We Noticed: Fabric, Enve, Smith…
We noticed lots of carbon bling from Fabric and Enve Composites, new workout and lifestyle shades from Smith and a lightweight jacket from Sugoi at the 2014 Summer Press Camp at the Deer Valley Resort in Utah.
Fabric Alm saddle
Fabric is a sub brand of British group Charge, who in turn is owned by Cycling Sports Group, owners of Cannondale, GT, Schwinn, Sugoi and several other brands. The Fabric Alm saddle quickly caught our eye and if you are buying certain Cannondale bikes this fall you may find one of these ultralight and cool saddles on it. Fabric worked with airbus to develop this saddle, and initially it was meant to be a 3D printed titanium rail, but cost and weight eventually resulted in an all carbon unit. It felt very light so the claimed weight of 120 grams is very plausible, but we had no scale in our pocket to actually confirm this.
The view from below shows the unique construction of this Fabric Alm saddle. The similar shaped printed titanium one would have been heavier and more than twice as expensive.
Weight: 120 grams (claimed)
Available: Fall 2014
MSRP: $329.99
Enve SES 5/6 650c wheels
Enve introduced new SES 5/6 650c wheels at the 2014 Summer Press Camp and that should make all those folks happy who ride 650c bikes and may feel a little left out when it comes to wheel options for their bike. The Enve crew told us that this is also a new rim depth option, and that they did not just recycle another rim size for this offering. These wheels are 48mm deep in the front and 56mm in the back. But just like the other Enve SES wheels, these 650 ones are wider in the front (27mm) than in the back (25mm).
They do look very sharp and these black on carbon graphics really match any bike.
Weight: 1,336 grams with DT180 hubs.
MSRP: $2,950 w DT240
Enve clip-on bars
Having introduced aerobars last year, Enve now added clip-one bars to their quiver. One set that fits their aero road bars introduced more recently, and another set that should work with any 31.8 mm road bars. The extensions are long and can be customized to fit a rider's preferred setup. That includes making them either into straight, J-bend or Ski-bend extensions.
The main clip-on connection of either of these bars is full carbon and so are the pad carriers.
MSRP: $350 (either option)
Smith Arena PivLock glasses
The new Smith Arena PivLock glasses come also in a Max edition but unlike the V90 ones, the Arena has a much less rounded lens. The Arena also has slightly shorter earpieces. It comes in a variety of styles and there should certainly something be for anyone's taste and team kit match.
Available: Fall
Colors: endless
MSRP: $159
Smith Chief ChromaPop
It is also important to look sharp when not exercising and Smith Optics has many offerings along those lines. These Chief ones come with ChromaPop™ and Smith explains this as a proprietary combination of patented polarization and color management technology creates incredible clarity. It is one thing to be seen well, but quite another to actually see clear and true.
Colors: Brown linen (featured), black, or matte black.
MSRP: $209
Sugoi RS jacket
The Sugoi RS is a lightweight contoured Pro fit jacket is the ideal travel companion when the weather situation is not clear. Take it with you if you suspect upcoming chillier temps higher up, or wear it when you start your ride and know that you can take it off whenever the sun becomes to friendly. A jacket like this ought to be in the arsenal of any cyclist.
When folded together, the Sugoi RS packs down into a tiny little pouch that can be mounted under the saddle just like a saddle bag.
Colors: black, chilli red
Sizes: S – XXL
MSRP: $80
