Preview: BBG Bashguard 2010

Keith Bontrager once said: Light, Strong, Cheap - pick two. Well perhaps you dont have to settle with the two. The BBG bashguard is ultra light (58g for at 32t), its very strong according to BBG, and its quite cheap. I can confirm that its light and cheap, wheather its strong - well time will tell, and I will return to this blog with a status update after I get a chance to beat this bashguard up against some rocks.

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Fun in the snow.. part 2

We took a trail spin in the snow a few days ago. We went across the border and ended up in Germany for some fun riding. Here are a few pics of that ride:

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Martin doing his shit:

Im trying to go "downhill" in the snow:

Nature is beautiful:

Preview: Leatt Brace GPX

Finally got my Leatt Brace, so here is a quick preview. The review will be up in april/may, as this device requires alot of off-road testing.

To see what its for, go here:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jsSxlDvq7Q (watch the sled-tests)

My first impressions are very positive, this thing is light, and very comfortable. And it sure has alot of adjustments, to make it fit just right, awesome. Anyway, just a quick preview along with some shots:

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Review: Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro 2010.

The Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro is an evolution of their former spike tire series. This version has more spikes, and has a more aggressive side-profile.

The first thing that impressed me was the weight. Considering that the tire has more than 300 spikes, Schwalbe has done a great job of cutting down the weight. The tire is easily installed, but to my surprise there wasn't any tire rotation instruction - you can fit it any way you want. That makes me believe that Schwalbe has missed some optimizing opportunities. The tire itself does rotate a bit slow on the ground, but not so much that it should hinder a potential buyer. In fact, it actually rolls a bit faster than I expected. Its just not a high roller.

The tires grabs onto ice, loose over hardpack-snow, heavy and light snow pretty good. Way better than regular tires especially on the ice. But let me be claer; its not slip-proof - if you dont pay attention, you will end up on the ground. The tire does however create better possibilities for faster speed and more control - and a safer ride.

If I was to improve on this tire, I would have made the side-spikes bigger and more aggressive, so that traction on the high speed turns could have been improved.

All in all I see this tire as a winter-tire only, for the xc riders, trail riders, and the AM riders as well. If you are out riding in the snow and ice, and want better traction, then look into this tire. It gets the job done.

Size:2.1
Tested on: Front
Claimed weight: 695 gram
Actual weight: 657 gram
Score: 4/6

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