Troy Lee Designs Grail helmet, MAAP Prime OffCuts Vest, Gore rain jacket and e*thirteen's 578% gear range cassette

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By Stan Portus

Published: August 11, 2023 at 7:00 am

The Cycling World Championships have flown by faster than Mathieu van der Poel could sprint up Montrose Street.

As can be expected, the Championships have seen brands release a wave of new tech.

The biggest launch came in the form of the greatly anticipated Specialized Tarmac SL8 and Ashley Quinlan was lucky enough to head to Glasgow to test ride the bike.

We also got up close with Alex Segaert’s new Ridley Dean Fast.

One of the best things about the Championships is feasting your eyes on new track-cycling tech. We’ve seen Canyon launch the new Speedmax, an unreleased track bike from Look and Campagnolo’s tubeless-ready Ghibli track wheel.

Mountain Biking UK editor, James Costley-White brought us 10 of the best downhill bikes from a very wet Fort William.

This weekend will see the women’s road race and the cross-country mountain biking, among much more, and you can find out how to catch the action in our guide to watching the World Championships.

Elsewhere on BikeRadar, our staff writers have been indulging their respective passions. Oscar Huckle explained why you should never share a small tent with your friend and Jack Evans swallowed 20 tablets in the name of science.

We also brought you the new Vitus E-Mythique ebike, Bosch’s latest security feature, our essential MTB training plan, the best mountain bike rear shocks and a long read on how gravel is changing the way we think about road bike design.

Troy Lee Designs recently released its new Grail helmet.

The American brand is best known for its mountain bike helmets, including the D4 and Flowline, which all feature visors.

The Grail, however, is the first Troy Lee Designs helmet without a peak and is said to “keep you safe on any and all bicycle rides wherever you choose to wear it”.

Behind the safety claim is the use of MIPS, which offers rotational impact protection in case of a crash.

The Grail has 14 vents, which Troy Lee Designs says are located in the helmet to maximise airflow.

Troy Lee Designs says the Grail is competitively priced and an “easy budget-conscious decision”.

At $109.99, it costs more than many of the best cheap helmets, but none of these come with the kudos of the Troy Lee Designs name.

The MAAP OffCuts programme uses surplus fabric to create new cycling clothing.

This MAAP Prime OffCuts Vest has contrasting colour panels made from Polartec Neoshell fabric.

The fabric is said to aid thermo regulation and be breathable and waterproof while releasing heat and perspiration.

The gilet has a 10k waterproof rating and thermo-taped seams, which should help minimise water ingress.

It has a 2-Way YKK Vislon Snap Lock Zip, reflective detailing and a waterproof zip pocket.

MAAP says the temperature range for the gilet in degrees centigrade is from the high single digits to the mid-teens.

It comes in two colour schemes, called ‘Olive’ (pictured) and ‘Spruce’.

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The Gore Lupra jacket is a lightweight, windproof and waterproof coat that’s intended to give mountain bikers optimum performance when riding trails.

The jacket was updated this year with a new purple colourway (pictured).

The lower back of the jacket has a thinner, quick-drying material to help with breathability. The coat’s front and shoulders have extra waterproof and windproof layers with taped seams for further protection.

The jacket is designed to help you keep cool on ascents and then protect against windchill on descents.

The mountain bike jacket uses Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper material, which is lightweight and – as the name suggests – windproof. It will also keep you dry in showers, but won’t stand up to hours of prolonged rain.

The Lupra comes with a large, adjustable hood, which can fit over your helmet.

The two side pockets are higher than a conventional walking jacket, meaning you can wear a bum bag and access them.

The jacket weighs 275g and is lightweight enough to roll up and put into a saddle bag.

As far as we’re aware, the e*thirteen Helix Race 12-speed cassette has the widest gear range on the market.

The original Helix Race had a 533 per cent gear range, but e*thirteen has now added a 52-tooth sprocket to the cassette, increasing the gear range to 578 per cent.

To create the range, e*thirteen pairs that dinner-plate-sized 52-tooth sprocket with a proprietary 9-tooth sprocket at the other end.

e*thirteen says the range of the Helix Race cassette means you can either “go pull some stumps” with a 28-tooth chainring or fit a larger chainring and be “comfortable in the knowledge that you’ve got the most gear range you can get” from a 1x drivetrain.

The cassette uses a 2-piece design, said to aid assembly and servicing as well as reduce waste.

The 43-52t cluster is backwards compatible with other Helix Plus or Helix Race cassettes.

e*thirteen says it has tested the cassette extensively for use with non-assisted and electric mountain bikes.

The cassette is available in five anodised or PVD colours and is cross-compatible with Shimano, SRAM and TRP drivetrains and chains.

Content editor

Stan Portus is BikeRadar’s content editor. Stan works on everything from content strategy and breaking news to evergreen updates and long-form features on environmental and social issues in cycling. Stan started working in the bike industry in 2018, writing content for some of the sport's biggest brands, including Chris King, ENVE and Castelli. He has worked as a freelance writer and journalist for over seven years writing reviews, essays and interviews for many art, design and literature publications as well as appearing on radio. A road cyclist at heart, he can be found zooming along the lanes and roads of the South West and undertaking foolhardy pursuits such as overnight audax rides.

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