KASK KOO SUPERNOVA GLASSES
RAPHA TRAIL WINDBLOCK JERSEY MOTOREX BIKE CLEANING KIT
£100
SPECIFICATION Weight: 187g (M) • Sizes: XS-XXL • Colours: Light blue/green, light blue/navy, black • Contact: rapha.cc
£169
SPECIFICATION Weight: 22g • Contact: kooworld.cc
The Rapha Windblock jersey is an example of a new style of riding top that has emerged over the last couple of years. Built with a wind-blocking front panel, these shirts are designed to combat those in-between days that are not quite winter, not quite spring.
Rapha’s take on this inter-season garment uses a stretchy Merino wool back panel with a windproof front panel and nylon arms. The Merino is soft and luxurious against bare skin, and does a good job of staying comfortable even when damp with sweat. In contrast, the front panel is rustly and feels a bit like a bib, but at least there is a nice Merino liner to keep the comfort levels high. The arms have elasticated cuffs, and there’s a bit of stretch to the fabric, although nowhere near as much as offered by the Merino.
The sizing is decent – the forearms are a little tighter than elsewhere, but they have good length for when stretched into a riding position.
However, the front panel can feel somewhat restrictive across the chest as it lacks any stretch in the fabric. Equally, Rapha could have added more of a drop tail to the rear hem to stop the jersey riding up and exposing your lower back to spray and drafts.
While there’s nothing in the way of rider features (such as a lens wipe or pocket), I did appreciate Rapha’s attention to detail. The collar is soft and free of any abrasive stitching, while even the fabric care label is soft and scratch-free.
As spring begun to emerge from its hibernation I used this jersey with reasonable success. With a base layer underneath, I warmed up quickly, but it didn’t get too clammy or uncomfortable. There’s a decent freedom of movement too, aside from the crinkly, rustly, windproof panel.
My biggest complaint about the Trail Windblock jersey is that it’s a very expensive garment that, for most riders, will only get used in
Italian brand Kask is best known for highend road bike helmets, but also has an eyewear arm called Koo, making quality glasses suitable for mountain biking as well as road. This Supernova model is bang on trend for a modern mountain bike shape with a big lens that wraps the face with a broad field of vision.
For this much money, you’d expect a top-notch lens, and the Zeiss ‘Toric’ doesn’t disappoint. It’s a rimless design in shatter-proof, anti-reflective nylon that’s slightly flexible to resist damage and has super sharp optics. There’s no detectable distortion at the edges and excellent contrast to pick out small contours in trails and vegetation.
Plus, with no frame, vision is uninterrupted when scanning further ahead on trails.
The Supernova only weighs
22g, so it’s super light, undetectable while riding and also very stable with zero movement or bounce, despite the minimal build.
Two nose bridges are included, but even with the lens set furthest away, my eyebrows brushed the upper very specific conditions on a small number of days. It’s not as practical as a packable jacket, as there are no pockets, and doesn’t offer a great deal of extra performance on chilly days over a regular long-sleeve jersey worn on top of a base layer.
So while the Rapha Trail Windblock jersey is well executed, you’ll need deep pockets and very particular demands for it to make a sensible investment.
Danny Milner piece of the Zeiss lens.
Maybe my eyebrows are exceptionally bushy, and this wasn’t an issue except when working really hard, but in these instances sweating and moisture and grease gets smeared against the back of the lens and occasionally interfered with the view when looking far ahead out of the top portion.
The top-class optics here work well right from bright sun to dark woods, and being so lightweight means you’ll forget you’re wearing them, but check the fit first, as the pricy Supernovas sit closer to the face than some sunglasses, and that can cause issues with drips and smears if you sweat a lot.
£44.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 1.5kg • Contact: extrauk.co.uk
Swiss brand Motorex offers this plastic tub as a one-stop bike cleaning kit to get your machine shiny after you’ve dragged it through the mire. Included in the tub are a bike cleaner, a drivetrain degreaser and a dry lube. There is also a sponge and a cloth, but, weirdly, no brushes, which I generally find way better than cloths for getting into nooks and crannies. Soft brushes are also less likely to scratch a your bike than sponges that get embedded with grit.
The bike cleaner comes in a 500ml trigger spray and while it works fine on fresh muck and doesn’t leave streaks, it’s less effective than rivals at breaking down dry crud, if a bike has sat in the back of a vehicle for example. The fizzy degreaser works better, with about the same amount of gunk slipping off a dirty chain and cassette as with Peaty’s foaming degreaser I use regularly. I do prefer how that comes in a bigger, refillable bottle rather than an aerosol, like the Motorex, and it also works out much cheaper to buy as a result.
The Motorex dry lube has a good consistency to apply, stays put well and seems pretty smooth, but again wouldn’t be my first-choice chain lube – I prefer a wax-based lube for dry weather and something like White Lightning Wet Lube if it’s absolutely filthy.