Bag O Junk

Words: Steve ‘I did it my way’ Jones / Deputy Editor

Five? Sorry can’t do it. To many people it’s a bag of junk kicking around the house or on my back, yet in compiling the list of products in this magazine I’ve relied on many pieces of hardware in the process, unsung detail, boring but essential to getting the bikes set up right. I’d recommend each one of them as a key part of any rider’s kit.

It always begins with the bikes, starting with a TOPEAK TYRE PRESSURE GAUGE, a SHOCK PUMP, and a HAMMER for when things get messy. A variety of TUBES for all occasions, be it 26, 27.5 or 29”, and a broken MOUNTAIN MORPH PUMP to get them back up. A hard to find MICHELIN LEVER gets the SPECIALIZED STORM MUD TYRES on and off from October until April, and in reality far beyond. The shortest of the ROCK GUARDZ MUDGUARDS I have found totally invaluable.

Keeping them running – there’s loads of types but FINISH LINE LUBE has good consistency and is the one I grab off the shelf. TAPE MEASURE, FEEDBACK WEIGHING SCALES and a KENNEDY ANGLE FINDER to double–check the often incorrect website numbers for bikes. BONTRAGER MULTI TOOL, a CANE CREEK
SHOCK DIAL ADJUSTER, well… these are the smaller items that live in that little top pocket of the bag that holds most of this, the trusty CAMELBAK MULE. Anyhow, the pockets are in the right place, it holds just about enough, however I’ve turned to a PLASTIC BOTTLE over the foul tasting bladder system I cannot seem to maintain. PELEGRINO’s are the toughest. iPHONE for recording, reminding and often video for web stories lives in the lower exterior pocket along with ENERGY BARS of various fillings. Normally I have at least half a dozen boxes of these in the house as back up.

The VELO X STOP WATCH from SportCount – Europe has been necessary to get fact versus feeling on 26/27.5/29 and especially on our downhill bike test earlier this year. Many pairs of shoes, pretty much exclusively FIVE TEN as they’ve tackled wet weather material correctly – FREERIDER/FREERIDER VXI and usually four pairs on the go and at least two pairs drying by the fire along with at least the same amount of GLOVES. Don’t forget a good lid, FOX FLUX, and while you’re out there keep the trails running sweet aye – BAHCO LAPLANDER SAW.