Category: Showdowns
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Lightweight eMTB Showdown: Small But Mighty
Welcome to the 2023 Lightweight eMTB showdown. All of our back-to-back testing is done and dusted. Let’s dive into the showdown here. We’ve got four bikes on offer in the category. We have the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Transition Relay, Orbea Rise, and Giant Trance X E+ Elite. Lightweight emtb: The Contenders All four of…
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Summary: XC Showdown
Alright, let’s wrap this bad Larry up. We’ve ridden and reviewed four modern XC bikes. Now it’s time to dive deep into comparisons. We’ll break these down by climbing and descending performances, keeping in mind these are XC bikes — their main goal is to be fast and efficient. The bikes on offer are the…
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Orbea Oiz Review: XC Showdown
Last but not least, we have the Orbea Oiz. With the most travel in our entire test group, I would have assumed the Orbea Oiz would have felt the most “trail.” While the fit is more on the trail side of the spectrum, the suspension characteristics feel very XC. It’s a nice combo for making…
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Santa Cruz Blur Review: XC Showdown
Up next, we have the Santa Cruz Blur. The Blur is Santa Cruz to its core. It’s a blast on the descents, with a comfortable and confident attitude. It’s no slouch on the climbs, either. It provides traction for days and a comfortable fit and feel. It comes in several flavors to suit the XC…
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Giant Anthem Review: XC Showdown
On paper, the giant Anthem might be the most traditional XC bike in our test. It has the least amount of travel, the steepest angles, and a very aggressive cockpit. Out on the trail, however, it doesn’t feel so traditional. Its suspension characteristics are superb, the Fox Live Valve works wonderfully, and the bike is…
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Cervelo ZFS-5 Review: XC Showdown
We’re going to kick off the showdown with the super top-secret bike, the Cervelo ZFS-5. Well, I guess it’s not a secret after today. Cervelo may be more well known for their road and gravel bikes. In fact, they’re probably still buzzing from their 2023 TDF win just a few weeks ago. They’ve recently taken…
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Yeti SB135 vs Santa Cruz 5010
We’re back with another showdown. This time it’s between two of our favorite little bikes — the Yeti SB135 and the Santa Cruz 5010. One has two 27.5” wheels, while the other rocks a mixed-wheel setup. Both fill that fun, lively, jibby trail bike category. So today, we’re doing some back-to-back laps to find where…
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Yeti SB160 vs Santa Cruz Megatower
Today we’ve got some back-to-back testing for some of the hottest enduro bikes on the market — we’ve got the Yeti SB160 vs Santa Cruz Megatower — two of the hottest enduro bikes on the market. We’re in Grafton, UT riding one of my favorite trails in the entire state. We’re going to do a…
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VALUE EBIKE SHOWDOWN: The Roundup
The final installment of the Value eBike Showdown has arrived.
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Giant Stance E+ 1
In the world of ebikes, it’s tough to find a mountain bike under $5000. The Giant Stance E+ 1 sneaks in at a retail price of $4950. There’s nothing blingy about it, but it is a full-suspension eMTB with, modern standards, a dropper post, and name-brand suspension for a reasonable price. It’s the cheapest bike…