3D knee protection from Armaurto, photochromic Alpina glasses and Lifeline tyre sealant

All the cool things and the best stories from the week

Suvi Loponen

Sep 2 2022

If like us, you feel a little hollow after all the excitement and buzz of the UCI MTB World Championships, we've got some great content to perk up your mood this week. As usual, we have put together our weekly roundup of some brilliant articles - some that will bring you back to the World Champs - and we show off some of the cool things that have landed on our desk for review.

From Nino Schurter winning a 10th UCI MTB World Championship to the men’s UCI Downhill MTB World Championships being dominated by French riders, and witnessing Valentina Höll’s tight victory in the women’s race, the MTB World Champs were spectacular. Rainbow stripes aside, we also took a look behind the scenes with Team GBR's mechanics who gave us an insightful sneak peek into what goes on in the background of such massive races. And talking about sneaky things - we got a spy shot of the new SRAM rear mech spotted on Nino Schurter's bike.

Off-road riding isn't all about mountain biking though and this week we've also updated our best gravel bikes under £1500 guide to hep you find a new bike amid the current cost of living crisis. Furthermore, before the weather starts to get wetter, we've had a thorough look at waterproof cycling clothing to help you better understand what you need to wear this winter.

Now, it's time for this week’s five cool things. We’re gonna test all of the following products in the coming weeks and will let you know if they’re any good in making your ride better, faster, or safer.

Hutchinson Overide tyre

£43

Starting off with Hutchinson’s all-road/gravel tyre, the Overide. The brand claims this tyre is perfect for rides where you use the pavement to get to the fun off-road stuff, meaning it should excel in the UK where most of the time, we pedal over roads to get to the gravel. The tyre comes in four widths ranging from 35mm to 45mm, spanning a range of options for all conditions and terrain types.

We will be putting these bead-to-bead Hardskin flat-protected and tubeless-ready tyres to the test on all road surfaces and see how well they fare.

Lifeline tubeless tyre sealant

£23

If you’re still asking, 'Is it worth converting your mountain bike to tubeless?' an upcoming review of this product might come in handy. It’s hard to beat the value of the Lifeline tubeless tyre sealant as for just £23 you get 950ml of Dupont kevlar infused rapidly sealing sealant, which claims to plug punctures and tears up to 5mm.

We will see how well this sealant places amongst the best tubeless tyre sealants in our test.

Armaurto Arma Hex knee pads

£79

The advent of 3D printing has revolutionised the cycling industry and ARMA is the latest company to change things up with this brand new 3D-printed knee protector. The ARMA HEX Knee Protector is a seamless, single-piece, sock-thin sleeve that moves and moulds perfectly to your body, utilising 3D-knitting tech. They promise a lot of flex and breathability, and the ergonomic design is based on 3D scans of actual athletes.

Alpina Rocket V

£130

For off-road riders, good specs are an essential piece of kit. Not only do they help you look cool, but they also offer a lot in protecting your eyes from debris and harsh sunlight.

Alpina Rocket V aims to deliver that protection in varying lighting situations with plenty of style. These specs come equipped with V or optional Q-LITE technologies; V stands for Varioflex, Alpina's photochromic technology that automatically darkens and brightens the lenses depending on lighting conditions while Q-LITE enhances contrasts. The hydrophobic coating keeps the outside of the lens clean and the fogstop coating is designed to prevent it from misting up.

www.alpina-sports.com

Zefal Deflector Lite front and rear mudguards

These mudguards keep with the protection theme we've compiled this week. Defal has designed the Deflector Lite mudguards to be both discrete and aesthetic, but obviously, their task is also to protect your face and bum from mud spray. These are specifically designed for downhill mountain bike riders but can be fixed to all types of bikes, including full suspension.

www.zefal.com

Author block

Suvi Loponen

Tech writer

Suvi joined off.road.cc in 2022 as a tech writer and brought in her enthusiasm for gravel and long-distance riding. She's a lover of underbiking and exploring on the bike both on and off-road, especially if it means finding more great cafes and some good viewpoints.