5 cool things from Muc-Off, Vitus, Pirelli, RRP and Crankbrothers
A quick taster of what's to come at Off-road.cc
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It's Friday again, so you know what that means! This week, we've got some cool kit Crankbrothers, Pirelli and RRP. Along with all that, Muc-Off is making an environmental mark with some fresh cleaner and we've got another Vitus bike ripe for testing. Here we go!
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Muc-Off Bottle for Life and Punk Powder
£30
Over the past few years, Muc-Off has become more environmentally conscious and most recently, the brand has released a new form of bike cleaner, Punk Powder. It's essentially a powder that you mix with water then hey presto, it's cleaner but importantly it's incredibly small compared to those bottles of Nano Cleaner, taking up less space in delivery vans. The powder also comes in neat paper sachets ignoring plastic for the clear negative impact.
In another bid towards environmental friendliness, Muc-Off offers Punk Powder with an aluminium spray bottle that should last the test of time.
The initial price of £30 may be a little stingy but the Punk Powder will only set you back £15 for two litres once you've burned through the first lot and of course, you'll be rewarded with the peace of mind that you're doing your bit for the environment... And you'll get a pretty cool bottle with a handy, stable silicone base to protect it.
RapidRacerProducts Pro Guard Front Mini Bolt-On and Standard Cable Tie
£27 - £37
RRP's front mudguards are designed especially for mountain bikes, offering supposedly unmatched protection against spray and mud made airborne from your front tyre.
At the forefront of the design is tyre clearance for an improved fit and minimising the chances of clogging. The mini version of the RRP front mudguard is intended for year-round use, being a smidge lighter and less obtrusive to the look of your bike. The standard length is designed to offer more protection. There's also an even longer Max Protection model available for even greater levels of protection.
Crankbrothers Highline 3
£180
Back in April, we were impressed with the Crankbrothers Highline 7 (see the review here) for its sheer ruggedness and super smooth action.
Now, we've got the cheaper Highline 3 which will save you a full £105. It comes with many of the same cool features as the 7, including the Igus LL-Glide bearings and keys, Trelleborg sealing and self-contained hydraulic cartridge but the one in this model uses a gas/oil emulsification cartridge, rather than the IFP you'll find on the Highline 7.
However, the big difference is that it comes with a larger range of diameters and travel options.
The one we've got on test comes with a beasty 200mm of drop but all of that travel is only available in the version with a 31.6mm diameter.
Vitus Rapide FS CR
£2,500
The Rapide FS CR is a entry-level full suspension cross country ripper that's made to be fast, yet comfortable during anything from cross country sprint races, right up to epic marathons.
For the money, you get a RockShox SID fork, a SIDLUXE shock along with a mixed Shimano Deore and SLX drivetrain. Of course, it'll be rude to forget that this bike is built around a carbon frame. That's not bad for £2.5k.
The geometry doesn't look to shabby either, with this medium frame getting a lengthy 475mm reach with a 67° head tube angle. We're looking forward to seeing what our tester has to say.
Pirelli Scorpion XC H
£55
Finally, we've got a pair of Pirelli's Scorpion XC H tyres in for review. They rock a low profile and compact tread pattern that's designed to excel over hardpack.
The tyre comes sorted with Pirelli's single compound rubber dubbed SmartGRIP which is supposed to offer more consistent grip as the tyre wears and this model uses the brand's ProWALL sidewall reinforcement to help the tyre remain stable at lower pressures.
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