Effectively, we’re charging alongside towards winter, and relying on the place you might be, fall is in full swing by now. Main out right now’s Gear Break we’ve bought a sturdy, puncture-resistant Panaracer highway tire and tube assessment from Chuck. Subsequent up, a brand new helmet from MET raises the bar for cover whereas upping the ante within the light-weight class. BMC has simply dropped a brand new highway built-in cockpit, and it guarantees to be quick. Rapha has up to date the Brevet insulated jacket and gilet, once more, and really listened to their loyal rider base for this replace. Walz classic caps, cotton and boldly displaying a number of the biggest workforce liveries in biking historical past are right here simply in time for Christmas purchasing. Talking of Christmas, for those who fancy a brand new personalised LOOK 795 Blade RS or Keo Blade pedals, take a look at their new LOOK configurator. No time to waste, let’s dive in!
Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire and PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube
Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire – $59.99
PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube – $25.99
Chuck sez: PEZ readers and Gear Break followers will know that I’m a highway tubeless convert. However I nonetheless preserve a set of wheels arrange with tubes as my back-up/emergency wheels. So I used to be eager to check out Panaracer’s latest Agilest Duro Highway Tire (at this stage of my driving profession, I’m extra enthusiastic about puncture resistance/flat safety than I’m go-fastness). And as an alternative of pairing thew tires with quaint butyl tubes, I used the newest and biggest tube tech within the type of their PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube (TPU stands for thermoplastic polyurethane).
Panaracer doesn’t spec weight, however claims the Agilest Duro is 20 grams lighter than its predecessor mode
The specs on the tires
In response to Panaracer:
- The Panaracer AGILEST Duro tire brings elevated puncture resistance to the combination by incorporating the newly developed TOUGH & FLEX SUPER OUTER SHIELD” and “PROTITE BELT” into this dependable efficiency tire.
- ZSG stands for “Zero Slip Grip.” The ZSG Agile Compound maintains the identical adhesion as earlier compounds whereas decreasing rolling resistance by an extra 12% over its predecessor, the ZSG Superior Compound. The TOUGH & FLEX SUPER BELT was developed to supply higher puncture resistance whereas offering a supple trip and low rolling resistance efficiency.
Putting in the tires
It’s been some time since I’ve modified out a set of clinchers with tubes, however fortunately I remembered. Regardless that the Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire isn’t tubeless, I nonetheless discovered the bead to be very tight/stiff. An answer of dish cleaning soap and water sprayed on the rim isn’t a foul thought to assist with getting that final bit up and over.
My Kool Cease Tire Bead Jack additionally makes set up somewhat bit simpler
I bought the Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire in 700×30 as a result of that’s my new customary tire measurement for driving (I really trip 700×32 through the winter). I’m within the camp of “wider is healthier” as a result of they’re not any slower than narrower tires, have a bigger contact patch for higher grip and dealing with, and could be run at decrease pressures for extra consolation. However the Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire can be obtainable in 700×23, 700×25, and 700×28.
>>The Panaracer Agilest Duro Highway Tire doesn’t have a tread sample so that you don’t have to fret about mounting it backwards (not that I’ve ever achieved that … ever)
Centering the tire brand to the valve stem is crucial
The specs on the tubes
The very first thing everybody goes to ask in regards to the PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway tube is: Why spend $25.99 on an innertube? Honest sufficient. Listed here are a number of the benefits of TPU inside tubes:
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- They’re considerably lighter than butyl tubes
- They supply higher puncture safety than butyl tubes
- They maintain air higher than latex tubes
- They an be folded right into a a lot smaller measurement, making them simpler to hold as a spare
One other benefit of the PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube is that it may be utilized in tires 700×23-32 (with numerous butyl inside tubes, you’d want two totally different tubes to span that width difference).
>>The PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube (I bought the 65mm valve stem but it surely’s additionally obtainable in 85mm for those who’re operating deeper dish rims) comes with stuff I don’t use/want (left-to-right): rim washer/spacer, o-ring, rim nut, valve stem cap. NOTE: the valve core is detachable.
You’ll need to determine for your self whether or not these advantages are definitely worth the value of admission (a daily butyl inside tube with Presta valve typically value lower than $10 at your LBS).
Spot on spec weight
Putting in the tube
Putting in the PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube is somewhat bit totally different in that after initially mounting the tire on the rim and inserting the tube into the tire (ensuring there aren’t any twists or bends within the tube), it’s essential inflate it with simply sufficient air for it to take form (just some psi) earlier than mounting the opposite facet of the tire. After all, do all the same old checking of the rim and within tire prior to installing the tube. After mounting the tire utterly, be certain that the tube isn’t pinched between the rim and tire.
>>The PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tube is considerably smaller than a traditional butyl tube — one of many causes I now carry one as my spare tube
So how do they trip?
One of many causes I’m a highway tubeless convert is due to the trip high quality. What I stated after I first went to the darkish facet:
The distinction driving them tubeless is nothing in need of outstanding. It’s about as near the ever elusive feeling of driving tubulars (what I used to trip solely method again within the day after I was nonetheless racing). One of the simplest ways I can describe the trip is that it’s a sensation of floating on the tarmac.
The trip of the Panaracer Agilest Highway Tires with PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tubes isn’t the identical as tubeless, but it surely felt shut. On smoother surfaces, it was very snug. The place I may really feel the distinction was driving over highway imperfections. The “hit” was just a bit bit “more durable” than driving tubeless (partly due to increased stress — 65 psi tubeless vs 70 psi with tubes for 700×30 tires). However, I wouldn’t name it “harsh.”
In conclusion…
If you happen to’re driving common clinchers and on the lookout for trip high quality that begins to strategy tubeless, the Panaracer Agilest Highway Tires with PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tubes combo are price contemplating IMHO. Dearer than common tubes, to make certain. However inexpensive (the Panaracer Agilest Duro TLR Folding Highway Tire retails for $82.99) and fewer problem (sealant) than going tubeless.
So if I’m a tubeless convert, why would I trip the Panaracer Agilest Highway Tires with PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tubes? In a phrase … laziness. Retaining each my bikes (Colnago V3 and LOOK Blade 795) as much as snuff with sealant can typically be a PITA (I do know … first world downside). So if I don’t really feel like coping with it, I can put the wheels with the Panaracer Agilest Highway Tires with PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tubes on one bike and trip it with out worrying about topping off sealant.
ONE FINAL NOTE: TPU tubes maintain air higher than latex tubes, however are extra liable to shedding air than the butyl tubes. If driving with the PURPLE LITE Light-weight TPU Highway Tubes, test your tire stress earlier than you trip!
Able to roll!
MET Trenta 3K Carbon
A change within the air
Racing doesn’t wait. Yearly the velocity rises, gaps tighten, and the margin for error shrinks. The brand new MET Trenta 3K Carbon arrives at precisely the appropriate second, made for an period the place racing calls for extra — extra velocity, extra management, extra safety. Gear Break isn’t nearly quick, or cool, security issues too!
What to know
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- Air flow: Elevated by 16% because of a reworked inner geometry and optimised air channeling, engineered inside MET’s proprietary wind tunnel.
- Safety: Security efficiency is up 40% in unbiased lab testing for linear and rotational impacts, incomes a 5-star Virginia Tech ranking.
- Growth: Created in shut collaboration with Tadej Pogačar, UAE Workforce Emirates XRG, and UAE Workforce ADQ.
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A confirmed performer
The brand new Trenta 3K Carbon has already taken wins on the UCI Highway World Championships, the 2025 Tour de France and Giro d’Italia Girls, chosen by riders who know that security and efficiency are the identical factor.
Since its debut in 2017, the Trenta 3K Carbon has been refined by means of 1000’s of take a look at hours, race days, and, sure, actual crashes. The objective was by no means incremental change. It was to push airflow and impression safety to a brand new stage whereas maintaining the helmet intuitive for riders at full effort.
The outcomes are measurable: airflow up 16%, unbiased security scores up 40% – among the many highest ever recorded underneath Virginia Tech’s protocol. The Trenta nonetheless feels minimal, however its construction now reacts higher when speeds are excessive and crashes come arduous.
Cooling is Management
The helmet contains a carbon wing construction that eliminates EPS from the inner body. The result’s a steady inner air channel, uninterrupted from the entrance consumption to the rear exhaust.
With a 16% enchancment in airflow in comparison with the earlier era, it units a brand new benchmark in air flow, aerodynamic administration, and luxury. At its core is the 3K Airframe: a carbon wing construction that removes EPS from the inner body with open air channels. Air strikes freely from the entrance intakes to the rear exhausts – you’ll be able to virtually see straight by means of it. It’s a quiet piece of engineering that retains the top cool whether or not climbing at 12km/h or descending at 90.
Knowledge pushed design for security and efficiency
The deeper rear profile is essentially the most seen replace, an evolution based mostly on knowledge from tons of of crash returns throughout WorldTour seasons. That perception, mixed with our inner take a look at lab, permits fast cycles of real-world suggestions and lab refinement. Safety, in different phrases, isn’t theoretical. Inside the brand new Trenta 3K Carbon, MET designed three predominant ribs, maintaining them as linear as doable to keep away from interfering with airflow and to cut back the floor space involved with the top. This new inner geometry optimizes air channeling and total air flow effectivity.
The brand new building achieves a 40% enchancment within the Virginia Tech take a look at — the world’s most acknowledged unbiased security ranking protocol — incomes 5 stars and the most effective scores ever recorded. Yearly, the workforce ship between 20 and 30 crashed helmets again to the engineers — most of them exhibiting clear indicators of high-energy impacts. This implies virtually each rider of a World Tour Workforce experiences not less than one high-speed crash per season. Minimizing the chance of concussion is a prime precedence, on the identical stage as efficiency.
World Tour Collaboration
The MET Trenta 3K Carbon is developed in direct collaboration with Tadej Pogačar, UAE Workforce Emirates, and UAE Workforce ADQ. Worn on the earth’s most prestigious races, it has already been a part of victories on the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia Girls, delivering an unmatched efficiency stage.
SPECS:
• Weight M measurement: 260g
• Sizes: S (52-56cm) | M (56-58cm) | L (58-61cm)
• Certifications: CE | US | AS-NZ
KEY FEATURES:
• 3K Airframe: built-in carbon cage for enhanced efficiency
• Mips AIR®: ultralight rotational safety system
• Optimized match: safe and comfy inner form
• In-mould polycarbonate shell with high-protection EPS liner
• Secure-T Orbital system: 360°, vertical and occipital adjustment
• Air Lite straps with adjustable divider
• 24 air flow ports with inner air channeling
• Sun shades ports built-in into facet vents
• Minimal contact with the top for max air flow
• Helmet delicate bag included
MRSP:
• New MET Trenta 3K Carbon: 400€ | £350 | US$450 | AU$580
For all the information on the brand new MET 3K Carbon, “head” over to MET Helmets.
BMC ICS Carbon Aero Mpc. — US$1250
Aero integration meets race management
BMC launched a brand new race-focused addition to its acclaimed Built-in Cockpit System (ICS) lineup: the ICS Carbon Aero Mpc. cockpit. Developed alongside BMC Manufacturing unit Racing and the world’s prime highway athletes, this next-generation cockpit brings pro-level efficiency on to mortal riders.
This isn’t simply an adjunct; it’s a Masterpiece. BMC engineered the cockpit in Europe utilizing the highest-grade carbon. Designed “by racers, for racers,” it affords a no-compromise mix of stiffness, weight, and user-focused performance. The ICS Carbon Aero Mpc. aerodynamic one-piece cockpit completes BMC’s flagship Teammachine R Mpc. frameset.
Following their AeroSynthesys philosophy, BMC designed the cockpit to be the forefront of the bicycle system. It slices the airflow earlier than it reaches the rider delivering real-world aero good points. However efficiency doesn’t sacrifice management or weight. At simply +80g over conventional designs, it delivers twice the stiffness because of an optimized carbon composite layup and a brand new steerer clamping system that maximizes floor contact for final management and energy switch.
Race-Prepared Ergonomics and Match
The ergonomic particulars are designed for the trendy professional:
- Compact width: on the hoods, on the drops, with a flare for optimum wrist positioning.
- Fashionable drops: Designed to align completely with right now’s offset brake levers (like SRAM Pink), and BMC’s progressive drop form ensures assured dealing with and clean hand transitions.
- Stem choices: Obtainable in increments from to to dial in any race match.
Lastly, whereas totally built-in, BMC saved upkeep easy with streamlined exterior cable routing underneath clear bar covers. It comes full with mounts for Garmin, Wahoo, and a GoPro interface for lights or cameras. The ICS Carbon Aero Mpc. guarantees to be the brand new benchmark for race-proven effectivity and management.
For extra data, or any of BMC’s different ICS elements, head over to BMC.com.
Rapha Brevet Insulated Revival
Pockets are again for the lengthy haul
Rapha’s Brevet assortment has at all times been synonymous with long-distance driving, providing the high-visibility and practical layering required for multi-day epics and late-night audaxes. This week, Rapha unveiled the newest variations of the Brevet Insulated Jacket and Gilet, updating their most adaptable cool-weather items with improved supplies and, crucially, bringing again a key aspect of the jacket in response to the calls for of their loyal riders.
The jacket is generally unchanged…so is the gilet
Lengthy-distance cyclists encounter wildly fluctuating temperatures, making a single layer that may handle each heat and breathability important. The core of each the jacket and gilet is Polartec Alpha insulation. This high-tech artificial is an “lively insulation”—which means it’s engineered to manage physique temperature throughout each high-intensity efforts (respiration freely to forestall overheating) and static moments (locking in warmth). Being artificial and DWR-coated, the shell sheds water and dries rapidly, guaranteeing it’s going to carry out even in damp or misty situations.
The Return of Important Storage
For a lot of Pez readers, the largest story right here is the return of the two deep, zippered facet entry rear pockets to the Brevet Insulated Jacket. The final era of this jacket noticed Rapha take away these very important rear storage pockets. Riders—who relied on the jacket’s self-contained utility for meals, instruments, and electronics—vented their frustration within the critiques. Rapha clearly listened! This small change restores the jacket’s standing as a real outer layer, which means you’ll be able to trip with out cargo bibs or an overloaded jersey beneath.
The pockets are again and two method zips guarantee straightforward air flow
Andy sez: “I’ve two of those jackets, each practically 5 years outdated, and they’re my go to jacket in cool to chilly climate. However, they’re getting outdated, with small tears, and one damaged zipper tab. With out the pockets within the final era jacket, I simply accepted I’d put on these till they disintegrated. However, now, I can substitute them. They’re a crucial outer layer, worn both alone over a merino base layer, or paired with a wool Brevet jersey to essentially deal with some chilly winter rides. Gear Break followers, it is a jacket price proudly owning.”
Key particulars for the Brevet rider
Your complete Brevet line is constructed for self-supported practicality:
- Visibility: Each clothes characteristic the signature perforated Brevet reflective stripes and armband for max visibility in low-light situations.
- Insulation: Polartec Alpha (utilizing recycled fibers) offers unimaginable warmth-to-weight, making the items extremely compressible.
- Air flow: A two-way VISLON zip on each the jacket and gilet permits riders to simply vent warmth from the underside whereas maintaining the chest insulated, and offers entry to jersey pockets beneath the gilet.
- Match & Packability: Delicate, brushed jersey facet panels permit for a cosy match that additionally stretches comfortably over already-stuffed jersey pockets. When the solar comes out, each items roll up neatly right into a small package deal, secured by an built-in elastic loop on the neck, becoming simply right into a jersey pocket.
The brand new Rapha Brevet Insulated Jacket and Gilet verify that Rapha nonetheless understands the core wants of the long-distance rider: heat, visibility, and above all, storage capability.
The jacket retails for $290.00 | 230,00€, and the gilet for $260.00 | 210,00€. Head over to Rapha to search out out extra.
Walz Classic Biking Caps — $34.99
Throwback classics
A throwback to the golden age of grit, gears, and glory, the Walz Classic Biking Cap Assortment pays tribute to the legendary groups and timeless type of biking’s most iconic eras. These will make nice presents in your favourite retro fan…or your self!
These Classic Caps are made with the Walz high quality that you simply love, and are a nod to the daring colours, historic rivalries, and unforgettable champions who rode metal frames and conquered cobblestones. 5 groups, six caps…a lot to select from and honor a number of the biggest groups ever to line up.
The lineup
Have fun the dominance of the Molteni Biking Workforce with this black cotton 3-panel biking cap that includes the Molteni brand and a tricolor grosgrain ribbon honoring Italy’s wealthy biking legacy.
Walz’ Peugeot white cotton 3-panel biking cap is silk screened with the Peugeot lion proudly displayed on the highest panel together with a blue, white, and crimson grosgrain ribbon.
This retro Bic Biking Cap is a tribute to one of the vital recognizable kits in professional racing historical past. That includes the daring orange and white shade scheme and the unmistakable Bic brand.
The 7-Eleven 3-panel white cotton cap options the 7-Eleven brand on either side in addition to underneath the invoice. A inexperienced, white, and crimson grosgrain ribbon runs proudly throughout the highest—a tribute to the workforce’s unforgettable Giro d’Italia triumphs.
Daring, timeless, and unmistakably cool — the Brooklyn Biking Cap is greater than only a piece of substances. It’s an emblem of biking’s golden period, immortalized by champions and cherished by followers worldwide. Obtainable in black and blue.
Head over to Walz Caps and take a look at the gathering, choose up a cap or two. Really a basic for Gear Break. All caps retail for $34.99.
LOOK Cycle Configurator
Your LOOK à la carte
LOOK Cycle has launched its ‘Your LOOK a la Carte,’ a brand new on-line configurator that brings unique customization, permitting clients to personalize their tools right down to the final element. The brand new platform focuses on providing customized choices throughout LOOK’s main highway merchandise, beginning with the 795 Blade RS (obtainable worldwide) and Keo Blade pedals (presently obtainable in Europe solely).
For the Keo Blade pedals, the brand new configurator affords clients most management, enabling them to specify the design and blade pressure, select axle choices to fine-tune the Q-Issue, choose between CrMo or Titanium axle finishes, and choose certainly one of three obtainable cleat float choices.
The flagship 795 Blade RS can be totally customisable. Clients could make bespoke picks for body colors, choose most popular groupsets and wheels, and specify the size for his or her stems and handlebars.
Every bike is crafted to order in LOOK’s workshops in Burgundy, France. The method blends French experience with rigorously chosen elements, guaranteeing the ultimate product is exactly tailor-made to the rider’s particular person wants.
To be taught extra, and configure your personal, head over to LOOK.
Thanks for checking us out this week. Fall is coming at us full bore now, and which means Christmas is headed our method. Maintain checking Gear Break as we head towards November, as we intend to supply a number of extras to deal with your favourite bike owner (or, to coax your favourite different bike owner to deal with you with!).
As at all times, in case you have different experiences with gear or tech that we characteristic, or simply one thing so as to add, drop us a line. We don’t declare to know every thing (we simply suggest it at instances). Be happy to present us a pat on the again for those who just like the critiques, or a smack for those who suppose we want it!
PezCycling Information and the writer ask that you simply contact the producers earlier than utilizing any merchandise you see right here. Solely the producer can present correct and full data on correct/secure use, dealing with, upkeep, and or set up of merchandise.
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