Test Ride Tuesday - The Liv Pique 2

The first thing I have to say about this bike is that the only limits I had were my own lack of technical skills haha, that aside this bike was AWESOME!

Welcome to the Liv Pique 2

The Pique 2 is Liv's entry level dual suspension XC mountain bike with 27.5" tires and 120mm of travel both front and rear suspension.

Wait...what did you just say?

Mountain bikes, well really bikes in general have a lot of confusing terms, categories, and fads. Let's clean up a few of those now before we dig into this bike!

Entry Level - for a beginner, someone that doesn't plan on doing big competitions (yet) or someone that wants "a little bit of everything" with a new bike. Someone who is interested in a sport but not sure where they fall or how much time they want to commit to a new skill. Usually the cheaper of the models.

Dual Suspension - There is a shock on the front and middle/rear of the bike making it bouncy and springy. Two suspended parts = more capability for down hill and big riding. One (hardtail) = better for gravel, uphill, and speed. Both make rough and bumpy down hill descents easier as well as tackling some bigger features like rocks and roots. When you see a number like 120mm that is the distance of travel your suspension has. A smaller number is better for flat land, uphill, and less rugged terrain. The bigger the number the better for downhill, big rocks and logs, big jumps, and yes...all the better to send it.

XC- or Cross country riding. Full of climbs as well as descents. Usually involves more endurance type riding, twisty single track, lots of hills, and smaller features but can be a mix of more technical riding.

Tire Size - This bike has a 27.5" wheel, meaning how big around the wheel is it is kindof a vague term so bear with me here. Some other common wheel sizes in mountain biking are 26" and 29er

So now that we know a thing or two let's talk about how these features work with the Pique 2.

For my ride I chose Big Sioux Rec area. I would consider that a pretty true cross country type of trail. Lot's of flat area to up your speed, a great "hefty" and technical climb over some smaller roots and rocks, and then a nice open descent to the start. It is a bit over two miles for one loop but the down hill serves a nice recovery to go back for round two.

The 27.5" wheel was a great choice for this bike. I am 5'5" and it was extremely easy for me to stand over this bike. Hop off and on when I had to push the bike, and brought my center of gravity lower for better handling and balance on the tighter corners and down hill. I didn't feel like a sacrificed speed on the flats by having a smaller wheel either. The fact that I had a larger front chain ring helped me pick up speed where I needed it. The Maxxis High Roller tires offered great cornering security as I came around some of the softer dryer dirt and leaves on the uphill. The fact that this bike is tubeless (sealant instead of traditional tube inside) allowed me to run a lower tire pressure so that tread really grabbed the ground under me. I felt a lot more confident that usual riding in the dark.

The front forks 120mm suspension was just enough for this type of trail. The trails were riddled with horse tracks and this bike just flew over them like nothing. I hopped from bumpy to smooth parts over and over and didn't feel like I was underserved at all. With the lock out I didn't feel like any energy was wasted on the climb either. The bikes geometry pushed me up towards the front on those steeper climbs and felt great control even over the leaves and rocks. The only thing lacking on this bike is a lock out for the rear shock, but as a beginner bike it does not come with one.

The descent for me was probably the scariest. I am in fact a beginner mountain biker and that was the longest and steepest down hill I have done thus far. Honestly the dropper post saved my life. It allowed the saddle to be out of my way so I could really pushy my body back and down over my rear wheel, locking my balance in place and letting the bike roll under me. It was EXHILIRATING!

I hit the summit right at sundown and the view was gorgeous. This ride was fun and challenging and absolutely stunning. For me this wasn't about riding mountain bike, it was about testing my own skills and being brave, this bike absolutely helped me do that! Ten out of ten would recommend this bike to anyone looking to get into single track riding!

Test Ride Tuesday - The Giant Anthem Advanced 1

Giant categorizes the Anthem Advanced 1 as a “Cross Country Trail” mountain bike, which basically means it’s one of those does-it-all kind of mountain bikes. And after riding the bike a number of times on different trails and terrain, I have to agree. Now it may not be a weight-weenie hardtail built for 9 hour climbing-heavy races like the Leadville Trail 100, or a full blown World Cup downhill rig with a dual crown fork and 200mm of travel, but for pretty much anything in between the Giant Anthem Advanced 1 is ready to take on the challenge and give you the ultimate ride experience you’ve been waiting for.

My first ride on the Anthem Adv 1 was during a weekend trip down to Bentonville, AR (side note, if you haven’t been to Arkansas for a mountain bike trip YOU HAVE TO GO, like tomorrow) and from the moment I threw my leg over it I knew the bike was going to be a blast to ride. All of the trails in and around Bentonville are purpose-built mountain bike trails so they’re designed to be ridden hard and fast and the Anthem didn’t skip a single beat no matter what I threw at it. Steep rooted climbs, fast flowy berms, chunky technical descents, even some double ups at the in-town pump track this bike rode everything like a dream.

The carbon fiber main triangle of the Anthem Adv 1 gives the bike a stiff platform for responsive ride feel while increasing the vibration compliance and reducing the overall weight of the bikes (around 25lb totally stock with pedals). The front (Fox 34 130mm) and rear (Fox Float 110mm) suspension have 3 different independently controlled lock-out positions: fully locked out for smooth climbing sections, midway for bumpier more technical climbing or flat sections, and fully opened for the long descents. The Anthem Adv 1 also comes stock with a dropper post for those “party on Wayne” moments! To keep the weight down and improve ride quality, Giant equips the bike with carbon 27.5” wheels which if you’ve never ridden a bike with carbon hoops you’re really missing out. To round out the distinct features of this bike that contribute to its all-arounder characteristics is the SRAM NX 1x12 drivetrain giving you the top end gearing you need for high speed descents and paved riding as well as ultra-low end gearing for those gut wrenching steep descents where you need all the help you can get.

So whether you live here in Sioux Falls and primarily ride the mellow, XC oriented local trails at Leader’s Park, Tuthill, Yankton Trails, Big Sioux Rec, etc. or you have a cabin in The Hills and ride more rugged, rocky, hilly terrain requiring a bike allows you to pedal efficiently uphill for long periods of time and then descend at high speeds with confidence, the Giant Anthem Advanced 1 is equipped for the job. Don’t believe me? Drop by Spoke-n-Sport today to take one out for a test spin and experience this great bike for yourself.

E-Bikes...are those online deals worth it?

E-Bikes are you going to buy one online? Here's a few things to think about.

The picture posted is of some specs I found online through a simple search. Looks like a great deal but consider the following.

• Who's going to assemble it? Your cost to have a bike built could be $100 - $150. You never know what's in the box.
• Who's going to service it? Many e-bike companies are not based in the USA. Most of the bargain e-bike companies are based in Europe or Asia. That means slow service...if any service. Our brands are based in the USA and have service facilities in Sioux Falls.....that's right Spoke-n-Sport services the products we sell.
• It has a Hub Motor. Hub motors aren't necessarily bad but they do tend to be very heavy and can suffer from overheating. This one has a Bafang. We actually kind of like Bafang. We use them for our e-bike conversion kits.
• One size. If you really want to enjoy your bike ride, you'll want a bike that fits you. You can't fit a "one size fits most" to heights that range from 5'4" - 6'2". That's like buying one pair of shoes to fit your child from 5th grade to 12th grade.
• 66.5 lbs!! Yikes.
• What's missing? What "CLASS" is this bike? You should probably know because the not all classes of e-bikes are allowed in all areas of the city.

If you have questions about E-Bikes for the holidays or next summer....swing on in to Spoke-n-Sport and let's get you set up before the tariffs kick up those prices on Jan 1st. We also have 18 Month financing on all ebikes for the holidays

Test Ride Tuesday - The Giant TCX Advanced Pro 2

The TCX is Giants cyclocross race bike. Cyclocross is a Fall/Winter cycling discipline that features bikes that look fairly similar to a road bike, but the majority of the course is off-road. Courses feature lots of twisty corners, short punchy climbs, steep descents, stairs, a sand pit or two. Today I will take the TCX to our local Cross course over at Elmwood park and ride it around the course we used for Falls Area Bicyclists Elmwood Forest Cross a couple weeks ago.

The Giant TCX Advanced Pro 2 is an awesome build for a cross bike featuring a single chainring up front and a wide range 11-36 cassette in the back. While the TCX may look like a road bike it has quite a few differences. The riding position is shorter and higher up, favoring the ability to shift your weight around to increase handling over optimal pedaling from the saddle and aerodynamics. Part of the height is also a slightly raised bottom bracket, the joint where the crankset and pedals turn.This allows a little more clearance from the ground while cornering hard or on off-camber turns. Another major difference is the tires, they are wider at 33mm as opposed to 23-28 for road bike and have some knobby tread on them for grip off-road.

Tire pressure is another place cross differs from road bikes, Today I will be running 22psi front and 23 rear. The lower tire pressure has been proven more effective on rougher surfaces, even on roads a lower pressure will offer better rolling resistance, for road bikes this is the difference between 80 and 100 psi. In cyclocross the tires are larger and often the ground is rougher so the more of the bumps the tires can absorb the less I will have to while I’m riding. Lower pressures also offer increased traction by allowing more of the tire to touch the ground and also the deforming of the tire over bumps allows the tire to maintain contact with the ground

It is low 60s high 50s today so I will be wearing my sweet Spoke-n-Sport kit and a lightweight base layer. Grab my helmet, gloves and bike computer and head for the door. For shoes I use clipless pedals that have a cleat on the bottom of the shoe that hooks into the pedal. I also have some toe spikes on my shoes which are common for cyclocross and mountain biking. They increase grip while running up hills particularly in wet sloppy conditions.

Upon arriving at Elmwood I jumped right onto the course, the TCX handled consistently through every corner whether on grass or dirt as well as leaves covering the the park. I tried a couple of mock starts in to see how the TCX handles a sudden quick acceleration from zero. The bike rolls off the line quite well I had no issues getting into a good power position out of the saddle while still keeping the rear wheel in contact with the ground. Then into a wide sweeping left hand corner which I didn’t have to brake at all for and immediately into some heavy braking for the main section of tight twisty corners. The TCX handled cornering while braking consistently and confidently. Off camber corners are tricky because the ground is sloped away, and so as a rider enters the corner the ground is effectively falling away from the front tire that the rider needs to be gripping the ground, as well as the ground is higher on the inside of the corner limiting the amount the rider can lean their bike. The higher bottom bracket on the TCX helped significantly with this scenario.

The Elmwood race course featured a corner in the sand pit which I had a lot of fun riding on the TCX. The sand increases the resistance and so no matter how fast you go you will never coast through it. Also, if you turn your front wheel left or right it significantly increase the resistance further because it is now wider and pushes more sand. If you turn too far the front wheel will dig down into the sand opposite the direction you want to turn and then it will just stop once it is buried far enough and you will fly over the bars, but don’t worry there is a nice soft sand pit to land in. So with all the challenges of sand pits come a couple cyclocross skills, one is the balance between pedaling power pedaling smoothness and weight position, the other is very fine precise choice of the line your tires roll on. Cue epic video of sand flying everywhere and bike going fast.

Next of the course is the stairs, yes stairs. Dismount your bike, pick it up carry it up a short flight of stairs and remount at the top, all as fast as you possibly can. There is a technique to dismounting and remounting, dismounting being generally much easier than remounting. The TCX is nice and light and the top tube is small enough that I can easily reach my whole hand around it to pick it up. This set of stairs is short enough that I just hold the bike with my left hand still on the handlebar and my right hand on the top tube and then remount at the top.

Then I finished up my ride by riding the rest of the way around our beautiful bike trail and back home setting a few PRs on the east side of the trail with the tail wind. I ended with 30 miles and 2.5 hours elapsed 2 hours moving. Back home to change clothes and then clean the bike off and get it ready for whichever one of you lucky people gets to ride it next. It is available for rent through our rental system. Thank you!