Can a flat pedal be convex AND concave? PNW Components' new Loam Pedals, DJI's Osmo 360 and more from Buds, EVOC and Smith Optics
The five coolest things to come into the office alongside this week's top news.
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Five Cool Things is back – and we've got some seriously cool kit to show off.
As well as this week's best stories.
Posh bikes, fresh drivetrains and the best stories of the week.
Only the coolest kit to come into the office ahead of testing, plus the best news of the week
In this week's Five Cool Things, we're bringing you the freshest of releases. We've got the latest pedals from PNW Components that claim to have a convex and concave profile, as well as the latest camera from DJI, the Osmo 360. On top of that, we're going to check out the Smith Optics Motive glasses, Evoc's elbow protection, and a travel case from Buds Sports.
- How to set up your mountain bike suspension
- 9 tips to keep your suspension running sweeter for longer
- Busting those suspension myths with Fox
To kick off the week, we rounded up the best bikes of Ard Rock 2025, where we found Danny Hart's prototype Norco downhill bike, Ronan Dunne's Hardline Tasmania winning machine, and even something rather exciting from Deviate. Our Steve then caught up with the King of Chaos, Justina Leveika, to learn about how he balances the tough job of nursing with winning ultra races.
As for news, it's been a busy week as Canyon's Neuron:ON goes enduro with a bigger stanchioned fork, more travel, and a more aggressive geometry. PNW Components unveiled its latest Loam Pedal, and DJI broke headlines once again, this time announcing its Osmo 360, its first 360 camera that brings a bunch of industry firsts to the fray. Hunt then brought its MTB H_Core tech to its latest 25 Carbon Gravel X-Wide wheelset. Finally, with Hardline taking place last weekend, it once again made history as it crowned its first female winner and its youngest men's winner ever.
Wrapping up with our reviews, our Ty has rated OneUp Components Clip Pedals highly, loving their secure hold and top-notch build quality. He also gave us his thoughts on the Mason Macro, the brand's distance-fuelled hardtail. Jimmer then delivered us the lowdown on Leatt's ProClip 8.0 Race shoes, the brand's first stab at endurance-focussed kicks.
PNW Components Loam Pedals Gen 2
£147
2025 pnw loam pedals.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The original Loam Pedal from PNW Components is one that went down rather well in our reviews, but there was certainly room for improvement. After taking some of those notes on board, the guys and PNW took their flagship flat pedal back to the drawing board, and earlier this week, the brand unveiled the Loam Pedal Gen 2. Although it carries a similar shape, it's a very different pedal.
This time around, it uses Tectonic pins, which are one-piece pins that are secured via a bolt that screwed into the side of the pedal and through the pin itself. We're told that this makes for a stronger pin, that's easier to service should the worst happen. They're a little shorter than the pins on the outgoing pedal, too.
Things get more interesting when we turn our attention to the Loam Pedal's new platform. With it, the brand claims to have achieved a convex and a concave profile. It's said to bring support and traction while making for easy foot positioning. Additionally, there's an all-new axle system that uses two sealed bearings and a bushing, and it's been built to be user-serviceable without fancy tools.
DJI Osmo 360
£410
2025 dji osmo 360.jpg, by Liam Mercer
If you're one to film your rides, 360 cameras bring a new level of immersion and creativity compared to regular action cameras, and with the likes of GoPro and Insta360 dominating this space in the market, DJI has joined the party, bringing a few industry firsts with it. This camera uses a square sensor, the first of its kind in a 360 camera, at least, which uses larger pixels, which should then produce higher quality footage in low light scenarios. The camera can also shoot 8k footage at 50fps continuously for 100 minutes, we're told.
There's a lot more going on in this bit of kit, so we'll leave it for the incoming review to explain, but the Osmo 360 comes with a bunch of neat features. Users can tweak the composition of the footage in-app using things like GyroFrame and Intelligent Tracking. The camera can also shoot 120 megapixel photographs and film up to 100fps at 4k.
Buds Rollbag Pro
£330
2025 buds bag.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Flying with your pride and joy can be a dangerous endeavor. With baggage handlers slinging luggage into the depths of a plane's storage, your very expensive bike can easily be knocked about and even broken. Buds aims to minimise the risk while making lugging a bike around the airport easy with its Rollbag Pro.
Measuring in to suit European train standards, the Rollbag Pro comes with everything you'll need to pack your bike safely, including a handlebar cover, frame protector, a fork protector, and a clip-on pad for the bike's BB to sit on. This bag requires the bike's wheels to be removed, but the wheels get their own pouches and brake rotor protectors. There's then a pair of wheels on the bag itself and a number of handles to make rolling the bag around simple.
Smith Optics Motive glasses
£150
2025 smith motive glasses.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Smith's Motive glasses are built especially for adventures on two wheels and promise to provide an unobstructed view. As you can expect from Smith, these riding specs use the brand's ChromaPop technology to boost colour and contrast, and it's said that the half-frame design provides full coverage.
Coming with a smudge and moisture-resistant coating, the Motive glasses are of a medium fit, and the lens is built with a five-base lens curvature with a slight wraparound fit. There are Megol temple and nose pads to help the glasses stay in place, even on a sweaty face, and the frame itself is built from TR90 plastic.
Evoc LS Flex Lite Elbow Protector
£75
025 evoc elbow pads.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Coming as part of Evoc's move into limb protectors is the Flex Lite Elbow Protector. It uses the same material found on the LS Flex Enduro knee pads we've recently reviewed, which is said to be lightweight while mega flexible. There's silicone at the top and bottom to keep the pad in place, and it promises optimal ventilation thanks to the material that the sock is made from. Boosting durability is an abrasion-resistant and tearproof material that covers the protective pad.
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