Check Out: A Gear Bag, FSA's Cockpit, Maxima's New Tire Sealant & A Different Take on the Waterbottle

Mar 28, 2020
by Sarah Moore  

CHECK OUT
March 2020


A lot of gear comes across our desks here at Pinkbike. Check Out is a frequent round-up of everything our tech editors have gotten their hands on. Sometimes it's products we're doing long-term tests on, other times it's stuff we're stoked on but don't have time to fully review. And, sometimes it's crazy shit someone sent us unsolicited and we're having a laugh.



Maxima Tire Sealant



Features

• Safe on aluminum and carbon wheels
• Eco-friendly
• Seals punctures up to ¼”
• Remains functional for up to 6 months
• Price: $16.99 USD
• For use on all mountain and road bike tubeless systems
• Combines fast-acting polymers with suspended rubber particles
maximausa.com

bigquotesThis is Maxima's first foray into tubeless tire sealant, adding to their extensive range of bike cleaners and lubes. A 16 ounce (473ml) bottle will set you back $16.99 USD, which is the same price as the same amount of Stan's. There's a handle on the jug for easy pouring, but no flow restrictor so you have to be careful not to have too much sealant glug out when you pour it out.

As for the amount of sealant that Maxima recommends, it's in line with the amounts that Stan's recommends, with extra precision. Instead of two suggestions, Maxima recommends 60-90ml for a road/gravel tire (1.0-1.95" wide), 90-120ml for a XC tire (1.95-2.3"), 120-150ml for an Enduro/DH tire (2.3-2.6") and at least 150ml for a plus or fat bike tire. Of course, there's no measuring device that comes with the sealant so you're probably just going to be eyeballing that very precise amount...

A nice touch is the rim stickers that are included with the tire sealant. Do you remember the last time you put sealant in your tires? Chances are that unless you recently changed your tires, you only have a very rough idea of when that was. Maxima recommends checking the sealant when it's in your tires every 4-6 weeks and replacing it at least every 6 months.


Dib Bottle



Features

• Combines hydration and storage into one
• Designed and manufactured in the USA
• 2 size options (16.2 fl oz. + 10.8 fl. oz.)
• BPA Free
• Price: $22-24 USD
• Compatible with a wide variety of bike cages
• Honeycomb surface treatment
• Five individual pieces.
• Patented modular design
dibsports.com

bigquotesThe Dib bottle is akin to Specialized's KEG Storage Vessel, combined with a water bottle. While a regular water bottle usually consists of two parts, a lid and a bottle, the Dib bottle has five: a hydration cap, hydration bottle, silicone band, storage container, and storage cap.

The storage part of the bottle has 340 ml of dry volume which you can fill with tire levers, CO2 and tire plugs and then pair with one of two sizes of hydration bottles. The two halves are connected by sliding together in a horizontal direction and then you secure them with the silicone band.

While it's a cool concept, I'd like to see a more flexible material on the water bottle for ease of squeezing. Additionally, you can fit a small road tube in the compartment, but you'd be hard-pressed to fit a bigger mountain bike tube in it.

Dib is an acronym for "do it better". You decide.



Race Face Stash Gear Bag



Features

• Three compartments for separate and convenient storage of clothing, shoes, and helmet.
• Durable and water-resistant outer fabric.
• Zippered mesh pockets within main storage pocket for smaller items.
• Waterproof barrier between shoe storage and the main pocket
• Price: $99.99 USD
• Two grommeted holes allow the waterproof pocket to drain water.
• Removable change mat keep your feet off the parking lot dirt.
• Can be worn as a backpack or carried like a duffel.
• Large reflective logo for safety when worn as a backpack.
• raceface.com

bigquotesRace Face's new Stash Gear Bag is a great size for transporting all your mountain bike essentials to the trailhead or for an overnight mountain-bike related trip. It's big enough for all the essentials, without being too bulky. It's also nice that everything including your goggles, shoes, clothes, and helmet has its own defined compartment that makes it easy to pack and to see what you might be forgetting. A couple nice details are the barrier between your muddy shoes and the rest of the contents of the bag and the mesh pocket so that smaller items don't get lost in the main compartment.

I also love the multi-use features of this bag. You've got a mat for trailhead changing and you can also wear it as a backpack and it won't flop around on your shoulders like most duffels since it has a chest strap.


FSA Gradient Carbon 35 Riser Bars & Stem



Features

FSA Gradient Carbon 35 Riser Bars:
• Carbon composite construction
• Ø35mm clamp
• 20mm or 30mm rise
• 8° back sweep x 5° upsweep
• 250g (800mm width)
• fullspeedahead.com
• Price: $129.99 USD
FSA Gradient 35 Stem:
• 4 bolt AL2014 faceplate
• Ø35mm handlebar clamp
• CNC Faceplate + Chromoly bolts
• 40mm fork clamp stack height
• 123 grams (L35mm); 157 grams (L50mm)
• fullspeedahead.com
• Price: $72.90 USD

bigquotesGradient is FSA’s Trail / Enduro line which was introduced in 2013. The FSA Gradient alloy stem is 3D forged and then CNC machined, has a four-bolt aluminium faceplate and comes in either 35 or 50mm.

The new FSA Gradient handlebar is the brand's first carbon bar that comes in 35mm and is on the less expensive side for a carbon bar. It weighs in at a respectable 250g for its full 800mm width, has a comfortable 8° back sweep and 5° upsweep and is available in a 20mm or 30mm rise option. There area where the stem clamps the bar a reinforced for extra strength and textured for anti-slip. The Gradient handlebar is also available with a 31.8mm clamp in either a 20 or 30mm rise option.

The bar and stem might not come in a rainbow of colours like a Deity, Chromag or Race Face bar, but the silver and black graphics are understated and the combo is classy and should match most bikes.


Chromag Habit Gloves



Features

• Lightweight, formfitting 4-way stretch top material
• 4-way stretch finger gusset fabric
• Seamless fingertip construction
• Absorbent moisture wipe on thumb
• Price: $42 CDN
• Touchscreen compatible
• Laser-cut venting on AX Suede Connect palm
• XS through XXL
• Comes in black and charcoal
• chromagbikes.com

bigquotesChromag's first glove offering is well thought out. Thin stretchy material, soft bits on the thumbs for wiping your nose or sweaty brow, touch screen capability, and laser-cut venting on the palms pretty much sums up everything you would want in a pair of gloves in my books. Add to that, the Habit glove is available in six different sizes and two different colours, both with an aesthetically pleasing Chromag bear logo on them.

There's a minimalist feel to the Habit model with no velcro wrist closure to adjust the sizing. Chromag also introduced a second glove model, the Tact, that is a bit heavier, with a velcro closure, if that is something you look for in a glove.



Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Check Out Chromag Bikes Dib Fsa Maxima Race Face


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111 Comments

  • 172 17
 Dick Pound.
  • 35 1
 Never forget.
  • 19 3
 Please - if you haven't already go and upvote the msr pound comment in the following thread for recognition at end of 2020

m.pinkbike.com/news/tokyo-2020-olympics-postponed.html
  • 12 0
 @onemind123: yasss, give that upvote butting a good pounding. Don't be a dick.
  • 4 1
 Please explain? ..
  • 21 0
 @davemays: Dick Pound.
  • 3 0
 @onemind123: done
  • 5 1
 @davemays:

Dick.
Pound.
  • 19 29
flag mhoshal (Mar 28, 2020 at 23:47) (Below Threshold)
 @davemays: when you have nothing intelligent to say but still want attention from stupid people you just say something dumb like "Dick Pound" and you're sure to get the upvotes from this awesome immature group of guys!! The best is all the followers who blindly start saying it because they wanna be part of the cool train too. It's already more played out then "Randy" but hey sheep will be sheep.
  • 4 0
 @mhoshal: then
  • 2 0
 @mhoshal: reads like a sushion
  • 3 0
 Richard, don't be a dick.
  • 8 0
 @mhoshal: Hey man, be cool. Dick Pound is one of the most legendary Pinkbike comments of all time. The people have spoken.
  • 5 1
 @mhoshal: Life of the party aren't we
  • 3 8
flag mhoshal (Mar 29, 2020 at 12:26) (Below Threshold)
 @bendrew: if that's your party it's probably a sausage fest so I'm cool not being a part of that shit.
  • 4 0
 @mhoshal: Dick Pound party.
  • 2 0
 @onemind123: done. Thanks.
  • 3 0
 @mhoshal: your actually being a bit of a dick
  • 2 0
 Looks like a Dick Pound session.
  • 81 1
 Is that bottle for people who were complaining their bottle holds too much water?
  • 27 1
 I think it's for those that were bored by the fact that water came out of it every single time.
  • 24 0
 Dib is an acronym for "Design it badly". You decide.
  • 12 1
 For da weed!
  • 7 0
 The storage side is for your “supplements.”
  • 33 0
 Is the storage side compatible with extra water?
  • 2 0
 Dumbottle
  • 2 0
 @bigskybikes: hah!! this is the joke I was trying to come up with.
  • 2 0
 @skelldify: Richie and Jared like this
  • 28 0
 Honeycomb surface treatment!! Honey, get my wallet!!
  • 23 2
 Ikea bag for just 99$, wow!
  • 12 0
 I guess I’ll start stopping to pick up those water bottles I see on the side of the trail for now on...never know what I’ll find in em now?!?!
  • 7 0
 If you're going to spread your logo across the whole back of a glove, this is the way to do it! Subtle colour and ...well it's a really cool logo to start with.

Water bottle interests me. Cleaner than strapping all your stuff to the frame! But why not just make the tool portion thread on below the water portion? Upper bottle could serve as lid for lower bottle, 3 parts instead of 5. Or would that raise the CoG too high for cages to hold a fully loaded bottle?
  • 2 0
 I guess is because you can fit a pump/banana this way
  • 4 1
 @ismasan: there’s no way you could fit a pump/banana in that thing
  • 14 0
 @WheelieNut: that's what she said. Ninja
  • 3 0
 @WheelieNut: dibsports.com/pages/abous-us
minute 3:03, he pulls a pump out of the bottle.
  • 6 0
 Look man, I ain't falling for no banana in my tailpipe!
  • 1 0
 @ismasan: Thanks for this, it was really interesting
  • 7 0
 I just got those gloves today and they're freak'n nice. I'm really liking the fabric design that wraps in front of each finger tip, I'm assuming this will aid in preventing annoying seam blowouts.
  • 19 1
 Dick Pound doesn’t suffer annoying seam blowouts.
  • 6 1
 @dubod22: That's because his seam runs along the bottomside.
  • 4 0
 is currently the IOC’s longest serving active member... No reported blow-outs-
  • 1 0
 Meh they look alot like my Endura humvee light gloves www.ebay.com/itm/362684187281

$16 shipped.

On the opposite end are giro d'wool gloves
Worst gloves ever for durability. I bought them and less then a week later they had holes in the thumb and finger.
Then they basically started falling apart at the seams. I kept wearing them to try and get my money out of them but they started looking like something the homeless would wear.
  • 2 3
 @reverend27: see, you should be giving more to the homeless. Imagine how bad they feel.
  • 2 0
 @RoadStain: I was seriously afraid people were gonna start giving me their change.

Worst part is I was using them for commuting.
  • 1 0
 @reverend27: sorry, similar but not the same.
  • 1 0
 @Myfianceemademedoit: fair enough if you like them thats all that really matters.

I can buy almost 3 pair of the Enduras though...

Wink
  • 1 0
 @reverend27: buying these and paying shipping from Canada was not my idea of getting a bargain price. Get what you want and yes, I'm very happy with these. Happy trails!
  • 7 0
 The Chromag gloves feel amazing . Just buy a size bigger that what you usually buy.
  • 4 0
 Good info thanks. I wish all sizes world wide were the same.
  • 14 0
 @nug12182: my gf says the same thing.
  • 1 3
 @savagelake: That's what she said.
  • 1 0
 I hear it fits like a glove.
  • 5 0
 @A-HIGHLY-EDUCATED-PROFESSIONAL: They didn't fit OJ...
  • 1 1
 $30 US is about $11 too much for those turds
  • 9 2
 Could buy approximately 99.99 Ikea bags for the price of the Race Face bag..
  • 6 0
 Just to inform the public that Maxima oil is owned and ran by the legend Ron Lechien (Dogger)
  • 2 0
 Awesome. Had his poster on my wall as a kid.
  • 8 2
 that RaceFace bag is cool but it's no PataGucci
  • 4 0
 The pics of the Chromag gloves show the Habit version not the Tact version? The Tact gloves have a velcro closure and different colour options.
  • 2 0
 I was also confused by the description not matching the pictures. I would be more interested in seeing the actual tact, or habit, or whichever one it is that has a velcro closure and will last for more than one get off.
  • 1 0
 @takeiteasyridehard: The title was wrong (corrected now!), the words are right. This is the Chromag Habit model.
  • 1 0
 Dick pound is making tire sealant now, its called slippery Dick pounds bean juice. It's eco/green cuz it's made of beans and the the cool kids call it slippery dicks bean juice. I think it's just another car on the hype-train of post reality consumer logic. I.e. Stans in a cooler bottle with a cooler name so as not to be boring but still function. Unlike that finish line crap that does not work on planet earth or anywhere else with gravity. Crap; never dries out, keep adding till tire is full of this goo, wait, doesn't last for the lifetime of the time, keep adding. Only good thing about it was you could spray it out of your tire with a hose and replace with something that works, like stans.
  • 4 2
 Water bottle is worth a shot, bag is pointless. FSAs bars are nice, but that stem is gross... Reminds me of a cheap set of wheels from the early 00's.
  • 5 0
 @BSheldon ...not sure the bag is "useless" but you can do the same concept on the cheap. I don't have to worry about it much but if someone is really stuck changing trailside just use a gym bag you have and throw a hockey skate mat in the trunk beside it. Usually fairly cheap, way durable, water resistant, washable. Plenty of cheaper gym bags have the separate compartment for laundry/shoes...combo this for way less than $100USD/$140CDN.

Sorry RF. To each their own.
  • 7 0
 Not sure if the pictures don't do it justice or if it is really just another duffel bag with a brand name on it? You can pick up a large duffel for $20 and a plastic grocery bag for your muddy shoe and accomplish the same outcome.
  • 2 0
 Obvious use for the water bottle is to put your supplements in the storage side and mix them with the water you have in the bottle.
  • 1 0
 I've been using a Mountainsmith Cycle cube for a few years and it's been great. The new version looks much better than what I have and it's cheaper than the raceface bag.

mountainsmith.com/cycle-cube.html
  • 3 0
 Bucks Rogers will like the FSA cockpit...
  • 3 1
 Can any sealant really seal a 1/4 inch puncture. That seams rather huge as far as punctures go.
  • 2 2
 Love Joes No Flats Eco sealant. Been a fave of mine for a while now. Seeing Maxima stepping up to the Eco plate makes my inner hippie all happy.
  • 4 1
 Vote for Dick
  • 2 0
 Dick Pound for PM
  • 3 1
 Water bottle looks familiar www.pinkbike.com/photo/17161915
  • 3 1
 FSA Gradient stuff looks like Truvativ descendant stuff.
  • 2 1
 So when you blow a rubber you loose your water but keep your tools. P.T. Barnum springs to mind.
  • 3 2
 Is that water bottle for real? What a gimmick.
  • 1 0
 Weed and water. Gin and juice. Normal bottle and beer in bag.
  • 1 0
 Dick pounds like a session.
  • 1 0
 Dick pound likes a session.
  • 2 1
 Nice stuff this week!
  • 1 1
 So, what happens if I drink from the wrong side?
  • 10 0
 ask Richie Rude about that
  • 1 1
 @MartinKS: underrated!
  • 1 1
 Do you know the bag capacity, please ? Didn't find on RF website...
  • 2 3
 1/3 of the ego needed to blow that cash on a simple bag. Plus your packaging from CeramicSpeed bearings and some of your oral care study guides for the staff at your dental clinic.
  • 2 0
 @RoadStain: I don't really see what it would have to do with ego, but "thanks for the reply", I guess....
  • 1 1
 @evildos: I recently learned that my kashima fork and rear shock means I must be a dentist....oh, with low self esteem and upset I do not have a Yeti. I guess maybe like tarot cards or tea leaves....the "woke" can read them. :-)
  • 1 1
 Love my Gradient bar/stem combo
  • 1 2
 Haha Dib bottle... Waki bottle you mean? Surely only he could design something like this..
  • 2 3
 It’s not “eco friendly” if it comes in a plastic jug.
  • 21 0
 But you could reuse the jug to collect your piss, then use the RF shoe compartment to collect the evaporative moisture from your piss for a fresh glass of water to refill your new sweet low-volume water bottle.
  • 4 1
 @TW80: hehe, yes you could.
  • 2 2
 @TW80: you mean like an astronaut????? Sweet!!!! This is going to be like space camp!!!!
  • 2 0
 @TW80: i need a new piss bottle . If you drive or camp in the cold you need one. I do prefer a 32 oz
  • 2 3
 The bottle is a very nice ideia.
  • 1 1
 Not really. Looks like you lose at least half the water volume with this design. You will really regret this, especially on a hot day & a long ride, when you try to at least wet your dry lips with that very small "empty" wannabe water bottle. Also looks unnecessarily heavy (no listed weight) & probably difficult to squeeze water out when drinking. There are much better ways to store stuff on your bike than this idea...
  • 2 1
 @RowdyAirTime: I think this bottle is not for long rides on hot days. It is expensive but I think pot smokers will love it : )
  • 3 0
 @mudmandhbrazil: we have pockets for that.
  • 1 0
 @mudmandhbrazil: This bottle is not even for warm days or even any rides that have any climbing involved. Not me, I won't be storing my bud in this thing...lol
  • 1 0
 @RowdyAirTime: man I am saying its not good for long rides on hot days! I don't know if its good but I like the idea, maybe it will became a rattle doing noise but in my case I use Swat bibs and sometimes I do really short push bike up the trail and I don't need the Swat bibs and this bottle will work. I really dont like carry things in my pockets. I think its really expensive so maybe I will never try it.
  • 1 3
 Maxima sealant is to Stans what the Terrevail Kessel is to the DHF: Why would I buy this?
  • 2 0
 Because Maxima is a cool company and I like their oils. Also keeping my dollars in my state.

Who is Stan, again? Maxima been around
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: Those reasons are fair. But something new needs to be less because of the uncertainty that it will be as good as the established products.
  • 2 0
 @JohanG: Did you know that rebranded Maxima oil is likely to be living in your fork?
  • 3 0
 Sealant is a consume-able, it's worth trying different brands of consumables to see if they are actually better. Example I purchase more than 1 type of coffee.
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: I use the Fox brand oil. Also worth noting, established names have attempted to make sealant in the past and failed at it. Remember Finish Line?
  • 1 0
 @JohanG: And guess where Fox gets 'their' oil? They are not a refinery.

It comes from either Torco or Maxima most likely.

I've never tried their sealant but I've never had any issues with Muc-Off, e13, or Trucker Co. sealant, either.

I've heard bad things about Muc-Off ("too runny") but it has never failed me. Peaty's has a spotty reputation. Stan's products just bore me, their rim tape, their wheels, everything. I'll take my chances with less-'established' brands.....
  • 1 1
 Oh a Tacoma bed
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