Trickstuff, Muc-Off's Big Bore valves, women's specific clothing, POC's Elicit Toric glasses and winter gravel kit from Scott.

The coolest test kit at the office as well as this week's top stories.

Liam Mercer

Oct 4 2024

In this week's Five Cool Things, we prep for winter with some warm kit from Scott and fresh threads from Trail Bloom. We also dive into the increasingly mad world of tubeless valves with Muc-Off's Big Bore valves and we look at budget-friendly, big braking performance with, believe it or not, Trickstuff.

But to start with this week's news, it's all revolved around the launch Bosch's new Performance Line CX motor. We also look at the new Trek Rail+ and Santa Cruz Vala, which bins the brand's famed VPP suspension. There's more bike news from Haibike that has revealed a new line-up, Focus's JAM2 and the Orbea Wild.

As for features, we've been very pre-emptive with two of the world's biggest mountain and gravel events. First off we introduce everything you need to know about the 2025 Absa Cape Epic, perhaps one of the toughest mountain bike events on the planet and preview the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships that's happening this weekend.

With e-MTB news being the theme of the week, our reviews have taken a gravelly turn with Aaron's write-up of the Parcours FKT gravel wheelset. Our Pat looked at Fizik's Vento Proxy shoes, praising them for their abundance of ventilation and wild aesthetics.

Muc-Off Big Bore tubeless valves

£40

As mentioned in last week's Five Cool Things, where we glanced over Stan's Exo Core valves, the tubeless valve market is bustling with interesting and wacky options – and Muc-Off's Big Bore valves are some of the most interesting. Built to deliver maximum air and sealant flow into a tyre, they employ a ball valve that's opened and closed via the small lever on the outside. Importantly, this design leaves nothing to block airflow with the Lite valves promising up to 230 per cent more airflow than a standard Presta valve.

There are three options on offer: a regular Presta size that'll fit Presta rims and pumps. There's also a Schrader version that'll fit Schrader rims and pumps, and a Hybrid model that fits Presta rims and Schrader pumps, all to allow the most air and sealant flow possible.

A pair will set you back £40 a pop.

muc-off.com

Trickstuff Heavy Duty Disc Brake Rotor and Power Brake Pads

£31 - £50

Best known for its £1,000+ brake sets and famously ridden by the Athertons, Trickstuff's rotors and brake pads pose a surprisingly more budget-friendly introduction to the braking power. The Heavy Duty rotors come in three sizes from 160mm to 203mm and are designed to resist heat build-up over long descents. The rotors are 2.05mm in width and the friction surface measures 15mm to fend off excess temperature. They're made of hardened stainless steel and cut with a bevelled edge to help slide between pads more easily when installing a wheel.

The Power pads are built to provide plenty of braking power. They can fit a wide range of calipers and are designed to resist fade and improve control under braking loads.

www.trickstuff.com

Trail Bloom Ladies MTB Jersey and MTB Shorts

£39 - £65

Trail Bloom is a brand that specialises in women's mountain bike clothing. Born out of frustrations with the lack of good, functional riding kit for women, the brand aims to improve and innovate in the sector. Additionally, the folk behind Trail Bloom want to create a community and commit to sustainability.

The MTB jersey is designed to enhance performance on the trail through its 100 per cent polyester, moisture-wicking stretch fabric. Of course, it gets a women's specific cut, too. The back of the jersey benefits from a sports mesh fabric that should enhance airflow.

Like the jersey, the MTB shorts get a moisture-wicking fabric and a fit designed specifically for women. The waistband is high to boost support and there are three pockets to provide all of the storage. There's also a pair of leg vents to increase ventilation during those mega-hot days.

trailbloom.com

POC Elicit Toric glasses

£240

POC's Elicit Toric glasses use the same silhouette as the Elicit but boast the brand's Toric lens. That lens is designed to minimise airflow that reaches the eyes as it sits closer to the face. There's no frame present, either, so there's very little to interfere with peripheral vision.

Rather than a frame, bio-grilamid temples that use a truss structure keep the specs in place and are very durable. As for the lens tech, it utilises POC's Clarity technology to control the colour spectrum and improve contrast..

poc.com

Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper jacket and Gravel Warm Merino vest

£120

It's certainly getting colder out there and we're getting well prepared. Here, we've got two winter warmers from Scott, the RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper jacket and Gravel Warm Merino vest. The former has been created as a mid or outer layer and gets a DUROxpand four-way stretch fabric to boost aerodynamics. There are plenty of pockets, too – three at the back and one zipped pocket.

The Gravel Warm vest benefits from a merino wool build to promote warmth. Strategically placed wind block panels aid the cause too. Present are two zipped pockets and a waistband adjustment to help dial the fit.

www.scott-sports.com

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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.