Quad QHD-3 Deuce Disc Brakes

Price: £139.99 per end (supplied with International Standard bracket) From: Raleigh www.raleigh.co.uk Tested: Two months The Deuce is aimed at the downhill and more extreme market and is similar in price to systems from the big name brands. Front and rear come with fi ne looking 203mm rotors and can be mounted front brake right or left without modifi cation. Braided hoses are included and are mounted to the calipers as far inboard as possible, out of harm’s way when riding and crashing and when your bike is thrown into the uplift truck. The lever reach adjuster is also protected, sitting between the lever and handlebar. The calipers have concentric circles machined into them increasing surface area and helping to dissipate heat on long descents. A short fl at lever with a good hook at the end combined with massive power gives confi dent one fi nger braking. The Deuce combines tons of power with equal amounts of feel. Down crazy steep stuff the Quads have been superb at regulating braking force to control speed without locking up. This also means harder, later braking on fast trails and less fatigue for your fi ngers. Overall: Modulation, modulation, modulation. As good as the best. Ed Oxley

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Geax Pit Stop Magnum

Price: £7.95 From: Upgrade 01403 711 611 www.upgradebikes.co.uk Tested: South Downs Way Challenge The Geax Pit Stop is a neat idea. You take a canister of CO2 but also fi ll it with latex sealant and stick a multi-fi t (Schraeder and presta) valve attachment on the end. This Magnum version is a bigger volume canister for bigger volume tires. If you puncture your tubed (or tubeless) tyre simply attach the Pit Stop to the valve and it infl ates the tyre and seals the puncture (it’s best to give the wheel a spin to help the latex spread out). I had used one of these sort of things a few years ago and was a little disappointed that it didn’t really work. To be fair, it did seal the tyre but didn’t have enough puff to suffi ciently infl ate a non-’XC race’ tyre. This Magnum one was more than capable - I had to let air out of the tyre after infl ation. Overall: Sure it’s pricey but if you’re a racer and you want to save weight without compromising infl ation performance, strap one of these to your seat post and go. Matt