Mountain Bike Reviews

Eric Freson reviews the Five Ten Kestrel Boa for Blister

Five Ten Kestrel Boa

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Five Ten cut its teeth in the bike world by making gravity-oriented shoes, and they’re still best known for those offerings. But the new Kestrel Boa is a much more XC-oriented shoe than we’ve seen from Five Ten before, and it’s meant to add a little bit of their gravity shoe know-how to an XC shoe form factor.
David Golay reviews the SRAM GX Transmission for Blister

SRAM GX Transmission & Bronze Stealth Brakes

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SRAM’s new T-Type groupsets launched just a few months ago with high-end XX SL, XX, and X0 tiers, and now there’s a new, more affordable GX version. While the high-level details closely mirror those of the higher-end variants, SRAM has done a lot more than just make a less-expensive, heavier version of the Transmission. Check out our First Look for all the details.
Kara Williard reviews the Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0 for BLISTER.

Flash Review – Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0

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The Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0 is an ultra high-end women-specific Enduro bike that we've been spending time on — Blister Members can now read our initial on-trail impressions.

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David Golay reviews the Yeti SB160 for Blister

Yeti SB160

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The Yeti SB150’s geometry was notably radical when it launched back in 2018. Since then, the mountain bike landscape has changed a lot, and the SB150’s successor, the SB160, no longer stands out as much on paper. On trail, though, it’s still an especially game-on Enduro race bike — and a damn good one for folks with the right approach and preferences.
David Golay reviews the EXT Aria for Blister

EXT Aria

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We’ve been very impressed by a number of EXT’s coil shocks over the years, and having now spent a lot of time on the Aria — their first air-sprung MTB rear shock — we’re ready to weigh in on how it stacks up to EXT’s own Storia, as well as the modern crop of high-volume, beefy air shocks.
David Golay reviews the Ibis HD6 for BLISTER

Ibis HD6

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Ibis’ Ripmo has long served as their longest-travel Enduro(ish) bike but now there’s a new, burlier offering in their lineup, the HD6. And along with dropping the “Mojo” from the name of the prior-generation Mojo HD5, the HD6 has grown a mullet, gained some suspension travel, and a whole lot more.
David Golay reviews the Reserve Aluminum wheels for Blister

Reserve 30|SL & 30|HD AL Wheels

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Reserve deserves a good chunk of the credit for making lifetime warranties the industry standard for carbon wheels, and now Reserve is offering the same on their first aluminum ones. But how do the new 30|HD AL wheels ride, and just how crucial is that warranty? We’ve put a lot of miles and abuse into a pair — time to weigh in.
David Golay reviews the Commencal Meta V5 for Blister

Commencal Meta V5

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Commencal’s new Meta V5 gets a new suspension platform and drops the model split between the Meta TR and Meta AM from the V4 iteration. So how does the Meta V5 slot into the current market, and what sets it apart from the prior-generation? Check out our First Look for all the info.
David Golay and Zack Henderson review the Ohlins TTX1 and TTX2 Air for Blister

Öhlins TTX1 and TTX2 Air

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We’ve had two different reviewers spending time on three different versions of Öhlins’ latest air-sprung rear shocks, the TTX1 Air and TTX2 Air, and are ready to weigh in on how they perform on trail, how they differ from each other, and who they’re going to work best for. Check out our full review for all the info.
David Golay reviews the HT T2 and X3 Pedals for Blister

HT T2 & X3 Pedals

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Our bike editor has been a huge fan of HT’s clipless pedals for a long time now, and the latest iterations of their Trail and DH pedals — the T2 and X3 — bring about some subtle but welcome refinements while retaining everything that made the older T1 and X2 great in the first place.
David Golay reviews the Pivot Mach 4 SL for Blister

Pivot Mach 4 SL V3

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Pivot has dropped the new third-generation Mach 4 SL — their lightest, XC-race-oriented full-suspension bike — and while they’re talking about speed and race results first and foremost, words like “fun” pop up a bunch, too. And with a big range of builds covering both hardcore XC racing and more general-purpose lightweight Trail use, they just might be on to something there.
David Golay reviews the Chris King MTN30 wheels for Blister

Chris King MTN30 Wheels

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Chris King is one of the first and biggest names in high-end hubs, and now they’re offering complete wheelsets under their own brand — and in keeping with King’s ethos, they’re high-end carbon fiber wheels, with US-made, recyclable rims.
Simon Stewart reviews the Canyon Strive:ON for Blister

Canyon Strive:ON CFR

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Canyon launched two new long-travel full-power e-MTBs simultaneously, and the new Strive:ON is meant to be the racing-oriented compatriot to the freeride-focused Torque:ON — but the two share nearly identical geometry and both rock a mullet, so what sets the two apart? Turns out that there’s quite a bit.
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