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Five Ten Impact Shoe, Large Components |
Words and photos by Corey Anderson
Five Ten Impact Shoe
You don't have to keep sacrificing your skate shoes for bike use anymore. Five Ten is a shoe manufacturer that has earned a solid name in the climbing world for making purpose-built shoes. They have more recently recognized the shoe void in the mountain bike world, and have given the flat pedal people something that stands out from the competition - the Impact shoe.
The Impact is a purpose-built bike shoe utilizing a special rubber compound in the sole to maximize your grip on the pedal, and construction that offers a stiff sole that won't get eaten by the pedals, wrapped in a sturdy suede leather upper.
 The Fve Ten, begging to get dirty |
The stealth looking all-black Impact comes in two models, a high-cut and a low-cut. The suede uppers utilize padding on the outside edges of the shoe, a nice feature when you are riding tight, technical trails.
Every seam is double stitched for durability, and the sole of the shoe wraps up high on the toe and outside edge, the areas that take the most abuse on the trail. The interior, tongue and cuff are constructed with Ballistics nylon, and the inside of the shoe features a removable insole.
The sole of the shoe is what really separates these shoes from your year-old beaters. The Impact uses what they call their "Stealth" S1 rubber sole, a tacky, shock absorbing rubber compound similar to what has revolutionized bike tires. Five Ten has taken this technology and built it into a bike shoe, where grip, durability and shock absorption can really improve your ride. |
 Uncompromised grip on the Shore's dance floor |
Words and photos by Stuart Kernaghan
Large Components Bullmoose stem Instead of long XC stems that open upwards, however, Large has turned out shorty stems that open outwards. There are two models to choose from: the Bullmoose Clamp (right), and the Bullmoose Screw. The Bullmoose Clamp is designed to work with a 1 1/8" steerer, fits 25.4 handlebars (standard size), and is only available in a 40mm length. The stem is made of CNC-machined 6061 T6 aluminum, but doesn't have any aluminum threads - all high-strength steel screws are anchored in steel inserts to prevent stripping. Weight comes in at 166g, and the lack of sharp edges means that you're not going to open up your knees or any other important bits on the Bullmoose. |
 Sweet engraving and solid clamping, as seen from the top |
The clamp is designed to distribute stress on the bars evenly. Price for the Bullmoose Clamp is $129.
 Wiiiiide open and ready for your bar... |
Check out the Bullmoose Screw if you're a RockShox Boxxer owner looking for a direct-mount stem. Price for that bad boy is $139. Contact Large for information on picking up either of these stems. |
Hayes El Camino disc brakes
You've seen the ads, you've heard the hype, and you've been waiting patiently. Well, the wait is over. Hayes' highly anticipated new El Camino disc brakes are (or will be in the very near future) hitting store shelves near you.
Hayes went most of the way back to the drawing board with the Caminos to deal with some of the issues found in earlier brakesets, and the result is a Hayes brake unlike any other.
There are three new features on the completely redesigned master cylinder. The first is that the fluid reservoir has been moved into the handlebar clamp, providing more room for the fluid displacement that happens when hydraulic brakes heat up. Because of the new design, the cylinder is also a lot more compact than older brakesets.
The new El Camino - totally different from anything you've seen from Hayes before
The second is the tool-free reach adjustment, so there's no need to keep an Allen key close by for those trailside adjustments. The brake above is an OEM model - all production models have the tool-free adjust. According to one of my sources, the plastic adjust knob will be available as a plug-and-play option that clips into place, so if it breaks you can always order a new one.
The third feature, and the one I'm looking forward to most of all, is the Power Adjust Dial. The biggest complaint many riders (myself included) had about Hayes brakes was that they didn't have any modulation - they were either on or off.
The dial controls braking power and overall feel of the brakes by moving the pivot point on the fulcrum of the lever, increasing or decreasing the mechanical advantage of the brakes. Hayes claims it's a 10% difference - plus or minus - over the current HFX-Mag system. If that holds true, then the Caminos might just bring people (back?) into the Hayes camp. |
 More or less, whatever floats your boat... |
 The Camino caliper, complete with Hayes pad spacer |
At the other end of the brake hose is a newly redesigned caliper. This third generation mono-block caliper is forged from 6061 T6 aluminum for serious lightness and stiffness. The open-backed construction makes for better airflow and a cooler system, and the rotating banjo lets you spin the hose 270° so you can run it in whatever direction you want. |
Last but not least are the V-cut rotors. Available in 6" or 8" sizes, the new design cleans pads better and has a larger surface area for better heat dispersion and braking power.
Joel Richardson from Hayes informs me that the Caminos are in shops now, and have been for a while, but are selling out quickly. The brake systems come pre-bled but include a bleed kit and fittings in case you need to customize.
The other thing Joel said is that the brakes will feel different to riders that are currently running Hayes hydraulics. The lever effort is supposed to be lighter and there's more throw than previous systems. Stay tuned for the full review. I'll be breaking the seal on these babies up in Whistler this weekend. I am soooo stoked.
Previous Gear Shots
Gear Shots #11 - Rocky Mountain Switch S3, Marzocchi 66RC fork, Marzocchi tires
Gear Shots #10 -
Norco Six, Iron Horse 7Point7, and Norco Team DH
Gear Shots #9 - RockShox
Boxxer Ride, Camelbak Havoc, and Race Face Impact carbon gloves
Gear Shots #8 - e.thirteen DRS
replacement roller and Ridge Sports carbon gloves
Gear Shots #7 - Roach's TV Hydration
pack and Rally DH arm / leg armour
Gear Shots #6
- Light & Motion ARC Li-ion Light, Mace Swat Jacket, Cannondale Nebula
shorts
Gear Shots #5 - Maxxis Minion
DHF / DHR tires, Gravity Racing Components Shorty replacement levers, SixSixOne
Racebrace Pro ankle brace
Gear Shots #4 - Dangerboy CNC Replacement
Brake Levers, e.thirteen DRS Chainguide, Trek Energy Cell EXP 350 Dual
Gear Shots #3 - SRAM X-7 Triggers,
Chris King SteelSet, Shimano XT discs
Gear Shots #2 - Roach Rally Shorts,
NYC Freeride Stem, Pryme AL Full-face Helmet
Gear Shots #1 - Yakima RimRoc, SixSixOne
Wrist Wraps, Evil Bikes SRS Chainguide
