Top Gear for Ascending

Dec 28, 2016 – It’s Wednesday at Peloton Magazine, and that means we are bringing you some of the top gear from the peloton service course. Today we have wheels light enough to make Contador smile, earbuds that will make those rides a lot more enjoyable, and much, much more.

Peloton

1. ZIPP 303 NSW WHEELS.

Climbers need to be able to descend too—as Chris Froome proved on stage 8 of this year’s Tour de France—and they need a wheel versatile enough to suit their dynamic skill sets. Based on Zipp’s Firecrest wheels and offering an excellent aerodynamic-rim design with crosswind stability, the 303 NSW has a 45mm rim depth in this complete carbon-hoop package. Similar to its deeper siblings, 404 and 808 NSW options, the 303 NSW incorporates high braking performance, reduced rolling friction in an ultra lightweight build with the Zipp Cognition hubs with axial clutch technology. The 303 NSW is built to be fast in all conditions: stable in the wind and bombproof on the roughest of road descents. $3,100; 1,426g wheelset; zipp.com

2. EARIN WIRELESS BUDS.

These are headphones as simple as they can be—no wires at all. The Earin Wireless buds are small and provide a complete immersion into your music. Two amps are used to drive the high-precision sound from these metallic buds offering tight bass, excellent treble and minimal sound distortion. The two buds are charged through a silver, cylindrically shaped tube that uses a micro USB cord. Weighing in at 42 grams and offering 11-hour battery life with only 70 minutes of charge time, these are the most discreet headphones on the market. $250; earin.com

3. MAVIC CXR ULTIMATE HELMET.

The Mavic CXR Ultimate aerodynamic helmet actually boasts an astonishing 28 clima vents that are designed to siphon warm air through the rear of the helmet compared to most helmets marketed as aero, which usually implement limited ventilation. This system offers the best of both worlds: a noticeable cooling effect in hot temperatures while still offering an aerodynamic advantage. Mavic used 145 different prototypes when designing the new CXR Ultimate to create a lightweight, aero helmet. The internal padding is made from low- density, open-cell foam that Mavic calls the Ultimate Fit Pad—offering a comfortable feel on the forehead and excellent moisture management. Quick-and-simple size adjustment allows for as much as 6cm of f loat with the rear support. $220; three sizes (S/M/L) and two colors (black/black or black/yellow), 250g (medium); mavic.com

4. SUUNTO SPARTAN ULTRA.

Featuring a color touchscreen optimized for outdoor cycling, the Suunto Spartan Ultra offers great visibility even in direct sunlight with a wide-angled view. The battery life is tremendous at 26 hours with the GPS running, while the design is sleek with a sapphire- glass face, titanium or steel bezel and water resistance of 300 feet—there is no way to sweat through this performance watch. Specific sport metrics are available across 80 different activity types, and other features include mobile syncing via Bluetooth, training load, progress metrics and training insights available via Suunto’s in-house Movescount software. There is also a slightly more affordable option offered in the Sport model. $800 (Black/Stealth and Titanium editions), $700 (Ultra in Black/White), $550 (Sport in Blue/black/pink/white); suunto.com