Whether you’re just back from a ride or dodging the rain (or live somewhere sunnier than us in the UK), our weekly tech round-up is back to keep you entertained this weekend. Grab a coffee, kick back and enjoy some of the stuff that caught our eye this week.
Protective cycling skinsuit inspired by MotoGP armour hits Kickstarter to “transform the future of cycling safety”
We love a scroll through the weird and wonderful world of crowdfunding websites, today’s spot over on Kickstarter hoping to raise £7,271 in the next few days to begin development of a motorcyclist-style ‘armoured’ suit… but for cyclists.
It’s all quite timely considering the safety tech discussion ongoing in pro cycling at the minute, Visma-Lease a Bike and Team Picnic-PostNL both testing out Aerobag’s airbags in the search for better injury protection.
However, rather than airbags, this design simply wants to develop a cycling skinsuit crossed with MotoGP-style “armour”. Now, my initial instinct was scepticism about how breathable and cool that sounds for summer riding but the amateur racer behind it, Tommy Branco, appears confident.
Stressing that the padding will be “lightweight”, Branco tells prospective backers he also wants to partner with textile specialists to blend moisture-wicking fabrics that can still feature “embedded armour panels”.
There does not appear to be a finalised product yet, the crowdfunding apparently to fund the design, testing, development and safety certification steps to follow.
“2026 represents a defining year for this project — a year where we transition from a breakthrough idea into a global movement for safer cycling,” Branco says. “Our vision is to create a new standard of protective athletic apparel, beginning with our full-body cycling suit and expanding into a complete ecosystem of rider-focused safety innovations.”
So, yes, if skinsuits work, he wants to move on to arm warmers, bib shorts, jackets and base layers with integrated padding. “Our vision is a modular protection system that riders can customise for every type of ride and weather condition,” he said.
The ambition is undoubtable, although as I write this on Friday morning the project has attracted a total of £7 from a single backer. Also, as with all Kickstarter products we cover, it comes with the usual crowdfunding disclaimer — “rewards aren’t guaranteed”, and we’ve seen plenty of projects leave backers empty-handed over the years and heard many a horror story too (enough for an entire feature, it turns out).
> Where are they now? The best, worst and wackiest cycling crowdfunders and what happened to them
While Branco admits the product still needs extensive research, development and testing, the rewards part of the campaign suggests the suit would retail at $999 (£726), presumably making it one of the most expensive cycling skinsuits in the world.
“Your backing brings this revolutionary protective cycling suit from concept to reality. Every pledge directly fuels the development of safer, smarter, performance-driven gear for cyclists everywhere,” the campaign page states.
“We will refine the integrated impact zones using lightweight, flexible padding inspired by MotoGP armour. Your support funds material testing, impact simulations, and real-world crash assessments to ensure the suit delivers true protection without sacrificing mobility.
“[We’ll] produce multiple generations of prototypes, test them on the road, and gather feedback from real cyclists. This step is essential to achieving the ideal balance of comfort, aerodynamics, breathability, and safety.
“Before launching full production, the suit must meet industry safety benchmarks. Backer funding helps us complete lab verification, secure certifications, and prepare for scaled manufacturing. Most importantly, your support helps introduce a safer future for cycling — one where riders no longer choose between performance and protection. You’re helping create the first generation of truly protective cycling apparel.”
All the info is on Kickstarter.
?New bikes?Unreleased BMC and Cannondale TT bikes spotted in Mallorca
Trofeo Ses Salines is hardly at the top of anyone’s racing bucket list (although, admittedly, its pivot to a team time trial in a year when the discipline will open this summer’s Tour de France has boosted its profile) but there were more headlines than usual from this year’s edition on Thursday.
Remco Evenepoel won his first race for new team Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe and, more importantly for our purposes here, Tudor Pro Cycling powerhouse Stefan Küng and EF Education-EasyPost’s riders were on intriguing new bikes. First up…
New TT bike for Stefan Kung today. pic.twitter.com/chvPVV1fEK
— Dnlbenson (@dnlbenson) January 29, 2026
This has hardly been top secret, a few murmurings and photos appearing online in recent times. Considering it’s now the start of the race season and much of the info is already popping up, it’ll be a surprise to nobody if this makes its official announcement shortly.
For now, we can have a look at what we do know and make some educated guesses elsewhere, for example that this is likely a more road cycling time trial-specific bike, rather than the triathlon-focused BMC Speedmachine which is built for use in much longer TT-style riding (such as Ironman) than Küng, Julian Alaphilippe and Co. require for a 20km time trial at the Tour, for example.
BMC wasn’t the only bike brand showing off some changes…
Komoot unveils new Apple Watch app, featuring offline, phone-free navigation
Komoot has a new Apple Watch app and it now supports turn-by-turn navigation, activity tracking, detailed maps and offline routes, allowing riders full access to navigation even if they’ve left their phone at home. Even better, offline navigation will be available to all Komoot users, no premium subscription required. You’ll just need to have the map region unlocked.
Product manager Tom Eldred explained how the goal was to make an Apple Watch app that can stand on its own and offers all the best features even when offline.
“For many of us, the ability to disconnect is the best part of being outdoors, so we wanted the community to have the freedom to leave their phone at home — or at least in their pocket. Having the map and turn-by-turn instructions on your wrist means you can easily check directions without stopping.”
Komoot tells us more is coming in 2026, with instant sync to reflect route updates made in Komoot’s iOS app, auto-rerouting, real-time location sharing for added safety, offline activity queuing, increased customisation options, and more features coming later this year too.
Strava engineer boasts 4.3m e-bike and vehicle activities removed and 293,000 athletes “restored to their rightful spot” in segment top 10s
It’s not just Komoot with something to shout about in the cycling tech world, an engineer at Strava revealing online that the ride-sharing app has removed 4.3m activities that were recorded on e-bikes or in a vehicle. It all means 293,000 athletes restored to their “rightful spot in the top 10”, the engineer called James explained online.
“This wasn’t a small tweak — it was a full global backfill aimed at problems many of you have been pointing out,” he said.
Strava has apparently deployed a new Machine Learning model to detect e-bike rides and the top 100 activities on every global ride segment was reprocessed to “help ensure they are as free from vehicles, incorrect sport types, and e-bikes as possible”.
Found yourself with any more KOMs lately?
Want to make indoor training more realistic? JetBlack thinks its Rocker Feet offer “a more natural feel, at an accessible price point”
“Indoor training shouldn’t feel rigid,” JetBlack CEO Tony Simmonds tells us, the Aussie brand this week launching its new Rocker Feet, a product it believes makes turbo training feel more like the real thing, but also at an accessible price point. Rocker plates and tools to elevate indoor training are nothing new, but they can often be quite expensive.
These Rocker Feet are $89.99 for the set of four that inflate into an indoor training accessory designed to introduce controlled movement into indoor training. There are round leg models for Victory, Wahoo Kickr Core, and DC100 trainers, as well as oval model fits for JetBlack’s Volt, the Zwift Hub and Wahoo Kickr Core 2. The video shows what they do better than words…
A new name in urban cycling
Go-Off is a Dutch helmet brand that has launched a range of lids aimed at commuters. They’re specifically going against the ‘sports-only’ look and want to give riders a clean, minimalist design that “fits naturally into urban and lifestyle retail environments”.
Go-Off says its helmet range, which includes various lids with features such as integrated lights and visors, meet European safety standards and feature a lightweight construction, ergonomic fit, and “advanced” ventilation.
After the events of this week, maybe this will take off…
If you’re wondering what we’re talking about…
4 thoughts on “Protective cycling skinsuit inspired by MotoGP armour hits Kickstarter to “transform the future of cycling safety”, plus new BMC and Cannondale TT bikes spotted”
I’d love some lightweight
I’d love some lightweight protective kit, but I ain’t gonna pay $999 a piece for it.
Kevlar threading in strategic
Kevlar threading in strategic panels (side of legs and hips, maybe back-side of shoulders) might be very useful.
Agu did bibs with panels made from a tougher, more abrasion resistant “protection” / “rip-stop” fabric, on the sides of the legs, made for the JV team. And they seem OK. Not uncomfortable, least not in Celtic Isles weather. How they would perform in a crash, I do not know though. I’ve never seen this material in a retail version. So it seems like perhaps an experiment they did with the pros, which hasn’t been brought forward. Also, doesn’t look like more recent JVL kit has this option anymore (judging by what has reached the resale market – OTOH, maybe that means they’re so good the riders aren’t passing them on).
Ok, having seen the other
Ok, having seen the other comment about armaurto, the Agu “protection” bib shorts appear (by the look of the stippled pattern) /maybe/ to have been the armaurto fabric. Though, the armaurto bumpf only talks about a /coating/ on the fabric – while the Agu shorts, the fabric itself is clearly different to lycra and made from some different (presumably) abrasion-resistant thread.
Previously posted on here by
Previously posted on here by a regular poster
https://armaurto.com/collections/protective-cycling-clothing
What does the new one here do beyond this ?