With a Spanish gravel bike, retro sunglasses, Virginia Tech’s safest helmet yet, a curvy gravel handlebar, and super lightweight flat pedals, it’s all going on in this week’s Five Cool Things. But as always, let’s start by highlighting this week’s top news.
- Big Read: Big mountain pairs racing with Enduro2 Les Arcs
- Opinion: We need to be more specific about what ‘gravel’ is
- 11 mountain bike things you think you need… But probably don’t
It’s taken a couple of months for things to ramp up but the cycling industry is back in full swing as Fox has unveiled its latest 34 SL suspension fork and POC has brought a new helmet to the market. Ere Research has also entered the chat, bringing carbon performance to a sub £1k gravel wheelset. And in an interesting curveball, DirtySixer has opened pre-orders for its 32in wheeled MTB. Sales are still rife within the market, too, with YT Industries slashing prices by up to 50%.
2025’s edition of the Absa Cape Epic is currently underway and already, it’s been a dramatic event with temperatures reaching upwards of 50 degrees. However, that hasn’t put an end to our coverage where our Dino took a look at Lukas Baum’s Orbea Oiz. We also dived into how amputee riders approach the Cape Epic and published a gallery of some of the coolest Cape Epic tech seen at the Prologue.
As for reviews, we check out Smith Optics’ Shift XL MAG £285 photochromic sunglasses, Michelin’s E-Wild Rear Racing Line e-MTB-specific tyre and Fox Racing’s Defend Thermo gloves.
Guava Spot Force AXS
£4,950
Hailing from Barcelona, Guava is a brand fresh to UK shores and is quickly making its mark with its gravel bike, the Spot. Here, we’ve got the Spot in its range-topping model that’s dripping with some mighty fancy kit, including SRAM’s Force AXS drivetrain, Volte Level 28mm Carbon hoops and a Selle Italia ModelX saddle.
Throwing a touch of customisation into the mix is that the bike can be finished with a choice of 100 colour options. As for frame features, there are asymmetric chain stays to achieve clearance for a 50mm tyre, the frame is sorted for internal cable routing and there’s space in the downtube for storing spares. Wrapping up the bike is a one-piece cockpit for an ultra-sleek look.
POC Cularis helmet
£200
The Cularis is POC’s latest helmet built to bridge the gap between the Tectal and Kortal but, perhaps, the most exciting part of this helmet is that it’s knocked the Fox Speedframe RS from the top spot in Virginia Tech’s helmet safety ranking.
That’s done through the usual combination of EPS foam and a polycarbonate shell. It benefits from Mips Air Node, too. There’s a breakaway visor, too. The Cularis has received special attention to its venting and airflow, benefitting from the full might of POC’s WorldTour road helmet experience. As a result, there are deep channels cut into the helmet interior to guide air over the head, as well as large ports. This is also the first time we’ve seen a Fidlock buckle on a POC hat.
Smith Ultralite glasses
£160
Smith is paying homage to its roots by re-releasing the Ultralite to celebrate the brand’s 60 years in the biz. Carrying retro ski goggle vibes, they’re not short of modern tech with a cylindrical shield lens cut with foam-filled ventilation holes. It also provides 100% UV protection.
These shades also utilise Smith’s ChromaPop tech designed to boost contrast and there’s a smudge and moisture-resistant coating, too. With a slight wraparound fit, Smith says that the Ultralite is built to provide extra-large coverage and fit medium to large faces.
Included in the box is an Archive Collection fleece pouch.
Leatt CeraMAG AllMtn 8.0Ti Flat Narrow pedals
£300
At last year’s Eurobike, Leatt brought one of the show’s biggest surprises – the announcement that it’s entering the componentry space. Here, we’ve got the proper pricey, £300 magnesium and titanium pedals claimed to weigh just 256g for the pair.
These pedals use a magnesium platform that rotates around a titanium spindle. The CeraMAG construction is also claimed to be more eco-friendly than regular aluminium and can be completely recycled. This pedal measures 114mm by 100mm.
SQlab 314 gravel handlebar
£135
SQlab is all about ergonomics and making a bike’s touch points integrate as best they can with the contours and shape of the human body, and that’s incredibly apparent on the 314 aluminium drop handlebar. It’s designed especially for gravel bikes with a 25mm rise and a 14-degree flare. The bar gets a flattened top section to create a large contact area for the best possible grip and uniform pressure against the bar’s surface.
The top receives a front sweep owing to a drop handlebar being narrower than shoulder width. This has been added to combat numbness by following the natural shape of the wrist.
The 314 gravel handlebar is available in widths from 400mm to 460mm.
