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Handlebar reviews are hard things to write. Typically the only meaningful comments that a reviewer can commit to paper relate to the bar’s off-the-bike performance: Does it look good? How much does it weigh? Stuff like that. On the bike you can ask the obvious questions: Did it break during riding? How quickly did it get marked up? But, honestly, that’s about it.
Keeping that in mind, Bike Magazine has a brief review of the Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon Riser bar. In the most interesting part of the review, author Vernon Felton brings up some good points about the 25.6mm versus 31.8mm ‘debate’. Check it out, it’s good food for thought and could help you reconsider when thinking about ‘upgrading’ your bar and stem.
Technorati Tags: Bontrager handlebar, mountain bike, review
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I missed this one when it was posted on the Mountain Bike Action a few weeks ago but it looks as though Kona redesigned the Stinky for 2006, about which I’ve got a couple things to say.
First, it’s really good to see Kona change things up a bit, if only to show their customers that they are trying to make their product better. Second, the standover looks great and the sweep at the bottom of the downtube looks sharp. Despite having a REALLY slack head angle, it looks like it would be a fun bike to ride. I look forward to checking it out when it becomes available.
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30 May »
Reviews »
Cory
The Avid Juicy 5 disc brake, the cheaper cousin of the Juicy 7, debuted to much fanfare a couple of years ago. The downscaled Juicy 5s (they lack the pad-contact adjustment of the 7s) were hailed for their easy setup, great adjustability, and remarkable stopping power. Now that they’ve been out and about in the general public for a little while, have they lived up to the hype? Well, in a nutshell, yes. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tread pattern on the Ritchey Motovader ProRitchey isn’t a huge name in the mountain biking world that I live in, particularly when it comes to tires. I knew that Ritchey has been making tires for some time but if you asked me straight up, I wouldn’t be able to name any of the company’s rubber.
To help rectify my ignorance on the subject, Cycling News recently published a review of the Motovader Pro tire.
The review gives a decent overview of the tire although I am sceptical about both the usefulness of the tire in wet and muddy conditions (ie. the tread pattern is, well, not confidence-inspiring for the weather conditions I’m familiar with). Additionally, while the tire is rated by Ritchey as freeride and DH-capable I have my doubts that it would stand up to a couple of days at a bike park or an extended period on DH courses. In my experience loose fitting, folding bead tires have had ‘issues’ with flatting and sidewall tears. Of course, never having ridden the Motovaders, these thoughts are merely my initial impressions. Read the review at Cycling News and see if the Motovader might work for you.
Technorati Tags: Ritchey Motovader Pro tires, mountain bike, review
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The guys at the Bike Magazine website have published a brief review of the Scott Nitrous. The bike, clearly targeted at the rapidly expanding ‘trail bike’ category, sounds like a decent performer: it weighs about 35 pounds, features a solid array of componentry — note that the test bike was equipped with Avid Juicy 7s, an X.9 drivetrain, and a Rock Shox Pike, which isn’t on any of the stock bikes available at your local dealer — and carries with it the Scott name that’s served so well in cross country racing for the past few years. The bike retails for $4299 (cad) | $3118 (usd).
Although the bike looks solid and seems like a decent trail bike, I have to wonder why Scott (and other major manufacturers — ahem, Specialized, ahem — can’t come up with a frame design that features a full seat tube. Whatever other people say or write, fiddling with the telescopic post is a hassle and something I’d rather not deal with; same goes for making sure that when your post is in the ‘down’ position, it doesn’t smack your shock. Rant over.
Technorati Tags: Scott Nitrous, mountain bike, review
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Shimano’s Deore group plays an interesting role in the company’s overall position in the mountain bike marketplace. For years, Deore parts have been a staple for riders on a budget; the parts are relatively inexpensive and fairly durable. Now, Shimano has announced a revamped 2006 Deore lineup (via Bike Magic). While there’s nothing in the set that comes as a surprise to those in the know, it appears as though the Deore group continues to provide a well-priced alternative to high end components.
I was half-expecting / half-hoping that the Hollowtech II system would trickle down to the Deore crankset this year. Instead Shimano opted to stick with the older Octalink bottom bracket system. Dual control levers, new disc brakes, redesigned centre lock hubs, and a low-normal rear derailleur make their appearance for 2006 as well.
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The reviewers over at Bike recently spent an afternoon on a new Fox 40. While the brief review of the Fox 40 doesn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, it’s good to see that people are still gushing about what looks like a solid product. To me, one of the most interesting features on the 40 is the ability of riders to adjust the fork’s travel from 6 to 8 inches, in half-inch increments. This feature allows riders to really dial in their fork before a race (or to suit their riding style).
Technorati Tags: Fox 40, mountain bike, review
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23 May »
Reviews »
Cory
Crank Brothers’ products have, for years, been at the forefront of the pedal market. Their mountain bike pedals, all based on the revolutionary ‘egg beater’ design, represent one of the most effortless entry / exit systems available. The Candy SL, one of Crank Brothers’ entries into the ‘all mountain’ (ie. heavier than cross country but lighter than full on downhill pedals) are a sound upgrade for most riders’ bikes. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Z1FR features 150mm worth of travleBikeMagic.com has just published a review of the 2005 Marzocchi Z1FR fork.
The fork itself sounds great. It gets about 150mm travel, utilizes high-end damping HSCV cartridges (similar to the ones used in the popular 888), and features air preload which allows riders to ‘fine tune’ the fork to their weight and riding style. External rebound dials allow riders to slow the fork down should the need arise.
The fork may be a little heavy for many in the ‘all mountain’ set since it weighs in closer to six pounds than five. However, combined with the ETA system that allows riders to clamp down the travel on the ride up, the fork will surely function well enough for those who wish to use it on an ‘all mountain’ bike.
Marzocchi has finally laid to rest (at least for this model) its lame QR20 axle system and implemented a plain old thru-axle; this new method will eliminate the need to use the zip ties that seem to be in place on many of the local riders’ QR20 forks.
One thing that struck me as a little odd in the BikeMagic.com review is the fact that this fork comes standard with an odd warning label. Users are warned that downhill and ‘extreme freeride’ use is not appropriate but Marzocchi claims that the fork is fine for ‘normal’ freeride use. Whatever that is.
We’ll see if we can get some time on one in the coming months and get back to you with a more detailed assessment of BikeMagic’s review.
Technorati Tags: Marzocchi Z1 FR SL, mountain bike, review
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Pinkbike.com has posted a sneak peak of the Iron Horse Sunday Factory frame. For those of you who are in the downhill crowd and have been living under a log for the past few months, the Sunday (get it? race days are on Sundays?) is Iron Horse’s amazing looking new entry into the market.
Featuring the patent pending DW-link suspension design, the Sunday Factory frame is a hand-crafted masterwork that shaves a full pound off the production runs of the frame. The images in the Pinkbike article speak for themselves, but make sure you have a close look at the machining all over the frame. Simply put, it’s one of the nicest DH frames I’ve seen in some time and, judging by the buzz created by the bikes in the 2006 Iron Horse lineup so far, the company is on to something…
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