Shimano has launched an 11-speed version of its popular Ultegra groupset.  Muchas XT is to XTR in the MTB world, Ultegra is to range topping Dura-Ace.  Durable, with great quality and many of the features of Dura-Ace but at a more accessible price point, Ultegra is a really great product.  Now available in 11 speed [...]

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More new product news in what is a busy year for SRAM and Rockshox.  The company have revamped their excellent SID and Revelation lineup.  Both forks are now available in a full range of 26″, 27.5″ (650B) and 29er models with SID going from 80-120mm and Revelation from 120-150mm.  They have also updated their excellent [...]

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Shimano have just released detials of a revamp to their legendary XTR groupset.  Now divided into XC and Trail, this release is a new brakeset for XC and a new 29er wheelset.  40 grams per wheel may not seem like a lot but to the XC set that’s a whole heap of weight and with [...]

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SRAM certainly have been busy.  On top of the Pike, wheelset and Monarch shock announcements here are details of the companies trickle down effect in full swing with the XO trail brake being converted to X9 and X7 product levels.  These new X9 and X7 trail brakesets are designed around a powerful 4 pot caliper [...]

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SRAM have just announced some new wheelsets, a follow on to their RISE series, but this time focusing on more trail and all mountain applications.  Not before time we say, the RISE wheelset is fantastic.  Their are carbon (ROAM) and aluminium (ROAM & RAIL) versions, all in 26″, 27.5″ (650B) and 29er varients. All the [...]

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Rockshox have just announced the reintroduction (and redesign) of their Pike fork, a new Monarch Plus rear shock and changes to the Reverb and Reverb Stealth seatpost including the aptly named ‘Connectamajig‘ quick release hose for the Stealth. Pike The Pike is back after a period of absence in a new package and available in [...]

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A recent arrival in Spoke towers is this rather nice Orbea Occam 29er full sus.  Packing 100 mm of rear travel and 120 mm of front suspension it is a trail oriented marathon weapon. Orbea have been on our radar for a while.  Obviously Julian Absalon did them some favours but the range has expanded [...]

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Today Rockshox announced it’s latest update, a replacement for the budget Recon Silver.  The new fork drops nearly half a pound (or 230 of your grams , a considerable saving.  The fork also benefits from much of the technological wizardry found on forks that are more than twice the price.  Given that the Recon currently retails for [...]

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The Irish Cycling Show opened today Saturday in City West, Dublin with a veritable bevvy of brands and distributors plying their wares.  Here are some of our highlights. Cube Cube have one of the biggest stands and are showing some stunning high end MTBs including this Cube Stereo Super 160mm travel 650B super bike aimed [...]

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SRAM have just announced details of their new Rockshox Vivid and Vivid Air downhill rear shocks.  Six years in development with Blackbox athletes, the new shocks are a radical departure for Rockshox in terms of the way their shocks work. The key features of the new Vivid are:

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An intriguing look behind the scenes at Santa Cruz bikes. 104 Bronson: Design, Engineering & Product Development from santa cruz bikes on Vimeo.

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Magura have issued a recall for some of its MT6 and MT8 series brakes sighting an issue with very low temperatures which could cause issues.  See below for details. During the course of our constant product observation process, MAGURA has detected a potential fault source in part of a production batch affecting our disc brake [...]

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Bluegrass have been making waves in the mountain biking world for a while now and not just for their sponsorship of World class Enduro racing.  Well thought out, ergonomic and comfortable protective gear that doesn’t impede on the cyclist is what they are all about and we thought it was about time that we tested [...]

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Garmin’s budget bike computer is so much more than a stripped down Edge 500 which really shines when plugged into your PC for post ride analysis. We are already big fans of the Garmin Edge series of GPS bike computers so naturally we were excited when the Edge 200 was released. 

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Component manufacturer Ritchey used to own the Canadian brand Syncros which it used to make its more all mountain/Enduro offerings.  However they sold off the brand and have just introduced a new TRAIL group of lightweight components aimed at AM and Enduro bikes which are all produced in house.  Tom Ritchey is one of the [...]

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Designed with aerodynamics as the centerpoint of the brief, the new premium road bike from Giant has just been announced – the Propel. With a number of innovative features, including what appears to be a V-brake style rear brake mechanism it looks very tasty indeed.  Here is what Giants marketing whizz kids came up with [...]

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Santa Cruz have just released details of a new addition to their lineup, an aluminium version of their popular Blur named the TR, that delivers all the same aggressive ride features of the carbon TRc, in a more economical package.  With 125mm of VPP suspension, relaxed angles, massive frame stiffness throughout and a 5 year [...]

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Garmin, purveyors of all things GPS, have just released an update to their Edge cycling computer range.  The new 810 and 510 replacing the 800 and 500 respectively. So how big is the change?  First up the user interface is upgraded with some novel touches

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This is one of those, why has nobody ever done this before things.  The Shimano Shadow Plus rear derailleur stops your chain from dropping off without using a chain device.

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Santa Cruz have just launched a revamped V10 that is essentially the Santa Cruz Syndicate team frame brought to the masses.  Greg Minaar won the World Champs on board one and its prior iterations have many more World Championships and World Cup victories to its name. Furthermore the team will be riding stock production frames [...]

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HD camera manufacturer GoPro have just released an Android version of their WiFi camera controlling app which allows the user to use their mobile phone to control the cameras functions. The App has been available to Apple iPhone users since the 9th of October through iTunes but the latest release adds Android compatibility through the [...]

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This weekend sees the clocks go back and the commute home getting darker and darker.  No better time to talk about lights and specifically rechargeable lights.  Knog are an Australian manufacturer of products known for their edginess.  Their main product line has been bags but the lineup now includes multi tools, locks and lights. Utilising your [...]

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Uber camera manufacturer GoPro have announced details of their latest camera, the HD Hero 3 and an impressive piece of kit it is. Now featuring full cinema standard video, 25% lighter, 30% smaller and twice as powerful as previous models it also comes with the companies excellent Wi-Fi remote.  We love it already… more details [...]

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Let out your inner roadie!… Put the kettle on, sit back and enjoy.

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One of our favourite manufacturers, Niner bikes, have just announced a new carbon version of their Enduro steed the RIP9. Two years in development the new frame adds carbon frame, linkages, ISCG compatibility and additional travel to what was already a great package.  The RIP9 was one of the first 120mm travel bikes and the [...]

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Garmin have just released details of their new outdoors based GPS watch, the fēnix.  It brings together altimeter, barometer and compass features with all the Garmin GPS features that we have come to know and looks to be the complete package for outdoor enthusiasts. More details from Garmin below.

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Ritchey have recently announced details of their new mtb pedal the Paradigm.  Tom Ritchey’s heritage is excellent in this regard so expect it to be a performer with good float and serious durability.  It is available now!

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SRAM have just announced details of their new XX1 drivetrain developed around a single chain ring combined with a massive eleven speed cassette.  The group is aimed at a wide variety of riders from XC racers to Enduro and signals a shift in drivetrain thinking that will suit many trail riders. Personally this setup makes [...]

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Since 2004 Dr Allen Lim has been advising professional road racing teams on nutrition including the likes of Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer and squads such as Garmin and Radioshack.  At the time road cycling was dominated by outdated theories and frankly myths that had been devised over decades and hadn’t moved with the times.  [...]

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We are in the middle of an Enduro themed test cycle and have just taken delivery of a Rockshox Reverb seatpost. With 125mm of adjustment it satisfies the downhill side who want to drop their seatpost for super fast descending and also the cross country set who like it sky high.  For Enduro riders who [...]

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