Dune bashing big bouncers and hero helmets
Yep, it’s your weekly sneak peak through the portcullis of castle MBR to drool at the exciting new products that have been catapulted over the ramparts.
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.
Mondraker Dune Carbon XR
Price: £7699
From: Silverfish
Here we have the latest Dune Carbon XR from Mondraker. Part of Mondraker’s ‘Super Enduro’ line up, the Dune boasts 160mm of travel out back from its Fox DHX2 coil shock. This is matched with the latest Fox 36 Float Factory suspension fork pushing out 170mm of plushness. Seeing as Mondraker were the original instigator of the long cockpit with their long top tube/tiny stem Forward Geometry, you can see this baby is looong! How about a 490mm reach measurement on the size large Mondraker distributors Silverfish sent us?
With a build kit full of desirables such as the SRAM XO1 Eagle drivetrain and 27.5″ DT Swiss EX1501 wheelset, it looks set to be a complete trail destroyer.
Long and very, very blue.
Mondraker were one of the instigators of the long front end/short stem movement.
That DHX2 rear shock provides 160mm of coil sprung plushness.
The drop out chips can be flipped to adjust chain stay length and wheelbase.
Fox 36 Float Factory Fit4 E-Bike
Price: £1049
From: Silverfish
It looks like the 36 is the fork of the hour. Not only present on the Mondraker above but Silverfish also sent us the latest 2018 E-bike specific version to test on our own bikes. By now most of you know the intended purpose of the 36 as an all-mountain, bump eating extraordinaire. What makes this E-bike specific is a heavier duty build, both the crown/steerer and lowers are beefed up to deal with the extra weight and durability issues. Also the E-bike optimised version comes with a firmer tune, again to deal with the heavier pounding the fork will take. Travel options go from 150mm-170mm, this one is set at 160mm but aftermarket adjustments can be made if needed. The Fit4 damper is Fox’s top end system, not only does it have three easy to use settings driven by the blue lever but it also allows control over the compression damping in the Open mode. Air volume reducer tokens come in the box for further tuning. And of course it’s available to fit both 27.5″ and 29″ Boost wheel sizes.
plenty of adjustments
Bell Super DH MIPS
Price: £249.99
From: ZyroFisher
The latest and greatest of Bell’s convertible full-face helmets. The Super DH takes the design of the Super3R, Bell’s popular enduro convertible and er, super-sizes it. Fully capable and safe enough to take on World Cup downhill races thanks to its MIPS Spherical lining and bombproof construction. But simply pull on the three snap-lock levers and the entire lower half of the helmet comes off in one easy movement. Turning the SuperDH into a more trail friendly open-face so you can happily ride to the top of the bike park before slapping the chin piece back on and smashing it back down again.
Full-face
Open-face
Bits…
Kryptonite security
Price: Evolution lock £115.99, Stronghold anchor £84.99
From: Madison
Probably the most unglamorous kit you can buy but certainly amongst the most essential. Good locks give you the piece of mind that no undesirable, however much they try, is going to part you of the thing that brings you the most pleasure. Kryptonite has been providing this much needed reassurance for many years and has a vast range from the smallest ‘cafe’ locks to the properly indestructible New York range. The Evolution Series 4 lock is a perfect example of the kind of lock all of us should have in the shed. Long enough at 160cm to go through a few bikes, the hardened triple heat-treated boron manganese steel chains include 10mm six-sided links. It also feature a patent-pending pin-less design which secures the chain to a hardened deadbolt and allows for no weak leak in the chain. It’s Sold Secure Gold rated (the standard by which locks are rated).
Why not mate the Evolution lock to a solid ground anchoring point like the Stronghold? Designed to be mounted to the floor or wall or even in your van, it provides a solid point through which to pass locks. Perfect for preventing anyone picking up your bundle of bikes and taking the whole lot with them. Cement anchor bolts are included (it holds better through a solid medium) and once it’s in, it’s in.
Bontrager B2 Baselayer
Price: £59.99
From: Trek
Last time I looked it was still pretty parky out, so there’s nothing better than wearing the right kit to keep you comfy when the temperature is low. Bontrager’s B2 long sleeve base layer uses a mix of 35% man-made Profila fibres and 65% Merino wool to regulate temperature and keep it comfortable. Not to mention Merino’s anti-stink abilities, much needed in a layer that has a close working relationship with your sweat. It’s a slim fitting piece of kit so will go under anything and has a dropped tail to avoid any gape when in the riding position.
Fabric Accubar
Price: £34.99
From: CSG
We keep banging on about tyre pressures but it’s important to make sure your tyres are inflated to the right pressure for you. This handy analogue pressure gauge from Fabric takes the fuss out of checking and measures in 0.5 PSI increments for properly accurate inflation. Each gauge is hand checked and calibrated to ensure accuracy, something Fabric noted can be a bit wayward with some digital gauges. Plus, unlike digital gauges there are no batteries to run out of juice so it’ll just keep on working. You can also run it in-line with your pump for accurate inflation.
Maxalami tools
Price: Maxipack repair kit £15.95, 13 Tool multitool £30.00
From: Velo Distribution
German brand Maxalami are a new name to us but look to make some decent tubeless tyre repair kits. This Maxipack contains Maxalami’s own recipe tyre ‘worms’ of different lengths and diameters, suitable for plugging some pretty big holes. There’s also a rasp tool (for clearing out the hole) and a needle-like applicator tool for holding and inserting the worm. Rated up to 140psi (perfect!) the worms should hold pretty well in a typical MTB tyre. Maximal also make a couple of multitools. This is the smaller of the two, the 13. It has a couple of unique tools. As well as the usual hex and torque keys, it also has the same applicator tool for their worms and a tyre lever. Befitting to a company based around tyre repair.
The repair kit is also available in a smaller pack.
Rock n Roll Gold
Price: from £8.95
From: Velo Distribution
Gold is Rock n Roll’s everyday chain lube. It might not be as tenacious as some other wet lubes but for those of us who clean and maintain our bikes regularly it’s a good option. Mainly as it’s formulated so it doesn’t collect all that nasty black gunk thicker lubes tend to pick up, making it easier to clean your drivetrain.
Scott Trail Pro
Price: £11.99
From: Scott
These are black, have the Scott logo on them and feel a bit more cushioned than your usual cycling sock. Apart from that, they are socks. Perfect for your feet but can also be used as emergency hand sleeves. Stick a pair in your pack for a rainy day.
I leave you for another week, it’s time to get our shred on.