tag
After nearly a decade of saying he’d make it out to Bike Kill every fall, Spencer finally made the pilgrimage to Brooklyn. For the past 20 years, the Black Label Bike Club has been serving up freak bike carnage every year around Halloween. Don’t miss the amazing gallery from the quintessential Bike Kill photographer, Tod Seelie, and enjoy Spencer’s musings on this wild event below…
Do you have an aging SRAM AXS Derailleur that you wish you didn’t have to replace? Madrone Cycles wants to help you, or help you help yourself, fix up that aging derailleur. Today we have the first installment of what Spencer hopes will become a recurring series, Tinker Tantrums…
Spencer, long a fan of Ergon’s ergonomic offerings, initially thought its new GT1 grip looked close to what he’d always dreamed of from the brand. While missing the mark of being his dream grip, the GT1 has a lot to offer to seasoned ergonomic grip fans and the wing-curious. Check out his full review below…
The totally redesigned Surly Moonlander shocked fatbikers with its 24 x 6.2” tires, long wheelbase, and a Pinion gearbox. Surly Bikes had finally returned to their roots, designing a wholly innovative and ridiculous fat bike for equally crazy cyclists. There is a lot to unpack with the new Moonlander fat bike and its paradigm-shifting capabilities. See Spencer’s thoughts and his bucket list adventure with the new Moonlander below…
With the latest iteration of the Specialized Epic 8 Evo, Specialized pushes their XC bike as far as they are willing to go. The Epic 8 Evo Comp ($5000) features 10 mm more suspension travel than the non-Evo model, a full suite of Fox parts, and a carbon frame with SWAT storage. How does this bike stack up against the rest of the downcountry field? Read on…
Spencer adds up the short list of his favorite products of 2024 as the year comes to a close. This year, he adds in his favorite ride(s) of the year, what he’s learned, his favorite albums, new and old, and something new for the year. Check out his list below…
When Esker Cycles released their new Smokey hardtail, initially in titanium then shortly after in steel, they proclaimed it a hardtail with “big travel for big days.” With a 160mm travel fork and aggressive geometry, is the Smokey a wildfire or does the spark not catch? Find out in Spencer’s review below…
Who wears short shorts? Blix Croell tested the Curious Creatures Ramble Scramble short ($139), a unisex mountain biking short made by Curious Creatures, to see if casual cycling apparel can be both gender-inclusive and full-featured.
Looking for a USA-made alloy wheelset? You may have heard of Astral, who has been making high-quality alloy rims in Eugene, Oregon for years. Today Spencer takes a look at the Astral Outback alloy wheelset, which is designed for gravel or XC riding…
Spencer once got stranded on a ride with only a mildly bright rear light as his means to navigate in the dark. This experience sparked a curiosity that lay dormant until Tom of Outbound Lighting handed him some custom monochromatic bike lights he’d tinkered with. Read on as Spencer tests a few different colors of light and attempts to explain the complicated science of how our eyes react to various portions of the visible light spectrum.
Today, we have a conversation with the one and only Austin Killips. This year, she set a new overall record for the Arizona Trail and now a new women’s record for the Tour Divide. Spencer got the chance to ask Austin some questions as she prepared for the Colorado Trail to round out her Triple Crown. See what Austin had to reflect on and look forward to below…
There were lots of bike nerds at the 2024 MADE Bike Show, but what makes them tick besides bikes? Spencer Harding was there to find out through interviews with some familiar faces.
Spencer Harding was surprised to find the answer to his bike touring handlebar needs from Ritchey of all companies with their Buzzard handlebar. Their touring/comfort-focused Buzzard handlebar has the numbers and bends to make his spine and hands happy and perfectly topped off his Crust Scapebot build. Check out his review below…
Having always been excited about mixing and matching drivetrains in ways they were never meant to be used, Spencer’s interest was piqued with the D1x Trail shifter offering from Archer Components. With the second generation of the D1x, Archer added a multitude of new features to make this an appealing alternative to big-brand wireless shifting systems.
Allowing for wireless use of any cable-actuated derailleur opened some doors to intriguing (if unconventional) use cases. Check out Spencer’s review of the D1x Trail and all the strange combinations it enables below…
PNW Components recently released their Range Dropper Post and Range Lever. Iterating off their premium Loam dropper and lever the Range series offers a simplified and budget-friendly dropper post package. We think it’s a pretty solid deal, with the combo post + lever coming in at $199 total. Check out Spencer’s first ride review below…
The Crust Bikes “Scapebot” is the third iteration of the original Scapegoat. The frame fits a wide variety of tire sizes and has a unique geometry that is both modern and harks back to the golden age of ATBs. True to form, Spencer has been using this bike as his touring rig for years and decided to put the most outlandish tire clearance claims to the test. Check out his long-term review of the Crust Scapebot below…
Summer has arrived in Tucson, Arizona, which means it’s Spencer‘s surface-of-the-sun season. As such, it’s no surprise that he is shifting his focus inside. Here are some summer products keeping him busy while he waits for the sun to set so he can finally ride in sub-100-degree heat.
One of our contributors, Spencer Harding, was recently interviewed for a two-part podcast series on Live Like the World is Dying. He discusses how to go about preparing for a bike tour, shares some fun stories, and discusses how bike travel can fit into preparedness for serving a crisis.
