Apidura bikepacking kit, a smart camera strap and technical clothing from Brynje
Plus a look back at the week's top stories on BikeRadar
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Another week, another edition of Friday Look Friday, but this hasn’t been any old week on BikeRadar.
The first of our coveted Bike of the Year awards went live, with the two winners of our trail and enduro mountain bike categories announced.
As a joint effort between BikeRadar and our colleagues at Mountain Biking UK magazine, Bike of the Year involved months of testing, on sixteen different bikes, totalling hundreds of kilometres of riding and countless metres of climbing and descending. All in the challenging ride conditions of the British winter and spring.
Taking the crown for Enduro Bike of the Year was the Trek Slash 8 – a bike that was praised for being easy to ride but immensely capable thanks to standout suspension, sorted geometry and a great spec sheet for the cash.
The Bird Aether 9 beat fierce competition to be announced our Trail Bike of the Year after impressing chief trail tester Tom Marvin with its do-it-all capability, engaging ride and exceptional value for money.
Stay tuned to BikeRadar as more of our Bike of the Year award winners are announced, including this year’s leading road and gravel bikes. And make sure you check out Tom’s full video review of the Bird Aether 9 below.
It’s also been a bumper week for tech news, with Cervélo’s Áspero 5 launched as a more aerodynamic and lighter upgrade to the existing Áspero gravel bike, while Endura’s latest women’s-specific bib shorts made the headlines thanks to their use of medical grade silicone elastomers to improve comfort.
We also spotted another new bike from Cervélo, with Primoz Roglic riding an unreleased road bike with hidden cables at La Flèche Wallonne. Is this the new Cervélo R6 Disc?
While we’re talking shiny new tech – check out the latest Bora Ultra WTO wheels from the Italian maestros at Campagnolo and these all-new 353 NSW hoops with Zipp’s radical whale-inspired rim profile.
In the world of knobbly tyres, Rockshox have introduced the revamped Domain as a more affordable version of the hard-hitting Zeb mountain bike fork.
Otherwise, motoring journalist and cyclist Dan Trent investigated how the technological advancement of vehicles affects cyclists in a thought-provoking piece on lane-keeping assistance.
Phew, what a week! Now let’s get on to our picks for First Look Friday…
Apidura Expedition fork pack
Attaching to the Tailfin Cargo Cage of Felix’s Lauf ultra-endurance bike is this fork pack from Apidura.
Cut from a tough three-layer waterproof fabric, the Expedition pack carries 4.5-litres of whatever you need to stow away for adventuring. A hands-free air release valve makes for easy packing and space-efficient compression.
The unique attachment mechanism keeps the straps away from the fork itself, making for quick and easy installation and removal, and allows for access to the contents without the need to remove the bag.
Apidura says this pack can fit any fork cage thanks to plenty of attachment loops and straps that can be cut down.
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Rille Strap
So, you want to take your camera with you on a ride but don’t want to lug it about inside a hefty backpack? Rille has your back, quite literally.
The Rille Strap simply attaches to your camera’s existing strap, triangulating it around your chosen shoulder for a tight grip that will leave the camera facing outwards against your back.
When you stop riding you can have the viewfinder to your eye in a matter of seconds thanks to a Fidlock magnetic closure. Best to check the weather forecast before you leave, though!
