Rapha is proud to announce a range of all-new all dark jerseys that will help you fade into the background of any road, race, or photo.
Inspired by a Milanese espresso machine maker that supported one of the sport’s greatest teams, the Chevron Jersey is an ode to a bygone era of classic kit design. Available now, get yours in time to watch Milan San Remo next weekend.
Yes, they may be inspired by a coffee machine and inanely dull, but they still feature the two things all fans of the brand appreciate — the Rapha logo, and a high price tag. Side note: these kits go perfectly with facial hair, an S-works and the new SRAM’sRed eTap AXS group set (see below). For all the details, please click the link.
Oakley may have underestimated 100% in the early going, but now they’re coming back hard on their SoCal eyewear competitor. Let’s take it back aways. Oakley had the Eyeshade, but they kind of dropped the ball moving instead toward the Jawbreaker® Cavendish. Then 100% launches the Sagan Speedcraft. 100% dropped the Glendale which was a bit of an Eyeshade bite, and now Oakley is biting the Glendale bite right back with the Oakley Sutro, you know for “urban cycling” whatever that is. For reference, below is the 100% Glendale. Bite, bite, bite.
Want to stay warm pre-race or post-ride? Then Portland, Oregon based Rumpl has just the Original Puffy blanket for you, with a little National Park flavor thrown in.
A series of six Original Puffy blankets inspired by America’s magnificent national parks. The Collection gives back as a member of 1% for the Planet. Rumpl is proud to support the work of the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Colors and designs inspired by the individual terrains and landmarks of each park. Arches, Joshua Tree, and Yosemite available now. Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon & Great Smoky Mountains coming soon.
These light, packable blankets offer the perfect balance of warmth, performance (and they’re light weight). The National Park blankets cost $129 and are available on the Rumpl website or wherever Rumpl is sold. For all the details, please click the link.
Competition in the indoor trainer market is about to get more interesting as Garmin announced today (February 12, 2019) their plans to buy Tacx the Dutch makers of connected indoor training systems and software.
“Tacx brings an entirely new product category to Garmin’s fitness portfolio that expands our reach into the indoor training market,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin president and CEO. “Together with Tacx, Garmin will offer a seamless, enjoyable and motivating indoor and outdoor experience for cyclists
all year long.”
Totally makes sense, doesn’t it? Might as well keep all our cycling tech in the family, right? Tacx seems pretty happy with the sale as well.
“We are excited to have the support of a technology leader like Garmin,” said Koos Tacx, CEO of Tacx. “With Garmin’s extensive R&D capabilities and global distribution network, we look forward to working together to further enhance our indoor training products and technologies, and bring them to cyclists around the world.”
For the official word from Garmin, please follow the jump.
Last night (February 7, 2019) we were invited to Canyon Bicycles North American headquarters in Carlsbad, California for a day after roll out of SRAM’s new Red eTap AXS group set. You know, the one that retails for $4,600.
After a welcome from Canyon NA CEO Blair Clark SRAM’s marketing mastermind Dave Zimberoff (pictured above) gave an overview of the idea behind the ground-breakingly expensive wireless, customizable, smartphone app-powered group set. Here’s a little of what he said.
“At SRAM we believe that simplicity is always the best philosophy and if we can make something better and simpler then we win. So we’ve done that in this new connected platform,” Zimberoff said. “What we launched yesterday was a new Red eTap AXS enabled group set, a new XS and XO mountain bike enabled group set, and an electronic seat post from Rock Shox called Reverb. So a whole suite of products that are all interwoven they can all connect to one another, there’s a badass app that allows you to customize, personalize, monitor and control things.”
Nothing we heard from Mr. Zimberoff regarding the group sounded “simple.” Cables are “simple.” Wireless protocols? Smart apps that must be individually paired with each piece of the group? Not so much.
Since we didn’t get to do much more than look at it while dodging the occasional drool gob from some of Southern California’s strongest cyclists, we decided to let the guys at GCN explain the complex setup, features, and the rest of the details surrounding a group set that we likely won’t be riding for at least a decade — cha-ching. Enjoy.
Oh, one more thing: mountain bikers, the Reverb AXS dropper post costs $800. So you better start saving all those beer cans. . .
When the Garmin HRM Run strap that came with our fenix 5 watch finally failed, we went back to the first heart rate strap that we’d ever worn and it reminded us how nice it is to have something that feels good, and works. Here are a few of the reasons we’re happy to have returned to Wahoo.
Soft, velvety elastic strap that is snug without being too tight.
Front snap closure. Know how cool front closure bras are? How easy they are to open and close? That’s how nice it is using Wahoo’s front snap closure. It connects the circuit and straps it up all at once. No fiddling with a side clip and then sliding into place. No label that’s constantly folded over and scratching up your ribs.
Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity. This HRM will connect to nearly everything — watches, phones, bike computers…and really what else is there. Use it on the bike with a Garmin 520 for a ride and then pair it up with a smartphone for jogs and hikes. It really is that easy.
Flashing lights to let you know it’s on. This may not seem that important but once something goes wrong it can be difficult to figure out who is to blame in the Bluetooth or ANT+ circle jerk. When the battery is dead the lights won’t flash. Duh. Simple but effective.
Price. Who can complain about $50 bucks. Sure, it doesn’t have built in stride metrics, but who runs anyway and if you do, well, maybe you need a different strap.
If you’d like to join us in HRM heart rate strap comfort, click the link and grab one for yourself.
Waited until the last minute and didn’t grab your favorite cyclist a gift? Check these out. We lagged so hard we didn’t even make this list. It appeared fully formed in our inbox. Either way Amazon will have them to you well before Santa even fires up the sleigh.
ABUS Bordo uGrip Lite | $59.99 | Amazon Prime Link Lightweight but sturdy, the uGrip Bordo is a folding lock made of hinged steel bars and a simple snap closure design. The lock is easy-to-use, compact, and tucks into your bag or pocket—so you can always have one with you for quick errands.
Showers Pass IMBA Jacket (Women’s) | $199.95 | Amazon Prime Link From hitting the trails to running errands in the city, this 2.5-layer hardshell breathes and vents just enough to keep your sweat from sticking around. Support a non-profit with the ideal winter layering jacket, as a portion of the proceeds benefit the International Mountain Biking Association.
DZR Shift | $69 | Amazon Link Good boys and girls might need two stockings to hold a fresh pair of kicks, but these DZRs will light up some eyes with their subtle good looks and comfort, enhanced by stealthy cycling performance thanks to a stiffened midsole for better riding efficiency without sacrificing walkability or style.
Mission Workshop Sanction | $205 | | Amazon Link Compact and weather-proof, the Sanction is a sleek solution to protecting all the daily essentials on a cycling commute to work or school. Built to last a lifetime with military spec construction and waterproof compartments, it’s bound to be a holiday gift turned year-round favorite.
Silca Ypsilon Travel Kit | $80 | Amazon Prime Link The mechanic’s favorite y-wrench gets an upgrade in precision and functionality. A variety wrenches for the most common use cases in cycling are now readily available in one tool, so you can ensure the bike mechanic in your life is prepared for anything this holiday season.
UAG Plasma Feather-Light iPhone XR Case | $39.95 | Amazon Prime Link Did your favorite rider pick up the new iPhone, only to leave it unprotected? Give the gift of phone security with a lightweight and tough case from UAG.
State Bicycle Co Core-Line Singlespeed Bike | from $299 | Amazon Link Anyone’s eyes would light up at the sight of a bike in their holiday gift pile. Any model from State’s Core Line of affordable and stylish single speed bicycles would make a memorable gift sure to make a star of the giver.
Looking for the perfect gift for the gritty toothed gravel rider on your list, look no further than GravelStoke.com. The website covers, promotes, and lives gravel riding, and has a solid collection of gravel soft goods that look good and feel even better. For all the details, click the link.
It’s funny to think of Garmin’s new Instinct GPS adventure watch as “affordable” when it weighs in at $299, however compared the $799 fenix 5+ it’s a downright bargain. The Instinct, which comes in three colors (Graphite, Tundra and Flame Red) is bursting with G-shock flavor and features a new fiber reinforced polymer case shape that visually differentiates it from the fenix while still keeping the familiar five-button layout. It doesn’t have built-in mapping, music storage, or Garmin Pay like its big brother, but it will handle the cycling, running, hiking, and swimming (not that any of us swim) tracking just fine: cadence and speed with sensors (ANT+ or bluetooth) sure, power, nope. For the official word from Garmin, please follow the jump.
Second to the silky smoothness we get from a well waxed chain, we love the smell of Wend Wax. Rubbing it on our chains is like getting the fresh blasting breeze of speed. But now, our olfactory isn’t the only sense getting tickled. Nope. Wend Wax is serving up their rub-on chain lube in six new day-glo shades of visual bling: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and pink.
“Our mission at WEND is to follow suit with the legacy of Wax Research—which means we’re all about creating unconventional formulas that work along with bringing products to market that no one has ever created before,” says company co-founder Ryan Dahl. “This collection isn’t just big for us at WEND, it’s exciting for the entire cycling community and we’re happy to introduce something unique and fun that works even better than it looks.”
Isn’t it about time you got waxed in matchy-matchy colors? We think so. Click here to buy some or follow the jump for all the official details.
