We present 8 ingenious products for gaining speed on your mtb
What’s one of the best things about mountain biking? That’s right, going fast! We’ve specifically chosen eight rad products with speed in mind. The products listed here will all make you go faster on your bike. We’d shake hands on it… If you could catch us ;).
AVS MTB Handguards
Handguards are a controversial topic in the mountain bike world. Some people say they look as bad as wearing a full face helmet with glasses (if that’s your style, keep rocking it!) while others swear by their added protection. Well, unlike the full face and glasses combo, we’re all for them! No pair of gloves comes close to the protection offered by handguards when rallying down tight trails and threading the needle between spiky bushes, saving you painful cut knuckles and bruised fingers. As an added bonus, they also look flippin’ sick! When it comes to the best handguards for your mountain bike, there’s only one name you should be looking for! AVS are steeped in moto heritage and we all know there’s nothing cooler than motocross. Also, they’re the choice of none other than Sam Hill. So what are you waiting for?
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Price: € 59.90
Michelin DH 22-Reifen
Rumour has it that the Michelin DH 22 may be the current best tire on the planet… With new Magi-X DH rubber compound, a 4-ply casing and low-pressure reinforcement, these tires sound like the perfect rubber for going fast and charging hard. Available in both 29 x 2.4” and 27.5 x 2.4” sizes, the new DH 22 is advertised as an all-rounder capable of conquering a variety of trail conditions, from soft loam to mixed DH tracks and hard-packed bike park trails. The tires are UST tubeless-ready, feature a wire bead and weigh in at 1500 g (29”). While we don’t have an official review online just yet, we can let you in on a little secret: the hype is real. Early tests have shown these tires to offer a tonne of grip, great damping and high levels of puncture protection. If you wanna go downhill real fast, you need some of these!
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Price: Approx. € 66
SportCount Bike Timer
A great way to make yourself faster is to spend time dialling in your bike, timing your runs to find the best settings. The same goes for technique and line choice. But how do you consistently time yourself lap after lap? We all know that Strava isn’t exactly the most accurate (especially if you take a minute to warm up at the top of the trail) and professional time systems like Freelap don’t come cheap… Well, it’s time to take inspiration from the world of swimming. SportCount have done just that and designed a timer based on the finger-mounted lap counter used by swimmers. Of course, the product had to be refined for MTB use, with a specially designed strap that lets you attach the timer to your bars whilst also protecting the electronic internals from bumps and vibrations. We have used the SportCount Bike Timer for a number of different group tests and found it to be a great way of timing ourselves on our favourite test tracks.
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Price: Approx. € 42
VHS (Velocity Hucking System) Slapper Tape
Everyone knows that a quiet bike is a fast bike. Unfortunately, some manufacturers are lagging behind a little when it comes to effective noise-dampening chainstay protection. VHS (Velocity Hucking System) are a small New Zealand based company, offering a chainstay protector that will silence your bike for good! As a small, independent company, VHS are proud to use only natural materials and offset the carbon footprint of every product they make. Their VHS Slapper Tape is the pinnacle of chainstay protection technology, made of soft rubber and featuring evenly spaced ridges to absorb the slapping chain and keep your bike stealthy quiet, no matter how hard you’re charging!
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Price: Approx. € 25
Hanf Brüder Flow Drops
Sometimes you gotta slow down to go faster. It’s a fact. The CBD (Cannabidiol) market is booming and more and more athletes are seeing the benefits brought by the Hemp plant. Claimed to aid relaxation, rest and recovery while offering anti-inflammatory properties and much more, CBD oil has been approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for athletes in professional sports. One athlete who stands behind the use of CBD oil is Stevie ‘Fucking’ Scheider, who we talked to in our last issue. His belief in the powers of Hemp runs so deep that he started his own brand, offering Nano Hemp CBD oil specifically aimed towards athletes. Nano CBD is the latest craze in the CBD market, coating the CBD molecule in very small particles (such as Liposomes) that stabilise it and allow for quicker and more effective absorption. Whether CBD is for you is your decision, but if you are curious of the Hemp plant’s claimed medicinal properties, support a fellow rider and try Stevie Schneider’s Flow Drops!
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Price: € 79.90
Quarq ShockWiz
Do you crave suspension analysis like a factory racer? Or do the dials on your fork and shock drive you crazy? Well, either way, SRAM’s Quarq ShockWiz is here to save the day. For those of you who don’t know what it does, the Quarq ShockWiz is basically just a small device that’s a ‘wiz’ at suspension tuning. You attach it to your fork or rear shock via the valve and it connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. As you ride, it analyses the pressure data from your suspension unit and suggests set-up options. The ShockWiz is nothing new – it’s been on the market for a few years now. Luckily, that means that its price has dropped too and you’ll be able to find one online for nearly half the price listed above. Interested in the ShockWiz? Why not check out our review!
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Price: € 400
Bontrager BITS Integrated Tool
We all like ditching our backpacks and we all like racing tech. The Bontrager BITS, which stands for Bontrager Integrated Tool Storage, combines both of these things. You get to ditch the sweaty pack and store your tools in your bike like a pro. The Bontrager BITS uses a bolted compression fitting that is simple to install and replaces your existing star nut without the need to thread your steerer. The BITS insert features a chain breaker and space for storing quick links as well as the BITS multi-tool, which has all the hex keys you’ll ever need plus a T25 and flathead screwdriver. Make sure you never get caught out and keep all your essential tools stashed on your bike like a pro! Here’s a full article on how to stick your tools to your bike.
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Price: € 87.72
UVEX Tocsen Crash Sensor
Crashes are inevitable in our sport, especially when we’re going fast and pushing our limits. However, while we can’t avoid crashes altogether, we can prepare for them. One product that will have your back in a crash is the Tocsen Crash Sensor by UVEX. The system uses a helmet-mounted crash sensor and an app interface to send out an emergency signal in the event of a bad crash. After the Tocsen sensor detects a crash, it will audibly ask you how you are doing. If no rider response is detected within thirty seconds, the system will notify your emergency contacts and nearby members of the Tocsen community with your GPS coordinates. The app not only guides nearby Tocsen users to the scene of the crash, but also provides valuable first responder tips for when they get there. The whole system is 100% made in Germany, and the sensor’s rechargeable battery lasts up to three months.
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Price: € 77.90