New Arrivals – April 29, 2005 Edited by John Stevenson Got Tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech-heads. Welcome to New Arrivals, a section showcasing the latest equipment that's landed on the Cyclingnews tech desk. Look out for reviews over the next few months when we've clocked up some saddle time with this stuff. Next Retro Photo ©: John Stevenson The sleeveless version Photo ©: John Stevenson Racing bib shorts Photo ©: John Stevenson Raytech bib shorts Photo ©: John Stevenson Racing gloves Photo ©: John Stevenson Next Light Txn jacket Photo ©: John Stevenson   Campagnolo 2005 clothing We kick off this week with a whole wardrobe of new gear from Campagnolo. Vicenza's clothing arm has been offering more and more options every year since Campagnolo expanding into apparel a few years ago, and the 2005 range is suitably vast. Next Retro jersey Campagnolo's new Retro jerseys - part of the mid-priced Next range - immediately caught our eye, for their clean simple design. Under the logo, though, is a thoroughly modern jersey in lightweight polyester with a reflective logo to keep you visible at night. There are three versions: sleeveless, full-zip and 3/4 zip in black, red, blue and yellow. Next Light Txn Jacket This lightweight jacket is made from Light Textran, a breathable stretchable, windproof fabric. The back is made from an open-weave jersey fabric to let the sweat out, so this is a jacket for cool weather and somewhat wet conditions, but if it's really bucketing down you'd go for something more like Campagnolo's Raytech taped Testran jacket. There are three rear pockets and Campagnolo logo is reflective. Racing bib shorts Campagnolo describes the new Racing bib shorts as "the most technological bib pants in the Campagnolo line." Features include a highly breathable fabric with an anti-bacterial treatment, and Campagnolo claims the honeycomb fabric compresses and massages the leg muscles as you ride, which sounds a) good and b) very slightly kinky. The liner contains a special foam that's claimed to absorb body heat for better comfort and the piping is reflective for evening safety. A non-bib version is also available Raytech bib shorts Campagnolo's Raytech bib shorts are a long-standing Cyclingnews favourite for their excellent fit and comfort. There's a mesh back to keep you comfy along with Campagnolo's EPP three-layer chamois. Racing gloves The immediately noticeable feature of the Racing gloves is the bobbly silicone palm, which provides extra grip over standard leather or synthetic. The body of the glove is made from Moovix double stretchable Lycra with Meryl microfibre to block UV. And when the sun goes down there's 3M Scotchlite reflective so your hand signals are visible. More info: www.campagnolo.com   Zipp B2 carbon bar Photo ©: John Stevenson Zipp B2 carbon bar One of the nice things about carbon fiber as a handlebar material - aside from the weight - is that it allows manufacturers to create shapes that are difficult-to-impossible in aluminium. Zipp's B2 carbon bar, for example, doesn't have a conventional round cross-section anywhere - the top is flattened for comfort and aerodynamics; the hook is ovalised and the drop section has what Zipp calls "disproportionate inner and outer radius" - in other words, shaped for your hands not for the convenience of extrusion and bending machines. The B2 also boasts a visco-elastic layer in the carbon for shock-damping, double grooves for Campagnolo cables, and a decreasing-radius brake lever mount section that allows you to adjust the lever reach by tweaking the mounting position on the bar. The B2 carbon is available in 42, 44 and 46cm widths (outside to outside) and 31.8 and 26.0mm clamps. More info: www.zipp.com   Zipp 145 stem Photo ©: John Stevenson Zipp 145 carbon stem Zipp sees its beefy-looking 145 stem as the perfect mount for the B2 Carbon bar. The body is all-carbon, with a carbon top cap included, and an aluminium face plate mounted by four titanium screws. The 145 can be flipped to adjust handlebar position and a cut-out in the face plate makes it easy to get the bar centered. The 135 stem is finished in clear coat over carbon and is available in 100, 110, 120 and 130mm lengths. More info: www.zipp.com   FSA RD-488 wheels Photo ©: John Stevenson FSA RD-488 wheels FSA's latest hoops use the CarbonSilk deep section tubular carbon fiber rims introduced in 2004's RD-800 wheels but with more conventional hubs that the RD-800s, which used an additional central flange to shield some of the spokes from the wind. Our samples came with FSA's Scatto quick releases, and the bare wheels tip the scales at a very acceptable 1465g/pair. With 20 bladed spokes up front and 24 at the rear, they're suitable for all-round racing use, not just special occassions. More info: www.fullspeedahead.com