$2345 (frame and shock)

28.3 pounds

6-inch rear wheel travel

Full test: May 2008 (Click here to order this issue)

Highlights: Inspecting El Ciclon's frame reveals that Ventana expects their frames to be used and abused for a very long time. The main frame is TIG welded Ventana-proprietary aluminum tubing that has been heavily reinforced with open-ended gussets. The advantage of this type of gusset is that peak stress is directed away from the vertical axis of the tubes and towards the more lightly loaded sidewall areas. (A closed gusset can add a stress riser in the area it is supposed to reenforce.) The wraparound gusset between the headtube and downtube is a work of art, as is the Ventana badge on the headtube.

Best quote: "You have to hit the rough stuff hard to experience the beauty of El Ciclon. Make sure the fork's Albert Select and shock's ProPedal are open, and then just go ahead and nail it. El Ciclon holds selected lines with ease. It is times like this that prove the two ounce weight penalty you took for building your El Ciclon with quad bearings was not a compromise. It was the smartest two ounces you could add to your bike."

Bottom line: While the majority of bicycle companies have curtailed making their own frames in the United States, Ventana stands out as one of the few remaining companies who conceive, design and manufacture their bicycles under the same roof. But calling them a survivor is wrong. They are not surviving, they are thriving.

El Ciclon is nothing short of an amazing trail riding experience. Knowing that you could work with Ventana to customize your El Ciclon to your particular riding requirements makes this bike even more attractive. This bike should last any rider a long time if he rides the inhospitable terrain of Moab or the Pacific Northwest, or British Columbia or Northern California's Sierras. If you ride anything less, it will last an eternity.