After a quick break for the Bank Holiday, Five Cool Things is back. This week, we've got fresh protectives from Ion and Endura while SQlab brings a new saddle, and we check out YT Industries' new Decoy SN 29 ahead of its review. We've also got one of Fox's latest shocks. Let's dive in.

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This week, we wrap up our Cape Epic coverage with an exclusive interview with none other than 2025's winner, Nino Schurter. In this feature, we ask the GOAT how he approached the world's toughest MTB event, touching on preparation, training, and his partner for the race. We also published our final Cape Epic bike check, Stefan Sahm's Bulls Vuca Evo AM, which he piloted during the event to bring viewers closer to the action.

As for news, there's been plenty with Trek offering up to £1,250 off new bikes in TrekFest and Norco unveiling its latest Search gravel bike. Santa Cruz then showed off its updated Bullit, and Canyon introduced its mega-affordable Spectral AL. At the other end of the affordability spectrum is Trickstuff's new Piccola HD Titanium brakes that combine the Piccola lever with the four-piston C42 caliper, but, importantly, they're built with 3d-printed titanium levers to balance strength with maximum weight savings.

As always, there have been plenty of reviews to hit the site with our verdicts on Pro's Discover Aero Carbon handlebar, WTB's latest Rocket Titanium saddle and Oakley's Sutro glasses.

YT Industries Decoy SN 29 Core 4

£9,000

The Decoy SN 29 is the latest release from YT Industries, furthering the brand's new mid-support Super Natural formula. It follows a strikingly similar design to the Decoy SN MX as it utilises Fazua's Ride 60 drive system, but the brand has refined it to create a bike geared towards 'aggressive trail' riding.

That's mainly found in its suspension measurements as the trail-going Decoy SN gets 140mm of suspension at the rear and 160mm at the front. Its geometry gets tweaked, resulting in YT's steepest seat tube yet at an effective 78.3-degrees on this large frame. There's then a 64.1-degree head tube angle, a 477mm reach, and a 448mm chainstay.

Although this Core 4 build will set you back a rather hefty £9,000, YT has been pretty generous with its componentry. It gets top-end Fox Factory suspension and SRAM's X0 level shifting, but Race Face brings its carbon ERA bar and crank to the party. There's then a pair of Hayes Dominion A4 brakes and that's all bolted to the brand's highest-end ultra-modulus carbon-fibre frame.

We've already spent some time on this bike, too, so check out the YT Industries Decoy SN 29 first ride review.

• www.yt-industries.com

Fox DHX2 Factory Coil shock

£829

Fox has been busy overhauling almost all of its range, and its shocks haven't been left untouched. Joining the X2 in receiving a bunch of updates is the coil-sprung DHX2. With it, Fox is promising more of everything in a package designed to suit downhill and enduro racing.

To achieve those goals, it boasts the 'world's first' four-way monotube design which is claimed to up simplicity and durability, while providing four-way adjustability. Internally, it gets low-friction sealing for enhanced small-bump sensitivity while the MCU bumper brings support and control for bigger hits. That's when combined with the damper's progression. The damper shaft is larger too to bring further benefits to strength and durability.

As for the clicks, there are eight clicks of high-speed compression and high-speed rebound, and 16 clicks of low-speed compression and low-speed rebound. There's also a two-position firm mode.

• ridefox.com

Ion Arcon HD Pro Chest Protector

£210

Ion's new Arcon Chest Protector has been designed in collaboration with Nico Vink, bringing level-2 protection and eco-friendly credentials. The protector combined two slabs of RE ZRO's protection to provide coverage to the chest and the back, with the material being enhanced by TOTO-TOA for biodegradability, says the brand. Both of those pads get an extra layer of RE ZRO's Power Slide caps to reduce abrasion, but, again, these are claimed to be biodegradable.

Additionally, this protector uses 360-degree AC_Cooling tech that takes advantage of the protector's shape to bring ventilation and cooling to the point that Ion boasts 'an almost imperceptible feel of breathability'. Closing it up is a Cannon buckle.

• www.ion-products.com

SQlab 60X Ergowave active 2.2 saddle

£126

Known for prioritising ergonomics in the name of on-bike comfort, SQlab has brought a new saddle to the market, the snappily named 60X Ergowave active 2.2. Although it follows the same measure-to-fit ethos found on the brand's saddles, this one receives a shorter nose to achieve more freedom of movement to better suit the riding styles of enduro and trail riders.

The upper is built of a grippy material to improve traction, and it follows the brand's Ergowave design to optimise power transmission and pressure distribution. There's also a central dip to relieve perineal pressure.

Another hallmark SQlab feature found on the new saddle is the Active-Technology. It's a neat system that uses an elastomer that semi-decouples the upper from the rails, allowing for flex as the rider pedals. Bringing another level of customisation are a selection of different density elastomers, allowing riders to tune the level of flex to their preference.

Endura Humvee Mips helmet

£85

Introduced alongside the brand's new Loop collection is the Hummvee Mips helmet. Like the fresh clothing range, this helmet is designed to cater to a range of riding styles from commuting to mountain biking, but importantly, it's set to be kind to the wallet.

It's a simpler helmet, but it gets all the important stuff, like a Mips cradle and an EPS foam. But what's cool is that despite the helmet being budget friendly, it has still been awarded a five-star rating from Virginia Tech.

Furthermore, if your helmet gets a little tired, Endura is offering 50% off the asking price of a new one, but check the brand's website for more details.

• endurasport.com

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