Posted on January 22, 2019August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Maxxis Aggressor 2.3″ vs. 2.5″ Review

The Maxxis Aggressor has quickly become one of the favorite rear trail and enduro tires in MTB. Designed as a fast rolling option with good cornering knobs what’s not to love? I’ve spent quality time on Yeti SB130’s with both the 2.3 and 2.5″ Aggressor options (First Impressions on the Aggressor Here). So does .1″ (2.54mm) per side really change performance? Yup. Let’s go through the details that create personality differences in a Maxxis Aggressor 2.3″ vs. 2.5″ Review.

The test bike is a Yeti SB130 spec’d with 30mm internal width rims. 2.3 and 2.5″ tires are an appropriate spec for 30mm rims, but have quite different trail personalities. Continue reading Maxxis Aggressor 2.3″ vs. 2.5″ Review

Posted on January 17, 2019August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

At BikeCo.com we receive a lot of questions on suspension and bike setup. What works for who, how and why. With the launch of the carbon fiber Trust Message fork we’ve had many clients reach out. This blog is a Trust Message Fork Review concentrating on geometry and application.

As stated by Trust the Message fork rides unlike telescopic options. The Message utilizes an arced axle path from a pair of pivot arms with a leveraged air spring and damper. The differences in ride are somewhat hard to lay out after only a couple rides on the chassis. So rather than add to the “what I feel” category let’s look at factors in the wheel arc as well as the fork’s overall geometry. Continue reading Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

Posted on January 9, 2019August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Yeti Switch Infinity Review, Extended Ride

After several weeks elusively riding Yeti it’s time for a Yeti Switch Infinity Review.

The current Yeti Switch Infinity suspension was a fairly radical departure from previous Yeti designs – but man they nailed it.

Early Switch Infinity

Yeti has used the SB (SuperBike) designation prior to the current Switch Infinity design. Earlier Switch Infinity pivoted the lower linkage through eccentric spacers and bearings. This involved large diameter bearings as well as a 2 piece “micro-switch” assembly. Visually it is quite similar to the Ibis Ripley – although it does a bit different thing based on patents, etc. Continue reading Yeti Switch Infinity Review, Extended Ride

Posted on December 15, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

SB130 Custom Build by BikeCo

So, a handful of things all came together and I decided it was time for a new bike. Hopefully you’ve seen the FIRST RIDE REVIEW on the SB130 as well as the EXTENDED RIDE REVIEW. It was all I could do not to simply buy that bike… But in the long run I’m glad I didn’t because I ended up with this new Yeti SB130 Custom Build by BikeCo!

Well, at least a bunch of parts are new. Let me go over the why’s and how’s on this build.

Generally I try to sell my bikes as completes. That said, I ended up selling my previous bike as essentially a frame kit as after a wash I noted a rear wheel that was cracked. (not bad for a light-ish wheel from 2016). Anyhow, I looked at the bike in terms of what was salvageable for the new bike, what level of budget I wanted to work with and what levels of vanity I had to allow myself. Continue reading SB130 Custom Build by BikeCo

Posted on November 21, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

What to look for in a demo bike ride

What to look for on a demo bike ride BikeCo

What to look for in a demo bike ride

Another great week getting riders on the latest Ibis demos here at BikeCo.com. As the newest release the Ripmo was extremely popular as riders define what the latest 29er’s are all about. We saw many new faces at this demo. A lot of riders are upgrading from first bikes into better handling suspension systems such as DW, Switch Infinity and Sine. Many of these riders took out the Mojo 3 to see what a 27.5 trail bike offers. As always the HD4 was popular with riders looking for a more aggressive enduro 27.5. The Ripley LS was popular with riders looking for a wide ranging 29 with trail and light enduro capacity. Did you get out on one of these rippers? Planning to? Here’s what to look for in a demo bike ride.

So what kind of input did we get back from these riders? Well, it’s like a lot of them read previous BikeCo blogs about demo-ing bikes! Rather than simply “loved it” or “not for me” most riders came back with a series of likes, dislikes and neutral feedback. This is perfect data for our sales team to help spec the best bike for individual riders and aspirations.

Since it’s unlikely to totally fall in love with a demo we want riders to break down their rides into segments. Continue reading What to look for in a demo bike ride

Posted on November 16, 2018November 3, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Magura Performance vs Race Brake Pad Review

Magura Race vs Performance Pads Review Compare

Magura Performance vs Race Brake Pad Review

Initial Ride Test – Magura Performance vs Race Brake Pad Review for MT5 / MT7 models.

I love my Magura MT5 brakes. That’s well established here on BikeCo.com at this point I’m sure! Until this month however I had never run the Magura Race Brake pads. I decided to change it up a bit on the last pad change – and WHOA, quite a difference. Continue reading Magura Performance vs Race Brake Pad Review

Posted on November 14, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

DW Suspension Review, Extended Ride

11 14 18 DW Suspension Extended Ride Review

DW Suspension Review, Extended Ride

With the Ibis Demo here at BikeCo we have a lot of new faces coming into the shop. Many of these riders have advanced past lesser suspension systems and researching the leading options. Let’s take a look at what they can expect with a DW Suspension Review.

My DW background: I’ve been riding an Ibis HD4 for about a season and a half. I’m also spoiled, I can jump on demos for quick “marketing” loops when they’re here… I’ve spent considerable time on the early Mojo and Mojo HD too. I feel very confident speaking on the DW suspension.

DW Suspension Advancements

The early DW (Dave Weagle) Suspension on the original Mojo’s was good. The modern DW is better. Continue reading DW Suspension Review, Extended Ride

Posted on October 26, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Yeti SB130 Extended Ride Review

Ok, Ok, Ok. It’s a BikeCo demo so I need to let clients ride it I suppose… Here is my Yeti SB130 Extended Ride Review. (I’m still going to have to check in with it now and then though…)

Let’s go over the SB130’s Personality, Fit/Geo, Build as well as Disposition.

Yeti’s magic has been in the evolution of their race proven geometry paired with Switch Infinity suspension. The SB130 rides confidently in terrain that seems like it would eat up 130mm bikes without losing the “all day” feel you expect in a 130 rig. Continue reading Yeti SB130 Extended Ride Review

Posted on October 22, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Bottom Bracket Height and Crank Arm Length

New Bikes, First Rides, Pedal Strikes, Bottom Bracket Height and Crank Arm Length. Well it wouldn’t be BikeCo.com without courting a bit of controversy so might as well start it out on a Monday!

Let’s begin with the disclaimers – this is not a medical post. I do not have a kinesiology background so can’t speak to the physical mechanics of what you’ve got going on. I do feel I can speak to my riding experience over the years on topics like back pain, etc. If you find parallels or concepts that help I’m always stoked.

I do feel I can speak to riding dispositions as well as mechanical dimensions.

Next – there is such a thing as too low of a bottom bracket. There’s also too tall for modern geometry as well. The industry leaders are just that, industry leaders… Ibis, Yeti, Alchemy and Evil all do a lot of testing to ensure that they balance cornering, pedaling and smashing through terrain when they put their geo spec’s together… Bikes also sit into their travel slightly different – but again comparing the best of the best we can assume none of them are out in the weeds. Continue reading Bottom Bracket Height and Crank Arm Length

Posted on September 20, 2018August 14, 2020 by nate collins — Leave a comment

Yeti SB130 Review, First Ride

Yeti SB130 Review, First Ride

Oh. Man. Not every new bike really stops me, but seeing the Yeti SB130 in the stand did. Deciding I would need to quickly get a Yeti SB130 Review posted I commandeered the first ride.

The first thing I noted about the SB130 was how long it looks. The low, extended lines of the frame have the bike visually seem much longer than it measures out. Especially if you see it without a seatpost in it. The new Yeti shapes just plain look mean! Continue reading Yeti SB130 Review, First Ride