There’s no denying it, an oval chainring is certainly a unique thing to see on a bike. But, why’s it an oval shape; surely the theories supporting their use died out with the old Shimano BioPace chainrings of the late 80’s? The fact is, Biopace rings weren't true ovals, more squished rectangles with rounded corners. Shimano’s Biopace and Absolute Black’s oval rings are both trying to achieve the same thing: to eliminate the dead spot in a pedal stroke, maximising the part of the pedal stroke where power is highest, and minimising resistance during the ‘dead’ part of the stroke. Thanks to moder ..read more

Removing the front derailleur. Removing the wires. Removing the derailleur hanger. Removing barriers. Now, with Eagle Powertrain, we’ve removed the compromises. Go for Eagle Powertrain. The complete, seamless and holistic E-MTB system designed to turn on uninterrupted flow. Go for the better ride. Eagle Powertrain is inspired innovation, radical simplicity, unmatched integration with Eagle Transmission, clean and simple rider control, and AXS enabled personalization. Go for unbelievable ease. The Eagle Powertrain power tune applies natural feeling, traction generating, technical move completi ..read more

The mountain bike world is constantly moving forward. The sport is - and has been - defined by progression. I mean, without it, we wouldn’t be riding the bikes nor the trails we are today. SRAM’s Eagle Transmission takes the term ‘progression’ to a whole new level. I think the real standout thing about this product is a statement from SRAM’s PR homie, Chris Mandell, who said, “we (SRAM) didn’t have to change the hanger, but we wanted to have better, more precise, accurate and robust shifting”. And so, several years back, the development started. Sometimes progression is misguided and, as we k ..read more

I am not privy to the think tank at the centre of Trek Bikes, so what follows is pure guesswork, but here goes: Nearly two decades ago, Trek broke ranks and named their flagship trail bike after the top category of that very American petrol-head sport of drag racing. The first dragsters were simple contraptions, usually a 1930s Ford with the body removed and the engine set back toward the rear of the vehicle, and some sort of crude accommodation for the driver, aft of the engine. Because the main members of the chassis were frame rails, the cars become known as ‘rails’. As things got more soph ..read more

With the Performance Line SX, Bosch eBike Systems is setting new standards for sporty riding with lightweight eMTBs, eGravel bikes and eUrban bikes. The new drive unit combines high performance with low weight – making it the Bosch drive with the highest power density. These features and the finely tuned support ensure a natural riding sensation and enable sporty eBiking on the trail and intensive training rounds on gravel, as well as fast rides through the city. "Now that most types of bicycle have been electrified, the individual categories are becoming even more diverse. With the new Perfo ..read more

Continental have recently done a major overhaul of their gravity tyre offering. The range they offer now is almost overwhelming. Four new names, five new tread patterns, three casings, and three rubber compounds. It’s a lot to get your head around. To try and simplify things, let's run through the tread patterns, which will help you narrow your choice down to match how dry or wet your riding conditions are. For hardpack conditions you start with the Xynotal tread pattern; mixed terrain is the Kryptotal (front and rear specific tread pattern); the Argotal is for loose terrain; and the Hydrotal ..read more

If you’ve been around biking long enough, you’ll no doubt be in sheer disbelief over the price escalation that has been part of the sport. I’m not sure who is buying the $20,000 bikes on offer, but clearly someone is. In many ways, though, at the other end of the spectrum, the quality of ‘entry level’ bikes we are getting is incredible too. The Marin Rift Zone 2 (RZ2) is probably in this category, although we’re aware that calling a $3,499 bike ‘entry level’ clearly shows we’ve been drinking the MTB industry Kool-Aid by the gallon!) Marin Bikes have been around for, literally, ever - arguably ..read more

Ōtautahi Christchurch: a diverse and exciting city in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, this is the gateway for adventurers and explorers alike. The largest city in Te Waipounamu has grown from the incredible challenges Mother Nature threw the community in 2010. These days, a real buzz can be found on the city streets, although it remains an old city at heart, with many remnants of its gothic architecture still tucked away amongst the new. There's not many cities that can claim the new, vibrant feeling Christchurch has; the city is now flush with a number of new shops, cafes, restaurant ..read more

I have to admit - we have it pretty good with today's mountain bikes, and the products that hang from them. Everything is pretty damn dialed, and reliable too. Things have really come on in the last 10 years and I'd say one of the big driving factors behind that was the introduction of the 1by drivetrain. Eleven years ago, SRAM shook up the mountain biking world when they released their new-to-the-world XX1 groupset; the first 1by dedicated groupset. It was gorgeous; the narrow wide chainring blew people's minds. I remember looking at the cassette and thinking, ‘holy shit, you could eat your d ..read more

When I think bikepacking, I think of drop bars, janky bags and loose straps hanging off every corner of the bike. Some of those janky seat bags, front rolls and frame bags have become more refined over the years - to stop stuff bouncing, swaying, and ultimately falling off your bike - but there still isn’t the perfect solution for all occasions by any means. Consumers pushing for cleaner, simpler, less faffy ways of mounting bags on bikes continues to drive innovation. Innovators, like brothers Mike and Paddy Maguire at Aeroe, have certainly played their part in that move. You can thank them ..read more