Earlier this month, we took a look at how the pandemic has impacted the availability of products within the world of cycling. It quickly became clear that supply issues and shipping congestion has made bikes and some components very hard for both manufacturers and customers to get hold of.
There is plenty of cycling stuff that you can get your hands on, however, so we’ve taken a look at some of the best products that you can actually buy right now.
Ribble’s new Gravel bike
Finding a new bike that is actually in stock right now is a bit tricky, but Ribble seems to be bucking the trend by launching a brand new line of bikes that you can actually buy without having to have been on a waiting list for months.
The range is simply named ‘Gravel’ with the letters following this denoting the type of bike that you’re getting. AL stands for aluminium and while we said that this bike is in stock, the AL version isn’t. These seem to have sold out pretty quickly and each build within the AL variant is on a pre-order with a TBC dispatch date.
But you can get your hands on the Gravel SL which uses a carbon frame and fork. This comes in a number of standard builds with three Shimano GRX groupsets to pick from along with Campagnolo’s Ekar 13-speed groupset.
ribblecycles.co.uk
Castelli Spring/Summer 2021 Range
If you’re in need of new cycling clothing then you’re in luck as a number of brands have launched their spring/summer collections for 2021 as planned.
Castelli is one of those brands and they’ve got a huge collection for 2021 that includes pieces for every cycling discipline.
We’ve linked you through to Merlin Cycles as they seem to have every piece of the 2021 spring/summer collection and they’ve even got some discounts on items. One of the deals that we’ve spotted is 20% off the short sleeve Perfetto RoS Light jersey. This is designed for those intermediate days when it is chilly and there is a threat of showers.
merlincycles.com
Garmin Rally Power Meters
Finally, and after many years of users asking for just this, Garmin has launched a power meter pedal system that is compatible with Shimano cleats.
The single-sided version is going for £580 which, when compared against other single-sided power meter options like the G3 Stages Ultegra R8000 at £375, makes them seem a little pricey. But you’re also getting a pair of pedals within that price which would set you back another £157 for the Ultegra R8000 version, so the price isn’t actually all that high.
The biggest benefit with power meter pedals like the Garmin Rally is the ability to swap them between bikes irrespective of groupset, crank length, bottom bracket standard or even the type of bike.
sigmasports.com
Genesis Equilibrium
When you start to really have a look around, there are actually some really good bikes that are available to buy and that includes one of our favourites, the Genesis Equilibrium.
Both the rim-brake and disc-brake models are available so you can choose your preferred braking system but at the heart of the bike is a Reynolds 725 steel frame which provides a beautiful ride quality.
The Equilibrium is planted over broken road surfaces and with the Shimano 105 groupset on both bikes, you’re getting brilliant shift quality too.
freewheel.co.uk
Goodyear 2021 tyres
Motorsport giant Goodyear decided a few years ago that it’d give making bicycle tyres a go and they quickly set about making tubeless tyres for road bikes.
They then took very little time before the range was expended to include all-terrain and city options.
Arguably the best move made, however, was the introduction of tan wall models for those that prefer the classic look.
Wiggle seems to have good stock across road, gravel, city and MTB options.
Rapha’s Spring Collection
Rapha released its Spring collection and it was surprisingly competitively priced.
One of the additions that really caught our eye was the Commuter Jacket at £100. It is available in cuts for men and women and there are a few new colours available.
While the jacket fits best while on the bike, it isn’t so extreme that you can’t wear it as a normal jacket. In fact, in one of the subtle colours, this could be the ideal jacket for riding over to meet friends for a post-work drink.
rapha.cc
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