For most of us watching the Giro d’Italia is quite enough. While we might fancy tackling one or two of the famed climbs in our own time, the sheer pace and urgency of the race - of any professional race for that matter - is exhausting enough from the comfort of the sofa. Taking part beggars belief.
So while the Giro continues to raise the pulse and shred the nerves, some respite is offered in the shape of a few new releases that speak to the more laid back side of cycling, a world of trail riding, of bikepacking jaunts, and of not taking oneself too seriously. And if after checking out Stinner’s handbuilt 32” gravel bike, Fizik’s trail-running inspired gravel off-road shoes and Tailfin’s ever-so-clever rack you feel the need to switch gears once again, we have Garmin’s latest Forerunner watches to track your progress.
Stinner Refugio 32
Whether the emergence of the 32” wheel turns into a fully blown movement or the preserve of the few remains to be seen. But in its early days it’s certainly gaining the kind of momentum you’d hope from a design that’s created to provide just that. Stinner is just one of the brands that’s chosen to accommodate the free-wheeling platform in the shape of its Refugio 32.
The Refugio is Stinner’s multi-purpose gravel bike and here it is offered in titanium and with a maximum tyre clearance of 32” x 2.4”, which is as radical as it sounds. The ti frame is paired with a carbon fork complete with triple mounts and the option to run a dynamo light.
As well as the frameset, which is limited to 50 frames, Stinner are offering the Refugio 32 as a complete build and as a frameset with wheels. The full build features a SRAM Rival AXS/GX 'mullet' groupset and a set of Stoic carbon rims matched to DT Swiss 350 hubs, which are the same wheels offered in the frame/wheel combo.
Fizik Ergolace 2
While some gravel shoes closely resemble a road model but with an SPD cleat fitting and a few lugs for grip, the Ergolace from Fizik was a little different. With influences from the trail running hiking world combining to make something more practical than a typical offroad cycling shoes, it appealed to gravel riding, mountain bikers and bikepackers alike. And now it’s back, revamped in the form of the Ergolace 2.
The upper has been redesigned, using Gore-Tex’s Invisible Fit membrane for the base and PU-laminated sections in the high-wear areas of the shoe. A traditional tongue is eschewed in favour of booties made from Airprene. The idea is by reducing layers across the top of the foot you can remove potential pressure-points, improving comfort as a result, as well as reducing weight. Visually it looks like a modern trail running sneaker and aims to deliver durability, breathability and weatherproofing in equal measure. There’s also a non-GTX version available.
The Ergoace design that gives the shoe its name uses an asymmetric lace closure to avoid any unwanted clashes with your bike’s drivechain and a lacing system that’s designed to be adjustable on the go; the cord and lockring have been used on trail running shoes.
Offered in both flat and clipped versions, the latter relies on Vibram’s XS sole, while the clipped model uses Vibram Megagrip that features "a zonal tread pattern that separates pedal contact from walking grip” In the mid-foot area the lug are low profile, while on the heel and toe that are more aggressive for better traction.
The Ergolace 2 is available in sizes 36–48 (37–47 also in half sizes) and costs £/$149.99 or £/$189.99 for the Gore-Tex version.
Tailfin Journey Rack
The humble pannier has been hauling your gear around without complaint for decades. As effective the design remains it’s always interesting to see a fresh approach, especially from a brand dedicated to the cause such as Tailfin.
The Journey Rack is its newest pannier design, succeeding the Alloy Rack by bringing greater versatility to the mix. It still uses the Tailfin’s patented quick-release tech but is a modular system that’s designed to work with all bikes, and is even offered without pannier mounts should you prefer a more minimal offering; thanks to the new dropout design tyre clearance is now a whopping 29” x 3.25” without mudguards.
Perhaps the real selling point of the rack is its ability to work with existing products you may already own, from cargo cages to top bags. This naturally increases its versatility, meaning you can use one rack and add to it as the ride requires, from a quick commute to the office to a weekend backpacking trip.
The aluminium rack is anodised to add durability and weighs a claimed 740g for the pannier version, and 580g for the non-pannier. Maximum load for the former is 32kg and 22kg for the latter.
The Journey Rack retails at £150 / $205 for the non-pannier version and £190 / $260 for the pannier model. Add-ons include light and radar mounts and mudguards.
Garmin Forerunner 70, 170 and 170 Music
The Forerunner, in its various guises, has long been a staple of Garmin’s smartwatch lineup and one of the best options for cyclists. And there are now two three models: the 70, the 170 and the 170 Music.
Both models feature a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, a touchscreen and five buttons. Each model also has a built-in a GPS, time, distance, pace and wrist-based heart rate as well as quick workouts and suggested daily workouts, detailed training plans via Garmin Run Coach and advanced training features such as training readiness and training status as well as around the clock tracking such as advanced sleep tracking, sleep coach, breathing variations and heart rate variability (HRV) status.
Where the 170 differs from the 70 is the addition of Garmin Pay contactless payments, while unsurprisingly the 170 Music allows you download and play songs and podcasts.
The watches are available now, with the Forerunner 70 costing £219.99 / $249.99, the Forerunner 170 priced at £259.99 / $299.99 and Forerunner 170 Music retailing at £299.99 / $349.99.