It's been a very strange seven days in cycling with the latest batch of Corona based bad news impacting racing and more importantly for us, bike launches.
Cycling tech is still out there and this is what we've been looking at this week.
Marcell Kittel joins the Endura Clan
German sprinting powerhouse Marcel Kittel has announced a partnership with Scottish kit brand Endura. Coming the year after his surprise retirement from professional racing, Kittel is back and enjoying being back on a bike. Endura is a company known for innovation (cycling rebel Graeme Obree is on-board as it's 'Chief Disruptor') and Marcel will bring his insights and experience to help develop Endura's kit going forward.
Thibaut Pinot on the new Lapierre time trial bike(Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Before the race reached it's premature end teams had enough time to get the dust sheets of some tasty new tech for 2020. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Groupama-FDJ riding a new Lapierre time trial machine on stage four of Paris-Nice. The French WorldTeam brought out the new Lappierre disc machine for the 15.1km test around Saint-Amand-Montrond in central France, with the bike helping the squad take a top-10 result.
Groupama revealed on Twitter that stage four was the first outing for the new Lapierre Aerostorm disc. We have more details in this feature.
There's no doubting the aero credentials of a bike like that but if you're in the market for a more practical road bike, with the sorts of aerodynamic features that can make a difference to your regular riding and racing, then you might want to take a look at our latest Buyer's Guide to Aero Road Bikes.
Assos V WyndyMilla collab jersey collection
High end Swiss clothing brand Assos has partnered with custom bike experts WyndyMilla to launch three limited jerseys ready for the summer miles ahead.
The kit is inspired by WyndyMilla’s ‘Majesty with Menace’ mantra. The brands say the aim was to weave together the themes of “regality, class and the thrill of the ride.”
Renowned for its disruptive graphics alongside high quality bike builds – such as the Massive Attack SL which gained a perfect 10/10 on review – WyndyMilla already stocks its own range of designs printed onto Assos jerseys and this new trio shares similar themes.
The London Bike Show is one of the times the regular public can play with a whole host of new tech from a huge list of brands. Sadly due to the new health concerns based around Covid-19 the organisers have had to make the incredibly hard decision to postpone the event until the summer.
The London Bike Show and Triathlon Show: London, which take place in ExCel London, was set for March 27-29 this year but has now been moved to July 3-5.
I couldn't leave Tech of the Week this week without mentioning my drop dead gorgeous Dream Gravel Bike. Featuring hand-picked components based around a Kinesis Tripster ATR_V3 titanium frame it hopefully showcases some of the very best British brands and pays homage to my 1990's mountain biking background.
James Bracey's career has seen him move from geography teacher, to MBR writer, to Cycling Weekly's senior tech writer and video presenter. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of bicycle mechanics, as well as bike fit and coaching qualifications. Bracey enjoys all manner of cycling, from road to gravel and mountain biking.
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