Ventana El Ciclon gets MBA Seal of Approval
Mountain Bike Action just did a great write-up on the El Ciclon. For those of you that don’t know…the El Ciclon is the 5″ travel bike in the Ventana line-up.
My reviews on bikes and parts.
Mountain Bike Action just did a great write-up on the El Ciclon. For those of you that don’t know…the El Ciclon is the 5″ travel bike in the Ventana line-up.
Lonestar stepped up the trail submission standards with this. His Bull Mountain review and summary is the best submission to date…beats every single one of mine!
Say hello to the new component group from Shimano…SLX. Set to replace the Hone and LX line for mountain biking, the SLX is marketed as a heavier duty all mountain group for the Shimano line. So far from the pictures, it appears that Shimano mixed the previous LX and Hone together and added a new look along with the some features that were added to the XTR line. The rear derailleur shows some XTR-like characteristics. This line will still fall below the XT line in price and is designed around the growing popularity of 5″ and 6″ trail bikes.
The Sultan is one of the most lusted after 29er full suspension bikes. With 4″ of travel, this bike feels like it has 5″. Made out of 5 Spot tubing, this bike is a great all around machine. With the introduction of the 20mm 29er Reba coming soon, there should be some great AM styled Sultan’s in the near future.
Honestly…how many different wheels sizes do we need? With the introduction of the 650B (27.5″) wheel size, we are now up to 3 different available wheel sizes for mountain bikes if you don’t include the 24″ variety. The idea is that you get the same rolling power seen in 29″ wheels with the agility of 26″. I am not jumping on the bandwagon that fast for several reasons.
got a chance awhile back to get some serious saddle time in on an ’08 Turner RFX. This particular one was custom sparkle white with a Marzocchi 55ATA and a Cane Creek Double Barrel. The ’08 RFX’s received a weight decrease…
It was only a matter of time before I blogged my sled. I am actually surprised it took this long quite honestly. Built by Sherwood Gibson of Ventana Mountain Bikes USA, this in one of the highest quality bikes I have ever owned. As my riding style started to change…so did my bikes. I ended up needing something that could handle more of a beating than what I had been riding previously. Apparently large drops to flat aren’t a good idea on 4 and 5 inch bikes…who knew?
So what does a 650.00 headset look like? Here it is…the Cane Creek Reserve 110 headset. So what do you do with a handmade, precision-machined titanium, inlaid with maple or mahogany headset?
Another incredible ss 29er. This Independent Fab belongs to Jason up in Asheville, NC. The component list ranges from Phil Wood, Eno, Fox, Brooks and Chris King. Independent Fabrication makes some of the best steel hardtails on the market and this one is no exception. The midnight blue against the white of the Fox F29 is a perfect mix.
Ham is building up another incredible sled, the Ibis Mojo. I will admit, I had my reservations about this bike when it was introduced, but even just a parking lot test will tell you that this is a great ride. Granted, this one has a Push’d Pike and RP23, so it has the best air suspension components available.