Can these Kickstarter cycling shorts really reduce lactic acid by 35%? Sidi and Eroica's "iconic" reimagined shoe pays homage to the 70s, Rapha's latest Palace collab + loads more new tech

It's Tech of the Week time! That means plenty of new stuff we've heard about and seen since last Saturday. This week we've got some Kickstarter cycling kit that's coming with pretty big claims about how it can make you a better cyclist.

There's also the not-so-small matter of Rapha's latest collab with iconic skateboarding brand Palace, Sidi and Eroica taking us back in time with a reimagined 70s shoe design, updates from Strava, and a couple of new cycling-related apps that made us sit up and take notice. Let's not waste any more time...

Can these Kickstarter cycling shorts really reduce lactic acid by 35%?

BIG claims from South Korean sportswear company WaveWear whose cycling shorts and base layers with integrated kinesiology tape have appeared on Kickstarter... and yes, the brand says the kit will reduce lactic acid by up to 35 per cent. Now, at this point you might raise your hand and politely suggest that reducing lactic acid by 0.001 per cent would still be "up to 35 per cent", but the headline figure of up to more than a third reduction in lactic acid certainly got our attention.

The Kickstarter page says the campaign will launch soon, but we don't yet have any details or when or what level of funding the established sportswear brand is seeking. On its website WaveWear appears to sell a host of compression tops, leggings, vests and pretty much anything you can wear during sporting activity, the Seoul-based brand stating its bib shorts and baselayers will utilise kinesiology taping created from medical-grade silicone (you know, that tape you sometimes see strapped down footballers' hamstrings) to improve support and give us "less to recover from after cycling".

As ever when we're talking about stuff on Kickstarter, you should probably take the info with a pinch of salt and think long and hard about parting with your hard-earned if it does launch as promised. With that said, WaveWear does seem to have delivered a succesful(ish) campaign previously, raising £53,000 for its Reusable Kinesiology Taping Performance Wear idea. 

From the reviews and accounts of the 500+ who bought into that campaign, the responses are... well, mixed — some getting their product and being impressed, others having delivery delays, import fee headaches, and others saying their delivery never arrived. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one if it launches...

For now, we've only got the brand's own words to go by, the website stating: "We came up with compression gear with integrated kinesiology taping. Kinesiology taping is widely practiced by athletes, physical therapists and trainers to treat injuries, alleviate pain and support weak zones.

"We recreated kinesiology taping with BWAS™, our innovative adhesive silicone technology. Medical-grade silicone taping supports target joints and muscles, reducing strain, relieving soreness, and preventing injuries. WaveWear products reduce lactic acid by up to 35 per cent, more than compression or kinesiology taping alone, as shown in clinical trials."

Here's the Kickstarter page...

Sidi and Eroica team up for "iconic" shoe paying homage to the 70s, pairing "vintage aesthetics with modern craftsmanship"

Sidi and Eroica have released "a truly special" vintage-style shoe, designed specifically for the Eroici who "appreciate both tradition and performance". The Tenacia shoe is a reinterpretation of Sidi's 1970s design, and "combines vintage aesthetics with modern craftsmanship, featuring a sleek shape, flat sole ideal for use with bike toe clips, and high-quality microfiber materials, offering both style and durability".

Priced at €189, the Tenacia is available at Sidi's e-commerce platform and will also be stocked at the CASA Eroica store in Gaiole in Chianti during the event this weekend.

Rapha collabs with Palace again

Remember the Rapha x Palace switch-out kit that became one of the stories of the 2020 Giro d'Italia? Of course you do. Well, the two brands have collabed once again, reimagining the anything-goes cycling "style" of the 80s and 90s, inspired by the "wonderland of garish graphics, vibrant colours, and unlikely sponsorships". Sounds good to us...

It's all part of Rapha20, the celebration of the brand's 20th birthday, and has seen the skateboarding pioneers Palace come onboard once again for a limited edition collection. 

> 20 years of Rapha: Co-founder Simon Mottram on tiffs with Team Sky, MAMILs and cycling's skin-suited future

It will be available from Tuesday 8 October at rapha.cc for Rapha Cycling Club members, and from Wednesday 9 October to general release via ballot on rapha.cc. Customers must sign up to the ballot by 23.59 BST on Tuesday 8 October to be in with a chance of receiving an access email on Wednesday 9 October. What is this? A scramble for Oasis tickets? No dynamic pricing here, thankfully...

Oh, limited quantities of the collection will also be available at the Rapha London Clubhouse, available on a first come, first served basis from 8am on Wednesday 9 October. 

All the info can be found on Rapha's wbesite...

"Command a presence from Main St. to the velodrome" with Ritchey's multi-purposed track frameset

Ritchey has a new bike out, this the Garden City track frameset which is "a contemporary version of the multi-purposed fixie" that will, the brand tells us, "command a presence from Main St. to the banks of the local velodrome". Priced at £1,044, the Garden City is a triple-butted steel frameset with space for 30mm tyres and offers versatility aplenty.

Fit a 55t chainring for fast laps of the track, Ritchey suggests, or use those bottle cage mounts and brakes for your cross-town commute. In short, this is "as much a track bike as it is whatever you want it to be"... with that said, we probably wouldn't go downhill mountainbiking on it. If it was mine I'd probably just spend all day looking at it anyway.

Find out more on Ritchey's website...

Strava launches "Artificial Intelligence-powered" personalised insights for users 

Strava subscribers can now benefit from improved personalised insights features on the ride-sharing app through the newly announced beta of Athlete Intelligence, the platform's "Artificial Intelligence-powered feature".

The new feature for subscribers analyses and interprets workout data into personalised insights and guidance, providing "smarter insights across pace, heart rate, elevation, power and Relative Effort", as well as aggregating data trends from workouts logged over the past 30 days.

Strava says this will be handy for spotting tends over time, charting progress, and understanding performance insights, with Athlete Intelligence "summarising workout data into digestible insights" immediately after an activity is uploaded. Within one tap, users can click into the activity and read their insights from the feature. 

Chief Product Officer Matt Salazar reckons this will offer users "a considerably different experience with deeper context and analysis" that will "help users better understand their performance".

A new group ride app for cyclists

There's a new free app that thinks it can "take group rides to the next level". Currently only on IOS (but with the promise an Android version is planned), Groupetto (see what they did there...) uses Bluetooth to detect other riders nearby and "enables real-time communication via stickers and direct comparison of live data, such as speed, heart rate, and wattage".

Apparently more features are planned, the app seemingly just getting started, its founders saying it is a "truly unique" way to connect to other riders that aims to make Groupetto "the leading platform for group rides and elevate the group-riding experience to the next level".

Find out more in the IOS App Store...

And one for indoor training...

If you're taking your training indoors now things are getting a bit darker and colder here in the UK, Biketerra may be more up your (virtual) street, the free and easily downloadable app offering users the chance to ride any real-world route by simply uploading a FIT/TCX/GPX file or following an existing route.

Admittedly the graphics aren't exactly breathtaking but we think it's pretty cool, especially given the fact it's free. If you use a smart trainer you can connect and make sure the resistance matches the point you're riding, meaning you can ride any climb in the world (or even just your usual local loop) without needing to clean your bike afterwards. Tempted? 

Oh, we should also mention it has a pacer bot feature to keep you riding hard, or you can select a workout to follow. Check it out here...

A first glimpse at Tadej Pogačar's rainbow jersey... complete with white skinsuit shorts...

You probably heard — Tadej Pogačar won the World Championship road race last weekend. Here's his new rainbow bands kit courtesy of UAE Team Emirates' kit supplier Pissei, the white skinsuit shorts catching the eye...

 

 

 

 

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What you might have missed this week: 

• The secrets of the most successful Grand Tour bike brand — behind the scenes at Pinarello
• Bright lights, tough tyres and the "sublimely smooth" new Roubaix: road.cc Recommends updated with a magnificent seven new products
• Shimano's Q'Auto automatic shifting technology touted to launch in 2025, as cycling components giant admits it "can't break Bosch's hold on e-bikes"
• Latest Bosch Performance Line CX mid-motor "knows" how steep a climb is

• The Scott Silence eRide is a 14.5kg, mid-motor urban e-bike, but it comes at a price