First Look

I don’t have time to type up a full review, but I have put about 100 miles on a demo SB 150 in the mountains of Santa Cruz, CA. I have also been on the SB 130 an equal amount of time and I will give thoughts on that bike another time. My experience on the SB 150 has been really fun so far. I have been privileged to demo a lot of bikes and tend to favor long travel bikes for the riding around here. Climbing: This bike climbs well, particularly up long fire roads. It has excellent traction up rocks roots and loam. The front end stays down really and drives precise up technical sections, but that...

The Werx helmet from Fly Racing has been out for a couple of seasons already, but for 2019 the company decided to overhaul the range and introduce the Imprint version. At just 950 grams it is one of the lightest carbon full face DH helmets on the market today. It features great ventilation and a precise fit, while safety features like MIPS and quick release cheek pads show that Fly has also taken your well-being equally seriously. Check out the highlights and our video review below to see the new lid in action and find out how we’ve been getting along with it. Strengths Weaknesses Very light...

Itis time to lift the curtain on the new Niner RIP 9 RDO. This bike has 140mm of rear travel, 150mm up front, and it comes with a frame specifically designed around each wheel size. That means the 27.5 version isn't just small wheels slapped into the same frame, but a purpose-built frame to suit the wheel size. This is the part where we let Kirt Voreis take over to introduce the new rides: "Why didn’t we just make a 29er that also fits 27.5-inch wheels? Because compromises. If we’re going to do something so big (or should we say, small?) and so contrary to our brand history, dammit, we’re...

There is no bad weather, only bad clothes. Fox Racing has really taken that mantra to heart over the last two years, introducing an impressive collection of riding apparel meant to keep you warm and dry when things take a nasty turn outside. A pair of full rain pants was still missing from the line-up however, so to address that particular shortcoming Fox launched the Attack Water pants for the 2018/2019 winter season. We’ve been getting them dirty in order to be able to tell you what we think of them, read on to find out! Fox Racing Attack Water Highlights TruSeal advanced weather protection...

Within the industry, there have been countless products which have altered the way we perceive mountain biking. Well before Boost spacing, dropper posts, and even mountain bike specific 10-speed drivetrains, a motorcycle suspension company dabbling in mountain bikes pioneered suspension as we know it. They replaced elastomers with coil springs and open bath dampers, 26-28mm diameter stanchions with 30mm, and nearly doubled the industry standard travel for single crowns. The weapon that housed these changes was called Z1. Fast-forward two decades and the Z1 has been reborn. The goal for the new...

Ask anyone with lots of carbon wheel experience and they'll express a preference for stiffness or compliance. It's a surprisingly polarizing topic. What happens when you combine those two worlds into one wheelset, with a stiff rear and compliant front? Agreement across the board during blind testing. This revelation lead to the creation of the new Crankbrothers Synthesis wheels. Recognizing the potential to improve their wheelsets, Crankbrothers invested in two forward-thinking individuals from varying schools of thought. Jason Schiers, one of the co-founders of ENVE, long held the belief that...

SB130 Highlights 29-inch wheels High-modulus carbon fiber frame and swing arm with C-Series and TURQ material options 130mm (5.1-inches) rear travel // 150mm (5.9-inches) travel fork with shorter 44mm offset Switch Infinity suspension system with two-piece wishbone-style shock extender 210x52.5mm Metric shock Compatible with both air and coil-sprung shocks Tapered integrated headtube (41mm/52mm) Custom downtube protector and chain guards Internally molded carbon tubes inside of frame for improved cable routing Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system Boost hub spacing, front and rear 29x2...

SB150 Highlights 29-inch wheels High-modulus carbon fiber frame and swing arm with C-Series and TURQ material options 150mm (5.9-inches) rear travel // 170mm (6.7-inch) travel fork with shorter 44mm offset Switch Infinity suspension system with two-piece wishbone-style shock extender 230x60mm Metric shock Compatible with both air and coil-sprung shocks Tapered integrated headtube (41mm/52mm) Custom downtube protector and chain guards Internally molded carbon tubes inside of frame for improved cable routing Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system Boost hub spacing, front and rear 29x2.5...

I had a chance to ride this bike in Crested Butte last weekend. The bike is amazing, corners like a bmx, I was laying this puppy side ways on the berms and the rear just railed. Very impressed by the new design, chatted with Tyler for a while. A very passionate and knowledgeable individual. Bike is light, and agile, pops off anything, and just like a slacked 29er rolls over the rocks like they are not there. The only other bike that i have ridden that come close is the EVIL Wreckoning. the seat tube angle is not the typical angle and you could it will make the climbs much easier, while railing...

There is something good going on in the Salt Lake and Park City region. It seems that when a bike company wants to have a good time, these sprawling mountains offer plenty of opportunity. Fezzari very recently invited us to the area to ride their latest bike, a big 150/160mm travel 29er. Free of Power Point presentations, marketing claims, and pretenses, they focused their energy on making sure their bikes were trail ready and that we spent our time getting dirty in the high-alpine backcountry. Let's check out the new La Sal Peak. La Sal Peak Highlights 27.5+ or 29-inch wheels CleanCast carbon...

Itis as close to any objective statement as an opinion can be: the 2019 Trek Remedy sitting in the Vital garage is a damn good looking bike. Clean lines, bold carbon molds and a tuxedo-classy paint job. Trek’s popular trail machine is back in a new version, and like the Session and Slash it now has a stationary lower shock mount – no more Full Floater. Trek states that with updated shock technologies, primarily RE:aktiv and Thru Shaft, off-the-top sensitivity and overall rear suspension feel no longer require the action of the floating shock mount. The Remedy also gains some stiffness and tire...

Giant’s trail focused Trance platform has seen its fair share of changes over the years, adhering to both emerging standards and bouncing between wheel sizes. Yet for the 2019 Trance, Giant has potentially made its most significant leap forward to date. Taking cues from their enduro smashing Reign platform and the ever-evolving landscape of mountain biking, the latest iteration of Giant’s best selling off-road machine pleasantly took us by surprise. 2019 Trance Advanced Pro 29 Highlights 115mm rear travel // 130mm front travel Advanced composite mainframe and subframe Maestro suspension system...

The phrase “Made for Fun” is written somewhere on all of Marin’s bikes, their steadfast mantra. It is an ideology emphasized in the brand’s catalog, as there are no “filler” bikes or wonky in-betweeners, just fun shred-ready bikes that stack the ratio of smiles per mile. The ethos of the re-birthed Marin keeps the focus tight and on track, which is paramount when reshaping a 32-year-old company with roots firmly planted in the humble beginnings of mountain biking. Fresh and progressive, but sensible and smart would be a good way to describe the designs. For 2019, Marin has gone ahead and...