New Udog shoes with dials and a decent price point, £115 foldable bikepacking shoes, 3D printing stuff from Fizik + tech from Madison, Standert & more…

Another week and even more racing in France – this time it’s the turn of the Tour de France Femmes, and we’ve been glued to our screens for the stages so far. And while we might be lacking some new and cool tech to talk about from the race, we do have plenty of stuff being launched outside of the TDFF bubble. 

From dial Udog shoes to Standert gravel bikes, folding bikepacking shoes and 3D printed saddles, we’ve got it all in this week’s Tech of the Week. 

Udog launches single-dial Sempre road shoe at £160

If you like the look of Udog’s Cento dial-closure shoes but you’ve been put off by the price, the Italian brand has just announced the launch of its £160 Sempre. Udog’s early shoes were all lace-up, but it added the Cento, with a two-dial closure, last year.

Reviewer Sam Smith said, “The two Micro Twist dials offer a high level of fine adjustability, allowing you to achieve a snug fit tailored to your preferences. They work with Udog’s Tension Wrap System (TWS 2.0), the woven laces distributing pressure evenly across the bridge and sides of the foot, contributing to a secure and comfortable fit.”

We gave those Cento shoes an overall 9/10 score and a place in road.cc Recommends. Now Udog has introduced the Sempre with a single dial per shoe. This is the shoe that we spotted at the Core Bike Show earlier in the year.

“At the heart of Sempre is the all-new Twist Tech system, [our] proprietary micro-adjusting dial mechanism,” says Udog. “This simplified closure offers a precise, uniform fit for enhanced stability and all-day comfort.”

You tighten the dial in one direction, and rather than popping it outwards to release the tension, you just turn it the opposite way. Udog says that it’s very confident in the design, having had no problems since the Cento was launched.

The dial is paired with what Udog says is “the thickest and most durable low-power lace in the rotational closure segment”.

Like the Cento, the Sempre features Udog’s TWS 2.0 Tension Wrap System, which is the strapping you see extending over the central part of the upper.

The upper itself is made from laser-perforated polyurethane (PU), while a generous toebox and deep heel cup are designed to offer plenty of comfort. The Sempre is built to Udog’s existing last – no change there.

The carbon-nylon composite outsole includes a ventilation channel and integrated rubber heel and toe pads that are designed to improve grip. Udog claims a weight of 276g per shoe in a size 42.

The Sempre is available in Total White and Octane. Both versions have white uppers, but the Octane comes with black and green features. As mentioned, it’s priced at £160.

We have a pair of Udog Sempre shoes on the way, so stay tuned to road.cc for a review once we’ve got the miles in.

Foldable bikepacking shoes…for £115

Don’t you just love the ingenuity that the quest for space and weight saving generates? We recently discoveredn PEdALED’s foldable bikepacking shoes – claimed to save space and weight on regular shoes for when you’re done pedalling and need something more substantial than socks to walk around in. 

They come out at a claimed 284g in a size medium, and a price of £115…which could be considered expensive for what looks like a fancy pair of moccasins. Alas, the Vibram rubber soles and drawstring closures go some way to justify the price, and they come with a little storage bag, too. 

Find out more on the PEdALED website. 

Want your own custom-made saddle like Pogacar’s?

Now that Tadej Pogacar has secured his fourth Tour de France win, all of his sponsors can shout about the part they played in his success, including Italy’s Fizik, which provided his custom-made 3D-printed saddle from its One-to-One range. 

The saddle in question is the short-nose Vento Argo R1 Adaptive saddle, produced using Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) 3D printing technology from Carbon.

The system creates bespoke saddles based on each rider’s pressure profile.

“The process captures a rider’s biometric data and pressure mapping through dynamic fit sessions, which is then used to design a saddle with precisely tuned comfort zones,” says Fizik.

“Using Carbon’s breakthrough resin-based DLS 3D printing technology, each saddle is 3D printed with complex lattice structures that enable rider-specific cushioning – firm where stability is needed, softer where pressure relief is critical – offering measurable gains in support, pressure distribution, and overall performance.”

Check out Fizik’s One-to-One dealer locator here. 

Standert’s new gravel bike

It feels like every week there’s a new gravel bike being released, and boutique German bike brand Standert has jumped on the bandwagon with its new Kieswerk – a “do-anything adventure gravel bike.”

The new bike was developed in Berlin, and tested on the gravel tracks on the outskirts of the city. It comes with plenty of mounting points for all your luggage-carrying needs, and UDH compatibility for future-proofing. 

It also uses internal cabling (sorry, mechanics) and clearance for up to 50mm tyres. The aluminium frame is also made using mostly recycled materials, and apparently means it can be recycled at the end of its life. Standert has released a gravel ride route in London and Berlin for riders to really put the bike through its paces, and you can download them from the Standert website. 

Bikes are available to buy online now, with prices starting at €2,449 for the Shimano GRX 600 model. 

Madison launch updated multi-use bag range

Want more choice of bikepacking or just bags to use whilst riding? Great, well Madison has just updated its range with some new items and they look pretty good value. There are a selection of pannier bags, saddle bags, bar bags and more in varying sizes. 

The prices are pretty good too, with a waterproof 30L pannier bag setting you back £69.99 as the most expensive bag in the range. The colour choices might be somewhat limited, but if you want something functional and most likely durable, then the new Madison bag range could be worth a look. 

You can order the bags now from the Madison website. 

Q36.5 opens first shop in UK

Okay so technically it’s more of a shop in a shop…as Q36.5 brings its first retail experience to the Pinarello store in London. The Italian brand has taken over 200 square metres of the store, stocking it with its cycling apparel. 

“This space allows us to truly express our brand DNA,” said Lodovico Pignatti Morano, Creative Director at Q36.5. “Our brand synergy with Pinarello is based on a common approach to what we call the luxury of performance, that is to say, the development of high-performance racing gear whose engineering benefits are a pleasure to wear for riders of all levels.

“We are proud and honoured to be hosted by them in their extraordinary London store and to offer both Q36.5 fans and Pinarello customers a unique space in which to explore the icons of our collection.”

If you head to the store you’ll find pieces from the Dottore and Gregarius ranges as well as some exclusive kit for the store only. 

And finally, gold wheels? Oh go on then

Everyone’s favourite team, Tekkerz has collaborated with Tune on a bright and brash wheelset that’s already been lighting up the crit scene. The limited edition Nano wheelset in gold is only available in 100 sets worldwide, and is built around the brand’s latest Nano hub. 

The Nano hub is apparently designed with both durability and low weight at the forefront of development, coming with heat-treated steel pawls, improved weather sealing, and more. It’s available in several wheelsets across road, gravel and MTB ranges, although the Tune x Tekkers wheelset is primarily for road and racing use. 

Deliveries are expected between the mid to end of August, and the wheelset retails at €2,490. More information can be found on the Tune website.  

In case you missed the rest of the tech news this week…

• DT Swiss and Swiss Side issue safety recall on wheels
• Is this the next big rival to the Insta360 X5? DJI enters action camera market with new Osmo 360
• Hunt brings its new H_Core tech to gravel with the 25 Carbon Gravel X-Wide wheelset, offering greater strength and space for mtb tyres
• Canyon rolls out bike customisation for European customers, promising riders “increased fitting options and dream-level spec choices” (but only if you’re buying an Aeroad CFR)