Off-road riding

If you've been longing after a 12-speed drivetrain but don't have XTR cash to drop then today is a good day: Shimano has announced its new Deore XT and SLX groupsets, both bringing 12-speed technology to the masses.  XT M8100 and SLX M7100 both use the new MicroSpline freehubs, meaning you can run the 10-51 or 10-45t cassette, enabling a huge gear range when used in conjunction with the 1x12 or 2x12 speed cranksets. On top of that, all cassettes from both groupsets use Shimano's Hyperglide+ technology, so shifting is better than ever. Weight-wise you're looking at 470g for an XT 10-51, and 461g for 10-45, and with SLX it's 534g for the 10-51 and 513g for the 10-45. Of course, the XT and SLX cassettes aren't groupset-specific, so you can use and SLX cassette with an XT rear mech or vice-versa.  Both also come with 2 or 4-piston brake options, which is the

We know it's not Spring yet - it's not offically Spring until March 20 - but since the last week has given us a taste of what's in store we've been thinking about what we'll need when it's finally time to consign the bib tights to the attic for a few months. But it's nice to dream, and here are a few of our favourite products that'll be really useful when Spring has finally sprung... Lazer Century £129.99 (£149.99 with MIPS) With 100 years of experience in the bag, the Century is Lazer’s celebration helmet taking everything they’ve learned and combining it all into a smart, innovative and affordable package. With

Tubeless tyre technology is great. Inner tubes are a pain, and doing away with them means less waste, less to carry and fewer things that can go wrong. But having said that, changing a tube is still the answer even on tubeless tyres when the damage is bad enough because sealant can't fill every hole (and especially not the one in your soul).  But Dynaplug are on a mission to change all that. For years, Dynaplug’s jewel-like anodized wonders have been the secret weapons for everyone from EWS champions to XCO World cup contenders and hirsute back country adventurers. They’ve popped up on the hottest Instagram feeds and kit checks and for years the UK’s cool kids have been importing them from the US at great expense. The great thing is how quick and easy Dynaplug is to use. Just remove whatever caused the damage, push your Dynaplug tool straight into the hole, then remove, leaving behind a viscoelastic impregnated fibre plug that bonds permanently to