Everyday MTB - Mountain bike reviews you can trust

The Best $1000 Hardtail Trail Bikes

by Matt Stenson

Hardtails are how most people get on the trails for the first time. Whether it is a $200 Walmart bike or a $2000 XC machine you can learn something and gain valuable skills on a hardtail. However, around the $1000 mark there seems to be a tipping point where you get quality components and geometry that you won’t want to immediately throw away after...

September 28, 2018

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Round Up

Trail Review: The Virginia Creeper Trail

by Eric L. Barnes

Looking for a nice ride that anyone in the family can do? The Virginia Creeper Trail should be at the top of your list.

August 27, 2018

Lake Hickory MTB Trails Review

by Eric L. Barnes

Lake Hickory MTB trails are located a little over an hour north-west of Charlotte NC and is a trail system that re-opened in spring of 2018 with over a $100,000 of renovations and improvements and rebuilt by Terra Tek, a professional trail builder. The trail system has three main sections for all skill levels and a paved greenway that runs between two parking areas....

August 17, 2018

4 Reasons Why I Ride Flats On My Mountain Bike

by Matt Stenson

SRAM vs. Shimano, Fox vs. Rockshox, aluminum vs. carbon, these are all things we mountain bikers find to disagree about. One topic though that I hear come up maybe even more than all of these is clips vs. flats. I can’t tell you how many YouTube videos I’ve seen doing clips vs flats time trials, power tests and conversion stories. I’m not going to...

August 13, 2018

Giant Releases Another 29er. The Trance.

by Matt Stenson

There was a time not long ago when you could hear Giant’s marketing department tell you that 27.5 was the perfect wheel size for mountain bikes. All mountain bikes. In the past year though we are seeing a change in tune from Giant. They have now added two full squish 29er bikes back into their lineup. The latest is the Trance 29er. Earlier this...

August 10, 2018

Strava Summit Replaces Premium With À La Carte Options.

by Matt Stenson

Strava has a unique challenge as it tries to appeal to a wide range of athletes. The up-sell to premium has often been a hard sell. Not all the premium features appeal to all riders. For example if you don’t have a heart rate monitor or power meter much of the advanced activity analysis isn’t super useful. On the other hand, if you always...

New Plugger Tubeless Tire Repair Kit From Blackburn

by Matt Stenson

Tire plugs are rapidly becoming the tool of choice for fixing tubeless tires. Blackburn’s new “Plugger” utilizes the same bacon strip plugs that you are already probably familiar with. It does however include several unique design features. The Plugger comes with it’s own holster that allows you to both have the tool pre-loaded with a plug and also quickly grab it when you notice...

New Big Honzo Lineup From Kona in 3 Frame Materials.

by Matt Stenson

The Big Honzo from Kona has made a name for itself as being a flexible 27.5 plus hardtail platform for many different riding styles. The new 2019 lineup expands the Big Honzo range to include Carbon Fiber, Aluminum and Steel options. It’s not often that you will find a platform offered in that many frame materials. The 2019 bikes also expand the front travel,...

Quarry Ridge MTB Trail Review

by Matt Stenson

The Quarry Ridge trail system is located a little bit southwest of Madison, WI. It is still within the suburban area so finding a place for lunch and making your way to the trailhead are simple. Wisconsin riding is dominated by rolling hills and organic, forest trails with roots and rocks left over by the ice age. Quarry Ridge is a bit different in...

Halo Headband Review

by Eric L. Barnes

I live in the southeastern United States and this time of year it gets miserable for outside activities. The high temperature is close to one-hundred, it’s humid, no breeze, and you sweat as soon as you walk outside. While mountain biking, a common occurrence is your helmet soaks up all your sweat and then when you hit any sort of obstacle that makes your...

Tyke-Toter Child Carrier Mountain Biking Review

by Matt Stenson

Many people assume that having young kids means that mountain biking adventures will be fewer and farther between. Yes, there are balance bikes and bike trailers. But your 3-year-old isn’t going to make it more than a few miles on a balance bike, and most trailers just aren’t suited for singletrack. Enter the Tyke-Toter. The Tyke-Toter is one entrant in a breed of new...

Review: One Year with the CamelBak Rogue Hydration Pack

by Eric L. Barnes

Living in North Carolina, I have thousands of miles of mountain bike trails throughout the state and the one thing I never want to be without is water. When I first started riding, I tried taking a single water bottle, only to drink it all in less than an hour on hot summer days. Cutting your ride short because you run out of water...

Mountain Biking at DuPont

by Eric L. Barnes

This past weekend a few of us loaded up and headed to the North Carolina mountains to ride a fourteen-mile loop at DuPont State Forest. This was my first time, and I’ve heard how great the area is for many years, so I was super excited to get to see it first hand. We parked in the Lake Imaging access point which is just...

New From Marin an “Aggressive Hardtail” – The San Quentin

by Matt Stenson

The bike maker whose namesake is where it all began, has announced a new line of aggressive hardtails that look like an appealing option for those who want to get back to their riding roots. The Marin San Quentin hardtails slot in between the already existing Alcatraz dirt jump bike and more tail/xc oriented Nail Trail. The San Quentin, is a 27.5″ bike in...

Maxxis Ardent 29×2.4 Review

by Matt Stenson

Tires make a huge difference in the ride quality of a bike. Whether you’re accelerating, braking or turning your tire choice determines much of what that action will feel like and how effective it will be. In this review I’ll be sharing my experiences with the Maxxis Ardent 29×2.4 tires. When I purchased my 2017 Specialized StumpJumper 29er it came with the Specialized Butcher...

Rocky Mountain Vertex 24″ First Impressions Review

by Matt Stenson

My oldest son is turning 7 this summer and growing like a weed, which means a couple of things. First, he will be old enough to race in our local WORS racing series. Second, his 20″ Specialized RipRock with plus tires was starting to look a little small. So we started the fun of bike shopping for a 24″ bike. After much research and...

6 Things To Do While Your Trails Dry Out

by Matt Stenson

This time of year can be frustrating for mountain bikers. Trails in many areas are muddy and going through freeze, thaw cycles that leave them unridable. All work and no play makes a mountain biker cranky, so here are some ideas on things to do while your trails dry out. Service Your Suspension This is an often neglected task that can greatly improve the...

Best 2018 Mid Travel 29er Trail Bikes For Less than $3000

by Matt Stenson

The word is out. 29ers are no longer just for XC racing. 29ers have cemented a place in many bike makers lineups as do it all trail machines. These bike are extremely capable, able to tackle all day epic rides and hold their own in a bike park. The criteria we used to define “mid-travel” is bikes featuring greater than 120mm of front suspension...

Shimano’s Entry Level Alivio Brakes Get a Refresh

by Matt Stenson

Shimano’s lineup of brakes have always been a good choice for stopping your steed. With its latest release, Shimano has made getting into it’s braking system with a respectable lever setup even easier. The Alvio line is Shimano’s base level, and their brakes now include some new features. First off, the new BL-M425 levers feature reach adjust. Which is an almost mandatory feature for mountain...

Light & Motion Taz 1200 Review

by Matt Stenson

Dedicated winter riding usually means night riding. This winter I tested out the Light & Motion Taz 1200. Light & Motion has a few unique selling points that attracted me to testing out this light. First, Light & Motion is a US based company that actually assembles their lights in the US. They also stand behind them with a 2 year warranty. Design The...

Downhill Loops at Charles D Owen With My 6 Year Old

by Matt Stenson

Some days are just not great for heading out onto a large trail system. During our recent trip to NC we had some very rainy days. Even so, Micah, my 6-year-old, and I wanted to get some riding in. We had spied a little loop not far from our AirBNB house. The Charles D. Owen Downhill Track. As it turned out this was one...

February 23, 2018