2024 STAFF STANDOUTS
DREW’S TOP PICKS
It’s so hard to reflect back on the mental blur that is 2024 and pick the best MTB products I had the opportunity to ride and review. I’m sure I missed out some awesome products, but the items below made it to the front of my mind. Maybe it’s because I spent more time with many of them, but if I’m spending good time with them then it’s for a reason! Here are my best mountain bike products of 2024, with some other randoms thrown in.
FOX UNION BOA CLIPLESS
Without a doubt, the Fox Union BOA are the best clipless MTB shoes I’ve worn in the last few years. I have been so stoked on these shoes that I’ve been rotating three different sets through my gear bag over the last two years. The fit suits me perfectly; the ease of getting in and out is great; I’ve not had any foot fatigue or cramping issues, and they’ve been really durable from my perspective. From mud, snow, and pressure washers to desert rocks and dust, the Fox Union BOA have been my favorite MTB shoes, and I plan on wearing them well into the future.
ARI NEBO PEAK, WITH KIDS RIDE SHOTGUN
My daughter is now 3 ½ years old, and the joy of taking her out for cruises in the woods aboard my Ari Nebo Peak equipped with a Kids Ride Shotgun seat has been priceless. Feeling the wind in my face while listening to my own little spawn make the most amazing proclamations about life, nature around you, and giggling about the fun “curves”, sits near the top of my list of amazing 2024 MTB experiences. While she’s quite capable on her own bike, happily pedaling around and loving being in control of her path, being able to go faster and further into the woods aboard the Nebo Peak is invaluable. Letting her see lines, feel speeds, and navigate challenging terrain is sure to help her develop confidence and skills, as she begins to pilot her own bike over these same trails.
NINJA SPEED KING KNEE PADS
Chances are, if I’ve not been wearing other pads for an obligation during a Bike Shootout or other sponsored content, I’m wearing the Ninja Speed King knee pads on any Sub-160mm bike ride. Whether I’m testing long-legged XC bikes or on burly all mountain pedal missions – and even some eMTB shreds – the Ninja Speed Kings are incredibly comfortable, and I can wear them all day long. They’re not my go-to pad for Enduro, DH or bike park days – I’ll stick with my Fox Launch Elite or Launch Pro pads for that – but for everything else, the Ninja Speed Kings are my favorite knee pads of 2024.
FOX GRIP X2 DAMPER (ESPECIALLY IN THE FOX 40)
Every year, brands release new, refined or updated products, making huge claims about “revolutionary performance improvements”. While I wouldn’t go out on a limb to call the new Fox Grip X2 revolutionary, it delivers a notable improvement in sensitivity and performance over the outgoing Grip 2. I specifically noticed the improvement on the Fox 40 DH fork during our DH Bike Group Test, where we could go back-to-back on Fox 40s with and without the Grip X2 damper.
We’ve had about eight different Grip X2 forks this year, from 36s to 38s and the aforementioned 40s, and every single person we had ride them noticed how much smoother they felt, without losing support. Will it take you from mid-pack to podium? Probably not. But it sure will help your hands feel better, and could put you a couple seconds closer to a top 10.
SKILLS CLINIC WITH AARON GWIN AND DAKOTAH NORTON
While a new Fox fork, or any other product, may not take you to the top of a local podium, attending a skills clinic certainly can! I was lucky enough to attend a camp at Windrock Bike Park that was coached by Aaron Gwin and Dakotah Norton. The skills, techniques and advice transformed every single rider in attendance more than we could have ever expected over just two short days.
I found the camp to be invaluable, and the best ROI possible when it comes to making your riding better, safer and faster. Check out the full video and write up to see why.
RACE FACE CHESTER GRIPS
Since everything amazing can’t be over a thousand dollars, I wanted to include these Race Face Chester grips in the mix. I’ve had them on a few of my test bikes and at least two other testers have hopped aboard and bought pairs for their personal bikes since!
It’s a small and simple product, but can make a big difference in your comfort on the bike. Nothing will derail a good descent like the thoughts of hand and finger fatigue or arm pump. The correct grip pays dividends to your confidence and ability to ride hard, and the Chesters felt like the correct grip for me this year. While I make no guarantees these grips will eliminate all of your arm pump issues, I’ve certainly been pleased with their performance all around.
NORCO SIGHT C1
One of the most memorable bikes of 2024 for me was the new Gen 5 Norco Sight C1. It may surprise some of you – heck, it even surprised me, as I’m not traditionally a high pivot fan boy. Even still, Norco did a really impressive job of giving this 150/160mm all mountain bike a well-rounded feel on the trail. While the sizing structure isn’t 100% ideal for me at 5’11, I still felt that the suspension platform’s ability to be both poppy and playful while also remaining planted and able to gobble up the chunk was spectacular. I really like this bike, and while it’s not quite as good of a pedaler as the Gen 4 Sight, I’ll take the sacrifice for the smoothness and confidence descending on this not-so-little, little beast.
PIVOT SHUTTLE BLT
While the high pivot Norco Sight may be a surprise, the Pivot Shuttle LT is likely not, as my go-to eMTB for the last two years. Even when it came with the Shimano EP801 drive unit and the masses may have clamored for a Bosch drive unit, I still gladly would have put my dollars for this better riding mountain bike. And now that Pivot has released an updated Bosch Gen 4 Race equipped Shuttle LT, that argument is moot.
I hopped on this bike in summer 2024, and have been riding it around home ever since. While some folks were a bit disappointed by the call to run the Gen 4 Race Bosch unit instead of the newly released Gen 5 drive unit, I don’t really have too much concern. The resale value scenario may just be the only drawback, which I fully realize I’m spoiled enough to not have to deal with. At the time of this list being published, the Bosch Gen 4 Race unit is still (slightly) more powerful, faster and outperforms the Gen 5. How do I know? I’ve done a lot of head-to-head testing over the last two months, and will have a video for all you nerds very soon.
Either way, motor selection aside, the Pivot Shuttle LT is still the stellar eMTB I love, and the new Fox Live Valve Neo Coil shock may make it even better! Now, if only we could get them to make a Medium/Large size, or offer a reach around 480mm for 5’11 riders.
FORD TRANSIT AWD VAN
I bought my first van in 2010, a used 2008 Ford E-350 12 passenger van that was a dealership shuttle vehicle. I drove that van all over the Southwestern USA to Canada, and racked up about 200,000 miles before I upgraded to a 2012 Ford E-350 15-passenger van. I drove that van from 2018 until February of 2024 and clocked 120,000 miles aboard that beast. While so many folks were bragging about their Transits and Sprinters, I felt proud driving my boxy Econoline around, with its brutish style.
It was with a heavy heart that I left the old boxy Econolines behind and ordered my first ever new van last year, a 2024 Ford Transit with All-Wheel Drive. I’m not gonna lie, I miss the looks and style of my E-350s, but the speed, space and AWD capabilities of this new van are awesome! Plus, I can now put my daughter’s baby seat in the back with actual secure attachment points. That was the main motivation to get a newer, safer van, and I have no regrets as a result.
So far our new Wolf Wagon has already got 14,000 miles on it, and my travel times have dropped thanks to that EcoBoost turbo power. I’m excited to continue enjoying this adventure machine.
COSTA RICA LOAM WOLF FIELD TRIP
Early in 2024, we teamed up with World Tread Adventures to host a Loam Wolf Field Trip down to Costa Rica, joined by special guest Cameron McCaul. It was the second trip we’d taken with World Tread, and our first to Costa Rica. The group we had was absolutely awesome, coming from all walks of life from all over the western US. No matter the skill level or speed on the trail, we all had an absolute blast riding together, learning from each other and enjoying great meals and amazing times. Trips like this remind me of what mountain biking is all about: the joy of traveling to new places; riding with new people, and just experiencing the pure thrill of mountain biking were a real highlight for me.
We hope to keep this tradition alive, so if you’d like to attend a future trip, send us an email at Info@theloamwolf.com
ROCK SHOX VIVID ULTIMATE
The Rock Shox Vivid Ulimate rear shock blew away just about every rider who encountered it. We had eight different test bikes over the course of 2024 with this shock, and every single one felt amazing! The suppleness and sensitivity of this rear shock are seemingly unmatched. It truly has a coil-like feeling, and is very well damped and controlled. The HBO gives different riders the ability to quickly adjust end-of-stroke progression, and the other adjustments yield a notable change in performance without having to go through the effort of swapping coils. Simply put, this shock is awesome.
OUTDOOR RESEARCH DEVIATOR HOODIE
I’m not going to lie and pretend to be a tough guy when it comes to cold temperatures. My desert blood is too thin for the cold! Even so, I have a tendency to overheat very often during winter rides where I set out bundled up like an Eskimo, only to unzip and tie everything to me about 20 minutes into the ride, and inevitably end up cold when taking a quick break.
The Outdoor Research Deviator Hoodie is not directly marketed as a “bike product”, but has been one of my favorite jackets of 2024. It keeps me warm enough, yet I almost never overheat in it. The way it allows my body heat to escape while still keeping me warm is magic! I have been really stoked on OR’s new Freewheel MTB line overall, but this jacket is a topper for me.
FOR 2025:
BIKE PARK REVIEW TOUR AND OUR MEMBER’S PLATFORM
I’ve got two things I’m really excited about in 2025. My first ever mountain bike race was a downhill race, my teenage years were full of me pushing a 56lb Chromoly DH bike up all my local mountains as I dreamt of being a Pro DH racer. I watched Plush, Masters of Reality, NWD and the rest on VHS over and over. While we may focus a ton of our time on reviewing eBikes, trail bikes, enduro bikes and other components, there is nothing that beats a DH bike in my book!
This year, thanks to Pivot Cycles and Fox Racing (both who have some amazing new products dropping soon!) we will be bringing back the Bike Park Review Tour, and I can’t wait! We have some awesome stops planned and I can’t wait to put my new Pivot Phoenix (and another new secret bike) to the test.
PS, we still need a tire sponsor, soooo, anybody who’s got some good rubber can fire me an email.
The second thing I’m really excited about in 2025 is our new Member’s Platform. We launched this at the beginning of December, and I’m so honored to say we have 50 members who’ve already joined. I’d like to say they feel like they’re getting a ton of value and are enjoying the experience of being behind the curtain on some things we’re allowed to leak to them early. Plus, we have been giving away hundreds of dollars of product to them every week so they can test them and write up reviews for our new Reader’s Reviews column. You’ll begin seeing these reviews dropping on the site soon, we can’t wait to share them!
I can’t wait to build an even stronger community; use their support to hire more outside contributors to create more diverse content for our site and YouTube; share some big discount codes from brands in the bike biz, and continue doing amazing giveaways! PLUS, I can’t wait to bring one of these supporters out to a trip and be a guest tester with us!
Thanks to all of you readers and viewers for the support, we appreciate it and hope you enjoyed all the effort we gave in 2024.
– Drew
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