Latest Reviews of Mountain Bikes & Parts

2012 GT Force Carbon Sport Bike

“Great Bike”

The Good: Geometry, Suspension and seat post

The Bad: Stand over height and hard to keep linkage area clean

Overall Review: The wheels and tires roll quickly and are holding up quite well. I would have preferred the wheels to accept Schrader valves over the presta, but that’s more of a personal convenience for quick fill-ups around town and my stock of tubes are Schrader type. I’m planning on converting to tubeless at some point anyway so it’s not a huge problem. I’m the type of rider that doesn’t have to have the “freshest lookin’ whip on the trail” so I’m not planning on upgrading anything until something breaks or fails, but I can see myself upgrading the wheels some time. I’m quite abusive on bikes in general, but really Read More »

Kenda Nevegal Tire

“Jack of all trades... sort of.”

The Good: Decent All Mountain application. Grips roots and slick rocks in slow muddy technical conditions. Good as a rear tire.

The Bad: Slow. Pinch flat easy with tubes. Rated specifically to NOT be tubeless ready by the manufacture.

Overall Review: The DTC is pretty grippy tire for most conditions. For slow technical muddy conditions I feel the tire really shines. However, from what I've experienced It's not the most confidence inspiring at high speed cornering in wet or dry conditions. As others have stated it does feel like it is slow rolling especially the wider tires so getting to those conditions is tough anyhow. The heavier Stick-E DH models are really slow feeling but nice in the rock garden knar. Pinch flats are also a problem that I've experienced, more than any other tire I've had before. All that said, I don't think they're a bad tire. I do like Read More »

Spank Spike 777FR Bearclaw Signature Series Handlebar

“one bad-ass looking stem”

C138_777fr_bearclaw_signature_bar_blk_wht_detail_15mm

The Good: weight, looks, colors, everything...

The Bad: none! even the packaging looks good!

Overall Review: install immediately after purchase.... :)i got the black version (like the one used in the review and it fits perfectly to my setup)..so happy i've made the right decision by buying this.

Race Face Atlas FR Handlebar

“Go to DH bar”

The Good: Width, geometry, colors, strength

The Bad: weight, but not by much

Overall Review: The atlas are an excellent bar. They come in at the perfect width and they feel great. The low rise is perfect for riders who like a low setup, and it gives that aggressive, racy feel. It comes in a bunch of great colors so you can match it to pretty much any build and they seem to hold up well in crashes. They are definitely heavier than some competition but they look better than most of them.

Schwalbe Big Betty DH Tire

“Amazing grip, disappointing durability”

The Good: Super grip for cornering and braking
tubeless set up
appearance
light weight

The Bad: wears down way too fast-triple compound?
expensive

Overall Review: I was super excited to try these out, and after a couple of local rides I was loving them, but after two days in the bike park they look like they are several months old. The shoulder knobs are tearing off and the center knobs are already wearing. I don't skid or brake excessively, but these tires are way to soft. Perhaps a single compound version would be better in the rear.This softness equates to great grip. It would definitely make a great race day tire save for the fact that it can become caked with mud quickly. In corners and off camber situations it has excellent grip, better than minions in some places.They also look sick and are slightly lighter than minions

Maxxis Minion DHF Tire

“The gold standard of DH tires.”

The Good: Braking, acceleration, cornering, price.

The Bad: cornering knobs always fall off
weight

Overall Review: The DHF are definitely a go to tire. They are widely available and frequently on sale. Cornering is top notch and they definitely have that playful drift zone a lot of people talk about. What they lack in grip on the muddiest days, they make up for pretty much everywhere else. They definitely excel as a bike park tire or versatile race tire.One problem I always have is cornering knobs falling off. On several of my tires after a month or two, a large amount of the knobs are ripped off or close to it, even when most of the braking knobs are almost entirely intact. Still they are longer lasting than alot of the super soft competition. The weight is also slightly heavier than some of the competition, but it makes up for it with compound durability.

Kenda Nevegal Tire

“Poor tire, but inexpensive”

The Good: cheap
frequently on sale
durable

The Bad: grip, cornering, weight, tubeless

Overall Review: Most people who highly rate this tire just haven't tried many others, simply because it's a popular oem or cheap quick replacement.They are also relatively long lasting and the knobs don't fall off.I know I had them on my first few mountain bikes years ago, and I hope I never see them again.Realistically, its overly heavy for its size no matter how big you get it, and has poor traction in corners and braking.There is a night and day difference if you ride it side by side with a maxxis DHF in performance.

Maxxis Crossmark Tire

Featured Review

“Great rear tire for trail bike”

The Good: Rolls fast
Good grip
Drifts predictably
Pretty light

The Bad: Short knobs get overwhelmed in deep mud
Can get flats in extremely rocky terrain (especially at lower pressures)

Overall Review: I've been running the 2.25 crossmark as the rear tire on my trail bike for years. I pair it with a minion DHF and have really come to love this combination. The crossmark has surprisingly good grip--much better than you would think just looking at it. It rolls very well, and I can notice a big difference compared to say a high roller or other knobbier tires. In corners it holds quite well and drifts super predictably. Paired with a larger/knobbier tire like the DHF I can corner really aggressively because I know the rear will let go before the front and that it will do so in a predictable manner. If I lived in the mountains, I'd likely run something a little burlier, but for the piedmont area round me which has lots of roots and rocks but not as much high speed chunder it's a great choice.

Maxxis Minion DHF Tire

Featured Review

“The standard”

The Good: Predictable
Wears well
Versatile
Reasonably priced

The Bad: Not the fastest rolling
Packs up in sticky mud

Overall Review: The DHF has been my go-to front tire on my trail bike (2.35 single ply) and I've used it extensively as both front/rear on my DH bike (2.5 3C). To me the most important part of a tire is predictability--and that predictability is why I keep running the DHF year after year. It may be that there are tires more suited to a particular condition, that are lighter or roll better. However, I don't change tires based on conditions except to switch to spikes when things are really muddy. For me, the DHF works well enough in any condition, although I'd say its at its best in mixed loose over hardpack (what I ride most). It isn't Read More »

Maxxis High Roller II Tire

“One of the best tires around!”

The Good: Grip is superb in dry or wet, sheds mud nicely, fairly light for its ability to fr/dh...

The Bad: It's a bit pricey, but can be found for under $60 online.

Overall Review: Great everything tire, highly recomended