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TITANIUM HARDTAIL COMPARISON – FIVE TI HARDTAILS PUT TO THE TEST

Which Ti hardtail is right for you?

We gathered five of the hottest Ti bikes on the market and tested them in the mountains near the MBA headquarters and then in Hurricane, Utah, to see what makes them special.
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BIKE REVIEW: NOX HELIUM ENDURO 7.1 – WHEN AN ELECTRIC BIKE IS NOT AN ELECTRIC BIKE

Don't NOX it until you try it

The idea of a big-mountain, enduro-focused bike that didn’t require a shuttle or lift, yet could morph into a lighter bike when those options were available, almost sounded too good to be true.
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ALCHEMY ARKTOS REVIEW: A MODULAR CARBON TRAIL MACHINE

Choose your own adventure

Scientifically, “alchemy” is the seemingly magical process that transforms something ordinary into something extraordinary.
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LONG TERM REVIEW: GIANT TRANCE ADVANCED PRO 29 – THE MOST ADVANCED GIANT TRANCE

A myriad of improvements on an already refined model

Giant’s updated Trance Advanced Pro 1 is impressive, especially considering the previous Trance didn’t seem to leave much to be desired.
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BLAST FROM THE PAST: MBA’S WHEEL-WAR SHOOTOUT— 29″ vs. 27.5″ vs. 26″

What's The Right Wheel Size For You?

Shootout: Wheel Wars—29 vs 27.5 vs 26 This story first appeared in our March 2012 issue, when only a few companies were offering bikes with 27.5-inch (650b) wheels. At that time, the dilemma for most riders was to choose between bikes with…
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LONG TERM REVIEW: SANTA CRUZ HECKLER ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN BIKE

Old-school name meets cutting-edge technology

It’s an aggressive yet versatile electric bike that’s designed to expand the range of all-around trail riding and all-mountain style riding with a big battery and Shimano’s EP8 drive unit.
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VIDEO: SANTA CRUZ HIGHTOWER 3 BIKE TEST

The Santa Cruz Hightower 3 ride test

The Hightower is one of Santa Cruz' most versatile bikes and seems to blur the lines between the trail and all mountain categories.
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NINER JET 9 RD0 REVIEW: SHORT TRAVEL TRAIL BIKE VERSATILITY

Niner named this bike the Jet for a reason

If you are looking to get an efficient-pedaling trail bike with enough travel to handle just about any terrain you put it up against, the Jet 9 RDO is a good option to have on your short list of possibilities.
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SCOR 4060 ST REVIEW

Does this new brand live up to the hype?

As the bike industry continues to expand, Scor enters the fray with an enticing trail/enduro hybrid.
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TITANIUM TUESDAY: LITESPEED PINHOTI III REVIEW

The Tennessee way is always a unique way

In addition to Litespeed being one of America’s most notable titanium frame builders, it’s safe to say that over the course of nearly four decades that we’ve been testing bikes, when it comes to titanium mountain bikes, we’ve tested more…
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TITANIUM TUESDAY: MOOTS WOMBLE REVIEW

When a little bit of Colorado and Arkansas combine

“Oh, wow,” was the sentiment shared by all of the wrecking crew in the first few pedal strokes on the Moots.
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TITANIUM TUESDAY: SAGE OPTIMATOR REVIEW

Cross-country race mettle

With a 100mm fork and steep aggressive geometry, there is no mistaking Sage’s Optimator for anything but a full-blown cross-country race bike.
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: GT’S FULLY ACTIVE LTS

Too much is never enough

The LTS tells us that the fastest-moving bicycle company in the USA is headed in the right direction.
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OLYMPIC PEDIGREE: SCOTT SPARK RC WORLD CUP REVIEW

In your face speed with a hidden shock

Now in their fourth iteration, the 2022 Spark RC and Spark 900 lines have continued their cross-country heritage on racetracks, blending modern technology and design to suit all levels of riders.
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A FORCE TO BE WRECKONED WITH: GT’S NEW FORCE ENDURO BIKE REVIEWED

The Force will guide me

This newest iteration of their Force enduro platform utilizes a modified version of the legendary, tried-and-true LTS suspension and has a radically different-looking drivetrain modification that GT claims extracts more performance from the…
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THE MOST POWERFUL CLASS 1 EMTB WE HAVE EVER TESTED: ROCKY MOUNTAIN’S ALTITUDE POWERPLAY

Big power meets big-mountain riding

In spite of some quirks, Rocky Mountain knocked it out of the park with the Altitude Powerplay.
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LONG TERM REVIEW: YT DECOY MX ELECTRIC BIKE

Enticing electric power

If you like to stay planted to the trail, stable at high speed and want to plow through rough singletrack, the YT Decoy MX is a whole lot of good times.
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DRIVETRAIN OF THE FUTURE: ZERODE KATIPO TRAIL LONG TERM REVIEW

Can a gearbox and belt drive change it all?

The Katipo Trail is Zerode’s latest addition to their lineup of Pinion gearbox-equipped bikes, and we brought it in to see if this alternative to the modern drivetrain is going to stick.
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LONG TERM REVIEW: SPECIALIZED STUMPJUMPER EVO ELITE ALLOY

When metal really rocks

Specialized has taken all of the performance, adjustability and features of its carbon Stumpjumper EVO and offered them in a more affordable M5 aluminum package for 2022.
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MBA TESTED: MULLET CYCLES HONEYMAKER AND PEACEMAKER

Testing two mixed-wheel 29"/27.5"bikes

Mullet Cycles has created something unique for riders who know what they want and are looking for in a mixed-wheel bike.
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MBA LONG TERM REVIEW: ESKER CYCLES ROWL

Not just another trail bike

The new Rowl is an impressive trail bike that has a broader range of trail performance than one would expect.
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YETI 160E MOUNTAIN BIKE TEST

Late to the game but making a grand entrance

Late to the game as Yeti is, it wasn’t without reason—Yeti wanted to get the 160E right from the beginning.
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This story first appeared in our March 2012 issue, when only a few companies were offering bikes with 27.5-inch (650b) wheels. At that time, the dilemma for most riders was to choose between bikes with 26 and 29-inch wheels. Take a look back at what we said about the three wheel-size choices, back in the day when the 26-inchers still ruled the market

What's The Right Size For You?
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