For those who don't know, Corebike is the loud crack of a starter pistol for the bike industry's year. Brands and distributors flock to Whittlebury Hall, near the Silverstone race track, to show their wares and give us journalists an exciting look into what tech and products we'll hopefully be testing as the year rolls by. 

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With 2023 being very harsh on the bicycle industry, an air of optimism blew through Whittlebury Hall's vast number of rooms. And that almost literal breath of fresh air rang true with the sheer amount of new bikes and kit that almost every vendor had to show. We also got a solid glimpse into the future as we saw even more mountain and gravel biking goodness that we're not allowed to show, sadly. If this year's Corebike is anything to go by, 2024 looks set to be a belter of a year. Anyway, here are some of the best things we saw at the show.

Hope's new Carbon Crank

Hope has been toying with carbon for quite a while now, having firmly established its carbon handlebar and, of course, its carbon-framed, high-pivot mountain bike. But over the weekend, the brand unveiled its latest foray into the carbon world, its Carbon Crank. However, this isn't just a crank that's made out of carbon for the sake of it. Cleverly, this product gets replaceable pedal threads which will come in handy for when those crank threads get wrecked.

Along with that, it gets a special carbon layup that's said to reduce trail chatter and like the original Evo cranks, this one's axles and chainrings are interchangeable, so it'll work with any bottom bracket standard. Also on show was Hope's new Bronze colourway and TR stem which replaces the AM stem.

Charlie Hatton's World Championship winning Atherton downhill . 200

Corebike is always full of cool pro bikes but few come as cool as this. This is the very bike that Brit, Charlie Hatton rode to victory in last year's Downhill World Championship and what a race that was. His run was a masterclass of how to ride in muddy conditions.

Atherton Bikes is famous for two reasons, of course, its name but also its telltale use of titanium lugs bonded to carbon fibre tubes, which is clearly on display on Charlie's bike.

Endura's new MT500 range

And in the same room as Charlie Hatton's bike is Endura's completely revamped MT500 range. When I say revamped, I mean completely overhauled as incredibly few details remain the same. We're told that the range brings in a new fabric which is softer and finished with a more effective but still PFC-free DWR coating.

However, a highlight of the range (if the women's pink/purple MT500 jacket wasn't enough) is that the brand has ditched the MT500 onesie in favour of a new dungaree. Available in both men's and women's cuts, the brand has chosen this route for its greater versatility. The one real gripe I had about the MT500 onesie is that you can't remove the jacket, and that's exactly what this new setup addresses. However, it also answers another issue in that the women's dungaree comes with special zips that allow the wearer to answer nature's call without having to remove the whole garment.

Have we spotted some new Industry 9 hubs?

We don't know much about these hubs but we do know that they're new to the I9 range. And given that they're much smaller than the rest of the brand's hubs, we reckon it's safe to say that these are designed for gravel riding. Again, we weren't told anything about this hub really, but if these bring the Hydra's vast number of engagement points, gravel might have a new favourite hub.

The new Renthal Revo-F flat pedals

Just before the weekend, Renthal expanded into the flat pedal game with the Revo-F and the Renthal stand seemed hugely popular because of this. We managed to get hands-on with Renthal's new pedals and wow, do they look the part? These pedals come filled to the brim with cool tech, including a dual-axis concave and tonnes of adjustment in their pins, as well as two different-sized pins included in the box.

But the cool stuff is packed inside as there's tonnes of sealing to keep water and dirt out but its IGUS bushing can be removed by the user without any specialist tools. Instead, it's held in place using a C-clip that allows the user to quickly slip the bushing off and regrease on the regular, massively increasing its service life. We managed to escape the Renthal stand with a pair of Revo-Fs, so keep your eyes peeled for a review coming soon.

Nils Amelinckx' Forbidden bike

Founder of Rider Resilience and Lyon Cycle, and all-round industry legend Nils Amelinckx passed late last year after a six-and-a-half-year battle against stage four bowel cancer. Unfortunately, before buying his family home with his wife, he was unable to get life insurance to protect his family. However, one of Nils' final wishes was that his wife and children were to carry on adventuring.

This Forbidden bike is a one-off custom bike that was created with support from Forbidden Bike Company, SRAM, Industry Nine, Continental and Gee Milner, and it was built to raise money to help Nils' family. So, you can win this very bike by entering a raffle. Tickets are less than a fiver a pop so why not enter?

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Topeak Feza Cage

At first, I thought this was just a stiff bit of string shaped into something bottle cage-shaped and well – it kind of is. This is Topeak's new Feza Cage which is a carbon bottle cage that comes in sizes for mountain and road bikes but the best bit is that prices start at £25. And that very bottle cage is claimed to weigh just 18g.
 

DMR's Trailstar Titanium

We love a Ti bike at off.road.cc and DMR's Trailstar is one prime example. This bike has been produced to celebrate 30 years of DMR but it's not just a celebratory centrepiece as its sizing is centered around its reach and the bike dons a slack headtube and a steep seat tube. We're told its reach is rather lengthy, too.

If its titanium build and sleek anodized logos aren't cool enough, this bike features horizontally adjustable dropouts that allow for the adjustment of the Trailstar's chainstay length, while offering single-speed compatibility. In a show crammed full of cool bikes, the titanium Trailstar can be overlooked but a closer inspection of the DMR stand shows what may be the creme de la creme of titanium mountain bike frame manufacturing. 

5Dev cranks

Speaking of creme de la creme, all of 5Dev's products are a sight to behold but its titanium crank is on another level. The brand made waves in the industry upon hearing the news that it'll be bringing its meticulously crafted five-axis CNC machined products to the UK and the pictures don't do any justice. As you can probably guess, the titanium crankset pictured isn't cheap. We're talking £1,500 but it might be the ultimate in bling.

Granite's Rocknroll TQ Torque Ratchet Tool Kit

Another sneaky release that happened over the weekend is Granite's new portable torque wrench. Looking like an ideal choice for bikepackers, or as a permanent fixture in your travel toolkit, the Rocknroll TQ Torque Ratchet, comes with all of the bits you'll need, all in a neat rollable pack that can be combined with an accessory strap for on-bike carrying.

It comes in four colours and can read from 2Nm up to 10.

RapidRacerProducts new bolt-on mudguards

I'm a big fan of RRP's bolt-on front mudguard and the brand has released a new line featuring a bunch of neat updates. First off, it offers more crown clearance and even clearance for those huge Ohlins forks. The brand has also rejigged its fork adaptors and to boost stability, the rubber patches on the sides are larger and tackier.

Though, perhaps the most exciting addition to this range is that there's now a Max Protection bolt-on mudguard, which is great to see for those who want all of the mud protection but hate velcro straps and cable ties. All of its parts can be bought aftermarket, too.

SDG's Furry saddles

SDG threw back to its early days with modern adaptations of its furry saddles. Now lining the much loved Bel-Air V3, SDG's fur-topped saddles became a surprise show-stopper. For SDG, it's not just about fur as the brand has shown quilted leather saddles, looking set to make a move back into creating loud and exciting componentry.

Santa Cruz Skitch e-gravel bike

This build of the Santa Cruz Skitch is surely primed for controversy. It's a flat-barred, e-gravel bike with deep dish rims and SRAM's GX T-Type drivetrain. This bike truly blurs the lines between gravel, road and MTB but actually, it looks rather excellent. It's then driven by Fazua's Ride 60 motor with a 430Wh battery. All it needs now is a suspension fork.

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