5 cool things from Specialized, Alpine Stars, Shimano and Lezyne
The final edition of five cool things is here and ready to bring in the new year! Between ourselves and road.cc, we've had five cool pieces of kit in for test each week, plus plenty more besides. The last is no different, we've got a tubeless CO2 kit from Lezyne, a Diverge from Specialized, winter gear from Alpine Stars and cold weather bikepacking shoes from Shimano.
- Your complete guide to Shimano mountain bike drivetrains - Tourney, Altus, Acera, Alivio, Deore, SLX, XT, XTR 12 speed
- Your complete guide to the RockShox fork range
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Your complete guide to SRAM MTB drivetrains, from AXS and XX1 Eagle to NX
Alpine Stars kit
Tahoe WP jacket and pants
First up from Alpine Stars we've got men's waterproofs in the form of the Tahoe WP jacket and trousers. Both have tape welded seams and waterproof zips, the trousers are rated as sporting 8k waterproofness and 3k breathability whilst the jacket boasts higher numbers at 10k waterproofness and 5k breathability.
- Jacket - £150
- Pants - £130
Denali Vest
After debating what is the perfect mid layer for cold mountain bikes rides we called this in for one of our male testers. The Denali Vest is a gilet with Primaloft® insulation panels front and rear to keep you toasty - will it be a good layer for under a jacket too on really cold days?
- £100
Cascade Warm Tech Gloves
We are filling out our 'best of' guide for winter gloves at the moment, hence testing these insulated gloves from Alpine Stars. There is thermal insulation over the back of the hand and a clarino palm, the brand also says there is conductive print patterning on fingers to allow use with smartphone or GPS so we are hoping these are pretty dexterous.
- £50
Stella Cascade Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper glove
The model name of Stella denotes this as a women's gove. These are a lighter glove than those above but sport the Gore-Tex Infinium "super material" to deal with wind stopping duties. Rach will be testing these, her current favourite gloves is a pair of 100% Briskers, will these be as good or better?
- £45
Stella Alps 6.0 women's jersey
Winter calls for long sleeves all round, either on their own with thicker outer layers or with base layers used underneath. This women's jersey from Alpine Stars has cool styling, is said to be super durable and isn't a bad price either at £50.
- £50
Stella Nevada women's pants
Last up are these autumn/winter trousers for women. These are lightly insulated, DWR coated pants with tougher material covering the lower legs, rear and back of the knees. They feel and look very similar to the ION Softshell women's pants we reviewed a while back.
- £130
- www.alpinestars.com
Lezyne Tubeless CO2 Blaster
This 2-in-1 kit has everything you need to repair and inflate tubeless tyres, featuring five tyre plugs that seal holes and two Co2 inflators to get your air back in. It's compact enough to fit in your back pocket, and there are also straps supplied to fit it to your bike. Has it plugged a gap in our reviewer's life?
Specialized Diverge Comp E5
The 2020 Diverge Comp E5 comes with a Shimano 105 drivetrain and a Praxis Works Alba chainset with 48/32 chainrings, a wise size for this gravel-focussed bike. Specialized Axis Sport wheels with their tubeless-ready Roadsport 35mm tyres are ideal for roads, brief off-road forays and gravel riding, and the rest of the finishing kit is all supplied by Specialized including a comfy Body Geometry Power Sport saddle. A solid do-it-all bike at a reasonable price? Stu Kerton is testing it now, you can find a first look here.
- £1,949
- www.specialized.com
Shimano MT7 shoes
These waterproof SPD shoes have a waterproof Gore-Tex liner so your toes won't get freezing and your feet won't get soaked, they look idea for bikepacking or gravel riding where some hiking is involved too. When you're on the bike, an EVA midsole should provide plenty of support and the BOA L6 dial gives you a quick and easy way to modify the fit. A grippy rubber sole should also make exploring on foot plenty comfortable. Worth the asking price of £140?
- £140