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NSMB.com has made a long-term review of the 2006 Rocky Mountain Switch 2.0 available for your reading pleasure. Check it out if you’re in the market for a well-rounded freeride bike that won’t kill you on an occasional jaunt up the mountain but remains burly enough to spend some serious time at the nearest bike park.
While my favourite Rocky Mountain for 2006 is still the Slayer, the Switch runs a close second. Featuring a lower front end and better standover height than the previous incarnation of the bike, the 2006 Switch is a little more ’snug’ than last year, something that will make both descents and climbs a little more pleasant.
And while nobody should confuse the Switch for a perfect “do-everything” bike — the frame alone weighs over 10lbs — it is a solid entry into the 40ish lb. category that is populated by park-worthy bikes like the Norco Six and even the Specialized SX Trail.
The 2006 Rocky Mountain Switch has an MSRP of $3,099 (usd) / $3,499 (cad). You can also snag a Switch frame (in Stealth Black) from your local Rocky dealer.
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SRAM is generating a lot of consumer and media interest with its 2006 X0 lineup, mostly because it’s the company’s first full-scale foray into the high-end drivetrain market. Well, that, and the stuff just looks sexy. However, most riders won’t ever get a sniff of an X0 rear derailleur or shifter set because, like the Shimano’s XTR lineup, the prices are simply beyond the reach of many consumers. While this really is a shame — the high end stuff from both Shimano and SRAM is a pleasure to use — it’s the working reality for most mountain bikers and they’re forced to look at quality alternatives.
Bike Magazine has a review of the complete SRAM X9 group that looks at the components over a long test period. By and large, the writeup confirms what avid SRAM users already suspected — X9 is comparable in quality and performance to Shimano’s XT group.
Personally, I really like the positive action (ie. the clicks) of the X9 shifters and have no problem recommending them, with an appropriate 1:1 rear derailleur. However, like many others, I found the X-Generation front derailleur to be a little finnicky to install and dial in correctly — check with your frame manufacturer before you buy an X-Gen front derailleur because it might not be compatible with your frame.
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Over the past month southwestern British Columbia has been besieged by near constant rainfall. It’s been so consistent that, on Sunday, for the first time in 30 days, there was no recorded precipitation at the ‘official’ monitoring site. Of course, I live closer to the mountains and we experienced no such lull in the action — it’s been raining non stop for a long time. In fact, the weather has been so bad that it’s not a great idea to get on the bike right now — our local trails, well suited to handle ‘regular’ amounts of rain, are completely saturated and turning into muddy ruts whenever people ride them.
Race Face is headquartered in my part of the world and the company has consistently released quality cycling clothing. Much of their gear is targeted at the North Shore rider, so you won’t find too many tight-fitting cycling jerseys in the apparel lineup. That doesn’t mean a lot of the company’s gear won’t work well for most of you — it just means you won’t be able to track down (for now) the stereotypical xc outfit.
Bike Magazine has posted up a review of the Race Face Quantum jacket that does a good job of highlighting the strengths of the jacket, as well as taking note of its limitations. There’s also a solid description of the technical features of the Quantum jacket for those of you who demand to know the minutiae of the gear that you’re wearing.
What happens if your local shop doesn’t stock Race Face and doesn’t show a whole lot of interest in bringing the stuff in? Well, there are a couple of quality alternatives out there that can do a decent job of deflecting water. Cannondale-owned Sugoi is headquartered in the same part of the world as Race Face and is widely available — and most of the company’s gear is very good. If you live in Canada near a major urban centre, Mountain Equipment Coop always has a decent selection of rain gear for cyclists, although I’d recommend checking the stuff out in person (rather than ordering sight-unseen from the Internet).
Any others out there? Feel free to add your favourite type of rain gear to this entry using the comment box below.
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I know, I know. Another Crank Brothers pedal review.
I’m an unabashed fan of Crank Brothers‘ Eggbeater pedal platform. For the type of riding I do most, the Crank Bros Mallet pedals are a great easy-in, easy-out option that don’t pick up mud on the trails. And it doesn’t hurt that there’s a decent all-mountain / cross country option in the Candy SL, which allows me to run the same pair of shoes for every type of riding I do. Don’t get me wrong — I appreciate the designs of other top pedals out there. But I’m most comfortable clipped in to the Eggbeaters.
GoClipless.com posted up a good review of the Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedal. The biggest criticism Graham has of the pedals relates to the need for a shim to create adequate cleat clearance. Unfortunately, he’s not alone in pointing this out, since it’s an issue that has caused others to move away from the platform entirely.
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Founded in 2000, Sinister Bikes is a rider owned and operated bike company based in New Hampshire. They use high quality materials and keep a close eye on the details. Their lineup of frames includes street-focused hardtails, full suspension trail rigs, and full-on downhill frames.
There’s a review of the Sinister R9 over at Pinkbike.com that offers some decent insight into the ride qualities of the frame, and what makes it better is that it was tested under conditions for which the R9 was made. Reviewer Derek Chambers really liked the low, single-pivot suspension design and didn’t feel that brake jack was too much of a problem during riding. The bike’s long wheelbase helped keep the bike stable at speed and, while the same didn’t help the bike move around tight North Shore-style corners, Chambers felt it still performed fairly well.
Personally, I like the fact that Sinister Bikes factored the ‘little things’ into the frame design. For example, there’s a dedicated mount for remote shock reservoirs on the frame’s chainstay, there are integrated fork ’stoppers’ near the frame’s head tube, and there are three holes that you can use to change shock leverage.
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Back in June, Bike Magazine posted up a good story discussing the tire research and development process followed by Michelin. It’s now a few months later and there’s a follow up review of the Michelin XCR tire available online for your viewing pleasure.
While I’m not sure I agree with the reviewer’s comments on the quality of Michelin’s product over the past few years — I’d argue that Michelin’s downhill tires are some of the best available — it’s obvious that he spent some serious trail time with the XCR All Terrain tires. And the sort of information provided in the review is a good aide when you’re standing at your local shop, trying to decide whether to drop $120 on a set of rubber for your xc or trail bike.
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For 2005, I felt that the Specialized Enduro was one of the nicest looking all-round frames on the market. The frame was built around an established suspension platform (the Horst link) and, combined with excellent geometry, made for a bike that looked perfect for the type of all mountain / light freeride / bike park riding that takes up the bulk of my time on a bike. Of course, most bike frames are built around my body type (6′, 165lbs.) so finding a frame that really works well for me has never really been an issue.
That being said, I do know that it’s difficult for many women to find a frame that matches their specific needs and the frame fitting process for women immediately eliminates a whole bunch of bikes from contention. However, the news isn’t all bad for you women riders out there. More and more manufacturers are realizing that bike fit plays an important role in getting people interested in your product and we’re starting to see more designs that take differing body types into consideration.
NSMB.com has a good review of the Specialized Enduro from a woman’s perspective. Specific fit issues are covered, as well as overall ride characteristics. The writeup is very good and the included pictures complement the review quite well. Check it out.
Ed.: The bike in the picture on this site doesn’t have the same specs as the bike that was reviewed at NSMB.com.
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I have a love-hate relationship with Shimano’s Deore LX lineup — I’ve never been able to get an LX rear derailleur to last any significant amount of time on any of my bikes (cross country, freeride, all mountain). This is frustrating because, in general, Shimano derailleurs hold up reasonably well, even if the noises drive me nuts.
As mentioned previously, Shimano’s 2006 Deore group featured a bunch of trickle-down technologies that, up until a couple of years ago, could be found only on the insanely high priced XTR lineup. Now, the same can be said about the Deore LX lineup, which now features competitively-priced versions of Shimano hydraulic brakes, the Hollowtech II crankset, a low-normal derailleur (I love the shifting action of these things), and Dual Control levers.
Bike Magazine posted up a good review of the entire Deore LX group and you should check it out if you’re considering a wholesale change to your drivetrain. The best thing about the LX set is that you can purchase everything for a little more than what that shiny new set of XTR cranks would set you back. Granted, you suffer a bit weight wise, but I’d rather save the $500 and carry an extra pound up the hill with me. And while I’ll likely never be convinced that the Dual Control shifter / brake levers are a good idea for the type of riding I do out here (aggressive trail and all mountain and freeride), the response among others, especially cross country riders has been positive.
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Turner Bikes has been cranking out quality, drool-worthy frames for some time and the Five Spot is Turner’s answer for the discerning all-mountain rider. The Five Spot, available from Turner as a frame-only, retails for about $1,850 usd and, depending on the model year features either a four-bar Horst linkage or Torque Neutralizing Technology. Turner’s move away from the acclaimed Horst link raised some eyebrows at last year’s Interbike but, to be honest, most riders really won’t notice any difference in overall ride quality with the TNT linkage.
Bike Magazine posted up a brief review of the Five Spot that doesn’t really introduce any new insight into the ride characterstics of the frame but it’s good to see that the overall quality of the company’s product remains high.
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Part of the problem with the ‘all mountain’ market is that many of the bikes slotted into this category try to be all things to all people. Where I prefer an all mountain bike that lends itself more to the freeride end of the spectrum, there are many others out there who are looking for a longer travel cross country bike.
When Santa Cruz introduced the Blur LT I was pleased, mostly because it was a good indicator that the five inch trail bike — something that was more than xc but less than freeride — was going to stick, but also because it meant the rush was officially on for a solid all-round bike that could do everything and go almost everywhere. Granted, Specialized had the Enduro series, and Giant was in the process of unveiling the Maestro line (as well as the trail bikes being planned by a handful of other manufacturers) but, to me, the introduction of the LT by Santa Cruz was something that would make a lot of people sit up and take notice.
Bike Magazine has a brief review of the Blur LT that outlines the bike’s strengths and a couple of its weaknesses. Based on the writeup, the Blur LT seems like a good climber that has a little bit of in issue when the descents get steep and chundery. Also, I know a number of people who experienced a relatively short life with their first couple sets of pivot bearings — make sure you ask your local bike dealer about it if you’re thinking about making this frame your own.
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