5 cool things from PNW, Surly, 661, WTB and ION
PNW's new hip pack and some not-quite drop bars find their way into the office
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Even more new tyres, an interesting looking gravel bike and a carrier
Sneaky tools, new saddles, more helmets and some fresh pedals ripe for the testing
Mother-made kit straps, another handlebar and a bag without a dancing monkey come in for testing
Fresh rubber for wheels and feet, along with mudguards and lights
In this week's 5 cool things, we've got some pretty interesting kit come in for testing. First off, we've got some drop bars designed to work with mountain bike brake levers, even more kit from PNW, and WTB's new Vulpine tyre. There's more to take a look at so let's get on with it.
- The best waterproof mountain bike jackets
- The 11 gravel-specific products you never knew you needed
- Range overview: Bombtrack Bicycle Co.
Surly Corner Bar
£120
If you've been thinking of bunging a drop handlebar onto your mountain bike then Surly's Corner Bar might be the perfect option for you. It's designed to accommodate mountain bike style brakes and gear shifters, and it can be set up in a number of ways, be it fully taped and with normal mountain bike style grips. It comes in three drop bar equivalent widths each with a 41.4° with a drop of 94mm.
PNW Rover hip pack
£51
Needless to say but we've been riding the PNW gravy train for a little while now but the brand has shown no signs of slowing down. This time, PNW's brand new Rover hip pack has come in for testing. It's said that there's enough space on the Rover to fit all of the tools you'll need out on the trail, along with a mid-ride burrito. On the side, there's a removable bottle pouch so if you need to, you can easily run the Rover to carry your hydration.
Of course, there are also adjustable wings and a padded mesh back panel to encourage a bit of cooling.
ION Rascal Select BOA
£170
ION says that the Rascal Select BOA shoes are a trail and race-optimised clipless shoe that offers much more than uncompromising power transfer to the pedal. Instead, it's shank and is designed to flex laterally while remaining stiff longitudinally. It's also designed to keep the foot from tilting on the pedal.
As its name suggests, the shoes come with a BOA fit system and get a special, one sided interior, so it's soft when you slide your foot in but grippy on the back of your heel to keep the shoe secure. The Rascal Select BOA follows an asymmetric design to protect the inside of your ankle and there's an EVA midsole with rubberised heel and toe caps to absorb impacts. Clearly, these are feature packed shoes so we're looking forward to finding out how all of those features perform on the trail.
SixSixOne Recon Advance knee guard
£100
The Recon Advance is a new pad from SixSixOne and it's dotted with protection that's been placed strategically to accommodate for a rider's movement. Its padding is then low profile and the guard gets an extended fit. Although not on test the Recon Advance can be worn with option plastic caps for a boost in protection during those particularly rowdy rides.
Their protection is certified to EN1621-1 standards thanks to a flexible D3O LP1 insert.
WTB Vulpine
£45
For 2021, WTB's Vulpine has been reborn but this time it's a gravel tyre. It's designed with tightly space knobs centre knobs to reduce rolling resistance while the rest of the knobs are pretty short, all in the name of efficiency and predictable cornering traction. WTB claims that the new Vulpine is ideal for gravel racers who are looking for efficiency and those who are looking for a tyre that excels on pavement, hardpack and gravel.
- wtb.com
- The best 700c gravel tyres you can buy - tried and tested adventure rubber for all conditions
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