Bike Tests

Tomac Mountain Bikeswho pride themselves on the fact that they don't offer road, cyclocross, BMX or commuter bikes?offers nine models for 2011. The Supermatic 1 works the hardest out of the nine models to appeal to the widest range of…
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Racing Heritage Hits The Trail American riders think of Orbea as the brand that Julien Absalon rides. The most dominant modern day cross-country racer in the world has made the name Orbea synonymous with superior high-speed, cross country…
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It's A New Beginning In case you haven't been keeping up with current events, there are no more Gary Fisher brand bicycles. The Fisher brand, for years owned by Trek Bicycles, has been completely absorbed by Trek. The only Fisher graphic…
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The BMC Fourstroke FS01 'Nothing Lost In The Translation' All too often, a mountain bike dreamed up in a distant land hits our shores as if it were intended for some alien life form (which, we guess, is how most Europeans think of…
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We have had the opportunity to review two versions of Intense's versatile and all new Tracer trailbike. The bikes shared the same adjustable-travel frame (5.5-6 inches), however, one was built with cross-country oriented components, while…
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The all-mountain cross-country bike category has seen serious improvements in versatility, making these bikes the top choice for many riders today. Just a few years ago, all-mountain bikes were largely compromises between long-travel…
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When we tested the 2009 Rocky Mountain 5.5-inch-travel Altitude we said, "If you need lots of travel but don't want to give up the performance of a shorter-travel trailbike, the Altitude fits the bill." The bike we have here is another…
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You don't need us to tell you that bikes like the $6300 Scott Scale 29 RC cross-country race hardtail are awesome. You also don't need us to tell you it is priced way out of your budget. That's why we jumped at the chance to test Scott's…
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Trek's top-of-the-line, 4.7-inch-travel, carbon fiber Fuel EX trailbikes have impressed us with their lightweight and plush suspension performance. For 2011, Trek introduces the $3669 Fuel EX 9.7, a carbon-framed Fuel with a price tag…
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It took a few years for all-mountain cross-country bikes to come into their own. Originally, when longish-travel cross-country bikes rolled onto the scene, they were a compromise between climbing and descending prowess. Today, thanks to…
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I t has taken us too long to get a Sultan in here for testing. Introduced in 2007, the 29-inch-wheeled trailbike got a total makeover in 2009 with the adoption of a dw-link rear suspension. The key ingredient of a dw-link (a dual-link…
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The Specialized Epic is the world's most popular cross-country race bike. When we tested the 26-inch-wheeled Specialized S-Works Carbon Epic Disc (MBA, November 2010), it was impossible to imagine that Specialized, or anyone else for that…
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The Mach 5, one of our favorite trailbikes since we tested the first version in 2008, got a complete makeover for 2011. But what was this .7 stuff? The Mach 5.7 got less than an inch of additional travel, which seemed to position it in…
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The 29er movement, or should we say revolution, has largely taken over the performance-oriented cross-country segment in the United States. Traditional 26-inch-wheeled cross-country race machines can be very lightweight; however, they are…
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Name game: It has a new name and it plays a new game. The combination of Fisher creativity and Trek ingenuity results in a great bike that is free of the teething problems of old. In case you haven't been keeping up with current…
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Giant had one major goal for every 2010 Maestro suspension bike in their line?make it lighter. From their cross-country race machines to their downhill dragster, each design was refined to shed weight. Along with revising their existing…
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All the excitement in mountain bike design seems to surround 29-inch wheels, ten-cog cassettes, two-ring cranks and carbon fiber everything else. So where does a bike like the $1059 Cannondale F4, which does not have any of these…
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Scott takes cross-country racing seriously. They offer ten models of their Scale hardtail and nine models of their Spark dual-suspension cross-country race bikes. That's 19 models specifically designed for cross-country racers. Many bike…
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Founded in 1999, MSC offers a complete lineup of bikes with everything from ultra-light, carbon cross-country race versions to World Cup downhill rigs. In 2010, MSC products will be available in the United States, and we had the opportunity…
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In 2008 at the annual Interbike tradeshow in Las Vegas, there was a buzz among those who cruised the aisles searching for groundbreaking products, and GT's  prototype carbon fiber downhill bike was the reason for their excitement. GT took…
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We raved about Trek's 2009 carbon fiber Fuel EX 9.9 trailbike (MBA, August 2009). The 4.7-inch travel machine screamed uphill like a race bike, and the top-notch Fox Shox suspension smoothed the trail on descents, making it worth every foot…
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The new-in-2009 aluminum Titus FTM (Full Tilt Moto) tested in our July 2009 issue unseated a perennial favorite, the Titus Motolite, on our short list of recommended trailbikes. The FTM offers a half-inch more rear wheel travel than the…
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Redline only offers two mountain bike models, the MonoCog and D Series. The MonoCog is a single-speed, fully rigid bike rolling on 26- or 29-inch wheels and your choice of a chromoly or aluminum frame. The MBA wrecking crew heartily…
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Motobecane U.S.A. has a reputation for delivering a lot of bike for the bucks. The Fly Team 29 Ti XX is going to cement this reputation, coming in way below $6000 and loaded to the max with the SRAM XX group. WHO IS IT MADE FOR? The Fly…
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Wandering the new-exhibitor section of the annual Interbike trade show, we discovered a 10x10 booth manned by Michael Schwartz, who was showing off his creation?the Morpheus Bikes Oracle World Cup. The bike was a real eye-catcher…
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Can it really be only two years since the Tomac brand was reintroduced (for the third time) under the control of an all-new company headed by industry veteran Joel Smith and John "Johnny T" Tomac? That seems impossible, because the latest…
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Specialized Bicycles produces seven models in their Epic cross-country race line. The top offering is the World Championship-winning S-Works Epic Carbon Disc at a staggering suggested retail price of $8800. While we would all love to ride…
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Norco is located in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, north of our border in Canada. Their location gives them a certain advantage when it comes to developing mountain bikes. There are few places on the planet that allow you to ride most of…
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