When a new bike rolls out the door, it leaves a veritable mountain of packaging behind the scenes. Add that packaging waste to worn-out parts, old tires, industrial fluids, and broken frames, and you start to see a picture of the sustainability challenges faced by any local bike shop. 

The issue weighs on us. We are an off-road cycling shop because we love exploring natural places and we know the sport we love depends on being good stewards of the land. Thanks to pressure from consumers and independent bicycle dealers, the cycling industry has been making strides to address sustainability. We keep an eye on the ways in which our partners are working to become more land-first, instead of more landfill.

If you would ever like to watch the “unboxing” of a pre-assembly full-suspension mountain bike, just swing by. Every single part is in some form of packaging. As recently as 2020, much of this packaging was plastic. In the past few years, we’ve been excited to see all our mountain bike brand partners—Yeti, Santa Cruz, Pivot, and Orbea—commit to plastic-free packaging. This is no small feat, as protecting the frame finish during transport with a non-abrasive material must remain priority #1. This alone reduced our trips to CHaRM by half. 

The “unboxing experience” ranks highly as a conversation topic in the marketing departments of direct-to-consumer bike brands because the packaging is delivered straight to an end user’s doorstep, making their sustainability practices highly visible. The best way we can create a similar level of visibility for our consumers is to leave that big recycling dumpster right by the front door!

Carbon fiber recycling remains at the forefront of challenges to address in the bike industry, and R&D efforts have been underway for many years. Enjoying the performance advantages of carbon fiber bike frames, components, and wheels is accompanied by responsibility for waste reduction.

Many bicycle manufacturers are exploring ways to incorporate recycled carbon fiber into products such as handlebars, forks, and seat posts. The reclaimed fibers are typically combined with resins to create composite materials that retain some of the properties of virgin carbon fiber while reducing environmental impact. Methods like pyrolysis, solvent-based processes, and mechanical recycling are used to separate carbon fibers from original resins, allowing them to be reused. For now, repairing broken carbon (when possible) and maintaining a thriving marketplace for used carbon bikes is still the best way to reduce waste.

We don’t believe it’s oversimplification to say that avoiding the landfill is the most obvious way to preserve our wild places; the places that make mountain biking and gravel cycling so special. 

If you’re looking for the footnotes: SRAM vs. Shimano has been the proverbial “Coke-Pepsi” test in mountain and gravel bike components for decades. In our updated product line comparison, we include more information about their respective braking systems. For good reason: there are significant differences. Although you can accomplish the same tasks on equipment from either brand, your familiarity or preference may make you more efficient with one over the other. And with an avalanche of new electronic product releases in the past year, answering the question “Should I ride SRAM or Shimano?” can be complex.

Both companies offer full groupset and drivetrain systems that go head-to-head in competition, from mid-level to World Cup race quality. Also, both brands have pushed further into diversifying electronic technology (and both still use naming conventions that start with X) so things can get a little confusing. The following tables are our cheat sheets for understanding how the product offerings stack up:

The experience of riding SRAM technology and Shimano technology is pretty close these days, with only small details differentiating the two. 

Shimano drivetrains have a little more engaged feel at the shifter, but the chain gradually transitions from one gear to the next, making for a very smooth shift, hence their “Hyperglide” branding. Sometimes it’s so smooth it’s hard to tell if you actually changed gears besides the fact that it is suddenly easier to pedal. It is nice to experience that smooth shifting without worrying about your battery dying, though that is only an advantage on non-Di2 systems (Di2 is Shimano’s electronic shifting).

SRAM tends to have a lighter feel at the shift lever, but the chain has a positive shift, jumping on to the next cog all at once. You will know you shifted with a SRAM drivetrain. T-Type (Transmission) derailleurs have definitely increased shifting smoothness; in some of our riding experience we think it’s on par with Shimano. Transmissions are hands down the smoothest shifting under load, whether you’re moving up or down the cassette. The Transmission downside? Slower shifting. It’s noticeable.

To us, the biggest difference is in the brakes. Shimano brakes are known for having more power but less modulation—great for stopping before you run off the trail, but not as easy to scrub just a little speed before a corner. SRAM brakes have a little less power but have great modulation—perfect for slowing down without making the tire skid, but they can feel a little “soft” if you’re accustomed to stop-on-a-dime Shimano 4 piston power. Both can work well but require a different touch. We are looking forward to spending more time on the recently released SRAM Maven brakes, which the brand bills as “Extreme Duty” and compares to Shimano’s Saint brakes. Here at Sports Garage we think SRAM vs. Shimano vs. Hayes vs. Hope is worth an extra conversation, so keep an eye out for more of our thoughts on this.

So, How to Choose?

If you’re a research-driven type of rider, chances are you’ve already spent several hours on “SRAM vs. Shimano” reviews. Research is a great jumping off point for either making your decision or asking more questions! Two rules of thumb we recommend when making your product selection:

• Demo a drivetrain: If you haven’t experienced electronic shifting in action, consider taking out a demo—even if the bike isn’t the model you’re interested in buying, demoing a drivetrain can help you make a more informed decision. 

• Compare products in the same quality range: If you’re looking at a bike equipped with Shimano XT technology, the “apples to apples” comparison is a bike equipped with SRAM Eagle Transmission X01. Yes, SRAM’s elimination of new mechanical X01 drivetrains has made this comparison more complex, but in the SRAM vs. Shimano debate, this is where we’re at.

Sports Garage Demo Bikes Equipped with SRAM AXS T-Type Transmissions

• Pivot Mach 4 SL (Small, Medium, Large)
• Pivot Switchblade (Medium, Large)
• Yeti SB120 (Large)

We had a successful trail shoot up at Walker Ranch, west of Boulder! The week of the shoot I was uncertain what the air would be like since the Front Range was inundated with wildfire smoke from Canada, but we were lucky to have a clear window that day. The group rallied for an early start and we milked the morning light for as long as possible. 

Having a mechanical is always in the back of my mind during a bike shoot, but it somehow rarely happens. Today wasn’t one of those days. Elorie was ripping too hard through the tech zone and tore into her tire. She radioed down that she had what she needed and would catch up shortly. Given the shop’s “teamwork makes the dreamwork” approach, Dan and Blake zoomed back to help get her squared away. I must say, it’s really nice having riders on a shoot (or any trail ride!) who can quickly take care of any mechanicals. Fortunately that was our only one of the day!

Follow the Goldilocks principle and try to find the right amount of balance when it comes to washing your mountain (or gravel) bike. If your bike is just dusty, you can wipe for stanchions on the fork and shock with a soft towel and knock the dirt off the chain with a stiff brush. A little bit of lube, and you’re good to keep going. If the bike is legitimately muddy, it’s time to wash it! 

When you overdo the water pressure on your bike’s components, it pushes water into the bearings and past suspension seals. While there is some room for interpretation here as to what defines high pressure, we can try to apply common sense. Obviously, a pressure washer is too much. Chances are, so is the highest setting output on your hose. Instead, opt for a lower setting and apply a little elbow grease. Some brushes and a sponge will do the trick for those harder-to-reach, sensitive areas.

You don’t need anything fancy to wash your bike, and many people forgo soap entirely. But if you want a little extra oomph, Dawn dish soap is perfect and has some extra degreasing powers. Whatever you do, don’t apply harsh chemicals like Simple Green.

Everyone knows that if you let your car drip dry, it’s going to look almost as dirty as when you started. The same goes for your bike, in addition to the fact that you won’t want water to sit in the bearings post-scrub. To remedy this, after you’re done washing, pedal your bike around to dry the chain and shed any water remaining in the bearings. Use a microfiber towel to get rid of pesky water marks. And after it’s dry, lube the chain (and only the chain).

If you hang your bike up vertically after giving it a good rinse, water may settle in the headset and bottom bracket, ruining the bearings. Let your ride hang out—rubber side down—for a while before returning it to its dedicated throne, the centerpiece of your gear garage.

For more recommendations on how to navigate trails when they’re muddy, be sure to review this handy guide from our friends at Boulder Mountainbike Alliance. And if your bike needs a little more than a wash, take a look at our guide to bike service and why it matters.

Annual pilgrimages often include cities with names like Crested Butte, Fruita, and Salida. We pulled out the map recently to plan our summer to-do list, and decided to throw some new trails into the mix. Here are three lesser-known options that rose to the top.

A cornerstone of the cycling community on Colorado’s Front Range, SMBA offers everything from one-day introductory programs to summer camps and team racing for kids ages 6 to 18. Their newest offering? Adventure trips to places adults wish they could sign up for, like Moab and Crested Butte.

We dive into the details, including how we’re partnering with SMBA in a big way this year, in our exclusive interview with SMBA Director Heather Williams, below.

We’re looking forward to celebrating SMBA’s 30th anniversary in 2023! One way we plan to celebrate is to have our SMBA teams complete 30 Epic Rides (of 30 miles or more) during the season. We’ll be documenting each one throughout the season.

Here are some of the changes I’ve seen since then: I had just been introduced to mountain biking around the time SMBA started. I had always ridden a bike, but I got my first real mountain bike in ’94. It was a nice bike at the time; a lugged carbon hardtail with a suspension fork (65mm of travel) and I had a lot of fun rides and adventures on that bike. I really fell in love with the sport on that bike and it took me to a lot of different trails. Since that bike, I’ve seen the expansion of trail systems in places around Colorado and beyond, as well as a lot of changes in bike design and technology: bigger wheels, bigger cassettes, wider handlebars, and cushy suspension!

Another really cool change that I’ve seen is growth in the sport, particularly among women and juniors. When I first started mountain biking, I rode with a really supportive and fun group of mountain bikers, all still close friends, but I was usually the only girl in the group. At the time, there really weren’t any women’s social ride groups around the Front Range, and I didn’t meet any other ladies to ride with regularly until the early 2000s. In the last few years this has changed and it has been awesome to see more opportunities for girls and women to get into the sport and super cool to see the numbers of women and girls participating in the sport grow. Each season we see an increase in the number of girls participating in SMBA programs and they continue in the program through high school. Most continue to ride and many join their collegiate mountain bike teams. Currently we have an amazing team of girls’ coaches who are awesome role models for our newer athletes. They all started in SMBA when they were in elementary school and now some are juniors and seniors in high school and some are in college, but they all stay involved in the program as coaches.

The increase in youth participation in mountain biking has also grown since I first started mountain biking. In general, when I am out riding, I see more juniors riding with their families on the trails than I ever remember seeing before, and I’ve watched the Colorado High School MTB grow from just a few hundred riders in 2012 to over 2,000 riders last year. Many of those high school athletes also participate in SMBA during the spring and summer.

We’ve also noticed increases in the number of younger riders getting into our program. The number of kids participating in our K-1 Dirt Riders program and second-grade through fifth-grade team groups has continually increased over the past two to three years; and the enthusiasm and excitement to ride among our youngest riders is so much fun. It is always amazing to ride with these younger groups and watch their confidence, skill progression, and love of the bike build over the course of the session. What is even more fun is to see our first cohort of K-1 riders continue in the program. This spring, we have a couple of them who will be riding with our Spring Team program!

I think there has been a shift in interest among many of our riders as well as a number of our coaches. We have team riders who love racing with their high school team and riders who love cyclocross or competitive ski racing in the winter and look forward to some non-competitive rides and adventures they can share with their SMBA teammates and friends. We also have coaches who love being on their bikes, and love exploring new ride routes.

Our two adventure trips—Moab on spring break and Crested Butte at the end of summer—have actually been part of our schedule for many years now. There seemed to be increased interest in exploring some of the great trail systems and classic rides around Colorado, and a little less interest in racing from our SMBA families.

This year, we also decided to head to Fruita in April. We are also planning a summer mini-trip to join in the fun with CB Devo’s Jr. Mountain Bike week in June, and a fall trip to Curt Gowdy in October. In addition to van-supported camping trips, we were also able to purchase a dedicated set of bikepacking bags for any SMBA group that wants to experience a self-supported bikepacking ride. This past summer, our Girls’ Team was the first group to test out the bags on a three-day bike packing ride across section 11 of the Colorado Trail. They are hoping to build on that ride and do a longer trip this summer.

In addition, our newly introduced Epic Team program has also been extremely popular. The goal of the Epic Team is to provide opportunities for SMBA athletes to explore trails they may have never ridden before, experience fun challenges on big epic rides, build endurance throughout the season by increasing the distance and effort of each ride from spring to summer, learn a little more about orienteering and being self-sufficient in the backcountry, learn a little bit more about the local ecology and environment, develop an increased appreciation and stewardship for the the beautiful natural landscapes we have access to on bikes, and have a lot of fun while going on big ride adventures all season. We’re excited to see this program grow and expand under the leadership of one of our coaches, Jim.