In this week’s Five Cool Things, we’re going to take a look at Hope’s four-piston gravel calipers, Shimano’s budget-friendly wireless groupset, a fresh mudguard from Zefal, as well as another jacket from GripGrab, and Granite’s latest Crust wheel covers. But as always, let’s take a glance at what happened during the week.
- What is downcountry?
- Mountain bike slang – a beginner’s guide to speaking MTB
- Tips for beginner mountain bikers
2026 is kicking off with some pretty good news already. Canyon’s Spectral:ON and Torque:ON have returned to the market with all-new aluminium-cased batteries, and Mondraker has unveiled yet another Gulf-inspired e-mountain bike, the Crafty Unlimited Gulf. If this is merely the start of the year, surely we’re onto a bit of a belter.
Moving on to features, we’ve given our best advice on how to ride further and stronger in 2026, and I’ve offered my annual tech predictions, touching on how I reckon that we’ll see more from Chinese brands and that mountain bike geometry is going nowhere. In his latest blog, Steve highlights cyclocross, and why everyone should give it a watch.
As for reviews, we check out e*thirteen’s Sidekick hub, rating it for its performance in reducing pedal kickback and as a hub in general. We took a close look at Kenda’s latest tyre, the Double Black, and delivered our verdict on Santa Cruz’s Vala AL 70.
Hope RX4+ brake caliper
£115
We’re up to something a bit exciting behind the scenes, and it includes Hope’s rather out-there four-piston flat mount caliper. These were designed using the brand’s experience in road and cyclocross, but we reckon that they’ll work excellently on a gravel bike, or the odd cross-country bike with a flat mount configuration.
As expected from Hope, it’s CNC machined from aluminium in a monobloc design, which the brand reckons boosts stiffness and modulation. This caliper is available in mineral oil and DOT fluid constructions, so it can work with Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo systems. The caliper is then designed to work with 140, 160, and 180mm rotors. Whether or not drop bar bikes need more braking power, we’ll find out.
Granite Design Crust wheel covers
$40
Are the Crust covers the products you never thought you needed? Well, if you’re charging an e-MTB indoors, loading a muddy bike into a car, or storing your bike in the hallway, they just may well be. These neat covers wrap around your bike’s wheels for clean storage or transport and are made from what Granite says is a durable and washable material.
When they’re not needed, they roll up and fit into a small bag, and when it’s time to deploy, they join with a bit of hook and loop. They also fit all common wheel sizes from 24in up to 29in, while fitting tyres up to three inches in width.
Shimano GRX RX717 groupset
From £1,279 without rotors
Although it was a bit late to the full-wireless party, Shimano has certainly been delivering throughout 2025, not only introducing a full range of Di2 drivetrains for mountain bikes, but also gravel bikes with the very latest GRX RX717 being the most affordable (but still rather spendy) offering. It uses a lot of the same design and architecture of the pricier RD-RX827 setup, but brings it to a lower price point.
However, GRX RX717 is compatible with the rest of Shimano’s fully wireless Di2 kit, so you can go for a drop bar and flat bar setup if that’s your thing. But importantly, the derailleur gets all of the important bits that were introduced with the mountain bike drivetrains. Namely, those are protective skid plates and the Automatic Impact Recovery function, as well as Shadow ES technology.
This system relies on the Deore and SLX cassettes, although you can likely upgrade to XT or XTR if you’re fancy, and it works with the brand’s existing flat-mount brakes.
Zefal Deflector FM40 mudguard
£22
Although the sun is shining as I type this, it’s definitely muddy season, and to get the most out of it, at least a front mudguard is an absolute must-have. Zefal’s Deflector FM40 is an affordable entry into the mudguard game, and it offers both bolt-on and hook-and-loop attachments, depending on the fork you’re running. That’s thanks to two optional adapters that allow the mudguard to bolt directly onto the crown of Fox’s 2021 range, Ohlins’ forks, SR Suntour’s and Marzocchi’s. There’s then a second adapter that fits the mudguard onto RockShox’s range.
Zefal says that this mudguard can work with tyres up to three inches wide, and it’s sorted with side deflectors that are designed to keep muck away from your fork’s stanchions. It’s then built using impact-resistant engineering plastic.
GripGrab EXPLR Waterproof Lightweight Jacket
£180
As well as a mudguard, a proper jacket is mega important for winter riding. It’s also helpful if they’re lightweight. The GripGrap EXPLR Waterproof Lightweight Jacket is exactly that. It’s built with a 10K water-resistant, 40K breathable fabric to balance protection and breathability, and it’s equipped with a two-way Vision AquaGuard zip, boosting water protection further.
It’s got all of the right features, too, including a waterproof chest pocket with routing for headphones and a brimmed hood that fits under a helmet, complete with a drawstring for adjustment.
You might also like:
- 9 tips to keep your suspension running sweeter for longer
- Busting those suspension myths with Fox
- Is big travel necessary for UK trails?
