Check Out: Clothing, Tools, & Cleaners
A lot of gear comes across our desks here at Pinkbike. Check Out is an occasional 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.
For me, right now, this is a little bit of a catch-up game. As many of you know, I've been taking a pretty big block of time off thanks to a bad head injury (check out an update article and podcast episode, in case you've missed them). I had intentions of covering each of these items before I hurt myself, and even took photos right before hurting myself (and Kaz took photos of the clothing, thanks Kaz). Also, I had a mostly-finished Check Out article right before I crashed, so I've combined the "new" one with the "old," soon-to-be-published one. Now that I'm thinking about starting to work again, this is my attempt to tie up some of those many loose ends, acknowledge all of these items that I'm thankful to have tried, and not leave any of it hanging for too much longer.
Endura Clothing
Features
• Well-thought-out clothing items for a range of conditions
• Price: $58.15-$269.34
• Price: $58.15-$269.34
 | I've always liked Endura clothing, and these items are no exception. I love the simple, straightforward styling, without garish colors, major logos, or other hard-to-ignore markings. I also appreciate that each item does competently what it claims to do: the rain jacket keeps water out, the puffy jacket is cozy and warm, and the pants are, well, pants. The MT500 Waterproof Jacket is breathable enough to justify bringing it along on wet-yet-pedally rides, plus it has generous pockets, and reflective details. My impression is that Endura added weight and features in the important spots, but without much excess. The MT500 Freezing Point Jacket similarly makes sense, in my opinion. It uses PrimaLoft Gold insulation for its high warmth-to-weight ratio, packs down small, and has large armpit vents with two-way zippers. Again, the right details, but nothing in excess. The fabric is a little more robust than what's found on most puffy jackets, so it's water-resistant but not -proof. Those going out in truly wet conditions will probably want to bring another shell, too. As a mid-layer, I've also worn the Singletrack Fleece. Cozy, low weight, high warmth. I wore that piece off the bike quite a bit, too, just because it's a nice all-around piece to add some extra warmth, with some extra length at the back for on-bike coverage. Rounding out my Endura winterwear test, I also tried the MT500 Burner Pant. I have only good things to say about this pant. I actually wore the Burner pant in the summer more than in cold weather, but it felt plenty robust for all kinds of riding, including at the bike park, with plenty of clearance for medium-volume knee pads. The sizing was a tiny bit on the large side, but I didn't mind that one bit, since there's also an adjustable waistband. And then, because I actually tested these things in the summer, I also tried some shorts and a short-sleeved jersey, too. The SingleTrack Short II are comfortable and seem durable. They're a little short for my taste, but I have long legs and like long shorts, so take that as you will. They're probably the perfect fit for someone with different preferences than me. The zippered pockets and streamlined details are nice, too. As for the Singletrack S/S Jersey, it's simple and effective, with comfortable fabric and a nice cut. The color is my biggest complaint: it's way too red-orange. The jacket is a similar color, but it can get away with it because of its jacket identity. That said, it comes in two other colors, called Punch Pink and Blue Steel. I have to credit the pink's name for accurately describing how it feels to look at that very bright color. The blue? It does share its name with the jump line I had my life-changing and almost life-ending crash on, but that's way more my fault than Endura's, so I'll stop rambling about these colors and just say that the blue jersey looks like a simple, streamlined piece of riding wear. |
Pelli Bike Care Products
Features
• Effective and gentle
• Eco-friendly options
• Price: $15.99-$151.88
• Eco-friendly options
• Price: $15.99-$151.88
| Pelli is a bike care product company based in Boulder, Colorado. The company has the tagline 'Clean Less, Ride More,' which I'd imagine is what most of us would like to do. The company claims to rely heavily on the idea of using ingredients in its products that help make bikes and parts hydrophobic and less likely to become grimy. While I didn't test it in any scientific way so I have no specific comparisons or measurements, I promise that I used each of the products quite a bit after the above photos were taken, so the bottles ended up much emptier and my bikes ended up much cleaner. I can confirm that the products do work. I tried a cleaner, two hydrophobia-inducing treatments, and an e-bike cleaner that's safe on carbon, metal, and electrical components. The EcoClean product degreases effectively, smells nice, and is made with EPA-approved ingredients. And, it works to make bikes cleaner, which to me is the main criteria for being a good bike cleaning product. The Ceramic Maintain works as well as the EcoClean formula for cleaning, but has the added claimed benefit of coating the bike in a way that makes it more hydrophobic, helping to keep it clean in the future. I didn't actually notice this happening, but I continued to rely on the Ceramic Maintain as my main bike cleaner, just for good measure and because it worked well to clean. The Ceramic Protect polish is the next step, further coating the bike to make it resist mud. Again, I didn't notice a difference since I began using it, but my bikes stayed fairly clean to start, probably because I try to choose moderate weather and conditions for my riding, so avoiding mud isn't a big struggle to begin with. It did, definitely, make the bikes look nice and shiny. The coating is said to last 2-3 months per application, so I used it sparingly. Finally, the e-bike cleaner is a nice, gentle cleanser that seems to work effectively on both e- and non-e-bikes. It's a waterless wash, so it's a handy tool just to have around for times when the priority is something other than washing the bike, but a quick spray-and-wipe is an option. |
PNW Components Clothes & Hip Pack
Features
• Comfortable, soft fabric
• 2.7L carrying capacity (pack)
• $29.40-$79.00
• 2.7L carrying capacity (pack)
• $29.40-$79.00
• Available in tan ("Star Dust"), black ("Dark Matter"), "Mission Grey," and "Space Force Camo"
• pnwcomponents.com
• pnwcomponents.com
| I've thoroughly enjoyed watching PNW Components move into wearables. The brand has established itself as the maker of dropper posts and cockpit components that offer solid performance for the price, but in the last few years has started to offer a collection of riding clothes and accessories. I've had the opportunity to try the Ozone Trail Tee, Shuttle Short, and Rover Pack. The tee has become a go-to for me, both on and off the bike. I really like the no-graphic design, and love the blend of 80% polyester and 20% wool. It feels right on the line between high-performing and approachable - a line that describes what I want in my life, too. My biggest piece of feedback about the shorts is that they're long enough, unlike almost all others on the market, so they play nicely with knee pads. They're a sturdy, durable fabric, and have both zippered and non-zippered pockets. I'm not quite as enraptured by the shorts as the jersey, but they're a solid product, and I have no complaints. The hip pack is similarly sturdy, with abundant zippers and intuitive organization, plus removable bottle holders. It's not a minimalist product, by any means, with a weight of 372g, though I'll point out that 372g is probably less than the weight of the water you drank before heading out riding. Note that I've had this pack for a while, long enough that I featured it in my 'Things I Loved' article at the end of 2021, so the product may have changed since mine was created, but it appears that the basic layout, bottle holder options, and mesh back panel have stayed the same. |
Ryder Kinetic Cage
Features
• Guaranteed not to break
• Convenient storage as long as it fits on the bike
• Price: $14.99
• Convenient storage as long as it fits on the bike
• Price: $14.99
| The Ryder Kinetic Cage costs roughly the same as a bottle cage that stores just a water bottle, but offers way better value in that it combines water storage and tool storage formatted in a way that the rider can configure themselves. The cage has removable CO2, tire plug, and tube storage. The tube storage can also be adapted between horizontal and vertical to make it more compatible with a wide range of bikes and humans. The cage won't fit on bikes that don't have any extra space in the bottle cage zone, so make sure it'll fit your setup before springing for it. I really like how customizable it is, so riders can decide which parts actually make sense for their use and can remove any extra clutter. That's great. I wish more of the bike world thought like that, trusting each of us to make decisions for ourselves about our own needs. For those whose bikes this tool can fit, I think it offers nice value and is a solid option for anyone looking to integrate their tool systems. |
Tasco Clothing
Features
• Very comfortable
• Stretchy and form-fitting (gloves)
• Price: $34.99-$99.99
• Stretchy and form-fitting (gloves)
• Price: $34.99-$99.99
| Gloves seem to be the lifeblood of what Tasco does, but I tried some shorts and a jersey, too. The gloves are grippy and stretchy, pretty much exactly what we'd expect from quality gloves, and they've seen almost no wear and tear despite being in my regular glove rotation for several months. The jersey and shorts both feel very lightweight and breathable, with tiny pieces of hardware on the several zippered pockets and waist closure. I think they're both gender non-specific, so the shirt is a little baggy, which I don't mind at all. The shorts are a little shorter than I'd normally wear for riding, but they feel lightweight enough to be focused on pedally rides, not downhill or bike park riding or really anything that would include knee pads, so I think they achieve what they set out to do. |
Wolf Tooth Axle Handle Multi-Tool
Features
• 10 functions
• Securely fits into a Wolf Tooth rear axle with an attached thread nut
• $29.95
• Securely fits into a Wolf Tooth rear axle with an attached thread nut
• $29.95
• Eight color options
• 29g
• 29g
| I like minimalist things. I often ride without a pack, tossing whatever tool I have into a pocket and hoping nothing too terrible happens to me or my bike, if I have a tool at all. (I'm not exactly proud to admit that sometimes I don't.) I think I'm the exact candidate for some tool that stays on the bike and is forgotten until it's needed - something like the ones attached to water bottle cages or similar. So, of course I'm happy about this one. Wolf Tooth has long made quality products, and I've really liked some of their Pack Pliers in the past, but those of course had to be intentionally carried. This one can be automatically carried along for the ride, as long as you usually ride the same bike. That brings me to my only complaint, which is that the tool fits into a Wolf Tooth thru axle, which is somewhat bike-specific. That said, if I were committing to this for the long term and had a few mountain bikes I'd potentially ride, I'd probably buy a few Wolf Tooth axles, put one on every bike, and swap the tool around. As it is, I committed to putting it on one test bike and just really appreciated the tool's existence whenever I went out on that bike, which was very regularly. The tool has a combination 5mm and 6mm hex bit permanently in place that fit into the axle. Beyond those, there are four double-sided bits, two of which can be stored in the tool's handle at a time (which means another two will be free-floating and not in use at any given time). The tool also functions as a thru axle handle and is available in eight different colors. |
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Member since Jun 19, 2015
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But seriously, WOW, great to see her back in action!
By the way...the first line of that post was a joke. Not sure why the downvotes. *shrug*
Not a single bike "care" product is worth it. Dawn. Generic Dawn. Ride.
Parts disintegrate anyway.
Another exception not mentioned though, is wax-based chain lubes. Smoove sells a degreaser that works incredibly well at cleaning their lube. Simple Green won't even touch it. Pedro's Orange Peelz does "ok" but it's a lot of work. But 1 oz of the Smoove cleaner in a chain cleaner makes everything shiny.
Like most things in life, it's not black or white...
For me it’s simple green and dawn. But I do like a nice coat of Pedro’s bike lust applied with a microfiber after a good clean.
Spent years using simple green. Always assumed I just got my bike dirtier than everyone else and that’s why cleaning was so onerous.
Got a bottle of MucOff last month. After the first spray I realized I’ve been doing it wrong for years. Sooo much better
This for sure..
Dawn will work, however the detergents in Dawn are pretty strong for your silicon/rubber/seal parts of your bike. Yes it will work no problem and 100% you can use dawn. Just know over time it can be a bit harsh on those parts. This is where car wash comes in. Most car wash is formulated to emulsify dirt without hurting/fading the plastic bits of your car (or bike in our case). Thus, it's "better" for your plastic/seals/silicon bits vs. dish detergent.
pro tip, check out the "no rinse" car washes.
Dish soap makes your paint look a little dull, and will strip wax off. Car wash soap isn't a bad reccomendation for those reasons. I also wax my bike after I wash it. Both the soap and wax can be bought for $1.
Expensive bike washes are just marketing.
I have not found a source for Simple Green and just make do without.
For cleaning waxed chains - the Ceramic Speed cleaner is ridiculously effective. It's expensive, but the ~1 liter bottle I have is more than half full after 1 year and used weekly. I use ~5 sprays per chain - in a large cup and swish it around. (then Fairy --> water ---> dry --> re-wax).
adamspolishes.com/collections/car-washing-products-best-car-shampoo
The bottles flap around so much that the holders unbutton and get lost, before you finish contents of the banana. Much dislike
I like my old Ranier dropper though
IMO, all baggy shorts should have fabric at the rear that doesn't soak through from wheel spray, unless it's a special item for hot & dry days. I just got the Waterproof II shorts, and yes, they keep the water out, but lack any way of tightening at the waist, the side pockets are a two-hand job to open, my cellphone digs into my thigh, and the noise they make when pedalling is epic.
That said, their stuff is still excellent value compared to others. I puke a bit every time I read "premium" in the context of bike clothes. Should read "expensive".
When it arrived the waist closure clasp was falling off due to poor stitching. I couldn’t even try them on.
While I realize mistakes happen, this doesn’t inspire much confidence in their quality control. I know they weren’t knockoffs because I purchased directly from Endura.