Tektro-owned TRP has teased a new aero brake ahead of the Taipei Cycle Show, which we’re told will begin life as an OEM product, before becoming available as an aftermarket upgrade.
The unit is designed around the Shimano direct mount system. The rear brake is designed to tuck under the frame on the chainstays, while the front carves the wind with an aero hood.
Now further down the line in rebranding their crankset portfolio from Turn to fall back under the Praxis banner, the Santa Cruz-based firm has introduced an entry price point.
The cheaper 2D forged drivetrain product was first teased at Interbike last year and is now hitting distributor’s worldwide. For the road cyclist, the Alba crank joins the portfolio to sit below the hollow forged Zagante.
Scratch Labs has moved into energy chews that’ll offer up a dose of electrolytes to keep the rider hydrated, as well as good quality salts. The £2.50 bags hold around 12 chews, each made with freeze dried and ground real fruit. Retailers can take on boxes of ten bags in the handy point of sale units seen below. Currently orange and Raspberry flavours are offered.
Kinesis UK introduced the new Phase hardtail at Core, coming in at £399 in the UK. We think you’ll agree, a stunning foundation for the money. It’ll house up to a 3-inch tyre, which the brand recommends is paired with a 120mm fork. A standard 27.5 build prefers a 140mm. Boost spacing and internal cable routing are considered in the design, which promotes fun with its low-slung top tube.
X-Bionic introduced the Twice range, which will comprise a jersey, short and sock. Having built its reputation on chanelling sweat to better maintain a rider’s core temperature at the optimum 37-degrees, the Twice jersey and short double the size of the BionicSphere patch for 2016. Hydrophobic panels further redistribute body heat to give the rider what the brand says is a ten per cent performance gain through better temperature regulation.
The sock also offers both achilles support and air channels that work in tandem with the rider’s footwear to draw hot air through the arch and upwards out of the shoe.
Endura further branch outside of their traditional territory with both the MT500 enduro backpack, offering a 15-litre capacity and the Singletrack with its 10-litre capacity.
Both are upgradeable with a three litre bladder and sport a Koroyd back protector, which isn’t too dissimilar to the honeycomb structure as seen in Smith’s helmets. Both bags also feature an internal clip out tool pouch. The MT500 will allow you to lug around a full face helmet, while the smaller Singletrack can accommodate other styles.
The Citrus Lime team spoke of its new cloud-based stock control, soft launched at CoreBike and built from the ground up to synchronise supplier stock levels with a dealer’s computer.
Useable on all devices – be it iPads or Microsoft devices – the service means that “if the supplier’s got it, you can sell it,” according to developer Grant Hadwin. “We’ve pioneered this alongside a number of industry partners. It’s been hard work building the infrastructure, but we’re trialling it now and will host a full launch event in May.”
As you’ll no doubt have seen, BBB has been busy lately and one such progression includes a link up with French World Tour Team FDJ.
Since that announcement, products like the below helmet and glasses have been developed with rider feedback from the pros and consumers alike. Read more about the brand’s product development in our recent interview with the brand here.
Not your everyday sale, but we couldn’t ignore the introduction of a E-fatty from Peugeot. Based around a Bosch Motor, this is one of the premium entries into the Electric line, stocked in the UK by Moore Large. The brand also utilises its own drive system at the entry price points and Shimano Steps on its mid-range builds.
We sadly didn’t make it to the Lightweight booth during our limited time at Core, but we’ve since been reliably informed by a dealer that Lightweight’s new clothing launch is not to be missed – and it certainly looks to be the case.
Shown below is the new 128 gram jersey. Utilising breathable mesh and with a cut that’ll hug the figure while hunched over in the saddle, it’ll remain comfortable for the duration, much thanks to the clever sweat wicking fabrics put to use.
