Despite a middling price tag, these tri shoes from Shimano offer performance and comfort that’s little different to their more expensive offerings. Upon opening the box, these shoes instantly feel durable and well built; they’ve a glass-fibre reinforced sole that’s relatively stiff and a low profile (if you want the carbon sole, the TR51 will […]
There’s no questioning that, with its sleek metallic looks and a symphony of exotic materials and construction techniques, this is a very desirable tri shoe. The Tri Pro has clearly received a great deal of design attention, with unique features like the detachable secondary strap, that offers levels of extra adjustment not often found on […]
The Hilo is aimed at the 112-mile Ironman bike leg, designed to be super light, comfortable and fast in transitions. Out of the box they visually fit the part with flashy silver, asymmetric design and custom-fit eSoles insoles. Slipping them on with the well-designed heel tab, the Hilo proved comfortable to wear sockless and felt […]
Lancashire bike builders Ribble have a wide range of bikes on their website and will build them up to different specs – even supplying with or without wheels – to suit your budgets and requirements. The Aero TT is one of their tri and time-trial-specific models and our test bike was built with one of […]
Maxgear is a relatively new British brand that was formed in 2007 and specialises in cycling apparel and products. Their Ionergized long-sleeve compression top is sold as a cycling-specific garment to be worn during and after exercise. It’s comfortable and, even though the benefits of compression on the upper body are debatable, it feels supportive […]
Having impressed us over at 220 Towers with their Quarra Extra Speed bike, the leading Swiss brand Erox is back with its Mega 500 carbon wheelset. Despite the first use of the word ‘mega’ since 1988, this carbon wheelset is truly impressive. Spec-wise, the Mega 500s boast 55mm deep section rims, weigh in at a […]
After two years in the making, MET has finally given us the Sine Thesis. And the lengthy development process has paid dividends – to a degree, anyway. Key to its innovation is the Integrated Composite Exoskeleton (ICE), which creates enhanced ventilation and airflow, even at low speeds, and ensures safety is far above the industry […]
Buying sexy bits of kit is always easier than having to shell out for boring essential stuff. So a 70-quid track pump was always going to be a hard sell. But Giant is pitching the Control Tower Pro as the only pump you’ll ever need. To that end, its sturdy, cast-aluminium body makes for a […]
Thank God for wireless technology. It’s made setting up bike computers a dream. Two pairs of zip-ties, some sticky-back plastic (provided), and about five minutes was all it took to get CatEye’s Micro Wireless up and running. Operation is equally straightforward, with one start/stop button (though this would benefit from a more positive feel) and […]
French manufacturer Hutchinson has been making bike tyres since 1890 and has a well-earned reputation for dependability (not to mention an impressive list of race honours). The Fusion 2 is a race tyre that holds up well in a market packed with stiff competition. We tested a pair on rough, pot-holed and grit-strewn Devon lanes […]
Even if you’ve gone over your bike with an aero fine-toothed comb, chances are you probably hadn’t thought to upgrade to super slippery brake callipers. With these new Tektro brakes, however, aero performance is the name of the game. They mount behind the front fork to reduce drag and are optimised for internal cable routing. […]
Depending on which research you side with, aerodynamic components should either smooth out the air flow around them, or be as slim as possible so they slip through the air with minimum disturbance. FSA’s rear disc wheel, available for Shimano drive-trains and for tubular tyres only, definitely fits into the skinny category. Its flat carbon-fibre […]
It seems that Skins is gradually stretching its brand away from simply providing a squeeze to your muscles. These Bib Knicks are a great, albeit expensive, example. The compression heritage clearly shows with an offering of super premium fabrics with good levels of power that really hug your legs. There’s good length in the leg, […]
This is über-bling: a light (120g), all-carbon, functional (because of the inherent stiffness of the material) rear derailleur – all for a penny… under 800 quid! Not cheap, but things of great beauty very rarely are. We had it working perfectly with Campagnolo’s Chorus 10 drivetrain, even if it made our test bike look like […]
The most powerful rear view light here, but let down by sideways visibility and switch issues. The 0.5 watt red LED sitting at the top of the keyhole-shaped unit is certainly an attention grabber. Not only will cars clock you from miles away, it’s also enough of a mind melter in random flash mode to […]
Costing a mere tenner, Niterider’s little safety scarab is a decent if delicate basic unit. We say delicate because it exploded first drop during our simulated, off-bike fall phase of testing. The good news is that once we’d found and re-assembled all the bits and batteries, it still worked fine and didn’t spill its guts […]
Cateye was the first company to build a rear LED and reflector that met British Safety standards and effectively made bulbed rear lights extinct overnight. Their latest multi-LED grenade blows the opposition away. While each LED might not be the brightest, the effect of all eight rear diodes going off in sequence is hypnotically noticeable. […]
Sanyo’s Eaglefly matched its name with a soaring performance to start with… but it didn’t take long to admit that we’d been a tad too hasty with our initial praise. The semi-reflector design looks basic but the LEDs are seriously bright. They even eclipsed the mighty Cateye in the Space Invader/flapping wings flashing mode that […]
Twenty pounds for this tiny dot of a light seems a lot, but then it’s got some typically cunning Blackburn features. While it’s not big or dazzling enough to be a main light, it’s small and light enough to sit on the back of your helmet, bag loop or even overshoe top without wobbling. This […]
Hed’s Vantage 8 name comes from its eight-axis positional adjustment, making this bar a smart option for riders with ‘princess and pea’ tendencies. Boasting a broad profile, the wings are joined with a conventional single-tube, oversized centre-stem clamp section. Longer, dead straight tubular horns sit on the tips ready to plug in whatever brakes you […]
From the Germans at Abus you’d expect a very good quality, functional product… and the S-Force delivers just that. This lid is extremely lightweight, has 24 vents to maximise cooling and is available in plain white, which makes sense for summer riding. The medium size tested was one of the most comfortable helmets we’ve ever […]
This is not just a lightweight disc wheel – this is the Lightweight disc wheel. At 820g for the rear road version, there isn’t another disc near it for weight, and that individual quality transcends to its instantly identifiable (and slightly hypnotic) looks. Apart from being round, a rear wheel has two further properties: it […]
With its aggressive-looking, Klingon warbird-style bar, the Missile is a predatory (if somewhat pricey) performer – and certainly aptly-named. The steeply down-sloped outer wing means the low-set horns give an even more aggressive position than the extensions. At 420mm wide they offer a nice broad, controlled feel, but the riding position takes some getting used […]
Okay, the price is mad, but for a piece of bike-pimping exotica these brakes take some beating. However, good looks and being the world’s lightest equivalent brake at 150 grammes each isn’t the whole story. These stoppers also do the business on the bike. On the R960s, function hasn’t been sacrificed for form. You get […]
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