Icebike: Thule, Elite, Mule Bar, Kryptonite and more

Thule were busy pushing their Round Trip travel case at Icebike, and a very clever bag it is too. There’s two incarnations; the hard shell one is for those wanting maximum protection (and with space to put it when not in use) but probably more interesting to most people is the semi-rigid version which features folding polypropylene side panels. You can take them out and the whole thing will fold down small enough to stick under the bed.

Inside there’s a rail system that keeps the bike safe during transit, and the Round Trip also comes with a tripod that transforms the rails into a fully fledged workstand so that you can fettle your bike at the other end of your journey. Clever stuff. The semi-rigid box weighs 9kg and the hard case 13kg, and both will retail for £495.

Also new is the RaceWay rear rack, which incorporates some neat features. Instead of straps it features tension wires that you wind into the body; it’s simple and there’s nothing flapping about. The dials are lockable, too, so that you can’t take the rack off without the key. obviously it’s still not super-secure but it’s a definite improvement over a standard rear rack.

As well as that lock there’s another cable lock on the outermost bike cradle (it comes in two- or three-bike versions) which effectively secures all the bikes on the rack while you pop into the garage for a pasty.

The bike arm is easily adjustable and can be folded right down when there’s no bikes on it, even when still attacched to the car. The whole thing looks very well thought out. It’s £235 for the two-bike version and £260 for three.

If you prefer to carry you bikes on the roof, the Sprint carrier is designed specifically for high-end bikes. Terrified that they’re going to fall off, riders often overtighten the fork mount which can damage carbon forks. The Sprint has a Torque dial which stops you going too tight, and it can also be locked to keep your bike in situ if you avert your gaze.

The Sprint van also be collapsed when not in use so that the rear doesn’t stick out as far, which is handy if you have a small car; sometimes the protruding rear end can interfere with the boot. The Sprint carrier costs £175.

Thule are also bringing in their range of child carriers through Madison this year. These are high-end bits of kit that can be towed by a bike, or pushed or jogged with. They have comfy seats and five point harnesses inside too, so little Johhny should be safe and snug.

Details such as leaf springs which are adjustable to the child’s weight, simple conversion from trailer to stroller mode, disc brakes on some models and lighweight construction (the single seater Chariots weigh just 9kg) mark them out as one fot the list if you want a quality trailer that you can also jog with or use as a stroller/pram. You can even put skis on them. All that tech doesn’t come cheap though, with the range topping out at a round grand for the Chariot CX1.

In new flavour news, we’ll start with SIS. They’re now doing GO Energy in Elderberry flavour, and GO Electrolyte in Raspberry, which was my favourite of the two. They’re both tasy though. These new 1kg pots are £9.99 a pop.

Nuun had two new flavours for their electrolyte tabs too. The Lemonade is fairly subtle, while Cherry Limeade is a bit more boisterous and also contains 50mg of caffeine per tab, the same as you’d find in a can of Coke.

Best new flavour of the day went to Mule Bar, with their Bombay Express bar. Yup, a Bombay Mix flavoured energy bar. It’s nearly ready but they’re currently deciding between a more savoury one, and a sweeter one with mango (Do the mango one!); either way, it’ll be a welcome respite from all the sweet stuff on a long ride.

As well as the bar they’re also doing the Bombay Mix as a Nosebag sachet, and there’ll also be a seed mix and a fruit mix, if you prefer grazing on your ride to necking an energy bar every hour. All threee mixes were very tasty. The packaging in the pick is a mockup so expect it to look a bit different when it hits the shops.

Lastly, Mule Bar are now doing a range of flapjack bars. Everyone loves a flapjack, right? They’re very good, and the classic one will be made with all-British ingredients.

Krypronite had a few new bits and bobs. If you like to carry a big chain on your town bike it can be a faff if you don’t have a bag with you. There’s two new options now: the frame bag above…

…and this cage. It looks very urban and you could probably get a bottle of wine in it too. Just saying.

Also new was this Evolution Lite Mini 6 lock wich is jeans-pocket-sized but still strong enough to get 7/10 on Kryptonite’s scale, that’s good enough for urban use although you probably wouldn’t want to rely on it in high-risk areas.

Bottles aren’t exactly sexy, but even so you might be interested to know that Elite have distilled the look and some of the features of their pro bottles (more than half the WorldTour teams use Elite) into a new bottle, the Corsa. It features the pop-off cap that’s designed to allow the bottle to empty quickly if it’s run over, to avoid crashes. It’s biodegradeable too, disappearing in seven years when buried in landfill. And it costs just £3.99.

More expensive by a stretch but pretty smart is the leggera bottle cage. Just 15g, this one, and with a full band it should hold your bottle nice and snug too. £54.99 to you, squire.

If that’s too salty, or not fluoro enough, how about the Cannibal cage instead, which comes in a range of colours including this eye-buggeringly bright yellow, and will set you back just £12.99.