BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Sombrio
Among the many delights found in the outdoor divide between Eurobike’s A and B halls, Sombrio were discreetly introducing a mid-top footwear line.
Company founder Dave Watson told BikeBiz: “There’s plenty of shoes around that just don’t quite cut it for harder riders and we’ve spent a lot of time selecting the right compounds and materials to make sure these perform. The rubber on the base is the perfect compound to be super-grippy on the pedals and took us around a year to be entirely happy with. They are tough, bombproof actually, and available with, or without lace covers. Considering the priority of the soft compound base was to be tacky on the pedal, the durability is actually quite strong.”
Stock is expected with newly-appointed distributor Hotlines as of March next year.
Endura
Endura’s big push revolves around urban and road orientated product, as well as a number of new high visibility items.
Back in the UK and covering Endura’s marketing after a brief stint in Europe, Katrin Engel told BikeBiz: “The competition in this market is incredibly tough, but Endura covers each and every area comprehensively, so retailers will find everything they need. This year we’ve launched a lot of urban-specific product for the city cyclist and this will be followed shortly by a string of women’s specific product launches.”
Among such items is the Thermo Windshiled, available in red, green or ‘Roubaix’ black. Made from a breathable and stretchy fabric the jacket carries tough laminated seams, underarm ventilation, a dipped tail and an ‘athletic fit’ – all set to retail for £125.99.
Endura offers much more than just roadie gear, however, with BikeBiz shown new Kevlar and Memory Foam re-enforced knee and elbow pads at £55 and £50, respectively. Secured with Velcro straps, the material element of the pads is flexible while pedalling and will adjust freely to the contours of the rider.
Vittoria shoes
Probably best to clear up on fact before we kick off – this is not the same Vittoria that manufactures millions of tyres annually. It is, in fact, a shoe brand that has become available here in the UK via Omnipex.
Fresh out of Italy, with all European-sourced material supply and with offices opened in the US last year, the brand claims to have introduced a new lacing technology, which it calls the ‘Rotor System’.
Adjusted via a clever fold out dial on the tounge, its reminiscent of the BOA concept, but works a little differently. Further to that the buckle on top-end shoes is removable and replaceable.
To find out more on the brand, visit www.vittoria-shoes.com.
Dainese
Having many fingers in many pies has worked well for Dainese, which borrowing from its motocross segment has some exciting gear for the mountain biker this year.
One such unit is the Oak Pro knee guard, which uses the BOA lacing system seen on just a select few shoes within the cycling market. The use of this tech creates a snug fit around the contours of the wearer’s body, yet also allows for far easier and more efficient removal of the pad, which literally slips on and off in an instant. Another perk is that one size fits all, handy from a retail perspective. It doesn’t come cheap, mind, beginning at 149 Euros for the standard Boa model and 199 Euros for an advanced model with an aluminium insert in the kneecap for improved impact resistance and dissipation.
“We believe this is the first time BOA has been used in protective gear,” said product manager Alberto Bardin.
“This pad, making the most of Memory Foam inserts, creates a clever shock absorbing sandwich that reacts extremely well under intense impact.”
