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Lightweight alloy gravel wheels, Trust's out-of-this-world linkage fork and a smartwatch to track fitness

Plus a black and chrome rear shock from Manitou

Alex Evans

Published: November 29, 2019 at 8:46 am

In a week gone mad with Black Friday discount bonanzas, it's hard to see through the fog of reduced prices and limited-time only deals and work out what exactly it is you need or want.

Hopefully, our Black Friday deals have helped you scope out exactly what it is you're looking for in the sea of craziness. If you're still lost, then be sure to check out our Black Friday deals hub page.

And, if you're in the market for a new bike light, be sure to check out our Black Friday bike lights deals page and our best mountain bike lights list where we've listed the best ones we've tested this year.

Elsewhere, in BikeRadar's world of cycling, Tom headed off to Portugal to check out the brand new Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR SL, which weighs 19.9kg and costs £10,799. Although it's probably one of the lightest electric mountain bikes out there, it's also one of the most expensive.

While browsing the web, we also spotted a set of £1,800 tri-bar extensions from AeroCoach. Crikey!

We've also reviewed Manitou's Jack dropper post and a set of Fox Ranger 3L waterproof riding trousers that are well-suited to the rather soggy weather the UK's been experiencing recently.

Zipp 30 Course disc brake wheels

Zipp 30 Course road bicycle wheels
The Zipp 30 Course wheels should be ready for gravel, road and general adventures. - Alex Evans

Famed for their rather pricey carbon hoops for roadies, Zipp now offers a broader selection of wheels for different sorts of riding types including mountain biking, gravel and general do-it-all duties.

The 30 Course is Zipp's only alloy wheelset but promises to offer similar levels of performance as its carbon models in terms of aerodynamics while being comfier and having exceptional cornering grip.

Zipp 30 Course road bicycle wheels
Zipp's deep rim profiles are slightly shallower on the 30 Course to help with cross winds. - Alex Evans

It's also Zipp's first wheelset to be tubeless-ready out of the box and features a 25mm external rim width and 21mm internal rim width. This should increase tyre air volumes, which can help give the tyres a wider shape and a larger surface contact patch, equalling more grip.

The rims are built around 77/177D hubs, also found of the Zipp 202 and 303 Firecrest disc wheelsets, and are thru-axle compatible.

Zipp 30 Course road bicycle wheels
Our set is fitting with an XDR driver to go with SRAM's wide-range cassettes. - Alex Evans / Our Media

With an XDR driver and 12 x 142mm axle the rear wheel weighs 866g. The front, with a 15 x 100 axle tips the scales at 786g.

I'm going to be using these wheels on one of my 2020 long-term test bikes so stay tuned for a review and ride impression soon.

  • £880.99 / $1,000 / €1,023

Polar Ignite GPS smartwatch

Polar Ignite GPS fitness tracking smartwatch
The Ignite watch tracks daily activity. - Alex Evans

As Polar's newest GPS fitness watch, we were excited to get our hands on one to check it out.

With a host of features including integrated GPS activity tracking, continuous wrist-based heart rate monitoring, calorie burn monitoring, and sleep quality and sleep recharge tracking it promises to offer a full complement of relevant features for the discerning cyclist.

Polar Ignite GPS fitness tracking smartwatch
The in-built heart rate monitor gets its data from your wrist. - Alex Evans

Polar's Flow web and phone apps work in conjunction with the watch to provide details on your activities, how hard you're training and what you should be doing to improve your fitness levels. It also tracks your daily activity, giving a percentage readout.

Unlike bike-specific GPS units, the smartwatch can be used to track swimming, running and any other type of activity.

Polar Ignite GPS fitness tracking smartwatch
The strap is made from TPU plastic while the watch's bezel is made from stainless steel. - Alex Evans

Touted to have a 17-hour training time battery life, the watch should last for five days in watch mode with continuous heart rate monitor activated.

Keep an eye out for a full review coming soon.

  • From £174.50 / $229.95 / AU$349 / From €199.95

Manitou Mara Pro rear shock

Manitou Mara Pro mountain bike rear shock
The Mara's graphics mimic the black and chrome of the Mezzer fork. - Alex Evans

Designed to match the well-received Mezzer Pro fork that we awarded 4.5 out of 5 stars, the Mara Pro rear shock promises to excel in the roughest and gnarliest terrain found on enduro race tracks and all-mountain descents across the globe.

Manitou Mara Pro mountain bike rear shock
The external adjusters are for high- and low-speed compression and low-speed rebound. - Alex Evans

With external high- and low-speed compression adjustment, the Mara's also got a lockout lever and external low-speed rebound adjustment. It's air-sprung and has the ability to be tuned with bottom-out spacers.

Our 200 x 56mm model weighs 539g. It's currently bolted to my Orange Stage 6 long-term test bike so expect a review soon.

Manitou Mara Pro mountain bike rear shock
With the lockout lever you can select between 'party' for descending and 'work' for climbing. - Alex Evans

Trust Shout linkage suspension fork

Trust Shout mountain bike suspension fork
Trust's Shout fork looks crazy! - Alex Evans

We covered Trust's fantastical-looking trail-orientated Message fork at the Sea Otter event earlier this year and, at Eurobike's 2019 show, Trust had a gnarlier, longer-travel model called the Shout on display.

It's a 178mm travel linkage-driven – rather than telescopic – carbon fibre fork that, thanks to its design, should offer some of the best-performing suspension around. Weighing a claimed 2,165g, they're air-sprung and are available in both 27.5in and 29in variants.

Trust Shout mountain bike suspension fork
The linkage uses bearings in its pivots with a lifetime warranty. - Alex Evans

We've currently got a set in to test at the hands of our resident science and suspension guru Seb. He'll be putting them through their paces, so stay tuned for a full review hitting your screen soon.