The wild new Felt IA2 triathlon bike swims past other triathlon bikes’ edgy, angular designs with a curvy, Orca-like design that elegantly integrates storage into the frame. The humpback design not only puts snacks and almost a liter of liquids in easy sipping range, it also smooths airflow with the rider when they tuck into the aerobars on the direct-mount cockpit cluster.
Despite the looks, it uses common standards, making it easy to dismantle for travel. It fits 28mm tires with room to spare, and works with 1x and 2x electronic drivetrains. It’s a top level FRD (Felt Racing Development) level bike, made with TeXtreme fibers and tucks a Silca neoprene tool pouch into the seat tube. Ships later this year in builds ranging from $10,049 to $17,049.
Felt Breed Carbon gravel bike
Felt also debuted their first carbon gravel bike, the Breed Carbon, and it’s aimed squarely at racers. With stout frame shaping, tons of water bottle mounts and top tube bag mounts, it’s made to go fast for long distances, but without beating you up.
A clever vibration-damping sleeve sits between the frame and a 27.2 seatpost, helping smooth the ride, and it’s dropper seatpost compatible. Remove the sleeve and you can fit a 30.6 post, opening options for more brands of dropper. Throw in 700x50mm (29×2.0) tire clearance and suspension-ready geometry and it’s ready for anything. It starts shipping later this year, with models ranging from $3,549 to $7,549, available in two colors.
Silca Chisela aero computer mount
The new Silca Chisela computer mount shares the same stem-bolt attachment design as its predecessor, the Mensola, but gets a more aerodynamic shape. It’s 3D printed 6/4 titanium, too, which makes it a claimed 4x-6x stronger than alloy mounts.
The smoother exterior and cupped shape looks less alien, though, and is supposedly good for 3-6w of drag savings. It also comes in a stealthier Cerakote black finish making it nearly impervious to scratches and invisible to onlookers. Seven shapes fit most stems, and it includes extended titanium bolts and pucks for Wahoo and Garmin. MSRP is $125.
Hammerhead & Suunto partner up
Multisport athletes can now connect their Hammerhead and Suunto accounts in the Hammerhead dashboard, activating the Wonder Twin powers of easy route creation and access to Suunto’s Heatmaps. Those heatmaps can then be viewed on the Hammerhead Karoo 2 GPS cycling computer in real time while riding, helping you find popular spots to explore.
And, rides recorded on the Karoo 2 can be uploaded to the Suunto App, so you can see all your activities in one place. Even better, both devices work seamlessly with Komoot, opening up an even larger library of popular ride routes around the world.
Panaracer Gravelking’s new colors
Panaracer’s annual release of spring hues for their Gravelking tires continues, with Ginger and Astral Blue options available for the original, SK (semi-knob) and SS (semi-slick) tread patterns. Offered in 700×32 and 700×38 seizes, they’ll be available in limited supplies online and at local shops in mid-May for $60.
Hunt Aerodynamicist goes deep
Hunt’s Aerodynamicist wheel range has taken their wide, tubeless-ready disc brake wheel lineup and gone off the deep end for triathlon and time trial bikes. The new wheelsets use different profiles for front and rear with 73mm (795g) and 83mm (815g) deep front wheels, and a single 87mm (981g) rear wheel.
All three use a 20mm wide internal width and are optimized for 25-28mm tires, but the front rims bulge out to 34mm on the exterior, while the rear is just 30mm at its widest point. This variation claims to provide better crosswind stability and extremely low overall drag. Available with stainless EZO or CeramicSpeed bearings inside their Sprint SL Disc hubs, wheelset prices range from $1,549 to $1,999 and start shipping in July.
YT Capra Core 2 enduro bike pedals the metal
The new YT Capra Core brings a more affordable version of their latest carbon enduro mountain bike by hydroforming it in aluminum. And like the boutique Uncaged model, you can get it in MX (mixed wheel) and 29er versions, with distinct chainstays and kinematics optimized for each.
With 165mm rear travel paired to a 170mm fork and YT’s efficient yet playful suspension design, the build kit of Fox suspension, SRAM NX Eagle w/ Code R brakes, and Crankbrothers Synthesis Alloy wheels with Maxxis tires delivers a lot of thrash for little cash. Choose from five frame sizes in gray or black for $3,399 (€3,199).
Recommendations…
Revelate Mag-Tank Bolt-On Review
I’ve used the Revelate Mag-Tank Bolt-On top tube bag for years, from racing to adventuring, and it’s consistently my go-to option for three reasons: First, it’s durable as hell, showing no signs of wear even after all this time.
Second, it stashes a GoPro with bite mount attached, my phone, and a small snack and still closes without bulging. And third, the magnetic latch is incredibly easy to open one handed while riding, the led stays flopped open while grabbing stuff, and then closes securely by flipping it over. That makes it quick and safe to access the goods, yet it’s never come open by accident or ejected its contents. Only downside is it’s not waterproof since the closure isn’t sealed, but the material sheds a light sprinkle just fine.
Pairs well with…
10 Barrel Brewing’s slogan is “Drink Beer Outside”, and fortunately their wide selection of brews go great with the great outdoors. From the Nature Calls “Mountain IPA” to limited collections like Hazy Trail Juicy IPA, there’s never a shortage of style and flavors to complement any adventure (or taste). They even collab with outdoor brands sometimes! Available in Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado in stores and their own brewpubs, grab some if you can find it!
On Stage
Small Bites
- Bikepacking Roots is taking applications for its BIPOC Bike Adventure Grant
- Science In Sport says you can now tolerate up to 120g of carbs per hour
- Crankworx has added a 4th event, heading to Cairns Australia, in October
- Wahoo bundles RGT’s training worlds into a premium subscription service
- Muc-Off adds a shoe care kit with water repeller, cleaner & freshener
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