You probably know K2 from the ski slopes; the company has been making skis since 1961. They haven't been in bikes nearly as long, but they're already doing quite well at it. One worthy model is the Zed 4.0, which packs a number of features into an impressively priced bike. The butted aluminum frame with disc brake mounts is a holdover from last year, but several items get upgraded without a cost increase. The fork switches to a Manitou Six Elite, a more tuneable model than last year's Rock Shox Judy TT, and the parts mix moves from a Deore LX mix with Deore crank to a combo Deore/LX/XT mix. Finally, the bike gets clipless pedals instead of last year's clip-and-strap models. Avid's SD 3 brakes handle the stopping, while the WTB Speed C2 wheelset rolls smoothly and durably. The Zed 4.0 wins in the little-things department, such as the chain, which is KMC's excellent Z9000 model. A chain? Yeah, we know it's a small thing, but paying attention to the small stuff is what separates bikes out at this price level.