2012 BMC TeamElite TE29 Hardtail Review


Andy Clark reviews BMC's new hardtail 29er, the TeamElite TE29. You can find more information on the bike HERE

Posted by Simon 02/03/12 

Everything You Need to Know About The New SRAM Red Group


SRAM's redesigned Red road group was officially launched in Spain today. Please click on the links below for access to PDFs with all the details!




There's no ETA for delivery just yet, but if you're interested in pre-ordering a new Red group please send an email to sales@speedgoat.com, and we'll reply with pricing and availability!

Posted by Simon 02/01/12 

Santa Cruz’s Blur LT2 Receives Major Update

I caught this article, by Matt Phillips of Bicycling Magazine, on their website today. Sounds like the best aluminum trail bike on the planet just got better!




Mountain biking may be forever, but mountain bikes have a relatively short shelf life. Relentless product development means that even great bikes can quickly seem outdated if they don’t evolve. Santa Cruz’s Blur LT2 is a prime example. First introduced in 2008 and most recently updated in 2010, it was one of my favorite bikes. It was light, plush and pedaled crisply—and for many riders it defined the trail bike category. But as other bikes evolved, the LT2 felt long in the tooth.

In the past two years, 29ers found their voice, SRAM brought us into the 10-speed era, tapered headtubes became standard, dropper posts went from a niche to a big deal and 142x12 rear thru-axles became standard equipment on most 5-inch-travel.

Despite the most recent update, which included a tapered headtube and new top and downtubes, the LT2 felt off the back. Notably, the geometry was shorter and steeper than some newer bikes. There were other shortcomings, too. It lacked full-length derailleur housing and guides for uninterrupted dropper post lines. It was missing ISCG tabs, which have become increasingly important now that modern 10-speed drivetrains have increased demand for single-ring setups with chainguides. The bike’s top tubes still felt short, and the rear QR felt almost retro.

This year, however, Santa Cruz updated the aluminum version of the Blur LT (the carbon remains unchanged, for now). The new Blur LT 2.2 features:

- Slacker head tube. Santa Cruz relaxed the LT2.2 headtube by half a degree to 67.5 (based on a 150mm-travel fork). It’s a welcome change, but still not as slack as the Trek Remedy, Yeti SB66, or some other trail bikes.

- ISCG 05. The chainguide mounting tabs add a few grams, but greatly simplify adding a chainguide.




- Uninterrupted dropper post guides. While the LT2 had dropper post routing from the get-go, housing stops prohibited running full-length cable. Not only did that invite cable contamination, the stops were incompatible with RockShox’ Reverb post, which uses hydraulic lines.

- Full-length derailleur housing. The new model features little guides that cradle the housing, which can be secured easily to the frame with zip-ties. Not only does full-length housing prevent contamination from dirt (which can degrade shifting performance) it also is easier to swap housing when the time comes. As an added bonus, this system works with mechanical, hydraulic and electronic shifting.




New grease ports on the lower link are tucked out of harms way.

- Two front-derailleur housing stops. Some of SRAM’s new 2x10 front derailleurs use different cable-anchor positions than Shimano’s established standard. The top-pull/low clamp design required by the old LT was one of those models, and required an awkward, friction-amplifying bend in the cable. Adding a second stop, like those found on Santa Cruz’s newer Butcher and Nickel models, allows clean routing to SRAM derailleurs.

- Offset lower link. The old link interfered with some guides, either hindering performance or rendering the guides incompatible .The new link, which first showed up on the aluminum Tallboy and TRc, is offset toward the non-drive side and provides clearance for a wider variety of guides.

- Protected grease ports. The old grease-port fittings dangled below the lower link and could occasionally be knocked off by flying rocks. The updated versions are tucked deep in the new link, out of the way of rocks, logs and other debris.




Two cable stops on the down tube allow the LT2.2 to swing both ways.

While the list of improvements in impressive, there are still some things Santa Cruz ignored. The mechanics of the VPP suspension are the same as when the LT2 was launched in 2008, even though shocks have improved a great deal in that time. There’s still no 142x12 rear axle option. And no change was made to the LT’s top-tube length, which in today’s stumpy-stem, wide-bar world, is decidedly short. (One workaround: Since the LT2.2 has generous standover, it’s possible to ride a size larger than normal. You just may need to drop the bars a bit and trim the top of the seatpost to fit a dropper post, voiding the warranty.)

Keep in mind, however, that Santa Cruz calls this just a “revision.” The LT carbon remains unchanged so it makes us think that a new LTc, and hopefully a new LT aluminum are in the works. But until then, these updates are sufficient enough that the Blur LT remains one of my favorite trail bikes.

2012 BMC Racemachine RM01 Review


Andy Clark reviews the 2012 BMC Race Machine RM01.

Posted by Simon 01/24/12 

2012 Focus Izalco Pro 3.0 Review


Andy takes the 2012 Focus Izalco Pro 3.0 Carbon road bike through its paces. Click Play for a full review.

Posted by Simon 01/18/12 

Top 11 Things We Love About Cycling in January

Photo of the day. Photo of the week. Photo of the YEAR.

We caught this photo on Yay Cycling today, and couldn't help but be impressed. If you pulled up next to this dude on a climb, would you attack? I think not.

"Markel Irizar of Spain poses for his RadioLux profile shot, clearly still suffering the effects of his bad crash last December in which he suffered a broken jaw."

Devinci Dexter Video Review


Andy's take on the 2012 Devinci Dexter

INTRODUCING THE GOATNOTE

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