Crankbrothers new Stamp pedals, the TLD A3 helmet and more
Accompanied by this week's top stories
Despite the global economic downturn, the cycling industry appears to be heading in the right direction and this shows in the new products that are being churned out on what feels like a weekly basis. As always, at off.road.cc, we like to showcase the latest offerings in our weekly Five Cool Things curation to give you, the reader, a heads-up on what reviews are soon to be published. This week we have a treasure trove of goodies to showcase, including a new Dynaplug Racer Pro Tubeless Tyre Repair kit, a new lid from Troy Lee Designs, handy pliers from Wolf Tooth, an anti-bacteria bottle from Fidlock and pedals from Crankbrothers.
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It's been pretty busy on the news front, too, and the week kicked off with the launch of the new Crankbrothers Stamp 1 pedal (which we've also featured a little further down). This was followed by two new electric offerings: the all-new ultra-lightweight Santa Cruz Heckler e-MTB and Mondraker Crusher Enduro e-MTB. Finally, we shared the 2023 Red Bull Rampage venue and rider lineup which came with a fair bit of surprises as well as covered the new Manitou Mastodon fat bike fork.
On the review and features front, there's been a lot going on, too. This week, you'll find an array of good reads including a collection of bike reviews – the Spa Cycles Rove and the Argon 18 Dark Matter. Other reviews include coverage of Weldtite's tubeless sealant, Giant's Rail Helmet, Crankbrothers klic HV mini floor pump and the Zefal Deflector Lite Front mudguard.
If it's a good feature that you're after, give our hydration pack story and Badlands Race Report a read – both are goodies, we assure you.
Dynaplug Racer Pro Tubeless Tyre Repair Kit - £45
2023 dyanplug racer pro tubeless tyre repair kit 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The Dynaplug's Racer Pro tubeless repair kit builds on the success of the Racer's original design thanks to Twin Tube tech. Dynaplug says that this allows the user to store four pre-loaded tyre repair plugs in a single tool. These are covered by a pair of snap on caps and it comes with standard size plugs, and aluminium Megaplugs for when punctures get serious.
These kits are machined in California from US-made billet aluminium and stainless steel. The claimed weight is 26g.
Troy Lee Designs A3 - £220
2023 troy lee designs A3 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Yes, we've already tested the A3 but we liked it so much that we asked our friends at Saddleback if they could kindly help us out with a new 2023 version complete with new colourway.
While definitely a premium helmet, it comes with a top-shelf build which includes B-Series Mips rotational impact protection as well as a three-layer build that's made up of EPS and EPP foams in order to manage high and low speed impacts. It uses TLD's V3 precision fit system as well as 16 vents. On top of all that, this helmet benefits from a two-piece anti-microbial and quick dry liner, a V2 Fidlock magnetic buckle and a removable Sweatglide system that guides sweat away from the eyes.
Rounding off the helmet, the A3 is equipped with Smart shear visor screws that prevent damage to the helmet by allowing easy breakaway.
Wolf Tooth Components 8-Bit Pack Pliers - £64
2023 wolf tooth components ultra light 8-bit pack pliers 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
It might look a little on thr tin side but Wolf Tooth's 8-Bit Pack Pliers multitool comes sorted with 17 functions with eight attachments hidden inside, all of which fit into the 8mm ball detent swivel head. Those include 2, 2.5,3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm Allens as well as T10 and T25 bits. Of course, this also works as quick link pliers.
Using its scissor motion to shroud the bits, it's held together with magnets and because the 8mm head swivels and is tested to over 40nm, it can be used as a breaker bar, or to get more leverage on a bolt.
There's also a valve-core cleaner and a valve-core tool.
Fidlock Twist Anti-bac 590 + Bike Base - £50
2023 fidlock twist anti-bac 500ml 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
We like a Fidlock bottle here at off.road.cc and, recently, the brand has updated its range with Fidguard tech. This is a tried-and-tested technology that's used in the medical and food industries that prevents bacterial growth inside of the bottle. Fidlock says that it's purely a physical effect that inhibits bacterial growth without releasing bioactive substances into whatever liquid is inside.
Elsewhere, the Fidlock Twist bottle is very much the same as before. It's built with a self clothing membrane to stop accidental spillage and there's a handy dirt cap. Of course, as a Fidlock bottle it attaches to a magnetic base that mounts onto your frame. All it needs is to be vaguely placed above the base and the magnets will keep it safe fom falling off.
Crankbrothers Stamp 1 pedals - £60
2023 crankbrothers stamp 1.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Bringing this week's Five Cool Things to a close is the latest release from Crankbrothers. The Stamp 1 Gen 2 is a ground-up overhaul of the brand's composite pedal that rotates on premium hardware in order to bring the performance of the brand's pricier pedals to a more accessible price point.
As well as posh internals, it gets an improve platform that features more concave from a 15.5mm thickness at the fore and aft edges and a 13.5 measurement in the centre. Expected from Crankbrothers, there are two sizes available to cater to small and large feet.
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