Editors’ Choice 2024 – All our fave stuff of the year
Buyers Guide Members' Feature Recommended Review

Editors’ Choice 2024 – All our fave stuff of the year

December 17, 2024

The Singletrack Team pick their favourite products and bicycles from their year of riding.

Benji’s Picks

“Time to tally up. And it’s been another good year for keeping on keeping on. Bicycles continue to be rad. Riding them is even radder. According to my files, so far this year (end of October) I’ve mountain biked 7216km with an ascent total of 183,608m. And much to my surprise, I’ve done most of my rides on a regular bike, as opposed to an ebike. I’ve even done more ascending unassisted than on E. Which is the biggest surprise. The regular-to-E ratio is getting closer every year though! The type of terrain remains similar; slogging from one Pennine playspot to the next. Accidental XC you could call it.” – Benji

KS Lev Circuit Wireless Dropper Post

Wireless stuff is a lot more expensive than cable-operated stuff, but it is better. But it’s not that much better. There is no value proposition to wireless stuff. And if you’re not good at keeping on top of your recharging regime, it’s actively worse. But I still can’t deny that this Circuit dropper is probably my favourite item of the year. The previous problem with wireless posts is that they were either too short on travel (RockShox) and/or too laggy in actuation (Magura). This Circuit has 200mm of travel and is lightning quick to respond. I’d say it may even be faster than a cable-actuated post, principally because of the short-throw remote control. Wireless droppers are also really useful if you own multiple bikes, which you probably do.

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RRP ProGuard Bolt On V2

No one likes zip-ties anymore do they? From a once-loved solution, the appearance of zip-ties is now seen as an indication of poor design and/or an ecological problem. As the name suggests, this Bolt On front mudguard from RRP bolts on to the fork crown (pretty much all brands are catered for). Don’t be tempted to get anything other than the longest ‘Max Protection’ version. Bigger is inordinately better as most mud and spray is flung up (and slightly forward) by the ‘back’ of your front tyre. The RRP guard is rock solid, actually good-looking and leaves no trace should you remove it, which you probably won’t.

Topeak PocketShock Digital

Another electricity item. Again, please avoid if you’re not one of those people who has a permanent stash of batteries under the stairs (CR2032 in this instance). I like this pump because it has a reassuring no-leak head, is dinky enough to take out on rides in a hip-pack but is still large enough to use in the workshop. The handle and metal nozzle are both really nice ergonomically. A digital shock pump is an increasing necessity in the world of suspension forks that are getting rather finicky in the pressure band that they work properly within. Analogue gauges with up-to-300psi displays are just a bit ‘pot luck’ now.

Vittoria Air Liner Tool MTB

You may have seen smaller versions of these things before that are designed for removing tight road tyres. This is simply a scaled-up version that has a big enough mouth and long enough grippers to accommodate modern girth mountain bike tyres. These days I find that tubeless tyres fall into one of two categories: totally fine to remove with your bare hands, or complete bastards that won’t budge. This tool has never failed me yet. Nor has it damaged any tyre sidewalls or rims, unlike previous drastic measures I may have resorted to. Ahem.

Arrow Wheels Carbon Mullet Wheelset

  • Price: £1,199.00 on Hope Pro 5 hubs (£999.00 on Arrow hubs)
  • From: Arrow Wheels

Time to eat my words about carbon. Well, partly. I am still not fussed about it on anything other than wheels. But I must admit that these Arrow Carbons have been amazing. They’ve given me every good thing a light wheelset does but haven’t given me any of the bad things. To elaborate, they’ve made riding faster and/or easier for the given input, and they don’t get dented. But they haven’t shaken my fillings out, seized up their nipples, had proprietary spokes, or developed any cracks or splits. The light weight (just over 1600g with valves) perversely allows me to run ‘proper’ tyres without ending up with too much rotating mass. In many ways that’s been the real advantage; being able to run capable rubber whilst retaining energy efficiency. While they’re not exactly a budget buy, wheels are easily one of the most VFM places to invest your hard-earned.

WTB Verdict & Judge tyres

I’ve been a longtime fan of the previous WTB Verdict Wet as a winter slop front tyre but the brand’s recent rejigging of their casings and compounds has made me make the switch to the standard (faster rolling) Verdict paired with the new Judge tyre on the rear. In many ways, it seems really simple. Just take a pair of 3-season tyres and make them knobblier, right? Kinda, yeah. There’s a little bit more to it than that (winter tyres benefit from being a bit squarer in profile, for example) but let’s not go too far down that rubbery rabbit hole. This pairing grips well, clears well, lasts well, and rolls well (considering). In a market understandably dominated by Maxxis and Schwalbe for general duties, WTB is the new boss of winter ‘n’ wet. Read the review.

SRAM DB8 Disc Brakes

  • Price: £132.00
  • From: SRAM

You probably won’t see many of these in the bike shop cabinets but you will see plenty of them on bikes on the shop floor. In previous eras, the sight of SRAM on entry- to mid-level mountain bikes was often a cause for concern. SRAM’s Guide and G2 brakes just weren’t very good. They lacked power and they also lacked feel. Squidgy vagueness. Praise be for SRAM DB8 brakes. Rock solid. Plenty of feel. Consistent. Predictable. And very impressive levels of power even with sub-200mm rotors. And whilst they’ve arguably become less ornate aesthetically, I think they look loads better than previous SRAM budget stoppers. The move to mineral oil is welcome too. DOT makes sense in cars, not so much with bikes.

Formula Selva C Fork

A coil sprung fork with the ability to install custom tune valving in the comfort of your own home. What’s not to love? This fork is not only better than other 160-170mm travel forks out there, it’s cheaper too. Okay, so at £850 it’s not exactly cheap but I think it’s still worth pointing out when something is less expensive yet functionally superior. In terms of this custom tune valving, you get two valve circuits supplied: Gold (the ‘Cornerstone’ all-rounder) and Blue (‘Comfort and support’). Other differently tuned valve circuits are available at £45 each. You can get The Perfect Fork for you for under £900. Heavier or harder hitting riders may require fatter forks but I’ve not had any issue with the 35mm stanchion Selva C. Read the review.

YT Trail Knee Protection

Much as with helmets, it’s difficult to assess the principal task that the item is intended for. I can’t say if – or to what degree – these pads have prevented any injury to my knees. What I can say is that I forget that I’m wearing them. They stay in place. Actually, Hallelujah they stay in place! This is absolutely vital with any form of protection. If you don’t like wearing it, you probably won’t wear it. I wear these pads all the time, even when just intending to go out for a mild ride. Which is just as well, as I often change my mind mid-ride and find myself attempting un-mild things! These are simply the best knee pads I’ve encountered.

Wolf Tooth Waveform Flat Pedals

Expensive pedals make no financial sense… unless you’re fed up of buying yet another pair of mid-tier pedals that haven’t lasted as long as you expected them to. And plastic pedals aren’t great from an ecological point of view. I’ll come out and say that I probably still give the edge to DMR Vault in terms of all-out feel and performance but I don’t get enough life out of the bearings/bushings. These flatties from Wolf Tooth are still spinning like day one. And although they may only be 95% of Vault-feel, they seem a bit less prone to pedal strikes, so it’s swings and roundabouts really.

Madison Roam Packable Jacket

Although I don’t often buy cycling apparel very much anymore (Tech Editor doncha know) I am reluctant to recommend jackets that cost £100+ anymore. They just don’t really work. Or rather, they don’t really work once you’ve had them for a year or so. Not in the UK’s mild ‘n’ moist climate at any rate. I find myself either wearing a cheap chainstore waterproof jacket (if I’m going to be out for a long time in persistent rain) or this windproof jacket from Madison. I’ve worn this jacket more than any other garment this year. For something so light it’s been decently durable and non-snaggy rippy. Stop buying £200 waterproofs for mountain biking. Buy one of these jackets and a softshell jersey.

Starling Mega Murmur

This is form and function. Not your common or garden bulbous and bulging carbon fibre bikes. Flying in the face of so many received wisdoms that it could be simply written off as a point-making po-faced choice for contrarians with a secret steampunk leaning, the Starling Mega Murmur takes a cult frame material, a derided suspension design and makes it fly. What is the best rhyming couplet that sums up this bike? Traction and interaction. This is the sort of bike where Man and Machine and Mother Earth work together in some sort of biking bliss state. Read the review.

Hannah’s Picks

“After a long period of being injured in 2023, this year I have been trying to squeeze as much fun as possible out of my riding while keeping it rubber side down. I’ve not pushed myself through fear quite so often, and instead progression seems to have come through comfort and familiarity. Reconnecting with enjoying myself has been good, next year I’d like to try and build up some more fitness and strength.” – Hannah

Dakine Women’s Covert Gloves

I have had these gloves since 2018, which is a large part of why these are making my Editor’s Choice list for this year. They’ve survived where others have died – gloves being one of those items that I seem to be able to destroy pretty regularly. I never ever ride without gloves, and these Coverts are the ones I reach for whenever they’re not in the laundry basket (although I have been known to pick them out and give them ‘one more ride’). The mesh uppers are just the right level of durability mixed with breathability, while the thin and soft palm fabric gives plenty of feel and grip. After years of regular use, the silicone grip on the fingers is long gone, but the touchscreen finger still works. There’s no weather protection to speak of, but I like how they don’t soak up loads of water on a wet summer’s ride. As the temperatures drop to winter lows I’ll be reaching for something cosier, before digging them out again as soon as the frosts are past. Overall: super soft, with no annoying seams to cause discomfort, yet sturdy enough to stand the test of time.

Endura L/S MT500 Lite Jersey

  • Price: £59.99
  • From: Endura

Off the bike, I’m fully in favour of as few clothes as possible when it’s hot, but on the bike I find that leaves too much flesh exposed to the perils of the outdoors. Produced as a limited edition for Christmas, this is actually Endura’s gossamer-light summer jersey model, the MT500 Lite. Sometimes you need to cover up more than a T-shirt offers – perhaps you’ve overdone it with the sun and underdone the sun cream – even when it’s warm. This jersey is the answer. It’s lovely and cool to wear, feels silky soft against your skin, and offers decent breathability. Despite its light weight, it doesn’t seem particularly fragile and has survived rides and the washing machine for a couple of years. There are no scratchy edges or harsh seams – another plus if you’ve tender sunburned skin – and the whole garment just feels like a nice thing to put on. 

Saracen Ariel 30 Elite

Sometimes you get on a bike and find a million things to fiddle with and swap out before you can feel ‘right’. This is not one of them. Off the peg and from the get-go, I enjoyed riding the Ariel 30 Elite. There’s nothing on it that needs a swap, or getting used to, or a firmware update. Set up the suspension (also a no-drama experience) and ride. Clean bike, lube chain, ride, repeat. It’s not just all the components that have been well chosen. The frame design is sorted too. The alloy frame delivers a quiet, comfortable ride with no distracting rattles or flex, while a simple suspension layout nevertheless delivers a decent climbing platform, and a pile of fun on wriggling descents.

The colour might be the showiest thing about this bike, but it’s a lesson in less is more. Or perhaps more is more – this Elite model offers an extra 10mm of travel front and rear, making it a 140/150mm mullet bike in the medium size I’ve tested. Fox suspension with Fox 36 fok, useful tyres, DT Swiss wheels, Shimano XT groupset – it’s all good stuff without having bling on the top. Tons of function, tons of fun, this is a bike that makes you want to get out and ride, find playful lines, and puts a grin on your face. I don’t care if they’re calling it ‘double downcountry’ in the marketing department, it’s a proper trail bike for proper fun. Read the review.

Wild Rye Freya Bike Pants

When it’s not been a shorts day, there’s barely been a day when I’ve not been wearing these trousers – on and off the bike. I have tried to avoid wearing them for the filthiest of rides because I like them too much to stain the behind and render them unsuitable for daily duties. An early muddy foray did need a few extra cycles through the washing machine before they returned to their attractive, but perhaps UK-impractical, yellow. For regular UK MTB rides, the black or pine version would be a more sensible choice.

The pockets are sensibly located and proportioned, with room for a phone that doesn’t have your trousers falling down. The waist is both very comfortable and very secure, fastened by a zip fly, two buttons and a popper. I like that the lack of Velcro means there’s nothing to catch on items in the washing machine. There’s no adjustment at the waist, but the fairly high cut minimises the chances of any butt-crack gaps. There isn’t any ventilation, so on warmer days pedalling these can feel a bit sweaty. But I’m willing to forgive that for their otherwise excellent comfort and fit.

What’s especially great about these trousers is their length. With the cuffs rolled down, they are actually an ankle-covering length on my 32-ish inch legs. On warmer days, or for the shorter of leg, you can roll the patterned cuffs up once or twice. Satisfyingly, the pattern is inverted on the cuffs, so you don’t end up with upside-down cacti when you roll them up. The synthetic fabric dries quickly and isn’t heavy when wet – but that doesn’t stop me wanting a second pair for when these are in the wash.

Worx HydroShot 56 Cordless Pressure Washer

  • Price: £129.99
  • From: Worx

TLDR: This will make you not hate cleaning bikes. With the added extra ‘short’ lance, this becomes even more useful than it already is, as it will then fit in a bucket for easier packing. Being on a water meter has put me off traditional hoses and bike washers, but with this ‘fill a bucket’ option it’s much easier to monitor how much water you’re using. It also saves a world of faff with hose reels, turning on taps etc. Plus, away from home you can use any available water source, making it a handy addition at races and weekends away. My husband and I once even heated up some water, put it in the bucket, and had a warm ‘shower’ in a bike park car park. I only hope they don’t have security cameras. Easy to charge, with a battery that will also work on other Worx items if you want to mix and match. Makes bike washing (almost) fun. Read the review.

Potholes and Pavements by Laura Laker

A book? About bicycle infrastructure? Yes. No, the National Cycle Network isn’t a bunch of rad trails, but many of the routes are useful links for us to get safely to trails. And if you like riding mountain bikes, you probably like riding other bikes – so why not be interested in having as many great places to ride bikes as possible? This book makes the case for better cycle infrastructure, as well as illustrating all the obstacles that stand in its way here in the UK. It celebrates those who have made the National Cycle Network happen, in spite of all the obstacles, and makes you want more of the good (traffic free) stuff. Potholes and Pavements combines the failings with the delights in such a way as to leave you hopeful that, maybe, things will get better. Read the review.

Chipps’ Picks

“2024 has been a big riding year for me. Lots of climbing, lots of descending, and a real mix of riding shared between hardtail, trail bike and gravel bike, with the occasional foray onto the ‘big’ bike and the road bike (the e-bike only comes out when I’m trail clearing.). My mountain bike spec has remained pretty constant throughout the year, so I’m leaning on gravel and tried and true classics for my Editors’ Choice selection this year.” – Chipps

Shimano GRX 1x Mechanical Group

While the hype has followed Shimano’s new, 2024, electronic GRX825 groupset, this mechanical 1×12 system has several big advantages over it, and I’ve put a happy thousand kms onto it over the last year. Now, I’ll admit I have a particular purpose for my gravel bikes, and that is to take on any gravel ‘road’ I find, and I often find the gear range lacking in many gravel setups. This one, though, gives me a low, low of 40x51T while still allowing a good range of gears. That, for me, is the killer advantage of this GRX iteration. You can’t (yet?) get this gear option on Di2, so for me, this setup is fantastic. And combined with Shimano’s strong brakes, comfy hoods and crisp shifting (plus a left lever option for dropper actuation) this is my favourite gravel setup right now. 

King Cage Ti bottlecage

Wait! Hear me out… Yes, it’s a sixty quid, titanium bottle cage. ‘What kind of poncey, overpriced wankery is this?’ you ask. Well, I’ve had this titanium bottle cage (two actually) since before bottle cages got popular again. They’ve been on gravel tours across the Pyrenees, wet Scottish enduro races, big days on Yorkshire’s packhorse trails and – and they’re still going strong, look as good as when I got them and have never, ever lost a bottle. And they’re made by a couple of guys, by hand, in a house in Durango. Yes, it’s a lot of money for a bottle cage (the stainless ones are near identical, 20g more and cost around £25 each) but if you want a bike product that’ll outlast the bike it’s on, there aren’t many other products that will compare. 

Canyon Disruptr CFR Helmet

  • Price: £289.95
  • From: Canyon

It takes a bold company to drastically change the looks of an everyday item. The Canyon Disruptr helmet certainly shakes things up visually, with its single, pivoting, plastic chin strap and that ‘what’s wrong with this picture?’ look.
My caveat here is that I’ve been looking for a summer mountains, summer racing kind of helmet for a while. I’m always amazed and repulsed by how manky my helmet straps and pads get on those long summer rides. Salt slicks and greasy straps are near-on impossible to clean now that straps are moulded into modern helmets. The Disruptr’s hinged chinbar is simple to use once you’ve done the initial head cradle setup: just swing the ‘strap’ under your chin and tighten the dial. Done. The helmet straps don’t contact your face except under your chin, and it’s a one hand job to loosen for long, hot climbs, tightening for descents. The helmet itself is well vented and smart (if different) looking. While it’s not perfect, for what I need it for, it’s the best hot weather/ racing/ summer helmet I’ve tried so far. 

Hammerhead Karoo 3 GPS Unit

I had the previous Karoo 2 unit for 18 months and this new version answers nearly every niggle I had with what was already my favourite computer head unit. The Karoo 3 is intuitive to work with, the battery life and route accuracy is great and it has been simplicity itself to hook up and display no end of power meters, heart monitors, even SRAM AXS gear selections. The buttons have been made clickier over the last unit and there’s a dedicated on-off button.
Those are all great reasons for recommending this, however two further reasons sealed the deal. Read the review.

BTR Trail Tools

I have chosen another ‘made by hand in a shed’ item this year. This is because I want to support the small companies that are trying to compete in a big, shouty market, but also because they make great stuff. They can’t afford not to. I’ve had a Tough Rake for 18 months, and a new Trail Tool Plus for a couple. The Tough Rake has literally been hidden in a gully, under some leaves, for the last year when it’s not been used. It’s been snowed and rained on there and then it’s been dug out and put into use shaping, scraping and cleaning trails of duff and debris. The teeth are shallow enough that it doesn’t get hung up on every bit of heather and the tool is tough enough that it’ll do earth moving and smoothing too. It’s even groomed the village pétanque court.

Solid tools, made out of thick stuff for hard use. If you don’t buy throwaway jeans, or watches or kitchen knives, why cheap out on something that’ll be put to hard use? Having had mail-order tools break the first time I’ve used them in anger, I’m happy to now have some tools that’ll outlast me. 

Ross’ Picks

“This year my riding has been somewhat stalled. The year started off well, continuing to ride most days during the week, but just as summer was starting and trails were drying up and getting good, I dislocated my shoulder (that I had separated at the end of last year) which put me off the bike for a while. Since then it seems like one thing after another keeping me from my usual riding frequency. BUt I’m still loving my local trails and riding them when I can and I’;ve also rekindled my love for my local moorland. Not all bad.” – Ross

SRAM Maven Ultimate Expert Kit

  • Price: £599
  • From: SRAM

Brakes are one of the most important components for riding fast, steep and tech and SRAM’s newest hard hitter is up there with the best. No, I can’t say I’m a fan of the red paint splash colour scheme but you can get them in a more subdued colour, but for performance I can’t really fault them. Grab the levers and they offer an amazing amount of stopping power and you can lock wheels no matter how fast or steep a track may be, but they’re not all about eye popping stopping. The modulation is also top end and you can easily control your braking force with slight pressure adjustments on the levers letting you control your braking and adjusting it to suit, letting you brake more confidently and ultimately ride faster. 

Value wise, £600 is no small chunk of money but when you look at what you get in this kit they actually start to look like good value (just look at the cost of rotors and pads alone) but you can always just buy the brakes. This set has been fitted to my own personal bike and been ridden multiple times per week for the last eight or nine months and I’ve not had a single issue, they’re even still on the original sets of pads! Brakes are definitely one of the best upgrades you can give yourself and these should be at the top of your Christmas list. Read the review.

Giro Merit Spherical Dirt

  • Price: £199.99
  • From: Giro

It’s been two years since I first tested this helmet, and during that time I’ve used quite a few others, but this is still the first one I reach for when heading out for a ride. That in itself makes me want to give it an award. After two years of hard use it’s still soldiering on. Although it’s starting to look a little rough round the end edges it’s still my most comfortable helmet. It also (in my eyes) looks good, offers decent glasses storage and offers some of the best protection you can get for an open face helmet. Read the review.

Leatt Knee Guard AirFlex Ultralite

As soon as the weather starts to get wetter, and especially when I start riding in trousers rather than shorts, I start wearing knee pads. Wetter, slippier trails generally means more chances for my knees to hit the ground so a bit more of protection is the sensible choice. Given the damp summer we had this year that has meant wearing knee pads on a lot more rides through the year than I would do normally and the Leatt Knee Guard AirFlex Ultralite have been my go to guards.

They are nice and light, fit well and stay in place no matter whether things are hot and sweaty or wet and muddy. They’re properly fit and forget comfortable, fit nicely under riding trousers and while they’re never going to offer up the same sort of protection as a full on DH guard, they offer a good amount for such a slim package and are more than adequate for my day to day riding. 

Middleburn RS8 Cranks

  • Price: £199.50
  • From: BETD

Middleburn has been making cranks in the UK since 1991 and this most modern iteration still retains the retro-chic goodness that Middleburn has been renowned for. All Middleburn cranks are hot forged from high quality 7075 T6 aluminium and then CNC’d. After machining they are hand polished, anodised and then hand finished. 

I’ve had a set of 165mm ones bolted onto my daily driver Privateer 161 for eight months and they’ve been ridden in all conditions, been smashed into rocks, submerged in water and everything else you can imagine, without missing a beat. No issues, no creaks, no wobbles. When it gets to this time of year and I’m thinking back over which products have stood out for me, cranks aren’t necessarily something that springs to mind. But the Middleburn RS8’s are different. I love them.

They are light enough, plenty stiff enough, have performed brilliantly and offer good clearance, but also, look at them! After months of use and abuse they just look better and better and are a break from the chunky, square edged carbon or alloy of most modern cranks. There are certainly other cranks out there that do the same job as the Middleburns, but none that have become a favourite. Other cranks just seem to be disposable items, but not these. They perform and make me want them on my bike. Form AND function.

Vans V2.1 Grips

Grips are your main contact point with your bike and can make a huge difference to how a bike feels. I’ve literally tried hundreds of pairs over the years and these are now some of my favourites. They have been comfy since day one of fitting them, and I can’t even remember when that was. During the warmer months (above 6° or 7°C) I don’t wear gloves but when the temperature drops, or it’s raining, I do – so my grips need to work in a variety of situations and have to be the Goldilocks combination of size, grippiness and diameter.

The Vans 2.1 are pretty much perfect. Nice and thin giving you loads of bar feel and don’t feel massive when used with reasonably thick palmed gloves such as Briskers. They also add a decent layer of damping so there’s no harshness transmitted from the bars (the correct bars also really helps with this – OneUP FTW)

Grippiness has been really good even with sweaty summer palms, with no slipped grips, and they seem to be getting comfier as they wear, with no hand aches or pains while using them. While they are now showing some signs of wear, they are lasting well with loads of life left in the main grip area and just a few rough bits of rubber on the bar ends from clipping trees and being laid down etc. 

OneUp Aluminum Handlebars

  • Price: £79.99
  • From: OneUp

Bars are a key component on a bike and can change how a bike rides and feels. I’ve always been a fan of alloy bars over carbon (ride feel, durability etc.) and since getting a set of OneUp bars for review they’ve become my favourite set and replaced my trusty Burgtec go-to’s.

The shape and sweep (800mm wide, 5°, upsweep, 8° backsweep) just feel ‘right’ and suit me, but it’s the general ride feel that is the most impressive. The ovalised shape genuinely adds an element of compliance to the ride, reducing vibrations and adding an element of damping. Goldilocks would be a good term. Not too stiff, not too flexy, just right. Yes, I would like a slightly higher version, but otherwise these are some of the best bars I’ve tried and I’ve no plan to replace them.

Mark’s Picks

“This year I have added some new ways to hurt myself to my regular activities. Indoor bouldering is now a thing in my life once again and just like my foolish decision to start skateboarding in my 50’s, it hurts in places I didn’t know I had places. This means my riding has frequency has declined slightly. But just like when you simmer a weak broth to form a fine jus, the riding I have done has really counted. The highlight of my riding this year was Morzine back in the summer where I found that unlike my fitness levels, actual skills are harder to lose. I may be riding less, but when I do ride I ride better. Like a well aged single malt.” – Mark

Fox Pureview Goggles

On trips to bike parks, like so many riders I wear a full face helmet. The remaining decision to be made is whether or not to wear goggles or sunglasses. Goggles look the part but sometimes they are a bit stuffy and sweaty. Depending on weather conditions I’ll often go with sunglasses if it’s fine and dry. They are more comfortable for long periods and they don’t put pressure across my nose like goggles can. But, let’s be honest. sunglasses and a full face helmet just don’t look the best combination. Fox gets this, which is why they’ve come up with these Pureview goggles. They look like goggles, fit like goggles, but they have a nose bridge and open lower section just like glasses. 

Ventilation is obviously better than a standard goggle with this big open section and with a proper nose bridge they don’t compress my nose like the foam nose bridges of goggles do. They come with two lenses – a clear and a darker lens, and a bunch of nose bridge extras to tweak the fit. All stored in a foam lined hard case for £109. For me these have been the perfect eyewear for all but long XC rides. If you find goggles a bit uncomfortable across your nose then take a look at these. They could be what you’ve been waiting for.

Bluetti AC180 Power Bank

For years when the Singletrack team went on the road to an event or show we’d have to deal with the problem of getting power to our expo area. We generally don’t need much – just enough for some lights and to power our devices or charge cameras and laptops. But at expos in big indoor spaces like London’s ExCel centre getting any kind of mains power is an expensive operation that involves many hundreds of pounds just to get a single 500w socket and some strip lights. You can’t run a generator inside either. Oh and we’ve gone through a few of those in our time too for outdoor events.

Now is the age of the Li-on battery and things have changed. These power banks offer mains power plus a selection of low voltage DC outlets via a bank of rechargeable Li-on cells. With this model here you get over 1.152kwh of capacity and a total power output that can run happily at 1800watts continuous or even run a toaster at up to 2700watts for a short period. That’s enough to fully charge most eBikes batteries twice!

OK so you guys don’t really find yourself running an expo stand for several days at a time but if you are a van owning mountain bike tourist then you will probably already know how complicated it can be to get your vehicle wired up with mains power. It usually entails a huge leisure battery and an inverter and a bunch of wiring. This AC180 and its ilk can save a whole lot of time and mess.

Even if you don’t have a van this thing will happily fit in a car boot and run a power washer, small fridge, a small heater or even all three at once. Car camping is transformed by one of these too. You can take a bunch of luxuries like a heated blanket and run that happily through a cold night in a tent.

When it’s not at an expo or powering in-tent heating this one usually sits in my home office where it works happily in uninterrupted power supply mode for my computer, monitor and even a small 500watt heater. If the house power cuts out this maintains the power to my desk by switching to battery power instantly.

Couple it with a solar panel or two and you have a self contained, off grid power station for a shed, garage or home office. It’s like having your own totally silent generator. 

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185cm tall. 73kg weight. Orange Switch 6er. Saracen Ariel Eeber. Schwalbe Magic Mary. Maxxis DHR II. Coil fan.

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