This week on BikeRadar was all about the new. New bikes from Ibis and Santa Cruz, and of course the launch of our Get Britain Riding campaign.
- Ibis launches the HD4
- 6 of the best: bar tape
- 7 rookie cycling errors that'll ruin your ride to work
It was also a week for lively discussion. Our opinion piece on the bike industry and its approach to weights and measures certainly got you talking. There were a fair few words of wisdom added on our 7 rookie errors that'll ruin your ride to work article too... talking of which, if you have any gems to impart don't forget to pop them in the comments section.
And possibly the most popular article this week was 5 roadie rules you can ignore. We're all in support of getting out riding, so don't let arbitrary fashion rules and tech trends deter you from a good bike ride! As Rob Smale can attest, it's good for the mind as well as the body.
Sigma Rox GPS 7.0
It may not have the sleekest of looks or a colourful display, but in the box the Sigma Rox GPS 7.0 seems to really pack in the features.
It has of course got all the features you’d expect, including speed, distance, time, temperatures, ETA, various lap and altitude functions, and many more besides.
The built in GPS allows you to track your route and navigate, and fans of Strava will be pleased to hear you can load and compete against segments.
You get a micro-USB cable for charging your device and a mount.
- £114 / $TBC / AU$TBC
Truvativ Troy Lee CoLab Descendant handlebars
Like your bars loud and lairy? Get an eye-full of these bright Troy Lee-style Descendant handlebars by Truvativ.
The aluminium bars are 800mm wide with a 25mm rise and a 5-degree upwards and -9-degree backwards sweep. They came in at 353g when we weighed them.
Available in either a bold blue or a bright black and orange, and in true TLD style both colorways come with coordinating gloves and colour-matched RockShox fork decals.
If you’re feeling flush there’s also a carbon version which retails for £189.99.
- £94.99 / $99.99 / €109.99 / AU$TBC
Fabric Scoop Gel women’s saddle
The Scoop Gel Women’s has a female specific profile and three soft gel inserts on the nose and on each side, which are designed to provide comfort without being as chunky as some gel saddles out there on the market.
It features what Fabric calls its ‘radius profile’, which means it’s constructed to support riders in a more upright position and is therefore aimed at commuters, mountain bikers and leisure riders — but, of course, what saddle works best for you is a matter of personal choice.
This version comes with a Cro-Mo rail and a 155mm width. Fabric claims a weight of 280g and it came in at 283g for us, so not bad!
- £49.99 / $74.99
Veloforte nutrition bars
Veloforte's tagline proudly claims ‘100% real food performance, and cracking open you’re faced with a bar that would look at home on the counter of a delicatessen in Italy.'
That’s hardly surprising, since the bars are inspired by the Panforte, an Italian delicacy, which is a blend of seeds, nuts, fruit and spices, and is a specialty of Tuscany.
For those on a restricted diet there's good news; the bars are gluten, dairy, egg, soy, GM and preservative free, and have a reassuringly identifiable list of ingredients. In fact, the ingredients list sounds more like the things you’d put into a particularly delicious cake mix than an energy bar.
Each ingredient is carefully considered to provide a measured blend of sugars, carbohydrates and proteins, so expect lots of almonds, pistachios, honey, dates, cocoa, cinnamon and rosemary.
There are currently three flavours available: the Celiac-friendly Ciocco, packed with cocoa and almond pieces; the Classico with citrus peel, almonds and spices; and finally the Di Bosco with red berries, almonds, pistachios and vanilla.
- £6.99 for a pack of three bars / international pricing TBC
All In Multitool
Some say it’s the rise of enduro, others the growth of trail centres… but whatever the reason, more and more people are looking for efficient, minimalist setups that allow them to head out for a ride without carrying heavy packs full of tools and equipment.
One interesting development is the ingenious ways people have found to carry tools, and All In have a nifty solution.
The All In Multitool slides into your bottom bracket through the cranks and is held in place with a neodymium magnet.
The tool has a selection of hex and torx heads plus a Phillips screwdriver head that covers all the main and necessary sizes. These slot into a socket at the end, with the body of the tool forming a handle.
We weighed the All In at 114g.
- £86.43 / €99 / $111.27 / AU$149.85
Dakine Party Pack
The sun is shining, the trails are dry, you’re out with your mates and the one thing missing is a cold beer.
Well, not any more if Dakine has anything to do with it!
The purveyor of functional luggage has developed a line of bags with the purpose of transporting beer (or the beverage of your choice) from A to B while also maintaining a pleasantly chilled temperature.
The Party Pack is an amazingly well thought out rucksack for the beverage-focussed cyclist.
Not only does it have a lower insulated pocket for stowing the majority of the drinks, with a side port for easy distribution, it also has two pockets on the back in case you want to have two drinks to hand and a chest holder too.
You could probably fit a straw in to your drink of choice too and use it as an alternative hydration source, though of course we could never recommend you try that while riding.
Obviously, BikeRadar has plans to put this to a very thorough test, all in the name of research, of course!
- £TBC / $70 / AU$TBC
Continental Contact Plus tyres
For those who really, really hate punctures we present these redesigned tyres from Continental.
The all-new Contact Plus tyres are rated as the company’s most puncture resistant thanks to reinforced carcasses that make use of robust rubber and Kevlar-reinforced nylon materials.
Sure, they’re more safe than sexy but we’re looking forward to trying these out.
The relatively shallow tread pattern is said to be at home on gravel as well as tarmac, while a reflective strip at the sidewalls makes for improved night time visibility.
The cost of such dependability comes in the form of weight, and these babies weigh in at more than twice the heft of some tyres in the same size.
We weighed the 700x35mm tyre in at 978g and the wider 42mm option at 1,085g.
We’ll soon be switching them onto a commuter bike for what we hope will be a few hundred comfortable and puncture-free miles.
- £39.95 / $TBC / AU$TBC
Altor 560g folding bike lock
There are so many bike locks on the market that it takes a lot for one to stand out, but this latest effort from US firm Altor certainly does. For a start, the 560g — yes, that’s the name — from US firm Altor is made from 1/2-inch thick titanium.
Four pivots make for a design that rotates smoothly from near flat to a diamond shape. More specifically, it’s been designed to secure a bike’s frame and rear wheel to something secure, while its titanium tubes have been wrapped in a transparent plastic sheath to minimise scratching.
Despite its somewhat spindly looks, this is apparently one very tough cookie. In fact, the 560g was created to defeat bolt cutters, chisel and wedge attacks as well as handsaws.
The lock mechanism itself is a six-disc detainer component that uses a push button mechanism, meaning you won’t need to pull your keys out to lock your bike.
Included in the box is a Velcro carry strap and a frame mount to keep things portable. We’ll be trying it out soon, so stay tuned for a full review.
The company do ship internationally, though there are no specific international prices listed on the site so you will likely be charged at the exchange rate at time of purchase. It's also worth noting that there may be additional taxes and duties to be paid.
- £TBC / $179.99 / AU$TBC
KOO Open sunglasses
When Italian helmet brand Kask launched its eyewear brand KOO last year it did so with this innovative pair of sunglasses.
The arms of the Koo Open sunglasses rotate on a pivot near the temple area of the frame, allowing the lens to angle forward independently of the arms, improving airflow and reducing any fogging.
Three lens options are available, each produced by Zeiss. Switching out between them is simple thanks to a couple of tabs on the side of the frames; flip the tabs upwards to release the frame, switch out the lens and then return the tabs to their original position.
We’ve got about ten hours of riding in with these already, and despite raging temperatures and vast perspiration in race conditions we haven’t managed to get them to fog up at all.
Of course, it’s no coincidence that these match Kask’s Protone road lid perfectly too.
- £174.99 / $TBC / AU$TBC
Bike Porn: Mountain Bikes
Arriving as an unexpected package earlier in the year we had high hopes for this book, despite its rather odd cover image. Sadly, it turns out that this is bike porn for the easily aroused.
Best described as a bizarre marriage of quotes and outdated stock photography, Bike Porn makes literally no sense to anyone who appreciates bikes or even good quotes.
Just imagine what Leonardo Da Vinci would think if he knew his profound words had been published alongside a muddy Continental Mountain King and a macro shot of cable stops.
It does bring a certain comedy value though, and nevertheless it’ll remain a stocking filler purchased for those who love bikes by those who do not.
- £14.99 / $TBC / AU$TBC
YT Jeffsy CF Pro 27.5
YT’s Jeffsy 29er trail bike was quite a departure from the bikes previously sold by the German direct sale brand. Still, it was well received and received high praise when we tested it late last year.
A lot of people are still hesitant towards 29in wheels though, and the addition of this 650b wheel version certainly reflects that. As you’d expect from YT, this second from the top model comes particularly well equipped for the money too.
Spec highlights include a carbon frame, ‘Performance Elite’ series dampers from Fox and a SRAM X01 Eagle 12-speed drivetrain. With smaller wheels usually comes slightly more suspension and YT has added a further 10mm to each end in the case of this model over the 140mm 29er.
Our size large test sample weighs in at a commendable 28.7lbs (13.01kg). The lads over at Mountain Biking UK will be putting this one through its paces, so stay tuned for their write up.
- £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
