April 14,2013

Santa Cruz has been busy this season and secretive about its plans – the first of which is the Bronson 650B line. The six-inch-travel VPP design will be offered in both carbon and aluminum in a wide number of build kits (Shimano and SRAM) that range in price from $4150 to $10,419, so there is a Bronson suitable for both thousandaire and millionaire Enduro pilots alike. Most of the release is about the top-line Enve/SRAM XXI build, which is quite stunning. The new carbon frame is updated with all of the bits that were developed for the Talboy LTC – co-molded aluminum pivot bosses, and the simplified swingarm design. The lower rocker is still sturdy aluminum and all the main suspension bearings are adjustable.

Bronson Details:
• 27.5″ (650b) wheels
• 142 mm rear axle spacing.
• New molded rubber swingarm and downtube protectors.
• 2 x … Read More »

November 14, 2012

Tested: Giant Trance X 29er 0
The smooth-handling trail bike is one of the most capable 29ers we’ve ridden

Before this new 29er was even available to purchase, it had already been ridden to victory at the 2012 Super D national championships—back in July, Adam Craig raced a prototype version in his quest for the title. And after a series of long test rides on my local trails, it was easy to understand his decision.

One of my frequent loops has a tough little wrinkle—a singletrack descent with a sharp 3-foot rise followed by a small bump. Over the years, I’ve only successfully doubled that feature on a handful of bikes. But I cleared it on my first ride aboard Giant’s Trance X 29 0, after only about an hour of saddle time. This piece of trail makes a good yardstick for measuring a bike’s … Read More »

I’m a long-time fan of Specialized clipless cycling shoes. I have a large, low-volume foot and they fit me very well. I’ve worn the Specialized S-Works XC mountain bike shoes for years but I’m not a huge fan of how stiff and unforgiving they are, especially when you have to get off the bike and push. I learned this the hard way in the Chilcotins a couple of years ago: the heels slip a hell of a lot and I ended up with major blisters. The lugs are also seriously hard, and tend to be very slippery if you walk on anything harder than loam. Rock slabs are downright treacherous with those kinds of shoes.

Fortunately, someone in the shoe department at Specialized had the same thoughts and decided to crank out a clipless shoe that was adequately stiff for long … Read More »

> Getting up for a 7:30am bike ride on a Saturday morning isn’t at the top of everyone’s list. How do I know? because I called a few other people to see if they were interested in riding at 7:30am and I got some interesting responses….So its a good thing that Kim’s training for the BC bike race and ready to ride pretty much anytime.

We enter, the Old Buck…for the third time this week.Kimbo was murdered out in all black Sombrio Epic attire this morning. The Assault short sleeve jersey paired with the highline shorts are a light and breathable approach to stylish xc clothing. The bright green Santa Cruz Blur LT was the favorite over the Giant Anthem X for the all-mountain shred.Here’s Kim schralphing the dry soil on these lower Seymour trails. Getting up early for a … Read More »

> Connor Macleod, fresh off the plane from San Fran and already making business calls. Looks like his CapU business degree is making dividends. Fully kitted out, in fresh Steed steez its good to have Connor back out on some trail rides.
Tristan Olk enjoying a refreshing cuppa joe from the one and only Bean Around The World coffee shop. A little caffeine never hurt to prepare for another round of xc action. The wonderful people at Bean take their coffee as seriously as we take our riding. Thanks for always being there to fill the empty tank.
An xc ride on the North Shore is never complete without a couple ladder-bridge rides. Don’t let the excessive Lycra fool you, Connor is showing us how its done on the Giant Reign 0. The conditions couldn’t have been much better on … Read More »

>..And here’s why. Hotter than the Whistler bike park line-up in full body armor is the 2nd generation prototype of Giant’s 2010 Reign X! The Current Reign X bikes from Giant have been known for their ability to to pretty much do it all. Thanks to Giant’s renowned Maestro suspension system the bike pedals up, down, and all-around like Sherpa on speed. What makes it so much fun is that with 6.7 inches of plush travel, and confident angles it can be pointed down the gnarly downhill and freeride runs as well. All-mountain defined.

The main goal with the re-modeling of the Reign X for 2010 was to reduce weight while maximizing strength and stiffness. Check out pinkbike.com for more details on your next years love affair. You might want to keep an ice-pack close by to cool things down as … Read More »