It’s almost Tour de France time, and this year’s race promises to be a lot more fun and unpredictable than the UK general election campaign.
Jonas Vingegaard won the yellow jersey in a landslide victory last year. But after the fall of the Dane and the dictatorial performance of Giro Tadej Pogaçari, will the general classification be a hung parliament before the time trial of the final stage in Nice?
After reading the leaves of his single Lapsang Souchong tea, Simon von Bromley has made his tournament technology predictions.
Simon, BikeRadar sports director George Scott and videographer Kai Eves are already in Florence for Italy’s Grand Départ.
Armed with Vernier calipers, scales and spoon-sensitive muzzles, the trio will be covering the hottest bikes of the Tour de France on our website, podcast and YouTube channels.
Earlier in the week, Ashley Quinlan reviewed the new Wilier Verticale SLR, the Italian brand’s climbing bike, which Groupama-FDJ and Astana Qazaqstan will likely ride in the mountain stages.
Trek confirmed that its mystery bike unveiled at the Critérium du Dauphiné is a watered-down Madonna and discontinued Émonda. Will you miss this weightless heartbeat?
It’s also been eMTB week on BikeRadar. We’ve explained electric bike motors, reviewed the Merida eONE-Sixty 875, broken down the anatomy of eMTBs and rounded up the best lightweight electric mountain bikes.
That’s not all. Chris Barnard shared an eMTB adventure in the French Alps and Nick Clark shared why electric mountain bikes are taking over the trails.
In other news, Wahoo released the Trackr rechargeable heart rate monitor, the Edge 1050 became the latest in Garmin’s top-of-the-range bike computer, and Raleigh announced that the Chopper is back by popular demand.
DT Swiss Ratchet DEG 240 distributed
The DT Swiss Ratchet DEG 240 freehub has the lowest engagement angle of any freehub the brand has created. The use of steel racks with 90 teeth reduces the locking angle to only four degrees.
DT Swiss designed the Ratchet DEG 240 for its mountain bike wheels. He says the low engagement angle distributes the load more evenly than pawl centers and increases reliability.
The Classic Edition hub comes in Boost 12x148mm and 12x157mm, with Shimano MicroSpline or SRAM XD freehub and six-bolt disc only. You can choose from 28 or 32 slot slots.
A rear hub will set you back £354.99 / $499.90 / €376.90 / AU$599.
Only 240 examples of the 240 DEG Classic Red hub were made and we have one here in a glossy red color.
DT Swiss only offers this limited edition with 15×110 front and 12x148mm rear axles at 32h and only SRAM XD freehub. The rear hub costs the same as the Classic version, and the front costs £159.99 / $229.90 / €169.90 / AU$289.
Flowbio S1 sensor
Flowbio claims the S1 sensor is “the most accurate hydration sensor in the world” and that its customers include WorldTour cycling teams and elite triathletes such as the Brownlee brothers.
Although the link between electrolyte loss and cramping is controversial, the brand promises “no cramping, no guesswork.”
The S1 sensor attaches to your heart rate monitor’s chest or arm strap. Unlike some continuous glucose monitors, the S1 sensor does not have a needle.
Instead, Flowbio says the S1 sensor collects sweat in a small channel through pressure exerted by your sweat glands.
From an eight-second sample of this sweat, the S1 uses an algorithm to estimate how much fluid and sodium you’re losing overall. This is 90 percent as accurate as a lab test, according to Flowbio.
The brand says its companion app recommends what to drink before, during and after training sessions and races to help you stay hydrated on the bike.
Unfortunately for Android users, the app is only available on iOS, Apple’s software.
The S1 has ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity and can send real-time data to your bike computer. You can also sync the device with your Zwift and Training Peaks accounts.
Flowbio claims 100 hours of battery life and is USB-C rechargeable.
Oakley Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS Helmet
According to the brand, the Oakley Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS is a lightweight, well-ventilated, yet aerodynamic helmet.
Oakley claims revamped vents improve airflow, while a redesigned shell saves weight compared to its predecessor, the Aro 5.
The new shell shape helps the cycling helmet sit lower and better conform to the contours of the head, according to Oakley.
Of course, you can store your cycling sunglasses in the front vents of the MIPS-equipped helmet.
Aro 5 Race Ice MIPS also includes Twiceme Help the Helpers technology. If you don’t react after a bike crash, bystanders can double-tap the Twiceme logo with their smartphone to access information such as the nearest contact details you have uploaded.
Wolf Tooth Case Pump
Wolf Tooth says the EnCase Pump has a high stroke volume, internal storage and “best-in-class water and grit protection.”
Each stroke requires less force than its competitors when inflating high-volume mountain bike tires and gravel bike tires, according to the brand.
The EnCase pump has no hoses, threads or locking levers. Therefore, Wolf Tooth claims you can start pumping faster when you have a tubeless drill and you won’t damage your Presta valve core.
It can also store tools, such as a tubeless tire repair kit and multi-tools, in an interior compartment.
The minipump comes in a 40cc size that costs £59 / $72 / €69 / AU$115 and the larger 85cc size, priced at £63 / $77 / AU$120. You can keep both on your bike attached to the bottle cage mount.