Earn $100 at Jenson USA for Your Vital MTB Member Reviews

Every 30 days we award the Top User Reviewer with a little prize. This month Jenson USA pitched in a $100 gift card! Vital MTB member dirtworks911 wrote three great reviews, earning the Top Reviewer spot. Here's a recap of his best:

RockShox Reverb 1X Remote - "Out on a pedal is where I truly became a believer of the new X1 remote. Already satisfied with the previous system, I felt swapping remotes would be slightly anti-climactic but I was so wrong. The remote feels 100% natural. Coming from the previous version required a thumb maneuver similar to that of a “take down” move while thumb wrestling your significant other, the X1 is simple right there. Give it a simple push and the saddle moves.

The Reverb was already one of the smoothest dropper posts, thanks to it’s fully hydraulic design. With the addition of the new X1 remote however, I truly believe the Reverb is hands down the smoothest post around. Period.

The X1 lever is everything it’s cracked up to be and possibly even more. It makes the an already smooth dropper even smoother. If you have already chosen the Reverb as your seat post, I wouldn’t say the X1 lever is a “must have,” but I sure do recommend it. The only downside is the fact that it’s $95 retail. With the dropper with the regular remote retailing at $450+, purchasing this remote as an upgrade will leave your wife asking, “Where does the craziness end?!” All I can say is that it might be worth the fight it will cause." - Read more»

Chromag Squarewave Grip - "Having ridden flat (non-ergonomic) grips up to the point of running the Chromag Squarewaves, I finally realized what I was missing. The shape of the Squarewaves make it a very, very comfy grip. Smaller blocks on the outside, larger blocks in the middle, and then even smaller blocks on the inside, these grips provide a sense of grip not found on other grips. I found the larger blocks in the middle offered excellent dampening for even the roughest of trails. The inside and outside offered excellent grip even while riding in the wet.

As for durability, I was quite impressed with how the Squarewaves held up. After a solid year of riding, I can begin to see some of the smaller squares in the outside of the grip beginning to wear which I would consider to be expected. The rest of the grips are fully intact which I’m was quite stoked on.

As for the lock on clamps, I never experienced any issues with bolts stripping or the grips going moto on me at all. I’ve experienced this with previous lock on grips but I’m happy to say the lock-ons on the Squarewaves do their job with ease.

I’ve been stoked on the Chromag Squarewave grips. They offer excellent grip and dampening, the ergonomic shape feels very natural, and they held up very well. If you are the type of rider that wants exceptional performance out of their grips without having to replace them 2 times a season, the Chromag Squarewaves are for you. I’ve been quite pleased with mine and I feel you will feel the same." - Read more»

Chromag BZA 35 Stem - "After throwing this stem onto my bike and taking a few laps on my favorite trail, I was quite pleased with how it handled. Chromag nailed it when they described this stem as strong and burly. Where I used to feel flex on high impact situations, the BZA is stout and stubborn, like a wife that will now tolerate the “n+1” bike owning rule. The stem stays in place and doesn’t budge a bit.

One of the major features that drove me to by the BZA was the oversized M6 hardware compared to more common M5 hardware. I ride in situations where I can’t afford to have a stem twist on me, doing so could result in some pretty nasty medical bills. Having the M6 bolts on the steer tube side of the stem helps me rest at ease cus I know the stem isn’t shifter anywhere, which really builds my riding confidence.

For the vast majority of riders, any stem on the market will do the job. For the majority of the minority, stiffness and price are the major factors and going with a decent overseas stem will do the trick. I decided to go with the BZA stem because I wanted something strong, clean, and showed off my bars well. The fact it was made in north America helped me ease up a bit on spending so much because I knew it was made by a hard working canuck and really sealed the deal on me buying it. It’s strong and burly which is exactly what I wanted. The weight on it was a little surprising but with all the perks it offers, I was okay with it.

I know there are stems out there that will work just fine for me that are much cheaper but I value quality and supporting north American workers. If you feel the same, I would absolutely recommend this stem. You will not be disappointed by it’s performance." - Read more»

Big congrats to dirtworks911! Thanks for helping out the riding scene with your thoughts on these products.

Want to be in the running for next month's award? Start reviewing the parts you use in the Vital MTB Product Guide and keep an eye on the Top Reviewer leaderboard. We'll announce the next winner in early July.