All Arround MTB

Race Face have nailed the ‘tee that makes you want to ride’ with a great colour choice and graphics. The hand-knit fabric has a cottonlike feel and does its work on the bike without making you feel like you’re wearing a ‘performance’ top if you pair it with jeans for a post-ride trip to the pub. A good cut and plenty of stretch in the material ensure you can move around on the bike freely. Our only wish would be for a tad more refinement in the construction. The long back-of-neck label can irritate, so we’d snip it out right away, and the seams are somewhat chunky. That isn’t a problem for casual riding – which, to be fair, is what this top is best suited to – but isn’t ideal if you’re going to be wearing a pack for any length of time. Price $64

Race Face are good at the sort of details that you don’t realise you want until you get them. The inside of the collar has a soft lining, which not only feels more comfortable but also absorbs stray drips when it’s torrential out. There’s a zip garage, waterproof zips and extra-long zip pulls. The two-layer fabric has a slightly rubbery feel but is smooth against bare skin and we were happy wearing it over short-sleeve jerseys on warmer wet days. As you’d expect at this price, the fabric isn’t the most breathable, but vents on the front and a full-width floating yoke across the back promote good airflow. It’s not the lightest jacket on paper either, but it doesn’t feel heavy when you’re wearing it. The Agent is rounded off with a peaked hood (which fits over a helmet), hand pockets and adjustable cuffs. Weight 398g Price $225

Race Face’s Next SL carbon cranks are some of the lightest on the market. Now they’ve combined some of the best features of those and their burly SixC DH cranks to make these, the Next Rs. The ‘R’ stands for ‘rally’, and Race Face say these “aggressive, ruckus-ready cranks” are light but still strong where it matters most. When it comes to the first of these claims, these Canadian-made carbon fibre beauties certainly deliver, weighing just 495g (170mm arms, 32t ring, no BB). Race Face’s tried-andtested Cinch system means they can be used with both threaded and press-fit bottom brackets, and the direct-mount chainrings are easily interchangeable. Price $675 (w/direct-mount ring)

The rims on Race Face’s new ‘Rally’ wheels are offset dramatically (by 4.5mm) to reduce the sideways dish of the build, and the massive, conical Vault rear hub means the 28 spokes at each end are significantly shorter than usual. That makes them very stiff and accurate wheels for their weight, but not to the extent that they rattle off line or punish your palms on long descents. Tyres pop up easily on the pre-taped rims and they’ll take serious-sized rubber without wobbling even at teen pressures. Pick-up is almost instantaneous, and they’re light enough to keep that speed surge going right through the gears. While they’ve only just hit the shops, we’ve been hammering them for several months in some pretty foul weather without any ill effects, making the high price the only significant moan. Weight 820g+920g= 1,740g Width 29mm/33mm Freehub lag 3° Sizes 650b, 29in Price $1347

Although it’s the cheapest stem here by a long way, Race Face’s Chester works flawlessly. The 5mm steerer clamp bolts, which carry a massive 9Nm max torque spec, mean it clamps super-tight and we couldn’t get it to twist on the steerer, either out on the trail or with the wheel held still. Its traditional four-bolt faceplate works just fine too, and the whole thing feels as stiff and secure as anything else here. At 141g , it’s not even that heavy. You have to swap Allen keys to fit the faceplate… We’re clutching at straws here! Price $60

If you’re a fan of the love-or-hate shape of the fi’zi:k Gobi, you may get on with this similarly rounded offering from Race Face. We didn’t, though. It’s barrel-shaped, with no pressure-relief channel or even softer foam in the central part. This puts a lot of pressure onto your personal plumbing. To our main tester, it felt a bit like sitting astride a railing, but then again, so does the Gobi, and there are those who swear by that. The AEffect was the only seat here that caused him numbness and discomfort within just a short ride. It feels relatively good when climbing steep pitches, though, thanks to the broad, flat nose and generous padding. The ribbed upper grips well in the wet, and it’s pretty easy to clean. If you can get on with that barrel shape, it could be worth considering. Weight 235g Price $97

This fully taped, easily packable, featureheavy jacket won’t break the bank and isn’t afraid of a bit of bad weather. It’s adjustable just about everywhere, so you can really batten down the hatches. The adjusters at the hem slowly release over time, but our jacket has never ridden up on the trail. There are two zipped hand pockets, which are useful. Long zip pulls make all the pockets and vents easy to access on the move. Get working hard and you’ll be thankful of the two zipped, mesh-backed vents on the front, which are coupled with a bar-tacked vent across the back. Still, overall breathability isn’t too bad and we often found ourselves leaving the jacket on when the weather changed. During downpours, the Agent’s soft exterior does an admirable job of keeping you dry, but stay put in the wet for a couple of hours and it’ll wet out. Price $180

The Flank Core’s cut is excellent, making it feel more like a snug baselayer than an armour shirt. The moulded chest pad stays in place nicely and the shoulder pads are removable, which means the whole thing is easily washed. Made from D3O, the backplate is nicely fitted and doesn’t cause too much heat build-up. It’s compatible with neck braces too. The low pad profile ensures movement isn’t restricted, making it perfect for racing. If you want full coverage then you’ll have to buy elbow pads separately, but it’s still good value. Price 150$

We liked last year’s Ambushes but updating the styling for 2016 with a higher back has made a good pair of shorts great. The cut is neat on the hips and, combined with a longer than average leg length, gives a perfect balance of fit and movement.

THE AEFFECT IS the cheapest stem on test by some margin but you’d struggle to tell on the trail. It uses a similar interlocking faceplate design to the more expensive Atlas, which holds the bar snugly, but the finish and fit is slightly cruder and it’s a bit heavier at 166g.

AVAILABLE TO SUIT both size bars and with a super-short 35mm length option in the larger diameter, there’s an Atlas stem to suit most tastes. The faceplate uses 4mm bolts, while the steerer clamp has bigger 5mm bolts.

THE LOVE HANDLES are bulged in the middle (they increase in girth from 28 to 30mm) in a bid to offer a more natural fit. They’re made from a tacky silicone compound with a dual-pattern design.

THE CHARGE SUB-ZEROS are pretty much the same as Race Face’s standard, minimal Charge knee guards, just a bit warmer. Underneath the stretchy Kevlar knee cover sits a thin layer of foam that, although unlikely to protect you from much more than gravel rash, does mean your knees aren’t fully exposed.

RACE FACE HAVE a habit of making kit with a great cut and this jersey is no different, with flattering lines and lightweight material combining to ensure that there’s no clinging in the wrong places.

WHEN WE STARTED riding these ridiculously light carbon cranks we tiptoed round waiting for them to explode when we rode off a kerb.

OFFERING ALL THE single-ring essentials for 60$ less than the nearest competition, our Value Award winning crankset was obvious right from the start of the test.

RACE FACE’S TURBINE cranks share the same pocketed back casting as the super-sturdy Atlas but with more metal machined off the front to achieve a more trail friendly weight.

THESE LONG-RUNNING Canadian cranks have been updated with Race Face’s excellent Cinch system to create a versatile and user friendly hardcore crankset.

The sixc riser is an old favourite, winning the ‘best carbon bar’ accolade in our last group test. Upping the clamp diameter to 35mm has enabled Race Face to make this new version 15mm wider but even lighter (220g for our 10mm rise sample).

If you think of Race Face as a company that only makes over-the-top burly kits for Pacific Northwest riders, you might be surprised by the Trigger short, which feels like something Hugh Hefner would shuffle around in while puttering about the Mansion. The Trigger has an incredibly soft and stretchy shell that is absurdly comfortable. It’s also quite durable.