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Maxxis High Roller Tire

“Best tire ever?”

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The Good: Corners real well

The Bad: expensive, can't ever find them on sale, as a trail tire it doesnt climb too well

Overall Review: What can be said about the high roller, a tire that has been out for a long time? Everything, this tire is awesome! Square profile, hooks up in the wet and dry equally well, and is fast rolling as well. Tons of people shy away from this tire because of the drift zone that it has, but this is one of the most predictable tires ive ever ridden meaning that once youre used to it.... its amazing.

Kenda Nevegal Tire

“Kindof Cheap, Kindof Crappy”

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The Good: Cheap, ok as a rear tire

The Bad: doesnt climb too well, ive had the cornering knobs rip off.. not get worn out... tare off the sidewall

Overall Review: I bought two pairs of these things back in the day. 2 2.5 DH casing, and 2 2.35 foldable. I never run these guys in the front, as it is pretty sketchy. The foldable ones are ok, but ive had the corning knobs rip right off the sidewall. Additionally the tire really struggles to climb when its remotely damp. The drift is pretty predictable though, but it doesnt corning too great though. The 2.5 i will pretty much as a dick around tire on my dh bike. There would be very, very limited applications of when i would use these when racing.

POC Trabec Open Face Helmet

“Best Helmet Ive Ever Owned”

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The Good: Fits Real Well, lightweight, simple coloring

The Bad: Collects sweat real bad, but i think that every helmet is going to have that

Overall Review: Plain and simple, this helmet is sick. Fits real well, completely around your head. The visor doesnt pop every two off like other trail helmets, and to top everything off, the helmet is pretty light as well. I would definitely recommend this helmet for anyone rides more than a couple of times a week

One Industries Conflict Knee Pads

Vital Review

“Tested: One Industries Conflict Knee Pads”

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by Noah SearsTo pad or not to pad, that is the question. All-mountain riders seem to come in three varieties in terms of safety equipment; those who (except for a helmet) forego it altogether, full-time knee-padders, and fully-armored warriors ready for battle or perhaps expecting to hit the dirt at some point on their ride. I'm the in the first camp, unless I'm at a resort, I'm largely unprotected. Given my preference for pad-free riding (a preference that admittedly bites me in the ass from time to time), when the conditions do call for knee pads I'm pretty picky about what I strap on. I want something that Read More »

Shimano M640 Zee Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Vital Review

“Tested: Shimano Zee Disc Brakes - Affordable Power”

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by Nick ZuzelskiArguably the biggest star of Shimano's Zee lineup is the brake, which offers riders many of the same technology advancements and features of their big brother Saint. Luckily for us, Zee brakes come at a pretty substantial cost savings of about $140 per pair over Saint.Zee Brake HighlightsServo wave lever pivot Shorty levers High rigidity ceramic pistons for heat insulation Anti-slip dimpled lever blade Radiation fin pad with new metallic compound to improve control and consistency Super stiff high-power 3-layer brake hose for a more consistent lever feel One-way bleed for easy and clean servicing Read More »

Intense Tire Systems Edge Tire

“edge 2.35 good for the slightly dryer side of intermidaite conditions”

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The Good: roll well, solid cornering and stable while breaking. great in there intended conditions and terrains

The Bad: some riders may find the wait an issue, better all round tires on market

Overall Review: these tires although not particularly light roll well and have a solid and responsive feel.  The compound is fairly soft and accompanied  by the unaggressive tread pattern it grips well on hard packed to intermediate mud as well as rock slabs. thick side walls help to fend off punctures and there is good stability under breaking, taking them out of there comfort zone and onto loose stones or sloppy conditions you will start to push there ability to stay grounded, but that is why the range is extensive and the edge are not recommended for such terrain,

Pivot Firebird Frame

“11 Pivot Firebird Frame”

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The Good: Just a great ride all around. I had previously always ridden freeride bikes SC Bullit, Iron horse 7 point, this bike not only blows them away on the long rides, flats and climbs like I had expected, but even with the RP23 it blows them away on the decents. I did a parts swap from the older bikes so all the credit really goes to the frame Im starting to feel slow again because I cant get the bike to a speed where it feels like its out of control. It even manuals and 3 hops/drops as well as my old set ups which I built more for that.

The Bad: The 11 frame has the old 135x10mm rear axle and the wheel I had was quick release which I couldnt get tight enough to get the stiffness I wanted ( low end sram hub) out of the rear end. I converted the wheel to bolt on a now problem is solved.

Overall Review: The Setup is 11' Pivot Firebird Frame w/ RP23RockShox Totem Solo airWTB Dual duty wheelsGeax Datura 2.2 tiresHolzfeller Cranks/Bottem bracketBoobar/ hussfelt stem 55mmHayes Nines 208mmSram x7 group w/ shimano xt front(had to be e type)Blackspire stinger chainguideThis frame really does defy logic, being a winter build project it was ready for spring before a lot of the more burly trails in the area were. So I got to take it on some long hilly rides on atv trails. First thing that stood out immediatly was how well the bike held speed and pedaled, and climbing was no longer a granny gear affair I can push as hard as I want  while Read More »

2013 Giant Glory 0

Vital Review

“Tested: 2013 Giant Glory 0 - Credibility Confirmed”

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Review by Sean “Griz” McClendon // Photos by Ian Collins and GrizNow in its third production variation and built around proven advice from Giant Factory Off-Road racers Danny Hart and Andrew Neethling, the 2013 Giant Glory 0 meets world-class demands with new geometry, a sharp look, and X0 components. We’ve been eager to become familiar with Giant's Maestro Suspension design and feel out the new slacked out 63.5-degree head angle. In a carbon crazed world the Glory 0 remains aluminum at 36.4-pounds out of the box. We like this accomplishment. While Hart's UCI World Championship title may not attract autographs at Supercross, Read More »

POC Trabec Open Face Helmet

“Amazing and awesome”

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The Good: Lightweight, looks bitchin', well ventilated

The Bad: Cost is pretty high

Overall Review: I picked up the dark blue color and upon arrival immediately noticed that his helmet was a crap load lighter than my skate style helmet I was using. I got the M-L size and it fit quite well. The maximum coverage of the Trabec inspires confidence that if you do go down, you're protected and safe. I got my helmet in February, with snow on the ground and cold temps. Due to the extremely well venting aspect of the helmet, I froze my head when I used this helmet. Now that it is May and quite warm up here in Vermont, the ventilation is a godsend and perfect. The straps areout of the way and the size adjustment system is easy to work with to get a good fit. This is a great looking helmet as well as a great riding helmet

Atomlab Pimp Rim

Featured Review

“Earth's Best Rim!!!”

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The Good: Literally "Tough as Hell"

The Bad: Nada damn thing

Overall Review: Allow me to take you back, back to a time called late 2007; I had just arrived to campus for my last year of college and was cruisin' 'round da campus on my freshly painted "new" old bike when I came across my roommate; Tightpants Tim. Tighty Tim was also a bike fan and itchin' to do some cool tricks to impress the ladies and a few of the men-folk. For whatever reason, he wanted to "rock steady" on my new (old) whip, so as the good roommate/friend I was (and still am), I dismounted and gave him the reins on my steel pony. As most people do, he picks it up and weighs it (like his arms are finely calibrated scales) and states, Read More »