Weaknesses: Velcro can occasionally catch on other bits of clothing, stitching could be a little bit stronger.
Overall: I've found these to be excellent XC gloves throughout the year except for the depths of winter. I'd say they're good down to about 4 or 5 degrees C, then you'll want to go for some undergloves or something a bit more heavy duty.
In the heat of summer, they do make your hands sweat a little, but I find them very breathable and they dry out pretty quickly.
The BG padding feels a bit odd at first as you never know if you're wearing the glove properly - it doesn't give the immediate feeling of palm padding, but then it's not supposed to. It protects that all too famous 'ulner' nerve and helps keep numbness at bay for hours on end.
I've had these for almost a year and half now and they're still a great fit and the leathery bits are still as durable and grippy as ever, with a reinforced bit between first finger and thumb for those grip-shifters. The only suspect bit is the stitching near to the velcro strap - it's starting to come away but it's still a fully functional glove.
Also, because the 'sitcky' bit of the velcro strapping is on the inside of your wrist, I find it sometimes inconveniently catches on some of my other clothes.
I would not hesitate to buy another pair of these, and I think the later versions have a better BG pad design.
Overall: A fantastic (almost) all-season glove whose BG blurb lives up to its hype.
Strengths: Waterproof, windproof, comfortable fit, good wrist coverage, pretty good gel cushioning
Weaknesses: Always the inner fleece lining - has a tendency to come away from the outer shell
Overall: I thought I'd found the ultimate winter riding glove: weather proof, warm and usable in freezing temperatures, comfortable, grip-shift friendly, and well padded.
For me, it fulfils the above criteria. But once again, as with so many 'winter' gloves, it is let down by the fleecy inner lining that just does not want to stay in place with the outer shell.
I started to notice it more after about the 10th ride - the lining was gradually easing its way out of 'alignment' (for want of better description) with the outer shell of each finger. It would take slightly longer each time to wriggle my fingers sufficiently to feel completely comfortable. Then after a particularly muddy ride, threw them into the wash as normal, and out one came with the inner liner completely inverted. After literally hours of trying, I could never get all the fingers to properly fit back into the glove. Back they went for a refund.
Overall: a good winter glove if you can live with the possibility that you might never get the liner to 'fit' properly back in the shell.
Strengths: Looks great and gives your rear end a moto-cross look! Nice and wide - catches and collects all the mud, keeping your pig sack (not to mention those nice new Endura Baggies) nice and clean ... well, cleaner.
Weaknesses: Spray paint doesn't stick to it if it didn't come in the right colour match for your bike; Seatpost screw bolts shear off too easily once they've been wetted a few times.
Overall: The T.H.E. Rear Fender is a nice, sturdy piece of plastic to keep your posterior free from flying muck, and it looks good on the bike whilst doing so.
It's quite fiddly to attach, with 2 U-shaped bolts with threaded ends securing it to the seatpost via 4 nuts.
However, after having it for only about 4 months, I decided to try and take it off for the drier, summer days. All that winter crud and water had obviously helped to seize the fixtures and upon undoing one of the nuts, the end of the U-bolt simply sheared off. Great. Same with the second nut. Even greater.
So RIP the THE Rear Fender. I think I'll stick to Crud Catcher ... not as good a looker, but at least it comes in blue!
Strengths: Simple, bomb-proof construction; All-weather ... all gears ... no chain suck; Minimal maintenance required; Allows you to concentrate on riding, not worry about your gears; Year-round grin-factor.
Weaknesses: Some wearing-in noise; Having to back-off a little during gear-change; Retro-fit may require odd-looking cable routing; Initial monetary outlay.
I've had the Rohloff retro-fitted to my Giant NRS1 (2004) and it is truly a revelation. You have to ride it to believe what a positive difference it makes.
The Rolly is an investment all bike manufacturers should seriously consider.
Strengths: Pretty light-weight. Good trail feedback without bobbing. Rapid-risers make easy work of climbs. Good, adjustable MPH brakes - just change the pads for some decent EBC Golds though!
Weaknesses: Cheapo bottom-of-the-range BB needed warranty replacement after just 8 months. Nasty cable-rubbing on the frame -- whack on some helicopter tape BEFORE you start riding this baby! Would recommend changing the handlebar to some risers. Front fork not the world's best (RockShox Duke) -- needs a lockout. Hutchinson tyres pretty useless on anything other than indoor carpet.
Overall: A superb, out-of-the-box full bouncer which loves the climbs, downhills and technical single track but those tyres are naff. Put on some Panaracer Fire XC Pros (with red walls to offset the blue finish) and this baby gives you a real rush.
Have recently ditched the Shimano XT/LX gear for a Rohloff Speedhub (see my posts in the forum) and it has made riding it 20 times better and more enjoyable.
