We’ve got a right old mixed bag for you this week, from wheels that are currently racing around the Tour de France to a bump-taming carbon seatpost with an intriguing split design.
If the hot weather has reignited a love for commuting then maybe you’ll be interested in the super-bright Magicshine rear light, there’s also the new Beeline cycle computer and a Selle Italia saddle with some positive environmental claims. Check out some of the highlights that you can expect to see reviewed on road.cc in the coming days and weeks…
Roval Alpinist CLX II wheels
£2,500.00
The Alpinist CLX II wheels are likely to be the most common wheels found on mountain stages at the Tour de France this year with three teams heading to the race with them at their disposal. But does that make them any good for the general public? Well, Liam’s been riding around on these hoops for the last few months to find out. The previous generation seriously impressed; scoring a massive 9/10…however, since then the price has gone up and so has the weight…can the addition of tubeless compatibility make up for it?
> Review: Roval Alpinist CLX wheels
In the meantime, here are the facts and figures: a claimed weight of 1265g (including rim tape and valves), still pretty light then! 33mm deep rims, 21mm internal width, DT Swiss SINC ceramic bearings and a maximum tubeless pressure of 110psi, that’s more than most wheels, apparently thanks to Sagan. Are you pleased or appalled by Roval’s tubeless U-turn? You won’t have to wait long for Liam’s verdict with his full review coming very soon…
www.specialized.com
Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon Seatpost
£229.99
According to Ergon, rough roads and gravel might be about to get a whole lot smoother, no they’re not out resurfacing roads but instead have released this carbon fibre VCLS leaf spring seat post. It fits into standard 27.2mm frames and provides 20mm of travel, a figure that seems popular for gravel suspension systems both front and rear.
Ergon claim that the parallel displacement of the two leaf springs and the floating flip head allows the saddle angle to remain unchanged, it doesn’t come cheap but is impressively light at 240g on our scales. Jez Ash has been out on a multitude of terrain to test this one and you’ll be able to read his full review in the coming weeks.
www.ergonbike.com
Beeline Velo 2 Cycling Computer
£79.99
The original Velo bike computer from British brand Beeline was a tidy bit of kit and managed to balance simplicity, features and cost in a very attractive package. Well, this second version has an increased screen size and a new navigation interface, and Beeline says that the phone application has been improved as well.
> Beeline launches Velo 2 computer with improved route planning
Many of the things we liked about the Velo 1 remain such as the twist lock mount, impressive battery life (10 hours), multiple route options ranging from fastest to quietest and unique ‘as the crow flies’ mode. George Hill has been out and about with this one and his full review is coming soon…
www.beeline.co.uk
Selle Italia Model X Green Superflow Saddle (L3)
£44.99
Last summer we were introduced to Selle Italia Green-tech, a production process aimed at manufacturing low environmental impact products which are eco-sustainable and still quick to produce at competitive prices. Selle Italia claims that this one-of-a-kind system allows top-of-the-range saddles to be created without the use of glues and polyurethanes. The Model X Green Superflow is the first saddle to emerge from this program.
The Superflow features a short nose design best suited to those who prefer a single stable position, a weight of 313g, FEC Alloy rails (Iron/carbon steel alloy) and ‘Total Gel’ padding which features antibacterial treatment. Lara Dunn has had this fitted to her bike and will be seeing if it’s as comfortable as it is green.
www.selleitalia.com
Magicshine Seemee 200 V2.0
£44.99
We’ve been a big fan of Magicshine lights in the past as they’ve offered excellent performance at competitive prices. The Seemee 200 V2.0 is the brightest rear light in the Seemee range and has some intriguing features. There’s not only the main 200-lumen rear-facing light but also a secondary ‘area light’ that illuminates the ground underneath the rider to provide better visibility.
There’s also all the latest high-tech stuff such as braking sensors, ambient light sensors and memory mode along with the basics of IPX6 water resistance, up to 50-hours run time, seven different modes and the ability to attach it to either the seat post or saddle rails. Mike Stenning has had the Seemee 200 out in the wild, to see whether it can live up to the claims. Stay tuned for his full review coming soon.
www.magicshineuk.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.
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7 comments
What fun it would be to have an independent engineering/science lab at a university test all these ridiculous claims by wheel makers/retailers so we could see what a massive con it is, taking thousands off people with more money than sense. My beef is that all this overpirced cycling bling is a MASSIVE deterrent to getting young people into the sport. As I've said before, the 25 mile TT record for YEARS was held by a teenager at my club on a secondhand bike that cost less than £100. How many people riding £3/4/5/6000 + bikes could even break the hour, except sitting around drinking coffee. The windsurfing 'industry' destroyed their sport by constantly banging on about the latest gear...they rarely, if ever said 'if you want to be any good, stop talking about your gear AND GET OUT THERE AND DO IT'.
That Magicshine light looks awesome.. and would get my money if it wasn't for the fact it's not USB-C. I'm so over micro-USB, no-one should endure a new product with a micro-USB charging port in 2022.
The VCLS is not new at all.
It is on the market at least since 2018.
You guys on road.cc even had it reviewed in 2018.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/road.cc/content/review/253036-canyon-s15-vc...
Jez Ash, who already reviewed it in 2018, had a loooong time to re-review it 🤣
I have had one on my Canyon since 2013. Would be interested to know if this has been re-engineered (it seems to have the same 20mm travel as the previously reviewed product), or if it's just been rebadged as a gravel product.
2011...
https://road.cc/content/news/42721-eurobike-2011-tech-roundup-canyon-con...
Those Rovals are ridiculously overpriced. £2500 for something any good Uk based wheelbuilder could beat easily on price and probably on weight
A set of tactic hubs, some Sapim cx-ray and some rims from Duke would come in cheaper and lighter I reckon.
Not only that but what would piss me off most is being lumbered with a set of the non-tubeless versions (I get some people don't run tubeless) as that would have been a deal breaker for me.
https://zedbikewheels.com/product/ultra-disc-aero-wide-wing-35/
or
https://scribecycling.co.uk/collections/carbon-disc/products/aero-wide-p...
I doubt you notice the weight difference and you'd have enough left over to put towards a cracking biking holiday to test the new wheels on.
I will update you. Ik have Duke SLS2 Ultra wheels, cx ray sapim spokes 24/24 built on tactic hubs including rimtape 1278gr. Rimwidth 21/27.6 and dept 48/56mm
Why bother with such wheels these are awesome alroand and float on flat.
Duke is releasing soon 23/29.6 with exactly the same weight. So you can run 28 tires with a perfect fit on them.
if you use ere research tires they are 100% true to size. 26mm is 26mm on those rims and 25.8 is 27.8 so even those 28mm fit nicely.
they also coming out soon with very low resistance tires with proper protection instead of those idiotic gp5000str where they removed the belt and thread to have low rr and light weight