Strengths: Warm, soft, comfortable, not at all smelly. Slim enough to be worn inside my winter boots and still give my toes 'wiggle room' and keep the circulation going.
Weaknesses: I wear them off the bike too, as they're the most comfortable socks I own and, while they're perfect for cycling, they could be a bit longer in the leg for cold days about town. Maybe I'm being too picky? Oh, and my missus keeps trying to nick them, so that's a definite minus point!
Overall: Buy a pair, and while you're about it, buy another, as your other half will stal them from you. If you're single, you'll just want another pair, so buy two anyway.
'A GREAT SHAME... THEY NO LONGER MAKE THIS JACKET.'
Strengths: Waterproof (duh!), VERY breathable (for a waterproof laminate), cut for on-the-bike, so it works when you're riding, sensible pockets, good ventilation from long pit zips. Excellent after-sales service from Gill too, and a lifetime guarantee.
Weaknesses: Er... no. Ok, I have a very slight niggle with the zips on the pockets, which aren't waterproof and aren't anchored at the bottom end, making a quick one-handed closure difficult. Other than that, I'm hard pushed to fault it at all.
Overall: I will never know why Gill stopped making this jacket, as it's a masterpiece of waterproofing. Mine was able to keep me happy, dry and comfortable on long rides through Wales and Scotland last summer (you remember; the horrible non-stop torrential rain?) and I'll be looking after it, as it's unlikely to be easily replaced. Oh, and I got mine half price in the sale at CRC, so it was a HUGE bargain too!
Strengths: It's a Swiss Army Knife tyre alright: Grips well, perhaps surprisingly well on wet roots, loose loam and gravel (what i ride on 99% of the time). It doesn't appear to have worn too badly in 9 months of riding either... Tough enough to stay on (well, on the front anyway) all the time, which is just as well, because...
Weaknesses: It's a bit on the heavy side, but that's no biggie. It is, however, an utter b***ard to fit on a mavic rim, so punctures are greeted with even less glee than normal. Doesn't like jagged wet rocks underneath slightly melting snow, but now I'm being unfair!
Overall: It's a bit pricey, and definitely very unpleasant to fit and remove. If it was a bit cheaper I'd have no problem running this tyre all the time, as I'd be hapy never to have to swap tyres over for the sake of 'saving' an expensive tyre. Buy it if you have strong thumbs, you'll like it!
Strengths: Because they're narrow, can be run at up to 65PSI and have only small knobs, they're fast rolling. They're also light and have a central red stripe of soft compound and a hard comound sidewalls and lugs. This makes them grip well on dry hardpack.
Weaknesses: As mentioned above, they have a very sketchy feeling in the wet (or anything even a bit muddy) especially as a rear tyre set to 'speed' rather than 'traction'. On the road, they feel squirmy and fight against directional changes even more than some full knobblies. Not a confidence inspiring experience.
Overall: Fast, light, grippy; use them where they were intended and for the correct purpose (Summer hardpack racing) and you can't go far wrong, especially at the price. Use them in the wet, on loose leaves, gravel, even show them some mud, and they loose the plot. On the road they feel a bit like a cyclocross tyre. I got mine for £20 a pair, so I'm happy to play with them until I wear them out!
Strengths: ETA is without doubt a work of genius, I can hardly imagine using a fork without it now for anything other than either DH or XC racing. Plush, adjustable, tracks well (at 100mm) and as reliable as you'd expect a Marzocchi to be. After care and service from the importer is top notch too.
Weaknesses: They're a bit heavy, the chrome plastic decals look like they might peel off if I'm not too careful, and the TAS could be at the top of the fork, rather than at the bottom. That would make it a better fork, but a different fork. It works, and it's hardly a fault to quibble about.
Overall: My MXPro isn't quite all it seems. It's a custom build by the lads at Windwave, so although it has the standard ETA, TAS and SSVF External rebound damping of the '06 model, it has an '05 crown, '05'lowers with IS disc mounts (to save me having to buy new calipers) and a steel steerer. Oh, and it cost me a lot less than retail price too! It's a great fork for the money. If I'd had £400 I might have considered a Fox Van RL, But I didn't, and I'm a happy biker today with the fork I have. i'd happily use it for everything lighter than freeride and gnarlier than XC racing. So, in short, it's good for everything that I do.
Strengths: Superb levels of grip front and rear (run the rear reversed or you'll get no grip at all!)and a predictable steering response up front. Light, look smart.
Weaknesses: Ok, I know I've only had a day's riding on these, and Aston Hill versus a soft XC tyre isn't exactly a fair fight but... They wear out in no time. I counted the reps, slashes and missing knobs from my back tyre after just one day. 26 in all. The front faired better, with only 3 wounds, but they still look more tired than the last Michelins I bought and used for 6 months, the Comp S Light. Oh, and they cost me £60 a set at my LBS too, so tyre lugs weren't the only thing that got ripped off that weekend!
Overall: Acceptable wear rate and excellent handling make this a good front tyre, provided you can get them cheaper than £30 each. I think CRC is doing them at £40 a pair at the mo. At that price, I'd buy one for an alpine holiday where I wanted a light tyre with excellent grip and handling which clears fast and runs well on anything from hardpack to loose loam and roots. I wouldn't bother with it as a back tyre again unless I won the lottery. My middling score for reliability, below, reflects the fact that it's a good front tyre, but won't last 5 minutes as a back tyre.
Strengths: Comfortable liner, very breathable with an excellent pad. Shorts are well made, dry quickly, are extremely well ventilated and have sensible pockets (ie not too many!) Pocket liners double as vents. I've not crashed in them yet, so I can't comment on durability, but they do look like they'd withstand a few offs before giving up. Having a separate liner means you can wash the pad separately, and turn them round afer a long day in the saddle (and you can wear them all day, very comfortably), ready for tomorrow's ride. This is ideal for a weekend or away trip of long riding days where washing/drying facilities might be at a minimum.
Weaknesses: Waistband on liner short always makes a slight tearing sound as I put them on. I'm a 34 waist, I have the size L, and the outer short fits just fine, so I'm a little concerned about this. Having said that, they don't look torn or stretched. Maybe I'm just a fat git, eh? Still, I'm marking them down 1 point for reliability for this, even though ther didn't FORCE me to eat too many pies ;-)
Overall: Slightly funny sizing (see above) makes me think that they're not quite perfect, but other than that, they are bloody ace. Yes, they're expensive, but you do get what you pay for. I'm glad I paid the extra for these over Foxes. May even buy myself another seperate Recaro 2 liner.
Strengths: Smooth, plush travel, very low maintenance, stiff enough for almost any terrain that you'd ride over on a hard tail with a 100mm fork.
Weaknesses: Tech manual is illegible in it's layout and design. Not sure it's a weakness, but it requires so little maintenance that I've only just given it any attention whatsoever, and I've ridden it hard all over the country since the summer. I'm so bad...
Overall: I bought mine here on Bikemagic secondhand for £80.00, and I reckon that new, for double the price, it would still have been excellent value for money. Thanks Tim, it's still going strong. Probably the best 'budget' piece of kit money can buy, and when this one dies or I feel the itchy wallet of upgrade-itis, I will definitely and without hesitation buy another Marzocchi. Oh, and email the guys at importers Windwave or see their website if you need tech help. They must be the only people on earth who can read and understand the manual!
Strengths: Good looking, heavily machined and pinned chainrings, the middle ring is a real heavyweight piece for an XC setup, and they reek of quality.
Weaknesses: er... well, none yet, but to be fair, 2 rides isn't long, even in winter. Weight, if that's your main concern or possibly cost.
Overall: I've only had them a week = 2 rides in the filthy grinding paste of the Sherwood Puddles, I mean PINES singletrack, but they shifted well. Not as well as XT, as everyone else has noted, solid rather than slick. As to their weight/price/performance balance, these neither feel excessively heavy or expensive. No, they're not cheap, but you get a lot of metal, well worked, for your money.
Strengths: Lots of vents, keeping me (reasonably) comfortable even on long summer rides. It's a narrow fit, as mentioned by many reviewers here and elsewhere, but as I've got a narrow head, that suits me just fine. Spesh and Bell, and to some extent Giro helmets all feel a bit wobbly on my head...
Weaknesses: Brow pad isn't anchored as securely as it could be, and feels a bit itchy. Chinstrap needs frequent readjustment, but only when putting it on, at the beginning of a ride, for example.
Overall: I paid £50 for mine in CRC's summer sale, and I think that makes it a fair deal. Touch wood, I'll never have to test it's durability or bonce-saving capabilities, but it's comfortable and that means I'll wear it. After all, it can't save my life if it's sitting in my bike room at home, can it? Happy with the (XTR-like) titanium grey colour too, by the way.
