It's been a busy week in the world of cycling tech, with major releases from the likes of Rapha, Lapierre and Specialized. The British clothing brand has released its latest collaboration with fabric company Gore-Tex, bringing the next generation of PFAS-free waterproof cycling jackets to the wet and windy weather we're starting to get used to again here in the UK.
New bikes are on the horizon too. Lapierre has released a carbon gravel bike, Bianchi has recoloured the Oltre XR4, and Specialized has released an interesting new e-bike.
Rapha + Gore Tex Jacket - does it come close to Shakedry?
The non-essential PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) ban is now firmly on the horizon. From January next year, manufacturers will be expected to totally stop the production of goods where PFAS chemicals are not essential to a products purpose - and that includes rain jackets.
And with this ban comes the death of the iconic Gore-Tex Shakedry jacket.
The result has been an interesting scramble from fabric companies to develop a membrane that performs as well as Shakedry while conforming with new regulations, and Rapha thinks its latest collaboration is the best in class yet. Gore-Tex seems pretty confident that it can bring the same performance with new materials but did warn that cleaning and reproofing may become a more frequent need, with contamination resistance being slightly lower than with previous fabrics.
The new jacket has been designed in collaboration with Gore-Tex, and features Rapha's slightly more relaxed fit philosophy, which is designed to work for avid road riders as well as more casual commuters alike - but how does it perform?
I have been lucky enough (or not!) to do a number of rather rainy rides in the new jacket before its release, and I must say I have been generally very satisfied.
Most important, of course, is the waterproofing performance, and here the Rapha + Gore-Tex Jacket ranks incredibly highly. Riding around the roads of Dijon I fell victim to a few very heavy showers where the jacket showed no signs of water ingress. As far as fit is concerned, I did find it a little bit narrow on the shoulders - though mine are notably broad for my size - but the jacket provided great length at the rear, and was not remotely flappy.
Build quality is great. Rapha has included a few noteworthy niceties, such as a solid cinch system for the waistband - which is a nice touch. My pre-production sample did have a small error in that the elastic cuffs were slightly loose, but this has now been fixed for production jackets.
Overall, first impressions are very good, which they should be for a jacket costing £300, but I am looking forward to testing it in more prolonged downpours during the inevitable mucky days that lay ahead.
Lapierre Crosshill CF is practical as well as fast
Lapierre has been producing its Crosshill gravel range for a few years. Up until now, the offerings have been strictly aluminium. The new CF model however boasts a UD SL carbon frame and fork, with a claimed weight of 1400g.
The French brand says it’s opted for a layup that offers “the best weight/stiffness/comfort ratio”. To further aid comfort the newly designed frame has a few interesting features, including the elliptical-shaped ‘flexstays’, which are designed to provide vertical flexibility and the ‘double S-shaped break’ which is there to “enhance vibration absorption”.
Perhaps the most distinctive element of the frame design though is the free-floating seat tube, which creates more flexibility. According to Lapierre, it all adds up to 12% more vibration absorption at 40kph.
That number may seem to indicate a race-orientated bent. Certainly, the CF seems well-equipped to deal with the demands of long gravel races. Alongside the carbon construction, the frame has internal routing for cables and hoses. The chainstays have also been shortened by 5mm compared to the alloy models; at 430mm they should make for a responsive ride, while still allowing for tyres as wide as 45mm.
However, the rest of the changes to the geometry point to a bike that wants to be practical as well as fast. The top tube has been shortened, while the bottom bracket height has been extended by a few millimetres for improved clearances.
And the CF’s functionality doesn’t stop there. It’s compatible with suspension forks, uses the UDH hangar standard and comes equipped with lots of bosses for bike-packing bags as well as fenders.
Complete build prices range from £2,699 for the CF 5.0 model, which features a mechanical Shimano GRX groupset to £5,399 for the CF 8.0, which comes equipped with SRAM Force XPLR AXS.
Bianchi Oltre embraces colour
For some, Bianchi’s only come in one colour.
The iconic Celeste paint scheme is part of the brand’s lore - was it inspired by the skies over Milan or Queen Margarite’s eyes - and has adorned bikes ridden by Italian legends ranging from Fausto Coppi to Marco Pantani.
But times change and Bianchi are clearly banking on its fans being happy to drop with tradition and ride its Oltre race bike in a slew of colours other than the green-blue hue we’ve all become accustomed to - although that’s still on offer too.
The top-of-the-range Oltre RC is now offered in a black carbon finish (with Celeste details) as well as a metallic Celeste. The Pro, Comp and Race models also offer this interpretation of the classic colourway, but also come with other options too, including a blue-grey number. The images indicated a stunning-looking bike whichever Pantone is applied.
Supernatural powered Specialized Vado e-bike
It’s not only drop-bar electric bikes that are getting lighter and lighter. Specialized’s latest Vado, the SL 2 Carbon is a hybrid e-bike that weighs as little as 14.9kg depending on the model.
But its performance on the scales is far from the bike’s only talking point. It’s driven by Specialized’s SL 1.2 motor, which offers 320 watts of what Spesh describes as “supernatural power”, while the 530Wh battery has a claimed run time of up to five hours.
While the carbon frame delivers obvious weight advantages, the Vado SL 2 is still a practical bike at heart. It features a MIK HD rear rack (as standard on the 6.0 Equipped model) that can handle up to 27 kg, a front Tubus rack that can carry a further 14kg plus plenty of mounts for bags, child seats and more. The onboard computer can even be synched with Apple’s Find My, in case, heavens forbid, it goes missing.
Other noteworthy details include a new display and joystick remote, which can work in conjunction with the Specialized app, the inclusion of the US brand’s Future Shock 3.2 suspension system and clearance for up to 47mm wide tyres.
The Vado SL 2 Carbon LTD, of which there are just 250 available, costs £7,500, while the 'regular' models start at £5,500.
