The start of the 2011 Tour de France is rumbling towards us and we know it’s getting close when memorabilia starts arriving. The new Mountain Project T-shirts from i-ride.co.uk celebrate the Alpine and Pyrenean slopes which have defined the race over the years.
Featured mountains include the Col du Tourmalet, Col du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez, and the designs include imagery that has come to define the character of each climb. For example, the Alpe d’Huez design hints at the 21 switchback turns which make up the legendary climb. The T-shirts cost £24.99 each, are 100 percent cotton and available in S/M/L/XL in a variety of colours.
Cateye INOU
We got a first look at this curious bit of kit from Cateye earlier this year and will be doing a full review of it soon, but for now here's a quick rundown. Essentially it’s a device that takes photos or videos (it can be programmed to take them at regular intervals so you don’t have to fiddle around with it) to produce an image or video record of your ride.
As it’s GPS-enabled, you can plug it in to your computer, go to the Inou Atlas website and view your route on Google Maps. There's no screen though, so you can’t use it as a traditional cycle computer to monitor speed, distance travelled and altitude on the go.
Cateye say it’s not meant to replace your normal cycle computer but is designed as an “all-new way of sharing your riding experiences”. They say that while the video quality – which captures between 15 and 30 frames per second – may not be as high as some of their competitors, the Inou records at YouTube standards, which seems to be what it’s designed for.
They also say it’s compatible with Facebook and Twitter, and is very much targeted at social network users. It has a claimed run time of nine hours if it’s being used to log a journey, but this is reduced to five if you’re using the video and photo functions. It costs £199.99 and is available from Zyro.
Charge Pan Bill Amberg saddle
We first saw Charge's new Pan saddle, which is a collaboration with London-based leather craftsman Bill Amberg, at the Erlestoke 12 mountain bike enduro, and now we've got one in for testing. This limited edition seat is made from deep grain leather, with heavy detail stitching.
Charge say it has a lower profile and lighter weight than the Bucket but is plusher and fuller than the Spoon, and is designed for mountain biking as much as mile-munching touring. It's available in tan with cream stitching or black with red for £39.99.
Thomson Elite Union Jack seatpost
The patriotic among you (British readers anyway) may be interested in this Union Jack-emblazoned seatpost from Thomson. (US readers, don't feel left out – we were shown a Stars and Stripes version at this year's Core Bike show.) Unfortunately they've been made exclusively for the national team and aren't available to buy. For the time being, anyway.
