Pinkbike Product Picks
Mavic Single Track Glove
Mavic is on fire with its clothing line, both on and off the road. The Single Track long-finger glove is a good example. Its palm is minimally padded, with an extra soft spot where the outer edge of the hand pounds against the grip. Rubber tacky strips are applied near the tips ot the first two fingers to assist shifting and braking in wet weather. The palm is Clarino leather and the back side is reinforced with a Cordura-like fabric over the high-wear areas. Vented micro-mesh covers perforated high-density foam to protect the knuckles while keeping the hand cool and ventilated. Tiny rubber inserts at strategic points on the fingers act to deflect brush. Mavic uses a stretch material at the wrist in addition to a small hook and loop closure to make a snug enough fit to keep dust and weeds out without restricting movement. Mavic sells the Single Track glove in basic black or with a dun colored accent. A women's version is also available. Sizes are XS, SM MED, LG and XL and the price is $49. Mavic
![Mavic Single Track gloves 2]()
Pinkbike's Take:
WTB Weirwolf AM TCS Tire
Wilderness Trailbikes has been in the high-performance tire biz longer than some PB riders have been alive. The Weirwolf AM TCS 2.3-inch tire is the latest rendition of the collaboration between WTB and Mark Weir. The latest tread pattern uses a tougher, more rigid edging pattern for the side blocks and the edging tread is staggered in groups of three to make the transition from straight-line to a full lean as trouble free as possible while cornering. Softer, more flexible tread blocks populate the center crown of the WTB all-mountain design for climbing and braking traction. The two-compound tread is named DNA. A filler in the bead area of the sidewall called 'Inner Peace' reportedly resists pinch flatting. The folding bead is designed to seal in true tubeless fashion (that's the TCS part) and the tire is easily converted to tubeless with the addition of a liquid sealant - giving the owner a lighter-weight tire with the tubeless advantage. WTB's Weirwolf AM TCS tires weigh 930 grams with the Inner Peace bead, and in the 'Race' configuration without the reinforcement, a reported 712 grams. We rode the heavier AM tire for this test. Expect to pay around $60 for the AM version. WTB.
![WTB Weirwolf Multi]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Park Tool DT-2 Rotor Alignment Fork
This one is a no brainer. Park Tool makes a slotted lever that slips over brake rotors to assist professional and home mechanics to true a wiggly disc with a degree of precision. The laser-cut steel DT-2 tool has a short slot on one end for two-piece rotors with rigid aluminum spiders, and a long slot on the other to true conventional all-steel rotors. Park Tool's DT-2 wrench costs around $18 at good bike shops. Park Tool
![Park Tool DT-2 rotor straightener]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Drift 1080P POV Camera
Drift Innovation recently released its lightweight, compact POV camera, the HD 1080P, which is a bit longer than four inches and about an inch wide (105 x 50 x 33 millimeters). Drift Innovations packed a lot of features that POV users might use to expand the options for edits, like a remote record button, a small video display on the side of the camera, and a replay option so you can chimp your video after each take. Drift supplies the HD 1080 with a remote button, a memory card, a goggle mount and two stick-on mounts, as well as a USB cord that interfaces with your computers. Add a VGA cord and the camera will interface with TV diaplays The rubber-coated and sealed body can be used to shoot under water, but will not survive diving. The bayonet camera mount clips in securely and an indexed wheel securely sets the camera angle on the mount. The rotating camera and its replaceable lens cap can be set to the horizon easily and at 4.3 ounces, the new Drift is sufficiently lightweight to use all day as a helmet cam. resolution is 9MP and it will film in 1080 @ 30fps or 720 at 60fps. The remote button will sync with one or a number of cameras, and for better sound quality, the Drift HD 1080P can operate with a remote Mic. Battery life is up to three hours. Price for the camera and basic accessory kit is $375. Drift Innovation
![Drift 1080P camera]()
Pinkbike's Take:
If you have used any of the products featured in Pinkbike's Product Picks, please share your impressions below.
Mavic is on fire with its clothing line, both on and off the road. The Single Track long-finger glove is a good example. Its palm is minimally padded, with an extra soft spot where the outer edge of the hand pounds against the grip. Rubber tacky strips are applied near the tips ot the first two fingers to assist shifting and braking in wet weather. The palm is Clarino leather and the back side is reinforced with a Cordura-like fabric over the high-wear areas. Vented micro-mesh covers perforated high-density foam to protect the knuckles while keeping the hand cool and ventilated. Tiny rubber inserts at strategic points on the fingers act to deflect brush. Mavic uses a stretch material at the wrist in addition to a small hook and loop closure to make a snug enough fit to keep dust and weeds out without restricting movement. Mavic sells the Single Track glove in basic black or with a dun colored accent. A women's version is also available. Sizes are XS, SM MED, LG and XL and the price is $49. Mavic
Mavic Single Track gloves fit snugly without binding. The feel is that of a tough glove that thankfully lacks the bulk of an over-reinforced motocross-style mitt.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Thin, long-finger gloves are the top choice for PB test riders, so Mavic Single Track gloves caught our attention right away. The thumb is slightly short for me, but this is typical with most gloves, so you may be fine. The snug fit seems too tight at first, but when the gloves break in, the sensation switches to 'just right' for a tactile feel on the grips and the controls without binding. I also liked the contour cut at the wrist, which combined with the soft and stretchy wrist band, made for all-day comfort. Thumbs up for Mavic's Single Track Glove. - RC |
WTB Weirwolf AM TCS Tire
Wilderness Trailbikes has been in the high-performance tire biz longer than some PB riders have been alive. The Weirwolf AM TCS 2.3-inch tire is the latest rendition of the collaboration between WTB and Mark Weir. The latest tread pattern uses a tougher, more rigid edging pattern for the side blocks and the edging tread is staggered in groups of three to make the transition from straight-line to a full lean as trouble free as possible while cornering. Softer, more flexible tread blocks populate the center crown of the WTB all-mountain design for climbing and braking traction. The two-compound tread is named DNA. A filler in the bead area of the sidewall called 'Inner Peace' reportedly resists pinch flatting. The folding bead is designed to seal in true tubeless fashion (that's the TCS part) and the tire is easily converted to tubeless with the addition of a liquid sealant - giving the owner a lighter-weight tire with the tubeless advantage. WTB's Weirwolf AM TCS tires weigh 930 grams with the Inner Peace bead, and in the 'Race' configuration without the reinforcement, a reported 712 grams. We rode the heavier AM tire for this test. Expect to pay around $60 for the AM version. WTB.
WTB's Weirwolf AM TCS tire delivers for all-around trail use, but feels a bit small in the company of larger-volume 2.35 knobbies.
Pinkbike's Take:
| With a designer who crushes high-speed singletrack descents, one would expect the latest WTB Weirwolf to shred anything that requires repeated braking and quick cornering. We rode the latest Weirwolf tubeless and it does both - and it climbs technical terrain quite well too. Where it can bite an aggressive rider is over a mix of hardpack and gravel, where the rigid-rolling sidewall tends to hunt for traction - and often breaks into a two-wheel drift. Sliders will love the Weirwolf AM TCS, because it drifts with a degree of control, but those who want a tire to stick tight and carve corners might search for a different tread pattern similar to the Maxxis Hi Roller. The WTB measuring system seems to err on the slim side of the volume curve, as the Weirwolf AM TCS feels and looks like one category smaller tire when the bike is really bouncing through the rough stuff. Bottom line: WTB's Weirwolf AM TCS is a super-fast XC trail shredder that edges into the all-mountain arena, but needs a bit more muscle to own it. - RC |
Park Tool DT-2 Rotor Alignment Fork
This one is a no brainer. Park Tool makes a slotted lever that slips over brake rotors to assist professional and home mechanics to true a wiggly disc with a degree of precision. The laser-cut steel DT-2 tool has a short slot on one end for two-piece rotors with rigid aluminum spiders, and a long slot on the other to true conventional all-steel rotors. Park Tool's DT-2 wrench costs around $18 at good bike shops. Park Tool
Simple as it looks, Park's rotor truing fork can make short work of the often-frustrating task of getting a wiggly rotor running drag free. Eddie Rea Photo
Pinkbike's Take:
| In our rotor truing feature on Tech Tuesday, we said that most disc brake rotors can be trued by hand with finger pressure - which is true. That said, Park Tool's rotor truing fork is a mechanic's helper because its long lever gives a visual reference to how far the user is flexing the rotor with each pull, so you can repeat or increase the effort as needed. Keep the DT-2 fork tool clean and you can quickly tweak wiggly rotors back without contaminating them - which could come in handy between practice runs at the races. - RC |
Drift 1080P POV Camera
Drift Innovation recently released its lightweight, compact POV camera, the HD 1080P, which is a bit longer than four inches and about an inch wide (105 x 50 x 33 millimeters). Drift Innovations packed a lot of features that POV users might use to expand the options for edits, like a remote record button, a small video display on the side of the camera, and a replay option so you can chimp your video after each take. Drift supplies the HD 1080 with a remote button, a memory card, a goggle mount and two stick-on mounts, as well as a USB cord that interfaces with your computers. Add a VGA cord and the camera will interface with TV diaplays The rubber-coated and sealed body can be used to shoot under water, but will not survive diving. The bayonet camera mount clips in securely and an indexed wheel securely sets the camera angle on the mount. The rotating camera and its replaceable lens cap can be set to the horizon easily and at 4.3 ounces, the new Drift is sufficiently lightweight to use all day as a helmet cam. resolution is 9MP and it will film in 1080 @ 30fps or 720 at 60fps. The remote button will sync with one or a number of cameras, and for better sound quality, the Drift HD 1080P can operate with a remote Mic. Battery life is up to three hours. Price for the camera and basic accessory kit is $375. Drift Innovation
Drift Innovation took its detractors to heart and boosted the features of its newest POV camera. Better still, It shrank the body over an inch and cut the weight almost in half. The Drift HD has pro features like remote control, an external microphone plug, manual exposure control and a useful video display built into the side. The handlebar mount shown is new and not included in the basic kit.
Pinkbike's Take:
| Drift Innovation prereleased the HD 1080, so I had a chance to play with it for a while. The video display is quite useful for framing your shots, and also for setting up the camera, as there is no need to consult with a laptop, or guess how many times one must push a mode button and hope for results. The remote button was not so reliable, so one had to listen to the audio beeps to be sure that recording was actually occurring, but it was still way better than fumbling atop a helmet, searching for a tiny button in full-finger gloves. The super wide-angle lens is annoying at times because it distorts the horizon and most straight lines in close proximity. The up-side is that everything beyond a half meter is in sharp focus. The HD 1080 shoots sharp color and gets from light to dark quickly, which makes filming in the trees look good. One suggestion that everyone who used it mentioned was that Drift needs to make a decent helmet-top mount. We used the goggle mount with hook and loop straps to improvise. So far, the Drift HD 1080P has been a very versatile and rugged POV to work with. - RC |
If you have used any of the products featured in Pinkbike's Product Picks, please share your impressions below.
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I love the term... though is there a different term when the photog comes running over to The Talent to show of the pic? Chimping sounds like what I'd do if I wanted to bug the cameraman for a peek.
RC
just the right shape, ideal slot depth and useful leverage for getting those wobbly rotors true again..
a good tip is to use a black marker pen whilst examining the rotor (spinning the wheel to determine the wobbles) and mark the rotor where the wobble is
this makes it much easier to use the DT-2 effectively, once you spin the wheel a little further to clear the caliper so you can use the tool and hit the exact spot where the rotor is bent
I used it for DH riding and I had to configure my own mount (removing the stock mount, and using 4 of the straight pieces), in order to get the camera pointed high enough to actually see where the bike is going. The end result was a camera that weighed double what the GoPro does on its own in the case... I'd hate to use that for trail/XC riding.
Helmet mount is still the best way.
Tires: WTB was an idiot for discontinuing their old Weirwolf 2.3, which was supposedly very highly rated. This new tire sounds like a total loser, i.e., not worth considering.
My old Gopro has the silver paint falling off and they still have battery issues with ALL models.
The means of charging batteries in the wild still puzzels me...why make them only usb chargable????
Here are the videos - leelau.pinkbike.com/channel/DriftHD170
Here's the full writeups for the DriftHD with impressions and mount angles. Like most say - no practical chest mount though.
reviews.mtbr.com/blog/drift-innovations-hd170-review
reviews.mtbr.com/blog/drift-hd170-point-of-view-camera-videos-lee-lau
It takes fisheye still photos too - same as the GoPro as someone here mentioned
In the meantime, here are some photos of the GoPro and Drift side by side on chest mounts in the orientation that you would use them for MTB:
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7265781
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7265780
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7265791
www.pinkbike.com/video/222875
And here is the Drift Chest Mount:
www.launchhelmetcams.ca/accessories/drift-chest-mount