New shorts from Galibier, pants and saddles from Specialized and a spendy torque wrench

Along with Silca's gravel mini-pump and the most interesting stories of the week

Liam Mercer

Oct 11 2022

The week wouldn't be properly rounded off without Five Cool Things and, this week, we're bringing you even more torque wrenches and kit from Specialized. We've also got kit from Galibier and Silca. Of course, here, we'll be bringing you the coolest stories of the week, including our latest competition.

There has been a fair share of fresh and interesting tech launched this week, as Wolf Tooth adds the Resolve dropper post to its portfolio and Assos' cool new jacket doubles as a bar bag.

In sports, we saw the first-ever UCI Gravel World Championships where Vermeersch and Ferrand-Prévot dominated but perhaps, more importantly, Team ORCC brought its latest monthly update, where the team updates you on what they got up to throughout September in, Team ORCC | EP.09 - Raiders Gravel, CX points and enduro.

As for reviews, it's definitely been an interesting week as I lend my thoughts on the ABUS Cliffhanger MIPS helmet and Suvi gives the Endura Women's GV500 Reiver Bib Shorts a glowing review. However, we can't forget about our newest feature uncovering any mystery behind downhill mountain biking, and the best places in the UK for autumn cycling.

Effetto Mariposa Guistaforza Deluxe torque wrench

£160

Effetto Mariposa is renowned for its ridiculously high-quality kit and the Giustaforza is absolutely no exception - but you would expect that for the asking price. This Deluxe version of the pocketable torque wrench comes with a range of Allen bits but if you're looking to save a bit of cash and already have plenty of Allen bits, you can pick up just the wrench for a friendlier £130. Its small breakaway head is said to be ideal for reaching small places and like all the Effetto tools is guaranteed tolerance of +-4% for 5000 clicks. Effetto Mariposa also offers a calibration service.

This torque wrench offers up a range of one to eight newton meters selectable by a twistable bottom and the Deluxe version also comes with a neat tool wrap.

Silca Gravelero Mini-Pump

£70

We're seeing more and more gravel-specific tools coming to market and the Silca Gravelero is one of them. It's a gravel-specific mini pump that's built with the same hose, chuck and plunger design as its Tattico pump but making it ideal for gravel is that Silca says that it pushed 35% more air from the same overall length.

It's also said that the design has been refined further for gravel use with a smooth outer texture and improved sealing.

Galibíer Liberté gravel shorts

£44

Yep, even more gravel-specific kit and the Liberté gravel shorts are a technical pair of shorts designed for off-road use. They're built with a four-way stretch fabric and a soft double-weave face to add durability. The shorts also wick moisture and their standard cut reduces excess fabric.

The Liberté shorts get two zipped hand pockets that are said to offer a 'barely there' feel when riding. They're DWR coated and there's an adjustable Velcro waistband to suit all body shapes.

Specialized WMN Phenom Expert MIMIC

£115

The Phenom is a women-specific saddle from Spesh that uses the brand's MIMIC tech to create a saddle that adapts to the body. The saddle is built with a long nose and a flat profile which is complimented with hollow titanium rails and Level 2 padding.

A size 155mm Phenom is claimed to weigh in at 253g.

Specialized Demo Pro Pants

£110

Last up, Specialized's Demo Pro Pants are made from a woven version of the brand's breathable VaporRize fabrics, resulting in a pair of trousers that can put up with the toughest of trail abuse. These bottoms get laser perforations for venting which doesn't sacrifice the strength of the trousers, like mesh would and they're said to be baggy enough for all kinds of body armour.

They come with a DWR treatment, three zipped pockets and side waist adjustment pads.

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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.

1 comments

Freddy56 2 years 2 months ago

I have Galibiers baggys, which were the only shorts I could get that came with a liner short and love em. What does everyone use on the trails for chamois?