MAAP Jersey, Pogačar’s Helmet & BMC Handlebars – New Tech News

This week in bike tech is a bit lighter than other weeks, but that’s not due to a lack of news. You’ll absolutely need to see our latest story on what might be the first e-bike from a car company that doesn’t… suck? It’s the Also TM-Ba spin-off of Rivian. Rapha also posted its recent sales numbers… and promised to do better.

There isn’t one specific story here that stands out, I’d say. Reynolds is hopping over to support folks with Forge + Bond wheels, the company that recently went under. MAAP finally dropped the aero jersey that its WorldTour riders have been riding with year long. Kona has a new aluminum gravel bike. Hammerhead announced it’s going to discontinue regular updates to its Karoo 2 computer, while BMC has a $1,250 handlebar. And MET updated the helmet that Tadej Pogačar uses.

Here’s what we know, This Week in Bike Tech. See previous updates here.

Reynolds Cycling says it’ll support riders impacted by closure of CSS Composites

The recent closure of CSS Composites may have been a bummer across the bike industry. Not only were folks who bought Forge + Bond wheels affected, but folks who bought Chris King wheels using CSS rims were affected, no longer offering lifetime warranties.

What do you do with a wheel if you have issues? Reynolds Cycling says its going to offer crash replacement pricing on a complete Reynolds wheelset to anyone who owns a Forge + Bond wheelset. The same applies to anyone who wants to replace wheels after a crash or is out of warranty.

The offer is an obvious play to get more folks on Reynolds wheels, but it is a consolation to folks who spent their hard-earned money on a wheelset that suddenly lost its long-term support. See more about the offer at reynolds.hayesbicycle.com.

New MAAP Pro Aero Jersey is extra fast

MAAP has introduced a new jersey it calls the Pro Aero. And unlike most of MAAP’s jerseys that seemingly focus on being an artistic collaboration over performance, this one claims it will save you between 6 and 8 watts, equivalent to as much as 60 seconds over 100km, thanks to its aero features.

MAAP goes on to say that the jersey has been used all season by the Jayco AlUla men’s and Liv AlUla Jayco women’s teams, bringing them to four victories through the season. All of these aero gains come from a new fabric it calls Aatero Flyte with woven ribs in the sleeves. All of the aero gains come over 40 kph (28 mph), unfortunately.

Is this the first time I’ve seen MAAP offer apparel while promising specific performance gains? It is as far as I can tell. I’ve always appreciated MAAP for its unabashed focus on looking good on the bike, while ensuring the kits fit properly and don’t hold me back. A performance infusion doesn’t hurt, though, provided you’re willing to spend the dough.

Jerseys are available in both men’s and women’s fits and several colorways for  £210 / $265 / €220 / AU$345.

Buy from MAAP

The Kona Libre is back, now in aluminum

We dug the Kona Libre CR in carbon that we rode earlier this year. Handling was spot on, the bike felt lighter than the number on paper, and we appreciated the largely home mechanic-friendly details that make the bike easier to live with. And now, Kona has an alloy version of its Libre called the… Kona Libre G2.

This aluminum frame Libre features the same geometry as the carbon Libre CR, which we found to be quicker than before, but not especially sharp. The frame gets the same carbon fork, however, with this frame adding a rear rack mount and a series of fender mounts. Tire clearance is the same as before, featuring a Shimano Cues 2×10 speed drivetrain and tubeless-ready wheels.

The biggest question with this new Kona Libre is a question of price point. At $2,099 with a Shimano Cues drivetrain, I think the bike is right in the thick of the competition. The Surly Straggler is right at that same price point, as is the CUES-equipped Specialized Diverge with downtube storage and its Future Shock system. Nonetheless, I appreciated how well the carbon Libre rode both on and off road, and I have little doubt that that handling will continue here.

As mentioned above, pricing is set at $2,099, with six sizes available. See more at konaworld.com.

Hammerhead to discontinue Karoo 2 support in January

Earlier this week, Hammerhead sent an email to Karoo 2 users that after four years of support, the bike computer company would discontinue regular firmware updates of its computer after the first set of updates slated for 2026. The regular updates, one of the big selling points of the brand, would cease.

The update isn’t uncommon, as most non-Apple smart devices tend to see firmware updates ceasing after two or three years. By comparison, the four years feels a bit generous. Garmin stopped regular updates of its Edge 530 computer in 2023, roughly four years after its 2019 release. Wahoo may have recently pushed a security update to the Elemnt Bolt, which came out in 2017, but it appears that regular updates slowed down after 2023, six years after launch.

Will this mean your Hammerhead Karoo 2 needs to be thrown in the bin? Absolutely not, and I would expect Hammerhead to push an update for any major security issues. But for the time being, don’t expect any new features to be added to the computer after this year.

See more at hammerhead.io.

Tadej Pogačar’s helmet of choice gets an upgrade

Generally speaking, if you’re watching Tadej Pogačar riding anywhere, you’re likely to see some sort of tufts peeking out of his helmet. That helmet of choice – at least partially influenced by sponsorship – is the Met Trenta 3K Carbon. And now, the helmet has received an update.

The Met Trenta 3K Carbon helmet has seen a group-up revision according to Met. That includes a new carbon skeleton and new venting to match. Met touts 16 percent improved ventilation from the front, and while the official results have yet to be published, a 5-star safety rating from Virginia Tech, a 40 percent improvement in linear and rotation impact testing than the previous helmet. There’s also the new Airframe, a carbon wing structure that is said to remove 3PS from the internal frame.

Weight may have increased by 40 grams (to 265 grams claimed in a size M), but the helmet should still be one of the lightest helmets you can get at with this level of ventilation claimed. I’m personally of the mindset that unless its really hot and you need the ventilation, an aero-centric helmet is going to offer more gains without much work. But if you want the ventilation, this new Trenta 3K Carbon should be a-ok.

The Met Trenta 3K Carbon is priced at £350 / US$450 / €400. See more at met-helmets.com.

BMC has an all-new set of one-piece handlebars that might require you to take out a loan

BMC has a new one-piece handlebar for its road lineup, or more specifically, for its Masterpiece Mpc. The handlebar is called the “Cockpit ICS Carbon Aero Mpc.”, a flowing name that is sure to make it easy to search for online. The bars, however, look gorgeous.

The bars are effectively the same as the Aero Cockpit that debuted on the BMC Kaius and is found on the Teammachine R road bike. It features a 37 cm width at the hoods and a 42 cm hood in the drops. That’s thanks to 12 degrees of flare from the hoods to the drops, offering a narrow position in the hoods and one for more control down low.

Now before you ask, BMC only lists the handlebars in four sizes, all based on stem length (90 mm to 120 mm). I would be surprised to see BMC offer this in different widths, as they have yet to do that with the non-MPC. handlebar. But hey, if you want a very, very high-end handlebar to match your BMC (or other bike) that can route cables either in the bars or underneath, this is a real option.

As for the price? It’ll cost you $1250. We told you they might require you to take out a loan! See more at bmc-switzerland.com.