Big races bring new tech, and with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games coming up, there’ll be plenty of exciting new things to look out for. Pinarello’s updated Bolide F TT is one such bike, with many updates mirroring those of the Bolide F HR. Technology that’s good enough for Ganna’s hour record will give the INEOS Grenadiers the best chances of success.
Some stylish new kit has landed too. Rapha’s latest Artist Collection collaboration, with Yoon Hyup, and some crossover cycling shoes from fizik, which will interest fans of mixed-terrain riding.
Finally, Standert has released two new colourways of the Kettensäge performance gravel bike — Cherry Kiss (everyone knows red is fastest) and Team 2024.
Pinarello Bolide F TT at the Olympic Games
One to spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; the latest incarnation of the Pinarello Bolide F TT bike. Representing their respective nations, INEOS Grenadiers riders will be hunting for victory on this speed weapon in the Individual Time Trial.
Ground-breaking technologies borrowed from the Bolide F HR — the bike being used by the men’s and women’s Italian track teams in Olympic endurance events — give the riders every possible advantage come race day.
One of the aero details that is sure to pique interest is AirStream technology on the seat tube and seatpost. The University of Adelaide and NablaFlow went underwater for their inspiration and integrated AeroNodes, based on tubercles on the flippers of humpback whales, to reduce the drag generated by leg movements. Add this to updated airfoil sections, wider tyre clearances and the narrowest fork and seat stays possible, among other updates from last year’s model, and you have a design that dramatically cuts drag.
Michał Kwiatkowski, Magnus Sheffield, Josh Tarling and Tobias Foss will be riding this bike in a unique colourway that’s sure to turn heads for all the right reasons.
Rapha collaboration with Yoon Hyup
Rapha has done a fair few artist collaborations, producing limited edition designs inspired by and highlighting an artist’s local riding. Latest in the line-up is Yoon Hyup, a keen cyclist from Seoul and currently living in New York City. He uses a medley of lines and dots to create entire cityscapes and other scenes observed while riding.
Working with Rapha, Yoon has applied his art to a few favourite pieces in the collection. The collaboration works well; subtle base colours and bold designs sit on Rapha’s high quality Pro Team training jerseys and socks, a casual t-shirt, bidon and cap. The kit looks classy and his style, predominantly inspired by his hometown in South Korea, is clearly visible.
Fresh colourways for the Standert Kettensäge
German bike manufacturer Standert’s Kettensäge was released in 2023 and the brand has just added a couple of fresh new colourways to the stable. Already interesting and unusual in their colours, the new Cherry Kiss (red) and Team 2024 (beige with purple and blue logos) are even more striking.
Standert uses an interesting nomenclature for its bike models, and the Kettensäge is named after a chainsaw (with its racing DNA borrowed from the Kreissäg, or circular saw) – designed to 'cut through the competition'. The new colours of this aluminium bike were on show and put to the test at the Road to Desolation gravel race South Africa’s Karoo Desert.
fizik Beat – blurring the lines between road and gravel
Most modern road cyclists have tried their hand at gravel, or are at least thinking about it, and road bikes are becoming more versatile with wider tyres, blurring the lines between disciplines.
fizik responds to this trend with the revolutionary Beat; with a sleek style that won’t look out of place on a road bike, but that is also durable and practical.
The sole is eye-catching in its unusual aesthetic and bold colours. It remains stiff for pedalling efficiency yet is still forgiving enough. A two-bolt outsole is ideal for those who want to stick with mountain bike pedals (or are new to being clipped in), but less so for the roadie purists or serious racers. Traction isn’t mentioned, so this shoe is probably more for the mixed-terrain adventurer rather than the cyclocross racer.
Mixed opinions surround lace-up cycling shoes, but they look smart, especially in the colours available on the Beats. Laces are reliable and give even tension, but adjusting them can be a pain. Outside of racing, though, does this really matter?
