Today we’ll be looking at 10 products that either directly relate to mountain biking,
or provide utility for mountain bikers.
None of these reviews are paid, but some products were provided which I’ll disclose when applicable.
With that, let’s get started.
The first product is helmetor, which is a helmet hook that I first saw in Syd and Macky’s
van.
The company saw the video, and sent me some to try out.
I noticed that they look kind of like peacocks.
In testing the helmetor hooks, they seemed to securely hold just about any helmet as
advertised.
The question is, why on earth would you need a helmet specific hook?
Why pay $10 for a piece of plastic when you could use a screw or nail to do the same thing?
Well, it’s not exactly the same.
Helmetor holds your helmet away from the wall, protecting your paint from trail grime.
It also looks cool when there’s no helmet on it, which is nice if you have a bike cave
that you take pride in.
But perhaps the most important benefit of helmetor is that it secures your helmet, which
is essential if you’re using it on a door, or in a vehicle.
So depending on your needs, helmetor could either be totally pointless, or the answer
to all your hopes and dreams.
I decidedly like it.
On to these knee pads sent to me by Kali Protectives.
I tested both pairs in the shop, and enlisted Felipe for a trail test since I can’t ride
yet.
Our findings were more or less the same: these Mission knee pads are slim
and comfortable, but shift around once you get moving.
Neither of us were that impressed.
As for the Strikes, they might be the best knee pads either of us have tried.
This mesh rubber pad on the front of the strikes is sure to collect lots of dirt and mud, but
that’s a fair tradeoff for airflow.
Better ventilation cuts down on sweat, aids in evaporation, and makes for an overall more
comfortable experience.
Despite being slim and comfortable the Strikes appear to have good padding and a very tough
exterior.
I also found that the shape of the knee cap helps keep them in place, or maybe it’s
the placement of the straps.
All I know is that they stay put.
The Strikes cost $85 and seem to be worth it.
They will be replacing my POC’s, which were more expensive when I bought them.
This season, I’m going to be serious about always wearing knee pads without exception.
Now for a few car products starting with this seat protector I found on Amazon.
You throw it over your headrest, it stays in place with these little nubs, and contains
trail grime with its absorbent terrycloth.
There’s also an impermeable layer inside to keep out liquid.
When not in use these covers are machine washable and easy to roll up.
At $25 each I think they’re priced fairly, but it should be noted that you can also protect
your seat with a towel.
Still, the adequate length, grip, and impermeability makes them superior to a towel, and worth
the money if you’re serious about keeping your car clean.
The next product is the soft topper, which is a foldable cap available for most pickups.
The reason I bought this was so I could travel with my family and keep all our stuff out
of the weather.
Knowing that I’d have it off as much as on, I chose the soft topper for its portability
and ease of storage.
It installs with these bed rails that fit existing factory bolt holes, and from there
you can pretty much drop it on and button it up.
The quality is great, it doesn’t flap around in the wind, and it more or less works as
advertised, but the Soft Topper isn’t a fiberglas cap killer.
There’s no way to lock the Soft Topper, nor would it matter since you can just slice
it.
So this isn’t a good solution for contractors with expensive tools, nor will it keep your
mountain bike safe.
Starting at $700, it is an affordable alternative to a fiberglas cap, that you can camp in or
just use to keep your stuff dry.
And by request from hundreds of you guys, I’ll give you a quick review of my honda
ridgeline.
A lot of you were flabbergasted when I didn’t buy a tacoma, and instead got a family SUV
like pickup hybrid: The Honda Ridgeline.
I’ll admit that my impulsive and adventurous side was craving the Tacoma, but my practical
side won after test driving the 2017 Ridgeline.
First of all it handled incredibly—way better than your average pickup.
It also had a more spacious interior, and an impressive technology package.
It had lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, smartphone integration, and like 8 million
cup holders.
These may not sound like things I would care about, but I’m on track to put 35,000 miles
on this thing in year one.
I knew I’d be spending a lot of time in it so interior, comfort, and practicality
were my top priorities.
At the same time I didn’t want a huge pickup, or an inefficient one.
But putting aside all of those things, I still would have gotten the Ridgeline for one killer
feature.
Under bed storage.
Every compact pickup has a back seat full of crap, except for this one.
Everything I need from tools, to gear, to tie downs, to those seat covers, can be secured
in this water tight compartment, leaving the cab free for people and pups.
So while the ridgeline is no tacoma, it easily tows 5000 pounds, has all wheel drive, and
is packed full of features that suit me better—even though it has a honda emblem on it.
On to the next product, the Matchstix.
It’s a thru axle, it’s a multi tool, it’s gorgeous, it’s $145 dollars.
But are you really surprised?
It’s made by Industry 9.
Now i9 will never be for everyone, as they choose to design, manufacture, and distribute
all their products in Asheville using local labor.
That means you pay for it, but it also means they employ people who ride the same trails
as I do, it means they’re my neighbor, and it means I’m a little bit biased.
But still it’s hard to make excuses for any product at this price point, so I’ll
just give you the pros and cons.
Let’s start with the cons.
The Matchstix is pricy, we covered that.
It also doesn’t flip out like a normal multi tool, you need to muscle these bits out of
a tube, which doesn’t seem very i9.
The handle doesn’t have the most leverage, and the tool is necessarily missing some of
the larger bits that are impossible to fit inside an axle.
So the Matchstix won’t be for everyone, but it does have some unique advantages.
First of all it can’t get left behind as it lives in your bike.
The Matchstix may also be the lightest multi tool period, as unlike other integrated tools,
it replaces part of your bike.
So once you subtract the weight of your old axle you’re only carrying around an extra
25 grams.
The matchstix also features an impressive array of tools including a spoke wrench, a
valve core remover, a chain tool, quick link storage, and your choice of bits which are
also machined in asheville.
It’s also great looking, and available in all the other colors you’ll find at the
candy store.
So for those of you looking for a beautifully machined, lightweight, boutique multi tool
that can’t get left behind, the matchstix is pretty friggin nice.
If you’re looking to save money, buy literally any other multi tool.
The only way I’d buy the matchstix is if I broke or lost a maxle, and was already on
the hook for $50.
The next product is the Yi 4K+ action camera, which I was hoping would be good GoPro replacement.
It costs under $300, can shoot in 4k at up to 60 frames per second, and features some
pretty impressive image quality.
In fact I used it to shoot a lot of this video.
The touch screen feels like a smart phone—much better than gopro, and the menu is more intuitive.
The Yi4k+ also features a tripod thread which makes it super convenient.
But as an action camera, I think it’s lacking.
The stabilization is weird to say the least, the field of view doesn’t seem all that
wide, and the microphone doesn’t do a good job of automatically adjusting to input levels—something
that even older GoPros are good at.
Although it
does change exposure quickly I don’t think it does as smoothly as a GoPro, and note that
the GoPro I’m comparing it with is two generations old.
Another problem is using it with a gimbal.
If you place it right side up one of the mics is right against the motor which picks up
the sound.
If you place it upside down the top mic is then pointing right at the motor.
The low light is also really noisy, even at lower framerates and resolutions.
It’s also worth noting that there aren’t a ton of accessories specifically designed
for the Yi.
So for me, the Yi4k+ is a good camera for the shop, or to use for third person shots.
But it’s not replacing my GoPros.
The next product is All Mountain Style frame guards.
These are universal frame guards made to protect your downtube, fork, chainstay, and anything
else that may take some pebble and rock impacts.
Before AMS sent these to me, I had never heard of them, but Felipe instantly knew what they
were.
I must admit, I was expecting a diagram to show where all these pieces are supposed to
go, and after consulting their website I was just as confused.
I should also note that my bike already comes with guards for the down tube and chainstay,
which appear to be thicker and more functional than the ones from AMS.
I found that to install the guards a heat gun comes in handy, but still on a brand new
frame I was unable to to work out all the bubbles.
Maybe these just aren’t for me.
As for Felipe, he was surprisingly excited about the AMS guards and very happy to replace
the vinyl camo tape on his bike with this tougher more refined armor.
At $35 I think they’re priced fairly for those who need them, but I wouldn’t want
to experiment with them.
I had the luxury of trial and error with these samples, but it would be kind of frustrating
to spend $35 and then screw up the installation.
The next product is a bike stand that screws into the wall.
It looked a lot bigger on Amazon, and I admit that I thought it was universal.
I should have looked at the size.
Yes it only fits road bikes, and $17 is steep for a tiny piece of plastic, but I must admit
I’m impressed.
This review will be super short because there’s not much to say about these bike stands, besides
that they’re really clever and work well if you have skinny tires.
I’d love to build a mountain bike version of this into my work bench, as this is a really
convenient position for making cockpit repairs.
The next product is not this Victorinox swiss army knife, which is as beautiful as it is
functional.
This is the classic multi tool, with it’s unmistakable design and signature click.
So I should be forgiven for expecting a victorinox bike tool to be like—well, a swiss army
knife.
This is almost like the Matchstix, but not beautiful, compact, or integrated.
In fact, it’s like 3 times the size of an F10, which functions more like a swiss army
knife than this does.
Objectively speaking this isn’t a bad tool.
In fact the quality is great and it has a lot of leverage, but it’s poorly marketed.
Victorinox could have made a swiss army knife with bike tools in it.
It would have been an awesome gift, and people would have been happy to pay a premium for
it just for the novelty.
But this does not excite me.
Sure with the tire levers it might be great for roadies, but I don’t know.
There are too many other great products out there to recommend this since it’s really
not all that interesting or novel.
And that concludes our ten mountain bike related products.
If you want to know where to get any of this stuff, just tap the little arrow below the
video, or just use the Google technology.
Also let me know what categories you want to see more of.
Integrated tool storage?
Hydration?
Put it down in the comments.
Thanks for riding with me today and I’ll see you next time.