Fancy buying a pro contract for £15,850? Cycling clothing brand’s “once in a lifetime” programme for (very rich) riders “who want to live and perform like pros”, plus clipless Birkenstocks, £400 bib shorts + more

It has been a bumper week of tech updates, with Scott and Merida launching new bikes, Q36.5 and SRM unveiling a pedal and shoe combo they believe could change the game forever, and the launch of Newlane’s ‘world first’ folding helmet with Mips protection system.

Then, on Thursday, we got the news Gore was closing its Gorewear cycling division after 40 years and Lezyne had recalled Pressure Over Drive pumps in response to a report of a canister “forcefully” ejecting from its base, causing “serious injuries” to the face of a user.

The good news is that a busy week means that we’ve got plenty of other stuff, that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks, to bring you in Tech of the Week. Let’s get to it.

Fancy buying a pro contract for £15,850? Cycling clothing brand’s “once in a lifetime” programme for (very rich) riders “who want to live and perform like pros”

It might be the most exclusive offer even seen in endurance sports, Danish performance sportswear brand Fusion tells us. For anyone who needs an introduction, Fusion makes pro cycling team Uno-X Mobility’s pro kits and also specialises in performance triathlon kit. In fact, both the men’s and women’s Ironman world champions were this year crowned having raced in Fusion’s suits, while four of the last eight men’s titles have been won in Fusion’s kit.

The brand also has its own in-house wind tunnel in Denmark to enable daily aero testing and “continuous refinement” of its products.

This week Fusion announced that for the eye-watering sum of €18,000 five athletes can buy — sorry, sign — their own pro contract and enjoy full access to its “professional performance ecosystem”.

The “once in a lifetime” programme will see five golden-ticket athletes put through a year of “transformative” work, the brand comparing it to getting a Formula 1 development deal.

Each athlete will get a two-day wind tunnel optimisation, a custom Tempo Pro tri suit fitted at Fusion’s factory, one-to-one sessions with pro athletes and aero-engineers, and… *checks notes*… a professional photo and brand-identity sessions at Fusion HQ.

Also included in the €18,000 price is “a complete performance wardrobe” for training, race, and recovery, as used by Fusion’s WorldTour cycling partners and Ironman champions.

Fusion tells us: “While brands often talk about ‘bringing pro-level tech to everyone’, this is something else entirely  — a genuine deep-dive into how elite performance is built from the inside out. It’s a rare glimpse behind the curtain of the European sportswear lab that quietly outfits some of the fastest athletes on the planet.”

Troels Vest Jensen from Fusion added: “For two decades we’ve worked behind closed doors with world champions, national teams, and Tour de France riders. Now, for the first time ever, we’re opening that process to a handful of athletes who want to live and perform like pros.

“We’re not just selling equipment. We’re offering a complete system — the data, the knowledge, the testing, the environment — that we use to make athletes faster. For those who get in, it will be transformative.”

There are five spaces for athletes buying the €18,000 golden tickets, available on a first come first served basis from 3pm GMT on 24 November 2025. If you don’t happen to find £15,000 down the back of the sofa before then there’s also a single wildcard entry available through a competition on Fusion’s website. 

Talking of kit that will empty your wallet… Rubber N’Road now has a £400 bib short to go with its £250 pro jersey

While we’re on the subject of big claims and bigger price tags, New York-based performance clothing brand Rubber N’ Road reckons it has cracked “the future of speed” and has made “a revolutionary aero system”.

It was developed over a three-year period, Rubber N’Road saying the research took it deep into “the architecture of speed”. The Reverb Pro bib shorts are £403 a go, but the brand claims for that you’re getting “the first aero bib short of its kind”, integrated with a woven aero jersey “to form a seamless performance structure”. At £248 for the jersey, the whole outfit will set you back £651. Take a close look on Rubber N’Road’s website.

Clipless Birkenstocks?

I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone turned a pair of Birkenstocks into clipless footwear for the most fashionable riders. Admittedly, we probably would have put money on it being the sandals which got the clipless treatment, not the clogs (Mules), but here we are.

It’s the work of Valcko Studios who say they are “the very first clipless Mules”. Presumably by next summer every bikepacker in the world will have a pair of clip-in Birkenstock sandals too.

 

 

 

 

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Look adds customisation options for 795 Blade RS and Keo Blade pedals

Look has followed in the footsteps of the many brands offering customers increased customisation options for their new bike. Going one further, you can also get your Keo Blade pedals personalised now, as well as on new 795 Blade RS flagship road bike purchases.

For the pedals, it’s blade tension, axle options, float choices and two axle finishes which are open to customisation, while Look’s 795 Blade RS is now available with bespoke frame colours, more groupset and wheel options, and more control over stem and handlebar dimensions. Oh, the customisation programme is called Look A la Carte, a suitably French name, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Pas Normal Studios layers up for winter

There’s new kit from Pas Normal Studios too, the premium cycling apparel brand bringing out its 2025 autumn/winter range, in PNS’s words “a refined expression of performance and camaraderie, built for the intensity of winter training and the pursuit of endurance”… it’s kit to wear in winter.

As, like Fusion, Pas is a Danish company, you can probably expect this to deliver on keeping you warm and dry, although that’s a given at the price. The bib tights are £300 and the thermal long sleeve thermal jersey £260, so yes, it’s been a bumper week for expensive kit.

Bought a Colnago for £50 off a dodgy bloke down the pub? Probably not… but if you have you can get it authenticated for free in London next week

Colnago is offering visitors free authentication of their bikes at Rouleur Live next week. It’s normally only available online for a fee, but the Italian brand will be doing free retrofitting at next week’s event to give owners a certification procedure. We’re guessing most people out there riding a Colnago know it’s the real thing, but just in case you’ve got an incredible deal on what looks like a mountain bike with Y1Rs scribbled on the frame. This one’s probably okay…

In case you missed it:

• Cycling apparel pioneer Gore to close Gorewear clothing division after 40 years

• Lezyne recalls Pressure Over Drive pumps after report of canister “forcefully” ejecting from its base, causing “serious injuries” to the face of a user

• Scott unveils stealthy Fastlane – an e-road bike that hides its watts in plain sight

• Merida officially unveils the Mission, a new gravel race and multi surface bike with integrated downtube storage

• Iconic British bike brand Mercian releases its first new model in two decades, after being saved from liquidation last year

• “The most direct and efficient power transfer on the market”: Q36.5 and SRM to launch pedal and shoe combo with ultra-low stack height

• Newlane releases ‘world’s first’ folding helmet with Mips protection system

• Tailfin scores a perfect 10 and Favero’s lightweight power pedals impress: road.cc Recommends updated with 8 great cycling products