B E N D E R's non sweary review site, roubaixcycling.cc (and general kit discussion)

matt_n-2

Thanks.

I posted on their FB last night and got a strange reply.

I asked what the main differences are and according to them the Peloton bis, with the strap line 'team issue for 2017' are for riders who ride irregularly and have a thicker more forgiving pad?

Might give the Elite a go at £69.

letap73

Bender - any thoughts on howies?
I have couple of items of their clothing and was suitably impressed with the quality of the clothing at an excellent price.
Looks like they have a specific contact address for anyone who is interested in them in a journalistic sense.
Howies could be a potential blog post ala the Velits brothers one you did.

step83

Matt_N wrote:

Thanks.

I posted on their FB last night and got a strange reply.

I asked what the main differences are and according to them the Peloton bis, with the strap line 'team issue for 2017' are for riders who ride irregularly and have a thicker more forgiving pad?

Might give the Elite a go at £69.

I found the facebook page for them response wise was a little poor, if you email them though they are very good.

matt_n-2

Thanks, I really like the look of the lightweight jersey too.

bendertherobot

letap73 wrote:

Bender - any thoughts on howies?
I have couple of items of their clothing and was suitably impressed with the quality of the clothing at an excellent price.
Looks like they have a specific contact address for anyone who is interested in them in a journalistic sense.
Howies could be a potential blog post ala the Velits brothers one you did.

I've tried several times, but no response. But that's a good angle. It's an angle I'd like to do on all stuff really, still waiting on Assos for a go ahead!

letap73

It might be worth trying 7 Mesh - if I am not mistaken some of them were ex employees of ASSOS and Archteryx.

They favour the same form factor fit on the bike like ASSOS with their clothing. They are high end - their Oro jacket rivals the Castelli Idris and the Gore One. They are now distributed by wiggle - but I don't think many in the UK have heard of them. Interestingly there are several non UK based bloggers who have tried/reviewed their kit.

daniel_b

I just wanted to leave a minor review of 3 jerseys I have worn in the last week.
They are predominantly hot weather jerseys, the latter two especially are super thin, though I expect you could extend their range with a base layer or a gilet over the top and arm warmers.

First up we have the Pactimo Ascent 3.0 - RRP is £70, but nabbed one for £49 a few weeks ago.

First impressions out of the bag were not all that, but I wore it for a hot 50 on Sunday, and it gave a very good account of itself.
Proper tacky arm grippers that keep them in place, no flapping about there, and nice deep capacious pockets.
Only minor issue, and this is a personal fit issue, is that the chest area is a little wide for me, so it's not quite as fitted as it might be - however this did not manifest itself on the ride, or cause a nuisance.
Good quality zip also, which I utilised on a few climbs.
Mine is in black and yellow for a change, but five other colourways are available if you have a need for something else.
Overall very impressed with it, I would give it a 8.5\10, and reckon another maufacturer would look to sell this for around £100.

Next we have an Ale PRR 2.0 Piuma Jersey, RRP is £100 but currently on sale for £70 at Wiggle.

This is nice and lightweight, more so than the Pactimo, and if you get the right size is a wonderfully close fit, figure hugging garment, and everything just sits nicely and feels and looks right.
Pockets are plenty deep, and you genuinely forget you have it on, it fits that well - this is probably going to be one of my, if not my favourite jersey for hot conditions.
I also happen to think it is a lovely design of garment, and am rather liking the non symmetrical pattern, also exhibited by the Pactimo above.
For a change, I went for yellow and black this time, but other colours are avaiable if you are having a funny five minutes, three to be exact.
I reckon this jersey is worth every penny of it's £100, both in terms of style, and quality of material.
I have some other Ale winter jerseys, and the quality and fit of them is also highly impressive, they seem to be increasing their presence in the UK.
In love with this jersey, 9\10 for me.

Finally we have this Louis Garneau course M2 race jersey - NOT an Evans own brand as I once thought, but a brand that Evans have exclusive rights to in the UK - I think so anyway?

It has an eye watering RRP of £130, and is currently on offer for £97.50, but I was fortuitous to pick one up for £44 a few months ago.
It's not kidding in anyway, it truly is a race jersey - exceedingly close fitting, short at the front, and the pockets are pretty small - you can still cram stuff in them, but not as spacious as the two above.
Another jersey that you put on and forget you are wearing, a real delight to wear - makes you feel really pro too!
Quite similar in neck design to that of the Ale, but a shorter front, and also notably the arms are set round to the front if that makes sense - so off the bike it feels like it is trying to put you into the wrong position, but once on the bike, and you are in the drops or on the hoods, it suddenly feels just right.
Not as flexible as the other two, but I can see it has it's niche, and am delighted i have it.
After mulling for a while, I went for a surprising choice of black, some yellow and then some more black, which is now out of stock, but there are a couple of other variants available.
I would give this 8\10.

the_rover

Morning.
Received an email from wiggle this morning highlighting a discount on some DHB kit. I'm ready to buy some more bib shorts but was wondering if anyone had bought both the DHB aeron speed or just the aeron and whether the speed are worth the extra? the link should explain it better!

Cheers Stuart.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-aeron-promo ... rts/?ris=1

bendertherobot

Both are great. But, personally, the normal version suited me better. Leg length was longer on the speed version.

the_rover

bendertherobot wrote:

Both are great. But, personally, the normal version suited me better. Leg length was longer on the speed version.

Thanks for the reply Chris, I'll get the normal ones, should be better for my 29in inside leg!

Cheers.

bendertherobot

https://roubaixcycling.cc/2017/06/30/gi ... -lx-shoes/

More shoes, and my new bike is taking shape too.

ayjaycee

Bender - Is that saddle a Cambium? If so, how are you getting on with it please?

As an aside, I read your review of the Giro Republics and it completely tallies with my experience of using them over the last three months or so - mine are the exactly the same grey / silver version. That said, I found that they work perfectly with my 'tradional' double sided Shimano SPD pedals (M540s) but did not play quite so well with the A600s on my other bike where the walking pads seemed to stand a bit too proud and made clipping in a bit more difficult. However, a couple of minutes with a Dremel soon sorted that out and they are now spot on.

bendertherobot

ayjaycee wrote:

Bender - Is that saddle a Cambium? If so, how are you getting on with it please?

As an aside, I read your review of the Giro Republics and it completely tallies with my experience of using them over the last three months or so - mine are the exactly the same grey / silver version. That said, I found that they work perfectly with my 'tradional' double sided Shimano SPD pedals (M540s) but did not play quite so well with the A600s on my other bike where the walking pads seemed to stand a bit too proud and made clipping in a bit more difficult. However, a couple of minutes with a Dremel soon sorted that out and they are now spot on.

Tis. And has only just gone on. So, we will see. But it's very comfy with padded shorts and jeans!

I checked in with Giro before getting the Republic because of that issue. So far, so good, but only on XT pedals. Don't have others to check!

bendertherobot

The Rover wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Both are great. But, personally, the normal version suited me better. Leg length was longer on the speed version.

Thanks for the reply Chris, I'll get the normal ones, should be better for my 29in inside leg!

Cheers.

Arrived yet?

pinno

Nice looking bike. What's the genesis frame like? I presume the 'pochette' on the back means you use if for commuting.
Bit too 'racy' for commuting, surely?

the_rover

bendertherobot wrote:

The Rover wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Both are great. But, personally, the normal version suited me better. Leg length was longer on the speed version.

Thanks for the reply Chris, I'll get the normal ones, should be better for my 29in inside leg!

Cheers.

Arrived yet?

Yep, even though I selected the free delivery via collect + plus they arrived the next day. Only tried them for size but first impressions are good. The leg length is spot on.
Hoping to get out on Sunday morning and assuming they're ok then I'll probably get another pair.

Cheers.

bendertherobot

Pinno wrote:

Nice looking bike. What's the genesis frame like? I presume the 'pochette' on the back means you use if for commuting.
Bit too 'racy' for commuting, surely?

Comfy. It's pretty upright really, compared to what I've been used to, given the sloping tube. Nice position.

pblakeney

No mudguards?

bendertherobot

PBlakeney wrote:

No mudguards?

Haven't put them on yet. Pondering whether to just put SKS on there or get PDW ones.

ayjaycee

I bought a pair of those PDWs but they wouldn't fit the intended bike. That was a real shame because the thing that hit me when I first unpacked them their was the sheer quality. They might be twice the price of most others but looked worth every penny.

gabriel959

If you can't stretch to the PDW I can thoroughly recommend the Bontrager NCS mudguards, they are a doodle to fit compared tycoon the SKS, easily adjustable if you run different tyre sizes and they come with mud flaps front and back.

gabriel959

They don't rattle either which is something I have noticed on some bikes with the PDWs.

bendertherobot

gabriel959 wrote:

If you can't stretch to the PDW I can thoroughly recommend the Bontrager NCS mudguards, they are a doodle to fit compared tycoon the SKS, easily adjustable if you run different tyre sizes and they come with mud flaps front and back.

Prob a no go as I have 28c tyres and would need the 28-35c version. Which won't fit on the frame.

SKS tend to be 23-28.

pinno

Buy SKS and also buy some rivets:

viewtopic.php?f=40004&t=13000690&hilit=rivets+sks+mudguards&start=20#p19264258

pblakeney

bendertherobot wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

No mudguards?

Haven't put them on yet. Pondering whether to just put SKS on there or get PDW ones.

Sensible man. 8)

letap73

The PDW fenders are superb - they dont rattle if you take time over putting them on. Generally the PDW stuff is actually very nice stuff- I really like the bells. The bindle which eliminates the need for a rack, seems a very interesting proposition.

bendertherobot

Bit of a quandary on the PDW. 30mm claim 23c only, but reviews suggest up to 28c.

The 45mm will likely be too wide. Hmm.

daniel_b

bendertherobot wrote:

Bit of a quandary on the PDW. 30mm claim 23c only, but reviews suggest up to 28c.

The 45mm will likely be too wide. Hmm.

I believe the stock guards my Synapse Adventure came with are almost certainly PDW guards - and narrowish.
I think that because I nearly bought another Synapse with aftermarket PDW guards, and the profile appeared to be identical.

I have put 25mm Durano pluses on them, I stay dry, but they are on the limit of what would work - and by that, I mean the tyre does throw a bit of water up onto the top of the guard, if that makes sense.

I am away from home for 2 more weeks, so won't be able to measure them for you alas.

bendertherobot

Ta Dan. I think it will need to be stock Sks chromo. Dry next week so no rush....

letap73

The 45 mm PDW is more like 48mm - just measured it - if your bike cannot take 30mm tyres easily then it would too big.I suspect that is the case with the equilibrium - I have the Croix de fer which has more fork space.

The 30 mm PDW should take 28mm tyres - I think it would be close fitting - some 28mm run a little wider.

The other issue for me was that the disc brakes for the croix de fer got in the way of the supporting struts for the fenders - I ditched the SKS for that very reason - with PDW I used some spacers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEKp2DP-cn0