What's better than putting your feet up on the desk for a cheeky five minutes, watching the clock slowly make its way towards 5pm, ready for the weekend to officially start? Doing so with a cuppa and this week's edition of First Look Friday. You can thank us later.
After a busy summer of new products, the cycling industry is heading towards its winter hibernation, but that's not started quite yet, as proved by Specialized, which released its latest Kenevo that quite literally feels like a DH bike you can ride all day.
We've also reported on GoPro's latest camera, the Hero 8 Black, which it claims is its smoothest yet, and Matthew speculated about what the name and spec of Trek's 4th anagram bike could be: Madone, Domane, Emonda… Daemon?
If you're looking for even more BikeRadar entertainment, don't forget that we're piling plenty of bike-related chat into your ear-holes via the BikeRadar Podcast.
Ribble HT Ti
First into our First Look Friday is this rather wonderful looking hardtail from UK direct-sale brand Ribble. While it cranks out plenty of great performing, good value road bikes, it's easy to forget that it caters for those looking for a dirtier ride too.
The HT Ti subscribes to the long, low and slack design ethos, with a size large having a 473mm reach, a 64-degree head angle, 430mm chainstays and a bottom bracket that drops 43mm below the 650b wheel's axles.
Titanium has a reputation for giving a subtly refined, damped ride, and there's plenty of room for chunky tyres in the back-end to further smooth the ride.
The frame is designed for 150mm of travel, and on this mid-spec SRAM GX Eagle build you get a RockShox Pike Select+ fork to take the sting out of roots, rocks and dodgy landings.
Frame finish is suitably neat, with smooth lines thanks to internal cable routing, etched graphics and gussets in just the right places to ensure strength and stand-over.
The Ribble HT Ti with the GX build comes in at £3,199.
100% Altec helmet
The Altec is 100%'s new all-mountain/trail helmet, featuring plenty of head-coverage, some smart safety features, and massive vents that look like they should help you keep your cool.
The EPS foam that the bulk of the helmet is constructed from is not only white but also has multiple densities, which are there to offer protection at a range of different impact speeds.
Backing this up is the Smartshock Rotational Protective System. Rotational forces during a crash are said to contribute greatly to brain injuries, such as concussion, and the majority of helmets out there have a system in place to mitigate against this as much as possible.
Finally, there are 15 whopping great vents to keep the air flowing over your head, plenty of cradle and strap adjustment, and a visor adjustable enough to stash your goggles under, we reckon.
- £139 / €169 /$250
- Buy the 100% Altec from Tredz
Sportful Supergiara Thermal Jersey
When it gets chilly, breathable and insulated thermal jerseys can be a godsend. However, pick up a bit of speed on your bike and a cutting wind will soon whisk any warmth away. This is where Sportful's gravel-focussed Supergiara Thermal Jersey comes in.
That thin, opaque vest over the front of the double-layer insulated jersey is windproof and there to keep the chill off your torso. The seams aren't fully attached, so if you work up a bit of sweat there should still be plenty of breathability.
The jersey itself has a high neck to seal warmth in, along with a silicone gripper at the lower hem to make sure it doesn't ride up.
There are three deep pockets on the back, as well as plenty of reflective detailing to keep you safe should the sun dip below the horizon.
- £110 / €119.90 /$195
Evoc First Aid Kit
Maybe not the most exciting, or groundbreaking, item in the world, but quite possibly one of the most important. Evoc has managed to make the First Aid Kit almost sexy.
The kit is contained in a clipped-closed waterproof bag, and the clip handily doubles as an emergency whistle.
On the back is a host of information, including plenty of emergency contact numbers and an emergency plan.
Inside is a separate caddy that holds the medical supplies, apparently all assembled in Germany. Here's what's inside the pack;
- Insulating first-aid blanket (210cm x 160cm)
- Disposable gloves (1x 2)
- First aid wound bandage (8cm x 6cm x 10cm)
- Adhesive plasters (2.5cm x 5m)
- Triangular bandage for stabilising arms and shoulders (136cm x 96cm x 96cm)
- Compression bandage to take care of cuts and lacerations (2 x 7.5cm x 7.5cm)
- First-aid dressing pack (8cm x 3m)
- Elastic bandage (8cm x 4m)
- Scissors (1x)
- Tweezers (1x)
- Pencil and paper slips (1x)
Sounds pretty thorough to us!
