Week in Tech: New Lauf gravel bike, Why goes full roadie, Rapha women’s bibs

Here’s your Week in Tech — all the gear news you need, none of the marketing gibberish you don’t want.

Lauf’s Anywhere lets you go gravel on a budget

Lauf’s original gravel bike, the True Grit, is one of our favorites. But face it, that bike is pretty high-end, and some people might be turned off by the unconventional linkage fork. Happily, the guys in Iceland have created a new model that hits a lower price point and has the same confident handling as its big brother.

The Anywhere gravel bike’s geometry features a long front end, a slack 71-degree head tube angle, and a short head tube. This means minimal toe overlap, stable handling at speed on bumpy terrain, and a short stem so your weight is centered on the bike.

Since this bike doesn’t come with a Grit suspension fork, Lauf designed its own handlebar, the Smoothie, to help reduce vibration.

This bike has a number of other sensible features like three bottle mounts on the frame and triple cage-mounts on each side of the fork (hilariously named the JAF — Just A Fork). It has clearance for 45mm 700c tires. The threaded bottom bracket should make your local mechanic happy. Plus, it has internal cable routing to keep things shifting smooth.

We have been riding an Anywhere for about a month now through the snowy, muddy winter here in Colorado, and so far it has lived up to the high expectations we have for a Lauf. As was the case with the True Grit, we love the handling and geometry, which feel a bit more like a mountain bike than a gravel bike. The Smoothie handlebar is comfortable, but we didn’t perceive a noticeable difference between it and any other high-quality carbon bar. Stay tuned for a full review.

The base model Anywhere Core costs $2,690 (not bad for a full-carbon bike with a carbon fork). There are three additional models priced at $3,340, $4,640, and $5,340, with increasingly higher-end component builds. All models share the same frame, fork, and handlebar.

Why go full roadie? Because titanium!

Why Cycles has had a short runway to create an entire line of interesting, versatile bikes. That’s a testament to how much thought goes into every model. So now the company offers a dedicated road bike, aptly named the PR (which stands for Pure Road), and it’s as cool as you might expect. Here’s the catch, though: there are no cable entry ports, which means you’ll be riding SRAM’s eTap, full stop. There are no other drivetrain options unless you want to get creative with zip ties, but then again, why would you want to clutter up such a gorgeous titanium frame? Frames start at $2,600, and builds start at $9,500. The builds are available with SRAM eTap AXS 1x or 2x kits with Enve wheels and cockpits.

Rapha’s got a brand-new chamois for its brand-new women’s bibs

After three years of tinkering, Rapha is unleashing its new line of women’s bibs. Each one has a brand-new chamois that’s been pressure-mapped and customized based on feedback from 38 women. The $270 Souplesse Detachable bib shorts feature a self-centering magnetic clasp for easy removal when you’ve got to respond to a text from nature. These have been tested by the Canyon-SRAM racing team. If you’re more of a multi-surface adventurer, the $270 Cargo Bib Shorts might be more up your alley. They’ve got mesh pockets on the thighs to stow stuff that would normally end up in a jersey pocket. A third bib short option will be announced in March.

Stages expands power meter lineup to SRAM’s DUB cranks

Power meters aren’t just for roadie nerds anymore. Stages Gen 3 Carbon BB30 power meters now work with SRAM DUB mountain bike cranks. To set up your mountain bike, you’ll need Stages’s Spindle G, which allows you to retrofit the power meter to a DUB system; and you’ll need the power meter itself, the Gen 3 Stages Power L. The spindle will cost you $70 and the crank will run $630. The spindle is forged from 7050 aluminum to keep weight to a minimum. And the power meter is installed on a non-driveside crank in Boulder, Colorado. Stages claims an accuracy of +/-1.5% in all conditions.

Handup’s Most Days Gloves are ideal for just that

Handup is creeping into the scene with some grab-and-shake-you designs dug up from grandma’s box of old dresses. The Most Days Gloves are, according to Handup, ideal for most of the riding you’ll do on the trails, with four-way stretch, lightweight mesh back for breathability and a stretch cuff that makes it easy to pull the gloves on and off. That’s complemented by a Clarino leather palm sans excess padding. Three of the new glove styles get paired up with a short sleeve jersey to match. Each piece is stylish and fun, and best of all, super affordable: The gloves cost just $10 and the jerseys run $38. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal on apparel this sweet.