After a little break we again pick up our What We Have Noticed feature with new aero wheels from Easton, a World Triathlon Series fan campaign, fabric race numbers from Champion Systems, the Soleus Draft GPS cycling head unit, a smart backpack and a very steep race courtesy of Red Bull.
New Easton aero wheels
What: We don’t know many details about these new Easton aero wheels but they surely look meaty from this perspective. They will be officially unveiled during the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt, Germany on July 5th and the Easton crew appears to be quite confident about these new wheels. That is at least what the Twitter hashtag #prayforwind seems to say.
Availability: Carbon (December)
MSRP: n/a
Website: eastoncycling.com
WTS Kitzbühel #yousaywespray
What: The 2013 ITU World Triathlon Series race in Kitzbühel promises to be epic with some seriously challenging climbing thrown in and the fans can now show their support during the event with the ITU World Triathlon #yousaywespray campaign. Fans can submit their messages to @worldtriathlon with the hashtag #yousaywespray or leave a comment on the World Triathlon Facebook page under the You Say It – We Spray It image, and a selection of the best messages will be picked and sprayed. Messages though need to be limited to 25 characters, not counting spaces. “Slowtwitch loves WTS Pros” would be short, sweet and acceptable.
Race date: July 6, 2013
Website: facebook.com/worldtriathlon
Champion System race numbers
What: Crinkly or stiff paper race numbers on the back of a jersey or on a race belt are truly a nuisance and the new fabric race numbers from Champion Systems offer a smart solution to this dilemma. Why fabric race numbers aren’t common yet is actually quite amazing and hopefully the folks at Champion Systems will change that.
MSRP: starting at $0.45 per number with a 300 order
Website: champ-sys.com
Soleus Draft GPS cycling computer
What: A big gripe about GPS cycling head units is the cost associated with them. The new Soleus Draft unit with an MSRP of $99 should allow more folks to train with such a unit. The Draft offers a 30 ride file storage, plus current, average and max speed calculations and is compatible with Strava. The data can currently only be synced to a PC but a Mac compatible unit is in the works.
Size: 2.5” x 1.75” x 1.5”
Weight: 1.6oz
MSRP: $99
Website: soleusrunning.com
iBackpack
What: This iBackpack might not be something you may want to carry during a race, but for a commuter such a device appears to make good sense. The backpack features a clear window that allows folks behind you to see the tablet display that you control via a smartphone. Turn signals happen via a swipe and a gyro sensor, and a speed sensor recognizes when you are braking and displays that message. Plus of course other creative or not so creative messages can be displayed.
MSRP: n/a
Website: yankodesign.com
Steep racing
What: Red Bull calls this event the Steepest Race in Europe and while there is some running involved we purposely did not refer to it as a running race. 300 luck folks got to scramble up the Planica ski jump hill in Slovenia and we are sure that their leg muscles were burning from that scrambling activity.
Distance: just 400 meters ☺
Entry fee: n/a
Website: redbull.com
