New Arrivals – February 4, 2005 Edited by John Stevenson Got Tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech-heads. Welcome to New Arrivals, a section showcasing the latest equipment that's landed on the Cyclingnews tech desk. Look out for reviews over the next few months when we've clocked up some saddle time with this stuff. Planet X Superlight Planet X Superlight Team frame Hailing from the UK (via Taiwan), Planet X's Superlight Team frame is a raceable aluminium frame at a sensible price. Planet X is perhaps better known as a mountain bike company, but it's long had one tyre on the tarmac too. Company founder Dave Loughran has been involved as an importer with brands such as Casati, Fondriest, LeMond and Hed and has supported top UK riders like John Tanner, Kevin Dawson, Mark Lovatt and Paul Curran. For 2005, Planet X has lightened the Superlight and lengthened the top tube of all sizes after feedback from sponsored riders who wanted to be a bit more stretched out than the original geometry allowed. This means, for example, that our size L frame, with nominal 54cm seat tube and 'somewhat sloping' geometry has an effective top tube of 57cm and fits me like it was custom built. It's now hung with the 2005 Shimano Ultegra we mentioned last week and a stack of other goodies from Planet X and doing duty as my day-to-day ride. The Planet X Superlight is available in sizes S, M, L and XL. Weight: 1420g Price: UKP250 (bare frame only) More info: www.planet-x-bikes.com Planet X Superlight handlebar Planet X Strada Classic 215 Pro handlebar There are some deeply entrenched positions in the equipment likes and dislikes of bike riders, and while handlebar shape doesn't quite inspire the passion of, say, Campagnolo vs Shimano discussions of tubulars vs clinchers, there are plenty of folks out there who just don't get on with those new-fangled 'anatomic' handlebars. For a while it got surprisingly hard to find bars whose drops were a simple curve, but the old shapes are making a comeback, and Planet X's offering for curved-bar aficionados is the 7075 aluminium Strada Classic, with a 150mm drop reminiscent of the old Cinelli 64 shape. The Strada Classic is available in 44cm and 46cm widths, measured edge to edge, so that's 42cm and 44cm if you think in centre-to-centre measurements. Weight: 245g Price: UKP39.99 More info: www.planet-x-bikes.com Planet X Superlight Team stem Planet X Superlight Team stem Complementing Planet X's handlebar is this lightweight 3D forged stem with a four-bolt front cap for easy stem switching. At 120g it's one of the lighter stems we've seen and it's very tidily made, with clean lines and a nifty 'X' design shaped into the cap. Weight: 120g (120mm) Price: $50 More info: www.planet-x-bikes.com DMT Flash DMT Flash shoes Hot on the heels of last month's Diadora Proracer Carbon shoes comes DMT's entry into the 'none more bling' stakes, the Flash. But there's function here too with a lightweight, stiff A.C.T. (Aeronautic Carbon Technology) carbon fiber sole and DMT's one-piece strap and heel cup that firmly anchors your foot into the shoe. DMT has aimed at making the Flash as light as possible, with a new sole design and lightweight materials throughout, and claims a size 41 shoes weighs 243g. Our size 43 pair weighed 305g each, which is light, but not staggeringly so. Weight: 610g/pr (size 43) Price: $349.99 More info: www.uplandsg.com Red Ace s1-advance socks Red Ace s1-advance socks Made from a special cotton mix that's soft, comfortable and wicks sweat away from your feet, Red Ace's s1-advance socks are a low-cut cycling shape with an ankle collar to prevent chafing and a silver-treated sole that's claimed to permanently fight odour. There's a lightly elasticated mid-foot to snugly grip your feet and the upper section is made from active-wear fabric with ventilation mesh panels to keep you cool. Price: AU$19.99 More info: www.redace.com.au Louis Garneau Drytex 1000 undervest Louis Garneau Drytex 1000 undervest Undervests are one of those unsung garments that, once you start wearing one, you wonder how you managed without, according to the Cyclingnews Undergarment Editor who got very excited when this t-shirt from Louis Garneau's new range of base layers arrived at Cyclingnews Towers. This undervest is made from a fabric Louis Garneau calls Drytex 1000 and the idea is that you wear it under your jersey even in warm weather. Drytex 1000 is a very light, moisture-wicking mesh fabric so it helps keep you dry even when the going gets sweaty by moving moisture away from the skin. As long as you're not wearing a windproof top layer, you still stay cool from the breeze blowing through, but slap a jacket over the top in cooler weather and an undervest helps keep you warm, as well as dry. Pear fruit bars JustFruit bars Gorge Delights Pear & JustFruit bars From Washington state come these all-fruit energy bars by Gorge Delights. The JustFruit bars are, as you might guess, made entirely from fruit, while the Pear Fruit bars are made from pear plus another fruit. JustFruit bars are available in Apple/Raspberry, Apple/Cherry, Apple/Blueberry and Apple flavours, while Pear bars come in Pear, Pear/Strawberry, Pear/Blueberry and Pear/Cranberry. Price: US$15.85 (box of 16) More info: www.gorgedelights.com Can't figure out the right seat? Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat Joshua Cohen's Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat claims to be "the most comprehensive book on ergonomic bicycle seats and what it all means for you". The aim is to help cyclists understand all of the current known facts about the effect of seat design on sexual health. This has been a hot topic since urologists began to claim back in the 90s that bike saddles were making all us male cyclists impotent, and instead of pointing out the actual microscopic incidence of impotence among cyclists, the bike industry jumped straight on the bandwagon and began making seats designed to keep us all properly virile. Cohen, a physical therapist and product designer, examines the issues, explains some of the eye-watering the things that can go wrong 'down there' and aims to provide some guidance to buying and setting up a saddle that works just right for you. Price: US$17.95 More info: www.roadbikerider.com Suzue Pro Max carbon track hubs Suzue Pro Max carbon track hubs Suzue's Pro max track hubs are available in three version - the Pro Max NJS, with cup-and-cone bearings, the Pro Max SB with sealed bearings and these, the Pro Max carbon. UK importer On-one sent us a set of each, and very fine they are too, especially the stealth black carbon jobs with composite centre sections to save weight and hologram reflective bling strips on the flanges. Our Pro Max carbon hubs came drilled and slotted for 24 bladed spokes for building into some high-speed track wheels. The rear hub is threaded for a fixed sprocket on both sides, as is the Pro max NJS, while the sealed bearing version has a freewheel thread on one side for singlespeed applications. Weight: F/R: 265g/315g Price: F - £80, R - £100 More info: www.on-one.co.uk