Journal
A Look at How ENVE Makes Their Wheels and Frames - A Contender Bicycles Tour
We see ENVE Composites as one of the top carbon wheel brands on the market today. We kind of mean that literally; them being just 45 minutes north of us in Ogden, Utah means we could see them if we squint really, really hard. When it comes to manufacturing, however,...
Demo the Pinarello Grevil and Dogma Starting July 21st
Itching to do that multi-surface ride your friends have been raving about? Want to carve canyons on one of the best road bikes ever? Well there’s no better time than the present to demo Pinarello’s quintessential gravel bike, the Pinarello Grevil or the Grand Tour-winning Pinarello Dogma F12. We are...
Contender Takes On the 2021 ENVE Grodeo Gravel Ride
Interested in our takes on the bikes at the ENVE Builder Round-Up? See our photos and words HERE. ENVE takes a lot of pride in their manufacturing prowess, but they work hard to maintain that all of their work comes from their love of riding bikes. While the ENVE Builder’s Showcase celebrated...
Contender Goes to the 2021 ENVE Builder Round-Up
Once a year, ENVE holds two-day celebration of all things bicycle just up the road from us in Ogden, Utah. The weekend consists of two events: the Builder Round-Up on Friday and the Grodeo ride on Saturday. The Builder Round-Up is a showcase of custom bikes from ENVE's handmade builder partners, showing...
Four Things We Love About the 2022 BMC Roadmachine FOUR
We called the BMC Roadmachine road bike the performance road bike for the masses, and that stands today. It's appeal comes as an endurance road bike with sleek, data-driven lines influenced by aerodynamics that were the complete opposite of the rest of the endurance bike market. New for 2022 is the...
A Happy Fourth of July From the Pinarello Dogma
We aren't the most sentimental group cycling enthusiasts, but we couldn't deny how cool it was to be able to round up an array of beautiful Pinarello Dogma F12 framesets. The scene was ideal and we think these photos came out wonderfully for a happy Fourth of July. Red, white,...
In For Review: Rapha Cargo Bib Shorts, Explore T-Shirt, and Explore Hooded Pullover
The brand you've associated with austere black-and-white and suffering is changing. Rapha now has a line of lifestyle apparel and accessories with lots of colors that are concerned with more than just the purity of road cycling. While there is still an air of serious business in what they do,...
The Pinarello Dogma F Insider's Guide: No Longer Playing By the Numbers
Pinarello didn’t really need to change the Dogma lineup at all. After all, the Dogma F12 is one of our favorite bikes in the world, as it was in many ways our benchmark in handling, ride quality and all-day performance. But of course, Pinarello had to one-up themselves, and thus...
Beautiful Bicycle - A Dreamy Orange Pinarello Dogma F12 Disk
Orange isn't for everyone. The Pinarello Dogma will always polarize due to its unyielding dedication to the pursuit of speed. And Campagnolo Super Record? Well, that really isn't for everyone. But this bike - an amalgamation of Italian excellence - is just the right choice for its rider. We couldn't...
Your Inside Guide to the 2022 SCOTT Spark, Spark RC, and Contessa Spark
The all-new 2022 SCOTT Spark is a complete redesign of the winningest XC race bikes ever, with new features and geometry to keep the Spark on top. We are just as excited as you are for this new release, and so we’re breaking down the key features and updates to...
2022 Juliana Roubion First Look: Ready for Trail Rumpus
Finding the right mountain bike is rarely easy. What type of suspension you need, the right build kit, the right handling attributes, the right paint scheme; everything ought to be considered, on top of price too. The newly-overhauled 2022 Juliana Roubion might not be the right bike for everyone, but...
2022 Santa Cruz Bronson First Look: Mixed-Wheel Sizes for the Masses?
The release of the 2022 Santa Cruz Bronson marks the fourth generation of a bike that’s been a mainstay in the 27.5” wheel world, and the de facto choice for long travel 27.5” bikes. As any other Santa Cruz, the latest Bronson sees a number of refinements and changes, brings...
The New 2022 Juliana Wilder Fills an XC-Sized Gap
Juliana has had a massive XC bike-sized hole in their lineup for years. The Joplin has worked for many people, but as the analog and its sibling, the Santa Cruz Tallboy has grown into dedicated trail bikes, riders wanting something zippier were left lacking. Not so anymore. Starting today, the...
The New Santa Cruz Blur and Blur TR Review: The Perfect Wasatch Bike?
The cross country mountain bike world is changing, and fast. Over a short period of time, courses have become sloppier, steeper, and rockier. As a result, XC mountain bikes have become longer and lower, with geometry better optimized toward stability. In short, the lines between XC race and XC marathon...
Beautiful Bicycle - An All-Stealth BMC Teammachine
You may not know this, but the BMC Teammachine is every bit the winner at the biggest stage as any other bike on the market. It is a go-to for some of the fastest athletes in the world who seek the ideal race bike who seek that just right combination of...
