CyclistIn the Drops: Trek CarBack Radar tail light, Lusso Paragon Signature bibshorts, Coros Dura headunit, Maap Alt_Road capHappy Friday, young and old. With the Olympic TT and Road Race done and dusted, the worlds best have stopped cycling in sort-of straight lines and are now cycling in lopsided circles on the track. So multi-talented are these iron-hewn lords and ladies of creation that the change of tack barely seems to have registered. I cant be the only ignorant road-lubber who sits on the sofa desperately reminding myself of all the different rules of the various disciplines, before referring to The Match Sprint as the cat and mouse one anyway.But lets raise a bidon to this summer of sport, which has been more or less peak telly. A couched potato allotment for the ages. Wimbledon, Glastonbury, the Euros, the cricket, Coventry City reaching the FA Cup semi-final (a personal highlight for me, anyway), the Tour and now the Olympics have all illuminated our hollow lives and transformed our sofas into thrones of the screen. Its a miracle Ive managed to do any cycling at all.The Grand Tours are back in business with the Tour de France Femme 2024 kicking off on the 12th August but if youre not ready to say goodbye to the Olympics yet, Will Strickson has shared some of Zac Williams best photos from the mens Road Race and the womens Road Race. Ewan has ranked the best gold bikes from Olympic champions through the years while Robyns Pro Log recaps all the news from the Olympics and elsewhere.In tech stuff, Cervlo has launched a tweaked version of its endurance bike the Caledonia-5, Sam Challis has all the details on the new gravel Sram Red XPLR AXS 13-speed drivetrain and the colossal 32mm internal rim width Zipp 303 XPLR gravel wheels that have launched concurrently. Andy Turner is emerging nervous and squinting into the dazzling light of day after updating our 2024 buyers guide for the best sunglasses. His bonce should be ok if he falls over though, as hes only gone and completed the best aero road helmets buyers guide too.And now, like Sky Brown plummeting to earth, lets tumble into the drops.Trek CarBack radar tail lightHave you ever wanted one dazzling bright red eye in the back of your head? No, me neither. But as Ive advanced in years, my desire to be visible on the bike has increased commensurately. And thats where Treks CarBack radar tail light throbs into life.While pretty hefty in size think a chunky version of a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt the CarBack has a number of potentially life-saving features. The light syncs with your head unit or phone to warn you when a car is approaching. This is slightly more gamified on a mobile phone screen. On my Wahoo, it takes the form of a vertical strip at the side of the screen which beeps and flashes when a car comes within 240m.Trek says the light, which has multiple different flash and solid modes, can be seen up to 2km away, plus there are clear LED battery status lights running down the side. Who needs friends when your trusty robot assistant can provide reliable road safety without the drawbacks of conversation? Buy now from Trek (169.99) Related Posts Cyclist Magazine Podcast episode 111: Dimitris Katsanis makes the worlds fastest bikes Cyclists Tour de France Femmes predictions 2024 vita Muzic interview: If I had to choose between the Olympics or the Tour de France, it would be the Tour de France Tour de France Femmes 2024: Route, start list, how to watch and all you need to know Lusso Paragon Signature bib shortsCycling bib shorts can be one of lifes great pleasures or a particular form of misery. It seems relatively common for brands to produce decent enough bibs, but its another matter entirely to pull something special out of the bag. And thats what Manchester-based producer Lusso has done with its limited-edition handmade Paragon Signature Bib Shorts.On this strict production run of just 100 pairs, Lusso has used micro-knitted Italian fabric and raw cutting to eradicate grippers and keep the super smooth fabric compressed to the skin. The chamois is from Elastic Interface who provide the padding for many big brands including Gobik, but Im yet to test the 8-hour comfort rating to its upper limit. Though it wont see anyones eyes but mine, each pair has a unique chamois colourway which is a nice little detail.Im always keen to wear British kit when available, and its a pleasure when its thoroughly well-made. I rode the Mortirolo in these bad boys last month and my keister came through with flying colours it was my legs that were the problem.Buy now from Lusso (200) Coros Dura head unit and heart rate monitorI could fill an entire weekly column with bike computer gripes but weirdly Ive never been commissioned. Whether its feeble battery life, infuriating firmware updates, clunky syncing, or interminable map loading, these little rectangles that promise such convenience often let me down.Coros, with many dogs in the running-watch fight, has recently entered the head unit scrap. The Dura claims a pretty wild 120-hour battery life thats topped up by its solar panel. This converts two hours of sun lounging into one additional hour of power.Its got all the usual features youd expect from a head unit including a proprietary app where, amongst other things, you can create new routes.The minimalist arm-mounted Coros Heart Rate Monitor syncs up with the Dura to complete the virtuous circle of data. Oddly enough it offers less battery life than the head unit, with 38 hours of continuous use possible. Rather than using sensor pads, like chest-worn monitors, four green LEDs beam into your veins to take readings.Buy now from Coros (249 and 69)Maap Alt_Road Legionnaires CapSome people are born sunburnt, others achieve sunburn, and some have sunburn thrust upon them. I think I inhabit all three categories. As my aversion to risk has shot sunward (see above), my inclination to look traditionally cool has waned. Lachlan Morton can sleep easy because Ive officially hung up my cool boots.The Maap Alt_Road Legionnaires cap (in orange of course) is the ultimate companion for my fellow sun-fearing ghost riders out there. For those days when youre cycling the Sahara Desert or Death Valley, the cap and its poppable neck shade panel will fit underneath a helmet, but mainly its good for off-bike wear. Maap has also placed a couple of handy poppers on the front of the neck shade panel so that you can protect your chin from the beastly sun too.It boasts factor 50+ UPF protection, some good ventilation and its made from 100% recycled polyester. The peak isnt rigid either, so for the bikepackers out there it packs away really small.I wore it on the hottest day of Glastonbury this year and in a single two-hour period I had nine different strangers ask me for suncream. Beware: this hat will quickly come to define you.Buy now from Maap (45)Ad featureLe Col Pro Bib Shorts IIRRP 185, Sale Price 140,Your Price 112The Pro Bib Shorts II incorporates expert aerodynamic insight, pro team learnings and rigorous testing to bring you a high-performance short that maximises speed without sacrificing comfort.BUY THE LE COL PRO BIB SHORTS IIAd feature endsWhat were into this week: The NTS Breakfast Show w/FloFor the most part, Im hanging on the every word of my colleagues in the office, but for those rare moments when I need to buzz out the background babble of tyre sealant and rim width chat (yep, its like the Chelsea hotel up in here) then there is nothing quite like the Dalston-based radio station NTS and its utterly sensational Monday to Wednesday (9-11 am) host Flo Dill.Ive been listening to the station for almost a decade and, to me at least, it has matured like a honking cheese. NTS stands for Nuts to Soup which will only really register with fans of The Simpsons out there. Basically, its a community-led not-for-profit station that plays advert-free music selected by people, not algorithms. Almost all of my playlisted music comes from Flo, who freewheels through genres and chats with an effortlessness that looks easy but is anything but.Sure, it might look a bit trendy, but its also incredibly accessible and free though some, like myself, choose to make a monthly donation to their patron/membership scheme. Plus, theres an occasional Tuesday feature called MOTH (Matters of the Heart) where despondent millennials post their relationship quandaries into the website chat and the friendly woke-leaning bear pit offers advice.Listen to NTS (FREE) Related Posts Cyclist Magazine Podcast episode 111: Dimitris Katsanis makes the worlds fastest bikes Cyclists Tour de France Femmes predictions 2024 vita Muzic interview: If I had to choose between the Olympics or the Tour de France, it would be the Tour de France Tour de France Femmes 2024: Route, start list, how to watch and all you need to know The post In the Drops: Trek CarBack Radar tail light, Lusso Paragon Signature bibshorts, Coros Dura headunit, Maap Alt_Road cap appeared first on Cyclist.