Give yourself a pat on the back because you've made it through another work week. Here's a selection of the latest parts and accessories we've got in for testing at BikeRadar.
New road bike gear
Specialized Audax shoe
Made for the long-haul riders, the Audax road shoe is constructed of synthetic leather, with a carbon/composite sole and a BOA S2 dial. It comes in wide and standard widths, sizes 38-49, and in six styles: Grey/yellow, red/off-red, grey/black, red/white, black, white/red and white/black. We weighed a size 45 at 310g.
US$250 / £N/A / AU$N/A
www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/shoes/road-shoes/audax
TIfosi Pro
The Tifosi Pro is six sets of sunglasses in one. More exactly, the Tifosi Pro comes with a single set of arms that work with a few different included lenses. There are two shield lenses, one full-frame that works with multiple lenses and one half-frame that works with multiple lenses. While interchangeable lenses are nothing new, this multi-frame concept is certainly new to us. Multiple arm and lens colour kits are available.
US$149 / £149 / AU$N/A
POC Contour Aerofoil bib shorts
Perhaps best known for its day-glo helmets and sunglasses, Swedish company POC also does road and mountain bike clothing. Two things stand out about these Contour Aerofoil bibs shorts. One, the 3D-moulded chamois pad uses a silicone insert POC calls VPDS (visco elastic polymer dough), which the company claims absorbs road vibrations. And two, the rear panel of the bibs are covered in reflective dots for visibility on the road. The top-end Contour features a 3D-moulded chamois, while the Multi D has lazer-cut insets.
US$350 / £N/A / AU$N/A
Sommerville Sports Muzzin and Tiorati shoes
Using full-grain leather uppers and carbon shoes, the Muzzin (black) and Tiorati (white) shoes from Sommerville blend old-world aesthetics with new-world tech. Both shoes are quite light. We weighed a size 44 Muzzin at 207g and a size 44 Tiorati at 257g. The Tiorati has a 3M Scotchlite reflective liner, which causes the entire shoe to light up when hit by headlights.
- Muzzin: US$250 /£170 / AU$325
- Tiorati: US$225 / £152 / AU$292
www.velosportimports.com/sommerville-shoes.html
Profile Design DRiVe handlebars
California company Profile Design has a new way of measuring handlebars that it calls DRiVe, meaning drop-reach variant. Profile measures this with a 73-degree line from the centre of the top to the midpoint of the drop. Standar bar measurements are reach (from the centre of the top to the front of the bend – how far the bar reaches forward) and drop (from the centre of the bar down to the bottom of the bend – how far the bar drops). Profile Design’s alloy DRiVe bars come in three configurations, each with a slight 4-degree outward cant to the drop:
- 1/ZeroFive (105mm DRiVe) in 36, 38, 40 and 42cm widths
- 1/Twenty (120mm DRiVe) in 40, 42 and 44cm widths
- 1/ThrirtyFive (135mm DRiVe) in 42, 44 and 46cm widths
www.profile-design.com/featured-items/driveseries/
New mountain bike gear
Dakine Hot Laps hip pack
Not every trip calls for a full hydration pack. For rides where you just need the basics there’s Dakine’s Hot Laps. This 1.5l hip pack has room for a small hand pump or a CO2 inflator, a spare tube, multi-tool along with your wallet, keys and cell phone. It even has a holster for a water bottle for your quick spin around the trails.
US$35 / £25 / AU$40
Sound Probiotics
Brothers Dr. Mark (an internal medicine physician) and Ted Stephany developed this probiotic formula to meet the unique needs of fellow endurance athletes.
Endurance athletes can be more prone to illness and fatigue due to their higher training loads. Probiotics are claimed to boost immune function, aid in the production of B-vatamins, enhance amino acid uptake and improve overall digestive health.
US$31.99 (Not yet available in the UK or Australia)
Ryders Eyewear Face, Face GX and Caliber
Ryders Eyewear has trio of new shades targeted at mountain bikers.
The Caliber is a slim, half-frame model
The Face is a full frame model that offers ample coverage in medium-sized frame
The Face GX takes the Face frame and adds removable foam gasket to keep wind and debris out of the wearer’s eyes, making them more goggle-like (or goggle-lite)
All three of the models shown here have a permanent, hydrophobic coating that’s embedded into the front of the lens. There’s also an anti-fog layer on the backside to keep things from getting too steamy.
The Face, Face GX and Caliber also feature photochromic lenses that adapt to changing light conditions.
- Face US$130 (Not available in the UK and Australian until this fall)
- Face GX $160 (Not available in the UK and Australian until this fall)
- Caliber US$130 (Not available in the UK and Australian until this fall)
Wolf Tooth SDM Elliptical direct mount chainring
Wolf Tooth Components was one of the first companies to roll out aftermarket narrow-wide chainrings for SRAM’s 1x11 groups and 1x conversions. One of its latest products is a direct mount chainring with an ovalised profile.
Like other ovalised rings, Wolf Tooth’s SRM Eliptical chainring is designed to improve pedalling efficiency by taking advantage of where your pedal stroke is strongest, while making it feel like it’s easier to pedal through the weakest portion of the stroke.
Wolf Tooth offers this SRAM GXP-compatible chainring in 30t and 32t versions, with a 34t chainring scheduled to be available early next week.
US$70 / £TBA / AUS$TBA
Enve Composites carbon bottle cage
So what’s the big deal about a carbon water bottle cage? Well, for one thing, it’s really, really light – 21g to be exact.
It also has a mountain-bike friendly design that allows the drinker to insert and remove the water bottle from the sides as well as the top – a plus for full suspension frames that don’t have a lot of space in the front triangle.
Enve’s carbon bottle cage will set buyers back quite a bit, and just like many of the company’s high-end composite products, if you have to ask, there’s a good chance you can’t afford it…
US$70 / £TBA /AU$120
