POC dungarees, Muc-Off's suspension lube and more
The best kit to land in our office and this week's top stories
Once again, we've got a collection of fresh five cool things for your perusal. This time, we check out POC's MTB dungarees, suspension lubricant from Muc-Off as well as Shimano's flat pedal shoes for women. We also take a glance at Zefal's MTB mudguard and on-the-bike storage kit from Wolf Tooth. And of course, we take a recap of the best stories on off.road.cc this week.
- SRAM mountain bike brakes 2023
- Mountain Bike Icons – the Wyn Masters story
- Best mountain bike helmets 2023 - top-rated head protection
Starting with those stories, this week we sat down with photographer Chris Lanaway for our latest Industry Insider piece to learn about his job and his background. We've also brought you our selection of the best waterproof MTB shorts, to help you get ready for a soggy winter. As well as that, we've put together a guide on how to clean disc brakes on a bicycle, a vital task to keep your brakes running properly and your bike slowing when you need it to.
As usual, the reviews have been coming thick and fast with Suvi's write-up of Ribble's Gravel Ti gravel bike taking the top spot as the gravel bike review of the week. We also take a look at Starling Cycles' Roost, a stainless steel hardtail MTB so it's safe to say that exotic frame materials have been the flavour of the week.
It's been a big week for news too with the story about Greg Minaar leaving Santa Cruz Syndicate making waves in the world of downhill and Lauf Gritfest joining the Gravel Earth Series being an excellent move for British gravel.
Muc-Off Silky Suspension Serum
£5
2023 muc off suspension juice.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Muc-Off's Silky Serum does what it says on the tin. It's a silicone-infused solution that when sprayed onto your suspension, reduces stiction between the seals and stanchions. Because of this, it should improve the performance of your suspension over small bumps while reducing trail chatter as the fork or shock will require less force for it to start moving.
The brand says that reduced stiction isn't the only benefit as it also works to help keep muck from sticking to these areas, which in turn minimises the chance of dirt getting into the seals. For a fiver, this looks to be a product that every suspension user needs to have, but we'll see if the proof is in the pudding in our upcoming review.
POC Consort MTB Dungaree
£450
2023 poc dungas.jpg, by Liam Mercer
We've seen the rise of one-pieces, monosuits, and onesies, all designed to offer the ultimate protection against wet weather, in the mountain biking sphere. Now, dungarees are becoming the next thing. POC says that the Consort MTB Dungarees have been developed for the wettest and muddiest conditions to offer better protection to keep you warm and dry.
As such, they get a three-layer fabric with stretch which is then reinforced with Cordura. POC also promises that breathability and durability have not been compromised.
On one side, there's a long zip to get you in and out of the dungarees and the suspenders are elasticated and adjustable. These are packed full of features so you'll have to check out the incoming review to learn a little more.
Zefal Deflector FM30 mudguard
£16
2023 zefal mtb mudguard.jpg, by Liam Mercer
All of the waterproof clothing in the world can provide tonnes of protection against the elements but there's nothing like the humble mudguard to keep you from a face full of mud. Zefal's Deflector FM30 is the brand's larger front mudguard that's been designed for all kinds of mountain biking.
Zefal says that this mudguard is compatible with most forks and 650b or 29in wheels. It's then fitted using the included zip ties and soft protection patches which should keep the mudguard secure without marring your fork's paintwork.
Shimano GF4 Women's flat pedal shoe
£120
2023 shimano women's shoes.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Shimano's GF4 women's shoe is a new flat pedal shoe that comes in at £120. For that money, you're getting an Ultread GF rubber outsole with a layered half-length EVA foam that's been included to absorb impacts whether you're riding or walking. On top of that, there's a breathable fabric upper that's been included for comfort and the skate-style laces make for easy closing.
Adding to the feature list is an asymmetrically raised ankle collar that gets some padding to boost protection and there's a toe cap that's been added to increase protection further.
Wolf Tooth Components B-RAD system
£18 - £27
2023 wolftooth stuff 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Wolf Tooth Component's B-RAD system is a collection of bits and pieces that are designed to solve any niggles or issues you might have ever had with. bottle cage relocation and on-bike accessory storage. The system's use spans from bikepacking right through to mountain biking, allowing riders to place their bottle cages and accessory mounts away from shocks or bags to achieve the best on-bike storage system possible.
The B-RAD system comes as a range of products offering all manners of on-bike storage and we've got three of them in to test: the Everywhere Base, Mini Strap and Accessory Mount, and the Mounting Base.
Starting with the Everywhere Base, allows riders to add a bottle cage mount on areas of the bike where there isn't one, or just to add more mount. The Accessory Mount helps riders move their tools from the packs onto their bikes. It's designed to work with the B-RAD Mounting Base so tools can be stored to the left or right of a bottle cage, for example.
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