11spd: This week’s new bike gear

It’s Friday and you know what that means! It’s time for another eleven, lust-worthy items from the world of cycling. This week we bring you a new helmet, an incredibly light but uncomfortable looking saddle, an alarmed lock and a cunning alternative to plastic water bottles (and no, we don’t mean bidons).

• 5 things I wish I’d known when I started cycling
• How to watch the 2018 Tour de France
• BikeRadar Bargains: Cheap mountain bike wheels – UK deals

We like to think of 11spd as a gentle wind-down from the week, a chance to grab a drink and relax with a little read. And if you’d like a little further reading, might we suggest the following?

For anyone riding in the heat this week — which would be pretty much anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere at the moment — then our tips for riding in the heat or pro-tips for staying cool are almost a necessity.  

Following the Tour de France? Peruse our huge race tech gallery, scope out the pro bikes or have a look at the top 5 custom bikes as ridden by some of the biggest names! And some of them are even still left in the race!

Marzocchi Bomber 58 fork

The Bomber is back! Marzocchi’s classic downhill fork has had a serious upgrade, with 40mm chassis offering 203mm of travel for 27.5-inch wheels with 20×110 DH axles (non-boost). 

Internally, there’s a Fit Grip damper which offers compression and rebound adjustment, plus a FLOAT EVOL air spring to give better small bump sensitivity.

Oh, and they’re available in black or this classic gloss red.

• £1,069.00 / US and Australian prices TBC

• Available now from Stif

Ion Transom 24 rucksack with protection

Ion has certainly packed in the features with the Transom 24 rucksack.

First, it’s designed to sit away from the body when climbing to help keep you cool. Second, it’s size adjustable to get the best fit with a decoupled waist band to allow you to move without your rucksack flying all over the place. Third, it’s got a spacious 24-litre capacity, which can take a 3-litre water reservoir (not included).

The ripstop nylon outer is, Ion says, stain resistant, and there are lots of internal pockets and compartments, so there should be a place to put everything.

And, of course, it features a built-in back protector that will help keep you in one piece if you decide to try flying.

• £170

• Buy now from Bike Inn

SRM Origin Power Meter

Now here’s a bit of uber-fancy German manufactured kit, SRM’s Origin power meter. It’s destined for our hill climb fanatic Joe Norledge and his Trek Emonda, and should been seen thrashing up some of the UK’s steepest hills during the 2018 hill climb season.

As you’d expect, it’s very light (537g without chainrings), no doubt thanks to the Look manufactured carbon arms. Combine this with SRM’s reputation for producing accurate and durable power meters and hopefully Joe will be on to a winning combination.

• €2,261 including Look crank (€1,428 without)

• Available now from SRM

Abus Bordo Alarm bike lock

This compact folding lock has a surprise in store for any would-be thieves. Try to tamper with it when it’s locked around a bike and it emits an alarm sound that’s as loud as a pneumatic drill.

The lock itself consists of a series of interlocked bars, which unfurl and can be wrapped around your bike and the object you’re locking it to. It locks in the usual fashion, but sat at one end of the lock is the chunky alarm body.

You can set it the alarm to on or off, which is handy if you don’t want it to go off while you’re riding.

If the alarm gets knocked when activated it will sound a warning noise. If it’s tampered with further the alarm proper will sound and will continue to make a racket for another 60 seconds, or continue if the lock is still being tampered with.

• £129.85

• Available now from Amazon

Bontgrager Carbon XXX saddle

At a rather impressive 73g, the Bontrager Carbon XXX saddle is a weight-weenie’s dream seat. For pretty much anyone else, the minimalist carbon rail, shell and seat look like they may make for a pretty uncomfortable saddle after a relatively short about of time. 

Bontrager claims the central cut-out in the saddle relieves pressure on soft tissue for all-day comfort, but really the main reason anyone will be buying this saddle is because they want something that weighs next to nothing.

In this case, it’s another bit of kit destined for Joe’s lightweight hill climbing machine. Watch this space to find out how he gets on!

• £299.99 / $379.99 / AU$TBC

• Available now from Sigma Sports

Le Col by Wiggins Sport Collection short sleeved jersey

Pro cyclist kit collaborations are nothing new, but when it’s the mod-influenced, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, the kit has to stand up in the style stakes too.

The side-burned one has opted to work with Le Col to develop a range of jerseys, shorts, caps and socks, and there are an equal number of women’s kit items to the men’s range too.

According to the man himself on the Le Col website: “In true Mod style, I’ve picked colours that contrast and divide the jersey in to clear blocks. This is the perfect Sunday club ride jersey, with gold highlights found to accent the reds, whites and blues”.

• £85 for the jersey

• Buy now from Le Col

Dare MR1 bike

Taiwanese direct-sale brand Dare Bikes is going after the likes of Canyon and Rose in a big way with its line of well configured, customisable road bikes.

The MRS1 is Dare’s headline road model, and this particular example has been sent across for Oli to test. This 58cm Dura-Ace mechanical build with its DT Swiss PRC1400 Spline 35 wheels totals exactly 6.8kg / 15lb.

The same frame can be had with cheaper DT wheels and Ultegra R8000 for significantly less, or it’s possible to spend considerably more by upgrading to a DI2 drivetrain and ticking options such as Dare’s own aero cockpit or making use of the company’s custom colour configurator.

Initial impressions of this bike are great but you’ll have to stay tuned for the full review.

• £4,339 / €5,009 / $5,419  (prices are excluding VAT and customs charges)

• Buy direct from Dare Bikes

Le Tour de France: the official history

Blood, sweat, tears, triumph and a few shady chapters. Le Tour is nothing if not dramatic, and for those of us who just can’t get enough of it this book will be right up our street.

The ‘official history’ is a chunky tome packed full of snippets of information, glorious old photographs, documents and insights into the most famous characters in the history of the greatest race on Earth.

• £20 / $29.95 (currently on sale for £13.17 / $20.59)

• Available from Amazon

Trek Drops mineral water

Now this is a genuinely interesting idea.

Anyone who cares even slightly about the environment will know the huge amount of pollution that’s caused by single-use plastic. Plastic bottles, used for water, fizzy drinks, etc. are one of the big culprits.

That’s where this can comes in. Women’s cycling team Trek-Drops has worked with the ‘Every Can Counts’ recycling campaign to produce a limited edition branded can filled with refreshing spring water.

The cans will be available for spectators during the Tour de France, and also at the Prudential Ride London event in the UK this Saturday.

Cans are much easier to recycle than plastic bottles, and each one can be transformed into a new can in just 60 days

And, of course, it’s another opportunity to raise the profile of women’s cycling.

• Price TBC, limited edition

• Available at the Tour de France and Prudential Ride London

2019 Specialized Crux Expert CX bike

Oh hello lovely newness! There’s no way you’d ever miss this retro-coloured Specialized Crux Expert cyclocross bike. That orange to yellow fade blends into no background whatsoever.

But who wants to blend in when you’re getting a PB on the CX track, right?

As well as the striking paint job, the Crux Expert has a FACT 11r carbon frame, thru-axles, SRAM Force 1 groupset with hydraulic disc brakes and Roval C38 Disc carbon wheels.

• £4,000 / US and Australian pricing TBC

• Available from Evans Cycles