Welcome once again to Friday. As another week draws to a close, we hope you have plans to bag some big miles on the road or trail. Here's the latest assortment of new gear that has landed at BikeRadar's Colorado offices.
New mountain bike gear
Timber mountain bike bell
"It’s going down, I’m yelling timber, you better move…" said Ke$ha. And she was right. "Ding, ding! Passing your left!"
There’s no shortage of well-made bicycle bells on the market these days, but Timber has a slightly different take on bell design.
It's claimed to be the first bell designed specifically for mountain biking. It rings while you ride, but it also has a lever that allows the rider to raise the clapper and ride in silence.
On busy trails, a bell that rings while you ride — rather than when you strike it — is an easy way to let hikers and equestrians know you’re just around the next turn. If you ride in regions with lions, tigers or bears, a passive bell is a great way to alert wildlife to your presence and hopefully keep you from becoming dinner.
$20 / £14 / AU$27
Lazer Revolution helmet
Lazer is the latest company to enter the convertible helmet market. The Revolution is more like three helmets in one, rather than just two.
It can be worn as a standard trail helmet, as shown. It also comes with detachable ear guards that offer a bit more protection. Last but not least, there’s a soon-to-be-available detachable chin guard that meets the ASTM-DH standard.
In addition to half-shell to full face adaptability, the Revolution has a built-in GoPro mount and 23 vents. Weight for the helmet as shown is 427g.
Click here for a first look at this new convertible enduro helmet.
$160 / £100 / AU$220
SixSixOne Recon kneepads
The Recon kneepads are lightweight and designed with comfort in mind, making them a worthy contender for long, technical trail rides.
They have elastic cuffs with silicone grippers at the top and bottom to hold them in place and cutout on the back of the knee to prevent chafing.
Weight for a pair is 140g (size medium). If the padding looks a bit familiar, it’s because the Recon uses XRD’s reactive foam padding, the same material used by G-Form in its line of pads, but with a design that is specific to SixSixOne.
$60 / £48 / AU$100
Topeak JoeBlow Booster
High-pressure release floor pumps look to be a growing niche in the inflation category.
We’ve been impressed with the ability of Bontrager’s Flash Charger TLR floor pump to seat even the most stubborn tubeless setups. Our initial use of Topeak’s JoeBlow Booster leads us to believe it will prove just as useful.
The JoeBlow Booster uses a knob around the pressure gauge to switch between inflation and charging modes. The max pressure in the charging chamber is 160psi.
It also has a bleed valve that allows the user to fine tune air pressure down to the desired psi.
$160 / £120 / AU$240
e*thirteen Tire Plasma
Tire Plasma is e*thirteen’s tubeless sealant. It’s formulated from a non-toxic, non-corosive acrylic resin with particles that link to each other to help clog and seal punctures up to 4mm wide.
It comes in 1l bottles, a 10 pack of the new 120ml single serving packets, or as individual 120ml packets like the one shown here.
Pricing for the 120ml packs is: $4.95 / £3.99 / AU$10.95
Küat Sherpa 2.0
High-end automotive rack manufacturer Küat has revamped its low-profile Sherpa hitch rack.
The Sherpa 2.0 has a redesigned lever that is much easier to reach when the bike rack is down. The lever also allows the rack to tilt away from the vehicle with bikes installed, making it much easier to gain access to the rear of hatchbacks.
This second-generation rack also has redesigned wheel cradles that can accommodate tires up to 3in wide and a cable lock system built into the tray to deter would-be bike thieves.
The Sherpa 2.0 has a durable power-coat finish and is available in metallic grey or while. It comes in versions for 1.25in and 2in receiver hitches.
$489 / £TBC / AU$TBC
New road bike gear
Cannondale CAAD12 Disc Ultegra
Cannondale's CAAD12 Disc Ultegra features racy geometry and, as the name suggests, hydraulic brakes in the Shimano Ultegra build. This is the upscale brother of the CAAD12 105, which our sibling magazine Cycling Plus just awarded its 2016 Bike of the Year gong to.
Featuring much of the same road race geometry as Cannondale’s carbon SuperSix EVO, the alloy CAAD12 has steep 73.5 seat tube and 73.1 head tube angles (in the sample 56cm bike), with short 405mm chainstays and a 15.5cm head tube. It weighs in at 8.3kg / 18.2lbs.
Built with Cannondale’s striking Hollowgram spider and 52/36 rings, the Ultegra drivetrain uses an 11-28 cassette.
The Mavic Aksium Disc WTS wheels have 25mm Mavic clinchers, but there is room for much more rubber. A 25.4mm carbon post add some comfort to what is already a strikingly plush alloy bike.
$2,660 / £1,999
HiFi Hit Single Carbon Clinchers
Recently updated to be tubeless, the Hit Single Carbon Clinchers feature 50mm-tall and beefy, 25mm-wide rims. Brake maker SwissStop has certified the wheels to handle the heat and braking power of the SwissStop Black Prince and Yellow King carbon pads, HiFi says.
Based in Portland, Oregon, HiFi builds the Hit Single with Japanese stainless steel bearings, and 18 front / 24 rear spokes, with custom builds available. Our test set weighs 1,630g.
The Hit Singles ship with extra spokes and brake pads.
$1,899 / £ N/A
RaceOne EasyTube
Designed for mounting tubulars, the EasyTube also works fairly well for mounting stubborn tubeless tires.
The tool work by anchoring the pivoting arms at the hub. You remove the quick release, insert the threaded anchor, then secure it with a big plastic nut.
The alloy arms have soft plastic rollers that can be adjusted to come right to the end of the wheel. Once this distance is set, the tire can be easily pushed onto the rim using the tool’s leverage, with the tire riding on then sliding off the plastic rollers.
$ and £ TBC
Bontrager Classique
Trek’s house brand Bontrager has a whole range of products, from wheels and handlebars to helmets, shoes and clothing. The Classique family riffs on old-school French design, whether in lace-up shoes or merino/poly pieces like this jersey.
The Classique jersey comes in off white, pink, powder blue.
As the weather warms up in the northern hemisphere, the long-sleeve Classique is on sale on the Trek website for more than half off.
This short-sleeve jersey has a snap pocket with skin-facing moisture liner to keep your smartphone safe from sweat.
$174 / £119
Hed Ardennes Plus GP Disc Brake
As an early pioneer of super-wide rims, HED now brings the ‘Plus’ size to 700c disc wheels at a competitive price. The Ardennes Plus GP Disc Brake sports a 21mm internal, 25mm external rim width. Built up with 24 spokes front and rear, the pair comes out at 1,680g on BikeRadar's Feedback Sports scale.
The tubeless-ready Ardennes Plus GP Disc Brake wheels come ready for thru-axle, but can convert to quick release, too.
$700 / £ N/A
