ODI's latest grips, pads from Scott, Rapha's adventure trousers, the Prologo Scratch and more

Along with the top stories of the week

Liam Mercer

May 26 2023

As always, we've got another five cool things for you to check out, including MET's Parachute MCR, a convertible helmet designed for the ultimate versatility and Rapha's adventure-friendly Explore trousers. Along with those, there are some knee pads from Scott, a spendy saddle from Prologo and ODI's latest grips.

But first, let's highlight the coolest stories of the week. Our tech writer Suvi went to the 2023 Gralloc Gravel Race and while there, she caught pro riders to get a look at their bikes, including Connor Swift's race-winning Pinarello Grevil F and Alex Dowsett's Specialized Diverge Expert. She also managed to pull aside F1 star Valtteri Bottas to talk about his Canyon Grail. Speaking of Canyon Grail, Suvi also spotted what could be the next iteration of Canyon's gravel racer.

Onto mountain bike news: suspension brand Manitou has been on a bit of a stomer this week, and launched two new forks. Firstly, the brand introduced the Mattoc, a fork designed for everything from XC to light enduro, and the Junit, a fork that's built to perfectly complement smaller wheel sizes.

As for reviews, we checked out the titanium framed, suspension forked Principia Gravel 22TiTAN, as well as Gusset's reasonably priced S2 35mm stem.

We've also teamed up with TSG to give away two protection bundles, including helmets, and elbow and knee guards. Click here to put yourself in with a chance of winning before midday on Monday 29 May.

MET Parachute MCR Mips - £300

On with the cool things! This here is MET's convertible full-face helmet, the Parachute MCR. Built for enduro, all-mountain, and e-MTB riding, MCR stands for Magnetic Chin Bar Release. The lid has been designed in partnership with Fidlock, which means the chin bar, as you may have guessed, is attached to the helmet using magnetic fasteners which should make on-the-fly chin bar attachment super easy.

Providing an easy option of open and full face, this helmet offers all of the protection when you need it, with the ability to whip off that chin bar for more breathability. The chinstrap also features a Fidlock closure and there is a Mips liner for added safety and plenty of room to store goggles underneath the visor.

www.met-helmets.com

Rapha Explore Pant - £140

Next up are Rapha's Explore trousers, which are made for a range of outdoor activities but we reckon that they make a great pair for bikepacking, too. They're built with abrasion-resistant and quick-drying fabrics and come with a regular fit. There's also an adjustable hem to offer the best fit and they're complete with a DWR coating.

No pair of trousers is complete without pockets, of which these get four.

www.rapha.cc

Prologo Scratch EVA - £192

In April, Prologo uncovered the Scratch NDR, its latest cross-country and marathon saddle. The brand new saddle here is the Scratch Eva - the brand's first ergonomic saddle designed especially for women. It's been created in close collaboration with the UCI World and UCI Continental women's teams.

This saddle uses a similar T-Shape that's found on the Scratch M5 but has adapted it to better suit women's anatomy. As per its namesake, it uses EVA foam all around the saddle with different densities to provide support where it's needed, and comfort, all to minimise pressure points.

prologo.it

ODI Reflex grips - £28

ODI's latest grip, the Reflex has been developed with help from elite riders on the UCI Downhill World Cup Series as well as the EWS, which the brand says has resulted in a grip that offers optimal performance without sacrificing comfort.

These have been built using ODI's medium durometer rubber compound which is said to offer superior impact damping properties. That means that these grips have been designed to reduce arm pump and fatigue.

www.odigrips.com

Scott Grenade Evo Zip knee guards - £110

Lastly, we have Scott's Grenade Evo Zip knee guards. These offer level 1 protection through the use of Scott's own D3O pad and feature a full zipped side opening for easy wearing. There's also a localised side padding to keep those bone bits covered. The front panel benefits from an abrasion-resistant fabric to keep them going, even after a spill.

Along with that, these guards use a perforated neoprene construction with a stretch back panel.

www.scott-sports.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.