Tested

Shimano likes to take its sweet time developing products. It’s kinda their shtick. The best (current) example of their conservative innovation is the Saint gravity line—it turned 16 this year. If a Saint derailleur could drive, it would, in 2026. A new Saint groupset is surely on the horizon based on the volume of prototype parts hanging from bikes at the first World Cup . I wouldn’t hold my breath that it lands soon, but it’s coming. To keep us occupied until then, Shimano casually dropped its new Saint PD-G8040 flat pedal. On paper, they are a big improvement over the past pedal—lighter...

Helmets are easily the most important piece of safety equipment in a rider’s arsenal, and there have been many advances in this field over the past decade or so . iXS is of course a heavyweight in the MTB protection world, so it stands to reason that they would throw the kitchen sink at it when they set out to renew their helmet line-up. Safe, comfortable, and quite good looking too – meet the all-new Carve 1.0, a half-shell helmet designed for aggressive trail riding. iXS Carve 1.0 MIPS Highlights Multi-shell in-mold construction Patent-pending Head-Guard impact reinforcement for increased...

Bigger is always better, right? When it comes to flat pedals, theoretically, the answer is yes. A bigger platform means more pin engagement and grip. But there is a point of diminishing returns: when the odds of clipping a pedal become too high, grip fades because the pins are too spread out and don’t catch your shoe, and the pedals become heavy. If you browse our extensive Flat Pedal Face Off , you’ll see that most flat pedals are of a similar size. Crankbrothers has decided to challenge this notion with its latest Stamp EVO pedal, which has a much longer-than-average platform. In fact, it's...

The past few years have seen Intense quietly revamp its entire product line while publicly developing the latest M1 downhill bike at World Cups. The transparency of the downhill project was a reminder of the passion Intense pours into bike development. Unfortunately, I think it also overshadowed the work they put into the latest Tracer 279/29 , Primer and DJ models. Not to say that SoCal is the best sample case, but it is Intense’s backyard, and I’ve yet to see their bikes filling trail heads as I did a few years ago. What really put Intense back on everyone’s radar was the resurrection of...

We’ve ridden every version and evolution of the RXF38 fork from Öhlins, and we’ve always been very impressed by it. Not ones to ever rest on their laurels, Öhlins dropped the m.3 generation of said fork in 2025, and we were of course eager to put it to the test. It came with the classic promise of “revised internals, less friction, and a new damping tune,” but what would the story be out on the trail? Keep reading to find out! Öhlins RXF38 m.3 Air Highlights TTX twin-tube damping technology Independent spring and damper system Retuned air spring system 38-mm stanchion tube Wheel size: 29 in...

Norco’s Sight has been their all-mountain workhouse for well over a decade. 2026 sees the Sight expand into its 3rd category--Norco’s first foray into SL e-bikes. Virtually identical to the recently updated Sight VLT CX, the Sight VLT TQ sheds the pounds and the power to deliver an intuitive ride feel that can go all day. Highlights Full carbon frame Five sizes available, S1-S5 150mm of rear wheel travel // 160mm fork Mixed-wheel only TQ HPR60 drive unit (60Nm torque, 350W max power) 580Wh removable, integrated battery (160Wh range extender sold separately) No Other Way limited lifetime...

Ever since they started making pedals, OneUp has done things a little differently. Never afraid to follow their own path, the shape of their first aluminum pedal bucked some of the most prominent design trends in favor of a flatter and thinner profile. Now, they’re back at it again – their new Wave pedal is an attempt at combining the characteristics of both concave and convex surfaces into one shape, said to offer the best of both worlds. We were curious to see how this idea would pan out in real life, so here is our report after a few months of riding it. OneUp Wave Pedal Highlights Body...

Madrone Cycles was named after the Madrone trees that grow in the Oregon region that the company calls home. It was founded in 2023 by Aaron Bland, who had become disenchanted with the lack of good rebuild and repair options for rear derailleurs. After initially launching a series of replacement parts for SRAM derailleurs, Aaron realized that Madrone could easily make a whole derailleur by themselves. The Jab was launched in 2025, and it sports a number of unique features that made us want to test it – after several months on the trail, this is our report! Madrone Jab Highlights Materials...

We’ve been testing EXT products for quite a few years by now, and we’ve always been impressed by their performance and “trail feel”. There were of course teething problems with some of the early versions, like the overly harsh tunes and air spring setups of the first ERA forks or noisy, clunky rebounds on the first generations of the Storia shocks. EXT has learned a lot since those days, and the current crop of products is nothing short of excellent. When the company launched the Vecta, they stated that it was built by “recycling” some aspects of previous designs, so we initially worried that...

Troy Lee has always produced good protective equipment, but some of the slimmest knee guard options have historically been a bit on the flimsy side (the original “Speed Sleeve” wasn’t exactly a great design, let’s say…). Earlier this year, TLD dropped two new knee guards adorned with the “Pro” moniker, made for trail and enduro riding. We were curious about the improvements TLD had brought to these pedal-friendly options, so we’ve been testing them for a couple of months to see what gives. Read on to find out! Troy Lee Stage Pro Highlights D3O® Diablo™ EN 1621-1:2012 CE Level 2 protection...

Trek's Gen5 Rail+ is their do-everything, long-range eMTB for riders who want to climb farther, descend harder, and explore deeper, free of any battery range anxiety. With updated geometry, a mullet wheel setup, an adjustable suspension leverage curve, and Bosch's latest 100Nm motor feeding off an 800Wh battery, the Rail+ seems destined for success on paper. But do these evolutions keep pace in the quickly advancing eMTB world? Has performance been compromised in any way to tick all these technical boxes? We spent the past few months understanding where the Rail+ delivers the best experience...

Canadian apparel upstart Akta has come to market with a small but focused range of products that has garnered positive attention with the form, fit, and function boxes seemingly ticked in everything they make. We recently reviewed their all-new Trail Vest alongside other existing apparel pieces and we came away impressed , so we were curious to give Akta’s knee guard a spin as well. Incidentally, "akta" means "beware" or "be careful" in Swedish, which seems like a particularly well-chosen moniker in this case even though the founders of this British Colombia brand claim that they came up with...

Hope’s braking lineage is one of the longest-running and most recognizable in mountain biking. Their machined aluminum calipers and levers are unmistakably Hope, and for many riders, that’s the entire appeal: durability, serviceability, and a lever feel that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. But the XCR Pro E4 brake sits in an especially interesting corner of the lineup. It’s the brand’s lightest four-piston offering — a brake designed specifically to blend XC weight with real, trail power — and that makes it a natural match for the increasingly broad category often labeled “downcountry.” I...

When I was 14, I had a friendly argument with an older colleague at the bike shop. The argument was around riding with protection, especially gloves. I said it is lame and not very comfy and that I prefer the real feel of the grip in my hands. He on the other hand had the winning argument: “when you’ll get older, you’ll also prefer riding without protection, but it can end up in a maternity room”. So he won, I heeded his words, and since then I've very sensibly been using all kinds of protection when riding, usually a full-face helmet, knee guards and gloves at a minimum. Earlier this year...

UK-based HEL Performance started out making brake and clutch lines for motorcycles in 1999, and they have expanded their product offering many times over since then. Today they serve superbikes and performance cars with anything from entire brake systems to oil coolers - and all the hoses and hose fittings you can imagine. Earlier this year, after a focused development period led by a small in-house team of pedal bike enthusiasts, they launched their first MTB product, a complete brake system called “Advocate”. This is our review after several months on the trail. Strengths Weaknesses Smooth...

Aluminum wheels with lifetime warranties are so hot right now. A trend kicked off by Reserve that others have followed, it's a beautiful reality being able to hammer your wheels, and when they don't hold air, you can get a replacement. Tenet joined this conversation in May when they successfully ran a Kickstarter campaign for their new Coven alloy wheels. Before, they only made a stem, handlebar, flat pedals and grips. A truly rider-owned brand that doesn't waste time making components just for the sake of it, the Coven piqued a lot of riders' interest—32-spoke count, a strategically...

Hunt launched their Proven series of carbon wheelsets in 2022, with the range initially comprising the Race XC and Enduro H_Core models. Built around the same rim tech tuned for different applications, the Proven series also benefits from Hunt’s H_Care lifetime crash replacement coverage for the initial owner. Earlier this year, a dedicated trail model joined the line-up, appropriately named Proven Trail H_Core. Here’s what we think of this new wheelset after about 3.5 months of trail time. Hunt Proven Trail H_Core Carbon Wheelset Highlights Hookless, front 31mm rear 30mm internal rim width...

Vital has spent 7 months aboard what may be our favorite full-powered eMTB of 2025, the Norco Sight VLT CX. This full carbon, high pivot rig gets 150mm of rear travel with a 160mm fork up front, and despite the numbers, feels considerably longer travel than advertised. Powered by the tried-and-true Bosch CX system with long-lasting 800Wh battery, this Gen 4 Sight VLT continued to surprise us over and over again with its ability to handle big, nasty terrain, but also remain playful and nimble in tight-handling scenarios. We expected the high pivot suspension layout to gobble up bumps but were...

Roval, Specialized’s house brand in rolling stock, has been putting out quality wheels for some time now. The Traverse HD is a carbon wheel intended for “aggressive trail and enduro” riding, which in today’s world translates to “everything except a DH World Cup”, pretty much. We tested a pair of these rims/wheels last year , not long after their initial launch, and we were very impressed by their ride quality and dynamic handling characteristics on the trail. When Specialized announced a new version built with DT’s latest 240 DEG hub and Revolite spokes earlier this year, we thought it was a...

The Selva product line is Formula’s gift to enduro, all-mountain, or eMTB riders yearning for long-travel forks that aren't super stout. In a world of 38mm forks, Formula has stuck with 35mm stanchions. A choice that’s allowed them to shave weight and strike what they think is the ideal chassis feel. The Selva V is their latest single-air-chamber model, and its biggest updates include a stiffer chassis ( relative to its Selva familia ) and a new air spring designed to be ultra-low-friction. The Selva V slots between what FOX and RockShox offer for trail and enduro forks. They’ve drawn a line...

We’ve been big fans of the original PNW Components Loam dropper ever since it was first introduced in 2020. Adjustable, affordable, and reliable, it has always had a lot going for it. Five years down the line, and PNW figured they could do even better – meet the Loam Gen 2. We've had a test sample out on the trails for a couple of months now, here's what we think of it. PNW Components Loam Gen 2 Dropper Highlights PNW Dual-Chamber Sealed Cartridge Internal cable routing DIAMETERS: 30.9mm, 31.6mm. 34.9mm TRAVEL: 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm, 225mm STANCHION DIAMETER: 30.9mm & 31.6mm: 26mm, 34.9...

HUNT had a proper task at hand when they developed their latest Enduro V3 alloy wheels. How do you build on a tried-and-true wheel like the Enduro Wide V2? It’s actually pretty easy from the consumer perspective: make it even more durable while keeping it affordable. And that’s just what HUNT did. The Enduro V3 maintains a competitive $705 price tag and is HUNT’s strongest alloy wheelset to date—a claim that we took pleasure in substantiating over the past six months. Highlights G609 aluminum alloy rim with shot-peened finish Hand-built Sold as a set: 29”, 27.5”, MX Front & rear specific rim...

The SQlab saddle line-up has always been shaped by ergonomics and rider comfort, as this is very much a science-first company that puts a lot of research behind its products. One aspect that has almost defined an SQlab saddle design is the long nose, there to give you more room to move forward on the saddle during steep climbs. Many SQlab riders have apparently been asking for versions with a shorter nose however, better suited for more aggressive riding disciplines that demand more freedom of movement around the saddle area – and that is just what the company delivered earlier this year with...

When Hope dropped the Tech 4 brake some three and a half years ago now, we were impressed. So impressed, in fact, that we awarded it Product of the Year for 2022 . Since then, we’ve been running multiple pairs of these brakes on several different bikes, and we’ve remained impressed – this is clearly still one of the benchmark products in the MTB braking world. For 2025 however, Hope decided that an evolution was due, and in true Hope fashion, they racked their brains for a new name and came up with…EVO. For as underwhelming and generic as that name sounds, the changes made to the brakes are...