Sealskinz have been a Spoke.ie favourite for a few years now and their gloves have never dissapointed us.  With the cold weather now truly upon us why not treat your hands (or your riding buddies hands) to these excellent windproof and waterproof gloves - the Sealskinz Ultra grip glove.

[Read more →]

Icebreaker, the merino wool specialists have a new range of bike wear designed specifically for the bike.  We have been testing some of this gear for the past few months and are ready to give some opinions.
Icebreaker Cadence SS jersey

First up it feels totally different to wearing lycra.

[Read more →]

With product becoming available earlier and earlier every year we can bring you a first test of the Fox F-29 2012 fork. While this is a 29er specific fork there is very little difference between the F-29 and the standard 26 inch fork.

Having spent the previous six months on the 2011 F-29 we were [...]

[Read more →]

When people think of upgrades for their bikes it is often wheels, tyres, groupsets etc. but key contact points should also be considered - namely the saddle!

Racy lightweight saddles tend to trade comfort for weight but not here

[Read more →]

Last year we flagged a growing trend in mountain bike development, the 29 inch wheel. At last year’s trade shows we were struck by the jump in the number of bikes with 29 inch wheels even from the conservative European manufacturers who previously had dismissed them. We tested them extensively at the trade [...]

[Read more →]

GPS technology has been developing at a fantastic rate from a brick sized unit not that many years ago to a sports watch sized unit that doesn’t look out of place on your wrist.  Leading the outdoor market is American manufacturer Garmin and their Forerunner 210 while primarily aimed at runners, is especially useful for [...]

[Read more →]

At this time of year cleaning your bike post ride is more important than ever as thick gloopy mud is the norm.  Anything that makes this easier is a good thing in our book.

[Read more →]

Chris Ball is the man behind Dirt School, a Scottish based mountain bike skills school. We have already reviewed the excellent Dirt School DVD, a series of skills lessons, but this takes it a step further. Combining some basic training info with skills, nutrition, psychology (!) and race prep it is a full [...]

[Read more →]

Okay it’s cold outside, really cold and it looks like it’s here to stay.  Critical to your enjoyment on the bike is being warm and here we present two different options to do just that.  They will also keep you warm off the bike which is no bad thing either!
Icebreaker Oasis Crewe merino baselayer

[Read more →]

The brain child of two commuting young mothers Urbanfrog is a new Irish cyclists clothing brand that is a more function than racing.

The owners -Angie and Viv, are two working mums who cycle to work, collect kids from school, meet with friends in town and do all the things you do.

[Read more →]

As the cold weather closes in commuters are outfitting themselves for dark wet commutes and we thought it a good time to look at some options for transporting your stuff.  Waterproof and capable of taking lots of gear these bags are ideal for bringing a full change of clothes with you - even a suit.  [...]

[Read more →]

Sponsors of Pro-Tour teams Cervelo & Radioshack and (recently married) mountain bikers Ryan Sherlock and Mel Spath, ZipVit are an English company making waves in the nutrition market. They have a full range of products including vitamin supplements but we tested the ZV1 Energy drink and ZV3 Protein recovery powder.

[Read more →]

For the past few years the Garmin Edge 705 has been the cutting edge in terms of GPS cycling computers whether you were a Tour de France rider or a trail warrior. Recently the company introduced this smaller model in response to a request from the Garmin-Transitions Pro-Tour squad who were looking for something [...]

[Read more →]

The Remedy is Trek’s All mountain machine.  Designed around a 150mm suspension platform the bike is destined for going downhill fast. 

[Read more →]

XX is the range topping groupset (sorry, family) from SRAM and this is their range topping trail/race fork.

[Read more →]

For everyone who reads any of the MTB magazines, it’s hard not to be swung by the Bike Porn ads placed by the “big” suspension manufacturers, indeed often these publications are swayed in their decisions by advertising (we know we have ridden some of the forks that got dodgy top ratings). RST has a history [...]

[Read more →]

The saddle is one of the most important areas of the bike and one that is often overlooked.

This one is a favourite of many ProTour riders including

[Read more →]

This past weekend we were to be found racing the WAR (Wicklow Adventure Race) adventure race in Glendalough.  On our feet for the running leg were Columbia’s trail running shoe, the Ravenous.

Released as part of the revamped product line, the Ravenous is a new shoe from the ground up.

[Read more →]

Our female tester declared this the most versatile outdoor product she has ever used.  What ever your passion be it MTB, trail running, hiking, mountaineering etc. and then slipping down the pub afterwards for a quick drink, this is the garment for you.

[Read more →]

You can now view the February issue of Outsider magazine online here (or click on the image).  Lots of bike features and reviews this issue.

If there is anything you would like to see specifically from a mountain bike point of view between the covers of Outsider email us at info@spoke.ie.  As mountain bike editor we [...]

[Read more →]

These are an awesome performer with great power transfer, fit, weight and (importantly) price. It’s a complete package with a number of innovative features.

[Read more →]

A favourite among our female testers, these leggings from merino supremo Icebreaker are fantastic for all outdoor sports.

Made from 260 g/m2 Merino wool, these leggings are part of the GT active outdoor range.

[Read more →]

Cyclo-cross tyres have many benefits.  Less chance of puncturing, more comfort and better grip are all major bonuses on Irish roads and allow you to ride off-road too should you so decide.

Cyclocross is not just for Winter either.

[Read more →]

A quality carbon riser bar from a quality manufacturer.

For those who haven’t tried them, riser bars offer far more control than a traditional flat handlebar,

[Read more →]

These should be in every cyclist’s closet.  In years gone by riders rode with a variety of water proofing solutions including plastic bags on their feet but no more.  Made from miracle Merino wool, these waterproof socks keep you snug and dry in even the most Baltic of weather conditions. On top of that they [...]

[Read more →]

Merino is our favourite fabric so we were thrilled to see it in a glove but a little dubious to whether it would really be waterproof.  Suffice to say we were pleasantly surprised.

100% waterproof yet not sweaty (gotta love that Merino wool) these are great.  The wool keeps you warm in the bitter cold we [...]

[Read more →]

29ers are huge with our friends on the other side of the Atlantic but have yet (!) to catch on in Europe.  The new 29er from Giant could be the first brand to achieve mainstream success over here with their offering which is receiving a lot of interest.  We took one for a test drive [...]

[Read more →]

Anyone else noticed the temperatures dropping?  On Winter rides comfort is key and with this body warmer from Icebreaker you can keep your core temperature high but not too high…

[Read more →]

Lets face it, Winter is here, cold temperatures, strong winds and rain.  However it is not all doom and gloom as Icebreaker have this handy Chute neck warmer to fool you into thinking its a lot warmer than it is.

[Read more →]

Ritchey are one of our favourite component manufacturers and can now boast the Road and MTB World Championships through their riders Cadel Evans and Nino Schurter.  They have just released details on two new saddles.  First up is the WCS Biomax which we have been testing for a while now.

[Read more →]