Journal
Orbea Rallon vs Orbea Occam LT - Which Is Best For You? Four Things to Know
The new for 2022 Orbea Rallon and 2022 Orbea Occam LT were both released recently, and upon first blush, these two mountain bikes look fairly similar. Longer travel, big brakes, 150mm to 170mm suspension travel, and a whole lot of of features optimized for steep descents. But which mountain bike is best for...
Momentum PakYak Available Now: Here's What You Need to Know About This Cargo eBike
The yak is not particularly well-known in the United States, but they are among the most interesting animals in the world. Sturdy and adapted to high altitudes, they are found to be excellent companions carrying loads across mountains. And while the new Momentum PakYak cargo e-bike may not be the...
The 3T Exploro Racemax Italia Founder's Edition Brings Frame Production to Italy
It isn’t often that we see production bicycles made in Italy, but 3T’s dream of bringing frame production to Italy has finally come true. The result of this is the 3T Exploro Racemax Italia Founder’s Edition, a one of 100 frame that marks the start of 3T frame production in...
Contender Rides the Crusher in the Tushar
Joseph rode Crusher in the Tushar, a gravel bike race that starts in Beaver, Utah. He outlines what he brought, what bike he chose, and what changes he would make to be prepared for one of the hardest gravel races around. - Alvin On the morning of July 10th, I...
Five of Our Favorite Gravel Bikes - Contender's Picks for Racing and Rambling Alike
A gravel bike is no longer a fad. Rather, it the bike most of us have been looking for. They cover pavement in comfort and control thanks to their wider tires which also extend the bike's use case. Simply point the bike where you want to go, and you can...
Beautiful Bicycle: A Timeless Cannondale R3000Si
Depending on who you ask, this Cannondale CAAD 5 is either the coolest thing since sliced bread, or just another bike that rode too firm for its own good. Regardless of where you stand, there is no denying the importance of this bike. Cannondale has pushed the aluminum agenda from...
Five of Our Favorite Cross Country Mountain Bikes in 2021 - Downcountry Edition
Cross country bike have always been so close to being the ideal mountain bike. Trail bikes have typically been the bike you choose when you want to ride all kinds of trails, but what if you like the light weight and responsive climbing performance of cross country bikes? Enter the...
The Rise of the Downcountry Mountain Bike (and Why More Suspension Travel is Good!)
Words by Joseph Bonacci. Since the debut of mountain biking, we have seen just about every bike be pigeonholed into one type of use case, with a lack of crossover among each discipline. Short travel bikes were lightweight and used for cross-country, and long-travel bikes were directed at the enduro...
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,...
