Five cool things coming soon from Specialized, Garmin, MAAP X Apidura, Universal Colours and Redshift

Fancy a break from the Tour de France? Take a sneak peek at some of the things that we’ve currently got out for review. There’s some flashy pedals that use magnets, a Garmin that will tell you how stressed you are, a jersey that manages to be loud and camouflage at the same time… plus a backpack with a name I can’t pronounce, and a saddlebag from two of the biggest names in the adventure cycling business. Time to check the highlights, and you can expect full reviews on road.cc in the coming days and weeks…

Redshift Arclight Bike Pedals

£137.00

It’s not very often that pedals appear on our list of ‘cool’ things, but this set of flats from Redshift are just a little bit different. Inside the aluminium bodies slot four light units, two per pedal, one facing forwards and one rearward. Redshift says that having lights in this area can increase visibility by 57% and help get you recognised as a cyclist.

Now if like us you were wondering about getting the red and whites the wrong way round then don’t fear, they switch automatically depending on which way up the pedal is so you can still use both sides. There’s other clever tech too such as an automatic on and off feature and magnets to hold the lights in place. The lights are IP64 weatherproof to help deal with typical UK commuting weather and claimed run times vary from 3 hours up to 36 in eco-flash mode.

We’re quite impressed with the theory behind the pedals. Stu has been putting them through their revolutions to see whether their function is up to scratch...

www.redshiftsports.com

Garmin Vivosmart 5

£129.99

The Vivosmart might not be made with cyclists exclusively in mind, but it does have lots of features useful to avid and casual cyclists alike. This fifth generation is capable of tracking activities, including rides, by linking up to your phone's GPS; it can also measure your sleep quality, blood oxygen level, energy levels, breathing, hydration, women’s health and even your stress.

That’s quite a lot to cram into a little unit and to help see all this information the screen size has increased 66% compared to the Vivosmart 4. Garmin claims up to seven days of battery life, but we’ll have to wait for Stu’s verdict to see how much he gets in real-world use. His full review is coming soon so we won’t have to wait long.

www.garmin.com

Universal Colours Spectrum Light jersey

£120.00

This short-sleeve jersey is designed with summer in mind and weighs in at just 78g. Universal Colours says that this form-fitting jersey excels on climbs with high breathability and soft and stretchy material. It’s also got eco-credentials; not only is the design “inspired the plastic recycling process” but it’s manufactured in a Bluesign certified factory and made from post-consumer recycled Italian fabrics.

At £120* this isn’t a cheap jersey, but we have seen plenty that are more expensive. This one has been left to me to put through its paces and see whether the jersey is worth your hard-earned money. Do you like the design? Let us know in the comments below…

*The full review will be coming soon, but if you’ve already fallen in love then the Spectrum jersey can currently be had for £72.00 by following link aoove. 

www.universalcolours.com

Specialized/Fjällräven Cave Pack

£115.00

This backpack is based on the iconic Fjallraven Verdag backpack and is designed for both hiking and biking. It’s got padded shoulder straps and is unique in that it’s designed to slot straight into a pannier, which by the way is called the ‘Coolcave’.

The Cave Pack has a 20-litre capacity, and many, many pockets including a laptop compartment and we’ve sent it out with Hollis who will be delivering his verdict in the coming weeks.

www.specialized.com

Maap X Apidura saddle pack (7l)

£135.00

Part of Maap’s ‘Alt-Road’ collection, this saddlebag is designed to be durable, lightweight and with a roll-up closure to provide adjustable capacity of up to seven litres. The saddle bag is also waterproof, courtesy of Apidura’s material usually found on their Racing Series products. Maap promises an exceptionally lightweight and minimal design thanks to innovative construction techniques.

Will this, combined with the integrated light mount, reflective detailing and bungee tie-down, be enough to convince Iwein to crack out the high scores? You’ve only got a short wait to find out…

> Review: Maap X Apidura handlebar pack 9l

…In the meantime we’ve already delivered our verdict on the matching handlebar bag, you can read that review using the link above.

www.apidura.com

For all the latest road.cc test reports, head over to our reviews section. If you want some more advice before splashing the cash, check out our buyer's guides.