- Helmets and shoes.
Two items of kit which I obsess over the fit and comfort of
more than anything when it comes to cycling.
And luckily here at the Santos Tour Down Under
there are loads of bits of kit lying around.
So I can get these grubby hands on them
and check out exactly what's new
and hopefully custom too.
After all, Elia Viviani's just over my shoulder
and he's definitely got something.
(wind rushing)
(metal ringing)
(slow electronic music)
Just checkin' out the helmets of UAE Team Emirates.
And this is a MET Trenta.
And it's the 3K Carbon one,
because it's got a little bit
of a carbon weave going on here at the back of the helmet.
And actually it goes all the way through to the front.
I hadn't noticed that before.
It's amazing how when you look at something
in the different angle of light it changes.
I really like the cutaway of this helmet
but lets look at the facts then.
19 vents and it weighs just 235 grams.
It weighs not as much as I thought it would, to be honest.
I always thought it looked a bit of a heavier helmet.
I like the rounded approach as well of the,
you know, the structure of it, the external features.
And also this little vent here on the top.
Just to suck a little bit more air in
when the going gets tough.
Big exhaust vents on the rear of that too.
Nice looking bit of kit.
Elia Viviani then, a guy who loves to customize his kit.
And well, when you've won the races that he's done
and got the titles, you're entitled to do so.
So this is his Ekoi Corsa Evo helmet.
It's got 23 vent on there, 235 grams.
Now Ekoi is a brand which
we don't really tend to see much of.
Certainly not in the UK.
But they do have the option on their website
to be able to customize equipment to your hearts content.
And I'm pretty sure there's a pretty quick lead time too.
I like the fact that he's got himself
a gold detail on the back there.
A retention system.
Love things like that.
Just wait though until you see his shoes.
They are fancy.
And well, if this isn't fancy enough,
I must just point out the fact that he's got
a magnetic closure on the buckle of this helmet too.
Just simply clicks into place and off he can ride.
(slow electronic music)
Last year at the Tour Down Under,
Elia Viviani wowed me with his DMT KR1 Knit shoes
in the Italian Champs colorway.
Well this year check out on his feet what he's got.
He's got the same shoe but in a European road race champion.
Now these shoes would be ideal down hear
at the Tour Down Under,
because it's well pretty hot, let's face it.
Very breathable shoes because of the knitted construction.
And, well, I'm just a big fan of them.
What about this then?
Last year you'll remember at the Tour Down Under
that the folks from Specialized
released a limited edition range of shoes and helmets
well, to celebrate the Tour Down Under
and the colors involved.
Well this year check out this blue and yellow
and almost a greeny color as well to these accessories.
You know what, I'm going to put the hat on first of all.
And then talk about the rest, 'cause I like the hat.
And I can explain there story behind it.
Well, we've got here a couple of eyes on the side
and that's to celebrate the Australian budgie.
I used to have a cockateel, but that's totally unrelated.
Right, but the reason they've actually released this product
in this color way,
is actually to raise money for WIRES,
which is an Australian wildlife fund.
And Specialized are actually going to be donating
100,000 US Dollars to the fund to help try and save
the Australian budgie.
Which, of course, is an animal which is native
to many of those forest fires which have been happening
here in Australia.
I think it's a great touch, a great gesture,
on one of the products that's absolutely fantastic too.
I just wish they were in my size.
Helmet might fit.
(slow electronic music)
Matching up then
with that budgie themed kit from Specialized
is this Specialized Allez Spring aluminum bike.
And if you cast your mind back 12 months
you will remember that Peter Sagan and Jay McCarthy
from the Bora-Hansgrohe Team
were using an aluminum bike in the Criterium
ahead of the actual Santos Tour Down Under itself.
This year, Eric Basker,
and I'm pretty sure Jay McCarthy has also got one of these
kickin' around too.
They've got this bike in a pretty cool,
limited edition colorway too.
Again, to actually try and raise some funds
for that Australian budgie.
So, a Specialized Allez Sprint, as I've already mentioned.
And we've got the Delucio Smartweld technology
you can see.
So, most of the welds are in, just kind of standard places,
if you like, on the bike.
But, where it gets interesting is on the downtube
and the seat tube.
Because the welds there are kind of pushed up,
if you like, from the standard positions.
And the reason behind that is actually
to try and increase the ride properties of it.
I imagine trying to make the bike nice and stiff.
Well I think the bike itself looks pretty good.
They won't be using it in the actual Tour Down Under itself.
But certainly in the Criterium ahead of it.
Because, well it's great publicity for the brand.
And interestingly this bike too
is fitted with tubeless tires.
Whether or not they race them in the tour itself,
I don't know.
Remember as well last year,
there were a couple of riders using tubeless tires
in the world tour.
Will this be the year where they really do make inroads?
Other than that,
well we've got Shimano Dura-Ace DI2 group set.
And of course it's the disc brake variety
because all of the riders using Specialized bikes
in the World Tour are on disc brakes.
It's a great looking bike.
I really like the color.
In fact we had to take it outside
because inside you just couldn't see it
in all of its beauty.
It's kind of a brushed aluminum,
but got an anodized finish to it.
Lovely.
Alex, I was looking through Instagram last night,
whilst I had insomnia.
And I came across- - Jet lag.
- Yeah, jet lag, insomnia, probably a bit of both.
And I noticed you'd been filing away
your base plates for your cleats.
You were doing something anyway.
Talk us through what you been doing.
- I'm back on Bont and Speedplay this year.
I thank the team allowed me to run Speedplay
which is really something I was really pushing for.
I've got a 3mm leg difference.
I run a 3mm shim on my left foot.
So the Bont,
sorry the Speedplay adapter,
it takes you from a three bolt to a four bolt.
I took a second one of them, put it on top,
and then had to file it.
It's got a few ridges and edges.
So just filed that.
So it was sort of clean and flat.
And then, yeah, and just made that work.
So it sort of, once I get back to the UK I will get my left,
because the adapter plate is 3mm, fortunately.
I will get my right shoe drilled
to make it a four bolt fitting so that I can just run
the standard adapter on my left foot.
And it still gets the leg difference I need
but I will be 3mm closer, or 3mm further down actually,
than I was before.
And I think that brings me a total stack height
of 9mm difference from the pedals I was using last year.
Which is quite significant.
- Yeah that's a lot.
That's mean you got to drop your saddle
by a centimeter, effectively.
Do you like playing around with tech?
Like, tinkerin' stuff like this?
- Yeah I do like it.
I've always liked the tech side of cycling.
The aero side.
You know, the time trial is sort of,
my time trial specialty comes hand in hand with that.
So, yeah and it's great.
You know,
Israel Start-Up Nation is quite an innovative team.
So very,
the sponsors all understand as well
that if something can be improved
then the teams very open minded to do it.
Whereas I think in the past we've been very constrained
by whichever sort of sponsors we've had.
And it can be quite limiting.
And, you know, it's like every team runs good equipment.
And there's some, like,
kit will be slightly better than another.
And you look at another team, saying,
"Oh, we're giving away a couple of watts here,
"compared with those guys
"that are running that specific chain, or handlebar set up."
Or something.
But then they'll be looking at us and thinking like,
"Oh, they've got faster skin suits."
Or something.
It's all like swings and roundabouts
where you just try and make the best
of what you have access too.
And just hope that the team is open minded
and willing to, sort of,
just, I guess, join your search in the quest for speed.
Which, Israel Start-Up Nation is great for, it seems.
- The Ekoi Legend helmet
as used by the squad of AG2R La Mondiale,
and of course home of Romain Bardet.
Apparently, Bardet was actually quite instrumental
in the whole development of this helmet
and kept going back with certain refinements
until he felt that it was just perfect.
A bit of information then about the helmet.
It's got 28 vents, weighs just 235 grams.
And I think, personally,
it has a kind of real retro feel to it.
Reminds me of the old hair net helmets of old.
And I like them.
Although I don't think they should bring them back.
But they've got pretty close to it with this.
Nice work.
(slow electronic music)
Right Lucky, last year I remember seeing you rockin'
a pair of sort of prototype shoes or something like that.
This year you have got a pair of shoes
which I'm desperate to put my feet into,
but I reckon, you're a little bit small then me.
Yeah, are you the only one with these, or what?
I mean they're pretty cool.
- Nelson's got a pair.
Yeah, I mean, they showed up a few days ago.
So, yeah, they're like new ref for race shoes.
And they're great.
- Matching with the color of the kit as well, don't they?
Is that an important thing for you, or not?
- I mean, not really. I'm not like too fussed about,
you know, how I look.
(laughs)
But no, they're good.
I'm pretty fussy with shoes.
I rode like Shimano used to make these,
it's called like an R315, it's like a 2011 shoe.
And I used those for like four years.
'Cause I didn't like changing.
So when these turned up,
like less than a week before the race,
I was like, "Yeah, no chance."
And then I put 'em on, I was like,
"(beep) these are pretty good."
(laughs)
So yeah, I got 'em on.
- Right, when you, just go back to the Shimano ones,
just quickly.
When you had them and you realized,
"Oh, they're getting a little bit tired."
Did you try and find some anywhere or not?
Did you just, were you just like,
"Oh, I'll just keep wearing 'em."
- Yeah, no, I like,
I bought all the 43.5's you could buy on eBay.
And then, like, all like old stocking shelves.
And then, 'till finally, like,
there was just no more 43.5's available anywhere.
And I was like, "Oh, its time."
(laughs)
It's time.
I've still got one pair,
I like keep just in case I need to go back to, you know.
I got 'em.
They're there.
- The good news is, I just found out,
your 43.5 and I am too.
So you better keep those under lock and key.
Otherwise I'll come along and have 'em off your feet.
- Yeah, right.
- There we are, some interesting bits of tech
when it comes to helmets and shoes.
And I love to see these things
because it's not often you can get to see a lot of them
inside of a bike shop.
Let me know what your favorite bit of kit was
down there in the comment section bellow.
Don't forget too, check out the GCN shop
at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com
and why not download the GCN app too.
Available in the app store and also the Google Play store.
And now for two more great videos,
how about clicking just down here and just down here.