Four from the 2017 Interbike Media Preview
New Smith helmets, POC road-rash defence and more
The night before Interbike gets underway officially, media are offered a sneak peek at newsworthy gear. Here are a few highlights.
New helmets from Smith
While Smith is set to show off six new helmets on Wednesday, the company had two on display. The Network is a road lid that works for your commutes and group rides. The Session is for your rides on the trail.
POC adds ceramic to AVIP
To bolester the Protection part of POC’s AVIP (Attention, Visibility, Interaction and Protection) kit, the company added ceramic to certain panels on its jersey and bibs. How effective is ceramic for protecting your skin? POC says that its test, which features sandpaper spinning against fabrics, will shred regular material in about 20 revolutions. The ceramic fabric lasts 100 revolutions.
Where Oakley’s glasses meet the helmet
Sometimes, a helmet can mess with your glasses. A lid’s retention system can interfere with the glasses’ temples, preventing an exact fit. With the new Oakley helmets, the company, known for its eyewear, made sure the specs and lids get a long.
The retention system on the Oakley Aro helmets uses a Boa dial that set at the back. It cinches a thin flat, nylon thread to snug the helmet to the head. The thread lies flat and doesn’t force the temples toward funny angles.
A road ebike by Focus
Focus bikes has a prototype road ebike. The company worked with Fazua on the motor and battery, which is an almost cylindrical unit. The bike company then worked on a frame with an open down tube that could accommodate the Fazua unit with its 250 watt/hour battery. Focus says the bike still rides like a race machine. It has a slightly longer wheelbase for added stability. The bike only take wheels that can accommodate Boost spacing at the hubs to ensure the proper chainline.
