Plus all the latest news and reviews from the week just gone
Every Friday is a Good one here at BikeRadar, because it means it’s time for another edition of everyone’s favourite bike tech round-up, First Look Friday.
This week, we’ve got a great selection of new things to share with you, but before we get onto that, let’s take a look back at some highlights from the week just gone.
First and foremost, last week was Adventure Week here on BikeRadar. There was bucket loads of great content, and we published a round-up of the seven must-read stories from the week on Tuesday.
On the road cycling side of things, Hutchinson revealed it was getting back in the game of making fast tyres with the announcement of its new Blackbird tubeless tyre.
Having recently spent time in Taiwan riding the new 2025 Giant TCR, BikeRadar’s senior technical editor, Warren Rossiter, brought us his final round-up from the 2024 Taipei Cycle Show.
Wahoo announced a significant update for its range of bike computers, adding the ability to control peripherals such as bike lights and music players. Wahoo says GoPro controls are set to follow soon.
Over in the mountain bike world, Cannondale announced its latest Scalpel cross-country bike.
Now in its eighth generation, the new version doesn’t represent a radical departure from the formula. Nevertheless, Tom Marvin’s first ride review suggests it is still a competent and capable XC bike.
Finally, don’t forget one of road cycling’s most important one-day races, the Tour of Flanders, takes place this Sunday. If you’re not sure when or where it will be broadcast, check out our guide on how to watch it and don’t forget your beers and frites.
Look Keo Blade Power and X-Track Power pedals
Announced earlier this month, Look’s new Keo Blade Power and X-Track Power pedals are the latest power meter pedals from the legendary French brand.
Available in both road (Keo Blade Power) and off-road (X-Track Power) form, both pedal sets share a brand new power meter spindle, which is claimed to offer numerous improvements over Look’s previous Exakt power meter pedals.
Chief among those is a simplified installation process, with Look saying both pedal sets now require only a standard 15mm pedal spanner.
Beyond this, Look says the Keo Blade Power pedals are the lightest power meter pedals available, at a claimed weight of only 260g per set.
Our test set weighs a little more, at 269g, but that still makes them the lightest dual-sided power meter pedals we’ve tested, besting Favero’s Assioma Duo pedals by 36g and Garmin’s Rally RS200 pedals by 51g.
Wahoo’s Powrlink Zero pedals get closer at 277g per set, but their proprietary cleats and mounting hardware weigh more than comparable Look Keo or Shimano SPD-SL cleats.
As you might expect, the Keo Blade Power pedals are only compatible with Look Keo 3-bolt cycling cleats.
Due to their aluminium body and beefier construction, Look’s X-Track Power off-road pedals are a little heavier, at 405g per set (5g more than the claimed weight of 400g).
Like the other models in Look’s X-Track range, these are compatible with two-bolt Shimano SPD cleats and offer dual-sided entry and exit.
The road-specific Keo Blade power pedals are the cheaper of the two sets at £599 / $679 / €699 for a single-sided set or £899 / €899 / $999 for a dual-sided set.
The off-road X-Track Power pedals are a little more expensive at £674.99 / $759 / €749 for a single-sided set, £999.99 / $1,099 / €1,099 for a dual-sided set.
Both pedal sets offer a claimed accuracy rating of ＋/－ 1 per cent and a battery life of 60 hours, via an internal rechargeable battery.
Having recently tested Favero’s new Assioma PRO MX off-road power meter pedals, I’m looking forward to getting these on my bike to see how they perform.
- Look Keo Blade Power pedals: £599 / $679 / €699 for a single-sided set, £899 / €899 / $999 for a dual-sided set
- Look X-Track Power pedals: £674.99 / $759 / €749 for a single-sided set, £999.99 / $1,099 / €1,099 for a dual-sided set
Van Rysel RCR road cycling shoes
The RCR road cycling shoes are a new high-end option from Decathlon.
With a variety of pro-level features, such as a stiff carbon sole, a dual rotary dial closure system and lightweight, perforated uppers, the RCR shoes look to offer a lot of performance for their £169.99 price.
According to Van Rysel, the RCR shoes have been developed with sponsored professional riders from the WorldTour team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.
As noted, the RCR shoes use a dual rotary dial closure system. The dials come from a brand called habu, though these use the same technology as more commonly seen Boa Li2 rotary dials.
This means they can be rotated clockwise to increase lace tension, anti-clockwise to decrease it, or popped open to release all lace tension entirely.
As is de rigueur for any self-respecting cycling shoe brand, Decathlon has its own arbitrary ‘rigidity index’ scale – and the RCRs score a full 12 out of 12 (insert Spinal Tap reference here).
In terms of weight, Van Rysel claims a size UK 9 shoe weighs 290g (though curiously, that doesn’t appear to be a size in the range – in UK sizing, there’s a jump from 8.5 to 9.5 then to 10.5).
Our size UK 10.5 / EU 45 shoes weigh a little more, at 624g for the set, for an average of 312g per shoe.
It’s fair to say that’s not especially light, even considering their relatively low price. Shimano’s similarly priced RC7 shoes (£189.99 / £199.99 / $240) weigh 580g in a size EU45, for example.
Still, though, if they can offer excellent comfort and stiffness, they will doubtless interest many looking for a cut-price race shoe.
- Van Rysel RCR road cycling shoes: £169.99 / €169.99 / $162.94
veloToze Knitted Waterproof Gloves and Graphene Warmers
Though best known for its waterproof and aerodynamic latex rubber overshoes, veloToze has branched out to make other accessories aimed at keeping your extremities warm and comfortable in inclement weather.
Its Knitted Waterproof Gloves, for example, pack a windproof and waterproof membrane into a lightweight, knitted glove with good dexterity.
Though seemingly somewhat niche, I’ve long been a fan of these kinds of mid-weight, waterproof gloves (I’ve used similar sets from Sealskinz for many years).
To keep things light, there’s no padding, but the palms are covered with rubberised logos for added grip on your handlebar. The tips of the thumb and forefingers are also touchscreen-compatible, so you don’t need to remove your gloves to operate a phone or your bike computer.
As someone who suffers from cold hands, especially so on wet days, gloves such as these provide more protection than basic wool gloves but with far better dexterity and a wider temperature range than full-on winter gloves.
veloToze says the Knitted Waterproof Gloves are suitable for use down to 5ºC in dry weather and up to 19ºC when it’s wet.
They’re available in four sizes, from small to X-Large, and cost £42.90 / $45.
veloToze’s new range of Graphene arm, knee and leg warmers use a knitted construction for improved fit and flexibility. They’re also seamless, which veloToze says prevents any chafing or irritation while moving on the bike.
The warmers are claimed to be water-repellent rather than waterproof, due to the use of a water-repellent yarn rather than a bulkier and less flexible layered fabric with a waterproof membrane.
As the name suggests, the warmers are claimed to incorporate Graphene – a material that sees a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure.
While this material is typically lauded for its high strength and low weight, veloToze says it also has “exceptional heat conductivity”, improving heat retention and helping to keep your extremities warmer.
The Graphene is also claimed to help improve the warmers’ durability.
The veloToze Graphene arm and leg warmers are available in two sizes – small/medium and large/X-Large, and cost £31.90 / $33 and £41.90 / $44, respectively.
The Graphene Knee Warmers come in a single size suitable for all riders. They cost £36.90 / $39.
- veloToze Knitted Waterproof Gloves: £42.90 / $45
- veloToze Graphene Arm Warmers: £31.90 / $33
- veloToze Graphene Leg Warmers: £41.90 / $44
- veloToze Graphene Knee Warmers: £36.90 / $39
Shimano Deore BR-T610 V-brakes
While most bikes are moving to disc brakes across all applications, there are still plenty of cheap hybrid bikes specced with V-brakes.
Having recently acquired a relatively cheap electric bike for commuting and child-taxiing, I’ve learned a few lessons about where brands compromise on performance to hit lower prices.
Having already upgraded a few key components, such as the tyres and saddle, the next thing on my list was brakes – because the stock, unbranded V-brakes are fairly woeful.
In contrast, I’m hoping a set of Shimano’s Deore BR-T610 V-brakes can offer improved stopping power and confidence – which is critical when loaded up with a little one on the back of the bike.
Available in black or silver, Shimano’s BR-T610 V-brakes have a 107mm reach to offer plenty of clearance for big tyres and mudguards (both of which are essential on any dedicated commuter bike).
At £27.99 per brake set (£55.98 for a complete set of front and rear brakes), these should be a relatively cost-effective upgrade, too.
As stock, they are specced with Shimano’s S70C pads, which are designed to offer quiet and powerful performance in dry conditions, though can suffer from accelerated wear in wet and muddy conditions.
If you regularly ride off-road, switching to Shimano’s M70CT4s should offer improved wear life.
- Shimano Deore BR-T610 V-brakes: £27.99 each (£55.98 for the complete set)