Congratulations everyone, you’ve reached Friday! Let’s have a little recap of the week shall we?
The first Women’s Road Bike of the Year reviews have started to trickle out with the Specialized Ruby Elite going first, we found an 8.5kg full suspension XC bike at the Riva Bike Festival and learnt how bikes create change with World Bicycle Relief’s TEDx talk.
K-Edge Aero Race Mount for Wahoo BOLT
K-Edge and Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT users rejoice — you can now regain those lost aero advantages with the very sleek-looking Aero Race Mount for Wahoo.
As is customary with K-Edge products, it mounts to the right of the stem, whereas Wahoo’s mount on the left of the stem. A small difference that can drastically improve the look of a cockpit depending on your bars and brake/shift setup.
Included is the same tiny threaded locking hole as featured on Wahoo’s own aero mount.
All K-Edge products have a lifetime warranty for peace of mind.
- $70
- More information can be found at k-edge.com
Pactimo Summit Stratos Bib Shorts
Dubbed the “12 hour bibs”, Pactimo’s Summit Stratos bib shorts were designed for long races, such as the Dirty Kanza and the Cape Epic.
As you’d expect from bibs that were two years in development, there are some fancy fabric names to throw about. Cerami-K body fabric, MAB X Power straps and a Cytech Endurance Anatomic Super Air chamois make up what Pactimo says was meticulously engineered to create an endurance bib unlike any other.
Pactimo offers the Summit Stratos shorts with two compression band lengths — 4.5cm and 7.5cm.
There is also a women’s version but without the option of gripper lengths.
- £175 / $225 / €210
- See more from Pactimo at pactimo.co.uk
Curve Belgie Disc — titanium frame
Hailing out of Melbourne, Australia, Curve produces a range of carbon and alloy wheels, carbon forks and titanium and steel frames.
The brand was founded by a former furniture manufacturer along with a BMX world champion who now has a PhD in physics. The pair’s background has combined to produce products that are earning increasing respect in an array of cycling disciplines.
Curve produces eight different frames focusing on going fast on the road to cyclocross racing to a 29er MTB frame, all of which have proven performance within their respective discipline.
Despite the reputation of titanium frames, the Curve Belgie is designed to go fast and has been raced in the Australian national road race championships, an array of crits and the TransAm — which it won.
The Curve Belgie Disc comes with a T47 bottom bracket, offering the same dimensions of a BB30 press-fit bracket, but threaded. Perhaps expectedly, thru-axles feature front and rear in conjunction with the proprietary carbon fork from Curve.
Both Di2 and mechanical specific versions of the frameset are available.
- £2,295
- See more from Curve at curvecycling.com.au
Campagnolo Super Record H11 disc groupset
Being paired with the Curve Belgie Disc frameset above for Josh's long-term review, Campagnolo has sent us its Super Record H11 disc groupset. And while it isn't the new 12-speed groupset from the brand, Josh is keen to get to know the Italian brand's hydraulic disc brake offering.
The flat-mount hydraulic disc brakes come with a 160mm rotor at the front and 140mm rotor rear (both with chamfered edges to prevent any unwanted chopping of things) but are also available as a 160mm/160mm option. The brakes and shifting are controlled by Ergopower H11 carbon levers, which retain the iconic Campagnolo double-curve profile, which so many Campag fans adore.
Campagnolo’s H11 series of cranksets counter the different geometry associated with disc-brake framesets. Realigning the chainrings further outboard but retaining the existing 145.5mm Q-Factor on regular Campagnolo cranksets.
Keep your eyes peeled for a closer look at this Campagnolo-equipped Curve Belgie Disc, which will be getting built up in the coming weeks.
- £2,254
TyreKey
When you learn to change an inner tube for the first time, one of the key steps is making sure the new tube is nice and snug inside the tyre. Occasionally though, we forget, only to get another puncture minutes after the one you thought you had fixed.
TyreKey aims to fix that issue with this no-pinch tyre tool. Aside from the handy built-in tyre lever, the unique feature is the claw that reinstalls the tyre without contacting the inner tube.
The TyreKey weighs 21g on BikeRadar’s Scale of Truth.
- £9 (international shipping available)
- Find out more information, including a video demonstration at tyrekey.com
Shimano SD5 SPD sandals
BikeRadar staff writer and lover of whimsical cycling apparel Jack Luke has just called in these (polarising) SPD sandals from Shimano.
They’ve been a fixture in the Shimano catalogue since the dawn of time and combine the breathability and practicality of open-toe sandals with fittings for SPD cleats.
Yes, some people will scorn at you and say they look horrendous. But what do you care, you’re rocking your Euro-style sandals and don’t give a damn about it. We’d recommend wearing them with a pair of white socks for the ultimate ‘dad on holiday’ look.
- £59.99 / $N/A / €82.10
Miche fixed gear cogs and carrier
If you’re into the fixed-gear lifestyle, constantly changing your cogs can become a bit of a nightmare. Luckily for us Italian company Miche has come up with this neat cog-carrier solution.
You simply screw the threaded carrier onto your fixed-gear hub, then the cogs slot onto the outside. This means no more messing around with a chain whip when you’re in a jam — just take the wheel out and change the cog with your hands.
They’re available in different sizes, and these particular cogs are going on staff writer Jack Luke’s fixed-geared TT bike.
Radon Jab 10.0
The Jab is Radon’s take on an Enduro bike and looks ready to race straight out of the box.There’s 160mm of travel front and rear, the fork being Fox’s 36 Float Factory HSC Kashima Boost and the shock being Fox’s Float X2 Factory EVOL Kashima Trunnion Mount.
Terrible product names aside this basically means the suspension is top spec and you’ll have no excuses come race day.
The rest of the build is suitably high-end with a SRAM 12-speed groupset, SRAM Code RSC brakes, Schwalbe tyres and a Fox dropper post. Just like Canyon, Radon is known for offering decent value for money, and costing around €5,000 for such a premium-spec bike means the Jab is no different.
BikeRadar Sportful jersey
We’ve just received a new BikeRadar design kit drop from Italian company Sportful. Obviously we’re biased but we think the design looks top notch and will be worn by our testers and riders at launches and events the world over.
The jersey is Sportful’s new Bodyfit Pro 2.0 model.
While the BikeRadar design isn’t for sale, Sportful also offers the Pro 2.0 in subtly stylish colourways.
- £90 / €99.90 / $129.99
Knog+ Front and Rear Lights
The Knog+ are small, lightweight lights aimed at road cyclists and commuters. The front light pumps out 40 lumens, while the rear flashes at 20. Both lights have a runtime estimation of two hours at full power or 40 hours on eco mode.
A neat feature is the built-in clip, allowing for wearable use (on a jersey pocket, for instance) otherwise there is a magnetic mount for on-the-bike use.
The rechargeable lights directly plug into a USB slot (rather than use a cable) and weigh in at a paltry 12 grams.
Availability is yet to be announced.
- £18 / €20 / $20 / AUS$20
Bioracer Speedwear Concept Tempest jersey and bib shorts
Designed specifically for riding in cooler weather, these jersey and bib shorts are suitable for spring, autumn or mild winter riding in a temperature range of 5-18 degrees Celsius, according to Bioracer.
The Tempest bib shorts are made from Bioracer’s Tempest insulating and water-repelling fabric, keeping you warm and dry without overheating on faster rides and without the restrictive feel of bib tights.
A thicker pad with ‘Evapore’ technology stays dry and provides extra support and comfort despite using 30% less material than a regular Bioracer pad.
The Tempest jersey is made from the same insulative material as the bib shorts and has a soft fleece lining. Despite an aggressive cut, the fabric offers plenty of stretch and, upon initial impressions, doesn’t feel restrictive.
Bioracer’s ‘Black Pixel’ fabric over the three rear cargo pockets offers extra visibility with reflective properties in low light.
- Bioracer Tempest spring jacket: €135
- Bioracer Tempest bib shorts: €120
- See more at Bioracer.com
