The Nukeproof Scout is considered an “aggressive hardtail,” a burgeoning category of hardtail mountain bikes with increasingly slack geometry and equipped with longer travel suspension forks. With a head tube angle of 65 degrees and 150mm of travel, the Scout 275 (2021 “Pro” spec) is a capable hardtail that can conquer just about any technical […]
Marin Bikes San Quentin 27.5″ Hardtail
Marin Bikes San Quentin was developed as a do-it-all hardtail. The alloy frame features modern geometry suitable for trail riding or playing at the skills park, making it an ideal starter bike for riders looking to get into the sport. Dirt jump frame inspired with tons of stand over height to take advantage of the […]
Diamondback Sync’r
We’ve been hearing a lot about the rising costs of high end bikes, and while it’s possible to spend a small fortune to get a dream ride, the actual cost of admission to the sport isn’t anywhere as daunting as one might expect. Take the Diamondback Sync’R for example. $1350 gets you a complete all mountain capable alloy hardtail […]
Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt BC Edition
We’ve been toying with the idea of adding a dual suspension 29er to the quiver. No doubt about it— big wheels are fast. The thing is, they’re just not as fun to ride as smaller wheels. If I was in the market for a short travel trail ripper, with all the sweet flow trails popping up, it […]
Transition TransAM 650b Trail Hardtail
Our local trails provide a fix when we have a craving for dirt, but our favorite trail bikes are often overkill for the tame terrain. Sometimes a hard tail is the best, or more importantly, the most fun tool for the job. We have a 29″ XC set up that’s great for hammering, but the […]
650b Nomad Chronicles Part II: Bike Check
I’ve got over three months of riding logged on the latest iteration of the Santa Cruz Nomad, and it’s been a ball. As a rider that prefers the gravity side of the spectrum, the DH-like geometry isn’t just massively confidence inspiring pointed down, but it just feels right. Since swapping my parts over from my […]
WTB 650b+ Trail Blazer 2.8 Tire and Fourty-Four Bikes: Interbike 2014
Large high volume rims and tires have been popping up everywhere, with a number of variations now available. You can choose from 26″ diameter fatbikes with huge balloon size tires or wide 29″ diameter rims dubbed 29+. And now thanks to Fourty-Four Bikes out of New Hampshire and WTB, there’s one more fat option in the […]
Santa Cruz Nomad Update: 650b wheels, shorter stays, lower and slacker
We’ve guessed it was coming for sometime; the question was, would it live up to our expectations? Our wishlist had consisted of the following: shorter chainstays, lower bottom bracket height, steeper seat angle, slacker head angle, and a water bottle cage. On our bikes, an AngleSet had fixed two of the above: slacked out head […]
All Around Trail Crusher: Santa Cruz Bronson Build Video Edit
We’re getting closer and closer to that holy grail of mountain bikes every year— the one that descends like a downhill bike, and climbs like an XC bike. A few years ago this class of bike was typically referred to as an all mountain bike or long travel trail bike, but now marketing departments have latched […]
First Ride Review: Santa Cruz Bronson 650b All Mountain Bike
Santa Cruz released their newest bike the 650b Bronson this April and I couldn’t be more excited about having one of my own. For years I’ve been riding a 2008 Nomad; mainly because I haven’t found a bike that could dethrone it for me. (the Blur TRc was just about to) I’ve ridden a few […]
New Bike Sightings: Sea Otter 2013
Fortunately no one relies on this site for timely news, because when it comes to deadlines, I’m the worst wanna-be journalist ever. Although I have pages of notes typed up, it’s a week later and there’s still tons of cool stuff we saw in the pits that haven’t been posted up. If you haven’t already […]
Liteville 301 with Syntace 26″ / 650b Wheel Comparison
650b is the latest topic of discussion raging through the bike industry with news that many manufacturers are dropping their 26″ wheel lines in favor of the slightly larger diameter. Whether or not you have your eyes set on the in betweener size for your next trail bike or not, they’re going to be out […]