Just got a pair of these (mtb 2 bolt version) in blinding fluoro yellow (you can see me a mile off lol)
Id been on the look out for reasonable value winter boots for a while as my Shimano MT7s are great in the summer but freezing in the winter as theyre so well ventilated and take on water like the Titanic. Over shoes help (I have a pair of gripgrab race thermo x), but dont fully solve the problem and get easily worn and damaged.
I was lookin at fizik artica x5s and similar but couldnt quite stomach spunking over 150 quid for a pair of bike shoes. This bought me to the planet-x das boot.
In terms of fit and feel they are very stiff, like a football boot with a reinforced toecap. The toe box doesnt give much wiggle room and they size like a Shimano meaning you should probably go up a size from your normal shoe (eg I got 46 when im more 44.5-45). I initially got my size and had to return it (which they processed very quickly I might add), but the upped size replacement is far more comfortable. I would probably say people with very wide feet might struggle as you might end up with a shoe thats too long when you finally reach a comfortable width.
In terms of performance, I went out for a muddy blast in 4-7 degree weather yesterday and my feet were cosy and toasty the whole way round in only thin summer socks (my face was freezing), whereas my MT7s would have been very cold without a couple of layers of winter weight socks and overshoes. Admittedly only 21 miles and circa 2 hours of testing, but I see no reason for them performing much worse over a longer period.
I havent tested the waterproof and submersion ability yet, but given the toe box and cleat seems pretty well sealed, I am hopeful (I used to dread having to dab in the middle of a big puddle with the MT7s).
So all in all seem good value after very limited testing, but ask me again in a years time lol.

Thanks for the PSA… ordered the only flavour left..margarita
Worth the experiment at that price

Ten year warranty is not affected when fitting a ground anchor if you paint the holes with a rust inhibitor

bit confusing that since on the ground anchor page they definitivelty say it will invalidate the warranty even with rust inhibitor, ie the rust inhibitor is just expected as part of normal maintenance..

From the anchor page:

*Please note to fit a ground anchor to an Asgard shed you will need to drill through the metal base. Please be aware that doing so will invalidate your warranty. Once the panel has been drilled through, please use a rust inhibitor to re-seal the steel.

and from the faqs:

However, please note that drilling through the base of the bike shed will result in the 10-year warranty becoming invalid on that panel as it has been modified. We recommend to treat the area around the holes with a rust inhibitor to protect against any rust over time.

I guess I don’t always or maybe ever put the bikes away bone dry, but that’s pretty difficult on a freezing December evening when it’s dark and sipping down!

this was my reasoning. I insulate my normal wooden sheds to keep moisture down, so think it makes even more sense in a metal shed, during cold weather, where im going to be putting damp bikes in. Ill see how it goes. It is well ventilated on all sides, which is what they recommend, so im probably over egging the pudding lol.

Heres the shed with the underlay lining, bout an hours work 🙂

How safe are these sheds and has anyone been able to fit a ground anchor to one?

Theyre a fairly heavy metal construction, with no external fasteners, which can be bolted down to a base. The lid is locked with 2 big circular padlocks protected by metal shrouds. The ground anchor is optional and does invalidate the warranty on the base panel (not the rest) as youre modifying it, but it will be an extra piece of mind.
I cant comment on how safe theyll be yet, but clearly theyre pretty tough and would make a would be thief think twice, which is half the battle since theyre usually opportunists. It would take some serious power tools and time to break in, which would likely draw attention, but it could be done, no system is unbreakable. Asgard do also make police approved sheds too which are even tougher.
Ultimately my hands were tied since I needed the bikes out the house, I dont have a garage and needed somewhere safer than my shed.

Im going to put a floor down so I can shake out the muck that will likely accumulate. Asgard do offer an optional plywood floor base, but it would be cheaper to get one cut at bnq. Im probably getting some simple workshop foam matting.

Done it anyway, thin sheets of underlay stuck on with contact adhesive. wasnt really a hassle and at the very least will stop the metal work getting dinged 🙂

insulation will keep condensation down on the metal surfaces

Just an update if anyones interested.
Took delivery of my shed this week. Went up easy enough, very satisfied. I got the 4x “access” version in ivory.

Id already poured a concrete slab to provide a stable, level base to secure it to. This also meant I didnt need to use any shims to get the lid to close properly.

Heres the finished item.

kinda swallows my large Vitus nucleus VRS (27.5), but I have 2 other bikes to fit in…..

next job is to install a floor anchor, some insualtion and a floor of some kind…

All retailers have completely cottoned on to how to pretend to do black friday now, completely nullifying its appeal. Just like january sales of old, they use it to flog old stock at a crap discount and new stuff at next to no discount. You can easily find the price lower at other times of the year.
Stuff ive been watching for a while has barely changed price despite being counted in the black friday ‘sale’.
I hope it dissapears, its meaningless now, purely snags people through bait and FOMO before xmas. Original black friday in the states was actually a thing with proper first come first served big discounts…..not any more.

I use a thin zip up fleece as my mid layer (between a wicking base layer and a wind/water proof jacket)
Id consider a merino mid too if it was the same warmth as the fleece since they are usually less bulky than fleeces.
Wondering if merino smells less after a ride too? All these man made fibres absolutely ming

Just to add my penny’s worth to an already crowded thread.
I swapped from my stock 2×9 Shimano acera to a 1×12 SRAM eagle gx in July and I love it. Shifting is satisfyingly crisp and precise across the range whereas the Shimano was slow and clunky and I could never get perfect indexing no matter how I adjusted it. The eagle did take a bit of care with installation and setting up, particularly the b gap, but once you’ve nailed that it’s been fit and forget.
Not really a fair comparison given the entry level nature of acera vs GX eagle and the fact I’ve only been using the SRAM for 4 months, but it really does put a smile on my face when out riding.
As others have said though, it’s not great in thick mud and mine has gummed up a couple of times this winter with the deep claggy clay and chalk mud we have locally (jockey wheels in particular). However I’d be surprised if many drive trains would come out of that unscathed.

You’ve come to the same conclusion as me molgrips
Ive always been an mtber and in looking for my first drop bar bike (so I can enjoy days when I’m more on road riding at a faster pace) it was natural to consider a gravel bike as it’s closer to what I know. The more I thought about it though, the more I realised that if I’m going to be including any rough stuff I may as well ride my hardtail and so what I need is more towards the road bike end of the spectrum. This lead me to conclude that I’m actually after an endurance bike which can maybe accommodate slightly larger tyres.
As well as the bikes you’ve mentioned, I’m also considering the Trek Domane. It can potentially take up to a 38mm tyre!

Would the 2″ beavers be too narrow for my stand arch mk 3 rims?

Isn’t barzo a good winter tyre? I was thinking of getting them for my ht

Another vote for the escapist. I use mine with a 2.5l hydraulics bladder.
My only criticism is the pouch on the shoulder strap that was clearly meant for a phone or personal device is too small for modern phones (it gets used as a jelly baby store). I have to put my phone in the hip strap pockets if not in a frame bag on the bike.

I put a 12 speed eagle GX on my 135…

cycle.travel does it too.

another vote for cycle.travel, its my main route planning tool

muckynutz butt fender attaches to the seat rails, so not a problem with dropper post. Its decent enough for preventing skid marks up the back or pack.
I wanted a bigger pukka mud guard so I now have a topeak defender x11, which like the prev poster said can just squeeze the attachment under the main dropper body

ive just switched to stans arch mk3, dt swiss hubs, maxxis forekaster/ardent race 2.35″
really enjoying the combo, quite light weight

I used the ice toolz one listed above from Merlin

I usually plot a route on cycle.travel. Upload it to ride with GPS. Then cos I don’t have a paid account I then use an app called bike tracker which piggy backs off ride with GPS and gives you turn by turn navigation

I got a pair of the dhb pro triple lens from CRC, really good value

I had a pair of tubeless ready wtb tyres on wtb rims that I ran with tubes. When I got a puncture once I struggled for about an hour at home attempting to get them off the rim with metal tyre levers, rubber mallet, pliers etc. It was like they were glued on. Eventually I managed it but if that had happened when I was out on a ride, id have been f*cked and have to call for a pick up. I couldnt believe how hard it was and assumed there was some new technique that I hadnt mastered. Those wtbs were fairly heavy duty tho.

On my newest tyres (maxxis) I ran them tubeless from the get go, my thinking being at least the hole may seal so I dont have to get the tyre off. Got 2 massive puntures at the weekend, both of which eventually sealed meaning I wasnt reaching for the emergency inner tube or more likely the phone. I have a feeling it will be easier with the maxxis as theyre lighter weight and seem more pliable, but we will see when I get my first unsealable slash.

Second the forekaster. I run that in 2.35 on the front and an ardent race on the rear (more of a summer tyre so deffo not what you’re after). Light weight combo.

I use the topeak alien 2. Perhaps overkill for most but it does have a chain breaker and it has saved my ass a couple of times with it’s variety of tools…

Can’t wait to try this as I doubt I’ll ever not carry a pump due to worrying about messing up a co2 fill lol.
This would be a way of carrying an emergency pump without taking up space in my bags or on the frame
Cheers, great hack

Hmmm interesting. I may swap out my a350s then as the flat platform side is pretty small especially for use on an MTB and didn’t have pins. The eh500 looks about the same size but has pins whilst the t8000 looks like a much bigger platform, far more suitable for off-road.
I do ride clipped in on all my long rides and as I mentioned mainly use the flat side in emergencies or pootling with the kids in the park.
If the flat side performance of the t8000 is good enough for proper off-road riding, then I may get them instead so I have real choices. Cheers, good thread.

Can you really use the xt as a true dual pedal? It looks like it would be uncomfortable in trainers due to the protruding SPD mechanism

I use shimano a-530 dual sided pedals and shimano mt7 spd mtb shoes. The pedal paltforms are large enough for normal shoes in non gnarly conditions like commuting or pootling with the kids. The mt7 shoes are good as you can walk in them quite easily and use with flat pedals if you need to.

Dyna plug mega plugger or the carbon ultralite are maybe better value than the racer

Lifeline air last from CRC for me….. Seems to work well so far but I’ve only owned it 6 months

I recently installed a 1×12 SRAM eagle GX with a 73mm bsa dub BB. I also have a 135 QR rear. I used the supplied 4.5mm spacer.
I initially had some shifting issues but these were resolved with some b gap adjustment. I think the SRAM system is very sensitive to chain length (therefore tension) and B gap.
Might be different with the 11 speed but I’d check the manufacturers installation advice again before going down your own random solution route with different spacers…

Thanks monkeyboyjc, it’s what I suspected. Looks like I have to suck it up.
Not sure how ebay sellers are avoiding that unless they’re unaware of the rules… Bit of a risk I guess

I recently replaced the wtb rims and tyres (vigilante and trail boss) on my hard tail as they were so heavy (like downhill heavy).
I went light weight with stans arch MK3 and maxxis ardent race on the rear, don’t know if that would meet your needs tho, depends on the kind of riding you do I guess

I use bulk powders hydration drink while out riding and post recovery….. Has all the carbs and electrolytes you need
Can’t say it makes me farty tho

I get confused with the variations between pro, comp etc, the descriptions never seem to give the full picture.
Gel vs foam decision is one I struggle with. I’m guessing gel is firmer but lasts longer than foam…..

You’ll need a new barb and compression fitting you cant reuse em once you’ve unscrewed the cable. They’re called ‘stealthamajig’ and there are plenty of online shops that sell em.
Yes you will need a bleed too since you will introduce air. Maybe only a minor one though since all the work is at the lever end.
If it’s only a few cm do you really need to do it….. Fair enough if you have reams of cable flapping about the handle bars but might be too much hassle for a cm or 2

I have an osprey hydraulics bladder, worked very well from the get go

When I moved from a Shimano 2×9 to a sram GX eagle 1×12, I found that I had to set the bscrew closer than the tool advised before I got clean shifting. Weirdly their no tool adjustment advice seems to set it closer than the tool and gave a better result for me……
Not sure why this is so apart from maybe my bike is sub optimal for a 1×12 and so optimal settings don’t apply. Same could be true for you.

I’m still quite a novice when it comes to all those innovative storage solutions.
I tend to go on long 3hour+ rides at the weekend if I can and I’ve always used my massive 25l osprey escapist pack as I can chuck everything in it plus it carries my osprey 2.5l water bladder.
I want to ditch the pack though as it can be quite a weight with water, tools and food, plus it obviously gets very sweaty. I bought a topeak aero wedge saddle pack (despite having a dropper post) and that holds my tools and spare inner now.
This thread is inspiring me to look deeper. Maybe I should look at a hip pack and maybe ditch the inner for some co2 and a tubeless repair kit.
I recently upgraded my bike to a 1×12 from 2×9, which has removed the front mech so I have space there but annoyingly no bottle cage mounts on the seat tube not sure what to do.

Just fitted a new pair of guide REs….. Good to know I’ll have a problem down the line *sigh*