YEAR IN REVIEW: THE 11 BEST CYCLING PRODUCTS OF 2012 [Outside Magazine]
We test bike gear year-round at Outside, from our desert test trip in January and endurance races like the Arizona Trail Race, Breck Epic, and Triple Bypass, to daily road and trail rides here in Santa Fe (including snow biking just this week). In the process, we beat the bejeezus out of lots of gear, and while much of it these days is very good, there are often a handful of items that we come back to again and again. With our 2013 test trip to Tucson coming up next week, we decided this was the perfect moment to highlight the top pieces of bike gear that impressed us most in 2012.
01. CRANK BROTHERS KRONOLOG
This dropper post impressed us more than any other piece of gear this year. Crank Brothers replaced the hydraulic internals of the uneven Joplin with an all-mechanical design that has stood up to nine months of hard wear. We prefer the Kronolog’s infinite height adjustment to other brands' two- or three- stage configurations, as well as the simplicity of the air spring for slowing or speeding the post’s return rate. This is not only a huge improvement from Crank Brothers’ original design, but it’s darn near our favorite dropper on the market, and we recommend it on any bike except for your lightest weight racer.
This dropper post impressed us more than any other piece of gear this year. Crank Brothers replaced the hydraulic internals of the uneven Joplin with an all-mechanical design that has stood up to nine months of hard wear. We prefer the Kronolog’s infinite height adjustment to other brands' two- or three- stage configurations, as well as the simplicity of the air spring for slowing or speeding the post’s return rate. This is not only a huge improvement from Crank Brothers’ original design, but it’s darn near our favorite dropper on the market, and we recommend it on any bike except for your lightest weight racer.
02. SPEEDWAY CYCLES FATBACK
This was the year the fat bikes took to the mainstream, and though we've had plenty of fun on these hogs over the last few seasons, it is the Fatback from Anchorage, Alaska-based Speedway Cycles that has won us over for good. At just 27 pounds with huge standover and superfast steering, this bike rides more like an XC mountain bike than a monster truck. With a spare set of lightweight wheels, it easily pulls double duty as an XC racer, making this thus far the most versatile mountain bike around. (The Surly Krampus, a 2013 release, looks set to usurp that title.) Look for a full winter review of the Fatback soon.
This was the year the fat bikes took to the mainstream, and though we've had plenty of fun on these hogs over the last few seasons, it is the Fatback from Anchorage, Alaska-based Speedway Cycles that has won us over for good. At just 27 pounds with huge standover and superfast steering, this bike rides more like an XC mountain bike than a monster truck. With a spare set of lightweight wheels, it easily pulls double duty as an XC racer, making this thus far the most versatile mountain bike around. (The Surly Krampus, a 2013 release, looks set to usurp that title.) Look for a full winter review of the Fatback soon.
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