What’s been reviewed in the cycling press this week then? Not a huge amount but still enough to warrant a decent roundup. Ballpoint bottles, bar tape, more bar tape, power meter shoot out, new Oakleys, fancy baggy shorts, fancy bib shorts, British made cranks and very spiky tyres.
Raceone Onetouch Bottle – Road.cc
“The Race One One Touch bottle is essentially the classic cycling bottle but with a specialist valve cap, which theoretically takes the struggle from mid-ride slurping. The shape and semi matt texture mean excellent compatibility with standard cages, jersey and rack bag pockets. Even some notoriously springy titanium cages haven’t caused mortar-esque mischief across poorly surfaced roads or bridle path. Gunslinger quick draws are matched by secure grip in all conditions and glove types.”
Lizard Skins DSP 2.5mm Bar Tape – Cycling Weekly
“Championed by the likes of Alejandro Valverde and the MTN Qhubeka Lizard Skins bar tape feels incredibly comfy. We have fallen in love with the way Lizard Skins bar tape feels on the bars, so much that we have relished recent mild weather as an opportunity to go sans gloves, such is the pleasant texture of this wrap.”
Lizard Skins DSP 3.2mm Bar Tape – RCUK
“In use, the DSP tape is a really interesting bit of kit. The sticky texture give a completely different feel whether you go gloveless or not, and with winter gloves on, the friction pads on the gloves combine with the tape to give almost unparalleled grip. Plus the 3.2mm cushioning means that even if you’re new to riding without gloves, or you forget them when you leave the house, you’ll have no issues with comfort.”
Stages versus Vector S Long Term Test – Bike Radar
Read the review | Buy Stages here
“Two years ago Stages created a niche within the power meter category with a left-side-only power meter. Last year, Garmin joined the party with its left-pedal Vector S power meter. So which is better? I put the two head-to-head, with a month of simultaneous ride recording using an SRM as the control and a PowerTap for context.”
Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses – BikeRumor
“By tracking eye movement during cycling, they realized that we cyclists spend an inordinate amount of time with our eyes looking slightly upward. That should come as no surprise to us, and so the Jawbreaker boosts the field of view at the top of the lens by 44% over traditional sunglasses. And it does so with Oakley’s typical optical clarity, ensuring no distortion in any direction you happen to glance.”
Gore Bike Wear Alp X Pro Windstopper Soft Shell Shorts – Merlin Blog
Read the review | Buy in store
“The principal things I like about the Gore Bike Wear Alp-X Windstopper Soft Shell shorts is the soft shell material and the shorts’ general minimalist design. You may be familiar with soft shell material on jerseys and jackets. The idea is the same here. The material keeps you dry to a degree – showery rain and puddle splashes bead off nicely – but its main concern is keeping you warm. Warm even if you’re wet. Us cyclists know that it’s usually the wind that makes us cold more than anything. Soft shell Windstopper fabric stops wind chill.”
Castelli Free Aero Race Bib Shorts – PEZ Cycling
Read the review | Buy it here (this is an old post and the linked content no longer exists)
“Castelli’s new Free Aero Race Bibshort has been redesigned from the bottom up, inside out, and top down, and back to front – it’s a brand new bibshort named after their best selling bibshort ever. Early Spring here at PEZ HQ means I’ve logged a few good rides in ‘em and they’ve impressed enough to warrant a stand alone review.”
Hope Technology Crankset – Factory Jackson
“The brand new Hope Technology crank set has been a long time coming, and is crammed with technical features that have come from years of research and design from the British company. With the distinct machined look that Hope have are renowned for, the new crank looks industrially strong, yet sleek and light weight. The crank, spider and chain ring weigh under 650grams.”
Maxxis Shorty – Factory Jackson
“We found the Shorty works well with a little more pressure than we’d run on our usual tyres in similar conditions – locally we found about 27-28psi perfect. You’ll need to use a front fender and a pair of glasses with the Shorty though, as the widely spaced knobs clear mud exceptionally well – even the thick claggy stuff that tends to build up on other tyres comes flying off with the slightest turn of speed.”