RockShox Dart 1

- Travel: 100mm

- Available Springs: Coil

- Adjustments: Preload

- Crown: Forged 6061 T-6 Aluminum

- Lowers: Boss Or Disc Specific

- Price: $ 105.00

RockShox Dart 2

- Travel: 80/100

- Damping: Turn Key Option

- Adjustments: Lockout Optional, Preload

- Steerer Options: Stkm Steel 1 1/8"

- Crown: Forged 6061 T-6 Aluminum

- Price: $ 136.00

RockShox Recon Silver

- Travel 80/100/120mm

- Available Springs Solo Air / Coil
- Adjustments External Rebound
- Steerer Options Aluminum 1 1/8"
- Lowers Magnesium, Post Disc Mount
- Price: $ 225.00

RockShox Tora TK

- 4-piece bushing system
- Pocketed aluminum crown
- Travel 80/100/120mm
- Damping TurnKey
- Steerer Options Aluminum 1 1/8"
- Price: $ 190.00

Bont Cycling: A-one shoes

Australian shoemaker Bont only recently entered the U.S. market, but it has already significantly upped the ante when it comes to at-home moldable shoes with its sole, insole and upper. The monocoque sole is the stiffest we've tried and, at 3.6mm, it has the lowest stack height we've found. To mold it, heat the a-one in a 160-degree oven for 20 minutes then put it on, allowing the shoe to form to your foot. You can remold the shoe multiple times until you eliminate hot spots and achieve absolute power transfer. Buy It: If you want the stiffest sole available with a near-handmade fit Forget It: If you like to take cafe breaks; these are ProTour-level race shoes made for fast rides (www.bicycling.com)

Pearl Izumi: P.R.O. Road

A big step forward for Pearl Izumi shoe offerings, the P.R.O. Road is comfortable and formfitting from the first pedal stroke thanks to a longitudinal, arch-supporting insole; a gripping heel cup; and three offset straps, including a buckle closure on top. A padded tongue relieves potential pressure points across the instep and the roomy forefoot area accommodates wider feet well. Pearl's unidirectional P.R.O. Grade carbon proved ultrastiff for great power delivery. We felt a few hot spots on the balls of our feet during initial test runs, but these abated as the shoes broke in.--David L'Heureux Buy It: If you are ready to pay the price for a high-performance, race-ready shoe Forget It: If you prefer conservative graphics, color and design (www.bicycling.com)

Shimano: SH-R190

Shimano's midrange shoe lacks the already broken-in feel of the $360 custom-fit SH-R310, but it's just five grams heavier per pair. And the R190's snug heel cup and comfortable upper make the most of your output. The forefoot offers wiggle room, and those with narrow feet will appreciate the micro-adjustable buckle's optional mounting point, which places the strap in the middle of its range. The R190's carbon and glass-fiber sole feels just slightly softer than the unidirectional all-carbon sole of Shimano's pricier offerings.--Ron Koch Buy It: If you want a medium fit and Shimano's legendary durability Forget It: If your feet require special tweaks for a comfortable fit
(www.bicycling.com)

TRP: Dash Carbon Disc

A one-piece forged alloy caliper and 20.9mm composite pistons (which offer better heat resistance) give the Dash a smart look, and titanium hardware and carbon levers minimize weight. Along with a tool-free reach adjuster, an on-the-fly "power adjuster" alters leverage ratio to go from strong to ultrapucker (TRP claims a 20 percent variation). Our testers ran the brakes near full power and felt they retained a great deal of modulation with grand stopping ability. One consideration: Lever reach changes slightly as you adjust power. (www.bicycling.com)

Avid: Elixir 3

The newest addition to Avid's Elixir family is also the most affordable. The popular TaperBore design found on previous Elixir models is used on the 3, but a new pivot assembly makes accessing the 3mm lever-reach-adjustment bolt easier. Internally, the TaperBore master cylinder is structurally the same as on the Elixir 5, as is lever-pivot placement and geometry, but an allnew two-piece caliper has more-direct porting for easier bleeds. It also has more mass, so it's a better heat sink for less fade. However, this added mass means the Elixir 3 is heavier than other Elixir models. Feel at the lever is similar to higher-priced Elixir models, but initial power comes more softly. In fact, the stock organic pads give the Elixir 3 a lessaggressive feel overall than the Elixirs that come with sintered metal pads. Those looking for more raw power (large or aggressive riders, in particular) should swap to metal pads, go up a rotor size, or both. Bonus: The Elixir's toploading design makes swapping pads a simple task.--Ron Koch (www.bicycling.com)

Magura: Louise Carbon Bat

The Louise is Magura's do-everything brake: It's about 100 grams heavier per wheel than the company's Marta but has more features and can absorb more heat before performance is affected. One key feature is the adjustable hose fitting on the caliper: Some suspension bikes have challenging rear hose routing, and we found the 45 degrees of tool-free angular adjustment tremendously helpful for cleaning things up. Though we have a quibble with the shape of the lever--it's a bit narrow and the hook could be more pronounced--the Louise feels fabulous. The lever feel bares a strong resemblance to the Marta. It responds with a very light touch and glides through its stroke until it reaches a cushioned stop. Our only other gripe: Feedback could be better. Sometimes, the lever feels disconnected from what's happening at the ground. The power doesn't hit hard initially, making these brakes feel less powerful than they actually are. But they modulate wonderfully through the meat of the stroke.--Matt Phillips (www.bicycling.com)