Tested

T he Race Face Chester composite pedal was always good value, but the original version was held back by its design. A bit too small and lacking effective concavity due to the presence of a prominent bulge over the axle, it never really provided that locked-in feel that we cherish in a flat pedal. The all-new version being reviewed here today addresses these points with a ground-up redesign that has made the Chester a much better pedal. Keep reading to learn more! Strengths Weaknesses Affordable, great value Very good grip Generous dimensions, two sizes to match rider foot size Composite body...

W e’ve been running Hope cranks since they first started making them in 2015 . The very first iteration sported a unique spindle interface which functioned as intended but was a bit faffy to work with, and Hope moved to a more traditional self-extracting bolt system for the release of the EVO version of the crank in 2019. We still have our first EVO test sample running on a bike in our fleet to this day, testament to the great reliability of the updated design. Fast-forward to 2024, and Hope has added a carbon crank to their drivetrain catalog – in typical Hope fashion, it’s ingeniously named...

W e first started coming across Turnon Components at trade shows a couple of years ago, intrigued by their use of a submerged dropper post as part of their exhibit. The point of the display was to showcase their “water and dust proof” dropper post, aptly named the Bunker. What sets this post apart from others is the lack of any kind of venting holes at the bottom of the post, which essentially creates a second air chamber inside the post as the air compressed by lowering the post has nowhere to go. To see what all this translates to in real life, we’ve been testing the Bunker for a few months...

Parents of current and future mini mountain bikers are in a great place right now. The number of high-quality, youth-sized full-suspension mountain bikes is growing faster than the feet of the kids who pedal them. Earlier this year, Giant threw their hat into the ring with two Faith models equipped with either dual 24-inch wheels (tested) or a 27.5/26-inch mixed wheel configuration. Not only are the frame and wheel sizes fit for pint-sized punting, but suspension kinematics have been developed with lightweight riders in mind. They feature a new short-travel, adjustable dropper post and even...

G arbaruk has been around since the mid 2000s, when brothers Valerii and Yurii Garbaruk officially went into carbon manufacturing, making frames, handlebars, and seatposts out of a small garage in Ukraine. Valerii and Yurii were involved in all kinds of two-wheeled racing, whether MTB XC or in the Ukrainian motorcycle Superbike league, and they had a habit of making their own parts already, so that next step seemed logical. The company acquired its first CNC machine in 2014, and then moved all its facilities to Poland in 2019. Garbaruk is now mainly focused on making aluminum MTB drivetrain...

I f you’ve been around the sport for a while, you might remember the Gamut Podium flat pedal. If you’ve been around forever, you’ll also remember the Point One Podium which was the OG of this pedal shape way back when. Gamut acquired Point One in 2014, and released their version of the Podium pedal in 2016. It was extremely thin, with a shape that still worked well for generating grip, although the small-ish platform and the large inboard bearing bulge were not to everyone’s liking. Gamut stopped making the Podium pedal after just a few years, but fast forward to 2024 and Praxis is releasing...

T he wireless dropper post market has been heating up lately, with several new entrants throwing their hats in the ring. Fox is the latest to join the party, and they’ve definitely come out swinging. By thinking outside the box, they’ve developed a dropper post that offers the fastest actuation in the industry at present, coupled with lower stack height thanks to the unusual placement of the wireless controller unit on the seat post. They’re also making the post in the three main diameters with plenty of travel options. What does all this translate to on the trail? Keep reading to find out...

I n the world of costly bike parts, Trickstuff has always had a special aura around it. Unapologetically dedicated to building the finest brakes money can buy, this German company makes a premium product and charges a pretty penny for it. We wanted to look past the sticker shock to find out if they also deliver value for money – keep reading to find out how we’ve been getting along with the Direttissima. Strengths Weaknesses Incredibly well-made product Smooth action Great ergonomics Very powerful Great modulation Consistent, dependable performance Quality and durability No bite point...

OneUp has built up a well-deserved reputation as makers of a quality dropper post over the years, and we’ve had excellent results with every iteration of it so far. They released the all-new version three a couple of months ago, so of course we had to put it to the test. Keep reading to find out how we’ve been getting along with it. Strengths Weaknesses Compact dimensions, adjustable travel Light weight Lighter actuation now, easier to modulate Reliable, easy to service Fast return speed Price increase Still not quite as smooth as the class leader OneUp Components V3 Dropper Post Highlights 60...

Italian suspension specialist EXT has been on a roll recently, introducing new products and updating existing models regularly. The Storia (enduro) and Arma (DH) coil shocks have now been given a complete overhaul, with plenty of new features added and further construction improvements implemented. We’ve had the Storia V4 on a test bike for a few weeks now, keep reading to learn all about the changes and find out what we think of it on the trail. EXT Storia V4 Highlights PSR (Position Sensitive Rebound) - hydraulic top-out system that eliminates harsh top out and improves sensitivity High and...

Always looking for innovative ways to make better products, DT Swiss has developed new, patented techniques and tools for manufacturing carbon rims. Instead of building up the carbon layers from the inside and out, DT Swiss now uses a singular mold to directly construct each 1200 series rim from the outside in, which they say improves the consistency of the layup and minimizes any imperfections. The new 1200 range of wheels features different layups and builds to suit different riding scenarios – we’ve tested the enduro-oriented EXC 1200, keep reading to learn more and get our first...

Protection is serious business, and 7iDP has always been serious about it. We’ve had great results with many of their products over the years, from kneepads to helmets, so we are excited to see them release a new high-end half shell now. The Project.21 was designed with increasingly technical and demanding riding in mind, and it comes loaded with both comfort and safety features. Keep reading to learn more! 7iDP Project.21 Highlights (Holographic Ltd Ed Series 1) ERT™ System Conehead™ Technology 21 Cooling Vents Easy Position Visor angle CRV (Crash Release Visor) System 7iDP Rear Dial Adjuster...

D eity’s TMAC pedal has been around for quite a few years by now, and in that time it has become widely recognized as one of the leading options on the market. Case in point, it has been holding down a podium position in our long-standing flat pedal face off ever since it was first published in 2016. Building on the legacy of such a successful product is always a daunting task, but that didn’t deter Deity from looking for ways to make it even better. The result is called the Supervillain, and it hits the shelves today (along with the Flat Trak, the thinnest pedal that Deity has ever made). We...

Northwave is on an eco-journey, looking to minimize their impact on the planet as they continue to produce cutting edge apparel and equipment for life on boards and bikes. To help them do so, they’ve teamed up with “ACBC” – short for “Anything Can Be Changed” - a leading B Corporation consultancy in applied sustainability for fashion and textile industries. The project with ACBC had the main goal of producing a new bike shoe model that introduces Northwave on the universe of circular materials. The result is the Tailwhip ECO EVO, designed after Northwave’s classic Tailwhip model. Read on to...

Legendary moto aftermarket tuning company Yoshimura entered the MTB market four years ago now, with their Chilao flat pedal. There was a lot to like about that pedal, although our review noted a couple of small points of potential improvement at the time. Fast forward to present day, and Yoshimura is releasing a new version of the Chilao, dubbed the Chilao SS. The “SS” stands for Static Spring, which refers to a clever preload system designed to keep sideloads away from the bearings and help the pedal to feel fresh and free of any bearing slop (Yoshimura has been granted a patent pending...

Among the rolling hills surrounding the tiny town of Plestan in Brittany, France, you’ll find a small manufacturer of mountain bike suspension called Fast Suspension. Born out of one man’s passion for making things work better, Fast started out in motorsports but has been focusing on mountain bike suspension since 2015 when they released their very first rear shock, called the Holy Grail. Jumping ahead to 2023, Fast dropped their latest product, a simplified yet sophisticated coil shock called the Ride. It comes in either a DH or an enduro version – we’ve been testing the latter for six months...

Extreme Racing Shox or EXT is an Italian suspension supplier with roots in motorsports, where the brand found success working with legendary racers like Sebastien Loeb who dominated the World Rally Championship for years aboard his Citroens. In 2014, EXT decided to try their hand at making products for mountain bikes as well, and brought over many of the technologies and the expertise they have been developing over the years. When the company launched their first suspension fork in 2021, we were impressed with the performance although we noted at the time that it required quite a bit of effort...

Extreme Racing Shox or EXT is an Italian suspension supplier with roots in motorsports, where the brand found success working with legendary racers like Sebastien Loeb who dominated the World Rally Championship for years aboard his Citroens. In 2014, EXT decided to try their hand at making products for mountain bikes as well, and brought over many of the technologies and the expertise they have been developing over the years. We have previously tested their excellent coil shocks with good results (links: Storia review and e-Storia review), so when the company introduced their first air shock...