Gear Shots

Gear Shots #1

Words by Stuart Kernaghan.

Gear Shots is a new feature here on nsmb.com. We put the spotlight on three products that the nsmb test crew is riding, wearing, or using right now and give you a first look at what we'll be reviewing in the near future.

It's a chance for you to see what's coming up on the site, and get a sneak peak at some of the latest and greatest freeride and DH products - maybe even before they're available at a store near you.

 

Yakima RimRoc

Some people transport their bikes in the back of a pickup or on the roof of their car, but what do you do if you've got an SUV? I don't want to be lifting a 45 lb. bike six feet up onto a roof rack at the end of a long ride. One slip and those little pedal studs are gouging right through the paintjob.

Besides, I've already got yellow paint on the factory roof rack from driving under parkade barriers. There's no way I'd be able to get another five or six inches of after-market roof rack into most parkades.
Up to three bikes on the back, carried by the wheels
Photo: Scott Johnson

Enter Yakima's RimRoc hitch-mounted rack. The RimRoc attaches to a two-inch trailer hitch, and carries up to three bikes at a time. But unlike a lot of other hitch racks, it doesn't carry the bikes by the toptube: it carries them by the rims, so you can load up your VPS or Big Hit without any sort of special adaptor and keep the wheels well off the ground. You can even open the tailgate without removing the rack. Very convenient.

SixSixOne Wrist Wraps

SixSixOne's Wrist Wraps are protection for one of the few places that riders around here don't instinctively cover up when they head to the trails. But think back to the last time you bailed: what was your first reaction? Put out your hands to catch your fall, right? And what do you usually end up doing? Hurting your hand, or your wrist. Or both.

The Wraps are fairly similar to wrist guards designed for rollerblading, but rather than using hard plastic external braces, the Wrist Wraps
Body armour for your wrist
Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

use removable internal stiffeners made out of the same flexible PE plastic ribbing that's in arm and leg padding. Left- or right-specific Wraps are available, and they fit under your gloves to prevent new injuries or keep you from aggravating old ones.

Evil SRS Chainguide

Undoubtedly the hottest chainguide out there right now is Evil Bike's Single Ring Security. Not only does the clear Makrolon? plastic bashguard make it particularly sexy, it's also ridiculously strong, and you're not going to end up with the sharp burrs that are common on metal rock rings.

The addition of an integrated set-up feature to the 2003 model makes installation even easier, and improved instructions are a bonus for home mechanics.

The SRS comes in three sizes and three bolt patterns, so they'll fit just about any crankset you could find, and there's enough mounting hardware in the package to set it up on full squishies or hardtails. So that's what we've been doing - riding it on both.
The best clear plastic protection available
Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

And because we're just a little masochistic, we're even using the guide on rides that involve a lot of climbing.

Stay tuned to nsmb.com for full-on reviews of each of these products in the coming weeks. We'll also be rolling out new Gear Shots about every other week, and you never know what you'll see. But here's a hint for next time: it's silver, but not metal.

Until then...

Previous Gear Shots

  • Gear Shots #43 - Trek, Giro & Crumpler - 2009 Trek Session 88, Giro Convert sunglasses and the Crumpler Mahoubar messenger bag
  • Gear Shots #42 - Race Face Atlas FR Crankset, WTB LaserDisc Trail Wheelset, and Garmin Edge 705 GPS unit
  • Gear Shots #41 - 2008 Norco Fluid One LT, Gravity Dropper Turbo Seatpost, and Dakine Step Down and Stitch Jerseys
  • Gear Shots #40 - 2008 Norco Shore 1, 2008 Trek Remedy 9, and 2008 Fox 36 TALAS RC2
  • Gear Shots #36 - SRAM X-9 shifters and derailleurs, Hayes Stroker Trail disc brakes, SixSixOne Strike full-face helmet
  • Gear Shots #32 - The 2007 Brodie Zealot, Harlot Houlihan shorts and Scarlet
    X-Knickers for the ladies, Beastgear XXX Unitux long sleeve upper body armour
  • Gear Shots #22 - eNVy Double E dual , Blackspire Dewlie dual, Blackspire Stinger dual, and Race Face Diabolus single-ring chainguides
  • Gear Shots #2 - Roach Rally Shorts, NYC Freeride Blox 1.125 Stem, Pryme AL Full-face Helmet
  • Gear Shots #1 - Yakima Rim Roc, SixSixOne Wrist Wraps, and Evil SRS Chainguide