Pirelli's Scorpion Race tyres, specs from Sweet Protection and OneUp's dropper post

And the top stories of the week

Liam Mercer

Jun 9 2023

After a very brief hiatus, we're stocked up to bring you another Five Cool Things. This week, we take a look at Sweet Protection's Memento glasses, Pirelli's latest enduro tyres and Bell's brand-new full-face helmet. That's not all as we'll also check out a very interesting stem from U.S.E and OneUp's dropper post.

Before we get into the good stuff, let's revisit some of the coolest stories to hit the home page this week. First off, we check in with Team ORCC's latest episode, Coaching from the pros - Team ORCC '23 EP.03, where Suvi and Liam are joined by road cycling legend, Chris Opie and experienced EWS/EDR Fergus Ryan. These two pro riders show the team some handy tips to get them faster ahead for their first races.

Suvi also takes a look at Gravel racing - what's next for cycling's growing discipline, where she sat down with a number of gravel race organisers to find out where the off-road, drop bar racing scene is headed. Speaking of racing, Tom talks about fuelling for races in Mountain bike nutrition.

As always, our reviews have been coming in thick and fast with the Manitou Mezzer Pro suspension fork which was praised for its range of adjustments and lightweight at a competitive price. Gravel-specific pumps are finding a foothold in the sport, too - check out the Topeak Gravel 2Stage mini pump to find out whether it's worth the fuss.

Sweet Protection Memento RIG Reflect

£119

This is Sweet Protection's Memento RIG Reflect shades. These sunglasses feature the brand's RIG tech which is said to boost contrast, minimise colour distortion and reduce eye fatigue. With that, they come with a casual but progressive styling and this particular model comes with a lens that's designed to excel in cloudy and partly cloudy conditions.

www.sweetprotection.com

U.S.E Vyce stem

£80

U.S.E's Vyce stem is one that does things a little differently. Instead of relying on six bolts to clamp the fork steerer and handlebar, it uses one to do the lot. Built from aerospace-grade T6 aluminium, the Vyce stem promises big stiffness without the weight penalty.

This stem is available in both 31.8 and 35mm clamp diameters, as well as 40, 50, and 60mm lengths to suit any mountain bike geometry and handlebar material. There's then no rise at all built into the Vyce.

www.exposure-use.com

Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro M

£82

This is Pirelli's long-awaited race-spec Scorpion Enduro tyre. To make it perform in between the tape, it gets a tread design that's been formed specifically for mixed terrain: hardpack or mid-soft trails. It gets a DualWALL casing that's been developed for enduro racing. That means that it benefits from both a 120tpi double-ply carcass and a bead-reinforcing rubber insert in a bid to protect against pinch flats.

This tyre then uses Pirelli's SmartEVO DH rubber compound which uses a single soft compound (42 Shore A) for the outer tread to provide chemical grip and vibration damping. that's then paired with a support compound under the tread which gives the tread mechanical support to keep the knobs from over-deforming.

The new Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro M is available in both 650b and 29-inch wheel sizes but only one width, 2.5in.

www.pirelli.com

OneUp Components V2 dropper post

£200

OneUp's V2 dropper post not only offers tonnes of travel but it's backed up with a couple of very bold claims. One of them is that it offers the lowest stack height on the market, which if true, is a huge benefit as it'll allow riders to run even more travel. Boosting this further is that the brand reckons that it's one of the shortest droppers in overall length, meaning riders can take advantage of a lot of travel while still managing to fit it into frames with shallower seat tubes. This dropper post also comes in a large range of sizes, spanning 90mm to a massive 240mm.

Better still, the V2 Dropper Post can be shimmed to reduce its travel by 20mm. It's then claimed to weigh 480g in its 150mm guise and the dropper's remote is compatible with all fitments.

www.oneupcomponents.com

Bell Sanction 2 DLX Mips

£180

This is Bell's latest full-face helmet that's designed to bring a host of the features found on the flagship Full 10 helmet that we featured in Five Cool Things a little while back. It features a full ground-up design with the brand's engineers focusing on three things; breathability, fit and value.

The first two things are covered by Bell's Ventilated DH Air padding and an Ionic+ antimicrobial comfort liner. There are then 14 vents as well as an easy-to-use Fidlock buckle. While this helmet stacks up to ASTM Downhill and BMX certifications, Bell has added Mips to reduce rotational forces under impact.

www.bellhelmets.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.