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].
Last Coal and Glen alloy bikes
Gear Watch is a news feature and our goal is to remain objective but damn… these bikes look awesome. Both the Last Glen and Last Coal feature alloy frames with UDH dropouts, intelligent cable and hose routing, and come with a 6-year warranty that’s bike-park approved.
The Last Glen is an all-mountain bike with 150/160mm of travel front and rear and a 63.9° head tube angle. The size extra-large frame delivers a whopping 540mm of reach when paired with a 150mm fork, and buyers can choose to set the bike up as a 29er or MX.
As a proper enduro bike, the Last Coal boasts 165/180mm of suspension travel front and rear with a 63° head angle. A ~77° effective seat tube angle (depending on frame size and fork) promises decent climbing performance and the chainstay length varies based on frame size for an optimized ride feel.
- Price: TBD
- Buy from Last dealers.
Race Face Chester grips
The all-new Race Face Chester single side lock-on grips feature the brand’s grippiest, 20A durometer compound and added material under the palm for comfort and vibration damping. The anodized clamps come in nine colors and in addition to black, there’s also a brown grip (shown).
- Price: $27 USD / $32 CAD
- Buy from raceface.com
Cotic calls time on 27.5″ wheels
Cotic recently released the seventh and final generation of the chromoly steel Cotic BFe trail/enduro hardtail. The brand says orders for the BFeMAX 29er hardtail far outstrip those for the BFe so grab the 27.5 version while you still can!
- Price: £619 (frame only)
- Buy from cotic.co.uk
New Leatt HydraDri clipless and flat waterproof shoes
The new Leatt HydraDri shoes are designed to keep feet dry and come in both clipless and flat versions. The HydraDri 7.0 is the more waterproof of the two, with a high ankle and zipper to keep water out, particularly when paired with a set of waterproof pants. The HydraDri 5.0 Proclip is a clipless pedal shoe designed to be more versatile with a ratcheting lace system and a comfortable fit that keeps dirt and debris from entering the shoe.
- Price: $190 – $210
- Buy from Leatt retailers.
Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon+ wheels
The new Fulcrum Red Zone Carbon+ cross-country wheels drop 60g of weight off the already race-worthy Red Zone Carbon wheels for a claimed weight of 1,385g for the pair. How’d they do it? Fulcrum says a new mix of resins and “FF100 unidirectional high modulus fibers,” plus going from 28 spokes to 24 on the rear wheel, led to the reduced weight.
- Price: $2,499
- Buy from Fulcrum dealers.
Nukeproof Blackline DirtSuit
The new Nukeproof Blackline DirtSuit is a two-piece system designed to keep riders dry in the harshest trail conditions. The pants feature a suspender system to prevent a gap between the jacket and pant waist. And everything from the fabric to the zippers is designed to be waterproof.
- Price: $560
- Buy from nukeproof.com.
