It’s nearly Tour de France time, and this year’s race promises to be far more entertaining and unpredictable than the UK General Election campaign.
Jonas Vingegaard won the yellow jersey in a landslide victory last year. But after the Dane’s crash and Tadej Pogačar’s dictatorial Giro performance, will the general classification be a hung parliament before the final stage time-trial in Nice?
Having read his single-estate Lapsang Souchong tea leaves, Simon von Bromley has made his Tour tech predictions.
Simon, BikeRadar directeur sportif George Scott and videographer Kai Eves are already in Florence for the Italian Grand Départ.
Armed with Vernier calipers, weighing scales and scoop-sensitive snouts, the trio will be covering the hottest Tour de France bikes on our website, and podcast and YouTube channels.
Earlier in the week, Ashley Quinlan reviewed the new Wilier Verticale SLR, the Italian brand’s climbing bike, which Groupama-FDJ and Astana Qazaqstan will probably ride in the mountain stages.
Trek confirmed its mysterious bike spotted at the Critérium du Dauphiné is a slimmed-down Madone and discontinued the Émonda. Will you miss this weight-weenie heart throb?
It has also been eMTB week on BikeRadar. We’ve explained electric bike motors, reviewed the Merida eONE-Sixty 875, dissected the anatomy of eMTBs and rounded up the best lightweight electric mountain bikes.
That’s not all. Chris Barnard recounted an eMTB adventure in the French Alps and Nick Clark set out why electric mountain bikes are taking over the trails.
In other news, Wahoo released the rechargeable Trackr heart-rate monitor, the Edge 1050 became Garmin’s latest top-of-the-range bike computer and Raleigh announced the Chopper is back by popular demand.
DT Swiss Ratchet DEG 240 hubs
The DT Swiss Ratchet DEG 240 freehub has the lowest angle of engagement of any freehub the brand has made. The use of 90-tooth steel ratchets drops the angle of engagement to only four degrees.
DT Swiss designed the Ratchet DEG 240 for its mountain bike wheels. It says the low engagement angle distributes load more evenly than pawl hubs and increases reliability.
The Classic Edition of the hub comes in 12x148mm and 12x157mm Boost, with Shimano MicroSpline or SRAM XD freehub, and in six-bolt disc only. You can choose from 28 or 32 spoke holes.
A rear hub will set you back £354.99 / $499.90 / €376.90 / AU$599.
Only 240 samples of the 240 Classic DEG Red hub were made and we have one here in a glossy red colour.
DT Swiss only offers this limited edition with 15x110 front and 12x148mm rear axles in 32h and SRAM XD freehub only. The rear hub costs the same as the Classic Edition, and the front is priced at £159.99 / $229.90 / €169.90 / AU$289.
Flowbio S1 Sensor
Flowbio claims the S1 sensor is “the world’s most accurate hydration sensor”, and that its clients include WorldTour cycling teams and elite triathletes, such as the Brownlee brothers.
Although the link between electrolyte loss and cramping is contentious, the brand promises “no cramps, no guesswork”.
The S1 sensor clips into your heart-rate monitor chest or arm strap. Unlike some continuous glucose monitors, the S1 Sensor does not have a needle.
Instead, Flowbio says the S1 sensor collects sweat in a tiny channel through pressure exerted by your sweat glands.
From an eight-second sample of this sweat, the S1 uses an algorithm to estimate how much fluid and sodium you are losing overall. This is 90 per cent as accurate as a lab test, according to Flowbio.
The brand says its companion app recommends what to drink before, during and after training sessions and races to help you stay hydrated on your bike.
Unfortunately for Android users, the app is only available on iOS, Apple’s software.
The S1 has ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity and can send real-time data to your bike computer. You can also sync the device with your Zwift and Training Peaks accounts.
Flowbio claims the battery lasts for 100 hours and is USB-C rechargeable.
- £329
Oakley Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS Helmet
The Oakley Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS is a lightweight, well-ventilated yet aerodynamic helmet, according to the brand.
Oakley claims the revamped ventilation ports improve airflow, while a redesigned shell saves weight compared to its predecessor, the Aro 5.
The new shell shape helps the cycling helmet sit lower and fit better to the contours of your head, according to Oakley.
You can, of course, store cycling sunglasses in the front vents of the MIPS-equipped helmet.
The Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS also incorporates Twiceme Help the Helpers technology. If you are unresponsive after a cycling crash, bystanders can double-tap the Twiceme logo with their smartphone to access information, such as next-of-kin contact details, you’ve uploaded.
- £195 / €230
Wolf Tooth EnCase Pump
Wolf Tooth says the EnCase Pump has a high stroke volume, internal storage and “best-in-class protection from water and grit”.
Each stroke requires less force than its competitors when inflating high-volume mountain bike tyres and gravel bike tyres, according to the brand.
The EnCase Pump doesn’t have a hose, thread or locking lever. Therefore, Wolf Tooth claims you can start pumping quicker when you get a tubeless puncture and you won’t damage your Presta valve core.
It can also store tools, such as a tubeless tyre repair kit and multi-tool, in an internal compartment.
The mini pump comes in a 40cc size costing £59 / $72 / €69 / AU$115 and larger 85cc size, priced at £63 / $77 / AU$120. You can carry both on your bike attached to the supplied bottle cage mount.
