountain biking, he says.

While building trails on the property, van der Laan ran into Sheldon. Sheldon asked him where the trails had come from and van der Laan admitted he was the builder. The two then started talking about Sheldon’s ideas for the WheelsUp program.

Van der Laan had been inspired by Eliot Jackson’s Grow Cycling Foundation and wanted to get local kids out into the woods to build trails for themselves.

“The local kids have mad bike skills, but they have never been on dirt.” He volunteered to be the trail steward for the property and teach local youth about trail building.

Sheldon was glad to have Van der Laan onboard because he felt it was important to give neighborhood youth access to the outdoors. “I spent my youth riding in the woods, building jumps, and racing with friends.” In contrast, most of the youth in the West Hill neighborhood had spent very little time in nature.

“Our kids are largely afraid of the wood,” he said. “It takes a bit for them to adjust to it.”

Building a team atmosphere to all of mountain biking

According to Sheldon, the motto of the WheelsUp program is Learning, Working, Riding. The program has developed a training process for the youth who participate in the program.

Young riders get the opportunity to ride the trails with adult chaperones who teach them the basic skills. As they get older, these riders are then taught how to work on the trails. Adult members of the program will walk with the youth on the trails, showing them how to build and maintain them. And, starting this year, Sheldon said that youth in the program will also have the opportunity to race. WheelsUp is forming a team to compete in the New York Interscholastic Cycling League, which is affiliated with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). Sheldon said the program recognized the importance of developing a competitive model where kids could participate in outdoor sports. 

A breath of fresh air

Sheldon said that WheelsUp has given out 450 bikes to youth since its first bike giveaway. All the youth who received them earned the bikes by doing community service.

But giving kids bikes is only part of the program. WheelsUp is also teaching neighborhood youth how to maintain and repair their bikes, giving them an opportunity to enjoy the wonders of mountain biking, and showing them how to build and maintain sustainable trails. It also provides the youth with an opportunity to be in a safe space away from the violence that negatively impacts their lives.

In Sheldon’s view, WheelsUp can make a big impact on the neighborhood youth. “Although it might seem like a small, mundane thing to get kids together on bikes and out into the woods, it provides real solutions for the unprecedented problems the youth in our neighborhood are facing.”

The article The WheelsUp Program Is Showing Albany, NY Youth The Joy and Wonder of Riding Bikes appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email jeff@singletracks.com.

Transition Spur gets UDH

The Transition Spur is now UDH-compatible, and the brand is offering fresh SRAM Eagle Transmission builds that take advantage of the new dropouts. Buyers can choose from two new colors as well, Hazy Gray and Blackberry.

• Price: TBD
• Buy from Transition dealers

Crankbrothers Mallet and Stamp Trail Lace shoes

Crankbrothers announced Mallet and Stamp BOA shoes for trail riding recently, and now they’re following up with less expensive lace versions of both shoes. The Mallet and Stamp Trail Lace shoes are available in flat or clipless versions.

• Price: $149.99 (flat) and $169.99 (clipless)
• Buy from Crankbrothers

RockShox Flight Attendant algorithm update

Beep boop, Flight Attendant just got smarter. SRAM has updated the Flight Attendant suspension control algorithm to incorporate even more rider data, including power data, for ever-more personal results. The suspension adapts to the rider, automatically selecting from one of four zones: sprint, high efffort, medium effort and low effort.

The brand says most riders will see even more frequent Flight Attendant suspension setting changes during a typical ride with additional data and the algorithm update which suggests it should be even more efficient.

• Price: $2,899
• Buy from Worldwide Cyclery

Vittoria teams up with Craft for a semi-slick… running shoe?

The new Craft Xplor running shoe doesn’t just use Vittoria rubber… the sole is literally made from bike tires, according to Craft. Specifically the tread comes from Vittoria Terreno Mix and Terreno Dry gravel bike tires for a shoe that’s meant to work well on and off road. Men’s and women’s sizes and styles are available.

• Price: $139.99
• Buy from Craft

WTB TPU tubes and new tubeless tire valves

Few mountain bikers run tubes these days, but a lot of us still carry a spare just in case of a flat. But tubes tend to be heavy and bulky, which is why WTB is launching Nanoair TPU tubes. Similar to Tubolito tubes, the Nanoair tubes are lightweight and compact. They’re also pricey so hopefully you won’t have to use one.

• Price: $34.95
• Buy from REI

Ritchey Comp Buzzard handlebar

The new Ritchey Comp Buzzard handlebar promises a more comfortable riding position for bikepacking with a 70mm rise for a more upright riding position. The 27.5° backsweep, paired with wide, 820mm width, may be just what you need for long distance rides.

• Price: $49.95
• Buy from Ritchey retailers

Tailwind Rapid Hydration Mix is easy to drink any time of day

Tailwind, known for the calorie-dense hydration mixes has a new mix out and it has a blend of vitamin C and electrolytes. Tailwind says it mixes easily and clearly and has a light taste–easy to mix in a water bottle or glass at home. Rapid Hydration is available in orange, strawberry lemonade, lemon lime, berry and raspberry in 12-, 15-, and 25-pack boxes. Each packet has 45 calories and is intended for 18-24oz of water.

• Price: $18.99-$29.99
• Buy from Tailwind

The article Transition Spur Update Plus Running Shoes with Gravel Tire Tread appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

While the press release is packed full of superlatives, there are some meaningful takeaways for the Specialized Epic 8. Namely, it’s a tad lighter, adds SWAT storage, and it has slightly improved suspension kinematics and more aggressive geo. Here’s everything that’s new on the bikes.

Specialized Epic v8 key specs

• 120mm frame travel, 120mm fork travel
• 3-position shock with Ride Dynamics tune
• SRAM Level 4-piston brakes
• 29″ wheels F/R
• Buy from Specialized

The geometry is more aggressive than ever, especially for a World Cup XC bike.

On a size large, they’ve grown the reach to 475mm and the head tube angle has slackened to 66.4° (high mode) while the seat tube steepened to 75.5°. The wheelbase is 1,210mm.

Of course the bike needed to remain as light as possible and to achieve this Specialized leaned into a leverage-controlled single pivot suspension design, but with no flex stays. After all, it’s a race bike and response is the name of the game.

To keep things comfortable and grippy, Specialized has custom shock tunes on all Epic 8s with three positions, and yes they have buzz words: Wide Open, for minimal compression damping and an active rear end. Magic Middle is “ideal for 80% of racing situations,” with a mix of grip and response, while Sprint-On-Lock is for those photo-worthy sprint finishes.

Specialized says the bike is 76g (2.6oz) lighter that the previous S-Works Epic frame. It looks like it might be getting hard to shave much more weight off of a very specially tuned carbon XC frame. They’ve also added a SWAT box (read: downtube storage), which is a little surprising since the feature surely adds weight and this is an XC bike.

The Epic also uses titanium hardware and a carbon shock extension on the S-Works version.

The bike gets a Specialized Renegade 2.35″ tire in the rear and a 2.35″ Fast Trak up front.

Specialized Epic EVO

The Epic launch wouldn’t be complete without its meaner trail-ready counterpart, the Epic EVO. It shares many of the same features and the same frame, which may be why the race-ready build also gets a SWAT Box, since the brand will most likely sell more EVO versions.

Epic EVO Key specs

• 120mm rear travel, Fox 34 130mm travel fork
• 2-position shock
• SRAM Code 4-piston brakes
• Riser bars, shorter stem

Rather than the 3-position shock switch, the EVO simplifies things to a Wide Open mode and the Sprint-On-Lock mode (I wasn’t kidding about those compression mode names.)

For Epic EVO geometry, the size large has 470mm of reach, a 65.9° HTA (low mode), a 1,214mm wheelbase and 435mm chainstays. Since they share the same frame, it seems the additional 10mm of travel makes for a slightly shorter reach and slacker HTA and STA (75.1°).

And for tires, the bike has a Specialized Ground Control 2.35″ in the rear with a Purgatory 2.4″ up front.

Pricing

The following builds and configurations can be ordered online from Specialized.

Specialized Epic

• S-Works Epic 8: $14,500
• S-Works Epic 8 Frameset: $6,000
• Epic 8 Pro: $9,000
• Epic 8 Expert: $7,000
• Epic 8 Comp: $5,000

Specialized Epic EVO

• Epic 8 EVO Pro: $8,500
• Epic 8 EVO Pro frameset: $3,800
• Epic 8 EVO Comp: $5,000

The article The Latest Specialized Epic and Epic EVO Get Lighter and Meaner appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

After four years on the 4th generation Sight, Norco came out with new versions of the do-it-all Sight and the short-travel shred machine Optic at the end of February. Both bikes were released at the same time and share some of the same key updates. Both have gone through big changes and seem to have only improved upon the trusted bikes.

I had the chance to ride the Norco Sight and Optic for a day each in Sedona and here are my thoughts on the 5th generation Sight.

Norco Sight key specs

• Rider Profile: 5’8” and 175lb with gear. Size 3 MX bike tested. 
• Suspension travel: 160/150mm front/rear
• Frame highlights: C2 MX tested, available in full carbon or full aluminum, with VPS_HP (Virtual Pivot Suspension–High Pivot) suspension layout, mixed-wheel build or 29er
• Geometry highlights: HTA: 64°, Reach: 472.5°, STA: 77.5°, Chainstays: 428mm, Wheelbase: 1,247mm
• Price: $5,999 for the C2 build as tested
• Buy from JensonUSA.

The biggest change on the new Sight–aside from revised geometry, which is always expected–is the addition of the VPS_HP, a high pivot and idler pulley with an increased rearward axle path.

Norco says the suspension is tuned for anti-squat, efficiency, and responsiveness while the idler reduces chain growth and pedal kickpack, an ever-present issue on many long-travel bikes. It’s not a surprising move really. A lot of bikes have added the feature over the past few years. It is however more surprising on the 125mm Optic since there are few short-travel bikes out there with an idler pulley and high pivot. A review on that bike is coming soon.

Frame

Norco’s sizing has transitioned to numbers instead of letters: sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 instead of sizes XS-XL. This is intended to help riders get away from thinking about bikes like a T-shirt or pant size, hence the numerical system that does away with “large” or “extra small” which some might be uncomfortable with.

I still can’t help but convert the numerical size in my head back to what a medium is. Maybe that’s just me since my mountain bike gear from head to toe is usually medium, but it might be helpful for folks who are on another side of the sizing spectrum.

Rather than a carbon front triangle and aluminum rear, the C builds are full carbon from axle to head tube and Norco has a series of aluminum builds too with an attractive price point–and they offer both a carbon and aluminum frameset. Many bike brands only offer their aluminum frames in a complete build.

There are downtube and chainslap guards that come from the factory and room for a bottle in the front triangle and a mounted tool beneath the top tube.

The Sight comes in either full 29er builds or a mixed-wheel (MX) build. There is no flip-chip on the bike so in order to do the wheel swap you’ll have to purchase the Missing Link kit, consisting of a lower shock mount and a rocker link for an additional $135. Norco says they went with the linkage kit instead of a chip to keep the geometry and suspension kinematics unchanged, though it does take more time and money to make the swap.

Other than that, there’s not much to talk about frame-wise, something I see as a good thing, as you never know what features mountain bike brands are packing into a new frame these days.

Geometry has progressed a lot. My size 3 has 472.5mm of reach, 636mm of stack, a 64° HTA and 77.5° STA (both basically the same as the previous gen we tested last fall), 428mm chainstays and a 1,247mm wheelbase, with a 685mm standover height.

Build

I tested the C2 MX (mixed-wheel) build, with a full carbon frame, a SRAM 12-speed drivetrain (mashup of GX derailleur, NX shifter and SX chain) and Code Bronze Stealth 4-piston brakes and a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork and Vivid Ultimate Air shock.

I thought the SRAM NX shifter would bother me more, but honestly it didn’t feel too bad. It’s not as snappy or precise feeling as a GX shifter, but it mostly became an afterthought on the trail.

The bonus is the Ultimate Vivid and Lyrik (with Charger 3 damper) suspension, which give you greater tunability.

Setup

Norco uses the Ride Aligned program to help riders find the perfect tune. It considers your height and weight, riding style and position, and the terrain to give you shock, fork, and tire pressure recommendations with compression and rebound numbers too.

In my experience on both the Sight and Optic it worked very well for the right suspension pressures, but I adjusted some of the compression and rebound damping on the trail. It’s not perfect, but it gets you in the ballpark much faster than guessing or going off of an estimated 20-30% sag.

I typically prefer a softer feel off the top, especially on trails like Sedona. I dropped a few clicks of compression damping on the fork during the ride, but other than that the Ride Aligned recommendations worked well.

On the trail with the Norco Sight

As part of trip to Sedona with Norco, Thule, Patagonia, and Smith I spent a day riding the Sight on the desert trails. We started the day with about 13 miles on the Dry Creek and Western Gateway trails, including Chuckwagon, Mescal, Cockscomb and Ground Control. It was a mix of pedally and punchy climbs with a moderate amount of technical maneuvers.

Climbing

Going uphill, the Sight’s suspension felt very supportive and responsive. Any squatting that does happen isn’t noticeable and it pedals admirably for a 150mm-travel, sub-enduro bike.

Even standing to pedal out of the saddle the bike didn’t feel wallowy and the Lyrik held its composure too without sinking into the fork’s travel.

For being a longer bike, the Sight was also pretty sharp and easy to handle going around tighter corners and up and over curb-sized steps and tree roots.

There’s a very distinct suspension feel between the Sight and Optic. Obviously there is a 1-inch difference in travel and while that might sound like a lot more to pedal, the Optic is responsive enough, predictable, and will let you keep traction and get away with going up techy rocks while you’re a little softer on the pedals. The rear wheel delivers gobs of traction.

I got along with the geometry too. We pedaled about 21 miles on the Sight and the angles are progressive without going too extreme. Again, the head tube angle didn’t change at all and the seat tube angle barely changed.

Descending on the Norco Sight

Once we headed downhill, the Sight immediately felt comfortable and confident. When a bike gets a little too aggressive with geometry it can take a while to figure out how it will handle, but I never felt uneasy because of the Sight.

The bike is stable and eats up the small, angular rocky ridges in the desert thanks to the rearward axle path. Some might be skeptical about the high pivot and that’s fair. Where I felt it was most noticeable was coming off of drops, where the suspension compresses and extends extremely smoothly and predictably.

The Sight felt best to me on faster, chunky straightaways where it can gallop over piles of rock. The bike was balanced and the reach didn’t feel too long for me. I get a little worried at my height when the size stretches past 460mm of reach, but with 472mm of reach, I still kept it in check, though it did feel a tad long around tight corners and switchbacks, and there are a lot of those in Sedona.

Pros and Cons of the 2024 Norco Sight

Pros

• Composed, predictable suspension feel, up and down the hill with support and traction
• Light and responsive for a 150mm-travel, high-pivot bike
• Moderate but confidence-inspiring geometry

Cons

• A little long around tight corners
• Wheel swap requires additional shock mount and rocker link

Bottom line

Norco’s all-new Sight is an all-mountain and light enduro bruiser with the stance to take on big climbs and big days in the saddle.

The article The 2024 Norco Sight High Pivot, Ridden and Reviewed in Sedona appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Georgia Cycling Association recently announced a new mountain bike program for kids in third through fifth grade called Trail Rangers. Designed to “provide a mindful and fun environment for children to learn, play, and connect with others through the joys of mountain biking,” the program is set to launch in spring of 2025.

Supported in part by the Chestnut Family Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons Youth Fund, volunteer-led groups will participate in a 10-week program with an opportunity to meet up for statewide events.

“We believe that all children should have access to resources that enable them to be healthy, build self-confidence, and enjoy life,” said Chestnut Family Foundation trustee Ben Chestnut in a release.

In 2022 the Chestnut Family Foundation announced a $1M donation to MTB Atlanta for various trail projects around the metro area, including a newly constructed Velosolutions pump track at Allatoona Creek Park.

The Georgia Cycling Association, a high school mountain bike program, was founded in 2013. In 2015 the organization added a middle school program.

More information about the Trail Rangers and opportunities for forming or joining a group can be found online.

The article Elementary-age Kids MTB Program Planned for Georgia Cycling Association appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

We found some killer deals on mountain bikes for any budget or style of riding, from the $2,000 Giant Trance trail bike to the $6,899 (normally $8,899) Santa Cruz Bullit electric enduro bike. There are also some great deals on apparel staples like a merino wool jersey and trail shorts plus component upgrades on sale. Bring on spring!

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list and get deals like these delivered to your inbox!

Devinci Troy A 29 GX 12s Mountain Bike

$4,499.00 | $2,849.99 sale

The Devinci Troy offers 140mm of Split Pivot rear travel and size-specific chainstays plus the progressive leverage ratio is coil-ready. This alloy frame comes with a Pike Select+ fork and GX Eagle drivetrain.

Buy from evo

Rocky Mountain Element Alloy 10 Bike

$2,699.00 | $1,799.94 sale

Get a downcountry bike at a downright low price. A flip chip ensures you get the progressive geometry you want and at this price you can afford to upgrade the parts that matter most. Or, just ride it like it is!

Buy from Jenson USA

Giant Trance 29 1 Mountain Bike

$2,850.00 | $2,550.00 sale

The Giant Trance 29 is a very popular trail bike, and for good reason. This build comes with a Fox 34 fork and 12-speed Shimano SLX drivetrain. Trance 29 2 builds are also available for even less.

Buy from Performance Bike

Specialized Stumpjumper Comp

$5,000.00 | $3,999.99 sale

The all-carbon Stumpy Comp features internal frame storage and a flip chip, and this build ships with Fox suspension, a mixed SRAM GX 12-speed drivetrain, and 4-piston brakes.

Buy from Specialized

Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Alloy

$7,000.00 | $5,999.99 sale

Take $1,000 off the Turbo Levo Comp. Featuring a long-lasting 700Wh battery this all-mountain bike is ready for pretty much anything.

Buy from Specialized

Santa Cruz Bullit 3 CC S E-bike

$8,899.00 | $6,899.00 sale

The Bullit is a bike park in a box with 170mm of VPP suspension travel and a mixed-wheel setup. Save $2,000.

Buy from Jenson USA

Five Ten Women’s Freerider Pro

$160.00 | $60.00 price with code

The Freerider is an easy choice for flat pedal riders. Save an extra 25% off the sale price with code SAVEBIG (ends 3/11/24).

Buy from Adidas

ZOIC Men’s Ether Cycling Shorts

$75.00 | $65.00 sale

Zoic shorts deliver a great value, and even more when they’re on sale! If this 12″ version is too long, there’s also a 9″ version on sale.

Buy from Moosejaw

Smartwool Men’s Mountain Bike Long-Sleeve Jersey

$95.00 | $71.73 sale

If you don’t have a wool cycling jersey, now is a good time to pick one up, and this Smartwool long-sleeve is a stylish and quality choice. Don’t forget the socks!

Buy from REI

ENVE Last Resort Wind Jacket

$175.00 | $87.50 sale

This lightweight jacket packs down tight and does a great job blocking the wind on cool spring days. We love the fit and quality and you will too. Save 50%.

Buy from ENVE

MET Roam MIPS Helmet

$219.00 | $128.00 price after code

The MET Roam MIPS helmet is fully featured and highly adjustable for a comfortable fit. Save an extra 20% off the sale price with code MEGADEAL.

Buy from Worldwide Cyclery

Patagonia Women’s Dirt Craft Bike Shorts

$169.00 | $100.93 sale

Riders love the Patagonia Dirt Craft bike shorts thanks to the flattering and comfortable fit plus multiple pockets and a DWR finish. Includes removable chamois liner. Now 40% off.

Buy from REI

Insta360 ONE RS Twin Edition Action Camera

$549.99 | $411.99 sale

We love the Insta360 ONE RS camera because it never misses a shot. Edit 360° video after the ride to get exactly the angle you want or use it to create some creative single-shooter shots.

Buy from Amazon

SRAM Code RSC Disc Brake

$264.00 | $189.99 front or rear

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SRAM Rear Derailleur X01 Eagle 12 speed

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Grab this blingy replacement derailleur for under $100. You can also pick up a cassette for $115.95 and an X01 chain for $49.99.

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Rockshox ZEB Ultimate Charger 3 RC2

$1,159.00 | $799.95 sale

The ZEB is a long, 170mm fork with the latest Charger 3 damper for the Ultimate enduro performance.

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Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article 16 MTB Deals (Including Bikes!) to Get You Ready for the Season appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The updated Liv Pique Advanced cross-country bike has a bit more travel for 2024, improved performance, and a new look.

Previously a straight, 100/100mm travel front/rear XC bike, the latest Liv Pique Advanced gets 120/115mm of travel front and rear. This places the bike toward the more aggressive end of XC race bikes and gets pretty close to downcountry territory, though the geo is still XC-oriented for the most part.

2024 Liv Pique Advanced geometry

The Liv Pique Advanced has a slacker, 67° head tube angle for improved descending and a steeper, 76° seat tube angle that more than compensates on the climbing side. Reaches are longer across the board while the chainstays are shorter for more nimble handling.

Frame features

Liv managed to drop nearly a third of a kilogram (297g) off the weight of the Pique Advanced while also improving the frame’s stiffness. The brand says the bike is both torsionally stiffer and delivers 10% more pedaling stiffness thanks to upgraded carbon materials.

This time around the Pique ditches its bent top tube and goes straight. This gives the bike a more modern look, though it does give the bike a significantly higher standover height that smaller riders may not appreciate. For example, the XS bikes previously featured a 693mm standover; now it’s 748mm as you can see from the geometry chart above.

Size XS frames now feature a set of water bottle mounts while larger sizes include two sets of mounts. Four builds will be available worldwide; in the US buyers can choose from the Advanced 29 1 and Advanced 29 3 builds, priced at $7,500 and $4,500 respectively.

Singletracks product tester Chris Scheiffer has a Liv Pique Advanced in for test. Look forward to her full review this spring.

The article Liv Pique Advanced Adds 15mm Travel, Gets New Look appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) is one of the country’s most extensive trail advocacy groups. Despite Vermont being one of the smallest states in the nation, VMBA boasts nearly 10,000 members across 29 chapters statewide.

Amongst the daily routines of trail maintenance, grant writing, and new trail scoping, VMBA has taken on a new project. The Velomont Trail aims to connect most of VMBA’s chapters across the state with a nearly 500-mile continuous trail. 

“Our VMBA chapters are very community-based organizations that steward their local trail systems. The Velomont is envisioned as that connective tissue that will bring you from one community to another,” Nick Bennette, Executive Direct of VMBA, told us.

If Bennette’s name sounds familiar, he was a guest on the Singletracks Podcast a year ago. We caught back up with him and Angus McCusker, Executive Director of the Velomont Trail Collective, and asked about this monumental project that stretches the entire state.

The Velomont Trail

The Velomont Trail Collective is technically a VMBA chapter, though its primary purpose is to drive The Velomont Trail project forward. 

“When the Velomont’s complete, it’s going to encompass a lot of trails that already exist in our chapters,” Bennette said. “But there’s going to be a lot of new trail or areas that are sort of trail deserts right now. Someone has to be responsible for that trail, too, so the Velomont Trail Collective is presently playing that role.”

Two other organizations have partnered with VMBA and the Velomont Trail Collective. Vermont Huts Association is a non-profit seeking to broaden residents’ connection to the wilderness by providing an enriching outdoor experience.

The Vermont Huts Association oversees the Catamount trail, a cross-country ski trail that also stretches the length of Vermont. The Catamount Trail Association works to maintain and protect access to the backcountry trail. The Velomont Trail hopes to take a page out of their book but at lower elevations.

The idea for the Velomont Trail started about seven years ago. McCusker and his local VMBA chapter were considering new trails in their area of Central Vermont. “We could build trails anywhere, or we could connect to our neighboring chapter,” McCusker explained.

Several different VMBA chapters met and discussed the idea which they supported. This was the start of proposing trails to connect to an adjacent VMBA network. “So we were fortunate to have that right off the bat, as we were beginning to develop our network on a local basis,” McCusker said. While the overall concept for the Velomont Trail had yet to be conceived, a foundation was being laid.

As networks and chapters connected, the concept grew. “Originally, we had six different chapters connected,” McCusker said. “And then the idea, to be fully honest, just sort of snowballed.” 

As it stands, the proposed Velomont trail will connect 23 of the 29 VMBA chapters. The trail will stretch 485 miles, from Massachusetts in the south to Canada in the North. A total of 30 new huts and five hostels will be constructed along the trail and in the 27 communities the trail crosses.

Connecting Communities

One of the aspects of the Velomont Trail that both Bennette and McCusker are excited about is the trail’s connection to many communities and villages throughout Vermont.

“You can imagine living in a village in Vermont and having a trail right from your village,” McCusker said. “That would be an amazing resource—take a lunch break [on the trail] or have the school bike program for kids. All kinds of possibilities, including people coming to visit, to use the trail.”

“Vermont as a landscape is just so ideal for this type of connected experience,” Bennette added. “We have so many small communities—that’s what defines Vermont. You’re in one small community with its general store and its outdoor shop—Vermont is defined by these hamlets. These could be the waypoints.”

The Velomont Trail would then not only be about cycling but also a way to showcase the villages and communities that are the heartbeat of Vermont. “That idea of being able to play hopscotch between these communities is one that’s a uniquely Vermont proposition,” Bennette said. 

A proposal like the Velomont Trail seems reasonable in a state as active in outdoor activities as Vermont is. In fact, 1.5% of Vermont’s population are VMBA members, according to Bennette. “We got an estimate last year from the University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies that suggested 50,000 Vermonters were out riding mountain bikes regularly in the summer,” Bennette told us.

Not only is the Velomont Trail expected to bring tourism dollars to the communities scattered along the trail, but it will also provide jobs. The project requires hiring over 300 laborers to build the various huts and hostels sprinkled along the trail.

And it seems like the state of Vermont recognizes the potential benefit of the Velomont Trail. The state pushed $150,000 toward the Velomont project to help them in their planning process.

The Velomont trail still won’t come easy

Of course, a trail project nearly 500 miles long will have its setbacks. The scale of the project alone can seem overwhelming. If building almost 500 miles of continuous trails seems labor-intensive, try connecting an existing network of trails and newly proposed trails to make that 500 miles.

And then try doing all that while hopscotching from one privately owned parcel of land to the next. The land throughout Vermont has proved to be one of the more challenging aspects of The Velomont. Unlike states out West, Vermont doesn’t have that much public land.

“In Vermont, [around] 70% of our public access trails are on private land,” McCusker said. 

“The benefit there is that the hurdles you have to jump through for private landowner development are much fewer, but the parcels tend to be smaller,” Bennette added. Bennette speaks of “hurdles” in reference to attempting to get trails approved on federal land. Unsurprisingly, working with the federal government can equal a long wait time. 

Working with private landowners expedites the process immensely. However, depending on the location of the proposed trail, 50 miles of trail could mean working with ten different landowners. And getting all ten of those landowners to agree can be difficult. 

But, there is an incentive for the landowner if they agree to let VMBA use their land. This incentive comes in the form of a tax break. “If you agree to use [your land] in some current form of public value, which is defined as forestry, agriculture, or conservation, you get a tax benefit,” Bennette said.

Currently, recreation, which mountain biking falls under, doesn’t fit into this public value benefit. However, VMBA is advocating for the landowners to receive a conservation easement for the land the trail would be on.

When can we ride?

McCusker and Bennette stressed that the Velomont Trail is an ongoing process. They are working toward connecting all trail segments, but this will be a multi-year process. 

However, they will have some trail segments open this spring for riding. “The northern segment on the Moile Valley Road Trail—that’ll be at least 45 miles, possibly more,” McCusker told us. Depending on one community’s involvement, the northern section of the trail could jump up another 12 miles. 

The current middle section will be the longest at 113 miles. Of that mileage, 82 miles will be new trail. The southern section of the current Velomont will be 50 miles, but only 18 miles of new trail.

With a total distance of 485 miles, VMBA’s goal is to have 70% of the entire trail be singletrack. “It’s [depended] a lot on where the connections can be made,” McCusker said. While the group shoots for that 70%, it may not be realistic with this jigsaw puzzle they are putting together. While they do have many dirt roads at their disposal if they must, this is a mountain bike trail, and they are working hard to stay at their goal.

However, you can expect most of the Velomont to be off asphalt. Aside from a necessary pedal into one of the villages, nearly all roads will be doubletrack dirt roads.

McCusker told us that riders can expect around 10 miles between huts. Huts, as well as the trail, will be ADA-accessible. 

The Velomont Trail Collaborative is still working out details for the hut system. While we don’t know how much it will set you back to stay in one of the huts along the way, you can expect to pay. You’ll also need to schedule and reserve huts in advance. 

Keep track of the Velomont trail on their Instagram. 

The article The Velomont Trail Will Let MTBers Traverse Vermont From Hut to Hut on 500 Miles of Singletrack appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

One thing that online bike shops will never deliver is a sense of local community. Some of the best bike shops offer not just a place to buy stuff or to get advice and repairs, but also a place to hang out. For many, the local bike shop is a third place between home and work.

Does your local bike shop sell coffee or beer? *

• Just coffee
• Just beer
• Coffee and beer
• Neither

Submit

How much time do you spend just hanging out at your bike shop? Tell us about your bike shop in the comments below!

The article Does Your Local Bike Shop Serve Coffee and/or Beer? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

It seems almost every year a mainstream outdoor brand that previously stuck to the hiking, skiing, and camping gear market starts making mountain bike-specific gear. It happened with Patagonia a number of years ago, MSR is making a bikepacking tent now, and there are a handful of other examples too. This spring, Outdoor Research, known for its quality snow sports, hiking and climbing gear has entered the mountain bike market with a line of technical apparel and the Freewheel 5L hip pack.

About the Outdoor Research Freewheel 5L hip pack

• 5L storage capacity with one bottle holder
• No reservoir included
• Price: $85
• Buy from Outdoor Research

Outdoor Research’s hip pack has a five liter capacity with a water bottle holder, though it is also compatible with a hydration reservoir which unfortunately is not included.

Other features include a hip pocket along the side big enough for a phone, a sunglasses pocket with a no-scratch lining, and more pockets and stash spots inside the main compartment. There’s also an extra mesh cargo net on the back.

The pack is made from a tough 600D polyester exterior with a polyester lining on the inside. It comes in three color options, with the khaki and electric blue featured here, as well as a black and gold and a “black cloud scape” which has a black color that looks like bleach has been splashed on it. MSRP is $85.

On the trail

I received a test sample of the Freewheel 5L hip pack a few months ago and have been getting some miles on it. The pack is on the larger size of hip packs and meant to fit just about everything you need for a big ride.

There is enough room in the internal compartment for a tube, lever, hand pump, tool, snacks, and a light wind or rain layer, but if you’re running out of space, there’s a nice cargo net on the outside that will hold a layer to free up room.

What I like about the Freewheel is that it’s roomy enough to fit more than just the bare necessities without feeling humongous. There are some hip packs that just try to do too much and you’re left wondering why you didn’t just get a backpack.

The Freewheel makes a lot of sense for the rider who only needs two bottles on a ride; one in the pack’s pouch and one on their frame. With ample room for tools and food, I’d happily take this pack out on two- to three-hour rides–maybe longer if I felt like I didn’t need more water, or could pack a small filter.

With a full water bottle in the one side pouch on the left, the bag is stable on fast and rocky descents. That is not often the case with hip packs. Maybe the asymmetrical belt helps. I’m not sure, but it works.

There is room on the inside for a reservoir and a port to push a hose through to the hips, but as far as I can tell, there’s nowhere on the belt strap to secure the hose. There’s no clip or elastic loop or anything. Since Outdoor Research doesn’t include a reservoir and there’s no clear way to secure the hose, a bottle in the holster seems like the optimal use, and you can easily fit another full bottle on the inside if needed.

Overall, there’s a lot of great organization on the Freewheel and Outdoor Research obviously grasps the concept of making every bit of usable space, from the snack bar sleeves and zippered pockets on the inside, to the mesh net on the back and the phone sleeve underneath the mesh zippered pouch on the right side of the belt.

Pros and cons of the Outdoor Research Freewheel 5L hip pack

Pros

• Phone and sunglasses storage
• Great organization and layout
• Big enough to pack a layer

Cons

• No reservoir included and no clear spot to stabilize a hose

Bottom line

The first mountain bike hip pack from Outdoor Research is a knockout. It’s stable even loaded with goodies on the inside and a full water bottle. And best of all, the amount of usable space on the pack makes it much more capable than just a pack for lunch rides.

• Price: $85
• Buy from Outdoor Research

The article Outdoor Research Freewheel 5L Hip Pack Review appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Is there anything quite as deadening as a long mountain bike ride? You know the feeling: weak, heavy legs. Hammered hands and sore triceps. An unquenchable thirst and the appetite of a black bear. Rarely does another workout give you the “hit by a bus” feeling that mountain biking can.

It might feel like that’s the only workout your body needs, not only to survive but to thrive. When it comes to a sustainable, low-impact activity that’s great for your cardiovascular health and fitness, metabolism and mental health benefits, you’d be right. But when it comes bone health and even enhancing your capability as a mountain biker, there is a lot of evidence that points to it’s wise to supplement your mountain biking with weight lifting and resistance training.

Evidence has only continued to show that athletes who only engage in cycling and not any weight bearing activities are at risk for bone mineral density and other bone issues. But if you’re like biochemical exercise physiologist, mountain biker and Singletracks contributor Jenny Corso, you understand the benefits of adding strength training or even running go far beyond just bone health.

Why mountain bikers should lift weights

One of the biggest benefits to mountain bikers who spend time training in the gym with resistance equipment is power output and being able to spin up a steep climb or hop up a rocky ledge.

“Think about it as what’s lacking without lifting,” said Corso “It’s like, bone mass suffers, posterior/anterior imbalance, power output, finding a good power to weight ratio and making sure you’re eating enough for all that and doing the right type of lifting.”

Arizona, where Corso resides, is full of some of the most technical and physical riding in the country, with staircases of rock up and down, and countless dirt-to-rock transitions that require a powerful burst from the legs or upper body to clear your front wheel. But there is plenty of technical terrain all over the country where having power built in the gym pays off.

“Riding at Gooseberry Mesa or places where you have to power up slickrock or anything technically up, you have to be able to pull your body and bike and maneuver yourself,” said Corso.

She adds, “If you don’t work on gaining the strength to do that, it’s going to be challenging if not impossible to do.”

For Braydon Bringhurst, the explosive mountain biker who scatters up some of the most technical and rocky trails around on video, he credits his experience as a collegiate athlete as being vital for his professional mountain bike career and trains with plyometrics and fast, powerful movements.

“What I’ve found is that it’s so important to get the most out of the muscles you do have rather than putting on mass and more muscles,” he told us in a 2021 interview. “Very often I’ll do weights that are pretty light and I’ll move them at a swift speed, and I’ll supplement that with depth jumps or box jumps or whatever and that maintains my explosiveness.”

Corso also argues that alternative exercises are necessary for proper muscular balance. Mountain biking is primarily an anterior muscle-dominant exercise, requiring more strength from your quadriceps and chest, and ignoring posterior muscle groups like the hamstrings and back.

“You see a lot of imbalance in cyclists in particular because they’re in one position, right? It’s way worse in road cycling.”

Building better bones

Where weight lifting, running, or participating in weight-bearing, impacted exercises becomes more important than even building power, is maintaining a healthy bone mineral density (BMD). And for a sport where we all risk fracturing bones, taking on other forms of exercise might be exactly what we all need to keep us on the trail.

Unfortunately, study after study shows that cyclists have some of the worst BMD of any athletes, although mountain bikers might hold an advantage compared to some other cycling disciplines.

“Ostopenia is not uncommon to see in cyclists that are 40-50 years old if they only cycle and they don’t do anything else,” said Corso. “Even in mountain biking, because we have suspension and it’s still a non-impacted exercise.”

While not as bad as osteoporosis, ostopenia is where the bones are weaker than normal, though not to the point of where they break very easily, according to WebMD.

Mostly the issues have been studied extensively in road cyclists, where riders are often on a smooth, paved surface in the seated position for hours on end, and sweating a lot, risking the additional loss of calcium.

“(Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) discovered the competitive cyclists’ BMD decreased at a rate similar to that of post-menopausal women whose loss of estrogen accelerates bone loss and risk of osteoporosis. It was the first evidence researchers have seen showing that exercise can sometimes hurt rather than help the skeletal system.”

While many of the studies about BMD have involved professional-level cyclists who spend hours upon hours riding, it seems clear that riders who don’t engage in any forms of weight-bearing exercise are more at risk for bone density issues.

A 2013 study by Christopher D. Mojock on bone density in cyclists sent by Corso for us to review also stated the paradox of biking as primary fitness modality.

“The results of our study suggest that while cycling is beneficial to cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic health outcomes, bone does not respond in the same favorable manner. Although there was no difference in BMD between the trained and recreational cyclists, both groups had lower than normal BMD. Of most concern was the high prevalence of osteopenic and osteoporotic BMD at the lumbar spine.”

The study also indicated that trained cyclists with a high-volume of riding have a lower BMD that athletes who ride at a lower volume.

Differentiating mountain biking from cycling

It appears only one study has examined the differences between the bones of road and mountain bikers. The results are interesting and give another reason to get away from the cars and onto the trails.

In this study, 14 road riders and 16 XC mountain bikers who had been training at least 10 hours per week and 10 months per year for at least three years were included. Anyone who had engaged in weight training in the previous three years was excluded.

A control group who rode less than two hours per week and lifted for less than one hour per week for the prior three years was also included.

Participants underwent questionnaires and blood collections, bone density measurements, leg extension strength tests, peak oxygen uptake tests and more.

“The mountain cyclists had significantly higher BMDs at all sites measured when compared with the road cyclists and controls,” wrote the researchers after reviewing the results.

“The terrain and physical challenges inherent to cross-country mountain cycling are considered much more demanding and variable than those incurred in road training and racing.”

Where cycling is clearly non-weight-bearing is when a rider is in the seated position and much of their weight is suspended at the saddle. During descents, road cyclists remain in the saddle though while mountain bikers have to stand up to maintain control of the bike over obstacles.

“Studies of mountain cycling have revealed that 70% of the rider’s body weight is on the pedals while coasting, and this increases to 90% during downhill standing.”

“Thus, the differences in the demands of these two types of cycling (road and mountain) likely result in loading patterns that uniquely influence the skeleton.”

The study admits its limitations in that the mountain bikers were younger than the roadies and only males were studied, but it’s also another point for mountain biking. The mountain bikers’ BMDs were better than road cyclists that the study examined, but didn’t necessarily say that their BMDs are in an optimal range.

These results also provide some food for thought. If mountain biking with a more impacted nature provides a better response for BMDs than road cycling, then it’s safe to say that drop bar under-bikers have the best advantage followed by hardtail riders who only have suspension up front.

Ultimately though, if you’re young and can stand up to the punishment, freestyle and street BMXing probably take the cake.

Don’t take chances

Mountain biking does result in better overall bone mineral density than road cycling alone. If you’re regularly riding technical terrain then it’s probable that you’ll have better strength too, but it is still unclear from the one available study if mountain biking is enough to maintain a healthy BMD, and riders can still benefit from exercising their posterior muscles too.

“You can help that with three days a week with 20 minutes of lifting, focusing on those muscle groups,” in the posterior chain, like back, hamstring and core, said Corso. And in the last article we spoke to her for, running is one of the best exercises you can supplement your workouts with when it comes to positive benefits for bone health.

There’s at least a chance also that if you’re a mountain biker in the summer, you’re a skier or snowboarder in the winter; also a great activity for building bone density according to this study.

Corso adds you don’t have to go too heavy when it comes to lifting. Find a routine that works best with your body and your goals. In the end, it should only enhance your fitness level for mountain biking.

“If I had to give anybody a recommendation on what type of lifting or strength training to do to complement mountain biking, it would be to stick with Olympic style strength training and cap yourself on a certain amount of weight that just enhances your mountain biking.”

The article Mountain Biking Alone is Not Enough to Keep You in Peak Shape appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

If you’ve ever considered going on a summer bike park tour, this is your ticket. The Loam Pass, on sale for $249 right now, gives riders access to two days of riding at each of 30 participating US bike parks.

“With so many iconic biking locations, from Bend to Bentonville to Kingdom Trails, we wanted to include them all in one pass,” said Rob Brown, co-founder of Loam Pass, in a release. “In the past, I’ve purchased hundreds of day passes and thought, ‘Why not have an affordable pass for all these destinations, just like the ski industry?'”

Loam Pass has partnered with many smaller, independent parks around the country, including many Singletracks has profiled over the past several years. In the southeast there’s Ride Kanuga (NC), Jarrod’s Place (GA), Station Mountain (TX), and RideBHM (AL). In the midwest, Shepherd Mountain (MO) and Marquette Mountain Resort (MI) will take the Loam Pass. Out West, riders can visit Soldier Mountain (ID) or access a shuttle from Cog Wild (OR), Trans Cascadia Excursions (OR) and Shuttle Taos (NM). A full list of partners, along with any individual restrictions, is available online.

Riders present the non-transferrable Loam Pass using a smartphone or physical card (available for an additional charge). Some parks may require reservations ahead of time. After March 1, and as more destinations are added, the pass price is set to rise.

For more info and to purchase a pass visit loampass.com.

The article $249 Loam Pass Includes Access to 30+ US Bike Parks appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

“There’s no way that’s in Georgia,” I remember thinking when I first saw photos from Jarrod’s Place in my social media feed. Tall, perfectly sculpted jumps appeared to be growing out of the lush green forest with a runway easily wide enough for three lanes of truck traffic. If not for the Georgia red clay I would have sworn the photos were ‘shopped.

Jarrod Harris, along with business partner Josh Cohan, purchased the nearly 230 acre property near the town of Summerville, Georgia in March of 2021, and they began building trails almost immediately. The park opened just over a year later in May 2022.

Harris has a background in BMX racing and track building. “I built a few BMX tracks, like full scale tracks,” Harris said. “Everything I did back then was all by hand in the early 90s.” Eventually Harris would come to own a property in Jasper, Georgia where he built some mountain bike trails for his friends to ride.

“It was really cool. It was a lot of like, really hard, difficult big features,” Cohan said. “But [Jarrod] wanted to expand. And overall, his idea was to have a place kind of like this. And my idea was to have a bike shop. So we kind of pulled it together. And we both had this vision of just bringing a community of people together and really creating a place that felt like home, not like a corporatized kind of like deal. And that’s what we’ve created out here.”

The bike park

Heading into its third summer season, Jarrod’s Place continues to evolve. At the time of our visit Cohan estimated the park had 16 miles of trails with give or take 20 named runs. But by the time you read this, those numbers will likely be out of date. In fact Harris was busy at work on a new blue trail descending off the very top of the ridge and making good progress when we spoke.

Shuttle vehicles bring riders to mid mountain where the most popular trails begin. Air Supply, a black diamond trail with massive jumps and features, has quickly become the park’s signature trail. One of the turns on Air Supply is so ridiculously oversize that it has its own name: Dale Burmhart. Harris’ BMX background and desire to push the envelope is clearly evident in the trail’s design and intent.

“I snuck a jump in one time right before like a [BMX] regional,” Harris told us. “We built this really cool triple out of this 180 and it was like… The thing about BMX tracks is they don’t make anything super tall. And you know, this thing was like, over six feet tall, just the face of it.”

Park facts

• Location: 3580 Dry Creek Rd, Summerville, Georgia
• 16 miles of trails on 227 acres
• About 850 feet vertical drop (shuttle gains about 450 feet)
• $50 day pass includes unlimited shuttles. Monthly and annual passes available.
• Website: JarrodsPlaceBikePark.com

Double Wide, a blue trail and the park’s most popular, delivers more manageable jumps and tabletops that riders can choose to either rail or roll. The carved clay berms are deep and tall here, and with enough speed expert riders can skirt the top edges. In February the trail crew was in the process of resurfacing Double Wide from the top down, and the newly refinished upper section we rode was like rolling on a tacky terracotta slab.

Regular trail resurfacing at Jarrod’s Place usually involves improvements and in some cases, trail expansion. The crew felt that one Double Wide section was too steep and wasted more elevation than necessary so this time around they’re adding a new turn or two which will make the trail about a hundred yards longer.

Double Wide also features an infamous set of “whoops,” essentially a rhythm section of tight rollers that sneak up on riders partway through the run. If you ever played Excitebike on the original Nintendo, you’ll recognize these as the bumps that always seemed to cause the little Nintendo man to crash. I’m sure there’s a proper way to ride this section in real life, but I never figured it out. The best I could do was slow down and hold on tight.

Officially Simple Green is a designated beginner trail, though when we rode the trail, fist-sized rocks were starting to peek through the soil. This is a constant battle for the trail builders, and not just at Jarrod’s, as we learned during a visit to Rock Creek bike park the weekend before. For now I’d recommend riders start with Double Wide and then ride Simple Green.

Taking it from the top

The bike shuttle drops riders off at mid mountain, and accessing the black and double black diamond trails off the very top of the ridge requires some pedaling. We saw very few riders on the top of the mountain; the shuttle-served trails are so fun and accessible that I’m not surprised. There’s a new climbing trail to the top which gains nearly 400 feet in the span of three quarters of a mile. The grade is surprisingly mellow thanks to the 14 switchbacks we counted. The old climbing trail is still an option, and while it’s more direct it’s obviously much steeper too.

Currently the trails that drop off the top of the ridge are advanced and expert level natural trails. Park staff is working on a new narrow, machine-built trail from that top that will be blue rated.

For now Lady Bug is the easiest, not easy, way down. The steep switchbacks require commitment though the biggest features do include ride arounds. Loose rocks and deep ruts in places add to the challenge.

Remote mountain feel

Jarrod’s Place is located a bit off the beaten path and while we were there the woods were dead quiet. On paper the park appears close to Interstate 75 but getting there requires traversing miles of backroads. Cohan tells us Jarrod’s is an hour and forty minutes from the Atlanta airport, an hour from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and two hours from Birmingham, Alabama.

The longest green trail in the park, Armuchee Express, is named for the Armuchee Ridges, a geological aberration that formed the snake-like ridges here in northwest Georgia. In fact the Pinhoti Trail passes nearby, and the Dry Creek trailhead, where the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial traditionally begins, is located along the very same ridge as Jarrod’s Place. Previously the property served as a tree farm.

Park services and amenities

Visitors to Jarrod’s Place are greeted with a bike shop stocked with snacks, drinks, bike parts, and accessories for purchase. There are also bathrooms, showers and covered picnic tables that are perfect for relaxing after a long day of riding. The park has a fleet of Santa Cruz rental bikes — Nomads, Bronsons, and Megatowers. There are a couple of Bullit eMTBs for rent as well, though Cohan says they don’t usually get a lot of takers on those. “Most of the people that are renting a bike, the majority of the time they are only riding the lower half because we have so many options from the Midway.”

While e-bike riders can purchase a less expensive $30 day pass, most visitors opt for the $50 wrist band that includes shuttle access to make the most of their time at the park. The shuttle vehicles, designed by Southern Gravity, can haul 20 riders at a time on open-air benches welded to the back of a powerful pickup truck. A ride to the mid-mountain shuttle drop takes about five minutes. On busy days the park can run up to four shuttle vehicles at once.

Riders need to pedal about a half-mile from the main parking lot and bike shop to the shuttle pickup area. Be warned, getting to the pickup requires pedaling and also a little climbing.

Early fall to early winter is typically the best time to visit, and early spring to early summer is good too. The park is open rain or shine with shuttles generally running Thursday through Sunday each week.

“We stay open in the rain. So like if we have a really rainy weekend and [the trails] get kinda chewed up we go out on a Monday or Tuesday if it’s dry enough and we fix everything,” said Cohan.

Jarrod’s Place offers primitive camping on site, hiking trails and even a couple of frisbee golf baskets that are constantly moving around the property. This year the park is hosting a winter race series and is planning a big spring festival. There’s also a popular Halloween event with a lighted downhill run.

Harris and Cohan hope to keep expanding the bike park, with plans for a dedicated beginner area behind the shop, and of course they’ll continue maintaining and improving the trails already in place. Ultimately the goal is to have a spot where all types of riders can come and have a good time.

“We have a smorgasbord. People think that we’re known for our flow trails but we have amazing singletrack and chunky trails too,” says Cohan. “It draws a lot of people across the board, beginner all the way to professional.”

The article Jarrod’s Place Gives Mountain Bikers a Taste of Whistler in Georgia appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

It doesn’t feel like a lot of time has passed since Rocky Mountain released the last Instinct trail bike in the spring of 2021–almost exactly three years ago. But three years is a lot of time when it comes to technology in the bike industry and Rocky’s latest full-suspension trail bike implements all of those changes.

2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct key specs

• 150/140mm travel front/rear
• Geometry: 64° head tube angle, 77° effective seat tube angle
• Four-position flip chip plus a rear axle chip and adjustable headset
• Internal frame storage plus UDH compatible
• Weight: 30.8lb as tested (C70 build)
• Price: $2,899 (alloy) to $10,599 (carbon)
• Buy from JensonUSA

We’ll start with what hasn’t changed on the new Instinct. The bike is still the brand’s go-to, all-around trail bike with 140mm of travel in the rear and a 150mm fork. Otherwise, there is a lot of change, including the geometry and new features throughout the frame.

On the geometry front, sizes XS and S are still available as a 27.5″ bike, and sizes S through XL are available as a 29er.

The Instinct has the Ride-4 system, with four geometry settings in the flip-chip.

Take a medium in it’s neutral setting, and you’ll get a 64° head tube angle, a 77° seat tube angle, a short seat tube length for long droppers, 455mm of reach, and a 1,227mm wheelbase. For the most part, the bike has become lower, longer, and more slack (with a steeper seat tube angle).

That’s almost 2° more slack in the HTA, with just under a half-degree steeper in the STA, and a reduction of 7mm in the reach with a 18mm growth in the wheelbase.

There is a flip chip at the rear axle still with a 10mm length adjustment. The rear center length is still standardized across sizes, (437-447mm) but the chip gives riders the option to throw it in a shorter or longer setting depending on their size or if they’d rather opt for more stability or playfulness.

Rocky Mountain also gives the Instinct an adjustable headset to modify the reach by 5mm.

One big change on the new frame is the addition of a frame storage space, and in true Canadian fashion they’ve branded it as the PenaltyBox 2.0. The second version of the storage system, first seen on the recently updated Slayer, is only available on carbon models and has a hinged system that doubles as a water bottle mount. Inside, it comes with a custom tool wrap and a concealed compartment for an AirTag.

Another big jump is the addition of SRAM UDH compatibility and SRAM Transmission builds.

Builds and pricing

The Instinct comes in six carbon builds and three aluminum builds.

Pricing starts at $2,899 for an Alloy 10 model and the builds top at at $10,499 for the Carbon 99 edition.

The A10 build includes a RockShox Recon Silver RL, a RockShox inline Deluxe Select shock, Rocky Mountain components, Shimano wheels, and an X-Fusion dropper post.

The highest C99 build is specced with RockShox Flight Attendant electronically controlled suspension, SRAM Code brakes, SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission drivetrain, and DT Swiss XMC carbon wheels.

Our test model is the C70, a fully carbon frame build with a Fox 36 Performance Elite with Grip 2 damper and a Fox Float X shock, a Shimano XT groupset, and Race Face Turbine R wheels with DT Swiss 370 hubs. The bike retails for $6,499. It weighs 30.8lb with tubes; pretty admirable for this kind of trail bike.

One thing worth noting is that pricing seems rather fair on the latest models. When we tested the Instinct C50 in 2021, it retailed at $5,549. The 2024 Instinct C50 costs $5,799. It’s certainly increased in price, but considering it’s three years later and there are some notable new frame features, the increase is negligible.

In 2021, I’d noted the $800 (~17%) increase between the previous generation and the new model. With only a $250 (4%) increase this time, it may be one other sign that the general interest in mountain biking has returned back to normal levels and prices have fallen back to earth.

On the trail

Early March bike launches are difficult to accommodate for me as it’s still full-on snow season in Colorado, but we have had a fairly mild winter and I have spent a little bit of time on the new Instinct. Funny enough, it’s almost three years to the day the last one was released and so far it seems like it’s an improvement.

Reviewer profile height: 173cm (5’8″) weight: 75kg (170lb) testing zone: Colorado Front Range

Notably, the last version I reviewed, a C50, had only an inline Fox DPS shock on it which didn’t really match the Instinct’s capability. Maybe it did back then; looking back now, the last version’s geometry was still fairly conservative with a nearly 66° HTA in the neutral setting and this version slackens out by almost 2°.

Off the bat, the head angle change isn’t too noticeable. The 2024 Instinct tracks well on the climbs with minimal handlebar sway and though the geometry has gotten much more aggressive it still feels like a nimble trail bike, though it does have a heavier-hitting feel than the average trail bike. I find that is usually the case with Rocky Mountains. They tend to have a bit of an over-biked feel that I appreciate on the descents.

The suspension feels very supportive under pedaling power and in compressions leading up to a jump or coming off of a drop. I don’t want to say too much just yet as I’ve only had one ride on it, but keep an eye out for an updated full review here in a month or two.

The article The 2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct Adds Frame Storage, Adjustability, and Aggressive Geo [First Ride] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.