| | | | | | | January Newsletter | New Year's Evolution
| | Hi achternaam, Eyes down for a new game... I hope you had a safe and special Silly Season and are ready to get stuck into 2018. Bugger all happened at this end, a couple of hangovers and over-full front verandahs (guts) are about all I have to show for it. It was my turn to "hold the fort" at HQ while the team had a well earned break (I obviously didn't earn one). One of these years I've promised myself the experience of a white Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere, maybe even check out the nutters who ice race. Whatever happens this year I'm determined to have some sort of two wheeled adventure, a serious ride... somewhere. That's the joy of a bike ride isn't it, destination is almost irrelavant. | | On a recent trip to test the E1, MSR Elixir tent, Terra Evo and couple of things in development Tomaselli strode off to release the Pongy Python in the bush surrounding the campsite. A couple of hours later he told me he must have been rubbed by stinging nettle or bitten by something just above his ankle. After a cup of concrete at a corner map check, we struck off for a Big Breaky. Oooh, we (two ex critical-care nurses) looked at the area, there were two marks surrounded by red skin and swelling. Were they two puncture marks? Maybe, but Tom would have been showing signs and symptoms of envenomation by this time. We had taken ages to get the stars to align for a ride together so a simple snake bite wasn't going to put us off. The plan was to watch and wait as we weren't too far from civilisation. With hindsight to guide us, a snake bite (unless it was a baby) is unlikely. Maybe a redback, but without a lab to send swabs to it's academic. Watching for complications is the next plan. Bugs don't clean their teeth so they are good at "seeding" infections. Not only locally but chest and urinary systems are in the firing line. The lesson – put bike boots on before going to lay the bush cable. Cairns workboots (thongs) don't cut it. | Wake Up Bite  |
| | | Reviews Over the years many people have said nice things about the gear we make, it really does give us a buzz. I always print them and show them to the "girls" out the back who do the real work making the goodies. It looks pretty dodgy if I go and put that up on the web pages as reviews however. If you are cruising around the website at some stage and have time to put a few words together I'd really appreciate it. |  | | | Dinkum Dakar Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Nice work to our Aussie heros in this year's event. A third to Toby Price after duelling for the lead despite a short preparation due to coming a gutsa last year. Great effort Rodney Faggoter and Scott Britnell coming in 16th and 61st. In an event where a finish is a massive effort our boys punched above weight again. We're proud of you! 
Courtesy of website | |  It's not my turn to do the washing up... I cooked. Photo Paul Malcolm
| Un-Rider, Unbelieveable. I came across this story recently, believe it or not. This bloke was dumb enough for this to be true. Our young hero takes his bike out for a ride between Christmas and New Year. He takes it along part of the 90 mile beach area in Gippsland. Normally a quiet area, at this time of year it teems with people. It runs out of fuel and, as yer do, his first action is to stand by the bike and have a slash. Now not only does the civilian population swell in holiday periods, the coppers also increase in numbers. Our hero gets done for urinating in a public place... Steeeerike 1 It turns out he has no licence and the bike is unregistered... Steeeerike 2. After being booked and warned not to ride the bike he tries to push the bike into the bush to hide it and goes Rs up. The bike falls and he sustains a badly dislocated kneecap getting a bonus trip to the hospital. Steeeerike 3.... Yerrr out! I'd like to thank this "Bell-End" for doing his bit for motorcycling.....NOT! | |  | Fuel Follow Up Last time I mentioned that I was gonna keep you in the loop regarding fuel conditioner use. It might be a little early to call it but Dr Z started first kick the other morning after a couple of weeks in the shed. This was a remarkable event in itself as it's been a bugger if not ridden for a couple of weeks or more. I keep an old film container with a single dose in a ziplock bag and dump it in the tank on the last fill on the way home. Thereby ensuring it is well mixed through. |  |
| Update on the updated update The Schuberth helmet stock is about to hit Strapz HQ any day now. They are on the truck and headed from Sydney this week. I had my mits on the C4 at the Sydney Expo and they really look the goods. About the only thing we need to keep our eyes on is the negative feedback on the comms system out there in webland. I hope they are just teething problems. As I don't see the point of rabbiting on while riding, I stick with Earmold bluetooth wired plugs, so it won't worry me anyway. |  Eee1 by gum A couple of weeks ago I finally got my head inside the E1 Schuberth brain bucket. I guess that's the glass half-full approach to the delays we've had to relax into. First up it is THE quietest helmet I've worn, period. I reckon the C4 will be the next step down the dB stairs too. |  |
| | Slipping it on my melon, the opening feels more flexible than other flip fronts I used. The lining feels really strange as it's settling into the shape of my bonce. Once it reaches the right place then bingo the fit is lovely, it sort of locks in. The lining is much lumpier than any other helmet I've worn. Some clever Dirk has worked out a way to get airflow and padding into the same spot. If anything it might just be a smidge rounder than the Shoei fit. I like the variable chin vent idea. Many helmet's vents in this area are either closed or open and I reckon a winter's day is when this feature will come into play. Those who follow my drivel will remember that I had misgivings about the sun shade. It didn't seem to descend far enough down. I haven't changed my view but in practice doesn't affect me at all. My eyes look through it and focus on what is the otherside. My nose seems to be out of the setting sun's rays too. 
The peak feels a bit "flimsy" but like all Adventure riding equipment there are compromises to make and I'd think that the engineers chose weight over bulk. With the twist of a couple of buttons it comes off leaving the E1 set up as a normal flip front modular helmet. A couple of plugs are supplied to fill the holes. I guess perching a peak on top of a helmet that's goal is to be the quietest in its class is like asking a juggler to let the balls bounce. "You vant me to do vat?" Once I found the ideal position via the three position adjustment (that can be done without taking the hat off BTW) the areodynamics were quite good. It does however get buffetted by wind shocks from following or passing trucks and the like. In the right position it seems only to be a perception thing as it never bothered me. | Another by-product of the peak that I'm sure the designers didn't intend is that when the whole front of the the E1 is in the up positon the peak gives the visor pretty impressive protection from clumsy buggers in the coffee shop or a motel room. All in all, this is a very good helmet. Mixing the best of the road and off-road worlds. In a country where dirt roads are hard to track down inevitably will lead to a road biased brain bucket. This isn't a puffing and blowing, hard core Enduro riding helmet, it is very much a middle ground hat. For you Victorian riders who want to pop by on our next open Saturday (Feb 3rd) and pick up a helmet, I'll chuck in a free Folding Helmet Pack. Those poor buggers who have to work or worse, live in a different state, we'll take pity on ya and still throw one in on all helmets sold that weekend. | 
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| Terra Evolves  | Forma sent me a pre-production pair of the new Terra Evo about 6 months ago to trial and feedback. Call me a bit (maybe a lot) cynical but manufacturers the world over seem the work on the theory that the more letters and dashes/slashes in an acronym the better the effect on the product. Forma's FCS (Flex Control System) adds a conservative amount of stiffness to the sides of the boot without impacting on "walkability". Apart from a slightly irritated mouse squeaking with each step they have the same Forma fit and feel. The squeak is by no means as loud as many other "hinged" boots out there and it doesn't annoy me. Like the predecessors they are waterproof and have the full stiff "enduro" style sole. Nooice..... | |  This product testing lark can be tough work. | | A customer told me of an unfortunate but funny story this morning. A mate of his is currently nursing a broken leg after an incident at a training course. Wait for it... That his wife insisted he take. | | Our facebook page |
All the best for 2018, that's about all I have. Copyalater....
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