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BHowell Added a new Feature REVIEW - 661's Women's Protective MTB Line
7/26/2022 7:55am
A long-time contender in the gravity MTB protection game, 661 has a history of making top-notch products to keep mountain bikers safe. We took in a big haul of their women's protective line to see...
BHowell Added a new video The World's Longest Train? Freedom Ride 3's Massive Wrap-Up Video
7/25/2022 8:48am
We all got together up at Rogate Bikepark for another edition of what has been coined 'MTB's answer to the village fete'...The Freedom Ride returned for its third year running! Unlike Jurassic Park and the Matrix, we think this was the best yet! This year we smashed our previous (unofficial) record for the world's longest train, we bought back the whip off and we premiered Hot Seat Racing! With special YouTube celebrity guests such as JONO JONES, JOSH BRYCELAND, SAM REYNOLDS, BEN DEAKIN, JOSH 'LOOSEDOG' LEWIS, DAN PALEY, and many more, we had a star-studded lineup attend the jumble sale...
BHowell Added a reply to To mullet or not to mullet
7/24/2022 12:29pm Because your bike IS designed to run either size wheel, the world is your oyster! I seem to recall Miranda Miller swapping back and forth with her Process X in one of her vlogs. For her particular pursuit with that bike, she was trying to get more snap but not at the sacrifice of speed. Ultimately where you decide to...
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BHowell Added a new video Neko Mulally's Frameworks Episode 8 - More Racing, More Development
7/22/2022 3:25pm
Round 4 and 5 of the World Cup season mean we are more than halfway through the year. I talk about how the team is going so far, we talk to the man behind the 3D model of my bikes and we go to Switzerland and Andorra to do some World Cup racing!
BHowell Added a new video Rae Morrison Rips Fast and Loose
7/21/2022 11:44am
Before the race season’s rigors of travel and the pressure of her 7th Enduro World Series Season, Rae Morrison did what she loves most: laid back off-season laps on her local trails in Nelson, New Zealand. She left the race clips at home and threw on Hellion flat to session sections of trail and get a little rowdy. This is what we love about Rae. When the pressure’s off, she’ll change things up and let her inner hellion run wild. In a world of clips vs. flats, why not go rogue and ride both? Ride Concepts wishes Rae the best...
BHowell Added a new video Taking a Break from Nitro Circus - Dusty Wygle and His Transition Scout
7/20/2022 9:02am
"An ode to the simple joy of bonding with your new bike over some laps of your local trails. Like with any new steed, open the gate, let’r buck, then make it run." -Dusty Wygle
BHowell Added a new video Santa Cruz Bicycles Presents Simon Johansson: Swedish Style
7/19/2022 2:03pm
Simon Johansson is a perfectionist—a rider not looking for fame but one who focuses on excellence. In his latest edit, Simon showcases his beautiful style on his hand-built trails in Gothenburg, Sweden.
BHowell Added a new Feature Unboxing Vital MTB Gear Club 28
7/18/2022 11:39am
Vital MTB Gear Club is a curated selection of six to eight mountain bike products delivered every other month. The goal is to give our subscribers great gear that can be used on and off the trail. If...
BHowell Added a new Feature If Your Gear Stinks, Wash It Properly - Molecule Sports X Vital MTB Gear Club
7/15/2022 8:07am
Mountain bike gear is not cheap, even if you get it on a deal. One of the best ways to make sure it lasts longer (other than not crashing) is to wash it with care. Vital MTB Gear Club included both...
I did not have a range extender (bummer) but I did pull the battery and weigh some bits. The main battery is 4 pounds on the nose, making the complete bike 36 pounds without the battery. How far you can ride with the just range extender is rider and terrain-dependent, no clear way to answer that one. Heck if we know! Seems like bike shops have more intel on this stuff than us media goobers, haha!
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It has been a while since I threw a leg over a Levo SL, so I reached out to one of the individuals that contributed feedback to this piece who has much more recently been on the Levo SL. Here was his take - Despite having "less power," the Levo has a punch to the motor that the TQ does not. The TQ is more subdued in its delivery. Perhaps through some tuning, the motors could feel more similar since, on paper, the Trek has more power.
This product review has 1 comment.
The comparisons are there, just not explicit. To call it out directly would be to split it into two camps - eMTB and MTB. A summary of three of our tester's ride impressions boils down to this: The e-bike side goes to the Trek. It's quiet, light, killer range, and the battery is easily removed. The MTB side goes to the Orbea. It is more eager to get rowdy and has a more snappy feeling backend.
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This product review has 1 comment.
BHowell Added a product review for 2023 Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 AXS E-Bike
7/12/2022 - 10:22am
Review - 2023 Trek Fuel EXe
Rating
BHowell Added a comment about feature Vital MTB Test Sessions - Short Travel Bikes
7/7/2022 8:00am
We did the Ripley in our last short-travel 29er test and wanted to explore the American bad ass machine that is the Exie.
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This feature has 18 comments.
BHowell Added a comment about feature Vital MTB Test Sessions - Short Travel Bikes
7/7/2022 7:57am
There will always be bikes "left out" of these group tests. When we gather a collection such as this our goal is typically to get bikes that we have not reviewed. We realize that not every reader sees every review though, it's always a give and take. This year was particularly tough given the (at the time) ongoing bike shortage. We had several bikes lined up months in advance, only to have them fall through at the last minute. I digress... Just in case, here are reviews on bikes that were not present in this test but would have otherwise...
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This feature has 18 comments.
BHowell Added a new video Revisit the First Two Rounds of EWS with the Forbidden Synthesis Team
7/5/2022 9:00am
Breaking the hiatus of an eight-month-long off-season, the EWS returned to where it last left off and the root and rut-laden Tweed Valley in Scotland. Thankfully, the weather was more welcoming this time around, swapping the driving rain that greeted racers at the end of last season, for sunshine and even dust. Kickstarting their 2022 EWS season campaigns-under the Forbidden Synthesis flag-are the team's 'enduro specialists'-Rhys Verner and Alex Storr. Two riders with two very different styles, one from Canada, the other from the UK, and having the best time traveling and racing their bikes. With that in mind, please...
Jason_Schroeder Liked a comment about Feature Vital MTB Test Sessions - Short Travel Bikes
7/4/2022 7:20am
I agree that there are weight, cost, travel, and component differences between the four bikes. And that is part of the reason we tested the bikes we did - they are all short-travel bikes that due to their subtle nuances provide differences in performance. I'll reiterate that the goal here was not to pick a 'winner' or 'the best bike.' Our goal was to test bikes within certain parameters (100 and 130mm of travel, rolled on 29-inch wheels, and shared similar components) and find out where each really shined to help riders understand which bike would be best for them...
This feature has 18 comments.
BHowell Added a new Feature Sideloader and a Slice - Vital MTB Gear Club's New Custom Bottle
7/1/2022 8:56am
There are bottle cages and there are Bottle Cages. After using the Bontrager Sideloader for some time, we place it in the latter category. Sure, many of our Vital MTB Gear Club members have a bottle...
BHowell Added a new video Rowdy Racing in Canazei - The Jank Files with Rocky Mountain
6/30/2022 9:53am
It’s been a solid push for the Rocky Mountain Race Face Team this month, with three races in four weeks. Following the action in Petzen/Jamnica, the team moved on to the familiar face of Val di Fassa. The spectacular Dolomites brought incredible views, a wide variety of terrain, and a pretty sweet jump. Remi gives a rundown on how he sets up his Altitude, Jesse gives some questionable cooking advice, and ALN still doesn’t like the camera. Prepare for season-best results and tight racing in Episode 3 of The Jank Files. Next stop, Whistler! Filmed by Caldwell Visuals
