Following a recent comparative lull, new bike tech has once again gone bonkers this week so it has been a busy one at Cyclist covering the latest product releases.
Chris King launched some recyclable aero wheels on Tuesday, a couple of hours before Specialized released its new do-everything Mondo tyres.
POC pushed the boat out yesterday, releasing some eye-wateringly expensive 3D printed sunglasses, and Pinarello re-entered the mountain bike category with its novel Dogma XC frame.
The launches aren’t done for the week either, so be sure to check back on site at around 12:00 (ok, precisely 12:00) for another tasty new release.
Despite the influx of news, our evergreen tech has been in rude health, with reviews on Brooks’ Scape and Altura’s Vortex bar bags, Lazer’s Strada Kineticore helmet and Pas Normal Studios’ Escapism Cargo bibshorts; and an update to our best balance bikes guide.
The latest instalment of our Pro Log series flew the flag for the racing side of the things, and we published a nice ride account of the Chase the Sun Italia sportive too.
The week wouldn’t be complete without an In the Drops round-up though, so read on for the details about some of the latest kit to arrive with Cyclist.
Eclipse Ultra Endurance inner tubes
I’ll admit to using a little artistic licence in the headline, because these particular inner tubes from Eclipse aren’t the lightest in the world. A variant of these Ultra Endurance tubes, Eclipse’s 19.5g Ultra Race design, lays claim to that lofty title, but they are only for 20-25mm tyres.
A more practical option is the Ultra Endurance, which fits tyres from 25-35mm but still only weighs a scant 29g (with the 70mm valve stem, opting for the 40mm valve stem drops the weight to 27g).
The secret to Eclipse’s outstanding light weight is the use of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) to make the bladder instead of using butyl, as is more common.
TPU is simply better in performance terms. It’s recyclable, retains air better, is more puncture resistant and more supple than butyl. Alright, these Ultra Endurance tubes are 5-6 times the cost of normal tubes, but for the advantages they offer I can think of worse areas on a bike in which to splash the cash.
Eclipse says its Ultra tubes stand out from others in the category – the Vittorias, Tubolitos, Pirellis and the rest – by achieving a similar weight while still offering an alloy valve stem with a removable core. Competitors tend to use plastic stems with bonded-in cores. Eclipse says this boosts its tubes’ durability.
The myriad benefits of TPU tubes may be greeted with a shoulder shrug by tubeless users, but products like Eclipse’s Ultra Endurance tubes still have something to offer them too, even if the benefit a little more indirect. Given that TPU tubes tend to save at least 100g over butyl tubes and take up around the third of the space, they make just as much sense to carry in a saddlebag – they offer a solution to make your pack smaller and lighter while still providing a last-resort option should the might of tubeless ever fail you.
- Buy now from Upgrade Bikes (£30)
ODI Performance 3.5mm bar tape
ODI might be better known for its MTB grips, but its first bar tape design, Performance 2.5mm, has been well received: the surface elastomer is soft but tacky and the foam backing claims to dissipate vibration. I’ve got some experience with it and can say that other attributes aside, crucially it is easy to wrap, being flexible but not prone to bunching or folding at bar’s more extreme angles.
Unsurprisingly given the brand’s experience, it seems it had one or two transferable skills that meant it hit the ground running in the drop bar market.
The new Performance 3.5mm tape promises to offer an even cushier alternative to ODI’s first product. A similar tacky surface elastomer is used in an attempt to carry over a balance of tackiness and comfort, but the 3.5mm tape includes perforations to create some mechanical grip as well this time.
The tape is three-ply instead of two, with double the number of shock-absorbing layers. ODI says those layers are different densities, which combine to attenuate vibration better than one solid material. The tape’s design should make it ideal for those looking for extra comfort on long rides or over rough ground – as ODI says it stands up well to washing too, it should be a decent gravel bike option.
BSC Tools Press-fit bottom bracket remover set 2
While it’s not an opinion I share with all of my colleagues, I love a press-fit bottom bracket. When correctly designed and manufactured to proper tolerances, they are mechanically superior to threaded alternatives. I also prefer installing them: it’s more satisfying to smoothly squeeze a cup into a frame than wind one into a thread.
However, I will concede that it’s a different story when it comes to removal. Inserting a pronged extractor and whacking it with a hammer to coax pressed-in cups out of fragile carbon fibre frames that cost more than my car is not a job I relish.
Which is why it brought joy to my heart to see BSC Tools release an extractor tool that largely mimics the press-fit cup installation method, only in reverse. A selection of extractor cup and puller sizes are included with the nicely machined tool, ensuring near-universal compatibility with the main press-fit derivations you’re likely to come across.
The puller sits on the end of the threaded rod and hooks behind the press-fit cup, with the appropriately-sized extractor sitting over the cup and resting on the frame. This creates the leverge to smoothly and safely pull the bearing cup out of the frame.
The method is not only less nerve-wracking than using a hammer, it is also non-destructive, meaning the extracted cups stand a lower risk of being damaged and can more easily be reused. Genius.
- Buy now from BSC Tools (£114.16)
What we’re into this week: Not hiking
My wife and I like to think we lead a reasonably active lifestyle and just recently we had a rare, surprise child-free Saturday (the grandparents took them out for the day, we didn’t lose them), so we decided to spend it outdoors.
As my love of/obsession with bicycles isn’t something my wife shares, we settled on a walk along the cliffs near our home on the south coast of Dorset. It was something we hadn’t done for a long time, and while I do dislike that the humble walk has had a sexed-up rebrand by the influencers of Instagram and Tiktok – reemerging with requisite filters and hashtags as a ‘hike’ – I was reminded what a fantastic way it is to spend a few hours.
We got plenty of fresh air, resplendent coastal views, plus a decent workout on the uphills with the breath to chat everywhere else. We even finished in a pub (I said our lifestyle was active, not healthy). In fact, it shares many characteristics with the best bike rides, you just don’t need to invest thousands into equipment or spend 30 minutes-plus shoe-horning on Lycra and pumping up tyres to do it. Just grab your trainers and go.