Week in Tech: Strava membership changes, smart lights, British carbon

Published August 3, 2018 05:00AM

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

Strava replaces premium with Summit Packs

Strava now offers a completely new line of membership offerings, which will replace its premium subscription. The Summit membership service offers three different packs: Training, Safety, and Analysis. You can choose from the three, or subscribe to all of them based on your specific needs. The Training pack helps athletes adjust their training to achieve their goals. The Safety pack is designed to help you stay connected with friends and family as you explore new roads. And the Analysis pack presents performance data from all your connected devices. An annual membership to all three packs will cost $60, while an individual membership to one pack will cost $24 annually. There are monthly membership options available as well.

Light and Motion smartens up its lights

Light and Motion’s Vya lights feature sensors that automatically adjust the strength of the output to the ambient light around it. And that’s just the start. The Vya lights are also able to switch automatically from blinking during the day to steady at night, automatically based on the outside light. Each diminutive light in the lineup attaches to a handlebar or seatpost, and the lights are USB rechargeable. Light and Motion says charge time is ultra-short — just 120 minutes to a full charge.

Cannondale auctions Craddock’s Tour bike for charity

If you followed the Tour de France this July, you likely heard the story of Lawson Craddock who crashed on stage 1 but fought through injury to finish the race in Paris. Along the way, he raised money for the Alkek Velodrome in Houston, Texas, where he got his start as a bike racer. The velodrome was damaged by hurricane Harvey. Now, Cannondale is auctioning off Craddock’s SuperSix Evo, which he rode in the Tour de France, to raise money for the velodrome.

Blackburn’s Switch multitool meets its big brother

Last year Blackburn introduced its Switch multitool, which came stuffed in a small pouch with all the bits you need for trailside repairs.

The newest addition to the Switch line is the Big Switch, which is essentially the same as the Switch, but with some added tools: a chain breaker (with integrated spoke wrenches, valve core tool, and disc brake pad spreader), and an 8mm hex. The Big Switch will be available in September. Pricing has not been announced.

The carbon era becomes…the carbon Æra

Need more carbon in your life? Fear not. A new (company called) Æra is here with a lineup that includes all-road wheels, all-road forks, and road forks. The company is based in the UK and clearly has an eye on the burgeoning gravel market. The wheels are customizable, as customers can choose hub options and rim depths. The Road Disc and Road Caliper forks both offer clearance for 700x32mm tires or 28mm tires with fenders. All forks are flat-mount disc ready, and they include Shimano thru-axles.