BR Block 1
Maklin Bikes

Bike
Reviews

Ride reviews from bikes we’ve personally put miles on, plus first looks at new models coming into the shop. Shop-owner perspective — not press releases.

What’s
In Here

Ride Reviews

Bikes we’ve personally built and put real miles on. Full opinions on fit, handling, components, and where each bike shines — compared against everything else we’ve ridden.

First Looks & New Models

New bikes coming into the shop, old-to-new generation comparisons, and early looks at updated platforms. Always honest shop perspective, even without full ride time.

Shop Perspective

Whether it’s a full ride review or an out-of-the-box first look, we’ll tell you which one it is and give you our take. We sell these bikes — we have no reason to oversell them.

All Reviews

  • 2018 Trek Émonda SL6 Road Bike Review

    2018 Trek Émonda SL6 Road Bike Review

    Steve was the original owner of this 2018 Trek Émonda SL6. It sold, came back as a trade, and now it’s a good excuse to talk about the bike — what it rides like, how Ultegra 2×11 holds up, and how it compares to what’s come since.

  • Salsa Spearfish Mountain Bike Review

    Salsa Spearfish Mountain Bike Review

    2025 Salsa Spearfish Deluxe – Full Ride Review Jump Ahead Video Review Overview & What’s New on the 2025 Spearfish Deluxe The 2025 Salsa Spearfish Deluxe we tested began as the stock XO Transmission + Flight Attendant build. For our Bentonville trip and the Little Sugar race, we swapped several components to match our preferred…

  • Cervelo R5 Road Bike Review

    Cervelo R5 Road Bike Review

    2026 Cervelo R5 – First Ride Review Jump Ahead Video Review What’s New on the 2026 R5 Cervelo focused heavily on weight reduction for this generation. Nearly every component was trimmed: frame, fork, hardware, cockpit, and seatstays. The bike ships just under 15 pounds with TPU tubes. With both TPU tubes installed, it is slightly…

  • 2026 Bianchi Oltre Comp Road Bike Review

    2026 Bianchi Oltre Comp Road Bike Review

    2026 Bianchi Oltre Comp Road Bike Review Jump Ahead Video Review Frame & Geometry I’ve been putting miles on the Bianchi Oltre Comp, after also riding the Cervelo S5 extensively. The Oltre Comp is not the pro-level Oltre RC frame — this is the base carbon layup, and you can absolutely feel the difference. It’s…

  • Cervelo S5 Road Bike Review

    Cervelo S5 Road Bike Review

    2026 Cervelo S5 – First Look & Frame Updates Jump to: Video Review • History & Setups • Review Summary Video Review History & Setups Review Summary 📍 We’ve got the brand-new 2026 Cervelo S5 in the shop. The previous generation is sitting right behind it, so this walkthrough focuses on what’s changed, what’s improved,…

  • Jamis Renegade Gravel Bike Review

    Jamis Renegade Gravel Bike Review

    Today we’re talking about this custom Jamis Renegade. Jamis released a new Renegade this past year, and we brought some frames in to build them up. We put this one together at the end of last summer and put some miles on it through the fall. I’ll walk through the frame, how we have it…

Complete Archive

All Bike Reviews

Every review published. Add a new line here each time a new review goes live.

Every Bike We’ve Spent Time On

A lot of these predate our YouTube channel. We haven’t reviewed them all yet — but having ridden them gives us context when we compare. These aren’t short test rides — these are bikes we built, serviced, and put real miles on.

Mountain Bikes
  • Cervélo ZFS-5 120 X0 AXS Transmission
  • Cervélo ZHT-5 GX AXS
  • Cervélo ZHT-5 Custom XX1 AXS Transmission
  • Felt Edict NINE 3
  • Niner AIR 9 RDO GX
  • Niner AIR 9 RDO Custom XX1
  • Niner Gen 2 JET 9 RDO XO
  • Niner Gen 3 JET 9 RDO XT & GX
  • Niner Gen 3 RIP 9 RDO 27.5 GX
  • Niner Gen 3 RIP 9 29 XO AXS
  • Niner Gen 1 RKT 9 RDO GX Eagle
  • Niner Gen 1 RKT 9 RDO Custom XX1 AXS
  • Niner Gen 2 RKT 9 RDO GX Eagle
  • Salsa Gen 3 Spearfish XT
  • Salsa Gen 4 Spearfish X0 Flight Attendant
  • Salsa Gen 4 Spearfish Custom XX1 T-Type
  • Trek ProCaliber 9.5 & 9.8 SL
  • Trek Remedy 9.8
  • Trek Supercaliber 9.8 GX Eagle
  • Trek X-Caliber 7 & 8
Gravel Bikes
  • Cervélo Áspero Apex AXS
  • Cervélo Áspero-5 Ekar
  • Jamis Renegade Custom 2x GRX 800
  • Niner ORE 9 RDO Custom Force / XX1 T-Type Mullet
  • Niner RLT 9 RDO 2x GRX 800
  • Niner RLT 9 RDO 1x Force XPLR
  • Niner RLT 9 RDO 1x Force 10-36
  • Niner RLT 9 RDO 1x Apex
  • Salsa Warbird 2x GRX 800
  • Salsa Warbird 2x Force Wide
  • TIME ADHX 45 Custom Force
  • Trek Boone 1x GRX 800
  • Trek Gen 1 Checkpoint Ultegra
  • Trek Gen 2 Checkpoint Force AXS / XX1 Mullet
  • Trek Crocket 1x Rival
  • Trek Crocket Custom 1x GRX
Road Bikes
  • Bianchi Oltre Comp Ultegra Di2
  • Cervélo Caledonia Ultegra Di2
  • Cervélo R5 Ultegra Di2
  • Cervélo S5 Ultegra Di2
  • Specialized Allez Ultegra
  • Trek Émonda SL6 Ultegra
  • Trek Émonda Custom Aluminum Ultegra
  • Trek Madone SL6 Ultegra
Fat Bikes
  • Salsa Beargrease X0
  • Specialized Fatboy Comp
  • Trek Farley 9.8
  • Trek Farley Custom GX Eagle

Want a Specific Bike Reviewed?

If there’s a platform you’re considering that isn’t here yet, reach out and ask. We may already have miles on it.