It's been a wheely good week...
Yep, it’s your weekly sneak peak through the portcullis of castle MBR to drool at the exciting new products that have been catapulted over the ramparts.
After the delicate chaos of Black Friday we thought we’d tone it down a bit with Arrivals this week. But there’s still plenty of cool kit coming through the doors, especially loads of ‘stocking filler’ type stuff.
For those of you who can’t wait until the reviews come out in the magazine or go up online, here’s another in our new series of pre-emptive peeks into recent test product arrivals.
Here’s last week’s Arrivals for those who missed it.
Ryde Edge 30 wheelset
Price: £299
From: Chickens Cycles
Budget hoops that look pretty good.
Bitex hubs use a 6 pawl freehub for pretty quick pickup.
Offset spoke drilling anyone?
After a couple of weeks showcasing some hyper high-end carbon wheelsets, it’s refreshing to see that good value wheels still exist. Take this pair of Edge 30 wheels from Ryde that look to be ideal for riders looking for a replacement set of 27.5″ wheels to fit a slightly older non-BOOST frame. Ryde might be a new name for most people but they look to have a sensible approach to making strong and reliable wide rimmed wheels. The offset aluminium rim is tubeless compatible and is both sleeved and glued for strength. The good news for riders wanting to take advantage of wider tyres is the Edge 30 has a 30mm internal width, suitable for 2.2″-2.8″ tyres. Ryde choose to use Sapim spokes and nipples to lace to Bitex 6 pawl hubs. Currently non-BOOST but there are loads of options.
Maxxis Forekaster 3C MaxxSpeed 27.5×2.6″
Price: £49.99
From: Extra
An agressive XC oriented tyre for loose and muddy conditions.
The Forekaster is marketed as a tyre for the wet and mud. With its super open tread pattern it should shed mud pretty quickly. As demanded by current trends Maxxis is now producing it in the ever so fashionable 2.6″, semi-plus width. The MaxxSpeed compound keeps things rolling fast and reduce tread wear.
Camelbak T.O.R.O. 14 pack
Price: £149.99
From: ZyroFisher
A slim profile makes the T.O.R.O. a suitable option for days in the mountains
Featuring a Level 2 Certified spine protector, it adds a little bit of reassurance for big days out.
The little brother of the monster K.U.D.U. we featured a couple of weeks ago. Why would you buy this pack? Well the key reason is it’ll stop your spine from being shattered like a stick of rock, thanks to it’s certified spinal protector back plate. The narrow shape keeps in unobtrusive so you could even use it at the bike park. Twin chest straps and a narrow waist strap make sure it stays where it is, even in the event of a crash. The T.O.R.O. doesn’t come with a bladder which might be a disappointment for some, but most of us probably have a few kicking about in the house.
Camelbak Repack LR4
Price: £69.99
From: ZyroFisher
The Repack is a decent size with plenty of stowage room.
A comfortable back system and 1.5 litre fluid reservoir keeps you going all day.
Bum bags have come back in a big way this year. The Repack is big enough to be a perfect choice for normal, couple of hour rides. Two compartments are big enough to fit all your spares and even a light jacket, two pockets on the waist strap can fit your phone and food. Perfect. It even comes with a 1.5 litre reservoir.
Camelbak Podium Dirt Series bottles
Price: £14.99 (standard 620ml), £17.99 (Chill 620ml)
From: ZyroFisher
Bottles! That rubber cap should stop you getting a mouthful of nasties with every swig.
It’s amazing how much design can go into a simple drinks bottle. The Podium bottle has always had a simple hands free nozzle to make using it a doddle. But the problem with using bottles whilst off road is there is a pretty big chance of taking a swig of something pretty nasty that might have been sprayed onto is from the trail. The new Dirt Series from Camelbak recalls the bottles of old by putting a rubber cap over the nozzle to protect it from nasty brown stuff. It might make it a little slower to use but at least it should help keep your stomach safe.
Endura MT500 Plus Overshoe
Price: £44.99
From: Endura
All weather protection for flat pedal shoes.
If you ride flats chances are at this time of year you spend most of your time with wet feet. Overshoes have been mainly for riders with SPD style pedals and shoes or aimed more at the community market. The new MT500 Plus brings that protection to riders that prefer a good set of 5:10s. Super tough neoprene makes up the bulk of the overshoe, a thick rubber rand helps keep it in place. A velcro opening at the back makes fitting a little easier but Endura do say that they are a bit of a squeeze to get on. But that should make them that little bit more weather proof. Extra toe grip should limit the number of Bambi-on-ice moments.
Muc-Off Grease Gun kit
Price: £24.99
From: Muc-Off
Everyone should have a grease gun in their tool kit. They make those little jobs like fixing headsets and hub services a much cleaner and precise experience. No longer do you end up with grease all over your fingers and absolutely everywhere on the bike. This one from Muc-Off fits most screw top grease tubes, obviously they recommend their own Bio Grease (you get a big tube packaged with the gun). It comes with a rather fetching pink plunger so you’ll always know which end to point at your bike.
Bontrager Yatra Elite saddle
Price: £89.99
From: Trek
The Yatra is one of the new female specific saddles in Bontrager’s popular range. Bontrager market it as being ‘optimised for comfort and compliance’, I should hope all saddles are optimised for comfort! It sits (sorry) in what Bontrager classes as ‘Posture 3’, effectively for more comfort on longer rides or mountain biking.It’s also cutout and channelled to improve circulation and for enhanced soft tissue protection. The Elite version here comes with titanium rails but it’s also available with carbon or steel rails. It’s available in a variety of widths to suit the majority of riders.
Bell Sixer MIPS
Price: £149.99
From: ZyroFisher
The Sixer has an adjustable peak and comfortable MIPS liner.
That Sixer logo is made of grippy material to hold your goggles.
The new head of the pack for Bell’s enduro/trail helmet range. We’ve already showcased the reasonably priced 4Forty helmet but this is the more feature-packed and well ventilated bigger brother. It’s a little heavier than the 4Forty but it has a more robust build quality and also includes some enduro specific bits like a goggle gripper on the back and a removable GoPro mount. For those of you that like your helmets a bit more airy, the Sixer has twenty six vents. Pretty much more vent than helmet! It uses Bell’s Float Fit Race retention system to keep it in place and obviously includes the almost obligatory MIPS. Loads of sizes and a crazy amount of colours are available.
Wild Trail energy bars
Price: Mixed box of 8 for £7.25, 16 mixed bars for £14.25, other choices available
From: Wild Trail
Yummy
Hailing from North Wales, Wild Trail make all their bars in the sort of landscape that will have most mountain bikers salivating. And talking about salivating, the bars are packed full of natural ingredients to give a healthy boost of energy when you need it most. Boasting just five ingredients in each of the bars, less than most of their competitors (but obviously not just the same five in each!). The bars are currently available in four flavours; Carrot cake, Apple, Seed and Nut and Cacao. You can buy them direct from Wild Trail or through Ocado in different packs according to your tastes.
And there you go, a heady mix of kit to get muddy.