I know it's a cliché thing to say, but wow, this year sure did go by quickly. It seems like only yesterday that I was preparing to make the move over to an editorial role here at Escape Collective, but in fact, it's been nearly a whole year.
And what a year it's been.
R to L: Val Di Sole WC XCC, Mid South engulfed in wildfire smoke, Unbound XL lead group
I hit the ground running with product reviews that layered into some event coverage that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do. One standout experience was being in Italy for a bike launch the week before the Val Di Sole World Cup and sticking around to cover the race. Then there was getting to see a few of the premier US off-road events like MidSouth, Unbound, and Leadville 100 up close and personal, followed by another trip to Europe for Bespoked, plus some additional projects I have yet to publish.
But this isn't really meant to be an annual reflection. Rather, I'm going to present a few favorite things that accompanied me through this exciting year.
Fox Float X Live Valve Neo
I'll kick this off with an admittedly funky one. Last year, I sold a rather fancy titanium hardtail singlespeed mountain bike, which I promptly replaced with what might be the only dedicated singlespeed full-suspension on the market: Starling's Beady Little Eye (BLE). The full bike and build will be the subject of a forthcoming Joy Rides article, but I'm teasing that a bit here to spotlight the Fox Live Valve suspension.
Along with its unique tensioned rear dropouts, Starling makes the BLE work by rotating the swingarm around the bottom bracket rather than having it move independently, as is the case with most full-suspension bikes. The design, coupled with running zero sag in the 90 mm rear suspension, prevents chain growth and pedal bob that a typical full suspension would experience without tension applied by a derailleur.
Josh Weinberg
Essentially, the design makes the BLE function like a "softtail," with the stiff, relatively minimal rear travel there to soften impacts. And that's where Fox's Live Valve system comes into play. Similar to RockShox's Flight Attendant, Live Valve can be set up to automatically adjust compression damping while riding.
Live Valve defaults to the firm setting and opens when the accelerometers, which are attached to the brake calipers, detect a bump. It can also sense the bike's angle, whether climbing, pedaling, or descending, and adjust suspension settings accordingly.
In the case of the BLE, I'm still fiddling with the setup, but as of now, the suspension is in its "firm" setting while climbing and pedaling (0% sag) and automatically switches to open while descending or rolling through bumpy trail for hands-free compliance precisely when needed.
This offers more precise adjustments than I can get from manually opening and closing the shock. It's a spendy upgrade and sort of dichotomous for what's typically the simplest type of bike, but it's becoming one of my favorites. I just have to get past the eyerolls from my friends when I say I need to ensure my suspension is charged before going out to ride singlespeeds.
Price: US$1,049 / £1,119 / €1,299 /AU$1,799
Fox
Coros Ecosystem (Dura + Apex 4)
Until relatively recently, I wasn't much of a cycling computer power user. And while such a designation still eludes me, I've gone beyond simply using the basic functions of a GPS-equipped watch or smartphone to record rides and analyze basic data.
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