hope sl grips / dmr viral chain guide / Trail 42 Bamboo Tech-Tee / Product review
2013
hope sl grips Cash money: £25.00
www.hopetech.com
Lock-on grips may not be new but with Hope’s ‘Designed, Built and Tested in England’ moniker I was excited to see how they would put their twist on this component. The SL grip has an integrated lock-on mechanism built in. That means no metal rings on the outermost surfaces and that the rubber covers the grip for the full length. With the cap already fitted, it was literally a case of unbolting my old grips and bolting these on in their place. The SL seems to be a cross between a Lock On Ruffian, and a Renthal Kevlar wire on grip (that have also been fitted to my bike in the last 2 months). The rubber is soft like the Renthal’s, but with the slightly firmer feel and diameter of the lock on. I have used them with and without gloves in this hot weather, and sweaty hands don’t seem to be a problem. Not an aggressive or bulky profile so my little hands loved them. My only question mark is the colour – yes they stand out, but will they get grubby in time? I guess only time will tell, as they will be staying on for a while… The Word: All the quality and innovation we’ve come to expect from Hope. Great grips! Tested by: Alan Milway (Atherton Racing’s fitness coach)
DMR Viral Chain Guide Cash money: £79.00
www.dmrbikes.com
There was a time when fitting a working chain guide required luck, heavy modification and sheer bloody mindedness. Thankfully those days are long gone and fitting a device to keep your chain in check is no longer a major feat. The DMR Viral guide fitted to my ISCG equipped hardtail with impressive ease and the two-part back plate meant that fine-tuning and adjustment was simply a case of lining it up and tightening up the bolts. Unlike many guides the back-plate of the Viral comes in two separate pieces that bolt together when you tighten everything up – making it really easy to get the top and bottom guides exactly where you want them or even to dispense with one altogether if you so wish. For those riders that aren’t blessed with ISCG tabs there’s a BB mount adapter supplied as standard which simply bolts onto the back-plate with equal ease. The Word: So far so good- the Viral fitted in minutes, was a breeze to setup and fine-tune and has kept my chain anchored in place. Equally impressive is the price – which clocks in well below the competition. We like it a lot. Tested by: Jamie
Trail 42 Bamboo Tech-Tee Cash money: £35.00
www.trail42.co.uk
I admit to being a fan of natural rather than synthetic when it comes to base layers, but I’ll also admit to sometimes finding merino just a little too toasty especially riding in warm conditions. Another fabric worth considering is bamboo, which is what Trail 42 have opted to use for their new tech tee (blended with organic cotton). You get all the benefits of natural fibres (breathable, soft and therefore comfortable next to skin, and most importantly not stinky) but I definitely found this a little cooler than merino. Come winter time and that might not be an advantage but then you’ll probably grab another layer anyway. The fit is good, I’ve got a women’s size 10 and it’s fairly fitted but not overly so – if you prefer a baggier riding jersey I’d opt for a size larger. It is a pretty pleasant colour too with contrast stitching a nice touch – a good alternative to all the pink that still seems to be out there. Has repeatedly washed well at 30° and so far, seems to be made of pretty durable stuff. Win! The Word: Breathable, rideable and wearable. One for the trails and the café stop afterwards. Tested by: Fiona
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