Bicycle Reviews

First Rides: 2020 Bombtrack Cale steel MTB trail hardtail shreds the backcountry

Bombtrack just unveiled their first proper trail bike this past week at their annual Groundwork team camp, and we got a chance to hop on…

Written by Cory Benson August 20, 2019

Review: Exept All Road custom carbon fiber road bike delivers a lively ride & perfect fit

Exept is an upstart based in Finale Ligure, a coastal outdoor sports mecca on the western side of Italy. With steep climbs heading straight up…

Written by Tyler Benedict August 19, 2019

Kona’s 2020 Process 153 CR 29 – A one-ride review from the trails of Bellingham

Recently, Kona held a 2020 a 2020 launch event in Bellingham, WA. While riding the new Process 134 was our main focus, Kona set up…

Written by Steve Fisher August 19, 2019

First Ride: 2020 Specialized Enduro can climb, but it’s really all about that descent

Before we could ever take the first run at Northstar on the new Enduro, we had to climb. Instead of hopping on the perfectly functional…

Written by Zach Overholt August 13, 2019

First Ride Review: 2020 Rocky Mountain Slayer Carbon 29” manhandles gnarliest trails

Some bikes are definitely a product of their environment. The redesigned 2020 Rocky Mountain Slayer couldn’t feel any more at home than it does on…

Written by Steve Fisher August 13, 2019

First Ride Review: 2020 Kona Process 134 CR 29 is a playful, well-rounded trail machine

As the swiss army knife of MTB’s, a good all-around trail bike has to do several things well. With their redesigned 2020 Process 134s, Kona…

Written by Steve Fisher August 07, 2019

First Ride: The Specialized Epic HT is a rad race hardtail

For a hardtail, there’s a lot going on with the new Specialized Epic HT. While weight will always be an important factor for the XC…

Written by Zach Overholt August 06, 2019

First Ride: Attempting to tame the Scottish Highlands on the new Hope HB.130

Hope Bikes have been a long time in the making, but now they’ve released their second HB, the HB.130. Built with shorter travel and bigger wheels…

Written by Zach Overholt August 02, 2019

Review: BMC Roadmachine combines clean lines, stiffness, & curve-carving handling

BMC brought out a new Roadmachine for the 2020 model year, with updates all around. Set as their all-around performance or “endurance” road bike, it…

Written by Greg Kopecky July 31, 2019

Review: The 509 Cycles Necessary Evil is a blank slate for excellent drop bar riding

Our Necessary Evil from 509 Cycles has traveled from Ohio’s muddy trails to Florida’s sandy roads and even had a stint on a few CX…

Written by michael gushulak July 26, 2019

Review: Merida One-Forty 900 is an affordable, all mountain-ready trail bike

After last summer riding Merida’s surprisingly plush short-travel One-Twenty trail bike, I wanted to see what a bit more travel in the same Float Link…

Written by Cory Benson July 24, 2019

Review: The 2019 Norco Fluid FS1 29er packs a punch with high value build

In a world of ever-increasing prices, it’s nice to know brands still strive to present good value. With their updated Fluid FS line, Norco offers…

Written by Steve Fisher July 11, 2019

First Ride: Braving the elements (and pavement) on the Cannondale SuperSix EVO

In a move that’s becoming much more common, Cannondale had not one, but two new bikes for us to see in Vermont. The first was…

Written by Zach Overholt July 08, 2019

Review: Three days with the 2020 Santa Cruz Hightower CC X01 RSV

It was short, but sweet! Prior to today’s launch, I had a few chances to ride the 2020 Santa Cruz Hightower CC X01 RSV, and…

Written by Steve Fisher July 02, 2019

First Ride: Cannondale Topstone Carbon gravel bike with Kingpin rear suspension

Quick – if you were to put suspension on your gravel/all-road bike, where would it be? The front? The back? Both? That seems to be…

Written by Zach Overholt June 20, 2019

Review: Revel Rascal exceeds expectations w/ big hit performance, short travel package

Of all the mountain bikes that I knew would be released this year, the Revel Rascal was one that I was very excited about. As…

Written by Zach Overholt June 06, 2019

Bird Aeris AM long-term review: Confidence inspiring, playful, and pretty hardy

For the last 6 months I have had the pleasure of riding the Bird Aeris AM, putting it through its paces on my local trails…

Written by Jessie-May Morgan June 04, 2019

Review: Norco Section Carbon Ultegra SL takes on bad roads with boss parts spec

All-road is an ever-expanding category, which could very well take the place of a traditional road bike for many people that don’t participate in road…

Written by Greg Kopecky May 28, 2019

First Rides: Pivot Mach 4 SL cross country race bike rips up & down the trail

To test the all-new Pivot Mach 4 SL, they brought me out to Colorado to race the Grand Junction Offroad epic mountain bike race. We…

Written by Tyler Benedict May 23, 2019

Review: Specialized’s all-new Roubaix, a Spring Classics road bike for everyone

At the peak of the Spring Classics, we had the chance to put Specialized’s all-new Future Shock 2.0 front suspension Roubaix endurance road bike to…

Written by Veronika Benson April 29, 2019

Review: Otso Waheela C is a Swiss Army gravel bike that can do almost anything

If you’ve read my other stories about Otso, you’re probably aware that I’m a big fan of their Voytek fat bike. Mostly, that comes from…

Written by Zach Overholt April 09, 2019

Review: Canyon Neuron AL trail mountain bike is easy to ride, hard to fault

The trail bike category is hot, but most of the options are aiming at the aggressive rider that’s looking for big bike performance in a…

Written by Tyler Benedict April 05, 2019

First Ride Review: 2019 Marin Mount Vision enduro / all-mountain bike

The all-new 2019 Marin Mount Vision came back after short hiatus to become their go-to enduro ripper. With a design that’s far more aggressive than…

Written by Tyler Benedict March 11, 2019

Review: Big is the perfect descriptor for Why Cycles’ Big Iron Fat Bike

By now, you’ve probably seen the news that Adam Miller has started another bike company with his friends, Revel Bikes. But while the Revel team…

Written by Zach Overholt March 07, 2019

First Ride Review & Actual Weight – 2019 Niner RIP9 RDO mountain bike

Niner did a lot of things differently when it launched the all-new, completely redesigned RIP 9 RDO. It was billed as the longest, lowest, slackest…

Written by Tyler Benedict March 06, 2019

First Ride Review: 2019 Salsa Horsethief trail bike is no one-trick pony

With 29” wheels, 120mm of rear travel and a 140mm fork Salsa Cycles’ 2019 Horsethief is a well-rounded trail machine. I got to ride the…

Written by Steve Fisher March 06, 2019

First Ride Review: The race-inspired 2019 Salsa Cycles Spearfish is fast, but still fun

If you were to design a bike specifically for a 50-mile race that’s mostly comprised of singletrack trails, I bet it would look something like…

Written by Steve Fisher March 05, 2019

First Ride Review: Salsa Cycles’ 2019 Rustler slays up or down

Howdy pardner… you lookin’ to rustle up a good time on just about any trail? With 27.5” wheels, 130mm of rear travel, a 150mm fork…

Written by Steve Fisher March 04, 2019

Review: Litespeed Ultimate Gravel Bike – Chattanooga-Made Titanium

Litespeed is one of the better known companies producing titanium bicycles in the United States. They were among the earliest companies to mass produce titanium…

Written by Jayson O'Mahoney February 28, 2019