Tech round up: New Hunt 8387 Aerodynamicist wheels, Shokz OpenRun Mini for smaller heads, new Silca Ti computer mount, get your own EF Education kit from Rapha
We've got asymmetric rims and Argyle patterns for you this week – no prizes for guessing which brands those match up to
You're going to be getting a real feeling of déjà vu this week – there's wheels we spotted at last week's Cycle Show, the release of pro kit first seen back in the winter, another try at a Ti computer mount and a pair of headphones that look very similar to a set we recently reviewed.
But despite the similarities and callbacks, there is a lot of interesting new info and abundant tweaks and improvements, so plenty to get stuck into – even if it does elicit a sense of déjà vu. Wait. There it is again…
New Hunt 8387 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheels
(Image credit: Hunt)
Hunt has released two new deep-section wheelsets, aimed squarely for triathletes and time trialists looking for an aero advantage at a competitive price. We’ll get on to the aero claims but first, let’s take a look at the specs.
Although it's two wheelsets that have been launched, really there's one 87mm deep rear wheel and a choice of a 73mm or a 83mm deep front wheel.
It’s not just the depth that varies between the front and rear wheels, the complete rim profiles are very different between them. Up front, the rim splays outwards to a bulbous maximum external with of 34mm – significantly wider than the 25mm tyres the wheelset is optimised around and finishing off with a blunt U-shaped finish at the point it meets the spokes.
For the rear, Hunt has gone with a narrower design, expanding out to ‘just’ 30mm wide and finishing in comparatively more of a V-shape, although still with a bit of a rounded finish. Inside, the internal width is the same for both wheels at 20mm – wide, but not boundary pushing wide for the 25mm tyre width the wheels are optimised around.
(Image credit: Hunt)
The rims are hooked and tubeless-ready, so you have a full choice of essentially any tyre you wish to mount. The wheels are the first to be sold with Hunt’s new Sprint SL 7.5 hubs, which are lighter for the same strength and now using 6066 aluminium and featuring a claimed weight of 95g for the front and 230g for the rear.
In terms of the weight, the 7387 wheelset (the one with the shallowest front wheel) is claimed to weigh 1,776g. The 8387 with its deeper section front wheel is claimed to be 20g heavier at 1,796g.
The retail price starts at $1,549 / £1,199 for the 7387 with steel bearings and goes up to $1999 / £1549 for the 8387 with CeramicSpeed bearings.
In terms of the aero performance, Hunt has released a full white paper, which can be read here. But to pull out just a couple of the findings, Hunt found that the DT Swiss Dicut 80mm wheelset was the fastest out of those the brand tested – including Hunt’s own 8387 wheels, which trailed by 0.17w.
But when simulating the asymmetric prevailing wind conditions at Kona (the Triathlon World Championships), Hunt found that it was the 8387 wheels with a 25mm tyre that were the most aerodynamic setup, out of the set being tested.
Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz) has introduced the OpenRun Mini. As you might have been able to surmise, this is a smaller version of the standard OpenRun headphones – a model which we’ve found to be great for cycling as well as running – and is designed to create more of a snug fit on smaller heads.
If you’re wondering whether your head counts as sufficiently small, Shokz recommends measuring the arc from the back of your left ear around the back of your head and up to the back of your right ear. If the measurement is 9.25 inches / 23.5 centimetres or less, then the new OpenRun Mini would likely be the best model for you.
Other than that, nothing much has changed. The claimed weight has stayed at 26g, the claimed battery life still sits at eight hours and a 10-minute quick charge should still provide 1.5 hours of play time. The same IP67 rating means they should be just as sweatproof as the larger version has proven to be.
And the price remains the same too at $129.95 / £129.95. More information can be found on Shokz’ website here.
Silca releases next-gen computer mount ‘Chisela’
(Image credit: Silca)
You might remember Silca’s Mensola 3D printed titanium computer mount from last year – the new Chisela mount has a similar Ti construction and is available in a less girthy standard size, but there is also a ‘wide’ option, should that tickle your fancy.
The Chisela has been designed so as to play nicely with almost every handlebar stem with front-facing bolts – or so Silca claims. There are also addition designs to accommodate one-piece units from the likes of Cervelo, Specialized, Fizik and 3T.
Beyond just holding your computer, the Chisela also features a quick release mount for a light or video camera to be attached underneath. Should you wish it to stay more permanently, there’s the option to screw it in place.
There are removable inserts for using Wahoo or Garmin mounts and the claimed weights are between 27 and 32 grams, depending on model. There are also some unspecified three to six watt aero savings to be enjoyed.
Finally, the mount is claimed to be six to 12 times stronger than aluminium and it is made in the USA. Pricing stands at $125.00 / £116.00 and more information can be found on Silca’s website here.
Get your own EF Education pro kit from Rapha
(Image credit: Rapha)
The team kits from the EF Education-EasyPost women’s team and Ef Education-Tibco-SVB were unveiled earlier this year – but now they are available to be bought from rapha.cc.
Rapha describes the teams as each being “home to a special breed of bike racer, a roster full of pioneers and innovators, of script-ripping difference-makers.” And goes on to explain how “[t]he charismatic men and women from both teams compete in a kit of the same design with a subtle colour variation.”
Using “creative coding and image/pattern manipulation”, Rapha has developed “a modern interpretation of the Argyle pattern that has been a staple part of what is now EF Education-Easypost’s visual language for years.”
Most of the kit is available now, with certain items only becoming available in mid May. You can view the complete collection on Rapha’s website here.
That's all for this week, hope you've got some good rides ahead!
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After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back.
But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia.
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