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Overall Review

A crank is a crank is a crank…these days that can be both true and not true. Yes, you can find a perfectly functional crank that is not too heavy and doesn’t cost too much. However, as bland as this particular component may seem, it’s an area where you can also find exotic options to spice up your ride and make it your own. Anything from carbon to titanium goes, with all kinds of designs and colors on offer. North Shore Billet, more commonly known as NSB, threw their hat in the ring earlier this

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North Shore Billet Talon Crank

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iceman2058

12/5/2023 7:48am

2019 Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro E-Bike

The Good

I got one of these in 2020, a left over ‘19 and it’s dabomb. The Yamaha sync drive is bulletproof, and the Fox suspension reigns supreme. Love this bike.

The Bad

It has 27.5’s, that’s okay.
It’s not that light, but it’s fine.
The seat post had to be rebuilt.
Needs a Rocket saddle.

Overall Review

A more or less state of the art eMTB for about four grand you can’t miss. Like the energizer bunny, it just goes and goes and goes.

2019 Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro E-Bike

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Browneye

11/20/2023 7:03pm

TranzX EDP01 Seatpost

Overall Review

While wireless components are steadily growing in popularity (and performance), there is still a lack of relatively affordable options in the wireless dropper space. TranzX is looking to remedy that as the first company to offer a $500 wireless dropper post, eloquently named the EDP01. We’ve had one on test for five months now, and we’re here to report on how we’ve been getting along. Keep reading to find out! Strengths Weaknesses Cable-free installation cleans up the cockpit Satisfactory

TranzX EDP01 Seatpost

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iceman2058

11/11/2023 4:00am

2021 Kona Honzo DL Bike

The Good

Absolute blast to ride, tough, adjustable dropouts, good geo, loads of standover, lots of tyre clearance

The Bad

Some rubber grommets around the internal cable routing ports would've been nice.
Sliding dropouts came loose on a ride once

Overall Review

I bought this as a frame and have built it up with Shimano slx 170mm cranks, deore drivetrain & brakes, wtb i29 wheels and a Z2 140mm fork, and 2.6 specialized butcher/purgatory tyres, superstar pedals & brandx dropper, Its just under 14kg. Paint job is gorgeous too. This is the 2021/22 bike , but frame is same for 2023/24 bike Frame is well thought out, massive tyre clearance even on 2.6s thanks to nicely sculpted stays. Lots of standover clearance too. Its not as slack as the ESD, but Z2s ride

2021 Kona Honzo DL Bike

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kimbers

11/6/2023 12:58am

2022 Specialized Turbo Kenevo SL Comp E-Bike

The Good

Bike rides great, suspension kinematic is amazing. Weight is perfect. Great for riding with non e-Bikes as well as other e-Bike riders.

The Bad

Several issues including a failed remote, stripped hub, motor/crank play in the BB. Bent a crank arm, my fault completely but you have to replace it with their crank arm, not compatible with any others on the market.

Overall Review

I love this bike, I take to the Bike Park and ride it hard. It's great on Double Black and Big Jump lines. Its light enough that riding super steep terrain and rollers feels normal (heavier ebikes get outta sorts with all the weight and gravity pulling on all the LBs). The only changes I made are putting Magura brakes on it (but I do that will all my bikes) and swapping on some Maxxis tires. It makes climbing up for the next lap a joy and it makes impossible (for me) climbs doable. You get the

2022 Specialized Turbo Kenevo SL Comp E-Bike

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Mtbbeta

10/24/2023 8:47am

2023 Orbea Wild FS M10 E-Bike

The Good

Bike is amazing, handles really well, I upgraded the suspension and brakes and had a custom paint job (benefits of the MYO program with Orbea) so didn't need to upgrade anything as I felt it was all set. Handling was great and the price was reasonable for an ebike of this caliber.

The Bad

INTERNAL HEADSET ROUTING! INTERNAL HEADSET ROUTING! INTERNAL HEADSET ROUTING!
I wanted a Bosch motor and a reasonable price, this is where I landed. I was hesitant because of the headset routing but was not many other choices in that price range (Crestline too high in price, Ibis too ugly and over priced for the spec)
Other complaint is there is a lot of space in the front triangle, seems I would be able to get my Oneup pump mount in there but nope. They could have added a tool mount in there as well.

Overall Review

It was a lot of money to buy sight unseen and no test ride, but I was confident on the geo and set up of the bike. Order process was great, made some changes, added the XT brakes and Kashima Fox Factory suspension. Tire spec was on point as well. Set up was simple, although getting the shock pump onto the X2 was challenging and had to use a different pump is still worked out okay. Bosch motor is amazing, so much better than the Shimano, have had the bike for about 6 months, ride it about once a

2023 Orbea Wild FS M10 E-Bike

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Batts

10/24/2023 8:38am

2022 Intense Tazer Expert FOX E-Bike

The Good

It's and Intense and handles very well. My first mullet and turned really well for how long of a bike it is compared to what I am used to. My first e-bike. Pretty light for an ebike as well.

The Bad

The price. I got a pretty good deal on it so I am not really complaining too much for myself. The motor is the Shimano e7000, very under powered but still gets moving. The battery (504w) is small, easy to swap out but I couldn't find a back up for under $550.

Overall Review

I needed/wanted an ebike (I use them to set up enduro races) and the bike served me well. I would have to make sure I could charge the battery since I did not have a back up but it would get the job done. I discovered that although I would rather be on a "normal bike" that the ebike was great for recovery days and getting laps in as well, I ride it about once a week and my other bike 3-4 times a week. The mullet was pretty good but will stick with full 29er for now, even though I am short 5'9"

2022 Intense Tazer Expert FOX E-Bike

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Batts

10/24/2023 8:25am

2022 SCOR 4060 Z LT XT E-Bike

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The Good

Fun, poppy, mx compatible, solid build kit. Doesn’t feel like or ride like a tank. Big battery.

The Bad

I had some issues with the linkage being super creaky and I blew up 4 motor covers before they sent a better one.

Overall Review

Pretty spendy so bear that in mind. However i’ve seen them for like $2.5k less than msrp.

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2022 SCOR 4060 Z LT XT E-Bike

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ryan_daugherty

10/23/2023 8:03pm

Newmen Components Beskar Flat Pedal

Overall Review

How do you make something very light yet very strong? In the Star Wars universe, it’s simple: use Mandalorian beskar, a super-tough alloy that can even resist direct lightsaber hits for some time. In the real world, most of us don’t need our stuff to be lightsaber-resistant, so Newmen settled for a regular Earthly aluminum body with a titanium spindle for their first foray into the flat pedal galaxy. To check their work, we laid our hands on a sample pair and put it to the test under our

Newmen Components Beskar Flat Pedal

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iceman2058

10/9/2023 4:26am

2023 Transition Smuggler Carbon GX Bike

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Overall Review

The Smuggler has been a staple of Transition’s line up for a while, but the very latest generation had us waiting for it as Transition took their time giving it the same refresh as the rest of the range. When the Smuggler finally returned for 2023 it featured the new design language also found on most of the other Transition bikes, along with the mandatory longer and slacker treatment. Sporting travel numbers that puts it squarely in the “trail bike” category, we were excited to make it our

2023 Transition Smuggler Carbon GX Bike

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iceman2058

8/21/2023 5:52am