WTB Convict Tire Test

Wilderness Trail Bikes has been around a long time. They came to creation in Marin county what many consider to be the possible birthplace of Mountain Biking. The scene in the late 1970's and early 1980's was much different in Marin. The times have changed and WTB has evolved and is now making tires, saddles, grips and their own rims. We gave them a call to get a set of Convict tires to test out. Our terrain is about 85% rock with spattering sections of soil the dusty kind with no traction and marbled out high speed loose trails with no berms. It takes a hell of a tire to perform well in San Luis Obispo.

"WTB was founded in Marin County, California in 1982, fueled by the need to create durable and reliable mountain bike-specific equipment. Back then mountain biking was a new and burgeoning sport, and mountain bikes weren’t much more than cobbled-together oddities. The original WTB crew was captivated by the experience of riding bikes on dirt trails, and they started creating more durable and functional components for their own bikes. Soon, local frame builders sought to outfit their bikes with WTB’s high-end components. WTB was able to turn our passion for bikes into a successful business.

WTB CONVICT REVIEW

Zerode Taniwha Review

So the Zerode Taniwha descends well in part due to having a very light rear end and one of the lowest centers of gravity around. Also, the simple suspension design works very well at eating rough terrain and is one of the easiest to set up. But how does the Taniwha climb or pedal? Let us get this out of the way now. You can tell it has a gearbox when pedaling on the flat ground. It makes a bit more noise than a standard bike with a full chain guide. It isn't as loud as the old school Mr. Dirt guide but it makes noise just a slight whirring from between your feet. Pinion claims the gearbox gets smoother as you rack up the miles. We put about 500 miles on the bike and would have to agree with them. It did begin to make less noise and seem to offer a bit less resistance. Honestly, if there is a bit a drag while riding the Zerode Taniwha it is very mild. In fact, it may entirely be in my head. Getting to the trails from work is about a 2-mile flat pavement pound. I never made it there as fast as I have on a few other bikes. Now shifting the Zerode takes a bit of forethought at the beginning. The Pinion will not shift into an easier gear under load. When I say load I mean like the weight of you leg will prevent it from shifting. So essentially you have to stop pedaling the Taniwha to get it to shift. On the steep technical climbs make sure to shift when you can and not when you need to since it may not be possible. Another thing that was noticeable was the lack of engagement provided by the Pinion. We had i9 wheels with 120 points of engagement and it still had some play. This was really obvious when you back pedal and then try to pedal forward. The gearbox would take about 30 degrees of rotation before it engaged. It would be interesting to see what an Onyx hub would feel like. Using a Pinion adds about 2.5lbs to The Zerode Taniwha and there is no great way to cut that weight back. As stated earlier we had an Insurgent with the exact same build in size XL and this Taniwha is a LG frame and still, the complete bike is about 2.2-2.4 lbs heavier. The new C-Line Pinion will shave about 250 grams off the bike so you will have a 1.75lbs penalty. Is the added weight and shifting issue worth it to avoid a derailleur? This is all dependant upon you, where you live, what you ride and how lazy you are on equipment.

Read Full Review At Link Below

Zerode Taniwha Test

Evil Wreckoning Test

Evil Bikes had a rough start with their initial production run. They learned from their mistakes and have since been making carbon bikes that are aggressive in nature with a suspension platform that is very efficient.  The brand originated making the first Chain Guide that actually worked for Downhill racing. It was a small start but soon the brand found it chain retention system on a majority of bikes out there. This lead to them creating some DH and Street hard tail bikes that would eventually prove to become collectable and the thing of legend.

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful. Last year Evil made the jump into the short travel Wagon Wheel segment with a bike called The Following that by many testers standards was considered The Holy Grail. Shortly after the launched The Insurgent a 650b trail slay machine offering 151mm of rear travel. Now Evil has launched the 161mm travel 29" wheeled rock crusher called The Wreckoning! Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon Evil bikes and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice.

A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH 

With the Following, Evil Bikes gave the world a taste of what a 29'er was capable of when developed by a small company whose agenda was to have fun on bikes. This was soon followed by the Insurgent, a 27.5” machine that is aimed more at the clientele that Evil originally became popular with - a crowd who won’t shy away from pedaling to the top of the mountain, but who really come alive on the way down. It would be trivial to say that the Wreckoning is the love child of these two bikes, because it is certainly more than that. The madmen over at Evil have once again scrutinized the boundaries of mountain biking today and decided they could simply roll right over them, on stiff new 29” wheels powered by Boost 148, and 161mm of DELTA suspension.

EVIL WRECKONING REVIEW

2016 Guerrilla Gravity Downhill GG/DH Test

Guerrilla Gravity is a small mountain bike company located in Denver Colorado. They were sick of frame prices shooting through the roof while production moved overseas with little, if any, performance increase from year to year. All this while many bike companies grew in size and became more distant from their customers and what they really wanted in geometry and suspension designs. Who wants to buy a frame for $3500 and have part of it go to subsidize some road racers salary anyhow?

We tested their Megatrail last year and it proved to be an insane trail rig. Not only was it insane descending,  but when using Trail mode it was one of the best climbing enduro bikes we have ever ridden. The guys at Guerrilla Gravity emailed and asked if we would be interested in testing out their updated 2016 GG/DH frame? Hell yes we would!

GG/DH Review

Evil Insurgent Review

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful and last year Evil came out with a bike called The Following. Now it is time for Evil to enter the 650 market with The Insurgent. Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon bikes and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice. With the overwhelming accolades being bestowed upon The Following it made perfect sense for Evil to jump into the 650b market. Their new bike The Insurgent is their go at the aggressive 27.5" Enduro bike market.

"Do you repeatedly attempt to seperate your tires from your rims in every corner, do you say lets take this ride mellow, does your trail bike find itself going slide ways.. Those up hill both ways days just got a little less sucky. Short snappy chainstays, long top tube and a low BB set the stage for a bike that likes to party.."

Upon receiving our Insurgent we opened it up and began assembling the bike. Again the finish on The Insurgent seemed top notch just like it did with The Following. Thank God for a Threaded BB and a 142 by 12mm rear hub spacing. Having the threaded BB makes assembly a bit easier and keeps the bike from making noises that should only be heard on a bikes purchased from WalMart. (Though we are running SRAM 11spd and that at times can make our Evil bike sound like a department store bike....) Overall our build kit is similar to others we have used. Our area is rocky and rough so a full chain guide, heavy tires, big brakes, and DH based cockpit round out the build.

Evil Insurgent Test

Evil The Following Review

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful and they have just made the jump into the Wagon Wheel segment with a bike called The Following. Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon Evil Following and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice.

With most of the industry pushing towards 650B it was somewhat of a shock to see Evil come out with a short travel, low and slack 29" bike. The difference between a 26" and a 650b is pretty small and really has very little effect on how the bike rides. Wagon Wheels on the other hand are very noticeable. They keep momentum up better, roll over stuff easier, cover more ground and provide more traction. Along with the positives there are some negatives the wheels themselves are less strong, flex more and the bikes are typically slower to accelerate out of corners.

""Evil has officially entered the market of 29" bikes - to some this may come as a surprise. Don't let Evil's background fool you though, it's their heritage that makes The Following one of the most exciting bikes that we will see in 2015. If you've ridden an Evil in the past, you likely know the fun-factor is tough to beat. Simply put, an Evil bike is an absolute blast on the trail. The Following marks Evil's third full suspension bike in their lineup, offering up 120mm rear travel and wildly aggressive geometry for a 29'er. In recent years, we've come to find that it's not necessarily the amount of travel a bike has, it's the geometry that plays the most significant role in ride characteristics. So in short, if you're a go-get'er trail rider, don't let the 120mm travel and 29" scare you away, this bike will impress even the most aggressive riders out there."

Evil Following Test 

Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail Test

Guerrilla Gravity is a small mountain bike company located in Denver Colorado. They were sick of frame prices shooting through the roof while production moved overseas with little, if any, performance increase from year to year. All this while many bike companies grew in size and became more distant from their customers and what they really wanted in geometry and suspension designs. Who wants to buy a frame for $3500 and have part of it go to subsidize some road racers salary anyhow?

"The MEGATRAIL is leading the revolution in trail bike freedom.

As a highly refined and extremely versatile trail bike, the MEGATRAIL is built for everything from conquering high-alpine adventures to getting after it at your local enduro race,or just slaying your after-work rides. And when it’s time to turn the Rad up to 11, Gravity Mode™ provides a 30-second, one-bolt geometry toggle that transforms the bike into a downhill dominator."

Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail Questions

 

1. So how did Guerrilla Gravity begin?

It began with the idea to create a different type of mountain bike manufacturing company, one that is driven by the community, and at the end of the day serves to make mountain biking more awesome.

2. Did you guys have a lot of experience in the bike industry before you starting making GG Bikes?  

Very little. We’ve all been avid riders for most of our lives, but I was the only one (of the three founders) that had experience, and that is from just one summer spent working in a bike shop.

3. Break down your team for us and what they do?  

Matt Giaraffa, founder & chief engineer: Mechanical engineer with experience in auto racing, aerospace, and consumer product testing. He’s headed up bike design, as well as manufacturing design—from jigs and tooling to our processes… Kristy Anderson, founder & chief BAMF: Kristy has a career in medical sales and helps with events, marketing, and getting the word out… Theron Tate, shop manager and chief bike builder… Sutherland Detweiler, pre-weld fabricator… Shaun Braap, post-weld fabricator… Kevin Witte, badass welder… Myself (Will Montague), founder and chief bike slinger: I’ve always played in the startup world, doing sales and marketing for four startups. I handle most of the business management components—sales, marketing, strategy, etc.

4. How did the idea for the Megatrail begin?  

On a ride at White Ranch where we thought “these bikes should climb better” on the way up and “these bikes should descend more like a downhill bike” on the way down. There was no bike out there that truly offered a versatile package.

5. What where some of the main features you guys wanted in the Megatrail when you were laying it out on paper (computer)?

We believe in making our bikes as versatile as possible. The idea was to create a bike riders can take with them anywhere they may find themselves riding, from high alpine epic rides to the bike park to their favorite after-work trail. So we put our heads down and (Matt) spent weeks in Linkage and Solid Works getting everything we wanted out of suspension characteristics. Once we had the suspension platform laid out to our liking, we set to work refining the frame, painstakingly eliminating as much complication as possible, creating a robust frame that’s easy to maintain, doesn’t have extra parts to maintain or break, and is affordable to manufacture (and therefore as affordable as possible for the riders).

6. How was reception been on the Megatrail so far?

We’re extremely pleased with how the Megatrail turned out. All of the feedback and reviews also echoes that our design goals were achieved.

 

7. Do you weep when you see guys that are 6' 4” and above on a “XL” bike and they look like Spud Webb on a 16” BMX bike?  

It’s certainly a little painful to see, haha.

8. It sounds like you guys are going to be doing an XL frame soon. Tell us a bit about the new frame size?  

There seemed to be a void in the market of proper aggressive mountain bikes for tall riders. Since we manufacture in-house it’s relatively simple for us to create frame sizes for the smaller- and taller-than-average riders. With our XS and XL were able to provide riders 4’10” to 6’8” with a badass mountain bike.

On top of that, we can do semi-custom sizing for riders who may be proportioned slightly different (e.g. long legs, shorter torse).

9. Any updates you guys are looking to do to the Megatrail in the near future?  

For 2015 we took a bit of weight out of the frame, maybe a few parts of it more svelte. The “big” update is a grooved guide that makes swapping between Trail Mode and Gravity Mode even easier. We’re considering some new acronyms to attach to our marketing collateral for 2016 that will render the previous models obsolete 

10. Care to elaborate on Geometry used on the Megatrail?

Sometimes the “internet riders” seem to think our cockpit geometry is way too long, but literally every rider to throw a leg over a Megatrail feels comfortable instantly. By utilizing a roomier cockpit with a shorter stem you have a better, more stable center of balance and room to freely use body English. It’s also preferable for getting rowdy on the downhills, as your weight is more centered and not as far forward, over the bars.

11. Rocks or jumps? How about jumps in rocks?

My favorite type of riding is what I call “flow tech,” which is when you can find flow in a semi-technical mid-speed trail, trails where you can make your own natural doubles out of rocks and roots. Schleyer and Fatrobat in Whistler are great examples of my favorite type of trail (minus the long skinny at the end of Fatrobat).

12. Who is the best Mountain Biker ever?

Any of your riding buddies. Mountain bike rides with your amigos are what mountain biking the best “sport” ever. There’s no such thing as rock stars.

13. What do you think about all the new standards that have popped up in the last 3 years?  

I think they’re unfortunate for the riders. Mountain biking has a lot of barriers to entry (namely cost) and little has been done to do anything about this. New standards prevent manufacturers from accessing economies of scale, which would bring down the cost of bikes. Is there some merit behind each new standard? Sure, a little. Do they make mountain biking better as whole better? No… but they do help companies sell more shit. The marketing machines at the big companies are impressive.

14. What would make the bike industry better?  

More mountain bikers, more places to mountain bike. We get more mountain bikers into the sport by doing what we can to lower the cost of entry, creating bikes that are straight forward to use (and understand)--obviously our bikes are still expensive, but working on reducing the cost is a key goal of ours. Building the community also helps get new riders into the sport. Riders are more likely to ride when they have friends to ride with. And focusing on creating and supporting the organizations that build and maintain our trails is vital to the long-term health of the sport. Without trails the sport is nothing but fancy roof ornaments.

15. Anything else you want to get across to the readers?

Let’s go ride.
 G/G Megatrail Review

CCDB Air CS Test

Cane Creek introduced the Double Barrel Coil shock back in 2005. Thanks to 5th Element, Romic and Foes racing it became apparent that shocks that used some type of lock out or anti bob during sprints where to be the wave of the future. Many of these early generation shocks gave up mid stroke support in favor of pedaling performance. Frame designs have changed drastically in the last decade. With a strong push towards better pedaling efficiency and making the most out of smaller travel amounts. This was one aspect that helped in the creation of the modern long and low trail bike that would give many Downhill bikes from a decade ago a serious run for their money. Many shock manufactures have started creating larger volume air shocks with various Compression and Rebound adjustments on them to keep up with this new style of frame. Typically these will include some variant of a climb switch. Typically these effect the compression side of the shock. Cane Creek decided to split Compression and Rebound into two different adjustments in the form of Low and High speed variants. Their CS also alters both the compression and rebound side of the shock.

The CCDB Coil when released was not only very sensitive to small bumps it also helped minimize bob without slamming through its travel at the first sign of a high speed impact. Fast forward 8 years and suspension systems have become more refined and trail bikes much more capable. In 2013 Cane Creek released the CCDB Air CS (Climb Switch). This is a large volume air can shock which helps to keep the shock cool as the descents get longer and rougher. It gives up some weight against the inline version but for those looking for the ultimate in heavy duty trail bike air shocks it is the route to go. Something to consider is that the CCDB Air is so big around there are some frames on the market that cannot fit it so make sure you check before ordering one. If that is the case they also make a CCDB Inline that is a thinner configuration. The CS version of the shock includes a climb switch feature which essentially increase both compression and rebound and aids the bike while climbing.

Cane Creek DB AIR Test

2015 Lourdes UCI WC 1

New to the UCI MTB World Cup presented by Shimano in 2015, Lourdes will be one of three rounds – with Fort William and Leogang – 100% dedicated to Downhill. A regular French Cup stopover, the city in the south-west of France will kick off the season. The riders will no doubt enjoy its demanding track that offers a stunning view of the city.

"The 2015 season of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano opens with round 1 of the downhill series, in the new World Cup venue of Lourdes, France. However, while Lourdes is new to the World Cup, it has a strong gravity resume, having hosted French Championships and National Series competitions in previous years.

The town of Lourdes lies in the southwest corner of France, part of the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range. While the town has only 15,000 residents, it attracts some 5 million visitors on an annual basis, visiting on pilgrimages to the Sanctuary of Our Lady, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared and miraculous healings from the waters have taken place.

The 2,000 metre track begins at 900 metres of elevation, losing over half of its altitude (477 metres) over the run, for an average grade of nearly 24%. Riders and spectators ride a funicular tram from the base to the start, with the course zig zagging through tunnels under the tram on the way down.
The course is rough, rocky, rooty and, mostly likely, wet and slippery. From the start house riders immediately face a series of sharp turns and rocky, open terrain. From there, the course becomes fast and flowy, dropping in and out of lightly wooded sections dotted with roots and a couple of gap jumps. After this slight recovery, riders hit the final extremely steep rock-strewn portion of the run before a final jump into the finish bowl.

This is not a pedalling course, but one that requires tremendous technical skills and the ability to resist losing speed by touching the brakes. Any mistake is likely to have a huge impact on run time.
In the Women's field, all of the top riders are entered, with reigning World Cup Champion and World champion Manon Carpenter (Madison Saracen Factory Team) sporting the Number 1 plate after her breakthrough season last year. She is expected to resume last year's battle with countrywoman and former World Cup champion Rachel Atherton (GT Factory Racing). Others expected to be in the fight for podium spots are Emmeline Ragot (MS Mondraker Team), who could receive a huge boost from riding on home soil, as well other French riders such as Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Vallnord) and Morgane Charre (Solid-Reverse Factory Racing).

The Men's field will see 2014 World Cup champion Josh Bryceland (Great Britain) with the Number 1 plate. This will be a chance to see if Bryceland is fully recovered from the serious foot injury he suffered at the UCI World Championships last fall. Others sure to be in the mix are former multi-time World Cup champion Aaron Gwin (Specialized Racing), UCI World Champion Gee Atherton (GT Factory Racing), Troy Brosnan (Specialized Racing), Sam Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles/Paypal) and former UCI World Champion Greg Minnaar (South Africa), who is coming back from a hand injury. The big French hope will be Loic Bruni (Lapierre Gravity Republic).

The action begins on Saturday with timed qualifying runs, followed by the World Cup on Sunday. The Juniors Men start the racing at 12:30, followed by the Elite Women at 13:15 and the Elite Men at 14:00 (all times European)."

2015 Lourdes World Cup From France

Niner WFO Review

Mountain bikes have been in production since the early 1980's. In fact my first MTB was a 1985 Ross then I progressed to 3 other hardtails and eventually full suspension. Companies are always looking at a way to get the upper hand over the competition and to make riding a bike faster an easier thing to do for the average Joe.

Niner bikes have been at the forefront of the big wheel revolution. Not just 650B but true Wagon Wheels the big 29" style wheels and as their name indicates it is all they make. The company makes no qualms about it they are firm believers that bigger is better when it comes to wheel size. Niner offers a variety of bikes that satisfy most genras of Mountain Biking. The Niner WFO 9 is designed to be a Enduro machine with the ability to tackle rough terrain at high rates of speed while allowing the rider to climb to the top of the descents.

"From early trips to Whistler and passionate lift-line discussions about wheel size to numerous Burro-Down laps at truly negligent speeds, the WFO 9 has always been a curiosity. A bike without an easy niche except for those riders who are quite certain it’s the best bike on the planet – those converts who choose the WFO 9 to confidently dissect bike parks and black diamonds every weekend. This bike has changed how a lot of riders view long-travel 29ers, evolv¬ing from an outlier in the Niner lineup to a bike whose time has come. With trail bikes becoming more and more capable, we’ve shoved the new WFO 9 off the “all mountain” fence firmly into gravity territory. Lower. Slacker. More Travel. So, grab your music, Leatt and full-face before you roll out the door.

While the WFO 9 is an efficient pedaler and will do AM magic under those who have the legs for the climbs, it’s when you adjust your goggles and drop in that it truly shines. You might imagine that the bike’s 150MM of travel puts it into a familiar category of bikes, but it doesn’t ride that way. Coming from a trail bike, the WFO 9 will feel big and capable. If you spend time on DH bikes you will instantly feel at home, except the WFO 9 is likely several pounds lighter than your DH setup. That’s a few extra laps and a few spots higher on any leader board. The long wheelbase puts you in charge of where the bike goes and if you’ve ever had trouble carrying enough speed into that set of 30’ tables, prepare yourself for some hair-raising-shit-eating-grin-overshooting-to- HYFR.

The big wheels bring the kind of speed through the chop and stability in the air that any rid¬er will benefit from. Whips? Snap hard and get sideways. Scrubs? Push a bit earlier to break the increased traction and get the bike down. The wheels stay out of the holes on techy lines, allowing you to get away with 6” of travel in serious clenching moments that just wouldn’t be fun on a trail bike. Float down your favorite trail and wonder when they made it easier. They didn’t.

Bottom line is, all those guys who said 29 will never be fun on big terrain were just plain wrong. That’s okay though, we weren’t sure ourselves when we made the first WFO 9 in 2009. But it’s 2013 and we’ve done the homework. This is the new WFO 9 and it redefines what a Niner can do."

Niner WFO 9 Test

Magura MT 7 Brake Review

Magura has been in the brake business for over two decades. Back in the day when people where pumped on V-Brake performance the people at Magura were selling Hydraulic Rim Brakes for mountain biking. These brakes are still very popular on trials bikes. Many World Cup riders ran these brakes back in the day. Magura has relaunched their MT line and introduced a gravity/enduro specific brake called the MT7 Next is is a dual piston design with four pads. We reviewed the MT8 when they first came out a few years ago. The brakes worked well even in the downhill capacity we tested them in. Considering this was a featherweight AM/XC brake that speaks well for Magura and its brakes as a whole. We are very excited to test a gravity specific brake from them in the form of the Magura MT7 Next Disc Brake!

These brakes are a very light DH brake option. Using the Carbotecture lever housing helps keep the weight low. We have used brakes that weigh easily 200 grams more per brake in the past. So being able to save almost a pound in the brakes alone is a nice bonus. We opted for the MT7 with toolless adjustment. Magura informed us we would have less adjustment with these than the tool versions offer but more on that later.

We used 203mm SL rotors front and rear on a large megatrail. The bike was built up with heavier parts for the more gravity based riding it would be put through.

"The MT7 stands for maximum braking performance and stability in extreme conditions. In the tough, bike-testing worlds of Enduro and Downhill, the additional braking power of the 4 brake pistons is a positive safety factor. The aluminium, two-finger brake lever - with toolless adjustment - and the adjustable bite point provide the necessary ergonomics for perfect brake control, even in difficult terrain and on long downhill runs. 5-year leakproof guarantuee for brake levers and cylinders after providing the original proof of purchase."

Magura MT7 Disc Brake Test

1UP USA Quick Rack Review

Bike racks come in all shapes and sizes. Some are made for the roofs of vehicles while other go onto the back. The hitch mount variety tend to be the most secure, aerodynamic, and easily locked of the varieties currently available. Having your bike attached to the back of your vehicle for the first time while driving down the highway at 75MPH can be a bit stressful. You are expecting the rack to hold onto you bicylce that can cost over $10,000! This is where a heavily built rack with a strong latching system will give the buyer a true sense of ease. 1UP has been making racks for a number of years. 1UP takes their rack building to the extreme by using machining, billet and very high grade hardware to ensure a very robust design that will likely hold onto your bikes better than The Hulk!

Buying a bike rack is usually an ordeal based on whatever the local shop has in stock. This can be very limiting and will usually only give two options of racks to choose from. These racks typically go from $300-$400 in price. The 1UP is a $600 rack so it costs a fair bit more money than the major brands. But its build quality and retention system more than make up for the price hike. This rack is 100% made in the USA and if you can afford a $6000 bicycle paying a few hundred more for a more durable rack to hold it onto your vehicle shouldn't be a serious issue.

1up Heavy Duty Rack Test

Manitou Dorado Pro Test

Manitou has been in the suspension game since the early 1990's. Gone are the days of their rubber elastomer springs. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000's Manitou had a strong showing in the downhill segment. The used TPC in both their XVERT fork which was a Carbon Fibre standard triple clamp fork and then in their venture into the inverted market with the original Dorado around 2001-2003 with 30mm stantions and generation 2 came out from 2004-2006 with 32mm stantions. That fork worked well then manitou decided they needed the use the SPV vavling they were licensing from Turner and along came the MRD Dorado X-Works. It turns out downhill was not the appropriate venue for SPV. Its price was high for the time and people were expecting everything from it. That was in 2004 and 9 years ago. But some people seem to never forget things.Their new fork is using TPC + but now has a Dual Air chamber.

Today they are using a Dual Chamber Air design inside their new Dorado. In 2010 Manitou announced the Dorado Pro after extensive testing of the carbon fibre MRD version. This was good because that CF Dorado was approaching the $3,000 mark so very few people had them. The new design is somewhat light at 6.5 LBS and as plush as a fork can get. Out of the box it feels very supple and it feels better than most forks do after their required break in periods!


Manitou Dorado Review

Profile Elite MTB Hub Test

Profile Racing has been around since the late 1960's! Their stuff is made here in the USA and they are damn proud of it as they should be. Their tolerances are insane, colors perfect, switches can be made on short notice and some of the tighest quality control this side of Rolex.

Grownig up in the 1980's and riding BMX in the time there were 2 companies people went to for cranks. Profile was one of them and I always wanted a set. In my youth I was never able to afford a set but when I built my first DH bike in around 1999 it had Profile cranks. I had used them on two other builds since and have always admired their products. Profile builds stuff that works and only tweaks it if it can be improved upon.

Three or four years ago at Interbike we went by Profile and they had a MTB sample of their Elite hubs mounted on a stand. We were estatic just twisting it about 90 degrees sounded close to what a King does at full rotation. After that we knew it was a hub that would one day be mounted on one of our bikes.

Fast forward a few years later and finally I get a set of the Profile Elite's to lace a custom wheelset up with. I went fairly light with DT Revolution, Alloy nipple and STANS Flow EX hoops. The hubs weighed as claimed on Profile's site and my complete front and rear wheels came in at 1820 grams.

Profile Elite Hub Review

2013 Norco Aurum 1 Test

Norco bikes have been making, designing and breaking their teeth on the Canadian North Shore for almost a half century. Many of us will recall the days of the VPS and Shore bikes. These bikes were running the FSR style rear suspension system and were overbuilt to take the abuse that North Shore riding put bikes through. Those of you needing a history lesson check out the video below to find out more about Norco.

The Norco bikes of today have shed the weight in key areas while lowering the bikes center of gravity. They still use the tried and true FSR (Four Bar) rear suspension system that is licensed through Specialized. The FSR system stays active under braking while providing a progressive leverage curve. This is not the best pedaling platform but since the introduction of the 5th Element with platform dampening in the early 2000's the bob that was once a very noticeable aspect of a FSR bike has been drastically reduced resulting in a Downhill Bike that has decent pedalling. Along with the platform based shock Norco has also updated the FSR layout on their frames to pedal better than the standard design.

The claimed benefits of the FSR system are listed below.

• Reactive to small hits

• Variable wheel/shock ratio

• Handles large hits

• Progressive leverage ratio

• Non-linear/vertical wheel path

2013 Norco Aurum 1 Review

2013 MacMahone Killmeister

KILLMEISTER is a full suspension frame designed for downhill cycling on particularly steep, rocky trails. The herring-bone system helps for high speed descent and easily push, or shuttle via chairlifts or motorized vehicles, to the trail head. Internal cable Routing (ISR) stops for rear break, 100% CNC machined yoke, the connection of bottom bracket and seat tube get more dedicated & supple ride at higher speeds.

Recommended use: Downhill
Material: AL7005 T6
Size : 390.5mm
Weight : 3800g
Rear shock: Rockshox VIVID COIL R2
Wheel travel: 203.6mm
Color : White, Black, Silver, Raw

2013 MacMahone Killmeister

2013 Trek World Racing Adds Three New Riders To The Team

Trek World Racing is excited to announce its much anticipated line-up for the 2013 race season, a roster which sees a mixture of race winners, World Cup podium riders as well as up-and-coming talent. All the riders selected for the program have the same philosophy and clearly have youth, talent and massive potential as key ingredients.

Headlining the team line-up is the Kiwi duo of Brook MacDonald (pictured above right) and George Brannigan (pictured above left). Brook MacDonald is the 2009 Junior World Champion and has recently scored his first World Cup win at 2012s Round 6 in Val dIsere, France, bringing his World Cup podium tally to 4 so far. George had his first taste of the World Cup podium when he finished 2nd at Round 7 last year in Hafjell, Norway, just missing the win by 0.4sec. His current UCI world ranking of #9 is a testament to his 2012 season of consistent results.

TWR Adds 3 New Riders

2013 Dirt/Norco Team Announced

We are very excited to announce that Team Dirt Norco has signed 2 new DH riders as well as an Enduro rider for 2013.

Ben Reid: (Rider/Team Organiser)
I think 2013 is going to be the most exciting year yet for team Dirt Norco, I feel we are working with some of the best companies in the industry (2013 sponsors soon to be released) and for me this makes riding my bike so much more enjoyable. I have made a great start to my training in preparation for the new season as well as working with Stanny on our new plans for the team.
In 2012 we had Duncan Riffle on board the team and we had a great season together and had lots of fun on the way, unfortunately we will not have the pleasure of D Riff on board the team in 2013 and we wish the big guy all the best for his future plans.

2013 Dirt/Norco Team

Specialized Signs Aaron Gwin

The mountain bike off-season is almost as interesting as the hockey/football/basketball off-seasons, with transfers and team changes becoming as talked about as the racing itself.

It was obvious something was moving in Aaron Gwin’s camp. The rumbles and murmurs had been building. Then when it was revealed Hill was moving on from Specialized, leaving a gap in the roster of one of downhill mountain biking’s most powerful teams, speculation roared as to who would replace the man who used to be the most dominating and frightening downhill racer.

Aaron Gwin Leaves TWR For Specialized

2012 Zerode G-1 Raffle To Benefit The Dirt Club

100% of profits to benefit Dirt Club of Santa Ynez!

Zerodeusa is pleased to announce the raffling of a complete 2012 Zerode G-1 Downhill Moutain Bike valued at over $7,000 to help raise funds for the Dirt Club located just North of Santa Barbara California. The Dirt Club has been putting on biking events for over a decade and is 100% maintained by a volunteer staff. Mike Hecker has kept mountain bike racing alive in Central California by offering DH, XC and Enduro events throughout the year.

Zerodeusa is offering the winner the choice of frame size and color. The tickets are being sold for only $5 each. Once our fundraising goal is reached, we will draw the winners and announce them on Facebook, the website and via email.

So if you want the chance to win a fully built $7K+ MSRP downhill bike or to help out Mike Hecker and the boys at the dirt club to continue on with a private MTB club, buy your tickets today!.

Zerode G-1 Raffle