C-Bear's ceramic bottom bracket, Muc-Off's e-MTB drivetrain tool, tyres from Kenda, winter kit from Scott and Greg Minnaar's signature gloves
In this week's selection of cool things to arrive at off.road.cc HQ for testing, we've got some fresh winter rubber from Kenda and a ceramic bottom bracket from C-Bear. Additionally, we'll check out some winter MTB clothing from Scott and Greg Minnaar's signature Fox Flexair gloves.
- Best MTB's that you can get shipped straight to your door
- The best winter mountain bike gloves you can buy - tried and tested
- Buyer's guide to mountain bike grips - how to choose the best ones for you
But before diving into the cool things, let's look back at what happened this week and it's been a very interesting one in terms of releases. That's because Tailfin unveiled its Bar Bag system – a specially designed mount and bag setup. We had a sample well before launch and have a review already, so head over to the Tailfin Bar Bag System review for Matt's impressions. Then, Rimpact, the brand best known for its tubeless tyre inserts has released its Chain Damper set to reduce the negative effects of chain slap on an MTB drivetrain.
Racing has been the flavour of the week, too, as last weekend saw the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships, so head over to that feature to get fully caught up. And of course, Red Bull Rampage is just around the corner, so earlier this week, Scott showed off Brendan Fairclough's 2024 Rampage Scott Gambler.
As for reviews, our elite team of testers have brought their verdicts on Smith Optics' Bobcat sunglasses, Prologo's Energrip gloves and Title's L01 grips.
As a bonus, we have joined forces with Favero Electronics to outline the pros and cons of each power meter system, so make sure you read Liam's feature on 'what is the best power meter system?'
C-Bear Ceramic BSA Sram DUB bottom bracket
€159
Much like other brands in the bottom bracket space, the Belgian brand, C-Bear is all about ceramic bearings. However, C-Bear does things a little differently as the bottom bracket takes all of the guesswork out of figuring out how many spacers you need to install. There's more than just ease of installation at play here, as C-Bear's design places the bearings as close to the crank as possible to boost stiffness and the longevity of the bearings.
It also offers two kinds of ceramic bearings, believing that one size does not fit all. With that in mind, there's an R, or road/race model designed to minimise any potential friction. The AC, or all-conditions, bottom bracket is better suited to off-road roading as it takes an efficiency hit in favour of additional sealing.
It's not just about SRAM DUB as C-Bear has models to fit almost all kinds of BB shells and even pulley wheels using its ceramic bearings.
Fox Flexair Greg Minnaar gloves
£45
The South African downhiller may have hung up his bike but he'll always be known as the GOAT of downhill. As part of Greg Minnaar's signature trail collection, Fox claims the Flexair Greg Minnaar gloves are primed for the ultimate bar feel.
That's achieved through a minimal design that includes a leather palm sorted with conductive threads for easy touchscreen use. The gloves are built with neoprene cuffs and the back-of-hand is designed to fit closely while being mega-breathable.
Muc-Off eBike drivetrain tool
£20
Most e-bikes pose one hurdle when it comes to bike care – the cranks move independently of the drivetrain, meaning you can't backpedal an e-bike like you can a regular mountain bike. With that, cleaning the chain and drivetrain components is more difficult.
You could hunt down a stick or find another clever way of joining the crank and the chainring to move as one but Muc-Off has taken the brain-power out of the equation with its eBike Drivetrain Tool. It's a fairly simple bit of kit that solves a problem. Precision machined from 6061 aluminium, there's an inner polypropylene holder that contains 5mm and 6mm Allen bits and a T30, all of which fit into the bolt of a chainring.
Scott Defined Merino Long Sleeve, Explorair Light Dryo 2.5 Layer jacket, and Trailstorm Insuloft AL shorts
£80 - £110 - £165
Last week, we checked out winter gravel kit from the multi-sports brand, Scott, and now it's time to take a look at some of its MTB offerings. The Defined Merino jersey utilises the thermoregulation properties of mulesing-free Merino wool to act as a warm outer layer for mid-season riding and a temperature-regulating mid-layer for when things get properly cold. But because the fabric is so good at staying warm when needed and cool when the mercury rises, Scott says it's a great shout for year-round riding.
Next is the Trail Storm Insuloft AL shorts that benefit from Polartech Alpha Direct insulation for warmth in the cooler months. The insulation adds wind-resistant properties to the shorts while an adjustable waistband and a waterproof panel ensure a good fit.
Lastly, the Explorair Light Dryo 2.5 Layer jacket is built to balance waterproofing with breathability as it utilises both DRYOsphere 2.5L and DRYOzone technologies. Breathability is boosted through air vents under the arms and there's an integrated sweatband. Waterproofing is boosted thanks to a YKK Vislon AquaGuard zip with the fabric providing 20k/20k waterproofing/breathability.
Kenda Gran Mudda Pro and Hellkat Pro
£55.49 and £50
This very tyre setup was ridden to a respectable eighth place at the Val Di Fassa EDR by Kenda's athlete, Cory Watson.
The Gran Mudda Pro is Kenda's mud tyre that is a little more aggressive than a Maxxis Shorty but not quite as mud-specific as the Wet Scream. It features tall knobs to boost traction through soft surfaces while providing all of the braking performance and cornering support you'll need. The tyre also uses cut marks on the knobs that allow riders to trim them down to create a faster-rolling tyre.
The Hellkat Pro is a gravity-focused tyre designed to provide traction over a wide range of conditions. That's thanks to a tread pattern that's said to be optimised to balance all-out grip, general handling and rolling speed.