Five Great New Products from Wolf Tooth, Garmin, Shimano, Felt, and POC
Five To Go is a round up of new product announcements and the latest in our office for review.
#5: Felt Decree 27.5” trail bike
The newest Felt mountain bike uses a 140mm-travel, 27.5-inch wheel frame platform with single pivot rear-suspension design. Offered in three carbon ($4500, $6499, $9999) models and one aluminum ($3499) version, the Decree is decidedly a trail bike with 150mm fork, dropper post, 66.5 head angle, and 16.9-inch chainstays. The Decree frame features 12x142mm rear thru axle, adjustable geometry (+/- 1 degree HTA; +/- 10mm BB height), threaded 73mm BB, internal derailleur, brake and dropper routing (carbon frames only), removable front derailleur mount, and the ability to accommodate a water bottle inside the front triangle.
#4: Wolf Tooth Components Drop-Stop 1x Chainrings for Shimano
One-by-friendly (no guide required) rings for Shimano’s cranks with asymmetric 4 arm pattern. The USA-made rings have alternating thick/thin tooth profiles that hold the chain on, and are offered in 38, 40, 42, and 44 tooth for cyclocross and gravel applications. $79 each. One hiccup: Wolf Tooth recommends using the ring with a clutch rear derailleur. Shimano does not offer a clutch in any of its road groups, and Shimano’s mechanical road and mountain cable ratios are different, so it’s not possible to use Dura Ace 11-speed mechanical shifters with an XT or XTR rear derailleur. The only solution within the Shimano universe: The XTR Di2 rear derailleur (which has a clutch) is compatible with Shimano’s Di2 drop bar levers.
#3: Garmin Varia Smart Lights
Garmin is expanding its cycling product universe outside of GPS computers and into other electronics. First it was the Vector power pedals, now it’s Varia Smart Bike Lights. Though they function on their own in a basic way (on/off, high, low, flash) they get “smart” when paired to a Garmin Edge head unit. The rider can control the lights from an Edge (or with the remote included in the head and tail bundle) and see battery status. The headlight will automatically project further or closer based on speed, and both lights will automatically increase or decrease brightness based on ambient light conditions (paired to an Edge 1000only).
Equip a bike with two tail lights and they can be used as turn signals. Headlight: $200; tail light: $70; head and tail combo with wireless remote: $300.
The third product in the series is the Varia Rearview Radar ($200 and up), which alerts the rider to vehicles approaching from the rear, and alerts drivers to the rider's presence with increasing flash intensity.
#2: Shimano MW7 Winter Shoes
The MW7 is one of the newly updated models in Shimano's shoe line. It’s an insulated winter shoe with Gore-Tex liner, 360-degree reflectivity, and rubber sole with two-bolt cleat mount—Shimano doesn’t currently offer a winter shoe for three-bolt cleats. The sole is Shimano’s Torbal design, which claims to provide some torsional give, so the foot can move more naturally, without sacrificing pedaling stiffness.
The retention system pairs a quick lace with one hook and loop strap, and a neoprene cuff seals out the junk. $250, 920g/pr size 41 on my scale.
#1: POC Contour Airfoil Bib Shorts
These are the most expensive shorts in POC’s road-clothing collection ($350). As the name suggests, these shorts have an aerodynamic story with dimpled surface on the lower leg, and “integrated” grippers, so they lay very flat against the skin. First impressions: With minimal panels, seams, and very stretchy (43-percent elastane AKA spandex) material, these shorts are exceedingly comfortable, and provide free movement. The high elastane content has a drawback: Elastane doesn’t wick or dry well, so these shorts will be colder and stay wet longer than a short with less of the material. The chamois is excellent, and I like the huge reflective rear panel.
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