Hello Friday, oh how we've missed you. To celebrate the day's glorious return we've rounded up some of the newest gear to slide into the eager hands of the BikeRadar crew.
But first, let's review how Shimano's finally getting on board with clutch road derailleurs, Norco's seriously versatile gravel bike, and the seven things no one told you when becoming a cyclist.
We've also waded head first into some tech from the Classics in Belgium with a big gallery from Flanders, a look at Trek-Segafredo rider John Degenkolb's Trek Madone, and yet another Trek Madone, this one being raced to second place at Flanders under Mads Pedersen.
Fuji Supreme 1.1 women's aero road bike
Speed freaks rejoice, there’s a new women’s aero bike on the market and it looks DAMN good. The Supreme from Fuji has just hit the market, and we’ve got one of the first bikes available to put to the test.
No repurposed bike this: its sleek carbon frame and spec have been designed from scratch to suit female riders with a whole lot of wind tunnel time and feedback from Fuji athletes.
Fuji makes some big claims about the Supreme, such as being faster than the Transonic ("5 watts less to go the same speed" the marketing blurb proudly states). According to Fuji, that makes it not just fast, but the fastest aero road bike the company has made to date, regardless of gender.
The frame employs Kamm Airfoil tube shapes — an airfoil design that’s better at dealing with side winds — throughout the bike, and carbon layup is tuned to each frame size.
The size M (53cm) frame here weighs in at a good 7.43kg, and while that might seem a tad heavier than other aero and race-focussed bikes on the market, it can be explained by the fact that the Supreme comes with hydraulic disc brakes.
There’s bling kit aplenty with SRAM Red eTap groupset, Oval Concepts carbon handlebars, carbon rimmed wheels, carbon seatpost and 751W saddle.
Does it live up to the hype? Keep your eyes peeled on BikeRadar for a full review in the near future!
- £TBC / $6,999.99 / AU$TBC
- Available soon
Giro Empire VR70 Knit shoes
Giro's Empire VR70 Knit shoes have socks built in. Sort of, but not really.
What they do have are stretchy knit cuffs that keep dirt, sand and rocks out of the shoes without the weight and bulkiness of a dedicated high-top. You remember high tops right? Those ankle-embracing shoes you wore in high-school basketball.
Back to the Empires. Giro calls the uppers 'Xnetic Knit', and claims extra breathability as well as water repellency from a DWR treatment.
These mountain bike versions have a bonded TPU 'skeleton' for a bit more durability than the road-going knit kicks.
The soles are crafted from Easton's EC70 carbon, the same stuff that Giro's sister company's handlebars are made from.
And all that carbon is swathed in Vibram rubber for a bit of traction off the bike.
- £182.50 /$250 / €214.70 / AU$344
Kali Shiva 2.0 Carbon helmet
Confidence plays a huge part in the adrenaline-fueled disciplines of cycling. Having protective gear you believe in goes a long way towards boosting that mindset.
Kali's Shiva 2.0 Carbon helmet certainly looks the part. Inside the full carbon shell are Kali's Nano Fusion multi-density EPS layer and its Low Density layer for added rotational impact protection.
There's a pile of vents, too, with 10 on the head, four on the chin bar and an additional four on the brow.
And to keep the inevitable stink away, the inner liner is removable and washable.
To keep the lid looking fresh and scuff free during transit, Kali also includes a cloth bag and a carrying case.
- £TBD / €284.41 / $550 / AU$456.82
Pearl Izumi Performance T jersey
Pearl Izumi's Performance T is for ripping around the woods or rolling about town without logos and shouty neon colors.
It's 100 percent polyester to wick away sweat and dry quickly. The fit is trim and the rear is a bit longer for proper coverage when leaned over in the saddle.
With a nod towards urban riding, Pearl Izumi has added reflective details on the left sleeve and rear bottom hem.
Three colors are available to go along with the Small to XX-Large sizes.
- £39.95 / $50 / AU$TBD
Rotor 2INpower MTB
New from Rotor is the 2INpower mountain bike power meter.
Just like its road 2INpower, the mountain bike model measures true left leg/right leg power via strain gauges in the right crank arm and spindle. This means you should get a truly accurate picture of your overall power and any imbalances you might have in your legs.
Being Rotor means it's compatible with its new direct mount Q-rings, which come as low as 26t.
On the BikeRadar scales of truth our model weighed 713g with a 32t Q-ring. Our marathon racer extraordinaire and power meter nerd Joe Norledge already has the 2Inpower installed on his Specialized S-Works Epic long-term bike, and he'll be giving it a thorough thrashing over the next few months.
The price is yet to be confirmed, but we are expecting a figure close to that of the road model, which currently retails at £1,300 / $1,500 / €1,349.
Hammer Nutrition supplements
Hammer Nutrition has a long history of supplying energy fuel and supplements to endurance athletes. From energy bars and gels to sleep aids, the Montana-based company has a wide range of products.
According to Hammer, Tissue Rejuvenator helps rebuild body tissue by minimizing inflammation and promoting joint mobility. All of which sounds pretty good to my creaky knees.
The Anti-Fatigue Caps are claimed to enhance endurance and keep your legs feeling fresh day-after-day by removing ammonia. Hammer states the Anti-Fatigue Caps are ideal for staying strong during multi-hour efforts.
The Premium Insurance Caps won't cover your home or car should something happen, but what they do claim is to minimize the damage caused by free radicals. While that might trigger images of the one-hit wonder New Radicals, Hammer claims it's the kind that limits recovery and suppresses the immune system.
- Tissue Rejuvenator, 60 capsules: £22.95 / $19.95 / AU$49.95
- Anti-Fatigue Caps, 90 capsules: £24.95 / $22.95 / AU$49.95
- Premium Insurance Caps, 120 capsules: £22.95 / $21.95 / AU$TBD
Magura Vyron eLect dropper post
In a few short years, dropper posts have quickly become one of mountain biking's must-have items. They're so popular, and the benefits so readily apparent, that even the notoriously fickle drop bar crowd is embracing party posts on cyclocross and gravel bikes.
While nearly every other uppy/downy post relies on a cable or hose for actuation, Magura's 150mm travel Vyron eLect relies on magic.
In reality, it's ANT+ allowing the remote to tell the Vyron to open its servo motor. Inside, there's Magura's 'Royal Blood' hydraulic fluid and an adjustable air spring.
Why wireless? What's the benefit? The biggest is super simple installation. After all, I've yet to meet a rider or mechanic who's stoked to fish a cable through a frame's innards, or worse, figure a way to tidy up an externally routed cable.
Compared to hydraulic posts such as RockShox's Reverb, it eliminates the hassle and mess of bleeding the hose and remote.
And for those lucky riders who travel with their bike often, the lack of a cable makes packing up the bike much easier. It's as simple as a non-dropper, rigid post.
Instead of a single button, the remote features three buttons for control over Magura's wireless front and rear suspension. But for bikes without Magura squishy bits, a cover can be placed on the remote to ensure your thumb only triggers the seatpost button.
Magura claims 400 up and down cycles per battery charge.
- £350 / $500 / AU$560
Ugoe DB02 dynamo light
Dynamo lights, niche as they may be, seem to be something that you, the BikeRadar audience, engage with.
Jack has been using his Exposure Revo dynamo light for the past year, but keen to see how cheaper options perform, we’ve got a hold of this OEM light from Chinese manufacturer Ugoe.
The light houses three CREE R4 LEDs that produce a claimed 600 lumens of power, with a stand light that will keep the light on for up to 5 minutes after you stop.
The lamp feels really nicely made and the connectors, cables and button on the back of the housing all look suitably hardy.
The light is designed to mount on the crown of a fork (this is a common feature among dynamo lights), though the standard 10mm wide mount on the base of the light will work with a number of third-party mounts on the market.
International distribution, pricing and availability are all still TBC, but if you really can’t wait, or if you’re a shop and fancy importing the lights yourself, you can always get in touch with Ugoe via AliBaba.
- Pricing and availability TBC
Vaude Moab Rain Suit
Self-professed onesie enthusiast Tom Marvin (we all have to have a hobby) has just taken delivery of this natty rain suit from German brand Vaude.
The Moab Rain Suit (a slightly odd name given the typically dry climes of its namesake) is a super simple, very packable, waterproof that is designed for grimy days spent mountain biking
The 2.5 layer waterproof has no hood and minimal adjustment tabs to keep weight and bulk low, however it’s suitably baggy to accommodate all the layers you could ever need beneath.
As with most of Vaude’s range, the onesie is constructed using sustainable materials that are manufactured in fair working conditions.
One of these materials is ‘S.Cafe’, which is made from “recycled coffee grounds that are transformed by a patented process into special fibres”, though we’re sad to report that there is no pleasing residual caffeinated aroma.
- £195 / $225 / AU$N/A
Restrap Hip Bag
Fanny packs, bum bags, hip bags… whatever you want to call them, there’s no denying that lumbar-located pouches have made a comeback in the cycling world in recent years.
We’ve been using this pleasingly minimal 3.6 litre bag from Yorkshire based makers Restrap for the last few weeks and early impressions are very positive.
The bag is constructed from waterproof materials throughout and is held in place with an adjustable elastic waistband, which is secured with Restrap’s signature one-handed magnetic closure. In practice, we’ve found this very easy to use and having cameras and snacks so easily to hand can’t be beaten.
We’ve also found the additional load-carrying straps on the base of the bag to be more useful than you might imagine.
The bag is available in either black or this shade of olive drab.
As with all bum bags, it’s critical that you don’t over-pack to avoid bouncing and any unpleasant strain on your belly, but with a light load, it’s barely noticeable.
- £44.99 / $62.99 / €51.99 / AU$ N/A
BikeRadar CamelBak Podium Chill bottle
Achingly simple yet absolutely essential, water bottles are an important part of most rides. Chances are you have a few favorite bottles in your stash and there's a solid chance some are CamelBak bottles.
CamelBak's Podium Chill bottles have the company's Jet Valve. It's soft yet doesn't leak and it blasts water when needed but can be locked shut when bouncing around the inside of your gear bag.
Plus the double-wall insulation in the bottle is claimed to keep liquids cold for twice as long.
The bottles are free of all the nasty BPA, BPS and BPF stuff, and CamelBak's TruTaste liner aims to keep your water tasting clean and refreshing.
- 21oz bottle: £16.99 / $13 / AU$24.95