It's Friday and you know what that means: it's Five-a-side time. Here's some of the exciting new kit that's arrived in the BikeRadar office this week.
New road cycling gear
Token C28 carbon clincher wheels
Not all weight savings are Token, but these wheels certainly are. The C28s weigh 1,415g (including rim tape) plus 80g for the skewers. If the claimed rim weight of 370g, is accurate then this should be one fast-accelerating wheelset. In any case, they look pretty slick with bladed straight-pull spokes in a 20/24 arrangement and Token's lightweight cartridge bearing hubs. The rims are 21mm wide and use the company's TgX epoxy, which purports to withstand high braking temperatures, avoiding the delamination issues that some wheels suffer from.£999.99 / US$1650www.tokencycling.com
1001 Bikes to Dream of Riding Before You Die
As the name would suggest, this tome features slightly more than a thousand two-wheelers, ranging from vintage curiosities to the latest carbon speed machines. At 1,941g, this volume is both verbally stiff and linguistically compliant – perfect for the coffee table.£20 / US$36.95www.octopusbooks.co.uk
Lusso clothing
You've got a carbon frame, a carbon seatpost and maybe even carbon wheels, but do you have carbon clothing? British manufacturer Lusso's new bib shorts and jersey use Resistex carbon fabric that claims to speed up the evaporation of perspiration compared to standard materials. They aren't expensive either, and unusually, they're actually made in the UK.Also available is the Urban Sporty T-shirt featuring artwork by Chris Watson.
- Urban sporty T-shirt: £20 / US$33
- Carbon bib shorts: £79.99 / US$134
- Carbon S/S jersey: £54.99 / US$92
Merida bottle cages
A bottle cage is one of those products you only tend to notice if its does a bad job, but this range from Merida looks promising. A range of budgets are catered for, and various colours are available.
- Alloy: £7.99 / US$N/A
- Plastic: £16.99 / US$N/A
- Carbon: £29.99 / US$N/A
Tools4Bikes Velovise portable workstand
A workstand is an invaluable piece of kit if you maintain your own bike. Traditional stands work well but they tend to be bulky and don't lend themselves to portability. The Velovise is a simple two-part design that holds a bike by the bottom bracket shell and the fork, and clamps to the edge of any table up to 6cm thick using G clamps. It packs down into a box measuring just 29 x 11 x 11cm and weighs 1.7kg.The Velovise holds a bike high enough off the table to allow the pedals and rear wheel to spin freely, and the fork clamp includes adapters for virtually every size of skewer and thru-axle.£89 / US$149www.tools4bikes.com
New mountain bike gear
RaceFace Atlas 35mm stem
Shorter stems have become the norm these days, and the heavily machined 35mm Atlas from RaceFace is a fine looking specimen. It weighs 141g and uses an interlocking bar clamp geometry to avoid stress risers.£79.95 / US$99.99www.silverfish-uk.com / www.raceface.com
Bliss Protection knee pads
Knee/rock interfaces can do lasting damage, so pads like these are an essential if you like to go fast downhill. They have a reassuringly thick front pad section and neat side padding as well. Mesh material keeps things cool.£34.99 / US$62.90www.blisscamp.com / www.madison.co.uk
Purple Harry cleaning products
We assume that all BikeRadar readers are as anal as we are about bike maintenance, and cleaning is an integral part of keeping your bike running smoothly. Purple Harry's Bike Cleaner and Degreaser should come in handy, and we're intrigued by their Bike Maintenance Spray, which is applied after cleaning to remove moisture and lubricate mechanical components. The Bike Wash and Polish Mitt makes the whole process a bit less mucky, and provides for hours of lobster-based hilarity.
- Cleaner and degreaser 1l :£7.99 / US$13
- Maintenance Spray 0.75l: £8.99 / US$15
- Mitt: £5.99 / US$10
Lifesystems Adventurer First Aid kit
If your riding is remote, you should be prepared for the worst. This 29-piece kit includes everything from plasters to painkillers and weighs 300g.£18.50 / US$31 www.lifesystems.co.uk / www.rockgeardistribution.com
Club Ride Woody jeans
These look like normal jeans, but take a closer look and they have a number of bike-specific features including reflective detailing, specially-designed stretchy denim, a seamless crotch gusset and a zippered side pocket. Quality seems excellent.
£66 / $109.99
