Reports of my demise in the Battle on the Beach 2024 have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, I'm in glorious North Wales on a grav-cation.
In my absence, Gary Walker – himself fresh from a jaunt to balmy Bohemia for the Prague Half Marathon – is on hand to recap the past week's content bonanza on BikeRadar.
We kicked off with seasoned videographer and bikepacking hero Robyn Furtado wrapping up her long-term test of the Sonder Camino Ti Rival 1 before she departs BikeRadar. Farewell, Robyn, it's been a pleasure.
Barely 48 hours had elapsed before Torque About Tools author and audax animal Oscar Huckle dropped the week's second long-term test conclusion, delivering his verdict on the Look 765 Optimum.
Tuesday saw a monsoon of embargos rain down on our unsuspecting home page as the unrelenting spring deluge continued outside BikeRadar HQ. First up was Mondraker with details of its new Dune XR eMTB. Nick Clark weighed in with a first-ride review penned in Portugal.
Next to deliver their news payloads were Cannondale, which unveiled the Synapse Neo e-road bike, and BMC, lifting the curtain on its 2024 Roadmachine. This time, it was the ever-busy Oscar doing the honours with the review.
As if anyone was left unsated, Fox wrapped up the day by breaking news of its lightest XC fork yet, the 32 Step-Cast, which Luke Marshall put through its paces, and a range of new dampers.
We lifted ourselves from the content canvas and came up swinging as the weekend approached, with further announcements of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude, a new endurance bike from ENVE, Yeti's updated SB165 freeride bike and the Marzocchi Super Z fork.
If you're still standing after that little lot, gird your loins for a tantalising glimpse at a selection of the cycling swag that's landed on dear Jack's desk since his last First Look Friday.
Hutchinson Blackbird TLR tyres
By naming it the Blackbird, Hutchinson presumably wants to associate its new road bike tyre with the world's fastest ever plane. I assume the French brand isn't suggesting this Blackbird will be singing in the dead of night.
Recently, Hutchinson has lost ground to the likes of Continental, Schwalbe, Vittoria and Pirelli, who have sewn up the fast road tyre market.
Will the Blackbird propel Hutchinson past its competitors? Look out for our review soon.
We have the 28mm, tubeless version of the Blackbird here, which we've weighed at 286g.
As outlined in our news story, Hutchinson continues to offer a clincher version of its performance road tyre, unlike most of its rivals.
This will appeal to cyclists who want the excellent grip, comfort and speed of modern tyres while using inner tubes, without having to pay extra for a tyre with tubeless technology they don't need.
- £61.99 / €69.99 (tubeless)
- £43.99 / €49.99 (clincher)
Bloody Minded: My Life in Cycling, Alex Dowsett
As one of the only haemophiliacs to become a professional athlete, Alex Dowsett has an incredible story in life and cycling.
The doctor who diagnosed a young Dowsett with the rare blood-clotting disorder told his parents their child should play chess, not sport.
But they didn't listen.
In Bloody Minded, Dowsett recounts his rise to becoming a WorldTour professional, Hour Record holder and multiple Grand Tour stage winner.
As well as inspirational, the former Team Sky and Movistar rider's autobiography is funny. I won't reveal here what Dowsett likens to playing "naked Twister" before his successful Hour attempt.
There are plenty of interesting nuggets for you tech nerds too. By wearing skinsuits for certain road stages, for example, Dowsett was well ahead of the aero curve.
If cycling books usually aren't your bag, you might think otherwise about Bloody Minded.
- £20 (hardback)
Rapha Pro Team Aero Jersey
Rapha claims the new Pro Team Aero Jersey is its fastest ever, saving you a whole four watts compared to the previous version at 46kph.
The Pro Team Aero Jersey is also on average 7.8 watts faster at 32kph, 46kph and 58kph in the wind tunnel than unspecified competition, according to Rapha.
Rapha says Alison Jackson won the 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes in a prototype version of the Pro Team Aero Jersey.
The watts saving comes from the jersey's Clima stretchy and compressive fabric, which hugs the body to reduce drag, according to the brand.
While I can't verify Rapha's performance claims, I can say the jersey is tighter than Gary Walker's policing of the BikeRadar style guide.
Rapha adds that the Pro Team Aero Jersey's low-cut collar won't rub on your neck. The lightweight and breathable material is said to be suitable for temperatures from 18-32ºC.
There are three, rear cargo pockets and one zipped pocket.
The men's and women's versions both come in silver/red and black/grey, with the men's also available in navy/lilac.
Men's sizes run from XS to XXL and women's go from XXS to XL.
- £185 / $245 / €210 / AU$300
Rapha Reiss sunglasses
Rapha's new Reiss sunglasses use a military-grade coating to repel water and prevent fogging. This helps keep your vision clear through the half-framed, wide lens, according to the brand.
You can swap the nosepiece to find the right fit for your hooter. The lens is interchangeable, but different tints are sold separately for £65 / $80.
Rapha says the strong and light Rilsan polymer frames are made from 62 per cent non-petroleum based plastics.
- £160 / $205 / €180 / AU$270
Styrkr Gel50 Dual-Carb Energy Gel
Most energy gels for cycling contain 20-30g of carbohydrates, so you have to slurp down several in 60 minutes to hit the 60-90g per hour carb target recommended for prolonged, endurance exercise.
In the same volume, the Styrkr Gel50 Dual-Carb Energy Gel provides 50g of carbohydrates, or twice as much as a standard gel.
This could enable you to either eat less often on a bike ride or achieve a really high carb intake with two servings of Gel50 an hour.
'Dual-Carb' refers to how the Gel50 consists of two types of transportable carbohydrates (maltodextrin and fructose) in a 1:0.8 ratio. Supported by independent research, Styrkr says this ratio maximises carbohydrate absorption while minimising the risk of stomach trouble.
The strength of the Gel50 makes it thicker than a typical gel – and you'll probably want to wash it down with water. But I haven't found the Mixed Berry flavour too viscous to consume on the bike.
- £29.99 for 12 gels
Suunto Race Titanium
The founder of Suunto, Tuomas Vohlonen, is credited with designing the first wrist-worn compass and bringing it to market as the Suunto M-311 in 1936.
Today, the Finnish brand still sells compasses, along with diving computers, headphones, heart rate monitors and sports watches.
Of these, the Suunto Race Titanium is of most interest to cyclists. As the brand's second-tier multi-sport watch, it's a competitor to the Garmin Fenix.
The Race has a high-res 1.43in AMOLED display, on- and off-line maps, with multi-band GPS for optimal accuracy, and more than 95 sports modes, including all the main cycling disciplines.
Suunto says the Race can connect to all your sensors and provide advanced training metrics, such as Training Stress Balance. The battery is claimed to last for 12 days of typical use and 40 hours while recording activities.
Like other cycling watches, the Race can record 24/7 wellness data, including Heart Rate Variability, control your music player and receive notifications from your phone.
The Suunto Race Titanium has a polyamide case, titanium bezels, sapphire crystal glass and a silicone strap. My 49x49x13.3mm test sample weighs 70g.
- £479 / $549 / €549 / AU$879
