Fresh Goods

Flip Video Ultra 4GB
Price: About £100
From: Amazon and similar

The newer version of the Flip Video cams that we use occasionally. Better battery life. Longer recording time (2hrs). Bigger, better rear screen. Sharper looking video from what we’ve inspected so far. Should be ideal for stuffing in the Camlebak along with a small tripod and getting some riding footage (we’re on a “no more wobbly handheld footage” ethos. Also available in non-pink colours.

dhb Knowle Jersey
Price: £69.99
From: wiggle

A racey lycra top from DHB. Made from something called “Lycra Power” fabric – presumably this is the same material that Superman’s underpants are made from. Slim fit. Multi-panel design. The fabric is a bit meshy for the underarm panels for example. Flatlock seams for clingy comfort. Three rear elasticated pockets, a zipped pocket and an internal zip pocket (for MP3 player/phone).

dhb Knowle Bib Shorts
Price: £94.99
From: wiggle

Wow. £95 for some bib shorts. These are the fanciest shorts that dhb have ever made though. Multi-panel design using three different fabrics (Fieldsensor, Lycra Power and Inter Power). This fabric combo is claimed to both wick away sweat and support working muscles. The “Multi-D Comp Carbonium” chamois is made up of four types of foam, each with different densities. Designed for lonnnnnnnnng days in the saddle.

Lake MX140 Shoes
Price: £169.99
From: Moore & Large/www.lakecycling.co.uk

If you’ve looked outside lately you may have noticed that summer is now over and we’re back to more classically British weather, e.g. it’s hammering it down. Just as well we’ve got these waterproof and breathable shoes in from Lake. They have a neoprene ankle collar and the uppers are made from eVent material to keep you dry. They use a rather neat harness system to frame the bootie-style uppers within the shoe as well as the usual Boa retention system and they’re pretty light for a winter shoe. We’ll be out testing them shortly..

Hydrapak Jolla
Price: £99.99
From: Madison

This freeridey/all day sized pack has 18 litres of storage space with a 3 litre bladder. There are five zippered pockets including a well organised tool/pump pocket with plenty of little mesh pockets and flaps plus enough external storage to quickly stuff a jacket into. There are some neat features such as the magnetic drinks tube holder, sculpted foam back padding and velcro straps to keep too-long straps out of the way. If you insist on a heavy metal soundtrack while you’re shredding the freeride gnar, the Jolla doesn’t disappoint, having a separate small pocket with headphone exit…

Marzocchi T Shirts
Price: £19.99
From: Windwave

More T shirts made from cotton and in the same colour as Jon’s first set of Bomber Z3s many years ago. We look forward to seeing how they track through crowd situations and how plush they feel against our delicate skin. hopefully we won’t suffer any bottom out issues.

Shimano MP66 White SPD Shoes
Price: £64.99
From: Madison

Sim has got in these tidy looking cleated BMX style shoes. They’ve got the usual synthetic uppers with lace cover to stop splashes getting in, natural rubber sole and the inside of the ankle is raised to help guard against knocks.

Shimano M161
Price: £99.99
From: Madison

We’ve also got in these high end SPD XC/race shoes. They use a glass fibre sole, synthetic and mesh uppers and have a micro adjust ratchet as well as velcro loop closure to keep your feet from moving about. The blocky tread pattern is designed to shed mud and there are replaceable composite toe spikes. The design also looks a bit like a zebra or WWII destroyer camouflage..

Squirt Sweatsucker
Price: £9.95
From: In2Dust

No, Mark hasn’t been inspired by the remake of the Karate Kid, it’s just a new ceramic granule filled sweat absorbing headband from makers of eco friendly chain lube, Squirt. As the packaging claims it, the Sweatsucker “is not a fashion accessory” and is instead designed to absorb and then evenly distribute sweat so it evaporates faster. We look forward to the weather being hot enough to test it again.

Sunn Shamann S1
Price: £2,799.99
From: Jim Walker

Nathan has got in this 100mm travel XC/marathon bike for his long distance racing debut at the TransWales next month. After much umming and aahing he decided to go lightweight and the aluminium tubed Sunn has SID forks, a Monarch air shock, Formula disks and an X.9 drivetrain fitted the bill perfectly.

Focus Cayo Team Replica 2010
Price: £1999
From: wiggle

The Dark Side can claim even the brightest stars in the end. After Matt recently acquired one, Benji “Dirt Bikes ‘Til I Die” Haworth has been loaned a road bike for the summer. Benji has tried to explain himself by claiming that he wants to get fitter for the series of Gravity-based Enduro events that he has lined up (starting with the Fort William 6hr Downhill Enduro later this month). We think he’s just caught Tour De France fever and likes the aesthetics of modern road bikes. Either that or he’s just reached a certain age. You’ll be able to read about his roadie experiences and his conflicted soul on this ‘ere website very shortly…

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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