Another Friday, another paean to the towering cyclo-industrial monolith. Yes ladies and gents, it’s Friday five-a-side time.
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New road cycling gear
Hawte 53/11 jersey
Hawte’s 53/11 jersey is designed for riders over five foot ten: hawte’s 53/11 jersey is designed for riders over five foot tenJonny Ashelford/Bikeradar
Are you a taller than average chap? Do regular cycling jerseys end somewhere north of your navel? Hawte has a solution in the form of the longer-than-standard 53/11 jersey, aimed at riders over 5ft 10in. Features include a zipped rear security pocket in addition to the usual three at the back, as well as reflective detailing and an aero cut. It’s available in sizes small to XXL, in a choice of four colours.£34.95 / US$60
POC do blade sunglasses: poc do blade sunglassesJonny Ashelford/Bikeradar
The choice of team Garmin-Sharp, POC’s DO Blades are so Euro it hurts. We liked them in blue, but this ‘Hydrogen White/Zink Orange’ set is even cooler. They use Zeiss lenses and have a nose piece made from hydrophilic rubber to keep them stuck to your face.£200 / US$230
Edinburgh Bicycle thinks bike shops charge too much for coffee cups, so they sent us their take on the cycling themed hot beverage vessel, complete with vaguely Tour-themed artwork. We approve of the bold decision not include a saucer because frankly, who can be bothered with those?£6 / US$10
Café du cycliste antoinette bib shorts: café du cycliste antoinette bib shortsJonny Ashelford/Bikeradar
Many of us wear lightweight base layers on top even when the sun’s out, to wick away sweat. Café du Cycliste has combined such a garment with a pair of bib shorts, creating something that, on first glance, looks like an exceptionally revealing tri suit. Fear not, it’s actually supposed to be worn under a conventional jersey. It’s not cheap, but we applaud the concept – if it delivers the performance of a good base layer while eliminating the extra interaction between layers, then we reckon Café du Cycliste might be onto a winner.£160 / US$250
HED ardennes plus fr: hed ardennes plus frJonny Ashelford/Bikeradar
With a claimed weight of 1,492g and tubeless-ready 25mm wide rims, these thoroughly modern low-profile wheels from HED look like they’ll be great all-rounders. £999 / US$1350
The mountain bike industry has yet to reach ‘peak-enduro’ so we’re pleased that another product linked tenuously to the discipline is hitting the shelves. The Enduroguard from UK firm Rapid Racer Products can be fitted front or rear and features protruding ‘seal guards’ which have less to do with adorable marine mammals and more to do with looking after your fork. The guard is available in two sizes and five colours to accommodate most forks and aesthetic sensibilities.£8.99 / US$15
This neat little pressure gauge from Topeak reads up to 300psi and can be used on its own, or in conjunction with a pump. We’re not entirely sure when you’d need an inline pressure gauge – we wouldn’t bother taking one on a ride, and most track pumps have a gauge of their own already – but it’s potentially useful where accurately set pressures are critical, for example, for tubeless cyclocross tyres. A neat little case is included, but we prefer to keep the Shuttle al fresco as its twirly bits are perfect fidget fodder.£34.99 / US$44.95
A few truly brilliant ideas have bubbled to the surface of the primordial creative soup that is Kickstarter, but we’re not sure this is one of them. Not content with using tyre levers to remove tyres, the designers behind Stique have chosen to combine that most perfectly simple of tools with, well, everything. In addition to acting as a multi-tool, using interchangeable bits which we will definitely lose, the Stique includes (among other things) a thermometer and storage for a single pound coin. If that floats your boat, the Stique Kickstarter runs til Sunday, 3 August and needs your help to reach its £15,000 funding goal.
Components company Superstar has updated its range of grips to cater for virtually all tastes. The fat Silicone lock-ons look especially promising, and thanks to the grip builder, you can choose the colours of all parts. We have great faith that mountain bikers will keep things tasteful.
We’ve made no secret of our sunglasses obsession, being chronically vain both on and off the bike. We rather like the Hillroys from Canadian company Ryders, and they’re quite affordable compared to some bigger name brands. The polarised lenses do a good job of cutting glare but if you aren’t bothered about that there’s a cheaper non-polarised version too.
Matthew Loveridge (formerly Allen) is an experienced mechanic and an expert on bike tech who appreciates practical, beautifully-engineered things. Originally a roadie, he likes bikes and kit of every stripe, and he's tested a huge variety of both over the years for BikeRadar, Cycling Plus and others. For a long time Matthew's heart belonged to the Scott Addict, but he's currently enjoying Specialized's sublime Roubaix Expert and having a torrid affair with a Giant Trance e-MTB. At 174cm tall and 53kg, he looks like he should be better at cycling than he actually is, and he's ok with that.
