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!
GARMIN ENDURO 2
£929 Feature packed but does it justify the price tag?
Yes, that price is correct. So how do you justify remortgaging your house? Well, there are a catalogue of new features over the original Enduro but less so over the Fenix 7. If you have the latter, you’d have to be a total Garmin acolyte to buy this, too. If not, it might be time to dig deep…
First up, the impressive pre-loaded TopoActive maps with Garmin’s new NextFork feature. As the name implies, this tells you the distance to the next trail intersection, which is a neat addition for triathletes who might spend the winter off-road running. Another new highlight is Grade Adjusted Pace that assesses the topography of the terrain and displays what your equivalent pace would be on flat ground. This is one of those features you never knew you needed but, once it’s presented to you, you become obsessed by.
Both are great in theory but only work if GPS is accurate. And in the case of the Enduro 2, it’s incredibly so thanks to its access to multiple global navigation satellite systems. This brings us to its SatIQ GPS technology that determines the best satellite support depending on conditions. Again, this is a neat feature as some GPS systems are more draining on battery life than others. This cranks up the battery life to 150hrs in GPS mode, which is 50 more than its predecessor and 28 more than the Fenix 7. Improvements in its solar ‘Power Glass’ also help here.
It features an LED at the 12 o’clock position (in old money) that will add appreciated light on winter trail runs. It’s similar to that seen on the Fenix 7X but even brighter. And it includes the majority of new features that were seen on the Forerunner 955, which we tested recently. These include Training Readiness and heart-rate variability status.
“The Grade Adjusted Pace feature displays your equivalent pace on flat terrain. Neat”
Of course, arguably the most important remain the sports features, of which there are countless. Each sports profile has its own metric set specific to them. As a snapshot, for swimming – pool and open water – this includes pace, stroke count and, for pool only, stroke-type detection. The bike links to your power meter as well as featuring a safety feature that sends a message to your nearest and dearest if you’ve crashed. And running, well, the list stretches into next year and includes predicting your race time. You can also tap into run power, ground contact time and more, but you need the HRM-Pro-Plus strap to do that.
You can also download playlists from music providers like Spotify; tap into Garmin’s Connect IQ store for apps galore; and receive smart notifications. And a whole load of features that you’ll probably never use. It also comes with a nylon strap and silicone band. And is surprisingly light for such a big piece of sports tech. But should you buy it? If you’re a committed triathlete with the money and don’t have the latest Fenix, it’d be hard to resist. JW garmin.com
88%
ELITE SUITO-T
£639.99 Another classic from the Italians?
weighing 14.5kg, the Suito-T has legs already attached and a convenient carry handle. Once you’ve folded the legs out and loaded your bike on, it’s a case of connecting to Elite’s app, calibrating, before connecting to your favourite training app. The Suito-T comes with free trials of popular apps such as Zwift, a nice touch to get you started. The Elite simulates gradients up to 15% and the max power it can handle is 1,900 watts – impressive figures for a mid-priced smart trainer. We found the Suito-T was a little louder than the JetBlack Volt, peaking at 65 decibels while riding at 200 watts, but it shouldn’t trouble the neighbours. It’s relatively sturdy but wobbles a little when you’re out of the saddle. The power is delivered smoothly, although during big efforts in ERG mode it takes a little longer to ramp up than we’d like. Power accuracy was not quite within its claimed +/-2.5% compared to our trusty Favero Assioma pedals, particularly at higher wattages. We found accuracy improved by moving to the small chainring. If you value a conveniently designed trainer and a decent indoor riding experience without a very big-ticket price, the Suito-T is well worth your consideration. JSfreewheel.co.uk
85%
JETBLACK VOLT
£699 How smart is this smart trainer?
The Volt has an 11-speed Shimano/Sram cassette included to save most riders a job during set-up. That set-up is marginally more effort than the Suito-T, but bolting the legs on is only a 5min job. The unit isn’t prohibitively heavy at 15.4kg, but there’s no carry handle, which is inconvenient, though calibration is simple enough. The Volt includes everything and more than you’d expect at this price, such as Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, thru-axle adapters, 16% gradient simulation and 1,800 watts at maximum power. When you’ve paired the power and built-in cadence sensor, the Volt also allows you to pair a heart rate monitor via the JetBlack app, which then displays on-screen in your app of choice. It’s a useful feature that’s currently unique to the Volt. It felt smooth, didn’t move a millimetre and reacted very sharply during interval sessions in ERG mode, going from 150 to 350 watts in less than two seconds, and without jolting. Power accuracy is claimed to be +/-2.5%, but compared to our Assioma pedals we actually found on average the Volt was inside that. It’s quiet, too, putting out just 61dB at 200 watts. The Volt is seriously impressive for the price and just edges this head-to-head. JS chickencyclekit.co.uk
90%
HOKA SPEEDGOAT 5
£130 A more than worthy successor
one of the classics in the Hoka range, the Speedgoat is now in its fifth iteration, a sure sign that a brand has found a design that works. We last saw the Speedgoat and its fourth incarnation back in our May 2020 issue where it scored 92%, a hard act to follow let alone beat. So, what’s new?
Well, the overall weight of the shoe has been reduced (Hoka quote by 15g for the men’s and 21g for the women’s versions). This has been achieved, say the popular brand, through fewer overlays and more flexible fabrics, including in the tongue and ankle area. We certainly felt this was an exceptionally soft and comfortable shoe, but the fit was still snug and supportive enough to make us feel secure on the trails.
The other noticeable change is in the choice of Vibram technology in the sole. Vibram Megagrip with Traction Lug aims to deliver the most proficient traction on all sorts of terrain. And we can’t really argue against that mission statement. On our test runs, which included muddy trails, rocky descents and loose ground, we felt secure and stable, while the sole still provided enough cushioning and bounce to give a comfortable experience on short tarmac road sections. The only surface the shoe didn’t feel 100% grippy on was smooth concrete, but that’s usual for trail shoes.
In other good news, the Speedgoat 5 uses more recycled materials than before and for this tester, the choice of two widths was welcome, as we found our previous ‘standard’ Hokas narrow. Five colourways are available for men and four for women. HW hoka.com
95%
UPBEAT PROTEIN ENERGY
£14.99 for 6 Confusing…
At Upbeat we’re on a mission to make protein simple…” reads the statement on the Upbeat website, which makes you question why they’ve added 180mg caffeine to this protein drink. Anyway, the good. It tastes refreshing and delivers 15g of protein. That’s near textbook recovery-drink fodder. So why include a stimulator like caffeine? We speculated whether it upped protein synthesis, but the only research we found focused on whether caffeine impeded muscle repair, not enhanced it. (It did neither.) If it’s designed for fasted sets – many athletes consume protein to prevent muscle breakdown – then that might make sense. But there’s no mention of it in the Upbeat literature. JW upbeatdrinks.com
73%
RED PRO CHANGE BAG
£34.95 Fancy robe storage
Need to store your swim robe while swimming or at home? The Pro Change Robe Stash Bag is designed to help. It’s a heavy-duty dry bag with added features such as compression straps, an air dump valve and a carry strap. There’s also a mesh pocket on the front for items such as goggles. It’s very much a nice-to-have rather than an essential. RS red-equipment.co.uk
82%
FIZIK VENTO ARGO R3 ADAPTIVE
£259.99 A glimpse into tomorrow’s world…
Fizik’s Vento Argo R3 Adaptive features a honeycomb-like structure created with 3D-printing, providing varying levels of support throughout the saddle. This ‘adaptive’ cushioning, created by Carbon, has targeted functional zones so it’s firm where you need it and softer elsewhere. This means the central channel is super soft for pressure relief, while both sides where your sit bones are offer a firmer platform for extra support. Fizik says this results in a 60% reduction in peak pressure through improved weight distribution compared to traditional saddles… but do the claims stack up?
Our 230g, 150mm-wide test saddle (a 140mm version is available) felt suitably firm in all the right places and didn’t deform over longer rides. The ideal saddle should be one you can fit and forget, and after some rail adjustment we achieved this. The ‘squishier’ parts down the central channel and at the back were more comfortable than traditional padding on road saddles when starting our rides, offering a boost ahead of long days.
While we don’t think the comfort is streaks ahead of other top-end saddles without 3D-printed trickery, it is indeed sublimely supportive, plus the adaptive cushioning and shortnosed design also means it’s comfy perched on the end, either sprinting or down on the tri-bars.
We’d be happy using this saddle for sprint- or standard-distance tris as the padding holds you in position well, making the asking price easier to swallow. JS extrauk.co.uk
86%
LEZYNE HECTO DRIVE
£45 Affordable lighting
with eight modes, this light offers plenty of versatility. Its ‘Day Flash’ mode puts out 500 lumens and lasts just shy of 6hrs. The ‘Blast’ mode also delivers 500 lumens , though a narrow field of vision and one-hour burn time leaves a little to be desired. It proved robust against the weather and charges in 2.5hrs via USB. RS upgradebikes.co.uk
80%
RUMPL PUFFY BLANKET
£90 Evolution of changing robe
Reviewing a blanket in a tri mag? Bear with us. Our changing robe has long been used as a blanket and ground mat – the Rumpl just comes at the problem from the other end. This lightweight (952g), puffy blanket is made from 100% recycled polyester shell and insulation, and has a DWR finish for water and stain resistance. So as something to sit on or sleep under, so far so good. But it also has a nifty hook closure, which means you can wrap it round yourself to keep warm post-swim. Packing into a little bag, it’s lighter and smaller and arguably more useful for sports weekend adventures than a changing robe, and we loved snuggling inside it as the temperatures dropped. This ‘Ocean Fade’ single person design also supports the Save The Waves Coalition. HW rumpl.co.uk
90%