Along with saddles, handlebar grips are products where preferences vary greatly from person to person. This makes choosing the right one difficult, especially since there are countless options available. A few stand out from the crowd and offer enhanced comfort and ergonomics. Four of them were put to the test against Sqlab’s current benchmark.

What exactly is the downcountry category? It has dethroned traditional cross-country bikes because—spurred on by more challenging race courses—it performs significantly better on descents and simply promises more fun. After a few boom years, Race Face wonders whether downcountry is still relevant. With the Era SL components, at least there’s the perfect gear for it. 

Race Face is expanding its eMTB product line with the new Era eMTB wheelset. The carbon wheels were developed specifically for e-mountain bikes and are designed to combine the familiar ride feel of Era enduro wheels with greater stability, higher impact resistance, and a construction tailored to the additional weight of the motor and battery.

Mountain bikes with suspension travel of 120 to 140 millimetres are back in vogue - and Race Face has the right material for this with the Era SL wheelset. A carbon rim is at the center, which weighs in very well at 384 grams. This is ideal for cross-country courses, even when the going gets tough.

The component manufacturer Race Face now offers the carbon crank Era and the aluminum counterpart Turbine in 160 millimeters length. According to Race Face, there are numerous advantages to this: Not only can they reduce the likelihood of pedal strikes, they can also improve the fit of the bike, alleviate knee pain and improve downhill performance at the same time. The cranks also come with a lifetime guarantee, even in the event of a crash.

Race Face brings improved With the Era, Race Face brings a new carbon crank for enduro use with an optimized Q-factor and stainless steel wear plate. The Era allows the use of different spindle lengths and DM chainrings. The slim package weighs just 483 grams and is backed by Race Face's lifetime warranty.

The style police are merciless: protector gaps are an absolute no-go and can only be beaten if you combine knee protectors with tights. The Indys ensure style-compliant and safe mountain biking. They are also available in black for bores.

The motto from the title is of course anything but universal, but according to Race Face it applies to the new Aeffect R pedal. In addition to a large selection of colors, it also offers a 25 percent larger contact area compared to its predecessor.

The new Race Face Atlas pedal is here. The riders have spoken and Race Face' engineers have listened to their needs to create the best flat pedal ever. New, the Atlas pedal offers a larger platform, longer pins, a thin concave profile, zero play, more grip, and it comes in nine color options. Furthermore, the pedal is easy to maintain and is backed by a lifetime warranty.

Complete bikes are usually well equipped these days. But it's worth optimizing a few parts that tend to break or wear out. If you prefer to let it rip on rough trails, i.e. ride fast or shred your parts, you need goods that last. The following five parts will help you to ride faster for longer

The Canadian component specialists from Race Face are also bringing some new products from the fabric department: in addition to jersey upgrades in the men's line, Race Face are also expanding the women's line. And among them are various interesting pieces such as the three-season Conspirancy DWR jersey or the Torres Tech Shirt for the well-groomed shirt wearer on the trails.

Stiffer, more robust and more durable, that is Race Face's new CINCH chainring. The SHI-12-compatible steel chainring is available for direct mount cranks in sizes 30, 32 and 34 teeth and optimized for Shimano chains. Although not exactly light at 154 grams, at just under 20 US dollars it costs much less than its aluminum counterparts and lasts almost forever.

It doesn't always have to be carbon fiber: With the Turbine R 35 wheelset, Race Face is sending an aluminum rim with proven hubs onto the trails. The 35 millimetre rim width easily accommodates 2.4 to 2.8 inch wide tires and ensures traction, grip and control.

Since Shimano launched oval chainrings on the market in 1983 with Biopace, a lot has happened with the non-circular chainring. At Race Face, the focus is on independent "clocking", i.e. the angle between the crank arm and the largest diameter of the oval. However, the aim is still to quickly overcome the dead spot when pedaling and improve power delivery.

There's a lot of good stuff from Race Face. We're talking about fine components and fine fabric: the Canadians are also launching a clothing line for 2017 with which men and women can cut a fine figure on the trail and on the après-bike. Ride shows this in photos and moving images.