Gear Break: Primal: New MLB cycling jerseys just dropped! Pirelli presents Cinturato Gravel RC tires: tubeless ready for gravel racing: fast and highly puncture resistant, video release: 10 years Of InvisiFRAME – A must read story, Tifosi Optics’ new sizzle series blends expert performance with lifestyle looks, 100copies new bicycle art #51 for TDF – Peloton and Beryl Burton: In search of Britain’s greatest athlete By Jeremy Wilson.
Primal: New MLB Cycling Jerseys Just Dropped!
Pirelli Presents Cinturato Gravel RC Tires: Tubeless Ready for Gravel Racing: Fast and Highly Puncture Resistant
- Aggressive MTB-derived tread design with SpeedGRIP compound.
- Even more resistance to cuts, to face any racing terrain.
Pirelli launches Cinturato Gravel RC tires, the racing version of its already famous Cinturato Gravel tires. This tubeless ready tire completes the gravel selection, conceived and designed for the modern races of a discipline that is now even recognized by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
From the World Gravel Series to Unbound, the Cinturato Gravel RC is intended for every gravel competition: on road, gravel or irregular terrain. The new tire was created to meet the needs of the fastest athletes of this discipline, who require fluidity and speed in compact and straight sections, and aggressiveness and maximum grip to face any curve easily and at the speeds of modern gravel racing.
The Cinturato Gravel RC, which will be shown to the public for the first time at the EuroBike fair in Frankfurt (Germany), features a special tread pattern: with tall profile and widely spaced knobs on the sidewalls and low profile and compact tread spacing in the central area. It is borrowed from a best-selling competition tire in Pirelli’s MTB product range: the Scorpion XC RC, a tire born in XC and Marathon World Cup races and made for fast, expert riders.
As with the other Cinturato Gravel tires in the range, the new Cinturato Gravel RC is made with the proven, high-performance SpeedGRIP compound. This proprietary compound from Pirelli allows you to easily tackle every surface, from asphalt to gravel to off-road. SpeedGRIP offers durability comparable to that of the MTB SmartGRIP, excellent chemical grip on wet surfaces and a reduction in rolling resistance very close to that of a pure road tire.
The Cinturato Gravel RC has been reinforced compared to the other gravel tires in the range, specifically to enable the tire to safely face the toughest tests and sustain the watts expressed even by gravel professionals, on any type of terrain. Its casing, this time in 60TPI nylon, is protected by a ‘belt’, which goes from bead to bead. Named TechWALL Gravel, it adds a layer of reinforcement and protection against cuts, without compromising the tire’s rolling resistance and rideability.
Pirelli’s new Cinturato Gravel RC tire is already available for purchase, in sizes 35-622, 40-622 and 45-622, in both traditional black color version and a Classic version, with para sidewalls.
Video Release: 10 Years Of InvisiFRAME – A Must Read Story
From the kitchen table to industry leading bike protection – this is the story of invisiFRAME 10 years on from its conception and how a light bulb moment changed the industry forever.
How many times will you be out on a bike ride, and you have a lightbulb moment, the next big thing pops into your head. ‘This could change the game forever’? Before you know it, doubt kicks in and the moment is lost.
This is the difference between Lee Regan and the rest of us! In 10 years, Lee has turned a light bulb moment on a bike a ride into a passion project. That passion project is now a global business in partnership with his wife Vicky. From humble beginnings as a painter and an NHS nurse, the Regan’s have transformed bike protection forever. This is the story of invisiFRAME.
In 2011, Lee Regan was just like many riders, a weekend warrior and lover of bikes. As a car painter by day, riding was his escape and his way of blowing off steam. But bikes don’t come cheap, and it can be an expensive hobby, especially when it comes to latest tech in mountain bikes. When a 0% credit card offer came through the post, lee took the plunge and spent 5k on a new bike, a big chunk of change. This was his new baby and it was one of the most valuable items in his life, it didn’t make sense to be throwing it down the mountains without any kind of protection. Out on a ride one day he had that light bulb moment! Working on cars he was using protection film for high end vehicles to protect the paint work, why couldn’t this be used for his bike? This is moment 99% of us will never move forward from but Lee was different. He went home and designed his own bespoke frame protection kit and invisiFRAME was born.
As word spread and friends saw Lee out on rides, he started getting requests from other riders wanting to protect their high end frames. From chain stay rub to stone chips, scratches and crashes. People wanted to protect their bikes. It wasn’t just to keep their bikes looking great but also to maintain their resale value. invisiFRAME was a must have for riders and until this moment there was nothing out there quite like it.
As the buzz continued to grow, Lee’s passion project began to fill the home as he held down a full-time job and worked on invisiFRAME late into the evenings and on weekends. Demand was growing and the next chapter in invisiFRAME was about to start. Lee quit his day job and went full time on invisiFRAME in 2015. The Regan’s house became the invisiFRAME HQ and the kitchen would double up as the workshop. The whole family would live and breathe invisiFRAME. Lee’s partner Vicky would come back from her full-time role as a nurse in the NHS and work on the books, pack orders and ship out products. It was a team effort but one that was paying off.
As the company continued to grow it was time to for Vicky to come in full time and lead the business operations. The family ethos behind the brand continued with friends and relatives joining the business and they would soon have their own premises. As the journey continued, one thing remained true to the company, they all loved bikes.
Before becoming a business owner Lee was working on cars and was exposed to the materials they were using on high end vehicles. It was a natural step for invisiFRAME to be derived from the automotive industry. When Lee was first looking for the right material, this was his starting point. If a clear film is being used to protect custom painted rally cars and super cars worth millions, surely this technology would be perfect for bikes that use similar materials? PPF (paint protection film) was already being designed and manufactured by XPEL in the US and trusted by owners of most expensive vehicles. If this world class PPF is good enough for a super car, then it was the ultimate solution for a bike. Lee didn’t need to reinvent the wheel and come up with some fancy marketing gimmicks. The trick was in the design.
InvisiFRAME had developed a unique, patented process that would allow them to map every line, contour and angle of a frame to create a kit that was truly bespoke to that frame. Whilst others have tried to replicate the detail in an invisiFRAME kit, they have always missed the mark.
In the latest chapter of the invisiFRAME story, having seen the volume of XPEL PPF that the brand was working with, the two companies have joined forces under one roof. Under the XPEL company, Lee and Vicky, along with their team have the opportunity to produce more kits, deliver to more countries and develop more products than ever before. Alongside this they get access the latest technology from the industry leading PPF manufacturer – your bikes will see the rewards.
Across the bike industry, 10 years on from the conception, invisiFRAME has developed trusted working relations with the world’s top bike brands and independents. Often working under embargo, license and special permission to create the ultimate bespoke frame protection and colour decals. This allows protection to be available from the moment the frames land in store and customisation can be offered.
Over 10 years Lee and Vicky Regan have taken a light bulb moment on a bike ride and turned it into a global brand that has changed the frame protection market forever. As more companies try to develop their own technologies or match the quality of invisiFRAME, the brand has only just started. invisFRAME is not just a frame protection company, it is a 10-year story of passion and determination and how a love of bikes became a family business that has changed the game forever.
TO CELEBRATE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF invisiFRAME YOU CAN GET 10% OFF ALL invisiFRAME PRODUCTS ONLINE FOR 10 DAYS ONLY – SIMPLY ORDER YOUR KIT ON WWW.INVISIFRAME.CO.UK AND ENTER THE CODE: THEOG10.
Tifosi Optics’ New Sizzle Series Blends Expert Performance with Lifestyle Looks
The first Tifosi lifestyle frame with a shield lens, the Sizzle is an all-day companion
Tifosi Optics, a leading sport and lifestyle sunglasses brand, is proud to introduce Sizzle series sunglasses. Pushing the boundaries of crossover eyewear, the Sizzle is the first Tifosi sunglass to feature a shielded lens design embedded within the body of a lifestyle frame. The Sizzle is built for performance but styled for all-day aesthetics, making it the perfect summer eyewear companion.
Single-shield lens sunglasses offer superior eye coverage for runners and cyclists but their oversized appearance can make them awkward to wear in casual settings. The Sizzle offers the best of both worlds–a casual frame featuring a low-profile, shatterproof and scratch resistant polycarbonate shield for active pursuits. “We recognize that our customers take full advantage of summer weather. This could mean a bike ride in the morning followed by an afternoon barbecue,” offered Tifosi Optics CEO, Joe Earley. “The Sizzle is meant to be a lightweight, all-day eyewear companion that can provide protection for active pursuits, yet blends in when it’s time to relax with friends and family,” Earley continued.
The Sizzle’s performance oriented Grilamid TR-90 frame complements its shielded lens. This includes Tifosi Glide, a treatment applied to the Sizzle’s arms which allows the sunglass to comfortably slide onto the face and stay in place during movement.
While built with the same high-quality materials associated with a premium price tag, the Sizzle is highly affordable. Each of four frame and lens options, including the sleek looking Blackout frame and Smoke lens combination, retails for $34.95 and includes a microfiber cleaning bag.
The Sizzle:
- MSRP: $34.95
- Shield style lenses provide maximum coverage in a lifestyle frame design.
- Grilamid TR-90 frames are lightweight and durable for all day comfort (24 grams).
- Polycarbonate lenses are shatterproof, scratch-resistant, and optically decentered for optimal clarity.
- Hydrophilic nose pieces provide a no-slip grip – the more you perspire, the more they grip.
- Glide technology allows the frame to slide on comfortably and provides an anti-bounce fit for all activity.
- 100% UVA/UVB protection from harmful ultraviolet rays.
- The Sizzle series sunglasses will launch online at www.tifosioptics.com and with retail partners on July 6.
100copies New Bicycle Art #51 for TDF – Peloton
We ride elbow to elbow,
wheel to wheel,
taking turns to shield and be shielded
from the wind.
We ride so closely to one another
that there is no room for misjudgement.
We begin to react instinctively,
flowing as one,
as if we are part of the same body.
Knowing all the time
that only one of us can be the first
to cross the finishing line.
Are we competitors or comrades?
In the peloton, it’s complicated.
A peloton is simply a group of cyclists riding together in a race, but things are never as simple as it looks. The number of cyclists can go up to the hundreds. Like a large living organism, the peloton evolves as it moves. Its formation changes according to race strategy and physical conditions – the track, the terrain, the wind, especially the wind – with the aim of moving the pack forward as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Inspired by the physics of ink flowing with gravity, this artwork overlaps 3 High-Intensity Fluorescent Pantone Colours to create many more brilliant shades which represent cyclists overlapping one another in a peloton.
Sheet size: 840mm X 520mm
Print Quality: Offset Lithographic Printing using 3 High-Intensity Fluorescent Pantone Colours that glow under UV light. Printed on 220gsm Maple Bright paper. Suitable for archival use.
Beryl Burton: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete By Jeremy Wilson
The remarkable life of champion cyclist Beryl Burton, long ignored by sporting history.
- Beryl Burton was practically invincible in time trials, finishing as Best All-Rounder for 25 consecutive years. She was the only woman ever to have broken a men’s record in endurance sport, setting a world record in 1967.
- But her achievements were limited by discrimination from the cycling authorities, and by her strictly amateur status against state-sponsored rivals from Eastern Bloc nations. Yet she carried on winning, beating men and —infamously — competing against her own daughter, while working on a farm and running a household. Her motivation, sparked by appalling childhood illness, is as fascinating as her achievements are stunning.
- Through extensive interviews with family, friends, rivals and fellow sports giants (and previously unseen correspondence and photographs), journalist Jeremy Wilson peels back the layers to reveal one of the most complex, enigmatic and compelling characters in cycling history.
Jeremy Wilson is the Chief Sports Reporter for the Daily Telegraph. He was voted investigative sports reporter and national journalist of the year for his work on football and dementia. His sports writing was again highly commended in 2021 at both the British Press Awards and the British Journalism Awards. A lifelong club cyclist, he worked previously as a sports journalist for the Guardian.
PEZ literary editor, Leslie Reissner is working on a book review which will appear in the ‘PEZ Bookshelf’ soon.
- The book was released on 7th July 2022 by Profile Books
- Hardback | 336pp | £20
- The book is available from many outlets including AMAZON.
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