Gear Break: DMT Pogi's, Ass Savers Win Wing, Factor Bikes Expand Range, Café du Cycliste Eyewear

Gear Break: DMT: Pogi’s, the new limited edition signed by Tadej Pogačar, Ass Savers Win Wing – A minimalist approach to maximum performance, Factor Bikes expand range with new gravel bike, Café du Cycliste: Second drop of new eyewear | New Lara for AW22, new Pirelli Cinturato Gravel S, the tire with the most offroad tread pattern of the range and SockGuy releases new designs for fall 2022 and Halloween.

DMT: Pogi’s, The New Limited Edition Signed by Tadej Pogačar

Ass Savers Win Wing – A Minimalist Approach to Maximum Performance

The making of Win Wing from Ass Savers on Vimeo.

Since 2012, from a factory in Sweden, Ass Savers have been producing their ubiquitous go-to mudguards primarily from recycled plastic for cyclists from commuters to professionals —and inspiring countless imitators along the way. Now Ass Savers have again rewritten the rules of fender design with their newest, ultra-lightweight, clip-on mudguard – the radical Win Wing.

As all cyclists know, sitting comfortably on the bike is fundamental for good performance. As proof, since 2013, the original Ass Saver has been found under the saddles of many pro cyclists including Team DSM, IAM Cycling, Lotto-Belisol and Team Movistar—just to name a few. Because of this, Ass Savers continue to develop minimalistic, easy-to-attach mudguards that protect key rider areas while adding little weight. After all, staying dry can very well be the difference between winning and losing a cold, wet race.

Boosted by the explosion of Gravel as a performance category, the mudguard has been elevated to a performance-enhancing component like never before and is an essential piece of equipment for any ambitious classics or gravel rider. Traditional mudguards are not suitable for performance use; they are too heavy, don’t handle rough terrain well and are sensitive to knocks and misalignment.

For that reason, most performance bikes do not offer attachment points for regular mudguards. The Win Wing fits practically any road or gravel bike, protecting the rider in even the worst conditions. No matter the terrain, on-road or off, the Win Wing won’t rattle or jam, and with the Road version at 64g and the Gravel at 72g, the weight of this added protection goes unnoticed by the rider.

The key to understanding how the Win Wing works lies in physics: water and mud leave the wheel in a straight line from the tangential point of release. By shielding the upper rear quarter of the wheel, the Win Wing eliminates spray from reaching the critical areas of the rider and increases comfort. And when comfort can be had without a weight penalty, that’s what Ass Savers call a “win-wing situation”.

PEZ ToolBox editor and keen gravel rider, Stephen Cheung Ph.D has been using the Ass Saver Win Wing, here is what he has to say:Growing up in Vancouver, I’ve ridden in much more than my fair share of rainy days. There, off-season group rides mandate full front and back fenders, complete with homemade additions to extend the ends of the fenders further to minimize road spray to your feet and also those riding behind you. So you can say that I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to trying to find the perfect fender for road cycling.

The challenge is made even greater with gravel bikes, especially on a long adventure where, frankly, being wet all day from muddy roads really isn’t all that much fun. The challenge magnifies because of the wider tire widths but especially from the risk of mud or rocks catching and tearing the fenders. I actually ended up with a deep gouge on the inside of my left chainstay on my fully-fendered gravel bike this past winter just from constant working of grit against the fully-secured fender!

I’m now at the stage of life where heavy rain days are indoor days, so I have moved towards more minimalist solutions for my road bikes. The original Ass-Savers securing on the underside of the saddle worked somewhat, but they weren’t that secure and I’ve lost quite a few just from road vibrations or knocking about. Their location on the saddle rails often made it difficult to fit in a saddle bag too.

So far, I’ve found the Ass Savers “Win Wing” to be a very good compromise for those looking for a minimalist fender solution. Setting up on the seatstays get them out of the way, and provide decent protection from road spray. The seatstay location is especially great for gravel cycling or bikepacking, where saddle bags eliminate any saddle real estate.

I had the road version on a recent three day cycling trip and I never once thought aboutchecking to see whether they needed adjusting, nor did I hear any rattling or tire scraping. That’s because there really is nothing to rattle thanks to the no-metal construction, and also because there really isn’t much of the fender itself anywhere close to the tires. The plastic struts and adjustable straps attaching to the seatstays are strong enough to not really move at all despite road vibrations.

Will they keep you as dry as full fenders? Of course not, as you’re still going to get road spray dripping down to your bottom bracket and feet from the tires. But will they keep your back and backside drier – yes. And will they cost you much in weight or require constant adjustment that you get with full fenders – no.

Especially with fall here now with its uncertain weather, the Win Wings are a constant on both my road and gravel bikes. Now I’m just hoping that the Ass Savers crew can put their brains towards a similar design for the front wheel!

Factor Bikes Expand Range with New Gravel BikePremium brand launches OSTRO Gravel – an aerodynamic racing gravel bike

FACTOR, the premium performance bicycle brand, today launches the eagerly awaited OSTRO Gravel – the ultimate gravel racing bike that combines elite gravel performance with best-in-class aerodynamics.

FACTOR – no stranger to high end performance driven engineering and technology – has applied its road and time trial expertise to construct a bike that is fast across a variety of surfaces. Designed with high end gravel racing – where there is a growing desire for optimized aerodynamics – in mind, the OSTRO Gravel combines elite aerodynamics with gravel riding/racing design details to deliver a gravel bike that is in a class of its own.

Providing tire clearance of up to 45mm and weighing in at 900g (size 54 fully painted frame in Naked Grunge), the OSTRO Gravel draws inspiration from FACTOR’s highly successful Tour de France stage winning OSTRO VAM and adapts it for the nuances of gravel racing in the form of lower speed aerodynamics, more rugged construction, geometry and handling, and versatile mounting options.

As elite gravel racing continues to evolve and winning times continue to come down, aerodynamic optimization – or the lack thereof – on a 200-mile race can spell the difference between a podium or a top-10 finish. By manipulating the behavior of airflow (specifically the laminar separation bubble) around the head tube before it can be disrupted by the rider and the bike itself, FACTOR’s engineers were able to give the OSTRO Gravel its unique lower speed aero-efficient characteristics.

Constructed from a blend of TeXtreme®, Toray® and Nippon Graphite® pitch-based fiber, the OSTRO Gravel balances FACTOR’s signature lightweight design with a strengthened layup to handle the challenging conditions of gravel racing. A T47A threaded bottom bracket, rounded steerer tube, and fully-internal cabling further maximize the OSTRO Gravel’s security and robustness, while multiple mounting points provide versatile mounting options for essential gravel accessories.

Many all-road and gravel bikes struggle to deliver steering that’s effective and confident both on- and off-road, typically ending up with an unsatisfying compromise of soft handling and modest tire capacity. The OSTRO Gravel breaks that mold by making the tire size an integral part of the geometry. Wider tires also have a greater outside diameter (or rolling circumference) which increases the true, or ‘resulting’ trail of a bike; narrower tires have a smaller outside diameter which reduces resulting trail.

FACTOR’s engineers selected a trail value on the slightly faster handling side for gravel use, given the bike’s racing focus, while prioritizing head tube angle when selecting fork rake. This leads to a fast handling gravel bike on 43mm tires and an equally satisfying and precise all-road machine on 32s, with no low-speed wheel flop.

Black Inc Components

FACTOR’s sister brand BLACK INC completes the build for the OSTRO Gravel, providing the wheelset and integrated aero barstem, both specifically optimized for gravel performance. The BLACK INC THIRTY-FOUR wheelset is engineered for gravel and all-terrain riding, offering modern hookless rim profile specifically to host 30mm tires or wider, all while maintaining FACTOR and BLACK INC’s racing pedigree with a svelte weight of 1,489g, custom CeramicSpeed bearings and Sapim CX-Ray and CX-Sprint butted aero spokes.

The BLACK INC Aero Integrated Barstem has been developed to complement the agile frame. Featuring a gently flared design to give the rider confidence without creating strange shifter orientations, it houses internal cable routing and wireless shifting to maximize aerodynamic efficiency. The ergonomically designed profile of the handlebars also provide significant power savings of up to 9 watts in comparison to a regular bar stem set-up, as validated through FACTOR’s wind tunnel testing.

FACTOR Founder and CEO Rob Gitelis said: “Extending our current gravel offering to include a bike of this calibre is integral to FACTOR’s development. We have invested heavily in the technology to create what we believe to be the world’s fastest gravel bike. Seeing it already succeed on the world stage is something we are extremely proud of”.

Adam Roberge, 2022 Gravel World Champion and FACTOR athlete said: “I have been working closely with Factor behind the scenes on the development of the OSTRO Gravel. This bike without a doubt helped me achieve a 16 second course record at the worlds in Nebraska. The bike was extremely compliant and responsive, especially considering the high paceline and constant elevation change. It has been a real asset to my season.”

Prices:

Premium Complete Bike

Premium Package Frameset – USD 5,499 / EUR 5,450 / GBP 4,730** Includes frame, fork, seatpost, barstem, CeramicSpeed BB, CeramicSpeed Headset

Premium Package Frameset + Black Inc Wheels – USD 7,499 / EUR 7,430 / GBP 6,450**Includes frame, fork, seatpost, barstem, CeramicSpeed BB, CeramicSpeed headset, Black Inc Thirty-Four wheels

The Factor OSTRO Gravel is available now globally via Factorbikes.com and authorized Factor dealers from the end of September 2022.

They are also available at all Factor Experience Centres in the United States:

Specifications:

Café du Cycliste: Second Drop of New Eyewear | New Lara for AW22

Drop DeuxWith a single piece design Gabin is now available in both black and brown and there is more Maurice in tortoise shell.

Each pair of glasses features a photo-chromic lens to adjust perfectly to changing light conditions and a hydrophobic coating for clear vision even when the clouds break. Designed on the Cote d’Azur, inspired by the world outside the window and built to be active.

Find NEW eyewear for out there.

A Little Bit of Lara

With a textured construction and a three season weight, Lara works perfectly across a range of different riding conditions.

Built using a high stretch recycled fabric, the technical jersey is designed to increase air circulation for optimum temperature control when the going gets tough. Add in signature touches including a patch logo and a windstopper pocket, Lara is ready to ride.

Discover NEW Lara is black.

New Pirelli Cinturato Gravel S, The Tire with the Most Offroad Tread Pattern of the Range

Pirelli completes its range of bike tires dedicated to the gravel discipline with the market introduction of Cinturato Gravel S (Soft Terrain), the version designed for the softest and most challenging terrain.

With this new tire, Pirelli offers a range of choices for two-wheel enthusiasts that is among the most complete on the market: in the catalog there is a Cinturato Gravel tire suitable for every use, from leisure riding to racing, for all terrains and for all types of riders.

Like all the other tires in the range (RC, H, M), the Cinturato Gravel S is a tubeless ready tire, and like the other products in the range it is made with the SpeedGRIP compound: developed by Pirelli, it perfectly combines the typical characteristics of an offroad compound characterized by high mechanical resistance qualities with low rolling resistance, to which is added a high grip on wet and dry.

The sculpted tread pattern of Cinturato Gravel S was developed by Pirelli engineers starting from the design of the Scorpion S dedicated to MTBs. The tread blocks have been redesigned and modified to safely tackle gravel trails, even quite technical and rough ones, where grip and safety are the top priority, without neglecting easy handling and grip on the road.

Like the RC version, dedicated to gravel racing and launched by Pirelli in July this year, the new S variant has also been reinforced compared to the other Cinturato Gravel tires in the range: its casing, this time in 60 TPI nylon, is protected by a “belt,” called TechWALL Gravel, which goes from bead to bead.

Easy to ride, durable and sturdy, ideal on wet, damp, muddy ground and perfect for the upcoming fall season, Cinturato Gravel S is already available for purchase, in sizes 40-622 and 45-622 in both traditional black and Classic versions with para sidewalls. Sizes 50-622 and 50-584 in Classic version will then close the range, hitting the market in the coming months.

SockGuy Releases New Designs for Fall 2022

SockGuy has new designs engineered to inspire athletes everywhere, from roadies, to mountain bikers, runners, hikers, and gym freaks. As usual, we’re keeping it weird and fun!

With 26 years as sock experts, SockGuy has provided athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and pretty much everyone else with a high-performance fit and cool designs for hard-working/hard-playing feet. SockGuy socks are manufactured right here in the USA – no outsourcing, no cutting corners – just great-fitting, no blistering, high-styling socks.

Shown (left to right):

Halloween DesignsThese Halloween designs are perfect for curling up with popcorn, friends, and scary movies. Festive, supportive, and sppoooOOOoookkyy. Tis the season for things that go fright in the night!

Shown (left to right):

Note: PEZCyclingNews ask that you contact the manufacturers before using any products you see here. Only the manufacturer can provide accurate and complete information on proper / safe use, handling, maintenance and or installation of products as well as any conditional information or product limitations.