Once again, we’ve got yet another five cool things to show off, before they get sent out to our elite team of testers. This week, we’ll glance over Megamo’s Bosch-equipped Flame e-MTB, Cinelli’s latest gravel bike, and AMS’s latest set of grips. But there’s more, as we’ve got an interesting inflator tool from Topeak and ENVE’s enduro-ready wheelset.
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But first, let’s recap on what happened on the site over the past week. Things have simmered down a little since the drop bar MTB drama caused by Life Time, and now, things have heated up in the e-MTB camp. Orbea pulled the covers off its new Rallon RS, unveiling a seriously techy bit of kit that combines connectivity between the motor, dropper post and shock for improved descending performance. However, it’ll set you back at least £9,500. That price alone got Mick a little hot under the collar, as he asks should such innovation be so expensive?
Adding to the e-bike hype, Amflow announced a sale on its PL Carbon Pro, dropping the price by 14% and adding its integrated light for free.
Moving on to features, Rebecca caught up with the folk behind the Trans Caledonia, Scotland’s first multi-day enduro. Steve highlighted the 141mph mayhem behind what was Bike Speed. We delivered our top tips on how to master the mud and asked, when does a gravel bike become a mountain bike?
As for reviews, we checked out Wolf Tooth Components’ rather different CTRL clipless pedals, Maxxis’s overhauled Dissector G2 tyre and Lazer’s updated Impala KinetiCore helmet. Now, onto those cool things.
Megamo Flame 05
£6,200
Spanish brand Megamo is looking to make a splash in the UK market after its success on the continent, and the Flame AL 05 is its mid-range aluminium trail ripper. It’s equipped with Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor, dishing out 100Nm of torque and 750W at peak power. Interestingly, it boasts 150mm of suspension at the front, delivered by a Fox 36 AWL HD fork, and the Fox Rhythm shock damps 160mm of bounce. Shimano has the shifting and braking covered thanks to an XT/Deore drivetrain and MT520 disc brakes.
As for the geometry, it’s a trail bike through and through with this large frame donning a 484mm reach, a 65-degree head tube angle and a 76-degree seat tube angle. There’s a 460mm chainstay and 1,280mm wheelbase.
Cinelli Speciale Gravel Rival 1×12 Mullet
£5,500
Cinelli’s new gravel bike, the Speciale Gravel, comes with all of the bold claims. ‘Modern gravel redefined’, ‘adventure without limits’ and more. However, it’s nothing short of modern as its steel frame made by Italian hands can accommodate tyres up to 29×2.2in, a dropper post, and it’s corrected to run a suspension fork. That’s not all, either, as it’s fully internal cable routed for a seriously tidy look and it’s UDH compatible… now breathe.
We have the bike in its Rival 1×12 Mullet build, so as you might expect, it’s sorted with SRAM’s Rival AXS Eagle groupset with a SRAM S1000 T-Type derailleur. It rolls on a pair of Fulcrum Rapid Red AL wheels, and although our test bike is equipped with Schwalbe rubber, Cinelli’s website states that it should come with Vittoria Mezcal XC tyres – those are mountain bike tyres!
If this bike isn’t modern enough for you, parting ways with £6,200 will get you the Rival 1×12 Mullet Suspended. You’ve probably guessed that it comes with a suspension fork, and it does, but there’s also RockShox’s latest Reverb dropper post.
Topeak Tubicartridge T16
£28
Topeak’s Tubicartridge T16 is another tubeless repair tool, but it takes a couple of features found on rival tools and pulls them all into one bit of kit. First up, it uses a similar plug system to what’s found on WTB’s Rocket tool, where the tubeless plugs thread into a metal poker (Topeak calls them TipPlugs…) that, once inserted into a puncture, stays put and holds the plug in place.
Then, there’s an inflation system that works similarly to another very popular tubeless repair kit, where after the plug is pushed into a puncture, it inflates the tyre via a CO2 cartridge. That’s before pulling the tool away from the tyre. This one will have to be used with an additional CO2 inflator, however.
ENVE M8 wheelset
£2,500
The M8 is ENVE’s gravity-focused wheelset that comes as part of a refreshed range. It’s built to be stiff and durable enough for even the most aggressive of rides, all while offering a good level of vibration damping, so they should also be rather comfortable. That is helped by their front and rear specific constructions, with the front rim being built with a 32mm internal width, for traction, and the rear gets a 29mm internal width for strength and a reduction in rolling resistance.
Elsewhere, there’s a wide hookless bead to fend off pinch flats, ENVE’s Molded Spoke Hole tech and the wheels run on ENVE’s own hubs. All in, this 29in sized set should weigh in at around 1,983g.
All Mountain Style Rise grips
£28.29
Wrapping up this week’s Five Cool Things are AMS’s Rise Grips. A reasonably new set of grips from the brand, these have been designed with help from the folk at Cero Design, who have played a role in the design of Unno’s bikes. AMS says that these blends precision and comfort.
That’s thanks to their micro-diamond texture that brings the traction, while ribbed pads and ‘internal ribs’ provide a welcome touch of damping. Those pads grace the grips with a variable diameter to help follow the natural shape of hands, and they’re constructed of a single-compound rubber. Better still, there are eight colours to choose from.
