This isn’t exactly a “review” of the Carlito lightweight U-lock. Reviewing a lock is like reviewing a helmet. You can’t be sure if it will perform when you really need it until a very bad thing happens. And when (or if) that bad thing does happen, there are too many variables to say if your experience will be the same. But Travis’s experience with the Carlito has been overwhelmingly positive, even though this lock may not perform when you really need it.
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The Dust-Up: Headset Cable Routing Is Not a Victimless Crime
Travis often sneaks a scornful jab at thru-headset cable routing into his stories. In this Dust-Up, he explains why. And it’s not for all the obvious reasons.
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Silky Pocketboy Curve 130 Folding Saw Review: The Mountain Biker’s Machete
This is not one of Travis’s trail-work humble-brag stories. His Silky Pocketboy folding saw can’t make lasting changes like the chainsaw or sawzall he prefers to use. But he carries a Silky Pocketboy on every mountain bike ride, and maybe you should, too.
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Affordable High-End MTB Helmet Review Roundup
You can spend $30 on a mountain bike helmet, or you can spend $300. So, Travis aimed for the middle and compared eight budget helmets with boutique swagger.
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Bike Hacks: How I Made My Custom 85 mm Suspension Fork
Travis‘s Otso Fenrir shows up a lot in his reviews. So does the 85mm-travel Fox Step-Cast 34 he customized for it. We’ve gotten some questions about how he finagled this hack. He’s here to give answers, but not to recommend you try it.
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2024 RockShox Psylo Gold RC First-Ride Review
Sometimes, the bike industry throws cost-conscious consumers a bone, and the 2024 RockShox Psylo Gold RC is a meaty one. Travis has been chewing on it for a couple weeks now, and he’s got a review with almost no flesh-based metaphors.
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Know When to Fold ‘em: Why It’s So Hard for Multi-Tools To Stay Tight
If you use folding multi-tools, you’ve probably used one that’s gotten loose over time. Travis set out to find a permanent solution. He failed.
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High Road: A Redshift Top-Shelf Handlebar First-Ride Review
Just when you think handlebars can’t get any weirder, Redshift Sports drops the Top Shelf. But after riding them for a week, Travis found they actually felt pretty normal. Whether that’s a good thing is up to you.
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Big. Budget: A 2024 YT Jeffsy Core 2 Review
Yes, Travis calls the $3,300 YT Jeffsy Core 2 “budget.” Maybe because it’s so good at so many things that the net bang/buck ratio is off the charts.
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Just Take Me Home: Reviewing $8 RideNow TPU Inner Tubes Versus $35 Tubolitos
TPU inner tubes are light, compact, and expensive. So, Travis compared knock-off, RideNow, to OG, Tubolito. It didn’t go well, but why does he still carry one?
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As Advertised: A Flextail Zero Pump Review
Weighing less than 57 grams, the Flextail Zero Pump is the sort of bike camping luxury that’s easy to live with. It cuts the hyperventilation out of sleeping-pad inflation, though a temperamental deflation function had Travis leaving it at home on trips where every ounce counts.
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The Dust-Up: Old Man Yells at 27.2 Seatposts
In this Dust-Up, Travis claims 27.2 mm seatposts are symptoms of the gravel industry’s refusal to evolve. Turns out there’s more to it, but he’s still upset.
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More Than It Seems: A 2024 Revel Rascal Review
After its first top-to-bottom update, the new 2024 Revel Rascal may be the most versatile mid-travel 29er Travis has ever ridden. But does versatility matter when you’re just here to have fun?
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Promising, but Inconclusive: A SRAM Maven Disc Brake First-Ride Review
Travis has been clamoring for a more powerful SRAM brake, and the new Maven is definitely that. But one issue in his first-ride review left him uncertain.
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The Best Custom-Length Dropper Seatposts
Dropper posts range from 75 to 240 mm, but what if you’re right between sizes? These are our favorite posts that allow you to fine-tune your travel.
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FORGE+BOND Introduces $1,250 American-Made Carbon MTB Wheelsets
This may be the most promising step forward yet in the potential of U.S.-made thermoplastic-style carbon components. We’ve talked a lot about FUSIONFIBER, the carbon rim material used on wheels from Revel and Chris King. And when the engineering team behind FUSIONFIBER launched their own brand, FORGE+BOND, it was positioned essentially as the tip of the spear. It’s who would be exploring what’s possible with this unique material and process. And not surprisingly, their debut wheels were aimed at the high-end carbon wheel market, including models laced U.S.-made hubs from Industry Nine starting at $1,900. But pricing in the carbon wheel game has gotten extremely competitive, so FORGE+BOND has now introduced the much more affordable Shift series to their wheel lineup, offering wheels with U.S.-made FUSIONFIBER rims for $1,250.
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Head of the Pack: Wolf Tooth ReMote Drop-Bar Dropper Lever First-Ride Review
Now that Wolf Tooth released the ReMote Drop-Bar dropper lever, Travis compared it to its one good (and three not-so-good) direct competitors.
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Here for the Right Reasons: A TranzX EDP01 Wireless Dropper Post Review
The bike industry sure thinks electronic components are cool right now. But Travis doesn’t care if the TranzX EDP01 is cool. He cares if it actually works.