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TECH NEWS

Are these Oakleys dope or nope? Check them out in this week's five cool things also featuring Specialized, Rapha, Altura and Tifosi

Check out the latest and coolest gear we have on test right now with full reports on the way, including Rapha's £295 bib shorts…

As always, our reviewers have been busy messing with the latest and greatest products. There's Oakley's 'marmite' sunnies that you'll either love or hate, the new Evade 3 aero helmet, a cycling backpack from Altura, the most expensive set of bib shorts we've ever tested and a new bike from Tifosi...

Oakley Kato sunglasses

£245.00

Oakley Kato sunglasses

The Oakley Kato isn't exactly a new release, but they certainly are a very interesting set of sunnies. Are they cool? Well they're a bit like marmite... the futuristic curved lens that also covers the nose has divided opinion since their launch but does it work? Stu has been soaking up the rays to find out.

> Oakley releases four pairs of 2022 Tour de France limited edition glasses

Our particular set get the Grey Smoke frame and Prizm Road Black lens, but other colours and lens options are available including the recent 2022 Tour de France special edition. Do you like the look of these futuristic shades? Let us know in the comments below...

www.oakley.com

Specialized S-Works Evade 3 helmet

£275.00

2022 S-Works Evade 3 helmet - 2.jpg

Specialized claims the new Evade helmet is just as fast as the second generation but with a 10% increase in ventilation. We've seen this being used for a large number of Tour de France stages this year despite the high heat, but will our reviewer also find it keeps his head cool?

> Specialized releases three new helmets: Evade 3, Prevail 3 and TT 5

The helmet features the lightest MIP's system in the range, larger vents both front and rear, and our size medium helmet weighs in at an impressive 260g. The magnetic buckle is no longer but there is new colour ways. Stay tuned for our full verdict which is coming soon...

www.specialized.com

Altura Chinook cycling backpack

£75.00

2022 Altura Chinook Cycing Backpack.jpg

This 12L bag is available in two colours and uses 100% polyester with recycled content. It also has a water-resistant finish to keep the rain out and your belongings dry. Other cycling specific features include a helmet carrier, a separate bladder sleeve for hydration and a loop near the bottom for a light.

Neil has been putting the bag through its paces and will be publishing his full review in the coming weeks.

www.altura.com

Rapha Pro Team Powerweave bib shorts

£295.00

2022 Rapha Men's Pro Team Powerweave Bib Shorts - side.jpg

If Rapha was out to get the title of 'most expensive bib shorts' then this is a very good effort...  in fact these are the most expensive shorts that we've ever reviewed on road.cc. It's little surprise that these are Rapha's top-of-the-range offering billed as "Elite-Level". The Powerweave fabric is said to improve moisture management as well as making the shorts 20% lighter than the standard Pro Team bibs.

> Review: Rapha Pro Team Crit bib shorts

The shorts also get a new 'race' chamois that is "thinner, less restrictive and faster drying" than the previous version... but can the shorts possibly justify the £295 price tag? George Hill has been showing these off on his local group ride to find out.

www.rapha.cc

Tifosi Auriga Chorus 12x Hydro road bike

£3499.00

2022 Tifosi Auriga Disc Chorus 12x Hydro.jpg

This is the third generation of the Auriga, and Tifosi has fully integrated the cable routing claiming that it's quick in the sprints but also comfortable enough for the challenging terrain of UK road racing. There's space for 28mm tyres and we're also a fan of the paint scheme!

Our review bike comes in at 8.74kg and is equipped with Campagnolo Chorus, Campagnolo Scirocco tubeless-ready wheels and a mixture of Deda, FSA and Selle Italia finishing kit. Stu has been racing around on this one to see how it performs, check back in a few weeks for his full verdict...

www.tifosi.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.

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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5 comments

Avatar
mdavidford | 2 years ago
2 likes

<swldxer>mips</swldxer>

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chrisonabike replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

Spot but I'm conflicted - how would they handle capitalised words though?

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Andski808 | 2 years ago
3 likes

>£800 for a helmet, a pair of shades and some bibs!?!? Think your definition of 'cool' needs looking at...

Avatar
Simon E replied to Andski808 | 2 years ago
0 likes

£245 just for a pair of sunglasses!! There are an awful lot of gullible people out there with a lot more money than sense.

A 12L rucksack is too small to carry anything significant. My 15L Deuter won't fit my work clothes or the food items I usually buy on a Monday morning to stock up en route to work (and certainly not both!).

Avatar
TheBillder replied to Andski808 | 2 years ago
0 likes

I wish I could find the video for this, but here's the best I can do (a transcript): https://www.bbc.co.uk/polish/exr/du/du_print_23.htm

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