WE ARE ONE UNION WHEELSET £1,490

Last year we showed you the Arrival, a new enduro bike hand-built in Kamloops, British Columbia by We Are One. The journey didn’t start with a bike for We Are One (WAO) though, before that the boutique brand cut its teeth making components from carbon-fibre, and chief among those were wheelsets. Its latest design is called the Union, an enduro-ready rim with 30mm internal width designed for proper enduro racing.

WAO says it designed the Union to be lighter than its Agent downhill rims. Well… of course.

More interestingly, it also says it wanted it to be radially more flexible than anything it’s made before (there are four other rims, for DH, dirt jumping, trail, and gravel/xc). That means the Union should be more forgiving when you get it wrong then, and more comfortable when you get it right, but still maintaining that lateral stiffness and light weight that makes the best carbon wheels feel so zippy.

This isn’t a new idea, of course, brands like Stan’s, Crankbrothers and Zipp have been putting out amazing products like this for a few years now, producing wheels that genuinely do offer more grip and comfort on rough terrain. WAO says it does things differently, better in fact – its process is unique and delivers “precise fibre placement, giving no fibre drift or bridging during layup”. All the strands of carbon-fibre should end up exactly where needed for optimal strength. We’ve had a rim built onto Industry Nine hubs by WAO’S distributor Creation Cycles, so keep an eye out for a full test where we find out whether the Union is worth breaking the picket barrier for. creationcycles.com

THIN YELLOW LINE

Rockstop Rim Protector is smaller than most tyre inserts, so has less effect on tyre pressure and ride feel than the competition, it’s claimed. Made from polyurethane-blown elastomer, it’s designed to be tough, while the holes help sealant flow freely. £65, rockstopmtb.co.uk

ANTIQUE EYEWEAR

Adidas has a new Sport Eyewear collection out. The Antiqueblack Injected leads the pack with a huge curved lens coated in an oil and moisture-repellent coating called Superclear. Features venting at the top, adjustable nose pads, four colours, multiple lenses. £180, adidas.co.uk

GREEN WASHING

Made in Canada, WPL Bio Bike Wash will rinse your bike but not the environment, as it’s 100% biodegradable, non-toxic, non-corrosive and 100% VOC and phosphate free. Smells nice too.

£12.99, creationcycles.com