Plus our pick of the hottest news and features on site this week
Congrats, you’ve made it – the weekend is nigh. For many of us, that means it’s time to get out and enjoy what makes us happier than all else – riding our bikes.
Beyond boosting happiness, did you know there are many other benefits to cycling? Here are 26 other excuses you can use to justify your next purchase.
It’s been a vintage week for low-scoring reviews on BikeRadar.
After months of rigorous testing, the Superstrata Classic and Limits’ BIA power meter pedals both scored a rarely awarded one star.
At the other end of the spectrum, Alex Evans brought us a five-star review of Pedaling Innovations’ clown-sized Catalyst One pedals.
Even if you’re not a rowdy MTB shredder, this review is well worth a read – the pedals have won many fans and it’s easy to understand why.
Elsewhere, our ever-diligent tech sleuths sniffed out leaked images of the upcoming suspension-equipped Giant Revolt X gravel bike.
We also reported on the altogether more analogue Brother Cycles Mr Wooden – a skinny steel do-it-all bike with cantilever brakes and 650b wheels that couldn’t be much further removed from the Revolt X.
This has been a surprise hit on site and it’s always heartening to see an appetite for bikes outside the mainstream brands.
That’s just a small taste of what’s been on BikeRadar this week. For regular updates on the very best bits of BikeRadar, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
Hunt Proven Race Enduro 29 wheelset
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Hunt’s Proven Carbon Race Enduro mountain bike wheelset has front and rear-specific carbon rims and costs £899 / $1,099 / €1,169.
Though the wheels are the same width (30mm internal) and share the same overall profile, the rear rim features a tougher carbon layup.
Hunt says this offers increased rigidity and strength, with the lighter front rim said to improve compliance.
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Lighter spokes are also used on the front wheel to dampen the ride on rough terrain, with heavier-gauge spokes used out back to improve strength.
The wheels come with a lifetime warranty for the original owner and, in keeping with Hunt’s other wheels, ship with a complement of spare spokes.
While more common these days, I’ll always applaud brands that foresee the inevitable and ship spares with their kit. Repairability is too often overlooked.
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Rob Weaver will be testing these wheels over the next few months, ruthlessly rim-dinging and hucking to flat along the way. Stay tuned.
- £899 / $1,099 / €1,169 / AU$1,571
Wide Receivers Hingwae pouch
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Bringing order to my jersey pockets helps make up for the chaotic world around us.
Stashing my bank card, keys, multi-tool and so on in an always ready to grab pouch means I can ride confidently in the knowledge I haven’t left anything at home.
I’ve used many pouches over the years, and have become something of a container connoisseur along the way.
The Wide Receivers Hingwae is my favourite yet.
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Made from X-Pac and measuring 17.5x12cm, the pouch is capacious enough to store my essentials on a ride.
It’s also fairly water sweat-resistant and has a long, easily-grabbable zip puller (important when wearing chunky winter cycling gloves).
That it’s available in a range of fun colours and made in my native Scotland is the icing on the cake.
Incidentally, this particular pouch is a replacement after my original was stolen. That one contained my bank card, with which the culprit bought nearly £200 worth of bus tickets. People are weird, eh?
- £20.95 (international shipping available)
- Buy the Hingwae direct from Wide Receivers
Pirelli Cinturato Smartube
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The Pirelli Cinturato Smartube is one of a growing number of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) inner tubes.
TPU inner tubes promise lower rolling resistance, greater puncture protection, increased packability and easier repairs than a standard butyl tube. These are all claims Gary Walker hopes are true, because these have been promised as a solution to the tubeless woes plaguing his long-term test bike.
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Tubolito was one of the first to market TPU tubes. This was swiftly followed by Schwalbe, Vittoria, Barbieri, Revoloop and others.
The very lightest TPU tubes weigh around 22g (Tubolito S-Tubo Road) with heavier-duty tubes coming in around 45g (Schwalbe Aerothan). The Pirelli Smartube sits around the middle at 35g for a 700c tube.
Each Pirelli Smartube will set you back £28 – a hefty chunk of cash for an inner tube, but is a potentially puncture-free life worth it? Check the next instalment of Gary’s long-term report to find out.
- £28, international pricing TBC
Latest deals
Lezyne Power Cages
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How can you make a bottle cage gravel-specific? Paint it an earthy colour.
Gravel fashion victim, Felix Smith, fell for this ploy, hastily acquiring a pair of these handsome khaki Lezyne bottle cages at first sight.
I’ve had one of these cages (in a much less attractive colour) on an older bike for years and it has proven impressively durable.
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Its hollow tubular construction makes it immovably stiff. Because it doesn’t flex, no weak spots have developed over time.
This can make getting some bottles in and out a bit fiddly, but its tenacious grip also means it’s fully bump-proof.
If khaki isn’t to your liking, the cage is also available in silver, purple, blue and red.
- £12 / $10.99