Gear Break: FasCat CoachCat AI Coaching, fizik Beat Shoes, Chapter2 HURU Frame Offer Ends Soon, POC Cytal Carbon Helmet, Ass Savers and Posedla Team Up & Till I Collapse – Jan Frodeno

Could CoachCat really help someone get ready for the Olympics? The AI hasn’t yet been tested in that way, but it has been trained with FasCat founder Frank Overton’s 20+ years of coaching experience and offers a high level of support for $34.99 per month. A human coach would charge hundreds.

But if you did ask CoachCat about trying to qualify for the Olympics …

The Best Lines are Blurred — fizik Beat
Durability blended with elegance—road meets gravel.

fizik has launched a revolutionary new shoe that blurs the lines between road and gravel. The Beat is a versatile model that combines a sleek silhouette with the convenience of a two-bolt cleat, for riders who enjoy exploring both on and off the beaten path.

As cycling moves towards wider tires and more versatile mixed-terrain bikes, the old rules that defined riding categories are merging. fizik is following this discipline-blending trend, with a new shoe that’s built to go beyond road, gravel, and expectations.

For all riders and multiple terrains

The classic considerations of a road shoe have been redefined with the Beat, for riders who won’t be limited to just one type of terrain. This shoe is the most versatile in fizik’s entire range, inviting riders to choose their own path and enjoy every outing to the fullest, from rolling on smooth tarmac to exploring light gravel tracks.

New outsole

Combining the reliability and walkability of an SPD outsole with the sleek look of a road aesthetic, the Beat features a sleek design that hides a two-bolt cleat track. With a stiffness index of 4, the road-style SPD outsole balances both comfort and good pedaling efficiency — responsive for when you need a burst of speed but forgiving enough to help you forget the bumps and buzz of rougher surfaces.

Generous toe box

The Beat features a completely new shape, with a more spacious toe box and a simple lace-up closure system. This combines with a soft fabric upper that wraps around the cyclist’s foot and offers support while providing a secure and pressure-free fit to keep riding for longer.

Whether it’s someone’s first foray into clipped-in riding or a rider looking for a versatile shoe that transitions easily from paved roads to winding gravel paths, the Beat offers the perfect solution. Simple, comfortable, and easier to navigate than traditional road cleats, this shoe provides a secure, locked-in feeling for endless fun and exploration.

Specifications:

• Soft and breathable fabric upper
• Reliable lace-up closure
• Outsole: TPU tread with a nylon shank
• Stiffness index 4
• Weight: 355 g
• Sizes: 36-48 (37 to 47 also in half sizes)

Colourways:

• White / Orange
• Sage Green / Desert
• Black / Black
• £179.00 / $179.99 / €179.00

Last Chance: Exclusive $1,599 on HURU Frame Offer Ends Soon!

POC Release the Cytal Carbon
POC release a brand-new road helmet with a carbon wing

POC is proud to release its brand-new performance road helmet, the Cytal Carbon. Developed to establish a new benchmark in high-performance helmets, the Cytal Carbon pioneers a new approach to safety, aerodynamics, and ventilation, thanks in part to the inclusion of an advanced handmade carbon wing.

The Cytal Carbon, used and seen on many of the EF Pro Cycling riders in recent weeks, will be available immediately in selected online and retail stores and on www.poc.com
 

 
Introducing the Cytal Carbon, Oscar Huss, Chief Product Officer at POC, said, “With the Cytal Carbon we asked ourselves how we could take our knowledge of developing high-performance road helmets and take it to another level of safety, aerodynamics and cooling. In particular, we wanted to enhance a rider’s performance with even more ventilation and cooling, which is critical to human performance. By challenging conventional thinking, using unique materials and developing new shapes, we found an answer by creating a brand-new helmet and integrating a carbon wing handmade in Italy. And we are extremely positive about the result.”
 
Cytal Carbon Details:
Ventilation
The Cytal Carbon continues to use the Venturi effect, POC’s well-known and respected approach to airflow and ventilation in its helmets. The handmade carbon wing, inspired by high-performance race car use, is formed in Italy to a very precise shape, creating superior ventilation and cooling across the whole head. To encourage airflow and create precise pressure zones inside the helmet, the carbon has a variable shape and thickness, much like a wing, to increase air velocity and enhance helmet cooling. The result is our most ventilated road helmet to date.

Tested in the wind tunnel and fine-tuned with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) testing, the carbon wing design and its material strength also allow for increased frontal air intakes, allowing even more air to flow freely into the helmet. Combined with the linear interior channels to guide airflow and joined exit ports, vast amounts of airflow pass through and out of the helmet, all cooling the rider in the process.
 

Aerodynamics
Ventilation and cooling are essential for modern performance, as is aerodynamics, and the Cytal Carbon has been subject to extensive CFD simulation, windtunnel testing, and real-world testing with EF Pro Cycling riders.

The Cytal Carbon’s aerodynamic performance, especially at higher speeds, has also been improved. The integration of the carbon wing supports a different development approach to material design and has allowed for bigger frontal ports designed to cut through the air.

The precise size and angles of the Cytal Carbon frontal air intakes capture and lead air through the helmet instead of around it, significantly reducing the high-pressure zone at the front of the helmet. An aerodynamically optimized design manages residual air flowing over and around the helmet, reducing turbulence and maintaining a linear airflow off the helmet and rider, improving the helmet and rider’s aerodynamic performance.
 

 
Safety
All POC helmets are built with safety and the POC mission as the cornerstone of the development and design process. Regular certification testing for the Cytal Carbon is a typical prerequisite, but the helmet has been subject to POC’s expert in-house FEM (Finite Element Model) research and testing, which is a fundamental guide to innovation and material use in the development process. Created to question many more safety variables, our FEM modelling process ensures that we deliver products that live up to our internal safety demands and is the process that influenced the carbon wing. In addition, the process also inspired the Koridion core sandwiched between the wing’s carbon sheets to enhance safety by managing and transferring forces across the helmet, strengthening the helmet’s overall integrity.
 

 
POC uses its ‘Whole Helmet Concept™’ in all its helmet development and design to ensure that the helmet is greater than the sum of its parts. Details in the Cytal Carbon, such as material quality and shape, uni-body construction, precise EPS density zones, ergonomic straps, eye garage, and adjustment system for individual comfort and secure fit, all work seamlessly together. It is also the process and foundation that has led to Cytal Carbon achieving the highest (five-star) rating through Virginia Tech’s independent testing.

The Cytal Carbon will be available immediately in most markets and will be the same version (apart from colour) that is being used by riders from both EF women’s and men’s teams.

The EF Pro Cycling performance team have been an integral part of the development process, as described by Andreas Klier, performance head, EF Pro Cycling: “We know the importance of aerodynamics and the difference it can make in a race. And as we know more about human performance that can equally be said for cooling and ventilation, which is why having a helmet that excels at both is such an advantage. We spent a lot of time working with POC’s engineers to fine-tune the details, and we, and the riders, are really positive with the results.”
 

 
The Cytal Carbon
Product and technical features:

• The Cytal Carbon features an integrated lightweight carbon wing, which improves ventilation and aerodynamic performance.
• The Koridion-filled carbon wing improves safety, helmet integrity, and force distribution.
• Extreme cooling and ventilation due to ports and innovative internal airflow design.
• Tested at Virgina Tech and awarded a five-star rating.
• Structurally optimized helmet with precise ventilation ports to control the air intake and release at high and low speeds.
• Design optimized with CFD testing for aerodynamic performance and minimal air turbulence.
• High-performance EPS liner with targeted and optimized density to provide the ideal balance of low weight and crash protection.
• Fully wrapped uni-body shell construction to increase safety and helmet integrity.
• Lightweight size adjustment system for comfort and a personalized fit, with the option of 360-degree padding and fit.
• Optimized PC shell for safety, durability and balance.
• Easily adjustable precision straps anchored to the helmet liner for extra comfort and safety.
• Eye garage to keep your sunglasses securely in position when placed on the helmet.
• Used by EF Pro Cycling team riders.
• Sizes – Small (50-56), Medium (54-59), Large (56-61).
• Weight – 250 g CE (Size M).

Testing
POC’s internal testing has been measured against its Ventral helmets and across a range of speeds (30km/h to 60km/h) and yaw angles.

Availability
The Cytal Carbon will be available to buy at www.poc.com and in selected stores and online immediately. Availability in APAC will follow a little later in the summer.

Colour
Black

Price
SEK 3.999 / NOK 3.999 / CHF 449 / JPY 56.000 / EUR 400 / GBP 360 / AUD 575 / NZD 665 / USD 400 / CAD 500 / DKK 2.999.

Certification
The Cytal Carbon will be available in CE, CPSC and AS/NZS 2063 certification.

Ass Savers and Posedla team up for personalized riding comfort
Czech brand Posedla, creators of the custom 3D-printed Joyseat saddle, have joined forces with the Swedish mudguard makers at Ass Savers to offer a two-part approach to personalized riding comfort.

Currently in its second generation, the Joyseat by Posedla offers a tailor-made approach to saddle fit. Based on what the brand calls “unique butt imprint data”, customers are first sent a Smiling Butt Kit—a box containing a malleable material that captures the shape of a rider’s rear when they sit on it. Next, a ten-part questionnaire further determines individual riding styles and preferences, gauging key data points such as bike type, flexibility, gender, age, and annual mileage. Finally, the team at Posedla get to work, custom printing the padding that will soon support the new Joyseat recipient.

Beyond comfort considerations, Posedla also offers customers the ability to select accent colors, saddle nickname—or now, even add on a colorful, customizable mudguard, courtesy of the folks at Ass Savers. Based on the classic Ass Saver model, this personalized fender integrates easily with Posedla’s saddle design, thanks to a specially developed contour. Quickly connecting to the saddle’s rails, the Ass Saver provides reliable road-spray protection by blocking the seat’s signature central cutout while extending beyond the rear of the saddle to further stop that spray from reaching a rider’s backside.

And just like the saddle itself, the collaborative Ass Saver can also be personalized. Customers can choose to add their name, nickname, or any short text to the top of the fender. The selected texts will then be screen printed directly onto the Ass Saver for a one-of-a-kind piece of kit that offers both functionality and flair.

Till I Collapse – Jan Frodeno
A Photographic Essay by Tino Pohlmann

“Till I Collapse – Jan Frodeno” is a new, 254-page large-format photo book that captures not just the extraordinary moments of Jan Frodeno‘s career but also the emotional journey of a dedicated athlete. From his races to meticulous training preparations, the book features unpublished photographs, personal narratives, and insights into Frodeno‘s life and dedication to triathlon. It showcases emotional highs and challenges, documented by photographer Tino Pohlmann, who has followed Frodeno since 2016. The book also includes essays and interviews in both German and English.

About the Photographer:
Tino Pohlmann, a former competitive cyclist, brings over twenty years of photographic experience to this project. His work is known for its dynamic and passionate portrayal of athletes, often compared to film aesthetics.

Publisher:
Collected.Photo, founded by Tino Pohlmann and Axel Völcker, specializes in high quality sports publications and fine art editions. The book will be distributed internationally, with a focus on Europe and the USA, and accompanied by a traveling exhibition presented by Leica Camera Germany.

Preorder link: Till I Collapse – Book Release Date: 19.07.2024
Printing: Offset, 5-color Dimensions: 32 cm x 24 cm
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 254
Weight: 1.9 kg
Price: 75 EUR
Languages: English/German
Publisher: Collected.Photo
Photographer: Tino Pohlmann
Art Direction: Axel Völcker

COLLECTED.PHOTO BOOKS, PRINTS & FINE ART
Pohlmann & Völcker GbR Heynstraße 15
13187 Berlin

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