Gearheads, rejoice! After a quiet spell that nearly reduced us to twiddling our thumbs, the cycling tech world is back in full swing, just in time to rev things up before Sea Otter Classic 2024 hits the shores of the US. While our North American Editor, Anne Marjie Rook, is on the ground at the world's largest cycling festival hunting down the most interesting tech, many brands have already released new products.
Zipp has updated the iconic Super 9 disc wheel, Classified has teamed up with Enve to provide new groupset options on the new Fray, and Specialized has released a new E-gravel bike. That and a whole host of other releases, so let's waste no time.
New releases from Sram
Yesterday, Zipp debuted the release of two new versions of the Super-9 disc wheel, one for the road, and one for the velodrome. The new disc is said to 'add speed through efficient power transfer, stiffness, and durability' - a step away from the wind tunnel claims we have gotten so used to hearing about over the last five years.
That said, the SRAM subsidiary brand claims that it spent extensive time in the wind tunnel testing seven prototypes and compared them with multiple premium disc wheels on the market. This, as well as testing the new disc with multiple popular TT and track frames on the market, and Zipp is confident that its wheel is versatile in different conditions.
The road going version of the Super 9 features a hookless rim design, and claims to be optimized for a 28mm tyre width, which interestingly, is the narrowest tyre width ETRTO and ISO standards would suggest you use alongside the wheels 23mm internal rim width.
The new disc weighs just 999g, and supports a maximum tyre pressure of 73psi.
The track specific Super 9 features a different rim profile. Optimized for a much narrower 23mm tyre setup, the track wheel still uses a clincher design, with a 19mm internal rim width and hooked rim construction.
At the same time as the Zipp launch, Time also released a complete overhaul to its pedal line up. The brand, which was acquired by SRAM in early 2021 has updated a total of 8 pedals across its range, mostly focussing on the mountain bike end of the spectrum.
For those of us on the smooth stuff, however, the Time has refreshed the Xpro 12 SL.
The new pedals boast claims of being the 'lightest on the market', weighing in at a feathery 87g per pedal - that's around 30 grams less than a Dura-Ace equivalent. Time hit's this weight by using titanium spindles, ceramic bearings, and a proprietary carbon fiber pedal body.
For more information, visit the SRAM website.
Reynolds' new wheel range
Aero wheels are great. They're fast, increasingly lightweight, and suit the aesthetic of many modern bikes today - but there are certain occasions that warrant a set of lightweight set of hoops.
Enter the new 25mm wheel range from Reynolds.
Reynolds has released a total of three new wheelsets in the 25mm depth, the AR25, BlackLabel Expert 25, and range-topping BlackLabel Pro 25. The latter is said to tip the scales at 1,251g. For a wheel of this depth the weight isn't particularly groundbreaking, however, that isn't the main goal of this wheelset from the American wheel manufacturer. It claims that at this weight, it can still offer its performance and lifetime guarantee of the structural integrity of the rim.
The wheels all feature a hooked rim profile, with 30mm external and 21mm internal rim width, and the BL Pro wheelset rolls on Industry 9 hubs. While the BL Pro wheelset retails for £2,200, the BL Expert and AR25 wheelsets will set you back a more modest £1,800 and £1,350 respectively.
For more information, visit the Reynolds website.
Enve x Classified
Classified Cycling has announced a global partnership with premium bike and component brand Enve. The Belgium-based drivetrain brand will be bringing its proprietary internal hub shifting technology to carbon wheel and frame manufacturer ENVE’s premium products, including the SES and G series wheelsets.
The two-speed rear hub allows riders to enjoy the gearing range of a 2x system at the same time as the simplicity and aerodynamic advantages of a 1x system.
The partnership marks a new chapter for Classified, who seem to have been verging on mainstream for a number of years now.
“We look to ENVE as a benchmark of premium cycling manufacturing and this partnership represents our continued pursuit of innovation and performance in the industry,” said Mathias Plouvier, CEO of Classified. “By working together with ENVE and our other partners, we can make our technology accessible to more riders than ever, giving them access to a new level of shifting performance and versatility whether they ride on the road, gravel or trail.”
New products will be offered in a range of different options. Standalone wheelsets will be available from €1.499 / $1,100 with Enve's Foundation series, while the SES Series wheelsets will set you back €2.999 / $2,450 and more.
Option 2 is a rolling chassis. Enve is making the Melee, MOG and brand new Fray available as rolling chassis options fitted with Classified hubs, starting from €7.699 / $8,000. For European customers, there is also the option to buy the bike as a full build starting from €10.899.
Fizik x Pas Normal Studios
If Sting was into cycling, these, surely, are the shoes he would use. This new collaboration from Fizik and Pas Normal Studios would certainly look at home 'walking on the moon', but what's new about this partnership-exclusive shoe?
The Mechanism PNS x Fizik collaboration is the latest between the Danish premium cycling kit brand and Italian shoe manufacturer and features a sleek polyurethane-laminated upper construction that is combined with a mesh to provide 'long lasting foot support' according to Fizik.
The shoes are built off of Fizik's R2 carbon fiber outsole, which features a stiffness index rating of 10 and also feature a wide inlet channel for improved ventilation.
The claimed 235g shoes will hit the shelves for €450 / £390 / $490, and more information can be found on the Fizik website.
New Restrap bottles and cages
Restrap has migrated from bike-packing bags to bottles and cages with its latest release. The British bike-packing specialist has unveiled a lineup of water bottles and cages designed to fit easily into smaller frames, and bikes with frame bags in use.
To tackle the pesky clearance issue for adventurers, Restrap has followed the likes of Topeak in creating a side-loading bottle cage, which allows the bottle to be removed in a twisting motion, rather than pulling it up and into a frame bag.
The cages ship with a sliding plate that allows for 25mm of adjustment to the bottle cage, particularly useful on frames where the bottle cage bosses aren't optimally placed. The side loader cages will set you back £14.95.
Alongside the cages, Restrap has also released 500ml and 750ml bottles that are made using 100% recyclable BPA/F/S free polyethylene.
For more information, visit the Restrap website.
Specialized Creo SL E5 Comp
Back in September of 2023, Specialized launched the Creo 2 e-bike, and it's fair to say we were pretty impressed on first inspection. However, when it originally launched, the gravel-focused e-bike was only available in range-topping carbon models - until now.
Specialized has brought the same geometry, and motor unit to an all new premium E5 alloy frameset priced at a much more palatable £4000. This new alloy Creo features Specialized's own SL 1.2 motor unit, which can provide you with 320 watts of power at 50Nm of torque.
This up to 120 mile range is complimented by Specialized third generation Futureshock, which provides a small amount of vertical travel at the handlebars, which should take the edge of rougher road riding.
You can find out more on Specialized's website here
