There are more brand new shoes here than there are feet on the off-road team which must mean someone is in for a lot of riding! We take a look at the new cross country kicks from Shimano, plus a pair of flat shoes from FLR. We'll also be testing a bike packer essential, a good stove and new tubeless valves from MucOff. 

• Your complete guide to the RockShox fork range
• Buyer's guide to mountain bike and gravel shoes - flat and clipless option
• The best clipless mountain bike pedals ridden and rated

 

FLR Shoes AFX Pro Black flats

New from FLR Shoes these flats are no-nonsense trail shoes for the rider that likes things to look simple. The shoes use the brands own AFS outsole with STKgrip™to stick the pedals, laces to do up and also a raised ankle cuff for added protection. 

 

 

Coleman Fyrestorm® PCS stove

A bikepackers stove where PCS stands for Personal Cooking System; combining the stove, cooking pot, sleeve and lid plus the capacity to store the gas cartridge (sold separately) in one compact unit. It can boil water in  6min 35sec at 3m/s wind speed in the 20.4 cm x 13.6 cm pot, which sounds small but looks pretty big, plenty of room for a large amount of coffee or a decent sized dehydrated meal.

 

Muc-Off Tubeless Presta Valves

New from Muc-Off are some great looking tubeless valves which come in eight different colours. Made of machined aluminium, there is a 4mm machined Allen Key slot for easy installation/removal and each pair includes a valve core removal tool which is integrated into a spare alloy cap.

 

 

Shimano XC500 SPD shoes

Shimano has a load of new shoes out for 2019 and we have a host of them here. First up is the cheaper XC5's (or XC500) with a Michelin rubber sole, synthetic leather upper and a carbon fibre reinforced midsole. The classic lace-up look, would fit well on gravel or an XC ride or race. 

 

Shimano XC701

A little more expensive is the  XC7's or XC701, with a more rigid carbon fibre reinforces mid-sole, Boa dials working independently to provide minute adjustments and supple synthetic leather. These look like great race slippers and also come in black for those who aren't up for the paint fade.....

 

Shimano ME5 SPD shoes

New for 2019 these mountain bike trail shoes get a streamlined look with a Boa dial and velcro fastening.  There is the same Michelin sole but no carbon midsole here making these guys more like their bigger brother, the ME7's (reviewed here). 

 

You might also like: 

• Buying your first mountain bike: the complete guide
• Buyer's guide to mountain bikes - get the best MTB for you
• The best mountain bikes for under £1,000 - the best budget buys ridden and rated