Friday Five-a-side: This week’s best new road and MTB gear
Featuring kit from YT Industries, 3T, Hope, Deity and more
Published:
Another bumper crop of new road cycling and mountain biking kit has found its way into the BikeRadar office this week, and as always, here are the most exciting bits and pieces that we’ve picked out of the postbag.
New road bike gear
3T Aeronova and Aerotundo bars
Hackney, Dhb and Assos jerseys
Dhb Classic: £44.99 / $67 www.wiggle.co.uk
Ridge Road Ride Air helmet
Halfords’ Ridge helmet line has seen some updates, with prices starting from a very affordable £19.99. The Road Rider Air model featured has 21 vents and comes in two sizes. The 54-58cm version weighs 274g.£29.99 / $N/Awww.halfords.com
Scott Premium shoes
Noxgear Tracer360 safety vest
New mountain bike gear
YT Capra CF Comp 1
YT Industries is the king of killer-value mountain bike builds. Its direct-sales strategy pitches models with components that other brands simply cannot match and this new enduro bike, the Capra Comp, is no exception. For €3,499, the Capra packs an all-new carbon frame, quality RockShox suspension at each end, a full SRAM X01, 11-speed, e*thirteen’s TRS+ 27.5 wheelset and trick finishing kit from RaceFace. There’s even a Reverb Stealth dropper post. Seriously, how do these guys manage it?! Keep your eyes peeled for a full review.€3,499www.yt-industries.com
RaceFace Atlas pedals
Those looking for flat pedals are already spoiled for choice and, providing you’ve got the dollar, these tasty new models from Race Face won’t be making the choice any easier. The wide but low-profile aluminium platform is bang on trend and bottom-loading replaceable pins are always good to see. They’re tough enough for the harshest of riding yet tipped our scales at just 349g. £139.95 / US$179.99www.silverfish-uk.com
Deity T-Mo Enduro/ DC31 Mohawk handlebars
Here are two fresh steering sticks from Deity. First up there’s Tracy Moseley’s 212g Signature bars – produced from carbon they’re aimed at the enduro crowd. These get a sensible 735mm width, along with a15mm rise and a familiar sweep angle. Next up there’s the DC31 Mohawk, Deity’s answer to a carbon downhill bar. The width is just shy of 790mm and these use a 25mm rise. Both bars look amazing and come backed by a thre-year limited warranty and a lifetime crash replacement plan.T-Mo Enduro: £129.99 / US$189.00DC31 Mohawk: £129.99 / $189.00www.hotlines-uk.com / www.dietycomponents.com
Fox Launch Enduro knee pads
These lightweight neoprene knee guards from Fox simply slip-on – there are no straps to pinch or velcro to rub here. The back of the pad consists of a large stretch panel which minimises restriction to your pedal strokes. For all day protection they look spot on, the price is decent too… keep your eyes peeled for a full review soon.£45 / $59.95www.foxhead.com
Hope T-Rex expander sprocket
This new T-Rex expander from Hope is used to extend the range of a regular 11-36t 10-speed cassette into an 11-40t block. It’s about as close as you can get to the range offered by dedicated one-by groups but at a fraction of the price. The T-Rex is still a compromise, in order to fit it you have to replace one of the cassette’s smaller sprockets, usually the 17T. We’ll be putting one through its paces and will let you know how we get along ASAP.
£60 / US$N/A
Authors
Matthew Loveridge (formerly Allen) is an experienced mechanic and an expert on bike tech who appreciates practical, beautifully-engineered things. Originally a roadie, he likes bikes and kit of every stripe, and he's tested a huge variety of both over the years for BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and others. For a long time Matthew's heart belonged to the Scott Addict, but he's currently enjoying Specialized's sublime Roubaix Expert and having a torrid affair with a Giant Trance e-MTB. At 174cm tall and 53kg, he looks like he should be better at cycling than he actually is, and he's ok with that.
