Broke My Shimano XT Rear Mech - 10 Speed: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

I have snapped the cage on my Shimano XT Mech. I had a front and rear wheel washout on a slow piece of wet wooden boardwalk and the impact put a clean snap about 1/3 of the way down the inner cage. 

I'm not sure whether to be disappointed, I know this mech is not a super strong DH mech and I was very impressed with it's shifting action, but I was very surprised that it broke during such a slow speed crash. In hindsight I wish I had gone for the Shimano Zee mech as I'm not too fussed about weight, but I like my parts to be strong and reliable.

Moving on:

Because of funding issues I have decided to go for the SLX 10 speed rear mech as a replacement. I now have this fitted and i'm very happy with it so far, it looks a lot more robust than the XT mech (probably because its the all-mountain group-set) and seems to have a nice sleek shifting action. 

I will review the SLX more thoroughly in the future, hopefully breaking your mech is a rare occurrence. 

On-One 456 Summer Season Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Slack head angle giving amazing downhill stability
• Compliant steel flex in the rear
• Looks amazing
• Made in Yorkshire
• Incredibly good value (you can get a frame new for under £150)

Cons

• They only come in mad colours
• Non-replaceable dérailleur hanger
• Could be considered heavy
• Doesn't have the steep seat tube angle found on the likes of the Ragley Blue-Pig

I use this bike for everything, I've got it set up with a sector air fork and 1x10 gearing and I can get up all but the steepest climbs whilst still being able to descend like i'm on a free-ride bike. Whilst ascending, all that is required is a slight shift forward on the saddle in order to keep the nose down. 

The handling characteristic are generally wonderful, it  rides so predictably on rough descents and never fails to put a huge smile on your face. I think I could keep up with most of my friends full suspension bikes on all but the most technical of DH tracks.

I'm actually so confident of the versatility of this bike that I am going to doing a St. Bees to Robin Hoods bay expedition on it, and for the money you cant beat it! £130 for a frame that can do it all! (On-One only sell the 456 EVO now, but it is very similar, I think it just has a slightly steeper head angle)

Jedd's conclusion: Amazing do it all, all mountain hard-core hard-tail! 

Endura Dexter Windproof Winter Glove Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Very 'dexter'ous for a winter glove
• Warm
• Genuinely windproof
• silicon beads on braking finger

Cons

• Bulky palm padding decreases connectivity and feel with the bike

I originally got these gloves for a coast to coast expedition (I was worried about getting cold hands), but after trying them on I realised that they were actually very comfortable and felt a lot like a race glove. However, the large gel inserts in the palm do detract from the overall racy feel of the glove. Although the gel inserts might be annoying on a short blast, i'm sure they will be a god send on a  long for the expedition. 

Jedd's conclusion: Great gloves, more dexterous than you would imagine but the large gel inserts in the palm may take some getting used too. 

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Shimano DX Clip-less Pedals Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Large surface area
• Great connection
• Bomb proof
• Shimano quality

Cons

• Not as pretty as some other all-mountain style clip-less pedals

These things are great! Mine have taken so many big hits, but they just keep working regardless. The plastic cage might put some people off, but it's robust and keeps the weight down to a minimum. The clipping action is as good as any Shimano SPD and is easily adjustable with an allen key. The larger surface area  means that, with practice, it can become possible to unclip and put your foot out moto style and then clip back in with ease. 

Jedd's conclusion: Amazing, nothing says I ride clipped in, but i'm hardcore like a pair of Shimano DX's! They're pretty cheap aswell! 

On-One Ultra Light CNC Stem Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Incredibly light
• Great look
• Comes in three colours
• No noticeable flex
• Reversable

Cons

• Steerer tube clamping force questionable

My first impressions of this stem were that it seemed impressively light, in fact it is so light that I thought it might not be strong enough! I was also delighted when I realised that it can be inverted so that the stems rise could be used (upside down) to lower the stack height, this was very helpful to me because I haven't gotten around to cutting my steerer tube. 

Whilst riding with the stem I felt no noticeable flex, however I did manage to move the stem during a crash, this caused the headset to decompress forcing me to un-tighten and refit the stem. This may however be down to human error, I do not possess a torque wrench, so it is possible that I may not have tightened the steerer tube clamp correctly. It is also important to re-affirm that my steerer tube is of an undesirable length and this may have caused the problem.

Jedd's conclusion: The lightness of this stem really is astounding, it looks great and seems really nice and stiff, the ability to invert the stem is also a great feature! I'm sure that my issues with this product have were caused by human error, so just buy it, for £29.99 you cannot beat it! Well done to the On-One Crew!

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Deuter Trans Alpine 30 Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Fantastic attention to detail
• Stable
• Streamline
• Comfortable
• Includes raincover

Cons

• Does not come with a bladder

Wow, what a bag! If like me you hate having to pull all of your clothes and food etc. out of your tiny day-sack just to find a multi that always seems to be at the bottom, then this is the bag for you. This bag really is huge and has been designed with epic adventures in mind, however it is just so stable and comfortable whilst riding that you could use it for every weekend.

The best thing about this bag is not just the size, but the attention to detail. this list of well thought out features is endless, 

these include:-

• A well thought out helmet retention system
• A removable pad to sit on whilst resting
• A clip system for looking after house/car keys
• A rain cover that doubles up as a hi-vis 

And many more features.....

Jedd's conclusion: Just buy it, you wont regret it, unless your racing its got to be the comfiest, most well thought out bag i've ever used. This includes walking rucksacks I've used, i'll probably use this for hiking/walking/mountaineering, its that good!

Urge Endur-o-Matic Review: mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

mountain-bike-equipment-reviews.blogspot.co.uk

Pros

• Great look (in a marmite kind of way)
• Confidence inspiring amounts of protection
• Comfortable (when fitted correctly)
• Robust shell

Cons

• Acquired looks (like marmite)
• Questionable ventilation

I have been using the Urge Endur-o-Matic for a few weeks now, and in all honesty I'm completely in love with it and don't think I could use another helmet again. I have always been unimpressd by the level of protection offered by conventional XC style lids, and always craved something in between the good old 'piss-pot' dirt jump lid and an XC lid. This, in my opinion is exactly what the Endur-o-Matic is.  

It offers great amounts of protection and still manages to give relatively good ventilation, however it might be important to note that if you usually wear XC lids, you may not be impressed by the ventilation properties. I myself however would readily sacrifice a bit of ventilation for the protection and unique look offered by the Urge Endur-o-Matic.

To conclude, if you don't mind getting a bit of a sweaty head, want to look cool and desire maximum protection then choose the Urge. If not, go for a more traditionally ventilated helmet such as the 661 Recon or the Fox Flux.

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