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Innovation or deceptive packaging? Is it worth retrofitting or not? The EMTB editorial team put the new Tatze Sport Grip, Rapha Trail Knee Pads and Garmin Edge Explore 2 Power products through their paces and uncovered their strengths and weaknesses. We reveal which products were reliable companions on extended tours - and who can benefit from them.
Screw grips with wings: Tatze Sport Grip
There are already many good screw grips on the market. Tatze's new approach is to combine the screw grip with a lightweight wing shape. But don't worry: the wing is so discreet that it is not noticeable when gripping. Nevertheless, the pressure is better distributed over the hand, the high slats absorb impacts excellently and the fingers find a lot of grip on the underside. This provides safety in technical terrain. High-quality workmanship, but the thick paws are not suitable for fans of thin grips.
Price: 29,50 Euro >> available here
Weight: 110 gram
Super firm fit: Rapha Trail Knee Pads
Three things stood out positively when testing the slim Rapha knee pads.
- The seat is absolutely non-slip, something we have rarely experienced with knee pads.
- The wearing comfort of the thin and elasticated pads is also record-breakingly high. No pinching, no pinching.
- What's more, the pads are hardly bulky, so they also fit well under long trousers and tighter shorts.
The protective effect is probably not quite as massive as with thick downhill protectors, but we can fully recommend these well-made protectors for long trail days!
Price: 95 Euro >> available here
Weight: 367 gram
GPS from Garmin: Edge Explore 2 Power
The ultimate carefree GPS? Garmin's Edge Explore 2 with Powermount should come pretty close for e-bikers. The device itself comes from Garmin's Touring series. The training functions take a back seat here in favour of the route and map display. Not ideal for interval cranking, but just right for all those who prefer to concentrate on the experience rather than on measurement data. There is no Wi-Fi, but there is Bluetooth and Ant+ for connecting to your smartphone and uploading routes from routing apps such as Komoot. Especially off-road, this works better than relying on Garmin routing.
The advantage of the slimmed-down functions: At 300 euros, the Edge Explore 2 costs only as much as the entry-level Edge 530 sports device, but offers a larger screen and a very sensitive touch display.
The fact that the bundle still costs a whopping 450 euros is due to the Powermount. A special mount for e-bikes that supplies the Edge with power directly from the battery. That's nice in principle, but the mount is quite expensive at 100 euros extra or 130 euros separately. You also need an outrageously expensive 50 euro connection cable to the motor. Suitable cables are only available for Shimano or the old Bosch without the Smart system. If you want to connect something else, you have to tinker.
PriceGarmin Edge Explore 2 Power incl. power mount 449.98 euros
