Shelter Impact Absorption Tape

I ride an Ibis Mojo carbon bike, and to protect the frame from dings and scratches, I have always used protective tape in any areas that are susceptible to abuse. The tape is usually some form of helicopter rotor tape (protects their leading edge) or automobile clear bra tape. It provides adequate protection, and keeps minor scratches and rock dings from getting to the clear coat of the frame or deeper. Whenever some major rock crashes happen it sometimes creeps its way past the tape, and chips the clearcoat, and on rare occasions it even gets to the top surface of the carbon fiber. Fortunately, it never does much beyond superficial damage to the frame.

I just became aware of this very interesting product, which is supposed to have some pretty amazing impact absorption characteristics. The accompanying video is sort of cool, but I would need to do some real world testing before I can make any sort of judgment call.

Danny MacAskill - Way Back Home

Danny MacAskill is a Scotsman, and a street trials pro rider for Inspired Bicycles. Last year he released a YouTube video of his bike stunts, and it went viral, and currently has 21.5 million hits. The video showed an incredible display of his bike skills, and the music was one of my favorites, 'The Funeral' by Band of Horses.

He has just released a new video named Way Back Home, and it follows Danny on a journey from Edinburgh back to his hometown of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. The street trails are prominently on display, but this time the cinematography work has greatly improved, and the scenery and staging are breath taking. The MegaSkill has inspired me with another excellent display of his biking prowess and skills!

The first memorizing song is named Wax and Wire, by the Portland Oregon group Loch Lomand.

Industry Nine All Mountain - First Look

I just got in a fresh set of the Industry Nine All Mountain wheels to test, and I was pretty stocked up to try them out. I had always respected the build quality of their wheels, and the highly engineered innovative hubs, but I was craving to try out the 120 point of engagement freehub. All the I9 wheels use their straight pull hubs, and aluminum spokes, which makes them pretty unique system. Everything except rims and bearings are made in their Asheville, NC site.

Drift Innovations HD170 Review

The Drift Innovations HD170 is a rugged outdoor sports video camera, that is easy to use. It has an excellent usage factor, combining loud indicator beeps for mode changes, a fully rotatable lens and a useful LCD screen, that does horizontal alignment and recorded viewing. The camera records high definition video resolutions of 720p and 1080p, and has proven itself to take excellent footage with great clarity and beautiful colors.

Note: This article is meant to be read in conjunction with Lee Lau's article, where he discusses usability of the HD170 for shooting video, mounting setups, and a plethora of excellently done video footage.

Ergon BC2 Pack Review

The Ergon BC2 is one of the most interesting packs, that I have ever used, and it's got some highly innovative and functional features. The foremost is their unique frame system. It uses their flexible Profax PP frame, which transfers 80% of the pack's load onto the hips, and is combined with the Flink ball joint (ball and socket), which allows the shoulder harness to freely pivot. The system is comprised of the pack, the plastic Profax PP frame, a massively padded hip belt, the Flink ball joint and a shoulder harness.