SRAM Red XPLR AXS, Schwalbe Radial tyres, Trek's new helmets and more

The best tech stories of the last fortnight.

Liam Mercer

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Aug 10 2024

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With Femme Tech taking the well-deserved limelight last week, we've got two week's worth of tech to get through, and what a fortnight it's been. SRAM has been busy unveiling its new gravel-specific groupset, Red XPLR AXS, we highlight the best tech of Ard Rock 2024 and we even dived into the deep world of power meters. Missed out? Well, this is the best place to catch up.

YT Industries unveiled Jeffsy Uncaged 14

A little while ago, YT founder, Markus Flossmann unveiled his personal Jeffsy, covered with cool components and coated in one of the most outrageously cool colourways we've seen. Now, that bike is available to the consumer as an Uncaged model.

Costing £5,000, the Jeffsy Uncaged 14 gets Öhlins suspension, a mega fancy 5Dev crank and cool purple anodised components. Title also covers some of the spec with its stem and silver handlebar. On top of that, the bike is set to weigh just over 15kg.

Want to know more about the Markus Flossmann signature bike? Here's the story - YT Industries' new Jeffsy Uncaged takes inspiration from its founder.

SRAM Red XPLR AXS brought 13-speed shifting and a direct mount mech to gravel

With the launch of Transmission drivetrains for MTB earlier this year, gravel bike brands have been hot to jump on the craze, building bikes with mountain bike shifting setups. But last week, SRAM brought the direct mount derailleur to a gravel-specific groupset along with a 13-speed cassette. However, the cassette doesn't offer more range compared to its MTB counterparts, instead, it provides faster shifting and closer ratios.

Of course, it comes at a cost with cassettes costing £600 and full groups just under £4,000 but off.road.cc Editor, Aaron reckons its the only performance-focussed drivetrain in gravel out there.

Be sure to check out his review for the full low-down - SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset review.

We dove into the world of power meters

The array of power meters on the market is pretty impressive but as a result, it's tough to figure out which set-up is best for you. In this article, Lance uncovers the secrets behind each kind of power meter to help you harvest all of the best data and get you training, and riding at your very best.

From spider-based meters right through to power meter pedals, this piece dives into what makes each great, and not so great.

To learn all there is about power meters check out the article - Power meters explained.

Schwalbe wants to revolutionise tyre design with new Radial carcass

Schwalbe has been on the hunt for revolution recently, with the launch of the Clik valves and lots of new tyres. Now, the brand has bolstered its hunt with its new Shredda and Albert tyres, both of which don a new Radial carcass construction.

Claiming a 30 per cent larger contact patch at the same pressure as competitor's tyres, the new Radial tyres promise more grip but importantly, a smoother ride as the tyre is able to conform to the trail much better than before.

Radial is found on the new Albert and Shredda tyres with the former designed for all-round use and the latter, coming in front and rear-specific tread patterns is built for terrain where grip is scarce. The Shredda Front is Schwalbe's most aggressive tyre yet, too, with a mighty deep 8mm centre tread with shoulder knobs that are 10mm deep.

Here's everything we know about Schwalbe's new rubber - Schwalbe unveils new Albert and Shredda tyres.

We hunted down the coolest tech of Ard Rock 2024

We took the six-and-a-half-hour drive up to the Yorkshire Dales to check out the biggest mountain bike festival in the UK, Ard Rock and specifically, its expo. Our aim was to find the coolest bikes and kit being shown and Ard Rock certainly delivered! We got hands-on with Josh Bryceland's Cannondale prototype that he rode at Red Bull Hardline and saw steel-framed motorsport-inspired excellence from Andi Sykes and Hunt.

To find all the things we did, here's the story - Ard Rock 2024 - best tech from the UK's biggest enduro event.

Zipp's new wheels are super wide and only compatible with two tyres

Along with the uncovering of Red XPLR AXS SRAM's wheel offshoot announced its new gravel-specific wheelset and it looks like one that might set trends. The Zipp 303 XPLR S and SW gravel wheels boast a huge 32mm internal diameter but rather than making them wide for comfort's sake, it's all about aerodynamics.

With these wheels, Zipp has teamed up with Goodyear to provide two tyres that are designed especially for these wheels, named the INTER and SLICK. They're built to be setup tubeless but of course, they can be inflated with inner tubes if in a pinch and they're only compatible with the 303 rims.

Here's a deeper dive into Zipp's new wheels - Zipp unveils huge 303 XPLR gravel wheels.

Trek updated its MTB helmet range

Last but not least, Trek has revamped its mountain bike helmet lineup. Covering cross-country, trail, and enduro/e-MTB riding, the Quantum, Rally, and Blaze all boast a fresh form of WaveCel, Trek's own impact protection material. While it looks very similar to the WaveCel that we've seen before, it welcomes larger cells in a bid to increase airflow. Then, as a result, the material is claimed to be 15g lighter.

On top of that, the Rally and Blaze helmets get a fancy Blendr mount that allows for the attachment of action cameras and lights. The Blaze, on the other hand, gets removable earpieces allowing riders the choice between the extra protection of a 3/4 helmet or the full breathability of an open-face lid.

For more details, head over to the story - Trek's updated MTB helmet range features enhanced WaveCel.