$26k Vuelta themed Colnago, a helmet with skirts for any occasion, and a Rapha x Factor 'Ray Gun' collab

When it comes to grabbing attention, an interesting collaboration can be just the key to unlocking new and old audiences and getting all eyes on the brand.

The merging of creative minds allows an artist or designer and a bike brand to go wild with paint, finish details, or even re-engineer a whole new two-wheeled offspring. The David Carson x Factor x Rapha collab is one such piece, showcasing the seminal graphic designer's work as well as Factor's expertise at designing really fast road bikes - in this case it's the new Monza getting the exclusive treatment.

And there's also the collaboration between race and bike, the most natural of pairings. Becoming the 'official bike of the...' has become quite the accolade and Colnago get's the nod again as the bike of this year's La Vuelta.

Elsewhere we have some more fancy kit from the Tour of Spain as well as a new action camera that's as small and as light as they come.

Colnago C68 Rosso - the official bike of La Vuelta 2025

With the Vuelta a España starting in Turin, Colnago saw the ideal opportunity to complete its trilogy of bikes dedicated to the three Grand Tours.

Like the Gioiello (Giro 2023) and the Fleur-de-Lys (Tour 2024) before it, the C68 Rossa is beautiful, limited and expensive.

Colango describes the Rosso as a meeting of the two countries, The bull is not just an emblem of Spain but also of Torino and it adorns the the familiar Saronni red finish. Here though it's been treated to some hand-applied silver metal leaf to add lustre.

With just 90 bikes produced the Rosso is assured to be a collectors piece, with the £19,000 / $26,000 price tag adding a rubber stamp. The specs are suitably flash, including a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset complete with a limited Colango x La Vuelta CeramicSpeed oversize pulley and carbon-Ti chainrings and brake rotors and a set of special Enve SES 4.5 wheels, hand-spoked in Italy no less.

Not got twenty grand to spend? If you want something similar, down to the candy red paint, and a strikingly similar model name, you could go worse than take a look at the Cube C68 Litening, it's actually racing in the Vuelta, and we recently highlighted it in our round up of kit we might actually buy from this year's Tour de France. You'd go home with two and a half of those for the price of this Colnago C68 Rosso.

Factor Monza Rapha RCC + David Carson issue

It’s ten years since Rapha launched its cycling club, the RCC. To mark the occasion its teamed up with the veteran graphic designer David Carson to produce a range of clothing and accessories. But what really caught our attention was the collaboration between Carson and Factor, using the Canadian brand’s Monza road bike as a template for the artists’ work.

Cycling Weekly readers of a certain age may remember Carson’s work from the likes of Ray Gun and Surfer magazines, where his treatment of typography and colour were a radical departure from the norm. His iconic style is certainly evident here, with the Monza’s deep tubes providing an ideal canvas. The result is an eye-catching bike that will be available to buy; there’s also a limited-edition chrome finished model that can be won by active RCC members.

The Monza is Factor’s latest edition to its road line-up and is designed as an ‘every day racer’, offering the high performance and aero advancements associated with its WorldTour models, the Ostro VAM and the O2 VAM, but at a slightly friendlier price point.

The Carson edition is equipped with Sram’s 12-speed wireless Force AXS groupset as well as components from sister company Black Inc, including a set of its 45mm deep carbon wheels. Other components include a Selle Italia SLR saddle and Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres.

And while some collaborations appear to be driven solely by the desire to make money, the combining of Rapha, Factor and Carson has its roots in genuine appreciation of each other's craft.

“As an avid admirer and collector of contemporary art, I've long been a fan of David Carson's work,” says Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor Bikes. “It brings me great pleasure to see this collaboration come to fruition, and I look forward to seeing these rolling pieces of art on roads all over the world.”

Carson is equally as complementary about Rapha. “It was really refreshing in both LA and NYC to find out how many creative people were involved with Rapha,” he said. “The brand and its product attracts such a diverse group of people. Their innovation, rich creative history and authenticity, the way other cyclists spoke about them, the way they were willing to explore so many design directions.”

Andy our tech editor has a Factor Monza on test just now, so look out for the full review of that bike in the next few weeks.

Scott Split MIPS time trial helmet

While many of us will never own or likely wear a dedicated Time Trial helmet they remain a fixation of engineers charged with making the pros go just a little bit faster against the clock. The resulting efforts can at times leave the riders looking a little ridiculous while provoking the ire of the UCI. That Scott has managed to avoid these faux pas with its new Split MIPS TT helmet is to its credit.

Designed to be adaptable to the individual rider’s preferred position, it looks impressively streamlined considering its size, with the rear skirts blending rather seamlessly into the back of the rider; Tom Pidcock’s Q36.6 team rode the aero lids to a creditable 8th place in Wednesday’s TTT at La Vuelta.

And it's the skirts that form part of the helmet’s Aero Reshape Concept, or ARC. They're interchangeable and can be fitted for both an aggressive riding position that riders will aim for during time trial, or for a more upright position that you’ll typically see in a triathlon.

The modular ARC system also includes a visor with integrated Amplifier Lens Technology, which Scott has created to improve contrast and clarity. Combined with the helmet it creates what Scott calls ‘one aerodynamic structure’. As for the numbers it is claimed to be up to 8.1 seconds faster over a 40km TT at 350 watts than its predecessor.

Insta360 GO Ultra camera

A camera the size of a smartwatch writes its own headlines. Throw in the 53g claimed weight and a nod of approval from Tadej Pogačar, and the GO Ultra from Insta360 might just sell itself, too.

The compact unit retains the built-in magnetic base of its predecessors to allow for hands-free filming, but uses a new sensor that Insta360 says is 221% larger than before alongside a 5nm AI chip. Combined they promise greater power and superior image quality.

Despite its size the GO Ultra features 4K60fps video, which uses AI algorithms to both reduce noise and improve film quality in low-light conditions.

The accompanying Insta360 app has been upgraded too, with new powerful AI tools. You can add music and effects as well as include data such as your GPS, speed and heart rate from a third-party source, such as Strava.

As for battery life, Insta360 says that a single charge delivers 70 minutes of running time. This can be improved to 200 minutes when combined with the Action Pod. Recharging promises 80% capacity in just 12 minutes.

We're reviewing one 'as we speak', so watch out for a full write-up soon.