was hoping for a more clever, robot-inclusive response.

I test e-bikes exclusively to land a spot on the kill list.

This is going to be fun. A bunch of riders who have never tried one complaining that it is a different sport, they don't belong on trails, they are motorcycles, they cause more trail erosion etc, etc, etc. Pretty much the exact same argument that the Sierra Club used against...more

Ah man, Gutted I didnt get to see that! I asked about it when i was at the booth! Apparently the Vital boys have a lot more pull than my random bro self pullin in with a beer in hand.

Jesse, ya pinner! It's really awesome to see you chiming in and I appreciate your thoughts.

We would LOVE to do a test in the manner you've proposed for the reasons you stated. It would be the gold standard for a pure frame test, no doubt. There are some big hurdles we'd have to overcome to...more

One of the testers did race enduro last year, and placed on the pro podium at Vail's Outlier Enduro. That tester also has raced DH, and was a 'Junior X' XC racer years ago, and loves to dirt jump. The other tester rides more bikes in this category than many, has raced DH, did XC events in his...more

Pedal kickback is mostly felt when the suspension compresses during pedaling on bigger cogs on the rear, and at slow speeds (rocky climbs are a good example). On small rear cogs and fast speeds the kickback is hard to feel. At higher speeds the pedals not always rotate backward,...more

Genuinely appreciate your opinion, Cliffy! It may be a matter of where you ride and your chosen gearing combo. Can you describe the trails a bit? Tucson is a full-on, unrelenting square edge chunk fest in sections.

You're on the money, which is why our conclusion points to a similar type of rider to what you describe.

Without testing to the extreme end of things it's impossible to know where a bike excels and struggles. The variety of terrain in Tucson allowed us to find where the Recluse...more

It's great to hear support for brands and pedals that weren't included in this test. We'll work to include them in future revisions of this feature. We plan to update it (and all future Face Offs) on at least a yearly basis.

While we wish we could physically test all of the pedals out there, it's...more

I am with you on Twenty6!! My favorite too. Tyler is an amazing guy and I love the grip on them. The bonus is getting them custom engraved for the win!

Great review, but what about Twenty6 Predators? Super expensive but top dogs in my book and great customer service.

I call bullshit, you include Crank Brothers flats and yet don't include Twenty6? So you don't care for American manufacturing then? They are milled and made in Montana. Tyler's Predators are hands down the very finest, grippiest flats on the planet.