Our man Pete headed south to check out IceBike North, hosted by Madison at the National Cycling Centre velodrome in Manchester at the start of last week.
Madison’s house show wrapped with the show being split between IceBike North and South. Pete went for a lap of the Manchester event to see what bits of kit he could spot.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Madison Clothing
If you don’t want to be a Dryrobe w*nker or get your front or rear bottoms out in public, then Madison have you covered. Officially part of the incoming collection so details are currently thin on the ground.
Looking for some workshop-friendly shop uniform? Madison have developed shirts, aprons, trousers and more in conjunction with their top retailers. All the pockets you could need but also pretty handy and comfortable for when you need to go do a test ride after fixing someone’s bike up. Like the changing robe, the workshop kit will be part of the SS15 collection.
You aint’t seen me… Right?
What have we here? A informed guess would be a lightweight version of Madison’s DTE bib trousers… We could well be wrong though. The cats at Madison were staying tight-lipped.
DT Swiss
In a step away from tradition, DT Swiss’ EXC 1200 Classic wheels have J-bend spokes and 6-bolt rotor mountings for easy of service and spare parts availability. Standard red steel bearings keep things running forever, so there’s a focus on durability and easy servicing when you do get to the point where they need some love.
You’ll wince at the price of them, but the DT Swiss EXC 1200 are all about performance. Offset carbon rims, hybrid ceramic bearings, Ratchet DEG, 180 rear hub, straight pull spokes and Centrelock for the fastest enduro wheels out there. The 29″ wheelset weighs a mere 1,778 g but expect to pay more than £1 per gram on these beauties.
Park Tool
Park Tool have released a mechanical version of their PowerLift shop work stand, that can either be hand-cranked or, whip the crank handle off and use a drill with the appropriate driver to raise or lower the stand. Considerably cheaper than the PowerLift, but still the best part of a grand. Comes with its own wheels and a removeable base should you want to augment an existing PowerLift.
It might not look like much, but this handly wee FCT-1 block from Park Tool is designed to fit most well-known fork air caps. Ever struggled to get your air cap off to let air out or top it up? This wee block either gives you considerably more purchase than your fingers, or can be used with a spanner if you have one handy. Fits Fox, Rockshox, Ohlins, Marzocchi and DVO fork caps.
The Park Tool TH-3 holds most 5mm square and 6mm Hex bits, held in space by a set screw, to allow you to access those bolt threads that would otherwise be tricky to access. Think bottle cage bolts and rack mounts.
Thule
With the rise in EVs, and roof-mount racks negatively affecting the currently limited range, Thule have come up with a tow bar mountable storage box that retrofits onto some existing Thule bike racks, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Capacity is 260L, weight is 14.2kg with a max load capacity of 45kg. Dimensions are 147 x 62 x 52 cm.
Features wheels and a carry handle for moving it to and from your vehicle, plus an internal light can be added as an accessory. The Santu also pivots away from the vehicle when you want to access the boot. The Thule Santu seen here fits the Thule EasyFold 3, Thule EasyFold XT, and Thule Epos bike carriers and allows you to carry bikes, cargo or both (only with Thule Epos). The Santu comes in at £779.99 RRP.
Available in a range of sizes, the made of 100% recycled materials Thule Chasm comes in 40, 70, 90 and 130L flavours, between £119.99 and £179.99 RRP. The access to the bag is against your back when carrying so no light fingers will relieve you of your wares. Easily convertible from a duffel to a rucksack and back again. Features a padded base, internal separation and weatherproof exterior.
M Part
M Part are expanding. Built in the UK at Madison HQ in Milton Keynes (Satan’s Layby), all M Part wheels use DT Swiss spokes and nipples, with a blend of M Part and Shimano rims and hubs depending on the price point. MTB wheels start at £49.99 for a 26″ QR rear wheel, rising to £109.99 for the M30 142x12mm 8, 9, 10-sp, MTB 11-sp rear wheel with a Shimano MT400 hub on a 30mm internal rim.
TruFlo
Another Madison house brand, TruFlo has some nifty, well-thought out kit for inflating your tyres and/or your suspension. Innovatively named the Truflo Air Lock Shock Pump Non-leak Head with Gauge, it does exactly what the name suggests. Screw the head onto the Schraeder valve, then wind down the red nut to release open the circuit. The hose will fill with air, but with the ability to close the circuit before removing the pump, what you put in the air chamber is what is in there. Yours for £39.99.
With another self-explanatory name, Truflo Air Flow MiniTrax CNC Mini Floor Pump with Extra-long hose. One for the pack on those long days where inflation should be quick and easy. Also £39.99.
Do you want to measure your tyre pressure? Use the TruFlo pressure gauge. Fits Schraeder or Presta valves, max pressure 160psi. £14.99.
This one is another nifty piece of kit. Made from machined aluminium, the Air Switch Turbo has a high volume and high pressure switch, allowing you to fill the tyre quickly and then switch it for easy inflation at higher pressures. Another £39.99 price tag.
Aztec
Another simple, yet effective bit of kit from a Madison house brand. You’ve likely used their brake pads at some point, but the Aztec Shark tool is all about the brakes. Features a Centrelock lockring tool with added 5mm hex adapter for extra leverage, has a rotor truing slot, piston press tool and rotor/pad wear tool. Yours for £24.99.
NuTrak
Nutrak have a new collaboration with Vee Tire Co. to offer their Attack and Snap tyres in 27.5 and 29″ diameters , 2.5 and 2.35″ widths, as well as Top 40 or E-Ctrl Compounds, plus GXE Core and Override Core casings. Yours for £59.99 regardless of flavour. Look out for a review of the Snap WLT on some off-camber in the future.
GTechniq
GTechniq are big in the automotive World for their ceramic protection products and cleaning fluids. They’re now moving into bikes, and their ceramic protection claims over a year’s use out of a single coat applied to a clean bike. The aim here is to make keeping your bike clean easier by spending a bit more time adding the ceramic coating to start with.
We’ll be putting their kit through its paces in the coming months.
Storm
As waterproof coatings get kinder to the environment and us, the outright ability to see off the water has waned somewhat. What you need then is a washing agent that doesn’t strip the fabric of its waterproofing, and a reproofer for when the fabric can’t see off the liquid sunshine any more.
Storm’s Eco Proofer is PFC free and aims to restore the original DWR performance of your chosen garment. Spray on, line dry and heat cure with an iron for best results. The Wash is specially formulated to clean waterproofs to restore breathability and aid water repellency. For a tired jacket or trousers, get these washed and dried with the Wash and Proof for maximum results. Not in the same wash though please.
A pack containing both costs £16.00 and the two 225ml metal tins are enough Wash and Proof for 3 loads.
