After a brief hiatus, we’re back with another Five Cool Things, and we’ve got quite an exciting roundup of kit to take a look at. Included in that group are Leatt’s brand-new SuperTack shoe range, a fresh frame from Yeti, and overalls from Troy Lee Designs. On top of all of that, we’ve got 3T’s latest gravel bike and a proper posh-looking handlebar from FSA. But first, let’s catch up on what happened on the site over the weeks.
The most exciting news to hit the headlines over the past couple of weeks was Shimano’s introduction of the new EP810 drive system. This absolutely modernises Shimano’s foothold in the e-bike motor game as it rocks 100Nm of torque and 750W at peak power, but it’s also equipped with neat features such as a refined AutoShift system and updated protocols that apparently make it faster to use than previous iterations. While it’s great to see Shimano relevant amongst the e-bike crowd once again, some might say that it’s not exciting enough to contend with the likes of Avinox and Bosch, however. But time will most certainly tell. This motor has already been paired with a couple of bikes, notably Honda’s RN0 and Orbea’s new Rise.
As for features, we’ve been diving deep into everything winter. As it gets wetter and colder, winter weather brings a host of fresh challenges that can be combated with the right attitude and the right kit. Winter riding can be enjoyed with proper planning and the right clothing; a solid mountain bike setup helps an awful lot, too. If you’re one for a spot of gravel riding, choosing the right tyres for winter can make or break your ride, so we’ve rounded up the best gravel tyres for winter riding to help make your next tyre purchase simple.
Wrapping up with reviews, and of course we’ve been publishing plenty. We’ve delivered verdicts on Kali’s polarising Kru helmet, Gloria’s All Terrain adventure bike, WTB’s Course 52 tyre, made in collaboration with Stromm, and XFusion’s Vengeance HLR suspension fork, just to name a few.
Leatt’s SuperTack shoe range
£130 to £170 (excluding clipless option)
Promising ‘grip so good it’s scary’, Leatt has some pretty high goals with its SuperTack shoe range, and we’ve got every model in to see if they live up to that claim. To bring that traction is an all-new rubber soft rubber compound dubbed SuperTack, if you’ve not already guessed. But it’s not just about the rubber, as the rest of the shoe has also received a whole bunch of attention, with a last that’s said to follow the contours of the foot without being too boxy, and the brand reckons it also works well for those with wider feet.
The shoe range uses Cordura re/cor 1260D fabric. It’s a recycled material that’s designed to protect against abrasion and tears while being quick-drying, water-resistant and breathable. There’s also a cat-tongue material at the heel to prevent heel lift, and an EVA insole is sorted with antimicrobial silver thread to keep odour at bay.
This technology spans two shoes, the Flat 3.0 SuperTack and the ProFlat 5.0 SuperTack Boa, and there’s also a clipless model available that borrows some of the technologies.
Yeti MT frameset
£4,399
After having a quick spin on the Yeti MT for a first ride review ahead of its launch, I was left incredibly impressed with how it performed, to the point where I just wanted to ride it more. So after some conversations with Yeti’s UK distributor, Silverfish, I managed to snag myself a long-term test frame, so I can spend more time with the bike that had me so enamoured, and build it up however I wanted.
This is the first regular trail mountain bike in Yeti’s range to receive the Sixfinity linkage, which is a six-bar system that does away with the Switch Infinity link, bringing the brand’s designers more freedom to tweak its suspension performance, while binning off that proprietary mechanism that required its own maintenance. With that, the MT doles out 140mm of travel at the rear wheel, and that’s combined with 160mm at the front. That rear suspension boasts a tunable leverage rate thanks to a replaceable chip at the lower shock mount.
As for the geometry, this large frame dons a 480mm reach, a 64.5-degree head tube angle, a 446mm chainstay, and a 77-degree seat tube angle. All excellent trail bike numbers, there.
I’ve got to get this bike built, so keep your eye out on the website and our YouTube channel to find out what I throw onto this frame.
Troy Lee Designs Resist Pro Overall
£395
If Troy Lee Designs has jumped on the bandwagon, overalls are definitely in. These are designed to provide comfort throughout the harshest conditions by providing as much protection as possible from a trouser or overall. This is done thanks to a Pertex Shield fabric and a three-layer construction that offers a 20k/20k waterproof/breathability rating.
Along with all of that is reinforcement in the areas that need it, and its zips are waterproof as an extra layer of water protection. These overalls follow TLD’s Ride Fit, which promises unrestricted movement; all of the seams are fully taped, and they’re built from recycled nylon and finished with a PFC-free DWR coating. Those shoulder straps are built of a premium, soft-touch material, too.
3T Racemax+ WPNT
£4,864
Last week, 3T unveiled the latest edition in its Racemax story, the Racemax+ WPNT, and we’ve got one on test. With this bike, 3T has brought more tyre clearance, more sizes, and small geometry tweaks, making it more modern and perhaps more fitting for a spot of gravel racing.
We’re told that the bike is aerodynamically optimised for tyres from 38 to 48mm in width, but it can fit tyres as wide as 51mm, if that’s your jam. Then, the brand says that the bike is all about performance and providing a balanced riding position, while promoting stability and easy handling. As a result, it benefits from a slightly taller stack, a slightly longer reach, and a 425mm chainstay. The fork offset has been increased, too, in a bid to boost that stability further.
As for the build, it’s all rather posh as present is SRAM’s Rival XPLR 13-speed drivetrain, Fulcrum Lite GR 700c wheels, and a fancy 3T Aeroghiaia Integrale LTD cockpit.
FSA Gradient Carbon Riser handlebar
£184.99
Yep, this is an expensive handlebar, but it definitely looks like it. It’s built for trail, enduro, and downhill riding, and it claims to set the benchmark in strength and lightweight. With that, FSA reckons that it’s light enough for cross-country riding, but strong enough for freeride. The Gradient Carbon Riser handlebar is built from carbon fibre, of course, but it gets reinforcement at the clamping areas.
Available in two rises, 20mm and 30mm, the bar features an eight-degree back sweep and a five-degree upsweep, and it measures 800mm as standard.
