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.

Fizik M3B shoes

Price: £229.99

From: extrauk.co.uk

Fi’zi:k’s M3B is the best mountain bike shoe the Italian company currently produces. Despite being better known for its saddle range, Fi’zi:k also produce a complete range of clip-in MTB shoes. The M3B benefits from a full carbon sole, BOA closure system and the same upper material as found on saddles such as the universally liked Gobi.

Specialized 2FO 2.0

Price: £130.00

From: specialized.com

Released just yesterday, we’ve got our mitts on a few pairs of the brand new 2FO 2.0 flat pedal shoe. Completely redesigned with an apparently very sticky rubber sole and padded and protected upper, the 2FO 2.0 is what Specialized hopes will topple the reign of 5:10. Sadly this stealthy all-black colour scheme isn’t going to be available in the UK.

Ritchey WCS Carbon Trail 35 Rizer Mountain handlebar

Price: £160.00

From: paligap.cc

This new carbon bar from Ritchey is obviously aimed at the more aggro rider wanting a stiff and light bar. 35mm diameter and 800mm in length put it right up there with the big boys. 9 degrees of back sweep and 15mm rise is just about perfect. Being carbon they also weigh about the same as a bag of dreams (about 210 grams actually).

Ritchey WCS Trail stem

Price: £85.00

From: paligap.cc

Designed to match the Trail 35 bar, this dinky 45mm stem has a few unique features. Ritchey use a 220 degree clamp system, so you have to slide the bar in to the stem. This eliminates the chances of a bar ‘popping out’ but also allows the clamp to disperse forces without risk of damaging delicate carbon bits. Offset steerer bolts also help transfer clamping forces evenly.

Ritchey WCS Evergrip Mountain grip

Price: £24.50

From: paligap.cc

Grippy silicon grips to stick on yer bars. These Evergrip Mountains are a pretty thin grip but silicon’s inherent shock absorbing properties should help with comfort. Silicon is also great to use with or without gloves and keeps gripping in the wet.

SDG Circuit MTN Saddle

Price: £79.95

From: silverfish.co.uk

Speed Defies Gravity’s Circuit saddle is a little slimmer and lighter than the Bel Air, but shares a lot of similar features. Firstly it’s available in a myriad of colours so you should be able to find one that works with your bike. Secondly it has a super grippy and durable upper cover, although unlike the Bel Air, the Circuit MTN has Kevlar sides for added crash resistance. The Circuit MTN is also available in a (cheaper) version with Cro-Mo rails rather than the Ti-Alloy on this version. Or you can spend more and go full titanium or carbon.

Dr Weils Spray-On Plaster

Price: £4.95

From: madison.co.uk

The nature of our sport means that at some point you will end up with the inevitable cut or scrape. And since we have a tendency to grub about in dirt and water, there is a chance that nasties can find their way into those cuts. This is where the Spray-On Plaster comes into its own. Clean the wound as much as possible with clean water and then spray on the to create a waterproof seal that should prevent bugs and germs getting in. It can then be washed off when you get home. At the rate the gorse and brambles are growing, I’ll get through this in a week!

WTB Padloc Commander and Padloc Ace Grips

Price: £22.00 (each)

From: hotlines-uk.com

Unlike most lock-on style grips the WTB Padloc design uses a rubber wedge at the furthest end to prevent grip slip. This does mean you need a compatible set of handlebars with a matching wedge cut out, but it has allowed WTB to build in a little extra comfort. The Commander has a super thin profile with several specific grip zones. The ACE is a little more bulbous in the middle of the grip, making it a better match with bigger hands. It also features a random grid pattern to provide adequate grip.

The Commander…

….and the Ace.

Onza HO2 pedals

Price: £89.99

From: moorelarge.co.uk

The HO2 is a pretty slim pedal at just 9mm thick. Lightweight 6061 aluminium has been used to trim weight even further, making the standard HO2 hit the scales at just 340 grams. As to be expected they spin on DU bushes and sealed bearings. The eight rather chunky pins on each side can be replaced when necessary. As well as this fetching acid green they are available in black and blue.

Honey Stinger Energy Chews

Price: £2.65

From: 2pure.co.uk

Sometimes we all need a little pick-me-up, especially on a longer ride. These energy chews from Honey Stinger are a little better than a handful of Haribo for giving you a nice sustained burst of energy, without the classic sugar spike. Made with organic ingredients, as well as the Pink Lemonade flavour you can also get them in Pomegranate or Grapefruit.

Yum!

And that’s it for this week. See you next wednesday!