Plastic Fantastic with offerings from Cannondale and Enve made from the black gold
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.
It’s been a bumper week for us this week with some proper decent kit coming through the doors, so (drumroll please….) here’s Arrivals.
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.
2018 Specialized Stumpjumper
Everyone loves a good unboxing don’t they?
Cannondale Scalpel-SI Carbon 3
Price: £3999
From: Cannondale
(Insert references about razor sharp handling and power transfer as precise as a surgeon’s blade here) The Scalpel is another one of those XC race bikes that’s seen a resurgence in popularity as riders begin to realise just how versatile theses speed machines are becoming. A full Cannondale BallisTec carbon frame, including linkage, puts weight reduction and stiffness to the fore. Whilst Cannondale’s distinctive Lefty fork takes care of front bounce. It’s got the standard 100mm of travel on offer, with a twin hydraulic remote to turn it into a spine breaking sprinting machine if you so fancy it. Shimano takes care of the stop and go with a nice mix of XT and XTR parts. Keeping it relatively XC you’ve got a set of Schwalbe Rocket Rons rolling on Stan’s Crest rims laced to Cannondale hubs…
Cuts like a knife. The stealth carbon black Scalpel.
Lefty!
That’s a full carbon frame, including linkage. That linkage is pushing a Rockshox Monarch XX shock.
Everyone loves a bit of XTR.
Cannondale’s Hollowgram chains is seriously light.
ENVE M730 Wheelset
Price: £3200 (full build with Chris King hubs)
From: Saddleback
These are the latest ENVE M730 wheels, like the ones we put through their paces on the launch in the summer. Now finally here for a proper test, it should be a sure fire way of putting a spring in the step of your pride and joy. ENVE construct all their carbon rims in Utah to the highest standards of strength and safety. But what makes the M7 series standout the most is the new plastic Protective Rim Strip incorporated into the rim. This is said to virtually eliminate pinch flats, so we’re looking forward to trying that out! All of the new M Series full wheel builds come with Chris King hubs to add even more luxury…
This pair came in, 27.5″, BOOSTed and 30mm internal width (hence the M730 moniker).
Buzz! Everyone knows Chris King are one of the best hub producers, ever.
And this is the Protective Rim Strip, claimed to almost eliminate pinch flats.
Vaude Tremalzo jacket
Price: £140.00
From: Vaude
Vaude is one of those companies with a loyal following. Recognised and respected throughout the outdoor activity market, it has a distinctive angle on producing environmentally friendly kit. Take this lightweight, 2.5 layer Tremalzo waterproof jacket for example. Vaude use only the most ecofriendly bluesign approved fabrics (meeting the strictest environmental standards in manufacture) and the fabric is finished off with Vaude’s Eco Finish, a water-repellent coating made without fluorocarbons. There’s a full sized, adjustable hood, pit vents and twin chest pockets. To maintain weather protection, all the seams are taped…
If you care about your environmental impact then Vaude kit should suit you down to the earth.
RinseKit
Price: £89.99
From: Raleigh
No pumping, no batteries and no plugging in. The RinseKit is a portable cleaner that promises to deliver pressurised water for up to four minutes of continual use. It works simply off the water pressure straight from the tap. Plug the hose into your outside tap and turn it on for thirty seconds, this should be enough to fill and pressurise the nine litre (two gallon) tank up to 65psi. Then plug the adjustable and controllable spray head into the end and spray away. It will hold pressure up to one month so you can just leave it in the car and forget about it until it’s needed…
It’s a big black box…
…for cleaning stuff.
Flare Clothing Co. Roost Jersey and Signature t-shirt
Price: Roost DH Jersey £50.00, Signature tech T £25.00
From: Flare
Heavier weight material for better protection against the trail and the cold makes the Roost long sleeve jersey an ideal option for riding in right now. It’s not massively baggy like some DH jerseys so is ideal for less ‘rad’ riding or for when you don’t want to look like you’re wearing someone else’s kit. Flare’s Signature t-shirt is made using recycled plastic bottles so you get an extra warm and fuzzy feeling whenever you’re wearing it…
Here’s the Roost DH.
And the eco-friendly Signature t-shirt.
Renthal Traction grip
Price: £24.99 (Ultra Tacky version)
From: Ison Distribution
Sticky grips from the handlebar experts. We loved the normal Renthal lock-on grips, especially for their super grippy Ultra Tacky compound. These Traction versions look to increase that sure-footed (sure-handed???) grip with directional finger ridges aimed at grabbing the digits and clamping them solidly in place. Another neat feature is the open-ended design aimed at squeegeeing any mud off the grip simply by pushing outwards with your hands…
These are so sticky you can pick them up without using your fingers!
MBR Subscription
Price: Save 30% off each issue
From: MBR
What could be a better present to give yourself or someone else than a subscription to our awesome magazine! Having it delivered directly to your door means no longer do you need to rush down to your local newsagent to queue for your copy; it’s there waiting for you on the first day of issue. It truly is the one MTB accessory you can’t be without…
(PS. you didn’t hear it here but there might be a special subs deal going live on Friday. Don’t forget to tell all your mates)
661 Wrist Wrap Pro
Price: £13.99
From: Hotlines
Yep, the inevitable happened and I had a little moment at Bike Park Wales a couple of weeks ago that saw me punch a rock with my hand and wrist. I won’t lie, it hurts like hell and I just want to ride. Luckily the kind people at 661 sent me one of their Wrist Wrap Pro braces to get me back on the bike. Two chunky foam stiffeners prevent your wrist from being pushed too far out of position and a couple of solid velcro straps help keep things tight. It doesn’t interfere too much with your gloves and is super comfy to wear (as long as you don’t do it up too tight!)…
Relief!!
Time to go out into the big bad world and see how the trails are fairing. Until next week…