It’s Friday, we’ve got Fresh Goods and if you’ve been looking outside it almost feels like spring has been sprung on us. We’ve seen snowdrops and it can only be a matter of time before the bluebells arrive. This is something to be very happy about we reckon.
We’ll kick this week off with a happy Jon in the new Giro Surface helmet. The p*sspot style polycarbonate outer has a little peak to keep the rays of the sun out (when it shows its face) and hides a moulded EPS foam liner that’ll keep you nice and safe. The shell also hides the cunning ventilation system which aims to channel air up and through the helmet and out of the exhaust ports on the top. Fit is adjusted by the easy to use InForm dial system.
Price: £54.99
From: Madison
Insert your own deep violet protective headgear joke here. Loads of other colours and patterns too…
American bike cop mixed with rave colours…
There’s been a rash of snowsports gear turning up lately. This Giro G9 snow helmet is destined to hold the battered remains of Mark after he’s learnt to snowboard. It’s got 15 vents to keep you cool and they can also be plugged if you get too cool. It’s got earpieces to keep you cool, the InForm fit system to keep it secure and comfy and there’s a goggle strap at the back to prevent you losing them when you inevitably smash your face into the piste. It’d probably work as a crossover biking helmet too..
Price: £89.99
From: Madison
Chipps has had a load of the Skins Compression gear in. The aim of this stuff is to promote recovery by having the material compress active muscles in use. They do long sleeved and short sleeved tops, tights and bibs. They say that the tops compression effect means less muscle vibration and less lactic acid buildup – which should lead to faster recovery times and less pain the morning after.
Price: From £45
From: Skins
Chipps is modelling the C400 Long Sleeve Compression Jersey here. Skins say that by using 400 key fitting points the C400 range can offer improved core body control and power as well as on-bike comfort.
Price: £102
From: Skins
These are quite special – the brand spanking new Maxxis Beaver 29×2.0 EXC tyres. Finally, proper mud rubber for the big wheel brigade. They’ve got a siped, square blocked pattern which uses the 62a Exception compound and combined with the larger contact patch a 29″ wheel offers should have decent performance in the slop along with rolling nicely.
Price: TBC
From: One Industries
A wider range of tyres for all conditions (not just dusty America) could well help the rise of the 29er in the UK…
More lovely rubber! The new Maxxis Ikon 26×2.2 3C EXO is their new, fast rolling blocky tread and these particular versions use both the triple compound 3C technology and the reinforced, mid-weight EXO sidewall. Jon liked the Minions using this technology a lot and, thanks to the low but square tread profile, these could well be perfect for fast summer cross country ragging as well as rocky trail centre missions…
Price: TBC
From : www.oneindustrieseurope.co.uk
Ahh, the smell of rubber in the morning. Smells like missed trees.
One for techno fans and serious training types here, it’s the Garmin Edge 800. As well as being their first touchscreen GPS unit, it has full compatibility with ANT+ bike sensors for cadence, power and so forth. The colour screen can be set up to show your preference of statistics and is scrolled through. This new version comes complete with Garmin GB Discoverer 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey mapping for the whole of Britain on a micro SD card. They also have optional plug-in 1:25k scale GB Discoverer maps for OS Explorer Map detail of 19 National Parks or 17 National Trail. There are too many smart features to list here but we’ll have a full test soon.
Price: From £349.99
From: Garmin
It’s a rubbery week this week. We’ve got these rather spiky Michelin Wild Dig’r 2.2 mud tyres in. They use a wire bead to keep them put, a sturdy sidewall and a special soft compound with the spikes are arranged in four longitudinal lines for maximum penetration into the slop.
Price: £39.99
From: Michelin
Sweet sweet sipes.
This is Michelin’s Wild Grip’r 2.1 tyres. We’ve been keen to get on the latest Michelin rubber and these are supposed to offer high levels of grip in all conditions while still retaining a decent rolling resistance. You can get them in sizes from 2.0 to a chunky 2.4, which has extra puncture protection thanks to four tread and three sidewall plies.
Price: £24.99
From: Michelin
Sim has been after some new disco slippers and these Shimano M183 SPD shoes have a carbon fibre reinforced sole, PU coated synthetic leather uppers to keep the water and mud out, aggressive tread pattern with toe studs and a ratchet closure so you can do them up until your feet cry in sweet, sweet pain.
Price: £114.99
From: Madison
Lunch interlude now. What better for a training regime than a black pudding topped pork pie? Absolutely nothing, that’s what.
From: ‘Ham Corner’ – Todmorden Market
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blimey……another smorgasbord of goodies………
do you keep all that kit ?
FGF with my brekkie. Nice way to start the day.
New Sugoi Gustovs, eh?
If they’re as good as the old ones, they’ll be excellent. The pad in the liner really is very, very comfortable.
The michellins look very interesting, be interesting to see if they live upto their claims.
Those michellins look like old pananracer Spike tires; now that was a mud tire…
“Finally, proper mud rubber for the big wheel brigade.”
Bontrager 29er Mud X have been around a while and perform brilliantly
I’ll be carrying out a thorough testing of t’black pudding pie during my next Tod visit.
wrong price on the shoes ladies, should be £149.99
I know they are very horrible, but there’s also something strangely attractive about those green wheels as well. It must be a retro thing.
Recently picked up a pair of 183s for £85 from my LBS – who said the best bargains are online? 🙂
Is that pie going to be available via the shop?
Hey Crell no pies for you, your in training…get my mail re Frases 40th?
Thing is for some reason I can’t really explain, mud tyres don’t seem as necessary on 29ers…bigger contact patch I suppose
Can we get this bigger contact patch sorted out? Some internet experts on here were saying last week that contact patch is the same all other things being equal. Just possibly a different shape, which is it please?
Finish line wet, excellent for hack bikes you lube every 6months (commuter, SS etc) but fuzz over badly on dry trails – not seen any of those for a while tho.
what rocketdog said. Bontrager MudX 29″ has been out for ages?
“but fuzz over badly on dry trails”
Thats what wet lubes do? And what dry lubes are for?
Are those Maxxis Ikon tubeless compatible?
What is this ‘drivetrain cleanliness’ that you speak of?
Just started work round the corner from STW towers – will be sampling the pork/black pud pie on Monday!
look forward to the review, tops
I’ve got 2.2 versions of the Michelins on the rear of two of my bikes and can report that they do give good drive in wet and dry and roll well. I wouldn’t use them on the front though due to the lack of side knobs compared to something like a Nobby Nic.
Those pi55pot helmets with peaks are going to increase neck injuries when they dig into the ground. I heard a while back that horse riding helmets now have their peaks made of fabric over wire for that reason.
“As well as being their first touchscreen GPS unit, ”
Er, my Dakota is touchscreen? As was the Oregon?
“Thats what wet lubes do? And what dry lubes are for?”
I know, thats why I use a dry lube on bikes I look after rain or shine – I was just making sure it was a thorough one sentence review 😉
Nice Beaver.
There, I’ve said it.
Those lids look gash!!
Agreed starrman! They look like horse riding helmets.
preloaded bearings. this is standard engineering practice for bearings anywhere. do bike hubs not already do this?
“In addition, Wheel Energy’s analyses of tire contact patch have confirmed that 29in tires don’t have a bigger footprint than otherwise identical 26in ones. While the total area is the same, the shape of the patch is longer and narrower on 29ers, though.”
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/bicycle-tires-puncturing-the-myths-29245
keep up at the back! 🙂
Just tested a prk/BP pie from Ham Corner:
Delicious pork and perfect pastry complimented by the black pudding – even survived microwaving! It was accompanied by Uncle Bens Express Rice (mixed pepper flavour)
Thoroughly reccomended!