Five Cool Things is back for 2026! And we’re kicking off with a pretty big one, as we check out Giant’s latest enduro e-MTB, DJI’s updated action camera, and Prungo’s therapeutic tool for ‘deep recovery’. That’s not all, as we’ve got a comprehensive tool kit from Topeak and fresh winter garbs from GripGrab.
- How to set up your mountain bike suspension
- 27.5 vs. 29-inch wheels – understanding the differences
- Five things that weren’t cool – until gravel happened
But before we get onto the cool things, let’s take a look back at what happened over the Christmas period, and as usual, it was Gear of the Year season, where the off.road.cc team unveils the best kit they’ve tested throughout 2025. Of course, we had our overall Gear of the Year where we highlighted bikes such as Whyte’s Verro, Canyon’s Spectral AL, and Merida’s eOne-Eighty as the winning bikes. Matt Page showed off his tech highlights, Ty Rutherford praised Ride Concept’s Hellion Clip shoes, and Hunt’s Proven Carbon Trail H_Core wheels. Last, but not least, in my Gear of the Year, I rated Yeti’s LTe and the Fox Racing Speedframe Pro helmet.
As for our other features, Andi recapped 2025, highlighting the highs and lows of the bike industry and we caught up with a recovering Fabien Barel to learn what it takes for a pro rider to test and design all of the kit we see on modern mountain bikes. We’re also going hard on the winter content, as we provide some top advice on winter bikepacking, and Rebecca uncovers what bikejoring really is.
Although it’s just the start of the year, there’s been a lot going on in news, too, as Atherton Bikes has announced that it’s launching its first e-MTB in 2026 and Mondraker has unveiled the latest addition to its range, the Scree. Anyway, onto those cool things.
Giant Reign Advanced E+ 2
£6,500
In October last year, Giant overhauled its beloved enduro e-mountain bike, the Reign Advanced E+. Not only has it received an all-new motor system that features a higher voltage, as well as a new battery, display, and remote, but perhaps most interestingly, it gets Giant’s Aegis Tyre Checker technology. That’s right, the Reign Advanced E+ can track your tyre pressures on the fly. With that, the user can set a low-pressure limit that issues an alert once your tyres hit a certain pressure, so it’ll notify you if you’ve got a puncture that you’ve not yet noticed.
Back onto that 48-volt motor system, the SyncDrive Pro 3 apparently runs at a 30% lower amperage at the same power level. We’re told that this means that the motor won’t get as hot, so it should run more efficiently. Now, the motor knocks out 90Nm of torque and up to 800W of power. That’s then fuelled thanks to a 560Wh battery, but the bike comes with a range extender in the box if that’s not enough for you.
As for the bike itself, there’s an awful lot going on. Of course, it’s an enduro bike, so there is 180mm of squish at the front combined with 170mm at the rear. It runs mixed wheels and Giant’s renowned Maestro suspension layout. There’s also a tonne of adjustment allowing for three reach measurements and three angle adjustments.
Prungo FluxGo
£304
If you frequently finish your rides riddled with aches and pains, Prungo’s FluxGo device might be a must-have. It’s a therapeutic tool that uses a collection of optimised red lights to apply red light therapy to specific spots on your body. It then uses something called Polarization Technology, which refines laser beams into what Prungo calls its Focused LED to focus the light towards the problem area.
It comes in a modular package with three units that can be arranged to fit around arms, legs, shoulders, and pretty much anywhere you need it to work. It offers three therapy modes and dual charging options, so the whole system can adapt to your needs.
In the box is everything you need to strap the units onto your body, as well as a rather neat case that can charge the units while you’re on the move.
Topeak Essential Toolshop
£90
A proper collection of tools is something that every cyclist needs. Investing will save money in the long run, as it’ll help you fix your bike yourself, rather than relying on a mechanic. However, slowly building up your tool roster can be a pricy and lengthy endeavour. Topeak’s Essential Toolshop aims to take the effort of building your own tool kit away, coming with pretty much everything you’ll need to get fettling with your bike.
Inside a neat engineering-grade polymer case is almost everything you can shake a stick at. There’s a full range of Allen bits, Torx bits, as well as PH1, PH2 and flat head screwdrivers. That’s not all, as all of the bits can fit into Topeak’s Ratchet Rocket HD ratcheting handle that’s rated to work up to 60Nm. There’s a chain tool, a Power Lever II that acts as tyre levers and master link pliers, and I’m quite a fan that the brand has included its Nano TorqBar 2-6Nm torque adapter. There’s also a disc brake pad spacer, too!
GripGrab EXPLR Insulated Jacket
£170
I don’t know about where you are, but it’s been mighty cold here in the UK recently, which means it’s been prime weather for insulated clothing. GripGrab’s EXPLR Insulated Jacket looks ripe to fit the cold-weather riding bill, too. That’s because it’s filled with Primaloft Gold insulation to bring the warmth without adding loads of extra weight. It’s then sorted with a PFC-free DWR coating to fend off spray and showers.
Built for cold days out on the gravel bike, it’s packable for when it’s not needed, and it’s equipped with plenty of pockets for a dash of extra storage capacity.
DJI Osmo Action 6
From £329
DJI has been absolutely storming it with its camera releases over the past few years, and this is the latest iteration of its action camera, the Osmo Action 6, and it’s equipped with some rather interesting features. It gets a 1/1.1-inch square sensor, similar to what’s seen on the Osmo 360, but there’s a variable aperture offering options from f2.0 up to f4.0.
This little camera is packed full of neat features, so I won’t go into too much depth right now, but it offers RockSteady 4.0 and HorizonSteady to stabilise footage, and there’s 50GB of internal storage, so there’s no need to rely solely on SD cards. With a recent update, the camera can now shoot up to 8k resolution, and there are now additional lenses available.
There’s an FOV Boost lens, which widens the field of view, which I reckon will be great for riding footage. DJI has also released a Macro lens that allows some adjustment to the camera’s depth of field, for fancy-looking close-up shots.
