Gear Shots October 2023

WTB Devo w/Pickup Saddle

There was a time when I looked down from my holier than thou perch and scoffed at eMTB specific gear. I thought it was bad enough that these bikes had motors but how dare they claim to need E-specific gear. Having tested a few eMTBs and ridden several, I now see the benefits to designing parts and pieces that last longer and help deal with the extra weight and torque of these heavy rigs.

WTB's Devo w/Pickup saddle is designed to deal with lifting and pushing heavy eMTBs. The hole in the back end of the saddle is designed to get eMTBs on and off racks and work stands, moved around storage areas, over rocks and logs and up steep hike-a-bikes. Does it make E-life better? That’s what I’ll get into below.

Specs

*The pickup handle for lifting, pushing and transporting bikes is placed behind the sit bone contact area, making it unnoticeable while pedaling.

* Medium width saddle designed for 100-130mm sit bone widths.

* 142mm wide - 260mm long.

*Wide nose designed for sitting on the front of the saddle. This helps get weight on the front wheel for steep climbs.

*The base is made with WTB’s Fusion Form technology: nylon combined with fiber reinforcement of various concentrations to tailor the flex profile across the saddle.

* The middle zone of the padding is called a Love Channel (insert adult entertainment joke here) which is designed to reduce the pressure on the sensitive areas. There is a cutout in the base of the saddle to further reduce the likelihood of a pressure hot spot in this area.

*To accommodate the extra time that eMTB’ers sit on a saddle over technical and jarring trails, WTB reduced the amount of fiber in the base which improves base flex and damping making the saddle more forgiving and comfortable while pedaling over rough terrain.

*Chromoly (264g) or stainless steel (249g) rail options use HLX plush padding which is heavier than DNA padding but has more squishiness.

*Titanium rail saddles (215g) feature DNA high performance padding which provides support and comfort over longer rides while minimizing saddle weight.

Performance

The most important feature of a saddle is comfort and the Devo with pickup is a very comfortable saddle. On long rides I didn't experience the numbing effect I've noticed from other saddles. The hole does not affect performance nor comfort while riding; probably because it's situated behind the sit bones contact area. The wide nose of the saddle is designed to help riders get forward on steep climbs that eMTBs handle so well. Sitting on the front of a saddle isn’t comfortable position but the extra padding makes it less unpleasant.

The real question is, how does the handle feature perform. In short, great on trail and sort of useful off trail. During rides where I encountered hike-a-bikes the handle came in handy (see what I did there). The lifting option makes it easier to push the heavy bikes with or without the assistance of walk mode. Since walk modes can cause bikes to pull away, the handle counters that force making it easier to consistently hike the bike uphill while maintaining control. The simple act of lifting the rear of the bike is fine with a regular saddle but it is easy and more comfortable on the arms and shoulders with the Devo’s handle. In addition, the simple act of shuffling the bike around on or off the trail is easier as well. However, the handle doesn’t provide any benefit for lifting the heavy beasts onto bike racks, bike stands, truck tailgate pads or anything else over a foot in height. When humping Ebeasts onto my OneUp rack I find the leverage from grabbing the seat stay way more effective than using the Devo handle. For higher humps like tailgates and hanging racks like the North Shore rack and bike stands I use a squat and lift with one hand on the downtube or fork leg and the other on the seat stay or seat tube.

I would recommend this saddle for its pick up efficiency on and off trails, comfort and performance while riding, especially over longer periods of time.

WTB Devo w/Pickup saddle

Titanium 195 CAD/143 USD

Chromoly 130 CAD/96 USD

Stainless steel 163 CAD/120 USD

Trevor Hansen

Look Trail Roc + Pedals

I have become both fussier and more adaptable in my flat pedal preferences in recent years. I've discovered that I don't like large platforms for my large feet because I like the sole of my foot to flex over the pedestal. That's led me to realize that I prefer a convex shape. I can deal with a flat or slightly concave shape as long as the platform isn't enormous. In terms of grip, my "just right" involves being able to adjust my foot position in hairy situations when sitting down is impossible, but I've discovered there are several ways to slice that tomato as well.

+ Means Something

The "+" in the product name is significant here because Look previously produced, and continues to sell, a lower-quality Trail Roc pedal that is priced at 125 CAD, less than half the 270 CAD these will set you back. The plus version is made in France, has offset replaceable aluminum pins that mount with a 2mm hex head from the rear, includes two cartridge bearings and apparently roller bearings. I say apparently because I couldn't find any roller bearings when I tore these down. More on the guts below. Everything about these pedals suggests attention to detail and high quality materials and manufacturing. And that's a bloody good thing considering the price.

The 10 pins on each side of the Trail Rock + are 3mm in diameter, like those on OneUp's aluminum pedals, but they are threaded for their entire length while OneUp uses a hexagonal shape for the business end. Make no mistake though; both will rip your shins to shreds. 3mm pins do a better job of digging into your shoes, and into your flesh, while 4mm pins sometimes just leave you with blunt trauma.

Inside The Trail Roc+

Once the dust cover was removed (see below), a thin-walled 8mm socket released the spindle. From there a bushing and two cartridge bearings were visible and easily removed. Everything was still well-lubed after several months of use and the quality theme continued. Despite Look's claims of roller bearings inside, I wasn't able to locate any. It seemed like a bushing only to me but it's possible there is a very slim roller bearing in there that I was unable to remove. Either way, they spin freely and smoothly.

Since I'm used to 4mm pins, the 3mm pins in the Trail Roc+ gave me more grip than I prefer with my Specialized 2FO Roost shoes. Instead I reached for a pair of Crankbrothers Stamp Boa Shoes. I love everything about these shoes except for the grip on some pedals, including Crankbrothers Stamps. One these pedals however, and others with thinner pins, the grip was within Goldilocks parameters and I was content as could be.

Trail Roc + Deets

• 103mm wide at axle by 100mm long
• 407 grams per pair
• 14mm thick platform / 26mm total width with pins
• 3mm pin diameter - installed with 2mm hex
• 10 pins per side

Overall I really like these pedals. I have questions about what to do when you lose or break a pin, because none of the correct ones are currently for sale on the Look website and I'm similarly puzzled about the lack of a dust cap tool.

Otherwise, with the right footwear combo for your preferences, these are great pedals.

Look Trail Roc + 270 CAD / 175 USD / 159 GBP / 160 EU

Cam McRae

RaceFace ERA Carbon Cranks

Having a nice shiny pair of new cranks is great, until you actually start riding them. Being a knuckle-dragging flat pedal rider from the rain forest, my cranks get trashed pretty quickly. Carbon cranks often come with replaceable plastic covers that last until at least the second rainy ride. Sometimes even the third. Once that protective film is shot, you begin wearing into the precious carbon layup, making your arms lighter, uglier and weaker with every ride.

Unsurprisingly, RaceFace has a solution; a stainless steel insert that protects the carbon beneath and doesn't look shitty when you drag your ankles across it.

But Carbon?

I haven't yet had a bad experience with carbon cranks, despite destroying some aluminum ones back in the day, but I know many riders who have. RaceFace is calling these "the last carbon crank you need to buy." Beyond the wear plates, the pedal inserts are apparently bonded directly to the carbon layup, rather than being added later. If you've had the aluminum threads back out of a pair of cranks before, hopefully this is some good news. Going deeper in the longevity column, these cranks are covered by a new warranty from RaceFace; "we’re backing up this carbon crank with a no-hassle, no-BS Lifetime Warranty. Crashes Included. Get sendy with it."

So Far...

I've got quite a few rides on the cranks but none in the mud and muck we'll soon have until April. Or May. I'm sure the wear plates will start to look a little banged up once the weather comes in but for now they look almost perfect.

Otherwise the cranks have been flawless as well. The pre-load ring is now made of a more robust material and the bolt to pinch it tight now has a 3mm hex head. These may not be recent improvements but they are new to me and welcome.

The set I've been using, with 165mm arms and a 30t ring, weighed in at 246 grams for the drive side and 264 for the non-drive side, which includes the 30mm axle, for a total of 510 grams, including the crank boots. This puts them well over the lightest cranks available currently but for cranks built to take a serious beating, I consider them a very reasonably weight without getting scary.

The narrow wide 30t ring works great with the SRAM Eagle chain and I haven't dropped it thus far, despite not using a chain device of any kind. I look forward to beating these up further in the coming months to see how they fare.

RaceFace Era Carbon Cranks 650 CAD /