Yet again we arrive at the end of another busy week on BikeRadar.
It is, as you may be aware, Black Friday. As always, this means we have a plethora of incredible cycling deals to share with you.
Before we get to those, though, let’s take a look at some of the content highlights from the week just gone.
The big story of the week was the news that Mountain Biking UK, one of BikeRadar’s sister publications, has launched a podcast.
New episodes are airing weekly, with the first episode – Bikes that broke boundaries – available now. Give it a try, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice.
Podcast aside, Bianchi unveiled the Impulso RC, its new aero-optimised gravel race bike. Designed to take on elite competition, the range-topping model includes a new integrated gravel cockpit and an all-new carbon gravel wheelset.
Zwift announced it is now offering annual memberships to its virtual indoor cycling app. While a monthly membership costs £12.99 / $14.99 / €14.99, users can now sign up for a whole year for the discounted price of £129.99 / $149.99 / €149.99.
The makers of the Inflabli inflatable helmet also announced the launch of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Inflabi is hoping to raise $10,000 to bring the novel helmet to market, with backers promised rewards and the first Inflabi helmets.
If you like your gravel riding on the gnarlier end of the spectrum, BikeRadar’s senior technical editor, Warren Rossiter, published his review of the Nukeproof Digger RS V3. Its impressive performance in testing earned it a spot on our list of the best aluminium gravel bikes.
On the other side of the fence, if you’re looking for a good-value hardtail mountain bike, technical writer Luke Marshall brought us his review of the Calibre Line T3 29.
Lastly, if you’re looking for a cycling deal this Black Friday, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve scoured the web for the best Black Friday deals on Amazon and Wiggle, the best indoor training tech deals, bike lights, Garmin bike computers and smartwatches, electric bikes and even GoPro cameras.
As always, don’t forget to read our expert reviews on anything you’re considering purchasing – after all, just because something’s cheap, it doesn’t always mean it’s a good deal.
With that out of the way, though, let’s get on with First Look Friday, our weekly round-up of the latest tech to land at BikeRadar HQ.
Northwave Veloce Extreme Shoes
It’s not exactly the season for summer road cycling shoes, but Northwave has recently launched its latest top-of-the-range model, the Veloce Extreme.
Developed in partnership with Filippo Ganna, the current UCI Hour Record holder, Olympic team pursuit champion, twice time-trial world champion and more, the Veloce Extreme shoes have all the features we’ve come to expect of a high-end road cycling shoe.
It has a full carbon sole, with a “stiffness index of 15” – the highest on Northwave’s internal scale.
The sole also features a new design, which Northwave calls ‘Powershape HT’.
According to a report performed by MCP Sports Engineering (and commissioned by Northwave), this sole has been shown to reduce Rating of Perceived Exertion by 15 per cent. It's also said to increase foot “stability” by 9 per cent and maximum power output by 4.8 per cent, compared to the same shoe uppers with Northwave’s previous ‘Powershape’ sole.
Given this, we’re intrigued to see how the Veloce Extreme shoes perform in testing, so look out for a review.
Beyond the new sole tech, the Veloce Extreme shoes use a dual X-Dial SLW3 rotary dial and lace-closure system. They include two insoles of differing thickness to help fine-tune the fit.
Made in Italy, the Veloce Extreme is available in black or white, in sizes EU36 to 48 (with half sizes from EU39.5 to 45.5) and costs £359.99 / $429 / €399.99.
The claimed weight for a size-EU42 shoe is 295g, and on our scales a pair of size-EU45 shoes weighs 673g, for an average of 336.5g per shoe.
Kask Protone Icon
The Protone is, along with the Bambino and Mojito, among Kask’s best-known helmets.
First launched back in 2014, it was part of the first generation of aero all-rounder road helmets, alongside models such as the original Giro Synthe.
Most significantly, it became one of the go-to helmets for Team Sky (now Ineos Grenadiers) during Chris Froome’s reign as the peloton’s dominant Grand Tour rider.
As of last year, Kask has updated the Protone and relaunched it as the Protone Icon.
Overall, the new version retains a broadly similar design to the original, but Kask says the internal frame structure has been reworked to improve ventilation and aerodynamic performance (by an unspecified amount).
It also gets Kask’s latest high-end, Octafit+ retention system.
On its own internal scale, Kask rates the Protone Icon at 4/5 for both aerodynamic efficiency and ventilation.
In contrast, Kask’s Utopia Y is rated at 5/5 on its aero scale and 4/5 for ventilation, while the range-topping Elemento is rated 5/5 for both.
As with other Kask helmets, the Protone Icon doesn’t include MIPS technology, but has instead been developed using Kask’s own WG11 testing protocol for rotational impacts.
The Protone Icon is available in three sizes (S, M and L) to fit heads from 50 to 62cm in circumference. It’s also available in a whopping 14 different colours, so finding something to match your favourite cycling kit shouldn’t be an issue.
The Kask Protone Icon costs £245 / $299.95 / €275 / AU$409. It has a claimed weight of 230g for a size M, although our Black size M sample weighs 239g.
4iiii Precision 3+ power meter
The Precision 3+ is the latest Shimano crank-based power meter from 4iiii.
Claimed to be the brand’s lightest and most feature-rich power meter to date, the 4iiii Precision 3+ is claimed to be able to squeeze “up to 800 hours” of battery life out of a single CR2032 coin cell.
If true, that’s one of the longest of any modern power meter (older SRM power meters had batteries claimed to last for around 3,000 hours, but these were not user-replaceable).
Accuracy sits at a claimed +/- 1 per cent, while a non-driveside power meter pod is claimed to add just 9g of additional weight to a crank arm.
In a novel move, the Precision 3+ is also compatible with Apple Find My – meaning it operates like an Apple AirTag, enabling you to track your bike from Apple devices.
Our sample is a left-only Precision 3+ power meter, installed on a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 crank. It costs £514.99 / $514.99 / €514.99 and weighs 206g.
If you want a cheaper option, the Precision 3+ power meter is available on Shimano Ultegra R8100 and 105 R7100 road cranks, as well as GRX gravel cranks and XT or XTR mountain bike cranks.
Like all single-sided power meters, this one measures the power produced by your left leg then doubles it to estimate total power.
4iiii says dual-sided options, which measure the total power produced by both legs and left/right balance, will be available in the new year.
Alternatively, if you already have a Shimano crank or crankset, you can ship it to 4iiii for the installation of a Precision 3+ power meter on it for a reduced price.
4iiii Viiiiva heart rate monitor
Though perhaps not as fashionable as power meters, heart rate monitors can still offer valuable insight into your training and fitness.
With chest straps typically regarded as the most accurate kind (see our guide on how to choose a heart rate monitor for more on this subject), 4iiii’s Viiiiva promises the basics of tracking your efforts plus a few quality-of-life extras.
As with most modern fitness devices, the 4iiii Viiiiva can transmit data via ANT+ and Bluetooth, meaning it should be able to connect to most bike computers and smart devices.
It can also act as a bridging device to connect ANT+ sensors to Bluetooth-only devices.
This can, for example, be used to connect older power meters without Bluetooth to smartphones, tablets or devices that can’t use ANT+ dongles, for use on Zwift or other indoor cycling apps.
The Viiiiva can also store up to 65 hours of data from connected ANT+ sensors, meaning you can continue to log ride data if you forget your bike computer or it simply runs out of battery.
Data can then be transferred from the Viiiiva to other devices using an iOS or Android smart device.
4iiii claims the Viiiiva can extract 160 hours of battery life from a CR2032 coin cell, and says it has an IPX7 waterproof rating.
The 4iiii Viiiiva costs £49.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 and weighs 46g.
Santini Adapt Multi Jacket
Summer already feels like a long time ago, but if you’re committed to riding outside this winter, having good kit can make all the difference.
Santini’s Adapt Multi Jacket is designed to fit like a jersey but work like a winter jacket, with a recommended temperature range of between 0 and 10°C.
The main body is made from Polartec’s Powershield Pro waterproof fabric, which is claimed to be able to withstand a 5,000mm water column while maintaining excellent breathability.
As with most Italian cycling kit, the fit is slim, although it’s a little more forgiving than Santini’s ‘sleek’ race fit.
The Santini Adapt Multi Jacket costs $315 / €250 and is available in four colours and eight sizes from XS to 4XL.
