YT Industries Tech Shell collection, RockShox's Reverb AXS, Leatt's three in one helmet, Fizik's grips and EVOC's knee pads.

It's been a HUGE week for news, too!

Liam Mercer

Apr 4 2025

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This week has been an absolute monster for new releases from brands from all corners of the cycling universe, and some of that kit has made its way into off.road.cc HQ for our diligent testing. We've got a fresh dropper from RockShox and EVOC's new pads to name just two. They're joined by Fizik's grips, YT Industries' new tech wear collection, and Leatt's three-way convertible helmet. Let's dive in.

This week has been a big one on the news front, so I'll do my best to keep things brief. With the week kicking off with April Fools, Starling Cycles turned the joke on its head, unveiling a 26in mountain bike that's no joke at all. Fox also unveiled two updated shocks with the X2 and DHX2 receiving ground-up redesigns and Pivot pulled the covers off its new Firebird.

It goes on as Norco's been on the e-bike news with the Sight VLT CX C2, and we've already got some first ride impressions on that. Focus's SAM has become more adjustable and more versatile. Hunt brought the Enduro Wide V3 wheels, Kona updated its Libre gravel bike, and of course, RockShox unveiled the next generation Reverb AXS with a huge 250mm of travel. Last up, Yeti's 40th anniversary throwback will set you back £14k and Lee Cougan's full suspension gravel bike seriously blurs the lines between gravel and XC.

With all that news, we've kept the features rolling with more Cape Epic bike checks from Georg Egger and Matt Beers. With help from Favero, we unpack the anatomy of a power meter pedal and we chat with some pro riders over the World Cup XCO riders' protest over podium changes.

YT Industries Tech Shell Collection

£69.90 - £199.90

Consisting of waterproofs, YT Industries new Tech Shell Collection comprises windproof and thermal layers and seems to have all foul-weather riding bases covered.

The Tech Shell Jacket and Zip Pants take up waterproofing duties thanks to a 3L nylon fabric with the jacket featuring a lifestyle-inspired cut, making it just as capable on the bike as it is for everyday wear. That fabric boasts a 20k/10k waterproof/breathability rating, is free of PTFEs, and it's sorted with a magnetic storm flap for ease of use. The hood is designed to fit under a helmet, and there's a pair of hidden pockets. The Zip Pants use the very same fabric and provide space for knee pads with a knee-height zip for easy removal of used pads. It then uses a ratchet closure system.

Alongside the waterproofs is the Tech Wind Vest built from a Taslan material. It promises serious breathability and wind resistance. It's also kitted with a Velcro strap for easy on-bike storage.

Finally, the collection is wrapped up with a pair of Insulated DriRelease tops, one hooded and one a jersey. Both of these use their namesake DriRelease fabric and are promised to work great on and off the bike. The hoodie's hood is designed to fit under a helmet, and the brand says that they're built to accommodate extra layers under or over the tops.

www.yt-industries.com

RockShox Reverb AXS

£535

Among the biggest news of the week was RockShox's long-awaited update to the beloved Reverb AXS dropper post. The dropper brings a whole bunch of new tech with the most obvious being the relocation of its battery. Now, sitting by the post's collar and at its front, the new location promises better tyre clearance, saving it from being torn out of place during the biggest, suspension sucking hits.

Available in travel from 100mm up to 250mm in 25mm increments, the Reverb AXS boasts a new air-over-air spring design that brings the ActiveRide tech first found on the brand's XPLR dropper posts. This means that when the post is compressed slightly from full extension, it provides an extra bit of compliance for more comfort and better traction, says RockShox.

The Reverb AXS also brings more functionality with the AXS app and a full suite of replacement and service parts.

www.sram.com

Leatt Helmet MTB Enduro 3.0

£250

What! £250 for three helmets? Well, technically, yes. Leatt's snappily named Helmet MTB Enduro 3.0 takes the convertible formula and pushes it a little further, offering one helmet for three applications. Claiming to be the most versatile helmet you can buy, it's either an open-shell helmet for trail rides, an over-ear three-quarter for heavier hitting days or a full-face option for uplift-assisted bike park rips. With that, it's rated to ASTM F1925-10, so it's a fully certified DH helmet.

It protects the rider with a PowerBridge in-molded force absorber, a polymer shell, in-molded impact foam and Leatt's own 360 Turbine rotational impact reduction system. This claims to reduce peak brain acceleration by up to 30% and peak brain rotational acceleration by up to 40%.

Finishing off the helmet is a Fidlock closure, breakaway visor, and 20 vents for airflow.

leatt.com

EVOC Knee Protector LS Flex Enduro

£110

New for EVOC, the brand best known for its back-protecting hydration packs, is its fresh range of elbow and knee pads, and here we've got the brand's enduro-focused Knee Protector LS Enduro. With these, the brand hasn't taken an off-the-shelf protector and built its pad around it, rather, it's designed its very own protection technology – Liteshield Flex.

This new material is built to absorb 95% of shocks while remaining effective in temperatures ranging from -20 to 40 degrees centigrade – all while being super flexible with special 3D-ventilation to optimise airflow.

Built into the heavier-going LS Enduro knee pad, it's sorted with 'Power Flaps' that loop a Velcro strap through the liteshield material to keep the protective element close to the knee, without moving around. There's an Airprene cushion at the knee, silicone tape for security and an abrasion-resistant cap for durability.

www.evocsports.com

Fizik Comfort Feel Grips

£30

With its comprehensive range of touch point applications, it comes as no surprise that Fizik has added flat-bar grips to its lineup. Coming with a mushroom-like pattern, the Comfort Feel grip is shaped to offer comfort and traction in a lightweight, single-locking collar package.

We're told that it measures 29mm in thickness, 135mm in length and comes with palm-specific cushioning. The claimed weight is 79 grams per pair, and there are three colours available.

www.fizik.com

Author block

Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.