Cool bike gear for shallower pockets for a change: New bikes from Ribble that might actually fit you, a brace of shoes from Canyon, in a jam packed tech round-up

While ‘value for money’ and ‘affordable’ are subjective terms they continue to be keen points of conversation within the cycling community. If you want to ride and wear the same gear as the pros then your bank balance is likely taking a hit like never before; road bikes that cost five digits are commonplace, while shoes north of £/$500 now exist.

But of course there are alternatives that provide a counterbalance to the eye-wateringly expensive and this roundup features a few in the shape of Ribble‘s new carbon endurance bikes, Canyon‘s road and gravel shoes and Lazer’s do-it-all helmet.

Ribble Ultra-Road and Allroad Carbon road bikes

(Image credit: Ribble)

Ribble’s already extensive range of road bikes has grown a little larger with the addition of the Ultra-Road and the Allroad Carbon. Both bikes seek to blend performance with practicality via carbon construction, plenty of tyre clearance, sensible geometry and few added features.

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The Ultra-Road features what Ribble calls “performance-leaning endurance geometry”. Rather than forcing you into a low and long position that you can’t hold, it is instead designed to allow for a comfortable, sustainable position that will enable a more consistent application of power, and a faster ride as a result.

(Image credit: Ribble)

In the medium the stack height is 560mm, combined with a reach of 379mm, while in the XL size, designed for riders at least 6’0” tall, this increases to 599mm and 408mm respectively. For comparison, the stack height and reach of Ribble’s dedicated race machine, the Ultra Race, in a size medium are almost a centimetre lower and longer.

The carbon monocoque frameset which makes a 7.5kg complete build possible, has clearance for up to 38mm wide tyres and features the brand’s signature dropped stays. There’s also internal frame storage on the downtube and an option to run mudguards, should you wish.

Like the Ultra-Road, the Allroad Carbon sits comfortably in the endurance category. Ribble says it’s an evolution of its popular Allroad SL bike, using a premium carbon layup, alongside a re-designed front end that is now more aerodynamic thanks to the tube shapes, new fork design and the introduction of fully integrated cable routing.

As the name states, this is a bike that when it comes to road surfaces is created to handle the rough and the smooth. With this in mind the it too uses the same dropped stays alongside a round seatpost and clearance for 35mm wide tyres.

Both models are offered in a wide range of builds, with the Ultra-Road starting at £2,599 and the Allroad Carbon at £1,799.

Like the Ribble bikes above Canyon is aiming to balance performance and comfort in the shape of its new Tempr shoes. Offered in both road and off-road models, they include many of the features of the existing Tempr CFR shoes but in a more affordable package.

The Tempr Road features an 8K woven carbon composite outsole alongside a seamless synthetic upper, complete with perforations to help your food breath, and knitted tongue. The shoes boast generously proportioned TPU heel and toe pads with the aim of avoiding any café stop mishaps. Combined it makes for a shoe that weighs a claimed 285g in a size 42.

The Off-Road model eschews the carbon sole in favour of a glass-fibre nylon construction with a flexible forefoot section that is designed to make it efficient and comfortable both on and off the bike. It’s paired with a rubber outsole and TPU toe cap and mudguard to add some grip and durability. The claimed weight is 335g.

Both models use BOA® Li2 dial with PerformFit wrap construction, are offered in black and white, and retail at €159.95.

For a product that’s designed to help a cyclist go faster, there’s no better conformation than winning a prominent race. For Apidura and its new Aero Bolt-On Tube modules they did just that at the recent Unbound gravel race. Twice.

The modules, part of the brand’s Aero system design for gravel racing, were used by Sofia Gomez Villafane in winning Unbound 200 and by Robin Gemperle, who crossed the line first at Unbound XL using the long version.

The Aero Bolt-On top tube modules offer strap-free storage and can be used in conjunction with the Aero Frame Module. The smaller module offers 0.4L of space, while the longer model doubles this.