Tested

SR Suntour Durolux 29 (2019) Fork (product)

SR Suntour Durolux 27.5 Fork (product)

2021 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Expert (product)

The Good:

Exceptional small-bump sensitivity
Reduces arm pump significantly
Tunability per riders preference
Allows riders to ride longer and faster
Surprisingly durable
Made in America

The Bad:

Weight: About twice the weight of a high-end carbon bar
Pricey (but comes with a 30 day Buy-Back guarantee)
Only offered in 25mm rise and 31.8mm bar clamp diameter

Overall Review: The industry has come a long way since the 80’s and 90’s. From hucking those fully rigid Specialized Hard Rocks off dirt lot jumps to 37lb carbon fiber e-bikes, oh how things have changed. Components have gotten stiffer, frames have gotten lighter, and modern suspension is pushing riders further...

Posted by dirtworks911 on 10/1/2020 9:51 AM

The Good:

- Price
- Dimensions (Low Stack and Overall Length)
- Travel Adjustment
- Servicability
- Reliability

The Bad:

- Not as Smooth as High End Offerings
- Requires Fresh Grease Every Few Months
- Developed Lateral Play

Overall Review: I purchased a 180mm OneUp Components V2 Dropper to replace my 150mm KS Lev Integra after frustration with its numerous issues that required $130 in parts and labor to repair. I'm 5' 9" and ride a size medium Niner Jet 9 RDO and I'm able to run the post at 180mm with a centimeter or two of wiggle...

Posted by AvidTrailRider on 9/24/2020 9:50 PM

The Stumpjumper EVO truly evolved in 2018, taking the long, low, slack mantra to new extremes for the brand. It was a different beast with a 63.5-degree head angle, super-low standover, lengthy reach, and was clearly made for getting rowdy. Fast forward to today and Specialized is back with a ne...

Posted by bturman on 9/22/2020 10:04 AM

2021 Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 0 (product)

The spring of 2020 was tough. It was particularly tough if you were single when the bars of social isolation came down. Perhaps you started scrolling through the names of various exes and sent out texts about how you were “Just checking in” or the ever chivalrous and don’t you worry, oh-so-origi...

Posted by Mint on 9/16/2020 12:54 PM

Demo Mullet vs Demo 29: Specialized DH Bikes Head-to-Head (feature story)

Posted by bturman on 9/1/2020 7:08 AM

2021 Canyon Sender CFR (product)

MTB Tire Insert Comparison Test - CushCore Pro vs Nukeproof ARD vs MegaNorris (feature story)

Posted by TrailPeek on 8/20/2020 12:22 AM

The Good:

Excellent pedaler & climber, very light feeling at the pedals despite the 29er wheels. DPX2 shock has little to it, it's great kinematics that does it. Open and medium settings on the shock are similar and the closed position is almost HT-like feeling - great for tarmac.
Light, very agile and poppy feeling on the trail, very easy to get in the air and off something, but long wheelbase pushes the boundaries on the high speed stuff.
Frame is beautifully made, components are top of the game (went with the 36 upgrade).
Large with Fox 36 150 (rest is stock) =13.6kg w/o pedals.

Despite the travel and geo differences, I rode everything with the Orbea that I did with the previous Giant Reign.

The Bad:

I think the 12 speed groups really push the limits on how precise things need to be so that everything works as it should. While setting up the XT drivetrain I feel like the changes need to be done in micrometers.
Front end feels stiff and my hands hurt more than on previous alu 31.8mm handlebars with a RS Pike. And yeah, Fox 36 2021 is not as plush as the RS counterparts and is a horror to setup to feel plush (think I'm too old for 5 different adjustments on a thing like a fork). Fox is definitely not a set and forget...

Overall Review: Upgraded from a Giant Reign 2015 which was a great bike, also light on the climbs and a speed demon on the descend. Compared to the Occam it was almost the same weight (despite alu frame and 27.5 wheels) but felt like a much longer cockpit while seated due to the slack seatube. I'm 182.5cm with ...

Posted by Vuco on 8/15/2020 2:37 PM

If you've ever ridden a full-suspension bike without a chain, you likely noticed an improvement in its suspension performance. After watching some incredible chainless downhill runs on the UCI World Cup circuit, this Italian brand dreamt up a way to provide the benefits of riding wi...

Posted by bturman on 8/13/2020 6:11 PM

e*thirteen TRS (2016) Tires (product)

e*thirteen TRS+ 11-Speed (Gen 1) Cassette (product)

CFR stands for Canyon Factory Racing. Taken a bit broader, CFR relates to a new method of designing for Canyon that relies heavily on all of Canyon's best racers and their mechanics. The new Sender CFR downhill bike is the result of many talented people's efforts, ideas, inspirations, and...

Posted by bturman on 8/10/2020 11:03 PM

Vital MTB Test Sessions: Four Exciting Electric Mountain Bikes Reviewed Head-to-Head (feature story)

Posted by bturman on 8/6/2020 7:00 AM

The Good:

Cornering, Braking, Low Rolling Resistance (somehow...I was blown away by this), Price, Climbing Traction, Pretty much everything a tire should do well...these tires check all the boxes.

The Bad:

Mounting onto my wheels (Spank Oozy Trail 345's with Huck Norris inserts)...Weight??? They were heavy out of the box but certainly didn't ride like it.

Overall Review: So, let me start by saying, I will be buying another set, or 2, of these tires within the next month. When I initially received these tires I was leery. The plan was to put these tires on my DH bike but, I opted to put them on my Capra.  The reason I was leery is because, the tires felt HE...

Posted by TN81 on 8/4/2020 12:35 PM

Coming Soon! Vital MTB E-Bike Test Sessions (video)

Launches August 6 at 8AM PST. Be sure to set a reminder for the full video premiere! The new and exciting 2020 Santa Cruz Heckler, Specialized Turbo Levo SL, Trek Rail, and Norco Sight VLT 29 get ridden and scrutinized on motorized trails outside of Boise, Idaho. In this fast-paced video, we wi...

Posted by bturman on 8/4/2020 9:25 AM

2020 Alchemy Arktos 29 X01 Eagle Bike (product)

Shimano SH-GR700 Flat Pedal Shoe (product)

Developed and manufactured in the CSS Composites aerospace facility in southern Utah, Revel's new RW30 wheels ditch the brittle epoxy that is commonly used in carbon fiber in the mountain bike space. The raw thermoplastic material blends unidirectional long fiber German and Japanese carbon im...

Posted by TrailPeek on 7/30/2020 9:20 AM

Spank Spike 350 Vibrocore Wheelset (product)

Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Coil Fork (product)

'Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.' While this adage about race technology trickling down to the consumer level certainly applies to most components seen on World Cup and EWS race bikes, the same can't be said for the increasingly ubiquitous data acquisition systems (DAQ) that just about ev...

Posted by LTrumpore on 7/15/2020 3:19 PM

Motion Instruments Enduro Expert System (product)

Ochain Chainring Spider (product)

Revel RW30 Wheelset (product)

Sprindex Adjustable Coil Spring (product)

You can set an air shock to any pressure you'd like, making them quite popular in mountain biking compared to coil shocks. You'll need a pump to make that adjustment though. With this new coil spring system from Sprindex, no tools are needed to adjust a coil's spring rate to a finer degree th...

Posted by TrailPeek on 7/2/2020 10:19 AM