Smith Optic's Payroll helmet, Cane Creek's bouncy stem and fresh rubber from Pirelli

And a look back at this week's best stories.

Liam Mercer

May 17 2024

The boxes have been piling up at off.road.cc HQ and that means one thing, we've got tonnes of kit ripe for testing. This week, we will look at the latest helmet from Smith Optics, a vibration-damping stem from Cane Creek, and much more. Of course, we'll look back over the past couple of weeks and highlight the best stories you might have missed out on.

On the news front, there's been a lot going on with GRVL being picked to design Team GB's Gravel World Championship kit with a culmination of art and science which is well worth checking out. Last weekend was also the first race in the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup where Malverns local, Hattie Harnden won for the women, and Ritchie Rude claimed dominance. On top of that, McLaren, the brand behind Lando Norris's recent F1 win and some mighty impressive supercars has brought an e-mountain bike to the market, going Extreme with 161Nm.

And the reviews have been coming thick and fast, especially our thorough tests of the best gravel bikes. First off, Aaron has been putting the 3T Extema Italia through its paces, praising it for its huge tyre clearance and ability to tame technical trails. On nearly the other end of the spectrum, Stu has spent some good time with Scott's Addict Gravel 10, a super racy but exciting gravel bike with quite the paint job. Lastly, Suvi's review of Liv's Devote Advanced 0 states it as a versatile and comfortable gravel bike primed for long days in the saddle.

Wrapping up with features, we've brought you an in-depth guide on how to replace your threaded bottom bracket and our selection of the best mountain bike pedals we've tested. We also dived into the world of the Life Time Grand Prix – a need to know about one of the biggest prize pots in mountain bike racing.

Favero Assioma Pro MX-2 pedals

£500

Favero has become synonymous with affordable and accurate power meters and, finally, the Italian company catered to the off-road market. The Favero Assioma Pro MX pedals are available in single- (MX-1) or dual-sided power-measuring functionality. They are compatible with Shimano cleat systems, and use dual-sided entry and exit making clipping in easy – the tension can be adjusted with a 3mm Allen key.

Editor Aaron lauded the road-going Favero Assioma Duo pedals for their accuracy and ease of use and the Pro MX pedals promise similar levels of useability. The pedal body is an all-metal affair and is said to be as durable as regular Shimano SPD pedals when it comes to trail abuse and rock strikes. They boast a low stack height of 11.2mm and 54mm Q-factor.

According to Favero, the Assioma MX pedals are the lightest MTB power meter on the market with a claimed weight of 191.4g per pedal. On our scales, each pedal came in at 192g per pedal. The Assioma Pro MX pedals are claimed to be super-accurate with a deviation of ＋/－ one per cent. Apart from power, they also measure cadence and left / right balance, power phase, platform-centre offset, torque efficiency and pedal smoothness.

Connection to your cycling computer comes from ANT＋ and Bluetooth and accuracy pundits will be happy to learn it also gets automatic temperature compensation and calibration.

www.cycling.favero.com

Smith Optics Payroll Mips

£175

The Payroll Mips is the latest helmet to hit Smith's range and it rills the role of a trail, enduro, and e-MTB helmet. It does that thanks to its E-bike certification (NTA8776 E-Bike) which means that the helmet is tested with impacts at higher speeds than conventional mountain bike helmet certifications.

As we've come to expect from Smith's helmets, the Payroll boasts a Mips slip-plane liner and zonal Koroyd. Mips is almost a standard on all mountain bike helmets reducing rotational forces on the head under angled impacts. Koroyd does a similar thing but adds extra energy absorption in the helmet's vents without completely blocking airflow. Protection is boosted even further with an integrated skeletal structure, which creates a roll cage to improve strength and impact protection.

Other features include 19 vents, a three-position visor with space to fit glasses and goggles, an Ionic+ anti-microbial liner, and Y-strap dividers. Also with this helmet, Smith nods to its comprehensive range of eyewear as the Payroll is equipped with storage channels formed especially to hold the arms of your favourite riding glasses.

www.smithoptics.com

Jagwire Elite Bleed Kit

£95

We bleed lots of brakes here at off.road.cc and Jagwire's Elite Bleed Kit comes with all of the gubbins you need to achieve a thorough bleed. As an Elite kit, it turns things up a notch with several ease-of-life features.

The syringes are sorted with ergonomic handles and designed to offer what the brand says is 'enhanced clarity'. What makes this kit stand out from others is the quarter-turn valves that have been added for easy opening and closing of the system. Jagwire has also thrown in a straight and a 90-degree clip which should keep each syringe in place hands-free. Wrapping up the kit is a selection of bleed blocks and of course, it's all housed in a quality case.

A bleed kit of this level isn't a must-have for the average home mechanic but this kit looks set to please pros and amateurs alike.

Cane Creek eeSilk stem

£235

Cane Creek's eeSilk provides comfort-enhancing damping to gravel bike cockpits everywhere without setting off alarm bells. Utilising a selection of elastomers, the eeSilk offers up to 20mm of compliance, and on this model, that compliance can be turned off with the flick of a switch.

The eeSilk comes in four lengths from 70mm up to 100 and it can be picked up without the Compliance Switch (the on/off switch at the stop) which will save £26 but if you have an eeSilk without the switch, it can be picked up aftermarket for £55. Extra elastomers will set you back £13 with a choice of five densities on offer.

canecreek.com

Pirelli Scorpion Enduro Race T tyre

£82

Last but not least we have another tyre from Pirelli and this one has come from the brand's Scorpion Race line up which boasts the softest rubber compound and strengthiest casings. So far, we've tested the mixed terrain tyre, the Scorpion Enduro Race M and were quite impressed.

Here is the Scorpion Race Enduro T with the 'T' standing for traction and it's been put together to provide traction (who'd have guessed?) in all scenarios, whether that's when braking, accelerating or cornering. However, Pirelli says that this tyre is best used over intermediate terrain. With its Maxxis DHR II-like tread pattern, featuring large paddle knobs in the middle, we reckon that this will work equally as well at the front or rear of the bike.

As for technologies, as with the rest of the Enduro Race range, this T uses the SmartEVO DH rubber compound that consists of a super soft 42 Shore A rubber, and Pirelli reckons that it's the most advanced rubber compound ever from the brand. The Enduro model it then equipped with a 120tpi dual-ply carcass complete with a rubber insert that runs just above the tyre's beads. This reinforces the tyre and adds protection against pinch flats.

www.pirelli.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.