There's brand new releases from the likes of Enve, Campagnolo, Hunt, LOOK, Lazer and Van Rysel. Sam Gupta, Stefan Abram and Joe Baker all sit down to talk about all the new releases in detail.
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00:00We've got Bastion, Enve, Hunt, Look, Laser and Van Riesel and they have all dropped new gear.
00:06So we're going to start with some eye-wateringly expensive new bars from Enve.
00:12Joe, tell us all about them.
00:13So last week Enve launched the Enve SES AR one-piece bar and stem.
00:18Now the first thing to note is that this is not the handlebar that Team UAE and
00:24Taddei Pogacar have been riding for the last sort of nearly a year now.
00:27This is actually a handlebar that's designed more for the all-road category.
00:31So they were first released with the Enve Melee and the Enve Custom road bike and now
00:37if you can cough up the cash they are available to the wider market
00:41for the grand total of £1,300 or $1,200.
00:47That is so much money.
00:49To put it into perspective I think a great comparison is that that is about the cost
00:54of the entry-level Specialized Alley.
00:57But yeah what do you get for all that money?
00:58Well they're all handmade in the USA.
01:01They're available in 20 different length and width configurations
01:04and they all share the same 5cm flare that we saw from the SES Carbonero handlebars about 10 years ago.
01:11So in terms of geometry it's a 76mm reach and a 127mm drop.
01:16All pretty safe.
01:17They're compatible with Enve's in-route internal cable routing system as well
01:23and they're going to weigh in the region of 330 to 360 grams.
01:27That's obviously size dependent.
01:28Yeah well what kind of width options do they have like the SEM and the actual bike?
01:33Yeah so as far as width options go you're looking at anything from 38cm wide to 46cm.
01:40Now that is for the hoods.
01:41Interestingly enough that means in the biggest size
01:44the drops will actually be more than half a metre apart
01:47which definitely sort of puts them I would argue to be honest
01:51more towards the gravel spectrum than road actually because 38 isn't particularly narrow
01:55and as I say 51cm on the drops is a lot of control.
01:59But that's not the only new thing from Enve
02:02because I also think they released something else pretty recently.
02:05I think they came out with some new hubs which
02:07aren't always the most interesting new piece of tech
02:09but I think there's a deeper story going on here right?
02:12Yeah there's a little bit more context to it.
02:14So last week or the week before last I should say Enve released another set of its own hubs.
02:19They're 100% in-house design and they're 60 grams lighter than their J-Bend model
02:24326 grams claimed for the pair.
02:26They also feature a lower engagement angle of just 3.3 degrees
02:30or down two I should say.
02:32That's a little bit lower than DT Swiss's equivalent goes down to 6.6.
02:35Now the wider context to this is really that the DT Swiss's pattern
02:40on ratchet sort of hub systems ended in 2020
02:44and now Enve is the latest brand to come out with its own hub design
02:48that sort of works off the back of this pattern.
02:51Now Enve said in its press release they said they're totally behind ratchet systems
02:55over sort of more traditional pull systems.
02:59The first thing that comes to mind though is why it's taken quite so long.
03:02Obviously we're four years on now.
03:04A couple of people reporting that actually engineering the tolerances needed
03:08for these ratchet systems is really really tricky.
03:11So it's only now that we're starting to see other brands catch up
03:14but Enve is the latest to do so.
03:15Yeah Enve's like stomping ahead in those terms really
03:19because with DT Swiss I think that they're quite conservative
03:22with their star ratchet system and so they start at just 18 teeth
03:25and so these are like quite big meaty teeth.
03:26It's a very reliable system but that means that you get 20 degrees of engagement
03:30and you really really do feel that.
03:32They go up to 24, 36, 54 numbers of teeth
03:37and that brings the engagement down.
03:38But as you say just earlier Enve's they go all the way up to 100 teeth
03:43which is really really quite impressive
03:45especially considering the problems that other brands are having
03:48when it comes to the tolerances.
03:50That makes a lot of sense and Enve aren't the only wheel manufacturer
03:54that's kind of taking advantage of this ending of the patent
03:57because Hunt has also brought out some new wheels called the Sub 50s
04:02and those wheels have been brought out to replace the limitless 48s
04:07so as you can imagine they are about 50 mil deep
04:10but they do also come with a new hub.
04:12But that new hub isn't quite as exciting as the Enve hubs
04:16and if anything they're pretty off the shelf.
04:18Now I did speak to Hunt last week about the new wheel set
04:22and I will say there's a lot more to them than just the hubs.
04:25Arguably the hubs are the least interesting thing in my opinion
04:28but those new hubs they do seem to be a pretty standard off-the-shelf kind of design.
04:34They're made in a similar factory to other wheel manufacturers out there as well
04:39but when I asked Hunt about the hubs
04:41they said that essentially the reason why they went for those ones
04:45and didn't kind of try to come out with anything really exciting and brand new
04:48is because actually they just wanted something that would work and be reliable
04:51and actually I really respect that
04:53because I think in a world where maybe brands feel like
04:55they need to be pushing the envelope all the time
04:58that can result in things that maybe sometimes don't work that well
05:01so I think actually just using a hub design
05:03which is proven, durable, versatile and just works
05:07actually I think I rate quite high
05:09but it's the other features of the sub 50s that I think is quite cool.
05:12So as I say that's a 50 mil deep wheel set
05:15which is coming in at a claimed 1380 grams
05:19which that is impressive
05:22and that's using their UD carbon spokes
05:25which save around about 50 grams compared to the stainless steel versions
05:29but yeah I think that those wheels which have been made to kind of
05:34prioritise either 28 mil tyres or 30 mil tyres
05:37one really forward-thinking, really lightweight
05:40I think they're going to work very well for people that ride on a mixture of terrains
05:45and do kind of want to balance that aero and lightweight performance.
05:48Yeah so do we have any data or any claims on
05:49exactly how they stack up against the competition?
05:52Yeah so Hunt did actually provide a lot of their testing data
05:55and I've got some numbers in front of me
05:57and they have compared these wheels against the 454 NSWs
06:01the Zipp 303Ss, the NV 4.5s, the Princeton Peak 4550s
06:07the sub 50s and then of course the Roval Repeat CLX2
06:10so they've kind of put themselves up there with the best of what's on the market
06:14which is a that's a pretty bold claim
06:15because a lot of these wheels cost double what the Hunts do
06:19but actually they've stacked up pretty well
06:21overall when you look at the graph that you guys can see on screen
06:25it's only really the Rovals that maybe give them a proper run for their money
06:29especially at kind of those higher yaw angles
06:30so according to Hunt they're actually beating out a lot of the competition
06:34So let's say you're speccing your brand new bike
06:37you've popped 1300 pound handlebars on it
06:40you've popped three and a half thousand pound wheels on it
06:43what do you need next?
06:44Well Bastion seems to think that you might need an amulet to go with your bike
06:50Now I can't believe this
06:52all new Bastion bikes and frames that are sold will now come
06:58they're going to come with an amulet
07:00because apparently that's what...
07:01Any special claims for the amulet?
07:03So there's no claims for the amulet
07:05but imagine if it did that'd be great
07:07but what it does come with or what they do do is
07:10engrave each amulet with the frame number of your very own Bastion
07:15so they are linked they are custom and individual
07:19but I've just...
07:20When I saw this on Instagram I was just thinking like why?
07:23What's the point?
07:24Now I don't think that it's going to be inflating the prices of bikes
07:27but I'm wondering whether or not Bastion thinks that it helps justify the price of their bikes
07:31I mean sure they are very expensive
07:33and they do have some like incredible like technology that goes behind that
07:36I just don't think you need all this extra like stuff
07:40it's kind of...
07:40I feel like it's the equivalent of like having a Ferrari key on your keys
07:44just so you can like wave it around and show that you have a Ferrari
07:47It feels like the same
07:48I don't understand it
07:49I think it's stupid
07:51but then again if I had the money for a Bastion I probably wouldn't hate it
07:54Next up we've got something that I think is quite exciting
07:56and I think you do too
07:57I think it's exciting
07:58I do
07:59New pedals from Look
08:00Yeah I do like Look
08:01Well yeah well I don't know maybe going back to the start
08:04I mean Look's got a really strong position like in like cycling's heritage
08:07like starting up from the ski bindings
08:08they created the first clipless pedal in 1984
08:11and so this is the 40 year anniversary
08:12so it's like quite momentous for Look really
08:15and so yeah and yeah to mark the occasion
08:17Look has updated its Keo Blade pedals
08:20and these I think are also quite almost like an iconic product really
08:25sort of like within cycling's history
08:27and so for the most part most clipless pedals
08:29they use a metal spring as the retention system
08:32to keep your foot firmly locked in place
08:34but yeah the Keo Blades first released in 2011
08:38they use a little leaf spring made out of carbon
08:41which is lovely
08:42the sort of snap when you clip into it
08:44it's quite unique
08:45it does have some difficulties in that
08:47if you want to change the release tension
08:49you need a different carbon wafer really
08:53but yeah aside from that it's a nice really simple
08:56and really satisfying set of pedals
08:58but they've been updated
09:00there have been maybe there's some issues with the previous iteration
09:04some little niggles that can cause a little bit of frustration
09:08and I think one of them is really the way that the old Look Keo Blades used to hang
09:12and yeah just for weight distribution
09:15they'd always be like the wrong way
09:16you'd have to kick it over with your toe
09:18and yeah if you've got white shoes you just end up with a scuff
09:20it's yeah perennial nightmare
09:22but these the sort of friction of the torque
09:24sort of with the pedal and spindle
09:26in combination with a shift in the weight distribution
09:29means that it hangs in a position
09:32which is more amenable to your foot clipping in
09:34and so they claim to have solved that issue
09:36once we've actually got a set and attached it to our bikes
09:39we'll be the judges of that
09:40but yeah they have yeah sort of
09:42I think there's an interesting number here
09:44because what have Look said about
09:46because they've claimed a number against this
09:49yeah so the claim from Look is 60% easier to clip into your pedals
09:53but no no it's the it's the torque
09:55it's the friction and yeah in the pedals
09:57and so is does that yeah correlate one-to-one for it being easier
10:01perhaps not
10:02but maybe it's a difficult concept to communicate
10:05yeah in just a headline
10:07but yeah it's quite an interesting one there
10:08yeah I think it's really exciting that they're kind of updating these pedals
10:11because like you say they are kind of like iconic within the game
10:14Sam I hear you've got hold of a new helmet from Lazer
10:17I have they have actually released this the brand new Z1
10:21now the Z1 was actually super popular with amateurs
10:24and loads of pros were wearing them as well
10:27so yeah this new helmet is the successor to the previous version
10:31and it does come with quite a few quite a few claims
10:35one of which being that it has achieved a five-star Virginia Tech rating
10:41which I think we'll probably come on to a little bit later
10:45but it also incorporates Lazer's own kinetic core impact technology
10:50which is essentially their way of dealing with rotational forces
10:53a bit like MIPS really
10:54a little bit a little bit like MIPS yeah
10:56so I've been using the helmet now for probably about a month or so
11:02and actually I've been really getting on with it
11:05I will say in winter it is pretty cold
11:09because it is a very well ventilated helmet
11:12so I'm keen to use this in summer
11:15when it's a little bit warmer here in the northern hemisphere
11:17but I to be honest I've really I'm really enjoying using this helmet
11:21I actually used the previous Z1 for a couple of years
11:23and I really enjoyed that helmet
11:24I will say one of the big things that I've noticed is that the retention wheel
11:28so adjusting the cage it is smoother it's a lot smoother
11:32but I still don't think that's better than just having a wheel at the back
11:34I still prefer a wheel at the back compared to the top mounted
11:38well apparently it's supposed to work better than ponytails
11:40but not being in a position to test that
11:43I agree with you but yeah maybe there are use cases where it could be better
11:46yeah so actually that leads me on to another point that I found with this helmet
11:50is that the cage when it sits around your back
11:53obviously you can manipulate that cage and have it come down further
11:56but even in its lowest setting
11:58sometimes I do just feel like it feels like it's a little bit higher
12:01I would actually quite I mean I found when I was testing the Kask Elemento
12:06I really like that because the cage came right down
12:09and it felt really like secure and on my head
12:11that is something I found similar as well with the Kask Sintesi when I tested it
12:15it did sort of come quite far down the head which is quite nice
12:19it gives that sort of feeling of security that the helmet wouldn't lift at the back of the head
12:23which is quite nice isn't it
12:24yeah so that's one thing that I guess maybe I'm not the biggest fan of
12:28but it's still an incredibly comfortable helmet
12:31it fits like I mean I don't want to say it but it fits like a glove
12:35but yeah I mean this helmet really lands itself in competition
12:38with things like the Protone from Kask
12:41the Trentor, the Prevail, the Airbreaker
12:44but actually I think it's really worthwhile
12:46I think it deserves its place in the market
12:48absolutely and well I think considering the weight
12:51yeah so laser claims that this is the lightest helmet
12:54with you know rotational impact protection
12:56the claimed weight is 220 grams
12:58yeah we've weighed it at 236 grams so a little bit heavier
13:02but even so that's still lighter than yeah Jiro's, Ares, Mips spherical helmet
13:06and that's yeah 265 grams
13:08and so there's a significant difference there in terms of a weight
13:11and when that's on your head those you know
13:14sure we're only talking about tens of grams
13:16but actually when it is on your head those tens of grams really help
13:19and you can really feel it
13:20now next up we do have some new tech from Van Rysel slash Decathlon
13:24and I believe they've brought out a new range of turbo trainers
13:27yeah absolutely there's three new trainers
13:29and we've got the top end model here in fact
13:31yeah we've got it yeah just down here
13:33pop that on it's about 20 kilos so it's got some heft to it
13:37there we go
13:37that's pretty big
13:38it's sizable in fact maybe that's not gonna work
13:40maybe
13:41run us through some of the specs
13:43yeah well I'll start with the price because I think that puts everything in perspective really
13:46and so it's not sold in the US just yet and it's only UK and Europe
13:51but it's 550 pounds and so just to put that in comparison with the Wahoo KICKR V6
13:56that's 1,100 pounds and with the Tacx Neo 2T that's 1,200 pounds
14:01and so it's half a price or better than half a price of these top end trainers
14:05and so when it comes to the specs
14:07so we've got a plus or minus two percent for the accuracy
14:10which is sufficient for top level swift racing
14:13but it's obviously less than the KICKR which is plus or minus one percent
14:16and same for the Tacx
14:18and then also with the KICKR it's got the auto calibration which this doesn't have
14:23so yeah you're losing a little bit of nice features
14:26but at half a price you can't really complain
14:29it's interesting isn't it a few sort of creature comforts obviously there that are lacking
14:33but actually the thing that impresses me is on first impression at least
14:36it's actually the build quality is really nice for something that's so much cheaper
14:39because I think often something that's manufactured with loads and loads of units
14:43often people will cut costs on some of the materials that often that you end up touching
14:47and it just doesn't feel like such a nice product to use
14:49but on first impression at least it seems pretty well built doesn't it
14:52oh absolutely yeah it's got a lot of metal in the construction
14:55and just the solidity into it and the stability
14:58I mean comparing it to the Elite Zumo that's a hundred pounds cheaper
15:01it's 450 pounds but it's got much worse in specs
15:06and so it doesn't get close to the maximum resistance of this which is 2000 watts
15:10it doesn't I think that the Zumo is maybe about 13 percent maximum gradient
15:14this goes up to 20 and so it's ticking all those
15:18the fact is it's competing with the best
15:20it's competing with the best and it's about half a price
15:22and as I say it's a step up over these mid-range direct drive trainers
15:26that we previously had when it comes to the stability
15:28yeah Zumo it's it's reasonable but it's it's not got the same sort of like substance
15:35yeah the D900 which is really quite impressive
15:38well I think that's the fact is that the fact that even before you know having ridden it
15:42just looking at the specs on paper we're already comparing it to things that are twice the price
15:46which kind of then insinuates that when you look at things that are direct
15:50price rival kind of comparison it's already kind of blown those out of the water
15:54so it's fair to say that I think the ride feel will probably be quite good
15:58and again for that price I think it's just going to be really interesting
16:01to see how it does compare to a Kickr
16:02now you're just missing out on well I call it gimmicks a little bit
16:05I mean the Kickr's got its little feet that give you a bit of play
16:08and yeah the Tacx as well it's got a little bit of sway
16:10do you really need that is it worth paying that much
16:13exactly and again with the Tacx that works without having it plugged in
16:18that's a nice feature and maybe you know that's a reason to opt for the Tacx
16:21but I will say that there's one criticism that I will have of it
16:24and that is that it uses a quick release skewer with end caps like Tacx used to use
16:33and yeah happily more recently Tacx has changed that you can just put a
16:37through axle straight through the trainer as if it's just a wheel
16:40whereas with this you have to put the quick release through the trainer
16:46and yeah connect it to the trainer that way
16:48and so and then you have a through axle rolling about
16:51yeah getting lost and yeah so it's a bit of a pain in that respect
16:55and but this isn't this also isn't the only trainer they've launched
16:58they've launched two other models
16:59yeah they've launched two other models and so we'll yeah we'll cross over the middle one
17:03because this yeah it's a kind of sort of no man's land a little bit
17:06but the D100 is very interesting in itself
17:09and so the price is 240 pounds yeah very impressively price
17:14and so it's yeah about half out of a kicker core
17:18but it's got a very similar design it's got that t-leg setup
17:21that everybody has from like the swift hub from the jet black vaults
17:24and yeah and the explover noser s
17:26something that's notable about this is that the specs seem like somewhat down
17:30and so the maximum resistance that is claimed is 600 watts for this D100
17:35and so that compares quite unfavorably with the explover noser s
17:40which apparently can do up to 2500 watts
17:43and then it's a similar story again when it comes to the resistance
17:45these other trainers that have a very similar design look almost the same
17:49yeah having maximum inclines of yeah even up to 18 percent is claimed
17:53whereas this it's only claimed to be six percent
17:56and so i have a sneaking suspicion perhaps
18:00that the train is actually better than what these stats are rating it as
18:04and this is just to differentiate the bottom end trainer from the higher end ones
18:09as a direct drive trainer coming in at that price level
18:12i think that's just great to see
18:14but like you say even if the more expensive D900 is as competitive
18:20as we potentially hope it might be against say the kicker
18:24that's going to be that in itself will be amazing
18:27absolutely
18:29for this month's bike of the month we have the canyon enduro race
18:32but the aluminium version
18:35stefan run us through it because i think the version that we have is a slightly newer model
18:39yeah absolutely and so this is coming with the new shimano 105 12 speed mechanical
18:45and so it's a brand new group set very very nice
18:48but yeah to just focus on the bike yeah just in the first place
18:51because it's yeah it's just a very nice bike really
18:53and so it's an aluminium but you couldn't really tell for the welds
18:56the seat post junction or the head tube it's really really very smooth
19:00it's only around the bottom bracket that's yeah it's given away
19:02as being an aluminium bike and so yeah the lines yeah it's very very pretty
19:06looks almost like a carbon bike
19:08but then you've got that nice slight impact resistance of aluminium
19:12and so it's yeah it's a very very nice frame
19:15and then when it comes to the tire clearance it goes up to 36 millimeters
19:18which is pretty generous really for like yeah what's ostensibly an endurance road bike
19:23but it's yeah coming with 32 millimeter tires
19:26and and yeah to be fair it is it's looking plump
19:28those tires and the internal rim width of the wheels the DT Swiss LNs is 22 millimeters
19:35and so it's not even that the um yeah wheels are particularly generous
19:38okay they're plump but larger if they um yeah had like yeah
19:42zip 303s is on for instance but um yeah
19:45to be fair i don't think many people are going to put some 303s on and on an enduro race
19:49oh i i don't know i think that's crying out for it really
19:52i mean i really love them like an aluminium frame
19:56just the um sort of solidity to it over some carbon
20:00like yeah you don't have to worry as i say about like the old like knock and scrape
20:03it's yeah it can sort of put up with a rough and tumble of life a little bit better
20:06but then like you want to offset that a little bit you know
20:09and so some like lighter wheels a little bit of aerodynamicism
20:12so this is coming in at 1649 pounds and now just to put that in perspective okay
20:16a um Specialized Alley Sport with um Shimano Tiagra okay
20:21so we're looking at a Shimano 105 with 12 speeds versus Shimano Tiagra with 10 speeds
20:25okay the Specialized is 50 pounds cheaper
20:28and so what are you going to do like which one are you going to choose out of both two
20:32it's really quite incredible the value on this
20:35and it's yeah even extends to Trek
20:36and so to get the Trek Amonda ALR with um yeah with the same groupset
20:41yeah that's yeah one thousand um two thousand one hundred pounds
20:45whereas um to get it with the older 105 105 11 speed
20:49that's still more expensive around about the 1800 mark
20:52and so so what do we reckon we reckon that the enduro race here
20:55is actually delivering really good value for money
20:58incredible value and you almost don't think that um yeah
21:01can you might like wise up to it a little bit and like bump the price up
21:04because yeah right now it really does stand out for the value that you're getting
21:07it's nice to see what is probably all the bike that most people really could ever need
21:12yes you know without going crazy
21:14it's all the bike you could really ever need
21:16and it's still at a much more palatable price point than a it's competitors
21:20but b it just it's not even in the same league as most carbon bikes is it
21:25you know when you're talking about spending three four thousand pounds
21:28on something with you know 105 so it's not i think it's refreshing more than anything
21:33to see something coming in considerably under two thousand pounds
21:36that would absolutely be a like you know a brilliant bike for most people
21:39well let us know down below bearing in mind the price of this bike
21:43would you prefer to have an entire canyon enduro race or the new nv handlebars
21:48let us know down below