Though I don't typically salivate over cross-country mountain bike wheelsets, the all-new Crank Brothers Cobalt XC wheelset is about the sexiest looking set of mountain bike wheels I think I've ever seen! 24 twin-pairs of spokes are laced to the anodized blue rims via twelve integrated eyelets. The hubs are built in typical Crank Brothers fashion--functional and great looking. I'm a big fan of Crank Brothers and have used their pedals exclusively for the past several years. One thing that stands out to me with Crank Brothers... they are always leading the industry in the aesthetics of their designs. Everything is built with Apple-like finishes from the packaging to the product's look and feel. They truly do stand out to me as being the leader in smart and good-looking bike component design--those looks aren't just skin-deep. The all-new Crank ...

I don't know why all other grip manufacturers don't just throw their hands up in submission and give up making their futile attempts at grips. Is there any reason why you would NOT want to have your grips securely attached to your bars? Is there a reason why you would NOT want to be able to swap out grips, shifters or brake levers on a whim without destroying your grips? Ummm... I can't think of a reason. ODI Lock-On grips are simply the best grips on the market today and the only grips I use on my bikes. I've been using them for years and can't imagine NOT having them on my bikes. The patented Lock-On rings enable you to swap your grips at any time. And, no matter what, they stay secured--even in torrential rain....

The best early-season trails in Utah County can be found in Lambert Park in Alpine. The city maintains miles and miles of singletrack trails that meander through the 255 acre park. With so many different trail options to choose from, it's rare that I'll do the same trails in the same way every time. March is about the time the trails are thawed enough and dry enough to have good riding conditions. I found that most of the trails were dry, while any of the new trails or re-aligned trails were a bit sloppy--it usually takes a season or two for the trails to drain properly. It was my first ride of the season and I was on an early-season test rig, the 2008 Norco Fluid LT 3 ...

The first mountain bike I really wanted was a Specialized StumpJumper--that was in 1990. Times have changed, but that level of bike lust still continues as the complete lineup of Specialized mountain bikes display some of the finest craftsmanship and refinement of technology available today. Yes, Specialized is big... yes, they manufacture hundreds of thousands of bikes per year, but the fact of the matter is that they are still the industry standard in many respects. The primary one is their patented FSR suspension linkage--one that is arguably the best suspension design in terms of pedaling efficiency, braking power and squish appeal. It's also one of the oldest designs, so it has been proven time and time again to be the industry standard. About the Specialized Pitch Pro The all-new Specialized ...

Pivot Cycles is "new" on the scene for 2008. I say "new" while doing finger quotes because the company is headed by industry veteran and Titus Cycles' former founder, Chris Cocalis and is utilizing the proven DW-Link suspension design from Dave Weagle--these guys know bikes. Currently, Pivot has two bikes on the market for 2008: 1) 4-inch travel Pivot Mach 4 and 2) 5-inch travel Pivot Mach 5. While 4-inch travel bikes don't particularly light my fire, once you get into 5+ inches, that sparks interest. Pivot Mach 5 Mountain Bike The all-new Pivot Mach 5 sports a sexy DW-Link frame with, as stated above, 5-inches of travel. The patented DW-Link suspension design is named for it's inventor, Dave Weagle. His designs have previously been ...

We are looking forward to the release of Seasons from our long-time friends, The Collective. We will be bringing the film to Salt Lake City and Park City some time in early May 2008. Stay tuned for showtimes and locations. In the meantime, check out the trailer and more information directly from The Collective. Come to the Salt Lake City premiere of Seasons from The Collective >> More Info from The Collective The Collective, producers of Roam and The Collective have launched a new website and trailer in support of their latest mountain bike film, Seasons. Visit www.thecollectivefilm.com to see the trailer, rider videos, photo galleries, and more information about the film and its sponsors. Seasons is a film that follows seven of the world’s top mountain bikers through the course of four seasons of one year. The ...

I guess I've been under a rock the past six months as I didn't know until today that Giant Bicycles rider, Tara Llanes, suffered a serious spinal cord injury on September 1, 2007 at the Jeep King of the Mountain race in Beaver Creek, CO. Wow... I can't believe I hadn't heart about this before. Tara is one of the most prolific women mountain bike racers and has been a huge part of the sport for years. I wish her well in her recovery from this devastating injury. No doubt her spirit and drive will get her back up and walking again. I truly hope for a full recovery. You can check out www.tarallanesracing.com to see her accomplishments and adventures over the years....

Hydrapak has been in the hydration pack business for a long time. They are well-know for producing great products at good price points. I've used their products in the past and have found their packs to be stellar and their bladders to be about middle-of-the-pack as far as likes and dislikes. For 2008, their hydration bladders are new and improved. Gone is the rolled-over Velcro top and in its place is a new zip-top clip that greatly simplifies the closure and allows the material to be a little more substantial instead of the older, flexy material. On top of that, the hydration lines are all plug-and-play to eliminate the need to haul your pack along to the water dispenser. Just unclip the line and take the bladder to the spout--a nice feature that is pretty standard ...

At the Outdoor Demo, I tried to get on as many "all-mountain" bikes as possible. This is truly the sweet spot of the industry and where most people should look when buying a new rig. Within the all-mountain category, you have bikes with as little as 4-inches and as much as 6.5-inches of travel and everything in between. Obviously, bikes with 4-inches will be much more XC-like in their trail manners than their 6.5-inch laden brethren. On top of just travel, you've got a myriad of variations in suspension design, geometry and parts spec that all factor into how well a bike rides. Enter the 2008 Marin Mount Vision Quad XC with it's unique and revised Quad-Link 2.0 suspension design and tangerine-colored hydro-formed tubes. With 4.7-inches of travel ...

After years of admiring the man, the legend, Ryan Leech on The Collective and Roam mountain bike films, I finally got a chance to chat with him at Interbike 2007 in Las Vegas. He was hanging out at the Norco booth at the Outdoor Demo, so I chatted with him briefly about what he was up to. He told me a bit about his new video, Crux and we talked about this and that. Ryan is a stellar person and a genuine ambassador of the sport of mountain biking. Norco is definitely stoked to have him on their athlete team. I am a little late to the party with the Crux announcement, but I can't give Ryan enough props. His video sequences in both films by The Collective draw the biggest cheers and ...