Tinkoff Sticks With Fluro

Tinkoff, as it's now called due to the departure of Saxo-Bank, released their new kit today. Sticking with the fluoro scheme they've become synonymous by minor tweaks adorn the new kit namely the blue of last year has been replaced with a greyish blue I can only describe as a faded denim colour has become the primary colour of the bib shorts. Whereas the jersey design remains largely the same with the addition of Tinkoffs La Dacha logo adorning the front of the Jersey. 

Moving aside from the new kit, it's more the new bike colour scheme that I love. Boring black and yellow have been replaced with the colours of the new team and make for a much more standout bike. 

Alberto Contador 

So in conclusion, aside from their training kit, Tinkoff has a very clean and vibrant design that shouldn't be lost in the peloton. 

The Special "K": Team Katusha 2016 Kit

A complete overhaul is what can only be described of the Team Katusha 2016 Kit. The kit is now predominantly red which accents of white and has done away with the multi-coloured stripes patterning of last year. The giant K which adorns the front and back will ensure that Katusha doesn't get lost amongst another red jerseys.

Katusha in a sense, they have gone back to a much more simple design where less is more, but by all accounts have succeeded in producing a kit which is clean and recognizable. 

Team Katusha 2016

A Timeless Classic: Team Sky Kit 2016

It's the week of new kit releases, and Team Sky were the next to release theirs. In keeping with the black and blue which has been iconic for the multi Tour De France winning team has undergone a few changes. The lighter shade of blue sits better against the black and is my opinion is a wise choice. The coloured striped now adorn the chest along with much more bold and visible sponsor logos which in turn actually complements the kit design. 

                           

Rapha have always nailed the kit design of Team Sky and this new looks is certainly going to be a fan favourite and will be a favourite for years to come.

If there is one criticism I could make its that th back could be quite boring compared to the front. Although there are no pictures it looks like the back may have no design, but I could be wrong

Tinkoff Release New Training Kit

Today Tinkoff released its new training cat that will be used during their preseason training, and my is it ghastly. The new black and white design uses what can only remind me of a collide scope design, very similar to what you may find in spy shots of a prototype car. In cars, the idea is to hide the angles and disguise the overall shape of the car. But on a cyclist? Apart from maybe some weight gains what else could they be hiding? 

Tinkoff 2016 Training Kit

Unfortunately, I have to say I am not a fan of their new training kit and wish they stuck with the camo design from 2015. This kit from a far kind of resembles the Rock Racing kit from yesteryear. The one positive I can take from this is that the Tinkoff team won't be using their new kit for races. Stay tuned for their 2016 racing kit release on December 19 

IAM Cycling Release Cuore 2016 Cycling Kit

IAM Cycling will have a new look going into the 2016 Season. Cuore the makers of the kit stick with the blue, white and red of past seasons but have switched the colours around to have white the dominant jersey colour.

Looking at the kit from a glance it's distinctive and instantly can only be recognised as IAM Cycling which can only be a good thing. I'm glad IAM Cycling and Cuore have continued to use a previous design as the template and made minor changes to the design instead of a complete overhaul like many teams choose to do. 

IAM Cycling 2015

IAM Cycling 2016

Personally, I have always been a fan of the IAM Cycling kit since its inception in 2013 and feel 2016 is a refreshing makeover. 

Food For Thought: Custom Fitted Cycling Kit

There was recently a video posted showing Nairo Quintana being scanned by Endura technicians that will help in making marginal gains by allowing further wind tunnel testing using a manikin of Nairo Quintana. (Video at bottom of post)

This isn't necessarily new as time trial specialists like Tony Martin have had custom fitted skin suits made to improve aerodynamics, but it looks as though Endura are refining the technique by the use of a scanner. But this got me thinking, what if this method was widely available to everyone? 

The idea is simple, as part of a bike fit the bike fitter would scan a customer onto a computer, creating a 3D model. This model would then be sent to Endura or any other participating brand to have custom tailored cycling kit created. Just as an example, Trek's precision fit would be able to integrate this idea into their fit service. Potentially the use of multiple Kinect camera's and some savvy software could make this concept work instead of a costly full body scanner.

This type of service would be very costly so it would only be an option if you're a serious cyclist or enjoy being at the cutting edge technology. But I think as a concept for the future, it could be quite practical for certain bike shops. Think about it, the best bike fit services offer pressure mapping for saddles, pedal analysis, etc. So why not offer custom fitted cycling kit to further optimise a cyclists position and performance on the bike. 

Etixx-Quickstep Release 2016 Kit

Etixx-Quickstep released the team's new look cycling kit ahead of the 2016 season with the help of their new sprinter and German powerhouse Marcel Kittel.

The Vermarc designed kit builds upon last years 2015 design to create what is in my opinion a smarter looking jersey and bib combination. Marcel Kittel described the new kit as " it's very classy and it makes me proud to wear it. Vermarc did a great job designing this jersey and for my part I hope to honour it during the races and take it to the top spot of the podium."

Mark Cavendish 2015 Etixx Quickstep (left), Marcel Kittel 2016 Etixx-Quickstep 2016 (right)

Gone is the pale blue in favour of a darker blue to match the colours of Quickstep and new Sponsor Lidl. Vermarc has also seen fit to add a bit of pinstriping across the abdomen which I feel is an elegant solution to break up the large blue, black and white colour blocks and provides a better jersey to short transition.

Personally I like this kit, the design is simple yet elegant. It's refreshing to see a kit which is not predominantly black and should be much more recognisable in the peloton next year. 

New Tech: Legend Loop Armband

At last an armband that may fit my legendary skinny arms! The Legend Loop Armband is a new Kickstarter project aimed at the active individual, at first it looks like another armband to hold your phone and, to be honest, you'd be half right. 

But that's where it stops, what sets the Legend Loop Armband is that is compatible with almost any smartphone up to 5.5inches.  You could probably fit an iPhone 6 with a bit of a squeeze, but 5.5 is the max safe size. The slim Legend Arm Loops has a claimed weight of 1.8grams and includes a small pocket for your keys and cash, this is good news for the weight weenies who care about weight. The armband is water resistant so apart from constant showers your phone will survive sweaty gym sessions and outdoor activities.

If you're interested in purchasing the armband has two options, a men's and woman's size that both have a universal fit. If the project is successful you will be looking at January  for delivery. Click here for information on the Legend Loop Armband or to back this project. 

UCI Moving With The Times

It's official, the UCI has allowed the use of disc brakes throughout the racing calendar including major races from the next year 2016. It's been a long term coming with those opposing and others supporting disc brakes. Personally disc brakes in the peloton will be refreshing to see in the peloton and more closely resembles the way trends are moving in the cycling industry.

We're likely to see widespread use during the spring and cobbled classics where rain, mud and wind are common. It's those conditions where disc brakes really come into their own. Some teams were already trialling disc brakes from the back end of the 2015 season and noted increased braking performance in wet weather. 

Canyon Ultimate CF SLX  Disc

Although it's exciting to finally see disc brakes in the pro peloton next year a shadow of doubt still weighs heavily, on the whole, idea. Firstly teams running Campagnolo  are yet to have a disc brake groupset, Campagnolo says they're close to finishing testing their own disc groupset when it will be ready we don't know. But it would have to be before April. Secondly disc brakes present a nightmare for  Mavic neutral vehicles who will need to carry an increased number of wheels, not only just to satisfy riders still using rim brakes but also Shimano and Sram disc equipped wheels.

At the moment, it looks like every world tour team will have a disc equipped bike model at their disposal. Only Scott remain the only brand not to have a disc version of their top end racing models whilst Canyons disc equipped Ultimate CF SLX remains a concept that we're likely to see next year.  

If the 2016 season of testing is successful disc brakes will be allowed in all levels of cycling sport and dare I say become favoured in the pro peloton in years to come.