Did you give your road bike a weekend off in favour of a ride with chunkier tyres for some snowy fun? Our team of testers were still out and about, putting some exciting bits of kit, to the extreme test…
Shimano XC5 (XC501) SPD Shoes
£139.99
For gravel adventures, these SPD shoes are relatively lightweight and promise effective power transfer with glass fibre reinforced midsoles. The Mesh/TPU/Synthetic leather upper has a wrapping design that reduces overlap to eliminate hot-spots for a comfortable fit, while the Boa L6 dial offers quick and precise adjustments for fine-tuning a secure hold.
When considering shoes for off-road riding, it’s not all about how they perform on the bike, but also off, as you may have to trek across unrideable sections. An exclusive Michelin grippy mud-shedding tread pattern should have you covered, and there’s a reinforced 18mm spike mount for more extreme conditions. Jo Burt has been heading towards the rougher terrain and will deliver his verdict shortly…
Le Col Womens Hors Categorie Bib Tights
£220
The Le Col Womens Hors Categorie Bib Tights are thermally lined for keeping you comfortably warm during the harshest of winter weather and a hydrophobic Aqua Zero material on the lower legs promises breathable water resistance. Fitted with a Dolomiti Gel Pad this is said to provide shock absorption as well as much-needed comfort.
Zipped ankles are included for practical purposes and reflective detailing across the lower leg is a nod to visibility. There’s also an option with gold accents which looks incredibly stylish. I have been riding outdoors, in a variety of conditions, to put these to the test and my full report will be on the site soon…
Magicshine Seemee 30 Combo
£24.99
The Combo Seemee 30 includes one white LED front light and one red LED rear light, and has a maximum output of.. yes, 30 lumens. With a long and narrow rectangle design these provide 230 degrees visibility and are claimed to be seen from up to half a mile away. These O-ring mounted lights are USB chargeable and have a handy low battery mode, which is triggered at 5 percent and lasts 20 minutes.
Built in infrared sensors are said to detect surrounding ambient light and adjust the lumen output automatically and accordingly. Jamie Williams has been trusting these lights on his rides lately and will be delivering his verdict shortly…
Prime Primavera Aero Carbon handlebars
£149.99
Prime’s Primavera Carbon Handlebars are designed with a triangular drop which is said to enhance hand-placement for any riding type—it has a 125mm drop and 78mm reach, with a four degree outward bar bend. These weigh in light at 226 grams and are constructed from a high modulus carbon fibre that provides “superb strength”.
These aero bars also benefit from being Di2 compatible and cables can be internally routed for mechanical and electronic systems. Liam has been behind these bars and his full report on these bars will be coming to the site shortly…
BTWIN 900 Urban Waterproof Cycling Trousers
£24.99
For under £25 and coming with two years warranty, these waterproof cycling trousers seem to be a great value option for urban riding. These are compact and can fit inside their own pocket, when the sun peaks back out.
Zips at the bottom of the legs are included to make them easy to take on and off, and built in overshoes are designed to protect your shoes in the rain. A hook at the back of each leg also allows you to clip a VIOO LED light onto for visibility.
Paul Robson has been venturing outside into the wet to give these a thorough testing and his verdict will be coming soon…
For all the latest road.cc test reports, head over to our reviews section. If you want some more advice before splashing the cash, check out our buyer’s guides.
8 thoughts on “Five cool things coming soon from Prime, Shimano, Le Col, BTWIN and Magicshine”
Are those Prime handlebars
Are those Prime handlebars different to the ones reviewed here? https://road.cc/content/review/256066-prime-primavera-carbon-handlebar
Those old things? Like, so
Those old things? Like, so five minutes ago. Bin them immediately and upgrade. These lovely new ones are n% upgradier (TM). Don’t sell them on in case someone should realise how out of date you became…
TheBillder wrote:
Sure, but the Magicshine lights have the drop on them. They come [i]already[/i] fitted with yesterday’s charging port. No need to wait for it to be out of date.
Retro-chic before you know it
Retro-chic before you know it. Doing you a favour, really.
TheBillder wrote:
Plus saving you the hassle of buying directly via that large Amazon style store from China at a reduced price.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Looks like they’ve updated the handlebar for this year. Bit annoying as I recently bought what is now the old style.
Internal cabling bit is much shorter than I expected. Aero part is flat on top but not as aero as I’d hoped underneath. Heavier than my other bars but the main thing was it would be aero and allow lights etc to be clamped on when required (not very aero, haha!).
They are slightly oddly sized so I went with 40cm rather than 42cm like my other bars. Haven’t even fitted to a stem yet. If the new ones seem better I might make another purchase, leaving me with 2 unused carbon handlbars (3 spare carbon in total!). Originally bought to replace unused Vision TriMax Metron 4D, which was less aero than it looked online!
Pics of the underside and aero wing profile would be very helpful to potential buyers! How wide is the centre round section to affix lights, etc?
The waterprof trousers have
The waterprof trousers have built-in overshoes? Interesting approach that could be useful for commuters that need to protect theri brogues when it rains on the commute. Although whehter they are any good or not is a thing the test needs to cover.
They aren’t the first,
They aren’t the first, probably the cheapest though, I know Agu has them (AGU Commuter Compact Rain Pants) to, there are probably others out there but the Agu’s are the only once I know off (and now Decathlon of course).