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Five cool things coming soon from Orbea, Cycliq, CycleOps, Blackburn and Pearl Izumi

Some more bikes, kit and gadgets getting the road.cc ridearound before our verdicts are delivered...

The days are finally getting a bit longer, and we're ploughing through the last of our winter-themed review items while longingly wishing for some warmer weather to commence testing of the spring/summer gear that's starting to land at our desks. Not long to wait now! 

CycleOps Magnus Smart Trainer 

£500.00

CycleOps Magnus Smart Trainer - resistance unit 3.jpg

 CycleOps' trainers range from the super basic to the super high-end (you can even win their top-of-the-line Hammer by joining us on Zwift this evening if ya lucky), and this new mid-range option has some smart features without the huge price tag. It's a wheel-on design, and connects with your devices using both Bluetooth and ANT+ Smart so you can get the most out of Zwift, TrainerRoad and other smart training apps to your heart's desire. Peak resistance is 1500 watts, and noise level is claimed to be 69 decibels at 20mph. Jon Woodhouse, formally off of off.road.cc and usually found in the forest but now a fully-fledged indoor training convert, is reviewing this trainer at the moment to see if it's as smart as it says it is...
paligap.cc

Pearl Izumi Pro Pursuit men's bib tights

£159.99

Pearl Izumi Pro Pursuit Bib Tight - front.jpg

Pearl Izumi have received many plaudits for their PI Dry waterproof tech, and it appears on these thermal bib tights. The offer a contoured anatomic fit to maximise muscle support, and have a laser cut bib for the best possible fit. 3-layer softshell panels give wind and water protection in key areas, and BioViz reflective elements give them some extra safety points. Are they up there with the best of the bibs? Stu Kerton is testing them.  
pearlizumi.co.uk

Blackburn Raceday Portable Trainer 

£369.99

Blackburn Raceday Portable Trainer - front stand 2.jpg

Another trainer, but this one is ultra compact so you can get that final warm-up in on the car park before crushing your opponents at your next race. It weighs under 15lbs, takes up minimal space and the half-and-half design means you won't have to worry about falling off if you struggle with traditional rollers. You can get up to 650 watts of resistance, and it works with both QR's and thru-axles at 100 and 110mm widths. No tools are required to set it up, and you get a carry case included. Liam recently rated the Minoura FG220 Hybrid Roller with a similar design pretty highly, but thought it was expensive considering the market is narrow... at 50 quid more, is the Blackburn better? Dave's review will be in soon.     
zyrofisher.co.uk

Cycliq Fly12 front and Fly6 rear camera lights

£254.99 and £169.99

Dave Atkinson will tell you all you most of what you need to know about the new Fly12 and Fly6 light/camera combos from Cycliq in the video above: but in short, the main improvements over the first two models (which you'll be able to get some pretty sweet deals on if you can't budget for the newer ones) are much more stabilised ride footage, less charging time and function controls from your Garmin via ANT+. Are they all they're cracked up to be, and worth the extra? Dave's verdict is coming soon... ​
cycliq.com

Orbea Orca Aero M30 Team 

£2,599.00

Orbea Orca Aero - riding 1.jpg

It might share its name with a killer whale, but this new ride from Orbea is supposed to be pretty light and nippy on land (read our detailed preview here). It's their first dedicated aero road bike, and has a full carbon frame and fork which is complemented by a Shimano 105 drivetrain, Vision Team wheels and Vittoria Rubino tyres on this build. It's certainly very orange, but is it very fast? Dave Arthur will be telling us shortly. 
orbea.com
 

To see all the latest road.cc test reports, head over to our reviews section. If you're after some more advice before splashing your cash, check out our buyer's guides

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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2 comments

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salokin | 6 years ago
1 like

The Magnus at 69db at 20mph is still way too loud. Under 55db is what they should provide for expensive trainers. My £100 tacx is at 70db. Your TV at pretty loud volume is 65db, that will piss the neighbours off.

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to salokin | 6 years ago
0 likes

salokin wrote:

The Magnus at 69db at 20mph is still way too loud. Under 55db is what they should provide for expensive trainers. My £100 tacx is at 70db. Your TV at pretty loud volume is 65db, that will piss the neighbours off.

It is quite loud, although videos of it don't make it sound that much different from a bunch of other smart trainers (including more expensive ones). It is also mid-ranged model which is heavily discounted and can be had for under £ 400 on interest free finance - so it does have some things going for it.

 

Oh and the brake basically fits straight onto a KK Rock'n'Roll frame, if that takes your fancy...  1

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