Pinkbike Product Picks
Sombrio Shazam Mid-Top Shoe
The Shazam is Sombrio's mid-top, flat pedal shoe, featuring the company's FlyerSol rubber compound. Designed with durability in mind, the Shazam has a triple needle stitched leather toe box, with waxed canvas and suede uppers. A textured cover helps keep unruly laces from tangling in cranks and chainrings, as well as providing a bit of protection from the elements. Although fairly minimal, there are laser cut vent holes in the toe box to help with airflow. Colors: Electrocuted Lemon, White. Sizes: 6-12. MSRP: $119 USD. www.sombriocartel.com
![Sombrio Shazam]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Scorpion Bike Stand
The Scorpion Stand is designed to simplify bike storage, and is similar to the type of stand used to hold dirt bikes. Handmade in California, the stand is constructed from steel tubing that is bent and welded into a shape slightly reminiscent of a scorpion's tail (hence the name), and then powercoated. The stands are designed to work with crankarms that have a hollow spindle and an external opening. The “stinger” portion of the stand is inserted into the crankarm, usually from the driveside, and the stand holds the bike stationary with the rear wheel a few inches off the ground. All wheel sizes will work with the stand, and different adaptors are available to allow the stand to fit crank arm holes from 10mm to 19mm. Weight: 4.14lb. Multiple color options. MSRP: $55 USD. www.scorpionbikestands.com
![Scorpion bike stand review]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Race Face Mud Crutch
Race Face's Mud Crutch is one of those 'Why didn't I think of that' products, a simple solution intended to keep the mud and water tossed up by the front wheel from flying into your eyes. The Mud Crutch is made from a piece of Mylar laced woven elastic and Lycra that wraps around the arch of a suspension fork and fastens with hook and loop closures on each side of the fork's crown. Three different sizes are available to fit forks with between 80 to 203mm of travel. MSRP: $14 USD. www.raceface.com
![Race Face Mud Crutch Review]()
Pinkbike's Take:
The Shazam is Sombrio's mid-top, flat pedal shoe, featuring the company's FlyerSol rubber compound. Designed with durability in mind, the Shazam has a triple needle stitched leather toe box, with waxed canvas and suede uppers. A textured cover helps keep unruly laces from tangling in cranks and chainrings, as well as providing a bit of protection from the elements. Although fairly minimal, there are laser cut vent holes in the toe box to help with airflow. Colors: Electrocuted Lemon, White. Sizes: 6-12. MSRP: $119 USD. www.sombriocartel.com
The Shazam proved to be a comfortable, durable, flat pedal shoe.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | We often take for granted the abuse mountain bike shoes are expected to endure. They get dragged through mud, submerged in streams, bashed against logs and rocks, all the while keeping our feet comfortable and protected from the elements. The Shazam proved up to the task, without any blown seems or frayed stitching, even after being subjected to all of the previously mentioned abuse. We appreciated the mid-top design, which added a layer of protection between our ankles and crankarms or chainstays. The sole was stiff enough for longer days of pedalling or doing laps in the bike park, but still remained flexible enough to walk in. As far as traction goes, Sombrio's FlyerSol compound isn't as sticky as Five Ten's ultra-tacky Stealth rubber, but at the same time made it easy to reposition our feet on the pedals. Riders who prefer super-sticky soles may end up needing to run longer or additional pedal pins to get the level of grip that they are used to. For wet weather riding, the vent holes in the toe box does mean that water can make its way in, but we found that the lace cover helped keep a good amount of rain from reaching the inside of the shoe. The smooth lining around the upper cuff of the shoe made it easy to get the shoes on an off, and proved to shed mud well - a quick wipe down was all it took to remove dirt build up. The Shazam's might not be as bright as when we first received them, but they've proven to be a reliable pair of kicks. - Mike Kazimer |
Scorpion Bike Stand
The Scorpion Stand is designed to simplify bike storage, and is similar to the type of stand used to hold dirt bikes. Handmade in California, the stand is constructed from steel tubing that is bent and welded into a shape slightly reminiscent of a scorpion's tail (hence the name), and then powercoated. The stands are designed to work with crankarms that have a hollow spindle and an external opening. The “stinger” portion of the stand is inserted into the crankarm, usually from the driveside, and the stand holds the bike stationary with the rear wheel a few inches off the ground. All wheel sizes will work with the stand, and different adaptors are available to allow the stand to fit crank arm holes from 10mm to 19mm. Weight: 4.14lb. Multiple color options. MSRP: $55 USD. www.scorpionbikestands.com
The Scorpion bike stand is strong enough to hold a DH bike, but could use some refinements to make it more versatile.
Pinkbike's Take:
| As far as bike stands go, the Scorpion Stand is about as simple as it gets. Its sturdy construction meant there was enough support from the legs to securely hold a downhill bike, and the stand worked with wheel sizes from 26" to 29". While it might seem like the stand could be use as an impromptu work station for drivetrain adjustments, this isn't the case, since the arm that holds the bike doesn't provide enough clearance to make a full revolution with the cranks on bikes with flat pedals. Even on bikes whose pedals do clear the stand, after a few turns of the crank the bike will start to migrate off the 'stinger' due to the friction between the stand and the inside of the spindle. The stand did come in handy for washing bikes, since it makes it easy to access all sides of the bike. The Scorpion Stand is certainly a niche item, but for riders looking for a bare bones way to hold a bike upright in a garage or at a race it could be worth a look, and with no moving parts it will probably last longer than the bikes that it holds. - Mike Kazimer |
Race Face Mud Crutch
Race Face's Mud Crutch is one of those 'Why didn't I think of that' products, a simple solution intended to keep the mud and water tossed up by the front wheel from flying into your eyes. The Mud Crutch is made from a piece of Mylar laced woven elastic and Lycra that wraps around the arch of a suspension fork and fastens with hook and loop closures on each side of the fork's crown. Three different sizes are available to fit forks with between 80 to 203mm of travel. MSRP: $14 USD. www.raceface.com
Effective and easy to install, the Mud Crutch is a recommended accessory for wet weather riding.
Pinkbike's Take:
| Here in the Pacific Northwest, the Mud Crutch is the type of item that goes on at the beginning of fall and doesn't come off until the rains stop six months later. While it's very possible that you've been rigging something similar out of inner tubes and zip ties, ease of installation is what makes the Mud Crutch appealing. It's literally a 30 second affair - just wrap the fabric around, fasten the hook and loop fasteners and go play in the mud. The fabric is a touch over three inches wide, giving it enough width to block the spray even from fat DH tires. Riders that haven't tried this style of mud guard might be skeptical as to how effective it will be, but the Mud Crutch makes a noticeable difference on the trail, blocking a good percentage of the water and muck spinning off the front wheel. It's not a 100% solution - you'll still want to have some eye protection against those errant chucks of flying mud, but it does help keep goggles and glasses clean for a much longer time than if it wasn't in place. Plus, with a retail price of less than $20, it's an affordable item that will make those messy fall and winter rides much more enjoyable. - Mike Kazimer |
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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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andystand.co.uk
that is all......
They can't wear Sombrio shoes.
Once I bought 1 pair of Sombrios when crc were selling them for £33, I soon found myself with 3 pairs at that price.
Expecting them to last 12 months max, like 5.10's I am surprised a year on that they are still not far off new looking after lots of abuse.
A few riders up here converted to them due to the price, comfort, feel on the pedal, better feed back from the trail, far better durability, how quickly they dry out and the fact that you can wear them all the time without fear of the sole coming off, the inside falling to bits the outer cracking and the sole not lasting very long like 5.10's.
Digging and riding in the same shoes is ideal and the 5.10's just don't last.
I live were I have trails on my door step, so do tend to ride for up to 25 hours a week on top of my XC to work (gotta love riding).
Can easily do 2 hours, 4 nights a week, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, in the summer it is only dark for a couple of hours so no restrictions with light (shame it is now dark at 1630 though!)
I can only say I envy you, the husband of my sister in law who raced in Giro, Vuelta and will do TDF next year, does 30h per week and that is his full time job.
I love to ride and build.
Often a winter week is, ride to and from work, well the last 7 miles, I work 27 miles away by road.
A night time build, monday late gym, thursday badminton, saturday and sunday ride.
Leaving at 0800 tomorrow as I have a family dinner and fireworks to get back for, sk should manage 0900 to 1500 riding.
Big summer day in the mountains is up to 10 hours riding. Perfect weekend is Friday night, 1700 to 2100 play ride, all day saturday big day, then 0900 to 1500 or later sunday ride, sleeping in the van.
Tough life, but that is why we work hard during the week.
Cheers!
I personally don't care for fashion on my bike I just wanna ride.
Oh, and my legs seem to get a bit wetter, but only if I'm not wearing my hard shell RF knee/leg pads
Care to explain?
That stand is interesting though. Be interesting see one in a clear resin version for photography purposes; I'll bet they'd sell quite a few more.
At home depot the wage starts at 9 dollars/hour, f*cking despicable, people with families trying to survive...
You can't even use it for all bikes, only the ones with a hollow spindle.
After spending 55 bucks on such an easy design (2 C-shaped pieces of metal welded together), you will probably also need to spend even more money to get the right adapter to fit the cranks on your bike.
And if your other bike has a different type of hollow spindle it won't fit, so you'd need to spend even more money on another adapter.
Also it takes time to screw the adapters on and off, and no one wants to spend time on that when you just want to quickly put your bike away.
Also most people will lose those small pieces eventually. It doesn't even have a place where you can put them in so you don't loose them? Not very bright in my opinion.
And it's not foldable so you're always stuck with that big piece of shit in your garage.
Long story short, for 5 bucks I might consider it, but 55 bucks is ridiculous for such a poor design. Especially when you probably end up spending more than 70 bucks if you also need to buy new adapters.
This could have easily been made much more user-friendly, by making it foldable, and loosing the extra adapters you'd need to buy and just get something that fits every single bike, just like your 5-10 buck bicycle stand does.
andystand.co.uk
OR
Did I get bashed for complaining about the wages at certain companies?
andystand.co.uk
The RRP/Raceface design is also better than the Muckynutz/Marsh Gaurd IMO as I broke a Muckynutz very easily when some small sticks got caught and ripped it apart. That doesn't happen with the RRP/Raceface design. Also with big tyres I found the tyre buzzed the Muckynutz/Marsh Gaurd when the fork flexes. Again, no such issues with the RRP/Raceface design. I do have to admit the Muckynutz/Marsh Gaurd stops the spray a little better though.
andystand.co.uk
that is all......
+1 for the Sombrio shoes, I love mine