It’s been a hectic few weeks here at PBK and we’ve had loads of little goodies turn up. I’ve done a little round up of what you might of missed!

First up is the 2010 Lake CX401 shoe which has some very nice features to it and maybe one or two that could win you over.

As far as looks go they are as disco slipper as you could ever wish for, the pearlescent K-lite Kangaroo leather just pops in the sun and the carbon sole that wraps around onto the sides and around the heel is just pimp. I’m sure its got some greatly beneficial reason to them being there to improve power transfer, but when you are spending big bucks they have to look the part, other wise what’s the point!

They come with Lake’s heat mould system which once you’ve tried a shoe with this feature, you’ll never look back and you get the fit you’ve always wanted. To help with the fit, they use a BOA lacing system to keep your feet firmly in place. With a tried and tested method which you see used in many applications, this is the closure system that you need to keep your feet firmly in place.

Lake also offer three different models in the CX401 range, from a standard fit to their wide fit version and most interestingly a specific Speedplay version. For all you Speedplay lovers out there, Lake have provided a specific Speedplay four hole sole so you can use their cleats without the need for adapters. This means a direct fit to the sole for your cleats so therefore giving a better “Q Factor”. Better power transfer and finally being able to use your pedals as they were designed to be used.

Swiss Stop have landed on our shores with their awesome range of brake pads. Such a small piece of kit that is often overlooked, but guaranteed to be the one piece of equipment you definitely don’t want to fail. No matter what material your rims are made out of, or where your allegiances  lie, they have a pad for you and after 35 years of making brake blocks they’ve learnt a thing or two.

Many pro riders will swap their standard blocks for Swiss Stop to get the most out of their brakes in the ever changing conditions on a tour stage.

No matter which pad you go for, all of their pads are compatible with the different types of rim surfaces and work in all weather conditions so you will never have the wrong pad fitted.

For all you lovers of SRAM brakes and their pads out there, guess who makes them………..?

Yes its Swiss Stop!

We’re increasing our ranges of running apparel and one of the coolest pieces of kit to land here for a while are some excellent running shoes from Zoot.

The Advantage 2.0 has got some nice touches which although aimed primarily for the triathlon markets, they can be beneficial for anyone who enjoys running. The main construction of the shoe is that it designed for wearing without socks. The linings of the shoe have something they call a Dri-Lex fabric with Smart Silver. The purpose is to battle against moisture, odours and reduce hot spots whilst providing an exceptional internal feel that makes allowances for not wearing any socks whilst using the shoe. This is essential for Triathletes who don’t want to take time to put on socks and now with Zoot they don’t have to.

Something which you may not have thought of about before is water retention in a shoe.A traditional running shoe can gain an additional 30% of weight during a race from the retention of water. Zoot have addressed this with Tri-Dry, which is a series of ducts and drainage holes in both the insole and midsole that allows water to exit from the bottom of the shoe. So next time your legs feel heavy after a long run, just take the time to check your shoes and see what they are storing inside!

Zoot knows that athletes run differently after spending time in the saddle and they look after you by using a CarbonSpan shank and Z-Bound foam, which allows for a comfortable and efficient mid-foot strike. This gives added stability in the midsole and guides transition to a smooth powerful toe off.

We’ll try to keep you updated each week with some of the different pieces of kit we get in and please feel free to let us know if you want any more information on any of the products we have. Alternatively, if you’ve used any product and want to let us have your reviews, we’d be happy to post them.