Pinkbike Product Picks
Teva Links shoes
Teva brings years of watersports-oriented footwear design to the bike industry with their Links shoe. Beginning with an emphasis on pedal interface, the Links Spider 365 rubber outsole has been designed to provide grip in all conditions. The outsole tread design, with it's prominent pedal pin placement, also incorporates directional, non-slip toe and heel patterns for hike-a-biking. Small functional features to the uppers include rubberized toe armor, a heel shock pad, and a rigid heel stabilizer for protection and to keep the foot centered within the shoe. To top it all off, Teva has taken their watersports expertise and made the Links highly water resistant thanks to their hydrophobic Ion-mask technology. The Links comes in black with teal accents, and includes black and teal colored laces. They are available as a regular or mid-height model (tested), and sell for $110 and $120, respectively. Sizes 3-11.5, in half sizes, as well as sizes 12, 13, 14. They are also available in a women's version. Teva
Pinkbike's Take:
Race Face Ambush knee pads
Race Face has revised their top-end, D3O-equipped Ambush knee pads with open-back construction, so now there's no shoe removal necessary. D3O shock absorbing padding allows for the pad to articulate around the knee for ease of movement, but upon hardens nearly instantly upon impact, with the molecules bonding together to disperse energy away from the knee. Perforated neoprene allows for breathability along the inner and outer sides as well, and an integrated stabilization pad centers the knee and keeps the them in place. Adjustable elastic straps at the top and bottom prevent slippage. The Ambush pads come in stealth black, and are available in sizes S-XL. MSRP: $89.99 USD Race Face
Pinkbike's Take:
Troy Lee Designs D3 CF helmet
There is no arguing that TLD's D3 helmet is seen throughout the DH scene as the go-to lid. The D3's carbon fiber shell exceeds all industry standard safety tests, and creates one of the lightest choices in full-face protection for all-day comfort. A dual-density shock pad system secures fit, while twenty high-flow intake and exhaust ports allow for ventilation. Machined titanium visor screws reduce weight and look sweet. The D3 has a removable, replaceable, and washable MX-style comfort liner with CoolMax and Dri-Lex. Quick-release cheek pads aid in emergency helmet removal. Includes a protective helmet bag and two adjustable D3 visors that allow for custom height placement. Available in a variety of color schemes from subtle to day glow. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL. MSRP: $450 USD. Troy Lee Designs
Pinkbike's Take:
Teva brings years of watersports-oriented footwear design to the bike industry with their Links shoe. Beginning with an emphasis on pedal interface, the Links Spider 365 rubber outsole has been designed to provide grip in all conditions. The outsole tread design, with it's prominent pedal pin placement, also incorporates directional, non-slip toe and heel patterns for hike-a-biking. Small functional features to the uppers include rubberized toe armor, a heel shock pad, and a rigid heel stabilizer for protection and to keep the foot centered within the shoe. To top it all off, Teva has taken their watersports expertise and made the Links highly water resistant thanks to their hydrophobic Ion-mask technology. The Links comes in black with teal accents, and includes black and teal colored laces. They are available as a regular or mid-height model (tested), and sell for $110 and $120, respectively. Sizes 3-11.5, in half sizes, as well as sizes 12, 13, 14. They are also available in a women's version. Teva
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| Technical details and subtle styling make the Links Mid a great choice for those that prefer the freedom of flats. |
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Teva brings a solid contender to the flat-pedal market with the stiff-shanked Links shoe. Offering more arch support than the competition for our sasquatch-sized 13's, we'll take the tradeoff of slightly less pedal feel underfoot in trade for reduced foot fatigue at the bottom of the descent. The Links narrow sole may not be fit for all feet, but again, we appreciate the comfort of less shoe overhang on the pedal. Heel stabilization is less of a concept than a reality in the Links, and several off-the-bike experiences and botched landings can attest to the benefits of a mid-height shoe. This added height comes at no cost to ample ankle mobility, and we found no discomfort riding the tall Links Mid through the heat of summer. Though the sides of the upper shoe seem mostly waterproof, the mesh toe cover area is certainly not. As for pedal traction, the Links Spider 365 rubber doesn't offer the nearly clipped-in feel of a Five Ten, but we found it to be more than adequate, and in some situations, better. Behaving more like a skate shoe (yet far grippier than basic rubber), the Links sole is easy to negotiate changes in foot placement on the pedal, and hiking traction in adverse conditions is a vast improvement over other offerings. Whereas the competition holds firm on bargain-bin pedals, Links riders will want to invest in a quality variable pin pedal. That being said, Links is more susceptible to wear based on the aggressiveness of pedal pin placement. Laces are of appropriate length and capped off at the ends with metal. Although this keeps the laces from ever fraying, riders will want to tuck in excess lace to keep the tips from audibly slapping crankarms at every rotation. Links won't meet the sure-footed standard for all riders, and may not be the best choice for competitive downhill racing, but we like the versatility that they offer for general purpose mountain bike endeavors. - Brad Walton |
Race Face Ambush knee pads
Race Face has revised their top-end, D3O-equipped Ambush knee pads with open-back construction, so now there's no shoe removal necessary. D3O shock absorbing padding allows for the pad to articulate around the knee for ease of movement, but upon hardens nearly instantly upon impact, with the molecules bonding together to disperse energy away from the knee. Perforated neoprene allows for breathability along the inner and outer sides as well, and an integrated stabilization pad centers the knee and keeps the them in place. Adjustable elastic straps at the top and bottom prevent slippage. The Ambush pads come in stealth black, and are available in sizes S-XL. MSRP: $89.99 USD Race Face
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| While ease of use was the idea with the newest rendition of an old favorite, the Ambush pads stay true to their roots as one of the best fitting and most durable, protective knee pads we've seen. As seen on the lower right image, a total of 5 hook and loop closures per pad make sure that these won't blow off on impact. |
Pinkbike's Take:
| The second coming of the Ambush's continues the legacy of superb fit and superior impact protection that we have come to love in Race Face's top end knee pad, but now with added shoe-removal-free design. The Ambush pads have already proven their durability after several seasons of injury-free wipeouts. Although the new pad design isn't quite as simple, it's much faster to put on and remove for those that still tie their shoes, and they go nearly unnoticed until called upon. Unlike some of their competitors, the Ambush pads don't dodge the bullet when it's wearer goes bouncing and sliding down the trail. Despite many crashes, the tough front material is unphased. Our favorite part of this protective armor is the padding on the inner and outer knee that protects from side impacts, especially from encounters with the top tube of the bike. Now that the Ambush pads have the convenience of leaving on our shoes, we're likely to wear them on rides we wouldn't typically even bring pads for. - Brad Walton |
Troy Lee Designs D3 CF helmet
There is no arguing that TLD's D3 helmet is seen throughout the DH scene as the go-to lid. The D3's carbon fiber shell exceeds all industry standard safety tests, and creates one of the lightest choices in full-face protection for all-day comfort. A dual-density shock pad system secures fit, while twenty high-flow intake and exhaust ports allow for ventilation. Machined titanium visor screws reduce weight and look sweet. The D3 has a removable, replaceable, and washable MX-style comfort liner with CoolMax and Dri-Lex. Quick-release cheek pads aid in emergency helmet removal. Includes a protective helmet bag and two adjustable D3 visors that allow for custom height placement. Available in a variety of color schemes from subtle to day glow. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL. MSRP: $450 USD. Troy Lee Designs
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| Carbon fiber may not be everyone's first choice for DH components, but there's nothing lighter and with as much impact protection for your head. You're going to want to use the included helmet bag to keep it in tip-top form, however. |
Pinkbike's Take:
| Although the paint scheme on our test D3 CF looks a bit like a sponsorship by America's favorite fast food joint, the underlying carbon fiber weave that shows through screams 'baller'. Cosmetics aside, this thing is built to spare your brain cells, and the advanced design and fit does just that. The D3 doesn't sit on your head; your head fits into the D3. Beware that when trying on the D3, fit should be tight at first. The initial fit nearly squeezed out our eyeballs, but within a few rides the cheek padding packs out to offer the most snug, movement-free fit of any DH helmet tested. Thanks to the gram-shaving carbon design, the D3 isn't much more noticeable than a standard open-face helmet either. Visibility is excellent, as is goggle compatibility. The back of the D3 extends high for plenty of freedom of movement - although we did not test the helmet with a neck brace, Whistler has been packed all season with riders rocking a D3/brace combo. The traditional D-ring buckle is about the only thing we don't like about the D3, as it takes longer than negotiating a simple snap buckle. Having said that, there's no chance of breaking a D-ring. Fortunately, we weren't able to test the impact protection that the D3 CF claims to offer, but we feel confident in knowing that the D3 has passed all the standard safety tests and is endorsed by the fastest racers on our planet. - Brad Walton |
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Member since Dec 11, 2007
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I have tried and own the helmet and the knee pads. I can vouch for the helmet! I had a face first helmet to ground experience.
The D3 probably saved my face from being smashed into a pulp. Afterwards I just replaced the visor... SOLID
I would like to try out the shoes, no one really sells them? bad distributing...
Looks weird...
I'm not comfortable looking at the picture anymore