Value Product of the Year Nominees
If last year's events blindsided the cycling industry, 2021 could be seen as the concussion that arose as a consequence. It seems that many of the people who found a new passion for cycling certainly haven't evaporated into thin air and demand for bike parts is still very high. Not only is it harder to source parts to keep your bike running, but also it's had a knock-on effect of increasing lead times as companies balance both trying to increase volume as well as factory closures. To say it's been a wild ride would be something of an understatement.
Despite those challenges, several products that emerged this year that offer plenty of bang for your buck. We've not only seen a whole host of value trail bikes but also some great products that might just save you money while replicating the performance of far more expensive equipment.
Why it's nominatedWhen aiming at a certain price point, compromises have to be made. For us, when it comes to a fork there are some key areas we want to know we can rely on. For instance, an aggressive fork should be stiff with a very useable range of adjustment. Compared to those values, something like weight doesn't seem that important. This won't always be the case, of course, and it depends upon the application, but for a big burly fork such as the new RockShox Domain it seems entirely appropriate.
The Domain uses a Motion Control RC damper, which features external slow speed adjustment, and is meant as a budget counterpart to the Zeb. It also has 38mm stanchions which is made of a heavier 6000 series aluminum. Cross-compatibility is key, though, and it not only accepts the same lower seals but you could also retrofit the higher end, and more expensive, Charger 2.1 damper.
The fork weighs 2540 grams. This makes it around 300g heavier than the Zeb, but it is also around half the price. If you compare it to the Fox 38, which weighs 2430 grams, the comparison is even kinder for the Domain.
For $549 USD you can get a fork that offers decent small bump sensitivity, a stiff chassis and,
as reviewer Mike Kazimer put it, is "Free of any traits that immediately distinguish it as a budget-oriented fork." It's these reasons why it's very worthy of a nomination.
Why it's nominatedThe Rimpact Pro tire inserts are something of a shoe-horn into this year's nomination. However, after we conducted our
insert group test this year, we felt it thoroughly deserved its place.
The Rimpact Pro shares many of the same qualities of other inserts but there are some things it does very differently. Firstly, it uses malleable, dual-density foam that's got a taller profile than most other insert options. Not only this, but the foam has non-Newtonian qualities that ensure the more you push it, the more support it gives. Not only was it our pick in the first half of the test where it was all based on trail feeling, but it was also proved to be one of the most resistant to impact when we put them on an impact jig. Then you factor in the weight and becomes apparent that, per gram, it was light years ahead of some of its competition.
Now all of this is all very well and good, but why does it make the
value product nominations? Well, it does all this and it was the cheapest on test at $99 USD for a set. So not only does it offer genuinely class-leading performance, it also manages to do so at a lower weight and cost. That sounds pretty good to us.
Why it's nominatedThe Delium tire range was
launched in the autumn of this year. It's a complete range and boasts non-nonsense terminology and as well as a variety of casing and tread patterns.
The tires that really caught our eye were the Versatile Adventure and the Rugged Adventure models. And, before you ask, Rugged Adventure isn't the name of an upcoming podcast where Mike Levy talks about a trip to Chilliwack gone wrong. Instead, both of these tires are available in 2.5" width as well as their All-Round and Reinforced casings. We've currently got the Versatile in for a test in the All-Round casing and it's been very impressive.
So, are these just copycat tires? They've just mirrored whatever the best current tires are and we're lauding it as a breakthrough? Well, yes and no. Firstly, lots of other companies have tried to "make a Minion" with varying degrees of success. Often, they might look right, but can suffer from unsuitable casings or rubber that just doesn't give us the grip we want. Delium manages to offer genuinely comparable performance, but at $45 per tire in the All-Round casing is so much drastically cheaper. That is important and the brand's pricing, as well as simplified terminology, make their nomination a no-brainer.
Why it's nominatedI think if we've learned anything over the last twelve months, the best fork, insert or tire to have is probably the one on your bike and, for your sake, we hope it holds up. One bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and a bike you enjoy riding a few times a week is worth five that are half a degree slacker but subject to a rolling six month delivery delay.
Here's to riding.
Why aren't there more "budget" bike options speccing these rather than yaris?
Based on yari experience - it is decent fork, however uber progressive, and eventually damper upgrade will be needed, other that no complains
Friday Fails is still free (and always should be)!!!
Otherwise I’d say Deftraps. Not new, but a cheaper, better TMac pedal. Same big, supportive platform, rear entry pins you can actually remove after rock strikes.
Motion control needs to die a swift death.or at most get fully relegated to some 80-100mm Judys or whatever comes stock on very, very entry level bikes. The Domain has up to 180mm travel ffs; it's meant for some serious speeds and terrain. That damper has no place there.
You're damn right Manitou and Suntour should take its place in this value list.
Personally if I was going budget I’d get the Marz with grip damper, but it is more expensive.
It's the nature of that damper design and it can't be changed (not that RS have changed anything in it since forever). They need a completely different damper.
We can upgrade dampers but we could also get good forks out of the box for the same price if we stopped pretending only two suspension brands exist. If OEMs and end users stopped buying crap maybe RS would do something about it - they have the resource. As it is, they're taking clients for a ride and laughing all the way to the bank because they can.
Two versions of the Charger 2.1, the IFP Charger, Moco & the TurnKey crap in the cheapest forks.
Moco should be the starting point for trail bike use (it's OK in a Reba IME), and I agree it shouldn't be seen on freeride/enduro bikes.
Safety glasses that some love around here make me want to puke because of the distortion. $200 glasses are... $200 glasses.
this pump holder also makes my list: jankcomponents.com/products/jank-edc-sideloader
Cheers!
jankcomponents.com/products/jank-pump-holder
I used the ultimate for 18 months and the select plus is better and £400 cheaper , you can get a good fork with out spends big bucks !
Hahaha! That's too bad.
Not $$$ure how you were able to get a review but, nonetheless, we're excited to see fellow riders have more reasonably priced options.
From a RIDER-OWNED startup without a huge advertising budget to a huge tire factory backed startup, welcome to mountain biking and congratulation$$$ on the nomination!
Riding shouldn't be so expensive.
6000 = weaker material, therefore heavier and stiffer fork of the same strength. The latter point is probably why they're less likely to creak (press/cryo-fit interface being stiffer)
Anyway, assuming you did deflate yr tires a bit tho? With Cush I can drop 2-3 psi per tire pending trail conditions & style. Dunno...maybe that has nothing to do with it (?)
Then I got one and it wasn’t. Probably do the front soon too.
I do like the support of cushcore, no squirm which took a bit to get used too at first.
At least on a Dt rim.
Not sure if this was edited but it says the 38 is lighter.
Or, in PB math, for the same money as a 38, you could buy two Domains and set of the Delium tires, trade one of the Domains for an X-box, take a shit before your ride, and basically be way, way ahead!
Sorry guys I froze up under the pressure.
Exactly like premature ejaculators actually
But, you know, feel free to continue the negativity.