Journal
2023 Contender Gift Guide - Local Flavor
Temps outside have dropped, the days are noticeably shorter, the leaves are down, and local cyclocross is wrapping up (salute to those who keep it truly seasonal and hop barriers all winter!) This all adds up to one thing: gift-giving time has officially been engaged! We’re all about spreading cycling...
The BMC Fourstroke LT AMP
We've talked about the BMC Fourstroke before, and you may recognize this bike's familiar lines. But last time we talked about this bike was back in October of 2022, when the Swiss company fully redesigned the bike from the ground up. This all new Fourstroke is better than ever, and...
Our Favorite Fat Biking Spots
It happens every year (around Utah anyway), winter hits and lots of folks opt to hang up the bike and swap the focus to traditional winter activities. But luckily for cold climate cyclists we have fat bikes! We’re big fans of fat bikes here at Contender and have been riding them since...
Thankful For The Ride, And Thankful For You!
No matter how we go about it, riding a bike is one of life’s simple pleasures. The freedom, the exercise, even just the air moving past are all things we can be thankful for when we’re on our bicycles. Although this time of year can be hectic, it's also the time...
From Dumpster to Daily Duty - Colby's 1995 Bridgestone X0-5
We absolutely love a good “Rags To Rad Ride” story here at Contender Bicycles, and Colby’s 1995 Bridgestone X0-5 is a great one! Colby is one of our operations and mechanical wizards here at the shop and knows his way around bikes both old and new. Colby has some strong,...
Why A Gravel Shoe?
Whether you're a gravel/adventure cyclist, an XC racer or you like bike packing, you've probably gone into a bike shop looking for some two bolt shoes and noticed the overwhelming number of shoe options available. But what makes any of them better for your intended purpose? Many shoes are now labeled as...
Cargo Nirvana With The Specialized Globe Haul
Spend any time observing cyclists and what they’re riding these days and it becomes abundantly clear that we are full- blast into the era of the eBike. Whether you’re on the road, trail, bike path, or anything in between, you’re sure to notice an exciting number of electric-assisted bikes out...
TIME-less In Blue - A One-Off Cobalt Blue TIME ADHX 45
When an industry icon moves slightly outside their established realm (think: Porsche producing an SUV), we tend to expect big things. So it came as no surprise that when TIME Bicycles debuted the Alpe D’ Huez X (or ADHX) a while back, it was a stunner. But…. the gravel world...
TIME For Big Gravel With The ADHX 45
Contender Bicycles has a long history with TIME, and we've always been big fans of the brand, and the unique and beautiful bikes they produce. TIME has always offered up exciting and exquisitely well-made machines, and their evolution into the gravel realm has been especially exciting for us here at...
Drop Bars, Fat Tires and Good Times!
Part of what makes working at a bike shop great is the increased exposure to really cool bikes, and the opportunity to let your imagination run wild when doing your own builds. We have the unique and genuinely enjoyable job of helping our customers come up with their ideal rides,...
Daylight Riding - Be Seen to Be Safe!
It’s officially autumn! It happens every year and no matter where you are it definitely shifts riding season into a different gear. Even if the weather and temperatures stay more ride-friendly, we all deal with the daylight hours getting shorter as we wander away from the sun for a few...
Santa Cruz Heckler SL Ride Review
This September, Santa Cruz unveiled their flagship lightweight eMtb, the Heckler SL. Designed with all-day riding in mind and weighing in significantly less than full-power eMtb’s, the Heckler SL is poised to be a category leader. Besides its svelte weight, the new Heckler also raises some eyebrows with the use of...
Introducing the Fazua Ride 60 eBike Motor System
Over the past few years, eBike motors have undergone a remarkable transformation. They have become lighter, more compact, and significantly more powerful. Gone are the days when every eBike had wildly oversized down tubes, subpar cable and wire management and weighed so much that even attempting to lift the bike...
GC Kuss And His Winning Bikes
The Vuelta The Vuelta a España, or just The Vuelta for short, is the third of the three road cycling Grand Tours of the year and like the Tour De France and the Giro D’Italia, The Vuelta has 21 stages split over 3 weeks of racing. The overall winner of the general classification, or...
SRAM Transmission Six Months Down The Trail
In March of 2023, SRAM set a new bar for high performance 12-speed mountain drivetrains with their Transmission lineup. The claims to fame with this new system according to SRAM are increased reliability and durability, as well as the best shifting performance when under load, compared to competing drivetrains. Over the first...
