Endura GV500 Jacket & Reiver Bibshorts
£159.99, £129.99 Good-quality gravel gear for tough riding conditions
THIS INNOVATIVE RANGE
is designed to blend the best bits from mountain biking and road cycling technical wear for use in gravel riding and on multi-day adventures.
The jacket’s ExoShell 40 fabric is a super-breathable, three-layer material that can shed water fast. When tested on one particularly sodden all-day ride, the GV500’s taped seams resisted wetting out and the jacket kept me dry. The cut is fairly slim with a long rear that covers your backside and an elasticated hem and silicone strip to keep it in place. The hood has a small peak and a drawcord to cinch around your helmet while long arms and offset cuffs work well with gloves.
What really impressed me (aside from waterproof zipper with a storm flap, reflective bits and shoulder grippers to stop a backpack slipping) is that this technical jacket fits into a jersey pocket when not in use.
The Reiver Bibshorts contain a deep, plush endurance pad, twin mesh pockets on the flanks, and are made from tough, compressive fabrics. I was really impressed with the lumbar support panel that offers superb comfort but it does mean the shorts sit higher, making them best for cooler rides. The bib straps are seamless and the H-shaped back means they sit flat. There are two more pockets on the waist, and the silicone gripper print at the small of the back that helps stabilise a jersey with full pockets is a great idea. The leg length is generous and the laser-cut hems and silicone-print grippers stay flat and secure.
This kit’s thoughtful design makes it some of the best gravel attire out there right now (women’s versions are also available).
“What really impressed me is that this technical jacket fits into a jersey pocket when not in use”
ORBEA’S LATEST ADDITION to its urban ebike range, the Kemen, is built for excursions into the rough stuff as well as big commutes and weekend treks.
The heart of the Kemen is Shimano’s powerful mountain-bike-derived EP8 motor, with its impressive 85Nm of torque from its mid-mounted 250w motor. Orbea has, however, designed its own cleverly packaged battery rather than using Shimano’s system.
Using a more compact battery-cell configuration means the Kemen has a slender down-tube that sets it apart from most other mid-mounted ebikes. Yet the best bit is its 540Wh bigger-than-usual capacity. And, if the potential range of around 100km/62 miles still isn’t enough for you, you can buy a 250Wh rangeextending, bottle-cage-mounting battery.
The Kemen comes in two flavours: the standard model with its gravel-derived big 2.5in-wide tyres, guards and a rear rack; and this the SUV version which comes with e-mtb-specific tyres from Schwalbe along with a beefier rack to carry heavier loads.
It also comes with a wide-ranged Shimano XT mountain bike drivetrain that combines a 36-tooth chainring with a huge 11-50 cassette. It’s good to see that Orbea has used Shimano’s beefed up Linkglide drivetrain parts as these are made to cope with the extra forces an electric motor exerts on the drivetrain.
With a comfortable ride position enhanced by a well-shaped and padded saddle plus a 78cm-wide bar with a 20mm rise matched to a short stem, the Kemen rolls well on its big-volume treaded tyres. Compared to an urban ebike with slick tyres, it’s steady rather than speedy on tarmac though. However, it comes into its own when you’re riding trails, forest fire roads, towpaths and the like. The big, pronounced block tread offers huge bite in the corners and holds its line as much as you can hold your nerve.
The Fox fork upfront offers 100mm of plush suspension travel, which opens the Kemen up to proper mountain bike offroad riding. For urban commuters it means not having to worry about dropping off high kerbs, steps or speed bumps: the Kemen simply squashes any obstacles in its path. It also features a mountain bike dropper post with a handlebar remote, which is great for descending technical offroad terrain as you can drop the saddle out of the way, shift your body around with more freedom and even hang out off the back on steep stuff. I also found the dropper useful after doing the weekly shopping as dropping the saddle made it easier to swing my leg over the bike when you have two full panniers (a step-through frame is also available).
It’s a very well-equipped bike and includes great mudguards, a tough rack, a kickstand and integrated lights with a bar remote. It’s also all very neatly packaged with Orbea’s clever internal cable routing inspired by its slick Orca road bike so that there’s no external wiring to snag or catch.
The Magura brakes have loads of power and stop you fine, but they lack a bit of feel. The pads also sit very close to the rotor which meant that for the first few hours of riding I got a bit of drag from the rear brake, but it soon bedded in.
The Shimano motor has three modes: Eco, Trail and Boost. These are mountain bike-derived settings – Eco is ample for urban riding and trail gives a welcome boost on long, draggy uphills. Boost is useful off road for short, steep slopes, but I found it too much on the road: I kept bouncing over the limiter (15.5mph) in a single turn of the pedals, which led to a jerky response as the motor cut and restarted.
Thankfully you can download Shimano’s E-tube app to your phone and pair it with the system via Bluetooth. Then you can fine-tune the modes, and I’d suggest turning down the Boost mode if you intend to use a Kemen mainly for urban transport rather than as a sports machine. You can also adjust elements such as maximum torque assist and assist start (that’s when the motor feeds in and starts to assist you).
Range wise, the Kemen is impressive. Riding fully off road on a mix of gravel roads, towpaths and singletrack I maxed out the range at 62.69miles/100.98km with 1,382ft/421.25m of elevation. On more mixed-surface rides, that figure was 70.3miles/113.14km with 1,682ft/ 513m of elevation.
I’ve been really impressed with the Kemen: it’s a superb ride that combines offroad prowess with a big range and comfort. It handles with assured stability and it’s a great overall package. If you want a daily workhorse that can be used for off-road fun at the weekend, then the Kemen deserves a place on your shortlist.
“The Fox fork upfront offers 100mm of plush suspension travel, which opens the Kemen up to proper mountain bike off-road riding”