We’ve had a video peek this week at Chris Froome’s Pinarello Dogma F10, complete with a carbon fibre race number plate instead of aluminium for the most marginal of gains.
Another bike ridden by Froome at the 2016 Tour de France was a yellow Mavic Neutral Service replacement for his broken Pinarello. It didn’t go well. Now Mavic has taken steps to make its Neutral Service bikes more adaptable for different riders, with a dropper seatpost and multiple pedal system options.
In other Team Sky tech news, the go-faster bobbles in their skinsuits caused complaints from other teams, despite having been worn in previous races. They were just less obvious in black than the white Tour kit.
New shoes and helmets
Kask has launched a new helmet designed to be super-ventilated and worn by Team Sky for hot and hilly stages. Met too has a new helmet for the Tour de France, with Dimension Data and UAE-Emirates both wearing the new 215g Trenta design. While if you’re after a new lid yourself, we’ve found the best deals out there.
The new Giro Prolight Techlace shoes tip the scales at under 300g a pair
(Image credit: chris catchpole)
Staying with light, we’ve also had news of Giro’s new Prolight Techlace shoes, which weigh under 300g a pair in size 42.5. They’re also pushing the price envelope at £349 a pair, although there’s still some way to go to reach the £900 price of Mavic’s Comete Ultimate or some other custom options.
We’ve had a tour of Gaerne’s shoe factory in Italy too, to see what goes into designing and making a top flight cycling shoe.
And new aero bikes
We’ve covered a crop of new aero bikes this week.
New Merida Reacto comes close to 6.8kg in a pro-level build
Merida launched its new Reacto. Grazing the 6.8kg UCI weight limit, the third generation Reacto is more aero and more comfortable than its predecessor. We’ve taken a ride.
Also this week, we’ve spotted a new disc brake Giant Propel aero bike. And Orbea has launched its new Orca Aero. With tube profiles that take advantage of the recent relaxing of the UCI’s 3:1 tube profile rule, Orbea says it will save you Watts.
Orbea has increased tube profiles in its new Orca Aero beyond 3:1 for better aerodynamics
(Image credit: @ J u a n j O t a z u)
Who should be riding these new aero road bikes? Well everyone, according to the best analysis. We have looked at the evidence.
In bike launch news for UK brands, the new Orro Terra C gravel bike has impact protective fibres included in key areas to guard against rock bashes. And Whyte has a new single ring only version of its Wessex carbon year-round road bike.
Meanwhile don’t forget to check out our pick of Wiggle deals and Sunday Trading bargains on Northwave and 3T kit.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
Chinese X-Lab vies for global domination as it equips XDS Astana with bikes for the WorldTour
Tech of the week: Van Rysel releases an aero bike (quelle surprise!) plus a superlight carbon crankset from FSA, a long top tube bag from Tailfin and tyre liners from Zefal
