Wednesday Gear Potpourri: Factor Slick, SLIME STR, Leomo Type-R

We’ve got an eclectic mash up of the latest new gear for Wednesday, March 22nd from the PELOTON Service Course – the Factor Slick TT bike, SLIME’s new STR sealant and a new motion capture device called the Leomo Type-R. Enjoy.

PELOTON

Factor Slick TT Bike

We’re not saying Factor’s new TT is ‘slick’. It’s actually called the Slick and yes, it is ‘slick’ too. While Factor has undergone an ownership change and its newest road bike, the O2, forgoes much of the novel design we’ve seen from Factor in the past, that influence lives on in the new Factor Slick, the TT bike that AG2R will be racing this season.

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The Slick features the Twin Vane down tube, a down tube actually split right down the middle, like the Factor ONE road bike. It has been redesigned for the Slick and the fork has been widened to allow the Twin Vane down tube to work even better, according to Factor Design Director, Iñigo Gisbert. “Obviously, aerodynamics are important for a time trial bike, so the Factor SLICK has been designed with that in mind. To let the air flow – we created a bigger stance on the fork and seat stays so the air has room to move. Our biggest story is about the bike is letting the air through the bike.”

Factor claims the Twin Vane design also adds stiffness to the bike’s pedaling platform. Drag numbers or comparative test results have not been released yet.

With the rider producing much more drag then the bike, Factor wanted to ensure riders could find the right position on the Slick, so they worked with fit specialist Matt Steinmetz of 51 Speedshop, a man that cut his fit teeth in the triathlon world, to design the Slick’s aero bars. “As fit experts, we understand, to the smallest detail what an aero bar must do, how it should feel, its fit range and ease of adjustment. With my fit knowledge and Factor’s manufacturing capabilities, we were able to create the 51 SPEEDSHOP mono-riser aero bar system, a front end that checks all the boxes.”
More; factorbikes.com

Slime STR Sealant

Tubeless is here to stay and it’s not just the tires that keep getting better, the sealants are too. The right sealant can make all the difference by removing some tubeless headaches. If it can plug bigger holes and last longer, you won’t have to wrestle with the tires and rims during road side flat repair or recharge too often.

The latest from Slime, out of San Luis Obispo, is Slime STR Sealant. It calls the sealant’s ability find and plug multiple big holes – up to a 1/4” – ‘Web Tech’, and ‘Flow Motion’ is the formula that keeps it liquid longer so you won’t be having to recharge it very often. The formula also prevents the small sealant ‘boogers’ from forming when you fill the tire with CO2.

“We used technology from our auto division to formulate a longer lasting sealant. We’ve made it easier for riders to not worry about refilling their sealant every few months,” said Slime Director of Marketing and Innovation, Patrick Mallon. “Our unique allergen-free blend allows the use of CO2 inflators without the sealant clumping up in the tire.”

Slime’s new STR Sealant comes in sizes from a 3oz saddle bag size to a gallon pump and three options in between. More; slime.com

Leomo Type-R Motion Capture

File this under ‘no stone unturned’ in the pursuit of performance. Leomo has just announced a real world motion capture device called the Type-R. It consists of a large touch screen head unit and five separate Bluetooth sensors with gyroscopes and accelerometers to track motion. The sensors are worn in the shoe, above the knee and at the sacrum and transmit data to the head unit for analyzation after. The Type-R allows a rider’s form and technique to be tracked in real world situations the lab or fit studio cannot replicate.

“Competitive athletes want to use their bodies better – and we want to help them,” said Kunihiko Kaji, CEO and co-founder of LEOMO. “For the first time, the Type-R will bring the power of motion analysis out of the lab and into their world, filling a void that’s currently missing in their arsenal.”

This is not data every rider will need, and in some respects Leomo isn’t sure what can actually be done with data. Like Pioneer and its pedal vectors, Leomo leaving much of that up to the coaches.

“As a coach, the Type-R now allows me to rapidly identify asymmetries and patterns of movement in a real-world setting that I couldn’t previously see in an athlete,” stated Hunter Allen, founder of Peaks Coaching Group, who has been leading the beta testing program for the Type-R. “With this kind of data, I can make informed decisions on how to adjust a rider’s form to see what impact that might have on metrics such as power and cadence.”

It seems fair to say that high level riders returning from injury or with some physiological abnormalities could benefit from the technology. It’s not a large group to be sure.

Knowing riders won’t be staring at motion analysis during a ride, the Leomo Type-R head unit is a fully functioning GPS with tracking and ANT + and Bluetooth connectivity and it is certainly a good looking piece of hardware. It is set up with the Leomo Link smart phone app and motion data is analyzed on Leomo’s own web interface.

Right now the Leomo Type-R is in Beta Test. for more information go to: leomo.io