The Fox Purevue goggles, Camelbak's bikepacking range, Trek's new helmets, updated pedals from Race Face and wheels from Hope

This weeks curation of five cool things and the best stories of the week.

Liam Mercer

Aug 9 2024

Another week and another five cool things have come into the office. Ahead of rigorous testing, we're going to show off Fox's Purevue goggles, Hope's Fortus Single Wall wheelset, and Camelbak's new bikepacking range. But that's not all as also making it into the top selection of the coolest test kit is Trek's updated helmet range and pedals from Race Face.

Although things have calmed down since the big weeks of SRAM launches, some very cool things have been happening in the off-road cycling space with YT Industries' new Jeffsy Uncaged taking inspiration from its founder, being almost a carbon copy of Markus Flossmann's own Jeffsy. Trek has unveiled updates to its MTB helmet range with a new form of WaveCel and perhaps the biggest news of the week is Schwalbe's new tyres.

With the new Albert and Shredda mountain bike tyres, Schwalbe promises to revolutionise the tyre game as these come equipped with fancy Radial carcasses. These use a slightly different thread count and layout in a bid to make the tyres super supple and extra grippy, all while retaining strength.

Not all of the news is good however, as sadly TweedLove, one of the UK's biggest bike event organisers, has announced that it'll cease to hold events after 2024. The folk behind the business cite a dwindling interest in enduro, the rising popularity of e-MTBs, and COVID-19 as reasons for its incoming closure.

But back onto the good stuff, Lance dives into the world of power meters in this feature and he also outlines the best crank length for off-road cycling.

Trek Quantum, Rally, and Blaze helmets

£110 - £200

This week, we're pushing the 'five' part of five cool things as earlier this week, Trek updated its mountain bike helmet range with three new lids and we've got them all in to test. Covering everything from cross-country to enduro and e-MTB, this new range looks reasonably priced, feature-rich, and rather stylish.

The big headline with these helmets is that they're built with a revised version of WaveCel. As a result of rider feedback, this new WaveCel is built with larger cells in a bid to promote more airflow while shedding a bit of weight. Secondly, the Rally and Blaze come with neat magnetic action camera mounts that directly solve the issue of mounting lights and cameras.

For those who prefer to ride a little more aggressively, the Blaze is designed for exactly that. But what's neat here is that its 3/4 design provided by increased coverage over the ears is convertible. The ear covers can be removed with the press of a button.

www.trekbikes.com

Hope Fortus 30 Single Cavity wheelset

£500

Last week we saw Hope's RX24 gravel wheels come in, and now we move to the MTB side with its Fortus 30 Single Cavity wheelset. This pair of hoops is a continuation of the Fortus 30 design but it's built to be stronger and lighter than before.

They're built using welded 6061 T6 aluminium rims laced to the brand's latest Pro 5 hubs with Black Sapim Race stainless steel double-butted spokes and silver brass nipples. As for the hubs, they benefit from an increased engagement from 44 up to 109 with a new six-pawl design and it is available with Shimano, Microspline and SRAM XD freehub drivers.

These wheels are available in 650b and 29in sizes, come with a 30mm internal width, and a bunch of anodised hub colours. Valves and tubeless tape are included in the box.

www.hopetech.com

Fox Purevue goggles

£110

Fox's Purevue goggles break the mould and are designed specifically for use with open-face helmets. Of course, Fox is claiming innovation but there's certainly something different going on as the face foam doesn't wrap around the whole goggle, rather it's strategically placed in a bit to encourage more airflow than the average goggle. With greater airflow, Fox says that the Purevue can be worn when climbing or descending.

Included in the lovely carry case, the brand provides a tinted and clear lens with replacement lenses costing from £18 up to £23. There's also a special VIVID lens available for £28 which is designed to boost contrast in flat light conditions.

foxracing.co.uk

Camelbak M.U.L.E On-Bike range

£85 - £130

The real question behind Camelbak's new M.U.L.E On-Bike range is, 'What took so long!?'. It was just a matter of time before the brand moved properly into bikepacking and now that it has, it has gone for a full range, including reservoir and hydration storage. Each of the bags is made from recycled sailcloth with PFA-S-free DWR coating to keep the bags' contents dry.

Aiming to hit all possible carrying points on a bike, the M.U.L.E On-Bike range consists of the 12L Handlebar Pack, the Frame Pack with 2L Reservoir, and the 9L Saddlepack, so all in the collection provides 23L of carrying capacity including space for a reservoir in the frame bag. And that's actually a pretty cool feature as frame bags can take up space in a bike's front triangle, making it impossible to carry water bottles. So this directly addresses that issue.

Also in the range, but not on test with us is a £30 Stem Pack that keeps essentials close within reach, or can carry another water bottle and there's a smaller 1L Saddle Pack that can be picked up for £30.

www.camelbak.co.uk

Race Face Atlas pedals

£170

Race Face's Atlas pedal is one that's seen a few iterations yet it's one that's regularly won favour with our testers. Here, we've got another update to the Atlas design that's said to be wider, thinner and more durable than before. Measuring 110mm by 108, it's certainly a sizey pedal and each side rocks 10 long but adjustable pins.

Coming in at 12mm thick, the pedal follows a concave design while spinning on a Cro-Mo axle with an overside cartridge bearing inboard, and bushings. These pedals are also covered by Race Face's Lifetime Warranty and there are nine colours to pick from.

www.raceface.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.