Strengths: Light, reasonably comfy. Inner arm sleeve is quite good against nettles/thorns etc, plus there's no daft strap tan marks. Still looking like new after a couple of years (don't smell new though...)
Weaknesses: I've never fallen really hard, but I guess they wouldn't be as good as a hard-shell pad. Sleeve can ruck up inside the elbow, which is a bit uncomfortable. Won't slide off over gloves/watch/etc
Strengths: Quite light, light protection of the back of the leg. Don't get too hot as there's no hard sweaty plastic. Don't seem to be showing any signs of wear.
Weaknesses: The chafing on the top of the knee is nearly as bad as the potential injuries. Probably not the greatest protection as there's no hard protection.
Overall: There are better ways of keeping rocks off your legs.
Strengths: Maybe I have a Bell shaped head (?!) but this is the most comfy helmet I've worn, full face or XC. Took a minor hit without flinching, fortunately I've not had the chance to find out how well it copes with worse abuse... Doesn't seem to block the view out at all
Weaknesses: The padding isn't removeable, so I may need to put the whole lid in a bucket to wash the pads. Not massively vented, so gets pretty warm pedalling uphill. A bit heavy. Some of the finishing round the vents is a bit rough.
Overall: I only paid £30 for it, so I couldn't complain if it was a bit rubbish, but actually, I'd happily pay full price for it.
'(2008 MODEL REVIEWED) SURPRISINGLY COMFY & EFFECTIVE'
Strengths: Comfy enough to wear all day. Several days in a row. For pedealling! The thick section that sits on top of the knee cap seems to stop them falling down and keeps everything in place. Seem pretty good at keeping body parts on the inside and rocks on the outside. Thick plastic and well padded. Vents actually seem to do something once you get moving.
Weaknesses: Six velcro straps to do them up! And the top one is too long so ends up flapping about (are my thighs that skinny? Maybe!) Quite a bit heavier & bulkier than the Race Face Rally pads, for example. A little bit of stitching at the top is starting to come away. Bit pricey.
Overall: They stop rocks and trees and they're fairly pleasant to wear. What more do you need? Other than shorter straps...
Strengths: The trails. If you're prepared to step up your riding several gears, there's probably no better place to do it. They're generally steep, techy and have some pretty scary drops, but the guides don't take you anywhere you're not up to and there's no macho issues with getting off and walking the more difficult stuff. Oh, and virtually no braking bumps (unlike Les Gets/Morzine). Oh, and virtually no other riders anywhere! The guides. You can't beat 1 guide to 5 guests, they know the area pretty well... They do their best to coach you down stuff you think there's no way of riding. The food. Gordy and Sophie made the best dinners I've ever had in the Alps, summer or winter, full stop.
Weaknesses: If you're a bit timid about pushing yourself, riding steep or technical stuff, quite like riding fire road, don't fancy techy switchbacks or just want big downhill courses for your 8" rig, probably not best for you. It's a long way by car (quite a bit further than Portes de Soleil). Local bike shops aren't local and don't have a huge variety of stuff, so pack as many spares as your luggage allowance will take. The weather is probably a bit more unpredictable than the UK, pack a waterproof you don't mind trashing. If you ride a hardtail, you'll get pummelled by all the roots and rocks. If you like riding up hill, it might be better to go to Bikevillage. But you can ride up hill in the UK - use the lifts! It's a bit pricey now, especially compared to, say Jolly Good in Morzine which is little more than half the price, though you get 5 day's guiding at TA.
Overall: For my sort of riding and bike (5"-6" is perfect), this is soooo much better than Morzine/Les Gets. I've never ridden a trail anywhere near as good as Black 8 - major rush just pinning it in 1 hit. Last couple of years in PdS never improved my riding as much as this holiday did. TrailAddiction are the only guys doing this sort of holiday in this great resort and they do a really good job.
Strengths: Seems to go everywhere really fast. Just got back from a week in Les Arcs with TrailAddiction (recommended) and the bike was spot-on. It seems slightly steep for the travel so changes direction downhill really well, rather than just plowing through stuff like some other "all mountain" bikes. Seems to just deal with the smaller (or actually quite big) obstacles while letting the rider deal with the big drops, trees and generally dangerous stuff. The first time I've managed a week in the Alps without a huge repair bill at the end. Rear X9 mech is excellent, once you get over shifting by just brushing the lever... SDG Bel Air saddle.
Weaknesses: Front mech just isn't as good as Shimano, rubs the chain after about 3 gears on the granny and about 4 from top in the big ring. Seems that Commencal didn't bother tightening any of the suspension bolts, and Merlin didn't check before sending it out - you need a 10mm allen key & torque wrench to sort that one. Rear end seems very flexy if you wobble the top of the rear wheel - doesn't seem to affect the ride other than it gets VERY unstable on fast road descents. Lots of chain growth in granny ring over rocks, which is a bit irritating. Who wants a 2.1" rear tyre on a 140mm bike??! Brakes got very feeble over the week - bleed kit on the way. As usual, the Fox fork clunks away to itself... Doesn't seem to be much weight on the front wheel for steep climbs. Watch out for sizing - the large is a bit of a gate with a 20" seat tube and could perhaps do with a bit more standover.
Overall: Thoroughly recommended as a "do everything" bike. Just watch the sizing, check ALL the bolts, bin the stupid rear tyre, bleed the brakes and it's a great bike.
Strengths: They change colour in a subtle enough way that I normally don't notice "real" changes in the weather, they're really comfy and they don't fog (well, apart from track-stands at traffic lights if I've been riding hard). Spesh replaced my first pair (which were quite a lot darker) after I managed to break an arm of the frame in the bottom of my bag. New version comes in a semi-hard case. Despite being trodden on in a Morzine bike wash, they came out (almost) unscathed.
Weaknesses: Difficult to avoid looking fairly daft in them - certainly not for wearing off the bike. The lens tint can freeze either light or dark when it's really cold. Say top of Deux Alpes in January cold. The darkest tint is perhaps a bit marginal in really bright sunshine, but I've not found it a problem and the flipside is that they're now usable at night and they're not so dark that you crash into a tree when you hoon into the woods on a sunny day...
Overall: The only pair of cycling glasses you'll ever need. But get something different for the beach...
'STRAPS HOLDING IT ON SNAPPED ON THE FIRST DAY...'
Strengths: keeps stuff out of yourt eyes. Looks a bit moto-x.
Weaknesses: Useless strappy things holding it on don't take much to snap. So I used zip ties and the wobbling round chewed my forks. Nice.
Overall: If you think it'll never take a knock, then fit it. If you actually use your bike, don't bother. I would recommed the original crud catcher & crud guard though.
Strengths: The fork is great, it goes and stops really well. Fairly comfy, fairly light.
Weaknesses: "Pro-pedal is so good"? Maybe the Evans demo bike I rode had something wrong with it, because while the back end didn't bob too much, it just felt really slow at the back, and was like riding a boat in the open setting. Compared to the fully active back end on a Marin Rift Zone or the Swinger on the back of my Fisher Cake and I'm afraid it doesn't compare.
Overall: So nearly there. If they put a decent shock on it, it could be great. As it stands, I woulnd't buy one. In fact, I didn't.
Strengths: The brain. Now actually does what it promises. I initially didn't think the back end was moving at all, but realised that when you actually hit something, the back end is really plush. Doesn't bob, good for fire road climbs. Good riding position, all the components seem to do their job well.
Weaknesses: The brain. Because it's locked a lot of the time, it doesn't react to small bumps, so you don't feel like you're getting value for money from the best part of a 2 grand full susser. Also, unlike some of the more active back ends out there, it doesn't help you out on technical rooty climbs because it's not moving over roots and so on. Otherwise, the only bad thing is that it's still only got limited travel, so there's limits to how much it can get away with.
Overall: This bike is really efficient. If you want a fast XC bike, but need a bit of travel to bail you out from time to time, this is it. Me, I fancy a bit more travel and more small bump absorbtion.
