Latest Reviews of Mountain Bikes & Parts

“Formula TheOne MY10”

The Good: power, modulation, weight, looks

The Bad: reliability, customer service, pricey replacement parts

Overall Review: I've got my set 3 years ago for my AM bike. Straight from the box the brakes where lacking power so i decided to buy an original Formula bleeding kit ( 28 euro ! that is for two syringes and no fluid ! ) and bleed the brakes myself. It helped a lot but not for long. I really didn't know whats going on but aftrer a while the I've noticed brake fluid leaking on my carbon bars and DOT fluid damaged the clear coat on :( I've tried to contact formula to ask them whats going on and after couple of attempts i finally got reply from a guy barely speaking english saying I have to contact their service Read More »

Five Ten Freerider Flat Pedal Shoe

“Just like the old impacts”

The Good: These shoes are great. They share a similar feel to the original retail impacts. There is a better connection between the rider and the pedal than the current model of impact, while still maintaining great grip and durability.

The Bad: Only bad side is that they take on more water than the current impact, they they offer no where near as much toe protection.

Overall Review: Great shoe, and easily should be attributed as the true successor to the original (and the best) impact.

2013 Scott Genius 700 SL

Vital Review

“First Ride: Scott Genius 700 and 900 SL”

Review by Brandon Turman // Photos by Ian Hylands and Scott SportsModel year 2013 bikes are being released left and right, and many of the new announcements are fueling frequent wheel size debates among some groups of riders. Here at Vital, we've always been pro 26" wheels, which is why when we showed up at Scott Sports headquarters last week and they made the announcement that they are no longer making a 26" version of their trail bike, we were honestly a little shocked. That's right. They've killed off their 26" trail bike in favor of larger wheels. Now in its 10th year of existence, the new Scott Genius saw a major redesign Read More »

Continental Rubber Queen Tire

“Rubber Queen...not king of DH”

The Good: Grip; Weight

The Bad: Puncture resistance; Price

Overall Review: Background:The tyres in this review are 2.4 Rubber Queen (RQ) in Continental's most advanced, grippy and expensive compound,black chili.I should point out at the very start of the review that these tyres went on to a bike used mainly for downhill, yet, according to Continental, these tyres are designed for freeride/all mountain use. Where do you draw the line between freeride/all mountain and downhill? I would certainly have difficulty answering that, yet it is important to consider when reading the rest of this review.Initial Thoughts:First of all, the tyres come up large compared to Maxxis. Or, as is more likely Read More »

2013 Mondraker Summum Pro Team Bike

“One of the best bikes i ever ride!”

The Good: - The ajustable rear axle and head angle
- Rigid frame, low torsion
- Zero system is firm and constant ..not easy and flex like a vpp
- Corner like hell (remindes me my old sunday)

The Bad: - The bolts of the frame came tooo tight! Ive tried to loosen them with no sucess!
- No distributor out of Europe

Overall Review: I travel to whistler and i ride my bike for 1 mounth in July 2011.. I ride all trails and the bike, in my opinion , ride smothlly and easy on the "double jump" trails like a-line and dirt merchant.. and agressive on garbanzo .. fast corners and steep sections...Highly recommended bike.. i bougut my bike on march 2011...

Formula 2011 TheOne Brake

Featured Review

“Formula The Ones”

The Good: Weight; Power; Modulation; Feel; Looks

The Bad: Torx key bolts to tighten the lever; Possibly price

Overall Review: I was first introduced to Formula The Ones back in 2006 by a friend who had recently attached a set to his DH bike. These were the first generation brakes and I remember being in awe at how good they looked due to their minimalist design and how amazing they felt out on the trail. The lever seemed just right, they had so much power and yet the control was superb. Needless to say, I was very jealous!Fast forward a few years (well, five...) and it came to building up a new bike. Even though times, and brakes, have changed quite dramatically, there was only one set of brakes that would suffice for the Read More »

Sombrio NFluence Freeride Shorts

Featured Review

“Cool shorts for on and off the bike”

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The Good: I really like Sombrio in general and the stretchy materials that they use throughout most of their lineup. The great thing about these short is that you can ride in the them and then also wear them on the street and not look like a total goof. They are really comfortable and you really notice the stretch in the fabric. They work well on hot days and breathe quite well. Belt buckles are really nice and the fit is true. I usually wear a 30-32 and the medium fits me perfectly.

The Bad: Only a minor issue but I wish the side pockets had a zipper. Also wish the back of the shorts wasnt white as after one muddy ride its hard to keep that white section clean.

Overall Review: Overall the shorts are great. They work well on the bike and you can wear them on the street. The biggest thing I like about these is the comfortable and stretchy material they are made of, they breathe really well and you notice the stretch when riding. Would highly recommend these shorts.

Crank Brothers Acid 1 Clipless Pedal

“Rubbish Pedals”

The Good: mud shedding, good clip in/clip out feel, looks

The Bad: Durability, quality

Overall Review: Lasted 3 months, thenbarrings disintegrated and fall out. got a new pair under warranty, 4 months later same thing happened. Got time pedals now, way better...

2013 Giant Reign 2 Bike

“Very fun bike”

The Good: Light (13.4kg w/pedals), handles like a dream, if you really push it you'll find that the front and rear tires loose traction at the same time allowing for some fun two wheel drift. Corners well and suspension works well.

The Bad: Press fit BB, no chain guide mount tabs, rear shock is too linear for my liking, stock narrow bars.

Overall Review: I'm 170cm and brought a small, if your around that hight, I would probably go for a medium, unless, like me, you enjoy a small bike. I have upgraded the forks to talas to make steep climbs easier, but the standard forks feel awesome too. Running ~20% sag still bottoms out hard on 1m drops. Fixed this by putting grease in the shock air spring to decrease the air volume creating a more progressive feel. You can also buy spacers from fox that do the same thing. I would like to go 1x10 but the lack of chainguide tabs and the press fit bb makes that difficult. I havent had much joy with the press fit bb, it sezed after 5 months. This bike has its issues, however they arecompletely overshadowed by its handling and performance.

TIME Z Clipless Pedal

“BEST PEDAL”

The Good: Strong, reliable, easy to clip in & unclip, don't unexpectedly unclip, shed mud well, cheaper than crank brother crap.

The Bad: Maybe a bit heavy

Overall Review: After having owned crank brother pedals in the past 3 years, these were head and shoulders above those in terms of reliability and durability. Very similar clip feel to CB.