We’ve published seven bits of work a day this week, on average. Cyclist.co.uk has been a veritable content powerhouse, run by a relatively slim team. Talk about power-to-weight. To keep the ball rolling, here’s the latest edition of In the Drops.
Before you read it though, why not revisit a few from this week’s article library. We’ve published reviews on Ekoi’s Aerodinamica helmet, Rapha’s Letras sunglasses, Poc’s Procen Air helmet, Oakley’s Encoder Strike sunglasses, Pas Normal Studios’ Essential jersey, Merida’s Silex 10K gravel bike and more besides.
We’ve kept up with the latest tech news too, covering Ribble’s new Allroad bikes and Canyon’s renovated Aeroad race bike, the news story and first ride report of which went live mere minutes ago.
Given the continuation of a little race called le Tour de France, pro coverage has been a regular feature this week in among the tech. We looked back at the fortunes of those riding the Tour in a second week recap, and added some of our own opinions to the rhetoric surrounding the race’s strongest riders, the dearth of successful breakaways and the issues with its KoM classification.
What a week. Let’s do it all again come Monday, shall we?
Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our new AI search engine.
Hammerhead Karoo
As soon as derailleurs and shifters went from communicating via cables, ratchets and springs to wireless protocols and servos, the potential for head units to play a key part in the function of a groupset was introduced. Hammerhead is the first to finally fully exploit that promise, as its new Karoo computer is the first to be co-developed with a groupset.
Hammerhead was acquired by SRAM in 2021, so both the tech brand’s latest Karoo computer and SRAM’s new Red AXS groupset could be developed in-house simultaneously.
‘The latest Karoo builds on the Karoo 2 by functioning on another level with Red, but remains an incredible computer in its own right,’ says Jason Fowler, SRAM’s road drivetrain product manager.
It retains the same dimensions and 3.2in high-resolution colour touchscreen as the previous generation Karoo, but there’s a wholesale upgrade to its internals, with a faster 2.0GHz processor, 64GB memory in place of 32GB and multi-band GNSS support, for faster and more comprehensive mapping fixes.
Crucially, Hammerhead has at the same time increased battery life from a claimed eight hours to what’s now said to be over 15 hours.
The computer comes as standard with most Red AXS-equipped bikes, though it looks to have the feature set to make it a worthy standalone purchase if you’re more of a Shimano suitor than a SRAM fan.
- For a limited time, get 50% off a Heart Rate Monitor with your Karoo purchase. Add all items to cart and apply code KAROO-HRM at checkout to redeem: buy it now from Hammerhead
Madison Crypto sunglasses
While it sounds like Madison is delving into the murky world of NFTs and digital currency with its latest eyewear, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Crypto sunglasses are fully fungible and fully functional.
Their frames are made from TR-90 plastic, otherwise known as Grilamid, which is lightweight and flexible, with a memory that means the arms can flex and go back to their original shape without breaking.
The oversize polycarbonate shield lens promises a huge field of vision, and is impact- and scratch-resistant.
Their looks might not be out of place when measured against more premium rivals, but Madison says value is high on the Cryptos' priorities. Despite their accessible price the glasses come as standard with three lens options for different light conditions, plus a hard case to safely store and organise all that plastic.
Surreal cereal
The benefits of a high protein intake for body composition, recovery and performance are thankfully gaining more widespread appreciation among endurance athletes, but that recognition doesn’t change the fact that it requires effort to include enough in your diet.
Surreal’s range of cereals aims to help boost protein intake by providing a high-protein alternative to a breakfast choice that isn’t traditionally a great protein source (unless you go unreasonably heavy on the milk).
Surreal uses a clever blend of pea and soya protein to create hoops/loops that pack in around 13g of protein per serving (versus maybe 2g grams in the same amount of grain-based cereals). Considering most normal adults would consider a double serving an actual portion, including the addition of milk, Surreal’s cereal would see them getting around 40g of protein at breakfast. For muscle growth and repair, it’s an ideal start to the day, and that’s not even factoring in the use of pea starch and inulin (a starch derived from chicory root) to provide plenty of fibre to keep the digestion running smoothly, too.
Superior nutritional profile aside, unequivocally the biggest draw of Surreal’s cereal is their taste, which has been created using natural sources such as peanut flour, hazelnut paste and cocoa powder.
Combined with the natural sweeteners Steviol and Erythritol, Surreal has created eight flavour options. I've tried four of them (strictly for journalistic authenticity, you understand) and I can confirm that they taste as good as the sugar-packed equivalents I ate in my childhood, but Surreal says that taste comes without the extra calories or associated energy slump. There’s no denying their high price, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable that you need to pay to get the best of both worlds in nutrition and flavour.
What we’re into this week: Growing grass
I'm currently in the midst of a garden renovation, and although the digging phase lasted longer than I had anticipated (it's harder and slower than you think it's going to be, and the mud seems to triple in volume once out of the ground), two weeks ago the stage was set (quite literally, for my spade skills had indeed rendered a previously lumpy plot into one of stage-like flatness) to progress onto the next step in the plan, which was seeding what would be the lawn space.
A topsoil, compost and seed granola was prepared and spread, tamped down and dutifully watered regularly. Days passed. Signs of germination were awaited eagerly, then impatiently, then desperately. Had I done something wrong? Was the weather to blame? Just when I was ready to write things off and look into getting some turf (which I can't help but view as the cheat's way to a lawn, akin to buying a birthday cake for a loved one from the supermarket), earlier this week I awoke to a carpet of green. A pretty threadbare one, I must admit, but like the fluff on the chin of a teenager, it's getting denser every day. This might be a sign of me getting old(er) and boring(er), but it has been a satisfying project. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get the mower out.
