Syd has been riding and wrenching on mountain bikes since 1987 when he picked up his very first Rocky Mountain bike. He's an educator and mechanical expert who has written hundreds of MTB how-tos and product reviews.
Here is some stylish bling from Italy for your AM / DH rig. Let's face it, some of the best things come from Italy like cars, motorcycles, shoes, and yes, bike saddles.…
2010 marks an exciting year for Fox Racing Shox with a ton of new and truly innovative products coming from Bob Fox's team of engineers and factory test riders. Boost valve technology…
Here's one for the DH/FR crowd: the Easton Havoc DH-specific wheel set. Can you say awesome?! I can, and will. For starters, the Havoc DH wheels are reasonably priced at $799 MSRP…
Living in the Great White North I get very cold weather and snow during the winter months so staying motivated and in shape for mountain biking can be a challenge. When the…
It's a good idea to update your MTB components every few years and the timing was perfect for me to give some 2010 Easton XC components a try on my Opus XC…
Here's something all you who own 2007 and newer Manitou forks are going to be extremely interested in hearing about. The best part? It won't cost you an arm and a leg…
Hey everyone, just a quick reminder that Joyride 150 opens tomorrow. In case you didn't read my previous post, Joyride is Ontario's (and Canada's) first indoor bike park with something for everyone…
HAVEN on earth and good will toward men! This is the Easton product I was most excited to test after Interbike and a few weeks ago it finally arrived. The Easton Haven…
Since some of us use our mountain bikes for more that just hitting the trails so I thought I'd talk about a great accessory I found for the morning commute. The Keen…
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does this one tell you? Clearly there must be guide wires holding this rider up. Actually there are just two forces at play…
Interbike is basically like a strip-club where you aren't allowed to touch any of the dancers. This year I got all worked up seeing the latest from Easton but left the show…
If you're looking for a mountain bike transport system remember the name Saris! I'm rarely completely impressed with a product but this is one of those times. Today I will be reviewing…
Here are two pieces of outerwear that are perfect for this time of year when the temperature starts to dip and the weather becomes a little less predictable. The Gore Bike Wear…
Last week I got a sneak peek at Canada's first indoor bike park, Joyride 150. When Bob_the_Builder found out I was going to Joyride 150 ahead of the official opening Dec 14th,…
At Interbike I got a chance to chat with Greg Parish about how Straitline Components got started. Unlike many bike companies, Straitline's story includes a scrappy and unusual start. But being ultra…
Answer is a name that has been under the radar for a little while but they're back again with an all new product line up. Here are two Answer products that I'm…
Formula started producing motorcycle brakes and wheels in 1987. By 1993 they were the first to produce and distribute a disc braking systems for mountain bikes and they've been refining their MTB…
Holidays are just around the corner and Hayes has introduced some new products for use with their MTB braking systems. Check these out: the new Pro Bleed kit, the Stroker tool kit,…
How many times have you thought, "wow, cool feature on this trail" or "what a great transtion on that last jump" when riding your favorite trail? Ever wonder how those trail features…
A review of the Time Z-Control clipless mountain bike pedals.
I'm sure many of you already read my review of the Maxxis Ardents - if you havent what are you waiting for? OK, now that we're all up to speed, I have…
Introducing the 2010 Opus Nelson 1 (MSRP $4160.00 CDN), the much anticipated freeride bike that has been 2 years in the making. With a full 7-inches of travel front and back, this…
So this may be a bit on the late side but seeing that most of this stuff still hasn't hit the stores yet I thought I'd share these pics. What I have…
I've been using Nuun Active Hydration tablets ($19.50 for a 3 pack) for a while and just wanted to give a quick heads up on this product. Unlike other tablets on the…
Calling these bike lights "Ultra" is an understatement. There really should be a warning label on the box saying "DANGER! Do not look directly into the light as permanent eye damage may…
A review of the Maxxis Ardent mountain bike tire.
XC riders looking for a versatile tire for the fall riding season, listen up! I recently tested two of the five sets of XC tires from Intense Tire Systems (ITS) in a…
The Xen helmet, Xen gloves, and Filter sunglasses from Giro go together almost as well as the #1 combo at McDonalds (stickers to the first commenter who can id the sandwich in…
Swinging by the very impressive Easton / Bell / Giro both I met up with a good friend of mine, Sean Coffey, marketing brand manager for Easton, for a tour of the…
For those who are looking for an affordable hydration pack that doesn't suck, take a peek at what Hydrapak has to offer. I spoke with Dax Kelm at Interbike and he showed…
Sorry about the title - I had to do it. :) If you have some time to browse, check out Straitline components - hopefully you'll be as impressed as I was. I…
At Interbike on Wednesday I just had to check out THE and ITS. If you remember a while back I wrote a few articles on the ITS tires as well as THE's…
On Wednesday I stopped by to chat with Jay MacNeil, operations manager / Bike Guru for Banshee mountain bikes. Jay was a wealth of information, giving me the low down on the…
While walking around Interbike I had to swing by Formula Brake and chat with Christoph Vogl about this year's line up. It looks like they did so well on improving the line…
Walking around at Interbike you get to see a ton a great stuff up close. Yesterday I chatted with John Valera from X-Fusion about a few of their newest products. X-Fusion has…
In between test rides on Tuesday I got a chance to scope out some really cool Race Face products that will grace your LBS some time very soon. Chris Heynen, Senior Design…
POC is just in their second year on the mountain biking scene and are already expanding their line-up with some fresh colors and graphics. But what really got me interested in the…
Yesterday I got a chance to test out the Ellsworth Rogue. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this bike is a 6-7 travel freeride bike. I wont lie: it was tons…
A lot of you asked to hear about the Yeti 575 and unfortunately, I didnt get on one today. However, the Yeti rep that I spoke with convinced me to try the…
Believe it or not, this article can save you from visiting the dentist. Nope, this isn't about brushing your teeth (though a toothbrush is involved) - it's about servicing your mountain bike…
The next tire in the WTB series that I'll be testing is the ground-ripping Stout 2.3. This tire is meant for nasty, gnarly terrain! With its wide offset spacing center tread pattern…
ITS - or as most people know them, Intense Tire System - recently debuted new tire updates for 2010. The 2010 Edge EXDX comes in two flavors once again - a 1-ply…
Not only does Manitou make a decent MTB fork, but you have to check out Manitou's line-up of ISX dampers. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ISX-6 and…
This is part II of an article on prepping for a 24 hour mountain bike race (here's part I in case you missed it). Whether you're part of a team or riding…
Just a few months ago yours truly was invited to compete in the Summer Solstice 24 Hour up here in ON. Fun times for sure, provided you're physically prepared and have all…
If you're in the hunt for a great All Mountain bike tire at a decent price, look no further than the Prowler MX from WTB ($50 MSRP). Aggressive, talon-like knobs will help…
I bet you if you ask any mountain biker what WTB is known for, the first thing they will mention is saddles - and there's a pretty good chance they own one…
Just a while back I reviewed the Easton XC-Ones and gave them a great review. But that got me thinking: I wonder what their all-mountain / light free ride wheels can do?…
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