As you wind down towards a weekend that, we hope, is filled with riding, we too continue our come down from the week of tech-tastic mayhem that is Eurobike only to hurtle towards... Interbike. Another mammoth cycling trade show that is based in the famously chilled out and slow paced centre of fun, Las Vegas.
This week we've checked out Apple's new watches, reviewed some funky shoes and tackled another behemoth of the drivetrain world, Shimano XT M8000.
And of course, as with every Friday, the tastiest taster of things yet to come is here; enter 11spd, your weekly roundup of the most spectacular road and mountain bike gear to find its way to our grubby, fondling mitts.
Pit Viper glasses
We really don’t even know where to start with these shades from Pit Viper.
Described by Pit Viper as “the sunglasses that sunglasses would wear if sunglasses could wear sunglasses,” these have been on our radar for some time now, initially coming to our attention via the brand's absolutely amazing promotional videos.
There is literally nothing we can criticise in this promotional video
The full wraparound shades were initially designed for ski touring and are said to be super hardy, but are backed up by a lifetime warranty that Pit Viper will honour if you produce a video re-enacting how the shades broke. Bizarre, but brilliant.
These particular glasses are the Purple Nurple’s and they sit among an enormous range of radically designed and named shades — seriously, even if you aren’t interested in buying a pair of these the site is worth a visit just for the high quality marketing copy alone.
Pit Viper also produces a huge range of amazing, really quite swear-word heavy hats, sweatbands and T-shirts.
The glasses are available to order direct from Pit Viper with international shipping also available.
- $59.00, international shipping available
Lizard Skins 2.5mm DSP camo tape
Continuing the throwback theme, Josh has just got this splash-patterned tape from Lizard Skins for his Bowman Palace rebuild and… well, we’re not really sure what to think.
Is splash tape one of those things that have come back full circle and is in fact cool again? We’re not so sure.
While we really enjoyed Velo Orange’s tie dyed cotton tape this one has left us on the fence. What do you think?
- £36.99 / $41.99 / AU$55
Deda Superleggera carbon handlebar
Our love affair with handlebars continues in this week’s edition of 11spd with these airy bars from Deda.
Weighing in at a scant 198g in a 42cm width, Deda claims it has managed to achieve this low weight by using a “revolutionary type of carbon fibre and… a new resin."
The bars are shaped in a design Deda is calling Rapid Hand Movement, but we think that might just be another name for a compact bar.
The bars are set to be fitted to Joe’s super-light hill climb weapon, so expect these to be put through their paces beneath his forever decreasing, climbing friendly mass this season.
- £219 / $295.49 / AU$375.99
Onza Aquila 27.5x2.4” Aaron Gwin signature edition tyres
Everyone knows that a product endorsed by an elite-level rider makes you go faster. So if you’re into your downhill racing, these tyres, designed by the fastest man on the mountain Aaron Gwin, will likely tickle your pickle.
Unlike many ‘signature’ products that merely carry the name of a racer without any real input from them, Gwin is said to have been heavily involved in the development of the tyres — supposedly penning the first draft of the design on the back of a napkin — which should come as no real surprise as he’s known to be incredibly picky when it comes to his gear.
The tyres will be available in 45/55a dual compound or 'VISCO GRP40' flavours. A 29er version is also in the works and a trail version with reinforced sidewalls and a folding bead is also due to be released soon.
- £72.95 / $97.99 / AU$124.99
Ridley X-Trail Adventure Apex1
The X-Trail Adventure is a new build option from Ridley that's built around the X-Trail A alloy frameset announced last year.
Built around meaty, 650b, 50mm wide Clement X’Plor tyres, this bike is designed for adventures well off the beaten track.
We've already spent some time on the carbon version of the X-Trail and you can check out our first impressions on our YouTube channel
This particular bike is built around a 1x SRAM Apex groupset, but there is also a 2x Shimano 105 build and frameset available.
We were particularly pleased to see that the frameset uses a normal threaded bottom bracket and has a full complement of mudguard mounts.
All else aside, how could you not love that shade of yellow? That sun-shiny hue will be sure to lighten up even the darkest moments of your most epic, Rapha-esque, grainy shred-venture.
- Pricing TBC
- Preorders for the bike can be made at your local Ridley dealer
Light & Motion Vibe Pro commuter combo
Light & Motion has brought something genuinely new to the industry with these Vibe Pro lights: they’re biodegradable.
Well, technically they’re made of bio-renewable material, but that didn’t sound nearly as snappy.
If our 30 seconds of Google research that lead us to the NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals is correct, this means that the casing of the lights is made from materials derived primarily from plants. Cool.
The lights also feature a sensor that will automatically adjust the brightness of the lights to the “safest riding mode, pulsing in the daytime and remaining steady at night."
Charging the lights is done by an inbuilt USB plug, so no faffing with cables here. The front light claims to output 200 lumens with a runtime of six hours, while the rear light has a claimed 100 lumens and the same run time.
- £100 / $100 / AU$ N/A
MET Safe-T Advanced helmet light
This little LED light clips straight to the back of the Safe-T Advanced fit system — that’s the one that’s shared with plenty of recent MET and Bluegrass helmets.
Once in place, the 13g addition uses six LEDs to provide 25 lumens of light up nice and high, which MET claims can be seen from up to 500 metres away.
As well as the usual static and flashing illumination modes there’s a light sensor which means this unit can be set to automatically power itself on and off.
We’ve been told to expect between 2.5 and 4 hours from the battery — which recharges via micro USB — so there are no fiddly cells to worry about. Neat.
- £32.50 / €39 / $37
Wearwell Cycling Socks
We’ve always got time for a good pair of socks, and these UK-made offerings from Wearwell look like a great addition to any roadie's wardrobe.
Two sizes will cover anyone from UK size 4/EU37 through to UK 11/EU46, while three colour options mean matching your bike/kit shouldn’t be too difficult.
Technical details include padding at the soles, targeted compression areas and ribbed elastic support at the ankles, while the mostly nylon material has been chosen for its breathability and temperature management.
These are part of a larger ‘Revival Collection’ that the guys at Wearwell sent through, so stay tuned for more from Wearwell on BikeRadar.
- £14 / €15.54 / €18.60
Nukeproof Horizon saddle
The Horizon saddle from Nukeproof has been developed to be a perch that’s ideal for enduro or downhill use with some of the fastest names in the sport.
The 226g Horizon pairs lightweight foam with a tough microfibre cover and CrN/Ti alloy rails, which you’ll notice are a fetching bronze colour in this particular version.
It’s a good-looking saddle and it won’t be long before we are sitting on it. Stay tuned for a full review.
- £49.99 / $67.49 / €60.49
Merida Cyclocross 5000
This sharp looking ‘cross bike from Merida has come in for the folk over at Cycling Plus mag to test. Its full carbon chassis features a rear triangle with a certain degree of flex built into it, while thru-axles at each wheel and a stout head tube should go a long way to keeping things precise.
SRAM’s Apex 1 group provides 1x simplicity and chain retention with the addition of a gangly 42t crawler cog, while its hydraulic brakes keep braking away from the Merida’s own wheels.
A smattering of Merida branded finishing kit and 33mm Maxxis Mud Wrestler tyres complete what is a race-ready package.
Lapierre Pulsium 900 Ultimate
Stiffer, lighter and plusher than ever before. That’s what Lapierre had to say about its all-new Pulsium, which was something that Cycling Plus staffer Simon Withers felt for himself when he got an early go on the top shelf FDJ version back in June.
This model, the Pulsium 900 Ultimate, sits just below the aforementioned, and this size XL example tipped our scales at 7.02kg.
It wears the latest Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Mavic’s Ksyrium Pro Carbon wheels and Yksion Pro tyres as well as a full carbon cockpit from Zipp.
Expect to see this bike in lots more detail soon here at BikeRadar.
