2023 Pinkbike Awards: Value Product of the Year Nominees
Here at Pinkbike we're lucky to spend time with some of the finest items a mountain biker could lust after, be it a $1,200 set of brakes, $15k ebikes, or even the "standard priced" $100 tires. It's a privilege to get to try such exotic items, but ultimately those high-dollar components and bikes probably aren't what we'd be purchasing if we were in the market ourselves - that's where the high-performance budget items come into play.
This category can range all over the map, but in the name of brevity we're condensing it to the best items we've tested and reviewed this calendar year with either a focus on being budget-friendly or simply posing a better value proposition than market competitors.
Why it's nominated
Though Henry wrote the official review of this lid, I've been using one for about a year now and loving the light weight, excellent breathability, and smartly-chosen features. For the price, you get all the bells and whistles you really need out of a trail helmet, with equivalent models costing nearly double the asking price. Lazer's Kineticore rotational protection is backed by some excellent Virginia Tech safety scores, and provides the added benefit of better breathability than Mips or similar systems.
Mine got the paint pen treatment, which is usually a great sign of how much I like something - in this case quite a bit. Lazer does make a higher-priced version of the Coyote, dubbed the Jackal, but side-by-side it's hard to see the latter as twice as good as the former - I'd probably stick with the more typical canid if given the choice.
From the Review:
Why it's nominated
Shimano's latest swath of components are all focused on two things: smooth sifting and longevity. Though one could argue that any drivetrain is setting out to achieve these goals, the Linkglide series of cassettes and accompanying chain-moving devices are willing to sacrifice things like weight, speed, and overall range in service of making the most robust drivetrain possible. In his review of the Linkglide XT drivetrain, Henry found all these goals to be met, and luckily you don't even need to splurge for the top-tier gruppo to reap those benefits.
As the premier Linkglide package, the XT group retails for around $350 USD, but other selections from the Cues range can get you to a similar setup for around $200 USD. I'm currently testing a Cues U6000 drivetrain, and so far the performance has been quite similar to the XT group. The only thing that really feels cheap here is Shimano's marketing efforts around the release, as even we are having a hard time deciphering the compatibility charts and component families that live under the Cues banner. I'd happily pay about $10 more per derailleur to have a better sense of what's going on, but in this case the quality is worth the research work.
From the Review:
Why it's nominated
Aluminum wheels tend to get overlooked as upgrade items, with folks typically saving their milk money for carbon hoops, if possible. That doesn't mean there aren't excellent options in the alloy camp these days, with value beyond their simple performance and rugged durability. Positioned as a quality product with a robust guarantee, Santa Cruz's 30|HD AL wheels come with a lifetime warranty, DT Swiss 350 hubs, and the best-in-class Fillmore valves, all for $699 USD. Not necessarily cheap, but when you factor in the potentially infinite cycle of warranty replacement, the pot begins to sweeten.
In a head-to-head test with the similarly valued and warrantied Turbine wheels from Race Face, Mike came away impressed with both, but preferred the Reserves. They proved to be stiff, durable, and quiet over an extended test period, with the added assurance of replacement in the case of a ... case.
Having beaten the piss out of Mike's Reserve rear wheel during Crankworx - after destroying a similar Industry Nine offering in only a few days - I can add my two cents and give an additional vote of confidence.
From the Head-to-Head Review:
Why it's nominated
Brakes are one of those areas on the bike where being thrifty might not be the best idea, but that doesn't mean you need to break the bank to get something that'll slow you down safely on trail. Earlier this year I highlighted a dirt-cheap set of 4-piston brakes from Shimano, poetically dubbed the BR-MT420, heretofore referred to as just the 420s. These funny-looking stoppers are something of a sleeper, offering close to the same power as their XT/XTR rivals, at a fraction of the price. While they lack the Servo Wave linkage that gives most Shimano brakes their snappy feel, the more linear pull of the 420s has proven to be far more consistent than the now notorious wandering bite point of the fancier offerings.
If you can get past the long touring-style lever and the lumpy aesthetics, there's only one hurdle left to clear: the stock pads and rotors. These unfortunately come stock with resin-only variants of both, and I'd recommend swapping those out for metallic pads and burlier rotors to unlock the 420s full potential.
While the price was impressive at the time of review, you can now get these sleeper 4-pots for just $77 USD per side at some online retailers - and it wouldn't hurt to ask your local bike shop what it would cost to order a set through them.
From the Review:
Why it's nominated
This is a $500 USD dropper post. Not cheap, not even mid-price in the scheme of things. However, if you're keen on a wireless dropper this is the cheapest option out there, and it's one of two that come in a 200mm travel variant. The price significantly undercuts Sram's AXS post, but the drop exceeds it, and functionally it's not too far off the mark.
No, you don't need a wireless post, but if you really really want one, then this is a solid option at a relatively affordable price. All in the name of installation ease and cockpit tidiness, I suppose.
My main gripe with the EPD01 doesn't come down to performance - it does everything you could want it to - but instead centers around the user interface when it comes time to update the firmware and change settings. Once you've come to terms with the fact that you're updating a seatpost, the procedure is a bit clunky and awkward, especially compared to the AXS alternative.
From the Review:
This category can range all over the map, but in the name of brevity we're condensing it to the best items we've tested and reviewed this calendar year with either a focus on being budget-friendly or simply posing a better value proposition than market competitors.
Why it's nominated
Though Henry wrote the official review of this lid, I've been using one for about a year now and loving the light weight, excellent breathability, and smartly-chosen features. For the price, you get all the bells and whistles you really need out of a trail helmet, with equivalent models costing nearly double the asking price. Lazer's Kineticore rotational protection is backed by some excellent Virginia Tech safety scores, and provides the added benefit of better breathability than Mips or similar systems.
Mine got the paint pen treatment, which is usually a great sign of how much I like something - in this case quite a bit. Lazer does make a higher-priced version of the Coyote, dubbed the Jackal, but side-by-side it's hard to see the latter as twice as good as the former - I'd probably stick with the more typical canid if given the choice.
From the Review:
 | The Lazer Coyote KinetiCore offers a strong blend of price, safety, comfort, and ventilation. Although the internal profile of the helmet might look slightly gimmicky, it really does deliver excellent ventilation. While I found a reasonably secure place for my glasses, I think that a lack of specific storage is my only real complaint and, although small, that would be my only criticism when it comes to riding in this good value proposition.” |
Why it's nominated
Shimano's latest swath of components are all focused on two things: smooth sifting and longevity. Though one could argue that any drivetrain is setting out to achieve these goals, the Linkglide series of cassettes and accompanying chain-moving devices are willing to sacrifice things like weight, speed, and overall range in service of making the most robust drivetrain possible. In his review of the Linkglide XT drivetrain, Henry found all these goals to be met, and luckily you don't even need to splurge for the top-tier gruppo to reap those benefits.
As the premier Linkglide package, the XT group retails for around $350 USD, but other selections from the Cues range can get you to a similar setup for around $200 USD. I'm currently testing a Cues U6000 drivetrain, and so far the performance has been quite similar to the XT group. The only thing that really feels cheap here is Shimano's marketing efforts around the release, as even we are having a hard time deciphering the compatibility charts and component families that live under the Cues banner. I'd happily pay about $10 more per derailleur to have a better sense of what's going on, but in this case the quality is worth the research work.
From the Review:
| For riders who feel slightly disenchanted with groupsets running into thousands of dollars with gizmos and gadgets sprouting out in every avenue, Linkglide XT might just be the tonic. It's simple, effective and performs admirably. |
Why it's nominated
Aluminum wheels tend to get overlooked as upgrade items, with folks typically saving their milk money for carbon hoops, if possible. That doesn't mean there aren't excellent options in the alloy camp these days, with value beyond their simple performance and rugged durability. Positioned as a quality product with a robust guarantee, Santa Cruz's 30|HD AL wheels come with a lifetime warranty, DT Swiss 350 hubs, and the best-in-class Fillmore valves, all for $699 USD. Not necessarily cheap, but when you factor in the potentially infinite cycle of warranty replacement, the pot begins to sweeten.
In a head-to-head test with the similarly valued and warrantied Turbine wheels from Race Face, Mike came away impressed with both, but preferred the Reserves. They proved to be stiff, durable, and quiet over an extended test period, with the added assurance of replacement in the case of a ... case.
Having beaten the piss out of Mike's Reserve rear wheel during Crankworx - after destroying a similar Industry Nine offering in only a few days - I can add my two cents and give an additional vote of confidence.
From the Head-to-Head Review:
| If I'd narrowed my list of options down to these two wheelsets which one would I choose? Personally, I'd go with the Reserves. They were quieter and had a reassuringly solid feel without being harsh; those traits combined with the reliability of the DT Swiss 350 hub, the added bonus of the Fillmore valve stems, and the lower price makes them my pick. |
Why it's nominated
Brakes are one of those areas on the bike where being thrifty might not be the best idea, but that doesn't mean you need to break the bank to get something that'll slow you down safely on trail. Earlier this year I highlighted a dirt-cheap set of 4-piston brakes from Shimano, poetically dubbed the BR-MT420, heretofore referred to as just the 420s. These funny-looking stoppers are something of a sleeper, offering close to the same power as their XT/XTR rivals, at a fraction of the price. While they lack the Servo Wave linkage that gives most Shimano brakes their snappy feel, the more linear pull of the 420s has proven to be far more consistent than the now notorious wandering bite point of the fancier offerings.
If you can get past the long touring-style lever and the lumpy aesthetics, there's only one hurdle left to clear: the stock pads and rotors. These unfortunately come stock with resin-only variants of both, and I'd recommend swapping those out for metallic pads and burlier rotors to unlock the 420s full potential.
While the price was impressive at the time of review, you can now get these sleeper 4-pots for just $77 USD per side at some online retailers - and it wouldn't hurt to ask your local bike shop what it would cost to order a set through them.
From the Review:
| It's been said before, but components like this really prove it: you don't need the most expensive kit to ride as well as you can. The BR-MT420 is one of the cheapest disc brakes Shimano makes, but performs nearly as well as the higher end 4-piston offerings in their catalog, even exceeding those models when it comes to long-term reliability. Aftermarket pads are a bit limited, but with a good sintered pad and a standard rotor you're good to go with a brake that offers solid power and consistent, easy-to-control lever feel. |
Why it's nominated
This is a $500 USD dropper post. Not cheap, not even mid-price in the scheme of things. However, if you're keen on a wireless dropper this is the cheapest option out there, and it's one of two that come in a 200mm travel variant. The price significantly undercuts Sram's AXS post, but the drop exceeds it, and functionally it's not too far off the mark.
No, you don't need a wireless post, but if you really really want one, then this is a solid option at a relatively affordable price. All in the name of installation ease and cockpit tidiness, I suppose.
My main gripe with the EPD01 doesn't come down to performance - it does everything you could want it to - but instead centers around the user interface when it comes time to update the firmware and change settings. Once you've come to terms with the fact that you're updating a seatpost, the procedure is a bit clunky and awkward, especially compared to the AXS alternative.
From the Review:
| For riders dead set on a wireless dropper, the EDP01 could fit the bill. It's still more expensive (and heavier) than the sea of fully functional cable-actuated options out there, but it's also not as pricey as a RockShox Reverb AXS, and it's available with 200mm of drop. I am glad of its existence, mainly for the ease that I can install it when a review bike inevitably arrives with a dropper that's too short. That said, I'm not entirely convinced that needing to remember to charge a battery is worth the tradeoff for a cleaner-looking cockpit. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Lmfao, Shimano simply copies Sram's pull ratio 25 years later, finally makes a reliable cassette after 40 years, has a three year delay getting it to market, and Pinkbike writers think it's something special even though it's heavier, not that much more reliable, and can still be ripped off your bike with by a stick or broken chain.
From a drivetrain perspective it's a pathetic time to be alive and neither SRAM or Shimano deserve any accolades for recycling and re-marketing this garbage road bike technology over and over again.
For the life of me I can't figure out why Shimano didn't put a charging port on the XT Di2 12spd derailleur and make it MTB (not just eMTB) compatible. The system uses the same wires as 12spd road Di2, so there's a compatible battery that already exists.
I've ridden both SRAM and Shimano drivetrains in recent form. At this stage, assuming you are interested in electric shifting controls, SRAM has it figured out. Shimano had kept some edge for a little while with the performance of HG+, but that advantage didn't last long.
If SRAM were to re-work their brake offering (which I think they'll do soon) to basically offer identical performance to Trickstuff, they'll really own the MTB market.
That said, as I understand it the new Sram Transmission shifts just as well under load. Meanwhile, Shimano does not have a modern Di2 system for 1x12, nor an answer for the mounting durability of the Transmission stuff. Bummer for Shimano.
There is nothing stopping them from creating a battery / Bluetooth unit for pedal bikes and running a wire to the rear derailleur - We suspect it might be in development
\m/
I won't waste time on why SRAM can't and won't build Trickstuff level brakes, but I will address why their brakes are so bad while their drivetrains are so good......different engineering groups. Literally zero overlap between them. Drivetrain is homegrown while the brake side was aquired tech and "talent"(quotes on purpose) from Avid....there has never been any mixing and that is why the ethos of both departments are so different.
They should take a page from tech companies and hit the boggle button on both groups and mix them to bring the slow side up to speed. SRAM brakes will continue to be the dogs dinner until they realize that the baked in ethos of the old guard from the Avid days(who still f*cking work there, btw) rule the roost
That said, there is no inherent reason that bigger producers could not "knock off" Radic, Trickstuff, etc. Sure, the QC is going to be better on CNC'd parts. But 90%+ of the brake performance comes down to how you actually engineer the lever blade, leverage over the master cylinder, pistons, etc. My point is: why not study the actual performance characteristics of your high-end competitors who have gotten it SO right, and simply make a version that is much cheaper to manufacture?
Having Maximas now, they are amazing. Infinite power, fade-free performance, extremely light lever action with a very linear and controllable modulation.
SRAM as a corporation is making a major blunder in keeping both engineering depts. sandboxed in the way they are, so there is potentially a way out for them if they reverse course on that. You would start to see improvement in a few years if they did that.
At the end of the day, SRAM brakes are largely under powered and its not very debatable. Plenty of reviewers have put them on actual dynos and tested the applied torque of various braking systems. SRAM brakes pretty regularly come in on the lower end in these tests - and while I absolutely appreciate modulation, truly - many of their more powerful rivals achieve similar or better modulation. These are engineered components which are, objectively, not as good as the non-shimano competition.
they make OEMs run their brakes if they want to get the best pricing on the drivetrain and sus. basically mandating you take the brakes to make a profitable bike with the drivetrains everyone wants. So they do it. then you get everyone selling the takeoff code/guides on here for 25% of what they are worth.
I can take a set of XTR off a bike and sell then in a day for $450 cash. a set of RSC? $250-275 and it takes weeks. the marketplace is really good at telling you what people want sometimes
Shimano: Sorrry, but this interview is over.
Absolutely awesome power and none of that mostly-nonsense servo wave thing. Get the cheap Shimano pads that are available in boxes of 25 (yeah, seriously) and they cost about £2 each.
Never ever go wrong, rock solid consistency
“Not all who wander are lost…”.
Lets see who bites on this…
I will see myself out now.
I have purchased a new rotor and metallic pads. Fingers crossed. Otherwise it will be a expensive upgrade.
Doesn't that tell you something?
Who makes them and why?
Also, where are you buying Shimano brakes that they come "stock" with rotors? Those are always sold separately, as far as I've seen.
\m/
There was a XT LG600 that was fairly heavy (with a steel carrier)
and currently Linkglide XT is borrowing a LG700 cassette 11-51t from the CUES line that has an alloy carrier
both 11-speed cassettes work fine with 11-speed chains and cranks
Heck, I literally got a new 2023 Rocky Mountain at half price just last month, and didn't have to buy a second bike to get the deal. Same shop had a couple of Norco Sights with a 50% markdown as well.
Just need to wear out my current Shimano stuff, which already lasts forever (as long as the cogs are all steel.)
They're heavier, more expensive, have less (claimed) airflow, and are available in fewer sizes and colors than the 76projects valves.
76projects.com/products/hi-flow-no-clog-tubeless-valves?variant=43816114028760