11spd: This week's best new bike gear

The latest and greatest from GoPro, wooly bits from New Zealand, rotors from Hope and more

Oliver Woodman / Immediate Media

Published: October 21, 2016 at 11:00 am

Another week has come and gone and it's time to head out and spend some quality time on two wheels! But before you pedal off into the sunset, why not check out the new gear that's rolled through the door at our UK and Australian offices.

New mountain bike gear

Mons Royale MTB jerseys

We've got New Zealand based Mons Royale's latest MTB jerseys - Colin Levitch / Immediate Media

Hailing from Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, Mons Royale is a merino specialist. Well known in the snow sports industry, Mons makes garments that perform well under pressure but can also be worn to après and around town.

We’ve got the short sleeve Temple Tech Tee and Redwood 3/4 Raglan T Dirt to put through their paces.

The back of both jerseys is made from Mons Royale's Air Con Mesh, which is considerably lighter weight to standard merino fabric - Colin Levitch / Immediate Media

Merino wool is a bit of wonder material, it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer but not quite as breezy as some of its poly based brethren. However, Mons has a trick up its sleeve with the Air Con Mesh, where merino wool is spun around a nylon/elastane core to create a lighter weight material, which Mons has used as the back panel for each jersey.

Both jerseys also see a slim fit and a drop tail to prevent the sun from shining where it shouldn’t. The Redwood ¾ T also sees an integrated goggle/sunglasses wipe.

Currently, the Mons Royale MTB gear ships out New Zealand and is subject to exchange rates

  • Temple Tech Tee approx £82 / US$101 / AU$132 (NZ$120 $20 shipping)
  • Redwood 3/4 Raglan T Dirt approx £94 / US$115 / AU$150 (NZ$140 $20 shipping)

monsroyale.com

Uvex — Finale Helmet

This is going full enduro - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

Named after the world famous riding location in Italy, the Uvex Finale helmet is designed for those who like to go full enduro. Despite its size, Uvex has tried to keep the Finale light, our large weighed 333g, so it should be good for those long days out on the trails. It’s available in a few different colours and doesn’t cost the earth, so would be great for the privateer racer.

  • £69.99 / US$N/A / AU$N/A

uvex-sports.com

BBB — Summit Glasses

Clear lenses for riding in the darker months - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

With the nights drawing in it’s about time to start thinking about some glasses with clear lenses — low and behold BBB has you covered with its Summit model. They actually come with three lenses (mirror, yellow, clear) and cost around £60, so aren’t too heavy on the wallet. They’re available in a variety of different colours too if you’re not a fan of green, but we are, so it’s all good.

  • £60.00 / US$N/A / AU$N/A

bbbcycling.com

Hope Rotors

Renowned for top class components, Lancashire based Hope Tech has redesigned its floating rotor with a wider braking surface, which it says enables more compatibility with other companies' brakes.

Hope 160mm floating rotors - Reuben Bakker-Dyos / Immediate Media

The rotors here are 160mm, but Hope caters for the full gamut of disc brake lovers with 140, 160, 170, 183, 200, 203 and 205mm versions if you’re into that kind of big rotor riding. There are six colour variations.

We’ll be testing these during the UK cyclocross season so should get a good idea of their longer term durability and performance.

  • £40 / US$51 / AU$67

hopetech.com

Five Ten Freerider EPS PrimaLoft shoes

Five Ten's winter-specific Freerider EPS shoe

If you want to ride flats throughout winter then the chances are your shoes probably aren’t made for the task. That’s something Californian brand Five Ten has tried to tackle with the release of these, a proper winter-ready version of its popular Freerider shoes. As you’d expect, Five Ten has retained much of what makes the aforementioned such a popular choice, so you’ll find the same Stealth S1 rubber outsole and low- or mid-cut options that you get on other Five Ten models.

A seamless, DWR-coated upper with a gusseted tongue section promises good sealing but should also repel excess water. Inside there’s a fancy PrimaLoft insulated liner that works together with a heat-reflective footboard to trap body heat. Should water make its way inside then that shouldn’t be an issue either as PrimaLoft is known for excellent moisture management and speedy drying times.

These are available in UK size 4-13 including half sizes. Our boat-like UK size 12 test pair tip the scales at 1,165g.

  • £110 / US$140 / AU$N/A

www.fiveten.com/uk

New road bike gear

Muc Off — Athlete Performance Bundle

Lots of nice smelly stuff - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

If you’ve ever been on the start line of a cold race then no doubt you’ll have smelt the familiar menthol whiff of embrocation rub. Well Muc Off has turned the rubbing things on your body dial up to 11 by offering a full athlete performance bundle of creams and potions. They’re designed to aid everything from recovery to endurance and while we haven’t been able to try them out yet, it’ll certainly have you smelling nice next time you ride.

Apparently it can help with endurance - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media
  • £72 / US$N/A / AU$N/A

muc-off.com

Altura Podium Elite Thermo Shield Jacket and Baselayer

With the northern hemisphere slowly getting colder by the day, it’s no coincidence that Altura has recently launched its Performance Layer System (PLS). It’s designed as a three part system: a baselayer, a mid thermal top and an outer layer shield.

Altura Podium Elite Thermo Shield Jacket - Reuben Bakker-Dyos / Immediate Media

We have two parts of that system with the ThermoCool base layer and Podium Elite Thermo Shield Jacket, a combination that’s perfect for those dryer, chilly morning autumn rides.

Altura ThermoCool Long Sleeve Baselayer - Reuben Bakker-Dyos / Immediate Media

Storage won’t be a problem with the Thermo Shield Jacket as it comes with a hefty number of pockets (five top entry pockets and one zippered).

  • ThermoCool Long Sleeve Baselayer: £50 / US$N/A / AU$N/A
  • Podium Elite Thermo Shield Jacket: £110 / US$N/A / AU$N/A

zyrofisher.co.uk

See.Sense ICON front and rear light set

Intelligent sensing, crash and theft alerts and smartphone controlled operation — it’s the stuff of the future. Well, not really but See.Sense has certainly got a pretty smart light set in the ICON .

See.Sense Icon front light - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

The 250 lumens for the rear and 420 lumens for the front are offered up by twin CREE LEDs with automatic environment reacting brightness.

It’s sometimes confusing with lights that offer feedback in the form of a series of confusing LED flashes, which you have to decipher using your personal Enigma machine, but See.Sense has taken that confusion away by offering even the most technologically troubled user a simple menu of options.

See.Sense's smartphone app lets you control all the settings without needing to decrypt a combination of flashing LEDs - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

With a meaty 15-hour run time (though they don’t specify with which features or settings), you’ll hopefully get to spend less time concerned about whether you’ve got enough juice to last the rest of your ride.

  • £150 / US$150 / AU$200

seesense.cc

Lonely Planet — Epic Bike Rides of the World

A book for your epic adventures - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

If you’re thinking of tackling an epic adventure but can’t think of somewhere to go, then Lonely Planet’s Epic Bike Rides of the World book should help. It features 200 of the best places to ride a bike, from urban jungles, to crazy experiences off the beaten track. Even if you don’t manage one of the epic rides, the book is beautifully illustrated and put together, making it a welcome addition to any coffee table.

It's beautifully designed inside too - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media
  • £24.99 / US$35 / AU$45

lonelyplanet.com

Fat Lad/Lass At The Back — Beacon Jacksey

Super bright and contrasty - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media

The Beacon Jacksey from Fat Lad At The Back might look fairly loud and garish, but it’s been designed to help you be seen without looking like a giant orange. Apparently a jersey with different colours helps you stand out in a wide variety of situations and different backgrounds. It’s also available in a female version and plenty of sizes to suit just about any cyclist.

Bright kit for women too - Oli Woodman / Immediate Media
  • £79.99 / US$N/A / AU$N/A

fatladattheback.com

GoPro HERO5 Black

It’s still pricey but it’s still probably one of the hottest tech gadgets to be released this year, and we’ve finally got our hands on one.

GoPro's range topping HERO5 Black - Reuben Bakker-Dyos / Immediate Media

The HERO5 Black comes with a whole host of new features including electronic stabilization, voice commands, GPS, a redesigned menu and fully waterproofed without the need for a separate housing (we really like that last one!).

We’ve got a full review coming soon so keep your eyes peeled.

  • £350 / US$400 / AU$570

gopro.com

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