It's been a hot start to 2024 in the world of cycling tech, with big releases coming from the likes of Enve, Hunt, Look, and Van Rysel. In February's Tech of the Month, we are taking a look at it all, whether it's Van Rysel's £240 smart trainer, or our reaction to Enve's £1300 handlebar!
Bike of the Month
This month's bike of the month is Canyon Endurace AL, and it's safe to say we have been pretty impressed with it. Canyon has delivered an aluminium frame carbon fork package that retails for $1799/£1649, complete with Shimano's new 12 speed mechanical 105 shifting. We think, for most people at least, it's all the bike you could ever really need, and Stefan thinks it could be a great bike for some upgraded wheels.
We have been testing the Endurace AL against its competitors too in our Aluminium bike group test - stay tuned to see how the Endurace stacks up against the likes of the Specialized Allez, and Cannondale CAAD13.
Lazer Z1
Lazer has released the successor to the origional Lazer Z1, and it comes with quite a few claims. The original helmet has already racked up Tour de France wins on the heads of Team Visma Lease-a-bike, but it wasn't without it's flaws.
The retention adjustment for example, at times could be a little fiddly - this has since been sorted with a new (but still top mounted) adjustment wheel, which is considerably easier to use.
The helmet also boasts Lazer's Kineticore technology, which does a similar job to MIPS, in reducing the forces involved in rotational impacts. The helmet also scores 5 stars in Virginia Tech's independent helmet testing protocol.
New Look Pedals
It's been 40 years since French brand Look branched out into the world of Cycling, creating the first clipless pedal. The brand is celebrating the landmark with an update to its Look Keo Blade pedals.
The new pedals are said to weigh just 209 grams, and feature a 53mm wide pedal platform, bringing them much closer in line with Shimano's SPD-SL Dura Ace pedals.
Alongside that there are some creature comfort tweaks too. Look claim's the weight distribution of the pedal has been improved so the pedal hangs at an angle that makes it far easier to clip into from a standstill.
Van Rysel Turbo Trainers
Decathlon sub-brand Van Rysel has released a new lineup of direct drive smart trainers available from as little as £239.99. The trainers, which are currently only available in the UK and Europe, blow the competition out of the water when it comes to price vs specs, with the range-topping D900 being most readily comparable to the likes of the Wahoo Kickr V2 and Tacx Neo 2t.
The D900 shown on video features a claimed power accuracy of +/- 1%, maximum gradient simulation of 20% and a maximum power rating of 2000 watts. It seems like it's built pretty well too - on first impressions at least, so stay tuned for our full review and comparison to the big name competition.
