Often, the best person to review a bike part is someone who doesn’t make their living reviewing bike parts. Sure, years of regularly cycling through new gear is how testers gather perspective, but that’s part of the problem. It’s rare that we can spend more than a few months riding full-time on one given bike or component. That’s why, when we’re mainly just testing longevity, we sometimes bring in a ringer.
Carl Bauer is a long-time friend of Bike. Our office was once just across the railroad tracks from Buy My Bikes, the shop he’s worked at for over 30 years. And he’s been riding for at least as long, so he’s gathered his fair share of perspective. But more importantly, Carl puts up somewhere between 100 and 160 miles most weeks, which will add up to 20,000 feet of elevation as often as not. And he shreds. But that’s not the reason I asked him to spend some time on the fifth-generation Race Face Next SL cranks. The reason is that he had just finished destroying two of the fourth-generation Next SL cranks within the span of about a year.
[continued...]
From Bike Mag
Bike Magazine showcases the sport of mountain biking like no other publication. It captures the sport's personalities, trends, and issues with a style all its own. With insightful features, columns and gear reviews coupled with the best photography, Bike is sure to make you want to get outside and ride.
