Welcome to First Look Friday. This week saw the launch of a new Giant TCR, which retains a familiar silhouette but is said to be the lightest, stiffest and fastest version of the classic race bike yet.
Giant cut 60 pieces from the frame’s layup, saving 75g over the previous version. It also hid the cables internally and tweaked the tube shapes. This makes the new TCR more aerodynamically efficient, by 4.19 watts at 40kph (I know).
How does it ride? Warren Rossiter headed to Taipei, Taiwan, to find out.
One thing that didn’t cut a familiar silhouette this week was the massive time-trial helmet used by Visma-Lease a Bike at Tirreno Adriatico, which resembles the nose of a train.
Inevitably, the helmet went viral and led to a slew of memes. But reminding us all there are adults in the room, the UCI quickly issued a statement saying it would investigate ballooning TT helmets because they raise “significant issues”. Unfortunately, those issues do not pertain to whether the helmets would go clickety-clack or choo-choo.
This week saw the release of four new ebikes. Specialized unveiled a long-tail e-cargo bike, Canyon electrified the Grizl gravel bike, we learnt of a new Orbea Diem, and Fezzari (now Ari) brought out the Nebo Peak eMTB.
If all this news isn’t enough to satiate your cycling appetite, Jack Evans explored the importance of carbohydrates for cycling.
Finally, I concluded my Ridley Noah long-term review and we compiled our pick of the best mountain bikes in 2024.
ENVE Straight Pull Road Hubs
Costing more than most wheels, the new ENVE hub set will cost you an impressive £900 / $750.
Behind the price is ENVE's new Innerdrive System, a ratchet design said to strain axles less and improve bearing life.
ENVE says it has tested the system over the past 10 months with help from WorldTour team UAE Team Emirates.
The hubs will be available with four ratchet options, ranging from 40 teeth to 100 teeth. ENVE says elite riders may prefer the lower tooth counts because they offer less rolling resistance. In contrast, off-road riders may prefer the 80- or 100-tooth options. These provide faster engagement on technical terrain that demands more stop-start pedalling.
The hubs feature stainless-steel bearings and races claimed to offer fast rolling and ensure corrosion resistance.
It’s not only the internals that have been refreshed on ENVE’s hubs. The updated hubshell saves 60g compared to its predecessor, bringing the hubs to a claimed 326g a pair.
The hubs now accept straight-pull rather than J-bend spokes. This means they will use one spoke length, said to make maintenance and servicing easier.
So you can enjoy the satisfying whir of the ratchet drive uninterrupted, ENVE says its new hubs will build in space between the spokes, eliminating “spoke creak”.
- £900 / $750
Gore C5 Gore-Tex Infinium Signal Thermo Jacket
Gore describes its C5 Gore-Tex Infinium Signal Thermo Jacket as suitable for “high aerobic rides in harsh conditions, day and night”.
This version features bold yellow stripes down the arms and across the three rear pockets for visibility. The jacket is also available in a blue and marine colourway.
Like many of the best winter cycling jackets, this jacket uses Gore-Tex Infinium fabric. The fabric is windproof, water-resistant and highly breathable, thanks to its membrane, which is said to have pores 900 times larger than water molecules.
Inside, there’s a brushed fleece lining for warmth and comfort, and stretch inserts provide freedom of movement.
The jacket has long sleeves and a dropped tail to suit your position on a road bike.
A high collar and elastic cuffs should work to keep the weather out and warmth in.
- £199.99 / $200 / €199.95
Knog Blinder 900 & Mid Cobber set
Spring and light evenings may be around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, but riding at night is still common.
The Knog Blinder 9900 & Cobber bike light set should serve any road cyclists heading out after dark well.
The Cobber is said to be the world’s first rear light with a 330-degree beam, aiding visibility from behind and side-on.
The rear light packs 170 lumens with a run time of up to 100 hours. It is programmed with eight light modes and you can customise its output with Knog’s Modemaker app.
The Blinder 900 front light is said to provide illumination up to 100 metres thanks to its 900-lumen beam.
When we covered the Blinder lights at iceBike 2023, Knog’s CEO told us they use Tesla-style batteries. This helps give the 900 its two-hour runtime at full power. In 'eco flash', one of its six modes, it can last up to 120 hours, according to Knog.
The LED button shows the battery level and charging status.
The light doesn’t come with a USB-C cable, which you’ll need for charging. However, it includes two mounts: a rubber strap to attach it to a handlebar; and a GoPro-style attachment for mounting the light under a bike computer.
- £139.99 / $139.95 / €139.95 / AU$219.95
SharpFinders
The SharpFinders is the invention of Martin Jochemsen, a bike mechanic. It is said to stop you from cutting your finger as you run it around the inside of a tyre to find any small shards of glass or other debris when fixing a puncture.
The SharpFinders' green, furry head will catch on anything that may not be visible to the naked eye.
The shape of the head fits inside a 700x25mm tyre, but it can be used on larger tyres too.
These devices aren’t available online, but I picked mine up at the London Bike Studio in Stoke Newington.
- £5.99
