Sea Otter 2012: 650b Popular among manufacturers at Sea Otter
"In between" Mountain Bike Wheel Size popular at Sea Otter
As the industry continues to evolve, the 29er market is thriving, but on the horizon for many manufacturers is rather unchartered territory. The “in-between” 650b wheel size was the popular topic at this years Sea Otter Classic with a good number of manufacturers introducing 650 products. As an industry driven trend, it will be interesting to see if consumers embrace the wheel size and its off road advantages.
Tested: Raleigh Talus Carbon Pro 29er
As one of the oldest names in cycling, Raleigh has been a staple among two-wheeled enthusiasts since the late 1800s, but despite a short foray into the off-road world in the early ’90s (hinged upon a branding-style sponsorship of John Tomac), Raleigh primarily has been glued to the pavement side of the sport.Raleigh Talus Carbon Pro 29er
Tested: REEB Cycles Gates Carbon Drive 29er
After 10 years of supplying crafted, frosty malt beverages to the gritty, knobby tire culture of the Rockies, Dale’s Pale Ale has made a foray into the bicycle business with an Oskar Blues-branded 29er. Inspired by several months of beer-infused conversation, REEB Cycles debuted late last year with a handbuilt, trail-oriented, belt-driven singlespeed 29er.REEB Cycles
Gates Carbon Drive 29er
Tested: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon EVO
Sometime between the death of the aluminum hardtail and the popularization of full suspension, we strayed down the platitudinous path of categorization: XC race, trail, all-mountain, gravity, or DH.... While these names may help guide an uninitiated buyer to the right machine, it's the new wave of bikes designed to transcend categorization that arouses wide-eyed enthusiasm from the true aficionado of singletrack.
Tested: Specialized Fate 29er
My, What Big Wheels You Have
by Jen See
The Fate is new for 2012 from Specialized Women. It’s the first carbon 29er designed specifically for women riders from Specialized.
I’ve been riding the Fate since November on the trails around Santa Barbara, California. The bike handles best on smooth, fast trails, and I had the most fun with the Fate on the rolling terrain of our local coastal bluffs.
Tested: FATBACK Ti
Fatback Titanium - Stopped by Nothing
Price: $4,500 (as tested)
Weight: 30.75 lbs.
www.FatbackBikes.com
At first glance, it resembles a bike that may be aboard the next mission to Mars. With its 4.7-inch tires and 90-mm-wide rims, Fatback’s well-refined contribution to the fat bike movement is sure to turn a few heads out on the snow-packed trails.
Tested: TREK SLASH 9
Trek Slash 9 - Don’t Just Enjoy the Descents, Slay Them
Price: $5,780 Weight: 30.5 lbs. www.TrekBikes.com
Purpose-built as a descent-hungry, speed-dialed workhorse with 160 mm of travel, Trek’s new Slash 9 shows how the company has made some impressive refinements over its previous enduro-oriented bikes.
Tested: Boo Bicycles Bamboo 29
Technology Sustained
Boo Bicycles was founded in 2009 when professional road racer and mechanical engineer Nick Frey contacted James Wolf, an industrial designer who specializes in bamboo fabrication, about building bicycles from bamboo. The two set out to craft high-performance bicycles using a combination of natural bamboo and synthetic carbon fiber to provide riders with a comfortable, durable and unique frame option.
Tested: Calfee Bamboo Adventure
Elegance in Motion
Bamboo, hemp fiber and plant-based epoxy: These may sound like items on a list of OG materials your iconoclastic hippie buddy is using to construct a greenhouse for his new medical-marijuana grow operation rather than the ingredients of a high-end bicycle frame. But master framebuilder Craig Calfee is showing high-performance bicycle enthusiasts that sustainable materials are a viable option in a world of toxic compounds and conspicuous disposability.
Tested: Pivot Phoenix
Engineered for Efficiency
Striving to design and build a race-ready DH bike takes a serious amount of engineering and R&D time. It’s something many bike companies find to be a monumental challenge not worth tackling. But with a full line of successful DW Link bikes and a knack for meticulously engineered designs, Pivot owner Chris Cocalis views the Phoenix as a natural progression for Pivot’s trail bikes.
Tested: Tomac Supermatic 120
A Simple Matter of Proper Execution
Even if I were mad about golf, I’d never buy a stuffy Buick just because Tiger Woods drives one. If NASCAR was my compulsion, the vision of Danica Patrick climbing from the window of a 750 horsepower muscle car, persuasive as it may be, would not snare my devotion to Go Daddy. Characteristically, the marketer’s shameless selling of a legendary name does not easily influence me.
Test Ride: TREK REMEDY 9.9
Push Your Downhill Limits
A 26-pound carbon bike built with Sram XX components may not seem like the customary description of a long-travel trail bike, but if you’re looking for an efficient, versatile 150 mm travel bike, Trek’s Remedy 9.9 fits that description to a T.
Test Ride: SPECIALIZED S-WORKS Epic 29er
Ready for Battle
Oozing carbon from every pore and weighing in at a mere 22.8 pounds, the 2011 Specialized S-Works Epic 29er is everything one could ever want from a XC race bike and more.
Review: SPOT ROCKER SS with Gates Center Track Carbon Drive
Singlespeedus Perfectus
Washing a bike for the first time is a defining moment in the relationship between bike and rider.
