It’s been a week jam-packed full of news here on BikeRadar, so before we jump head-first into another edition of First Look Friday, let’s have a quick look back over some highlights from the week.
While we originally spotted it on the heads of WorldTour pros back in March 2021, Giro has now officially launched the Eclipse Spherical helmet. Excitingly, it's claimed to be both aerodynamic and well ventilated, so it could be a low-compromise option for watt-conscious riders.
Rossignol, best known for its ski equipment, launched a new range of full-suspension mountain bikes, and Hope announced its new Tech 4 brakes.
It was an exciting week for fans of carbon road wheelsets, with FFWD launching the Tyro range (which notably included options for rim-brake bikes), Cadex launching the Cadex AR 35 Disc gravel wheelset and Hunt a new ultra-light road wheelset called the 32 Aerodynamicist.
Specialized also released a new race-focused gravel tyre, the S-Works Pathfinder. Said to be 20 per cent faster and 210g lighter than the brand’s Pathfinder Pro tyre, it’s clearly aimed at the marginal gainers of the gravel world.
This week also saw the publication of reviews of Endura’s new MT500 Burner Flat and MT500 Burner Clipless shoes, with both impressing our testers.
Specialized Sitero saddle
The Sitero saddle is Specialized‘s time trial and triathlon-specific saddle.
Designed in collaboration with Retül bike fitters, its goal is to provide maximum comfort when sitting in a super-aggressive aero position (sit-aero – get it?).
Available in 130mm or 155mm widths, sit bones are supported on a medium-density foam padding, either side of a wide central cutout, designed to reduce soft-tissue pressure.
Riders who want softer padding can opt for the Sitero Plus, which uses the same shape and widths but comes with a lower-density foam padding.
Like most other time trial saddles, it also has a short overall length to enable riders to get up and over the bottom bracket, while not falling foul of the UCI’s strict rules on saddle positioning.
The base-level Sitero comes with Cr-Mo rails, which have 5cm of fore/aft adjustment available. It’s also possible to mount a bottle cage or other accessories on the rear of the saddle via an included mount.
Our 130mm sample weighs 251g and has an RRP of £110.
Having used an ISM Attack saddle on my time trial bike for many years, I’m keen to see whether there’s anything to be gained from swapping to something else.
Tyre Glider
Knowing how to change a bike tyre is an essential skill for any cyclist, but some rim and tyre combinations can prove tricky, even with tools such as tyre levers.
The Tyre Glider is said to be “the next step in evolution for tyre levers”, and can help change even tough road, gravel or mountain bike tyres “in seconds, rather than minutes”.
While it looks much more complicated than a traditional tyre lever, it’s actually reasonably simple to use once you know what you’re doing, and makes light work of getting stubborn tyres on and off rims.
At a weight of just 21g, and no bigger than a traditional tyre lever, could it replace the well-used set of Park Tool tyre levers in my saddle bag? It’s definitely a possibility.
Ashdown bags 3-point camera strap
Without a reasonably sized handlebar or bike frame bag, carrying a camera with you on a bike ride can be tricky.
Ashdown bags' 3-point camera strap offers a lightweight, minimalist design with universal fit across practically all types of cameras.
The advantage of the second strap is that it prevents the camera from swinging round to your front, where it would interfere with your knees while pedalling.
An auto-locating Fidlock magnetic buckle also enables rapid access to your camera, should you need to react quickly to capture a decisive moment.
Given the lack of padding, this is designed for lighter mirrorless or compact cameras. As each strap is made to order, though, this is something that can be customised if you plan to carry a heavy camera with you.
Visit ashdownbags.com.
Le Col x Wahoo indoor training cap and socks
With the seemingly unstoppable rise of indoor cycling apps such as Zwift, Wahoo SYSTM, TrainerRoad and RGT Cycling, the market for indoor-specific cycling kit is also growing at pace.
Of course, it’s entirely possible to use any standard cycling socks and a traditional cotton cap, but dedicated indoor trainers or racers can optimise their kit a little more with items such as this.
As expected, the Le Col x Wahoo indoor training socks and cap both focus on breathability to help deal with the increased body heat generated while riding indoors.
The socks use a lightweight honeycomb structure said to optimise breathability, compression and comfort, and are cut high for a “pro look”.
As well as looking good, the cap uses a highly perforated fabric designed to maintain maximum breathability, while also stopping sweat from your forehead dripping into your eyes or onto your bike.
