It’s Friday, and that means shiny new kit. Here’s a peek at some of the new road and mountain bike gear that’s landed on our desk this week.
New road gear
Santini Retro kit
With the growing popularity of retro events such as the Eroica, old is the new new. The Santini Wool Heritage jersey is made from a wool/polyester blend and sports an old-school knitted collar and cuffs. The matching Pure bib-shorts are a more conventional synthetic blend and have a classy embroidered logo in keeping with the vintage theme. The pad is Santini’s excellent Gel Intech version, which the firm insists on abbreviating, rather unfortunately, to 'GIT'.
- Jersey: £99.99 / US$190
- Shorts: £99.99 / US$190
www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk / www.santinisms.it
Colnago CX Zero Disc
Since we all started taking road discs seriously, Colnago has been at the vanguard of efforts to stamp out rim braking for good, stealing the limelight back in early 2012 with its C59 Disc. The CX Zero is the company’s endurance road machine, with shorter, more upright geometry than its racier siblings, the C60 and the M10s. It also has skinny seatstays and a distinct kink in the chainstays: evidence that ride comfort was foremost in the mind of the designers.
Ultegra build £3,499.95 / US$4,700
www.windwave.co.uk / www.colnago.com
Rudy Project Agon glasses
Being a sunglasses tart is virtually a job requirement at BikeRadar – we never tire of new eyewear. The Agon is Rudy Project’s latest set of cycling shades – available in a vast range of lens and frame combinations, with all lenses being interchangeable. Highlights are the adjustable temple tips and nose piece, as well as a host of corrective options. First impressions are that these offer great optical clarity and a pleasingly unobstructed field of view.
From £138.99 / US$224.99 (White gloss frame/Impact X Red Photochromic as pictured: £184.99 / US$274.99)
Aerozine anodised components
If matchy-matchy is your thing, Aerozine will sort you out. Available in eight different colours, you can colour coordinate virtually every detail of your bike with the company’s flashy anodised components. Who said the 90s were dead?
- Bottom bracket: £19.99 / US$N/A
- Jockey wheels: £21.99 / US$N/A
- Chainring bolts: £8.99 / US$N/A
- Headset spacers: £6.99 / US$N/A
- Seat clamp: £15.99 / US$N/A
- Titanium skewers: £29.99 / US$N/A
- Headset cap: £5.99 / US$N/A
- Headset (tapered or straight): £27.99 / US$N/A
Lazer Z1 helmet
We’ve been impressed by Lazer’s offerings of late, so we expect good things of the new Z1 helmet. Our large version weighs 243g, or 291g with the plastic Aeroshell that comes included. It looks to be generously vented with the cover off, and adjustment comes courtesy of an updated version of the Rollsys system that we liked so much on previous Lazer helmets.
£199.99 / US$270
www.madison.co.uk / www.lazersport.com
New mountain bike gear
Defenda mudguard
As the UK’s last winter reminded us, mudguards (sorry America, fenders) can be indispensable for keeping filth levels manageable. The Defenda is a very affordable take on a proven concept. It’s primarily designed as a front guard, attaching to the fork arch with cable ties, but will also attach to the rear of the bike on some setups.
£5 / US$8.40
Wheels Manufacturing BB30 adapter
Wheels Manufacturinig is a company most familiar to people who’ve had the misfortune to snap their rear derailleur hanger. It also makes a plethora of bottom brackets and adapters. This one is a complete bottom bracket with Enduro bearings, which enables you to fit a SRAM/Truvativ chainset to a BB30 frame. The two halves thread together for a secure fit, which should reduce the chances of the annoying creaking that can plague press-fit installations. A nearly identical Shimano version is available too.
£59.99 / US$74
www.wheelsmfg.com / www.madison.co.uk
Specialized S-Works Demo 8 Carbon frame 2014
The Demo needs no introduction, so you’ll understand why the arrival of the latest, greatest S-Works incarnation of this proven DH machine has us excited. The carbon front end and M5 alloy rear triangle are built around a custom Öhlins TTX22M shock with 200mm of travel. Watch this space.
£3,500 / US$3,500
DMR V12 pedals
The V12 has been a perennial favourite of flat pedal aficionados. They’re tough, have customisable grub screw-style pins and are easy to service. DMR has updated the design, slimming the body down to 16mm high and losing some weight in the process: our chromoly axle set tips the scales at 422g. A lighter magnesium version is available too, and naturally you have a choice of five colours.
£49.99 / $TBC
ION Ledge gloves
Good gloves are critical for your enjoyment of gnar. These ones from ION are aimed at gravity and enduro riders and have some nice touches. Digital_Tips should make trail-side tweeting a breeze and the single piece palm feels ultra-grippy. There’s a snot-wipe panel too and a velcro wrist closure keeps things snug.
£31.95 / $TBC
