In our latest edition of Five Cool Things, we’ve got plenty to get your teeth into. We’ve got DT Swiss’s solution to pedal kickback, brand-spanking kit from Pembree, and DMR’s latest pedal. On top of all that, there are also neat electric inflators from Silca, and slick-looking riding specs on Van Rysel’s latest shades.
- Bike check: Vincenzo Nibali’s Scott Spark
- Mountain bike vs hybrid bike – understanding the differences
- 13 of the best ways to attach gear to your mountain or gravel bike
Before diving into the cool things, let’s take a look back at this week’s news, and it’s been a big one. The week kicked off with a race report from the EX Enduro, showing that pairs racing works in the UK. Then, Lee Cougan stepped up to the plate, unveiling the Rampage Origin, and we’re told that the frame weighs just 940g. But there’s more as Trek has pulled the covers off the CheckOUT, the brand’s new, full suspension gravel bike. With that launch also came the release of the RockShox Rudy XL, a new gravel suspension fork built to accommodate the larger tyres that are becoming popular in gravel.
Moving on to features, we’ve recognised that gravel riders may be dipping their toes into mountain biking. Although both are built for off-road shenanigans, there are a few tips and techniques that’ll help anyone who’s even a little bit mountain bike-urious. Then, our Matt delivers his thoughts on Topeak’s E-Booster Digital electric inflator, we put Funn’s Tactic pedals through their paces, and we wrap up our review of YT Industries’ Decoy SN 29 Core 4 e-MTB. Oh, and we bring our final verdict on SRAM’s Eagle 90 Transmission drivetrain, finding that it brings most of the T-Type AXS goodness to mechanical shifting.
DT Swiss Degrees of Freedom (DF) Upgrade Kit
£125
Ever since Aaron Gwin’s monumental chainless win in Leogang in 2015, a drivetrain’s influence on a mountain bike’s suspension performance, or pedal kickback, has been a huge talking point. Many a brand has brought its own tech to tackle the phenomenon, from high-pivot mountain bikes to chainrings that isolate a chain’s forces from the pedals. This is DT Swiss’s stab at cracking pedal kickback, the Degrees of Freedom, or DF, upgrade kit.
This kit takes advantage of DT Swiss’s ratchet mechanism’s ability to be tweaked and upgraded. It uses a similar 90t ratchet system that’s become standard on its DEG freehubs, but it uses a new outer ring that has differently spaced indents. Those indents line up with the inner ratchet ring to provide some free movement in the whole system. That free movement is then credited for negating the effects of pedal kickback, says DT Swiss.
The system is adjustable to provide zero, 10, and 20 degrees, depending on rider preference, and there’s an e-MTB-specific model available. We’re told that it doesn’t add any weight, too.
Silca Electtrico Micro Mini Inflator and Elettrico Ultimate Mini Inflator
£120 and £150
Electric inflators are the talk of the town at the moment, with seemingly every brand jumping on the bandwagon. These are Silca’s entry into the market. Starting with the Elettrico Mini, it’s a smaller unit that’s designed to be easier to carry and built especially for quick and easy mid-ride reinflations. It’s rechargeable, and Silca says that it packs the power of three CO2 canisters in one small package. With that, the brand claims that it’ll inflate three road tyres or two gravel tyres on one charge, and it’ll stop automatically once it reaches 72psi.
The Elettrico Ultimate is the more powerful and better equipped at the expense of a larger size. Silca reckons it can fill nine road tyres or five gravel tyres, and it’ll auto-stop like the smaller inflator. However, that auto-stop feature can stop can a chosen psi, and there’s a gauge that’s said to be accurate to one psi.
Pembree GCS handlebar
Known for producing environmentally friendly mountain bike components, Pembree has not only updated a range of its products, but it has also expanded by introducing the GCS handlebar. Available in both clamp diameters, black and silver colours, and with a single 800mm width, it’s designed with downhill and freeride in mind.
It’s EFBE certified and provides a five-degree upsweep with a seven-degree backsweep. There are two rise options on offer too – 20mm and 40mm.
DMR VMAX clipless pedals
£110
DMR has made its name by producing the well-renowned Deathgrips, but also a range of flat and clipless pedals. The VMAX is the brand’s latest entry that uses the much-loved SPD mechanism for use through rough terrain.
What sets this pedal apart from other SPD-equipped offerings is that it features a large platform that’s been added to achieve better foot support. It’s built using extruded, then CNC-machined 6061 aluminium in the interest of durability and bearing and DU bushing internals, the brand promises a weight of 467g per pair.
The pedal’s platform then brings four pins a side into the mix for a touch of traction, and it’s finished off with double internal body seals, so it should be well-equipped for the UK’s winter.
Van Rysel NXT Photochromatic sunglasses
£80
Aimed to bring big performance to a more accessible price point, Van Rysel’s NXT Photochromic glasses are slated to offer a lot of coverage in a package that’ll adapt to whatever light is around.
With that, the expansive lens auto-adapts from category zero to category three sun protection, while promising a lightweight build.
