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TECH NEWS

A magnesium bike!? Plus a tiny backpack and super cheap GPS are just some of the five cool things coming soon from Vaast, Rapha, Dhb, Van Rysel and Birzman

Check out the latest and coolest gear we have on test right now, with full reviews on the way…

You've seen aluminium, steel, carbon and even titanium bikes before... but how about magnesium? Other highlights currently out for review include a tiny little commuting backpack, the latest version of dhb's most renowned bib shorts, a rather inexpensive GPS bike computer and a handy set of tools designed to make recabling a bike involve much less swearing.

Vaast R/1 700C Ultegra

£2,999.99

2022 VAAST R1 700C Ultegra.jpg

The R/1 brings Vaast's Magnesium technology to the road. The 1,250g frame is made of 'Allite Super Magnesium' and claims to be part of Vaast's "sustainable bike range". To avoid corrosion the frame is Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation-coated, and in this build it's paired to a carbon fork and bar, aluminium wheels, Shimano's 11-speed mechanical Ultegra R8000 groupset, Praxis cranks and a colour-coded stem.

> Review: Vaast A/1 Allroad review

2022 VAAST R1 700C Ultegra - seat tube junction.jpg

What do you make of these welds? Vaast says the R/1s geometry suits competitive but comfortable endurance riding, with two fork offsets across its sizing, and the 32mm maximum tyre clearance is in keeping with this. Stu has been out putting the Vaast through its paces to see if it really is as good as its carbon counterparts...

www.vaastbikes.com


Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack

£90.00

2022 Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack.jpg

This rather tiny backpack has a capacity of just 10 litres, and is designed for riders "committed to training pre- and post-work". Rapha says it's the perfect size for a pair of shoes and clothing and will stay out of the way during hard efforts. It also has a VERY pink interior...

> Best casual cycling commuter wear – check out our buyer’s guide

2022 Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack - inside.jpg

The lower section of the pack is fully reflective, while the main body is water-resistant with shielded zips to protect the contents from light showers. There's also a zipped 'easy to access' pocket on the left strap and perforated fabric to promote airflow. I've been using this one on my regular commute into road.cc HQ, and you can read my full review in a few weeks' time to see what I've managed to cram in there...

www.rapha.cc


Dhb Aeron Bib Shorts 2.0

£80.00

2022 dhb Aeron Bib Shorts.jpg

dhb says its iconic Aeron bib shorts are now "more sustainable, more stylish and better performing." There are certainly a lot more colours to choose from, seven in fact...

2022 dhb Aeron Bib Shorts - side.jpg

The Paris HP Men seat pad has been retained, but the main short is now constructed in a bi-elastic fabric made from 65% 'Econyl' regenerated nylon. Reviewer Tom Price puts in some serious miles, so have these mid-range shorts kept him comfy while he tikcs them off? Tom's full verdict will be dropping soon...

www.dhbsport.com


Van Rysel Cyclometer GPS 100

£44.99

2022 Van Rysel Cyclometer GPS 100 - screen.jpg

In our buyer's guide to the best cycling computers, the cheapest GPS device to feature is £54.99. Could we be about to knock £10 off that with Van Rysel's GPS 100 device? 

2022 Van Rysel Cyclometer GPS 100 - back.jpg

The Cyclocomputer with GPS gets all the features you would expect from a more expensive device such as automatic sync over Bluetooth, a 2" display and no setup or pairing needed with a speed sensor. It also boasts an IPX7 waterproof rating and 16-hour run time. We've been testing to see whether that is indeed the case and will be reporting back shortly...

www.decathlon.co.uk


Birzman Internal Cable Routing Kit

£49.99

2022 Birzman Internal Cable Routing Kit 3.jpg

Internal cabling is the source of many a home and workshop mechanic's headaches, but Birzman's kit aims to solve all that. This tool includes four individual steel adapters, a lead wire and a flexible extension, and Birzman claims it's capable of sorting cables, hoses and wires.

2022 Birzman Internal Cable Routing Kit 2.jpg

Features include a built-in awl to help restore cut housing ends, and a fabric-covered tip to protect frames from scratches. This certainly looks like a neat bit of kit, but is it any good!? Mike Stead has been using this on a multitude of bikes to see whether it should be every home mechanic's next purchase...

www.birzman.com

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.

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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