We’ve taken a look at hundreds of products on this channel, many of which were tested
over a relatively short period of time.
Today, we’re going to revisit 10 of those products, all of which I’ve continued using
to this day.
The first product is the Fidlock water bottle system which is a bottle and cage combo that
latches magnetically and stays in place mechanically.
I continued using this for two main reasons.
One, it’s amazingly secure.
My water bottle mount is on the underside of the down tube and even there the Fidlock
holds up to jumps, drops, chunky rock gardens, and anything else I throw at it.
The only way to get this thing off is to twist it.
Reason number 2 is how low profile the so called cage is.
When I’m not using a water bottle all that’s left is this little bracket.
You do need to use a Fidlock water bottle to make it work, but they do sell this adapter
which you can strap to any bottle and use it just the same.
You can also use their banana adapter, which I got this year at Sea Otter.
In any case, this product has stood the test of time for me and I’ll continue using it.
The second product we’ll revisit today is the Tubolito inner tube, which is an amazingly
compact and lightweight tube that costs $30.
This is a lot, however those of us with tubeless tires may only carry inner tubes for emergencies
making them all but dead weight.
Here it is compared to a standard inner tube and you can see that the difference is massive.
Since reviewing the tubolito I bought more of them to keep strapped to other bikes and
leave in packs.
Next, we have this Raceface tailgate pad.
This thing has been across the country and back, left in the rain, covered in mud, and
loaded up with many more bikes than it was designed for.
I’ve continued using it because it’s continued serving me well.
It fits under my rear seat very neatly, holds bikes very securely, and to this day shows
very few signs of wear.
These padded blocks do a great job of cradling bikes into place, making these straps largely
unnecessary.
All in all, I’d buy this over again if it were to get stolen or damaged.
And speaking of automotive items, these seat covers have performed flawlessly.
They pack up small, unroll easily, and then hook over the headrest of your seats to keep
from falling down.
On the inside are these little rubber grips that hold the cover in place, so that your
filthy sweaty friends don’t ruin your vehicle.
Alexander bought these same seat covers for his van, and I have two more on order for
my back seats.
Since I first reviewed these, I’ve probably put them through the washer and dryer ten
times.
In the past I’ve used a towel, but these are a lot more secure and I’m always relieved
to find them in my rear compartment when a ride gets messy,.
Next we have the Kali Protectives Strike Knee pads.
These are so comfortable that I sometimes forget I’m wearing them, and for that reason
I wear them.
The bigger pads I use for downhill are just too cumbersome to wear on long climbs without
constantly being aware of their presence.
And so, in the past, I’ve actually left my knee pads at home on rides I deemed not
gnarly enough.
So although the Strikes are not quite downhill rated, and could use a bit more side protection,
they’re the pads I can actually commit to wearing every time I ride singletrack.
For that reason, they’ve taken a lot of impacts, and probably saved me from getting
stitches a few times.
Next we have the famed helmetor mounts, which are quirky looking helmet hooks for your wall.
These will work on any helmet by either clipping into a vent like this, or just hooking on
like this.
We used these on Alexander’s van since they do such a great job of keeping helmets in
place while the vehicle is in motion.
And since they’re fun and come in different colors, they look a lot more interesting than
wooden dowels or rubberized metal hooks.
Since reviewing the helmetor mounts, I set up this gear corner in my shop, and used four
of them to keep my lids organized.
In my next shop, I could very well be using helmetor mounts again.
Next we have the Befree by Katadyn, which is a collapsible water filter.
What makes the BeFree unique, besides its small size, is the fact that you can force
water out of it to fill other vessels.
It’s this feature in particular that has given me reason to continue using the BeFree.
Not only can I refill my own water bottle and my friends’ bottles, but I can also
leave some in the BeFree and stash it in my lumbar pack.
Heck you can even roll this up and put it in your pocket.
A few of my friends have bought this same product after seeing it in action, and I actually
picked up a second one to leave in another pack.
Moving on to an actual bike part, we have the MRP ramp control cartridge.
This can be installed in the air chamber of your fork, and used to control the fork’s
progression.
In other words if you want more support on big bumps, just turn the knob to the right.
If you want the fork to compress in a more linear fashion, turn it to the left.
It’s worth noting that this is exactly what volume reducers do, however the Ramp Control
Cartridge allows you to do it on the fly.
I’ve come to use this as a sort of gnar volume knob, and it’s actually one of the
only suspension settings I routinely mess with now.
In an age where suspension forks can have 5 or 6 different adjustments, it’s refreshing
to see such a simple product.
Next, we have the oneup EDC, which is a multitool that lives inside of your steerer tube.
To install it in your steerer you need to thread your fork, which voids the warranty.
So oneup has since begun offering a special stem that makes your fork compatible with
it.
I love the fact that the EDC is always with me, and for that very reason it has bailed
me out many times.
Another thing I like about it is how capable it is.
It comes with a tire lever and a quick link remover, which is notably absent from a lot
of multi tools.
It also has a thread on the bottom so you can stash an additional CO2.
All in all, I now take for granted that the EDC is always with me, and would feel somewhat
vulnerable without it.
Speaking of multi tools, the Crankbrothers F15 is my favorite standalone multi tool,
period.
The chain tool is extremely usable, and it pops out to reveal some really great spoke
wrenches.
The whole package fits inside of this extremely satisfying magnetic cover, which in addition
to storing everything and opening bottles, works as leverage for the wrenches.
In fact you can crack stubborn pedals and thru axles loose with this thing.
If I have a pack with me, the F15 is in it, and I’ll even use it over my EDC if both
are available.
Whenever I hand this to someone who’s never seen it, they always remark at what a great
tool it is, and many have gone on to buy one themselves.
So there you have it.
A look back at 10 products that I’ve continued using long term.
If you want to know where to get any of these, I left links in the description, and if you
just found this video entertaining please give it a like.
In meantime, I’m going to grab my helmet off my helmetor mount, throw my bike on my
race face tailgate pad, sit on one of these seat covers, take a drink from my fidlock
bottle, and….well I think you get the idea.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.