Wind and water resistant jackets become invaluable during to colder months. Combine them with a thermal inner and you’ll be set in all but the worst of conditions. However, as things warm up, a vest becomes more desirable. With the Specialized Deflect ‘hybrid’ jacket, you’ve got all bases covered.

Not just another TLA (three letter acronym), the TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) from WTB is a range of products specifically designed around sealant-based tubeless tyres and rims.

There was a time when if you weren’t on Panaracer’s Smoke/Dart tyre combo you just didn’t know about tyres. Although Panaracer went quiet for a few years, their more recent Rampage tyre has received great reviews overseas, and now the fast rolling 29er crowd have a new tyre—the Driver Pro 29er.

Cane Creek’s Thudbuster suspension seatposts are perfect for hardtail riders who need to take the sting out of rough trails.

Despite the name, German brand Tune’s King/Kong (front/rear) hub combination is far a heavyweight; the 100x15mm King front hub weighs just 113g, and the 142x12mm Kong is an equally impressive 210g.

This quietly spoken American is recognised as one of the most progressive and influential bike designers of the present day.

Michael Hanslip looks at the dropper-post phenomenon and reviews four of the most popular options. Roadies may seek out the optimal saddle height – the ‘one true position’ that provides the most efficient pedalling – but mountain bikers have always held different priorities.

There’s a lot of Air Ace pump to love here. Not only does it stand almost 70cm high and weigh in at a solid 2kg, but it’ll pump up every kind of tyre known to bicycle kind, along with your air-sprung rear shock or fork.

WTB has recently expanded their range of 29er tyres. The XC race oriented 2.1 Nano, the large volume 2.3 ExiWolf, fast rolling 2.2 Wolverine and the aggressive 2.2 Bronson are now all available in the 29er format.

It’s not uncommon to see used gel satchels littering the trail in the aftermath of an enduro event. While I’m sure most riders don’t mean to litter, empty gel packaging can be dropped or fall from a jersey pocket.

There’s a clear trend towards wider handlebars in every type of mountain biking—from slopestyle through to XC racing and everything in between. The Syntace Megaforce 2 has been designed specifically to handle the additional loads that wider bars produce.

Mountain bikers can’t pump! Well maybe that’s not completely true but it’s certainly an area where most of us could learn a thing or two from our BMX cousins. With the increasing prevalence ofMTBskills areas, the pump track is becoming a more common sight—some people have even taken to building them in their backyards. What is a pump track? Well it’s a bit like a mini BMX track and a safe place to practice the skill of ‘pumping’. A pump track will fit inside a typical backyard and contains a series of smooth rolling humps, optional jumps and steeply bermed corners.

Australian company Frameskin are best known for their clear adhesive protective film, however they also have a clever little product called Frameskin Wrap in their line-up. Available for $18, it’s a roll of ‘self-amalgamating’ silicone tape that’s designed to replace your common neoprene chainstay protector, or ghetto-style inner tube stay protector. After around four months of testing we’ve become rather fond of it, and reckon it’s a great addition to the back end of your bike if you’re currently running one of the frame protectors mentioned above.

Updated for 2012, the new Hope EVO brakes have a revised pivot point on the lever which is said to produce a 15% increase in power. Additionally, the lever pivots on bearings to eliminate play and provide a nice smooth action. The EVO lever is ambidextrous with a split clamp, making them easy to set up. Tool free reach and pad contact point adjusters are standard issue on the EVO, and the whole set up has a tight and precise feel.

Deuter has introduced a new trail pack called the Compact Air EXP. Interestingly, it’s offered in both men’s and women’s specific versions. More than just a styling difference, the female ‘SL’ version features narrower spacing on the shoulder straps, a slightly shorter back and waist belt straps that are profiled to suit female hips. Both packs have expandable main compartments with compression straps that reign in any excess volume when it’s not being used. The men’s pack expands from 10 up to 13 litres while the SL offers between eight and 10 litres of storage capacity—in either case it’s plenty of room for all-day rides.

After an absence from the Australian market, Spinergy wheels are again available Down Under.