It’s the end of yet another week – and that means it's time for the latest edition of our Friday Five-a-side. As per usual, we're rounding up of the most interesting bits and pieces of road cycling and mountain biking gear that have recently landed on the BikeRadar doorstep.
New mountain bike gear
Scorpion Bike Stands
Scorpion’s unique bike stands can be used for storage, cleaning or general maintenance. These patent-pending bike stands are available for road, mountain and BMX and work with Shimano, SRAM and any other crankset with a hollow spindle. There’s also a travel version that folds flat for easy transport.
US$69-$89 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Bontrager Jackalope TLR fat bike wheelset and Hodag tyre
Fat bike tyres weigh enough without having to resort to running tubes. Thankfully, tubeless options for fat bikes are on the rise. Bontrager’s Jackalope TLR wheelset brings proven tubeless-ready technology to the fat bike market.
The Jackalope TLR wheelset is available in several configurations to fit most fat bikes currently on the market. The front wheel is available in a 135mm quick-release spacing as well as the increasingly popular 150mm width with a 15mm thru-axle. The rear wheel comes in 170mm quick-release as well as 177x12mm thru axle versions. The rims have an internal width of 75mm. The weight for the complete wheelset shown here is 2,882g.
US$999 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Speaking of tubeless technology for fat bikes, Bontrager has just released its first fat bike tyre, complete with a tubeless-ready bead. The Hodag is a 26x3.8in tyre with an aggressive tread pattern. The zig-zag siping on the knobs is intended to further enhance grip.
Weight for this burly tyre is 1,244g.
US $149 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Smith Pivlock Overdrive
The pivlock Overdrive is the slightly less techy member of Smith’s Pivlock family of sunglasses. Unlike other Pivlock shades, such as the Pivlock V2 Max, the Overdrive features a full frame to protect the lenses (and the wearer) from impacts.
Shared features with the rest of the Pivlock line include a three-position adjustable nose piece to fine-tune fit and three pairs of interchangeable lenses suitable for a broad range of conditions.
US$199 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Fix It Sticks T-Way Wrench
Fix It Sticks began life as a Kickstarter project and has gone on to make a name for itself for producing simple, high quality multitools. The T-Way wrench is intended to replace the Y wrench most of us keep in our tool chests. It has two short arms that can fit in tight spaces and a longer arm for leverage. The T-Way wrench ships with 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm hex bits as well as a Torx 25 bit. You can also pick up any 1/4in bit at your local hardware store to add to the tool's functionality.
US $29 / UK TBA / AU TBA
New road bike gear
Castelli Gabba 2 Short Sleeve
Castelli's Gabba now comes a convertible/zip-off long sleeve version as well as this short-sleeve version. With Windstopper X-Lite Plus fabric, the Gabba is a race-quality garment for nasty weather. The material is water-resistant and breathable, with Nano Flex fabric under the arms assisting with fit. A drop tail, thick reflective bands and drainage mesh on the pockets spell out that this isn’t a piece for bright, sunny days.
US$179 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Santini Race One Panel bib shorts
For this new bib, Santini uses a fabric called Onda (meaning 'wave'), in which single and multiple elastane threads alternate for varying compression and allow for the elimination of grippers – the legs just stay in place. As the name implies, the One Panel short is made of a single panel of fabric, stitched just once here on the inside of the legs. The chamois has a gel core, which Santini says provides a cooling effect.
US$250 / €190 / £150 / AU N/A
Giro Merino Wool gloves
Giro's Merino Wool gloves work with touchscreens. The rubber gripper dots add some grip – whether on handlebars or your phone – and conducive thread in the thumb and index finger lets you navigate your screen.
US$30 / UK TBA / AU TBA
Wahoo's Tickr X heart rate monitor
With the Tickr X, you can work without a computer or smartphone – then download the data later. Or, you can use this strap with a computer, or a smartphone, on either Bluetooth or ANT +. Vibration alerts and lights let you know when the Tickr X is connected and picking up a heart rate.
US$99 / N/A in UK & AU
VP Components VP-R73H Pedals
VP Components' VP-R73H pedals are a good budget option. Their most notable feature is the cleats, which let you maintain exact position when changing cleats (you remove half the cleat at a time, then snap the new half into place). We reviewed the pedals two year ago, and are eager to see how well they stack up against Shimano’s offerings now that some small in-line tweaks have been made following pro-rider feedback.
US$95 / UK TBA / AU TBA
