Southern California needs the rain so we are not complaining. Still our SRAM project bike is ready to roll and the trails this weekend were too soft from the rain to set a knobby on them. The sun will shine again and we'll be putting a lot of hours on this little beauty. Stay tuned.


Head-to-toe changes include the SRAM GripShifter, stem, handlebar, DT Swiss wheels, RockShox fork, SRAM XX1 drivertrain, RockShox shock, RockShox Reverb seatpost and Continental Trail King Tubeless tires.


The SRAM XX1 drivetrain punts the front derailleur in favor of a 1x11 gear selection. This is a game changer that freed the designers to re-think what a mountain bike drivetrain should be.


Wet trails mean the testing can't start until the sun works its magic.


The "HB" stands for Greg Herbold who not only dialed in the bike, he hand delivered it.