Happy Friday, everybody. This week we've brought you a gritty review of Shimano's new mechanical Ultegra groupset, taken a look at the 2018 Specialized Enduro line and heard from Matthew Allen on how to Make Cable Routing Great Again. We hope your weekend plans are absolutely littered with bike riding. Let us throw a few more logs on your motivational fire here with some new bike goodies, including a surprising self-help book of sorts.
“The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion”
Husband-and-wife duo Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson have coached athletes based on their work and experience in exercise science and professional competition. Now they have a book that distills a lot of their advice into easy-to-digest chapters, much of it written in Paterson’s happily foul-mouthed language.
Dr Marshall, former Director of the Graduate Program in Sport & Exercise Psychology at San Diego State University, has published more than 100 scientific articles on the psychology of exercise. He now works with the BMC WorldTour team.
Before becoming a pro mountain biker and triathlete, Paterson grew up in Scotland, where she was the only girl on an all-boys' rugby team.
The 360-page book The Brave Athlete tackles 13 common mental conundrums athletes face in training and races: "Why do I have thoughts and feelings I don't want? I wish I felt more like an athlete. I don't think I can. I don't achieve my goals. Other athletes seem tougher, happier, and more badass than me. I feel fat. I don't cope well with injury. People are worried about how much I exercise. I don't like leaving my comfort zone. When the going gets tough, the tough leave me behind. I need to harden the f*ck up. I keep screwing up. I don't handle pressure well."
- $24.95 / £N/A
- www.velopress.com/books/the-brave-athlete/
Specialized Power Pro saddle
Specialized’s Power saddle has quickly become a favorite among many BikeRadar testers. While its primary perk is how it affords an aero position without pain or major blood-flow restriction, it’s also a comfortable saddle for many riders in a standard road position.
Like many saddles, it comes in a variety of levels, from the affordable but heavy to the expensive and light. The Pro version is the second in line behind the S-Works.
The Power Pro has a carbon shell, titanium rails and comes in 143 and 155mm widths. Like the S-Works model, it has a thin layer of PU padding, and SWAT mounts at the tail for attaching Specialized’s flat kit or extra water bottles.
At just over 210g, the Pro weighs about 50g more than the carbon-railed S-Works — but it is also about two-thirds the price.
The Expert and Comp models feature the same shape with more padding, more weight and less cost.
- $200 / £175 / AU$TBC
- www.specialized.com/us/en/men/saddles/power-pro/117330
Vee Tires Rolldiac 28mm
The Vee Rolldiac is a rebranded version of the brand’s RainRunner, which was positioned as a rain tire. Now with the same mold, Vee is pitching the Rolldiac as an all-weather, all-rounder that can handle some dirt, too.
Like all Vee Tires, the Rolldiac is affordable for the US market at $35, and still fairly reasonable in the UK at £39.
This 28mm one weighs 300g and has proven durable if not the fastest rolling over a few hundred kilometers.
It also comes in 25 and 30mm options.
Shimano S-Phyre road kit
After launching S-Phyre shoes in 2016, Shimano has moved the top-end designation over to clothing this year.
The S-Phyre short sleeve jersey features seamless shoulders for an aero fit, with angled-entry side pockets and welded seams. With a 75% Polyester, 25% Elastane construction, the jersey feels almost like thin rubber.
The S-Phyre bibs have a funky split-tail chamois and woven leg grippers.
- $199 jersey; $219 bibs / £N/A
- www.shimano-lifestylegear.com/us/cw/products/sphyre/index.php
Gios Aerolite frameset
Gios is a storied brand that tracks its history back to 1948, and it's probably best remembered for its blue steel frames. For 2017, the Gios Aerolite is a carbon frameset that the Manzana Postobon team will race in the Vuelta a España.
The 900g frame features an English threaded bottom bracket, internal cable routing and a tapered head tube (1 1/8in to 1.5in).
The frameset can be purchased in the US as a set that includes frame, fork, headset and seatpost for $2,400, or built up as a complete bike.
This 56cm model shown here with Campagnolo Chorus and Rolf Prima Ares 3 carbon clinchers weighs 7.47kg / 16.5lb.
- $2,400 / £N/A
- www.velosportimports.com
Louis Garneau custom kit
French Canadian brand Louis Garneau has produced high-end custom clothing for three decades, but the company’s business model has evolved recently to handle quick turnaround (a claimed three weeks after art approval), no minimum orders and online ordering.
You can pick from a variety of styles and cuts (racer, standard, semi-relaxed), plus a choice of chamois pads.
Garneau artists can help you create the clothing’s design in an iterative process.
As with all custom clothing, pricing varies based on the amount of clothing ordered.
- Starts at $73 jersey / $87 bibs for 10-piece order (£N/A)
- custom.louisgarneau.com
Wolftooth ReMote Light Action dropper lever
The Light Action version of the outstanding ReMote dropper lever is 10mm longer than the standard version. The longer lever allows it to work better with droppers with a higher leverage ratio.The company claims it reduces lever force by up to 33% compared to the standard ReMote.
Wolf Tooth offers a compatibility guide on its website so you can easily figure out which version will best with your particular dropper seatpost.
The ReMote Light Action is available in 22.2mm handlebar mount, as well as SRAM and Shimano direct mount versions
- £55 / $69.95 / AU$88.50 for the bar-mounted version
- www.wolftoothcomponents.com
Fox top cap sockets and seal tools
Fox has added some handy suspension tools to its line.
The Fox top cap sockets use a common 3/8in square drive. Unlike standard sockets you can find at your local hardware store, there’s no chamfered edge on these low-profile sockets, which can lead to the marring of alloy top caps.
The top of these six-point sockets is knurled for improved finger grip.
Fox offers top cap sockets in 26mm (32 Series forks), 28mm (34 Series forks), and 32mm (36 and 40 Series forks).
In addition to top cap sockets, Fox is also offering seal drivers to ease the install dust wipers. Fox offers these Derlin seal drivers in 32, 34, 36 and 40mm versions to fit all its suspension forks.
- Top cap sockets: $25 / £20 / AU$33 each
- Seal drivers: $30 / £25 / AU$27 each
- www.ridefox.com
Kitsbow Origin A/M Short and Origin Jersey SS
Kitsbow has some new threads in its high-end apparel line.
The full-zip Origin Jersey SS is constructed from Polertec Power Stretch Pro fabric with three rear pockets and shoulder panels to play nice with hydration packs.
The Origin Jersey SS has a tailored fit. It’s available in sizes XS through XXL.
- £116 / $150 / AU$190
To complement this new top, Kitsbow has released a new pair of baggies. The Origin A/M Short is constructed from woven Nylon with an adjustable waistbane and four pockets.
The Origin A/M Short has an 11.5in inseam and comes in XS through XXL sizes.
- £120 / $155 / AU$195
- www.kitsbow.com
Leatt DBX 3.0
Leatt’s DBX 3.0 is a trail helmet with a different take on protection. Leatt uses what it calls “360 Turbine Technology” to mitigate rotational impacts.
The DBX3.0 uses a series of 10 strategically positioned turbines constructed from Amourgel to flex and absorb energy. The company claims these little blue bits can reduce head impacts by 30-percent and reduce rotational acceleration by 40 percent.
This lid has 18 vents and comes with a breakaway visor and a Fidlock magnetic buckle.
- £140 / $170 / AU$TBC
- www.leatt.com
SIS Go Energy Bar 5 Pack
Science In Sport, better known as SIS, has added a new line of energy bars.
The bars are made from natural fruit ingredients and include 25-27g of carbohydrates per bar.
To sort out which flavors you may favor, SIS offers its energy bars in a variety pack. Flavors include apple and blackcurrant, chocolate fudge, red berry, banana fudge, and blueberry.
- GO Variety Pack: £8 / $10 / AU$14
- www.scienceinsport.com
