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Wild!

Had Andrew called that a 'long term review' rather than a re-trial, would those of you who expressed reservations have thought the same thing?

True enough. Although at most of the races this year, his time has been within the top 15 men - sometimes the top 10.

That was legit. I'm not sure I knew Fabio had that big a bag of tricks.

What's the deal with brooms? I've seen all kinds of dogs go apeshit over vacuums, but not brooms.

The comparison to fat bikes being used on snow is one I haven't seen before, but it makes some sense. There are a few differences since fat bike conflicts usually occur with XC skiers on trail networks that are maintained and paid for privately, but if looked at that way (a different tool using the same trail), it alleviates some problems.

Everyone's still going to get tripped up by the variable we can't control, though - the land manager - which is the single greatest challenge to MTB access in most places.

This is not about smoking weed and riding bikes, cx. Medicinal marijuana often (not always, mind you) has no - or very little THC (the psychoactive ingredient that makes you 'high'). Instead, it is CBD (cannabidiol) which can be selectively isolated and bred by farmers, that offers the majority of medicinal effects. Here's a wiki link for more if interested.

Why Cooper keeps entering Fivers on a hardtail: re-examined.

They're still not common on the shore, but I've certainly seen a few in the last few months. Coincidentally, I did see one older guy riding one up the fire road who was also helmetless. Seems like a combo destined for trouble.

I feel like they just sneakily dropped one of the better short films of the season. That was unreal.

Posted by: shoreboy

Having owned a Kuat, and currently using a OneUp and a NS Rack, I would stay away from the Kuat.  In my experience it wasnt nearly as well built as the OneUp.  Within one season it developed significant play in the arms that lock down the wheels, and generally felt 'loose' the entire time we had it.  The OneUp is a far superior product in my opinion.

I ran the original NV for a few years and while it developed a bit of play, I wasn't disappointed overall with the build quality and never worried about the hold it had on the bikes. I now have the new version, though, and it is certainly better. I'll be writing it up in a little while. For me, the OneUp is sturdy, but ugly (some people care about that, some don't) and doesn't have some of the functional advantages of the Kuat. NS racks are their own kettle of fish. Arrangement of bikes, ease of use, looks - lots of factors. I think NS racks look terrible on the back of some vehicle, but every style of rack has its trade-offs.

Posted by: bux-bux

A friend of mine did some business  with an unnamed Ebike company out of Whistler, the one with the batteries in the backpack. He did a full day on it and said he was shocked how fast and the amount of power on this thing has, Electric dirtbike was the description. They are all technically pedal assist, but they are full on motorized.

They are NOT 'all technically pedal assist' so let's just straighten that out. The Kranked bikes require you to wear a large battery on your back, which connects you to your bike (not nice) and the motor is operated by throttle. Pedelecs (aka pedal assist) which are the format of e-bike being introduced by most brands do not have a throttle, and the motor engages only when you pedal. There is a big difference in rider experience, and, most importantly, in the amount of torque delivered to the rear wheel. As much as you can argue that an e-bike is different than a mountain bike, a throttled bike is also different than a pedelec.

Next level, Gord. I mean Taz.

Kuat is worth a look, too. What kind of truck? That matters. And how much you plan to transport bikes on it.

Posted by: Ninjatarian

The truant looks interesting; I like the multipurpose-ness.  You wouldn't happen to have any shots of them on somebody, would ya?  Kinda hard to tell the fit from just seeing them, and stock photos make everything look photo-shop perfect which is misleading. 

I'm a pretty skinny dude (5'7", 32 waste), so fit can be a PITA for me sometimes.

Sorry, I forgot to check back. I'm wearing them in all of the photos in this review: https://nsmb.com/articles/rocky-mountain-thunderbolt/  . The first few photos are Andrew, but scroll down and there are a few from different angles that you may find useful. I'm 6' 1", 200 (195 sometimes) with a short-ish 32" inseam and long torso.

Posted by: ReductiMat

TRP might be making their brake pads out of vegan thoughts.

That was a great line.

Posted by: bux-bux

I'm not a fan. If someone's fitness level isn't high enough or they are too lazy to put the effort in. It will only make their decending shit too. I think they won't catch on here. I have only seen a couple in the last year or so. The last time the guy was coming down crinkum and he was far outside his comfort zone. He probably never came back.

Let's remember that "the guy was coming down crinkum and he was far outside his comfort zone" describes most (all?) of us after our first ride on the shore. And our second. And third...

Thank you to everyone who applied. We were impressed by the quality of entries. If you weren't chosen, don't be disheartened - there were lots of criteria used to determine the four that we picked, and we hope to be announcing another forum testing opportunity very soon.

Our four testers have been chosen! They are: UFO, Taz123, pedalhound, and Jan.

Their forks are on the way, and they'll have their first thoughts posted in this thread very soon.

Update: we've selected our 4 testers, and they have been contacted. I'll announce them publicly once I've heard confirmations from all four that they're still able to participate fully. Then we'll ship them their forks and get this underway asap.

How skinny are you?

A few I've had good luck with, that might match your needs:

Giro Truant. Here's my review: https://nsmb.com/articles/giro-head-toe/

Specialized - pretty much all of their shorts (Atlas, Enduro, and Demo) will fit the bill. Their stuff fits well and is quite durable.

I would recommend the Race Face Stage shorts but they'll be similar to the Triggers that you already have and feel are too baggy.

Sombrio are not gone - they were purchased by Dorel, the same company that owns Sugoi, as well as Cannondale, GT, and Mongoose.