The venerable Chris King headset goes stealth, Giro shrinks their new road helmet’s size and weight, Stages adds Factory Installs for Dura-Ace, Fat Tire Ale gets a new formula, and we found two very interesting new e-bikes for any occasion. Here’s the best new stuff this week…
- Chris King Aeroset 3
- Giro Aries Spherical
- Aventon Aventure 2.0
- Thömus Swissrider
- Stages Dura-Ace upgrade
- Pearl Izumi Horizons
- 1UP rack’s color kits
- Fat Tire Ale refresh
Chris King Aeroset 3 headset for internal cable routing
Using a unique upper headset cap, the new Chris King Aeroset 3 gives smaller brands & builders the option to run fully integrated cable routing, from cockpit to dropout. You’ll find it on the recent Moots Vamoots CRD and ENVE Melee.
It’s designed specifically for ENVE’s In-Route stem & spacers, which feeds cables inside it and directly into the top tube thru the headset’s ports. It works with any 1-1/8″ to 1.5″ tapered fork with a front brake hose port on the steerer, but requires a 44mm headtube. It’s otherwise the same as all Chris King headsets, with house-made bearings and all 8 colors. MSRP is $375.
BTW, that ENVE stem is currently only available to builders/brands, but they told me it’ll be released as a consumer product at some point. I suspect you could modify round spacers to create access and use any stem, but at the expense of aesthetics.
Giro Aries Spherical is a smaller, lighter, cooler road helmet
The new Giro Aries Spherical brings down the size and weight of their sliding dual-shell design (aka Spherical MIPS) to that of a standard helmet. At just 275g (claimed, size Medium CPSC model), it’s respectably light, but they also gave it an aerodynamic design and massive vents.
Chamfered edges and a minimal front profile reduce drag. Huge vents with minimal obstructions help air enter, and extremely detailed inner channeling help it exit even quicker. They say it’s the highest rated helmet Virginia Tech has ever tested. Available in S/M/L in six colors, MSRP is $300 at Backcountry.com. (Video here)
Aventon Aventure.2 upgrades its tech, still super affordable
The new Aventon Aventure.2 all-purpose e-bike keeps the 4″ fat tires, full fender coverage, rear rack, and easy-riding nature of the original, but adds important tech updates to make it safer.
The best addition is a torque sensor, smoothing power delivery and easing riders into the assist rather than jolting them forward at the touch of a pedal. New integrated rear lights double as turn signals.
A brushless 750W hub motor assists up to 28mph (Class III), with up to 60 mile range. Hydraulic Tektro brakes make it stop. MSRP is just $1,899, and the original drops to just $1,499!
Thömus’ bad-ass, ultralight, ultra-versatile Swissrider e-bike
Definitely more expensive but also far sleeker than (and 1/3 the weight of) the Aventon is the Thömus Swissrider. The stealth e-bike weighs as little as 25.3lb (11.5kg) thanks to an ultralight carbon frame, 30Nm Maxon Bike Drive Air motor, and integrated carbon cockpits.
Choose from drop or flat bar builds, some even integrate lights into the frame and handlebar, and they’re rack and fender compatible. Choose from 250/360/426Wh batteries and XT, XTR or Ultegra and Dura-Ace Di2 builds. Prices from $5,500 to $7,500. (video here)
• Like this? Share it with a friend! •
Stages Dura-Ace R9200 power meter add-ons now available
Now you can get a Stages Cycling GEN3 power meter installed on your existing Dura-Ace R9200 crankset, with options for left-only ($329.99), right-only ($354.99) or dual-sided ($529.99). It’s available for any length arm, from 160mm to 175mm and takes about 3 weeks from the time you send your crank arm(s) in.
Ultregra R8100 riders can get a left-only power meter upgrade (also $329.99) for now, with right-side and dual-sided upgrades available within a couple months. If you’ve already added a left-sided strain gauge, you can add the other side whenever you want to get dual-leg power measurement.
Pearl Izumi Horizons spring collection
The new Pearl Izumi collection reminds me of those gorgeous sunsets on the horizon, fading from brilliant purples and pinks to blazing oranges. They’re a limited edition with PRO and Attack Air jerseys and PRO bibshorts (which have wonderfully long 10.5″ inseams for men; 8.5″ for women, plus a drop-tail design for easy nature breaks).
1UP USA bike racks get anodized color kits
1UP hitch rack fans now have one more thing to talk about as they tell you amazing their rack is (I guess I should try one?). New anodized color kits ($65 per bike) come in blue, red, purple, orange, and green to fit their Quik Rack, Heavy Duty, and Super Duty models.
New Belgium’s Fat Tire Ale gets a refresh
After 32 years of rehydrating cyclists, New Belgium Brewing’s flagship Fat Tire Ale is getting a “brighter, crisper” formula that’s just a bit lighter in color, but (they say) should taste familiar to long time fans (I guess I should try one?). It’s available now, along with an awareness push of the brand’s deep environmental & sustainability efforts (it is, after all, America’s first carbon-neutral beer!).
Pro Tip
“If you’re going to go out and do a big gravel ride or event, do it with a friend. Bikes are more fun together, and more than road, gravel makes it easy to share the experience. Lean into that!”
– Kiel Reijnen, Former World Tour Pro turned Gravel Racer
Small Bites
- SRAM buys German e-bike motor maker to offer complete e-groups
- Jack UltraCyclist smashes Everesting record…52 in 52 weeks!
- I’m loving the Ibex Woolies 2 reversible beanie on cold rides
- Vote your fave cycling photos & you could win a Rouleur sub/kit
- New UCI MTB World Series bundles XC, EN, DH World Cup events
- NICA launches a new chapter in Mississippi
- Ride Concepts announces their Adaptive Athlete MTB Team
- Trek helped raise $1,500,000 for World Bicycle Relief in 2022
- Scott is recalling 2022 Speedster road, gravel bikes
- Crankworx Rotorua 2023 will broadcast DH events live on Red Bull TV
- TGR’s Esperanto B-roll clips are mighty fine watching on their own
- If you’re struggling to justify time to ride, read this wake up call
- Hey robot, hand me my bike tools
Deals
- 15% off HED rim brake or alloy fat bike wheels w/ code “UpToSpeed15“
- 25% off Velocio’s End of Season sale with code “EOSS23“
- REI’s Clearance Sale has up to 70% off clothes, shoes, gear & more
The Lunch Ride is a weekly TL;DR recap of the best new cycling products and tech, written for Riders, not Algorithms. SUBSCRIBE HERE to get it in your inbox every Friday.
Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links for which we may receive a small commission if you buy something.