All posts filed under: News

Canyon Begins Rolling Out Mountain Bike Sales in the US

Published by Matt Stenson

Canyon has been a powerhouse in the mountain bike world, sponsoring  pro teams and producing a complete range of direct to consumer bikes. Canyon has been noticeably absent from the US market though. That is all changing this fall. Canyon has begun to roll out its line of mountain bikes for US sales through a new Canyon USA operation based in Carlsbad, California. Unfortunately, the entire line is not available yet. When I spoke with a representative from Canyon they said they were starting with their most popular bikes and will be phasing more in over time. This means that there are currently no women’s specific or kids bike in the line up and even the men’s lineup is severely limited compared to what other countries have available. If you are interested in a Canyon bike one of the best values in their current lineup appears to be the Spectral AL 6.0 AL. This is an aluminium framed, full suspension trail bike that has a very nice component spec for the $2,600 asking price.  The …

Trek releases its first hardtail 27.5+ trail bike: The Roscoe

Published by Matt Stenson

It’s hard to believe that Trek hasn’t had a 27.5+ hardtail in its lineup up until this point. Trek has filled that void up until now with its 29+ Stache models. However 29+ and 27.5+ are different animals and now Trek has decided to enter the crowded market of 27.5+ trail hardtails with the Roscoe. Honestly the higher end Roscoe looks to be a pretty compelling option though. There are two models, the Roscoe 7 and Roscoe 8, offered in both mens and women’s models. The Roscoe 7 comes in at just over grand retailing for $1099.99.  For this price it is under specced though.  You get a Deore M600, 10 speed drive train, Tektro M285 brakes and a RockShocks Judy Coil fork. Not exactly anything to write home about. At least they did fit it with Schawlbe Rocket Ron 2.8 tires which I found to be quite nice. Stepping up to the Roscoe 8 however, you get a RockShox Judy Silver TK air sprung fork, SRAM NX 11-speed drivetrain, Shimano M315 brakes and an internally routed dropper …

Specialized Announces New Chisel XC Hardtail

Published by Matt Stenson

Specialized has released their new Specialized Chisel model of xc aluminum hardtails. With a lower starting cost that the Epic hardtails and a racier geometry and build than the Rockhopper, the Chisel is positioned to be the first XC race bike purchase for many budding racers. The bike is available in two builds and men’s and women’s versions along with a frameset only option. The lower end build features Shimano Deore 2×10 drivetrain, Shimano MT500 Deore Brakes and RockShox Judy fork. The “Expert” build upgrades the bike to a SRAM GX/NX 1×11 drivetrain, SRAM Level TL brakes and a RockShox Reba RL fork. As far as the frameset goes, you get a D’Aluisio Smartweld frame which Specialized claims, “allows us to move the joint away from the area of the highest stress, making for a lighter frameset that’s stiff, compliant, and incredibly strong—the optimal characteristics of a hardtail XC rig.” The geometry includes a 430mm chainstay length and 69.8° head tube angle. The headtube angle is slightly slacker than the Epic’s 71° head tube angle which should make the bike a bit more …

SRAM GX Eagle

SRAM GX Eagle Announced

Published by Matt Stenson

This past week SRAM announced it’s much more budget friendly 12-speed drivetrain option, GX Eagle. Using the same GX name as it’s ever popular mid -range 11-speed products SRAM is now bringing it’s 500% range technology to a much more affordable price point of $495 dollars for a complete groupset. This new groupset looks to be a really great option for upgrading a current 2x system on a midrange bike or taking your current 1x to the next level. Watch SRAM’s release video below.