However it was getting late in the year, so I wanted to bike before the snow came, so I bought it. The Tour de Fer is a steel touring-specific bike with a longer, stable wheelbase, and comes complete with mudguards and racks. The Mantle is the brand’s XC and endurance bike, and is a full carbon 29er hardtail with 100mm travel. The Montane Icemen (Pete Sissons and Paul Cosgrove) underlined the bikes capabilities as they used a pair of Croix de Fers to circumnavigate the 1600-mile coastline of Iceland in 14 days. And the Suspension fork with 80mm travel absorbs certain bumps, allowing me to enjoy the speed without having to deal too much with the soreness and numbness from the bumps.
In contrast to the earlier bike though, it offers 7 speeds, with 1 on the front and 7 on the rear. I’m honestly not sure if it was just my bike, or if all of these bikes are that way, but it gave just enough, but not too much suspension in the rear. I must say, a lot of people don’t like low end bicycles with a full suspension, as supposedly the rear shocks tend to bounce and it makes for a pogo stick affect. The Vapour is Genesis’ CX race machine and there are three models available (10, 20 and 30).
It is a little heavy to carry up stairs but other than that its a great looking and handeling bike. The greatest restriction on how fast you can go when pinning singletrack is the tyres, yes they are fast rolling but they lack bite, something with greater cornering grip would certainly show off bikes handling better. Set up was simple, the bike did come with a whole bunch of spacers below the stem, after less than 30 seconds on the bike I had these shuffled to get the front as low as possible and it was off to the trails.
The primary function of a cycling helmet is to protect your head – and all helmets will meet the minimum standards set out by the safety authority in the country of sale. On the scales it’s pretty similar to some of our other lightweight helmets, coming in at 242g for the medium. What’s really different from lots of other helmets in this guide is the price, it’s a good $100 cheaper than many of its competitors. Other safety features include the Spherical MIPS system, with the outer and inner shell capable of moving independently during an impact. The idea here to better protect against rotational impacts, while the outer shell can absorb glancing blows. The Prevail 3 also uses MIPS AirNode, which integrates the MIPS system, designed to protect against rotational forces during a crash, directly into the helmet padding.
But despite the minimal look of the Air Cage, safety isn’t compromised. Essentially the cage design acts like a suspension bridge, distributing the forces of an impact across the entire helmet. Specialized’s updated S-Works Prevail 3 helmet is designed to be both airer and safer than the outgoing model.
The glasses port, sadly, is not particularly good as it is too wide to accommodate most sunglasses. Team Ineos’s favourite helmet, the Protone Icon is lightweight at around 200g and aero as well as comfortable. Like most modern e-bikes, the Fuel EXe Alloy is compatible with a mobile app, in this case, the Trek genesis mountain bike Central app, which gives you access to additional settings, as well as system updates. The application also offers bike setup tips, activity tracking, and a handy navigation system. There is no possible way a company can sell a bike with a proper drivetrain and working front and rear suspension for $150.
We found it comfortable and easy to adjust so that it sits well on your head. There’s a very deep, wide visor, so you get a really good view of the road and behind you as you ride and it curves in to hug the sides of your face. The weight, while looking rather hefty compared to standard helmets on the market, which is actually pretty reasonable for its category. If it’s really an issue, then the Ultimate version we tested is 30g lighter than this standard version. Even when temperatures hit 32 degrees C the air flow through the helmet kept our head cool. By using its Air Cage design, its been able to strip down the usual foam bridges to help increase ventilation by almost 25% when compared the Prevail 2.