We recently dumped our Avid Elixir brakes in favour of the latest Hope Evo Tech X2 beauties! 

The main reason for taking off the Avids was not due to their braking feel or performance it has to be said, it was more to do with their temperamental nature and the amount of time such things as a basic pad change could often take. Piston creep being the biggest problem, making it almost impossible to get the wheel back in after replacing the pads and the suggested fix for this resulting in having to bleed the brakes avery 4 or 5 pad changes. I spend a lot of time working on the hire bikes as it is, I don't need to extend that time with annoying niggles when doing a basic pad swap.

So after looking at what was available, I decided to approach the guys at Hope Tech to see if we could do a deal to use their brakes on the fleet. Thankfully they were happy to help us out. 

Hope Evo Tech X2 Brakes

For the bulk of the bikes I decided to go for the new Evo Tech X2 brake. Having had chance the try the X2's earlier in the year, I was confident that they could handle the extended braking duties that Tenerife has to throw at them. I haven't been disappointed! Feel and modulation is fantastic, the shape of the lever gives perfect single finger braking, but also allows double digit riders to be comfortable. The drilled surface where your finger(s) rest gives fantastic grip too. The levers are super easily adjusted for both reach and bite point, this gives every rider a comfortable braking feel. Not only do these brakes perform brilliantly, the engineering on the levers and calipers is just beautiful and brings a touch of "bling" to the bikes. I'm sure those who try them will be converted!

A creature of habit I may be, but when something performs well, you just stick with it.

I recently tried some Five Ten Karvers as I fancied the extra ankle protection that these provide, but I found that he high ankle somehow either cut off the blood to my toes or pressed on a nerve and gave me numb toes when riding. So it was back to the trusty Five Ten Freerider's for a bit longer. I was then given a semi new pair of Impact Low shoes, but again noticed the same numb toe problem. This puzzled me as the Impact is supposedly the same shoe as the Enforcer that I had worn before with no problems at all.

Five Ten Freerider - Old and NewAnyway, the Freerider's came back out and I ordered some new Freerider Pro shoes from our local stockist.

This weekend they finally arrived and first impressions are great. They are instantly comfortable, there is a much better toe box which should help take the sting out of the occasional rocks that are thrown up and hit my toes. The sole and "trim" are also now a one piece thing, so there should be no more shedding of little bits of rubber from around the edge of the shoes.

Only time will tell whether the aquisition of Five Ten by Adidas has had any negative impact on the products, but if these last as long as the last pair of Freerider's (2 years) then I will be a happy bike guide chappy!

I Recently had to retire one of my pairs of Fox High Voltage shorts as after 2 years I had finally worn through the butt which wasn't pleasant for people riding behind me. So it came to the time to look for a pair of shorts to replace them with.

I initially bought a pair of Fox Demo shorts, which although they seem to be of the usual high quality, I just haven't got on with them as they just seem TOO baggy and long on my small frame. They are also pretty heavy and constantly dropping down despite adjusting the waist to fit, which gives an even more comedic look when they start to become rather baggy 3/4 length trousers!

Royal Esquire Shorts

It was then that I stumbled upon the Royal Esquire shorts in an online sale and decided to give them a go.

My initial impression was that they are well put together, but then you would expect that from a short that at full price would be a smidge under 90 quid! They also came with a removable padded liner, which is more than can be said for some of the shorts out there.

One ride in and I'm suitably impressed. The liner is superbly comfortable and the outer short fits really nicely, the velcro waist adjusters do the trick and the double popper and hook and eye closure seem to be solid and secure. The fabric feels good against the skin and appears that it should be reasonably hard wearing. It remains to be seen whether it can manage 2 years of guiding duties like the Fox ones did. I also like the way that the shorts stay very nicely in place when riding, never once did I have to pull them up or adjust them and the rear stretch panel seems to be perfectly placed. There is one small zippered pocket to keep your cash safe and two deep open pockets for bits and bogs. The zippered vents do what they are meant to and the fabric appears to be lightly water proof with a few drips from the bite valve on my hydration pack just beading up and rolling away. Water resistance isn't high on the requirements over here, but it's good to know that they might keep some moisture out if needed.

I've been using the Zealot 16 actually for a good 8 months now, but have been trying to find time to write this for the last couple of months.

Osprey Zealot 16 - Shoulder strap

We recently added to our hire fleet a couple of 2012 Marin East Peaks, but have not been happy with the Rockshox Sector forks that were fitted to them. To be fair, the Sector is a budget fork, but despite having some heavy riders onboard, we never got more than about 60mm travel from them.

So, new forks were the order of the day to make the bikes a more capable ride.

I think it's fair to say that Suntour have not been reknowned for top quality suspension in the past, but this is a reputation that they seem to be trying very hard to loose. About a year ago I picked up a pair of Epicon 140mm forks for a tiny Kona that I was building up for my daughter. They have proved to be faultless in operation and a pleasure to ride. 

With this in mind, when looking for new forks for the East Peaks, when my local supplier suggested the current Epicon forks, I was more than happy to go with that suggestion.

Suntour Epicon X2 Lite

 The forks feel really light, with a reported weight of around 1700g, but feeling lighter than that in the flesh. Build quality looks great, nice quality look to the stanchions and a good paint finish. The dials all feel very positive and it was one of the few forks available from stock with a standard 9mm QR, which meant that I didn't have to swap out the front hub / wheel which would have added to the cost.

These are going to see quite a lot of action with guys who are a little heavier in general as they will be fitted to our 19.5 inch and 20.5 inch bikes. So if there are faults or problems we're sure to highlight them fairly quickly.

Check back in a few months for an update on their progress. 

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