It was an uneven competition but let’s start with the final verdict in the competition between high end soft case and hard case bike travel bag. The soft case is taking home the honours! We received our Scicon AeroComfort a … Continue reading
At the Outdoor Expo in Friedrichshafen we had the pleasure to bump into the founders of Sziols Sun Glasses and quickly realized: There is not a lot the guys/girls at Sziols did not think about. We had heard of Sziols … Continue reading
We know – it is hard to believe but we have to face the facts: Winter is coming up fast in many parts of the world. Especially in Europe. We met the the specialists from Craft and had the opportunity to check out some of their gear. Crafts focus has always been to produce functional wear from base to top layer and the functionality has to combine moisture transfer, fit and thought through features.
When we reviewed the Craft Zero Extreme WS Long Sleeve shirt – which by the way is a winter and fall product and it does not speak for the German summer this year that we already had the opportunity to test it in detail and bad weather conditions 🙂 – the shirt nailed it by combining exactly those attributes mentioned above.
The Craft Zero Extreme WS is a base layer product and we tested it both during sport sessions as well as during other outdoor activities such as gardening and other work.
Here is what we’ve experienced: The Zero Extreme is comes along in an ergonomic cut and provides a really snuck fit around your upper torso. A feature that is needed to keep wind away from your skin and keep your body warm. The Gore Wind Stopper front of the shirt is extremely well thought through as it extends over your shoulders to protect and keep your shoulders warm when you are cycling – even in the aero position. The moisture transfer away from the body is fully functional and no matter how hard we were pushing it in the sessions – our skin stayed dry all the time and the sweat was wicked away instantly. The snug fit allowed for an easy wear underneath a second and third layer and the high cut made sure to keep your chest and lungs warm as well without making you feel restricted.
As far as the quality is concerned the seems make a solid impression and even after a couple of rounds of washing the shirt looks like new. We will see in the long term test how it holds up but so far definitely the top wind blocking shirt we have tested. In addition to that the Craft products come along at a very fair price!
Our choice for running, cycling and skiing in winter and on windy cold days!
2 weeks, roughly 1000 Kilometers and different terrain ranging from city traffic to a 24 hour bike race with an overall of 4000 meters elevation gain – those are just some of the key factors for our test of the Stevens SLR – one of the first Aero Road Bikes on the market when it initially came out.
Our SLR came with slightly different specs to the bike shown above – Ultegra group set and and Easton EA90 wheels.
The first test ride after fitting the bike was a 24 hour team road bike event and we road the bike an overall of 207 Kilometer and over 4000 meters in elevation gain. The first impression after this ride was: ”Wholly snap – this bike is fast, responsive and yet super comfortable” It road really well through the turns, steady at high speeds and proved to be extremely responsive when a quick acceleration was required. Even after 8×26 kilometer laps the was still very comfortable to ride.
Following this experience we squeezed in some more serious mileage with some fast group rides and a ”400km in 2 days ride to the ocean and back” – this ride had anything from super flats, hilly terrain, uneven side streets, head wind and fast turns.
During those rides the Stevens SLR confirmed our first impression – no matter if you’re the one in the head wind making the speed, sitting at the back of the pack relaxing a little, the one starting the road sign sprint or you want to escape the rest of the group through the narrow turns of a small city – the SLR is your partner in crime to make it happen.
It was truly impressive to see how steady the bike rides at high speeds of close to 100km/h and how sportive a bike can be while maintaining such a high level of comfort. Especially in the downhills the aero shape proved to be superior to other frames by shaving seconds of your time while cutting through the wind.
The frame is very well produced and suggest high quality – nothing about this bike feels cheap, makes any noise (and trust me – a noisy bike where you can’t locate the origin of the noise can drive you totally nuts). Another great feature is that in addition to the Stevens Aero seat post you can set it up with their TT post and easily turn the bike into a triathlon bike for your next multisport adventure.
The design of the frame stands for understatement and might not be everybody’s favorite but with that – as we all know – it comes down to personal preference.
The one thing where the SLR caught some minus points was in serious climbs – not the favorite bike for riding peaks in the Alpes but then again – is that really what you expect from an aero road frame? Yeah, we didn’t think so.
SUMMARY:
The Stevens SLR is the perfect bike for fast rides, crits and speedy descends. It is extremely responsive, quick to accelerate and yet maintains a high level of comfort even beyond the 150km mark. You can feel the forward energy with every pedal stroke and the aero shape road frame is clearly superior heading into the wind. With the Stevens SLR you don’t have to hide anymore – no matter if it comes to riding in the wind or sprinting to the next road sign. The SLR feels home on flat and rolling terrain, fast turns and long rides and you can easily get by on it when riding mountains for a couple of days. Just don’t ask of an aero frame to be a true climber!
Enjoy the ride and keep rocking!
For details and specs on the bike check out – Stevens Bikes
Tridudes 