|
|
Post by Lewy on Sept 11, 2009 16:34:18 GMT 10
Wiley X Sunglasses With the extra protection of a "Face Cavity Seal", removable foam insert, and a shatterproof lens. Wiley X look to be the perfect eyewear for cycling. During though testing on the bike the thicker arms of the glasses were not compatible with my helmets and sat uncomfortably on my ears. The thick arms with and without the seal also hinder peripheral vision, a hazard when commuting or transiting via asphalt to you local dirt haunt. Apart from these hindrances Wiley X offer a stylish and functional eyewear option. Lenses can from clear through to tinted, photocromatic and prescriptions. They also pride themselves on fitment, offering a wide variety of models. At the time of picking up the glasses, I tried on up to four different styles to check the best comfort and seal of the foam. These glasses can meet the needs of us as mtb riders but can be used in many other sports, on the moto or in a workplace. I wear a similar pair of Ugly Fish sunnies. I only use the face gasket on the Moto when I am not wearing goggles. They fog up too much on the pushie with it in. Good thing about mine is they came with 3 different lenses, clear, yellow and tinted. Plus they are approved to use as Safety glasses so can be worn at work. |
|
|
|
Post by crummy on Sept 22, 2009 16:39:11 GMT 10
GT Zaskar, for some people brings back memories of a go anywhere, do anything bike. Elastermer forks, anodized purple extras and brakes of questionable ability. An all terrain bike.
The newest version of Zaskar is still has the well built frame, I whipped off all the parts to check it out. The frame is not an ultra light carbon either. There seems to be plenty of carbon thickness and alloy inserts in the right places.
With parts fitted I have put the bike through its paces, XC races, enduro, marathon and trail riding. First it was my body copping a flogging as I slowly adapted to riding a hard-tail. But I challenged myself and the bike to challenging conditions, riding up to six hours straight over varied terrain. On smooth trails and under heavy acceleration the frame feels stiff, responsive and light. When it turns rough, the flex is not felt through the frame but the components fitted.
Sure the components have changed, air sprung forks, light alloy parts and hydraulic disc brakes. The Carbon Pro came with reliable XT just about everything. For me the GT Zaskar fits squarely in the all terrain box, like old times.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lewy on Sept 22, 2009 18:34:39 GMT 10
GT Zaskar, for some people brings back memories of a go anywhere, do anything bike. Elastermer forks, anodized purple extras and brakes of questionable ability. An all terrain bike. The newest version of Zaskar is still has the well built frame, I whipped off all the parts to check it out. The frame is not an ultra light carbon either. There seems to be plenty of carbon thickness and alloy inserts in the right places. With parts fitted I have put the bike through its paces, XC races, enduro, marathon and trail riding. First it was my body copping a flogging as I slowly adapted to riding a hard-tail. But I challenged myself and the bike to challenging conditions, riding up to six hours straight over varied terrain. On smooth trails and under heavy acceleration the frame feels stiff, responsive and light. When it turns rough, the flex is not felt through the frame but the components fitted. Sure the components have changed, air sprung forks, light alloy parts and hydraulic disc brakes. The Carbon Pro came with reliable XT just about everything. For me the GT Zaskar fits squarely in the all terrain box, like old times. You should have got a 29er if you were buying a hardtail. You don't know what your missing ;D |
|
|
|
Post by crummy on Oct 20, 2009 19:28:16 GMT 10
GT Zaskar, for some people brings back memories of a go anywhere, do anything bike. Elastermer forks, anodized purple extras and brakes of questionable ability. An all terrain bike. The newest version of Zaskar is still has the well built frame, I whipped off all the parts to check it out. The frame is not an ultra light carbon either. There seems to be plenty of carbon thickness and alloy inserts in the right places. With parts fitted I have put the bike through its paces, XC races, enduro, marathon and trail riding. First it was my body copping a flogging as I slowly adapted to riding a hard-tail. But I challenged myself and the bike to challenging conditions, riding up to six hours straight over varied terrain. On smooth trails and under heavy acceleration the frame feels stiff, responsive and light. When it turns rough, the flex is not felt through the frame but the components fitted. Sure the components have changed, air sprung forks, light alloy parts and hydraulic disc brakes. The Carbon Pro came with reliable XT just about everything. For me the GT Zaskar fits squarely in the all terrain box, like old times. You should have got a 29er if you were buying a hardtail. You don't know what your missing ;D You can talk!? |
|
|
|
Post by crummy on Oct 20, 2009 19:28:50 GMT 10
Ground Effect - Juggernauts
With words to describe these shorts like "Super-sized" and "long legs" I was very interested to try them out. Grabbing myself a couple of pairs I have been wearing these shorts all over the place. From commuting to and from work to training with lycra clad bandits, or racing XC.
These shorts fitted well with a breathable detachable mesh chamois liner. The chamois is Ground Effects anatomically shaped synthetic foam very similar to their seamless foam used in their lycra. The outer gave that slightly baggy look and is hard wearing, standing up to even my biggest off. The outer features lower leg zips and handy mesh zip-up pockets for when the heat is on. The crutch of the outer is well gusseted to give plenty of room when moving around the saddle.
Sadly the shorts didn’t reach my knees as promised and the super size bubble was burst. Juggernauts should live up to length expectations for most bar my super tall friends. These are well priced and solidly built shorts that hang nicely loose amongst the baggy brigade.
|
|
|
|
Post by crummy on May 4, 2010 19:31:26 GMT 10
Spokey-Dokes
This has to be the cheapest and easiest way to BLING up your bike. Not only do they come in outrageously bright colours and shapes, weight next to nothing (6gm for a hand full!), repetitively sound when you are riding to slow, they are also useful for those nit-pickers to balance your wheels. The instructions are simple, fit them to your wheels, move them around until you get a good pattern, ride around and look cool.
What you have here is a simple way to individualise your mountain bike. They have run well on my Canaan, I managed to finely balance the front wheel using vivid green lightning shapes. On the old Goose the pattern was more important, they have held on to flamboyantly alert drivers and pedestrians of my presence. What is great though is they get up the roadies goat.
Spokey-Dokes are back for a good time. Cheap, light, easy, BLING up your ride with a set, available from Bikes at the Basin.
|
|
|
|
Post by crummy on May 4, 2010 19:32:07 GMT 10
Fox Incline Glove
After riding on Troy Lee Designs XC gloves for a couple of years it was time to try out the latest in XC gloves from Fox. The Incline glove is full finger and lightweight, I was immediately skeptical about the durability as it didn’t feature a two ply palm. The use of high quality synthetic leather on the palm has not shown any wear to date, it remains supple and flexible with its suede like texture. Like many other gloves the Inclines feature neat silicon pads on the fingers but the finger panels join right at the fingertip reducing dexterity severely for those fiddly trailside tasks. The best feature of the gloves has to be the soft Terry-Toweling section along the thumb, it is great for soaking sweat from the brow or in my case a runny nose. 3/4 the weight of the tried and true TLD XC, these comfy gloves are mostly suited to XC race and light trail riding.
|
|
|
|
Post by crummy on Aug 2, 2010 7:26:18 GMT 10
Squirt - Long Lasting Dry Lube
This is a waxed based dry lube I have been using for many months now. It claims to be biodegradable solvent free and a heap of other things most lubes claim. What I know is that it works well in all the dry, and limited wet conditions I have ridden in. Being waxed based helps the chain to not gather dirt and this aids as the chain becomes more simple to clean. Bottom line I like using Squirt as it lasts for hours and the chain stays cleaner, the other bonus is that the cap does not leak like a lot of other lubes and my tool box is now oil free.
|
|
|
|
Post by crummy on Aug 12, 2010 11:06:31 GMT 10
Merida 96 HFS 1000D by Mick Smith
Where do I start? This bike seems to make you, forces you, to go harder and faster and in longer endurance races you really need to be conscious of your output as you will find yourself riding harder than you originally planned. The bike frame is a combination of light weight, thin walled aluminum hydro-formed tubing with a carbon fibre seat stay nicely grafted onto the back end combined with a mixed build of components.
This frame is stiff and when standing on the pedals to conquer rocky pinch climbs, the bike just accelerates making short work of the skyward terrain and making the most of the energy your putting in. The frame stiffness does however have a slight drawback in that the suspension must be set up perfectly to get a smooth and confidence inspiring ride. Both the Manitou R7 fork and X-Fusion 02 shock work really well when attacking fast, rocky, tight and technical single track, but the lack of small bump compliance really showed as a lot of trail chatter tends to be transferred to the rider. Over a long race this will defiantly results in additional and unwanted fatigue. I will be testing and adjusting the suspension a little more in the next few weeks to see if I can find a setting that will be a little more compliant but I think I will need to test another fork to obtain this initial plushness.
The build range on the 2009 model is quite broad. Previous bikes I have ridden tend to keep the build level across all components pretty consistent, however with this build the level varies from Shimano 575 Brakes and rotors, SLX cranks, cassette and chain, XT front and rear derailleur's, hubs and shifters and so on. Personally, I would build this bike as a SLX level grouppo rather than go high in some areas and low in the others to balance the performance between components. To rectify this, I upgraded the brakes to Avid Juicy Carbons with Shimano XT RT79 rotors, Easton Monkey Lite Low Rise carbon bars with Cane Creek Bar Ends. The weight difference is negligible with the new components but the performance in the areas of braking, bike position and vibration dampening have all been enhanced. The weight weenies will cringe a little to my selections but I chose these components as I have used them previously and have been very happy with their performance and comfort they provide.
In summing up, the Merida 96 HFS 1000D is a built to be a fast race bike and not really a social trail bike, and once set up and you adjusted to how you ride for the course, will out perform your racing goals.
|
|
