Matt Beer

Squamish

Technical Editor at Pinkbike

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Articles

10 Fast & Flashy XC Bikes From the 2025 Araxa XC World Cup

1 week ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Apr 11, 2025 1. Kate Courtney's Allied BC402. Samara Maxwell's RockRider 940 S3. Jenn Jackson's Orbea Oiz4. Nino Schurter's Scott Spark5. Jofre Cullell's BH Lynx SLS 6. Jolanda Neff's Cannondale Scalpel7. Jenny Rissved's Canyon Lux World Cup 8. Simone Avondetto's Wilier Urta Max SLR9. Evie Richard's Trek Top Fuel10. Victor Koretzky's Specialized Epic Posted In:Reviews and Tech Bike Checks Araxá XC World Cup #2 2025 Author Info: mattbeer Member since Mar 16, 2001 466 articles
First Look: Lal Katana - The Bike Built Around the Supre Drive

2 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Lal Bikes is synonymous with the Supre Drive - their patented drivetrain that splits the derailleur into two parts. Due to the proprietary specifications of the Supre Drive, such as a cartridge housed in the downtube, idler wheels, and a proprietary derailleur of sorts, other frame manufacturers were reluctant to jump on board, with Nicolai Bikes being the one exception. Lal hasn’t been steered away from their drivetrain philosophy, though.
First Look: Time's New XYSTO Gravity Pedals

2 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

The XYSTO is Time's new gravity clip pedal that features an asymmetric design and their largest platform yet. The XYSTO have the same mechanical function of Speciale model, but with more pins, greater surface area, and a longer spindle. Time describes the pedals as being "full-bodied" and despite being made in Portugal, the name has nothing to do with wine. Xisto refers to the type of rock found in the mountains in that region and is pronounced "Shis-toe", or "Schist" in English.
Review: 6D Alterra Enduro Full Face Helmet

2 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

6D is best known in mountain biking for their downhill full-face helmets. Until now, they’ve had a gap between those moto-inspired helmets and an open-face trail lid, the ATB-2T. This new Alterra helmet from 6D is big on safety and venting, but low on weight. Although it looks like an enduro full-face helmet with a removable chin-bar, it is fixed in place. The chin strap incorporates a Fidlock buckle and the adjustable visor stows goggles for on-trail conveniences.
First Look: Revel Launches 3 New Bikes Including an Enduro & eMTB Model

2 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Revel Bikes is making big moves with three new carbon bikes for 2025. The one that stands out the most is the brand’s first e-bike, the ReRun. It slots into the mid-power category with a Bosch SX motor and 165mm of rear wheel travel. There’s also a new enduro bike, the Ritual, with equal amounts of travel, but no motor. Revel has applied their new “Ratio Fit Philosophy” to this bike, which is designed to provide consistency across sizes (more on that below).
Review: Michelin Wild AM2 & Force AM2 Tires

2 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Front and rear wheels have different jobs on the bike. In turn, we see tire manufacturers making specific treads for those purposes. While that's a good play for some conditions, we've seen plenty of riders disregard that logic and go their own route. In Michelin’s case, they have the Wild AM2 and Force AM2, which slot into the all-mountain category. The Wild is designed for soft conditions while the Force is best for hard-packed trails.
Review: Polygon Collosus DH-R - Smooth & Sensibly Priced

3 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Polygon has been known for making some wild-looking bikes. Remember their old Xquare One DH bike? The silhouette of the new Collosus is slightly less radical, except it uses a multitude of short links. Polygon calls this their Independent Floating Suspension (IFS) - the same 6-bar design found on their N9 enduro bike. The new Collosus has already been in action at events like Red Bull Rampage and World Cup Downhill races, not to mention being prominently displayed at Sea Otter last year.
First Look: Revel Rascal SL - The Live Wire Trail Bike Gets Lighter

4 weeks ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Revel Bikes is now offering their zippy Rascal trail bike in a lighter SL version. An advanced carbon layup knocks off 200 grams of weight from the previous version, putting the Rascal SL frame at Rascal SL at 3.35 kg / 7.39 lb (size large with shock, UDH, rear axle, and seat clamp). Aside from two new colors, Prickly Pear, and Space Dust, which differentiate the SL from the standard Rascal, the frame specifications and geometry are identical.
Review: Khyber V1 Mulit-Pivot Bike Rack

1 month ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

If you’ve ever shuttled before, you know how taxing it can be on your bike and vehicle. Khyber Racks were designed specifically to transport bikes safely and securely offroad while withstanding the elements. They're built with a stainless-steel mast, baskets, and hardware, as well as thick aluminum brackets. The material specifications make their racks extremely rigid but also corrosion-resistant.
Ask Pinkbike: Upgrade or Flip, Over-Forking, Bearing Fitment Woes, & More

1 month ago | pinkbike.com | Matt Beer

Here at Pinkbike, we get inundated with all kinds of questions, ranging from the basic "Can I have stickers?" to more in-depth, soul-searching types of queries like if you should pop the question or what to name your first child. Ask Pinkbike is an occasional column where we'll be hand-picking and answering questions that have been keeping readers up at night, although we'll likely steer clear of those last two and keep it more tech-oriented.