The Ventral is one of the lightest helmets available, making it ideal for those who measure rides in vertical metres rather than horizontal kilometres. Excellent ventilation helps in the heat but the adjustment mechanism is a bit basic and there is no MIPS to save weight. Specialized Soil Searching is a movement to recognise, celebrate, and support the trail builders who help shape our sport and our stoke. That tender closed in mid-February, and Elevation Parks, Dirt Art’s bike park management and development arm, had won.
There is more information about these below in the ‘How to choose a helmet’ section. The Feather is an all-purpose single-speed commuter or urban utility bike that might just be the most fun bike you’ve ever ridden. A flip-flop hub puts a fixed gear cog on one side and a freewheel on the other so you can choose your riding style.
And with the landscape pulverised by the logging, it’s almost a blank slate as far as what they can build. “A lot of that Mystic Bowl area is being harvested at the moment, and further harvesting will happen over the next one or two years — which will actually knock out a lot of the classic Mystic trails, ” he says. “We’re going to use our genesis mountain bike Maydena management team to help upskill and train a local team over this winter period — because we’re obviously shut over this period anyway (so it’s great timing),” says French. The new electronic health record system finished deployment within the continental U.S. and successfully went live in Europe and the Indo-Pacific regions.
The ACP contracted Blue Dirt to run the shuttles, later to perform trail maintenance, and was in the process of launching bike patrol. The second entity was, of course, the Alpine Community plantation, which was made up of all the park’s stakeholders and was responsible for everything else—financials, operational management and safety, marketing, etc. With a suspension system, riders have a solid cushion for the vibration and bumps the bike is going over, but with rigid bikes, your body has to provide this cushion instead. Rigid bikes differ from the previous two in that they don’t have any suspension system at all, which introduces a much smaller margin of error.
No surprises, just great bikes that you can pay off with as low as 0% APR financing from Affirm on select bikes. Private sellers can now sell their bikes directly on the Bicycle Blue Book marketplace. Well thought out geometry, good looks and great handling make the Genesis Core 26.4 stand out as a great bike at a good price. An impressive fork at this price point and sensible kit are great and the wheels finish the package off nicely but the main attraction here is the geometry. Genesis supply the 27.2mm seat post, 75mm stem and 685mm medium rise bars, the Flux saddle is practical but may not suit everyone.
As opposed to aluminum frames, these absorb more bumps and cracks for a more comfortable ride. Having a new mountain bike ready to take on the trails in town is great, but not if you find out that the bike you’ve bought isn’t designed for the type of terrain available to you. If you have a budding bike rider in your life then our guide to the Best kids’ bike helmets will give you all the important information for how to help you keep their heads safe when riding. To achieve this the XR uses a compact shape that’s well-vented, with 14 large vents that allow for plenty of airflow. The inner shell extends further down the back of the head than regular road lids, something which gravel riders will appreciate.
At 280 grams, the S-Works Prevail 3 is light but certainly not the lightest in class, but for those who ride often in hot climates the supreme ventilation is likely to make it worthy of consideration. We found the Evade 3 comfortable even on hot, dry summer rides and comfortable, if a little narrow on the sides. The only downside is that Met helmets aren’t currently available in or allowed to ship to the US. They are also planning to port the Maydena portfolio of events to Mystic, and French says to expect Enduro Jam and Phat Fridays, but it won’t be limited to just those events. French says they’re also prioritising a group of easier trails from the top of the hill.
Also known as 650b wheels, these have developed as a happy medium between 29 and 26 inches. These have the fast acceleration and maneuverability known to the 26-inch but also tend to be a smoother ride going over bumps like the 29-inch, though not quite as smooth. That said, this stiffness can make for a rougher ride, as it lacks the absorbency that other frames provide. Due to the lack of a rear suspension system, these are generally lighter, more affordable, and easier to maintain. But a downside to this is that your legs act as the shock absorbers for the back wheel.
This leads to an added element of upkeep as more parts generally mean more maintenance. Bearing the same name as the sport, XC bikes are for long-distance riding and racing. Hardtails make up a large proportion of the bikes designed for cross country, although full-suspension bikes with a lockable front suspension are now more common. As mountain biking has developed over the years, so too have the types of bikes. Besides the ones listed below, there are several subcategories and combinations thereof. They have two functions – to reduce the weight of the helmet, and also to add ventilation.
Although we couldn’t test the aerodynamic qualities of this against other helmets, it did feel fast when putting our head down and throughout the test loops we did. Kask designed the Sintesi to be a single, mid-priced helmet that worked as well for recreational road cyclists, commuters and gravel riders. Fit adjustment is via a 360° nylon string retention, operated by a rear dial which is easy to adjust and very effective. To keep the weight to a minimum, there’s only a little adjustment on the straps, with a single slide adjuster on the chin buckle. We did find this a bit restrictive but appreciated that the helmet is offered in two widths, which helped us dial in the fit a little more. Despite its undeniable aero aesthetic, the Ballista can still be used as an everyday road helmet thanks to good ventilation and easy BOA adjustment.