MBM News GOAT’s still got it

The GOAT’s Still Got It

South Africa’s Greg Minnaar won the third round of the 2020 ICI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lousa, Portugal for his 22nd downhill World Cup victory.

With the victory, the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider, who will turn 39 in November, became the oldest rider to win a World Cup race in the history of the sport. Minnaar was the fourth last rider to leave the start ramp and enjoyed a clean run to set the benchmark time of 3:55:239. Britain’s Matt Walker finished second, 1.833 seconds down, after losing time in the final two sectors.

France’s Loic Bruni completed the podium, 1.960 seconds off the pace.

Greg Minnaar

Lousa, Portugal

30/10/2020

The GOODS

Fox Enduro D3O Knee Guards

Price: £75 Rating:

When you’re a mountain biker and you enjoy riding hard, falling off is just a part of life. However, with the Enduro D30 Knee Guards, you won’t end a ride with bloodied and bruised knees. The removable D30 polymer padding is soft and flexible in normal use and yet offers instantaneous absorption and dissipation of crash forces, far beyond that of ordinary foams. Not only that, a reinforced skid plate reduces friction in sliding crashes and durable Cordura fabric is used to ensure abrasion resistance. These MTB knee pads are built as tough as you are.

The D3O protection sits in a flexible, pre-curved sleeve, featuring a stretch mesh back to make them comfortable for a day of trail riding from sun-up to sundown. With their easy to slip on ergonomic fit, you can pedal at full speed on your bike without ever feeling restricted. Having comfort like this makes wearing knee pads a lot more appealing, helping you get into the habit of wearing them all the time.

For what you get the £75 price tag seems reasonable as these will offer protection time and time again.

POC Kortal Helmet

Price: £180 Rating:

Complete protection for trail and enduro, the Kortal helmet provides lightweight, extended protection and a seamless fit with goggles. With extended protection zones and uninterrupted ventilation, you’ll find safety and comfort wherever you choose to ride, and however hard you push.

Certified for use with e-bikes, the helmet passes the Dutch standard which tests helmets at higher impact speeds than for standard bicycle use. Currently, this is the only standard for e-bike helmets. In a crash, the patented breakaway peak will snap away from the helmet, helping to protect against neck injury.

Ideal to pair with the Devour Sunglasses for trail riding or the Ora goggles for enduro so you can extend your protection and heighten your senses. The helmet peak raises high enough on the helmet for goggles to fit underneath while not in use, and no helmet vents are covered by the goggle strap.

The price tag seems a lot at first, but you cant put a price on your safety and this is well worth the money.