Tested

Hailing from a long legacy of trail and enduro performance, the 2017 Specialized Enduro brings some updates to a classic design. Available in both 650b (27.5) and 29/6Fattie (27.5+) versions, the new frame is longer, lower, comes in more sizes, and sports a little more travel. With 170mm of suspension and not-quite-plus 2.6-inch tires, the new Enduro is on the leading edge of new trends in an ever-changing category. We thrashed the Enduro Comp 650b down the loose and rocky trails of Tucson, Arizona during Vital MTB Test Sessions to see if this price point model can take a serious beating...

Recluse: [noun] A solitary person who avoids the company of others. Brown Recluse: [noun] One of two poisonous spiders in North America. The bite of the brown recluse causes necrosis (death) of the tissue. Intense Recluse: [noun] A brand new carbon fiber all-mountain bicycle from a reputable American company. Was the new robin egg blue head turner from California going to be more like the hermit in the woods or the small nightmarish spider that causes your skin to turn black and die? Perhaps it would be neither, instead providing a ride so good that it would "keep you alone, out in front of...

"[The wilderness] had caressed him, and-lo!-he had withered; it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh and sealed his soul to his own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation." - Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness The boys from the mountain country of Andorra have created something dark indeed. The Commencal Meta AM V4.2 looks like the graphic stylings of Dead Kennedys and Metallica's hate child, but would it ride like one? We set out to see during this year's Vital MTB Test Sessions. The long, low, slack beast checks all the boxes of a...

With a complete overhaul for 2017, the Pivot Firebird gets some key geometry updates inspired by its downhill counter part, the Phoenix, complete with a brand new dw-link suspension layout. Featuring 170mm of front and rear wheel travel, the Firebird comes prepared to handle the gnarliest trails. We were stoked to get this bad boy out on some of Tucson, Arizona’s rocky, loose trails during Vital MTB Test Sessions to find out if these changes result in big gains. Highlights Carbon frame 27.5-inch wheels 170mm (6.7-inches) of rear wheel travel // 170mm (6.7-inches) fork travel dw-link suspension...

YThas made quite the leap into the suspension bike arena in the last few years. They've had notable freeriders and slopestyle riders before, but now with UCI World Cup Downhill Champion Aaron Gwin and some enduro racers on their side they have really moved into the big leagues with the bikes they have to offer. The Jeffsy 29 is one of their newest offerings, sporting 29-inch wheels and an ultra progressive suspension system they have come to be known for. As their first trail bike, it's designed to be an "everyday" ride. We put it to the test during the 2017 Vital MTB Test Sessions. Highlights...

One of Yeti’s most popular bikes, the SB5, has a twin sister in the Beti lineup. For 2017 the bike received a number of sweet updates atop women’s specific contact points, a lighter shock tune, and a gorgeous paint job. Built for “hard charging women who want the ideal trail bike,” we dropped in on Tucson’s Mount Lemmon during Vital MTB Test Sessions to find out if the second generation Beti can back up the bold statement. Highlights Full carbon frame 27.5-inch wheels 127mm (5.0-inches) of rear wheel travel // 150mm (5.9-inches) fork travel Switch Infinity suspension design Tapered Inset...

Iposted a Vital MTB forum thread in May of 2014 asking " Why are flat tires something we still see these days?" Some riders were plagued by the typical race-robbing issues of pinch flats at the first two World Cup DH events. "We have $10,000 bikes but we can't keep air in the tires if they're hit just right?" I was frustrated and I'm not even a racer getting hosed or a team sponsor watching tens of thousands of dollars go down the drain on a single race effort. Lo and behold, industry-leading tire designer and tester, Frank Stacy, was already on the case. Frank is the lead man behind some of...

"Why does the guerrilla fighter fight? We must come to the inevitable conclusion that the guerrilla fighter is a social reformer, that he takes up arms responding to the angry protest of the people against their oppressors, and that he fights in order to change the social system that keeps all his unarmed brothers in ignominy and misery." - Che Guevara Debatably the tactics of guerrilla warfare were originally penned by Sun Tzu in The Art of War around 600 B.C. At its heart it is a series of tactics that a small army employs to fight against a much larger army. Guerrilla warfare is an agent of...

The 2017 Giant Trance Advanced sports nearly everything one could want out of a spec sheet. Do you want a carbon mainframe? Look no further. Want a really lightweight bike that can also rip down the trails? Sign us up. Want carbon wheels? The new Boost standard? A Metric shock? Every Trance Advanced model has those, too. With 10mm more travel up front compared to years past, the new Trance also sports 150mm/140mm of travel front and rear while rolling on 27.5-inch wheels. That's not all that's been updated, though, with an entirely new frame at work. Giant claims this bad boy is capable of...

The Devinci Django was born as a completely new bike in early 2016, first with 27.5-inch wheels and later joined by 29-inch version. As the brand's first attempt to create a truly worthy 120mm travel trail bike, we couldn’t wait to see if the Django was ready to be unchained. We headed to Tucson, Arizona for Vital MTB Test Sessions to give it a proper go in a wide variety of terrain. Highlights Carbon DCM-G frame 29-inch wheels 120mm (4.7-inches) of rear wheel travel // 130mm (5.1-inches) fork travel Split Pivot suspension design Tapered headtube Internal cable routing FRG Cup compatible Two...

Evil seems to have a habit of coming out with cool new stuff right about the time we get to testing. We were going to try out one of their other models, but when organizing Vital MTB Test Sessions this year they offered up a brand new rig. Of course we jumped at the chance to try out the fresh ride, as it looks to have some refinement and new features to fit into Evil’s growing line of trail weapons. Fun is a resounding theme in Evil’s line of bikes, and this 130mm travel ripper is no different. Unlike some manufacturers, they don’t have standard lines of cross-country, freeride, or race bikes...

The *big two* have gone pretty much unchallenged in mountain biking's derailleur and shifter game for years. Now Box Components is looking the change that with the launch of their Box One PushPush shifter and 11-speed rear derailleur. Box, who has a long history in BMX, took a slightly different approach (much like SRAM did when they first entered the market) when it comes to the typical action of a shifter. The One PushPush shifter features a single lever, as opposed to the traditional two-paddle system, which handles both upshifts and downshifts. This is made possible by a dual-motion design...

Reviewed by Fred Robinson As you may have noticed, Intence Cycles is not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, they're actually ramping things up quite a bit with five new bike launches in the span of only 12 months. Jeff Steber, the founder of Intense Cycles, continues to develop and refine bikes in his workshop at the factory in Temecula, Calfornia, and his latest creation is the all-new Intense Tracer. In collaboration with Cesar Rojo and the team at Cero Engineering and Product Design // UNNO bikes, the duo collaborated to create eight prototypes, or "mules", before settling on the geometry...

Review by Brandon Turman // Action photo by Courtney Steen Over the years we've seen a recurring theme coming from the SRAM camp - every product is designed with the intent to increase control and confidence on the trail. That goal was present when crafting the new ROAM 60 carbon wheels as they strived to find the right balance between outright strength and vertical compliance. Geared at enduro and trail use, these wheels are claimed to be "durable enough for hours in the saddle, yet light enough for race day." The evolved wheelset sees the jump up to a 30mm internal rim width, uses SRAM's own...

On a summer trip to Whistler, a few friends and I ditched the lift line in favor of the lesser traveled trails on nearby Blackcomb. The ride began just like any other - popping wheelies and cracking jokes as we made our way to the base of the mountain. Then the pitch kicked up a few notches. My friends and I attacked the mountain with enthusiasm, vying for position along the way. "This trail is so good you guys, you're going to love it," I promised. "Just 15 minutes more and we'll be there." For those familiar, you'll know that the climb up Blackcomb is an unrelenting beast of a fire road slog...

Review by Johan Hjord // Photos by Johan Hjord and Tal Rozow Rims have been getting wider and wider over the past few years, with manufacturers citing features like lower tire pressures, wider contact patches, and higher air volume as the main reasons behind the trend. Additionally, the plus-size tire “movement” has once again opened people’s minds to experimenting with fatter tires, and as a result, there’s a fresh batch of weird and wonderful new tire widths to choose from. Hope took their time before jumping in with an extra-wide rim offering of their own, but with the 35W they have now...

Review by Brandon Turman // Action photos by Courtney Steen "Wait, is that an Öhlins fork?!" The sight of some "Swedish gold" bolted to the front of our test bike often makes savvy riders do a double take when we're out on the trail, and for good reason - Öhlins has an excellent reputation thanks in part to dozens of World Championship titles in the motorsports world since the company was founded in 1979. With performance suspension components made to fit just about any two or four-wheeled racing vehicle, it was high time for the brand to make an entrance into the mountain bike world just a...

We had a shaky start with the original SR Suntour RUX R2C downhill fork we tested back in 2014. After some refinements provided by the brand, however, the result was an outstanding review. SR Suntour is back at it in 2017 with their new 27.5” RUX R2C2. With a redesigned air spring, a new cartridge featuring both externally adjustable high- and low-speed compression and rebound, as well a few new other revisions, SR Suntour is aiming to take on the top dogs in the suspension world in a modestly priced, high performing package. We’ve been rocking the new RUX for the past few months to see if...

Review by Nick Zuzelski // Photos by Carl Gray These days, setting up tubeless tires usually goes fairly easily. For times when you need an air compressor to pop that difficult tire on the bead and you are away from the shop, you can find yourself out of luck and fighting an uphill battle with only a floor pump. Specialized recently released the Air Tool Blast Tubeless Tire Setter – a product that is designed to take the air compressor out of the equation and give people one more trick up their sleeves while keeping things simple. Air Tool Blast Highlights Removes the necessity for an air...

Review by Joel Harwood // Photos by Peter Wojnar When Trek debuted the Slash in 2012, their Active Braking Pivot and Full Floater suspension technologies were considered by many to be ahead of the time. The Slash received a number of refinements over the years, but never created significant waves in the all-mountain category. Fast forward to today and the Slash has grown 29-inch wheels, shifted a few degrees here and there, abandoned the Full Floater, and is now being hailed by many to be the benchmark of what a modern enduro bike should be. We’ve been aboard the Slash 29 since late summer...

With the less-than-stellar Joplin and Kronolog, Crankbrothers had pretty much taken themselves out of the dropper post game, so they knew they had to go back to the drawing board and get their next attempt right. The Highline is a completely new product and a full departure from the design of the previous posts, which is a good first step in the right direction. When it was first released in 2016, only a 125mm version was available, but a 160mm version joined the line-up more recently which means we can now compare it with the droppers tested previously for our big shootout feature. After many...

Review by Jo Pauly // Photos by Jean-Marie Plaçais When you picture the North Shore, you probably think of a thick, humid forest with a crazy trail weaving through it. Suddenly Thomas Vanderham rides into sight and shreds the living hell out of the trail. Well, Thomas Vanderham is part of the Ryders' team and was involved in the making of the new Tallcan goggle. With a double lens, which is hydrophobic and scratch-resist-coated, and clever venting placement on the frames, these goggles have been designed to keep your vision clear in even the most humid of conditions; just like on The Shore...

Review by Steve Wentz // Action photos by Jeff Cricco It was only a few short years ago that Spank was one of the 'little guys' amongst some of the heaviest hitters in the component world. They had some colorful bars, pedals, and rims to upgrade your ride. Over time they have added tremendous versatility to their line of products, not just with additional components, but most importantly with specific product lines for all-mountain, downhill and so forth. Spank's Spike Race 33 wheelset slots into their lineup as an affordable gravity wheelset at just $499.99. Just as with their other products...

Review by Matt Swenson // Photos by Chris Wellhausen (Action) and Matt Swenson (Product) OneUp Components produces a wide range of drivetrain products and this Bash Guide, they claim, will “eliminate dropped chains forever and more than double your chainring life.” The simplistic, light and durable chainguide isn’t just for enduro racers like Richie Rude and Jared Graves, we used it for trail riding, bike park ripping and even some DH racing. After two months of testing on two different bikes, we’re ready to share our thoughts on this guide. OneUp Bash Guide Features Weight: 87g 28-30T, 102g...

Review by Courtney Steen // Photos by Brandon Turman When first introduced to the Sombrio Vista jersey and shorts, I swooned and hoped to have the opportunity to check them out further. I love the colors, and I can’t lie about also loving that they glow in the dark. That is some good ol’ fashion fun! Sombrio didn’t solely focus on just the good looks of this jersey and shorts, though. They also loaded them with technical features meant to keep every ride comfortable. I've been riding in the kit for three months, and it's time to let you know if the looks match up with their performance on...

Review by Courtney Steen // Photos by Brandon Turman When first introduced to the Sombrio Vista jersey and shorts, I swooned and hoped to have the opportunity to check them out further. I love the colors, and I can’t lie about also loving that they glow in the dark. That is some good ol’ fashion fun! Sombrio didn’t solely focus on just the good looks of this jersey and shorts, though. They also loaded them with technical features meant to keep every ride comfortable. I've been riding in the kit for three months, and it's time to let you know if the looks match up with their performance on...

Review by Jeff Brines // Action photos by Matthew Doreghty We’ve spent the better part of two months testing Yeti’s latest big-wheeled all-mountain brawler, the SB5.5c, and for the right rider it could be one of the best performing frames. Should you add the bike to your stable? How could it be improved? Read on to find out. The SB5.5c was unveiled earlier this Spring in Moab, during which we received the bike quiet favorably. However, Moab is an outlier of "normal riding conditions," which is why we reserved our full opinion of the new steed until we had ample time to test the rig in a number...

Reviewed by Steve Wentz and Brandon Turman // Photos by Shawn Spomer // Action modeling by Scott Hart It wasn't long ago that YT unleashed the Capra CF, a carbon bike that helped push the limits of what a ~160mm travel bike could be and do. The hydroformed aluminum model followed not long after, and even it sees the use of a one-piece carbon seat stay to keep things stiff. New for 2016, the AL Comp 1 model comes ready to rally the roughest descents with an additional 10mm of travel up front on the burly 170mm RockShox Lyrik RCT3. Pair that with some stout wheels, 150mm travel dropper post...