It’s that time of year to starting dropping hints to family and friends about appropriate gifts. Or even grabbing a bargain for yourself with all the Cyber Monday deals going round. To make things easier, we’ve picked out five new products that have grabbed our attention recently; all of them have scored highly in reviews and word-of-mouth.
Anything tickle your fancy?
Biltwell Gringo Motorcycle helmet design was stuck in a rut for a long time. But over the past couple of years or so, we’ve seen signs of life—with hybrid designs such as Icon’s Variant, high-end jewelry from the likes of Les Ateliers Ruby, and now the retro throwbacks coming from Biltwell. The Gringo is a DOT-approved full-face with classic 70s looks, and a big step up in protection from the typical open-face lid. If you want to amp up the retro vibe even more, there’s a bubble shield available too. [Buy]
Ride 100% Barstow Goggles Before the arrival of fluoro graphics, energy drink sponsorships and trucker caps, motocross had a cool, functional style. The Barstow is a welcome throwback to that timeless era, mixing high-tech construction with 70s looks. French photographer Dimitri Coste has shot some terrific imagery for the launch, and there are two versions of the goggles to choose from: the Classic, a traditional motocross style, and the Legend, with a more café racer aesthetic. [Buy]
Icon 1000 Beltway pants Unless you’re a snake-hipped rock star, leather jeans look dodgy. And if you’re over 30, you really shouldn’t be wearing them unless your name is Keith Richards or you’re piloting a Norton Manx at a vintage race meet. But as we all know, leather is one of the safest and most adaptable materials for riding. Icon 1000 seems to have solved this problem with the new $300 Beltway pant, which mixes a heavyweight canvas chassis with Brazilian cowhide overlays. The fit is relaxed and you get D3O knee protection too. [Buy]
Shark Raw One of the most striking new helmet designs of recent years is the $260 Shark Raw, and it’s flying off the shelves. It’s pitched as a ‘streetfighter’ style lid, but it’d look great with a blacked-out Wrenchmonkees-style custom or anything with a hint of Mad Max about it. It’s technically a ¾ lid, but with a goggle-and-face-mask combination that adds a little extra protection. At 1300g it’s light, and the quick-release goggles have Zeiss glass and anti-fog inserts. [Buy]
The Powerall Portable power is a mainstream concept these days, with a multitude of chargers and battery packs to keep electronic devices going for days. But the $100 Powerall is the undisputed king. It’s about the size of two cigarette packets and holds enough juice to jumpstart 20 vehicles on a full charge, which can come from a wall socket or 12v battery outlet. You get a pair of heavy-duty jumpstart cables in the box, and the Powerall also has two USB ports that can quickly charge separate devices—such as a phone and camera. And there’s an ultrabright LED flashlight with an SOS signal function that can run for 120 hours. If you ride further than your local café, one day you’ll be glad you had one of these in your pocket or pannier. [Buy]
If you think we’ve missed something cool, drop us a line in the comments.