Bike DEALS

The road goes on forever and the party never ends. When the Stigmata was resurrected in 2015, we fused a number of MTB standards and design features to create our spin on the modern CX bike. Something must have clicked, because, within months of launch, it raced to victory at the legendary Three Peaks and has continued to contend at elite cyclocross races around the world. Nowadays, the internally routed disc brakes, generous tire clearance, and thru-axle approach that made the Stigmata famous have become more of a norm, so we took a fresh look at which standards the riders of tomorrow wanted access to today. Threaded bottom brackets remain a perennial favorite across our entire line thanks to their proven robust, cost-effective, and compatible design. "If it ain't broke…" ...and it never is. Fender mounts add a bit of CYA and highlight the Stigmata's ever-widening scope of purpose. We added to that with three bottle cage mounts so that the frame can still hold at least one normal bottle even when running a front triangle bag. Deeper adventures and bigger tires, perhaps? The frame now clears up to a 45mm 700c or a 2.1" 650B tire. Marry the latter to our Force/X01 AXS mashup kit, and you've got yourself the kind of drop-bar singletrack and gravel rallycat we can all get onboard with. And, when it comes to good old-fashioned off-road etiquette, the Stigmata's had some coaching at the Highball school of stiffness, handling, and offroad feel. The carbon layup borrows knowledge gained from not just the Highball, but also Danny MacAskill's trials bike, to produce a ride so law-abiding you'd think HR had sent it on a compliance training course. Geometry plays a big part here, too, so we've made tweaks to improve handling for smaller riders and reduce toe overlap. The reworking of the 52/54cm frames means the Stigmata now comfortably suits riders from 5'3" and up. Meanwhile, different fork offsets (50mm for the 52-54cm sizes, and 45mm for the 56-61cm sizes) help ensure your little piggies don't go to market on the front wheel. Topped off with tidy details like 12mm front axle, flat mount brakes, and build-specific Reserve wheel packages, the Stigmata is designed to let you decide whatever the heck you want this category to be.

THE TRAIL BIKES THAT LOVE TO PLAY The Santa Cruz Tallboy combines short travel efficiency with modern geometry to create a bike that's as up for the big climb as it is the big descent. These sporty 29ers are the perfect choice for riders considering a cross country bike but will likely never race. They climb efficiently, roll fast on the on the flats, and have some real capability for when the DH music goes from easy listening to rock-and-roll. Featuring a 130mm fork and 120mm of Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) rear suspension travel, Tallboy is sporty, capable, and fun.

More travel than a white van Big-mountain riding is a nomadic existence: meeting friends in far-flung car parks; pinpointing trails you're not sure are even rideable; sending the ones you know are. Shiny new bling gets battered, shattered, and bruised. That's life. That's how it should be. That's why the Nomad exists. Probably the most abused bike in our line up, every Nomad has a story to tell. But, each Nomad we've made keeps coming back for more. It's not Stockholm Syndrome, it's called sealed bearings in all pivots, a lower link grease port, shuttle guards, and free bearing replacements. Why scrap a frame when a simple bearing service can make one last a lifetime? That's our stance on sustainability at least, and it's why our carbon fiber doesn't just mean lighter, it means tough as hell backed up by a lifetime warranty and crash replacement support. There's no time for puzzling when on a road trip, either. That's why we chose 27.5 wheels as the go-to for the widest variety of riding styles and rider sizes. When peeling your bike out of the van at a new spot, your only question should be: "Is this a full-face or a half-lid kinda ride?" The 64-degree head angle and 77-degree seat angle puts you in the sweet spot when winching up to the top of a big drop-in. Meanwhile, proportional chainstay lengths mean handling is never compromised, regardless of frame size. And, when we say big travel, we're not talking about your Transit's odometer. We're talking 170mm of 38mm diameter fork and 170mm of VPP rear suspension compatible with both coil and air shocks. The details are completed by a neat mud flap to protect the rear shock, plus tidy cable routing within the frame and swingarm and rubberized DT protectors that shrug off strikes. So, van-lifers, unite. The Nomad is the kind of bike you need never worry about all summer long. Sorry we can't say the same for the locked public washrooms and parking tickets.

Danny won't stop talking about his new Heckler Danny MacAskill just doesn't stop talking about ebikes. He's infatuated with them. In fact, the only time he's not chewing someone's ear off about how good they are is when he's riding them. And when he's riding an e-bike, he rides and rides and rides. Which is partly why we've made the newest Heckler able to go further, higher, faster, and be funner. Available with mixed MX wheels or as a dual 29er bike, Heckler features a ride-tuned geometry that makes things fun whether going uphill, downhill...or even just flat and fast. Anchoring it all is 150mm of Santa Cruz's legendary Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension that's been paired with a 160mm-travel fork, and tuned precisely for e-bike riding. With slightly less anti-squat to give it glue-like traction on the climbs and poppy maneuverability on the way back down, Heckler smashes the sweet spot for taming big trails on big days. About those big days...the latest generation of the Heckler comes with a long-running 720 watt-hour interchangeable battery that can be swapped in seconds with just a 4mm allen key. This lets riders expand their own trail map, giving access to previously unreachable trails, unlocking lesser-used trails, and cramming more riding into less time. And when you're riding that much, durability is critical, which is why Santa Cruz sweats the carbon layup and frame design, then backs it up with a lifetime warranty on the frame, bearings, and Reserve carbon wheels - 150mm VPP travel - Mixed & 29-inch wheels - 720wh battery

Danny won't stop talking about his new Heckler Danny MacAskill just doesn't stop talking about ebikes. He's infatuated with them. In fact, the only time he's not chewing someone's ear off about how good they are is when he's riding them. And when he's riding an e-bike, he rides and rides and rides. Which is partly why we've made the newest Heckler able to go further, higher, faster, and be funner. Available with mixed MX wheels or as a dual 29er bike, Heckler features a ride-tuned geometry that makes things fun whether going uphill, downhill...or even just flat and fast. Anchoring it all is 150mm of Santa Cruz's legendary Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension that's been paired with a 160mm-travel fork, and tuned precisely for e-bike riding. With slightly less anti-squat to give it glue-like traction on the climbs and poppy maneuverability on the way back down, Heckler smashes the sweet spot for taming big trails on big days. About those big days...the latest generation of the Heckler comes with a long-running 720 watt-hour interchangeable battery that can be swapped in seconds with just a 4mm allen key. This lets riders expand their own trail map, giving access to previously unreachable trails, unlocking lesser-used trails, and cramming more riding into less time. And when you're riding that much, durability is critical, which is why Santa Cruz sweats the carbon layup and frame design, then backs it up with a lifetime warranty on the frame, bearings, and Reserve carbon wheels - 150mm VPP travel - Mixed & 29-inch wheels - 720wh battery