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Whenever we veer into the mainstream by covering a bike from The Big Three, we do it because that bike has something special going on. And the Giant Trance 29 2 certainly is special. Travis spent a month aboard the moderate-travel, moderate-price trail bike. He praised its modern features, sophisticated suspension, and thoughtful spec. It does need bigger brake rotors, but that’s kind of a compliment if you think about it.
We’re back with Readers’ Rides after a couple of weeks’ hiatus, and today’s submission comes from Auguste Bicycles in Causse Méjean, the South of France, with a wild full suspension…
The Apogee One, which we featured in our MADE coverage last year, is now open for pre-order. The kit includes the front triangle, rear swingarm, Free-Float Module, and shock. The Free-Float Module is a unique aluminum assemblage that contains the frame’s kinematics and shock while freeing up the front triangle for lots of framebag space and keeping the center of gravity low. These bikes are made in the Pacific Northwest.
The Apogee One Founders Edition is a run of 25 and retails for $3,995. See more at Apogee One.
Marin just announced a refreshed Rift Zone lineup with complete aluminum builds starting at $1799. The Rift Zone comes in four models, all built upon the same playful Series 3 aluminum MultiTrac frames that debuted two years ago…
Brooke’s preference for mountain bikes leans towards longer and slacker varieties. However, when the opportunity arose to test the all-new Liv Pique 29 Advanced, she couldn’t resist. There’s something to be said about a race-bred bike, no matter the terrain it’s intended for. The review of this cross-country race machine coincided with Brooke’s own training and participation in the Downieville Classic All-Mountain Championships, where light and lean Liv Pique proved to offer an edge.
And special thanks to Ryan Cleek for the stunning photoset!
YT just announced a Jeffsy UNCAGED ($4,999) in a stunning paint job with a build spec to match. Leading us to ask for more silver in complete builds, please…
Today Spencer is digging into the downcountry offering from Spot Bikes, the Ryve. Spot Bikes had a major makeover some years ago and since then have brought to market a number of full-suspension mountain bikes that utilize their intriguing Living Link suspension design. Living Link incorporates a small titanium leaf spring into the lower linkage, imbuing some rather enjoyable riding attributes. To sum it up succinctly, the Spot Ryve has pop – lotsa pop. Combine that with lightweight construction and thoughtful details, and you get one hell of a trail bike, even at only 115 mm travel. Let’s take a closer look…
Pairing with today’s launch of the third-generation Ripmo, Ibis is releasing the fifth iteration of the Ripley. In fact they’re more than just a pair…
The Ibis Ripmo may be the perfect bike. And how could Ibis update the perfect bike? Well, Travis got a couple short weeks on the new 2025 Ibis Ripmo V3, and it turns out you can do a lot more than just straighten the top tube.
As Kona exhaled a sigh of relief and regained its footing under the founders, the brand just announced the new Process 153 and Process 134 models. The Process lineup has been lauded as legit do-it-all machines for a decade and this third generation further solidifies their legacy. Read on for the updates…
For our second-ever high-pivot bike review, Travis tests the third-generation Norco Optic. Turns out short travel and short chainstays pair pretty well with high pivots and high speed, both downhill and uphill.
John is down in Melbourne, Australia, documenting the Made Bike Show Australia 2024 framebuilder showcase and has a special sneak peek gallery today featuring Woods Bicycle Company‘s Effigear-equipped El Camino steel full suspension. Let’s check it out!
The mad lads at Starling Cycles in the UK just announced an all-new short travel Murmur cleverly dubbed the Mini Murmur. This new chassis is a 120mm rear-travel Trail/XC/Down Country/do-whatever bike that’s really fun and fast. Let’s check it out.
Before getting to test ride an Ibis Cycles Ripley, Hailey Moore was pretty sure she’d never own a full-suspension bike. Now her feelings are, well, a little squishier. Read on for Hailey’s reflections on how riding a full-suspension mountain bike for the first time challenged her identity as a cyclist and furthered her mountain biking progression.
Ibis Cycles‘ USA-made EXIE frameset received a Mercury Silver finish paint color, Team 31 gold accents, and a balleur Fox build kit, all for $4,499.99. Let’s check it out below…
Specialized‘s last two bike releases have been made of aluminum. Earlier this month, the brand announced its all-new Crux DSW, and today, its XC machine, the Chisel DSW, was also refreshed with an aluminum chassis. Both bikes are lightweight, race-oriented, and metal. Needless to say, we took note…
John likes to review a carbon full-suspension bike at least once a year to challenge his opinions on his preference of chassis material, and this summer’s bike is the 2024 Rocky Mountain Instinct. Thanks to new geometry, details, and a simplified RIDE-4 adjustment, the Instinct proved to be a very capable 140/150 trail bike. Perhaps the bigger picture of this review is John’s ever-questioning of his quasi-religious, cult-like zealotry for metal bikes…
Framesets are Starling Cycles’ frame-only collection. They’re the roots of what the UK makers create as a custom, handmade framebuilder and the best-selling side of its business. Sure, they offer custom builds, too, but the framesets keep the lights on at Starling, so to speak.
This caused a moment of pause with how they market these bikes. The frameset relaunch’s intent is to create a clear and concise purpose for each frameset, let’s check out where they landed…
