Spokewrench Cycles

Titus Super Moto Review

Our resident Spokewrench tester Jack has finished his long term review of the Titus Super Moto.  Here is what he has to say about the bike.

I have now been riding this bike for the past year and have had the opportunity to ride it in almost every environment from cross county to downhill, and in every weather condition from winter to summer. I would not necessarily consider this an all-mountain do anything bike, but short of XC racing and steep climbing, it is can be built up to handle pretty much anything else.

Looking at the geometry of the size large frame, the key dimensions are a head tube angle of 67, top tube length of 23.75”, wheel base of 43.96” and a bottom bracket height of 14.65”. From these dimensions it is apparent that in relative terms to other bikes in its class, it is a short and tall bike with some nice middle of the road angles. It is tall, steep and short for a DH bike but has a great balance for an all-mountain or freeride bike with an emphasis on technical capability.

Shimano XTR M970 Pedal Review

I recently installed the pedals and I took them out for a ride and here are my initial thoughts.  The M959s that this pedal is replacing has had very good reviews from our test reviewers and generally regarded to be a very good pedal in the industry.  So when it came time to introduce the new line of XTR, Shimano didn't really have to reinvent the wheel but rather clean it up a bit and shave off a bit of weight while claiming to be more rigid then before. 

Installation

Installation was a breeze as with any pedal really.  You just have to find a big enough allen key as this pedal doesn't have the option of installing with a 15mm wrench.  It's a fairly large allen key so keep it handy in your tool bag if you plan to remove your pedals for transportation.

Look and Feel

The pedals look great with the 2 tone matt dark grey and light titanium grey coloured aluminum body coupled with the shinier silver chromo spindle.  It matches well with the other 2007 XTR parts.  The XTR logos on top and side of the pedal lets your friends know that you're riding XTR.  It's obvious but not overly obnoxious.  If you're paying for XTR quality, then it's fine to display it on your ride but it's nice that it's understated rather than look at me bling.  The 2007 line has a more industrial feel to it that I much prefer rather than the jewel smooth finish of the 2006 line. 

Both pedal bearings feel smooth out of the box with no binding or roughness.  No play detected so it is what you'd expect in an XTR branded component.  There is a way to adjust the tension on both side of each pedal but I don't see an indicator as to how much tension  is set.   So you basically have to set the tension by eyeing how much the set screw has turned.  It would have been nice to have a visual indicator but it's not a deal breaker by any means.  It's not something that is adjusted very often anyway so not a big deal.

Shimano hasn't had too many bad apples when it comes to pedals.  Other manufacturers certainly offer other types of pedals and certain pedals work better for different people.  My suggestion is to try as much as you can even though it can be a hassle changing cleats going from one pedal to the next but well worth the effort in my opinion.

Technical

The trail is a mix of everything thrown in except for really thick mud as the weather was fairly dry and cool.  There was morning dew in the air so some parts of the trail was quite soft and the rocks were quite slippery at times.   So this trail is just about perfect for testing these pedals. 

Pedals in a nutshell have a pretty simple function.  They have to clip in when the rider steps into them and clip out when the rider is finished riding.  If only it were that simple.  First of all, there's float where the pedal allows the natural movement of the leg to pedal without unclipping.  People in general would benefit with some form of float in the pedal as everyone's pedal stroke is different and having your foot locked in one position can be pretty hard on the knees.  There's angle of release, different pedals have different angles and Time ATAC pedals allow you to change the angle by switching the cleat around from right foot to left foot.  There's also tension adjustment, this is the amount of force you need to twist your foot to release from the pedals.  Again, some pedals have an adjustment for this and others do not.   And last but not least, the pedals have to work in varying conditions from dry dusty trails to wet, clay sticking onto everything mud.  Oh and they have to be light weight, sealed well and be able to take a beating against rocks, logs and other hard inanimate objects along the trails.  So not only do pedals have to perform well in different conditions, they almost have to be able to read minds to know when the rider wants to get in and out of them.   There's a reason why there are only a handful of reputable clipless pedal manufacturers in the industry.

Kenda Nevegal DTC Tire Test

Jack our resident tester just had a chance to submit his review on the Kenda Nevegal DTC tires.  We've switched all our bikes now to Kenda since last season and we've been very happy with the performance.  Below is Jack's review.

If you are looking to improve the performance of your ride, one the key areas to consider are the tires.  After all, the contact patch between the tires and the ground is all what keeps you glued to the trail.  So I was anxious to try Kenda’s newest tire in the Nevegal line, the 26x2.1 DTC.  The 1.9 Nevegal Lite was Mountain Bike Action’s 2004 top pick tire, and repeated with the 26x2.1 Stick-E rubber with Stan’s sealant as the top pick last year.  With great reviews like this, you inherently are expecting a great all around tire.  As well, I have been running a set of Blue Groove 26x2.1 Stick-E front and Nevegal 26x2.1 Stick-E rear, both with Stan’s sealant for light free ride stuff with great results.

The 2.1 DTC tires are listed at 580 to 640 grams.  The pair of tires that I received covered a large portion of the publish weight range.  I like the fact that Kenda is now listing their tire weights with a range that represents that anticipated in production.  If you are a real weight weenie, you know what your target is.  At this weight, these are not lightweight tires for XC use, but are quite comparable to other full knobby large volume tire in this size range.  By European metric measurements the 2.1 tire measures as 52mm across the sidewalls and 56mm across the tread.  These tires are also quite large in circumference and really pushed the limits of clearance on my Whyte.

The DTC version uses the same construction and tread pattern as the Stick-E version, and both are very close in weight.  The difference comes in the rubber compounds used.  The Stick-E tire uses 50 durometer slow rebound rubber for the whole tread.  The DTC dual tread compound version uses the Stick-E rubber on the side knobs but uses a 60 durometer L3R Pro rubber for the center knobs.  This rubber is faster rolling and longer wearing while still offering great grip.  This compromise should better suit all around riding with only a small sacrifice on ultimate grip in technical terrain compared to the Stick-E version.

Magura Marta SL Reviewed

Dan Dakin, one of our resident testers has spent some time on the Magura Marta SLs and below is his latest review.  Dan has been testing parts and writing reviews for Pedal Magazine and Pinkbike.com for a number of years now so he knows his craft.  We're very happy to be associated with Dan and his experience in the biking industry.  You can read more of his reviews at thebikinghub website. 

Magura Marta SL Disc Brakes

If you want a lightweight disc brake for cross country use there are only a few really good options. In many of the head to head tests on disc brakes, the offerings from Avid have come out as being the standard that other companies have to live up to. The Avid BB7 mechanicals are simply the best and most powerful cable-actuated disc brakes on the market, and the Avid Juicy7 are among the best hydraulic disc brakes available. When SRAM/Avid unveiled the Juicy Carbon with a lighter weight and the same ease of use, it gave competitors another bar to try and clear.

But at the same time Avid was working on the Juicy Carbon, Magura was already tweaking and refining it’s Marta SL brake. For 2006, the Marta SL offers a visibly gorgeous setup that performs as good as it looks.

To set up the proper environment in which these were tested, they were installed on my Cannondale Rush 1000, which is now sporting a SRAM X.0-dominated drivetrain with Shimano XTR cranks. I had been running the Avid Juicy 7s, which worked fit perfectly with the X.0 triggers, were highly adjustable, powerful and generally just a fantastic brake. So the Martas had a lot to live up to.

Winter Tire Test

We've just posted a review of some winter tires by Dan Daykin.  He writes reviews for both Pedal Megazine and Pinkbike.com.  We were fortunate enough to have him on our team this year and permission to re-print this article he did earlier this year for Pinkbike.  Read what he has to say on the latest winter tires available to make your winter riding safe and enjoyable.  We'll be stocking some Nokian tires in the near future so stay tuned!

So it’s a week into January and there’s a layer of snow and ice covering your favorite singletrack. What’s a rider to do?
If you’re unadventurous and aren’t looking for a new thrill, chances are your two-wheeled friend becomes a ceiling ornament in your garage. Your wedge-shaped seat is replaced by a big comfy couch and your handlebars make way for the vibrating plastic Xbox controller. But if you can handle sub-zero temperatures and want to keep riding your bike while others are riding the sofa, the good news is there are some great options for studded winter mountain bike tires that will make riding on snow and ice like a day in the park.
The only problem is which tires to go with.

Shimano PD-959 Pedals Reviewed

We've just posted Marc's review of the Shimano PD-959 pedals.  Click on the link below for the whole review.

Time ATAC XS Pedals Reviewed

We've just posted Mike's review of the Time ATAC XS Carbon pedals.  Click on the link below for the whole review.