Jagwire rotors, Endura's winter shoes and more

The best gear to land on our desks this week, plus all the top stories

Liam Mercer

Nov 24 2023

Bringing the goods this week is Endura with its fresh winter kicks, Jagwire, as it breaks into the rotor game and Troy Lee Designs with its latest flannel top. As well as all of that, we check out Rapha's latest waterproof bottoms and the most minimal mudguards from Zefal.

But let's not get too carried away as Five Cool Things isn't Five Cool Things without taking a look at the best stories to hit the site this week and there has been plenty going on. First off, we took a look at YT Industries' head honcho, Marcus Flossmann's Izzo that gets a mega blingy build including a Lefty fork. Hunt also signed its first rider of 2024: four-cross National Champ Amelia Martin.

We've been bringing the features and buyer's guides, first showing you five ways to survive winter riding if you hate mud to help you make the most of the winter months and the best mountain bike wheels of 2023, unpacking a deep topic and helping you pick the best wheels ahead of your next purchase. We also jumped headfirst into MTB cockpit setup and how to clean up your handlebars. Are cable-routed handlebars the next big thing for MTB?

We've still not got off the highs of the cross-country season and that's especially apparent with our review of Berria's Bravo 6, a cross-country softail mountain bike with 28mm of rear suspension. How? Through a flexy carbon rear end and seat post. It's interesting stuff but you'll have to check out Matt's review to see how it fared. We also took a look at RockShox' ZEB Ultimate, it's enduro ready heavy hitting fork which impressed with its chassis and smooth delivery but it's not all perfect.

Rapha Trail Gore-Tex Pants

£250

Rapha's Gore-Tex trousers are designed to be an excellent companion to the Trail Infinium jacket to offer a complete waterproof setup in temperatures above six degrees. These pants benefit from fully taped seams to keep the water out and there's a handy hanger loop at the rear of the waistband.

It's said that these trousers are built with an ergonomic fit with reinforced knees to boost durability and there's space for knee pads, Rapha's Knee Pads to be precise. These also use the cam lock fastening that we've seen on the brand's Trail Pants.

www.rapha.cc

Jagwire Pro LR2 disc brake rotor and Elite Cooling Disc Pad

£20 - £60

Jagwire's Pro LR2 brake rotors use a two-piece construction and a stainless steel braking surface in a bid to improve the performance of any disc brake system. That surface has been chosen to resist corrosion and it's been specially tuned to reduce braking noise, something we can all get on board with. Then the aluminium spider has been shaped with an integrated concentric ring and reinforced rivets to help resist warping.

This rotor is available in Centrelock and six-bolt mounts and in 140 to 203mm sizes. They're compatible with all calipers apart from anywhere the pad extends below the caliper body.

A perfect partner to the LR2 rotor is Jagwire's Elite Cooling Disc Pad which is complete with special fins to help dissipate heat more effectively. These pads are shaped to pull heat away from the braking surface and blow it into the cooling fins where it's then dissipated into the air. The Elite Cooling Pad is a semi-metallic-only pad.

jagwire.com

Zefal Shield Lite Front

£12

Zefal's Shield Lite Front takes minimalism to the nth degree. As a gravel-specific mudguard, it's designed primarily to protect your headset bearings and headtube, keeping it all clean and lasting longer. It's installed using the included cable ties and protective strips, the latter to keep your bike looking fresh right through to summer.

www.zefal.com

Endura MT500 Burner Clipless Waterproof Shoe

£170

Last year Endura released its own range of footwear and recently the brand has expanded its shoe range to feature a waterproof shoe. The brand says that a waterproof boot was the next logical step and being a Scottish brand, that makes a lot of sense.

These shoes utilise an ExoshellFW lining that brings breathability and waterproofing, meaning that your feet should stay cool but importantly, dry. Inside there's an EGM insole that is engineered to offer support and control and there's an EVA midsole for a hint of shock absorption. The shoes get an off-set cleat box with plenty of cleat adjustment and there's Endura's StickyFoot rubber compound at the sole.

www.endurasport.com

Troy Lee Designs Grind flannel shirt

£90

It's not a tech tee, it's not a smart/casual shirt but rather something in between. It's fully kitted with a DWR coating and a neat zipped pocket at the rear, so it's pretty ideal for mountain bike use. There are also snap buttons and a brushed poly spandex fabric, so it definitely leans more towards riding apparel than it does casual wear. However, its chest pocket and general aesthetic make it a top that should be good out on the trail as it is down the pub. Ideal for the cyclist who refuses to wear anything but cycling-branded gear.

troyleedesigns.co.uk

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.