We’ve got tons to tell you about in this edition of Tech of the Week, including Halfords’ tool-based Advent calendar, Silca’s most unexpected 3D-printed accessories yet, a very mini Colnago Y1Rs and interesting new products from Met, Fabric and Castelli, but we’re starting with a solution to post-ride aches and pains…
Legs needing post-ride TLC? New recovery boots promise to give you the pro treatment
Watch post-race TV coverage and you’ll have seen some of cycling’s biggest names in recovery boots doing their best to get over the day’s exertions and prepare for tomorrow’s. There’s more to recovery than just grabbing a cup of tea and putting your feet up – although both of those things doubtless help.
If you want to follow the pros’ example after a gruelling ride, Dynamic reckons its new Re-Legs are “the ultimate recovery boots”, capable of massaging you back to top shape in double-quick time.
Dynamic says, “Designed specifically to optimise post-ride recovery, Dynamic Re-Legs boost the training effect and your ability to train more and harder. Five separate air chambers work in harmony to promote the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid. Improved circulation boosts muscle recovery and helps to reduce inflammation, swelling and soreness.”
Dynamic Re-Legs are wireless and USB-C chargeable, with a charge lasting up to four hours – which is plenty for anyone.
“Interval-mode offers alternating compression cycles designed to support circulation and recovery between training sessions,” says Dynamic. “Cadence-mode delivers a rhythmic compression pattern to flush out lactic acid and refresh your muscles. Push-mode provides progressive compression from foot to thigh for maximum recovery after demanding rides and races.”
Admittedly, the recovery boot look takes a bit of getting used to, but where’s your spirit of adventure? Marginal gains and all that.
Available in three sizes to suit different inseam lengths, Dynamic Re-Legs have a regular price of £499.99, although they’re £399.99 at launch.
All I want for Christmas is a socket set
If you feel that Christmas is all very well but there aren’t enough shiny tools involved, you might be happy to hear that Halfords is bringing back its Advanced 40 Piece Advent Calendar. It has sold out for the past two years.
It’s not bike-specific, but there’s a piece of a premium socket set behind each of the 24 doors. We could tell you exactly what, but that would spoil the surprise. As well as the tools and bits, a blow-moulded case is included.
The Halfords Advanced 40 Piece Advent Calendar is priced at £30.
A ride to remember
While we’re on a Christmas theme – don’t stop us now, we’re on a roll – if you’re thinking about a present for yourself or someone else and you’re all out of ideas, how about turning a notable ride into a print that can be hung on the wall?
Jason Millward, founder of Memories Made Outside, says, “We turn people’s favourite walks, runs and rides into personalised prints. It could celebrate a first century ride, a sportive or a favourite route. The idea is to give someone a reminder of a day that matters to them, with their own route and the details that make it theirs.”
Prints start at £24, with free tracked UK delivery.
Redshift adapters now turn road clipless pedals to flats
If you ever want to ride your road clipless pedals in civvy non-cycling shoes without the fear of it all going horribly wrong, Redshift has the answer.
We recently gave a glowing review to the Redshift Sports Mousetrap Pedal Adapters, which temporarily convert SPD clipless pedals to flats for riding in normal shoes, and now Redshift has launched SPD-SL and Look Kéo versions.
The concept is the same: the Mousetraps snap into place by hand to provide an 80 x 105mm high-traction platform for stability when you want to ride in everyday shoes.
> Check out our review of the Redshift Sports Mousetrap SPD Pedal Adapters
When you’re done, you just take the Mousetraps off (again, no tools required), snap them together with the built-in magnets, and squirrel them away somewhere.
Redshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapters are available in a variety of colours priced at £49.99, although they’re 25% off (down to £37.49) at launch as part of Redshift’s Black Friday sale.
Met reworks Trenta helmet
The Met Trenta and Trenta 3K (the carbon-fibre version) helmets have been on the cycling landscape for years, and now the Italian brand has reworked the ventilation, fit and protection with the new Trenta 2.
Met says the Trenta 2 comes with improved airflow thanks to 24 vents and internal channels, and a reduced head-contact area that allows air to circulate more freely. You get Mips Air Node Pro that’s designed to provide additional rotational impact protection, and extended rear coverage.
Met claims a weight of 260g for a size medium, and the Trenta 2 is priced at £280. A sample should be arriving for review on road.cc any time now.
Designed for -10°C: Castelli updates Estremo 2 range
The weather is a-changing, and just in the nick of time Castelli has launched its pinnacle cold-weather accessories, the Estremo 2 Gloves and Shoecovers.
The Estremo gloves have been redesigned for the first time since they were introduced back in 2012 (check out our original review from way back then).
The Estremo 2 Glove uses Polartec AirCore fabric that features “an electrospun nanofiber membrane that blocks freezing winds while allowing rapid moisture transfer”.
Castelli says, “A fleecy liner maximises thermal loft, while the pre-curved construction and silicone-printed palm ensure optimal grip and durability.”
The Estremo 2 Gloves are designed for temperatures from -5°C to +5°C and are priced at £130.
The Estremo 2 Shoecovers are designed for temperatures as low as -10°C, according to Castelli, thanks to a windproof Polartec AirCore outer shell and a full fleece inner layer.
“Cut high on the calf to overlap seamlessly with the Sorpasso Pro Bibtight, it delivers total splash protection and locked-in heat for the coldest days on the bike,” says Castelli.
These are priced at £175.
Aurum introduces its first e-bike
Aurum, the Spanish road bike brand founded by Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso, has entered the e-bike world with a lightweight all-road model called Nova that’s powered by the Mahle X20 system.
Nova is built around a carbon frame and fork, while X20 is Mahle’s premium rear hub system for e-road and e-gravel bikes. With a 1.39kg motor and a 3.2kg complete system, it delivers 23Nm at the wheel. This is said to be equivalent to 65Nm from a mid-drive motor.
Aurum reckons the Nova weighs about 11.5kg and that the 350 Wh iX3 internal battery has a range of up to 87 miles (140km) with 2,000m of climbing. An optional 171 Wh eX1 external battery adds capacity for longer rides.
The Aurum Nova takes tyres up to 38mm. It is available in seven different builds with prices starting at €5,999 (which converts to about £4,999) for a Shimano 105-based spec.
Selle Royal’s 70th anniversary saddle: it’s see-through
Italian saddle brand Selle Royal is marking its 70th anniversary with a limited-edition Lookin Evo model that features a transparent cover that lets you see what’s going on inside.
“The saddle is part of ‘Nothing to hide’, a project that brings what usually stays behind factory doors into view,” says Selle Royal.
The Selle Royal Lookin Evo Limited Edition saddle features padding made from material recovered from production waste. It is priced at £89.90 and is available only from Selle Royal’s website.
Pivot enters the road bike world with new Pravia
The Pivot brand might not mean much to the hardcore roadies among us, but it’s a big deal in the mountain bike world – and now it’s making its first steps on tarmac with the launch of the Pravia: “a World Tour-inspired road bike engineered to deliver race-level speed, efficiency and handling in a position riders can sustain beyond the opening miles”.
Translated, that means the geometry is a little more relaxed than that of most full-on race bikes.
Pivot says, “Pravia pairs race-level stiffness and handling with geometry designed around real riders and the positions they can actually sustain, because speed is not just about how aero you can get for five minutes; it is about how fast you can still ride after two, three or five hours.”
For example, a 56cm frame has a stack of 579mm and a reach of 385mm.
The frame is carbon fibre with tubing shaped to reduce drag and what Pivot says is “Pro Tour-level bottom bracket stiffness [that] delivers immediate acceleration and efficient power transfer”. You get integrated in-frame storage and space for 38mm tyres in 2x configurations and 40mm if you go 1x.
The Pivot Pravia is available in three builds with SRAM Rival AXS, Force AXS and Red AXS groupsets, starting at €5,999 (we don’t yet have UK prices).
The cheapest way to own a Colnago?
ACA Company has been making miniature bikes for years, but this Colnago Y1Rs is bang up to date.
View this post on Instagram
You can buy ACA bikes – including personalised ones – through its Etsy page or via Instagram. Prices start at about £154.
Fabric’s new ALM HALO saddle is 145g and £300
Fabric is back with a new ALM HALO saddle with a claimed weight of just 145g. The less good news is that it’s priced at £299.
The original Fabric ALM saddle came along in 2014, distinctive for its unibody construction and thin padding – yet it was still somehow comfortable. If you’re a fan of nostalgia, you can check out our Fabric ALM Ultimate saddle review from 2016.
Long story short: the ALM has been updated by the same engineers who worked on the original.
Fabric says that it “wanted to retain the legendary leaf spring comfort of the original ALM rails”, and that it has used advanced tech to “place material only where performance demands it” to keep the weight down.
The ALM Halo is available with a standard shell and also in an Ergo version in an open base design intended to reduce pressure, numbness and restricted blood flow in the softer perineal tissues.
Although currently marked as sold out on Fabric’s website, the ALM Halo is available through Windwave.
Silca’s latest use for the 3D printer: titanium charms for your Crocs
If you’re a wearer of Crocs – and who are we to judge? – you might be interested in the latest use that Silca has found for its in-house additive manufacturing machine. After 3D-printed titanium computer mounts, derailleur hangers and mountain bike cleats, the latest products off the production line are titanium clog charms.
Silca says, “We take marginal gains and performance seriously. After two years of relentless research, prototyping, and wind-tunnel testing, we have developed the most aerodynamic pair of foam slip-in clogs in the world.”
Okay, Silca might not be entirely serious here. A pack of three will set you back $20.
Velo Vane: the weather forecast for the route you ride, checked before you go
If you commute by bike, chances are that you have a weather app on your phone – maybe several – to warn you of what to expect. VeloVane takes that a step further.
Velo Vane developer Gordon Keenan says, “I regularly commute by bike to work in Dublin. Every morning I would check a weather app and try to figure out whether it would be wet when I was cycling or if I’d have a headwind in or out to work. I decided to make an app that gave me a quick notification and view of what my commute would be like.
“Simply set up the app with your daily commute and it will auto-plan a route and use that data for a localised weather report just for your commute.
“The app is also built for leisure and casual cycling. You can set up your weekend routine for your group ride, and it will let you know what the ride’s going to be like and even recommend staying at home if the weather’s terrible. It also provides weather alerts such as ice and strong winds for safety.”
Velo Vane is available for both iOS and Android.
Although the app is mostly free, you get a couple of extra features such as widgets and a detailed sweat index.
In case you missed it earlier in the week…
- 3T’s Racemax+ WPNT brings more tyre clearance and more ‘accessible’ pricing to its racy gravel bike… but it’ll still set you back over £4k
- The new absoluteBLACK RAVEN disc brake rotors: why the perfectly positioned holes hold the key to better braking performance
- Researchers find collapsible bike helmets provide less protection against serious head injuries than conventional ones – but folding helmet inventor questions “misleading” study
- Bianchi gets protection from creditors while restructuring business
- $1 million in pre-orders in just over a day: Lemmo 3 e-bike obliterates funding target
- Honda’s new RN0 e-MTB reveals that there’s a new Shimano e-bike motor incoming
