It's Friday, and that means a round-up of some of the tasty new kit that's landed at BikeRadar HQ.
That's right ladies, gentleman and enduro-bores, it's Five-a-side time.
New road bike gear
Elite More'o Inox bottle cages
Like rugs and rooms, a stylish set of cages really ties a bike together. These stainless lovelies from Elite certainly look the part, weighing a reasonable if unremarkable 51g each. We'll have to see if they can hold their drink…£23 / US$TBC
www.madison.co.uk / www.elite-it.com
Mio Velo heart rate wristband
The sort of people who had Bluetooth headsets stapled to their ears for much of the early 2000s now have the entire world of 'wearables' at their disposal, with plenty of scope to demonstrate further their lack of judgment. The Mio Velo is the latest entry to the category and it's one of relatively few that's pitched directly at cyclists. Acting primarily as a wrist-mounted heart rate monitor (no chest strap required), the Mio can also act as an ANT intermediary between speed/cadence sensors and your iOS/Android smartphone, should you wish to use such a device instead of a dedicated cycle computer. It's a viable concept, but given the price we're questioning why you wouldn't just buy one of the more affordable GPS computers with its own HRM.
£110 / US$155 / AU$203
Lazer Wasp Air helmet
A technical association with a pro team is often an attractive proposition for bike and equipment manufacturers, but given their success over the past decade and attention to detail when it comes to tech, one with British Cycling might be considered the holy grail.That’s the position Belgian helmet firm Lazer finds itself in after becoming the supplier to Team GB ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Both are delighted with the partnership; Lazer because of how involved they’ve been able to get with the organisation in their product development, British Cycling because of how “nimble”, in the words of BC’s Equipment Manager Dave Parsons, Lazer are in their ability to quickly and efficiently respond to their feedback.
While the collaboration started much earlier than this winter, the team began using the Wasp lid in competition at this season’s World Cup. We've been sent the tail-less Wasp which promises to be extremely quick whilst provoking only an average level of ridicule. The full range of four models being produced in British Cycling livery be available from distributor Madison from February.
See BikeRadar’s story from Eurobike for more on Lazer’s 2015 line-up.
£250 / US$300
www.madison.co.uk / www.lazerhelmets.com
Nalini Black Label kit
Italian company Nalini has a reputation for producing quality kit, having supplied numerous pro teams over the years. Its Black Label clothing is a range of premium items full of the technical flourishes that separate high-end kit from the workaday stuff. The Bedollo jacket (left) is made from a stretchy, windproof fabric that claims to have hydrophobic fibres woven into it. It also features a generous allowance of pockets and armpit venting. The Ossana is a more straightforward winter jersey with a cut that Nalini calls "not too body hugging".
The range also includes bib tights, overshoes and more.
- Ossana jersey: £70.99 / US$TBC
- Bedollo jacket: £208.99 / US$TBC
www.chickencycles.co.uk / nalini.com
Pinnacle Dolomite Six
Evans Cycles' house brand Pinnacle has been quietly turning out a range of practical, no-nonsense bikes for a while now, and the Dolomite Six looks to be continuing in that vein.With a nearly-complete 11-speed Shimano 105 groupset, RS-21 wheels and eyelets for mudguards, this looks like a strong contender in the winter bike/commuter segment. Plus, it's a positively luminous shade of green – how could you not approve?
£950 (currently £805) / US$N/A
New mountain bike gear
Amkov AMK5000 action camera
Are your edits so sick they've been given the last rites? Do you like your wheat shredded? Is your camera broken? If you answered yes to any of those questions then the Amkov AMK5000 is an affordable way to put the HD back into your DH. This FauxPro shoots 1080p video, is waterproof, and ships with a helmet mount. Sounds promising!
£61 / US$91
Hirzl Grippp Tour FF gloves
As the name implies, these gloves' main selling point is their grip, a product of their specially treated kangaroo leather palms. With fairly minimalist padding and a close fit, these look like an interesting option for riders who like their bar-feel as intimate as possible. They're stylish too, if you like the slightly murdery vibe they give off.£45 / US$TBC
Thule Pack 'n Pedal Commuter rucksack
You probably know Thule best for its excellent bike racks, but it also makes a range of luggage among numerous other products. The 24l Commuter rucksack looks like a smart piece of design for riders who need to carry a decent amount of stuff to and from the office. It's got a waterproof main compartment, a helmet attachment system for when you're carrying your lid, a high-vis rain cover, and various other useful features. Airflow channels on the back panel should make things less sweaty, while a chest strap keeps it from moving around too much.
£124.99 / US$TBC
www.madison.co.uk / www.thule.com
Commencal Meta Trail Essential
Our photography doesn't quite do it justice, but the 650b Meta Trail Essential from Commencal is very, very orange. It's absolutely eye-searing in the flesh (metal), and we like it. This 12ish-kg trail ripper looks like bundles of fun with 120mm of travel front and back coming courtesy of a Rockshox Monarch shock and their Reba RL Solo Air fork. The drivetrain is 1x10 rather than 1x11, but there should be no shortage of gears, as Commencal has taken the smart step of fitting an e*thirteen ratio expander as stock, giving you the 42t bail-out cog that you tell your mates you never need.
£1,956 / US$2,699 / €2,599
www.commencal-store.co.uk / www.commencalusa.com / www.commencal-store.com
Cube Elite C68 SL Teamline
At just over 9kg, this XC whippet from Cube is lighter than some road bikes, and my goodness it looks like fun. It's got a full SRAM XX1 groupset, a Rockshox RS-1 Carbon fork and, just in case this you think it's built for boring smooth XC courses only – a skinny KS Lev dropper.
There's no question this Cube is aimed primarily at racers though, as the near-slick Schwalbe Thunder Burt rear tyre will take no prisoners. We're looking forward to testing this one.
£3999 / US$N/A
