Highlights from bike component manufacturers Ritchey came in the form of the new WCS carbon front wheel. It looks like UK distributors PAligap will also be bringing in the new WCS Logic II with silver clip-ons. UK price for both TBC.
Alex from Gore supplied the freshly squeezed juice and cappuccino – nothing but the best; this is Gore after all – before talking us through Gore’s new range of bike and runwear.
Gore are known for their top-end, top price apparel, and you can certainly see where the Euros went in the new ladies Xenon Sonic bib shorts. Apparently 10,000 of then were spent on securing the patent for the revolutionary bibbers.
How does it work? It’s simple, really. Historically female cyclists/triathletes have stayed away from full-on bibs, instead preferring to go with conventional shorts, because of the issue of urination. Whereas ‘man’ can pull the bib down – albeit not a simple task and one liable to lead to a degree of splash – ‘woman’ would have to unfurl the straps, which came at the end of removing jacket, shirt, base layer…
To remove this labyrinth of bib removal, Gore has integrated a horizontal zip just above the waist. So if nature calls, you just guide the zipper from east to west. Simple. “But surely the zipper will rub against the skin, causing massive irritation and a disappointing ride?” we probed. “Not so,” said Alex. “It’s like a velvet glove stroking your midriff, that’s been filled with the finest duck feathers.” Okay, slight improvisation but we’ve no reason to question Gore’s R&D. We look forward to testing the rhetoric this autumn.
To the backdrop of the nearby fashion show – several times a day, the local dance troupe slip into the latest bike/run wear and prance around the stage to some delicious Euro pop – we were also shown the latest incarnation of the Gore Ride-on cables. We reviewed the previous efforts at the beginning of the year and our tester, like many, praised them to the hilts; in fact, all SRAM riders at the Tour – we’re talking Armstrong, Contador, Wiggins et al – employed the new Ride-Ons. Their selling point is their frictionless qualities – an oft-neglected part of the time-saving cyclist. The new sets are just being rolled out in the UK around now and will retail for £50.
To the backdrop of the nearby fashion show – several times a day, the local dance troupe slip into the latest bike/run wear and prance around the stage to some delicious Euro pop – we were also shown the latest incarnation of the Gore Ride-on cables. We reviewed the previous efforts at the beginning of the year and our tester, like many, praised them to the hilts; in fact, all SRAM riders at the Tour – we’re talking Armstrong, Contador, Wiggins et al – employed the new Ride-Ons. Their selling point is their frictionless qualities – an oft-neglected part of the time-saving cyclist. The new sets are just being rolled out in the UK around now and will retail for £50.