When reviewing Lezyne’s Superdrive earlier this year, I mentioned that the coming helmet mount would improve the focused beam’s off-road utility.  Since then, Lezyne’s $20 LED Helmet Mount has become available- and a sample made its way to our door.  Built of Lezyne’s trademark polished aluminum and Composite Matrix (plastic), the Helmet Mount is compatible with all of Lezyne’s rechargeable LED headlights. Click through for more images and and in-use impressions…

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Last week we showed you the Commencal Meta AM 29′er. The other new bike this year on Commencal’s Meta platform is the Meta SL trail bike which, with 120mm of rear wheel travel, offers the shortest travel of the Meta range. The Meta SL uses the same suspension design as the rest of the Meta range, a single pivot, 4 bar linkage with a floating shock, designed to reduce the forces acting on the main frame and keep the center of gravity low. This test bike didn’t have a guard on the shock but Commencal told us that the production bikes would have a neoprene guard to protect the shock. Read of more more details, pictures and a ride report. (more…)

The past few months, we’ve been tossing this beauty around the office, a Charge Mixer (sized large) weighed with full techs and specs here. Based in the UK, Charge Bikes caters to an audience geared toward functionality and fashion, and twines these attributes into an affordable, durable ride.

Packed in the 2012 Charge Mixer is the Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal hub, the bike’s showstopper. It creates clean lines and a virtually maintenance-free system. It’s built to take the elements with a mechanical hydraulic disc brake and fender combo to handle rainy days. In fair weather, a sparkly black paint job creates a subtly brilliant shimmer.

I don’t use cars, so the Charge received a hearty test. I’ve been riding on expeditions anywhere within the city ranging from massive grocery hauls to miscellaneous errands to picnics to joy rides in the night. On longer journeys of 20 miles or more, the Mixer can hold its own against road bikes with a couple bottle mounts for water haulage.

With aggressive handling and looks, surprising for a commuter, the Tange Prestige steel frame and Alex XD Light double wall rims dampened bumpy roads from point A to point B with some occasional Cs, Ds, and Xs thrown in for good measure. Click ‘more’ to read the full review…

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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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After a peek at the new 29er at Sea Otter, we were invited to the launch of Commencal’s new range of bikes. Joining the Meta AM and SX are two new bikes, the Meta AM 29 and the Meta SL. We are going to be releasing lots more details on these bikes over the next few days, including ride reports. In the meantime here are a few details on the new Meta AM 29. (Edit: Now updated with more pictures, specs and geometry). (more…)

Dropper posts are, to me, like suspension and disc brakes.  Sure, we all moan about the added cost, maintenance, and weight- but after a few months, we really don’t want to give them up.  Using an expanding mechanical collet, the three-position Specialized Command Post BlackLite takes a different approach than most posts on the market.  At 497g (501g claimed) and $275, it’s certainly competitive weight- and price-wise- but is Specialized’s second effort an OEM sweetener or an aftermarket contender?

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When it comes to reviews of clothing it is always a highly personal matter, especially with road kit it seems. In Tyler’s recent review of the Icebreaker Wool cycling gear, he notes that he prefers shorter shorts, where as I prefer longer. Then of course there is the general fit of the clothing, as we all have different body types. To further complicate matters, the Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Leader bib shorts are their top of the line gear, so of course they are supposed to be good.

They are good. Really, really good, in fact. For me, they’re almost perfect. Find out what that means after the break.

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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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Wheels have always been my favorite part of a bike.  No other single part (do wheels count as a single part?) can effect how a bicycle performs as much as a set of wheels.  My personal preference isn’t always to go lighter however.  As I am a larger guy, and the majority of my riding is spent commuting, reliability is most important.  That’s why my personal wheels are usually a traditionally built 32 whole, 3 cross build.  That said, lightweight and low spoke count doesn’t have to equal a finicky or fragile wheel.

In searching for a reliable, do-it-all wheelset that would shave weight and add performance to the bike, I came across the A23 complete build from Velocity.  The low weight, wider 23mm rim, and great price point had me wanting a set.  That want turned into possession, and with close to 1000 miles on them now it’s time to share my experiences.  Click through for the full review.

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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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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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