RockShox Super Deluxe, Giant's new Roost and Pirelli's XC S tyre

Plus your weekly fill of our top stores

Liam Mercer

Aug 3 2023

This week's Five Cool Things come in the form of RockShox's top-end rear shock, along with some cool audio and comms equipment from Aleck. On top of that, Smith and Giant have just released a couple of helmets. Of course, we'll also showcase the top news stories of the week.

This weekend the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships head to Scotland and we've compiled a comprehensive overview of everything you need to know before the event. That includes who to watch and what to expect. In other racing news, FNLD GRVL is set to return to Lahti for 2024, bringing gravel racers back to the home of Formula One legend, Valtteri Bottas. But let's not forget about the latest episode of Team ORCC '23, where I get my first race under my belt and Suvi further prepares for Raiders Gravel.

Tech news has been strong, too, with Pivot's shuttle AM getting a complete overhaul, Shimano introducing the all-new Gravity Enduro and Flat shoes as well as YT Industries expanding its Performance Wear range.

Of course, we've continued to bring the reviews, with Marin's Alpine Trail E e-MTB receiving four stars for its fun aggressive geometry. Then, just in time for the ridiculously changeable weather the UK has been facing, Matt and Pat have reviewed the Casetlli Ultimate Puffy jacket and the Rab Cinder Ridgeline.

Pirelli Scorpion XC S

£60

This is Pirelli's XC tyre for soft or loose conditions. To excel in such terrain it's designed with tall knobs in a widely spaced pattern to help cut through the soft stuff.

This tyre comes with the brand's SmartGRIP rubber compound that's been developed off the back of the brand's motocross and rally success. So it blends tear resistance to help achieve mechanical grip on dry and wet surfaces, and chemical grip for riding in any weather. SmartGRIP then uses a single compound formulation with the aim of offering consistent performance throughout the tyre's lifespan.

The casing is covered with the ProWALL tech which gets sidewall protection which boosts protection against punctures, but also supports the tyres in the corners.

www.pirelli.com

HT M2 clipless pedals

£100

Citing its top feature as 'Nino Schurter approved', the HT M2 comes with a mighty bold claim to fill. This clipless pedal is designed towards XC and gravel riding and is built using CNC-machining and extruded aluminium for its body, with a Cr-moly spindle. There's a set of sealed bearings paired with IGUS bushings.

As for weight, HT says the pair of pedals weighs 305g.

www.ht-components.com

RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock

£578

RockShox' latest Super Deluxe shock brings more adjustment than ever before, as well as a few handy features. Built for the highest-end all-mountain and enduro bikes, this shock gets the brand's latest RC2T damper that's said to offer the most precise compression tuning ever. And tunability is the name of the game as the new Debonair+ air spring offers two different air cans to help the shock work at its best with any given frame.

Another neat feature is that there's a Hydraulic Bottom Out that activates in the final 20% of travel. This is there to soften the blow against harsh bottom-outs. Of course, this works with RockShox' bottomless tokens.

www.sram.com

Aleck Punks

£130

Ever lost an earphone while riding or your voice while yelling at your mates as you battle fierce headwinds? Well, that's where Aleck's Punks step in. These little units clip onto your helmet strap and link up to your phone via Bluetooth to blast clear music straight into your ears.

What's extra special is that riders can hook up a number of these to provide group communications over an unlimited distance, says the brand. With that, they offer 12 hours of play/talk time, they're dust and water resistant and they're charged using USB-C. Aleck says that the mics block the wind too, so any communication should be crystal clear.

www.aleck.io

Giant Roost

Along with the Rail helmet we spoke about last week, Giant has introduced an overhaul to its Roost lid. It gets a similar list of features, including a revised fit with a rounder shape, as well as a Mips liner. There's also a rear height adjustment to help achieve the perfect fit. Giant says that this hat has achieved a five-star rating by Virginia Tech.

www.giant-bicycles.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.