Phew – things are busy here at Wideopen… We’re hotting up for our next issue and product is flowing in all over the place. It’s all good though – it’s giving us all an excuse to drag our arses away from the computer and get out and hammer some of it. Even if it is just taking the long route into work!
As always, this stuff will get a thorough bashing and a detailed review in the mag without our thoughts on whether it’s worth your hard earned dollaz! Here’s what’s new …
Fox 2011
The guys at Fox Europe have just kitted us out with some of their 2011 all mountain kit. First impressions are really good. There’s a reason why Fox have been at the top of the game for years – their kit is the bomb. Quality, comfortable and designed for performance as well as fashion. http://www.foxhead.com/eu
Outland
We missioned up the M1 last weekend to spend the day with the Diamondback/Raleigh team and for a guided tour of their brands. Outland are Raleigh’s baby and are bringing out some really solid kit at stunningly good prices. Better still, the guys behind the brand are all riders and are super keen to develop the product using rider feedback. Definitely good a decent package. http://www.raleigh.co.uk
Outland Slimline pedals
Outland’s Slimlines are getting an extra pin for 2011 to address the calls from the riders for more grip over their previous model. We’ll be dragging them through the winter gloop to see whether they cut the mustard.
Outland downhill bar and grip
So get this – A 760mm wide (that’s pretty wide) bar and a set of Outland’s lock on grips. £30 for both. Bargain. First impressions? Honestly, we’re not super happy with the 3degree back sweep but Outland have taken the feedback on board and are ramping it up to a comfier 6 degrees later this year. How’s that for listening to the customers eh? http://www.raleigh.co.uk
San Marco Zoncolon seat
We’ve had one of these on test for a couple of months and liked it so much we hooked the whole Wideopen race team up with them. They’re light, they’re solid, they’re tough and they’ve been designed with the feedback and testing of Cedric Gracia. The team ones are even in green to match the race kit! http://www.sellesanmarco.it http://www.raleigh.co.uk
Drift HD170 wearable video camera
We’re having a LOT of fun with this baby at the moment, courtesy of Action Cameras. There’s going to be a full write up in the mag so I won’t get too detailed … but it’s a top quality, rugged HD camera that you can mount on your bike, on your wrist, on your head and pretty much anywhere you can dream up. It does full 1080 HD, shoots videos or stills, sports a night mode/exposure control and most impressively has a crystal clear little screen for lining up the shots. You can even twist the lense to make sure it is straight when you mount it on a dodgy angle. My PC is currently too crap to edit the footage so until the new beast arrives you’ll have to make do with some footage of some bloke from Sheffield called Steve. http://www.actioncameras.co.uk
Diamondback Sortie
The DB Sortie came back from last weekend’s factory visit and there’s a bit of a fight going on amongst the team already over who is going to get to play with it! So far, it’s turning out to be a nippy and tough little trail bike. The Sortie is DB’s 130mm trail bike, clocking in at a very reasonable £1300. Full test in the mag of course. http://www.raleigh.co.uk
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