More triathlon gear tests than any other website. EXPERT REVIEWS of the latest and best tri kit, including bikes, running shoes, wetsuits and clothing.
Tri-specific bikes are becoming increasingly popular with their purpose-built features and tailored geometry. Quintana Roo are one of the only pure tri bike brands around and for 2009 have unveiled what they say is the bike with the lowest drag coefficient ever. QR even boldly claims that the Cd0.1 can cheat the wind! The Ride […]
Wilier bikes are steeped in history. The Italian outfit have been making frames since 1906 and, at one point shortly after the Second World War, its factory team of 300 were hand producing 200 bikes a day. It currently provides the bikes for the Lampre road cycling team, which includes the 2008 Road Cycling Race […]
Focus bikes became available direct to the UK market in 2006. Through their sole distributor, Wiggle, they have been building their reputation as a manufacturer of quality cycles, ridden by elite athletes such as Stuart Hayes and neo-pro Emma-Kate Lidbury. The Culebro Tria represents the introductory model in the Focus TT range. The ride Things […]
Look has ruled on the road for decades, so it’s about time the company’s influence was felt in the world of tri. Enter the new Look 576 frame. It’s not a TT crossover like many bikes on the market, but a bike designed specifically with tri in mind… The build The Look frame just looks […]
Trek need no introduction whatsoever. Having Lance Armstrong on the books hasn’t just been great for PR, though – it’s also boosted the company’s ability to make quality bikes. And even though Armstrong hung up his tri gear in 1990, all the wind-tunnel testing and development that goes into his own bikes has undoubtedly had […]
Specialized has a gift when it comes to making things look good, and has now applied its magic to this new interpretation of the Roval wheel brand. Specialized has also added its frame-proven E5 Metal Matrix material to the aero-section rims to create a tough hoop that can tackle the worst roads. Hidden-in-the-rim nipples for […]
Designed to take on the cobbled races of northern Europe, these retro-styled rollers are equally ready for your local council’s worst repairs. We’ve heard good reports from big riders who’ve absolutely hammered these wheels and ours remained true even after venturing off-road. The slightly soft spoke tension takes plenty of sting out of rough sections, […]
Forget turning down the Christmas pud – these lightweight Reynolds rollers are a great way to lose weight after Santa’s scarpered. The good news is that there are no ‘special dietary requirements’ for these wheels – just conventional low-calorie menu options right through. The mid-depth aero rims help keep the wheels tight and responsive while […]
These 105 wheels are light and good value, which, coupled with Shimano’s legendary reliability, makes them an ideal winter wheel. The 24mm rims offer a smooth, pliable ride for coping with potholes, and also makes them less prone to gusting than deeper hoops. Placing the nipples of the straight-pull spokes (16 front/24 rear) at the […]
Undoubtedly these Gipimme wheels are very eye-catching, but sadly they wouldn’t be our first choice for winter work. The deep 40mm section, with its widely spaced, paired aero spokes and overall matt-black finish certainly stands out in the crowd, and they hold speed well. However, as the only wheelset here over 2kg, they take some […]
Halo has been making wheels for headcase MTB dirt jumpers and free-ride lunatics for years, so we expected their road wheels to be rugged. The relatively low 25mm rim and symmetrical crossover (therefore longer and springier) spoking all round means they’re also comfortable. The ‘Six Drive’ hubs are straight off their mtb wheels, with an […]
Easton’s second-tier aero set is impressively tough and versatile – if you like particularly stiff set-ups. With a mid-section 29.4mm aero rim, broad-body hubs and tight round spokes in a two-cross driveside/radial offside and front pattern, there’s no sign of deflection or drive loss however hard you kick. They’re impressively light for a low-cost aero […]
Using a mid-depth rim and tight double-butted spokes with Easton’s patented T3 Twin Thread technology makes the Circuit a phenomenally stiff and strong wheelset. They’re made for big riders and bad roads, and our experience doesn’t suggest any different. Despite the strength and stiffness they’re not harsh on rougher sections, and they feel impressively tight […]
The eye-catching orangey/red rims and hubs make these beauties look several times more expensive than they actually are, and may prompt you to check the price several times before believing it. The 24mm deep rims are strong enough to cope with winter roads without feeling as ‘clattery’ stiff as some deeper set-ups, and they still […]
The Arena comes from Oregon Scientific, well-established providers of all that’s a tad quirky in the world of electronic gadgetry. Here they’ve come up trumps with what is one of only a limited number of waterproof MP3 players on the market. The Arena MP180 is waterproof to a depth of 1m for up to 30mins; […]
The pool-friendly 1GB Sport player from Freestyle Audio is kitted out for sports use straight out of the box, coming complete with three different-sized earbud fittings for the waterproof phones and an armband. Sound quality is reasonable and the earbuds aren’t uncomfortable, though the use of ear clips for swimming is slightly odd. However, the […]
Available in several colours and two sizes (£39.99 for the 1GB we tested; £59.99 for the 2GB version), the 2-Play MP150 will look familiar, as it follows the now ubiquitous USB stick format. Initial impressions are pleasing: its body comes wrapped in a nice rubber coating and the two-colour, four-line LCD greets you with a […]
The baby of the market-leading iPod family, the stamp-sized, 1GB Shuffle is designed as a no-frills, no-fuss way of bunging some music in your ears while you’re on the move. And there’s the rub: the lack of an LCD or all but the most basic playback controls (there’s no EQ, for instance) mean this won’t […]
In recent years, the inventors of the original Walkman have fallen a bit behind in the personal audio arena but, as games of catch-up go, the 4GB NWZ-A826 is hard to beat. Design-wise it’s not a million miles from the iPod Touch, its obvious main rival, being an ultra-slim, black beauty with a large full-colour […]
Although aimed primarily at coaches, this British Triathlon Federation DVD provides plenty of technique advice that you can put into practice on your own or with training partners. You get a disc covering each of the triathlon disciplines, broken down into various different skills. The swim disc, for example, covers body position in the water, […]
The prospect of enduring a whole DVD on core training might sound daunting, but this is great stuff. US coach Eric Schmitz manages to make strengthening your mid-section interesting by demonstrating loads of exercises you’ve probably never done before and adding plenty of variety throughout the workouts. Some sessions require no equipment; for others you’ll […]
This impressive DVD is all about getting race day right, covering everything from visualisation to nutrition to specific technique advice for each of the disciplines. Former US pro Wes Hobson and Olympic coach Michelle Blessing anchor things, and you get plenty of additional input from well-recognised experts: 220 contributing coach Joe Friel gives useful tapering […]
Fancy conquering one of the Tour de France’s most feared climbs from the comfort of your own turbo trainer? This is a cyclist’s-eye view of riding the Alpine mountain Ventoux. And it couldn’t be simpler: you pedal along, a number in the corner of the screen tells you when to adjust the gear or resistance […]
This DVD is built around turbo-trainer sessions, where you cycle along with former British tri champ Rick Kiddle on the rural roads of southern France. You get a low- and high-end endurance ride, hill climbs, extensive intervals and a scenic jaunt, which you can do either individually or all together as one tough workout. Graphics […]
Receive a FREE copy of 'The Ultimate Triathlon Training Manual' when you subscribe and get everything you need to perform at your optimum.
