SHIFT 3lack Label kit review

 SHIFT 3lack Label

The first thing I noticed when I got the gear out the bag was how light it was; in particularly the jersey. The jersey is a thin stretchy material that falls nicely over the body with enough room to get a body armour/roost protecter underneath if needs be. The sleeves benefit from a tapered fit rather than the traditional cuff, which in my opinion helps decrease the chances of arm pump as the sleeve gets gradually tighter down the arm rather than having one fixed tight point around the wrist area. 

The shirt as well as being incredibly thin is well ventilated around the chest and side of the torso; this is noticeable when riding as it directs the air flow under your arms and around your back.

The pants were made of quite a durable material for the most part with some stretchy areas which made it easy to put on over a pair of knee braces with out it snagging on them. Around the knee area is a stretchy, breathable material which hugs the knee area stopping them from moving up or down the leg when riding. The black label pants; like the shirt, are also well ventilated around the upper thigh where the material is a little thicker than the rest of the pants.

The inner waist of the pant also comes with a rubber strip to help grip the shirt and stop it coming untucked during riding which i myself suffer with a lot.

The pants also have leather on the inner knee which offer more grip on the bike as well as being well insulated against the exhaust and engine. So far i have not experienced any cracking or tearing of the leather after washing; which i used to have issues with on other kits. The leather is still in good condition and very soft; I will keep an eye on this though after a few more washes.

As far as the fit and the sizing, as a rule I am a comfortable 32” pant and Large jersey. The jersey is a good fit and very true to its size. However I am right on the limit in when it comes to the pants so if you are thinking about getting the next size up from your normal size I would recommend you do.

I have worn the kit a total number of 7 times so far and i am yet to notice any wear marks on either jersey or pant. I will re visit this half way through the season with an update as to how well it is holding up with various weather, race and washing conditions.

SHIFT claim that the 3lack label line “out perform and out styles everything in its class”, and at just £187.00 for the jersey and pants it is really hard to argue that. The gear really does everything you would want it to, it is a great fit for the every day rider as well as the more serious racer. If you do prefer a more fitted feel maybe take a look at the 3lue label line. A review for the 3lue label will be available shortly

 

5 things i liked:

1: The light weight feel

2: The tapered sleeves

3: The ventilation on the jersey

4: The stretchy material around the knee area

5: So far the durability of the leather on the inner knee

Written and tested by Brad Wheeler

Just1 J18 MX helmet review

 Just 1 J18 MX helmet review

Upon first glance the Just 1 J18 helmet is sleek and stylish. It’s well crafted edges help in the J18’s aerodynamics allowing air to pass freely over and through the helmet. The helmet is designed and manufactured in Italy, and one of things Italians are best known for is fashion and style. So the helmet definitely will not be lacking in the looks department. There are just a few little details in the design that just set it out from the rest, such as, the screws that hold the peak in place are not just circles, they're in the shape of a “J1”. A nice little touch I thought. Also the front mouth piece of the helmet is removable so no need to spend hours with a thin screw driver trying to pick the mud out, you can simply remove it, clean it, and re-fit it. The peak also comes with a way of adding an extension piece, so no more duct taping an old lens to your peak, now you can look like a pro with a purpose built extension.

Just 1 have recently released they're 10th anniversary edition helmet and gear line this year, and 10 years in the helmet game isn't a whole lot when you think other companies such as Bell and Arai which have been around for decades. That being said this doesn't stop the J18 coming fully equipped with the latest in helmet safety. The J18 comes with multi-directional impact protection (more commonly known as MIPS). The MIPS system itself is a low friction layer that sits between the EPS foam (expanded polystyrene) and the helmet liner, and allows for a sliding motion of 10 to 15mm in all directions. This aims to reduce the transfer of rotational motion onto your brain. In short its at the forefront of helmet safety. It also comes standard with J.1.E.R emergency cheek pad removal system, this makes the removal of the helmet in an accident easier and safer for the paramedics, with the removal of the cheek pads you can remove the helmet with less resistant, thus taking the strain off of the neck.

The J18 comes in a whopping 30 different colour ways, so plenty of choices when it comes to matching it with your kit and boots (if you go in for that sort of thing). As well as a wide array of colours you can also get it in sizes ranging from XS-XXL. The J18 uses the classic double D retention system to fasten the helmet, the same as most helmets on the market. It also weighs just 1250 grams making it one of the lighter helmets on the market and you do really notice this when you're riding in it. In particular when its muddy, when your helmet is covered in mud you be grateful for the J18 and its light weight shell. 

I have been using the J18 with Scott Prospect goggles, which are known to be one of the widest and biggest goggles on the market. The goggles sit comfortably in the helmet so what ever your choice of goggle there is no need to worry about if they will fit or not. The J18 also has a section around the middle of the helmet for your goggle strap, with a ridge top and bottom it stops the goggle strap from slipping up or down when riding. 

Now to the price tag, £315.00 is what you're going to need for the J18. For that price you get a hell of a lot of helmet, when you think that other brands with the same safety technology are upwards of £450.00. So don't let the brands lack of history in motocross put you off of what is a great  helmet, it may not be rich in heritage but it is rich in looks and safety.

All Just1 helmets are available at https://evenstrokes.com/

Tested and written by Brad Wheeler

ARMA energy review

ARMA

For anyone who has ever listened to the Pulp MX show or watched AMA supercross/motocross over the past year or two; chances are you will have seen or heard ARMA being spoken about. This is because people like Jeremy McGrath, Adam Cianciarulo, Chad Reed and Nick Wey are all part owners of the business. With people like that backing it, it was always going to make some noise, but it is not just all noise. I’ve had the opportunity to try out all four of their products (FIRE, BLITZ, RELOAD and the newest edition HYDR8) over the last few weeks.

All loaded up for a day at the track.

FIRE: ARMA say that the morning is the best time to take FIRE, 1 scoop in 8-10 ounces of water. They have 2 flavours at the moment, orange crush and strawberry lemonade, I had the strawberry lemonade, which to me tasted a little bit like a bag of skittles. For the first time round I stuck to the manual and tried it first thing on a day I was riding, but found by the time I actually got down to riding I had used a lot of that fire energy up. The next time I had it when I got to the track, as I was at signing on, walking the track etc. For me this was the best time to take it as it was just kicking in as I was getting my helmet on for practice. I would imagine the time it takes to kick in closely reflects the size of the person. For example if you are 7ft and 16 stone you may not notice it as quickly as someone who is 5’5 and 11stone. 

BLITZ: This is more of a supplement designed to be used before, during and after your workout. , they just have the one flavour at current which is the berry blast which is a nice fruity blend with a few little kicks. This is suitable at any point during the day, from listening to other people and some of the head ARMA guys I've learned that a lot of them choose to mix the FIRE and BLITZ in the morning to make sure they stay hydrated as well as focussed. Learning this was big game changer, where as before i was drinking the 10 ounces of fire then trying to drink a litre or two of water before riding to make sure i was hydrated. I was then able to mix the BLITZ and FIRE and not have to worry about trying to drink so much water.

The heads behind ARMA have made sure that there are no banned substances in BLITZ so you do not have to worry about a knock on the door from WADA.

All the ARMA products can be mixed up right at the track.

RELOAD: Now for me this is the one that I had the most benefit from. If like me you suffer with a few aches and stiff muscles the next day after riding, this is for you. ARMA suggest you use it before a weight work out, cardio work out and post work out, but for me post riding was the best. First go around I mixed it with water, and i have to be honest it was a tough one to get down. I had a deep chocolate flavour instead of the very vanilla which is their other flavour, so in my mind that needed to be more of a milk shake. ARMA say you can have it with water, milk, on your yoghurt, porridge, pretty much with anything. Milk was the best for me and made a nice chocolate milkshake flavour drink. I found that if I drank it with in 30mins of my last race i had no issues the following day. Those aches and pains were a thing of the past. So this one I really recommend to anyone who would like to feel brand new again after a hard day at the track.

HYDR8: This is ARMAs newest edition to their line up of supplements, HYDR8 has a mixture of specific sugars, bioavailability enhancers and electrolytes to keep you performing at an elite level. There are 2 different flavours of HYDR8; watermelon and lemon & lime. At current I am using the watermelon flavour, which quite literally tastes like watermelon flavoured squash. HYDR8 is a great one to just stick in a water bottle and just sip at throughout the day. Personally during the summer I filled up a 2Litre bottle with it and froze it the night before riding, it was great way to stay cool and keep hydrated throughout the day, especially if you are someone that struggles to drink water. The HYDR8 can also be added to BLITZ and FIRE to give you that bit extra on a hot day or on a day where you just feel you need that little bit of a boost. 

The thing I like about the ARMA line is that unlike generic supplements on the market, it is made by racers for racers. The guys behind have been there and done it and know what it takes to succeed at any level. So overall I think they all have their own benefits and I feel its certainly worth the investment if you are fed up of feeling tired and lethargic at the track as well as stiff and sore the next day. They offer different types of packages but I recommend the ARMA pro kit. This consists of:

1 x ARMA Blitz

1 x ARMA Fire

2 x ARMA Reload

All packaged up in a cool ARMA box for easy storage. 

In my opinion if its good enough for the King of supercross then its plenty good enough for me.

All ARMA products are available at https://evenstrokes.com/

Written and tested by Brad Wheeler 

Battle of the roll offs

OAKLEY AIRBRAKE VS FOX VUE Stray

On first glance it is clear which is the pricier goggle. The Oakley Airbrake roll off system is slim line and sleek on the frame, where as the FOX VUE looks more like a traditional roll off system. However is looking flash necessary better though? 

In the past I've been an airbrake man after being taken in by the hype in its early days. I now however have had the chance to run the FOX VUE and Oakley Airbrakes in the same day at a REVO British championship round, so they have had as a good a test as any.

Putting the Fox VUE through some race paces

I’ll start with the FOX VUE Stray, retailing at £115.00 and only £18.00 for a pack of 6 roll off films its a good bang for the buck. The goggle fits well on my face and the 45mm strap with the adjuster means you can easily tighten or loosen the goggle to fit the shape of your face. The wider strap also grips the helmet better so it does not move around when you are riding. They also benefit from a 45mm roll off film compared to the standard 36mm on most other roll offs. This increases your field of vision and when you are in the heat of battle this could be the difference between getting in that rut and not. The canisters may not be as sleek as the airbrake but they WORK! Anyone who has ever been in a situation where you've really needed a roll off, all you care about is that they continue to work and the FOX VUE do just that. FOX have really perfected simplicity with this. No bells and whistles but they do exactly what you want them to do when you are out on track. 

The only little snag I encountered was during setting up the roll offs. I found it was a little fiddly to get the cap of the canisters back on once I had set up the rolls. However I've chalked this up to my inexperience with the goggle and I'm s ure after a few times setting it up it would become easier and easier. Apart from this the goggle was easy to set up and worked instantly with no problems. The cord has a good recoil so the toggle isn't left dangling like it can on some goggles after a few pulls. 

FOX’s TruLock system makes light work of getting the lenses in and out and with its pre curved design glare is no longer an issue.

Like most of FOX’s other products the colour ways available is nearly endless so plenty of options for you to match it with your set up.

The VUE roll off comes with 2 mud strips, 2 roll off films and a spare spindle. 

On to the Oakley Airbrake then. Retailing at the £175 mark and a bag of 6 rolls costing you £29.99 it is certainly the most expensive goggle on the market, but is it worth the extra money.

Oakley really were one of the first goggle companies to adopt the wider roll off system. In 2013 Oakley introduced the airbrake range with its easily interchangeable strap and lenses and its kind of been the bench mark for goggles since. In its early days the Airbrake had a problem with its small canisters not being big enough to hold a whole roll off film when it was covered in mud. Oakley remedied this with some bigger canisters but if like me you try the after market films rather than the genuine ones to try save some money you'll be disappointed to know that this is not an option. I tried an after market roll in them and just had issues with it sticking and not recoiling properly. After switching to the genuine rolls that issue was resolved and it had a smooth pull system. The airbrake is a lovely goggle to work on, its easy to remove the caps on the canisters and insert the rolls. You do however have to be very precise when setting them up as they can be quite temperamental if not done correctly, for example after qualifying i didn't manage to get all the dirt of the pull cord and it caused it to be very stiff and not retract correctly.

If you choose not to run the mud strip you can easily switch between a roll off and tear off goggle, it just a case of swapping the canisters out for tear off out riggers and tagging the wire off the lens. Much like the FOX VUE the roll off film is 45mm wide offering a better view of the track and better peripheral vision.

The Oakley Airbrake does look trick

In my opinion the FOX VUE roll off system wins this one. It does everything the Airbrake does for £60 less. No it may not look as slick and fancy as the Oakley airbrake but it is still a trick looking goggle and when you're 20 minutes in to a race and you can still see where your going and you're roll off cord is still working you're not going to care. Also if you used a bag of rolls a weekend and you race 40 weekends of the year thats a saving of nearly £500, i don't know about you but thats money that could be spent on something else. For these reasons id recommend anyone in the market for a new roll off system purchases the FOX VUE goggle.

Written and tested by Bradley Wheeler