Welcome one and all to another scintillating edition of BikeRadar’s First Look Friday – our weekly collection of kit that our friendly post-person has delivered to BR HQ.
This week’s update features high-tech clothing from Canada, some colourful tools, a neat helmet storage solution and a kit to keep your shoes clean.
But before we crack on with the show, how about checking out some of the news stories and reviews that have graced our homepage in the last seven days?
The week kicked off with a bang, with news of the new Cervelo Soloist. The new bike is almost certain to be one of the most lust-worthy road bikes of 2023, so check out our review.
We also saw the release of the updated Wahoo Kickr V6, indicating the winter's indoor riding is definitely on its way.
If you're up to date with the latest tech, perhaps a Horse for the Course feature on one of the faster bikes at the epic Silk Road Mountain Race will be up your street? Completing the race is no mean feat, and the bike Josh Murphy used is a special machine.
Finally, don't forget to check out some of our recent reviews, including bib shorts from Castelli and Rapha, a vest-based hydration pack from Camelbak, a Thule car rack and Canyon's Grand Canyon:ON eMTB.
Now you’ve got up to speed with the key news and reviews, it would be remiss of us not to remind you about our excellent BikeRadar Podcast. Twice a week, we beam news, views, reviews and tech advice straight to your earbuds via all the popular podcast services.
This week, we’ve brought you a round-up of the latest bike releases from Trek, Cervélo and Canyon, as well as two new trainers from Wahoo and Zwift.
We also sat down for an enlightening chat with Silca CEO Josh Poertner and provided our top tech tips for planning your next bikepacking trip or cycling tour.
Right, on with the main show.
7Mesh Seton Jersey and Chilco Anorak
High-end Canadian brand 7Mesh recently launched a new material, called WTV – Wind, Thermal, Ventilation – and these two pieces of apparel feature the new material.
WTV is said to balance protection from the wind while offering thermal properties, and being ventilated to reduce sweat build-up.
The woven outer material is said to offer this protection from the wind. Inside, the grid-fleece-like material gives loft, and thus insulation, while also allowing just enough air movement to prevent sweatiness.
The Seton Jersey is a road/fast-gravel jersey designed for chillier days.
Its slim cut, rear pockets and (on our sample) hi-vis colour should mark it out as an ideal jersey for use from autumn until spring.
It can be worn as a single layer, if you wish, and there’s a full-length zip to offer additional ventilation (and to help you get it on and off).
At the rear, the ‘Anything Pockets’ are deep and broad, while there are reflective details.
A women’s version is also offered, as are men’s and women’s vests..
The Chilco Anorak is an adventure riding and mountain-bike focused jacket
Its pull-over design allows for a stomach pocket, constructed from an additional piece of windproof fabric – it’s soft inside, so is a nice place for your hands to rest.
The jacket has a hood, using the WTV fabric, that's just about slim enough to fit under a helmet.
Reflective details are again added and both items come under 7Mesh’s Crash Replacement scheme. Should you damage them in a crash during the first 30 days of ownership, 7Mesh will repair or replace them, while later down the line, repairs can be completed for a nominal fee.
- 7Mesh Seton Jersey – £170 / $200 / €189.99
- 7Mesh Chilco Anorak – £170 / $200 / €189.99
Wera tools
In the cycling world, Park might be the best-known tools brand around, but tool giant Wera also has a broad collection of tools that are useful for cyclists.
Wera's signature look is the multi-coloured rubber coatings of its hex and Torx keys, as seen on our samples here. With each size having a different colour, the idea is they’re easy to pick out on the worktop.
The brand has a great reputation for the quality of its tools, so we’ll be interested to see how these fare during our workshop testing.
The Wera Tools 950/9 Hex-Plus L-Key Set BlackLaser With Holding Function hex key set (£39.99) uses stainless steel for its 1.5mm to 10mm ball-ended hex keys. Wera claims the Hex-Plus profile of the head gives a greater contact surface area than normal-profiled tools, reducing wear and damage.
The 967/9 TX XL Multicolour HF 1 L-key Set (£43.99) has everything from TX8 to TX40, again in stainless steel with the colourful handles.
Finally, we have the Bicycle Set 3 Ratchet, Screwdriver & Socket Set (£89.99). This comes with a mini-driver tool as well as a ratchet tool, which key into a wide range of bits and sockets.
Numerous hex (including some ball-ended), Torx, Philips and flathead bits are provided, along with seven sockets from 5.5mm to 15mm.
It’s all held in a fold-out carrier, which has a nylon carry case. However, if you want to pack light, there’s a separate holder for a small selection of hex and Torx bits.
Helmetor Helmet Holder
If you’re nothing like me, you’ll like to keep your bike kit all nice and tidy, whether that’s in your house, in the garage or shed, or in your van.
Helmets are one of those annoying items that roll around and, if you’re not careful, can get damaged. All those little knocks and dings on the edge of the EPS foam take their toll on the helmet, and dropping them on the floor is bad news.
Helmetor is a neat plastic helmet storage clip system. Its plastic arms, one of which has a rubber coating, clip into a single vent or pair of vents (30 to 65mm long) on your helmet to hold it safely and securely, preventing it from becoming a trip hazard on the floor.
It’s even possible to lock your helmet to the Helmetor by putting a padlock through the locking hole (so long as the padlock won’t fit through the vent).
Two colours are available – blue and grey – and there’s a dual-helmet model too.
- £9.99
Muc-Off Premium Bike Shoe Care Kit
Other than tyres or pedals, I reckon the humble cycling shoe gets the most abuse of perhaps any item of kit. But, unlike the other items, they generally get left until last when it comes to TLC.
This is rather odd, because a) they can cost a lot of money, b) they perform a fundamental function and c) nobody likes smelly feet.
Muc-Off’s latest addition to its cleaning range is a premium kit to keep your road or mountain bike shoes in tip-top condition.
It includes a shoe-cleaning fluid, a hydrophobic rain-repellent spray, a foam to keep the insides fresh, a brush to get the dirt off and a microfibre cloth to get them sparkling again. Oh, and it all comes in its own carry bag.
The cleaning fluids are each available separately, too.
With this kit, there’s no excuse for dirty, smelly footwear.
- £29.99 / €39.99
