Anything can happen in racing be it Aaron Gwin's surprise chainless win at Leogang or Danny Hart's win at a sopping wet Champery in 2011. For Lapierre Zipp Collective's Isabeau Courdurier, however, things took more of an unfortunate turn during the EWS-E at Valberg.

Five Cool Things is off-road.cc’s Friday curation of all the tech gadgets that have recently come through our doors. From mountain biking and bikepacking to gravel travel, every week we'll take a closer look at the latest bikes and components, and keep you abreast of all the cool things that have got us excited.

Fulcrum has added two new wheelsets to the mountain bike range. This time, the Red Zone 5 and Red Metal 5 fill the role of the entry-level wheels designed to offer a balance of durability and performance at a friendlier price point.

The PNW Range Composite is the budget friendly sibling of the brand's Loam pedal. Through testing, the pedals have proven to be a reliable bang-for-buck option as grip, feel and durability are excellent. The shape, however, won’t suit everyone and the pins are tricky to replace if bent.

The Stolen Goat Men’s MTB Shorts are an impressive pair of bottoms that are well equipped to cope with all but the wettest of weather. They fit nicely and are long, and plenty baggy enough to cover all kinds of pads. While not perfect, the only niggle is that the waist adjusters are noticeably stiff, they're certainly a cracking attempt at breaking into the highly competive best mountain bike shorts category.

With the new MYLC, Rondo  has done things a little differently. Rather than look toward road bikes for inspiration, the brand turned toward mountain bikes. As such, the MYLC gets a completely re-imagined geometry that's said to offer stability and comfort, even when the trails get steep and technical. 

Whenever the adventure takes you back onto the road, there's always the risk of tangling with traffic, or anything else at high speeds. POC and Autoliv have teamed up to create a helmet with a built-in airbag. At the moment, it's under prototyping but here's everything you need to know.

Late last year Lal Bikes showed off the brand new Supre Drive, a bike with its derailluer hidden well out of harms way within the rear triangle, having hinted that a bigger brand has taken on the tech. Today, Nicolai has stepped out, launching the Nucleon 16 equipped with that interesting drivetrain and a high pivot. Here's everything you need to know.

Earlier this year, component brand PNW Components added women's clothing to the range and now, the company is expanding further to include some bikepacking essentials. Today PNW has introduced the Satellite Saddle Bag, a water-resistant, dropper-friendly pack that'll suit any ride.

Lizard Skins, known for some of the best mountain bike grips, has released its take on the famed brake lever covers of old - it's called the DSP Lever Grips. Comprising a soft rubber with an adhesive backing, they make any brake lever more comfortable and much grippier. They are a must-have for any gloveless rider but they are quite costly and leave an unwanted residue upon removal.