All posts filed under: News

Shimano’s Entry Level Alivio Brakes Get a Refresh

Published 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 biking. Reach adjust allows you to control how far the level is from your bar when in the neutral state. This allows the brake lever to be adjusted for a natural one finger grab of the lever. The levers themselves are also redesigned on these new BL-M425s to match the higher end Shimano brake systems. While this isn’t a super flashy upgrade by Shimano it doesn’t present another budget braking option for less the $50 a wheel for levers, calipers and hoses. The refreshed levers are ready to be purchased today.  

Kona Launches the Satori but Build Kits Fail to Impress

Published by Matt Stenson

Kona has relaunched the Satori model in its lineup as a mid-travel 29er. With 130mm of rear suspension and 140mm up front, the Kona Satori stacks itself up against a crowded field of trail bikes. The bike features the Fuse Independent Suspension system. This system utilizes a single pivot with a predictable leverage ratio. The frame features a seat stay that relies on small degrees of frame flex rather than a pivot at the seat and chainstay junction. Those chainstays are 430mm long and the headtube comes in with a 68.0 degree angle. Pretty standard numbers for this category of bike. The Satori is slotted nicely in Kona’s lineup of 29ers. Bigger than the 120mm/100mm Hei Hei and yet not as burley as the 160mm/153mm Process 153. What is very puzzling is the 2 build kits provided. The lower end Satori retails for $2699 which is a decent price point. But, for that money you don’t get the buildkit you would expect. The fork is a low-end RockShox Recon Gold. The drivetrain is Shimano Deore 10spd paired with Race Face Aeffect cranks. Putting 10 …

Finish Line Announces Tubeless Sealant Product

Published by Matt Stenson

Finish Line, normally known in the mountain biking world for their lubricants, has announced that they will be producing a tubeless tire sealant. The big claim of this new sealant is that it will not cure inside the tires. This means that, according to Finish Line, you won’t need to replace or refresh this sealant during the life of your tire. If this claim holds up, it could be a very attractive options for riders that currently find themselves scraping stanimals (as seen below in the natural environment) out of their tire. I’m tired of pulling weird aliens out of my tires every few months. @finishlinelube has a new Tubeless Tire Sealant coming out that supposedly lasts the lifetime of the tire. We shall see. #stanimal #flatssuck #science A post shared by Josh Hayden (@joshahayden) on Feb 14, 2018 at 3:48pm PST The Finish Line product has no liquid latex or ammonia. Instead it uses, DuPont™ Kevlar® fibers to seal punctures and cuts. Because of this, it is naturally non-toxic and hypoallergenic. It also appears to be …

Race Face Announces New Womens Nano Jacket

Published by Matt Stenson

Race Face has announced a new women’s version of its Nano Jacket for 2018 that was previously only available in a men’s cut. The Nano Jacket is a lightweight and packable. The men’s version weighs in at 164 grams. It is also wind/rain resistant and features a 3/4 zip, and a front and back stowage pocket. The Women’s Nano Jacket will make a nice addition to Race Faces lineup of women’s soft goods for the 2018 season. Expect availability in April 2018. You can check out more of the upcoming gear for 2018 from Race Face on this Instagram tag #rfsoftgoods18 Hopefully this is a sign of more gear in general for women in 2018 from RF.

Intense Announces Alloy Spider at a New Affordable Price

Published by Matt Stenson

Intense has announced its new Alloy Spider. With 140mm of travel up front and 130mm in the rear, the Spider comes in at an attractive $2,399.00 in its “foundation build.” The travel is suspended by a Rock Shox Revelation RC 27.5” fork and a Rock Shox Monarch RL rear shock. Not a shabby setup for a sub $2,500 bike. The drive train on this 27.5″ bike is a mix and match of sram GX and NX components along with Race Face Aeffect crank and a threaded bottom bracket. Wheels feature Race Face AR 24 Rims and an unknown hub with a Shimano driver made possible by the compatible NX cassette. Braking power is provided by Shimano BL M506 180mm Front and 160mm Rear. The alloy spider shares the same geometry as its carbon brothers. The Switch to Consumer Direct With the switch to a consumer direct selling model that Intense made in December (https://intensecycles.com/blogs/news/introducing-intense-rider-direct) Intense now finds itself in direct competition online with brands like Canyon, Diamondback, YT and Commencal. Each of these brands also hit the sub $2,500 trail …

YT Upgrades Their Direct to Consumer Business With New Toolkits

Published by Matt Stenson

Following the lead of other direct to consumer brands like Diamondback and Canyon, YT Industries has announced that its 2018 bikes will include a new toolkit featuring “everything you need to let the good times begin.” Included with every YT bike will be a kit that includes a torque wrench, shock pump, Allen key, anti slip paste and all necessary manuals. As mentioned, YT is not the first brand to include these types of tools. It seems like this is a very healthy trend in the industry through. Mountain bikes are becoming more complex and need more dedicated tools to maintain even after initial assembly. Periodically checking the torque of pivots and checking your shock pressures are things every mountain biker should be empowered to do. Putting the tools in the hands of consumers from day one seems like a great idea whether the bike was purchased consumer direct or not. Mountain biking has and always will have a DIY, get your hands dirty vibe. The bike shop will never be in the middle of …

Surly Releases a New Pugsley

Published by Matt Stenson

Surly bikes has released a new version of its famous Pugsley. Known as the Pugsley 2.0 it’s billed as the “ultimate off-road escape vehicle.” It is decidedly not a trail bike. Featuring a crazy offset fork that allows for a backup single speed drive on your front wheel, you can’t even easily fit a suspension fork to this bike. The backend is offset as well, which was Surlys original solution to building a fatbike with regular mountain bike components. Surly has made a number of improvements like greater rack compatibility and clearance for a 4.8” tire on an 80mm rim. Geared toward off-road touring and bikepacking Surly fits the bike stock with Moloko bars. With todays 4 piston brakes, carbon bits and bobs and Eagle drivetrains the spec sheet on the complete build of the Pugsley may look a little odd. Surlys bike comes specced with BB7 mechanical brakes (gasp!) and a mixed drive train featuring a Shimano SLX RD-7000 GS 11 Speed derailer, a Sunrace 11 speed, 11-46 cassette and a Race Face AEffect crankset. In many …

Crank Brothers Introduces Cheaper Two-Sided Double Shot Pedal

Published by Matt Stenson

The Crank Brothers double shot pedals have been around for a while and have offered a clipless / flat pedal hybrid for those needing both options without switching pedals. With platform pedals in one side and clips in the other, the double shot allows you to loan you bike to friends without clipless shoes, take quick city jaunts on flats or just dabble in both pedal options. Now Crank Brothers is introducing a revised line of double shot pedals that starts with the Double Shot 1. This entry-level build has a composite body instead of metal. It also has molded traction pins for grip, wide 57mm q-factor for clearance and control, and stamped-steel wings. While not as fancy as the Double Shot 2 or 3 these pedals do retail for an easy one the wallet $59.99. If you wish to upgrade to the higher end models you will add metal all construction, and metal grip pins on the flat pedal side. Interestingly you will also add weight as well with the Double Shot 2 or …

Canyon Unveils the 175mm Travel Aluminum Torque

Published by Matt Stenson

Canyon has unveiled an 175mm travel “super enduro” bike called the Torque for 2018. Billed as it’s bike for sending big lines it’s one step below Canyon’s Sender in the gnarly department. Often times, big bikes come with a big price tag but the Aluminum version of the Torque comes in at a cool $2,500. For that $2,500 you get a 180mm RockShox Yari RC Solo Air  in the front and a RockShox Super Deluxe R connected to a similar linkage and kinematic as the Sender CF. The new linkage readjusts the placement of the pivot points and sets the shock in a lateral position. For drivetrain you’ll get SRAM NX and the braking power is provided by SRAM Guide RE bakes. The wheelset DT Swiss E 1850 Spline at 30 mm mounted up with  Maxxis Minion DHR II tires. At over 33 pounds it won’t win any weight contests, but if you spend most of your time shuttling big lines and riding park, this could be a sweet rig. Full specs can be found …

OMNI – The Smartest Safe Cycling Helmet

Published by Eric L. Barnes

Coros OMNI smart cycling helmet is designed to help you get the most enjoyment and awareness out of your ride while enhancing safety. Coros OMNI – helmet, smart remote, and mobile app – delivers smartphone connectivity, two-way audio, and instant accessibility, all packed into a high performance, multipurpose helmet. Open-ear bone conduction audio – no wires, no earbuds, no safety compromises – links to your music, friends, bike mates, navigation, and ride data to enrich the ultimate riding experience. Features Include: • Open ear bone conduction two-way audio. • Smart remote for hands-free control. • Auto LED safety illumination feature. • App Data share with STRAVA™ and MapMyRide. • Impact alert sends GPS location to emergency contact. • Rain, water, sweat resistant (IPX5). • Aerodynamic 18 vent cooling design. The helmet is currently going through crowdfunding on Indiegogo and you can reserve one starting at $129. As of today it has raised enough money to meet their goal and will begin shipping next month.