Review

Remember the days before being able to seamlessly buy a bike online when you’d walk into your local bike store and read a brochure of a trail bike you want buy and the headline would say “Climbs like a mountain goat, descends like a downhill bike”. Nowadays you read the same blurb on your favourite websites and you do your research online and either make the purchase from your local store or add that dream bike to your basket online. When you treat yourself to a visit to Bicycles Online’s website and define your search to dual suspension mountain bikes, you’ll be treated to the listing of the 2019 Marin Mount Vision 8. When you click through to the details, you won’t see the corny cliché headline but after spending a good amount of time on this bike I can safely say that the headline should say “Climbs like a mountain goat, descends like a downhill bike”.

Available from Bicycles Online for the presently discounted price of $5,499...

What’s the one thing that turns a good bike into a great bike? It’s the one item on trail and enduro bikes now that is so common that it’d be strange to see a bike without one. I totally hate the saying “game changer” but yep, dropper post’s have changed the way we play this game. There’s so many to choose from nowadays that it can almost put a new buyer off spending that much money for something they haven’t used. Make no mistake, a top of the line dropper post is a real pleasure to have underneath you but can you achieve the same result with your riding from something bought on a budget? Yes, yes you can. Read on to check out the Brand-X Ascend II dropper seat post with the Brand-X Ascend lever kit V2.


Item: Brand-X Ascend II dropper seat post with the Brand-X Ascend lever kit V2.
Purchased from: Chain Reaction Cycles...

It was rumoured and talked about, it then appeared in bike park testing but hidden by camouflaged decals, it was buzzed about when it appeared on the World Cup circuit under the Polygon United Racing Team and now it’s available from Bicycles Online for us lucky punters to throw a leg over. Ladies and Gentleman, the Polygon Xquarone DH9 downhill bike is here and the hype is real!

Item: Polygon XQuareone DH9 downhill bike
Purchased From: Bicycles Online (click here)
Purchase Price (approx): $6,699

Let’s get to the chase and cover the first three things that people say when they see this thing in the flesh. First up; No, it isn’t an E Bike. That lower pivot area houses something far more interesting than a pedal assist motor. Second thing; the frame design is certainly something pretty wild...

Touch wood, I’ve never broken a handlebar just riding along. I’ve discovered cracks in my bars before a ride but thankfully not during. I’ve not really seen many failures so it’s reassuring to know the mainstream brands we have available are pretty reliable. If Loic Bruni can downhill the world and not have a busted handlebar by the end of the day then it’s good enough for us right? May I introduce the saucy Joystick 8 Bit LT alloy bars and Joystick Binary stem available from our pals at Mountain Bikes Direct.

Item: Joystick 8 Bit LT alloy handlebars and Joystick Binary stem
Purchased From: Mountain Bikes Direct (bars here and stem here)
Purchase Price: $97.95 for the handlebars, $149.95 for the stem

I’m fussy with handlebars and stem height. I typically go for black bars...

One of the big talking points when you pull your bike off the car is what pedals you’re running. You either ride clips or flats and heckle your mates that use whatever you don’t but it gets complicated in the shuttle when you start talking about different sorts of clips or different sorts of flat pedals. While clips offer a few variations, you’d think flat pedals don’t vary too much do they? Well, this cool creation from Pedaling Innovations gives you a very distinct way to change what you know about flat pedals and can be sourced directly from Mountain Bikes Direct.

Most of the big time mountain biking apparel makes you either look like a Transformer wearing pyjama’s or a stealth secret service agent trying to hide his identity. In an oh so refreshing way, DHaRCO has made a presence in our world as a super high quality riding brand and brought the good vibes with it. DHaRCO (Downhill associated Riders co) brings a coastal lifestyle feel to their range that feels casual enough to pull in for a burger and beer after standing on the podium at a local race wearing the same kit.
True to their commonly known hash tag #noordinarylife, DHaRCO shares the philosophy with riders that jumping on your bike washes the stress of the day away and brings the good times. It’s my pleasure to have worn some of the gear available from www.dharco.com