Tech Roundup: New stuff from Castelli, Altura, Brick Lane Bikes, Velocity, Plain Lazy and Air Shot

A sprinkling of new products from the cycling world for you today, with a selection of new spring/summer cycling clothing, now that the winter looks like it is mostly behind us, and some other unique new products, including a tubeless tyre inflator and a helmet with integrated LED lights.

Castelli updates 2015 Free Aero Bib Shorts and claims they're faster and comfier

Summer is fast approaching, and Castelli has released details of its updated Free Aero Bib Shorts. These new bib shorts have already been put to use by the Cannondale-Garmin professional cycling team this season, and now they’re hitting the shops.

Castelli are a company that have really been pushing aerodynamics in clothing, and they first introduced the Free Aero shorts in 2007. This latest version have been three years in development and they claim they provide a 10 watt saving at 50km/h compared to the previous shorts.

To achieve this claimed aerodynamic improvement, Castelli used CFD modeling of the cyclist and surface textures to completely re-engineer every part of the bib shorts. The new Giro Air leg band and Vortex dimpled fabric panels contribute to the drag reduction, reckons the company.

Comfort has also been looked at, by analysing blood flow and eliminating pressure points. The updated Giro Air leg band has more stretch and distributes compression over a wider area, and the Progretto X2 Air padded insert carries over from the previous shorts. New Carré yoke bib straps sit flat against the body to reduce the potential for chafing.

www.castelli-cycling.com

Altura unveils new Podium jersey for spring/summer

More new spring and summer clothing, this time from Altura, who have released the new Podium jersey. It’s made from lightweight fabrics with Coldback UV protection treatment and carefully placed Draft Venting, which it claims “captures ride draft to provide engineered body cooling performance.” In other words, it’s designed to keep you cool in the hottest weather.

There are five rear pockets constructed from a light mesh fabric, the waist band is lined with a silicone gripper tape, the full-length zipper has an auto lock zip puller, and there are reflective details. The jersey is available now and costs £59.99 and is available in three colours.

Of course, they’ve got a video as well to show off their new clothing.

More at www.altura.co.uk

Velocity updates Cliffhanger 30mm rim

Tyres and rims are getting wider, and Velocity have updated their Cliffhanger rim, with a new 30mm external width and 25mm internal width. Velocity has updated the rim to suit the growing popularity of adventure riding and gravel bikes, with a rim “designed to meet the demands of contemporary adventurers, who are pushing their bikes further and harder than ever.”

The new rim has shorter and stiffer sidewalls and the spoke bed is reinforced, measures to make it a stronger rim. It’s also now tubeless compatible, but it’ll work just fine with regular tyres and tubes.

It’s available in a wide range of sizes, including 700c road bike size and also 20, 26 and 27.5in wheel sizes. You can choose spoke drillings from 32 to 48 hole, wand machined or non-machined sidewalls. There are a variety of finishes and colours available, including a reflective one.

Velocity is a US company and their rims are made at their Jacksonville plant. 

www.velocityusa.com/product/rims

Plain Lazy launches new cycling jersey

Clothing company Plain Lazy have added this new ‘My Other Jersey is Yellow’ jersey to their summer collection.

It’s made from a quick drying polyester fabric with a quarter length main zipper, raglan sleeve construction and three rear pockets. It has an aerodynamic form fit and shallow crew neck collar.

It’s available now and costs £50. More at www.plainlazy.com

Torch Apparel unveils new T2 helmet with improved battery life

The Torch Apparel is a unique helmet with front and rear LED lights integrated into the polycarbonate shell. The company has just successfully crowd-funded the successor to their first helmet, the T1, with the new T2 here featuring an improved polycarbonate shell, increased battery life plus a battery life indicator, and there are a few more colours to choose from.

The company claims the battery life of the T2 is three times longer than the first incarnation, good for 36 hours.The battery level indicator alerts you when the battery remaining is below 50%. The fit has been improved with a new dial adjusted retention system, so the one size fits all should really do just that.

More at http://torchapparel.eu

Air Shot tubeless tyre inflator

It’s no secret that here at road.cc, we’re fans of tubeless tyres. There’s much less chance of a puncture when you remove the inner tube and replace it with sealant. However, getting an airtight seal with the tyre on the rim can sometimes be tricky.

That’s where the new Air Shot comes in. A British product just recently launched, it looks like the perfect solution for those times when the tyre simply won’t inflate, no matter what you try.

Air Shot is quite simply a canister that you inflate with a track pump, and the stored air can be released in a rapid burst. This burst of air should be just the trick for inflating even the most reluctant tubeless tyre.

The Air Shot costs £59.99 and they’re currently taking pre-orders, with delivery expected in early April. More details at www.airshotltd.com/product/airshot/

And yes, they’ve got a promo video too. Here it is:

Brick Lane Bikes launches clothing range in collaboration with Pella Sportswear

London’s Brick Lane Bikes have branched out into cycling clothing, and have partnered with Pella Sportswear to produce a collection of retro themed cycling jerseys and shorts.

“Collaborating with Pella enabled us to do what we love most at BLB London; mixing vintage style with the fresh new flair while showcasing the energy and style of London cyclists” says Feya Buchwald, founder of Brick Lane Bikes.
Working with Pella has given Brick Lane Bikes access to an established clothing company with manufacturing and material sourcing experience. The range initially features a technical wool jersey, a traditional vintage wool jersey and a modern short sleeve jersey and bib shorts, are made in Italy.

The collection will be available worldwide through both distribution networks of BLB and Pella, with the first stock available beginning of April.

www.bricklanebikes.co.uk