The Fox 32 Step Cast, OneUp Components' alloy handlebar, gloves from Fox, Topeak's carbon bottle cage and Moon lights
The final Five Cool Things of 2024!
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Five Cool Things and a look at this week's best stories.
This week's Five Cool Things and the top stories of the week.
This week's Five Cool Things and the best stories.
We take a look at some of the UK's top hand-made bikes and the best stories from the week.
In the final Five Cool Things of the year, we dive into Fox's newest suspension fork, an alloy handlebar built to flex and one of the lightest bottle cages around. Rounding up this week's curation of cool kit are gloves from Fox and a pair of lights from Moon. Of course, we also round up the best stories.
- How brands build bikes - From concept to the final product
- Wait... How much is the new SRAM T-Type kit?
- What is Q-factor?
The year might be almost done, but fresh products continue to be released. One of those products is Specialized's Chisel EVO. This is a bike we've seen on sale in other countries but now it's available in the UK. Essentially, it's the Chisel FS that we saw launched earlier in the year but, thanks to burlier tyres and a bigger travel fork, it gets the same treatment as the Epic EVO but thanks to its alloy frame, it costs just £3,000. In other news, GT's parent company, PON has announced that it's putting the brand on pause, dropping its sponsored athletes, and putting a halt on new bike releases for the indefinite future.
As for features, our gear of the year for 2024 is up and running. First up, we round up our collective highlights of 2024 with bikes such as the Canyon Spectral and Trek Checkpoint making the cut. Steve asks two industry pros about the UK's bike industry, in 'is the great British bike industry on the up for 2025?'. We also glance at our bike-tech crystal ball in Liam's 2025 tech predictions. And don't forget our round-up of the best mountain bike jerseys of 2024.
Rounding up with reviews, we deliver our expert verdicts on the latest tyre from Maxxis, the High Roller III and Crankbrothers' long spindle, Mallet Enduro LS clipless pedals.
Fox Racing Defend Thermo and Ranger gloves
£28 - £37
2024 fox gloves.jpg, by Liam Mercer
First up, we've got two pairs of gloves from Fox designed for comfort in cold and moderate climates. Sorting old cold weather riding is the Defend Thermo glove and it's brimming with features such as the compression-moulded neoprene cuff that's rather lengthy to stretch up into a jacket's cuffs for protection against wind. There's also a hook and loop closure to keep the glove secure. There's a single-layer Clarino palm said to be touchscreen compatible while the glove's upper uses a closed-cell foam for insulation.
As for the Ranger glove, it's been created to provide top-level performance but in a glove that doesn't ask the price that such products might. It's a simple glove with a low profile cuff and a micro-suede thumb and is compatible with touchscreens. There's a hook and loop closure for fit adjustment.
Fox 32 Factory SC GRIP SL suspension fork
£1,099
2024 fox 32 sc 5ct 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer
2024 has been a huge year for Fox. Celebrating its 50th year, the brand unleashed a range of new dampers to the world, its new Live Valve Neo technology and its 32 Step-Cast fork, the very fork you see here. As you can see, it's something of a departure for Fox as it features that wacky-looking reverse arch.
Thanks to that arch, it claims to boast 40% better stiffness than competing forks while weighing under 1,300g, stating that it's the lightest mountain bike fork directed towards marathon racing. This fork dons Fox's new GRIP SL damper, which comes with a three-position compression circuit that features a blowoff valve in the firm position, so under heavy compressions, it should still move just enough for comfort. Its crown has been redesigned, too, using 7000 aluminium. A zero offset angles the upper tubes to achieve its rake.
OneUp Components Aluminium Handlebar
£80
2024 one up components alloy bar.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The Squamish-based brand has used its vibration-damping technologies and created an aluminium bar. Claiming to offer the performance of the carbon bar at the price of alloy, the idea behind the Aluminium bar is to provide vertical compliance and stiffness along the steering axis. That's thanks to the brand's patented oval shape.
Finished with a fine shot peen and black anodising, the Aluminium Handlebar is made of 7050-T76 aluminium, and gets a five-degree upsweep, an eight-degree backsweep and an 800mm width. It's available with a 20- or 35mm rise and is compatible with 35mm clamp stems.
Clif Bloks energy chews
£45
_MG_9987.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Better known for its oat-based energy bars, Clif's Bloks are poised to be an easy-to-chew method of packing in the carbs and energy. We've got a selection pack with some coming with 68.4mg of caffeine so they should keep you going during those marathon-length rides.
They're available in five flavours and each packet contains six chews.
Topeak Feza Cage V1
£25
2024 topeak bottle cage.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Might this be the most affordable bit of carbon you can buy? Claiming to bring a 'fresh persepective' to your bike (take from that what you will), it's a bottle cage made using injected carbon fibre to 'enhance your overall cycling experience'. But the best bit is the 18g weight.
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