Tech round up: New Ere Research wheels, Brooks 'take care' guide, Dyedbro gravel frame protection kit, and MAAP's urban jungle survival gear
From budget mid section carbon wheels through to clothing for taking on the city streets, we take you through the launches you might have missed this week
This week we've got Ere Research's new carbon wheels: they don't claim to be the lightest, the most aerodynamic or the cheapest – but their precise blend of those three aspects makes them really quite an interesting proposition nonetheless.
There's Brooks' new sustainability initiative, with its 'take care' guide for extending the life of its saddles, and Dyedbro's frame protection kit for keeping your bike scuff and scrape free.
Finally, we round it out with MAAP's latest release, its urban jungle survival kit for taking on the city streets.
Let's jump in.
Ere Research rolls out 1,560g wheelset with 45mm deep rims
(Image credit: Ere Research)
Ere Research has brought out new 45mm carbon wheels, the Omnia CLR45, with rims made of unidirectional carbon. The front wheel weighs a claimed 710g and the rear, 850g, bringing the wheelset weight to 1560g. Ere Research says its aim was to bring the weight down below to 1,600g but keeping the price-point of the previous generation, £999.
The tubeless-ready wheelset has a 21mm internal rim and is designed to fit wider road and and narrower gravel tyres, up to 34mm.
The wheels are equipped with Sapim spokes and Ere Research’s own hubs which are manufactured in-house. “The straight-pull hubset has a low profile and a sturdy design, while its angled flange supports the directional torque going through the hub body, so it can take any beating,” claims the brand.
Ere Research says that it has managed to keep the structural integrity of the hub with a very thin wall design that’s made from very high-grade aluminium. This results in weights as low as 235g for the rear hub and 100g for the front hub.
Designed for everyday riding in mind, the wheelset is equipped with vibration dampening carbon rims.
Brooks England rolls out ‘Take Care’ guide to extend the life of its saddles and more
(Image credit: Brooks England)
Brooks England has launched its new Take Care sustainability initiative to show riders how they can best look after their favourite Brooks products, keeping each on the road longer.
Brooks says it aims to help riders get the most out of what they already own, extending the lifespan of a saddle, bag, or accessory to avoid the impact of needing something new.
The new Take Care initiative cover three areas (in Brook’s own words)
Maintain: By regularly caring for Brooks products, riders can significantly extend their journey together.
Repair: Should tragedy befall a favourite Brooks item, it can be restored to riding shape with at-home repairs, video instructions and newly available spare parts.
Recycle: When the time comes to retire a saddle, bag, or bike accessory, it can be done responsibly following a few simple steps.
All of Brooks’ new Take Care resources are now available on the Brooks England website, with easy tutorials, entertaining videos, and information to help you on your way to “consume less by using longer”.
Bike bags, rough terrain and just general adventuring means that gravel bikes can end up looking pretty tired after not even a season of riding. Sure, there are those who say they like the ‘distressed look’ but let’s be honest, whenever anything requires inaction rather than action, it’s typically done out of laziness rather than anything else.
Beyond just the aesthetics, the precise abrasive effect of grit between bag-strap and carbon is not something you really want to discover on your own pride and joy.
Dyedbro has designed a new range of kits specifically for drop bar bikes, comprising of 12 pre-cut sections for easy installation. As it happens, there’s also 12 different designs from Unicorn Glitter to Old School Tattoo. There are also clear and simple geometric designs for those after something more subtle.
Prices start at €41.99 and go up to €59.99. You can head to Dyedbro’s website to check out the full range. We’ve got a set coming in to test and will let you know how we get on.
MAAP’s urban jungle survival kit
(Image credit: MAAP)
MAAP has expanded its Transit Apparel collection with tees, jackets, pants, shorts and leggings that can be worn on and off the bike for everyday journeys.
The largely unisex line up uses four-way stretch fabrics along with breathable and durable water-resistant materials with odour control technology.
Reflectivity is also key to this line to enhance visibility in low light conditions.
MAAP has added to its women’s offerings, with the Transit shorts and leggings now a part of the collection.
“Too often the parts of our day where we’re simply moving between appointments feel like they consume more than their share of each 24 hours,” says MAAP. “If you have to change clothes at the start and end of each of these transitions, that eats up yet more of your precious time.
“By creating clothing that can credibly be worn on the bike and off, MAAP seeks to change that – to limit the time we waste, allowing us to focus on the moments that move us.”
After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back.
But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia.
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