Week in Tech: Time Gravel Pedals, Liv women’s e-bike, Bontrager Adventure bags, and more
Gravel has its day once again with new pedals from Time and adventure bags from Bontrager
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Here’s your Week in Tech — all of the gear news you need, none of the marketing gibberish you don’t want.
Time for gravel-specific pedals
Time has combined the ease of mountain bike pedals with the streamlined design of road pedals in its newest creation, the Cyclo pedal. The big, road-style platform capitalizes on plenty of surface area for power transfer and lateral stability. It also means you can only clip into one side. But the system uses a mountain bike cleat, which means you can use mountain bike or gravel shoes with the pedals. That allows you to walk around town or hike-a-bike — something you wouldn’t want to do with a road shoe and cleat. The top of the line Cyclo 10 pedals ($130) feature a carbon body with a metal plate for durability, a steel axle, and a micro tension adjustment system, and they weigh 128 grams. The Cyclo 6 pedals ($110) weigh just one gram more but ditch the carbon for a glass-filled composite body. The 145-gram Cyclo 2 ($75) is Time’s entry-level platform that lacks a micro-adjustment system. All pedals will be available in November.
Women’s-specific e-bike? Liv’s on it
The Thrive from Liv brings e-bikes to the women’s-specific realm. What does that mean exactly? According to Liv, the Thrive got the company’s 3F design philosophy treatment. 3F stands for Fit, Form, and Function, and all three categories focus on the needs and preferences of women riders. The Thrive E+ EX Pro and Thrive E+ Pro feature a SyncDrive Pro motor that smooths power transitions to create a pleasant and intuitive ride. It features a smart assist mode that automatically adjusts the power assist based on your pedaling input. Both of these road bikes feature flat bars for comfort and control, and battery integration in the down tube. The display offers a minimalist design that offers just the information you need on your ride. The LED screen shows battery life and the mode in which you’re riding, among other things. The bikes will be available this fall.
The Adventure bag crowd gets a new face — Bontrager
Trek has officially dipped its toes into the adventure bag game with the new lineup from Bontrager. It’s the company’s first adventure bag lineup, undoubtedly following the explosive growth of the gravel category and the many ways in which riders are utilizing these versatile bikes. They’re not limited to gravel bikes, though. The Adventure Top Tube Bag and Adventure Frame Bag can also fit certain mountain bikes. Both bags feature hi-viz material inside so it’s easy to find your goodies within. And the straps that wrap around the frame are lined with a soft rubber to protect your paint job and tubes. The fabrics are water-resistant, too. The top tube bag can be mounted with straps or with bolts if your frame accommodates such options. The top tube bag costs $40 and the frame bag varies in price depending on size: Small is $80, Medium is $85, and Large is $90.
Sidi Dominator 10 mountain bike shoes get a makeover
Sidi’s venerable Dominator mountain bike shoes have gotten a ground-up redesign. The RS17 sole is lighter and features a more aggressive tread pattern than the previous Dominators. There’s also a replaceable toe insert, a non-slip Sidi logo, and toe spike compatibility. The Tecno 3 Dial system is fully replaceable. Each dial has a flip-up lever to micro-adjust the snugness. A reinforced plastic heel cup keeps your foot planted when you’re pedaling hard and even offers a bit of protection in the event of a crash. The Dominator 10 shoes are available in sizes 40-48, and half sizes from 40 to 46.5. You can choose from gray/black or just black, and both options cost $300.