As a fan of 5.10 shoes, I’ve been looking at trying a pair of their SPD compatible shoes since they released the Hellcat. Sticky rubber soles plus SPD sounds like a winning combination. However, after checking out the Hellcat, I elected to hold off: the DH/BMX/ skate style clip-in shoe was simply too heavy. Not […]
Review: Syntace NumberNine Titan Pedals
When you first pick up the NumberNine Titan pedals by Syntace, the first thing you notice is the lack of heft— they’re ridiculously light. Especially when you hold another brand pedal, and do the ‘ol hand waving comparison test. In fact, with something this light durability comes in to question. We put that to the […]
Santa Cruz TRc Review: Part 2
After a season on the Santa Cruz TRc it remains my favorite trail bike to date. It’s light, flickable, tears up climbs and descends well; even on terrain that would challenge other short travel machines. For a bike with a minimal amount of rear suspension travel it’s surprisingly capable. I love how light it is, […]
Gear: Answer ProTaper 780 Carbon Handlebar
The game changing upgrade to my first full suspension mountain bike back in the day was an heavy duty Answer DH riser bar. It was ages ago and I don’t recall the year, but upon installing the bar, I promptly cut it down to about 26″ or 27″ inches. Back then I was a very different rider, […]
Santa Cruz Blur TRc Review: Part 1
160mm of suspension travel is a lot more than the average trail rider needs to ride a typical single track trail here in the Bay Area. We’re known as the birthplace of the mountain bike, but with way more dirt roads than single track available to ride, it’s not a coincidence it’s the place 29ers […]
Gear check: Bern Watts EPS Helmet
Some days you don’t want to load the car with two different helmets when just one will do the job. These are the days I reach for the Watts helmet from Bern. A dirt jump helmet offers a significant amount of protection over a standard trail lid, and although there is a weight penalty, being […]
Intense Tracer VP: the Final Review
The Tracer VP was created by Intense to take on comers in the long travel trail bike category. With its 1.5″ headtube and adjustable 5.5-6 inches of VPP travel, it also falls into the popular all mountain category, dominated by bikes like the Specialized Enduro, Trek Remedy, Santa Cruz Nomad, and Giant Reign. Intense builds […]