Review Updates: Cranks, Tires, Rack and Trousers

You learn a lot about a product when it's brand new, but that's mostly the good stuff. There's also that rush of satisfaction that comes when, after much deliberation, you've decided on the widget that's perfect for you. Top it off with some confirmation bias and you are usually deep in the honeymoon zone on those early days unless there is some obvious and festering flaw.

As product reviewers we are less susceptible to confirmation bias, because we didn't pay for the product and we often didn't choose it either. We are also focussed on ferreting out any problems, defects or design issues for the consumer.* Still, there are times when we learn more about a product after we have reviewed it, either good or bad, which is why we are trying to look back more often. Here are four products I have kept using since writing them up, and some insight into how they have kept up to my fast-paced, jet-setting life style (I kid). This time around the surprises are how well the products have performed, rather than any hidden issues that have arisen and the fact that these are all still in rotation long after the reviews were written.

*I'm not saying we are immune to bias however; bias is as human as breathing, and I wrote about that here.

Rapha Trail Gore-Tex Pants

Originally reviewed Nov. 2023

I've got good news and bad news. These are the best wet weather mountain biking trousers I've tried, and I've tried a lot. The bad news is that they are made using a Gore-Tex membrane that we won't be able to get soon, because it contains PFAS, aka forever chemicals. Obviously the move away from PFAS is good news for the environment but I have a feeling that outerwear of this generation will be coveted because of its superior abilities, particularly in terms of keeping moisture out. Many industries are finding it difficult to replace the performance of PFAS chemicals but the legislation is already here in some jurisdictions and on its way in many others.

I like the styling, the fit, the excellent wet weather performance, the cut that accommodates pads and slips off easily, the waist tensioners, the pockets and the belt loops. They are the bomb, but they will also explode your wallet. So far these have stood up very well so you may decide they are worth it. The PFAS is certainly a downside but I haven't yet found an alternative without those forever chemicals that performs as well.

Rapha Trail Gore-Tex Pants 440 CAD (available in Canada, UK and EU but not the US due to bans on sales of PFAS in states like CA, NY, and MN).

Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Tires

Originally reviewed Nov. 2024

I was pretty stoked on these tires in the early days. They have an incredible feel and they can be inflated to higher PSI without feeling like basketballs because of their "more radial" construction. I had some concerns, though. I wondered how the sidewalls would react to so much deflection, if the tread would be more susceptible to wear, and if I'd be plagued with flats for similar reasons.

I'm surprised to say that none of these issues have arisen. The front tire looks very fresh and the rear tire has withstood many miles since mid September 2024, on the Santa Cruz Vala I tested, both on trail and on the road, without looking excessively haggard. I've regularly had to replace tires after less ride time and (to a guy who rides tires deep into their tread life) they've got lots of life left. And they still feel great.

Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Tires

Race Face Era Cranks

Reviewed in October 2023

I have been riding these cranks since the summer of 2023. I'm usually pretty hard on cranks due to our often foul weather and because I ride flat pedals exclusively. The engineers and designers at Race Face set about making a carbon crank that didn't get defaced over time so they added a stainless steel "wear plate" to protect the carbon. They are also what Race Face calls "the strongest, stiffest and most durable crank" they have ever created. I haven't had a single issue with them and I've heard good things from other riders about their durability as well.

The killer app without a doubt however, is that wear plate. Normally carbon cranks look like shit after a year of North Shore use but these still look great, which is what you'd hope for after spending 650 CAD/500 USD on cranks. If they last longer than your bike, as Race Face suggests, they may even be decent value.

Race Face Era Carbon Cranks

Stashed Space Rail Bike Storage

Originally Reviewed Jan. 2024

This was another home run. I have been hanging bikes over 60 lbs off this contraption, spinning them around, and even hanging from the hooks myself. Not only have there been no problems, everything still works as new, both rotating and sliding along the rail. It's so much better than what I was using before that I can't imagine going back.

Once all the bikes are hanging, you can alternate them - either by rotating one bike's bars in and other other out, or by hanging them by the front and then rear wheel - to compress the amount of space they take up.

They also have an ingenious design that prevents the hooks from moving while they are unweighted, so you can easily hang the wheel on a hook, and then they rotate and slide along the rail smoothly and with no effort.

A 4 bike ceiling system purchased as a bundle will get you a 10% discount and cost 471.60 USD plus shipping from the UK, taxes and duties. When you consider these are entirely designed and built in the U.K., that doesn't sound so bad to me. An 8-bike ceiling mount version will set you back 896 USD. Again, considering the cost of bikes these days, this sounds pretty reasonable. The wall or angle-mounted versions are a little more money.

Stashed Products