Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email [email protected].
Ari Bikes release Wire Peak 2.0 PR alloy e-bike
Ari Bikes, formerly known as Fezzari, has released a brand new aluminum e-bike with a very attractive price point. The latest Wire Peak 2.0 has 145mm of rear travel with a 160mm fork and has a 635Wh battery with a Shimano motor. Each build gets a different motor: either the Shimano E7000, EP800, or EP600.
Geometry on the bike includes a 65° HTA, a 78° STA, and increased reach and wheel base from the previous generation. The bike still uses Ari’s Tetra-Link suspension layout.
- Price: $3,500-$5,800
- Buy from: Aribikes.com
Norco Fluid VLT E-MTB is an electrified trail bike
Norco Bikes has a brand new lightweight e-bike, the Fluid VLT, named after their Fluid trail bike. The Fluid VLT comes in two models: a sub-40lb, 130mm travel model with a 140mm fork and a 140mm travel model with a 150mm fork. Both get the Bosch Performance Line SX wireless ecosystem and a 400Wh battery.
- Price: Not included with press materials
- Available: Norco dealers
Revel Gives Rail 29 new colors, more fork travel
After hearing from customers, Revel Bikes has updated their Rail 29 to come with 170mm of fork travel, instead of 160mm. The bike also gets two new colors for the year: Cowboy Coffee and Flow State.
- Price: Frame kits from $3,599; builds from $5,999
- Buy from revelbikes.com
Industry Nine SOLiX gravel and gravel hubs
The new Industry Nine SOLiX hubs sit at the center of an all-new line of gravel and road wheels, bringing Hydra-like engagement to skinny-tire riders. SOLiX hubs deliver 605 points of engagement (Hydra has 690) and are said to create less freewheel drag in a more robust package.
- Price: $695 for a hubset; aroub $2,200 for a wheelset
- Buy from industrynine.com
Silca Grinta ‘fastpacking’ bags
Silca Grinta fastpacking bags are designed for riding fast and packing light. The premium handlebar bag ($95) is designed to easily fit a set of gravel bars and features a water-resistant zipper closure. The $160 Grinta saddle bag uses a roll top closure for weatherproof storage with two BOA ratcheting lace systems to keep the bag tight and secure.
- Price: $95 handlebar bag, $160 saddle bag
- Buy from Silca
Camelbak Steel & Titanium Water Bottles
Camelbak’s popular Podium water bottles now come in stainless steel and titanium. The double-wall vacuum insulation promise to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold, as one would expect. The steel bottles are available in 18oz and 22 oz sizes and should still fit most water bottle cages. At 240g, the 18oz titanium bottle is super-light, that is, until you add water.
- Price: $35 – $40 steel, $100 titanium
- Buy from Camelbak
- Save 25% off your Camelbak order with code TRACKS25 (excludes outlet, expires 3/31/24)
Stan’s tubeless tire sealant goes metric
Don’t worry, your Stan’s isn’t changing. It’s just the packaging. In addition to updating the look and moving to metric sizing, Stan’s is adding a new 250mL bottle that’s just right for filling two mountain bike tires.
- Price: From about $3
- Buy from pretty much anywhere
SQLab x ION collab
SQLab has teamed up with mountain bike clothing brand ION for a limited edition SQLab 6OX ERGOWAVE® active 2.1 saddle. There’s also a matching set of SQLab 7OX 2.0 Pro grips to complete the look.
- Price: 159.95€ saddle, 34.95€ grips
- Buy from SQLab retailers
7Mesh Glidepath trail pant
The 7Mesh Glidepath trail pants have been completely updated with new colors and improved performance. According to the brand, a “light 4-way stretch DWR fabric and new trim shape are combined with an updated set-and-forget belt system, increased knee articulation, double-snap zip fly, and updated cuffed hem.”
Scarab Paramo gravel bike
The Scarab Paramo is made in Colombia and it’s one of the first bikes to feature the Wolf Tooth integrated headset in combination with the ENVE Gravel IN-Route fork. The result is an immaculate cockpit that’ll have everyone thinking you’re riding a fixie.
- Price: $3,600 frameset which includes the headset, fork and bottom bracket
- Buy from scarabcycles.com
- Price: $170
- Buy men’s and women’s versions at JensonUSA
fizik Vento Proxy XC shoe
The fizik Vento Proxy is designed for cross-country and gravel racing, featuring a sole that reinforced with carbon fiber plus a lightweight mesh upper and rubber sole for grip off the bike.
- Price: 229€
- Buy from fizik.com
ABUS Granit Super Extreme 2500 Lock
No bike lock is completely unbreakable, but some are surely better than others. German lock brand ABUS’s new Granit Super Extreme 2500 U-lock is made to fend off the most effective theft tool of them all: the angle grinder. Though ABUS doesn’t claim it is angle grinder-proof, the brand does say the “Wolfram Carbide that armors the shackle and lock body greatly increases the resistance to cordless angle grinder attacks.”
The Granit Super Extreme 2500 has a hardened steel 27mm square parabolic double shackle and it includes two keys and a Key Code Card.
- Price: $300-$329
- Buy from mobil.abus.com/usa
