EnErgynr £99.99 TorquE WrEnch £49.99 carbon 58

BRAND NEW KIT
Orca
M:Part
RS1 Killa
SwimSkin £159
Torque Wrench £49.99
Top
Value
madison.co.uk
Peak
Performer
A must-have tool for every home mechanic
at a great price
Performance
Value
OVERALL
American Classic
Carbon 58
Clinchers
£1,099.99
orca.com
Following the recommended torque settings when doing up bike bolts helps
avoid overtightening and the danger of snapped bolts while riding. Failure to use
a torque wrench could invalidate your warranty, too, so it’s a wise addition to your
toolkit. At this price, you normally get an old-fashioned rod with a simple strain dial.
The M:Part wrench is a cut above, though, with an easy-to-use ratchet head and a dial
at the bottom of the handle that allows you to pre-select your desired torque level,
from 3Nm to 15Nm. The wrench is simple to use, with the head deflecting to one side
to let you know when you’ve reached your preset torque level. The included 3, 4, 5,
6, 8 and 10mm Allen keys plus T25 Torx head can be easily and securely slotted into
the unit, and the foam-lined presentation case is handy for storage.
In non-wetsuit races, a swimskin
helps you slip through the water with
minimum resistance. The Orca suit has a
tight fit that doesn’t rub or constrict and
helps you maintain core engagement
while swimming. The zip is easily operated
and has a cover to avoid nicks. In the water,
the Killa certainly feels faster than a tri suit,
with the skin-hugging hydrophobic fabric
helping to minimise drag and surface area
to maximise hydrodynamics. It fits equally
easily over one- or two-piece tri suits and is
speedy to pull off, too.
Newton
EnergyNR £99.99
newtonrunning.co.uk
newton’s newest shoe is designed to aid
transition from regular trainers to the company’s
unique lugged system – favoured by many pro and
amateur triathletes – which helps promote a midforefoot strike. Coming from conventional shoes,
it was easy to get into a natural stride with the
EnergyNRs, which immediately felt more
stable than models with Newton’s more
deeply lugged outsoles. They’re secure
and supportive – though without the arch
support that some transitional runners
might crave – light, comfy and offer
reassuring traction, but they’re not the
A great swimskin for frequent flyers to
warm races
Performance
Value
OVERALL
most forgiving
for long miles
on the pavement.
The 6mm heel-to-toe
drop makes midfoot landing
easier and they also feel racier and less
cumbersome than Newton’s Sir Isaacs.
The best Newton shoes for those curious
about the brand
Performance
Value
OVERALL
Peak
Performer
todayscyclist.co.uk
American Classic has fattened up and
fancy-spoked its deep-dish wheels to put them
right back into the mix in the competitive
carbon/alloy hybrid wheel market. Despite
the alloy rims and deeper than average 58mm
profile, a 40g weight loss from the previous
58s puts them right among their 50mm fullcarbon clincher-tyre price peers at 1,844g
(823g front, 1,021g rear).
Alloy rims give far more predictable
braking than carbon ones, particularly in the
wet. The new wider profile (22mm outer,
16.5mm inner) also syncs with the latest
‘fatter is faster’ tyre thinking. The rim isn’t
toroidal (the body doesn’t bulge out wider
than the braking track, as on Zipp, HED and
Bontrager wheels) but it’s fat enough to
make the wheels more manageable in mixed
wind conditions than their predecessors.
The skinny front hub and triple-grouped
rear spokes mean they aren’t particularly stiff
or sharp in terms of handling, but then they’re
not horribly harsh on rough roads either. Power
response is OK if not outstanding too, once the
relatively gappy 15-degree engagement of the
steel-reinforced freehub has caught up.
Reasonably light, smooth and stable aero
wheels well suited to long-haul tri use
Performance
Value
OVERALL
66
november 2013
OTE
Peak
Performer
Energy
Drink
£1.25 per sachet, £17.50 box of 14
otesports.co.uk
OTE IS a new British sports nutrition
company formed by Peter Slater – a keen
triathlete, formerly of Science in Sport –
that offers a full range of drinks, gels and
recovery shakes (pictured above). We opted
to try the blackcurrant energy drink, which
is designed to offer all the nutrients you
need and tickle the taste buds too. Each
43g sachet has 40g of carbs and 160kcal
as well as sodium, potassium, calcium and
magnesium for fluid balance. The mix is pH
neutral for easy digestion. The packaging
has clever dual tear-marks for smaller or
larger-necked bottles. It’s top-of-the-pile
taste wise – flavoursome without being
overpowering, with no sickly aftertaste.
Tasty and easily digested new option that’s
easy to prepare, too
Performance
Value
OVERALL
november 2013
67