Welcome to The Lunch Ride, a weekly recap of the best new road, gravel & mountain bikes, cycling tech, and gear.

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Cadex uses bladed carbon spokes & ovalized tires to cheat the wind

The new Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheels are designed to do all the things a good aero wheelset should do, like go fast at high speeds. But also climb. And corner. At just 1,349g with 50mm deep rims, they’re light enough for mountain stages – Simon Yates won the hilly (3,000m climbing) 2022 Giro d’Italia Stage 14 on them.

Directional, bladed carbon fiber spokes not only cut drag and weight, they provide lateral and torsional stiffness for solid cornering and snappy acceleration. The hookless rim has a wide 22.4mm interior and stiff, thick 3.8mm bead walls to support higher volume tires at lower pressures.

New hubs have quick engagement, ceramic bearings, and a stiff, aero shape that reduces unwanted bearing loads to reduce mechanical drag. MSRP is $3,500.

The new Cadex Aero Tubeless Tire (700×25, 290g) has a taller, slightly ovalized profile when mounted on these (or other wide hookless) rims, further optimizing overall aerodynamics. Its silica-infused compound reduces rolling resistance 15% over the Cadex Race tire while also improving wet grip. MSRP is $100.

Brilliant Daysaver mini-tool is just 56g with 9 tools and frame mount

By nesting bits inside bits, the Daysaver Original9 fits nine tools (H8, H6, H5, H4, H3, H2.5, H2, T25, Ph#1) inside its L-shaped body, with the frame itself serving as the 8mm.

The tool is just 39g, and the 17g (with hardware!) Carrier1 holds it under your bottle cage or on the increasingly popular tool mounting points found on modern mountain bikes. MSRP is $89 plus VAT (they’re based in Switzerland).

National Cycling League will make U.S. bike racing exciting again

Upstart NCL is kicking off 2023 with a new national crit race series featuring co-ed teams, gender-equal prize payouts, and a diverse ownership team. Which is cool, but the per lap points accumulation should take race strategy to a new level and make it very exciting to watch!

Transition Patrol drops almost 3 pounds with new carbon frame

Stiffer, sleeker, and a helluva lot lighter, the new Transition Patrol Carbon starts shipping as a frameset this fall, with a SRAM GX Eagle-equipped complete bike shortly after.

The frame is an impressive 2.8lb lighter than the alloy model, and keeps the geo flip chip, 160mm travel, size-specific chainstays, and coil shock compatibility. Oh, and it’s a mixed-wheel bike, with 27.5″ rear and 29er front with a 170mm fork.

Project Flock lights up your moving legs so drivers will care

Using “Biomotion” to alert drivers that you are, in fact, an actual human being and not a blinking speed bump, the Flock bike light illuminates your moving legs as you ride.

Integrated battery indicator and intelligent low-power and group-ride modes make it even better. They’ve already won numerous design awards for its brilliant simplicity. Pre-order on Kickstarter.

InfoCrank IC2 crankset claims to be most accurate power meter ever

InfoCrank’s power meter cranksets isolate the strain gauge inside the crank arm to directly measure torque and cadence so no additional forces muddy the data. It checks every 4ms for a full 360º analysis of each pedal stroke. They claim to have the most instant and accurate power measurement, with genuine 1.5% accuracy.

The new IC2 crankset is lighter with sleeker arms in six lengths, a new modular spider for swapping between road, track, gravel & MTB gearing, and improved electronics and connectivity. They use a 24mm spindle and come with an asymmetric 110mm BCD spider. MSRP is $999 w/o chainrings, pre-order discounts are offered.

Bombtrack Seido MGV adventure fork ready for bikepacking

Got a gravel frame you want to turn into a bikepacking or touring rig? The new Seido MGV Bombtrack Edition fork has rack, fender, and “anything cage” mounts. Internal routing for brakes and dynamo hub wiring, plus a steerer tube port lets it stay full stealth inside compatible frames.

The 410mm Axle-to-crown height and slack 53mm rake (offset) keeps handling stable and easy when loaded, and wide legs clear 29×2.5″ or 27.5×2.5″ tires. Unique flat mount posts directly attach flat mount calipers at the 160mm rotor position, no adapters needed. Weight is 530g w/o included axle, price is €349.

Logos launches affordable carbon road, gravel & MTB wheels

Want reliable, affordable carbon fiber wheels built with rock-solid components and modern standards? The new Logos Omnium wheels are just $999 and reasonably light, too. On offer are:

• 700C: 24mm internal, 30mm deep, hooked, 1365g
• 650B: 28mm internal, 24.5mm deep, hookless, 1325g
• 29er: 31mm internal, 24.5mm deep, hookless, 1565g

700C/650B wheels are ready for gravel, cyclocross, or adventure bikes, too. They have a sleek star ratchet rear hub and include a rotor lock ring and your choice of SRAM (XD/XDR) or Shimano (HG/Microspline) freehub bodies.

On Stage

This week, it’s two excellent long-form videos for the weekend. Biketown, a video by Freehub Magazine and IMBA, tells how mountain bikers have successfully partnered with local land owners and businesses to completely reinvent entire communities (and sometimes save them).

Below, Truth and Dignity follows Bicycle Nomad Erick Cedeno’s 1900-mile ride to remember the Buffalo Soldiers’ 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps history.

Pairs Well With...

The New Belgium Fat Tire x L39ION Golden Ale (5% ABV) is brewed with lemon peel and sea salt as a light, refreshing aprés ride beer. Straight out of the can, it reminded me too much of a standard American lager. But pouring it in a glass brought it to life, revealing crisp yet subtle flavors and made it much, much better.

So, (pour it into and) raise a glass, as $1 for every can sold is donated to the Grow Cycling Foundation to support education, access, and opportunities for a more diverse audience to experience cycling.

Small Bites

• Zwift Academy registration is now open, Road starts 9/12
• FNLD GRVL might be the most beautiful gravel race of 2023
• Apparently, the ENVE Gravel Dropper Seatpost is now their best-seller
• Athletic Brewing Co. is giving away a $45k Overland adventure package
• The NBDA CoDB report is back, giving bike shops intel to grow revenue
• Wolf Tooth’s stainless Morse Cage proves … – . . .-.. / .. … / .-. . .- .-..
• Italian custom framebuilder Exept is crowdfunding a reboot
• CyclingTips’ founder Wade Wallace officially departs
• Bike shipper Kitzuma now offers brands warehousing & fulfillment

Deals

• Pactimo’s Summer Clothes Out Sale has kits up to 70% off
• Handup Glove’s Treat Yo’self Sale is on (includes shirts & shorts)
• OBED’s Endless Summer Gravel Bike Sale ends Sunday
• Get FREE OS ceramic bearing pulleys w/ purchase of a Kogel BB
• Check Club Ride’s End of Summer sale for men’s & women’s kits

The Lunch Ride is a weekly recap of the best new cycling products and tech. SUBSCRIBE HERE to get it in your inbox every Friday.

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