|
| ||||
| Home | ||||
Editorials | ||||
Features | ||||
Contacts and Chats
|
|
Buyer's Guide By MBT Staff Components | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 = We'd rather eat a soggy bike sock than buy this thing.
 = Pretty good. Could use improvement, but functional.
 = If someone gives it to you, maybe. It's a paperweight.
 = Sweeeeet. We'd buy it. It won't cure cancer though.
 = We'd use it if we were in a bind. Maybe.
 = Dude, it does everything including wash your car. It rules!
|
| 
Kenda Nevegal John Tomac Edition White Christmas: Hooks up like a drunken prom date. Lump of Coal: Better keep a few in your pack; they wear FAST. Santa says: Great all around treads. There are only 2 points of contact between your bike and the ground, and both of them happen to be rubber. Popping these bad boys on your hoops will keep your rig surefooted in all but the worst conditions. Featuring Kenda's sticky, softer knobs on the edges for enhanced cornering and better bite, these tires hook up with the best of them. The folding bead 2.1s we tested were perfect XC/AM tires. Measuring more like a 2.2, the footprint layed down at 40 PSI is excellent. Pinch flat resistance is good, puncture resistance is pretty good, and weight is reasonable for a tire of this caliber. And choices abound in the Nevegal line. Need UST tires? They got 'em. Howabout Sidewall Shield protection for better reliability? Damn straight. The only thing we have a problem with is the wear. Those sticky knobs wear a LOT faster than average. But hey, it's a small price to pay. MSRP - $47.95 Kenda USA
| 
Crank Brothers Candy Pedals White Christmas: Smooth release and lots of float. Lump of Coal: Cleats wear very quickly. Santa says: Awesome pedals that are nearly indestructable. Clipless pedals are becoming the norm on mountain bikes, rather than the exception. Crank Bros has built pedals for years, and they are all based on their fabulous Eggbeater design. The Candys take this design and put a nice resin platform around the Eggbeater mechanism. The platform allows you to ride even if you're unable to find the mechanism with your cleat and not kill yourself. They feature loads of float, so everyone can find a comfortable ankle position, no matter what their issues may be. The only issue we found is the possibility of the clipping mechanism releasing if you smack a pedal on a rock. Other than that, we love these things. MSRP - $90 - C model, $120 - SL model. Crank Brothers
| 
Hope Pro II Disc Hubs White Christmas: Great engagment, pretty as an ornament, tough as hell. Lump of Coal: None that we've found yet Santa says: Best hub for the price on the market today. Hope has always produced some of the best quality parts on the market. Their massively popular Bulb hubs have been retired to the old parts home, and the Pro IIs have come to take it's place. Featuring a 24 tooth rachet and 4 pawls, the engagement on the rear hubs is nearly instantaneous. The freehub body, a notoriously weak point in many hubs, is immensely durable and will accept 8 or 9 speed Shimano cassettes. Front and rear hubs are available in 3 different spoke configurations, with more axle options than you can shake a rim at. Available in a number of gloss anodized colors, you can even color coordinate your hubs to the rest of the ride (and any other Hope parts you might have on your bike). The downside? We haven't found one yet, and we challenge you to do the same. MSRP - Front - $74.99 Rear - $249.99 Hope Tech USA
| 
Terry Fly Titanium Saddle White Christmas: Light and strong. Lump of Coal: Black dye rubs off when wet Santa says: My pants are black, but my butt is comfy. Many people have praised Terry's saddle's before, and we're going to do the same. Used by pro racers, the Italian-made Fly is the ultimate in comfort for your butt. The lightly padded saddle features a large center cut out for soft tissue comfort, low profile design and multi-density injection molded foam. The foam is designed to be stiffer in the rear to transfer power better. Riding on lightweight titanium rails, the Fly is designe to mute small shocks from the trail and asphalt buzz from the road. Textured leather covers the surface of the saddle and wears exceptionally well though crashes a-pleanty. Cap it all off with a white embroidered fly and a "BUZZZZ", it gives your buddies something to look at as you blow by them. We almost gagged at the price though. Wow. MSRP - $119.95 Terry Bicycles
| 
Rockshox Reba Team Air U-Turn White Christmas: Light and more adjustable than a Lay-Z-Boy. Lump of Coal: XC only...no jumping or dropping. Santa says: Adjustability is awesome. If you've got the cash, go for it. RockShox has made a huge comeback since it's acquisition by SRAM. For '07 the Reba continues to lead the way for XC fork technology. With adjustable travel from 85mm to 115mm, Motion Control damping circuit, external rebound, external compression, external floodgate and lock and PopLoc compatibility, the 3.5 pound Reba Team is a lot of fork. We've loved riding on Rockshox dual air forks and this one is no exception. Damping is fantastic, converting small trail chatter into butter and absorbing large hits progressively and with impunity. The ability to use a shock pump to adjust both the positive and negative airsprings gives almost infinite adjustability and the ability for each rider to fine tune their fork to their heart's content. The optional PopLoc remote makes locking out the fork as easy flicking a switch. Our only negative comment comes from the longer setup time needed when compared to other forks. MSRP - $749.95 RockShox USA
| 
SRAM 2007 X.9 Rear Derailleur White Christmas:Strong spring and positive action Lump of Coal:Only SRAM shifter compatible Santa says: Stronger than last year and just as fast. SRAM redesigned the X.9 line for 2007 to give it a little more value for the dollar. Now the rear derailleur (long cage shown) is almost mistaken for the X.0 series. It's missing the carbon cage and the fancy "Black Box" designation, and the finish is somewhat different, but it is mechanically almost the same as it's bigger brother. The spring tension on this derailleur will snap off your fingers if you get them caught in it, and the shifting is fast and positive. Sharing the forged knuckle of the X.0, the new generation of the X.9 promises to last longer and remain shifting through the worst the trail can throw at it. Available in three cages, featuring 1:1 actuation ratio, and 8/9 speed compatibility, it's the perfect upgrade to a tired drivetrain. MSRP - $99.95 SRAM USA
| 
Niner Bikes YAWYD topcap White Christmas:Who doesn't want a beer cap on their stem? Lump of Coal:Annoying to take off if you need to do anything with the stem. Santa says: Beer is good. So is this. Niner bikes is known for their eccentricity, but this takes the cake. YAWYD stands for "You Are What You Drink" and is an appropriate name for this fun little top cap. Based on a machined and anodized top cap, it works just like any top cap for your headset, but it has a nifty advantage of being able to mount a beer bottle cap on top of it. Who could ask for anything more? Now, every time you look down at your cyclocomputer, you can stare right into your favourite bottle cap and long for that post ride beer. And when your friends see that Great Divide cap mounted on your stem, you'll be the center of the conversation, and everyone will want to be just like you. The only problem we've found is taking off the cap to do any kind of maintainence is a pain in the butt. MSRP - $12.95 Niner Bikes
| 
SRAM Powerlink White Christmas: Makes joining and breaking chains a breeze Lump of Coal: All your friends will borrow your links. Santa says: Get a beer out of them for one of your links. Throw away your chain tool! Well, no, don't do that, because there might be some poor soul out there who's not using one of these little gizmos. SRAM's powerlink has made installing or removing a chain ultra quick and easy. It even makes repairing a busted chain on the trail a breeze. Just knock out the bad link(s) and use one of these ingenious little buggers to repair that chain and be on your way. They work by sliding one halflink through each end of the chain, then sliding and locking the two halflinks together. Just as good as a factory link and easily removable. MSRP - $3.95 SRAM USA
| 
Crank Brothers Power Pump White Christmas: High pressure AND high volume! Lump of Coal: The gauge is completely useless. Santa says: Next best thing to a track pump. Getting flats on the trail sucks. Getting flats on the trail with a really crappy pump sucks even more. Getting flats on a road bike with a crappy pump sucks the most. The Crank Bros Power Pump Alloy is built to take a beating with alloy barrels, a rotating head, micro pressure guage and lifetime warrantee. The best feature however, is the high pressure/high volume switch that lets you inflate both road and mountain tires quickly and efficiently. Toss one in your favorite biker's stocking and watch them jump for joy. MSRP - $35 Crank Brothers
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||