10 MTB Product Reviews - Tailgate covers to torque wrenches

Last time, we took a look at 10 outdoor and mountain bike

product

s and you guys wanted to see more. So today we will see another ten, for better or worse. Let us begin. First, the Osprey Talon Lumbar Backpack. It is a waist bag for mountain biking. The main advantage of these backpacks is that they eliminate the problem of back sweat that occurs with hydration backpacks. This one comes with two water bottles, holding about 18 oz each. I think this is enough for a 10 mile ride in warm weather. As for storage, it is quite impressive. It's enough for the tools and supplies any cyclist would carry with them, and even enough for a good portion of my photography equipment.

Because it's so comfortable and easy to take things out of, the Talon is now my go-to backpack when I can get away with it. However, lumbar backpacks are not for everyone. If you have a small butt, it will move around and become annoying. I don't have that problem, so it fits very well and stays put. For what it is, this was quite expensive, but I must say it was worth every penny. The following are my Fiveten Freeriders. This is my second pair, which I didn't really need. They work fine, but are permanently dirty. So, they are now my foul weather shoes.

Now you will notice that these do not have cleats and that is because they are designed for flat pedals. A lot of people ask if they grip the pedals better than a pair of Vans, and the answer is no, I don't know. But a mountain bike shoe should also be splash-resistant and suitable for hiking. It should have thick padding for protection and super-durable soles that won't wear out from getting caught in the chainstay or crushed by pedal spikes. I have completely destroyed skate shoes in the past, but have not caused any damage to any of the Fivetens pairs.

They are incredibly comfortable, practically indestructible, and I honestly have nothing negative to say about them. And that's where our streak of positive

reviews

ends. Meet Formy grips. The concept is that you send your measurements to Formy and they make you a pair of 3D printed grips that fit perfectly to the contours of your hands. In fact, they fit well and are made of very good quality materials. The only problem is that they are not suitable for mountain biking. With gloves on they just don't have enough grip and with sweaty hands I imagine they would be worse.

I found them terrifying to drive with, and I think it's mainly because their diameter is so large, much larger than a pair of ODI grips. The shape reminds me of what you'd find on a hybrid city bike, with palm pads and a short overall length. They may actually be great for traveling, but the company told me they can be used for mountain biking, something I don't agree with. So just check them out if you're struggling to find a comfortable grip for your daily commute. Let's take a look at my Smith Rover helmet. I was hesitant to purchase this helmet because many people already have it and now I see why.

The ventilation is excellent and the straps lie perfectly flat on your face. Twisted straps are a big pet peeve of mine. Another cause for concern is this stupid mechanism that never adjusts evenly. The Rover uses the rotating variety, which is superior in my opinion. Overall, the vehicle is very comfortable, but I find that the rear needs to be tightened a lot to make it secure. So I usually play around with this depending on the intensity of my ride. I don't know if these honeycomb vents serve to increase rigidity or improve styling, but they are certainly innovative.

I tried on a lot of helmets looking for one I didn't hate, and I think the Rover comes the closest, for now. And here we have some more tools from Crankbrother, which I only count as one

product

since we reviewed the larger versions of these tools last time. Let's recap, starting with the F15 multi-tool and its counterpart, the F10+. Last time we saw how the cover of the F15 can be used as a lever, enough even for the pedals. With that leverage, a high-quality finish, a good chain tool, and detachable spoke

wrenches

, it's one of the best multi-tools you can get.

The F10+ is the exact same tool except it doesn't come with spoke

wrenches

or a chain tool. So, we are left with a nice compact multi-tool with a cover that can be used for prying and other things. In my opinion, any multitool without a chain breaker should be super compact, super affordable, or both. I think the F10+ falls short of that, so I would recommend looking for something else or opting for the F15, which is easily the best multi-tool I've ever used. Let's move on to the pump, the Klic HV. Last time we looked at the Klic HV meter, which comes with a pressure gauge.

The tube comes out of the handle and is screwed separately, magnetically attaching to the pump body. The result is a high volume pump that does not put pressure on the valve. It's as good as hand pumps, but it doesn't fit in my lumbar pack. By removing the gauge, the smaller Klic HV fits perfectly and still retains all the other features. Even without the gauge, I think it's an exceptional pump, so I'll be bringing it with me every time I use the fanny pack. Now let's look at my Raceface's

tailgate

cover, an expensive replacement for a piece of cardboard or carpet.

We are not going to discuss the advantages of

tailgate

covers

in this video. We'll just assume that you see the value in a good tailgate cover, like I do. In terms of protecting the tailgate, I have to say this works. The interior is made of a velvet type material, which could even be excessive. Speaking of excess, there will come a day when I won't even bother with these straps. Between gravity and these large foam blocks, it would take a rollover for a bike to come loose. If you don't feel like wearing them, the straps are removable.

The nice thing about transporting bikes this way is that you can probably fit 6 or 7 in a mid-sized van. The Raceface pad comes with 5 straps, with an additional block on each side for a 6th and 7th bike. It has a Velcro cover to access the tailgate handle, although it's probably sized for a Tacoma, not a Ridgeline. When not in use, I can place this pad under my back seats, so it's always with me ready to use. I haven't used any other pad for a long time, so my review is based on relative ignorance of the subject. Still, I paid full price for this and still feel I got my money's worth.

Of course, you may not have pickup. Before doing this, I used a Saris Superclamp 2 hitch rack, which I can't give you a fair review on. You see, my father had a Saris rack when I was a kid, my first rack was a Saris and when I started my channel, Saris was the first company that approached me. They send me cards during the holidays. So I'm a little biased, but having used many other people's racks, I always find my Superclamp to be faster and easier. From experience I can also tell you that it is the most versatile.

Here's a tall, fat bike I brought up to Key West. If you can handle that, I'm pretty sure you can handle anything. On the rack itself you will also have access to two cable locks for pit stops. Real bike paddles are designed to fit wide tires right out of the box, so it's obvious that Saris is focusing on mountain bikers. My only complaint about this rack is that the clamps can freely hit the mechanism at the top of the arm, which then has to be replaced. A simple metal stop would prevent this. Another way to avoid this is to not carelessly pull the clamp up, but I'm a careless person and tend to do that anyway.

Although I don't need it now, I keep my super clamp around for when my truck bed is full of stuff or for loading bikes into my wife's car. Speaking of things that hold bikes, I have extensive experience with wall mounts, having built, purchased and installed at least 5 different types. The one I prefer is the Rubbermaid Fasttrack. I had this at my last house and bought another one for here. These are sold at The Home Depot. The 48-inch rail costs $8.99, but each bike hook costs $10 dollars. You can fit 4 on this rail, so you're almost at $50 for that setup.

The metal piece has a bunch of holes in it, so you just catch some studs and then slide the plastic cover over it. Having used regular rubber hooks to hold bikes, I can say that they are not as secure and the rubber eventually wears out. They are more durable and the modular design makes everything more flexible. My only complaint is that the bike hooks don't have any sort of catcher to keep them off the wall. For 10 bucks it looks like they could have put some kind of piece in there. Next up is my Park ADT-1

torque

controller.

Many parts on your bike are designed to be fastened with a

torque

wrench, which allows you to tighten a nut or bolt to a set torque. When it reaches the proper torque, it slides to prevent over-tightening. The Park ADT-1 is just a baby torque wrench. Included in the handle are all the parts you will need for your cockpit or disc brakes. The handle itself feels really solid and the tool has significant weight to it. My only complaint about this tool is that you need an Allen wrench to change the torque value. This is a minor inconvenience.

In some lighting conditions it is also difficult to read the numbers, but I solved that problem with a magic marker. Still, the convenience of having a compact torque controller has led me to use it, which is probably smart for the sake of my parts and my safety. Finally we have the DJI Mavic, aerial videography drone. It's not mountain biking related, but I'll review it as it would apply to creating mountain biking videos. The Mavic, like other helicopters, is great for taking an establishing shot or giving the viewer a sense of scale. The video quality on this device is a little better than a cell phone, but with the built-in gimbal it's super smooth.

The remote allows you to view the video through a smartphone, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it does so through an actual cable, not bluetooth or wifi. You can watch the video and control the plane for miles in any direction, and the battery gives you 30 minutes of flight time. I think it's enough for 3 short flights. The best thing about the Mavic is that it folds up small enough to fit in a hydration backpack. This makes it convenient to take with you to get vaccinated, assuming you are legally allowed or don't mind. Many of you have asked me about the tracking feature, which is supposed to lock on to a target and follow it.

It doesn't work for mountain biking, I assure you. I can use the follow feature for really tame stuff like this at most. Because it's compact, easy to fly, and useful, I give the Mavic a very high score. My only complaint is that it's buggy, and I'm not talking about the software. Somehow, hundreds of ants got into my Mavic. I'm not taking him home in the car. Now, how to get these ants out. By putting it in a bag and leaving it in the sun, it appears that all the ants have evacuated and died, without damaging the unit.

The end. There you have it, 10 mountain bike product

reviews

, for better or worse. Let me know what you think in the comments and check out my latest video for more reviews like these. I'm going to start making a new list of reviews, so until then: thanks for joining me today and I'll see you next time.