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c120 Arch MK3 RearLeft.jpg?VersionId=AQCzwxHYFxH8o2Tj7gqkvBhV

The Good

For the rim width, you can't get lighter.
Even carbon rims will struggle to better the weight.
Nice bit of flex is noticeably less fatiguing on long, rough descents.
Still available in 32 spoke when so many wheels are going 28 or less - which is simply not enough for alloy rims

The Bad

Hard riding without the use of a tyre insert and they won't last long. They really are as light as is possible to make an alloy rim of this width.
Even with tyre inserts, I'm still pretty worried they will taco one day

Overall Review

I've owned quite a few high end carbon wheels before, including Enve and other carbon jobbers, that are so light they make your bike feel extra whizzy and quick to accelerate. Well these wheels are AS light as even carbon ones and they give 90% of that fizzy whizzy feeling simply because of their low rotating weight. Where they differ to carbon is in feedback. They aren't anywhere near as stiff as carbon (kind of obviously) and that's as good as it is bad. The brutal stiffness of carbon wheels

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Stan's NoTubes Arch MK3 Wheelset

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Tristan_Mayor

12/17/2017 12:59am

FSA Afterburner WideR Wheelset

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Overall Review

The wheelset market is forever getting more and more competitive, especially around the $500-$600 mark. Quality wheels with strong rims and good hubs can be found complete or built at this price point, so anything less than very good will inevitably fail to make much of an impression here. Read on to find out how FSA's new Afterburner WideR hoops held up to our testing. Strengths Straightpull hubs give purposeful look Covers most current axle spacing standards Comes with tubeless rimstrip (not

original afterburner wider wheelset 2.png?VersionId=Ory2k9g9IQJ5gk9hYDrNzs2CwP12N

FSA Afterburner WideR Wheelset

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Zoomlinski

12/13/2017 7:12am

Manitou Mattoc Pro Fork

The Good

Surprisingly stiff chassis.
Great feeling air spring.
Low weight.
User serviceable and tuneable.

The Bad

Tooled through axle.
Reverse arch may present issues with mud and hose routing.
Proprietary tools.

Overall Review

The Mattoc easily stands up to its competition in the form of the Rockshox Pike and Fox 34 in a more tuneable and cheaper package. As a lighter rider (65Kg) I have long felt that the market leading forks from the big brands are overdamped. Those forks have to please a wide range of riders and I found myself just outside of the range of externally adjustable damping. Though, even if you’ve never found a problem with the damping range of your fork, the user tuneable damping (and air spring) of the

Manitou Mattoc Pro Fork

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ThomDawson

12/13/2017 1:34am

2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 SL

Overall Review

The 140mm trail bike market is a crowded one. Depending on where one looks it could be XC, trail, all-mountain, enduro… you name it. Canyon’s new Spectral doesn’t really seek to check any box in particular – instead, Canyon designed their new trail machine to fulfill the needs of the go anywhere, ride everything mountain biker. No labels, no niche, just get out and have a laugh with your friends and ride whatever comes around. Part long-legged XC bike and part enduro weapon, the new Spectral has

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2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 SL

15

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hurricanejoel

12/11/2017 12:51am

2018 Norco Sight C1 29 Bike

The Good

Super responsive and playful. Still holds its line at speed. Great climber. Amazing components.

The Bad

A tad stiff in the rocky chunder (but really that's to be expected for a 135mm travel bike).

Overall Review

I love this bike. It's made my all around riding much more fun. The platform transfers pedal strokes to forward momentum extremely well. This makes the cross hill and uphill sections of your ride more fun. Yes, I've written "more fun" twice now. The bike still absolutely rips on the downhill. The solid Fox 36 up front helps here but the rear suspension is really solid and supportive as well. It is not as 'plush' as my 160mm Enduro was but I'm not going back to that platform again because those

2018 Norco Sight C1 29 Bike

1

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robbdavis

12/8/2017 12:00pm

2017 Evil Wreckoning X01 Eagle

The Good

Endless DH capabilities || Stable || Cool Factor

The Bad

Bad Pedal Bob || Limited Rear Tire Clearance || $$$

Overall Review

Hello everyone! I got a chance to do a ride review on one of my bucket list bikes – the Evil Wreckoning. Man is this a DH monster. I could honestly see myself slapping a DH fork on this and just having it be my DH bike. It was that good. Anyways, check it out and let me know what you think. If you have a Wreckoning, let me know if my thoughts mirror yours or if you have any advice on set up to make climbing a little better. Considering this as my next bike.

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2017 Evil Wreckoning X01 Eagle

3

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TamiJean

12/7/2017 12:17am

Kenda Helldiver Tire

Overall Review

There was a time when riding Kenda tires was a rite of passage in a mountain biker’s life. The Kenda Nevegal or Small Block 8 could be found at just about every trailhead. More recently, however, Kenda had fallen out of favor with riders as development seemed to stagnate while new tires and technologies from companies like Schwalbe, Maxxis, e*thirteen, and even in-house brands proved to be great options. Upon signing with with Polygon UR World Cup downhill team it was only a matter of time until

Kenda Helldiver Tire

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hurricanejoel

12/6/2017 3:35am

Kenda Hellkat Tire

Overall Review

There was a time when riding Kenda tires was a rite of passage in a mountain biker’s life. The Kenda Nevegal or Small Block 8 could be found at just about every trailhead. More recently, however, Kenda had fallen out of favor with riders as development seemed to stagnate while new tires and technologies from companies like Schwalbe, Maxxis, e*thirteen, and even in-house brands proved to be great options. Upon signing with with Polygon UR World Cup downhill team it was only a matter of time until

Kenda Hellkat Tire

4

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hurricanejoel

12/5/2017 8:08pm

MRP Ribbon Air Fork

c120 MRP Ribbon.jpg?VersionId=kk84xwj9pGeZzxJrO

The Good

Near infinite adjustability, high performance damper, light weight, superb overall performance.

The Bad

Lots of adjustments can be overwhelming, and it takes a little time to get it dialed. Not quite as stiff as a Lyric.

Overall Review

The Ribbon offers more adjustability and performance than any other fork on the market while still coming in at a relatively light 4.2 lbs for the 29 version. With the FullFill negative/positive air springs you can dial in the amount of suppleness you like, using less air in the negative chamber to make it firm off the top or more air to maximize small bump compliance. Then with the Ramp Control you can dial in the progressivity, so you can have a fork that's super supple off the top but resists

MRP Ribbon Air Fork

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kramerica5000

12/5/2017 7:34am

MRP 1X V3 Chainguide

The Good

Initially quiet while it works

The Bad

Too flexy to keep chain in place. no longer quite once you loose the rubber inserts

Overall Review

When the chain do pop out - it shoves the guide upward and ripps the rubber inserts out. since it's on a nerrow-wide chainring - you need a tool to remove the useless guide to reinstall the chain. now your race run is over, the rubber inserts are lost garbage somewhere in the bushes, and the guide is no longer quite and is completly worthless.

original MRP 1X V3 D Mount Carbon.jpg?VersionId=KgaFfY7dWDpikzTc7L9oE X9KbBYj3v

MRP 1X V3 Chainguide

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galb

12/4/2017 1:50am