[shekky]

please indulge me in opening another thread in this vein, but this time praising the best MTB/products we've ever used. once again, my search for a similar thread was unsuccessful.

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endura hummvee 3/4 pants. i love all the pockets and the vents and these things are pretty durable-i've had to have a seamstress repair the ass-stitching on my last pair, but they're good MTB pants.

WTB saddles, starting with the basic one way back when to the speed-v i'm using now on all three of my bikes. i've never used anything but WTB saddles.

ritchey speed max tires--worked very well for what i was doing mostly at the time; xc racing and training and riding hard-packed singletrack and fire roads. i rode them on other trails that were pretty rugged and i'm still alive.

the ibis alibi frameset: i owned two. they were (reasonably) light, stiff and nimble and my burgundy one was the prettiest bike i've ever owned.

oury grips. some don't like them because they're heavy, chunky, clunky, yada yada but it's another component i've been using for years now because they work very well for ME.

so there's five of mine, there's probably a few more. feel free to pitch in and remember, most of our choices are purely subjective--i.e., one man's best might be another's worst.

 

[padrefan1982]

Guerilla Gravity--great customer service and bikes. Sold mine, but they are an amazing company. I would go back to them an a heartbeat if they had a frame that would fit what I was looking for.

On the opposite end of the company size spectrum, Specialized shoes have been my "go-to" for years. They completely solved my issues with foot pain and numbness. I don't look anywhere else for shoes now.

 

[mtnbkrmike]

Old Time pedals.

My 2007 carbon ATACS are still going strong. I bought a bearing kit for them years ago just in case. Haven't needed to pull them apart yet. That set has been my go to pedals on my go to trail bike for 13 years straight. I have been through over a half dozen trail bikes since then, but only one set of pedals.

I also have a 2003 pair of ATACS on my go to commuter bike. Same story.

Plus a new, some would say inferior, set of Times (2018) on my fixed gear. Time will tell with those (no pun intended).

 

[WHALENARD]

So many products are very good these days it's hard to parse specifically "the best".

Carbon- carbon everything. Without carbon rims not sure I'd own a 29'r.

Turner 6pack. Legendary bike that one could argue gave rise the modern trail bike.

Saint brakes-FTW

1x drivetrains with derailuer clutches and narrow/wide. Not long ago dropping chains many many times a ride was a fact of life. That and a ton of racket from chain slap. Certainly Sram deserves a lot of credit here so I'll specifically name eagle.

Tubeless tires- man have tires and tire/rim interface come a long way.

Specialized henge seats. I've tried many many seats & always come back to a henge.

Dumonde Tech lubes- I'll go ahead and say they are infact the best.

 

[John Kuhl]

My Camalbak, 12 years old and still going strong.

Magura Marta brakes. I have them on 3 bikes and I forget when they quite making them.

 

[mtnbkrmike]

...On the opposite end of the company size spectrum, Specialized shoes have been my "go-to" for years. They completely solved my issues with foot pain and numbness. I don't look anywhere else for shoes now.

Agreed. Specialized shoes. And saddles.

 

[milehi]

WTB saddles and tires

Magura brakes

Any Marzocchi coil fork with a RC3 cartridge

Coconino steel frames

First gen XTR rear derailleur with a XC Pro thumbshifter

 

[Jayem]

Maxxis Minions

Avalanche AVA cartridge and rear shocks

Shimano SPD pedals

Bikeyoke Revive seatpost

Sram carbon cranks, the polar opposite of Race Face

Chinese carbon rims like Nextie, Light Bicycle

SRAM X01 11spd cassettes, derailleurs and shifters (lower groups don't make the grade and higher is too expensive, but this is a sweet spot in gearing and weight IMO and Eagle/12 is no better)

And 1x in general..I haven't dropped a chain in years racing DH/DHing all over the place.

Shimano icetech rotors (but not the leaky brakes)

 

[scatterbrained]

Every pair of Time pedals I've ever owned.
.
My old Fat Chance Yo Eddy. The only bike I regret selling.
.
Selle Italia Flite saddles. I went so far as to buy the "Evolution" carbon version of the saddle and ran it on my XC bike for a few seasons. I'm tempted to try and find another one.
.
Oury grips.
.
Sidi shoes, mated to Time pedals of course.
.
Currently, my Northwave Enduro Mid shoes. The perfect shoe for DH clipless pedals.
.
Fox short liners. The chamois is the perfect size and density for MTBing, vs all my other shorts with thicker, larger chamois that are great for spinning away on a road bike but start to feel a bit like an adult diaper when you're constantly in and out of the saddle on a MTB.

 

[shekky]

"So many products are very good these days it's hard to parse specifically "the best"."

sir, the best you have ever used.

 

[Spectre]

Shimano SPD pedals: Pretty reasonably priced and they just work

Maxxis Minion DH-F as a front tire:

SKS Universal Shock Pump: Not portable, but works great with an easy to read gauge.

Bike Yoke Revive dropper post: Amazing how smoothly this works & how little maintenance it needs.

Ergon grips

Osprey Raptor pack

Knight Composites Enduro wheelset: 1570 grams actual weight for a 30mm internal width wheelset build with DT 240 hubs & perhaps the best ride quality I've experienced from a carbon wheelset. They are able to build a lighter rim with the same level of strength as similar rims as they lay up the carbon fiber around an EPS mandrel (instead of a more typical inflatable bladder) to exert more even pressure on the carbon fiber layers which results in more consistent material thickness.

Topeak JoeBlow Sport pump: Works surprisingly well given how inexpensive it is.

Feedback Sports Repair Stand

Pearl Izumi jackets and rain pants:

Stans tubeless presta valves

Orange Seal tubeless sealant

 

[natas1321]

one product I use on all my bikes are oury grips, I keep trying others but keep coming back to them.

also magura brakes

 

[justwan naride]

Best mtb product ever: Shimano spd M520 pedals. Got them in 2008, left one died 6 months ago due to a pedal strike bending it. Bought them for 25€ from LBS. Replaced with M530's.

My Sidi Giau shoes, got them same time as the M520's, sole is completely worn from use, but stitching and glueing is intact. Don't use them anymore because I prefer a more hike-a-bike-friendly shoe these days.

Rock Shox Recon Gold coil fork. 2012 model, last time they released a coil "gold" fork. Amazing small bump sensitivity, cheap, easy to service, just works. Of course it's 26", straight steerer and QR, so flexy and outdated, but I'd be all over a modern equivalent (a coil Yari maybe).

Endura Humvee shorts. Many years of service, crotch restitched a few times. Well designed, excellent vfm given how long it lasted.

WTB Trail Boss 2.25 Tough/Fast Rolling. My go-to rear tyre. Excells at nothing at all - works on almost anything. The casing is perfect for rear use on a hardtail and while it rolls fast, there's still more climbing and braking traction than an XC tyre. I'm on my 5th and never slashed or snakebited one. Sits on the rim with a pump floor without sealant.

Brand-X dropper. 150mm travel, paid 115€. 2yrs warranty. Works flawlessly after >2000km.

I saved the most important for the end... Maxxis Minion DHF. Not only because it's a very dependable front tyre, but also because it inspired a huge number of similar gravity focused designs. The result is that we have lots of good front options right now, covering a wide range of conditions and preferences.

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

Old Time pedals.

My 2007 carbon ATACS are still going strong. I bought a bearing kit for them years ago just in case. Haven't needed to pull them apart yet. That set has been my go to pedals on my go to trail bike for 13 years straight. I have been through over a half dozen trail bikes since then, but only one set of pedals.

I also have a 2003 pair of ATACS on my go to commuter bike. Same story.

Plus a new, some would say inferior, set of Times (2018) on my fixed gear. Time will tell with those (no pun intended).

Lol
Beat me to it. I've been on the same TIME ATAC Titan, Carbon / Titanium pedals for 11 years. My previous TIME ATAC aluminum pedals I ran for 8 years. Those are are still totally useable and sitting as back up to my upgrade to the Titans. I still have yet to do a bearing kit on the Titans.

 

[WHALENARD]

Wolf Tooth dropper lever and their elliptical rings.

 

[watermonkey]

ODI Ruffians.
Shimano SPD's - any flavor.
Thompson Seatposts - I've just got a thing for them, they're beautiful.
Grip studded Bud and Lou - they're the most ridiculous bike related thing I've ever owned, and they make me happy.
Salsa seat post quick release levers.

 

[connolm]

Avid bb7 brakes. Indestructible. Idiot proof. Reliable. Light.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Cerberus75]

SQ Labs 611 Saddle. Most comfortable all day saddle.

Avalanche tuned suspension.

Assegai maxxgripp tire.

 

[Arebee]

DT Swiss 350 Rear Hub. I destroyed three Specialized Stout freehubs and two Shimano XT freehubs in a little over four years. The hub failures really shook my confidence and dominated my focus while riding. I got the DT Swiss 3+ years ago and I never worry about my hub anymore.

Honorable mention to DHF/DHRII Double Down Max Terra tire combo that hooks up with every root and rock in New England.

 

[DoctorJD]

So many...

Speedplay Frog pedals. I don't use them anymore because they don't really fit the style of riding I do now, but I had one pair that I used for almost 20 years. I did a bearing replacement at 10 years, and kept them lubed regularly. Those things were bulletproof, as were the cleats.

XT hydraulic brakes. IMO the best brakes for the money.

ESI grips. I like the "chunky" version.

WTB Rocket saddle. Like sitting on a couch. And super durable.

Topeak Joe Blow Sport III pump. The first one I had lived in the bed of my truck. I actually ran over the think once. I knocked the dents out and put it back into service. It got rained on, iced over, and baked in the hot Georgia sun for days on end, and it just kept doing it's thing. It started losing a little pressure, so after 10 years of service, I retired last year and bought a new pump. Another Joe Blow just like the first one.