For over a year, we have known about the effort that Specialized have invested in their 2012 tire line.  Drawing on twenty-odd years of mountain bike tire design and making extensive use of cutting-edge Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the big red S have revived the classic Ground Control name and extensively revised the Fast Trak.  In their fatter 2.3in and 2.2in tubeless-ready “Control” casings, both 26in tires come in under 600g.  Having had a great experience with the Fast Trak during Project 24.2 and some good fall rides on the Ground Control–and with each tire selling for $55– I thought that I might have found the perfect lightweight trail combo.  How have the 1,150g of Special rubber treated me?  Cross the line to find out!

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Sensing the changing tide of mountain biking, Ritchey has just announced a complete WCS Trail group with both alloy and carbon parts for more aggressive mountain biking.

In recent history, Ritchey was primarily aimed at the lightweight XC crowd while sister company Syncros handled the bigger travel, gravity oriented mountain biker. Since selling Syncros, Ritchey has started adding stronger, wider and longer parts, starting with adding larger axle options on their carbon wheels.

Now, they have a full WCS Trail group for the cockpit -handlebars, stem and seatposts- of 5″ to 6″ travel bikes. Roll through the break for specifics…

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Bottle cages have a pretty simple remit: to hold waterbottles.  Sure, it’s nice if they’re good looking, high tech, or reasonably priced- but all of this is forgotten the moment a bottle goes missing.  Lezyne know this and have built what may be the most tenacious bottle cage I’ve come across.  Is it the cage for you?  Hit the jump to find out!

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After being caught out too many times in surprise thunderstorms or without enough food, I’ve learned to carry a fair amount of gear when headed into the woods.  Not a ton- just enough to be comfortable if the weather turns (or I take a wrong turn).  When shopping for a new pack, I tend to look for a gear liter capacity in the low-mid teens, good organization, and some sort of breathable back panel.  With all that and more, Deuter’s Compact EXP 12 caught my eye earlier this spring.  After numerous 2-6 hour rides in everything from pouring rain to 100-degree heat, is it a keeper?  Click more to find out!

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Big Swiss bike, big Swiss mountains

June 20 update:  See more on-trail photos here…

This week, Bikerumor was fortunate to be among the cycling press invited by BMC to the unveiling of their new flagship cross-country bike: the striking FourStroke 01 29. Not only would we be among the first to see the 4in travel carbon fiber 29er, but as the launch was held in beautiful Lenzerheide Switzerland, we were also able to spend some quality time with the big-wheeled Swiss wunderbike. Hit the jump for more photos, details, and (most importantly) riding impressions…

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

First introduced just about a year ago, Shimano’s XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur represents one of the first major advances in rear derailleurs that the mountain bike market has embraced in a very long time.  Starting with their low-profile XTR rear mech, Shimano have added (Plus!) a one-way friction clutch to the cage pivot.  By making the derailleur much more willing to take up chain slack than give it, the chain slap is reduced.  Less chain slap means less noise, less frame damage, and (most importantly) reduces the likelihood of the chain being dropped.  After extensive XC and trail use and on the eve of the release of SLX and XT versions, has the added complexity and 30g been worth carrying?  Hit the jump to find out!

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

Just right.  It’s always subjective assessment, but finding a hydration pack that’s just right for racing has been hard for me.  Sure, most racers wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pack on race day, but when facing 24 hours’ worth of riding, being able to fix mechanicals, carry a light battery, or grab an emergency snack makes the fashion faux pas worth my while.

Hydrapak’s 4L (plus a 2L bladder) Selva aims to be just right for quick rides and longer races.  Is this the little bag that could?  Or did it leave me wanting for a bit more (or less)?  Pass the break to find out!

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

If you could only have one wheelset, what would it look like?  Every rider is different, but for me, it would sport sturdy rims wide enough to handle true 2.3in tires, have a proven freehub, be compatible with several hub standards, freakishly light, and not too expensive.  Something that would be up to day-to-day aggressive trail use, big weekends with the boys in Sedona or Moab, and maybe light enough for the odd 24-hour race.  It would be tubeless and require as little maintenance as possible.  That’s a lot to ask of a wheelset- but when it arrived last September, Roval’s Control Trail SL wheelset looked last fall to be every one of those things.  Eight months later, has it lived up to its early promise?  Hit the jump to find out…

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See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

While it has worked so far, I decided to go in a different direction when it came time to update the contact information on my Road ID Wrist ID Elite.  As temperatures have gone from wintery to downright hot, the wide silicone band has been on the warm side.  More importantly, I’ve been spending more time on our mountains’ rough and rocky trails and the weight added by the Elite’s stainless deployment clasp has caused the ID to rattle around more than I’d like.  When I saw that a new Wrist ID Slim would cost $1 less than a replacement ID Tag for the Wrist ID Elite, the decision to give the smallest Road ID a try was easy. Cross the line for my thoughts…

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Between the ever-larger frame tubes (on road and off) and the proliferation of dropper posts (for the latter), it sometimes seems as though the humble 27.2mm seatpost is headed for extinction.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing- larger diameter tubes are less likely to bend and require less clamping force to stay put.  They’re also… stiffer.  And, for lighter riders or those looking for a bit of comfort in their rides, this can be a shame.  My recent replacement of a scandium-framed single speed (with nearly a foot of 27.2 carbon swaying in the breeze) with an aluminum frame and 30.9 seatpost had my pampered backside and spine wondering what they’d done to deserve the sudden abuse.

Which is why I jumped at the opportunity to give Syntace’s new P6 Carbon HiFlex seatpost a try.  Taking the company’s proven P6 head and adding a shaft with twice the shock absorption of its predecessor, the P6 Carbon HiFlex boastings “improved oscillation dampening and directional stability even when drifting around corners or when hitting harsh ruts.” Indeed, a flexy post sounded like just the solution.  Hit the jump for more details, more photos, and a couple of initial impressions…

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