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Pivot Cycles’ Vault gravel bike has plenty of amazing tech securely (wink wink) stashed in the frame making for a comfortable and uncompromising riding experience. Spencer is ever chasing something other than geometry inflation to review and Pivot’s patented ISO FLEX technology caught his eye. Make sure you take a peek inside the Vault for all the hidden treasure below…
Travis‘s Otso Fenrir shows up a lot in his reviews. So does the 85mm-travel Fox Step-Cast 34 he customized for it. We’ve gotten some questions about how he finagled this hack. He’s here to give answers, but not to recommend you try it.
Coinciding with this week’s Sea Otter Classic, 1UP USA just announced a completely redesigned Super Duty hitch-mount bike rack. With a new one-handed push-button system, adjustable tray spacing, 100 lb rating per tray, and more, there’s a lot to like about this rack. Josh, our resident rackaholic, has been testing the new SD and shares a review below…
Last year, 1UP USA launched the XD (Xtreme Duty) hitch-mounted tray bike rack. Designed for “extreme” off-road use or hauling heavy bikes, the XD eschewed some of 1UP’s classic design features (and added quite a few new ones) in creating what they’ve dubbed the “most durable, highest capacity rack.”
I was included in the prototyping phase for XD, but didn’t write anything about the final product because I didn’t think it would broadly appeal to our readership for a few reasons. With a maximum 150 lb capacity in the first tray (120 lbs in a second add-on and 75 lbs in a third), the XD is targeted at e-bike and e-moto owners. And it’s heavy and expensive (a single XD costs $250 more than a double SD).
But in terms of capacity, the 1UP XD is pretty much in a league of its own. The only product that comes close is the Rigd RambleRack, rated at 150 lbs per two bike trays for on-road use.
But there were quite a few features of the XD that made me pretty excited. First, 1UP got rid of the folding trays. This feature was originally meant to make their racks easier to fold up and store away but also added pivot points that could introduce unwanted wobbling as bikes move independently at the steering axis.
Additionally, the XD’s arms are beefed up, wheel chocks can be added to reduce front wheel rotation, and probably my favorite is the new glide bar ratcheting system.
So, you might be asking, since I didn’t write about the XD a year ago, why am I writing about it now? Well, the completely redesigned SD (Super Duty) rack that launches today incorporates key features from the XD, in a lighter-weight and more versatile package. It’s the first major update to the flagship model that came out nearly ten years ago and is pretty much the rack I’d been hoping they would make for a long time.
The redesign of the SD also more clearly defines the 1UP lineup, with the lighter Heavy Duty rated at 65 lbs per tray and the Xtreme Duty at 150 lbs.
Priced at $600 for a single and $900 for a double (that’s for silver; anodized black is a slight cost increase), there are SD-specific add-ons for $395.
The first two trays are rated at 100 lbs each, and the add-ons can hold 75 lbs. Original SD add-ons, and other Quick Rack accessories, are compatible with the new rack.
The new SD retains 1UP’s integrated anti-wobble corner expander ball and machined slot for fine-tuning the hitch bar lock. And everything above the hitch bar is new.
The glide bar and red lever have been completely redesigned to offer a stronger connection to the arms that hold the tires. This allowed 1UP to introduce a press and lift feature that disengages the ratchet and opens and closes the arms with one hand. The rack arms now extend all the way down for easier loading and unloading and there’s even an optional ramp for rolling heavy bikes onto the ramp.
With bikes getting longer (and, for some, heavier) and handlebars wider, squeezing four bikes onto the original Super Duty was always tricky.
I often carry a combination of flat and drop bar bikes and channel my sub-par Tetris skills to make everything fit without rubbing each time I load up. 1UP designed the new SD around similar use cases, spacing each tray an additional 2″ apart and making them adjustable for four different configurations: standard at 54”, long at 58”, and offset to either the driver or passenger side at 56”.
While I’ve exaggerated the offset of the trays in these photos for demonstrative purposes, the new rack configuration makes it a lot easier to load my varying types of Large to XL bikes without extending wheels beyond the width of the truck’s side mirrors.
In order to achieve the 100 lb per tray weight rating, 1UP also beefed up the thickness on the side plates and pivot beams. They also widened the trays to fit fat bike tires while also accommodating everything down to about 45mm without needing a Wheel Saver.
I find the optional wheel chocks to be especially helpful in locking in the front wheel of my gravel bikes with around a 2″ tire. Without it, the wheel seems to swim in the wide side arms, even though it’s plenty stable. There’s also a fat bike chock for tires in the 4-5″ range.
I’ve been using the new SD for a couple of weeks now and with my extended drive out to Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA this week, have logged nearly one thousand miles. With the base two tray rack and a wheel chock for each bike, I can report that it is very, very, secure.
I’ve bounced it all over the desert finding some remote camp spots and the bikes don’t wobble much at all. I frequently monitor my rearview mirrors while driving, glancing back at bikes hanging off the back of my truck, and the new SD moves less than any other rack I’ve used.
In my previous rack reviews, I’ve pointed out that I rely on racks that can carry at least four bikes and a swingout adapter that allows access to my truck’s tailgate. I’ve been using the original 1UP SD along with the Rigd Rambleswing since the swingout came out right around this time last year.
It’s been a solid setup for me, as the overbuilt nature of the Rambleswing and its 300 lb capacity help isolate movement in the overall system that can come from cantilevering a four-tray rack off the back of a pickup truck. But after testing out the new SD with two add-on trays, I decided to drive to Sea Otter with only the base rack.
Photo showing the old SD rack with Rig’d Rambleswing
The Ramblwswing isn’t quite as wide as some other swingouts, which requires me to mount 1UP racks pretty far out from the unit to clear the tailgate when open. This isn’t possible with the more substantial trays of the new SD. The only way to swing the rack out and clear the tailgate is to move the rack into one of its lower settings and then swing it out. So, I decided it would be easier to deal with the two-tray version rather than four while on my initial road trip with it.
Moving forward, if I continue using the new SD, I’ll swap out a wider swingout like the 1UP RackAttach, or wait until Rid’g hopefully makes a larger size of the Rambleswing. This is a non-issue for folks mounting the new SD directly to their vehicles.
As of writing this, I’m still waiting on the official product weights from 1UP, but the new SD is heavy. So, be sure to check the weight ratings of vehicles and other accessories, especially if you’re carrying heavy bikes. Those numbers tend to add up fast.
Overall, this is the best rack 1UP has made yet. The new glide bar mech is super nice to use and staggering the trays makes loading and unloading bikes much easier than before. And the combination of beefed-up components with optional wheel chocks keeps bikes stable even in rough conditions.
See more at 1UP USA
There’s a lot to love about Kona’s latest drop-bar bike, the Ouroboros. From the name (duh) to the stance and details, it’s got a lot going on. John got his hands on the Supreme build spec ($6999) and shot some photos before today’s release, so let’s take a closer look at this adventure-ready platform.
Sometimes, the bike industry throws cost-conscious consumers a bone, and the 2024 RockShox Psylo Gold RC is a meaty one. Travis has been chewing on it for a couple weeks now, and he’s got a review with almost no flesh-based metaphors.
Framework Bicycles turns blocks of aluminum and spools of carbon into one-off custom bikes where obsessive precision and iteration becomes rideable art. In this long-term, long form Framework Bicycles review, Morgan Taylor details the experience of designing and riding their custom road bike. Did they strike the perfect balance, or produce their own Homer car?
Released today, the Fray is ENVE’s new all-road/endurance road bike. The Fray is positioned in ENVE’s lineup between the Melee and the MOG, with a geometry optimized for tire sizes between 700 x 31c and 700 x 35c, and clearance up to 40c.
Petor stumbled on one of the first production Fray bikes ahead of its release for a long weekend in Girona last October. Below, he shares a first look and some initial ride impressions…
Part shape-shifter, part time capsule, Hailey‘s Crust Bikes Bombora has taken many forms. It’s the bike that she got when she first started really getting into bikes, and bike touring, and since then it’s the one she’s altered the most, always finding a way to keep it relevant as her preferences and bike collection evolve. In this somewhat unconventional review, she veers into the sentimental as she highlights some of the setups her Bombora has seen over the past five years.
This winter, Shaun Price took State’s 6061 Trail+ Fat Bike out around New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. It was his first time fat biking, making him the perfect test subject for this entry-level fat bike model from State. Today, Shaun reviews the 6061 Trail+’s riding characteristics, along with the impact of techy numbers, measurements, and geometry. As a first-time fat biker, he weighs in on the pros and cons of State’s accessible $999.99 ready-to-roll fat bike.
We talk a lot about the early klunkers, from Breezers to Cunninghams and Ritcheys, but what about the very first MTBs in the US, the coaster cruisers, aka mountain cruisers? These esoteric singlespeeds rely on a coaster brake hub to control their speed and were adapted from old Schwinn newspaper bikes.
Read on as John reviews his coaster cruiser, a Monē Bikes Small Batch Straight Bar, aka the SB2. These bikes are the simplest mountain bike you can ride: No hand brakes. No gears. Big bars. Balloon tires. This is peak coaster cruiser!
Tannus Fusion is the world’s first modular tubeless tire insert system. Made of two interlocking components, the system allows riders to select the exact amount of desired tire protection. Each portion of the Fusion insert can also be used individually, for applications ranging from road to trail riding. Spencer recently got his hands on a set of the new Fusion inserts, which are launching today, and set them up on a couple of his bikes. Read on for his review…
Nearly three years ago this week, Josh picked up a custom titanium singlespeed Oddity hardtail that was originally Burnsey‘s show bike for the 2021 Philly Bike Expo. It’s become his most-ridden bike and has been subject to plenty of component swaps over the years, yet it hasn’t been fully documented with a dedicated article here on this site. Josh recently outfitted the bike with Ignite Components and (finally) shares a review and breakdown of the build below, including an interview with Ian Colquhoun of Ignite…
Today, Tailfin announced the newest addition to its growing product lineup: a collection of half and wedge-frame bags available in a whopping nine sizes for close to custom fit on a wide variety of bikes. Josh has been riding with one of the half-frame bags for the past few weeks on his Scarab Paramo Ulrtra gravel bike and, below, offers an overview of the product lineup and initial thoughts on these new weatherproof bags…
After about a month of using the Tern Orox in a particularly snowy and cold spring in Santa Fe, John has penned a review of the e-cargo platform, which speaks to the bike’s versatility and aligns it firmly in the “car replacement” category. Let’s check it out!
Just when you think handlebars can’t get any weirder, Redshift Sports drops the Top Shelf. But after riding them for a week, Travis found they actually felt pretty normal. Whether that’s a good thing is up to you.
Continuing our Obscura series, where editors and contributors from The Radavist review their favorite cameras, John discusses the one he’ll never let go: his Mamiya 7ii. Read on for a look into this well-loved and well-used camera!
Today, the all-new Yoshimura Chilao SS pedal was announced. We’ve been hailing the Yoshimura Chilao pedal since it came out in 2020. The Chilao SS takes this design to the next level with some clever engineering. Let’s check it out…
A longtime “velopreneur” who has worked across the cycling media industry, Gunnar Fehlau decided to take on a new experiential project in 2023: He loaded his household onto his e-cargo bike and has been living and working from the road for one year. This is his report from the first 333 days of life while workpacking.
