You there – happy Friday! We hope your weekend is filled with riding. To help wet your whistle, here are the 11 best products to hit our Colorado offices this week. Check 'em out, and then get out on your bike.
For mountain bikers, we've got new fast-drying clothing from Patagonia, high-end wheels from Bontrager, non-slip grips from WTB and a novel way of carrying multitool. Oh, and some socks.
On the roadie side, we've got some very nice new Pearl Izumi riding kit, a new aero chassis from veteran Italian firm Bottecchia, a workstand with built-in digital scales, and we've finally got our hands on Garmin's Varia Vision glasses.
New mountain bike gear
Patagonia Fore Runner long sleeve top
While designed primarily for trail running, this half-zip top is equally useful on chilly mountain bike rides. It is also a good option to consider if you’re planning your next bikepacking adventure.
Patagonia’s Fore Runner is fast drying and features Polygiene’s odor control treatment. This permanent fabric treatment prevents the growth of stink-producing bacteria so you can wear it more and wash it less.
$49 / £49 / AU$TBC
Bontrager Line XXX Boost TLR 29 wheelset
Trek’s component brand, Bontrager, is simultaneously branching out and taking things in-house by manufacturing its top-end OCLV carbon mountain bike wheelsets at the company’s headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
The new Bontrager Line XXX Boost TLR 29 wheelset has a mouthful of a name, but it pretty much tells you everything you need to know about these hoops. They feature boost spacing, come ready for tubeless use and this particular wheelset is of the 29in variety, though it is also available in a 27.5in version.
The actual weight for the wheelset with rim strips and valves installed is 820g for the front and 940g for the rear for a grand total of 1,760g.
The Line XXX carbon rims appear hookless at first glance, but there’s a tiny ridge that mates up with Bontrager’s tire beads. The rims have internal width of 29mm.
This wheelset uses 28 straight-pull spokes and rolls on DT Swiss 240 hubs with a premium 54t ratchet ring that delivers 6.6 degrees of rapid engagement.
Stay tuned for a review.
$2,500 / £TBC / AU$TBC
WTB PadLoc grips
WTB’s PadLoc system is designed to end slipping grips once and for all. It’s a pair of 30-degree miter cuts on the ends of a handlebar and a matching profile on the interior of the grips. This angled cut on the bar and corresponding wedge on the inside of the grip work prevent grips from rotating.
WTB has a full line of PadLoc compatible grips, including the 30mm diameter Commander, the 33mm Clydesdale and the ergonomically inclined Ace.
Want to know more about why this design might be safer for mountain bikers? Read this: ditch the slipping grips.
$35 / £22 / AU$ TBC
Fix It Sticks Bracket
Fix It Sticks is making its multi-tools easier to carry by introducing a bracket that mounts to water bottle bosses.
Existing Fix It Sticks owners can purchase the bracket, or if you’re looking to for a new toolset, you can choose from six different combinations of Fix It Sticks to suit your needs.
Shown here is the 'Mountain' set, which includes 4, 5 and 6mm hex keys along with a T25 Torx.
Bracket: $6 / £4.50 / AU$9
Bracket with tools: $25 / £18 / AU$34
Wigwam Ultra Cool-Lite Crew socks
Wigwam knows a thing or two about socks. The company has been making them at its headquarters in Sheboygan, Wisconsin since 1905.
The Ultra Cool-Lite Crew socks rise to the mid-calf and use the company’s Ultimax Pro moisture control technology. They have a seamless closure at the toe to improve comfort and mesh panels on the top of the feet to keep them breezy.
$14 / £10 / AU$20
New road bike gear
Pearl Izumi Pursuit kit
Pearl Izumi has divided its road range into the performance-minded Pursuit, shown here, and the more relaxed Escape line. The Pursuit series has three cost levels. This is the mid-range Elite Pursuit kit.
The Elite Pursuit jersey is $120 / £80 and the Elite Pursuit bibs are $150 / £110.
Bottecchia T1 Tourmalet
The Bottecchia T1 Tourmalet is the aerodynamic chassis of the veteran Italian company. Bottecchia sells it in a variety of build packages. This Shimano Ultegra bike comes with Fulcrum Racing Sport wheels and Deda components.
$3,499 / £N/A
Topeak Prepstand Pro
The Topeak Prepstand Pro folds for travel and storage and comes with a carrying case.
It's also two tools in one, with an integrated digital scale that can handle small parts up to complete, heavy bikes.
$329 / £N/A
Garmin Varia Vision
The Garmin Varia Vision affixes to the arm of a pair of sunglasses and dispalys information from a paired Garmin Edge computer. The Varia Vision is basically a remote screen for a Garmin Edge. You can swipe the side of the unit to change pages.
$400 / £320
Giant TCR Advanced SL 0
Giant pioneered the compact frame design back in the 90s and has continued to refine it in the years since, until arriving at the lightweight Giant TCR Advanced SL 0 for 2016. This M/L version weighs just 13.89lb / 6.3kg.
It features Giant's OverDrive steerer with 1 1/4in top and 1 1/2in lower bearings for added front-end stiffness. Most road bikes use steerers with 1 1/8in top and 1 1/4in bottom bearings these days. Giant is making its own line of performance road saddles for 2016 and has included its SLR Forward perch on this bike.
Not only is the drivetrain electric, so is the frame. The RideSense ANT sensor on the chainstay can transmit wheel speed and cadence info to almost all bike computers.
$8,800 / £5,499
RockyMounts SwitchHitter
The new RockyMounts SwitchHitter rack works with the three common thru-axle styles, allowing you to attach all manner of bikes to your car.
Switching thru-axle mounts is a matter of loosening two 4mm bolts and replacing the slotted insert.
$189 / £N/A
