Azonic Outlaw Wheelset   When setting out to review a product it is important to remember who the review is intended for. In our case we are reviewing products for hardcore riders. A person that is serious about riding bikes knows the value of legitimate reviews. We are not a big mag and we don't have huge corporate sponsors. We are purely interested in providing the most objective and usable information that we can.   We have been riding around on a set of Azonic Outlaw wheels for a while now and they have seen alot of action. We have had the opportunity to test the Azonic offering in a wide array of terrain. Upon first inspection the wheels seem to pretty standard beyond their custom color look. The set we were on were had white spokes, rims and hubs but the wheels are also available in blue, green, red, black and now for 2010 with a "hustler" print. The colors are an awesome feature but that is not all that makes a wheelset, eventhough it may be what initially attracts us.    Our Azonic's came set up with a 20mm front and a 150x12mm rear. On the trail these wheels are stout and have not developed any flat spots in over a year of riding. This is huge! Other wheels we have ridden out at the canyon just do not compare, especially in this price range. We have had to tighten the spokes once in that year of use but considering the terrain, that is excellent. The paint has chipped significantly but what can you expect when riding downhill and freeride.   Our only real gripe is the rear Azonic 12mm bolt on thru axle is garbage. We had multiple axles strip and geez... what a pain in the ass to get off the frame. We love 12mm stiffness but we also suggest getting a maxle style set up or getting a 12mm quick release like the one available from DT Swiss. Other than the miner rear axle issue, these wheels are top choice for the downhill/freeride enthusiast. If you ride heavy all mountain, then this could also be the ticket for you.

Banshee AMP Preview Banshee Amp, new ride. James set me up with the frame, I ordered some new parts, moved some old parts over, and now it's finally built and tuned. I'll spare you the usual Amp comments (light, easy to manual, good tire clearance, etc..) and get to some stuff not often mentioned. What stands out most is the chainline. One drive side spacer for the XT bottom bracket and a set of the thicker spacers that came with the e-13 LG1+ chainguide and the chain is perfectly straight when centered in the cassette. This might not seem like a big deal, but it really makes the bike ride smooth and noiseless (because the chain isn't rubbing on either side of the chainguide) in every gear. The front chainring only clears the chainstay by about 1-2mm using a 36t, so it looks real clean/precise. Of course is you are running single speed like most, none of this matters :) Another subtle detail, running an 80mm fork actually drops the nose just slightly. In other words, with an 80mm fork the chainstays run a slight decline from the rear wheel to the bottom bracket which means a 100mm fork would be perfect but you could get away with 120-140mm fork without feeling like you were already doing a wheelie. Lastly, although generic, the seatclamp works as supposed to and looks clean and the internal headset is deffinetly a plus. Going to ride at the jumps/pump track now, laters.