MTBSA article archive

CADEX Max XC: Carbon Spokes, Fast Engagement and a Premium Price

CADEX is entering mountain biking with the Max XC, a high-end 29-inch wheelset using carbon rims and spokes bonded into carbon hub shells. The headline weight is 1,248 g including tubeless tape and valves, but the construction and repair implications deserve just as much attention.

REEB and Cane Creek Pair the STEEZL with an Invert Enduro Fork

REEB Cycles and Cane Creek have announced a limited STEEZL chassis package built around the Invert Enduro fork. The collaboration carries Cane Creek’s Slate finish through the frame, headset and graphics, rather than treating the fork as a standalone colour accent.

5DEV AV3: Asa Vermette’s Race Cranks Reach Riders

5DEV’s AV3 signature crank brings Asa Vermette’s preferred downhill setup into a production component. The emphasis is on practical contact points: short arms, rounded edges and textured faces, rather than simply adding a rider’s name to an existing crank.

Adidas Freerider 2027: New Shoes, Three Stripes and a Clipless Option

Adidas is reshaping the Freerider family for 2027, bringing flat-pedal and clipless shoes under one name. The familiar Stealth rubber remains, but three-stripe branding, revised protection and a wider choice of closures give the range a new direction.

Review: Fulcrum's Metal Carbon Wheels are Quiet, Fast, and Fuss-Free

Fulcrum has a strong history making high performance road wheels, but their name probably wouldn't come to mind when it comes to our fat-tired neck of the woods. They're looking to change that with a new mountain bike focused lineup, featuring carbon and alloy wheels alike - dubbed…

NOBL Core XC: Carbon Wheels Built Around a Simpler Ratchet Hub

NOBL’s Core hub brings a simpler ratchet-based option to its wheel builds. The lightest announced Core XC configuration pairs the hub with carbon rims and Alpina Extralite spokes for a claimed 1,386 g wheelset at ≈ R25 082.

DT Swiss DF Upgrade: Adjustable Float for Ratchet Hubs

DT Swiss is extending its Degrees of Freedom concept to the familiar Ratchet and Ratchet LN hub families. The upgrade gives compatible riders a choice between conventional engagement and extra freehub movement intended to reduce drivetrain influence over rough ground.

EXT Aria V2: Three Air Chambers and a Dedicated Downhill Option

EXT’s second-generation Aria revises its unusual three-chamber air spring and adds a dedicated downhill version. The aim is to combine adjustable air-spring behaviour with a more consistent feel through the stroke, while reducing friction and improving frame clearance.

Pirelli Scorpion Gravity: Three Treads and a Clearer Choice of Casings

Pirelli has reorganised its Scorpion gravity tyres around three named treads: Blacksting, Emperor and Redclaw. Four casing levels and three rubber compounds create a broad range, so the useful question is which combination matches your riding rather than which name sounds most aggressive.

FSA KFX i30: A 1,250 g XC Wheelset with a 150 kg System Limit

FSA’s KFX i30 wheelset targets cross-country riders who want low weight without a particularly restrictive published system-weight limit. The announced 29-inch carbon wheels weigh 1,250 g and carry a maximum system weight of 150 kg.

Pinarello Dogma XCT: A More Trail-Friendly Take on the Race Bike

Pinarello’s Dogma XCT gives its cross-country platform a more marathon-oriented build. It shares the race frame with the Dogma XCR, but changes the cockpit, tyres and finishing kit to favour confidence and comfort over an uncompromising race-day position.

Magura Race Pro: Aluminium Levers and a New Approach to Brake Feel

Magura’s Race Pro puts an aluminium lever body at the centre of its latest gravity brake. The company claims more power than its previous models, but the equally important change is an effort to make lever response more consistent and predictable.

Litespeed Rumpus: A Titanium First Bike with an Heirloom Price

Litespeed’s Rumpus takes the simplest kind of children’s bike and gives it a premium titanium treatment. At an announced ≈ R16 715, it is a choice for parents who want something particularly special rather than a necessary starting point for learning to balance.

Handbuilt Ideas from Bespoked Dresden: Steel, Titanium and Clever Engineering

Bespoked Dresden’s September 2026 show offered a look beyond the mainstream catalogue: handmade frames, unconventional drivetrains and small companies exploring their own answers to familiar mountain-bike problems. Here are the ideas from the first-day report that caught our attention.

Between the speed-focused, minimalistic treads of cross-country tyres and the meatier designs optimised for gravity riding, there's something of a gap in the market. Plenty of tyres aim to fill that space, but it's a fine line to walk, balancing speed and traction across a wide range…

CrossWorx Lite MK2: A Trail Bike with an Unusual Geometry Mix

The CrossWorx Lite MK2 combines 135 mm rear travel with a 140 or 150 mm fork, but its geometry is the real talking point. A steep seated position, relatively conservative steering angle and wheel-dependent rear-centre length give this aluminium trail bike a distinctive set of numbers.

Yeti ASR Lunch Ride: More Fork, More Grip, Still an XC Heart

Yeti’s ASR Lunch Ride takes its lightweight XC platform in a more trail-oriented direction. A longer fork and more substantial tyres aim to broaden the bike’s appeal without turning it into the heavier SB120 platform.

Here we go. Despite a quiet few years on the wheel size front, the conversation is back in action, with a flood of 32"-wheeled machines cropping up in the year or so since Maxxis first opened a mold for the 32" Aspen. Some companies are choosing to sit back and watch while others…