Yep, we’re still wading through Eurobike stories, even on the first day of the Interbike show in Las Vegas… Jessica Stein has a quick look at action clothing brand, ION.
First off, you know when you’re at the top of a downhill and you reckon you should put on your knee pads? Most of the time, you need to hop around with your shoe off while you slide them on, inevitably getting a wet sock… well, wet socks begone!
It’s as simple as a (padding backed) zipperTa and da!The pads use SAS-TEC reactive padding material.
And now a solution to something that doesn’t happen too much in the UK, but anyone travelling to hotter climes will appreciate. This is a chunky sized rucksack, with built-in back protector. The design means that only your shoulder blades and hips contact the back of the pack to keep things reasonably cool. But what about that three hour Lake Garda climb that you’re going to have to endure in the noonday sun? Ahah!
Pack is pretty sensibly designed in this guise, but push those black mounts backwards and…The pack is rigidly pushed back from your back, allowing what little breeze there is to circulateThere’s a 24L and 16L pack. Both with or without ‘air conditioning’There’s the mechanism that keeps it from swaying. Back height is adjustable too.
No wait, there’s more!…told you!Here’s the bare, vented back panel pad
ION makes a wide range of highly-regarded clothing too. Everything from full-on downhill gear to lighter, trail clothing and casual stuff too.
Surf style is evident in many pieces, like this lace up short.
As always, the ladies always get the best colours, with this fully technical riding outfit.There’s a selection of gloves for all uses too.Vented enough for you?
Here’s that K-Lite zip-up pad in more sympathetic lighting. It’s olive and yellow.Comes in black too, natch.
We liked the look of this padded sock, with protection on shin and anklebones from pedals and cranks.
With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
Most rides are humid rides, even in the UK, for us sweaty folk… those packs look great.