Cyclist
In the Drops: The new Wahoo Elemnt Ace, Sidi Nix boots, Parcours FKT wheels and Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid kit
It’s office Christmas party season, so that means you’re either being unproductive because you’re recovering from one or being unproductive because you’re about to go to one. Whichever camp you fall in, a Cyclist In the Drops weekly round-up is the perfect way to while away some time today.
Despite it being the off-season, it’s been a strong week for tech.
Colnago launched the most exciting bike of the year, the radical Y1Rs, and just like some sort of kit-themed Christmas calendar, we’ve had a jacket review every day, covering the Santini Adapt Multi, Q36.5 Gregarious, Madison DTE, Gore Wear Spinshift Thermo and Sportful Fiandre Pro 2.
We looked into which Canyon road bike might be the best one for you, and published our take on Trek’s new Madone and the Garmin Edge 1050 bike computer – don’t say we haven’t treated you this Christmas.
Some of our treasured print content made it online too this week for subscribers, with a Classic Climb of the Passo Fedaia and an account of what it’s like to ride gravel in Salzburg, but to double down on the tech front, read on to find out more about some of the latest gear to arrive with our team of testers.
Wahoo Elemnt Ace head unit
Wahoo has been in the bike computer game a while now, but its latest model is bursting with firsts. Though the Ace retains the usual array of three unit-face buttons and side buttons from previous Elemnt designs, it’s the first Wahoo head unit with a touchscreen, and the first with a speaker for voice navigation instructions as well.
The debuts don’t stop there. There are two openings on the front face of the Elemnt Ace. One gives a more accurate temperature reading, but the second is a dynamic pressure sensor, which, interestingly, provides quantification of air drag from a headwind or drag reduction from a tailwind or drafting. This is displayed as colour-coded data as you ride.
Paired with Wahoo’s overhauled app, it allows you to analyse the effect of wind on ride segments post-ride, which is a first for any cycling computer, let alone something from Wahoo.
At 3.8in, the new model’s colour screen betters the 3.5in screen on the Garmin’s newest Edge, the 1050, and is anti-glare-coated for improved readability. Battery life is claimed at 30 hours-plus, again beating out Garmin’s latest flagship design (which claims 20 hours). Though still expensive, it even undercuts its main competitor in terms of price as well, by around £50.
Sidi Nix shoes
The phasing out of and PFC and PFAS chemicals has affected not just our rain jackets but product categories like winter riding shoes as well, which have traditionally used the same environmentally naughty membranes to boost weather protection in grotty conditions.
The new Nix model is Sidi’s answer to the change in material usage. It still uses a Gore-Tex membrane, but this one is made from ePE (expanded polyethylene, which in a slightly different form is also packaging foam), which crucially is fine for the environment. It uses a similarly eco-friendly PrimaLoft insulation as well, so the rider’s feet should stay warm and cosy no matter the riding conditions.
The Nix’s Firmor Surround feature is a dressed-up way of saying the shoe uses a sturdy, wraparound Velcro band at the ankle, which is said to provide support and stability.
Security on the other hand is taken care of via Sidi’s proprietary Techno-3 dial, coupled with a Dyneema cable. Dyneema is said to be 15 times stronger than steel at the same weight, so the closure system on the Nix shoes should be robust and reliable for years – Sidi shoes are widely regarded as built to last.
The brand’s shoes are also regarded as racy, so the Nix uses sole made from a mix of glass fibre, nylon and carbon fibre in an attempt to achieve an appropriate blend of stiffness and comfort for long winter rides.
Parcours FKT wheels
FKT stands for ‘Fastest Known Time’ – an unverified speed record on a certain route that is generally off the beaten track, and hence hard to officially document. Given the premise of Parcours’s FKT wheels, that moniker is pretty appropriate, because according to Parcours’s founder Dov Tate, they are all about helping the rider go as fast as they can off-road.
‘The FKTs have a 47mm deep rim that has a hybrid truncated virtual foil design,’ says Tate. ‘Essentially, that means the shape behaves like an even deeper aerofoil.’
The FKTs aren’t the only gravel wheels on the market with deep rims, but Tate says they stand apart because they take into account the differing airflow conditions from various tyre treads.
‘Our early CFD modelling showed that the tread pattern of a gravel tyre has a significant impact on airflow, versus a road tyre that will be very similar across makes and models,’ he says.
‘As a result, when developing the FKT profile, we chose to base the off-tyre airflow on the Panaracer GravelKing X1. It’s already one of the leading choices among gravel racers and our own pre-development testing showed it offered a fantastic balance of low rolling resistance and durability. Subsequent aero testing (both in CFD and in the wind-tunnel) showed that it’s actually also a remarkably aero tyre, regardless of the rim pairing.’
Tate says that specific pairing can save up to six watts at 35.5kmh, but because the rim shape was specifically designed for 40mm gravel tyres – being 40mm wide externally for a smooth air transition – the FKTs still offer gains measured against rival rims using the same tyre, no matter what it is.
Internal width was set at 27mm, to be compatible with the broadest range of realistic tyre width choices for fast gravel riding, and weight is claimed at a competitive 1,500g.
- Find out more about the Parcours FKT wheels at parcours.cc
Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid kit
Q36.5’s latest Dottore Hybrid garments are geared towards the transitional seasons of spring and autumn but given the UK’s predominantly mild winters, they look to have the technical features and versatility to form a true three-season outfit.
In a similar way to Assos (Q36.5’s founder came from the brand, so there’s little surprise), Q36.5 pairs distinct materials together in specific patterns to achieve a combination of attributes, rather than make more widespread use of fabrics with all-round performance.
Both the jersey and gilet use panels of Q36.5’s UF Hybrid Shell fabric, a densely woven material that claims to be inherently weatherproof without any surface treatments. As fabrics go that makes it comparatively rigid, so Q36.5 says it has ‘body mapped’ shaped panels of it so that it conforms to the rider’s body comfortably.
The fabric is also paired with far more flexible, lighter fabrics on the midriff and back to improve fit and aid breathability respectively, in an attempt to ensure the garments are both protective and easy to wear.
The matching shorts are a little less overtly technical, using large panels of a fleeced Lycra, but Q36.5’s attention to detail is still high – the panels are raw finished at the hem to ensure they offer unrestricted movement, but are anatomically shaped so that they should stay in place while pedalling too.
The overshoes that finish that outfit off take a turn back towards the technical however, using a proprietary fabric to guarantee waterproofing. Q36.5 says that the knitted textile is polyurethane-coated both inside and out to repel water with similar efficacy to silicone overshoes, but is much more robust, so riders don’t have to fear the occasional toe scrape while pushing off at the traffic lights or after the café stop.
- Find out more about the Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid kit at q36-5.com
Win a 2025 Étape du Tour three-night VIP package including two race entries
On 20th July, the 2025 Étape du Tour is going to follow Stage 19 of the Tour de France from Albertville to La Plagne, taking on five climbs: the Col de Saisies, Col du Pré, the Cormet de Roselend and La Plagne.
Sports Tours International has three packages available, each including accommodation, pre-race briefings and on-site support.
Start line area packages offer convenient easy access on race day, while finish line area packages bring you closer to the finish in La Plagne with post-race transfers. For a premium experience, the VIP package includes spa amenities, private transfers and celebratory drinks.
Why not enter their competition for the chance to win a 3-night stay VIP stay at the Radiana Hotel and Spa on a half board basis, with 2 entries into the 2025 Étape du Tour? Entries close on 6th January 2025 – terms and conditions can be found when entering.
The post In the Drops: The new Wahoo Elemnt Ace, Sidi Nix boots, Parcours FKT wheels and Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid kit appeared first on Cyclist.