Check Out: Magnetic Flat Solutions, Goggles, Shoes, & More

Jul 4, 2020
by Daniel Sapp  



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.



MUUL Mayday Kit

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Features

• Quickdraw Magnetic Plug Mount
• Masterlink Holder
• $20 USD
• Magnetic CO2 Holder
• Plug tool with Valve Core Remover
muulmounts.com

bigquotesMUUL's Mayday Kit combines their Quickdraw Plug and CO2 Mount kits. The small and lightweight tools are intended to be kept nearby for quick access in the event of a puncture.

The magnets on the mounts are strong enough to keep the tools in place, even in rough terrain, and the quickdraw mount also stores a master link at arm's reach. The tools can be mounted anywhere on the bike frame or handlebar. The CO2 mount will work with 16, 20, or 25g cartridges and the plug tool works with small and large size plugs.



SDG Thrice Grip

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Features

• Dual density design
• Tapered core to prevent slipping
sdgcomponents.com
• 33mm, 31mm diameter options
• Black, Orange, Red, Turquoise, Purple, Green, Brown colors
• $19.99 USD




bigquotesSDG's new Thrice grips use a half mushroom profile for comfort, coupled with the circular designs of their logo to damp vibrations on the front side of the grip, and a different saddle icon on the back to give fingers traction. The grip is ovalized and comes in a 31 or 33 diameter for smaller or larger hands, or personal preference. The ends are also flared out to keep your hands on the bars.

The grips are tapered on the inside to prevent slipping once they're on the bar and weigh 48 grams for the larger 33mm size. As far as grips go, they're some of the more comfortable ones I've had on a bike lately and they're affordable, so that makes them worth a look.



KOO Edge MTB Goggles

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Features

• 2-layer foam
• Silicone coated strap
• 100% UV protection
• D:Fog Anti-fog
• £110.00
kooworld.cc




bigquotesThe Edge utilize KOO's MTB-Specific lens technology, developed in partnership with Zeiss Optics. The lens is made with scratch-resistant materials and designed to be durable under MTB conditions. The color of the lens is designed to enhance clarity in all weather conditions.

Lenses can be interchanged via a 'slot-in' lens changing system for varied conditions. Frames are designed to produce airflow via ventilation ports built into the goggle to keep everything fog-free and, there's a removable nose guard to aid in stability and keeping stray debris off your face.





Leatt Twenty/Twenty Aaron Chase Signature Shoes

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Features

• Custom Aaron Chase leather colorway
• Toe and heel protection
• RideGrip rubber sole/WaffleGrip pattern
• Medium-stiff shank for aggressive riding
• $129.99 USD
leatt.com




bigquotesI reviewed the DBX 3.0 shoes a couple of months ago and was pleased with how they performed. Now they're available in Aaron Chase's signature 'distressed leather' colorway. The shoes feature a lot of support, more than a number of other riding shoes on the market and they provide a good amount of traction as well.

The new color looks good and I can imagine a lot of mountain bikers thinking that they're more than enough to attend a fall wedding or family function...and I think that with a nice fresh (or at least clean) pair of jeans, it could be pulled off. Fortunately, once you're done with that commitment, there's going to be no time wasted in getting back to digging or out on the trails.



Bontrager Adventure Frame Bag

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Features

• Available in three sizes
• Large main pocket, smaller compartment
• Water-resistant construction
• High-vis lining
• $79.99 - $89.99 USD
trekbikes.com




bigquotesIt seems that people are coming up with new solutions for storing gear on the bike and out of a backpack or pocket every week. Bontrager's Adventure Frame Bag is their take on a classic design that works with just about any hardtail or frame where the top tube is accommodating of a bag being lashed on.

The bag is made in three different sizes to fit a variety of frames and straps can be moved and manipulated in various manners to help with fitment of awkward frame shapws. There is a high visibility liner to make finding whatever you stash in the bag easy, along with loops to hold a pump and a smaller pocket for other essentials.




Author Info:
danielsapp avatar

Member since Jan 18, 2007
476 articles

58 Comments
  • 255 0
 I'm here for the magnetic flat pedal solutions. Disappointed.
  • 8 0
 Yup and yup.
  • 52 0
 It's an attractive idea...albeit polarizing Wink
  • 34 0
 MagLock pedals. They didn’t work well, but at least they weighed 1kg each.
  • 17 0
 Try to be positive when things are negative.
  • 2 0
 As confusing as calling those clip in pedals, clipless. So now they have flat pedals that lock you in with magnets...
  • 1 0
 Me too..........
  • 10 0
 Total clickbait.
  • 7 0
 @youknowitsus: clipbait
@Gunnarcaldwell: how often do you make dreams come true?
  • 4 0
 @BenPea: the magpeds aren’t that good imo. But if you want try it I’ll sell you mine with the size 11 Giro Chamber II.

Basically it locks the ball of your foot right on top of the spindle. So it feels like you are riding non your tippy toes. It feels even worse when you hit drops. I dropped $400 USD for the pedals and shoes. And until they make a clear connection go further behind the ball it will never feel comfortable as a flat rider.
  • 3 0
 @Happypanda1337: I always looked at the Magped and thought they put the magnet on the wrong side (front v rear) of the spindle. If you could swap the magnet locations, you’d get a more center foot mount placement. Otherwise, it’s exactly as you described, riding on your toes.
  • 1 0
 @Happypanda1337: not a great advert. The dream is over.
  • 2 0
 @whambat: yep, the thing is if you do a physical analysis by putting the right shoe on the left pedal and so on; you get the perfect foot placement for these pedals.

If you read magpeds reasoning or even talk to their sponsored pros, they keep on arguing ball of foot needs to be on the spindle for optimal performance. I’m like for climbing....not for everything else.
  • 1 0
 @cyclopathic: comment gold
  • 3 0
 @Happypanda1337: one of the big reasons I’ve mostly switched from clipless back to flats is the ability to have the spindle further back on my foot. Especially since the advent of dropper posts, a forward spindle position is a sure way to blow up your calves on a DH. And with steep SAs on newer bikes, a forward spindle makes climbing too quad dominant vs glutes and hamstrings. Magpeds seem like they were designed for Pedal positions from 10 years ago for xc racing. And no xc racer would go from clipless to magnetic boat anchors.
  • 1 0
 Magped is cool on a trail bike but It’s not for everyone. I couldn’t make it work for me on downhill.
  • 2 0
 @vinay: no, it’s so you can attach them to you fridge.
  • 1 1
 @Happypanda1337:
If you're not talking about the Enduro Magped version with 200N magnets then it's your first mistake, the Sport is not for downhill.
Then as you just noticed, those Giros are not a good choise. I am using FiveTen Hellcat and if you slide the metal plates all the way back then the ball of your foot sits maybe a few milimiters behind the top of the spindle.
I am using these pedals since 1 year now and I am not going back to normal flat pedals. I do like 1m drops to flat and the best thing with the Magpeds is that if you somehow rebound a little at the landing your feet don't jump off the pedals like with normal flat pedals. One friend of mine used the Sport version for 3 years and he was still happy and now switched to Enduro version and he's also not going back to flat pedals either. He also uses Hellcat shoes.
And if you somehow still don't like them there is always the option to get rid of the magnets and have a very good normal flat pedal similar to DMR Vault but with better pin placement options and pins that don't eat your shoes (extended thread pins on DMR).
  • 1 0
 @Happypanda1337: oooh how are the chamber 2 shoes? I'm thinking about getting a pair, thanks!
  • 1 0
 @whambat: i ride dh, i normally put the cleats (crankbrothers) in the front holes and slam them to the back, it gives a well centered position and it's easy to recreate as well, i used to ride with the balls of my feet on the spindle with flats so my experience was the opposite, i actually get a better body position with clipless
  • 1 0
 @uskas: A few millimeters behind the spindle? In the position i use which isn't even fully slammed my foot is a centimeter in front of the spindle and that's not even enough for some people, also what's wrong with the giro chamber 2? It has a much wider position on the bike which most people would benefit from, also all your points about the magpeds are pointless because clipless pedals do all those things better
  • 2 0
 Not as disappointed as those who’ve bought them...
  • 2 0
 @Bikerdude137:
I checked again, it is quite a bit in front of the spindle. What I remembered is that I would have liked it a few millimeters more in that direction maybe, but nothing critical.
Here is how it looks , this is a US size 9 Hellcat:
www.pinkbike.com/u/uskas/album/Magped
I would be curious about how your Giro fits.
I prefer them to clips because I also like to be able to take my foot out of the pedal without making rock&roll moves.
  • 1 0
 @Bikerdude137: I agree you can get a pretty good position on clipless, especially with the Mallets with some of the modern shoes that let you slide your cleats further back. But, now imagine your click in position is behind the spindle, you are back to riding way too close to your toes. That’s what the Magped looks like to me.

Not sure what flat pedals you ran, but newer larger platform flat pedals, I’m running OneUps, let you be even more centered on the spindle Than the smaller flat pedals. If I did any serious racing though, I’d switch back to clipless more often. I think you can just be faster. On the trails, I’m not racing, not even really pushing for Strava, so fractions of seconds don’t matter to me, and I like the feel of being back on flats and being able to move my foot position during my ride (I think it helps my old knees).
  • 1 0
 @Happypanda1337: Ball of foot over spindle is pretty outdated advice too. A more mid-foot position is far less draining on the calves, albeit at the sacrifice of some maximum sprint power. For MTB it definitely makes no sense.
  • 2 0
 @uskas: I have the enduro pedals. I check the hellkat when I bought the giro chambers. It didn’t put my foot in the optimal placement; with is more center on the pedal. Giro Chamber had the best foot placement out of all clipless shoes on the market. I run CB stamp 7, and they provide way more traction than magpeds ever it.

Like I’ve made in other post, I’ve tested magpeds at snow summit and mammoth mtn bike parks. They did not stay on compared to flats. I also hated the position of my foot.

200N is weak AF, depending on the riders mass and muscle strength you can easily dislodge. I need about double this or 90 lbs of force. The issue is if you do the math, to get a magnet that size, I would have to redesign the whole pedal. I’ve used these as flats, still trash. Worse than spank spike imo.

If the magpeds work for you, great. But the combo of magnet position and cleat slot position sucks for this day age.
  • 1 0
 @MaplePanda: yep, and there’s even a pro rider that got taken out due to that foot position. Rachael Atherton, at the end of Les Get landed a drop pourly. Her calf was destroyed. That’s with clipless pedals.

I really only saw one benefit to magpeds. I somewhat understand why people like being clipped in. It definitely adds a little bit of confidence. “Glue to the bike, gotta commit.” But hindsight I should’ve just bought SPD to simulate this fact.
  • 1 0
 @Bikerdude137: out of all the clipless shoes I tried on (5010, shimano, bantrager, Giro); they were the most comfortable out of the 4. A rep at RC is trying really hard to convince me their clipless shoes have the longest slot. I think afton would be the most comfortable shoe for me as it’s a wider fit, like skate shoes. But then again I also prefer a different cleat placement than you.

The rubber comes close to 5010, as vibram is used for hiking boots. But it’s really hard to truly match that rubber.
  • 1 0
 @Happypanda1337: ok thanks
  • 55 10
 Imagine being so shameless that you literally lie in your article title just to get people to click on it.
  • 14 6
 Your lack of reading comprehension doesn’t mean they lied...????????‍♂️
  • 5 7
 @b2119: no, the first product listed in the title isn't in the article at all... Total clickbait
  • 22 1
 @andrewfdennis they said “magnetic FLAT solutions” they meant “tire flats”. The first product for plugs and CO2 is the product, there was no lie, I thought mag pedals too, but they were totally honest.
  • 31 3
 Pink bike have click baited us all with the magnetic flat pedals
  • 3 0
 Hey how about a sail that connects to your handle bars for wind assisted riding?
Since you cant really fly a kite while riding a bike or can you?

www.reddit.com/r/bikecommuting/comments/bjv6rd/this_guy_cycling_and_flying_a_kite_at_the_same
  • 1 0
 @aljoburr: The more you look at that bike the weirder it gets
  • 23 2
 where my magnetic flats at?! PB lied to us again
  • 14 2
 On the donut
  • 4 1
 magnetic tire plugs. "Magnetic flat tire solutions" is maybe a more appropriate title.
  • 6 0
 Do those grips play Under a killing moon at unsociably loud volumes when you ride? No? Disappointing.
  • 6 0
 Bontrager ripping off revelate hard
  • 2 0
 Grips, this is what you need to know. As the song goes, "The search is over, you were with me all the while." Came back to Oury push-ons/glue-ons after over a decade hiatus. Holy sh!t do these things feel amazing - no $40 lock on, plastic sleeved grip even comes close. Get a set for like $12, some grip glue and your hands will be happier than ever. You'll wonder how you ever got use to lock ons.
  • 1 0
 So what you’re saying is that you’ve never been to a wedding? Because there’s exactly no wedding that doesn’t involve first cousins getting married during which that Leatt shoe is appropriate.

That said, it isn’t awful for a mountain bike shoe.
  • 3 0
 I noticed they don't actually show the frame bag attached to a frame... Make me wonder?
  • 5 0
 agreed, looks like it may be a banana cargo bag instead for strapping cargo to a banana
  • 1 0
 It fits on a hardtail, gravel, or road bike and all of those elicit boos and hisses here so they tried to pull a fast one and show the bag by itself. Also I've had a Specialized frame bag for a couple years now that looks curiously identical to the Bontrager.
  • 3 0
 Please gawd make them Aaron Chase shits is clipless version and I will eat newdles for weeks. Pleeeeeaase make it happenz.
  • 2 0
 I've had the MUUL mayday kit for quite a while and being on the cheaper end of upgrades you can find, it's been super worth it.
  • 2 1
 I now use Aaron Gwin signature condoms and I`m pretty happy with them, mainly because they`re made not to have ginger kids. Thanks Monsieur Gwin.
  • 4 2
 First, they fool us with the Grim DOnut and now they even fool us with magnetic pedals?
What's going on pinkbike?
  • 2 0
 Can't even find a shop to try out any Leatt shoes in Vancouver...
  • 1 0
 Finally, a quick-access solution that'll allow me to replace a master link while I ride.
  • 1 0
 Those Leatts remind me of the old 5-10's before Adidas took over. Nice and wide
  • 1 0
 Two products to strip the paint off your frame - and Brown shoes - nice!
  • 2 1
 @daniel Sapp where are the flat pedals at
  • 1 0
 Mesh straps for MTB goggles. It's not rocket science.
  • 1 0
 Thrice...Deadbolt!







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