Fox DHX Air

I must admit I'm still a wee bit unsure of this whole Air sprung stuff for downhill but hopefully the guys at Fox will no doubt prove me wrong. Aimed no doubt at the All Mountain market the DHX Air is similar to her hardcore coil over oil brother we featured a while back. One huge air chamber is said to be capable of the same performance characteristics of the oil version but at a fraction of the weight...I wonder if that will also be true come a few runs down the Fort William course. Available in a limited number of lengths, expect to see these on DH bikes everywhere, maybe even mine, come 2006!

web: www.mojo.co.uk

Fox 3/4 Sleeve DH Jersey

Are these as rare as rocking horse shit over here? Might be, but we managed to get our grubby little hands on this Fox item. Sugoi manufacture this light weight garment for those nice Fox folks...sweat wicking material works it's magic out on the trail and being light enough to let the breeze through as well.. Cut big enough for the safety jacket underneath...if you're running anything with Fox Racing Shox on it you'll be wanting one of these...go pester mojo to get them in!!

web: www.mojo.co.uk

Morewood 2006

As you probably all know by now that my favourite South African bike manufacturer is of course Morewood. Here is the latest from the SA bike company for 2006. Below is the DH Izumi, updated for '06 with a new gusset and a few tweaks here and there (mainly in the manufacturing process) still make it one of the stiffest, quietest and best value back out there. Now coming with a Manitou rear shock and 8.5" of travel expect to see a few more of these about, as Morewood is taking off big time!

Above is the newest 4X bike the Ndiza ST (Short Travel) 4.5" of rear movement gives this little beauty the appeal of short course racer or even a 7 Stanes warrior... single pivot simplicity at it's finest.

Need a closer look, then head for BikeLove in Glasgow as Carl has them all in stock just now....but hurry they might be gone by the weekend!

web: www.morewoodbikes.com or www.bikelove.com

THE (THEir back!)

THE just sent us through a box load of goodies to look at...The "Flight System" Bar/Stem combo (above) is a bit too XC for us to actually use, I mean it's a flat bar system but there is a riser version out there somewhere as well. These things are light from 256g for the shortest stem version up to 284g for the biggest size. The risers are a little heavier at 276g to 304g (90mm to 130mm stems). Retail for these babies is...£349!! Yikes!

ODI Lock On's - 3/4 Flange

If you've ever closely looked at the way I set my bars up at the races you'll see I like a bit of flange in my hands when I'm riding. Usually I run long BMX grips but lately I've been getting fed up with wiring the grips on every time. The solution of course was to get lock on's but the only ones with flanges were the Intense one's which I considered to be too thick plus they're like hens teeth...so what was I to do?

Well it came to me, in the form of a Madison Power Sports catalogue attached to the latest copy of Moto magazine...ATV grips!

3/4 flange (helps you gears work!) for the ATV thumb throttle and the perfect diameter for my wee hands. These are the Ruffian's 120mm version, a little longer would have been preferred but they are also available in 130mm...How about a 140mm version ODI?.

These babies come with the bigger bar end plug which covers the outboard alu collar as well....price £14.99 at your local BikeLove in Glasgow...in stock now!!

web: www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk

Utopia "Too Dirty" Goggles

Again a Madison Power Sports imported gem, Utopia goggles are starting to make a mark on the DH scene, with the half Norba circuit running them the knock on effect won't take long to catch on over here...in fact it's already started. These are the £29.99 models all white. Replacement tinted and double walled lenses are all available as well as packs of 10 or 20 tear offs...oh and Palmer runs them! Enough said!

I ran these both race runs at Dunkeld and I loved them, thick foam is comfy and soaked thesweat up nicely, the standard anti fog lens never once fogged on me, even when sectioning the course. Impressed? Yes!

Included in the box of course the goggle bag and a silver sticker...look right and checkout how thick that foam is!

Again BikeLove in Glasgow...in stock now!!

web: www.ultimatepursuits.co.uk

Gator Brakes 4 Pots!

Gator Brakes might not be on the tip of your tongue when it comes to brakes but they might well be if you on a budget come the new season. These are the 4 pot versions, 180mm disc at the front and 160 at the rear.

With a lever design somewhere between a hayes (lever) and hope (reservoir), a 4 pot caliper, stainless braided hose and discs reminiscent of hayes, the package looks great.

Open the box as look at the extras as well! Cable guides, all stainless bolts, allen and torx keys as well!

Straight out of the box they'll take a little bedding in...give them a good bedding in before hitting that steep trail you love!

Feeling was good even with the standard pads...time will tell on the wear characteristics.

Available now from Riding High UK.

web: www.ridinghighuk.com

And Finally... "Avon Skin So Soft"

The secret is out...if you're heading for Fort William and the World Cup finals next weekend, you might want to pack some of this stuff.

This is the stuff that the hard men use to soften even the roughest of days in the highlands...why? Well it's the best protection from those pesky midges!

The oily lotion when applied liberally on the exposed flesh of a human resists the probing, pain causing, proboscis of the dreaded highland midge...even though there breeding might be on the downward turn but that doesn't mean you can't be prepared just in case...my tip for watching the 4X, thank me later!

web: www.avonshop.co.uk