It's Friday and you know what that means — it's time for your weekly update of the hottest kit to arrive at our desks at BikeRadar towers!
We've also been in Germany at Eurobike where we presented our exclusive first look at Rotor's possibly game-changing 13-speed modular groupset, oggled some fancy 3D-printed parts from Reynolds and scoffed many a schnitzel.
So without further ado, sit back, grab yourself a tea (or delicious glass of Long-Island iced tea) and feast your eyes upon this Friday's cycling-based goodness.
Specialized SWAT Conceal Carry Tool
If you’re tired of lugging around a multi-tool in your jersey or trail pack then Specialized’s SWAT Conceal Carry Tool could be the answer. This neat design conceals an emergency multi-tool and chain breaker inside the steerer tube of your fork (although it needs to be an aluminium steerer for it to work).
The top pivot is spring loaded, so it’s easy to access the multi-tool in a race situation and weighs 121g on the BikeRadar scales of truth and justice. There’s a 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm Allen and T25 Torx key, which should get you out of most trail-side jams.
- £85 / $85 / AU$ TBC
Veloflex Master road tyre
Veloflex has a reputation for making some of the best tyres in the business, which are now available in ever-fashionable wider sizes.
This 28mm Master road-racing clincher model weighs a claimed 235g, while being shod in a super-supple 320 TPI casing. This should make for an incredibly fast and tacky tyre.
Handmade in Italy, Veloflex pitches the master tyre as a fast all-rounder for both training and racing.
- £42 / €48 / $ and AU$ TBC
Brooks Cambium All Weather saddle
Brooks has been around for a long time and has a reputation for making incredibly tough and durable saddles. Its Cambium All Weather model is no different and should stand up to years of abuse from your derrière.
It’s made from a vulcanised natural rubber designed to flex and conform to your body, thus requiring no break-in period. This is combined with waterproof nylon cover, engineered to stand up to the worst that mother nature can throw at you.
Costing £95, the Cambium All Weather doesn’t come cheap, but when you consider how long it could last, then perhaps it’s an investment worth making.
- £95 / $130 / AU$135
Specialized Enduro Comp jersey
Specialized’s Enduro Comp jersey is made from something called VaporRize, which sounds like the type of thing an evil villain would use in a superhero movie. However, on closer journalistic inspection, we discovered it is actually a fabric that Specialized claims is light, breathable and incredible at wicking away sweat from the body. Who’d have thought it?
Jokes aside, this trail jersey does indeed feel nice and light, making it ideal for the desert-like conditions we’re currently experiencing in and around BikeRadar towers. It also has a great fit, not too tight and not too baggy, just the way we like it.
Being made from an eco-friendly fabric, means you could also be saving the earth when shredding the gnar in this jersey.
- £50 / $55 / €59.90
Endura Pro SL helmet
Best known for making cycling clothing, Scottish brand Endura also makes helmets, and the Pro SL model is its take on the premium road model.
Perhaps the most striking feature is the Koroyd protection liner, which is claimed — in the event of a crash — to absorb energy in a more linear fashion than traditional helmets.
On impact, the small straw-like tubes are said to crush homogenously, while absorbing the g-force created by the rider’s momentum. All this to say it should do a great job of protecting your head.
At £149.99, the Pro SL Helmet sits on the pricier end of the spectrum, but not earth-shatteringly so, and with a size M/L weighing 267g, it’s relatively light.
- £149.99 / International pricing TBC
Canyon Lux
Senior Staff Writer, Jack Luke has already had a chance to ride the all-new Canyon Lux.
Designed for marathon and cross-country racing the Lux features everything needed for a workhorse race bike. This includes space for two bottle cages, even with the rear shock. It also has a user-friendly cable lockout and dropper post, hopefully aiding in some downhill performance.
720mm bars and GripShift may not be to everyone’s taste, but we’ll have a better idea of this bike's true performance once we’ve spent a bit more time on it.
Our top-spec SRAM-Eagle-equipped model comes in at £4,999. Certainly not cheap but compared to other brands £7k plus top-spec offerings, actually represents relatively good value for money.
- £4,999 / €5,599 / $6,000
Giro Chrono Pro jersey
The Chrono range is Giro’s fastest road-clothing lineup, which includes an all-day skin-suit, a thermal jersey and several jerseys in different cuts including the Chrono Pro, their most form-fitting, race-ready garment.
Laser-cut sleeves, UPF 50+ sun protection, very lightweight mesh side-panels and Giro’s ESP (expandable storage pockets — essentially folded-over material that expands when you need it to and hides when you don’t) all go into making this Giro’s most premium jersey.
Pictured is the the Midnight Cascade colour, but it's also available in Black Cascade and White Cascade fade options.
- £112, international pricing TBC
TORQ SNAQ Pack
Field mushrooms and smoked tomatoes aren’t usually associated with post-ride foods but TORQ wants to help you perform better with their new vegetarian SNAQ meals.
Essentially these are single-serve packet-pasta meals with a low amount of fat but high amounts of carbohydrate and protein.
There are three options to choose from – 2:1 Any Time, 3:1 Recovery and 5:1 Carbo-Load. The ratios of these meals refer to the carb-to-protein levels — 50g carbs to 25g protein, 75g carbs to 25g protein and 125g carbs to 25g protein.
The Any Time meal is meant for days where exercise levels are considered ‘light’, whereas the Recovery option…well, that’s obvious and the Carbo-Load choice is for nights before a big race or sportive.
Packets are £3.95 each from torqfitness.co.uk or if you buy five or more at a time you’ll get a 10% discount
Peaty’s Link Lube
If you’re even halfway interested in mountain biking the name ‘Peaty’ should be familiar.
Starting out with Tubeless Sealant, Peaty’s has quickly expanded its range to cleaning products and now the Link Lube. As well as claiming ultra-low friction, the Link Lube is supposed to drive out grime, effectively cleaning your chain as you ride.
Though summer is in full flight in the Northern Hemisphere, we know winter is fast approaching, so we’ll be keen to see how this performs when the weather gets mucky again.
We were handed a bottle of Link Lube rather covertly at the recent Eurobike show, so pricing details are thin on the ground at the moment. However, we’ll update you as and when we get the price.
Specialized S-Works 7 Sagan Collection LTD
Let’s be honest, even away from their hottest asset, Specialized makes some pretty good-looking kicks. However, when you throw the phrase ‘Sagan Collection’ into the mix, things just seem to feel a little more premium.
We’ve just taken delivery of these teal and black-fade Sagan Collection S-Works 7 shoes complete with his name on the side. Our Ben Delaney did a first ride on these back in February and highlighted some updated features, including the wider toe box, softer heel cuff and easy-to-use custom metal BOA dials.
The US market gets a two-shoe range, which also features a black version of the shoe with some absolutely pimpin’ gold BOAs and matching gold gloss heel protector so your rivals can see themselves fading into oblivion as you sprint into the distance…
- £350 / $475 / €399
dhb Aeron Lab kit
DhB’s Aeron Lab collection is the brand’s top-end kit and is claimed to be its fastest and lightest ever.
Available in a range of delightful hues, the Aeron Lab kit has been in development for more than two years and is designed with aerodynamics and weight in mind with a mixture of mesh fabrics that disrupts airflow.
We’ve got the full collection to try out, including a natty base layer and a pair of lairy socks.
- dhb Aeron Lab Ultralight short sleeve jersey — £70 / $95 / AU$130
- dhb Aeron Lab Raceline bib short — £130 / $175 / AU$240
- dhb Aeron Lab socks — $15 / $20 / AU$28