Everyday MTB - Mountain bike reviews you can trust

Fidlock TWIST Bottle 450 and Uni Base Review

by Matt Stenson

Bike design is hard. Sometimes designers make compromises that mean that traditional water bottle mounts just won’t fit. I have a bike with this issue, a size medium Kona Process 153. I needed a solution for carrying water bottles on my bike so I decided to try the Fidlock water bottle system with their strap on Uni Base. I’ll mention right at the top...

February 26, 2020

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New Bike Roundup First Half Of February 2020

by Matt Stenson

So many new bikes have been announced that we thought we’d wrap up some of the highlights into once place. Carbon V2 Ibis Ripmo Follows the Alloy Version Ibis has released an updated version of it’s Ripmo. Following the lead of the Ripmo AF the new V2 Ripmo carbon features the same geometry as it’s alloy brother. However the carbon frame ends up being...

February 19, 2020

New Jamis Faultline Full Suspension Bike

by Matt Stenson

Jamis has released a new full suspension bike 29er trail bike. The Faultline features 115mm of rear suspension and a 130mm up front. The rear suspension is driven by a rocker driven single pivot system. This suspension setup is simpler than Jamis’ more complex 3VO system. While simpler, single pivot designs can still be very effective when engineered well, as Kona, Marin and others...

February 5, 2020

Salsa Introduces New Rangefinder Hardtail

by Matt Stenson

Salsa has introduced a new entry level trail hardtail, The Rangefinder. This new hard slots in ever so slightly beneath their long running Timberjack lineup. Available in both 29 and 27.5+ configurations the Rangefinder starts at an entry level price of $1,099. That entry level price will get you a 10-speed Deore drivetrain, Shimano MT201 2-piston brakes and a SR Suntour XCR 32 120mm...

February 3, 2020

Waterfly Hip-Pack Review: Can a Budget Hip-Pack Work?

by Matt Stenson

In the world of mountain biking we quickly become accustom to buying MTB specific products. We have our own shoes, our own shirts, our own sunglasses etc. So can a hip pack not specifically designed for mountain biking compete with purpose designed products such as the Dakine Hotlaps? We put this question to the test when Waterfly sent us their two bottle fanny pack....

February 3, 2020

New Aluminum Jeffsey With Updated Geometry for 2020

by Matt Stenson

YT recently refreshed their 2020 bikes, but noticeably absent was a refreshed Jeffsey aluminium version. Year after year the Jeffsey aluminium has presented a compelling value for the budget conscience trail / enduro bike buyer. Well the Jeffsey aluminum is now back and it has undated geometry, bringing it back in sync with it’s carbon counterpart. Both 29″ and 27.5″ versions of the bike...

January 16, 2020

New Marzocchi Coil Fork and Conversion

by Matt Stenson

Marzocchi has a long history with coil forks and they are bringing back the magic with a new BOMBER Z1 Coil suspension fork. The new fork shares the 36mm chassis and the GRIP damper from the air sprung Z1. But, it swaps out the air spring for a new coil system. The new coil is an ultra-lightweight tempered silicon-chromium steel spring. Even with this...

January 15, 2020

SixSixOne Reset MIPS Helmet Review

by Matt Stenson

The longer I’ve been riding and the more injuries I have seen on the trail, the more have been convinced that the two most important things to protect are your brain and your neck while mountain biking. Broken collarbones, arms and legs will all heal and usually full function will be restored. But, a traumatic brain injury can change you forever. That’s why I...

January 9, 2020

Mag-Tank™ From Revelate Review

by Matt Stenson

The Mag-Tank™ from Revelate has come up with an ingenious solution to stowing gear securely on your bike while still leaving that gear easily accessible. The solution in this case is magnets. The Mag-Tank’s main selling point is it’s easy open latch and we’ll explore in this review if magnets really can make a top tube feed bag both secure and convenient. Top tube...

November 24, 2019

5 Mountain Bike Stocking Stuffers

by Matt Stenson

What to get the shred-head in your life? We’ve got some great gift ideas that the mountain biker in your life will be sure to love. All of these picks are designed to work with a wide variety of bikes and appeal to a wide range of mountain bikers. Without further ado let’s get into our picks! #1 – Genuine Innovations Tubeless Repair Kit...

November 21, 2019

Niner RDO Rip 9 Ride Review

by Matt Stenson

Bike Niner RDP Rip 9 Trail System Crested Butte Bike Park, Crested Butte Colorado Testers Weight 150lbs Testers Personal Bike Kona Process 153 In the past couple of years Niner has gone through a number of changes. They’ve been bought by the same parent company as Huffy and they’ve opened up their minds to producing bikes that are not 29ers. Their first foray into...

October 11, 2019

New Norco Torrent “S” Steel Hardtail

by Matt Stenson

Norco has dropped a new “All Mountain” hardtail in one of the oldest bike manufacture materials, steel. This is not going to be your XC race bike. The builds are equipped with 4-piston disc brakes, long-stroke dropper posts and aggressive Maxxis Assegai 29er tires. Even though it shares the Torrent name with Norco’s already aggressive 27.5 alloy trail bike, this bike is a different...

September 23, 2019

Top Sub $3000 Enduro Bikes for 2020

by Matt Stenson

Enduro is becoming a more popular racing format, but more than that we continue to ask our bikes to go faster down more gnarly terrain. Even if you don’t plan on racing, an “enduro” bike may be the right next bike for you. If you visit lift access bike parks, jump lines and like to go on 4-5 hour rides, modern enduro bikes can...

September 16, 2019

New Ibis Ripmo AF

by Matt Stenson

Ibis has released a new Ripmo 29er enduro bike, this time in Aluminum. This is the only Aluminum bike in the Ibis lineup and the material change isn’t the only trick it has up its sleeve. The new Ibis Ripmo AF has slackened the headtube angle when compared with the carbon Ripmo from 65.9° to 64.9°. The wheelbase has also in turn increased and...

September 10, 2019

Fezzari La Sal Peak Ride Review

by Matt Stenson

Bike Fezzari La Sal Peak Comp Size Medium Trail System Crested Butte Bike Park, Crested Butte Colorado Testers Weight 150lbs Testers Personal Bike Kona Process 153 The first bike I checked out at Outerbike Crested Butte 2019 was the Fezarri La Sal Peak. This bike is a 160mm/150mm trail/enduro 29er bike. I was riding the base spec version that starts at $3,599 with a...

September 4, 2019

Outerbike Crested Butte 2019

by Matt Stenson

I’m fortunate enough to be located within a few hours of Crested Butte, CO, the Summer venue for Outerbike. For the uninitiated Outerbike is a multiday bike demo, organized by Western Spirit with hundreds of demo bikes at some of the most iconic riding locations in the United States. This was my first opportunity to attend and I’ll be back with details on the...

August 28, 2019

Giant Drops A New Affordable Stance 29

by Matt Stenson

Giant has long been a powerhouse in producing bikes that are a good bang for you buck. Recently though their lower end offerings seemed to be falling behind in component spec and geometry. The new Stance 29 looks to change that with an update geometry, two formidable build under $2000 and the look of a modern trail bike. The Stance 29, as the name...

DZR Sense Pro Flat Pedal Shoe Review

by Matt Stenson

Arguably the most important connection between you and your bike is the interface between your shoes and your pedals. The DZR Sense Pro flat pedal shoes promise to provide this interface while providing an everyday look that is at home on or off the bike. This FiveTen Freerider diehard rider recently got a pair in for testing and I was pleasantly surprised by their...

New 2020 Trek Top Fuel Gets a Downcountry Treatment

by Matt Stenson

Trek’s full suspension XC race bike, the Top Fuel, has been revised for 2020. Going from a 100mm by 100mm bike, the new Top Fuel has 120mm of travel in the front and 115mm in the rear. The Top Fuel has undergone geometry revisions with this new design. All of the changes follow the same trends that other manufactures have made to their XC...

New Fox Dropframe Helmet

by Matt Stenson

First seen a few weeks ago, the new Fox Dropframe helmet delivers some additional protection over most traditional half-shells. It also delivers some interesting looks. Fox’s M.O.RE. (Mandibular Occipital Reinforcement) Guard design provides coverage somewhere in between a full face helmet and a traditional half shell. M.O.RE. provides more coverage for the ears, jaw, and back of the head. The M.O.RE design gives a...

Norco Fluid FS1 Ride Review

by Matt Stenson

Ride Info Bike Norco Fluid FS 1 Size Medium 29″ Trail System 18 Road, Fruita Colorado Trails Ridden Prime Cut, Joe’s Ridge, Mojoe Total Distance 5.2 Miles Testers Weight 150lbs Testers Personal Bike Kona Process 153 The Norco Fluid got some major updates this year and I got to try them out at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival a couple of weeks ago. The...