Greetings roadies, shredders, gravelistas and casual commuters as we embark upon another packed edition of First Look Friday.
Today sees BikeRadar's unofficial XC Weekend kick off in earnest and you'll find a host of cross-country themed reviews, features, buyer's guides and explainers rolling onto our home page. 'What's wrong with being XC?', the Spinal Tap fans among you will no doubt be pondering. Absolutely nothing.
Before the cross-country extravaganza commences, let's take the quickest of glances back over a busy week on the site.
BikeRadar's eternal ray of sunshine, Tom Marvin, was a busy boy – treating us to a hat-trick of stellar bike reviews. The Fairlight Holt XT, Mondraker F-Podium RR and Specialized Epic 8 all got the T.Marv treatment, with more to come from our beloved MTB technical editor and condiment connoisseur over the weekend.
Our exhaustive Tour de France coverage wrapped up with Simon von Bromley's in-depth look at super-human Tour winner Tadej Pogačar's bikes, and we brought you an essential guide to all the cycling events at the Paris Olympics, which kick off today.
There was time for a smattering of breaking news stories through the week, too, with Trek releasing the Slash+ eMTB – prompting Alex Evans to forecast the demise of the good old non-assisted enduro bike. Elsewhere, Maxxis unveiled a third-generation version of its legendary High Roller tyre and Kask made some bold claims about its new Nirvana aero helmet.
We took a first look at Ribble's new Allroad range that promises aero performance and endurance comfort, while Oscar Huckle tried on Gore's Ultimate bib shorts, which utilise 3D printing technology.
Okay, okay, I'll stop there before your senses become overwhelmed by the dizzying volume and quality of content being lavished upon them. It's time to fire up the First Look Friday conveyor belt and bring forth the cycling-tech goodies.
Reserve E 30|HD 31|DH wheels
Reserve has released a pair of ebike-specific wheels to meet the demands of modern, capable electric mountain bikes. Calling them ebike-specific might be a stretch, though.
Reserve has combined the 29in 30|HD front wheel – the brand's trail-spec front wheel designed to hammer the local steeps and hit up an enduro world cup course – with its 27.5in 31|DH rear wheel.
The latter is a downhill-specific wheel intended for the hardest riding. A 29in rear wheel is also available.
Together, Reserve hopes this makes the ideal wheelset for thrashing hefty ebikes. The 30|HD front wheel uses a carbon fibre rim with 4mm-offset spoke holes and asymmetrical design to improve spoke tension and wheel stiffness. The wheel features a 30mm internal width, 20mm depth and 28 spokes.
The 31|DH rim is Reserve’s carbon fibre downhill offering and follows a similar design theory. However, this wheel gets 32 spokes and a 31mm internal width. Reserve has built in spoke reinforcement around the nipples for improved strength without adding unnecessary weight.
At 1,864g (without valves), the wheels are a competitive weight, but cost a pretty penny at £1,799 / $1,799 / €1,999 with Industry Nine 1-1 hubs. Still, if your pride and joy holds a motor and battery, or if you’re a burly rider, Reserve wheels have been shown to withstand some serious impact abuse.
- £1,799 / $1,799 / €1,999
MRP Lift damper
MRP (Mountain Racing Products) has introduced its new Lift cartridge damper, for Fox, Marzocchi, RockShox and MRP 35mm, 36mm and 38mm stanchion-diameter forks.
The Lift damper’s biggest selling point is its five specific rider-weight shim-stack tunes, covering riders from 50-68kg / 110-150lb (white tune), 64-82kg / 140-180lb (yellow tune), 77-95kg / 170-210lb (green tune), 91-109kg / 200-240lb (blue tune) and 105-123kg / 230-270lb (red tune).
This means the damper is already tuned for rider weights and shouldn’t need any custom work. MRP boasts the Lift damper delivers more sensitive low-speed compression damping for a supple beginning stroke and greater support for high-speed compressions, compared to a RockShox Charger RC or Fox GRIP damper.
To achieve this suppleness, the spring-backed IFP (internal floating piston) damper uses only one dynamic seal and IGUS low-friction bushing in the seal head.
MRP also claims optimised oil-flow paths and needle shaping minimise fluid turbulence, contributing to better performance.
The damper features externally adjustable low-speed compression rebound adjustments. At $399.95, its price sits between a RockShox Charger 3.1 ($358) and Fox GRIP X2 damper ($380-450).
- $399.95
DVO Topaz Prime shock
DVO has released a new batch of shocks, its Prime series. This range features increased adjustability and builds on DVO’s more simple set-and-forget series of Topaz air and Jade coil shocks.
The Topaz Prime air shock is DVO’s high-spec offering, aimed at trail, enduro and ebike riders who like to have full control over their settings. The shock features externally adjustable high- and low-speed compression, low-speed rebound, positive and negative air chamber volume (with spacers), and its bladder air pressure adjustment.
The Topaz Prime uses a pressurised bladder rather than an IFP for oil displacement during compression. Tuning this pressure enables riders to control the feel of the shock, giving it a firmer or more supple feel through its travel.
At $600, it's comparable to a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock, and its 447g weight is competitive. If you fancy stepping out from the suspension brands status quo, the DVO Topaz Prime might be worth a look. We’ll have a review coming soon.
- £599.99 / $599
Goodyear Wrangler tyres
Goodyear has expanded its range of mountain bike tyres with the introduction of the Wrangler, a name synonymous with Goodyear’s off-road tyres.
The motorsport giant has released two versions: the Wrangler Enduro for enduro and the Wrangler Electric Drive for ebikes, both designed for aggressive gravity riding.
Both options feature front and rear-specific tread patterns tailored for dry, rocky and intermediate trail conditions, designated as Wrangler MTF (Mountain Front) and MTR (Mountain Rear).
The tread patterns are inspired by motocross tyres. The MTF has wider-spaced blocks to enhance steering precision, stability and grip. The MTR pattern has tighter-packed blocks to reduce rolling resistance and increase braking edges.
Additionally, the MTF and MTR casings differ, as do the Enduro and Electric Drive tyres. Goodyear has developed four distinct casings to balance weight, stability and protection.
The MTR tyres have stronger casings to withstand more abuse and the Electric Drive versions feature reinforced casing and additional sidewall protection. The MTF tyres use Goodyear’s soft, slow-rebound Dynamic compound, while the MTR tyres feature the more durable Dynamic compound.
- £69 / $85
