Mountain Gear

Built on the history of the popular Xen helmet, the Xar is slightly more streamlined and refined, with a couple of new features. Check it out…

Singletrack.com's Steve Frothingham is scouting out affordable rigs at the Interbike trade show to supplement our usual coverage of the latest and greatest price-is-no-object gear.

SKS's new Stow-Away bicycle pump is still a "first-of-its-kind" tool worth mentioning.

Slideshow:In effort to highlight bikes that give you some bang for your buck, Singletrack.com's own miserly New Englander Steve Frothingham is taking a look at cost-effective rigs all week at Interbike. Check out Fuji's Outland 1.0.

Slideshow:Dave Turner said the latest evolution of the Turner RFX project is still six months from seeing a showroom floor.

Check out what Blackburn is claiming to be the world's smallest shock pump.

The Descendant is a downhill race-specific crank that uses the same forged AL7050 material as the freeride/DH Holzfeller, but weighs in 240 grams less.

The folks at Gates say the new design offers all the advantages of their existing Carbon Drives, but with 20 percent more tensile strength, a slimmer profile and even better dirt- and debris-shedding.

Fox has revamped its Terra Logic "intelligent" damping system, expanded the Boost Valve to more rear shocks, rethought the Talas travel adjuster, lightened and lengthened the 36 forks, introduced more 29er forks and a new 4-cross/dirt jumping/dual slalom fork model, lightened and beautified the 15QR through axle and added a low-friction coating to its upper fork legs.

Singletrack.com's Zach White takes Fox's totally revamped Terra Logic fork offering for 2011 on the trail.

Readers ask bike guru Lennard Zinn about running a new suspension fork on a 15-year-old bike as well as an  external  bottom bracket on an even older rig.

Singletrack.com's Zach White puts his foot down on Shimano's 2011 XTR pedals. What's his conclusion? Subtly outstanding…

Cannondale's cross-country racing bikes and forks spoiled Singletrack.com ridden-it-all tech guru Lennard Zinn. That's pretty hard to do. Find out how Cannondale did it…

An over-stretched chain will usually wear your cassette and chainrings to the point of incompatibility with a new chain, causing the need for an entirely new drivetrain. Singletrack.com's Zach White takes a look at a new precision chain guage that makes keeping track of your chain easy.

Full-carbon 29ers just keep getting lighter and are appearing more often atop the podium domestically, and, finally, internationally as well. Want proof? World XC champ Nino Schurter and his Scott Swisspower teammate Florian Vogel are checking out two-niners.

SLIDESHOW: Is Rotor's 3D XC2 crankset Lord of the Rings? Singletrack.com's Caley Fretz does some wrenching and riding. Check out what he found out…

When considering bike components, lower price can mean inferior performance. Singletrack.com's one-man wrecking crew Zach White says that's not necessarily the case with SRAM's new Avid Elixir 3 hydraulic disc brakes.

Lennard Zinn, Singletrack.com's master technician, answers readers' questions. This week, the need to bleed (brakes); seat angles; and Dyna-Sys XT.

Singletrack.com's resident tech guru Lennard Zinn caught up with Levi, Ned and Jeremiah to check out their Leadville bikes.

If the Leadville Trail 100 was your second 100-mile mountain bike race ever, how would you set up your bike? This is how Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski is doing it.

SLIDESHOW: What's Dave Wiens Running at Leadville this year? Check it out in the Singletrack.com tech gallery.

Hot damn! One rippin' ride on 2011 Shimano XTR has Singletrack.com's tech editor Zack Vestal highly impressed with the venerable group's re-tooling.

Slideshow: After a decade or so of "being dark," GT is making a push to relaunch its brand, with hopes of using GT's race-rich heritage as a platform to do so.

Slideshow: Consider adding Dejay Birtch to your list of the "lucky cyclist." Birtch manages and races for the Niner-Ergon mountain bike team, riding and traveling for most of the summer with an Air 9 Carbon.

Slideshow: There's a 29er option in every single family of Specialized bikes, including Stumpjumper HT hardtails, Epic XC race bikes, the new Camber trail bikes and even Stumpjumper FSR trail bikes.

Slideshow: Specialized Factory Team rider Todd Wells won his two recent Stars-and-Stripes jerseys aboard the all-new 2011 S-Works Epic 29er, a carbon fiber full-suspension race bike.

There is a backstory to everything, and pioneering clothing company DeFeet is no exception. Singletrack.com's Lennard Zinn gets to the base of the company's success.

Offering five inches of hydraulic drop that is infinitely adjustable throughout its range, the Rock Shox Reverb offers by far the most saddle position selection of any drop-post we've ridden.

Find out the pros and cons of Specialized's Command Post, Crank Brothers' Joplin 4 and Rock Shox Reverb.

Specialized uses a mechanical locking system sprung with air, which gives a very crisp, definitive position adjustment to its Command Post.

The latest Joplin 4 has a touch less side-to-side shimmy compared to last year's model, which is mostly due to adding another guide block, thus doubling stability points internally.

With the 2011 product rollout happening across the bike industry, Breezer will debut its Cloud 9, the first carbon fiber bike from the pioneering mountain bike designer Joe Breeze.

See how Giro's new Roc Loc 5 fit system works.

Adam Craig was running Shimano's latest take on its top-tier group at the Downieville Classic last weekend. Check out what AC thinks of the 2011 XTR.

Giant's 2011 Anthem X 29er is a go. And the company's other flagship MTBs have gone on a diet.

NiteRider's new line of lights will be available in stores late July.

Speedplay pedal founder Richard Bryne has stuck with his original road design through thick and thin, but a new prototype for off-road has been in the field for some time.

Mountain bike pioneer Joe Breeze's Breezer lineup will see the Cloud 9 and Jet Stream 29er, which will come in carbon and aluminum.

Singletrack.com's Lennard Zinn says Scott's new Genius LT for 2011 manhandles downhills, yet with full lockout and only weighing 28.5 pounds, it can be pedaled to the tops of those downhills with relative ease.

Stop waiting and start drooling: Take your pick of top end XC or trail-worthy parts in 2x10 or 3x10, light brakes or big brakes, and everything else you need to hotrod your ride.

What does Singletrack.com's resident bike guru Lennard Zinn think of Cannondale's re-worked Jekyll? The answer is in the unique new Fox DYAD RT2 shock.

Technical editor Zack Vestal tries out the Lazer Tardiz time trial helmet.

Check out Zach White's author page.

Singletrack.com's tech editor Zack Vestal isn't usually blown away by baggy shorts. What's his verdict on Mavic's Stratos short?

Mountain biking legend Joe Breeze's first new Breezer mountain bikes in a decade are now available in the U.S. and Europe.

Cane Creeks's new AngleSet threadless headset will let riders transform the head angle of their mountain bikes by up to six offset angle adjustments allowing for steeper or slacker positions from 0.5 to 1.5 degrees.

Check out Zach White's author page.

Check out the video of the Orbea-USA crew's run-down of the re-worked Alma 29er for 2011.

Check out Zach White's author page.

Orbea's Alma 29er isn't exactly new, it's been re-worked big time by the engineers at the venerable Basque company.

Check out Zach White's author page.

The final weight on the 160mm RaceDay rotor from Scrub Components is a claimed 50 grams — and maybe even a little less.

If you've tried everything to remove that stuck seatpost and it's still not budging? Master mechanic Lennard Zinn has a few more suggestions.

Check out Zach White's author page.

Cyclo-cross queen Compton will hit the World Cup and domestic mountain bike circuits on her new Stevens Scope 26-inch race rig that weighs in at about 17.5 pounds.

Check out Zach White's author page.

Singletrack.com's resident-wrench, Lennard Zinn, has a full mailbag this week: Readers want to know about SRAM XX and lubin' various things up.

If you're looking for a stiff-and-sturdy wheelset in a sub-1,500-gram package, the Syncros FL carbons are your (pricey) ticket.

Confused by what you're buying? The RockShox product line is getting a new way of decoding the goods.

Initial specs and geometry for the new v-10 may change as Santa Cruz Syndicate riders are just now beating on prototypes, but expect 8.5 and 10 inches of travel and an adjustable head angle independent of the travel adjustment.

Singletrack.com Tech Editor Zack Vestal takes a look at two bars with big backsweep: Ritchey WCS Carbon 10D flat bar and Bontrager Race Lite Big Sweep flat 12 degree handlebar.

FSA has introduced a whole range of 10-speed-compatible mountain bike cranks, both in double and triple configurations, to mesh with the new SRAM and Shimano drivetrains.

Update: We thought this 140mm fork was worthy of replaying after Sea Otter. What's so special about it? It's 5.5 inches of travel for 29er rigs.

As the Sea Otter Classic is "Powered by SRAM," the Chicago company uses the event each year to introduce its new products. Lennard Zinn brings them to you here.

SEA OTTER: Nope, ain't done yet with the cherry gear. Easton Haven grows from a pair of wheels into a full family of lightweight but sturdy parts. Check ‘em out in the slideshow.

SEA OTTER: Yeti introduced its new 29er at Sea Otter — the Big Top. Check out the video.

SEA OTTER: Singletrack.com showed you Shimano's new 10-speed drivetrain last week. Here's a video view of the new group from Sea Otter.

SEA OTTER: The big-wheel specialists at Niner give the Jet 9 and Air 9 some upgrades.

SEA OTTER: Singletrack.com's Zach White roamed the Sea Otter expo to track down some trick new tech. Check out his collection of photos and information.

SEA OTTER: Schwalbe is now making some of its popular 26-inch treads for 29er lovers.

SEA OTTER: Giant is now in the big-wheel game with its new Anthem X 29er. Check out the video update.

SEA OTTER: Glimpses of Cannondale's revised Scalpel short-travel XC bike have been rare — until Singletrack.com's Zack Vestal was offered a look at Sea Otter. Plus look at what C-dale is doing with Shimano's Di2 electric shifting…

SEA OTTER: They're not ready for a splashy launch, but Sea Otter is often a time to get a peek at secret bikes like Felt's new four-inch XC rig — the Edict.

SEA OTTER: Some choice bits of tech from the Otter expo. The ever-stylish line of accessories from Lezyne grows by a couple of pumps, German brand Focus unveiled a new 29er hardtail and DT Swiss is getting serious about forks.

SEA OTTER: Singletrack.com's Zach White reports from the Sea Otter Expo area with what's new, improved and just kinda cool.

SEA OTTER: Crank Brothers is venturing far beyond where the company, which started with an innovative tire lever, has ever been before.

The question was not "if," but "when" and "how" Shimano would go about creating a 10-speed mountain bike drivetrain. Now those questions have been answered. That's right — at the Sea Otter this week, Shimano finally revealed its 10-speed off-road drivetrain.

Singletrack.com's resident wrench Lennard Zinn helps explain the different bottom bracket standards to a confused reader.

SCB's new trail and all-mountain bikes sport a design that incorporates aspects of the company's VPP suspension — but only different.

A reader wants to like 29ers, but found that he was "underwhelmed" by the big wheels. He asks Singletrack.com's tech guru Lennard Zinn if he's missing something.