Tech of the week: no chain, no dimples, no zip

New drivetrains and new bikes

The star of the Eurobike show was CeramicSpeed’s chainless, derailleurless drivetrain. Running with a shaft drive and 21 of CeramicSpeed’s low friction bearings, the friction-busting expert says that the system is over 99% efficient.

Another drive train development showcasing at Eurobike was Rotor’s 13-speed Uno groupset. It uses the brand’s hydraulic shifting and a clutched rear mech in a 1x system that fits on a standard cassette freehub.

We’ve had yet more new disc brake bikes announced too. The Look 785 Huez RS climber’s bike now gets a disc brake option, while Orbea has added disc stoppers to its Orca Aero line.

And more braking news from BMC. Following the release of its Timemachine Road aero bike last week, this week it told up about a new disc brake version of its Timemachine 01 time trial/triathlon bike. BMC has built covers over the brake calipers for smoother airflow.

Wheels, saddles and sandals

If you’re after a workhorse set of alloy wheels, there are few better than the Fulcrum Racing line. Fulcrum has now made updates to the Racing 4, 5 and 6, mostly at the hubs, which it says makes them even more durable.

Ergon is perhaps best known for its grips for straight bar bikes. But it’s got an increasing range of saddles on offer, this week announcing its SR range of lightweight designs in men’s and women’s fits and multiple widths. And in cycling footwear news, we’ve had Rapha’s new sandals, designed for mooching around off the bike rather than riding.

Back to the Tour de France, and rather than their dimple-bearing skinsuits seen in last year’s Tour time trials, Team Sky were wearing the new Castelli Body Paint 4.2b speedsuit in the Stage 3 team time trial. Castelli says that it’s optimised for aero efficiency at speeds near 60kph.

And Dan Martin won Stage Six in a jersey without a front zip. UAE-Team Emirates is using the zipless design in its quest for more speed.

If you’re tempted by a zipless jersey or just something to bling up your bike, don’t forget Sunday Trading and our other deals pages.