Grips from AMS, Topeak's latest pump, the OneUp EDC Lite and Michelin tyres

The latest gadgets and gear to come through the off.road.cc office doors

Liam Mercer

Jul 7 2023

It's Friday and you know what that means - another Five Cool Things. This week we've not got one but two items from All Mountain Style, as well as Michelin's tackiest race tyres and a fancy steerer-integrated multitool from OneUp Components. That's not all, as there is also Topeak's lower-priced MTB-specific floor pump.

So sit back, relax and grab yourself a nice cup of coffee and browse through our curation of the top products that landed on our desks this week.

AMS Crank Defender

£17

You may not realise it but your mountain bike's cranks take quite the beating and, if they're made from carbon, it's even more important to keep them well-protected. That's where AMS, or All Mountain Style's Crank Defenders come in. These slip onto the end of your cranks and act as a barrier against rocks or pedal strikes.

The TPU material has been chosen as it doesn't absorb water and they've been shaped to fit a wide range of alloy and carbon cranks. While its internal measurement comes in at 34x15mm, AMS reckons it can be stretched to 38mm.

www.allmountainstyle.com

Topeak JoeBlow Mountain EX

£45

A good track pump is essential for every cyclist and one that's designed especially for a mountain bike's fatter tyres can really come in handy. The JoeBlow Mountain EX is one of those pumps that's been built to inflate tyres up to 3.5 inches in width efficiently thanks to a large barrel that's said to deliver almost 50% more air per stroke than regular pumps.

This one comes with a gauge at the base and Topeak's SmartHead pump head that automatically adjusts to fit both Presta and Shrader valves. To keep the price relatively low, this pump combines steel and engineering-grade polymer for its construction.

www.topeak.com

Michelin Wild Enduro Racing Line front and rear

£70

When racing, solid grip and puncture resistance are a must. Michelin's Wild Enduro Racing Line tyres get a soft, tacky rubber to help racers get the grip they need. These are built with the brand's Magi-X DH rubber and strengthy Down Hill Shield to keep things rubber side down through a range of terrain.

www.michelin.co.uk

AMS Cero grips

£28

The second AMS product in this week's Five Cool Things is the Cero grips and these do things a little differently. The Cero grips get a dual pattern and dual-density design, so there are large inverted diamonds and a regular diamond and waffle texture to help promote better hand traction. The inner portion is built with a harder-density rubber, too. These grips benefit from a single locking collar and AMS says that the pair weighs just under 100g.

www.allmountainstyle.com

OneUp Components EDC Lite

£44.50

The EDC Lite is OneUp Components smaller, multitool-only steerer-integrated multitool. This one, however, uses your existing star-fangled nut. All that's needed for installation is a hammer, 4mm Allen and five minutes.

This multitool offers nine functions, including 2 to 8mm Allen keys, as well as a T25 Torx and flat-head screwdriver, handy!

oneupcomponents.com

Author block

Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.