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Scott’s Lin helmet packs one hell of a feature-filled punch. The in-mould construction has 18 whopping vents and some deep internal channelling, which does a good job of keeping your head cool even after you’ve trudged up long, sweaty climbs. 

Inside, the thin padding helps create a comfortable fit and wicks well when things heat up. The adjustable cradle uses Scott’s RAS (Rotary Adjustment System) technology to help tailor the fit using a small, quite narrow, indexed clicker wheel. Although this works well enough, after months of getting caked in mud, it can get a little gritty and doesn’t turn quite as easily. 

What makes the Lin really stand out is the inclusion of MIPS technology, a feature that most competitors charge an awful lot more for. MIPS is a low friction layer that sits between the helmet padding and EPS liner, helping to dissipate energy from awkward angled impacts to your head. It’s a great safety addition to any lid. 

All-day comfort is right up there with the best of them and the fact that the Lin weighs 278g certainly doesn’t do it any harm. We like the styling, and if green isn’t your thing there’s a full stealth option too. 

This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Source: BikeRadar.com

The Xenon was a good but gaudy bike last year, so fans of subtler looks will appreciate the matt stealth option on the 2013 machine. This year also sees a lighter, stiletto-style tapered fork that puts complete chassis weight well under 1,500g. 

There are interesting things going on inside the frame, too, with the ‘double chamber’ design adding stiffness to the thin-walled, unidirectional carbon layup. Stevens also uses the extra wide BB86 standard for the asymmetric bottom bracket. It’s fully Di2 compatible too.

• Highs: Stiff but reasonably light and futureproofed double chamber frame that offers precise and balanced handling
• Lows: Soft spoking and heavy rear wheel dull acceleration, and you might want to change the short cranks 
• Buy if: You want a keen and enjoyable all-rounder and don’t mind upgrading the wheels eventually

Conventional shifting keeps weight low on this build, which helps flatter already positive acceleration and climbing. Whatever gear you’re in or however steep the slope, the stout frame and alloy cockpit let you recruit all your muscles for the task, from your shoulder to the soles of your feet. 

That does place a big load on Citec’s distinctive star-flanged wheels, though, and both ends were still twanging and settling their spokes a long way through testing. 

The stout Stevens frame allows you to put your muscles into the ride

The back wheel is heavy, too, and the way this noticeably dulls acceleration was proved when we plugged in Mavic Ksyrium Elites from the Dolan. The Citecs do spin well once you’ve got going, and we’ve no complaints about the fast but faithfully grippy performance of Continental’s GP4000S tyres. 

Opinion was divided by the relatively short 170mm cranks, some enjoying the easier high cadence spin, others finding them under-leveraged on steeper climbs – but distributors Hargroves are happy to change them. The wide range 11-28T 105 cassette meant we spun up most hills without too much of a heave anyway. 

Descending, and the tight, dry stone wall chicanes that are so common on our test loops didn’t faze it either. Despite low weight and the fork’s tapered tips, the front goes where you want and stays there. 

Fast, grippy tyres, but the back wheel’s a bit weighty

The low bottom bracket reinforces the tyres’ fast cornering grip, while the short wheelbase means you can perform quick line changes around the worst potholes. It is a taut-feeling bike, and it can get a bit rowdy on rough sections, but it’s a balanced buzz throughout the bike rather than obvious blunt trauma from one area or another. 

The well-shaped Oxygen kit provides a wide range of position options to prolong comfort too.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Source: BikeRadar.com

3D printing is often in the headlines, in fact the technology looks set to start an industrial revolution of its own. Yet the use of 3D printing is still limited within the bike industry, so when Charge bikes released a video showing the world’s first 3D printed titanium frame component we knew it’d get people talking.

After collaborating with corporate research centre of EADS innovation works (The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company)  Charge used  a process developed for the aerospace industry to produced a batch of intricate dropouts for use in the frameset of the Freezer Ti custom cross bike.

Watch below as Charge’s Nick Larsen talks to Andy Hawkins from EADS about the process of 3D printing and its benefits over traditional fabrication methods.

Source: BikeRadar.com