TRAVIS’S STANDOUTS

MY FAVORITE RIDE

RICHFIELD, UTAH

While I didn’t travel to Utah with The Loam Wolf (I was doing some work for Visit Utah), I had the opportunity to head to Richfield for a few days. If Richfield, Utah, isn’t on your mountain bike destination list, cross something else off, and add it.

Just west of downtown Richfield (like, ride-your-bike-from-the-hotel distance) is the Pahvant Trail System. And, as a part of this trail system is a MASSIVE trail, affectionately known as Spinal Tap. Spinal Tap stretches roughly 20 miles, boasts nearly 5,000 feet of descending, and only about 300 feet of climbing.

The trail has three distinct zones. The top portion cuts through aspen forests and is relatively flowy, with some technical sections mixed in. Descending through here is fast, and you can start looking for long trail gaps to pull for. As you leave the aspens, you enter into a much more flowy portion of the trail lined with sage and juniper. Mixed in with the flow are fairly mellow rock rolls and drops worth stopping to scout.

Spinal Tap finishes with a handful of miles reminiscent of the red-rock desert riding in places like St. George or Sedona. However, there is actually sustained descending. The trail becomes much more technical, where speed rewards line choice. Spinal Tap was truly one of the best trails that I’ve ridden.

The rest of the Pahvant Trail System has some bangers as well. Trails like Juniper Drop and Telegraph were great technical descents, as were Cairn-Age and Snake Bite. Richfield is easily a place you can spend an entire weekend (or more) on your mountain bike, and a spot I can’t wait to return to.

EBIKE OF THE YEAR / SL EBIKE OF THE YEAR

TREK FUEL+

For 2025, these categories are one and the same for me. This is because I absolutely loved my time on the Trek Fuel+. I absolutely dug the LX (long-travel) version of the Fuel+, and I would choose it if it were living in my garage. It is pretty cool that Trek designed this frame to be 3-in-1 — LX, MX, and EX – giving riders the chance to tailor the character to their exacting preferences.

The Fuel+ comes equipped with the new TQ HPR 60 drive unit, which seriously impressed me. While it may not pack the punch of a full-powered eBike, it certainly has the range. The TQ’s efficiency, combined with a 580Wh battery, allows the Fuel+ to go the distance with its full-powered counterparts.

While I spent time on quite a few full-powered bikes, choosing one over the Fuel+ would ultimately be a compromise for my preferences. I hope that not separately choosing a full-powered eMTB demonstrates just how much I love the Trek Fuel+. Ultimately, I’ll choose the fun, range, and maneuverability of the lighter Trek Fuel+ over the torque and power of something larger.

IMPRESSED BY A TRAIL BIKE

ESPECIALLY THE KONA PROCESS 153

Trail bikes are better than ever, especially those leaning toward the longer travel end. Call them what you’d like: all-mountain, long-legged trail, or mini-enduros. I just call them fun! Their descending capabilities are impressive, and their climbing prowess is phenomenal. No wonder we’re starting to see more World Cup enduro athletes race them instead of their brand’s “enduro” offering.

I loved all of the trail bikes I tested in 2025. My daily driver is a Canyon Spectral, and I had a great time on a Specialized Stumpy 15 in Park City, Utah. But it was the Kona Process 153 that left the biggest impression.

I started the year by wrapping up my time on the Kona Process 153 and, damn, that was a fun bike! Is it perfect? No, but they did a lot of things right. Good geo, comfortable climbing, and confident descending. Kona’s linkage-driven single pivot was plush off the top with good midstroke support, doing just about everything I expect a bike in this category to do, and doing it pretty well.

There were some component options and issues I dealt with, but overall, it was a great option. And, it was encouraging to see a legacy brand like Kona survive challenging times in the bike industry. I mean, who didn’t want a Kona Stinky back in the day?

FAVORITE TRAIL HELMET

SWEET PROTECTION BUSHWACKER 2VI MIPS

I spent a good portion of 2025 in the Sweet Protection Bushwacker 2Vi MIPS helmet. Even in the heat of the summer, I felt like the Bushwacker was well ventilated and kept a lot of sweat off my forehead. It is also an incredibly safe helmet, with Sweet Protection’s 2Vi technology providing three integrated layers of protection, including MIPS. This integrated safety puts the Bushwacker 2Vi MIPS at #22 on the updated Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings list.

The Bushwacker is also e-bike-rated, which, of course, we’re fans of.

FAVORITE SHOES OF THE YEAR

FIVE TEN FREERIDER PRO BOA

This is an easy pick — the Five Ten Freerider Pro BOA were my favorite flat pedal shoes in 2025, hands down. I’m a sucker for the BOA lace system: I love how easy it is to adjust the shoes, especially while I’m pedaling a bike. The soles are firm and supportive, and I was impressed with how well the shoes kept the elements out without being a “winter” or “waterproof” shoe. I believe this is also what made the Freerider Pro BOAs run a bit warmer, but I was willing to deal with it.

But the star of the show was certainly Five Ten’s Stealth rubber. There are many very grippy flat-pedal mountain bike shoe offerings these days, but Stealth rubber is undoubtedly at the top. The Freerider Pro BOAs were so grippy that it was frustratingly difficult at times to adjust my foot position on my pedals. But I’ll take that over a lack of grip, every time. It might be time for me just to start running clips…

FAVORITE ACCESSORY

AMTBer DARK MATTER CHAIN LUBE

Drew got his hands on AMTBer Dark Matter chain lube earlier this year. He liked it so much, he made a video review to share it. Later, he passed some along to me to try, and I’ve been really impressed with how well the Dark Matter lube works. Perhaps the most significant takeaway from using the lube is how well it repels mud, grime, water, dirt, and all the other gunk I’ve encountered on the trail. I’ve had my bike absolutely covered in mud after a ride, except for the drivetrain, which somehow kept itself somewhat clean.

BEST TECH

ELECTRIC MINI PUMPS

Now, these aren’t necessarily new, but it seems like there was a bit of buzz around them in 2025. Earlier this year, Drew and I tested a bunch of mini electric pumps. We wanted to see how long it would take to fill a tire, how accurate they were, how loud, etc. And, they all performed reasonably well. Some were louder than others, some a touch more accurate, and some faster. However, they all fill a tire and take up significantly less room in a hip pack than a hand pump.

I’ve been using the Viair Recon Mini electric pump. It is 2 PSI over its reading, but that remains a consistent 2 PSI, which I’ve been able to compensate for easily. If my desired pressure is 25 PSI, I just set it to 23 PSI and let it do its thing. The Recon Mini has also maintained battery life between uses. I’ve kept it in my car, fully charged, for months at a time without any battery loss.

I’m excited for 2026 on a mountain bike, with plenty of exciting projects coming up that I can’t wait to share!