“You wait for one 3D printed titanium road bike to come along and then…”
Like the proverbial London bus we’ve seen a number of these creations roll through together as late, each a product of artisanal frame builders who are perhaps best placed to benefit from the relative low-cost printing tech. If the bike featured here, an allroad machine from the boutique Canadian brand Baumier, and those from the likes of Passoni and J.Laverack, are anything to go by, then exciting times are ahead.
Baumier B01 3D printed carbon and titanium bike
(Image credit: Baumier)
The recent Rouleur Live event showcased a number of builders combining titanium with the benefits of 3D printing. Another advocate of this harmonious blend is Baumier, a brand from Montreal, Canada.
(Image credit: Baumier)
The B01 is its flagship model. It’s a 3D printed carbon and titanium allroad frame that aims to balance the attributes of both materials, to create a bike that’s lightweight, stiff, strong and durable. It’s offered in three configurations – Hors-Catégorie, Lifetime, and Timeless – with each benefiting from its own build kit, which includes the brand’s in-house wheels.
(Image credit: Baumier)
As for the frame, it too is made from start to finish in Baumier’s HQ, using braided dry carbon fibre injected with biobased resin and 3D-printed Ti lugs; sustainability is at the heart of the brand’s ethos and by keeping it all in house it has full control over the manufacturing processes.
“We aren’t claiming to reinvent the bicycle, but rather to rethink our relationship with manufacturing, performance, and time. At Baumier, true performance is the kind that lasts, that respects, that connects, “ says founder, Benjamin du Hays. He backs this up by offering the B01 with a lifetime guarantee. Impressive, indeed.
MAAP x Kask Elemento SE helmet
(Image credit: MAAP / Kask)
When Kask released the Elemento it hoped that its blend of pioneering tech, aero efficiency and ventilation would grab the headlines. However it was the helmet’s $400.00 / £335.00 RRP that took centre stage; at the time of release in September 2023 it was the most expensive road helmet we’d tested at Cycling Weekly.
Well it’s back, and both the tech and the high price tag remain, along with a special edition Protone design courtesy of apparel brand MAAP.
(Image credit: MAAP / Kask)
The collaboration is certainly striking; we credited the Elemento for its aesthetic appeal when we reviewed it, and it could be argued this has been heightened by the black and white graphics. But while it’s important for a lid to look the part, its safety credentials and its performance are what really matters.
Using the original design, it combines Kask’s Fluid Carbon 12 energy-absorbing composite technopolymer and proprietary 3D-printed Multipod internal padding to deliver protection from impacts; the helmet meets CE / UKCA – EN 1078SA safety standards, like all of the best road bike helmets. Other design features include a ventilation structure designed to deliver both airflow and aerodynamics and an inner padding made from merino wool.
The Elemento SE is available now and is priced at $440 / £370.
Selle Italia SLR 2025 saddles
(Image credit: Selle Italia)
The SLR is one of the most recognisable racing saddles, a fixture of grand tours and club runs since its release in 1999. It’s now in its fourth generation, with a range of new models that Selle Italia says are the “culmination of 25 years of research and development”.
(Image credit: Selle Italia)
Each model uses the same blueprint, a 242mm long saddle that’s 6mm shorter than the previous saddle (but still UCI-legal) and derived from over 100,000 idmatch fittings to “eliminate every superfluous element”; design features include a central Superflow cut-out to relieve the pressure, something we see in many of the best road bike saddles, and a profile created to enable “the rider to use the nose when accelerating while the tail does not get in the way when changing position.”
The updated SLR is available in five versions. The 3D Carbon and 3D Elite, which use a 3D printed cover and carbon and steel rails, the Carbon and the Elite, which lose the 3D printed element, and the Advan, which features tubular steel rails and is the range’s most affordable offering.
Truflo Electron pump
(Image credit: Truflo)
In my mind, the best electric pumps are one of the coolest pieces of kit to come along in quite some time. They trump a traditional pump in so many ways – smaller, faster and more accurate – that there really isn’t any argument for not owning one. There are even affordable options if you don’t want to spend three figures.
A case in point is the Electron from Truflo. It weighs just 118g but can inflate tyres up to 120 PSI. It features a large digital display, which Truflo says is accurate to within 1 PSI, and can inflate three tyres from flat to the desired pressure with a single charge of its USB-C battery. Yet it retails for under £50.
(Image credit: Truflo)
Additionally the Electron comes with Presta and Schrader valve adapters, a ball needle, a 12cm hose, a USB-C charging cable, a storage bag and a Ziplock carry case.
Garmin software updates
(Image credit: Garmin)
Users of a slew of Garmin smartwatches and cycling computers can now benefit from a couple of new updates.
Select smartwatches, including the popular Fēnix 8, Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 models, will now receive a Health Status that enables users to see whether a range of metrics, such as heart rate, HRV and skin temperature are outside their usual range; these changes could indicate a potential illness, for example.
Users of the brand’s cycling computers can benefit from a software update that will deliver a number of new features. These include smart fueling alerts, which deliver prompts to eat and drink based on various metrics, from the course to the current temperatures, real time weather overlays, power guide updates (for those riding with a power meter, of course) and gear ration analysis, which shows electronic groupset users just how long they have spent in any given ration during a ride.
All updates are free and have begun to roll out across the range of compatible devices; a full list of which can be found here.
