I recently worked with my buddy Chris to pimp out his 2010 Fox 40 to 2012 specs and it was a big success. Well, Fox decided to send down a brand new 2012 Fox 40 FIT RC2 for us to compare and review as well.

I was pretty stoked to give the 2012 Fox 40 a thrashing after fixing up the 2010. The new 40 incorporates all of the prior knowledge that Fox has gleaned from their other forks into a beautiful 6.81 pound package.

Intended for serious downhill service, the 40 is not for the budget-minded rider. Rather, the 40 is intended for the person who puts a premium on performance. With riders like Aaron Gwin running the 40 and winning world championships on it, I am sure we can all agree that it is definitely race-proven.

Specs

The 2012 Fox 40 comes in either white or black diamond (a slightly metallic black), with a 1 1/8 steering tube and a full 8″ (203mm) of travel. The fork travel can be reduced by changing up the shim height on the coil side in 1/2 inch (12mm) increments, potentially dropping it all the way down to 6.5″ (165mm) of travel.

As I previously mentioned on the Pimp My 40 article, this 40 comes with all the goodies: Kashima coated stanchions and low friction SKF seals are standard. On the spring side of things, a standard titanium coil (blue for 150-180lb) comes installed, and two extra steel coils (purple and green) are provided if you’re on the lighter or heavier end of the scale.

Dampening is handled by the new inverted FIT damper, which I have already had experience with. The damper takes care of high and low speed compression (up top) and rebound (down at the axle), which makes it easier for a rider to tune the bike. The FIT damper has been in existence since 2005, but this time around Fox re-engineered it by inverting it and changing up the controls, which effectively kills two birds with one stone.

For starters, the inverted damper removes un-sprung mass from around the axle, so that it is now supported by the spring. The second advantage is the improved placement of the compression dials. Previous versions had the compression dials at the axle, which made changing settings on the fly impossible. One would have to stop completely, dismount, and remove the protective cover in order to access the controls.

With the new damper there is also a reduction in internal friction, which further improves damper sensitivity. This is accomplished by low friction seals and a new bladder design.

Installation

Installing the Fox 40 requires a few tools:

• Saw guide
• Hacksaw
• Measuring tape
• Headset press (if this is a new installation)
• Star nut tool
• 4, 5, and 6mm hex keys
• Torque wrench

Installation of a dual-crown fork requires good measuring skills, correct tools, and a strong mechanical background. If you do not have all of these skills then just leave this job to a bike shop… there’s no shame in that. If you do have all of the aforementioned skills and want to do it on your own, here’s how:

Start off by installing the bearing cups in the frame with the headset press.

Follow that by installing the lower race on the fork (be careful not to damage the steering tube in any way).

Once the race and cups are installed, remove the upper crown from the fork using the 5mm hex tool.

Measure the head tube, and add the stack height of the headset. On the Fox 40 you must have a minimum stack height of 105mm and no greater than 166.8mm. If you fall on the short side, you’re adding spacers between the upper crown and headset. If you’re on the tall side, you need a shorter headset.

Install the fork, complete with bearings and spacers. Some people who run a direct-mount stem have the steering tube cut flush, as is the case in my situation. If you’re of like mind, place a mark on the steering tube where the top of the crown meets the steering tube. Remove the fork and then cut the steering tube 3mm shorter. It is critical that you get this right: anything greater than that gap, and you’re replacing the steering tube (measure twice, cut once).

Use a saw guide to cut the steering tube, making sure that you remove all the burs on the inside and outside of the tube. Install the star nut using the correct tool at a depth of 4-10mm.

Install the fork with all the spacers as you had it when you set it up the first time. Adjust the star nut tension to about 1.6Nm.

Once the fork is attached to the bike, installation is pretty much the same as all other forks. Installation of the stem, bars, and brakes is covered in this article. For more information, check out the Fox owner’s manual.

Setting up the fork does take a bit of time, but it is well-worth the trouble. You can check out our previous Pimp My 40 article for more information, but the procedure is essentially the same.

Start by setting up the sag, dialing it a turn or two on the left hand dial until you have 25-30% sag. After that, set your high speed compression, low speed compression, and rebound. We used the settings from our previous tests as a starting point (11 HSC, 12LSC, 10R clicks) and found them to be bang-on. In my case, I added +4 HSC and +2 Rebound and it worked great.

Review

The performance of the Fox 40 is tough to beat: the small bump sensitivity is right on par with other excellent forks such as the Dorado Pro. Like the Dorado, I found that the new 40 tracks wonderfully, even if the ground is full of ruts and roots.

The overall reduction in stiction is noticeable when doing back-to-back runs, compared to 2011 or older models without the Kashima coating and SKF seals. I felt that the wheel spent more time tracking the terrain than clipping objects.

On the rougher end of things like the bigger hits and gnarly square-edged rocks, the 40 exceeded my expectations. The 40mm stanchions really made sure that everything stayed straight. There was no hint of flex in the system, even glancing off rocks and roots.

The mastery over the front wheel that the 40 provides will be very hard to beat. Once the fork was tuned correctly, I didn’t notice any negative effects from either the compression or rebound controls. I loved the control layout with the compression dial up top and the rebound below. I also like how the dials on the Fox 40 have a very positive “click” to them, which didn’t leave me wondering if I had actually made a change or not.

Throughout the entire testing period the 40 worked flawlessly without a single issue.

To make this the ultimate fork, I would like to see independent rebound controls for both high and low-speed rebound.  At this level, it would be nice to have the ability to further tune the fork rather than compromise. I felt that shredding stuff like rock gardens with intermittent roller sections taxed the single rebound setting.

Being a bit of a weight weenie, I would also love to see a bit of weight removed, bringing the fork closer to 6.0 lbs. I’m not sure if that would mean a compromise in stiffness (which I love), or the removal of a coil spring replaced with air (which might change the feel of the spring).

Bottom Line

This fork, complete with the new FIT RC2 damper, works flawlessly and will be hard to beat.

MSRP: $1,600.

I would like to thank the folks at Fox for sending down the 40 for a review.

SunRingle has been on a roll lately, as they have revamped their entire line of wheels. Beginning last year with a revamp of their XC, Trail, and AM lines of wheels, they’ve just completed the full rework with their DJ and DH wheels.

I was talking with Scott, the production manager from SunRingle, a while ago, and he mentioned that they were working on these new wheels, but couldn’t give me the details. With the release of the new ADD I finally had a chance to try them out!

Specs

What exactly is new here? Well, nearly everything. Like the new Charger Pro wheels, these hoops feature SunRingle’s new 28-hole straight-pull spoked hub. With a 20mm only front hub but a rear hub with all four configurations using adapters (135×12, 142×12, 150×12, and 157×12), these will surely fit your gravity ride.

Along with the redesign of the hub to accept the straight pull spokes, you get premium sealed cartridge bearings which keep things spinning smoothly. As an added feature to help keep the weight down, SunRingle decided to run double-butted Wheelsmith spokes and alloy nipples to shave a few grams without compromising strength too much. The new 30mm hoops utilize Stan’s no tube technology and come installed with Stan’s rim strips. Included, but not installed, are the Stan’s valves and bottles of sealant to get you started if you’re going tubeless right away. Outwardly fresh graphics and your choice of hub color finishes off the wheels.

These wheels come in at 2,000 grams ± a few (depending on axle configuration), making these pretty competitive as far as weight is concerned.

Installation

Installing a set of Schwalbe Muddy Mary UST tires was a snap (literally)–all that was needed to seat the beads on the rim was a quality floor pump. I have heard people complain about the troubles of setting tires on rims before, but if you just follow what Stans says on the website, it is foolproof. After the initial set-up of shaking the Stan’s sealant in the tires, I was ready to go. I set the tires to 26 PSI, installed an 11-25 cassette, and set off.  Nearly all the testing was done at the Dagmar test site, with both myself and Bob_the_Builder taking turns punishing these wheels.

Testing

As a standalone test, not thinking about any other specific wheel sets I have tested before, I could tell these wheels were a bit different. Not so much in performance, but in sound. The ADD wheels feature a slightly deeper tone to the cassette body compared to other wheels. Along with the sound, the cassette engagement is a bit coarser than other brands, meaning it takes more crank rotation to engage the cassette–about 10-12 degrees compared to about 6 degrees on others. It’s not much of a difference, but I noticed it nevertheless.

As far as rolling speed with tires, these keep up with the best of them! The ADD wheels roll very fast, and even when we tossed the bike hard into berms, we felt very little flex. What both I and Bob_the_Builder loved was the durability and solid feel of the wheels while taking off and landing. Even if we had the wheel slightly sideways coming in for a landing, we noticed very little flex, where with other wheels you hear pinging spokes. Sailing off rock gardens as fast as I was willing to send it, these wheels took the abuse without a ding, which is a good testament to the design of the rim profile. Not once did I burp or flat a tire during all that jumping and abuse.

But perhaps the best thing about the ADD wheels: they sell for about $750, a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than their competitors.

I would like to thank the folks at SunRingle for sending down the ADD wheels for a review. Stay tuned for a head-to-head comparison of these and other wheels in the coming months.

After installing the fork and headset on my new Santa Cruz V-10 build, it was time to install the drivetrain. I started off by adding a bit of grease to the bottom bracket cups. Following the well-illustrated SRAM guide, I placed the correct spacers for the Truvativ bottom bracket width and used a proper bottom bracket tool and a torque wrench to set everything up. The cups went into place with little fuss. Just remember to torque the cups down using a torque wrench.

The chain guide, also from SRAM (Truvativ), was next. Setting a chain guide for the first time can take a bit of work. The key is to align the guide pulley to the chain ring. This is accomplished using the included spacers, which fit between the ISCG tabs and the chain guide. Follow the directions from the manufacturer for further details: they are generally easy to follow with many small steps. The trick with the guide set-up is to make sure the angle you choose is as close to touching the rear suspension as you can get (unless you have an elevated rear chainstay). You can also align the taco (chain retention device that replaces the front derailleur) in an 11 – 12 o’clock position. Then install the crank, torque it down, and you’re mostly ready to go in front.

Rear Derailleur Installation

After attaching the shifter, the rear derailleur installation comes next, along with the cable routing. With the cable in hand, you want to have gentile bends in the line. No sharp kinks or excessive amounts of cable that can (and will) snag on stationary object (trees/bushes). On a DH bike you are limited in steering, so the length needed is shorter than most people think. A slight bulge in the cable at the derailleur and a gentle curve of cable at the shifter is about where you want to be in length. That is enough to keep the cable ends seated nicely in the shifter barrel, and the cable stop on the derailleur. Using a good quality cable is a great idea here: I used SRAM SlickWire cables, seeing that the bike uses a full-length housing that reduces the risk of  contamination from dirt and moisture. This is critical based on the environment that DH bikes operate in.

Setting the stops on the derailleur properly is key. SRAM wants the derailleur’s top pulley to be a half gear-width offset (towards the derailleur hanger side), on the high end. On the low end, set the derailleur so that the top cog on the cassette is in line with the idler pulleys on the derailleur. The new DH derailleur from SRAM can now have its “B” screw adjusted properly so that it is the correct tension and distance away from the cassette (a small issue with my previous set up on my Banshee). Once I set the limits, I installed the chain and shift cables (for further info on these check out our articles on Derailleur Adjustment and Chain Installation).

Coming soon: cockpit configuration and brake installation.

We’ve all dreamed about riding our mountain bikes in places that we know would get us thrown in jail… through the middle of a crowded mall being one of those places.

At this annual race in Prague, though, a lucky group of riders get to legally do just that in front of hoards of screaming fans:

Your Turn: What other urban settings do you think would be great for mountain biking?

If you’ve watched this video once, you’ve probably seen it a half-dozen times, and know how insane Danny Hart’s mud-riding skills are and how hilarious the announcers are. If you haven’t already seen this video, then you are in for a real treat:

One question in closing: “How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?”

Can you think of anything more exotic than Carbon? Neither can I. Introducing the gorgeous 2012 Santa Cruz V-10 Carbon!

I seem to recall that Gordon Murry, a well-known engineer in motorsports, once said, “If it looks fast, it probably is.” Well, it turns out he’s right.

It all started back at Interbike while chatting a bit with the boys from the Syndicate and asking their feelings about the bike. Seeing that they were all smiles, I had to put one together. Besides, at the show this bike just looked so hot! After talking with a few other manufacturers I put together my own wish list of parts that I, and I am sure others, would like to see tested on the slopes. The actual build that comes with the V-10 Carbon is already a great build… I just wanted to see how far I could go. A few emails to Easton, Fulcrum, SRAM, Schwable, and Spank, and I was on my way.

But I still had a few hours of sweat equity to put in. Unfortunately, when it comes to custom bikes, you have to do one of two things: either build it yourself or pay someone else to do it. Of course I chose to do the former and over the next couple weeks I’ll be sharing some how-to articles about my build.

First Impressions of the Santa Cruz V-10 Carbon

So far I’ve already managed to get in a few rides aboard the V-10. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly light the bike felt. Every pedal stroke going into the trailhead at the slopes was pure acceleration! I managed to get the last DH bike I built down to 36.4lbs; the V-10 Carbon first came in at 32.42lbs. That’s a massive difference in weight! I also found that even after I removed half a degree of head angle to slacken up the steering (more on that in a later article), the bike was still very nimble at speed. And speed is the big key here.

The V-10 feels like it was meant to be in the air. When the bike leaves the ground, the light weight makes for a very flickable ride. On the ground the bike is lightning fast and can change direction with minimal steering input. You would think that the light weight would mean that the bike is fragile. So far, I have had no issues: tossing the bike into rock gardens was not an issue. The 14.5″ high bottom bracket helped at keeping the cranks and pedals away from stray rocks and boulders. I kept the bike in 10.5″ mode seeing that I preferred the slightly plusher ride, and the added travel didn’t hurt anything either.

I didn’t have a chance to tune the bike much after going a bit too fast over a road gap early in my test, which cut the day short. But up until then the bike was getting more and more comfortable with every tweak of the compression and rebound settings. I will not divulge the settings a this time, but will wait until I give a full review of the bike itself.

In short, if you have a chance to give this beast a ride: do it! This is an amazing bit of technology from the folks at Santa Cruz.

Price

So what kind of price are you looking at when assembling a dream bike like this one?

Here’s a quick cost break-down:

I would like to thank the folks at SRAM, Santa Cruz, Fulcrum, Schwalbe, Spank, WTB, and Easton for sending down the gear for this build.

When I think about Italian-made cycling products, I almost always think about road racing gear. Swinging by the Fulcrum booth at Interbike this year changed my perspective. After looking over the lineup of wheels they are sporting for mountain as well as road, I knew that I had to set up a few reviews!

I manged to get my hands on Fulcrum’s top-shelf DH wheelset: the sexy Red Fire.

Tech

With their machined rims and straight-pull spokes, an untrained eye may mistake the Red Fires for a red set of another familiar brand that paints their DH wheels yellow.

Fulcrum’s Red Fire wheels don’t just hide behind fancy red anodizing, though – these wheels are something that any serious rider should take a good look at. Starting at the rim, the Red Fire has some important technical features which enables these wheels to handle serious abuse. The most obvious is the milled inner surface, designed to remove weight where it is not needed, while keeping plenty of material around the 32 asymmetrically-drilled eyelet-less holes.

Note: the holes do not go through to the inner rim surface, making these rims UST compatible. Not only is the inner surface not drilled, but the added safety ridges keep the tires firmly in place even at lower pressures (I ran them as low as 22 psi). To facilitate installation when running UST tires, the inner profile has a smooth, curved drop center which allows for both ease of installation and seating of the tire.

To ensure the rim stays round, the Red Fires are welded and milled to increase hoop life and strength. The easy-to-source stainless steel butted straight-pull spokes by Sapim are a great additional feature for this wheelset, so getting a few spares from your LBS shouldn’t be an issue (266 mm). Both front and rear wheels are laced up with 32 spokes in a conventional three-cross pattern.

The wheels feature beefy large-diameter aluminum hubs which house the industrial bearings in double rows on each side of the hub, with a few more in the cassette body for good measure. Speaking of the cassette body, the steel body runs a 3 cam pawl spring arrangement similar to that of the popular Easton Havoc series. What sets these apart is the locking bearing adjustment, which is a nice touch and well-worth the extra 6 grams or so that it adds. The front 20mm and rear 12mm through-axles round out the package and ensure that you’re getting a solid-performing duo.

Installation

In the box you get instructions, tire levers, spoke tools and a small stub of a nipple. Do not toss these parts out! The little nipple is magnetic, and the powerful earth magnet that is supplied (also in the package) is used to move your spoke nipples into place in the off chance that you break a spoke. So keep that gear safe.

Installing a set of UST tires on the Red Fires was a snap. I normally use an air compressor to mount tubeless tires, but using a quality floor pump like a Topeak Mountain will work with these tight rims. The inner 23mm width is generous enough to form a decent profile. I typically use 2.4 – 2.5″ tires and both have no issues with squirming on the rim or ballooning.

Although you can install a regular non-UST tire on these wheels, why would you? This is a question that my inner circle of friends have all asked themselves, and now they are running UST tires (those that can afford UST wheels). We all agree that it seems like the best way to go. I went with Muddy Mary and Fat Albert tires and using just a floor pump, it took little effort to snap the beads into place (spray a bit of soapy water on the bead first). A cassette and rotors was next, and away I went!

The Test

Testing was done at a smallish hill that my friends and I frequent that’s not well known to many besides a few core riders. This place has all the elements a larger hill has – from rock gardens to table jumps to big step ups and step downs to some of the best groomed, high speed berms in this part of Ontario. The only problem is there isn’t a lift… so down you fly… and up you trudge.

I was out shredding with a number of other riders whose opinions I really trust (including Bob_the_Builder), and we had a real go of it!  The first thing I noticed is the super-silent cassette body. I was kind of worried that it wasn’t working because it was so quiet! The engagement on the cassette is bang-on, like Easton and Mavic, requiring very little movement of the crank to engage. Definitely a positive point.

I hardly noticed the 2,200 gram weight. Standing alone on its own merits, I would say this is a fast-rolling set of wheels (stay tuned for a shoot-out test in the future). With a few pedal strokes and gravity on my side, these hoops helped propel the bike up to speed in no time.

Due to the relatively low weight, stopping these wheels is a non-issue. The Red Fire did very well on the big hits and rock gardens, with no signs of damage despite plowing them (sensibly) through rock gardens and sessioning step-downs and jumps over and over again. I was impressed at how laterally stiff the wheels felt when tossing the bike in the berms. Some wheels with straight-pull spokes tend to ping a tad if the wheel bends – but not these – which is a testament to how well-built and strong a wheel can be made. I have not had to turn a spoke to date: the Red Fires are still spinning smooth and free of dents!

All in all this is a great wheel set! They aren’t the lightest out there, but they hold up well to abuse and offer excellent performance. A pair will set you back around $960 and are priced similarly to the other top brands.

A big thanks to the folks at Fulcrum for sending the Red Fires down for review. Stay tuned for more from Fulcrum, and be ready for a wheel shoot-out in the near future!

Dakine is one of the big mountain bike apparel companies that really keeps an eye on performance as well as style. Add in durability and a good fit and you have the recipe for the perfect mountain bike gear! I rocked Dakine for more than half the summer and now I’m ready to share my review of the Descent long sleeve jersey and shorts.

Descent LS Jersey

The Descent LS Jersey has a familiar DH cut with a high v-neck collar and a rather roomy fit. The Raglan-cut jersey naturally has a nice-fitting arm in the long sleeve version thanks to the tubular cut. If you’re planning on wearing full armor you need to buy one size larger than normal for a proper fit.

Made from a durable 220 gm/yd polyester, the Descent jersey takes abrasion fairly well. I have had a few close calls with trees and even a crash or two on the rocks, and with the exception of a small tear (I was using elbow guards at the time), everything has held up great. Sewn into the jersey’s left side seam is a protected chamois to clean up your lens when things get really down and dirty. And to prevent stinking like a trash can, the fabric has an anti-microbial treatment which manages the deluge of bacteria that can cultivate while riding (or leaving you jersey in the trunk of your car for a week after a big ride).

As far as style goes, the asymmetrical  graphics are a bit different but I think they’re pretty cool. What looks like simple stripes from afar is actually an intricately printed maze – the graphics are definitely eye-catching.

Descent Short

The Descent shorts are purpose-built: constructed from 400D plain-weave nylon, they feature a mesh-polyester liner. That makes for a durable and comfortable short.

As far as fit, Dakine has you covered with perforated panels for better air flow, a ribbed crotch gusset for comfort, and a bit of extra stretch to provide maximum range of motion. What makes this a truly downhill-specific short is the 16″ inseam legs: perfect for just covering the knees, even with armor. The ratchet-type waist adjustment and back lumbar pad add to the durability, fit, and comfort.

If you didn’t already pick up on this from the pics, the Descent shorts and jersey are designed to match. Running both together makes you almost feel like a sponsored rider! But critically speaking,  the jersey and shorts do fit together perfectly with approximately the same fit and a similar feel to the materials.

The Test

The Descent shorts and jersey found themselves used and abused on the slopes of Blue Mountain and Horseshoe Valley resorts. Coincidentally, the instructors at Blue also use the same gear. You can imagine the confusion that arose from time to time. I was informed that the guys at Whistler also use the Descent jersey and shorts. With that kind of street cred, I feel like I’m in good company!

During the late summer months and into the fall, the Descent gear held up superbly! Despite taking various spills on rock gardens and hard-packed berms, the jersey and shorts endured, with very little sign of wear. I personally loved the feel of the material and the roomy fit that the Dakine gear provides. In case you haven’t been on a downhill or freeride bike before, there is a lot of body movement going on, with the legs and arms really working it. The combination of roominess and cut keeps the clothing from snagging up. Nothing bugs me more than having my clothing snag and pinch while I’m trying to get my groove on.

Not only do the Descent jersey ($60 MSRP) and short ($100 MSRP) look good, but they measure up in the performance and comfort arena as well.

Thanks to Dakine for sending out the Descent short and long sleeve jersey for review.

We love top 10 lists but one list we couldn’t find anywhere: the top 10 most technical mountain bike trails in the world. Admittedly it’s a tough list to compile – unless you’re Hans Rey and have spent a lifetime scoping the sickest lines around the planet. Still, we figured the singletracks database would be a good place to start for a list like this so based on member ratings, input via the forums and Facebook, and good old internet searchin’, here are the 10 gnarliest mountain bike trails we could find. Did we miss a trail? Tell us about it in the comments!

Dakota Ridge (Denver, CO)

photo: MarkZahn

This is one of the first trails that made me wonder: Am I the only one who thinks this trail is totally nuts? Fortunately maddslacker and mtbgreg1 can back me up here – this is an incredibly technical trail! Dakota Ridge teeters on a rocky spine overlooking Denver to the east and Red Rocks and the front range to the west and features chunky, off camber rocks with shear drops on either side of the trail. Still, it’s one of those classic Denver rides everyone has to ride (or walk!) at least once.

Psycho Rocks (Mt. Crested Butte, CO)

With a name like Psycho Rocks, you don’t really need black diamond markers. Just looking at the photos, Psycho Rocks is rocky, steep, and slippery when wet. Photo left: mtbgreg1.

Pick nearly any lift-serviced DH mountain biking destination and you’re sure to find black diamond and double black diamond rated runs so consider this pick a nod to all those killer bike park runs too. Trails like Frankenstein at Seven Springs in Pennsylvania (element22′s pick) and La 1837 at Mont St. Anne in Quebec, Canada are some of the toughest, yet most accessible, trails around. Head to a resort and see what you’re made of!

Pisgah National Forest (North Carolina)

Pisgah is known to riders up and down the east coast of the US for some of the most rugged (and beautiful) trails around. In fact, Bike Magazine chose Pisgah as this year’s proving ground to punish rigs in their 2012 model year tests. Pisgah is littered with steep descents, webs of roots as thick as your thighs, and crumbling rocks hidden beneath slippery, decaying leaves. Want to find the gnarliest stuff? Look up Farlow Gap, Black Mountain, and Pilot Rock – just don’t say we didn’t warn ya.

Alp d’Huez (France)

Home to the Mega Avalanche, the world’s largest DH race, Alp d’Huez features over 8,000 vertical feet of shredding spread over 80 miles of dedicated DH mountain bike lines. The Mégavalanche itself is a 20-mile DH run that punishes riders with year-round snow, ice, and rocks not to mention wooden freeride structures. If you’ve ever ridden on snow or ice, you know that alone takes even the easiest trails from mild to wild in an instant!

Tower (San Luis Obispo, CA)

We haven’t seen any reviews of this trail since 2009 so maybe it doesn’t exist anymore – if not, RIP Tower Trail. As if the steep slopes and ginormous boulders weren’t enough, the trail is hemmed in with barbed wire on one side! (photo left: downhillnews) You may recognize this trail from the photo in rotation on the singletracks homepage; man, just looking at this drop makes my stomach churn.

Moab (Utah)

Easily the most well known collection of mountain bike trails in the US, Moab features desert rock riding like nowhere else on the planet. Even trails with a mild reputation like Slickrock feature surprisingly steep descents and shocking exposure. But for the truly brave (or insane!), take a look at the Portal Trail where there’s a sign that demands riders dismount or risk certain death. If you’d rather try staying on your bike, Flat Pass and even Porcupine Rim will challenge even the most skilled mountain bikers.

Whistler (BC, Canada)

Whistler is essentially synonymous with technical mountain biking thanks to its steep slopes, creative structures, and mossy, thick vegetation. Trails like Garbonzo and countless other unnamed trails in the area are legendary for their rocks, roots, trees, and “north shore” style trail furniture. Whistler is the best place to ride miles of challenging tech for days on end – that is, if you’ve got the stones.

Catch ‘Em Up Trail (Paradox Valley, CO)

I’m not sure how (or if) this is even an official mountain bike trail but I rode walked it last summer during my ride from Durango to Moab. Catch ‘Em Up is really a cow trail shortcut ranchers use to drive cattle from the Paradox Valley to higher elevation grazing areas. Yet each summer, countless mountain bikers like those in our group attempt to ride down 3/4 of a mile and about 1,000 vertical feet to the roadway below. It was hard for any of us to imagine someone riding down this trail without walking – a lot – but then again, there must be someone who could do it!

Gas Plant (Taipei, Taiwan)

This one just sounds sick – don’t blow up at the Gas Plant! Taipei is notoriously hilly and covered with thick vegetation so when we read that Gas Plant features Taipei’s most technical climbs and descents, we were sold. Here are a couple tidbits from the Formosan Fat Tire Association website description: “starts off with 2 short carries over un-rideable rocks” and “(not) the safest place to ride, yet amazingly there has been only one serious injury here that we are aware of.” Oh, good, only one serious injury! Plus, at the end of the run you’ll also find “the slipperiest stairs in Taipei.”

Moraine State Park (Pennsylvania)

photo: jneuff

Fact: a moraine is an accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris like rock and dirt. Judging by pics of Moraine State Park like the one above, this place was also hit by a hurricane shortly thereafter! Singletracks reviewer jneuff says “This is definitely a trail to seek out if you enjoy technical, very technical, singletrack,” and other reviewers agree it’s the most technical, difficult trail they’ve ridden. Enough said.

Know of a trail that makes any one of these look like a road ride? Tell us about it in the comments!

I’ve had the pleasure of testing quite a few mountain bike shocks back-to-back this season, including the new Revox Pro from Manitou. The Revox has gone through a few cosmetic changes and internal tweaks recently. On the surface the new Revox definitely looks much more polished compared to what it looked like a few years back.

The Revox Pro is Manitou’s top-level rear shock and is best matched with the Dorado (or any other dual-crown fork). Coming in at about 450 grams without spring (depending on length), the Revox Pro is ready to rock. With a battery of adjustments (HSC, LHS, rebound, pre-load, and no-tool volume control) this shock can be tuned for anything you can dish out. To ensure that last statement holds true, a 14 mm hard-anodized damper shaft has been incorporated to keep things under control. Cosmetic changes to the anodizing and a new black damper body give the shock a fresh new look.

A shock with this many adjustments takes a bit of care to set up. Doing so correctly produces a rear shock that really shines and keeps you under control. When setting up the Revox, it’s a good idea to write down all the changes that you make. The detents are a bit soft, so recording adjustments as turns from full open / closed works best. Selecting the spring rate (usually manufacturers give you a good idea here) is a start. Consulting Banshee, for example, informed me that I needed a 400lb/inch spring for the correct rate to go along with the Revox. You can tell if you’re right when it comes time to setting up the sag. Usually you only need about 2 turns from initial contact of the spring to the spring seat collars. I wanted 35% sag, so from an eye-to-eye of 240 mm I wanted a compressed eye-to-eye of 213 mm. I tweaked the collar a half turn more, and I was there.

Once that was done, I was off to the slopes for some testing!

Below is a setup sheet:

After the sag, I set rebound, starting closer to the middle of the range and backing it off until I got a wheel that returned fairly quickly but not so quickly as to buck me off the back of the bike. Now I tend to run the shock at 8 clicks from full CCW. It gives me a live feeling in the back without pushing me too far forward.

The next two adjustments are the low speed compression and then the high speed. So again, I set the LSC at half-way and I went and did a few rides. It took a bit to figure out that the LSC was perfect the first time out. I was playing around with both compressions until I found that the mid level, 1.5 turns, was the perfect amount to give me active compression when hitting bumps, but still hard enough for pedaling.

Getting the high speed set was a bit easier. Starting at just over the mid-way point, I went mostly down from there, finding that once the HSC was set to 10 clicks, which is just a bit below the mid-point, I was happy to play with the bottom-out adjustment. Bottom-out was moved to position three with 160 psi in it (10 over stock fill).

After spending some time playing around with the Revox Pro at Seven Springs, Blue Mountain, and Horseshoe Valley, I can say it works perfectly! The Revox never faded, leaked, or had any other defect. I had superior control over the rear of my bike. Over gnarly rock gardens or boosting tables or even hitting 12ft drops to g-outs to step ups, the Revox did an excellent job. A good upgrade would be a Ti spring (hopefully for next season).

The only issues I had were that the LSC detents didn’t click well and it was a bit hard to repeat settings. The small red knob was also difficult to adjust with gloves. The Rebound knob did detent well enough, but it was a bit stiff. If Manitou works out these minor kinks they will have a flawless shock.  Get one of these for your bike for $400 MSRP (springs and hardware extra from $17.00 to $25.00).

Thanks to the folks at Manitou for sending down the Revox Pro for a review.

Preface: I spent 9 incredible days of riding in back-to-back exotic (for me) locations famous for their mountain bike trails. I’ll lay them out in the manner that makes sense to me with liberal bragging thrown in for good measure. Week 1 was in Copper Harbor, Michigan for a work retreat that included daily riding. For week 2 I got on a plane to meet up with old friends on a desert adventure we’d been planning for 6 months.

It’s damn dark up here at 6am, but there are a dozen bikes lined up on the fence outside and our tour guide is handing out maps. Aaron Rogers is our local guide, the president of the Copper Harbor Trails Club and viciously fast on the local dirt. I guess that’s how it is when you’ve built most of the trails yourself. Inside the lodge we’re eating breakfast, filling Camelbaks, making a last minute gear check and getting our layers on right: not too warm and not too cool for the early morning Michigan Upper Peninsula weather.

The trails. That’s what you want to hear about, right? First a word on the setting. I moved to the midwest (in winter. great idea) for work and have been trying a little of this and a little of that to get my fix of the type of singletrack riding I had grown used to back east in the Philadelphia area. Try as I might the fact remains: there is a lot of prairie around here. It can be great for things like a gravel metric ride, but big climbs and long descents are few and far between unless I want to do some serious highway miles to get them. And drive we did to get to Copper Harbor Michigan. Seven hours in the car through Wisconsin and then the Upper Peninsula to the tip-top of the finger that jabs into Lake Superior. The scenery was beautiful – we went through a tunnel of trees that was miles long, saw no less that three bald eagles, a coyote and many deer. If you’re doing a five day, four night trip like this a little driving won’t kill you, and I got to see some unfamiliar parts of the country that were rugged, remote and picturesque. OK, now on to the riding.

It’s amazing. Every damn last foot of singletrack was impressive. I’ll admit I’m a cheap date – give me a halfway decent bike, some dirt to roll on, and some trees to dodge and I’m happy. But the dozen people I was riding with had true skills, including the entire mountain bike development team responsible for bringing to life the rig that won the world downhill championships this year. If they were digging these runs, you know the trails are good. The terrain went from rocky, rooty big-drop downhill-type runs to cush cross country tracks through the pines. The finishing touches were being put on an A-line style run down from the top of the peak, right next to a set of boardwalk switchbacks that take you down (or up) the steep face of Keweenaw Mountain. With the right basket of technical riding skills you could lace together several days of grinding climbs and extended, beautifully flowing descents that leave you looking like this:

Folks, this is what “Bike Stoned” looks like

The photo above was taken at the bottom of a trail simply named Flow. Recently completed, it is a masterpiece of switchbacks, whoops, ripping ridge lines and the sweetest, plushest dirt I’ve ever rolled a knob on. We all looked like Dave when we reached the bottom: blissed out in the realization that this is work. On our final day we took advantage of the shuttle service available from Keweenaw Adventure Company. You can believe we chose Flow a few times that day. Throw in some descents of Woopidy Woo and we were all feeling just right.

My coworker estimated that over $30K of bikes were on this trailer

Did I mention the accolades? I’ve spent enough time praising these Michigan miles so here’s a ringing endorsement from IMBA (and they know about this sort of thing): Copper Harbor has the distinction of being one of their “Epic Rides.” That’s a hell of an honor since there are only 48 in the world that the association has designated. All you have to do is air up your tires, grab a map and hit the trails in this order: Copper Harbor Loop, Garden Brook, Woopidy Woo, Garden Brook, Blue Trail, Dza Beet, Here We Go, Ma Maki, Say Hello, Dza Beet, Simeh, De Deet, Red Trail, Clark Mine Road, Pauls Plunge, John Lincoln Green, Manganese Road, Ma Maki, Der we Went, Stairway to Heaven, Copper Harbor Loop to Trail Head. Do yourself a favor: check out the interactive map here and watch the videos that accompany most of the trails. I particularly like reminiscing about Stairway to Heaven.

So there you have it. If you’ve got the opportunity to get to the north country, or are looking for a centrally located destination for a sweet riding retreat, hit up Copper Harbor. You won’t be disappointed. There are rustic cabins to toast your riding buddies and tell tales by firelight at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, gear outfitting and shuttles at the Keweenaw Adventure Company, and tasty post-ride grub and beers to be had at the Mariner on the main strip in town. All in one spot for your riding pleasure. Bring your legs, your skills and your camera – they’ll all be well used up here.

Nearly all of my MTB wheelsets are UST so I’ve been searching for good downhill tires I can run tubeless. Recently the good folks at Schwalbe sent over Big Betty and Muddy Mary tires to put to the test. In the past I’ve had great results with the Fat Alberts and Wicked Wills, so I was pretty stoked to give these two tires a shot. I chose the Muddy Mary and the Big Betty based on the terrain I typically ride: granite, shale, hardpack (and I do mean hard pack), and sometimes mud that just won’t dry up.

The Big Betty and Muddy Mary both come in a few flavors. I am writing about the Evolution line which is a folding, tubeless, TrailStar version. It’s a mouthful for sure but these days tires are offered at many price points and configurations, making them more accessible and versatile for the rider. Both the Big Betty and Muddy Mary tubeless tires come in at 1100 grams each (XC riders, pick your jaws up off the floor). These tires are a bit heavy but for what they’re designed for and considering you don’t need a tube, the weight isn’t too bad (DH tubes are approximate 200 grams each).

Both tires feature single-ply construction with a thread density of 67 EPI (ends per inch). The Snakeskin sidewall protection is essentially fabric which offers about the same amount of protection as rubber. The tire carcasses along with the tread are designed to prevent side pinch punctures for more safety and stability. Limited Slip Technology (L.S.T.) is also a cool feature: it’s a special rubber compound that reduces the chances of the tire slipping on the rim (helpful if your tire  is a bit too low on pressure). The TrailStar compound is a blend of rubbers with an easy rolling base layer and a medium soft center compound followed by a soft center compound. Schwalbe also offers a softer compound mix called the VertStar which offers a super soft center and side rubbers but those are for DH competition.

The Big Betty 26×2.40 is a true high volume 2.4 inch wide tire. It’s designed for the drier side of things and offers great grip on a variety of terrain like rock, shale, and hard pack. Stability is decent on looser soil as well. I found that I could achieve high levels of braking force with these tires which made me feel comfortable diving into turns. Speaking of turns, the Big Betty transitions well from upright to pitched positions with no squirming in between. This is a great feature for riders who are getting comfortable at riding higher speeds on the slopes.

The twin row of sequenced vertical/horizontal ramped and sipped blocks along with a hollow square block does a good job keeping vibrations at bay away while offering high traction. The double row of cornering blocks excel at keeping you on line when pitched. Overall the design of the tire is somewhat tight so mud shedding is not as great as other tires out there.

The Muddy Mary 26×2.35 is another high-volume tire and is actually a bit bigger than 2.35 inches – it’s closer to 2.4 inches. This tire has its pattern arranged more openly with each center block sipped horizontally and the cornering blocks sipped vertically. The open tread pattern allows for good mud and debris shedding.

The Muddy Mary features an alternating wide block and single square block across the center along with a single flanking transitional square knob and aggressive cornering knobs. Due to the very square pattern, these tires don’t roll as well as the Big Betty but offer more grip on a wide range of terrain, including soft loamy terrain.

Installation was a snap for both tires on Mavic Deemax Ultimate and Easton Havoc wheels. Both wheels are UST and the tires went on easily with a floor pump and single tire iron. I like to thoroughly lubricate the sidewalls of the tire with soap (diluted dish soap works), and then pump them up to about 35 PSI to let the beads seat properly before I drop the tires down to 25/27 PSI (F/R) which is my running pressure.

How did these tires fair? I found I really liked the Big Betty tires and got used to them right away. You could almost say these were my go-to tire when I was packing my gear. I felt comfortable pitching the bike into corners and braking with confidence. However, the TrailStar compounds on both tires started to show signs of wear after nine full days of riding the slopes hard. The sharp knobs began to tear at their edges, mostly due to the hard braking that was needed to slow down my FR and DH rigs on the slate and hardpack surfaces. The high-speed berms at Blue Mountain are nearly as hard as concrete (talk about packed dirt) and many of the technical areas are on slate. So the amount of abrasion I put these tires through is perhaps more than some will experience.

The Muddy Marys worked nearly as well but I found they were best when used the day after a rainfall when the terrain was moist and the rocks were wet. The Muddy Marys offer a good speed-for-traction tradeoff – it certainly took a bit more effort to get them moving. But once they were heading down the slopes, these tires gripped well. Pitching the Muddy Marys into corners was fun, though I did note a touch of squirm on some occasions (on the harder terrain) but nothing like a Maxxis Ardent (another tire I enjoy). The tread on these tires held out a bit better than the Big Bettys, perhaps due to the fact there was less friction on the tire in the softer soil.

Check out the Schwalbe Big Betty ($90 MSRP) and Muddy Mary ($96 MSRP) tires for DH and FR mountain biking.

I would like to thank Schwalbe for sending down the tires for review.