We’re lucky enough to get the opportunity to test out some awesome kit here at WideopenHQ – here’s a selection of the goodies that we’ve had to play with in the last few weeks…
Orange hooked us up with this Cane Creek Double Barel/Fox 36 equipped Alpine 160 for our Portugal adventure. We were clueless what the trails would be like so wanted something with a bit of a teeth but that could still get our assess up some hills. Turns out it was perfect for the job. Lots of fun was had on this bike! Editor Jamie reckons that he is seriously tempted to trade in his downhill bike for a setup like this… What do you reckon? Thanks Orange. www.orangebikes.co.uk
Kask helmets are the offical choice of the super succesful ‘Team Sky’ British road cycling team and are a brand we’ve had in Wideopen for a little while now. We’ve been testing the top spec and super posh Vertigo for a while now and have been super impressed with the just how light and comfortable it is – though a little scared by the £175 price tag! The K50 (black) and K10 (white) are a bit more down to earth in terms of price but still super comfy and still offer the same awesome adjustment system, hundreds of vents and super light weight. More here.
This first of two brands in this post with ’nuts’ in the title … which is weird. Though probably not that weird for a mag called Wideopen I suppose. Anyway – piss pot style trail helmet from Hardnutz with blood splattery Reservoir Dogs styling. http://www.hardnutz.com.
Someone is trying to tell us something with all of this product … it’s 99% cleaning, wiping or washing products! What we’ve got here it’s some fine products from The Bluebeards Revenge, reportedly the ‘manliest of all shaving products’! We’re currently trying to find someone who shaves to try this stuff out on. www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk
Our good mates at Juice Lubes just brought out some new goodies… JL69 is a post-wash spray that forces nasty moisture out and Frame Juice is a post-wash frame polish. www.juicelubes.co.uk
And another new spray-in-a-can product – this time from Fenwicks. You basically spray this foam on your chain post-wash and use the special one of a kind sponge to rinse. The result is a gloop-free and happy chain. www.fenwicks.info.
Muckynutz just brought out version 2.1 of their Bender Fender. It’s heavier duty, it’s only £8 and it’s UK designed. It’s also got a smutty name which we like. www.muckynutz.com.
Looks like the bike industry thinks we’re dirty beggars at the moment as they keep sending us cleaning products. Big Wipes reckon they’re wipes will remove ANYTHING from your hands with just one wipe. You tell us what to wipe on our mitts and we’ll see if they work – best suggestion wins a pack… We might even video the test! www.bigwipes.com
Drift‘s new camera is pretty awesome but we did notice that the quality didn’t match up with our Gopro when we tested it out in Morzine… Luckily, they’ve just brought out a firmware update that they reckon will up the quality and make a big improvement. Good news because it’s a stable, easy to use and feature-packed wearable camera. We like. www.actioncameras.co.uk.
Sean over at SpiralGFX just sent these custom frame graphics over for my Orange Five. Spiral were the evil geniuses behind the fluro-neon-rave effect Propain team bikes that we all saw at the BDS this year and can pretty much make custom vinyl to any size, shape and design. Give them a shout to tart up your bike, van, helmet etc! http://www.spiralgfx.com/
And last but not least … Moon‘s X15oo light. We’ve had this 1500 lumin bad-boy for ages but finally managed to get out for a couple of night rides. Initial verdict is that we’re super impressed. It’s bright, the spread of the beam is great, it looks and feels really neat and the head-mount stayed put nicely over all sorts of rough-ass terrain. We’re looking forward to heading into the winter with this one. www.raleigh.co.uk
That’s it for now – stay tuned for long term follow ups on all of these products and more in Issue 17 of Wideopenmag!
Just because the race season is over doesn’t mean the banter has to stop. Macro’s finest banter horn with loud speaker and “oh le oh le” modes. Ideal for encouraging your pals through those slippery winter turns at your local mate’s race. Custom graphics not included.
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