Can AI make mountain bike suspension better? Fox's all-new 36 Factory fork + more from Sonder, Ride Concepts, Troy Lee Designs and Crankbrothers
Five cool things and this week's bike tech highlights
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The five coolest things to come into the off.road.cc office alongside this week's top news.
Five Cool Things and a look at this week's best stories.
The final Five Cool Things of 2024!
This week we've got another Five Cool Things hot off the press with Fox's latest suspension fork, fresh kicks from Ride Concepts, and Troy Lee Design's redesigned body protection. On top of that, we'll also take a glance and Crankbrothers' handguards and Sonder's Falco, a hardtail that starts at £999.
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Before getting into only the coolest of things, let's take a look at what happened over the past week, and we've been heavy on the reviews. Our expert team has delivered their top-tier verdicts on products such as Race Face's Turbine handlebar, Orbea's Wild H10 e-MTB, and Topeak's Tubular Barbag. That's not all, as Five Ten's Freerider Boa shoes, Sportful's Supergiara jersey, and Michelin's Wild Enduro MS Racing Line tyre have all been put through the wringer.
As for news, it's been a little on the quiet side this week, but the tech that has been launched is pretty interesting. First up, 4iiii has announced that it'll be bringing its Precision 3+ power meters to Shimano's all-new XTR Di2 drivetrains, being the only brand to do so thus far. Secondly, Fizik has brought its Aeroweave and Powerstrap technology to a gravel and cross-country shoe, the aptly named Fizik VEnto Powerstrap Aeroweave X.
Moving on to features and we've highlighted only the best gravel bike tyres we've tested in order to help you stay rubber side down for the summer, and we've refreshed our SRAM MTB drivetrain deep dive with the very latest Eagle 90 and Eagle 70 setups.
Fox 36 Factory GRIP X2 suspension fork
£1,400
2025 fox 36 factory hero.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Fox's suspension range has been evolving a fair bit over the last couple of years, with its X2 and DHX2 shocks being revamped, but also the bulk of its fork lineup. The 36 is one of those forks that has been shaken up for 2025, and the brand hasn't done things by halves.
Almost everything is new on this fork, apart from the GRIP X2 damper that was released last year, but importantly, the chassis features a completely new design and one that's been generatively designed. That's a technique that uses algorithms and sometimes AI, and in this case, it's chosen areas for material to be removed to shed weight but without sacrificing stiffness — so much so that Fox reckons that this new 36 is nearly as stiff as the 38 enduro fork.
Another new addition to the 36 is the FLOAT Glidecore air spring, which is said to 'reduce friction by moving with the fork under dynamic load'. The result should be a lesser force required to activate the suspension through less stiction.
Adding to the new stuff are a few quality of life improvements, including a new air chamber cap that's unscrewed via a cassette tool, so there's no need for specific sockets or risking the wreckage of the cap by using a spanner. The bath oil channels now sit facing towards the wheel, too, keeping them out of the way of any dynamic loads.
Ride Concepts Hellion flat pedal shoe
£145
2025 ride concepts hellion.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Earlier this year, Ride Concepts brought long-awaited updates to its Hellion shoe range, and here we've got the base-model flat pedal shoe, simply named 'Hellion'. In with the slew of updates is a total refresh that graces the shoe with a new bonded upper that's built using Cordura in a bid to promote breathability while remaining durable. Of course, there's also TPU protection, and the upper is asymmetrical to provide a bit of cushion against a bike's crank.
As expected of a Ride Concepts shoe, it's equipped with D30 High Impact Zone Technology, so essentially a sliver of the usually orange impact-dissipating tech is placed in the insole, and it's said to reduce fatigue by absorbing impact. Moving towards the outsole and there's the usual hexagon tread with a reverse hex relief at the heel and toe for traction when walking.
Being the base-model shoe, there's a lace closure with an elastic lace keeper, and the tongue is fully gusseted for a snug fit, says Ride Concepts.
Sonder Falco Eagle 70 mountain bike
£1,450
2025 sonder 5ct.jpg, by Liam Mercer
The Falco is Sonder's latest price-point hardtail that's said to provide a 'confident, precise and lively ride without being twitchy'. It's a bike built for those who take their riding more seriously while not wanting to spend a fortune on their bike. It's a full 29in wheeled machine that centres around a 6061 aluminium frame that's paired with a 120mm suspension fork.
In its Eagle 70 build, you'll be right in guessing that it's equipped with SRAM's latest Eagle 70 T-Type mechanical drivetrain. It's then slowed thanks to SRAM's DB4 hydraulic brakes. Providing that 120mm of squish is a RockShox Recon Silver RL fork, and it rolls on a pair of Sonder's own UK-made Nova wheels. Schwalbe sorts the Nobby Nic tyres and X-Fusion provides the Manic dropper post.
As for the geometry, the Falco looks set to hit all of the right trail notes with a 66-degree head tube angle, a 75-degree actual seat tube angle and a 440mm chainstay on this large frame. The reach then comes in at 465mm.
From a feature standpoint, it's nothing short of modern as there's a UDH, internal cable routing (not through the headset), and it can host up to 2.4in tyres. Sonder then says it can be built either to appease those with a penchant for cross-country, or it can be set up with chunkier tyres for all-round trail duties.
Troy Lee Designs Stage Ghost D30 Short Sleeve Base Layer
£240
2025 troy lee designs ghost protector.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Thanks to D30's recent Ghost protectors, brands are now making their protectives more comfortable and more seamless, but without sacrificing the garments' protective qualities. Troy Lee Designs is one of those brands to jump on the trend with its Stage Ghost D30 protectors.
Providing Level-1 chest protection and Level-2 back protection, this protector uses that Ghost technology for the chest while using the burlier D30 padding for the back and shoulders. That's all built into a mesh body that's articulated for the best fit. Moulded rib padding further boosts protection, and this base layer is fitted with TLD's pad anchor system that's said to provide support for other pads.
Crankbrothers Guardian Integrated Handguard Kit
£60
2025 crank bros handguard hero.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Hype may have died down around the still controversial handguard topic, but Crankbrothers looks set to have revived the excitement, or disgust, you decide. However, with its Guardian handguards, the brand has done something that no other has done just yet, at least, and that's integrate the handguards attachment to a grip's lockring. The result is a tidier cockpit but without sacrificing adjustability.
In fact, the Guardians are super adjustable as they can rotate around the provided lock ring (which you replace your grips' existing lock rings with), and Crankbrothers throws in length extenders for larger hands while building the guards with lateral and vertical position adjustment.
If you're not one for integration, or your current grips just aren't compatible, the Guardian hand guards are available as a universal fit kit too.
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