UK exclusive: Olmo – now available at Wiggle

Italian bikes are renowned for being beautifully designed and lovingly made – and Olmos are no exception to the rule. Having always been created by the same Italian family (and with Dr Giuseppe Olmo still at the helm), there is a classy heritage at the hear t of the Olmo brand which many bike manufacturers work hard to emulate yet never achieve. With their old school, traditional styling and high quality finish, an Olmo bike always delivers a special ride. Whether you are after a top-end carbon machine with Dura Ace components or a more accessibly priced alloy ride, Olmo combines Italian performance and comfort at surprising value.
Here @ Wiggle we’re stocking five different models, all of which boast specifications and features which set them apart from similarly priced competitors.

• Olmo Kurva Dura Ace – an awesome bike, built with 1k and 3k carbon unidirectional fibre, dripping with Dura Ace and finished with Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels

• Olmo Forma Ultegra – an innovative carbon frame, beautifully joined together to improve aerodynamics and stiffness, completed with high quality Shimano components and Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels

• Equipe 105 – with its alloy/scandium frame and carbon forks, coupled with good quality components, the Equipe is a brilliant all-round bike equally capable of leisure riding, commuting or racing

• Impact Veloce – a race bike which offers a great spec for an affordable price

• La Biciclissima – if old school style is your thing, look no further than this minimalist steel single speed. A courier’s favourite which makes light work of chaotic city traffic. Built using CroMoly Columbus steel tubes.

Visit our Olmo page to find out more about our UK exclusive bikes

Take off on a Concorde: Concorde Bikes available at Wiggle

Watching the Tour and craving some classic bike nostalgia? Those who love bikes from “back in the day” will adore the Concorde Bikes PDM Team Replica Road Bike which is now available at Wiggle. It’s areplica of the bike which was ridden by the Dutch PDM-Concorde pro team in the late ‘80s and ‘90s.

The popular team enjoyed countless victories in many a classic race on this bike, including two riders finishing second overall in the Tour – Pedro Delgado in 1987 and Steven Rooks in 1988. The Concorde Bikes PDM Team Replica bike is one for true cycling fans: it oozes old school style, great cycling heritage and is packed with impressive components at a surprisingly affordable price.

The frame is made from Concorde aluminium, equipped with Shimano 105 components and a FSA Omega compact chainset, and finished off with Easton EC70 carbon forks. Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels are wrapped with Vredestein Fiammante DuoComp tyres ensuring strong wheels with exceptional grip.

The Concorde Bikes PDM Team Replica Road Bike could be used for commuting as well as road riding: use it in the week as a trusty commuter steed then take it out for a ride at the weekend and enjoy unleashing its speed.

Find out more at Wiggle’s Concorde Bikes page

Blueseventy has long been regarded as one of the leading manufacturers of triathlon wetsuits so we’re understandably excited about having them new in stock here @ Wiggle. We sent our resident triathlete Emma-Kate Lidbury off to the lake in blueseventy’s top-end suit, the Helix, to see what she would make of it…

Neoprene is neoprene – right? Can one wetsuit really be faster than another? It’s Saturday morning, it’s baking hot and I’m climbing into the blueseventy Helix, wondering if this suit – which the likes of world champion Alistair Brownlee swears by – will live up to the hype.

First things first…

Getting into the suit is easy: the legs and body roll up smoothly and I’m impressed by the lower cut neck, which makes sighting easier and reduces the chances of neck chafing (something I often suffer with). The Helix features a reverse zipper (for a speedy T1 – more on that later), so unless you’ve got the shoulder flexibility of a contortionist you’ll need a training partner to help do the suit up for you. Once on, the Helix looks and feels ready for business – and that’s before you’ve even dived into the water.

Making a splash

If you like wetsuits which seal well, you’ll love the Helix. I’d go as far as saying not a drop of water entered the suit from the moment I entered the lake, which not only guarantees comfort and warmth in chillier conditions but also ensures the best hydrodynamic path through the water. The Helix provides a seal unlike any other suit I’ve worn (and I’ve tested a fair few) which is thanks in part to features such as the neatly placed silicon seal arm cuffs. The wide range of sizes (seven in the women’s range, eight in the men’s) also helps ensure you can find a suit which provides the best fit for your body shape. The women’s specific suits – the Femme Fit – are designed with the female form in mind and were developed with the help of elite female triathletes. This is only too evident as you swim: the Helix is an intelligently-designed and researched suit which delivers what many high-end suits promise to but often fall short.

Freedom and speed

Some wetsuits can feel restrictive as you swim, particularly around the chest and shoulders, but the Helix offers greater flexibility and buoyancy, resulting in an unimpeded stroke and a higher body position in the water, both of which will lead to faster swim splits. The buoyancy panels throughout the suit will help even the most heavy-legged triathletes improve their body position. Features such as the proprioceptive arm panels (OK, it sounds like marketing jargon, but I’ll translate it into English soon enough) prove once again that the boffins at blueseventy really did do their R&D when it came to the Helix. Aside from looking very smart and psyching out the opposition, the arm panels are designed to promote better arm position and improve catch, power and propulsion through the water. Maintaining a high elbow through the early catch phase of the front crawl stroke is something which many triathletes fail to do, yet these arm panels are there to help you do exactly that. With this in mind, it’s suddenly no surprise at all that world and Olympic champions are falling over themselves to get into this suit.

Fast transitions

The Helix is great in the water, but truly proves its class when it’s time to get out of it. The reverse zipper came into its own as I ran at full tilt out of the lake: it can be easily grabbed, yanked and released on the fly so that within moments you are flicking the suit off your calves and reaching for your bike gear. It also means if things get really rough and ready in the swim on race day, it’s impossible for someone to pull down your zipper. Always a bonus! Having worn earlier generations of the Helix, I knew it was a winner in T1 and, based on recent experiences with the latest generation suit, blueseventy has made the best even better. I’d stake my swim splits on blueseventy’s Helix and recommend this suit without hesitation.
I would say see you in T1, but if you’re not in a Helix you don’t stand a chance… ;-)

Check out Wiggle’s full range of blueseventy gear – from goggles to wetsuits and transition bags – Click Here

Return to the Wiggle blog next week for Emma-Kate’s review of our blueseventy goggles

Swobo – now available at Wiggle

This uber-cool Californian brand has been at the forefront of the alternative cycling world since its inception in 1992. Although the San Francisco-based company is renowned for its funky lifestyle clothing, in 2007 it turned its attention to the street bike scene, creating unique and eclectic steeds for those who like something a little different.

With former Bianchi USA product manager Sky Yaeger designing the range, Swobo bikes never fail to turn heads. She likes her bikes to be forward-looking and first in the market and achieves this while retaining a distinctly urban flavour.

Here at Wiggle, we love Swobo bikes and have three models which blend street cool with meticulous attention to detail and technical features:

• Swobo Crosby – an all-purpose road or cross bike which boasts the ingenious SRAM Torpedo hub, designed to be ridden fixed or free, and can be changed on the fly

• Swobo Del Norte – Swobo took the look, style and simplicity of their track bike, Sanchez, and created the Del Norte. Different frame and fork dimensions ensure it’s more versatile

• Swobo Sanchez – a funky looking, light and responsive steel ride which Swobo has envisioned as a whole but it can be easily customised for those looking to stamp their own mojo on it

Check out our Swobo page for more info!

Onza – now available at Wiggle

Here @ Wiggle we love bikes of all shapes and sizes and with trials riding enjoying a huge surge in popularity we’ve teamed up with UK trials bike brand Onza to bring you the very best.

Onza make some of the most accessibly priced trials bikes and pride themselves on designing bikes which are loved by elites and novices alike. Although trials riding is still far from the mainstream, interest in it is booming, thanks in part to the awesome talents of You Tube star Danny MacAskill

The Onza Zoot , with its 26” frame, is similar to the bike MacAskill rides in his You Tube film, blending trials and BMX characteristics to offer a uniquely street-friendly ride.

Onza started life in the late 1980s, inventing and developing handlebar bar ends, and the name soon became synonymous with cutting edge mountain bike parts and components. About a decade later, Onza was bought by Nottingham-based Super Cycles group and the Onza Trials range was born.

The first Onza trials bikes hit the streets in 1999 and their reputation for quality and performance has grown steadily ever since. Gone are the days of it being a quirky, niche sport: Onza is now leading the way in helping trials riding become a hard-edged urban street pastime which rivals BMX. Onza bikes are renowned for being strong, robust, versatile and affordable. As well as the Zoot, we have a range of trials bikes available at Wiggle including:

• Onza Blade – features a new super high clearance frame made from U6 alloy with 99 riser bars and alloy stem

• Onza Rip – the best value entry-level trials bike just got better: carefully thought out geometry for the novice rider, competition style frame and stunning graphics

• Onza Bird – top performance without the hefty price tag. A great competition style frame with a brilliant spec

There’s also the Onza Uno Deco Single Speed, a simple yet stylish street bike which really stands out from the crowd

Check out our Onza page for more information!

In the water with Swimovate

Here at Wiggle we like testing the products we sell to ensure our customers have the best kit and equipment on the market. The Swimovate Pool Mate was recently put through its paces by Wiggle’s resident swimmer David Bird (aka our marketing analyst). As a former competitive swimmer who won medals at county and regional level and reached National Championship finals, David has spent more than his fair share of time going up and down pools. Anyone who regularly puts in laps at their local pool will know only too well that it’s not hard to lose count of how many lengths you’ve swum. If that’s the case, keep reading – because the Swimovate Pool Mate is the perfect tool for anyone who’s ever found themselves thinking “Is that length #16 or 18?”…

The facts
The Pool Mate is a fully automatic lap and stroke counter. It works with all four swim strokes in pools which are 15 metres or longer. It contains accurate motion sensors and unique software algorithms which enables it to automatically recognise each swim stroke and change of lap. It automatically records and displays lap count, time, average strokes per lap, speed, distance, calories and efficiency and can store up to 400 sessions.

As well as the statistics for the overall session it will record the same data for up to 99 individual sets per session so you can see how your data changes through a swim. It also has all the usual digital watch functions including time, date and alarm. It’s not just for the pool and can be used in Chrono mode to time triathlons, runs, bike sessions and open water swims too.

The test
David initially swam two 1000m reps to test the accuracy of the Pool Mate and was immediately impressed. Within moments of finishing each one he could scroll through the data and was given his lap count, total time, average strokes per lap, calories burnt, speed (as pace per 100m) and, perhaps most interestingly, his efficiency rating. Information such as average strokes per lap and efficiency aren’t things a swimmer would usually be able to calculate at the end of a set, but while wearing the Pool Mate, this data is available instantly. Long distance swimmers and triathletes will particularly love the pace per 100m function.
David’s next set involved a mix of 25m and 50m intervals and, once again, the Pool Mate proved accurate and useful. It really came into its own after the session when David could review the data and check how his efficiency scores had fluctuated through the set. Anyone wishing to compare one session to another will find this function invaluable, especially those swimmers/triathletes monitoring fitness over a block of training.

Whether you are new to swimming and need a toy to help motivate you (and count laps for you!) or you are a seasoned athlete looking to get fitter, faster and shave seconds from your 1500m time, the Pool Mate will help you achieve your goals.

To watch a You Tube demonstration and find out more visit our Swimovate page

Mezzo Folding Bikes – now available at Wiggle

If traffic queues, crowded trains, parking permits and late buses are headaches you’re really sick of dealing with, here at Wiggle we might have the perfect solution for you. Meet Mezzo, a compact folding bike that’s designed to fit into your life and make commuting a pleasure rather than a hassle.

Developed in the UK by an ex-Formula One suspension guru, Mezzo bikes achieve a new level of performance and practicality with unrivalled handling for their compact size. On test rides time and again, Mezzo bikes score top marks for design, folding ease, efficiency, style and ride. In fact, when it comes to ride quality, Mezzos provide the closest feel to pedaling a normal bike thanks to the hinge-less main frame which is stiff, strong and gives a flex-free ride.

Whether you are heading off to work, relaxing at the weekend or travelling further afield, Mezzo means convenient and enjoyable transport. Wiggle are stocking all three model options in the Mezzo range: the d-10, the d-9 and the i-4.

All three bikes are built around several key design features which set them apart from the pack: their compact folding size – dubbed “pocket battleships”; self-locking catches; hinge-free aluminum main frame and standard sized parts.

Enjoy the freedom that only a folding bike can offer – and enjoy the ride that only a Mezzo bike from Wiggle can deliver:

d-10
The new d-10 (10 speed derailleur) is a new breed of sports folding bike with outstanding performance combined with the convenience of a folder.

d-9
Based around standard 9-speed road bike specific components, the d-9 delivers Mezzo practicality with a distinctly sporty edge.

i-4
Designed for day in day out use with a minimum of maintenance, the i-4 is the ideal commuter work-horse with its 4 speed hub gear.

And once you have the Mezzo bike, be sure to accessorise in style with kit such as the Mezzo Lightweight Bike Cover

or the Mezzo Folding Bike Bag A hard wearing, lightweight 1000 Denier Cordura, Adjustable shoulder strap and carry handle. Quality metal fastenings, Packs into itself when not in use and can be strapped to the Mezzo rack. When in use the external pack turns inside out to create a second smaller bag, ideal for smaller items or paperwork.

Visit our Mezzo page to find out more!

Dolan – now available at Wiggle

Acclaimed British framebuilder Terry Dolan is renowned for creating bikes for some of cycling’s biggest names including Sir Chris Hoy, Chris Boardman, Bradley Wiggins and David Millar. Dolan’s vast experience goes into a great selection of track bikes for all riders and disciplines, so here at Wiggle we are proud to be bringing you three Dolan track bikes. They share the same geometries as some of those ridden to countless victories by the Great Britain Track Cycling Team but at a fraction of the price.

For the ultimate in performance and legendary design, take a look at Wiggle’s Dolan Bikes:

Dolan Seta

Already tried and tested on the track over the last few years courtesy of members of the British Cycling Endurance Track squad, the Dolan Seta is expected to take the world by storm.

Dolan Track Champion

The Track Champion is an excellent pro-level frame for established track riders or beginners.
Used primarily by endurance riders, the British Track Cycling Team have experienced a number of high profile successes on this bike.

Dolan Pre Cursa

Although billed as entry level, it boasts professional credentials as Dolan employs the same materials and construction as on the Track Champion frame. A top entry-level track frame for experienced track riders or beginners.

Check out our Dolan page to find out more

Kestrel Bikes now available at Wiggle

Any triathlete who has spent time checking out bikes at races will know US bike brand Kestrel make some seriously well-equipped, good looking bikes. Here at Wiggle we’re pleased to now have three race-ready machines, all of which offer awesome performance, spec and comfort at accessible prices. In the UK, we’re also the exclusive Kestrel dealer.

With some of the world’s leading triathletes riding Kestrels, it’s no surprise to see more and more bikes in transition bearing the Kestrel name. Combining stiffness, strength, speed, ride quality and the right geometry isn’t something all bike manufacturers successfully achieve, but Kestrel have it dialled. They have more years of all-carbon bike design and manufacturing than anyone else in the business, which means they possess that all-important expertise and experience in bringing you the best ride. Designed and made by people who have the same passion and drive for riding as you, Kestrels don’t disappoint. Check out our UK exclusive Kestrels:

Kestrel Airfoil Pro SL 2010
The masterpiece keeps getting better. Ridden to numerous victories, the Airfoil Pro SL combines forces with Shimano’s new Ultegra groupo, Mavic wheels and Profile cockpit.
Built up at a more affordable price range, this frameset features the same design and technology as the Airfoil Pro SL Special Edition.

Kestrel Talon SL Tri
The Kestrel Talon SL triathlon bike set the benchmark in its class. Designed to ride well from 73-78 degree seat angles, the Talon SL has seen the podium at many races and is built with new Shimano Ultegra providing a comfortable, aerodynamic advantage.

Kestrel Talon Tri 105
The baby brother to the Talon SL, the 2010 model features Shimano 105 components and Profile cockpit. A versatile tri bike at an affordable price.

Find out more at our Kestrel page

SE – now available at Wiggle

The renowned American BMX brand from “back in the day” is still doing what it does best: making classic bikes which are truly fun to ride. Having made a name for itself as a seriously cool BMX brand in the ‘70s and ‘80s, today SE still exudes that retro chic and backs it up with some impressive heritage.

SE dates back more than 35 years to when teenage entrepreneur Scot Breithaupt began promoting pedal cross races in Long Beach, California. This was widely considered the birth of organised BMX racing and soon afterwards Breithaupt created a sanctioning body with a points system, governed rules and regulations.
Shortly after winning the first ever National BMX title in 1976, he started SE Racing (SE standing for Scot Enterprise).

Soon after came the PK Ripper, named after local ripper Perry Kramer, which would go on to become the most sought after BMX bike of all time. Check out the Looptail Retro 2010 version.

Children’s BMX bikes from SE offer quality and design rarely seen from other bike brands. Kids love them because they’re “light, fast and you can jump them into next week” while parents have the peace of mind knowing their children are riding well made, bomb proof bikes which boast top-end specifications.

It’s no surprise to see SE use its BMX cool to cross over into the street bike scene and rides such as the DCxPK Ripper Fixed Gear are among our favourite single speeds here at Wiggle.

Don’t take our word for it, though, visit our SE page to find out more about the brand which offers style and substance.