New Arrivals – September 8, 2005 By John Stevenson & James Huang 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. Rapha Sportwool jersey Rapha Sportwool jersey Rapha is a fairly new British company with a mission to make the very best possible cycling clothing, and if the finish and attention to detail of the gear that's just arrived on the Cyclingnews tech desk is anything to by, it's succeeded. Styled in the fashion of classic jerseys of the fifties, this jersey is made from Sportwool, which, as the name suggests is a specially woven, very fine wool fabric that's perfect for cycling jerseys. Despite the classic material and styling, the jersey has thoroughly modern features including a reflective patch on the back; a zip pocket for your valuables; and a silicone gripper on the back to keep it snug. There's even a small flap behind the zip to stop it chafing./JS More information: www.rapha.cc Price: UKP105 Rapha Softshell Rapha softshell jacket They know a bit about riding in bad weather in the UK, so you'd expect this rain jacket from Rapha to be well thought out for keeping out the elements, and it certainly seems to be. Features include a high neck, very long, slim cut, thumb loops to keep the sleeves in place and an extra flap to cover your bum and protect against road spray. Other details include a reinforced shoulder to protect against wear from a courier bag; Rapha's gear is extensively tested by London cycle couriers, a group of riders who are famously incredibly hard on kit. There's also a neck guard at the top of the asymmetrical top zip, cord pulls to snug in the fit, and plenty of reflective piping to offset the visibility issues of the black fabric./JS More information: www.rapha.cc Price: UKP175 Rapha Sportwool arm warmers Rapha Sportwool arm warmers With a Sportwool body, silicone grips to keep them up and tidy cord loops to pull them in place, these would be some of the best thought-out arm warmers we've seen, even without the killer feature. But to top it off there's a 3cm wide reflective stripe all the way down the outside so there's no way anyone can pull "sorry mate I didn't see you" when you signal a turn./JS More information: www.rapha.cc Price: UKP30 Rapha Grand Tour gloves Rapha Grand Tour gloves Made in England from ultra-high quality leather, these are easily the most luxurious gloves we've ever seen. The material, according to Rapha (and vegetarians should stop reading about now) comes from the hide of African hair sheep, which live on the arid savannah of Eastern Africa. To cope with the heat and dry conditions, the hair sheep have extremely thin but strong skin. Renowned leather-maker Pittards grades, treats and dyes the hides in the UK and the leather is then made into these gloves. As well as the white shown here, they're also available in black with pink trim, and tan with grey trim. It has to be said that the price is a bit staggering, but top-flight materials and British craftsmanship aren't cheap./JS More information: www.rapha.cc Price: UKP80 Rapha Merino socks Rapha Merino socks Finally, in keeping with Rapha's taste for natural fibres where appropriate, here's the company's Merino wool socks. Available in black or white, and in two lengths and four sizes, the socks feature reinforced toes and heels and are left and right-handed (footed?) for a perfect fit./JS More information: www.rapha.cc Price: UKP15 Spinervals Sprinting Machine Spinervals Timetrialapalooza Spinervals Aero Base Builder IV Spinervals Time Saver Spinervals 20.0 to 23.0 Here's four new training DVDs from the kings of wind trainer suffering-that's-good-for-you at Spinervals. 20.0 The Sprinting machine is a 50-minute sprint workout that uses a 5:1 rest to work ratio to help improve your sprint speed and power. 21.0 Aero base Builder IV is a 70-minute endurance-building workout aimed at long-distance endurance riders who want to become more efficient at burning fat. 22.0 Time Trialapalooza is 80 minutes of working toi improve your times against the clock, either with or without the assistance of a PowerTap power meter. 23.0 Time Saver I comprises three 30-minute training sessions that cover bike efficiency, time trialling and sprinting - ideal for all-rounders who are short of training time./JS More info: www.spinervals.com Spinervals videos are available from the Cyclingnews shop Hayes El Camino Hayes El Camino disc brakes Hayes has been a major player in the hotly contested hydraulic disc brake market virtually since day one. The El Camino is the company's most significant redesign to date with an all-new caliper and master cylinder. The one-piece caliper design is lighter and stiffer than its predecessors, and the master cylinder incorporates a new sleek new design and tool-free reach and leverage adjustment to match the needs and desires of most riders. Rotors are available in both 6in and 8in versions, and total system weight is about 470g per wheel (with 6" rotor, including all hardware)./JH More info: www.hayesdiscbrake.com Price: US$249 (6" rotor); US$269 (8" rotor) WTB Solano WTB Solano road tires WTB stands for Wilderness Trail Bikes, so what are is the company that designed legendary mountain bike tyres such as the Velociraptor and Specialized Ground Control doing making a high-end road tire?? Regardless of the seeming contradiction suggested by its name, WTB is dipping its virtual feet into the burgeoning road market with its Solano clincher tire. The 120TPI casing is topped with WTB's Dual DNA dual compound rubber which uses a harder, longer-wearing center tread and softer, grippier shoulder rubber for better cornering traction. The Solano is currently only comes in a 700 x 23c size with a folding Kevlar bead but is available with black, grey, or red tread. Weight is approximately 210g./JH More info: www.wtb.com Price: US$50.00 each Fox F100 RLT Fox Racing Shox Float 100RLT The cross-country market seems to have settled on a sweet spot of about 100mm for fork travel these days, with maybe 20mm either way of wiggle room for short races on smooth courses or endures on rough trails. The air-sprung Float 100RLT is Fox's lightest model at a shade over 1600g. As with the rest of Fox's cross-country line, the Float features an ultra-rigid chassis with 32mm diameter stanchion tubes and cast magnesium lower legs. The advanced damping system includes a manual lockout with adjustable blowoff threshold and rebound damping. Our disc-specific test model also includes a nifty new integrated brake housing guide; woo-hoo, no more zip-ties!/JH More info: www.foxracingshox.com Price: US$650 Light & Motion Solo Logic SL Light & Motion Solo Logic Li-Ion SL With an on-the-bike weight on just 340g for battery, lamp and mounting, Light & Motion's Solo Logic Li-Ion lighting system is aimed at endurance racers who want to shave grams while still having plenty of light. The lamp is a 13 Watt halogen unit and while it doesn't quite pump out the retina-ripping light level of Light & Motion's HID units, it's substantially lighter and still provides plenty to see by. Claimed run time is two hours on full beam, and the lamp can be stepped down to 10W and 6W for longer burn times. The Solo Logic Li-Ion SL can be mounted on either your handlebar or helmet with the included hardware. Also bundled is Light & Motion's new Multi-Chemistry charger, which will charge either Li-Ion or NiMH batteries. Like other Light & Motion chargers, the Multi-Chemistry will run on anything from 100 to 250 V at 5-60Hz AC and uses a computer power cord so you can easily find an adapter wherever in the world you happen to be./JS More information: www.bikelights.com Price: US$279 BodyTeq Helmet Liner BodyTeq helmet liner Here's one of those ideas that on the surface looks a bit daft, but might just be brilliant. BodyTeq's helmet liner is made from HydroWeave, a fabric that absorbs water. The liner looks like it's intended to keep your head warm, but in fact the intention is just the opposite - on hot days you soak it in water, wring it out and the water absorbed by the liner helps keep you cool by evaporating. It's a novel idea, and with summer looming at the Cyclingnews Sydney office we expect to get plenty of chances to try it out over the next couple of months. We'll keep you posted./JS More information: www.bodyteq.com Price: US$15.50