THE LATEST GEAR -TESTED BY EXPERTS
OUR RATINGS
90+% BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER
80-89% IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY
70-79% GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER
50-69% AVERAGE IT’LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH
0-49% POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON’T BOTHER!
HYPERICE NORMATEC 2.0
£899.99 Dynamic pneumatic compression boots for maximising recovery
The Normatec 2.0 Legs use ‘dynamic air compression’ in order to help reduce muscle soreness and lower blood lactate levels. The patented pulse massage pattern has three functions: pulse, distal release and a gradient system, which means that the compression works its way up the leg gradually in a hold and release pattern to mimic the natural mechanism of the muscles pumping blood towards the heart. This aims to help get rid of waste products and increase the oxygen flow to the recovering muscles and extremities.
Set-up proved easy enough. Just zip yourself into the boots and connect the control unit to the hose attachment, which then slots into the hose socket on both legs. The boots have a rechargeable 1.5kg control unit, which means they’re relatively portable and can be used wirelessly.
Hyperice’s claimed two-hour battery life is pretty accurate; we found it translated to about five episodes of Friends before needing extra juice! Each leg is made up of five overlapping chambers that fill up with air and expand to compress the muscles. Leg sizes include short (>160cm), standard (163cm-191cm) and tall (<191cm), though we’d recommend sizing down as our 163cm height settled into a strange no man’s land between standard and short.
“After a couple of weeks using the Normatecs after every run, our legs felt fresher for longer”
Once you’ve downloaded the free Hyperice app you can choose from seven pre-made sessions for the Normatecs, which instantly load onto the control unit via Bluetooth from a smart phone. Sessions include the likes of a short 15min ‘pre-workout warm-up’ to longer 45min ‘post-run recovery’ sessions, and there’s even a 25min ‘improve your sleep’ option.
There’s also a custom mode, where you can choose to either settle into a continuous compression cycle or set any duration from 10mins to 2:55hrs (though you’ll need to recharge before then).
Compression level ranges from one to seven, with a zone boost feature for isolated bursts. Our recovery saw us reaching for max compression each time to see any obvious reduction in soreness. But after a couple weeks of using the Normatecs after every run, our legs admittedly felt fresher for longer, especially during those long or hard run sessions.
Although you can set the length of your own sessions, the device doesn’t seem to stick to them or the allotted time in pre-made sessions, instead continuing of its own accord until the cycle is finished. This seems a bizarre design flaw which could be easily solved by only offering session times within the cycle intervals. Packing the bulky boots away can also be a struggle, so it’d be great to see a carry case included in future.
A Pro version (£1,199) is also available, with has an updated touchscreen device, 10 intensity levels and three modes. KM hyperice.com
85%
VERDICT: GREAT ADDITIONAL RECOVERY AID FOR ATHLETES WITH DEEP POCKETS
GARMIN INSTINCT 2 SOLAR
£389.99 Is this ‘Fenix lite’ the multisport watch for you?
It feels strange to claim a £390 (£300 for non-solar) watch is good value, but that’s what we’re about to try and do here.
The Instinct 2 comes in many different variations, including 40mm or 45mm case sizes, Solar or standard options and multiple colourways. That extra £90 for solar seems steep, particularly for Brits. With it, Garmin says the Instinct 2’s battery life is potentially unlimited in smartwatch or battery saver mode (28/65 days without it), but that’s dependent on the device catching enough light each day, which seems unlikely in Blighty.
The difference in GPS mode is an additional 18 hours with solar (48 hours vs 30 without it). That’s not as much as the new Fenix 7 Solar (73 vs 57, £689.99), but still plenty of time for a full Ironman.
Solar aside, the big talking point here is the inclusion of some of Garmin’s fitness features, many of which weren’t present on the original Instinct. These include: VO2 max, Fitness Age, Training Status/Load Effect, Recovery Time and daily suggested workouts.
Heart rate monitoring and GPS accuracy is solid, and there are dozens of activity profiles to choose from including run, bike, swim (pool and open water) and triathlon. Openwater tracking can be a little patchy, as we’ve found with other Garmins.
The case is robust, the device feels light on the wrist (53g) and, though a little dull versus other models, the screen is clear and easy to read.
If you want a rugged multisport watch without the high price tag of the Fenix, the standard Instinct 2 would be our pick. RS garmin.com
87%
VERDICT: RUGGED, LIGHTWEIGHT AND FULL OF FEATURES; ANOTHER GARMIN WORTH CONSIDERING
HUEL COMPLETE PROTEIN BAR
£50 for 24 Protein fix
Billed as a low-sugar vegan snack with 20g of protein for only 200kcals per bar, you’ll think you’ve reached healthy snack heaven with these bars. They boast 26 vitamins and minerals, and work well as recovery fuel. That’s if you can stomach the strong pea protein tang and earthy aftertaste, evident across all four of the flavours. KM huel.com
75%
VERDICT: NUTRITIONALLY TOP OF ITS GAME, BUT WORK NEEDED TO MAKE IT PALATABLE
SHOKZ OPENRUN
£129.95 New run earphones
Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) is a market leader in bone conduction headphones, and it shows. The Openrun headphones are an evolution of the Aeropex ones we had on test in issue 400 (scoring 93%), but they now come with quick charging. This means you can get an impressive 90mins of battery from just 10mins of power. As with the Aeropex, they’ve proved comfortable and secure throughout testing. Sound quality is impressive for boneconduction headphones, but understandably won’t impress as much as some top-quality over-ear options. Vitally, they also allow you to hear your surroundings, while the IP67 water rating means they’ll be unphased by rain or sweat (but not swimming). Battery life is a respectable eight hours. RS shokz.com
95%
VERDICT: A PAIR OF GREAT HEADPHONES GET EVEN BETTER; HARD TO FAULT
BIKE BOX ALAN TRI AERO EASYFIT
£622 The answer to your bike transport worries?
The tri-specific Easyfit from Bike Box Alan has bigger dimensions than its standard box, meaning most of us will only have to disassemble our wheels and pedals to pack our bike. We found this to be the case with our own tri bike and a new Trek Speed Concept, both with medium frames. But if yours is larger you may have to lower the seatpost or adjust the bars, because the fit is snug.
There are plenty of straps to secure the frame and wheels, with foam supplied to cover components. There’s space to pack extras like your wetsuit, and we’d recommend adding additional bubble wrap or foam to ensure nothing knocks your bike. A weight of around 13kg means you won’t trouble the weight limit on most airlines, but it’s worth checking before you fly.
Our main worry with the original Bike Box Alan was the smaller dimensions, which meant that while it was light and easy to cart around, the chances of a rogue baggage handler being too rough with your bike could increase. That’s less of a problem with the EasyFit, as the increased size makes it harder to treat badly.
Of course, owners will largely take advantage of the wheels to roll it around, and when you need to carefully load it onto a baggage platform, or into a vehicle, there are two ergonomic carry handles on top. Bike Box Alan also attaches an airport security notice sticker to its boxes to remind baggage handlers that you’d rather not replace your mech hanger before the big race. JS bikeboxalan.com
85%
VERDICT: A BIG INVESTMENT THAT SHOULD KEEP YOUR BIKE SAFE AND SOUND
C-MONSTA WETSUIT HANGER
£35 Handy hanger for swim kit
Regular open-water swimmers will know the pain of having wet neoprene endlessly strewn around the house dripping. This strange-looking device solves the problem by including uprights to place your booties and gloves on, as well as a large slot for hanging your wetsuit. We also used the central bar to hang up our neoprene swim cap and goggles. Solidly constructed with an adjustable hanging strap, the C-Monsta quickly became indispensable over a winter of coldwater swimming that needed all our kit ready to go again every day. Hanging it allowed it to drain and ventilate easily (without clothes pegs marks!). HW c-monsta.com
92%
VERDICT: A SIMPLE BUT WELL-CONSTRUCTED SOLUTION TO A SWIMMER’S PROBLEM!
COOTS JT ONE PIECE
£170 Top-end eco-friendly suit
Made in London and with a lifetime warranty on stitching and construction, this small swim brand have made one of the most beautiful-feeling suits we’ve tried in a long while (jammers also available for the blokes). We loved the fit and feel and zip back – though the high price tag does mean it won’t be for all. HW coots-london.com
80%
VERDICT: GORGEOUS SUIT WITH IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS. WE JUST WISH WE COULD AFFORD IT!