Shimano SM-SH51 Cleats, how much do they weigh?

The SM-SH51 is the standard Shimano SPD cleats for Mountain Biking. They will only release when you twist your heel outwards, unlike SM-SH55 or SM-SH56 that would release your foot from multiple angles. Which is arguably safer if you need to bail on your bike.. but using training wheels are safer too and you don't see people use them...

Anyway, the SH51 is in fact the proper and recommended cleats that would come bundled with many Shimano SPD pedals. I got mine when I bought the M424's.

A set/pair of said cleats weigh in at 52 grams including the allen and the works. You'd think something that is part of a "clipless" system would "weigh less"... but oh well.

Shimano SM-SH51 cleats weighing in at 52 grams.

~Clip in, Clip out.

Review: Cratoni C-Wild Helmet

The Cratoni C-Wild in brown, the ultimate non-conformist bike helmet colour.
How often do you see brown helmets? Just don't drop it in a wooded area.

I was hunting around for a branded bike helmet that was light weight and that wouldn't break the bank. My budget was puny, I didn't want to sped anything more than RM150. At the same time I am a firm believer in not buying replica helmets... talk about making a purchase into a difficult life choice! Anyway, after a month of looking around I ultimately across the C-Wild from Cratoni going for cheap at Chain Reaction Cycles.

It's not the latest model by the German brand but it looked good, was priced right (total damage was only about RM130 after currency conversion and shipping) and had all the bells and whistles you would expect from a premium brand.


FEATURES

If you're into weight, (come on, fess up, which serious mountain biker isn't into weight?) you'd be happy to know that the C-Wild is one of the lightest bike helmets out there. Weighing in at only 218g (official claim being 220g), it's easily 50-100 grams lighter than most of the expensive helmets worn by road bikers.

The other feature that I really appreciate the strap divider clamp that locks and unlocks with a key like twisting motion. Besides that there is nothing much else that is very special though, it is afterall a only bike helmet...

One of the lightest helmets in the market today. 

The side view with huge logo in case you forgot what you're wearing.

FULL FEATURE LIST

1. Lightweight at 218grams
2. Removable visor
3. Fantastic twist-lock type strap divider clamp
4. Simple but good size adjustment system (they call it Hyper Grip)
5. Reflective stickers at the back
6. Insect net
7. Good ventilation and airflow from front the rear
8. Appears to be made in Germany


THE ONLY PEEVE

While they helmet is great is every single way, the finishing of it could be better. The reflective stickers seems like an after thought that looks out of place and there is less than perfect plastic moulding on the visor. Very minor issues, but something to consider if it's something that'd bother you.


MORE PHOTOS

Reflector sticker and size adjustment knob (right), Twist-lock style strap divider clamp (left).

I love the oversized vents at the back. Let's a lot of air out, but if you fall backwards onto a branch... expect to get stabbed in the back of the head. :)

The only instance I could find on where this helmet was made. There were no "Made In ______" anywhere on the helmet or box.

~Use your Head, Save your Wallet.

Cycling Glasses Review: ESS ICE NARO

Protect your eyes. (Image sourced from http://www.performancebike.com)

You never really run out of things to buy when you're a cyclist, so today we're going to talk about sunglasses! You've seen fellow bikers wear them at FRIM, Putrajaya and wherever, but what would you buy and how much are you willing to spend?


WHY WEAR SUNGLASSES?!

I dare say that most bikers who do wear shades are those who cycle on the road, there isn't really much reason to require sun/glare protection when you're under foliage. Worse yet, I've seen fellows who wear dark sunglasses when riding under tree cover. I wonder how they can even see...

While sunglasses may not be something you need, it is recommended that you wear some form of eye protection. You don't want branches, gravel, bugs and the like to go zooming into your eye as your ride downhill at breakneck speed. Think there's little chance of that? Ask a motorcyclist how often something has flown into his eye while on the open highway. It happens a lot!

The last point is that some eyewear actually improve your vision without blocking out too much of the all essential light.


WHAT DO I RECOMMEND

ESS ICE NARO with Yellow Hi-Def Lens

I wear the ICE NARO from ESS.

I've been wearing these for ages, and I also wear them when I ride my motard. Why I wear them is because they are relatively cheap, they come with several lens options and the coolest reason of all... is that they are bullet proof.

Bullet proof! You read me right.

Shoot my glasses with a shotgun, c'mon I dare ya!

ESS has been making protective for the U.S military for sometime now and they have quite a few models of different design. The ICE NARO that I wear isn't the latest model, but it's the one that I found fits Asian faces really well. Because it's "narrower", yeah. Really.

How their system works is that they have swappable lenses, and for cycling I wear the Hi-Def yellow lenses almost exclusively.

Yellow lenses are known to create sharper images especially when it's foggy or slightly dark, which is often the case when you ride in the wee hours of the morning. The other reason is that I think wearing dark tinted glasses in the forest is ridiculous. You could go for the clear variety if you are simply looking for both eye and UV light protection.


COMFORT AND OTHER THOUGHTS

I can't say that the ICE NARO is the most comfortable to wear. They don't wrap around your head and you'd find that you would need the elastic strap to keep it in place most of the time. Also, if you keep swapping lenses in and out, you'd find that the pieces start to get a little bit loose. (You can buy replacement parts separately though)

The classic "smoke" lens for when you need proper sunglasses.

But I still recommend them highly? One thing is that they are insanely light, being frameless. The lenses are completely shatter proof and most of all they are rather cheap for something that works so well. Much cheaper than "dedicated" cycling eyewear from the likes of Oakley or Shimano.

For a good deal you can check out Apple Bazaar.com who are based out of Singapore. Or check out eBay where you can sometimes get your hands on military surplus. Otherwise, I have seen them being sold at outdoor gear shops around Klang Valley too.

Not the best in comfort, but you can bend and stretch for best fit.

~Wear Protection, All the Time.

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Bullet proof ESS eyewear + Montague Paratrooper = Win

Review: Shimano SH-MT43 SPD Mountain Bike Shoes

Years ago I used to use toe clips, they were great for that day and age, which was about 15 years ago. Clipless pedals were already available then, but they were expensive and most of the time the actual "clip/cleats" protruded from your shoes, making it both difficult to walk in and also ridiculous in the looks department.

The classic Toe Clip. (Image sourced from http://www.bywayofbicycle.com)

I wasn't quite prepared to go clipless, but I did want a good shoe to cycle in, so I decided to meet it halfway. Buy a cycling shoe, but without using the cleats.

After shopping around, I came by the Shimano SH-MT43, an SPD compatible cycling shoe that looked good and could perhaps double as a hiking shoe.

The beautiful SH-MT43

UNBOXING AND INITIAL THOUGHTS

I've seen many cycling shoes, both for road and mountain biking and one thing I really liked about the MT43 was the fact that the area where the "cleats" would be fasten on was covered. Meaning, the shoe didn't have gaping holes in it. Let me tell you why this is significant... if you leave in a country with frequent rainy spells. You DO NOT want to step into a puddle only to have water reach your socks from under your feet... sound logical? Believe me, many cycling shoes do not have that area covered by default. (ie: Shimano SH-M064G)

The shoe with the cleat area screwed up and covered.

Unscrewed, the four holes are where the cleats will be fastened.

You'd notice that there are also something that looks like a sticker. From what I've read, they aren't very useful. But what you are supposed to do is to stick them inside your shoe, over where the cleats will be. This is to minimise the amount of water that may seep through... but again, apparently they are of minimal help (they are made of paper!) and some seasoned mountain bikers recommend using aquarium sealant to plug up the gaps instead.

(Note: Cleats are not included with the SH-MT43. I've seen this asked online a lot. Cleats are normally bundled with your clipless pedals)


THE RIDE

I completed a 10km off road ride with these babies at FRIM and let's say my impression is a bit of a mixed bag.

The whole reason for using proper cycling shoes are:

1. To use the cleats, in this case it would be Shimano's SPD system.
2. To provide a shoes with a hard rigid sole so your feet/toes/etc doesn't bend when you pedal.

In my case, it'd be for the second reason.

Did it work as expected? I really don't know. They are definitely comfortable... no doubt about that. The sole was so rigid that it doesn't bend AT ALL, not even if you used your hands to bend them. But I can't rightly say that I felt any different from using these as opposed to regular sports shoes.

Walking definitely felt different though, since the front portion of your feet no longer bend as your walk. But in terms of cycling... not so much.

Moreover, I am now using non-fancy plastic pedals and the rubber sole of the shoes turned out to not like them very much. They felt slippery... probably due to the rubber being of the harder sort.


FINAL NOTES AND WHERE TO BUY

I had in mind to double up and also use these shoes for anything from hiking to a stroll in the mall (they do look good enough). But now I doubt I'd ever... they just aren't comfortable enough to do lots of walking in.

Plastic pedals don't hurt as much when they bash against your shins.

But if you are looking for a great and somewhat versatile SPD shoes that's affordable, you can and should consider these. I got them for only RM235 including shipping at Wan's Cycle. You can buy from them online. If you do, bare in mind that most cycling shoes use European Shoe sizing and if you end up being a 41, you may want to consider buying at 42 instead. I did, and it fit just right.


~Step on Pedals, Not Puddles.

Front Suspension: Between a Rock Shox and a Suntour

So you are looking into the front suspension of your mountain bike, or maybe you are in the market for a new bike and you're wondering what sort of shocks you should have. If only you had infinite moneys... but the thing is you don't, so whatcha gonna do?

(Image sourced from: http://mombat.org/)

Suspension forks has been a pretty much "standard" component on mountain bikes for the last 10 years or so. You could even buy a mountain bike for RM800 or less and it will come with a suspension fork. But which is a good buy?

Well, in Malaysia most bikes that you buy off the rack would come with a Rock Shox or a Suntour. Today, I am here to shed some light on these two very common brands.

Rock Shox has been in the suspension fork market since it all started over 20 years ago. They carry all the brand prestige due to them. Suntour on the other hand has been known to make really cheap stuff that are well... crap. They're also Taiwanese whereas Rock Shox is American.

LOW END ROCK SHOX: THE XC 30

Rock Shox XC30 TK with Remote Lockout

The XC range is the lowest of the Rock Shox range. The XC 30 is a coil sprung fork that weights in at about 2200grams. 2 kilos in mountain bike terms is nothing short of "heavy as hell". That aside the XC 30 is a functional fork that requires little maintenance and is found as a standard component on many off the shelf bikes in the RM2500-RM3500 range.


LOW END SUNTOUR: THE XCR



The XCR is not the lowest of all the Suntour forks, they also have the XCM and the XCT. But I'm not going to be nitpicky about this, cos the lines between all of these three models are rather blurred. And so is the sub models within the XCR range itself. If you're going for a bike with an XCR, it could be coil sprung, or it could even be an air fork. It could weight a reasonable 1800+grams or it could be a 2450gram monstrosity. Whatever it is, as a stock fork that comes with your buy... you can't get much lower than one of these Suntours. This generally comes on bikes below RM2000 more or less.


UPGRADE OPTIONS

Assuming you currently own one of the XCT, XCM, XCR series forks, you might be in mind to upgrade it. And if you are, this blogpost is meant for you!

I don't know how much you have to spend, but considering you didn't spend a bomb on your bike purchase to begin with, I am going to assuming you don't have all that much. Less than RM1000 definitely... right?

IF you are new to the mountain biking world, you may be surprised by what I am going to say.
(TIP: Don't be overly brand conscious)

If you are on a budget, avoid Rock Shox! At all costs! You may have an XCT right now, but that doesn't mean that upgrading to the Rock Shox XC range is much of an upgrade... yes you may think that you are very "glamour" for owning a Rock Shox but really... don't be fooled.

What you should aim for which is not only good and not to mention rather light is the air sprung Suntour Epicon, an upper average cross country fork. Trust me, people are starting to realise that Suntour has in recent years been making splendid championship winning forks and many world class riders are on Axon's which is a Suntour fork just one up from the Epicon series.


WHY SUNTOUR?

A new Epicon fork is better, cheaper and lighter than just about all of the low end Rock Shox series.

Go look around, and if the Epicon is still out of your budget (it's only like RM600+-), go look at the Suntour Raidon. It may not be the same level as the Epicon, but at least you'll be getting 300-400g weight savings over your low end Suntour or Rock Shox alike.

~Less Weight, Bigger Bumps.