Mountain Bike Rider — March 2018

MARCH 2018mbr 77

TheTrailFenderfromSyncrosisaneat

little mudguard that screws into the

braceofaFox34or36fork.Atonly

180mm in length, it’s comparable in size

to the popular and effective flexible

plastic mudguards that zip-tie to your

lowers.Andguesswhat?Italsooffers

comparable levels of mud protection —

not as comprehensive as a full-length

mudguard that extends forwards as well

as rearwards, but obviously better than

nothingatall.Andforthose(likemyself)

whohavetoremovethewheelstopack

their bike in the car, extending rearward-

onlystops it getting damaged, or folded

over, in transit.

Atafivermorethanmostcomparable

flexible plastic mudguards, considering

the slick moulding and clean fixing, we

thinkit'sprettygoodvalueformoney.

Particularly as the bolt-on nature means

youwon'tendupwithzip-tieswearing

through your paint.

TheTrailFenderlooksgreat,doesa

decentjobofkeepingmudoutofyour

eyesanddoesn’tcosttheearth,soit’s

suchashamethatpartofitfeelslikea

missedopportunity—withdeeperside

panels, the fork seals would be protected

too, and a front extension

wouldkeepalotmore

mud off your face.

Ben Smith

Ifyoulikeasimpleglovewithminimalfuss
andmaximumfeel,you’respoiltforchoice.
Better still, the fewer the bells and whistles,
thelessyoupay,onthewhole.Foryearsnow,
Giro’sDNDhasbeenmyfavouriteslim-line
trailgauntlet,buteventhislightweight design
feelsbulky and cumbersome
compared to the slinky One
80.3Dpatterningcreates
apalmthatfitsthe
contours of your hand
exceptionally well,
all but eliminating
bunching. It’s
mostly devoid of
embellishment too,
saveforalattice
of perforations and
aquartetofnon-slip
silicone slashes across
thebrakingfingersfor
extra grip. Both of which
perform effectively.
Thestretchymeshpanel
coveringthebackofthehandis
equally unencumbered, meaning it’s
supremely flexible and manages sweat in
a wide range of temperatures. And unlike

some second-skin designs, the One 80 pulls

onandoffeasily,soyoudon’tneedtoput

excessive force through the fabric.

Comfortable,economical

and unobtrusive, the Altura

One 80 gets two thumbs up

from me.

Danny Milner

Thisslim,fold-openminisocketsetoffersamagneticsteelratchet,

2-8mmhexbits,T10andT25Torx,andtwoPhilipsscrewdriver

bits.Thetop-endRatchetRocketNTXmodelherealsooffers

miniature‘NanoTorqBits’in4,5and6Nmincrementsto

accurately tighten critical fasteners on the trail.

Insidethenyloncasearetwo(tiny)plastictyrelevers

andanextendedbittoincreasewrenchleverage,or

reachdeeperbolts.It’sallverydiminutive,lightweight

andhigh quality, with tight-fitting bits and a solid

feel to the stubby, reversible ratchet.

Asabiketester,thesocketwrenchmakessome

jobs,likeswappingparts,easier,butmostriders

won’tneedmorethanastandardmulti-toolon

aride,especiallysincetheNTXforgoesthe

moreusefulchaintoolandspokekey.The

TorqBitsarecleverlittleadd-ons,and

willsatisfythosewhofeeltheneedto

checktorquesettingstrail-side,but

there’sahefty£28surchargefor

this privilege over the standard

RatchetRocket.Theclip-in-

place wrench and elasticated

holdershaveprovensecure,

butI’veafearthosesmall

separate bits might get lost,

andthat£70-plusasking

price is pretty hefty.

Mick Kirkman

TOPEAK RATCHET ROCKET

LITE NTX TOOL

£72.99

SPECIFICATION Weight: 226g • Contact: extrauk.co.uk

ALT UR A ONE 80 G2 GL OVES

£24.99

SPECIFICATION Weight: 37g • Sizes: S-XL • Colours: black/white, red/white • Contact: zyrofi sher.co.uk

SYNCROS

TRAIL FENDER

£14.99

SPECIFICATIONWeight: 23g • Length: 180mm •

Contact: scott-sports.com