Louis Garneau were founded in Quebec, Canada 28 years ago and produce just about every road cycling accessory imaginable, calling themselves a “one-stop shop” for riding enthusiasts. The 2012 version of their Diamond helmet line weighs in at 300g – 15g more than claimed – for a medium size, and with 40 vents, Garneau promise “an absurd amount of ventilation.”
The lid's main feature is “exo-insert technology” – lightweight strips of plastic on the interior that help to maintain its structure and spread the shock of impact. Retailing at £129.99, the Diamond is available in four colours (red, royal blue, black and gray/blue) and small, medium and large sizes.
Dare 2b
Dare 2b are a UK company who specialise in clothing for outdoor sports, whether it’s skiing, climbing or mountain biking that floats your boat. The first of the bike products we’ve just received, the Scramble, is a lightweight polyester/elastane jersey, with 3/4-length zip, three rear pockets and reflective details. It comes in Acid, ActiveGreen, Grenadine and Iron colours and costs £40.
The Struckout windshell is billed as a summer jacket and is lightweight enough to justify its tag. It’s made from the breathable and waterproof Ared 5000 fabric and features elasticated cuffs and an adjustable hood. It can be packed away into a zipped pocket and is available in Iron Scratchy, Iron Monochrome and White colours. RRP £50.
O'Neal
O'Neal have some interesting-looking kit for 2011, and they've just sent us a sample of their riding kit. The Pin It shorts (£69.99) and jersey (£44.99) are aimed at all-mountain and freeriders, with a baggy cut but lighter, more breathable fabrics than O'Neal's downhill kit. The cyan and gold colour option seen will certainly make you stand out, but they're also available in black and black/white.
The knee-length shorts are made from a stretchy fabric and have some neat features, including front-of-leg zipped vents and mesh areas, a reinforced seat and inner legs, two zipped pockets and a ratchet waist adjuster. Also pictured are O'Neal's Element gloves, RRP £19.99.
BMC
Swiss bike makers BMC sent us this rather nifty T-shirt inspired by rappers Run-DMC. Apparently the shirts aren't available to buy, so you'll have to search high and low if you fancy one. It made us chuckle so we thought we'd feature it anyway.
Diamondback
Diamondback's UV Reactive Grips, as their name suggests, react to sunlight and change colour. The ones we have make a subtle change from blue to purple, but they are also come in white to pink, green to red and grey to purple options, which promise a more substantial change. They're available in one length (135mm), are made from Kryton rubber and cost £7.99 a pair.
Relentless
There's still no clear winner in the energy drinks war, with Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and several other brands battling it out for supremacy. Relentless have just sent us some samples of their Inferno flavour, which has a distinct orange tang. It contains the same proportion of caffeine as Red Bull – 32mg/100ml – and contains actual fruit concentrate (5%) as well as the usual artificial ingredients. RRP is £1.35.
