Santa Cruz has created a new 29er XC bike for 2012 called Highball, which is a cross country cocktail of race-ready hardtail design and lightweight carbon. Constructed to offer maximum efficiency, this full-on race machine features a curved seat tube and short chainstays.

Aside from being razor-sharp, the Highball is agile yet surefooted. It was intended to build no compliance or rear end flex into its carbon fiber frame, which is incredibly light weighing in at only 1.11kg. It is available in gloss carbon/red and matte carbon/grey colors.

Feathery light weight is balanced by the 2012 Santa Cruz Highball Carbon 29er XC Bike with firmness, strength, and durability. The proprietary one-piece layup, dropouts and disc tabs are molded into the frame to make it even stronger, more durable, and more lightweight.
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Element 950 is one of the new 29er bikes released for 2012 from Rocky Mountain. In order to mimic the finest 26ers, the RTC 29 geometry of the bike comes with superior components, such as shorter chainstays and top tube. Its 142mm rear axle definitely enhances its stiffness.

Its design, which features internally-routed derailleur cables through its downtube, is very nice. Both in minimum and maximum travels, riders can climb smoothly and efficiently with the RockShox Revelation 120mm with a travel adjuster that plummets to 95mm.

Really outstanding, the 2012 Rocky Mountain Element 950 29er Bike is a trail-friendly and XC-capable full-suspension 29er that can efficiently climb anything with incredible comfort. The only downsides of the bike is the slightly noodly wheels and its weight.

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Troy Lee Designs has created one of the best mountain bike shorts for 2012 with its new Ace. Made from 90% polyester and 10% spandex body material, the four- way stretch Ace shorts are incredibly durable and comfortable.

Pedal friendly, the inner side pockets have zippers that are water resistant. Also, the zippers, thermal welded intake, and exit vents enhance thigh and crotch ventilation. Other high quality features are the padded rear zip pocket, ribbed spandex rear yoke panel, and reflective logo thigh detail.

Tailored with ergonomic mountain bike specific cut and fit, the 2012 Troy Lee Designs Ace Mountain Bike Shorts are perfect for all-day all-mountain riding. Removable inner short chamois is integrated, which comes with Lycra thigh panels, for maximum comfort.

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Included in the new range of 29er bikes released by Kona for 2012 is the Splice. Kona has combined its effectiveness of commuter expertise with the acceleration, speed, and variety of its 29er hardtail geometry.

While its geometry is the same with that of the renowned Kahuna, the Splice features an 80mm fork with components that are made to tackle a wide range of terrains from backroads to backcountry.As a cross between Kona’s Dew and Kahuna bikes, the Splice portrays a beautiful mutation.

Nicely constructed, the 2012 Kona Splice 29er Bike is created for riders who want to create a good balance of a smooth ride at a reasonable price. Other features are Kona aluminum riser handlebars, Shimano drivetrain, ProMax mechanical disc brakes, and Suntour XCR 80mm fork with lockout.

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Featured by the 2012 range of Brave saddles are the Monster, Trickster, and Seatgrab. Aside from their stylish look, the common feature of the 2012 Brave Monster, Trickster, and Seatgrab Saddles is the very stiff 8mm oversized chromo rails.

Freestyle jumps are tackled well by the huge grip area of the 420g Monster saddle, which has thick padding and Kevlar top. For riders who are looking for an all-rounder, the thin Trickster saddle is ideal. It features sturdy synthetic upper material with Kevlar edges and very comfortable nice small seat.

For BMX, dirt, and street rides, the Seatgrab is strong and durable enough since this saddle is made from a hard-wearing upper Vinyl material, which resists abrasion very effectively. Moreover, the Seatgrab has molded front and rear grab handles.

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For 2012, Kona has released a new full suspension 29er mountain bike with 130mm long travel called Satori. For a big-wheeled bike with big travel, the Satori frame is quite slim but still rigid enough to tackle aggressive riding well.

Created with the latest standards, the Satori features 12×142 rear axle, tapered HT, and a new version of four-bar linkage. Instead of the Walking Beam design, the Satori utilizes a Swing Link design in order to reduce its standover height but still maintains a huge degree of rider tunability.

In terms of geometry, the 2012 Kona Satori Full Suspension 29er Mountain Bike has a reasonably slack 68-degree head angle and a suspension setup that is made to pound anything on the trail. Moreover, the bike comes with an Easton Vice 29 wheelset, Maxxis Ardent tires, and 710mm bars.

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One of the latest cycling products released by Troy Lee Designs for 2012 is the Grand Prix Air Gloves. With long fingers and no gel insert, these gloves are carefully tailored to imitate the human hands to help them hold the handlebar grips with maximum comfort.

With Air-Prene and Velcro backed TPR wrist closure, the adjustable fit of the gloves is made as comfortable and non-restrictive as possible. Grip is enhanced by the silicon applique on the fingers and on the lightly padded single-layer Clarino leather palm.

Aside from being lightweight, the 2012 Troy Lee Designs Grand Prix Air Gloves are so comfortable and cool running that riders barely feel that they are wearing them. Moreover, optimized hand protection is offered by the bio-foam protection on top of the hand and soft TPR sonic-welds.

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