Cyclist
In the Drops: Fizik’s first helmet, hingeless Oakley glasses, top-tier shoes from Specialized and a high-quality bag from Chrome
Hasn’t this week’s weather just been perfect for riding your bike? While you’ve been out doing that, the Cyclist team have been hard at work producing articles about doing it, so you’re able to read about doing it again, straight after doing it. What could be better? We’ve even found time to sneak out for a bit of riding ourselves.
As a result, this week’s content schedule has been ticking along nicely. Some highlights include Monday’s Argon 18 Dark Matter gravel bike reveal and Tour de Romandie preview, Tuesday’s Classics highlights and Flanders ride with Johan Museeuw, Wednesday’s best chain cleaners guide and Thursday’s La Vuelta Feminina guide.
And we’re going out with a bang today, with plenty of tasty stuff queued up and going live imminently, such as the news of a new bike from Bastion and a Giro d’Italia guide. As an appetiser, why not read on to learn more about the latest kit to arrive with Cyclist.
Oakley Velo Kato sunglasses
The new Velo Kato sunglasses are Oakley’s successor to its bold Kato design that launched in 2021. While the lens still uses the ‘PhysioMorphic Geometry’ feature the Katos pioneered – which sees it curved and thickened in areas to afford the rigidity of frames to the model’s frameless design, the Velo Kato’s lens is even bigger than the Kato, and that’s not the only difference.
‘The original Kato is a model that suits a lot of sports, whereas the Velo Kato was purpose built for cycling,’ says William Conk, Oakley’s director of brand management. ‘As such, we wanted to expand the field of view, but also make them the most efficient in the wind of any sunglasses.’
The Velo Katos are said to achieve this by working together with Oakley’s brand new Velo Mach helmet, with the increased size and shape of the glasses pairing smoothly with the brim of the helmet.
‘There are also notches running down the outer edges of the Velo Katos,’ says Conk. ‘They help manage airflow around the glasses. During our wind-tunnel testing we found they improved performance over smooth frames.’
In a move that is understandable given their pro racing-focussed premise but controversial for the everyday customer, the Velo Katos’ arms don’t have hinges.
‘Hinges are not needed on the bike, hinges are for storing. No hinges enabled us to better design for flex and fit, which should reduce distractions,’ says Conk.
Fizik Kudo helmet
With its shoe and saddle ranges some of the most comprehensive and well-regarded on the market, Fizik is moving into a new category with a line of helmets. As ever, sleek styling characterises its road-focussed Kudo and Kudo Aero models (the latter a closed-off version of the Kudo for a slight gain in aero efficiency) but – again, as ever – Fizik looks to back up form with function.
‘All of our new helmets share a design language that hints at their performance,’ says Alex Locatelli, Fizik’s product manager. ‘That is most evident at the rear – the exhaust arrangement is very open, which helps increase ventilation by accelerating air through the helmet. We observed this effect in the wind-tunnel, as we tested for temperature management as well as aerodynamics on all of our designs.’
Fizik pairs its shells with Mips Air Node rotational force protection.
‘It’s Mips’s latest generation version of liner, which has been seamlessly integrated into the helmet padding,’ says Locatelli. ‘This makes the helmet lighter and reduces its volume.’
Fizik goes back to proprietary design for the retention system. As you would expect, there’s plenty of scope for fine tuning fit at the rear with an adjustable cradle and dial, but notably the system can be altered at the brow as well, to change how the straps secure the rider’s head.
‘You can pin the retention system at different points under the front edge of the helmet, which alters how the pressure is applied by the retention mechanism, to better fit a range of head shapes,’ says Locatelli.
Perhaps most useful of all, the Kudo and Kudo Aero ship with a USB-C-rechargeable, 35-lumen rear light that fixes cleanly into a dedicated slot on the rear vents.
Specialized Ares 2 shoes
The second generation Ares shoe is very different in appearance and construction to its predecessor, despite having similar functional objectives.
‘The Ares 2 still aims to provide a very secure and wrapped feel around the foot, to ensure the most efficient power transfer. This shoe is still for people who are trying to ride as fast as they can,’ says Nick Gosseen, Specialized’s leader of equipment.
However, the construction of the original Ares – a sock liner with a strap and dial-based exoskeleton – has been abandoned. In its place is a more conventional multi-ply TPU upper similar to that used on the S-Works Torch shoes. It varies in thickness dependent on area, to encourage more rigidity and pliability where required.
‘The new construction makes the shoe easier to put on and take off, it’s more durable, dispels moisture better and is easier to clean as well,’ says Gosseen.
The arrangement of how the upper wraps and Boa dials secure the foot down and back into the shoe is like the first Ares, but Specialized has this time combined it with a new external heel cup that has been significantly bulked up on the medial side, in an attempt to counter foot collapse under power.
The shape of the shoe has undergone as significant a rethink as its construction. It’s again taking cues from the brand’s Torch model, which uses a wider and squarer toe box, but takes things further, adding a whopping 7mm of width to the area compared to the first Ares.
‘The new Ares shape is informed by our Retül fit database, which contains over 100,00 foot scans, to ensure they are shaped more like feet actually are,’ says Gosseen. ‘This means that despite being our raciest shoes, the Ares 2 are some of the most comfortable, reducing forefoot pressure by 44% versus the first version.’
Chrome Industries Yalta 4.0 backpack
Check out bike forums and it’s fair to say Chrome has a cult following, impressive for a luggage brand – I’ve not seen similar dedication to Samsonite wheelie cases.
Without sounding like the Amazon AI summary, users rate Chrome Industries backpacks for their longevity and practicality, and I’d tend to agree. You can add a third quality to that list too – these bags are universally seen as expensive. But rightly so, the theory is you get what you pay for, and here the Yalta 4.0 is a whole lot of sturdy bag.
The Yalta 4.0 is made from recycled nylon and tarp, with the former making for a rugged exterior and the latter a heavy-duty waterproof lining. There shall be no delaminating membranes here.
Inside, this 30-35-litre bag (the variation coming from how far down you roll the rolltop) is split into two main waterproofed compartments, one essentially a big waterproof sack, the other an organiser with pockets for a 17-inch laptop, paper pad (or your favourite cycling magazine) and any other bits and bobs. There’s a full-length, side-entry zip to this compartment too, for ease of laptop retrieval, as well as access via the rolltop.
The back of the Yalta has Chrome’s favoured foam-pad, where raised sections put the bag proud of your body for better (ie, less sweaty) airflow. Tucked just behind is a very useful zip pocket for a wallet, phone or other easy-access valuables.
In a novel feature, the width between the shoulder straps can be changed significantly to make the Yalta fit better, plus there’s a chest stabiliser strap, and the ends of shoulder straps are looped for easier grab and pull adjustability.
There’s another waterproof pocket with divider and key fob on the front, and either side are bottle compartments that will happily fit standard bidons.
All clasps are single-hand operated magnetic clips, which feel robust yet unlike closure systems on other Chrome bags I’ve tested, are minimal and light. Polished alumninium aeroplane-style belt buckles are cool, but they are heavy…
A single reflective strip on the rolltop closure is this all-black bag’s only nod to safety, but in time Chrome tends to add colours to its new releases, and besides, black bags don’t stain up with road crud, which is what makes them the commuter/messenger choice.
- For more information on the Chrome Industries Yalta 4.0, visit chromeindustries.com
The post In the Drops: Fizik’s first helmet, hingeless Oakley glasses, top-tier shoes from Specialized and a high-quality bag from Chrome appeared first on Cyclist.