Another bountiful harvest of the latest kit.
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.
Troy Lee Designs A2 MIPS helmet
Price: £140.00
From: saddleback.co.uk
The hotly awaited A2 has already proved to be a popular helmet amongst British trail riders. It’s a worthy successor to the A1 and with MIPS and a light but robust construction it looks great.
Troy Lee Designs Speed Knee Sleeve
Price: £54.99
From: saddleback.co.uk
The Speed knee protectors use a knitted tube design that kind of reminds us of the old fashioned ‘sports supports’. However Troy Lee use it to keep the ultra-modern D30 padding in place. Silicon grippers and a good level of support keep them in place.
FSA Afterburner MTB Wheels
Price: £499.95
From: windwave.co.uk
The new Afterburners use an asymmetric aluminium rim to build a strong set of wheels capable of taking some abuse. These are the 29er SRAM XD setup but FSA also make 27.5″ version. They come supplied with the parts to set them up tubeless straight from the box. Claimed weight of this set is a smidgen over 1650 grams, not bad for a trail oriented wheel.
Camelbak Quik Stow Chill soft flask
Price: TBA
From: zyrofisher.co.uk
Coming soon…The Quik Stow Chill is effectively a mini Camelbak bladder with a bottle top so making it super convenient. Great for stashing in a back pocket, the Chill version features insulation to keep your drink cold (or hot).
Rotor HAWK Crankset
Price: TBA
From: saddleback.co.uk
Coming into Rotor’s MTB lineup alongside the existing REX XC oriented crank. The new cranks feature a sturdy profile and a clever modular 3-piece design that should make them compatible with a much wider variety of bikes. Effectively like Pick and Mix, you choose your crank length, and then the separate BB axle and chainring allow a myriad of options that should make frame incompatibility a thing of the past.
The other neat little feature of the HAWK is the removable ‘bash-guards’. These two plastic sleeves help prevent wear and also allow a level of customisation/colour-coordination for the individual rider.
Sidi MTB Dominator 7 shoe
Price: £175.00
From: saddleback.co.uk
Sidi has been making cycling shoes for a very long time and has racked up an impressive amount of victories in the XC world. The Dominator 7 is a mid-level shoe from the Italian company, featuring a heavy-duty ratchet system and reinforced heel.
Troy Lee Designs Ace 2.0 /Bib shorts
Price: £155.00
From: saddleback.co.uk
The Ace 2.0 is a short for going fast in. As part of TLD’s Race Fit line it has a much slimmer, stripped back cut to most of the other shorts in the range. This pair comes with Troy Lee’s pocketed bib short liner to increase comfort and practicality.
Troy Lee Designs Ruckus jersey
Price: £55.00
From: saddleback.co.uk
A classic jersey from TLD. Three-quarter length sleeves aid protection without getting too hot and two rear pockets give you somewhere to stash phone and wallet.
Troy Lee Designs Sprint gloves
Price: £25.00
From: saddleback.co.uk
Lightweight trail protection with a great fit. The Sprint sticks to the minimal is better approach with a very thin leather palm and mesh back covered in reflective stars for a bit of safety (or glamour).
That’ll do for this week.