Author: Conor Barry
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Norco Sight VLT Review: The High-Pivot, Full-Power eMTB That’s Surprisingly Fun
Norco Sight VLT Review – high pivots usually mean plush, not playful — this one breaks that rule. The 2025 Norco Sight VLT CX C2 has 150mm of high-pivot travel, a Bosch Performance Line CX drive unit, and handling that makes full-power eMTBs feel fun again. Over most of a season riding this bike, I’ve…
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Yeti LTe Review: Stout AF
Yeti is back with another eMTB, and this time it’s a long travel, bulldozer of a bicycle, the LTe. If the Santa Cruz Bullit is the plush couch and the Orbea Wild is the firm race seat, the Yeti LTe sits squarely in the middle. It doesn’t erase the trail, and it doesn’t beat you…
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Stop Wasting Money on MTB Parts — Frame vs Components
This video actually started as a “which matters more, the frame or the components” idea. But the more I thought about it, the more it evolved. Now I think it’s really a frame vs components video — what should you spend your money on, and what should you upgrade first on your bike? To test…
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Norco Fluid VLT Review: Keeping it Simple
Some bikes feel like they’re built to bulldoze, others feel like they’re built to dance — and the Norco Fluid VLT definitely leans toward the latter. It’s a lightweight, mid-power e-MTB with Bosch’s compact SX motor, 140 millimeters of rear travel, and a geometry that screams quick and sharp. But here’s the real question —…
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Ibis Ripmo AF Review: The Best Trail Bike Under $4000?
You asked for it — Ibis listened — today we have the new Ripmo AF. It takes the well-loved Ripmo platform and brings it to a more budget-friendly aluminum frame, without losing the balanced, do-it-all ride quality that made the carbon version a fan favorite. If you’re looking for one of the best mountain bikes…
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Old vs New MTB: A Decade of MTB Evolution?
Old vs New mTB This is a modern mountain bike – Santa Cruz Hightower V4: long reach, steep seat tube, slack head angle, and 150mm of rear travel. And this is what we were riding not that long ago — and loving it. Shorter reach, less travel, and a whole lot more “hang on and…
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Trail Bike vs Overbuilt XC Bike Showdown: Which One Actually Rips?
XC vs Trail Bike This one is going to be a lot of fun — today, we’re doing an overbuilt XC bike vs. a proper trail bike showdown. We’ve got a fancy XC bike that we’ve tried to squeeze a little extra capability out of with some strategic component selection. That seems to be a…
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Yeti MTe: The eMTB that doesn’t ride like one
We’re back with another eMTB, and this time around, it’s the lightweight Yeti MTe. The mentality behind the MTe is bike first, motor second. You know how a bike can completely disappear beneath you, and all you have to think about is the trail ahead? That’s a rare feeling on an eMTB, but not with…
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2025 Best eMTB: Head-to-Head Test & Review
We rounded up five full-power Bosch eMTBs and put them to the test. The Santa Cruz Vala, Santa Cruz Bullit, Orbea Wild, Mondraker Crafty and Transition Regulator CX, all went head-to-head in real-world trail conditions—no labs, no gimmicks, just dirt, sweat, and a whole lot of watts. If you’re trying to figure out which long-travel…
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Santa Cruz Bullit Review: Bosch CX Meets Freeride
Alright, team, here we go with the Santa Cruz Bullit. 170mm of travel, a Bosch CX motor, and a downhill mindset—this is Santa Cruz’s biggest, burliest eMTB to date. It’s got all the travel and power you could ask for — and it’s ready for anything you throw at it. It’s a purpose-built gravity fiend…