After the gravel buzz from last week, our tech stories have centred mostly around the rowdier off-road discipline of mountain biking over the past few days. We’ve seen new wheels drop from Reynolds, whereas FFWD has brought back its much-loved hoops. We’ve also taken a proper first look at the Park Tool DT-5.2 Disc Facing Tool that according to Aaron, might save you hours of frustration with your brake calipers. 

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Just in time for some sunny summer adventures, Komoot has announced new updates to its Discover features, making it easier to find routes around you even on a holiday. Lastly, we’ve gone over what ABS brakes are all about. Let’s get right into the top tech stories of the week. 

Komoot introduces new Discover features and an updated map interface

Komoot’s Discover updates are great news for anyone who regularly moves around and finds themselves looking for good routes in a new location. With the updated Discover Tour feature, Komoot users can find tailored routes that start at a specific location, and tailor what they want the route to look like with the new route filters. 

This should make it easier to, for example, find a three-hour-long mountain bike route from your holiday destination, with maximum elevation and gnarly surfaces. 

• Read more here

First look - Park Tool DT-5.2 Disc Facing Tool

Aaron has been busy building up his sparkling new Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo 4 frameset and, like many of us home mechanics, he was eventually faced with a problem. The issue was the flat-mount rear caliper that wouldn’t align properly, and the niggle only escalated when the calliper bolts were tightened. 

So, after hours of battling, Aaron took to the internet and found what seemed like a solution: the Park Tool DT-5.2 Disc Facing Tool. This tool set contains everything you need to shave off the problem-causing unevenness from your brake mounts - whether they are IS mounts, post or flat mounts. This results in the perfect alignment of the calliper and disc rotor. 

Aaron went through the whole process in detail, so if you have issues with your brake calipers, this is well worth a read. 

• Read more here

Reynolds shows off new DH and enduro wheels

Reynold’s new enduro and downhill 307 and 309 wheels have got a whopping 40 percent more compliance and better durability that should boost the performance of the gravity-orientated racers. 

The wheels come in 29in and 650b sizes, and with discipline-specific builds: the downhill model gets a 32-spoke construction for maximum stiffness, and the enduro comes with a little less rigid 28 spokes. 

As for prices, the wheelsets start at £1,350 and go up to £2,200.

• Read more here

FFWD's Outlaw MTB wheel makes a comeback

After a five-year hiatus, FFWD has brought back its Outlaw wheelset that has secured a number of World Champion marathon titles. Now, the lightweight cross-country wheelset comes with a 30mm internal rim width, reinforced nipple holes, and a hookless bead to make it even more competitive in all-mountain scenarios. There is only a 29-inch size option. 

You can fit up to 2.7in mountain bike tyres on these wheels. The total weight is 1,595g and a set set you back £1,349.

• Read more here

Bluegrass releases Vanguard - a new full-face helmet

Bluegrass is a gravity-focused branch of Met helmets, and this week it launched a brand new full-face helmet, the Vanguard. 

This helmet complies with major international helmet safety standards and comes with a plethora of vents and innovative C-shaped cheek pads. All this, in as lightweight as possible package. 

> Best mountain bike helmets 2023 - top-rated head protection for the trail

There are two models available - Vanguard and Vanguard Core - although only the Mips-equipped Core version is available in the UK, and retails for £290.

• Read more here

SRAM mountain bike brakes 2023 - Level, G2 and Code models

This week, we’ve updated our guide to SRAM hydraulic disc brakes, featuring everything from lightweight Level brakes and more powerful G2 models to the burly four-pot Code stoppers and everything in between. 

There’s a lot to go through, but this guide will undoubtedly make it easier for you to compare different models and decide what’s best for your mountain bike. 

• Read more here

ABS MTB Brakes - everything you need to know

ABS on bikes, what’s that? You might be more familiar with the anti-lock-braking system (ABS) from the automotive industry, where ABS brakes are nowadays a legal requirement for cars in many countries. 

The system is quickly making its way into cycling technology, especially on heavier e-bikes and e-cargo bikes, which are certainly not made for the skidding that locking up brakes can cause. In this feature, we go over how ABS technology works and how it could revolutionise the way we’ve come to know mountain bike brakes.  

• Read more here

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