We have so many new bike products coming in and out of BikeRadar HQ every week, that we decided to gather them all together and show them off. Welcome to the first installment of our new regular round-up of the week's best cycling gear. Five of the best bits of road cycling kit, five of the best pieces of mountain biking gear, brought to you on a Friday: this is Friday Five-a-side.
The posties have spent the week lugging boxes up to our third floor office. Here are the most interesting bits and pieces that they've brought us.
New mountain bike gear
Scott Genius LT 700 650B
We bought you a First Look at the spangly new Scott Genius back in June, but we’ve finally got one in the office ready for a full test in Mountain Biking UK. This no-holds-barred carbon enduro bike comes in at a touch over 27lb, but still packs 170mm travel front and rear. We reckon its 650B wheels, SRAM X01 groupset, Fox fork and custom Fox Nude shock should make it a ripper.
£5,799.99 / US$7,599.99
Lizard Skins DSP grips
The new DSP grips from Lizard Skins are light, have no plastic core and don’t rely on a bulky lock-ring. They use a strip of double-sided tape, along with some glass cleaner for installation, to make sure the grips – and ultimately your hands – stay firmly on the bars.
Prices tbc
ENVE riser bar
ENVE rims may be out of reach for 99 percent of the population, but a more affordable piece of ENVE goodness is now available. OK, so you might only get a set of bars for your £135/US$168, but ENVE is ENVE! These riser bars are 740mm wide, 191g and have 9 degrees upsweep, 5 degrees backsweep and a 23mm rise, which all sounds good to us.
£135 / US$168
Continental Trail King tyres
The Queen is dead, long live the King! Well, that’s what Continental might be saying about the new Trail King tyres, which we’re led to believe are replacing the Rubber Queens. This 29 x 2.2in version comes with ProTection sidewalls and super grippy and yet surprisingly fast-rolling Black Chili compound (or 'magic', as Tech Ed Jon calls it).
£49.95
www.conti-online.com and www.conti-tyres.co.uk
Dogcam Bullet HD2
Yet another action camera enters the fray – this time it’s Dogcam’s Bullet HD2. The tube shaped camera gives full 1,080 HD quality, along with 10m of waterproofness and 1.5 hours of battery life. There are a few bike-relevant mounts in the box, so you can let your inner Spielberg out. Oh, and there’s also a laser to shoot baddies with… or just to make sure the camera's pointing in the right direction.
£199.95 / US$N/A
New road bike gear
Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 105
‘Endurance’ is no longer code for ‘boring’ according to Cannondale. Or at least that’s what they say about the new Synapse Carbon 5 105. It's an ideal bike for longer days in the saddle, thanks to its vibration damping properties and Power Pyramid seat tube (that’s the rather interesting looking bit down around the bottom bracket). At £1,849/US$2,270 and with a Shimano 105 groupset, Shimano RS11 wheels and full carbon frame and fork, it could be a contender for Cycling Plus’ Bike of The Year.
£1,849 / US$2,270
XLAB Torpedo System 100
A super aero drinking system for triathletes, the Torpedo System attaches between your aero bars with velcro straps, and has a handy drinking tube which can be stowed with its Aero Straw Retainer. We kid you not. Its Kamm Tail design is said to reduce drag by 50 percent. Finally, to keep racers happy, there’s a forward mount for your computer/GPS device.
£49.99 / US$74.95
2Toms Butt Shield
Butt Shield is a roll-on alternative to chamois cream. It's good for your butt and inner thighs, and is safe to use on leather and synthetic chamois. We assume the man in the picture has just applied some.
£12.99 / US$13
www.2toms.com / www.2tomsuk.com
RRP Neogardz Rigid Fork mudguard
After taking the MTB world by storm with their neoprene, front-wheel-spray-stopping, velcro-attached mudguard, RRP have turned their focus to the cyclocross (and rigid MTB) market. This new guard has a sheet of neoprene that catches the mud and water that flicks from the front of the wheel, up into the air, and into your face. It's surprising how well it works. It will fit any rigid fork with a gap between 47mm and 90mm between the top of the tyre and bottom of the crown. And yes, we’re aware that our photo shows it on a dirt jump bike not a CXer…
£12.99 / US$N/A
Assos Fugu glove
Assos aren’t exactly known as purveyors of value kit, but what they knock out tends to be pretty high quality. We’re looking forward to putting their Fugu gloves through their paces as winter arrives. A triple-layer construction promises performance akin to a ‘high-level ski glove without the bulk’. Sounds good to us. We’ll be doing a round-up of the ten best winter gloves here on BikeRadar soon, so we’ll let you know how the Fugu gloves get on.
£91.99 / US$148.95
