Featured

News: SRAM 7-Speed Drivetrain

There is no official word from SRAM at this point but we did track down Jon Cancellier, Blackbox’s man on the ground, and squeezed some information out of him.

Seven gears, clutch, short-cage, horizontal parallelogram – something in the works.

All drivetrain

TESTED: White Industries Eno Components

03.29.2006

WHAT: White Industries ENO Singlespeed Components HOW MUCH: See individual reviews for prices WHERE: www.whiteind.com After a mid-nineties frenzy of pumping out high-zoot parts, the CNC machines at White Industries ran silent for a while. Then, a couple years ago, sensing a whole subculture with a unique set of needs just waiting for some shiny [...]

+ more

TESTED: Shimano Hone Crankset

03.15.2006

WHAT: Shimano Hone Crankset HOW MUCH: $190 WHERE: www.shimano.com BREAD: For the last seven months I’ve had the pleasure of stepping on one of Shimano’s latest introductions to the burgeoning all-mountain sector: the Hone two ring crankset, complete with bashguard. The Hone retails for $190 and employs two rings (one 22 tooth and one 32) [...]

+ more

TESTED: SRAM X-9 Shifters and Derailleur

01.19.2006

WHAT: SRAM X-9 Drivetrain HOW MUCH: $235 (shifters, front and rear derailleurs) WHERE: www.sram.com It might seem odd—what with a new, carbon-fiber festooned, already- previewed suite of shiny SRAM shift pieces on the horizon—for us to review SRAM’s X-9 shifters and derailleurs. Old news, some might say, never sells. However, since these are long-term tests, [...]

+ more

TESTED: Shimano LX Group

01.04.2006

WHAT: Shimano LX Group HOW MUCH: $518 to $684 (not including wheels); WHERE: www.shimano.com It’s sad when today’s budget performance eclipses yesterday’s top-of-the-line technology, unless, of course, you’re the proud owner of some affordable new equipment. Shimano created a similar situation with its new LX group, which outshines the XTR of just a few years [...]

+ more

Tested: Crank Brothers Candy SL

11.21.2005

WHAT: Crank Brothers Candy SL WHERE: www.crankbrothers.com HOW MUCH: $140 Eight years ago, riders had few choices when it came to clipless pedals. Shimano’s SPDs were built like brick shithouses and were stone reliable in dry conditions, but they absolutely sucked when things got wet and muddy. Speedplay Frogs were good in mud and easy [...]

+ more

TESTED: Crank Brothers Mallet C

10.27.2005

WHAT: Crank Brothers Mallet C Pedal WHERE: www.crankbrothers.com HOW MUCH: $100 The Mallet C is CrankBrothers All Mountain pedal. I suppose that sounds lame since Shimano was making large bodied clipless pedals since 1997 (back before anyone even coined the “All Mountain” phrase), but in a way, I think you can actually justify calling these [...]

+ more

Big, Wide and Ever-so-Carbon-ey

05.30.2005

WHAT: Bontrager Race XXX Lite OS Carbon Riser WHERE: www.bontrager.com HOW MUCH: $130 The latest craze in handlebars is sort of a two-headed fashion beast: oversize mid-sections and carbon fiber construction. Bontrager has conveniently wrapped up both trends in a single handlebar. The Race XXX Lite OS Carbon Riser is Bontrager’s top of the line, [...]

+ more

Tested: Race Face Deus crank

02.14.2005

WHAT: Race Face Deus crankset WHERE: raceface.com HOW MUCH: $349 It’s shiny, it’s light, and after a summer, fall, and little bit of winter hammering, it spins like it’s brand new. Race Face’s Deus Crank, a trimmed down version of its original Turbine LP, at 815grams (which includes triple rings and BB) is the lightest [...]

+ more