See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

Every cyclist has spent a good day in the saddle feeling happy and loving life- only to sit down at work the next day realizing that more than a unpleasant amount rubbing and chapping has occurred. Sometimes, it doesn’t even take until the next day.  Shaving, years of saddle time and proper fitting shorts can all help to eliminate inner thigh rubbing induced redness (ITRR), but not in all cases. In the hopes of easing the pain of training for and racing in this spring’s 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, Enduro Stuff sent out their Okole (“butt” in Hawaiian) Stuff chamois ointment for Alex and I to try.  Did the thick allantoin, tea tree oil, and aloe enriched Stuff make believers of our Okoles?  Go below the belt to find out…

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

Made in Italy.  That little phrase- though increasingly hard to find- is almost magical in the cycling world.  Not only does it signify a high-end product, but those three words evoke a land where food is enjoyed, style is effortless, and cycling is a part of culture.  Founded by an accomplished racer and in business for over 35 years, Vittoria make each and every pair of their shoes- from under $100 to over $400- at their factory in Italy.

Vittoria’s manufacturing flexibility is a big part of their current story.  While the company produces 81 stock model/color combinations in 27 sizes, three non-standard widths are available in addition to their standard width at no charge.  Even different-sized pairs are available for a nominal fee.  Want mountain uppers on road soles?  No problem.  Want carbon-soled, mountain-treaded shoes with uppers from the company’s stylish 1976 line?  You bet.  Vittoria USA can make any of this happen in 2-3 weeks from your order to when they land in your local bike shop.

With their $300 sticker coming well under high end Asian-made (not that there’s anything wrong with that) shoes from bigger brands, how have Vittoria’s Supra MTBs treated my feet?  Pretty darn well.  Click through for the details…
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See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

With Specialized providing the aft contact points for our Project 24.2 race bike, I suspected that my happy parts would be in good hands.  Falling under their Body Geometry aegis, Specialized’s saddles were developed in conjunction with one Dr. Roger Minkow to “eliminate numbness and soreness normally associated with other saddles by enhancing blood flow in men.”  Who doesn’t like the sound of that?  With a wide range of saddles in three sizes and with an excellent reputation for comfort, it was a safe bet that something would work for my body.  Click through to find out what I tried and why the Henge is my new dirt favorite.

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

Along with the Valcon Carbon saddle reviewed here, WTB sent out some race rubber in the form of Nano TCS tires and WeirWolf grips to complete my Tomac Supermatic  race bike.  Out of the WTB line, the WeirWolf grip (which shares its knobby pattern with the Mark Weir signature tire of the same name) looked set to provide good control and grip to tired hands.  The tubeless compatible (with sealant) Nano TCS tire looked like a fast tire with enough of a casing to avoid late-night cactus-induced flats.  Were they up to the task?  You know where our secrets go…

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Wide, sturdy, and light. When American Classic offered up their MTB 29 Tubeless Singlespeed wheelset as a comparison with my self-built DT/Stans wheelset, I was torn. As a former semi-professional wheelbuilder who takes pride in selecting components and building up a wheel well suited to my riding, I almost didn’t want to know if American Classic could do a better job. That said, having chosen the company’s hubs for single speed use in the past and been impressed by their tubeless MTB 26 Tubeless and All Mountain wheelsets, I had the sneaking suspicion that they could…

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

When they were announced last summer, Magura’s MT disc brake line grabbed a lot of attention.  With strikingly light weights and what was claimed to be the industry’s first carbon fiber master cylinder, gram freaks everywhere were at attention.  While the $400/wheel MT8s got most of the press, keen-eyed spec readers quickly noticed that by trading the carbon lever and bar clamp for aluminum and leaving a bit more material in the caliper, the MT6 gained a mere 32g per wheel, added a bit of power-enhancing stiffness- and more importantly saved $200 per set.

It was with these more-than-worthwhile compromises in mind that I bolted a set of MT6s to our Project 24.2 bike.  Four months and over a thousand miles later, I’ve been impressed with Magura’s latest.  Read on to find out why…

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See all of our Project 24.2 reviews here!

The week before the our last big pre-24 hour race ride, a slick looking WTB Valcon Carbon saddle with carbon rails floated into the Bikerumor workshop for testing. Not many of us are dumb enough to put a brand new saddle on our bikes before we venture out on a big day. Luckily I commonly ignore common sense in order to check out new cool bike gear. I quickly mounted the saddle to my Tomac Supermatic race machine for our 92 mile shakedown ride. Click away to find out how the superlight perch fared on the 7.5 hour mountain bike shakedown ride- as well as at the subsequent 24 hrs In the Old Pueblo.

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