My reviews on bikes and parts.
I have been a huge fan of Schwalbe tires for quite awhile. The Big Betty has been my go to tire for 6″ travel bikes because of it’s mass/volume, tremendous grip, fast rolling and surprisingly light weight for a true 2.4 tire (2.5 at the tread). They have, until now, only been available in a Gooey Gluey and Triple Compound version…no UST.
Finding the right helmet that fits your needs and your head can be a difficult task with all of the different versions and brands on the market today. Fox jumped into the mountain biking helmet scene in 2007 with the Flux. After looking over the Fox’s list of features, I decided to give it a try several months ago.
I came home yesterday surprised to see a package from Hope Tech on my doorstep. The Hope Pro II hubs had arrived for the Fox Talas 15QR thru axle review. Included in the package was the 15mm and QR end caps with the 20mm thru axle end caps installed on the front hub. For the rear hub, I opted for Hope’s 10mm thru axle setup to stiffen up the rear end.
News broke today as SRAM released the HammerSchmidt front shifting line. For a complete catalog of videos ranging from frame prep, installation and interviews, check out MagicMechanics.com. Here is what I gathered from the website.
The momentum that 29ers create is well documented. On my local trails, the larger diameter wheels are incredible. Locally, almost everything is typical rolling cross country loops with rocks and roots, but there are no major drops or typical “all mountain” riding. The low top tube of the Evolve really gives the bike a lower center of gravity causing you to feel in-between the wheels instead of on top of them.
At first, I just started playing with the Clix in the RST fork. To my surprise, I was able to hold the heavy RST fork in one hand while quickly removing and latching the hub with the other. It was almost too good to believe! Was this really a QR that wasn’t going to require re-tensioning and could be operated with one hand?
Gary Fisher’s new bike this year is the 5.5 inch Roscoe. It might look like your average 140mm bike, but this new ride is anything but average. Stapled as their new light weight, all mountain bike, the Roscoe weighs in at 28 lbs. with their build kit and it has some suspension and geometry tweaks that set this bike apart from the rest.
Last week, Fluid sent me a tub of their new Tropical Escape flavored recovery drink to test out. This will be my first experience with any recovery drink, so I am excited to see some results. Per the instructions, I am supposed to mix 2 cups of Fluid in with 8 oz of water and drink it no within 30 minutes after my ride.
I was right on board with the anti 15mm crowd from the beginning. It was actually my first post on this blog. The 15mm axle creates a problem for manufacturers and end users by creating yet another “standard” by which we have to live by. The increases prices and makes replacement parts harder to come by.
As many of you already know, I am in the process of reviewing the Project Pink Ellsworth Evolve. Before I get to the overall bike review (pretty much frame only review), I want to touch on a couple of the components as I go along. This bike came spec’ed with the WTB LaserDisc Trail 29er wheels.