Long before there was Arnie, or Sly, or Vin Diesel, there was Charles Bronson—one of the original ‘hard men’ of American cinema. So if you’re going to name a tyre after the star of ‘Death Wish’ and the ‘The Mechanic’ you’d better make sure it’s tough enough to handle any situation that arises, and slick enough to get away with it. To see if the tyre team at WTB need fear rightful retribution from the ghost of the man himself, we’ve had a beefy Bronson AM TCS and a lighter Bronson ‘Race’ on trial for a couple of months; tough guy on the back, and fleet-footed escape artist on the front. Now the jury is back, judgement has been passed, and it’s time for sentencing...
14th August 2012 · · More »
Industry-wide, it seems that cranks with 24mm spindles remain the most common, but a good number of new frames come with oversized bottom brackets. Best known for their cold-forged chainrings, Praxis also offers a range of adaptor bottom brackets that allow you to run 24mm spindle Shimano, FSA and RaceFace cranks in BB30 and PF30 frames (it won’t work with SRAM/Truvativ 24mm GXP spindles though). 
Trek’s ‘technical trail’ (all-mountain by any other name) Remedy has been out for about four years now, and has undergone a gradual process of evolution over that time. For 2012 it sees probably the biggest change to date, with plenty of tweaks to the frame and geometry, as well as a new fork designed in collaboration with Fox. The previous Remedy garnered almost universal praise, so you’d expect Trek to be cautious about messing with such a proven recipe. No need to worry; whatever mountain biking illness afflicts you, the 2012 Remedy will almost certainly cure it!
Okay, we’ll excuse you if you’ve never heard of Chris Cocalis. He may not present a loud and eccentric persona like Gary Fisher, or have his name emblazoned across an entire range of components like Tom Ritchey or Keith Bontrager, but within the industry this quietly spoken American is recognised as one of the most progressive and influential bike designers of the present day.
Matt Hart looks at some of the dieting options that you’ll be faced with if you’re want to shed a few kilos…
Michael Hanslip looks at the dropper-post phenomenon and reviews four of the most popular options. Roadies may seek out the optimal saddle height – the ‘one true position’ that provides the most efficient pedalling – but mountain bikers have always held different priorities.
There’s a lot of Air Ace pump to love here. Not only does it stand almost 70cm high and weigh in at a solid 2kg, but it’ll pump up every kind of tyre known to bicycle kind, along with your air-sprung rear shock or fork.
As a brand, Syntace may not pack the glossy marking punch of names like Race Face, Crank Brothers, Answer orEaston. Their website lacks exciting videos, stunning action photography and lists of pro riders who are paid to use the gear. Instead they include lots of technical information on their product and the why it is made in a particular way.