Chromag Seat QRChromag's Seat QR follows the same ethos as the rest of their component lineup: strong, simple and different for a reason. The CNC polished and hard anodized clamp uses a long QR lever that supplies plenty of leverage, and features rounded edges that won't bite into your hand. It's clamping force is directed through a machined brass bushing that contacts the entire surface area of the lever's cam, allowing it to pivot smoothly without any binding. Holding everything together is a burly 6mm bolt (
most clamps use a 4 or 5mm bolt) that should resist any bending. The 50 gram clamp is available in 30, 32, 35 and 36.5mm (
Trek) sizes, as well as black, pewter, red, gold, blue and green colours. It retails for $49 USD.
www.chromagbikes.com  |
| Chromag's Seat QR is a small, and not inexpensive, piece of kit that we're big fans of. |
 | A seat post quick release is a rather simple thing, which is why it's so strange that many companies seem to muck it up. Chromag certainly does not, though, with their strapping QR. It likely weighs a touch more than some of the featherweight options out there, but anyone who has had a QR lever bend or snap on them would gladly make that tradeoff any day. We now have four seasons of riding on the original, bushing-less design and don't have a single complaint, with it functioning flawlessly throughout that time. The QR's tension adjust bolt is still straight, as is the lever itself, and cam mechanism has yet to show any appreciable wear. Sure the finish has faded some, but what component's wouldn't after four years of use? With many riders making the move to telescoping seat posts you'll likely see less QR clamps around, but if you are still fighting that movement you'll want to have a look at the Chromag Seat QR. Those who have jumped to a dropper post should check out Chromag's NQR clamp. No, a $30 seat post clamp isn't going to be for everyone, especially if your's is working just fine, but the Seat QR is a nice bit of kit that we'll continue to use and be stoked with. - Mike Levy |
OtterBox Defender iPhone 4 caseWith the iPhone 4's greatly improved camera and video capabilities, not to mention the combined convenience of having a phone and a decent point-and-shoot camera in one, more and more riders are taking theirs on rides to document their adventures. Taking your fancy phone into the bush means that you'll have to splurge on some serious protection for it, though, with OtterBox's Defender series case being one of the more popular options. The Defender consists of three different elements: an inner, rigid polycarbonate shell with a felt liner on the back side, a soft silicone outer layer for shock absorption and better grip, and a thick, clear screen protector that is far more rigid than the cheaper stick-on jobs that you see everywhere. It also comes with a belt clip if you want to get your nerd on. All of the phones buttons and ports can be accessed without removing the case, and it comes from OtterBox with a one year warranty against defects. There are many different color combinations of rubber and plastic to choose from. The OtterBox Defender retails for $49.95 USD on their website.
www.otterbox.com |
| The OtterBox Defender case provides a lot of protection, but it's also massive and the silicone cover is prone to tearing. |
| Installing the Defender case around your phone is a simple job, with the plastic pieces snapping together easily and the rubber stretching over top. The amount of protection provided by the Defender puts all of those simple (and less expensive) plastic cases to shame, with my iPhone not receiving a single scratch, dent or crack during the eight months that it spent in its plastic and rubber cocoon. The thicker than average screen protector had me questioning if it would deaden the touchscreen's abilities, but that wasn't the case, with it carrying on like it wasn't even there. The phone's hold, volume, power and home buttons are all easily reached, but the case won't play nice with most stereos that use an iPhone dock to play music, with the Defender's body keeping the phone's bottom port from fully engaging. There is plenty of room for the regular Apple power cord. The Defender has some drawbacks, with its 123 x 68 x 17mm dimensions making it quite a bit less convenient to slip the phone into your pocket, and the rubber coating making it far harder to get back out, often pulling the pocket inside out as you do so. The outer silicone cover also fits quite poorly over top of the plastic shell, with it constantly peeling off at the corners. In fact, both of our Defender test cases are now sporting torn corners where it has constantly pulled free from use, as well as missing port covers. Glare is also quite high, but we've had that same complaint about any screen coverings that we've tried. We can't argue the fact that the Defender provides a massive amount of protection, something that is key if you plan on taking your iPhone on rides with you, but we expected more from a $49.95 USD chunk of plastic and rubber. We've now found ourselves putting the phone into the Defender case before heading out on a ride, even if the phone is just going into a backpack, and then taking it back out once we get home. It's a bit of an inconvenience, but one that we're willing to deal with to protect a phone worth hundreds of dollars. - Mike Levy |
Oakley Jawbone glassesThe Jawbone features Oakley's distinctive frame styling, as well as their Switchlock™ system that allows for quick and easy changing of the lens'. Simply pivot out the nose piece to allow the lower portion of the frame to swing away, letting you slip one lens out and the other in. The nose piece itself can also be swapped out for different shapes to let you find the best fit for your face, and the frame has been designed to allow for a degree of flex so as not to incur any pressure points over time. Rubberized sleeves on the arms help to hold them in place. The Jawbone is available in many different frame and lens color combinations (
as well as Oakley prescription lenses), and comes with a protective Oakley Soft Vault case to keep them safe when they are not being worn. Prices start at $250.00 USD.
www.oakley.com |
| The Jawbones cleared fog very quickly once moving, but we wish the arms stayed put. |
| We put our Jawbones together using Oakley's custom eyewear program that allows you to choose frame color, lens tint, and even have custom etching done on the lens itself, with the finished black and blue product looking great. Although fit will vary from rider to rider due to different head shapes, we found the Jawbone to be both quite comfortable and steady on our face, even over rough terrain. Swapping out the lens' takes only a minute, with the new ones clicking into place firmly, and the system never developed play over time. While they fogged up as quickly as anything else when stopped on the trail (our wet and cold Southwestern B.C. weather makes this nearly instantaneous), the venting on the lens' did wonders to help them clear quickly once we starting moving again. After a full year's worth of use we've discovered that both arms now have a tendency to easily detach from the frame, not in use, but when they are in their bag. Reattaching them only takes a few seconds, and it's probably better that they detach rather than snapping, but it does seem like an odd thing to have to put up with. - Mike Levy |
oh the irony.
