Tested

Protection is serious business, and 7iDP has always been serious about it. We’ve had great results with many of their products over the years, from kneepads to helmets, so we are excited to see them release a new high-end half shell now. The Project.21 was designed with increasingly technical and demanding riding in mind, and it comes loaded with both comfort and safety features. Keep reading to learn more! 7iDP Project.21 Highlights (Holographic Ltd Ed Series 1) ERT™ System Conehead™ Technology 21 Cooling Vents Easy Position Visor angle CRV (Crash Release Visor) System 7iDP Rear Dial Adjuster...

Deity’s TMAC pedal has been around for quite a few years by now, and in that time it has become widely recognized as one of the leading options on the market. Case in point, it has been holding down a podium position in our long-standing flat pedal face off ever since it was first published in 2016. Building on the legacy of such a successful product is always a daunting task, but that didn’t deter Deity from looking for ways to make it even better. The result is called the Supervillain, and it hits the shelves today (along with the Flat Trak, the thinnest pedal that Deity has ever made). We...

Northwave is on an eco-journey, looking to minimize their impact on the planet as they continue to produce cutting edge apparel and equipment for life on boards and bikes. To help them do so, they’ve teamed up with “ACBC” – short for “Anything Can Be Changed” - a leading B Corporation consultancy in applied sustainability for fashion and textile industries. The project with ACBC had the main goal of producing a new bike shoe model that introduces Northwave on the universe of circular materials. The result is the Tailwhip ECO EVO, designed after Northwave’s classic Tailwhip model. Read on to...

Legendary moto aftermarket tuning company Yoshimura entered the MTB market four years ago now, with their Chilao flat pedal. There was a lot to like about that pedal, although our review noted a couple of small points of potential improvement at the time. Fast forward to present day, and Yoshimura is releasing a new version of the Chilao, dubbed the Chilao SS. The “SS” stands for Static Spring, which refers to a clever preload system designed to keep sideloads away from the bearings and help the pedal to feel fresh and free of any bearing slop (Yoshimura has been granted a patent pending...

During the past few years as a Vital editor, I've gotten pretty good at refraining from drinking the marketing Kool-Aid spilled throughout press releases. I rarely bite at claims of more-better-optimized-everything, but when Transition launched the Relay, they got my attention. Joining the ever-evolving lightweight e-bike category, its promise of two-bikes-in-one thanks to a small drive unit and easily removable battery was anything but status quo. You're telling me I only have to sell one organ to get a mountain bike and an e-bike? Where do I sign? Fast forward through seven months of...

Among the rolling hills surrounding the tiny town of Plestan in Brittany, France, you’ll find a small manufacturer of mountain bike suspension called Fast Suspension. Born out of one man’s passion for making things work better, Fast started out in motorsports but has been focusing on mountain bike suspension since 2015 when they released their very first rear shock, called the Holy Grail. Jumping ahead to 2023, Fast dropped their latest product, a simplified yet sophisticated coil shock called the Ride. It comes in either a DH or an enduro version – we’ve been testing the latter for six months...

Extreme Racing Shox or EXT is an Italian suspension supplier with roots in motorsports, where the brand found success working with legendary racers like Sebastien Loeb who dominated the World Rally Championship for years aboard his Citroens. In 2014, EXT decided to try their hand at making products for mountain bikes as well, and brought over many of the technologies and the expertise they have been developing over the years. When the company launched their first suspension fork in 2021, we were impressed with the performance although we noted at the time that it required quite a bit of effort...

Extreme Racing Shox or EXT is an Italian suspension supplier with roots in motorsports, where the brand found success working with legendary racers like Sebastien Loeb who dominated the World Rally Championship for years aboard his Citroens. In 2014, EXT decided to try their hand at making products for mountain bikes as well, and brought over many of the technologies and the expertise they have been developing over the years. We have previously tested their excellent coil shocks with good results (links: Storia review and e-Storia review), so when the company introduced their first air shock...

German brake specialist Trickstuff is most known for their very high-end and singularly expensive brakes, but it just so happens that they also make rotors and aftermarket brake pads that don’t come with any kind of sticker shock. Curious to see what they could offer, we’ve been testing the “Ultra Light” rotors and “Power” pads for about 6 months now – keep reading to find out how we’ve been getting on. Dächle Disc UL Highlights High quality, vacuum hardened stainless steel 25% higher tensile strength than conventional discs Sophisticated hole pattern for even pad cleaning Minimal disc...

Acrank 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 year with a three-piece crank machined from a single billet of aluminum. We’ve been testing one for...

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 activation speed Solid performance Up to 200 mm of travel available Easily replaceable cartridge Battery...

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 resident, clumsy old Stormtrooper’s size 12 battle boots. Keep reading to find out how it went! Strengths...