Tested

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 kn...

Posted by dirtworks911 on 10/14/2018 7:46 PM

The Italian word “Arma” translates to “Weapon.” If you currently don’t know anything about this company or piece of suspension, that's at least a pretty good starting point. Extreme Racing Shox, better known as EXT, is an Italian brand that has been immersed in the world of racing for 55 years. ...

Posted by sideshow on 9/21/2018 5:34 PM

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 ...

Posted by B.Radly on 8/23/2018 12:24 AM

'What a most super special and awesome best good time thing this bike is. For many times of funs and sends, this off-road bicycle will make biggest splash.' Marketing speak be damned, bikes these days are pretty awesome and the Canyon Spectral is no exception. Yes, light carbon wonder-rigs wit...

Posted by B.Radly on 5/29/2018 1:15 PM

Zerode's 160mm travel Taniwha enduro/all-mountain bike represents one of the best mountain bike frame production efforts built around a gearbox drivetrain system. Is it all it's cracked up to be? Where does it excel and where does it struggle? Does it live up the Māori monster inspired New Zea...

Posted by bturman on 5/15/2018 4:04 AM

If you’ve been riding bikes for over a two decades or ask your seasoned shop guy (you know, the only mechanic who can setup cantilever brakes within a reasonable amount of time) which fork changed suspension as we know it, one product will come to mind: Z1. Well before the year 2000 and the fran...

Posted by dirtworks911 on 4/10/2018 2:03 AM

11 of the Best Heavy-Duty Kneepads | Vital MTB Roundup (feature story)

Posted by iceman2058 on 4/4/2018 2:23 PM

After years in the cycling industry, Jeff Soncrant and Kevin Sigismondo put their heads together to create a ground up mountain bike brand of their own. It wasn’t that they hadn’t been working with great folks, but they wanted the opportunity to create products without restraints and in their ow...

Posted by hurricanejoel on 3/28/2018 7:04 PM

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, driven by the unforeseen death of a fellow rider, a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery set out to design a revolutionary neck brace. After several years of research and design, Dr. Chris Leatt (MB ChB) finally had his first neck brace in product...

Posted by dirtworks911 on 3/23/2018 3:32 AM

Vital MTB Test Sessions: Five of the Best Long-Travel Enduro 29ers Raced and Reviewed (feature story)

Posted by bturman on 3/6/2018 10:25 AM

During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, the Trek Slash went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to the Slash. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and more. Highligh...

Posted by bturman on 3/2/2018 11:00 PM

During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, the Transition Sentinel went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to the Sentinel. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and more...

Posted by bturman on 3/2/2018 10:40 PM

During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, the Specialized Enduro Coil 29 went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to the Enduro. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and...

Posted by bturman on 3/2/2018 10:23 PM

During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, Evil's The Wreckoning went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to The Wreckoning. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and more...

Posted by bturman on 3/2/2018 10:08 PM

During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, the Orbea Rallon went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to the Rallon. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and more. Highl...

Posted by bturman on 3/2/2018 10:00 PM

The Good:

Keeps your eyes and fork seals cleaner, minimal weight

The Bad:

A little stiff and flat profile

Overall Review: MarshGuard Fork Fender · Made from a durable and flexible material · Keeps stanchions and fork seal cleaner · Easy installation with zip ties · Available in multiple color ways     Initial Impressions               I have had several mudguards in the past beginning with a THE...

Posted by Carraig042 on 2/27/2018 6:08 AM

When it comes to improving a bike's performance, one of the key areas to consider is suspension. Combined with your tires, it is by and large responsible for controlling your bike's interaction with the trail beneath you. DVO, short for Developed Suspension, has a long history in our sport and k...

Posted by bturman on 2/21/2018 9:39 AM

Flat pedal shoes are tricky business. Not only do they need to deliver good grip on the pedals, but we also want them to look like shoes we’d wear on the town, not take on water, be stiff enough for pedaling but comfortable enough for walking around in all day. Needless to say, us flat pedal rid...

Posted by iceman2058 on 2/15/2018 11:24 AM

How do you make a good bike better? That's the question Devinci asked when they set out to improve an already very capable ride. The solution involved the creation of an entirely new frame for 2018, and it's Devinci's first full-carbon bike. Over the course of three months, hundreds of miles, an...

Posted by bturman on 2/11/2018 4:03 AM

If there is one model that defines Five Ten’s legacy in mountain biking, it’s the Impact. As the first ever shoe sold with the magical Stealth rubber derived from the world of rock climbing, for many years it was quite simply the go-to model for any serious flat pedal rider. Of course, that’s be...

Posted by iceman2058 on 2/5/2018 7:28 AM

Let's be honest, we are sick of narrow rims that ride like cooked spaghetti and hardly support a 2.3-inch tire. All of us are looking for some extra advantage to let us slap that corner harder or hit that off-camber line just a little bit left of that sketchy root – you know the one. Bikes are b...

Posted by AceHouston on 2/1/2018 4:28 PM

There is no doubt that $3000 is a lot of money to spend on a carbon wheelset, especially for a mountain bike. First, because you can easily find a perfectly good ENTIRE BIKE for that kind of money, and second, because on a mountain bike you know the wheels are going to have a tough life. That ha...

Posted by iceman2058 on 1/31/2018 11:00 AM

Following an excellent first experience at the 2014 Vital MTB Test Sessions, I've been riding a Norco Sight for nearly four years. Not a tester at the time, I played the role of house mom. Yes, I'm a woman, a darn good cook, and OCD enough to clean everyday (throwing horns). The 2014 Norco Sight...

Posted by csteen on 1/29/2018 6:15 PM

When we stumbled on Thule’s new range of hydration packs at Eurobike 2017 we were a bit surprised to see them. Best known for their racks and other automotive carrying solutions, Thule also produces an impressive line of luggage and backpacks, but this is the first time the Swedish manufacturer ...

Posted by iceman2058 on 1/29/2018 5:56 AM

Aaron Gwin’s hotel-notepad-drawing-turned-tire is not revolutionary in its looks, function, or purpose, but why reinvent the wheel (tire)? The Aquila was hotly lauded by many as the next best piece of rubber to hit the dirt upon its inception, and it immediately delivered by winning the 2017 Wor...

Posted by sideshow on 1/23/2018 3:37 PM

The original Process 153 was highly regarded at the time of its release. The bike's progressive geometry, lively suspension, and unflappable reliability quickly built a following and also seemed to influence how other brands approached the geometry and sizing of their own products. The original ...

Posted by hurricanejoel on 1/5/2018 12:11 AM

Vital MTB Face Off: The Best Heavy-Duty Disc Brakes (feature story)

Posted by iceman2058 on 12/21/2017 4:02 AM

The wheelset market is forever getting more and more competitive, especially around the $500-$600 mark. Quality wheels with strong rims and good hubs can be found complete or built at this price point, so anything less than very good will inevitably fail to make much of an impression here. Read ...

Posted by Zoomlinski on 12/13/2017 7:12 AM

There was a time when riding Kenda tires was a rite of passage in a mountain biker’s life. The Kenda Nevegal or Small Block 8 could be found at just about every trailhead. More recently, however, Kenda had fallen out of favor with riders as development seemed to stagnate while new tires and tech...

Posted by hurricanejoel on 12/6/2017 3:35 AM

There was a time when riding Kenda tires was a rite of passage in a mountain biker’s life. The Kenda Nevegal or Small Block 8 could be found at just about every trailhead. More recently, however, Kenda had fallen out of favor with riders as development seemed to stagnate while new tires and tech...

Posted by hurricanejoel on 12/5/2017 8:08 PM