A 'Smart Helmet' for cyclists with built-in 2k camera launches on Indiegogo, plus mega pro bike auction, an anti-spill cup holder for your handlebars + more

This week has seen some pretty interesting things launching in the road cycling tech-sphere. From a smart helmet with a 2k camera built in so you can film your wheelies in high definition (or more likely bad drivers, but we can remain positive), to the relaunch of one of Bernard Hinault's saddles of choice in the 1980s.

Let's dive into this week's Tech of the Week...

Introducing the 'Smart Helmet'... a cycling helmet with a built-in 2k camera

Here's another eye-catching spot from Indiegogo... "all-in-one smart helmet" promising to "redefine urban cycling". The VitusX1 is the creation of a collaboration between camera brands YASHICA and I'm Back. It features a built-in YASHICA lens and 2k camera to capture footage from your rides. It's got a wide-angle fisheye lens and we're told it captures video at 2k or 1080p and also has "high-quality audio". 

There is connectivity via an app, enabling riders to view live footage (presumably not while riding) and save recordings direct to their phone. It supports micro SD cards up to 128GB and the battery life is a stated 10 hours, charging done via a USB-C port.

Other features we've seen more regularly, particularly in products on crowdfunding sites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter, include the "wraparound visability" a series of integrated 260-lumen lights around the helmet, as well as the product having a built-in GPS tracker.

As ever with these crowdfunder products, have a good read, it's rarely as simple as buying a product in the more conventional manner. With that said, the VitusX1 is now live on Indiegogo where it has received some support. The early bird price appears to be £141, although "estimated shipping" wouldn't be until July 2025. 

Mega auction sees bikes raced by Jonas Vingegaard, Geraint Thomas and more of pro cycling's biggest stars up for grabs

The world's largest match-worn memorabilia auction platform MatchWornShirt has moved into cycling. The site's most well known for its auctions on football shirts but has teamed up with some of the WorldTour's biggest teams, meaning you can now bid on bikes raced by the likes of Geraint Thomas, Jonas Vingegaard and more.

An exclusive round of auctions began on December 6, with raced bikes from Visma-Lease a Bike, Ineos Grenadiers, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, Lotto Dstny, Soudal Quick-Step and EF Education-EasyPost included.

There's a custom-painted Cervélo S5 ridden to second-place at the Tour de France by Vingegaard, Wout van Aert's R5, Ineos Pinarello Dogma Fs raced at the Tour by G, Egan Bernal and Michal Kwiatkowski. Elsewhere there are Scott bikes raced by Team dsm-firmenich PostNL's men and women's teams, Orbea Orcas raced by Lotto Dstny, Cannondale SuperSix Evo's raced by Neilson Powless and his EF Education-EasyPost teammates, and Kasper Asgreen's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8.

When this article was first published some bids were getting up to the £10,000 mark, and some surpassed that including Jonas Vinegaard's Cervelo S5 (sold for £15,165) and Egan Bernal's Pinarello Bolide F TT (sold for £9,986); some high bidders got relative bargains though, with Thomas De Gendt's Orbea Orca Aero OMX going for £3,750, a fraction of the price of a brand new top-of-the-range race bike. There's another round of auctions just gone live, which you can check out on MatchWornShirt.

Elite turbo trainer update enables Zwift Cog and Click compatability

It's a bumper time of year for turbo trainer news and this might be of interest to owners (or prospective owners) of Elite's Direto XR and Direto XR-T models. Using Elite's Upgrado app you can now update your trainer so it's compatible with Zwift's Cog and Click for virtual shifting, the Click controller allowing users to adjust trainer resistance with 24 virtual gears, giving you "seamless control over resistance while cycling on the platform".

Elite says updates for its Justo, Justo 2 and Avanti models are coming in "early 2025", with updates for Suito(-T), Direto, Direto X and Direto XR Team "coming this spring". To mark the compatability news, Elite has a code for £27.50 off the Zwift Cog and Click on its website.

FSA's new SL-K LIGHT Direct Mount crankset

FSA this week launched its new SL-K LIGHT Direct Mount crankset, a "cutting-edge product designed to deliver top-level performance at an accessible price point".

That price is £550... so you're going to have to pick between the SL-K and that titanium Reilly balance bike from last week's Tech of the Week, I'm afraid. The SL-K features hollow carbon crank arms to save weight and "a perfect balance of lightweight construction and exceptional stiffness". It was developed in collaboration with EF Education-EasyPost and Uno-X, FSA telling us it can withstand extreme loads of up to 3,780 watts... ah well, guess we'll have to find a different one...

It's available in 50/34t, 52/36t and 54/40t and it supports Shimano/FSA 12-speed drivetrains There is also a 48/35t option for SRAM 12-speed. The weight is 650g and the cranks are available in 165mm, 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm lengths. All the info is on FSA's website.

How about an anti-spill cup holder for your handlebars?

One for the avid coffee or tea drinkers here, Roo Go has produced an "anti-spill", universally sized cup and phone holder which attaches to your bike's handlebars. It apparently uses a gyroscopic shock absorbing ring to "reduce spillage for any beverage."

And it's not just for cyclists, either, apparently it will work on a pushchair, wheelchair, and golf cart. You attach the holder via an anti-slip clamp which can apparently work with any handlebar width. 

It's due to launch soon through Kickstarter, and early adopters can save 40% by reserving one now. Whether or not it'll be a hit is another question, perhaps if it can fit a bottle of Belgian beer it will appeal more to the road cycling audience. Find more details on the Roo Go website.

Sit on the same saddles as Bernard Hinault: Selle Italia relaunches Turbo and Flite saddles

One for the history buffs here - Selle italia is relaunching two of its 'iconic' models from the 1980s and 1990s, the Turbo and the Flite.

The Turbo was ridden by Hinault and was the first saddle for Selle Italia to be ridden by a pro cyclist in the 80s. The relaunched model uses a genuine leather cover and alloy rails, alongside a "contemporary reinterpretation." It will retail for £99.99.

The Flite, the hit of the 1990s, was the first Selle Italia saddle to use an exposed rail design. The reimagined version keeps a slim silhouette and uses the old company logo to make it look properly retro. It's made with genuine leather and titanium rails, retailing for £99.99.

Find out more on the Selle Italia website. 

Buy a 4iiii power meter and get an 8-week subscription to JOIN premium training app

The ultimate Christmas present to kickstart your winter training? Maybe. Power meter brand 4iiii and training platform JOIN have, well, joined forces for a new promotion. Buy a power meter from 4iiii and receive an 8-week complimentary subscription to the JOIN premium platform. 

The offer stands from 10 December 2024, and will be redeemable via a code provided when you order. The JOIN platform offers over 400 workouts developed by professional coaches, and can offer personalised training schedules which adapt based on a riders' activity levels and performance. 

Learn more about JOIN here, and 4iiii here.

Just in case you missed them, here's the rest of our tech news and features from the past week: 

> A radical new take on road bike shifters or an "ergonomic disaster"? Ingrid road 'brifters' cause a stir as groupset nears production
> Coming soon! Van Rysel RCR-F "setting a new standard for aero bikes”… says Van Rysel
> The most expensive bib tights we'll have ever reviewed! Five cool things coming soon from Assos, Hunt, Muc-Off, Coros and Madison
> Shimano Hollowtech crank failures, one year on — how the component giant's handling of this dangerous debacle is continuing to damage its reputation