Greetings, BikeRadar readers. You've made it through another work week. We hope you have plans to hit the roads and trails this weekend. In the meantime, here's a look at some of the latest bikes and gear that we're preparing to test at our BikeRadar offices in Colorado.
Best new road gear
Gore Bike Wear Men's Power WindStopper Softshell Short-Sleeve Jersey
We’ve seen rider reviews calling this “the perfect UK jersey”, which may be true. But it’s also true that this jersey is almost a short-sleeve jacket. Think Castelli Gabba, but much thinner.
Made with Gore’s WindStopper fabric, the jersey is water repellent and somewhat breathable. On warmer days you can definitely end up wet from the inside, but on cooler and/or rainy days this jersey works quite well.
The long sleeves and extended tail work well for keeping the weather off.
£125 / US$139 / AU$TBC
VeloToze helmet cover
Made with the same stretchy material as the brand’s shoe covers, the VeloToze helmet cover is a straightforward affair: just pull it on over your helmet to keep the rain or snow away.
The cover weighs less than 45g, and packs down for easy storage, even mid-ride. We’ve put it on a couple of helmets and haven’t torn the thin material yet.
We recently took this cover into the GST Wind Tunnel in Germany. Stay tuned for a story on how much time (or not) you can save with a cover.
It also comes in white, yellow and red.
£18 / US$22 / AU$TBC
Lazer Z1 MIPS
Lazer’s top-end road helmet now comes with a MIPS liner. The 190g helmet comes in three sizes, and works with Lazer’s accessories like the LifeBeam heart-rate monitor that works on your forehead, and the Z-Led light that tucks into the back of the helmet.
It also comes in orange, black and yellow/black.
£219 / US$310 / AU$TBC
Castelli Perfetto Long Sleeve
With the often-imitated Gabba jersey still going strong, Castelli now has a slightly thinner, long-sleeve version called the Perfetto.
This water-resistant piece is half jersey, half jacket, using Gore Windstopper X-Lite Plus fabric along with Castelli’s Nano Flex fabric under the arms for added stretch and breathability.
A long tail keeps the rain rolling off the back and protects against spray off your rear wheel.
It also comes in a women’s cut, as well as in red, yellow, blue, green and gray.
£175 / US$199 / AU$TBC
Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Pursuit Softshell Jacket
The P.R.O. Pursuit Softshell jacket mixes thermal fabric with a three-layer membrane softshell.
The jacket is cut for the cycling position, with a high waist, sleeves shaped for reaching forward, and a long tail with reflective elastic below the pockets.
There is a large main pocket plus two zippered pockets.
£139 / US$200 / AU$TBC
Clement BOS tubeless cyclocross tires
Cyclocross season is in high gear. As we head deeper into fall and onto muddier courses, a good set of mud tires should be in your arsenal.
Enter the BOS, Clement’s latest ‘cross clincher. It’s designed as an even more aggressive tire than the PDX, with tractor-style center knobs to plow through muck and sturdy side knobs for cornering grip.
This 700x33 tire is tubeless compatible and features a 120tpi casing. Both of our test tires weighed in at 402g.
As you can see, testing has already begun. Stay tuned for a full review after a few more muddy miles.
£55 / US$70 /AU$90
Best new MTB bikes and gear
Trek Slash 9.9 29 Race Shop Limited
Trek shook up its mountain bike line this year. The company retired the venerable Remedy 29, gave the Fuel EX 29 a bump in travel and slacker angles, and turned the Slash into a long-travel 29er designed to tackle the world’s toughest enduro courses.
The Slash 9.9 29 has OCLV carbon frame with a 160/130mm Fox TALAS fork and 150mm of travel via a Fox Float X2 rear shock that serves up 150mm of rear wheel travel. SRAM’s wide-range XO1 Eagle drivetrain provides plenty of gearing for long climbs.
Trek’s ABP suspension with a Mino Link allows the rider to adjust the Slash between slack and ultra-slack position. For reference, this adjusts the head angle from 65.6 degrees down to 65.1 degrees.
Stay tuned for our review.
£6,000 / US$7,999 / AU$8,999
Shimano ME7 trail shoes
The new ME7 replaces the AM900 as Shimano’s high-end shoe designed for trail riding and enduro racing. This new pair of kicks uses Shimano’s TORBAL sole to balance pedaling performance with walkability. Shimano teamed up with Michelin to develop the dual-density rubber compound and lug pattern.
The ME7 has a reinforced toe box for protection, a neoprene ankle collar to keep rocks out and mesh ventilation on the top of the toe box, and sides off the ankle for improved ventilation. Retention is handled by a speed lacing system that is tucked under the cover and a ratcheting buckle.
£155 / US$200 / AU$279
Ergon GE1 Factory grips
Ergon has updated its enduro-specific GE1 grip with a softer rubber compound on the new "Factory" version.
The company stumbled across the material while one of its employees was on a long flight — it was developed to keep silverware and other items from bouncing around while in flight. This sounds about right for aggressive mountain biking as well.
The new GE1 Factory is noticeably tackier than the standard version. Time will tell how they hold up. Stay tuned for a full review.
£35 / US$40 / AU$60
BiKASE Superband
If you’ve been searching for a way to secure your smartphone, or any other small items, to your stem, top tube or handlebar, BiKASE my have a solution for you.
The Superband combines a rigid plate and elastic bands to hold pretty much any item that’s under 3 inches in diameter.
£TBC / US$20 / AU$TBC
Bontrager Foray Softshell Jacket
The Foray is a new cycling jacket designed for mountain biking. The soft and stretchy Profila fabric is wind-resistant and has a DWR finish.
This semi-fitted jacket features a cycling cut with a 5cm droptail, perforations under the armpits to aid in temperature regulation, and a detachable hood that’s large enough to fit over a trail helmet.
£90 / US$130 / AU$180
