Could this tiny sensor help you ride faster? Plus the rest of the week's tech news from Specialized, Vision, Gorewear + the World Championships

We have news on the Specialized Tarmac SL8, the most out-there designs from the World Championships, and a recreated Victorian bike that Endura is riding to Glasgow, but we’re starting this week with news of a little sensor that could help you ride faster…

Could this tiny sensor help increase your speed?

Oxford-based company Streamlines has introduced a Forma sensor that sits on your bike’s stem and is designed to help you stay in your most aero riding position.

We’ve looked at various devices in the past that promise to provide drag measurement while you ride, such as the Velocomp AeroPod, but the Streamlines Forma doesn’t do that. Instead, this is a body position sensor that gives you real-time feedback.

> Using the Velocomp AeroPod: does the device that promises drag measurement on the fly deliver? 

“Through aero-orientated bike fitting or via wind tunnel testing, competitive cyclists can determine their ideal aero-efficient position on the bike, but as a rider fatigues during an event or ride, or when muscle memory drifts, body position can be far from optimal,” says Streamlines.

The Forma measures your head and chest position to within 2mm and sends that information to a cycling computer in real time, says Streamlines. Your position is indicated relative to the ideal that you've entered, so you can adjust things if necessary. Of course, it's down to you to enter your optimum position in the first place. 

“While riding, the rider position can be viewed through a Garmin Data Field or the Forma CIQ app,” says Streamlines.

The data is also viewable after your ride via a FIT file and Garmin Connect. 

Streamlines partners Team Jumbo-Visma and says the Forma has been used “as part of their aerodynamic development and training for their Tour de France victories”.

The Forma sensor attaches to your bike via a quarter-turn mount. Streamlines reckons you’ll be set up in under five minutes. It is priced at £475.

Would you consider buying one or would you rather spend your money elsewhere?

Find out more here

Specialized Tarmac SL8: how the bike was made

You can’t have missed Specialized’s launch of the Tarmac SL8 last weekend – the bike has been everywhere over the past few days. If you’ve not yet had your fill, the US brand has produced a 12-minute video that tells the story of the bike’s creation.

The video is a promo to market the Tarmac SL8, obviously, but it gives a pretty interesting insight into what’s involved, much of it explained by Project Engineering Lead Peter Denk.

If you’ve been living deep in the Amazon rainforest for the past few weeks and have somehow managed to miss all the SL8 hype, get all the details on the new bike – including the Speed Sniffer head tube – here.

Find out more here

Vision introduces “the most ergonomic and aerodynamic track handlebar”

Last week, we told you about the Speeco TR-E (Track Endurance) handlebar, and now we have news of a Metron Track handlebar that also comes with built-in hoods.

The Vision Metron Track is based on Vision’s Metron 4D and 5D road handlebars but it is just 365mm wide, the idea being to put the rider into a more aero position. It’s made from carbon with silicon decals and sand-painted surfaces to provide grip.

Elia Viviani has already won a bronze medal in the elimination race at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow using the new bar.

Pic © SWpix.com (t/a Photography Hub Ltd)

The retail price is €469 (about £406).

Find out more here

Endura takes recreated 1839 bike on 60-mile ride to Glasgow

We told you last month that Scottish brand Endura was recreating Kirkpatrick Macmillan’s historic bike from 1839, with the bike set to make the 60-mile journey Macmillan rode from Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, to Glasgow. Now it’s happening. Look, here's the evidence...

The frame and wheels are made from wood and metal rims are used rather than tyres. The bike is driven via a treadle linkage mechanism. Although a couple of modern tweaks have been incorporated, the bike is mostly faithful to the original design.

Granted, it doesn’t look especially comfortable but you'd still take it for a quick spin, wouldn't you? Reckon they’d lend it us for a review?

Is this the most-extreme bike at the World Championships?

There are some unconventional bikes being ridden at the World Championships in Glasgow at the moment – including the £19k Canyon Speedmax CFR Track that we told you about last week – but is this X23 Swanigami from TRed/Toot Engineering the most innovative and extreme of the lot?

 

 

 

 

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The X23, which has just been added to the UCI’s List of Approved Models of Framesets, has been ridden by Argentine athlete Facu Lezica.

It’s partly 3D printed from Scalmalloy, an alloy that’s made with scandium, aluminium and magnesium. That’s the same material that Mythos uses for its 3D-printed Elix stem, for example.

> 3D printed cycling tech — what 3D printed bike products have taken off, and what's coming in the future? 

This is an Italian project, TRed Bikes’ Romolo Stanco working with the CompMech Group of the University of Pavia “with the aim of developing innovative bikes and components for the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics”.

Athletes from the Argentine national team have been racing prototypes of TRed Bikes’ Peregrine Falcon, its first metal prototype with 3D-printed parts, since 2019.

“Using advanced 3D modelling, simulation and scanning techniques, the design team was able to optimize the athlete's position in order to develop a disruptive frame geometry for maximum efficiency and speed,” says TRed.

“The possibility of building the frame prototypes and all the components and parts in 3D at the 3D Protolab of the University of Pavia made it possible to simulate and test positions, aerodynamic efficiency in the wind tunnel, different geometries in order to combine 3D printed parts with machined or forged metal parts and composite material parts.

“To ensure that each X23 is perfectly suited to the individual rider, the bike is manufactured using an advanced additive manufacturing technique. The ultimate X23 Swanigami frameset will be constructed using an aerospace grade aluminum alloy (Scalmalloy printed by the Toot Racing partner Apworks Additive Manufacturing) for its high strength-to-weight ratio.”  

 

 

 

 

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The party piece of the latest design is the new 3D-printed integrated handlebar/stem shown here. Fancy rocking up for the Sunday club run with one of these? We applaud the innovation.

Find out more here

Death Bike: “A wondrous tale about murder, vengeance, and bicycling”

A new movie called Death Bike is looking for funding on Indiegogo. Wow! That title asks a lot of questions. What the hell is going on here?

The team behind Death Bike describes it like this: “Harvey, the high school super-jock, craves fast drives and wild nights. But when he violently clashes with a cyclist on his road, Beaver High’s Buckin’ Beaver finds himself on a collision course with blood-soaked vengeance. Hell on two wheels. DEATH BIKE is coming for YOU!!”

It looks gory and far from serious.

Pledge £21 and you’ll be in line to receive a digital copy of Death Bike, assuming it gets made. If you want to get more involved you can act in the US movie for £786 or even be an executive producer for £1,966. Tempted? No, thought not.

Last time we checked, Death Bike was 40% of the way to reaching its funding target with 25 days remaining.

Find out more here 

Gorewear to launch PFC-free Gore-Tex products in 2024

Gorewear says it will launch new PFC-free Gore-Tex clothing for spring and summer next year.

Gore-Tex has had a long-term plan to eliminate PFCs (per and poly-fluorinated chemicals) of environmental concern from its durable water-repellent (DWR) treatments and membrane manufacturing processes. The original target for removal from its consumer fabric products was the end of this year although it says it is now “on track to transition the vast majority of its consumer portfolio by end of 2025”.

Gore’s lightweight Shakedry fabric is among the casualties. It isn’t being produced anymore and brands will only be making new clothing while their current stocks last. 

Gorewear says, “We will introduce the new Gore-Tex products with innovative ePE membrane in our SS24 collection. This is a key milestone on our brand’s responsible performance journey, providing high-performing, durable products that are engineered for long product life.”

ePE is expanded polythene. Gore announced in 2021 that it would use ePE as “a new complementary material platform to serve as the basis for our membrane technologies”. Several brands – including Adidas – introduced products with Gore ePE membranes in their autumn/winter 2022 ranges. 

We have no more details on Gorewear’s use of the ePE tech yet – nor any pictures – but we’ve asked that we can review products as soon as they’re available. We’ll keep you updated on this one.

Find out more here

Did you ever see the Infinity all-wheel drive bike?

The design of the Infinity all-wheel drive bike has been around for a while but we spotted it again on Insta the other day so here it is…

 

 

 

 

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“All-wheel drive” is a bit of a misnomer in that this bike doesn't have any wheels, as such.

The Infinity is the brainchild of Germany’s Stephan Henrich.

“It’s a beach and city cruiser,” he says. “The idea was the following: to have the bicycle that provides an all-wheel drive done by one continuous construction element – a drive belt that goes around, which creates a rim in the outer areas and a toothed belt in the interior areas. There's a chain wheel that drives this toothed belt that becomes a rim – so there's one construction element that fluidly changes between functions.

“Is this possible to manufacture so we can ride on it one day? It’s true that for now it’s a concept. One would have to invest a bit of money and time to see if it’s possible, but thinking about it for a long time now, I never came across any killer argument that would prevent me proven from going further.”

You’re wondering how it turns, aren’t you? Us too. That’s one challenge that would need to be solved if this Infinity bike is ever to become a reality.

Find out more here

In case you missed it earlier in the week…

• Bianchi introduces new Oltre Race and Sprint road bikes... and suggests 12-speed Shimano 105 mechanical groupset is coming 
• Crazy track bikes, huge stems and rim brakes FTW: 10 tech highlights from the 2023 Cycling World Championships
• World Bicycle Relief gives fans opportunity to win World Championship pro bikes
• Specialized officially launches the Tarmac SL8 — faster than the Venge, stiffer and lighter than the SL7, and all-new 'speed sniffer' head tube 
• road.cc recommends updated with 16 great products including bikes from Specialized and Orro, bling from Campagnolo and Black Inc + much more