With so much riding going on with trail bikes that used to be the sole preserve of big bikes, uplift, and plenty of body armour it's no surprise to many that a whole genre of downhill-lite products have begun to appear to cater to these riders who want to get to the top themselves but still ride proper trails on the way back down. So much of our local riding is just like this yet rarely do the knee pads get pulled out, which is fine until you start heading towards the dirt. The AMX's major draw is the zip for ease of removal before a climb, yet more often in our time with them they were just left on for the entire ride as they were so comfortable. Mid-summer riding in a country other than the UK may well be a different proposition but we certainly didn't find them to be overly cumbersome or hot. Having also used the heavyweight O'Neal Sinner pad for many years we know that Sas-Tec works fantastically well, and on the couple of occasions when the AMX was called into action, they performed faultlessly albeit for downhill I'd be inclined to pull on something just a little more heavy duty. None of the current knee pads using visco-elastic foam are cheap, whether Sas-Tec or D3O, but the technology allows for a lighter and thinner pad to give as much, or more, protection as the heavier traditional designs so they definitely do a lot to prove their worth. - Alasdair MacLennan |
At 780mm, the Burgtec Ridewider is definitely not a narrow bar. The shape is spot on, both at the full width, and when trimmed down to 760mm which was required for bruised knuckle avoidance on some of our tighter local trail. Flex is in the comfortable middleground; not noticeably flexy, yet not so stiff that every last piece of trail buzz makes its way through to your hands. While Burgtec may not be the biggest manufacturer out there they manage to punch well above their weight with some of the top riders in the world choosing to run their products. You need only look to Brook Macdonald who won't use any other pedal, and Josh Bryceland using their direct mount stem. The Ridewider bar is comfortable in both shape and stiffness, and comes in at a more than reasonable weight really for a full width aluminum bar. Striking graphics and accurately etched alignment and cut markings round out the positive picture. If we were being super critical the anodising could probably be slightly harder wearing, and the bold graphics are also a little soft, but they really are pretty minor criticisms in an otherwise positive product. - Alasdair MacLennan |
It's a shame that Scott Sports don't get more airtime in the mountain bike market, for while their goggles have a major following on the moto scene, this has yet to translate into popularity amongst the gravity disciplines. The Tyrant MX is a supremely comfortable goggle that has great clarity of vision when new, and thanks to a tough lens with a strong anti-fog coating on the inside of the lens, they stay this way for a long time too. Venting is impressive and the RAM system definitely seems to do its job, to the point that you could use these quite happily as an enduro goggle, even in typical wet and humid (and pedally) conditions typical of British events. Silicone ribbing on the strap did a great job of keeping it in place on both our TLD D3 and Giro Feature lids. That unique Fit System was initially viewed as a bit of a gimmick but actually using it totally transformed this impression. Where goggles are usually a personal thing, dependent on both facial shape and compatibility with your chosen helmet, the adjustment offered by it circumvents this and allows for the goggle to be tailored to fit a variety of different face shapes by the simple turn of a key. It only works on the lower portion, but as this is the bit that usually causes problems with fit, that's where it's most effective. It doesn't add any noticeable weight to the goggle, and the cam system on which it operates is as simple as it is effective so aside from a slight increase in cost, we can't see any downsides. Over and above the adjustment system though, there were two far simpler features which stood out. Firstly, the frame is ultra-low profile directly below your eyes, and cut at an angle, which helps provide great visibility. Secondly, and one which has been a bone of contention on some goggles in the past; the nose isn't restrictive. While still forming a tight seal at the top of your nose, the foam is of reduced thickness towards your nostrils which makes an amazing difference when breathing heavily. It also means you don't need to start hacking at your brand new purchase just so you can breathe freely. Although Scott sent us this monochrome colour pairing, checking out their site shows a number of great vibrant colourways and designs available to suit more outgoing tastes. The Scott Tyrant MX goggle is comfortable, well made, and offers the unique Fit System, as well as a number of neatly executed design features such as the high quality anti-fog lens, RAM venting, and well shaped face foam. They're not the cheapest but they should last a while, and being Scott, spare lenses are likely to be available readily no matter where in the world you happen to be. - Alasdair MacLennan |
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www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Knee-Shin-Pads,56/Race-Face/Ambush,12697
Been using them for a while now and they are brilliant.
Guess they were afraid of using the 'E" word
I'm keen to try their pedals too but wouldn't swap out my point 1 stem any time soon.
£1 = $1.66 or there abouts at the moment FYI