The ZTR Valor wheels have been long-awaited from the brand that brought us lightweight tubeless rims, and the ZTR Crest, Arch and Race Gold wheel set are be found on many marathon and stage racing bikes. But light alloy rims aren’t without their downsides. Flex can be a problem, if not for lighter riders, for more […]
Reviewed: Magellan Cyclo 505 HC Bike Computer
The riders on the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team were lucky enough to get Magellan on board for the 2014 season, supplying them with their Cyclo 505 HC bike computer. After almost 12 months of extensive testing on and off road, in the mud and on sunny days, here’s the final test report by Roeland Suys. The Magellan […]
Marathon Racing Bling at Eurobike – Part 2
Last week, the focus of a lot of the bike industry was centred on Friedrichshafen, on the Bodensee in southern Germany. In an area that isn’t short on kitsch, it’s a fitting place for one of the annual cycling trade shows. The bike industry must seem pretty quaint and small compared to other industries, but […]
Marathon Racing Bling from Eurobike – Part 1
The 2014 Eurobike show had certain highlights – new colours, e-bikes and fatbikes. There has been a lot of refinement in the ranges and offerings from many manufacturers, but overall, it’s general improvements more than ground breaking new technology for Marathon and Stage Race mountain bikers. Here are a few of our favourite items that […]
Shimano XTR Di2 Looking Refined
Earlier this year we saw photos of the new XTR M9000 adorning the BMC of Julien Absalon. The 1×11 setup with close ratios looked sweet, perfect for XCO racing, and Absalon has clearly showed that as he wrapped up yet another World Cup title. At Euro Bike, Shimano had the BMC that Absalon rode at […]
SRAM launch XX1 Quarq Power Meter
You rarely see a Pro road bike without a power meter, and it looks like Quarq and SRAM have taken a step to make it the same in the mountain bike market. At the 2014 Euro Bike trade show, the new XX1 compatible Quarq unit was fitted to the SRAM XX1 crankset. Although Quarq units […]
Reviewed: Kappius Components KR29 Wheelset
Our final review of the Kappius Components wheels is now online here. Carbon wheels have almost become par for the course, with carbon wheelsets available online for less than you might pay for a mid-range alloy wheelset. Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, brands like ENVE and FRM push the boundaries of what […]
Shimano Launches XTR Di2 – XTR M9050
After the launch of the new Shimano XTR M9000 groupset, which offers an 11 speed cassette that can be used with a single, double or triple chainring, Shimano have released an electronic version: XTR M9050 – or XTR Di2. Although many pro MTB riders are already using XTR M9000, the XTR Di2 will add a new […]
Syntace W30 wheelset and finishing kit review
Syntace W30 wheels The wheels are stiff, with very smooth-running bearings, and a lovely, almost Hope-matching freewheel buzz. 30mm (external) rims mean WIDE. So tyres come up with a bit more volume than they would otherwise. The wheels took a few hits through the week, particularly on my bad-stomach day when all energy and technical […]
Shimano XTR M9000 for Julien Absalon
Pictures have emerged of the Shimano XTR M9000, out of France, on multiple Everything champion – Julien Absalon. While in Cairns for the 2nd round of the XCO World Cup, Absalon was running a 1 x 10 setup, using current generation XTR. Clearly, some of the product is making production. The photos do show the […]