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Curating gear for diverse people of all walks of life pushing boundaries through the exploration of the outdoors.

Michelin Force XC2 Racing Line 29in - Tubeless Tire

The fifth generation of the winningest chainguide in World Cup DH history, the G5 is the pinnacle of reliability and performance. The G5 features an upper chain guide and a lower pulley system for the best performance in chain retention and our burliest, fiber-reinforced bashguard so you can ride the most extreme downhill routes. The combined bashguard and lower guide cover boasts superior strength and durability compared to assemblies made of multiple parts.

MRP G5 SLR Carbon Mini Chainguide

Industry Nine Classic hubs are the heart of your wheelset, everything revolves around them, literally. Every Classic mountain hub is made start to finish in our Asheville, NC machine shop. From turning and milling bar stock 7075-T6 aluminum for shells, axles and encaps, wire EDM cutting A2 tool steel for pawls and driverings, to our own in-house anodization lab, every step of design, engineering, manufacturing and assembly is done on premises to our exacting standards.

Industry Nine Hydra Classic Hubset

Rocker link MANDATE/HERETIC

Suspension bearing kit Mandate Shift

The SRAM CenterLine X Rounded Rotor brings all the high-powered braking and effortless cooling capacity of the original CenterLine rotor and fuses it with a dual-material construction that pairs its steel braking surface with a lightweight and long-lasting aluminum centerpiece. Its 12-spoke design prevents lateral bending and warping under heat stress for confident stability and smooth, predictable braking. As with it single-piece counterpart, this rotor boasts venting lines across the braking track to minimize overheating and provide consistent power on wide-open descents and highly technical runs.

The Saint M820 Disc Brakes may be the unsung heroes of Shimano's pro-proven DH groupset, having enjoyed success on the world stage since the prototype stage. In fact, Shimano's initial unveiling of the group was delayed slightly so the Japanese company could continue refining it according to the feedback from elite racers, and the result is a shorter Servo Wave arm that modulates better than its punchier predecessor, feeling more like the XTR lever and allowing for more finesse while tempering speed to ensure you carry precisely as much momentum into techy corners and rock gardens as you want.

Shimano Saint M820 Disc Brakes

From afar, Force looks like Red's twin, much in the way Rival used to look like Force's twin. The big change is that the arms that support the brake cable-housing stop look thinner, more graceful. From the side, the cutouts are bigger. They call it a "skeletonized" design. The differences that separate these Force calipers from Red start with the color. The finish here is a nice grey anodizing, called Zephyr Silver, rather than polished like Red. The brake shoes don't have the cutouts that the Red shoes have, and while you may not be able to see it, Force doesn't have the titanium bolts and such that Red calipers have; instead, they rely on stainless steel parts. Like Red, the Force calipers use cold forged aluminum for the arms.

SRAM Force Brake Calipers

When we think of Ultegra 6800, we're immediately filled with thoughts of its enviably good looks. And before we start to sound superficial, let's note that those looks are backed up by intelligent design and ever-improving functionality throughout the entire groupset. Ultegra is genetically blessed, to be sure, right down to the Ultegra 6800 11-Speed Outer Chainring. As the star of the groupset, the Ultegra crankset deserved far better than just a standard chainring thrown on it. Shimano did right by its second-from-the-top groupset, and using its Hollowglide technology and aluminum's storied durability, the brand crafted the Outer Chainring with its signature mix of reliability and longevity. A hollow construction shaves valuable grams without sacrificing stiffness, while offering more efficient power transfer and more precise, responsive shifts.

Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-Speed Outer Chainring

Cooler brakes stop more reliably, and Shimano's L04C Metallic Disc Brake Pads use both cooling Ice Technology and metal construction to provide the highest all-around stopping power in Shimano's line. On their own, the metal pads display reliable, high stopping power in wet or dry conditions, demonstrating consistently better durability over repetitive use than their resin counterparts. These pads are compatible with Shimano's 2-piston gravel calipers as well as GRX road setups.

Shimano L04C Metallic Disc Brake Pads

Upgrading your ride doesn't always mean dropping your life savings on a set of carbon wheels or a 3D-printed saddle. One of the most basic and overlooked upgrades you can opt for is to replace the shift cables with a fresh kit like Jagwire's 1x Pro Shift Kit for bikes with a single-chainring drivetrain. The polished cable and housing deliver enhanced shifting precision and long-lasting durability when your old cable system is weak and stretched. The kit contains an extra-long cable for large frames or a continuous housing run, and small parts are included to fit road or mountain setups with only a rear derailleur or an internally geared hub.

Jagwire 1x Pro Shift Kit

Standing for Durable Unified Bottom Bracket, or DUB for short, SRAM's latest push forward in crankset technology unifies all major bottom bracket standards under a newly introduced spindle diameter of 28.99 millimeters, versus the previous 30 and 24-millimeter spindles used by SRAM. What that means is this trail and enduro-friendly XO1 Eagle DUB Boost Crankset is compatible with virtually any mountain bike, whether your frame uses a threaded, Press Fit, BB30, or PF30 bottom bracket.

Ultegra might be the heart and soul of Shimano's line, and while we appreciate the precision, weight, and performance that goes into Dura Ace, we find Ultegra to be the perfect sweet-spot in the price-to-performance ratio. Shimano has created gear ranges in the Ultegra line for the most elite road cyclists to gravel grinders, and everything in between, so riders can achieve the sweet Ultegra feel no matter what they ride. In this particular iteration, Shimano creates the Ultegra CS-HG800 Cassette to fit on a mountain bike hub, so those running big touring setups or cross-bikes can now run the smooth shifting feel of Ultegra, and with the huge 11-34 tooth range you won't have issues finding the sweet spot to pedal your way through any adventure.

Shimano Ultegra CS-HG800 Cassette

Our modern world of bottom brackets is something of a labyrinth; if you can decipher the clues to find your way to the one that works for you, we commend you. But if a few shadowy paths still leave you uncertain or confused, let us try to illuminate one of them for you. The Dura-Ace BB-R9100 Bottom Bracket has stood as a bellwether for solid, reliable bottom bracket design since Shimano wisely embraced external bottom bracket technology when it wasn't yet popular. Despite new bottom bracket standards bombarding us more often than ever, Shimano keeps its faith in this serviceable, reliable, and exceptionally durable design, and for good reason. Improved seals ensure a quieter ride and reduce drag, and the smaller friction-reducing bearings that first appeared on Dura-Ace 9000 return to smooth your ride once again.

Anytime you shorten your brake hoses or if you want to keep your SRAM or Avid disc brakes performing at their best, we'd recommend bleeding the brakes once a year with the PitStop 5.1 DOT Hydraulic Brake Fluid. This brake fluid is the OEM replacement DOT-5.1 fluid in a non-silicone formula that comes stock on SRAM and Avid hydraulic disc brakes. DOT 5.1 has a higher boiling point than DOT 3 and 4 fluids so you'll achieve the most consistent performance on long descents that can often plague hydraulic discs. The package is vacuum sealed to prevent water absorption that lowers the boiling point of the fluid.

SRAM 5.1 DOT Hydraulic Brake Fluid

When you turn the pedals, you often take for granted that each link of your chain will go on grabbing each cog of your cassette for every mile of every ride. That is, until the day it stops, and you're left standing in the shoulder questioning your life decisions with a stretched, broken, and useless chain. If you're in this position, we'd recommend upgrading to Shimano's XT/Ultegra CN-HG701 11-Speed Chain. Its anti-friction Sil-Tec coating and precise, reliable construction ensure long life and smooth pedaling. Whether you're on the road, trail, or somewhere in the middle, the HG701's asymmetrical design will keep you shifting consistently through your 11-speed drivetrain so you can focus on enjoying your ride.

Garmin's Rally RS Dual-Sided Power Meter Pedals clip in like any other pedal, but they're capable of so much more. These pedals allow us to take a deep dive into our performance so we can continuously analyze and improve. We like that these pedals delve into more than just watts, but also advanced cycling dynamics like left and right balance. Plus, Edge cycling computer software ensures uploading and sharing to our favorite apps is a breeze.

Garmin Rally RS Dual-Sided Power Meter Pedals

Shimano's refinements to the latest Ultegra Di2 group are truly remarkable, and while we always fancy a full Dura-Ace build, we'd be hard pressed to decipher a difference in performance. That makes sense since Ultegra gets Dura Ace trickle down technology, and for rear derailleurs, the RD-R8050 borrows heavily from the firm's top-end Dura-Ace RD-R9150&mdash;including the low profile Shadow design. This profile places it closer inbound to the frame and tucks the derailleur under the cassette. This protects the derailleur in the event of a crash and in general from getting banged around, so it remains better aligned making shifts smooth, quick, and accurate. The RD-8050's new geometry allows for shorter throws that result in faster and more precise shifts even over a wider range 11-34 cassette.

Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-R8050 Rear Derailleur

Less fatigue, more effortless shifting, and one-finger braking are just some benefits of adding the SRAM RED AXS Shift/Brake to our road setup. The optimized shape of the hood is designed to fit a wide range of hand sizes, but the addition of Reach Adjust further allows us to personalize the fit for additional comfort, while Contact Point Adjustment enables us to personalize brake engagement.&nbsp;

SRAM RED AXS HRD Shift/Brake

The SRAM Red AXS 2x Groupset + Hammerhead Karoo Computer provides us with a reliable riding performance, from shifting to braking and everything in between. The aftermarket groupset includes a rear derailleur, front derailleur, shift-brake controls, chain, disc brake calipers, rotors, battery charger, Hammerhead Karoo, and batteries, ensuring we have everything we need to ride at our very best. The&nbsp;SRAM Red AXS drivetrain is built to provide a wide range of gearing with close progression to keep us in the right gear at all times, while the RED AXS shifters and brakes ensure we stop on a dime. With the Hammerhead Karoo Computer included in this groupset, we are provided with an easy-to-use bike computer that features a smartphone-like screen and a bright, colorful display to show our routes and data.&nbsp;

Cycling - Components