A lot of gear comes across our desks here at Pinkbike. Check Out is a monthly 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.
Northwave Raptor GTX Shoes Features• Carbon reinforced sole with a stiffness index of 8.0 and natural rubber tread
• Water- and windproof Gore-Tex Pique membrane
• Sizes: 37 - 49
• $239.99 USD
• SLW2 dial features step-by-step and full release in a single button
• Climaflex collar made of elastic Gore-Tex Rattler membrane and insulating neoprene
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www.northwave.com | Winter's in the rearview mirror for most of the Northern Hemisphere, but that doesn't mean there won't a few more chilly, wet days before summer time arrives. Northwave's Raptor GTX shoes are fully waterproof, and work best when temps are around 30-40° F (-1 to 4° C). They have a very roomy fit, which will work well if you're planning on wearing extra thick socks, but sizing down may also be required for the best fit.
Northwave aren't the only company that use an XC-style sole on their wet weather shoes, but I wish someone would come up with a flatter, more hiking boot inspired design. As it is, the Raptor's can be a little slippery if you're clambering over slimy rocks and roots. All in all, the Raptor GTX shoes do what they were designed for - keeping water out, and warmth in, which helps make it possible to start measuring those rainy day rides in hours rather than minutes. |
Topeak Ninja Bottle Cage-Mounted Accessories Features• TC Mountain tools: 2-L / 2.5 / 3 (2 pcs) / 4 / 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 mm Allen / T10 / T25 Torx, Phillips / Flat head / spoke tools / chainbreaker
• Ninja Pouch: $34.95 USD. Ninja TC: $59.95 USD
• Available with new QuickClick mounting system
• Ninja TC weight: 9 oz
• Ninja Pouch+ carries a tube in a zippered pocket
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www.topeak.com | Topeak recently expanded their Ninja series, which includes all sorts of clever ways to carry tubes and tools on your bike. The Ninja Pouch Mountain is a water bottle cage with a zippered pouch underneath it that holds a tube, keeping it from getting covered with mud and grit. It won't fit every single frame out there - you'll want to make sure there's enough clearance between the bag and your shock - but it's a convenient solution for stashing a without relying on velcro straps.
The Ninja TC Mountain is another option in the lineup. Instead of a tube, it holds a full-featured tool inside a plastic case that sits underneath a bottle cage. The case rotates when it's time to use one of the 23 tools, and if you can make sure that it's 100% rattle-free by backing off the dial for the chain tool a couple turns so that it sits snugly against the side of the case |
Pearl Izumi X-Alp FLow Shoes Features• Elasticized lace holder
• Dual density outsole
• $100 USD
• Lightweight upper materials and minimal seams
• Colors: black, navy
• Sizes: 39-49
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www.pearlizumi.com | Pearl Izumi bills the new X-Alp Flow as a shoe for "trail riders who push the boundaries," but that might not be the most accurate description. You'll want something more robust, and with a stickier sole, if you truly are pushing the boundaries - the X-Alp Flow shoes are very light and flexible, and better suited to more casual rides, or taking laps around the pumptrack. They are super comfortable, though, and I'm a fan of the gum rubber / navy color scheme. There's also a black and grey option if you're looking for something a little more subdued. |
DeanEasy ABS Fork Kit Features• Open cell foam cylinders designed to create more linear compression curve
• Two versions: Race and Comfort
| Foam tire inserts, foam fork inserts... What's next, foam frame inserts? DeanEasy's ABS Fork Kit is designed to go into the positive air chamber of any fork with stanchions between 32 and 36mm in diameter. The idea is that the foam will give the fork a more linear compression curve, with increased mid-stroke support. The Italian company also claims that the foam reduces the amount of vibration that reaches a rider's hands, but I'm a little skeptical about that one. The foam does make it possible to run lower pressures without losing bottom out resistance due to the amount of space it takes up in the positive chamber, but given how well modern air forks perform I’m not entirely sure there's a need to fill them with foam. |
Rovr Rollr 45 Cooler Features• Rotomolded, elevated body with an airtight gasket and thick foam insulation.
• Certified bear resistant
• $369.95 USD / BikR attachment: $54 USD
• 9-inch all-terrain tires
• Keeps food and drink cool for up to 10 days
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rovrproducts.com | Looking for the perfect cooler to complement your EarthRoamer? The Rovr Rollr 45 might just fit the bill. It keeps food and drink cool for up to 10 days, has 9" wheels for off-road excursions, and a pop-up tote bag for hauling blankets or other accessories. It's certified bear resistant, so your microbrews will stay out of the paws of any hungry forest creatures. There's also an optional bike attachment for those days when you want to take your picnic extra deep into the woods. |
Hydro Flask 10L Insulated Hydration Pack Features• Keeps water cold for over 4 hours
• Waterproof fabric with taped seams
• Colors: black, brick, jade
• $165 USD
| Hydration packs may not be as ubiquitous as they once were, but longer missions still require more gear (and snacks) than you can fit in a fanny pack. Hydro Flask's new line of packs (there's a 10L and a 20L model) hold water in an insulated bladder that slides into a neoprene sleeve with a reflective lining, a combo that's claimed to keep water cool for over 4 hours. The exterior of the pack is constructed from a waterproof fabric with taped seams to keep that stash of PB&J sandwiches nice and dry. |
Granite Stash Tire Plug Kit Granite's $19.95 USD Stash Tire Plug kit tucks into one end of your handlebar until you need it.
Features• Handlebar-mounted tire plug kit
• Includes 2x 1.5mm, 2x 3.5mm tire plugs
• $19.95 USD
• Dimension: 30 x 30 x 96mm (large cap) / 21.8 x 21.8 x 96mm (small cap)
• Color: orange
• Weight: 35-grams
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www.granite-design.com | Weighing just 35-grams, Granite's Stash Tire Plug kit tucks into one end of your handlebar while their tiny chain too can slot into the opposite side. It’s small and invisible, so you’ll forget you have the kit until you need it. The $19.95 USD Stash Tire Plug Kit includes a tire reamer, a tire fork, and four tire plugs. The kit also comes with two end cap sizes to allow seamless installation with open-end grips or lock-on grips. |
Oh and I stuck on an old ESI grip in my fork. Saved me $40. Pro tip from a non-pro right there.
When I see the Hydro Flask logo I jump away like when I see the snake.
PS Big bears don't need combos.
www.nbcnews.com/id/5756809/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/bear-downs-beers-passes-out-campground/#.XLve1zBKiUk
Also honey-wheat because duh.
If you put the DeanEasy in a syringe and push the plunger it stays the same size, but if you do the same thing with Neopos it shrinks due to the increased air pressure.
@gabriel-mission9, the open cell spacers do still take up volume, so they will affect the spring curve. And they’ll compress under force (as opposed to increased air pressure), which will make them behave differently than plastic volume spacers. But I’m not really sure why they went with open cell foam over closed cell foam either.
www.deaneasy.it/absforktune/#1546949006696-7754bdae-8591
So, throw all that science and physics stuff that the engineers who design suspension forks use to determine compression and rebound speeds out the window and put something in your fork that renders your valving pointless. Good idea...
@mikekazimer : I didn't quite make it through the kind of English on their website. My guess is though that the air will make it into the foam as the fork compresses and pressure increases, but it will always lag behind. So with quick small hits (like trail chatter) it will act like you have a really small air chamber keeping your fork high in the travel. During bigger compressions the air in the chamber (outside the foam) will stay higher than it would statically be in that position and during rebound, it will be lower instead. So that will give you more support mid stroke during compression and put less force behind the rebound. That's just my guess about what open cell foam would do inside an air chamber. It is actually a much simpler solution of what I thought up five years ago or so. I wanted to have a second floating piston in the air chamber which would be damped, basically achieving the same as what I thing open cell foam will do too. Except you can't really tune the foam, but then again you can use different (combinations of) foam cells so that will give you your tuning. Would be cool of someone from Deaneasy would come over to the comment section sometime to explain what it does exactly. I'm mostly guessing here.
Seriously, the industry moved away from "foam" to metal coils or air as a spring for good reason!
Id be interested to see a review, but as you say open cell foam seems a very strange choice
The actual volume of the material itself doesn't matter too much indeed. Would be nice indeed to have an actual article and/or review of the product. People currently seem to be comparing it to either an elastomer spring or to the Neopos system. It is very different to both of those though considering the volume it occupies I can imagine it does function as a spring material too.
LMFAO.
Spot on.
Calling that colour navy- also not the most accurate description
And its bear proof meaning not much in most places but its a cool blag.
I want one. Now.
God, have we learnt nothing at all.