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Given its truncated start, this week at Cyclist hasn’t been breaking any records in terms of content quantity but you can rest assured that content quality has remained as high as ever.
We kicked the week off with a thrilling account of a recent Cyclist Big Ride in Switzerland, in which we rode along a jaw-dropping dam and past a helmeted Tyrannosaurus rex. Yes, you read that right.
Elsewhere, we looked back at this year’s Tour de France action, recounting the Tour de France Femmes from the perspective of FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope while Specialized and Roval kept us busy with news of new Rapide CL II wheels and an overhauled S-Works Turbo tyre line-up (more on those below).
We also marvelled at Biniam Girmay’s stunning custom painted Cube for the world champs and did a deep dive on gravel bike gearing. That’s not all for tech – to round out the week we’ll have some juicy news live at lunchtime today, so be sure to check back later to get the scoop.
Products included in our weekly round-up are independently selected by our editorial team. Cyclist may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through a retailer link. Learn more.
Once you’ve tried bib shorts with pockets, you’ll ask yourself why they’re not the default option – they’re so very useful.
So it goes for Albion’s ABR1 Pocket bib shorts, which feature storage on both legs and at the rear. Delightful.
They’re also very nicely put together with a premium Elastic Interface chamois and they make use of recycled fabrics – 80% for the main part, 73% for the mesh apparently.
The matching short sleeve jersey (pictured here in ‘botanical green’) is a classic, racy option with the regulation three rear pockets, plus a handy zippered security one for valuables. Its fabric is said to be 84% recycled polyester.
Albion offers a £25 discount if you buy a whole outfit incidentally, and of course there are both men’s and women’s versions of these pieces.
Web editor Matthew is modelling size XS men’s kit here and yes, naturally he’s riding his Specialized S-Works Aethos. Insufferable, right?
The new S-Works Turbo 2BR seems to me like the sweet spot in Specialized’s recently revamped S-Works Turbo tyre range, with the brand positioning it as a high-performance tubeless tyre tough enough for everyday use.
That’s in comparison to the S-Works Turbo RapidAir, which is a race-specific (read: light and supple, but probably pretty fragile) alternative, and the S-Works Turbo, which is a tube-type version for those stuck in the past.
Believe it or not Specialized’s first ever product was a tyre, and the category has remained a well-regarded part the bike brand’s portfolio ever since. This particular Turbo range overhaul is an important one in its history as it uses a ‘Gripton’ rubber compound with an entirely new recipe.
Dubbed T2/T5, the new Gripton is Silica-based dual-compound design that Specialized claims is gripper and faster rolling, yet more cut-resistant and durable too.
The Turbo 2BR tyre comes in 26, 28, 30mm sizes and crucially, rather tasteful tan-wall options too, but my favourite extra feature is that the packaging details how wide the tyres will inflate to at 100psi on different rim widths. More of this practical information please, bike industry.
Wera might not be the first tool brand that springs to mind in the bicycle realm but that does not mean it should be discounted.
Wera makes a huge range of tools that are widely regarded, in the bike industry and beyond, to be exceptionally well-made.
The German brand’s Bicycle Set 3 is case in point. Its compact form contains the tools to secure all the fasteners you could expect to find on a regular bicycle, and most in and around the house too.
Alongside an expansive array of finely machined bits and sockets, the carrier houses a mini-driver, mini-ratchet, tyre levers and a quick-release bit extension chuck.
The robust nylon pouch even holds a separate ratchet carrier so you can siphon off a more refined selection of bits to use with the ratchet and still carry them neatly.
It’s a preset 5Nm torque sleeve away from being a workshop you can house on your belt, as the pouch even has a clip for that too.
Image credit: MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
I’ve only dipped my toe into yoga just recently so I’m yet to sample the curious delights of the goat-based variant in the picture above, but the little I have done has had me wondering what I’ve been missing.
As a keen cyclist that does little else in terms of physical conditioning, the balance of my components of fitness (anyone that did GSCE-level PE will know that there are 11) is hopelessly lopsided, being geared (sorry) far more towards aspects such as cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance than flexibility and balance.
Therefore, I’ve undertaken a course of yoga in an attempt to redress my currently imbalanced physical state and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
The practice offers a unique blend of exertion and invigoration that I hadn’t previously appreciated, meaning it has quickly morphed from something I know I should be doing into something I actively want to be doing.
The best bit is, YouTube has innumerable child-friendly tutorials so my new hobby isn’t even a selfish endeavour. Although I can’t pretend I’m not miffed that my two-year-old daughter and six-year-old son are already far better than I am at most of the routines we complete together.
Albion kit photo credit: Patrik Lundin
Specialized tyre photo credit: Matthew Loveridge
Wera tool photo credit: Sam Challis
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The latest instalment in our weekly series recapping the shenanigans in the peloton and showcasing
The Ostro Gravel combines low-speed aero features, wide tyre-specific geometry and light weight
Roval Rapide CL wheels sit under the top-tier CLXs, while the tyres are all-new
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