Cyclist

Finally, it feels like spring has, well… not so much sprung as limped exhausted and bruised over the line. About a month later than usual I’m considering stuffing my winter gear to the back of the wardrobe. I say ‘considering’, as I just don’t trust the British climate. It might be trying to lull me into a false sense of security before yelling ‘Ha!’ and rolling backwards into winter again. Cyclists, more than most, are attuned to the changes in the seasons. I can mark my calendar based on the thickness of gloves required for a comfortable commute to work. And while a degree or two of difference in temperature would mean nothing to most people, it will leave me wracked with indecision over whether to opt for bibshorts with kneewarmers or…

You’d think a bike brand with the heritage of Colnago could afford to rest on its laurels now and again, but in the past year it has launched three new bikes and the brand’s head of research and development, Davide Fumagalli, says the company is busier than ever. ‘We have seven projects ongoing at the moment, not counting the next bike launching in the summer,’ he says. That bike will be the C68 Gravel, a true off-road variant of this bike, the C68 Allroad, which is itself a derivation of the C68 Road. Once the gravel version launches, the C-Series will cater for all the common categories of dropbar bike, but when you consider that Colnago also makes the V4Rs race bike and G3-X gravel bike, the overall range begins to look…

Are you tired of tearing holes in your road kit when a gravel spin goes south, but find that mountain bike baggies just weigh you down? Enter the Nopinz Pro-1 Gravel Racing suit. With its first foray into the gravel scene, aerodynamic specialist Nopinz says it’s aiming to fill the gap where technical off-road kit and aero performance intersect. ‘The material used at the arms and shoulders is a knitted fabric that is denser than typical fabrics used here,’ says Nopinz’s Blake Pond. ‘That makes it more aerodynamic due to less air penetrating between the yarns. The fabric is also lightly textured, which further helps aerodynamic efficiency at the lower speeds generally associated with gravel racing.’ That’s the aero half of the equation; the off-road half includes hip sections reinforced with polyester…

Cannondale hasn’t historically had as much of a presence in the accessories market as some other big bike brands but, if its new Dynam helmet is anything to go by, it soon might have. The Dynam comes with some premium features, including a Fidlock magnetic buckle and the Air Node version of Mips’s rotational impact protection. Air Node is Mips’s lightest system and is built into the helmet pads, which are designed with a low friction backing that releases from the helmet shell under impact, allowing the shell to slide relative to the rider’s head. The helmet’s shell underpins these natty design features. Three huge longitudinal vents are paired with a series of exhaust ports in a layout Cannondale calls ‘Intellivent’ design. The front vents are held together with polycarbonate ribs that…

As its name implies, Split Second recognises that the pointy end of cycling is decided by tiny margins, so the German brand says its range of products aims to ensure that the rider who uses them is the one ahead in the photo finish. Case in point is its CPC system, which is Split Second’s take on the oversize pulley wheel concept. Two machined aluminium pulley wheels sit in a carbon cage, so the system weighs just 72g. Despite its light weight, Split Second says the rider doesn’t have to treat it with kid gloves, as the pulleys spin on covered, fully ceramic bearings that run dry and require only occasional maintenance. Split Second claims the CPC system can save the user 4-5 watts compared to stock pulley wheel systems.…

While the Hyperon name isn’t inspired by a wind (as is the case with the other seven road and gravel wheelsets Campagnolo offers), the title carries just as much importance in the Italian brand’s line-up. The Hyperon name has historically been given to Campagnolo’s top-tier climber’s wheels, and after a considerable absence that slot has once again been filled with this latest release. The Hyperon’s rim profile is conventional enough, at 37mm deep, 21mm wide internally and 27mm wide externally, but that’s probably the only thing in the design that is. The manufacturer claims the Hyperons sit at an unusually light 1,240g weight per pair (claimed), which is apparently made possible by features such as fabricating the rim with just a single join rather than from several pieces as is more…