History of Mountain Bike Evolution Show: Bicycle Taxonomy

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History of Mountain Bike Evolution Show: Bicycle Taxonomy

John spent last weekend in Santa Cruz catching up with friends, riding some tacky dirt and checking out the History of Mountain Bike Evolution Show at Santa Cruz Bicycles, put on by Doug Hatfield, Velo Cosmos with Team Old Soil. The show spanned the evolution of the mountain bike from the 1940s through the Syndicate Racing Team’s World Cup DH machines.

Below, John hones in on the evolution of cruiser bikes to klunkers and the genesis of the Marin County “Mountain Bike” and shares a jam-packed gallery of bikes and hangs…

ENVE Fray Endurance/All-Road Bike First Look

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ENVE Fray Endurance/All-Road Bike First Look

Released today, the Fray is ENVE’s new all-road/endurance road bike. The Fray is positioned in ENVE’s lineup between the Melee and the MOG, with a geometry optimized for tire sizes between 700 x 31c and 700 x 35c, and clearance up to 40c.

Petor stumbled on one of the first production Fray bikes ahead of its release for a long weekend in Girona last October. Below, he shares a first look and some initial ride impressions…

State Bicycle Co. 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike Review: Fat Bikes for All

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State Bicycle Co. 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike Review: Fat Bikes for All

This winter, Shaun Price took State’s 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike out around New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. It was his first time fat biking, making him the perfect test subject for this entry-level fat bike model from State. Today, Shaun reviews the 6061 Trail+’s riding characteristics, along with the impact of techy numbers, measurements, and geometry. As a first-time fat biker, he weighs in on the pros and cons of State’s accessible $999.99 ready-to-roll fat bike.

BTCHN’ Bikes Paul Crank Adapter

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BTCHN’ Bikes Paul Crank Adapter

The problem with the PAUL cranksets is the chainrings wear out and they’re not compatible with narrow-wide 1x setups, so you’ve gotta run a chain guide. They’re also not compatible with 10, 11, or 12-speed drivetrains. BTCHN’ bikes have been there… so they made this PAUL crankset adapter. This is 3D printed in aluminum and will bolt up to your Paul Crankset using their factory chainring bolts. It will adapt to any 104BCD chainring using standard 1x chainring bolts while maintaining the original chainline.

First debuted at the 2022 MADE Bike Show and pre-ordering now for $95.

See more at BTCHN Bikes.

Monē Bikes SB2 Review: Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’

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Monē Bikes SB2 Review: Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’

We talk a lot about the early klunkers, from Breezers to Cunninghams and Ritcheys, but what about the very first MTBs in the US, the coaster cruisers, aka mountain cruisers? These esoteric singlespeeds rely on a coaster brake hub to control their speed and were adapted from old Schwinn newspaper bikes.

Read on as John reviews his coaster cruiser, a Monē Bikes Small Batch Straight Bar, aka the SB2. These bikes are the simplest mountain bike you can ride: No hand brakes. No gears. Big bars. Balloon tires. This is peak coaster cruiser!

Forever Bike: Josh’s Custom Oddity Singlespeed With Ignite Components

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Forever Bike: Josh’s Custom Oddity Singlespeed With Ignite Components

Nearly three years ago this week, Josh picked up a custom titanium singlespeed Oddity hardtail that was originally Burnsey‘s show bike for the 2021 Philly Bike Expo. It’s become his most-ridden bike and has been subject to plenty of component swaps over the years, yet it hasn’t been fully documented with a dedicated article here on this site. Josh recently outfitted the bike with Ignite Components and (finally) shares a review and breakdown of the build below, including an interview with Ian Colquhoun of Ignite…

2024 Philly Bike Expo: Artefact, Básica Estudio, Shovel Research, and Significant Other

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2024 Philly Bike Expo: Artefact, Básica Estudio, Shovel Research, and Significant Other

Rounding out our 2024 2024 Philly Bike Expo coverage by Brad Quartuccio, we have four phenomenal bikes from the Diversity Scholarship winners, ARTEFACT, Básica Estudio, Shovel Research, and Significant Other, all of which brought very unique and awe-inspiring work. We’re elated to feature some high res images of these on the web! Let’s check them out.

The Search for the Perfect Noodle: An Elephant Bikes National Forest Explorer Review

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The Search for the Perfect Noodle: An Elephant Bikes National Forest Explorer Review

For Morgan Taylor, there’s a magical nexus that happens when a bike has a certain amount of frame flex and low-trail randonneuring geometry. In this long-term review of Elephant Bikes National Forest Explorer, Morgan recounts how past bikes have contributed to this preferred combination and then offers an in-depth look at why the NFE might just be the perfect noodle.