After a move from spending winters riding in Sydney & Auckland to Christchurch my winter riding kit needed updating. I have a great Mons Royal top that is merino with a windproof front that has been my go to riding top when on the MTB. Using that as a base I went looking for something with a similar construction but looked suitable for the road bike, hence the Rapha Brevet Long Sleeve Windblock Jersey. It is certainly an improvement in style than the Mons top when on the roadie.
The second really key was that most of my Christchurch riding includes climbing and descending the Port Hills. So the winter top had to be breathable for the climbs, but with protection for the descents. This the Brevet Long Sleeve Windblock Jersey does. The fit is generous as it is more relaxed than the pro team fit, being of a relaxed build this is a benefit to me. The 3 pockets on the back are large, good for storing phone, jacket, food, glasses etc.
On rides like yesterday that started at 8 degrees and rose to 13 degrees over the few hours, it took to ride along the flat to Sumner before the first climb up Evans Pass. This climb has patched over 12% and switches between sun and shade. The jersey provided good wind protection along the flat, before the climb, On the climb, I didn’t overheat which I would normally do in a winter jacket. The next part of the ride was out and back to Godley Head which is undulating, so constant change from climb to coast again great temp control by the jersey.
The Evans Pass to Dyers Pass; which consists of prolonged climbs and descents although of a gentler gradient than the climb to the pass, to visually stunning with the Southern Alps on the western horizon, with almost no flat road and even better no cars. The jersey is in its element here as keeping me within temperature comfort zones. With the zip on the front allowing tuning of temp, this was a great clothing choice.
The final descent from Mt Pleasant to Sumner is about 15 min (420m) of coasting with zero pedaling. This is the test of your clothing and the Brevet Windblock Jersey delivered prevented me from chilling even after the climbing earlier.
The jersey after about 4 months of use has held its shape and post riding just goes into the wash with my other cycling gear on a warm wash.
The jersey does provide some protection/warmth when the moisture arrives, it has been tested in low cloud/miss that we get on the Port Hills on previous rides, but is not a waterproof jacket.
With the large pockets on the rear can carry any spare layers that need to be removed as the day warms up, hence will be great for any long days.
This top will be my go to jersey for rides during the transition months and will just end up with layers underneath or on top depending on what else the weather requires. The top is not a super warm blocking winter top but will be great as move into spring. Early morning summer rides before work will see me trialing the jersey as well. Rapha Brevet Long Sleeve Windblock Jersey will be one of those versatile jerseys that will get multiple seasons of use. Additionally would make a great bike packing top with its versatility and style.
- Richard Houghton
See the Rapha - Brevet LS Windblock Jersey here
]]>We’ve been lucky enough to be the first country outside the USA to receive the new ENVE Melee. ENVE has been long known for their carbon expertise, mostly in wheels and handlebars, but what a lot of people don’t know is ENVE is also the company other companies turn to when they need help engineering something out of carbon. They are truly masters in the art of carbon. Since other frame manufacturers have started making their own components, ENVE decided to start making a frame. The Melee is designed to be an all day race bike, with wide tire clearance and aero shaping.
My normal steed is a Specialized Aethos 56cm, running Alpinist CL wheels with Vittoria Corsa 30c tires, Alpinist cockpit, Specialized Power Mirror saddle, SRAM Rival group set with a power meter, and Ceramic Speed OSPW – and I absolutely love it! I also get to ride lots of different bikes and have done over the years, so I’m no where near a pro, but I get to try more bikes than most. Given my love for my Aethos and my sampling of lots of different bikes, the Melee had a lot to live up to.
The bosses Melee, as you’d expect was decked out with the best of the best; ENVE Melee frame 56cm, ENVE 4.5 wheels running Specialized Turbo 26c tires, ENVE stem (110mm), and bars (42cm) which come with the frame, full Dura-Ace 12-speed group set, Specialized Romin Mirror saddle. So a top-shelf build for sure! Even more pressure for the new Melee to live up to.
Today's ride was just a quick 30km out and back of the Wellington bays to get some quick PR shots, so roads most Wellington riders will know well; flat and fast, with bike lanes in parts, traffic in others and no where to hide from the wind! So, how was the Melee? In one word FAST! Did it live up to the hype and the price? Absolutely! Would I buy one? When it comes time to replace my Aethos it'll definitely be a contender!!!
I’ll get it out of the way now and no, the Melee is not as comfy as my Aethos on rough roads, but it also isn’t as bone-shakingly firm and stiff as some other Aero race bikes I’ve ridden. As an everyday race bike ENVE absolutely nailed it! The layup of the frame is plenty stiff and responsive for sprinting (there were quite a few sprint repeats trying to get the right shot), but still compliant enough to fly over the rough roads without getting bounced or thrown around. I can absolutely see how Alexey Vermeulen rode this with wide tires and won the Belgian Waffle Ride. So ride quality, tick! What the stunning ride quality does is allow all the other components and the frame itself to go FAST! How fast? Well I’ve done the bays a lot, and on this ride of 31 Strava segments I got 16 achievements, and I didn’t feel like I was pushing hard. The Melee sprints up to speed and stays at speed with a subtle elegance and a smoothness that belies how fast you’re actually moving. Even more impressive was how it achieves this in all conditions, headwind or side wind, rough tarmac or smooth road; the Melee is fast and smooth.
The Dura-Ace 12 speed as you’d imagine is epic, tight, and confident shifting on the front and rear, nice steps between gears and quiet. I do prefer SRAM shifting buttons and found myself shifting the front derailleur by accident a few times, but because the shifting was so good undoing my mistake was very easy. The Specialized Mirror saddles, either Romin or Power are an absolute masterpiece of a saddle. Yes, they are expensive but for what is arguably your most important contact point and for the comfort these saddles offer, for me it’s a no-brainer. The ENVE cockpit, included with the frame but you can specify size and length, is a stunner. Super comfortable and pairs with the frame's ride quality perfectly. The ENVE wheels are the same as the cockpit and the frame – a perfect combination of aero, stiffness, and compliance. If you’re going to go for the frame, you’ll get the bars and stem, and you really should spring for the wheels too; they just work so well together.
Given this is the boss's bike, while we do ride the same frame size, we run very different setups and look to get different things out of a bike. Personally, I would run SRAM, I’d run a shorter stem and a bit more stack (I’m not very low and pro), I’d run the ENVE 3.4’s instead of the 4.5’s and I’d run a wider tyre. This is because Andrew is far faster and more of a racer than I could ever hope to be. However, the stand out of this bike is the frame, Andrew has built the Melee as his race bike for the season, and the way he’s spec’d it, it’ll be an absolute weapon for him. I don’t race and just want an all-round comfortable but high-performance bike and the Melee would more than tick that box too. I was blown away by just how fast the Melee is while being as comfortable as it was.
Carbon fibre is a very weird material and getting the most out of it is as much an art as a science. It’s stiffer, but at the same time more compliant. It can be laterally stiff while being vertically compliant. It can flex one way but not the other. Getting the most out of this material really takes a company that know what they’re doing, and ENVE really are some of the best in the game. They’ve shown it with their wheels, bars, and stem and they have continued to smash it out of the park with the Melee. An everyday aero race bike seems like an impossible ask but it seems for now at least that ENVE have nailed the brief. If I could afford one I would jump on one in a heartbeat, and if you can, you should! Build it as a race bike, build it with a bit more comfort, this frame is top of the class.
P.s, with Andrew away for a while longer I've taken the bike on a few more rides, thrown some hills at it, and I stand by my first impressions; it's an amazing bit of kit.
- James Cupit
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We currently have a 2022 Focus Sam2 eMTB on review which you can check out on the other pages within this mag, but one of the standout features of this bike was the all-new Bosch motor. We have ridden a lot of different motors and to be honest they’re all pretty good, so we asked ourselves the question as what all this hype was around the Bosch system. Suffice to say after a few months aboard this motor we were really impressed, so without boring you to death we thought we’d delve into a bit more chit chat on this motor and give you shredders at home a bit more of an insight into what makes this super cool Bosch motor tick. This is the now in its fourth generation Bosch motor, it is as you can see rather sleek, light, compact and bloody powerful to boot. With a 625w battery, 85nm of torque, and a variety of progressive settings what’s not to like about this neat little setup. Not only does the Bosch motor deliver in athletics, but it also has ample amounts of grunt to complement its good looks. There are also 4 different power modes and a walk function thrown in for good measure.
Economy or ‘Eco’ mode pumps out 50% of added support from the rider’s power output, which in short makes the bike feel and pedal like your non-aspirated whip. The ‘Tour’ mode 120% of additional grunt, in this setting you are getting a noticeable assistance but you’re still getting a workout, as the name ‘tour’ suggests, this setting is ideal if you’re heading
out for a longer ride and want to get the most out of your battery life, but you still want a little extra pep from the motor to conserved energy. One of the really cool settings is the EMTB, think of it a as bit more punch than your traditional trail mode but still a good option to conserve a bit of battery, it’s a lot better for climbing as it provides a smoother output under load which maintains traction with the trail surface yet still pumps out plenty of torque on the decents and undulating sections, as matter of fact this is like your do it all mode which we found ourselves riding in the majority of the time. One little cool element to this mode is what they refer to as ‘extended boost.’ In short as you’re pedalling up climbs especially more technical sections the power assistance continued to drive the motor for a fraction even after you stop pedaling which makes navigating tight, steep, technical sections a breeze and really maintains traction between the rubber and trail surface.
And at the very top of the horsepower list is of course ‘Turbo’ mode! This setting defiantly put a smile on our dial, to be honest we didn’t use this setting a lot as is really packs a punch deliver 300% percent of assistance to your power output. We found we used this mode a hell of a lot when punching fi re roads or fl at section between trails or a lot on the road when riding to our trail networks, one thing we’ll say is the ‘Turbo’ setting does put a grin on your face. Some other cool notable features about this motor its weight coming in around 2.79 kg, the motor is light compact and comes with built in protection from any trail debris. Bosch offer a couple of variables with their motors, battery sizes and
control screens which will depend a lot on what make and model eBike you’re going for. The motor we tested really is best suited to more aggressive style riding, so one thing we should touch on is its reliability. We have really handed it to this motor, in a variety of conditions and it been super reliable, not only that, but it is also really, really quiet compared to some other motors we’ve ridden. A couple of other key points is the fact it charges up super quick but the biggest thing we noticed was the smooth delivery of power that sets Bosch apart. A few of our crew took this sucker for a spin and they all complimented this motor on how smooth it is to ride. The system we tested came with a neat little display screen on the bars were your can see how far, fast you’re going, gone, speed, battery life etc. and as mentioned above there is an easy-to-use walk assist function. There is also scope to adjust your settings, so if you want to get into customizing your own settings you have the ability to do that as well. We ran a 625w batter which some may argue is on the smaller side of things but to honest it was pretty economic for its size. We punch out some decent rides with this battery size and never found we ran out of juice. With that said there is different batter size options again depending on what bike you buy. Overall, when you ride a bike fitted with the new Bosch Performance Line CX it becomes immediately obvious why so many people have been raving about this motor. It’s ride quality and performance certainly does not disappoint. It pretty much ticked all the boxes as far and style, weight, power output and adjustability, not only that its ride performance was right up there we the best our team have experienced to date. If this new Bosch motor is an insight into the progression of eMTB, all you cool cats start saving your pennies because you’ll need more space in your shed for an addition to your quiver of trail sleds.
Words - Scotty Prendergast
Photos - Matt Staggs
]]>First up can we get an overview of the Sam2’s other key attributes? Sure, the Sam2 slots into Focus’ e-MTB line up as their all-out aggressive, long travel enduro/freeride style e-Bike. The bike we tested was the 6.9 which boasts high-end Fox Factory 38 forks, Fox Coil in the rear, with the front and back end pumping out 170mm of travel respectively. This whip comes stock with Focus Bikes unique ‘FOLD’ suspension linkage, all alloy frame, Race face bars, Focus Bike's own cable integrated stem, Shimano XT Drive Chain, XT 4 piston brakes, 29-inch Race Face AR30 hoops front and rear with Novatech hubs, Fox Dropper and a KS Lever thrown in for good measure. The key piece to this puzzle is the all-new Bosch Performance CX generation 4 motor with a lockable 625-watt battery. There’s so much to talk about the new Bosch motor that we’ve actually put together a separate article centred around how it performs which you’ll find elsewhere within this edition of the mag.
As you guys can see from the photos and the spec level this bit of eye candy looked the absolute goods, so it’s no secret that once we had this sucker built, we were pretty amped to hit the trails. Sounds impressive. Okay so how about the bike’s geo package? Funny enough when we first read the spec and geo sheet for the new Sam2 we wondered if perhaps Focus were being a little conservative with its angles. For instance, a 76-degree seat tube angle and a 65-degree head angle isn’t following today’s trends where most brands are chasing each other down a rabbit hole of being forever lower and slacker with their frame layouts, however, as we will explain in a lot more details further into this review we reckon Focus have actually hit the nail on the head and made some smart decisions with the angles that they gone with for their newest ‘enduro’ e-MTB. Another thing we should mention is that Focus have designed the Sam2 to able to run a 27.5” rear wheel (mullet set-up). You simply need to find a 27.5” wheel and spin the flip chip located down near the rear axle, which Focus refer to as a ‘Drifter’ chip. This slackens the head angle from 65 degrees to 64.1 degrees and lowers the bottom bracket. We rode a large which runs 480mm reach. The bike does have a relatively short seat-tube with a low stand-over height making the cockpit roomy with the ability to transfer your weight around the bike easily.
Now as we all know Focus Bikes are known for boasting that quintessential German design style and engineering excellence. In your opinion does the new Sam2 live up to that mantra? Look, as a bike company, these guys as mentioned above have really developed a reputation for quality and performance but also value for money, Focus Bikes are no budget bike by any stretch, they are right up there with the attention to detail and the ride quality of many of your boutique whips on the market. They provide a broad range of push bikes, from, XC, road, touring MTB etc. They also offer a wide range of carbon and alloy models to boot, so depending on what you like in a bike Focus have most of those bases covered.
One of the most unique features about this bike is its ‘FOLD’ rear suspension design. Tell us a bit about the theory behind the FOLD concept and how you found it actually feels/handles out there on the trail? The two-piece ‘FOLD’ suspension design is pretty much a single pivot with a linkage which joins the swingarm to mainframe. The linkage itself sits on top of the shock pivot and basically, under load or impacts it rolls over the top of the pivot to actuate the shock. The shock is also vertically mounted with the lower mount nestled low in the downtube on top of the motor. The linkage itself is all bearings, it’s neat, small, and it isn’t just for looks, the position of the shock leaves the centre of gravity nice and low.
The compact pivot point reduces flex and wear and tear which makes the performance of this rear end direct, supple and reliable. There is plenty of room for a water bottle and/or tool roll and the way the linkage is designed makes the bikes bearing a lot less susceptible to grit and grim getting into your linkage bearings. The majority of e-MTB on the market these days come stock with air rear shocks however this bike comes out swinging with a big Fox coil shock. Did you find the attributes of a coil shock leant itself well to the e-Bike and the style of riding that the Sam2 has been designed for? As you all know air and coil shocks both have their pros and cons, there is a bit more adjustability on the fly with an air shock and they tend to be a bit lighter. With that said we do like the additional mid stroke support and progressive feel of a coil, they do offer this bike in a couple of build options with air or coil and it’s a little like tomato or tomato. Personally, the test team liked the fact this bike came with a coil, with most of the team coming from a more gravity feed background we found the coil awesome. I found the rear end of the bike tracked the ground super well under pretty much all trail conditions and this inspired confi dent riding and we really noticed how much the suspension platform generated traction to both wheels. In layman’s terms the suspension kinematics of this bike suit a coil or an air shock, so depending on what you prefer Focus have you covered. You spent quite a lot of time test riding the previous generation Sam2 for the mag a couple of years ago, how much different does this latest version ride compared to its predecessor and how much have Focus advanced in the eMTB space throughout the years? You’re right, we were lucky enough to get one of the earlier models of this bike a couple of years back and suffice to say we were impressed back then, although the silhouette of the new bike does still look remarkably similar to its predecessor, there have been a number of clever little design tweaks and changes that Focus have tailored into their latest offering. Back when Focus first started entered the e-MTB space one of the things that set the original Jam2 and Sam2 apart what other brands were doing was that Focus decided they wanted to keep the overall weight of the bikes as light as possible and one of the ways they tried to do that was by effectively offering the bikes with half size batteries, around 300Wh rather than 500Wh which was the industry standard at the time. Wind the clock forward several years to right now and a lot has changed, including battery sizes that come stock in Focus e-MTBs. Then new Sam2 comes out swinging with 625Wh juice in its tank. Tell us a bit about the ‘range’ of the new big battery and how you found it to live with? I think Focus have found a real sweet spot with the 625Wh battery size. It offers riders the perfect balance between having enough juice in the tank to head out for all-day adventures without having to worry about running out of power, but at the same time they’ve till managed to keep the bike’s weight down to a reasonable fi gure so that handling isn’t sacrifi ced. Clearly there’s a lot that you like about the new Sam2, was there anything that you didn’t like so much? Yeah, to be honest this bike proved itself to be a really nice all-around package. That said, when pretty much everything on a bike is perfect it does often tend to shine the spotlight on parts that are anything less than perfect and there were a couple things that I’ll briefly mention. Firstly, handlebar mounted display screen is a little big/bulky which makes it quite susceptible to being damaged.
FOCUS
SAM2 6.9
TECH Specs Sam2 (6.9 model)
FRAME 7005 hydroformed aluminium,
3D forging, internal cable routing.
SIZE OPTIONS S, M, L, XL
WHEELSIZE 29” front and rear as stock.
Mullet rear compatible.
TRAVEL 170 front and rear
MOTOR Bosch Performance CX Gen 4
BATTERY 625Wh battery
COMPONENTS Fox 38 FIT2 Factory fork,
Fox Van Performance Coil rear shock,
Shimano XT full drivetrain 12 speed,
Shimano XT brakes203mm rotors,
Samox EC40 cranks, Race Face Chester
780mm bar and Focus CIS 50mm stem,
RaceFace rims laced to Novatec hubs,
Schwalbe Magic Mary 2.6’s.
PRICE $10,999
BROWSE focus-bikes.com
I would love to see Focus relocated the info display, ideally even integrated down into the bikes toptube. That way it would be a little more user friendly, and it would no doubt at the bike’s already lovely frame lines. The other minor issue were the stock tyres. Sure, tyres come down to personal preference and it has a lot to do with where you ride but when we switched the stock Schwalbe rubber out for a set of Maxxis control tyres instantly the handling of this bike improved by a long shot. Overall, what type of rider is the Sam2 6.9 going to suit the best? Sand what did you think of its overall performance? That is a bit of a diffi cult question in the sense that being an eBike anyone can really enjoy riding this thing. A better question is who this rig is really designed for? Well, if you’re the type of rider who loves your eBiking but you like to explore the more aggressive trails on offer then the Sam2 is for you. However, just because may not ride in the same sphere as some of your pro athletes’ is doesn’t exclude you from enjoying the ride quality of this eBike. What we’re saying is if you want to push the limits then this bike is up to the task. We punched a heap of XC laps, DH runs, and we’ve ridden this rig in a variety of locations including Canberra, Bright, Cooma and the Blue Mountains. We’ve railed berms, turns, rocks, roots, bumps and booters and we have been left rather impressed again with the ride quality of this Focus. And what not to like?! The new Sam2 packs a punch; it looks good, it’s spec’ed really well, it comes with probably the best motor currently on the market couple with great sized battery. Furthermore, it’s platform was super supple, and overall, the handling of the bike is stable at speed and planted in the rough stuff, yet it’s still nice and playful when you want to rip corners or send some big jumps. It scores a big thumbs up from us!
Words - Scotty Prendergast
Photos - Matt Staggs
]]>Once the frame arrived it was quickly RideWrapped and built. The build was a breeze, with the frame's internal cable routing channels making life easy. All the parts from my previous Forbidden Dreadnought frame went directly onto the new bike and boy did it look good all built up. I set the bike up in low BB height and the middle head angle option. I did leave my Fox 38 at 170mm rather than changing it to the 160mm recommended on the Stumpjumper Evo, which slackened the bike out a little more. Leaving the fork at 170mm was for a combination of reasons, one of which was definitely laziness and another was the belief that being slightly over-forked isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I run the e-bike shock option because it fits in my Mondraker Super Foxy frame, whereas their non E-Bike offering doesn’t. Currently, I’m running a 375-pound linear spring as the EXT E-Storia Coil shocks have a progressive buffer built into the body of the shock, meaning I don’t get harsh bottom outs. The spring is a little lighter than I would normally run, but due to being on the more heavily damped E-Bike shock, I don’t need the spring to offer the same level of support that I would on a different shock.
My favourite thing about the fork is the fact it’s super supple off the top but doesn’t blow through its travel, almost like combing the suppleness of a RockShox fork with the mid-stroke support of a Fox fork. It also uses an air chamber to control the end stroke ramp up instead of tokens like most other forks. The fork uses two air chambers and a coil spring to make the fork super customizable. The coil gives the fork its suppleness early in the travel while the two air springs allow for the ability to tune both the mid-stroke support and end stroke ramp up individually. This makes adjusting the fork quite easy, as I can adjust each section to what I want, rather than make sacrifices in certain areas.
The shock has a super smooth hydraulic ramp up in it, so I don’t experience heavy bottom outs and it feels really good even with a softer spring. The shock doesn’t have the same level of adjustment as the fork, but I haven’t found this to limit its performance or ride quality.
The only thing that I wish was available on both the fork is high-speed rebound, otherwise, everything has been great so far. The shock does have a heavy damping tune on it due to being designed for E-Bikes, which does feel good and suits my riding style, but I don’t think would work for everyone.
I think that EXT suspension is best suited to riders who know what they want and how to set their suspension up. All the adjustment is awesome, but it does mean that if you don’t know what you’re doing it can be hard to set up and get feeling good. When ordering the suspension from ProFlow in Queenstown, it comes set up for your riding style and weight but you still need to know what you’re doing on the setup side.
]]>After my previous waterproof jacket had a run-in with a rather sharp tree branch, and with a very wet-looking weekend in Rotorua on the horizon, the search for a new waterproof jacket was on.
With so many options, this could easily have turned into a rather daunting process but fortunately, I had a good idea of what I was after. The number one priority for me was that it needed to be water-proof, I wasn't overly worried about insulation or warmth, rather I needed a jacket that would keep me dry in even the wettest of conditions.
Enter the Fox Ranger 2.5L Water Jacket, with a 10K/3K rating and a DWR finish to repel water I had a good feeling this jacket would be exactly what I was after. And with its very first outing going to be keeping me dry, on a very wet weekend in Rotorua racing the Giant 2W Enduro, what more of a test could you ask for? I opted for the Blue Camo colourway, as I felt like there didn't need to be another guy out riding in a black jacket.
Riding up in Rotorua the jacket performed exactly as advertised, keeping my underlayers dry and when accompanied by a set of Fox Ranger 3L Pants made for great wet weather riding coverage. I didn't find riding in the jacket too hot, although the rather miserable weather probably had a hand in that.
At the end of each day's riding all I had to do was hose the jacket down, to clear off the day's mud before hanging it up ready for the next. I did find that the DWR finish did a very good job at stopping the mud from sticking to the jacket, although it will be interesting to see how long this finish lasts.
Overall, I need to spend some more time in this jacket to get a gauge of how well it handles a range of conditions, but I can say it definitely performs in the wet, which was the number one priority for me. If you need a jacket for wet conditions, I'd definitely recommend it especially accompanied with a set of Fox Ranger 3L Pants.
See the Ranger 2.5L Jacket Here
See the Ranger 3L Pants Here
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As someone who does not do things by halves, it's fair to say I spent a long time thinking about my gravel bike. A full year of thinking and saving had meant that I knew exactly what I wanted. Not even global stock shortages could stop the iRIDE crew from bringing together this vision.
Starting as a frameset in the spectacular gold color. We specced it out with the incredible Shimano GRX Di2 groupset in 1x configuration. Paired it with DT Swiss GR1600 gravel wheels. Added comfort with the carbon seat post and handlebar. And added the traction with Specialized Trigger tyres in 42mm.
This build was all about reliable performance. Having a bike that I could feel confident to ride off-road, take to areas I had never ridden before, and trust that the equipment would handle all I could throw at it. And after 6 months of ownership, I can safely say that it is exactly that.
So 3 things I like about my Cervelo Aspero. First I love the no-integrated front end. From a maintenance point of view, this is a dream. While also making bike fit changes so much easier. Second, I love the sleek look of this bike. No extra boss mounts or rack mounts, plus the subtle aero cues make it look amazing. And third, there is nothing like going flat out on a gravel track. The feeling of performance is so addictive for me and this bike plays right into that.
Let's be clear though the performance does have one drawback. The aggressive geometry does not lend itself well to the roughest versions of gravel (often mountain bike tracks if we're honest). So if you have very rough terrain it might not be the best option.
In all though this is a mega option for the gravel rider with the need for speed. Put on slicks for the road, or even hit up the local cyclocross race. The Aspero is ready to haul ass and look good doing it. - Brad
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After 4 months of waiting and countless delays, my Status 160 finally arrived. While the wait was a bit longer than I had expected, the benefit from it was that I had plenty of time to sort out upgrades and earn the money needed to get them. As soon as the bike came off the courier, I had my upgrades lined up, my first wave of upgrades was the addition of some Magura MT7 pros, followed by upgrading to a Burgtec cockpit and 5010 Fabric Seat. These upgrades gave my bike a new level of stezz (coolness) and performance benefit.
After two months of riding, I’ve done may rides and a many more upgrades. Switching to an X01 derailleur, as I noticed that the stock NX derailleur was a little loud and would struggle to shift under load. And upgrading the rear rim to a DT EX511 after pushing the original Roval rim a little too far.
One piece of set up that I puzzled over was deciding whether to run the shock in the high or low setting. Right off the bat the low felt very planted and confidence inspiring on steep trails, but I found the high setting to be far more playful and “springy” in the rear, allowing you to hop and manual with ease.
After many weeks of testing I decided to run my bike in the high setting, as I feel it suits my style of riding better than the low. In my opinion the high setting isn’t any less downhill capable, it just takes a little more ride time to get used to. Overall I find the high setting to be much more fun and playful, which ultimately is what I want to be.
- Ollie Waters
See the Bike Here
]]>What drew me too the Rapha Light Weight Trail Jacket was two things, knowing the I would use it commuting, I liked the Turmeric/Grey (Dark Yellow) colorway it came in and its ability to pack up small, making it ideal to fit into a bag, SWAT box or using its handy strap to attach to your frame.
My first ride in the jacket was a 5 hour, 1600m plus epic, featuring the best trails Craigieburn had on offer. Starting with a 500 climb to the top of the Craigieburn ski road, down Edge track and Luge before heading over to Mt Cheeseman to ride Cheeseman DH and Cuckoo Creek Track. Adding to this ride was the fact I was chasing Andrew and his mate Tama around on ebikes, while riding my very non ebike Forbidden Dreadnought.
Riding everything from exposed high alpine fire road to beach forest to ridgeline single track and tech climbs, gave me every possible opportunity to test out my the jacket. Over that 5 hours plus of riding I can honestly say, I never took it off, I didn’t overheat and sweat buckets chasing ebikes on the climbs or feel cold riding into the wind in exposed areas. The Jacket performed exactly as I believe a good riding jacket should, it kept me warm and covered from the wind without making me overheat or feel as though I was swimming in it. The conditions were cool and windy but dry, so I can’t comment on how it would perform in the wet, but from the stream crossings and puddles I did ride through I can imagine it would perform well in all but the wettest conditions.
Overall, I highly recommend this jacket to someone wanting a lightweight riding jacket for all but the wettest of conditions. It keeps the wind off your body and keeps you dry underneath.
See the Jacket here
]]>So when deciding to try something different after 4 years on a set of SRAM Code RSCs what to choose became quite a daunting process. After some research and glowing reviews from Workshop James, I decided to try out the Magura MT7 Pro, used by the likes of Loic Bruni, Finn Iles, and now iRIDE's own Joe Houghton. From having tested James's I knew these brakes were powerful and looked great with a shiny metallic silver finish, the only downside being that they could be tricky to set up.
Installing the brakes was relatively easy and after giving them a proper bleed they felt great. The limited pad clearance pad made setting them up a little tricky but after lubing the pistons and a couple of rides on them the spacing appeared to grow and both wheels now spin freely.
On my first ride with the Magura MT7 Pro's, I was blown away by their power, where once on I would be on the brakes early, I could now brake late and almost come to a complete stop if needed. My first few rides on steep tracks created a weird feeling as I felt like I had too much control, I can honestly say they are the most powerful brakes I have ever used. This newfound braking power has not come without consequences, however, in my first week of using them I washed the front out at least three times, all I believe from simply not being used to their power and over braking.
The only change from stock i've made to the brakes is swapping out the stock lever for the Bruni lever, as these fitted my hands better. Magura offers multiple different lever options to suit different riders and their needs/wants in brake feel.
Overall I would recommend these brakes to anyone that's looking for some new powerful brakes, they have tons of modulation and insane power so are perfect for any trail, enduro, downhill, or e-bike rider.
-Joe Houghton
]]>Specialized's Ambush helmet has long been a favorite among mountain bikers – the previous version was light, well ventilated, and didn't look too outlandish. Version 2.0 aims to keep that trend going, although this is much more than a slight revision. The Ambush received a complete overhaul, and it's really only the name that's the same.
"The Roval Carbon wheels are highly recommended for riders looking for a light, responsive set of wheels for cross-country or general trail duty. You can save a few grams by choosing a more expensive wheelset, but unless you're gunning for glory on the World Cup circuit it's hard to see any reason to pay more.
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After over 6 months of waiting and countless delays, it turned up just before Christmas. With all this waiting time, I had worked out exactly how and what I needed to do to set this bike up exactly how I wanted it.
Now, after almost two months of use and nearly 1000km, from 100km training rides in Rotorua and Wellington to Mt Vic laps after work, I can safely say my Epic Evo is exactly what I wanted it to be. I am yet to find a trail I can't ride it down or a climb it won't go up. It eats metres vert like no other bike I've ever owned, whilst keeping the downs equally exciting and amazing me with just how far 110mm travel can go.
The components on it have been equally incredible. My favourite by far is the remote lock out, which makes the bike feel like a hardtail when engaged and a trail bike when released. The XT 4-pot brakes are equally good and when combined with the aggressive geo and Fox 34 on the front, the bike is ready for anything.
With the Whaka being cancelled, I have yet to get this bike on a race track however, I did get the chance to put the bikes through its paces with the inaugural Welly Whaka. Riding just about everywhere you can in Wellington, all in one day gave me the chance to see not only how the bike handled different trails and terrain, but also how fatiguing it was to ride all day.
Riding for almost 10 hours, over 160km and almost 4000m vert, I can safely say I know this bike well. Throughout the ride I never felt the bike holding me back or causing me to waste energy. It obviously excels on the climbs and flow trails, where it maintains its speed incredibly well, but even trails like 491 and Deliverance where fun to ride.
This winter I'm keen to switch out the XC tyres for some more trail orientated ones and see just how far I can push the bike, so stay tuned.
- Joe Houghton
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