Practicality is a pillar of a good cycling product. While form catches the eye, it’s the function that really matters.
This roundup features a selection of new releases that while looking good all place a premium on improving your ride. We have a hand-built steel gravel bike that can be tailored to suit your needs, two electric pumps that should make the roadside repair far more palatable, sunglasses that stay put, an an affordable and sustainable helmet and a tyre liner designed specially for cyclocross.
Onguza Bliksem gravel bike
The Onguza Bliksem in a customised form.
(Image credit: Onguza / @robkerr6_@brookehoyer)
Onguza remains one of the industry’s more interesting stories, building handmade steel bikes from its factory in Namibia, headed up by former road pro Dan Craven. Three years in and the team are now offering greater customization via an online frameset builder feature. The first bike offered as a customisable model is the Bliksem, a race-focussed gravel bike.
A stunning paint job and plenty of tyre clearance.
(Image credit: Onguza @robkerr6_@brookehoyer)
Hand-mitred and fillet brazed using a from a blend of Columbus Life and Zona tubing, customers can opt for three different ways to route the cables as well as adding extra bosses for bottles and bags if required. There are also 18 frame colours and 10 graphics to choose from.
An Onguza frame builder hard at work.
(Image credit: Onguza)
Other details include a T47 bottom bracket, which allows for the different routing options while keeping a consistent chassis, and stainless steel flat mount bosses and touch points to provide greater durability.
The Bliksem is offered in 18 colour options including a hue that blends perfectly into this Namibian backdrop.
(Image credit: Onguza)
Framesets start at $3,032 / £2,490, which includes shipping, duties and taxes. More information is on the Bliksem and the frameset builder platform at www.onguza.com
Dynamic Care electric pumps
(Image credit: Dynamic Bike Care)
The best electric pumps are quite the upgrade. Not only are they more packable than a hand pump, they also reduce the inflation process to mere seconds, while saving you from a sore arm in the process.
Dynamic Bike Care is likely better known for its chain lubes and cleaning products but the Dutch-based company has just launched two compact electric pumps, the Turblo and Turblo+.
The former weighs a claimed 115 grams, making it an ultra-light option best suited for top-ups and emergencies; using a rechargeable 500 mAh battery it’s said to replace more than five CO2 cartridges. It features a digital gauge, an automatic stop function and also comes with a handy waterproof pouch.
The Turblo looks small but perfectly formed.
(Image credit: Dynamic Bike Care)
The + model has the same features but runs on a larger 2000 mAh battery, allowing it to inflate up to 10 bar or 145psi, with enough gas to inflate ten road bike tyres on a single charge.
The Turblo (see what they’ve done there) is available for £ 79.99 and the Turblo+ for £ 69.99, and can be pre-ordered from September 4th on dynamicbikecare.com. The electric pumps will be available from September 18th on dynamicbikecare.com.
Oakley sunglasses
(Image credit: Oakley)
For cyclists, sunglass retention is a serious business. No one wants their shades moving around thanks to rough and uneven road and trails surfaces, or worse still, falling off mid-ride, especially given the cost of many of the best cycling glasses With this in mind Oakley has released two new models that refuse to compromise when it comes to staying in place, the Stunt Wing and the Stunt Devil.
The Stunt Wing uses the US brand’s HyperGrip Ultra technology, which features a temple band that fits around the head to prevent the glasses from budging. Elsewhere there’s a full-coverage shield frame and a Prizm lens that’s designed to improve clarity and colour.
(Image credit: Oakley)
A split temple, seamless shield design, the Stunt Devil uses high-friction webbing to keep any movement to a minimum; Oakley says the tech is inspired by the shape and gripping prowess of a frog’s foot! Again a Prizm lens is used for enhanced contrast and detail, with the Stunt Devil also coming in a smaller fit option.
Rudy Project Sinergy helmet
The Sinergy boasts some impressive sustainability credentials.
(Image credit: Rudy Project)
It’s refreshing to feature a product that’s designed to be sustainable while at the same time being affordable. The Sinergy helmet is made from over 60% recyclable materials and forms part of Rudy Project’s Ride to Zero initiative, where the goal is to contribute to the transition toward a circular economy, where products are designed to last but also be recycled once they are out of use. It also has a price tag of just £59, which is comfortably inline with many of best budget cycling helmets.
Eleven vents and a claimed 250g are a couple of the Sinergy’s headline features.
(Image credit: Rudy Project)
To help make the recycling process easier the Sinergy helmet is made using a single material, polystyrene; both the outer shell and the internal protective layer are made from PS, a base polymer, and EPS, an expanded polystyrene.
Often ‘cheaper’ helmets come with a weight penalty, but the claimed weight for a S/M is 250g, which makes it competitive in this department with lids that are far more expensive. Elsewhere it features 11 ventilation channels, removable and washable inner pads and Rudy Project’s tried-and-tested RSR adjustment system that tunes the fit in both vertical and horizontal positions. Both the style and the six colour choices make it good fit for both road and gravel use.
Vittoria CX tyres
The AirLiner Cyclocross insert is designed to work with Vittoria’s TLR CX tyres, such as the new Terreno T30.
(Image credit: Vittorial)
Cyclocross season is upon us and to celebrate getting muddy once again Vittoria has updated its tyre lineup.
The Endurance range is bolstered to include the Terreno T10 Hardpack, which as the name suggests is best suited to fast rolling courses. There’s also the T30, the T80 and the T90, three tread patterns for mixed loose tracks, coarse terrain and serious mud, respectively. Features include a 100 TPI casing, a Graphene compound and Bead Shield, which provides some additional sidewall protection. The T80 is also offered in the more affordable Sport construction.
The T30 is designed for loose terrain courses.
(Image credit: Vittoria Terreno)
The T10 comes in 32mm width, the T30 in 31mm and 33mm, and the T80 and T90 are 33mm only. Claimed weights for the lightest TLR versions range between 400g and 420g depending on the width, while the tube and rigid T80s weigh 620 and 640 grams.
To accompany the folding, hookless-compatible TLR options Vittoria is also releasing the AirLiner insert, specifically created for cyclocross riders. The Italian brand says that the tyre inserts deliver impact protection and lateral stability as well as being part of a tubeless system that removes the time and effort needed for the mounting and unmounting of tubulars.
