Gamut USA pedals and handlebars

Gamut’s new 147g Podium flat pedal has a forged aluminium platform for stiffness and lightweight. The weight saving even extends to the hollow aluminium pins. There are nine a side and they also thread in from the back, allowing easy removal if bent or broken.

At 100 x100mm the pedal platform is not the biggest but it’s one of the thinnest, measuring only 8mm at the axle.

The pedal also uses a two-piece axle and runs four cartridge bearings – one inboard, three outboard. It’s not cheap at £109.95 but the Podium’s build quality is top notch.

Gamut is offering two new riser bars under the Cillos banner – a 760mm TR for trail riding and a wider 800mm DH bar. Both have the same shape and are offered in 20 and 30mm rises but the TR has a slightly thinner wall thickness for improved compliance and ride feel.

Like the MRP D Mount 1x we saw at Core Bike, Gamut has a new Trail SXC chain device designed to fit frames with high direct mount. The difference is it has a unique angle adjustment feature, allowing you to tweak the pitch by 0, +2 and -2 degrees via three chip system. The ones shown are early plastic prototypes but production chips will be aluminium. You also get two thin shims (top) to modify the chainline. The Trail SXC will retail for £39.99.

Pro Di2 integration

One of the big problems with running Shimano’s new Di2 groupset is where do you mount the battery? If you’re using a dropper the seat tube is out of the question, so the only other place is in the fork steerer tube. The problem then is how do you route the cables? The solution – Pro’s new Tharsis is XC stem (£89.99)

The two tabs sticking out of the steerer in this picture are part of a plastic cradle that holds the battery vertically inside the fork’s steerer tube. There’s no star-fangled nut or top cap, so headset pre-load is adjusted via an expandable collet on the bottom of the stem. And there’s a 32mm spanner included with the stem for this purpose.

For the fully streamlined look the cable exit steerer tube, routes through the stem body and into the new carbon Tharsis XC handlebar. An exit hole is formed into the carbon bar but Pro avoids putting this at the brake clamp area, where there is greater stress, instead forming it at then end of the bar and using a grove to hide the cable under the grip. Here is a video of how the new Pro Tharsis XC stem works.

Want to mount a GoPro on your steerer? Try Pro’s Top Camera Mount, £19.99 several colours.

Light and Motion Sidekick light

Another new GoPro related product is Light & Motion’s Sidekick companion light. It bangs out a whopping 600 lumens and is perfect for shooting in low light. The Sidekick Duo (shown) also includes a 400-lumen spot beam allowing it to double as a front light. Depending on output, run time is between one and four hours – recharging is via a simple USB cable.

Bliss Protection

We tested the Bliss Protection ARG Minimalist kneepad a few months back and, while it was great for pedalling, it felt incredibly thin. The company’s new ARG Vertical Extended Knee Guard uses the same shock-absorbing Armourgel material but it a much more substantial package. It has a pre-shaped knee cap, Kevlar cover and extends right over the top of the knee, which is an area that often gets scuffed in a crash.

Bliss Protection has added SWAT style versatile to its new Vertical Day Top. It gets a small back protector, mesh panelling and two soft Hydrapack drink stuffed in the side pockets. It’s just the thing for an all-dayer on the uplift.

Park Tools cable kit

Park’s new IR-1 Internal Cable Routing Kit takes allows you to fit regular gear cables, hydraulic hoses and even Shimano’s new Di2 control wires simply and quickly inside your frame. All three cables have a magnet on the end and there’s also a separate magnet so you can draw a cable down a frame tube or swingarm without losing track of it. Below is a video of it in action.

 M-Parts mudguard

Plenty of firms are making flexible front mudguards the unique thing about the MD1 is it has a softer rubber material bonded to the plastic at all the contact points. It shouldn’t scuff the fork and is also less likely to slide about. Four colours, £9.99

 Thule case and bike rack

The bike carrier maker is launching a new range of GoPro carry cases and backpacks called the Legend GoPro collection. The Advanced case (shown) sells for £50 and can take two cameras and an arm-full of accessories. It also has a washable divider – so all you have to do after a muddy shoot is pop it out and hose it down.

This is Thule’s new G2 Euroway Velo Compact bike rack. It can carry up to four bikes, has slideable trays, so can easily take 29ers, adjustable lights, longer straps, soft-jaw clamps and something called a Hercules Coupling. This new tow ball attachment allows you to do a soft install and get the rack level before clamping it down properly.

Madison Clothing

The Alpine FR baggy short (£54.99) is based on Madison’s excellent Flux short but gets a reinforced sit panel, water repellent coating, DH waist adjuster and double layer mesh panels front and rear for breathability.

There’s also a matching Alpine FR short sleeve jersey. The usual sizes, £32.99.

Madison hasn’t messed with the award winning £59.99 Flux short but it has added two new colour ways – lime aid and chilli red.

This is the Flux Superlight, a packable shower proof jacket that weighs an incredible 96g. Perfect for stashing in a backpack or jersey pocket. Two colours, £80.

The Flux SS15 Superlight Softshell uses a new P4 Dry fabric and is fully waterproof. The Ninja hood is small enough to fit under a helmet and there’s silicone print on shoulders to stop pack rubbing. Yellow or red, £120.

Lazer helmets

Hot out of the mould is the new Lazer Magma (£69.99) but with extra venting it won’t be when you’re riding. It gets a new ARS (advanced roll system) retention device, which is in moulded into the top of the helmet. Don’t like the peak? Lazer is already working on a better looking alternative.

The Phoenix Plus full face is a 2016 product. It’s sub 1000g, Leatt neck brace compatible, has an adjustable visor and detachable internal padding. For a bargain at £70.