Get fit with these new Zwift-compatible indoor trainers from …
Everyone might have been on holiday for the past week or two, but 2024 is already fizzing with new bike tech, and we're kicking off with the latest releases from Decathlon to help you get in shape and shake off the winter blues...
Get fit this year with these affordable smart trainers from Decathlon
If you're looking for an indoor bike to help get you in shape on Zwift this January, check out the Domyos Challenge 1500W[1] that Decathlon has quietly launched for just under a grand.
Decathlon describes the Domyos range as its "most complete, high-performance and robust indoor bikes", and this top-level model comes with 32 levels of resistance and 40+ programmes via the free Domyos app. Decathlon says you get ultra-smooth pedalling thanks to electromagnetic resistance and an 11kg flywheel. The resistance is up to 1500 watts when you're pedalling at a cadence of 60 rpm.
For comparison, Wahoo claims a resistance of up to 2200 watts on its Kickr Bike Shift[2], but one of those will set you back GBP2,700. More important for most people is the fact that the Domyos connects wirelessly to apps like Zwift[3] and Kinomap[4], so you can have fun while you're racking up the virtual miles. Those apps certainly make indoor riding a whole lot more interesting and rewarding, and they'll keep your fitness on track.
> Everything you need to know about group riding in Zwift[5]
Decathlon has its own patented system that allows you to micro-adjust your ride position and it claims that the Domyos is silent in use. If you think anything at this price is bound to feel flexy and cheap, the Domyos comes with a steel protection cover and weighs 59kg. Decathlon reckons the stability is unbeatable, even when you're pounding hard on the pedals.
You also get a 5-year warranty, and the product is repairable for at least 10 years.
> Best exercise bikes and smart bikes 2024 -- feature-packed, adjustable trainers for serious indoor workouts[6]
If you don't want to spend that much, Decathlon also introduced a new Van Rysel Interactive Turbo Trainer D500 (GBP449.99)[7] towards the end of last year. It's a direct-drive trainer - meaning that you whip the rear wheel off your bike and run the chain around a cassette fitted to the trainer.
The D500 is a smart trainer so, again, you can use it alongside apps like Zwift. Like the Domyos Challenge indoor bike (above), it has a maximum power of 1500 watts and can simulate hills up to 12%.
Want more resistance than that? The D900 (GBP549.99)[8] has a max power of 2000 watts and hill simulation of up to 20%. Find out more here[9]
Check out EF Pro Cycling's cool new Rapha kit
The first week in January is always the time when we see the pros out and about in their shiny new kit, and EF Pro Cycling's, which comes courtesy of Rapha, is usually among the most eye-catching.
"Designed in collaboration with the riders themselves, the signature pink colour, with yellow graphical accents featuring sponsor logos and team traits, sets the 2024 kit apart," says Rapha. "Road racing phrases like 'Turn the screw' and 'Up up up' are joined by a homage to the squad's favourite card game, adding a playful touch that captures the character of EF Pro Cycling." Hang on!
EF Pro Cycling has an official favourite card game? EF Education-EasyPost's Owain Doull says, "I love all the little Easter eggs and hidden messages. If I had to choose a favourite, it would have to be the cards.
Unless you're in the team, you wouldn't understand, so I think that's really cool."
Are those playing cards on the shoulder? We're not completely sure. What we do know is that the team clothing will be available to buy from February.
While we're about it, the EF Pro Cycling Cannondale bikes look pretty cool too, if you'd like a gander at those... Find out more here[10]
Pin back your lugholes with Kask's new lid
What do you make of Filippo Ganna's new headgear? The Ineos Grenadiers rider has been pictured wearing an unreleased helmet from Kask that covers the tops of his ears.
What the hell is going on here? Sartorially, the new lid is bound to raise a few eyebrows, but we're guessing the design is all about performance rather than style. The new helmet looks a little like Kask's existing Utopia, although there's always the chance that it's an entirely new model.
It comes with three vents up front, another towards the top, and more on the extended tail. Ears aren't fundamentally aero, are they? Quite the opposite, which was the rationale for POC's Propel cycling glasses when launched last year[11].
The Propels come with side fairings designed to guide air away from your ears. And who could forget Specialized's aero balaclava[12]? We look forward to Kask's white paper explaining how its new design will improve your efficiency by two watts, five watts, or whatever watts... possibly depending on the size of your ears.
We'll keep you updated on that one.
Met unveils "one of the safest urban helmets available"
Sticking with Italian helmets, Met has launched a new E-Mob Mips lid. This one comes with e-bike helmet certification and weighs a highly reasonable 365g (size medium).
The E-Mob Mips comes with Met's existing MET Safe-T Sport fit system which offers 360? adjustment, a ratchet buckle, and a three-mode USB-rechargeable rear LED.
> Head over to ebiketips for everything you need to know about e-bikes[13] As the name suggests, it offers a Mips safety system that's designed to avoid brain injury in the event of a crash by redirecting rotational motion, and you get NTA 8776 certification, which is a Dutch standard that relates especially to e-bike helmets.
"Recognising the higher speed and greater energy released upon impact if a crash occurs while riding an e-bike, this certification means this helmet can help to dissipate energy more efficiently than standard helmets," says Met. "This makes it one of the safest urban helmets available."
The Met E-Mob Mips is priced at GBP100[14] while a non-Mips model is GBP70[15].
Jayco-AlUla goes nuts with the paintbox
Going back to pro bikes, Team Jayco-AlUla has given its Giants a lick of paint...
Lights, camera, action! ?? Take a peep at our new @ridegiantbikes Propel Advanced SL for 2024 in all its glory! ? pic.twitter.com/xEAZPPQZqm[17][18] -- GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) January 2, 2024[19]
And the same goes for the women's Livs...
INSTAGRAM ? REALITY Ft. @urskazigart ?? pic.twitter.com/RBFeEFakXO[20][21]
-- GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) January 1, 2024[22] Do they do it for you?
Insta360 cameras now integrate with Garmin computers
You can now integrate an Insta360 action camera with a Garmin device for the first time to enhance your footage. What does that mean in practice?
"You can now pull accurate, real-time data from your Garmin device and add it to your footage when you export," says Insta360. "Overlay stats such as GPS, elevation, and speed for data-rich videos with the unique stats dashboard: see how fast you're going, how much distance you've covered, your route, and more."
> Insta360 launches GO 3 thumb-sized action camera for cycling with magnetic mounting system[23]
This integration extends to the entire range of Insta360 cameras, including the GO 3[24].
> Check out our review of the Garmin Edge 540 Solar GPS bike computer[25] The Insta360 app now supports any Garmin device that shares data with Garmin Connect[26], including bike computers and smartwatches. Find out more here[27]
Komoot introduces its map navigation to Garmin devices
Speaking of tech integration (above[28]), Komoot has announced the launch of its map for Garmin.
This is "a proprietary navigation interface available to Komoot Premium[29] of Garmin devices compatible with the Komoot Connect IQ App" - even devices without built-in navigation capabilities.
"Komoot Premium users can now navigate rides, runs and hikes on their Garmin bike computer or smartwatch with Komoot's intuitive map interface, and utilise Komoot features like offline navigation, turn-by-turn instructions, and customisable data fields," says Komoot.
> Find out how to get started with Komoot[30]
"Vivid turn arrows indicate clear on-screen directions, while a Zoom&Move function allows users to explore their surroundings in detail from their device -- with the ability to zoom in and out and move the map if needed. When the adventure meanders into the woods, users can also enable a Dark Mode that optimises screen navigation in low-light environments with a high-contrast Komoot map." If you're really quick, Komoot is offering all users - including those without an active Premium subscription - the chance to test this new feature until 7th January 2024.
One more pro bike? Oh, go on then: Groupama-FDJ's Wilier Filante SLR
We're going heavy on pro bikes in this edition of Tech of the Week, so one more won't hurt... Wilier has been providing the bikes for Astana Qazaqstan for a few years, and it's now sponsoring Groupama-FDJ too.
The Filante has to be among the best-looking bikes in the WorldTour, maybe the prettiest of the lot, and the performance is just as good.
> Check out our review of the Wilier Filante SLR[32]
The Groupama-FDJ finish is understated compared with Astana's.
Which is better? Find out more here[33] Take a look at Aerohead's range of lightweight accessories - made in the UK
Aerohead says that its computer mounts, light brackets and AirTag cases benefit from a move away from traditional manufacturing technologies, such as injection moulding, towards powder bed fusion - a 3D printing technique. The British brand says this approach offers "greater design freedom, reduced waste, and shorter cycle times", and allows it to improve tensile strength, feature detail, and robustness.
"Our Combo Ti mount[34] [GBP64.99], for example, has undergone dozens of design iterations in a single year, has the lowest stack height of any similar combo mount, and is half the weight of the market-leading part while maintaining most of its payload capacity," says Aerohead's founder Ben Aston.
"Similarly, our Out Front Ti[35] [GBP59.99] and Climb Ti[36] [GBP59.99] mounts are up to 7g lighter than the official Wahoo Elemnt Bolt mount, while retaining the same stiffness and durability," Aerohead manufactures its products in North London.
We'll request some for review here on road.cc. In the meantime, head over to Aerohead's website[37] to check out the full range. Find out more here[38]
Sort out your bag game with the Fold+Roll
Some bags have a zillion little compartments and pockets to help you stay organised, and some don't, in which case things can sometimes get chaotic in there.
The Fold+Roll is designed to sort that out.
The team behind Fold+Roll says, "The Fold+Roll is a simple, neat, packing organiser for safely and compactly storing clothes on the go, without fiddly straps, Velcro or fastenings. Whether that's keeping an office outfit smart and safe inside your cycle panniers, stowing a spare shirt in a carry-on or separating trousers and pants from important work presentations in a messenger bag, Fold+Roll keeps your stuff together but your worlds apart. No more mixing up pants with presentations when you use the same bag for home, work and travel."
This quick video explains it... [embedded content] Look carefully and you'll see a pair of road.cc socks making a cameo roll in the video- how exciting! - although this enterprise has nothing to do with us.
The Fold+Roll is made from organic cotton printed in Poland and manufactured by a social enterprise in France.
You can pre-order over at Singletrack World[39].
References
- ^ Domyos Challenge 1500W (www.decathlon.co.uk)
- ^ Kickr Bike Shift (uk.wahoofitness.com)
- ^ Zwift (www.zwift.com)
- ^ Kinomap (www.kinomap.com)
- ^ > Everything you need to know about group riding in Zwift (road.cc)
- ^ > Best exercise bikes and smart bikes 2024 -- feature-packed, adjustable trainers for serious indoor workouts (road.cc)
- ^ Van Rysel Interactive Turbo Trainer D500 (GBP449.99) (www.decathlon.co.uk)
- ^ The D900 (GBP549.99) (www.decathlon.co.uk)
- ^ Find out more here (www.decathlon.co.uk)
- ^ Find out more here (www.rapha.cc)
- ^ POC's Propel cycling glasses when launched last year (road.cc)
- ^ Specialized's aero balaclava (road.cc)
- ^ > Head over to ebiketips for everything you need to know about e-bikes (ebiketips.road.cc)
- ^ The Met E-Mob Mips is priced at GBP100 (www.met-helmets.com)
- ^ non-Mips model is GBP70 (www.met-helmets.com)
- ^ Find out more here (www.met-helmets.com)
- ^ @ridegiantbikes (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/xEAZPPQZqm (t.co)
- ^ January 2, 2024 (twitter.com)
- ^ @urskazigart (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/RBFeEFakXO (t.co)
- ^ January 1, 2024 (twitter.com)
- ^ > Insta360 launches GO 3 thumb-sized action camera for cycling with magnetic mounting system (road.cc)
- ^ the GO 3 (road.cc)
- ^ > Check out our review of the Garmin Edge 540 Solar GPS bike computer (road.cc)
- ^ Garmin Connect (connect.garmin.com)
- ^ Find out more here (www.youtube.com)
- ^ above (road.cc)
- ^ Komoot Premium (www.komoot.com)
- ^ > Find out how to get started with Komoot (Getting%20Started%20with%20Komoot)
- ^ Find out more here (support.komoot.com)
- ^ > Check out our review of the Wilier Filante SLR (road.cc)
- ^ Find out more here (www.wilier.com)
- ^ Combo Ti mount (aerohead.cc)
- ^ Out Front Ti (aerohead.cc)
- ^ Climb Ti (aerohead.cc)
- ^ Aerohead's website (aerohead.cc)
- ^ Find out more here (aerohead.cc)
- ^ Singletrack World (singletrackworld.com)
- ^ Find out more here (www.foldnroll.com)