Mountain Bikes | Road Bikes | Apparel | Upgrades | The Buy List
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Bounce
Front shocks can wear out, lose their elasticity, and get lapped
by improvements in technology. When your fork starts feeling dead, upgrade to the RockShox Reba Team Dual Air. For a while the suspension pioneer lagged behind gold standard Fox Racing, but under a new owner, SRAM, RockShox is resurgent. The four-inch (ten-centimeter) fork uses air rather than coil springs to cushion the bumps, keeping weight to 3.5 pounds. Best of all, it offers nearly infinite on-the-fly adjustment of rebound, compression, and damping ($633; sram.com). |
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Rims
Weak wheels tend to bow when you turn, making it impossible to hold a clean line. The Mavic Crossride Disk hoops will allow your bike to track truer at all speeds—a difference even the least sensitive riders will notice immediately ($220; www.mavic.com). |
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Tread
Excellent tires can make your bike feel like it's disappearing beneath you—they roll that smoothly. Try the Kenda Nevegal, which have a special dual-density rubber (firmer in the middle for durability, softer on the sides for better grip) and a tread that can hold the steepest angle ($53 per tire; kendausa.com).
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Brakes
Avid Juicy Seven disc brakes sport all the stopping power of their pro-level counterparts but none of the costly carbon, titanium, or magnesium. They should last the rest of your bike's life ($165 per wheel; sram.com). |
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Mountain Bikes | Road Bikes | Apparel | Upgrades | The Buy List
League of American Bicyclists:
Find local club listings, tour groups, and more
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