Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania on Monday, thus six more weeks of winter. So, you’ve got time to get those upgrades on the way. This week, to help you out, we dive into Ursus’ completely rebranded Italian wheel lineup, featuring the pro-validated Arya and versatile Proxima series. We also take a look at the Rapha x USA Cycling collection that hit the market this week, a “stars and stripes” tribute. Along with that, the technical “Off-Race” utility wear by Pas Normal Studios and the redesigned ASSOS MILLE/UMA GT S11 endurance kit provided some options to round out your cycling closet. Chris King’s drag-reducing Gold Grease is here to get your hubs and bottom brackets spinning free. And, Lazer’s KinetiCore helmet is here to protect your head…if you have to use it.
URSUS Wheel Range
A wheel for every rider
Since 1967, URSUS has designed and manufactured high-quality cycling components in Italy, developing reliable, innovative products built to stand the test of time. The same approach underpins the new high-performance wheel range.
Following comprehensive rebranding – which brought URSUS’ industrial identity back to the forefront – the new range showcases their technical know-how. “Designed by engineers, developed with athletes, tested in the WorldTour” is not merely a new tagline. It is the working method that has guided the development of a complete, performance-driven lineup.
The new offering is structured around three collections: Arya, Proxima and Pura. Three different interpretations of cycling, each designed to meet specific performance requirements.
A complete range for road, gravel and MTB. Road (R) wheels are engineered to deliver speed, precise handling and reliability. Gravel (G) versions combine road efficiency with the robustness required for off-road riding. Mountain Bike (M) solutions prioritize control, strength and versatility, tackling technical trails and demanding terrain with confidence.
Arya: lightness and aerodynamics
Arya is the collection that best expresses URSUS’ engineering expertise, with solutions focused on extreme lightness, structural precision and ride dynamics, aiming to convert every watt into speed and responsiveness. The collection stems from a relentless pursuit of performance, achieved through selected carbon fibers and architectures designed to react instantly under load. Arya is developed for riders seeking uncompromising performance and minimal weight.
The R version has already been validated in professional cycling’s most demanding environment. Arya was used by Team Picnic-PostNL on the roads of the latest Tour de France, contributing to Oscar Onley’s fourth-place overall finish. Responsive, aerodynamic and competition-oriented, Arya represents the most advanced expression of URSUS innovation.
Arya R is available with 35 mm and 50 mm rim profiles.
Proxima: competition-ready performance
The Proxima collection embodies the ideal balance between aerodynamics, stiffness and comfort. These versatile wheelsets are designed to perform naturally across asphalt, gravel, long-distance riding and race-level intensity. Materials, geometries and components are optimized to ensure smooth rolling and stability even at high speeds, as demonstrated by their WorldTour use by Team Picnic-PostNL athletes throughout the past season.
The new Proxima R builds on the architecture of the previous Team Edition, featuring UD carbon construction, tubeless-ready design and 35 mm or 50 mm profiles, now combined with a wider 32 mm external rim width. This configuration delivers race-inspired performance, achieving a precise balance between stiffness, control, aerodynamics and enhanced comfort.
Proxima G extends the platform into the endurance-gravel segment, retaining the aerodynamic carbon rim profile while integrating compliance-oriented layups. The wider profile is engineered to reduce vibrations and increase comfort, making it ideal for fast gravel riding and cobbled sections.
The Proxima lineup is completed by Proxima M, featuring super-lightweight hookless rims and aluminum nipples. Stiffness is balanced by high-tension spokes, ensuring efficient load distribution and precise handling even on the most technical trails.
Pura: reliable everyday performance
Pura represents URSUS’ approach to everyday riding: solid construction, advanced materials and simplified maintenance. The collection is designed for a broad range of riders, including those entering the sport, without compromising the brand’s technical DNA. Intended for training and developing athletes, Pura delivers consistent performance and dependable ride quality on daily outings.
Pura R is a versatile solution for riders seeking functional aerodynamics, confident cornering and compatibility with modern setups. Pura G is engineered to optimize the tire–rim interface, ensuring safety and stability even on challenging surfaces. The range is completed by Pura M, a balanced option for riders looking for a technical, robust and reliable wheelset.
New hubs complete the range
URSUS’ industrial core is reflected in its hubs, manufactured entirely in Italy. Road and gravel hubs combine smooth rolling, durability and manufacturing excellence, thanks to high-quality aluminum that ensures lightness, stiffness and strength. MTB-specific hubs are designed to withstand the harshest conditions – mud, water and dust – maintaining smooth rotation and high reliability even under extreme stress.
Availability
All wheels are now available at ursus.it. All pricing on Ursus’ site is in Euro. Worldwide shipping is generally available.
Rapha Team USA
Stars and stripes
Combining quality and performance, Rapha will be outfitting the USA’s most talented athletes from 2026 through to the end of 2029, bringing its signature style and panache to the ultimate stage for the sport. It is a partnership taking Rapha into new disciplines such as Track, BMX Racing, and BMX Freestyle.
Rapha and USA Cycling are united by an ambition to build the most transformative era yet for the sport – winning a record medal haul, getting more people on bikes, and bringing new fans to cycling both in America and around the world.
Rapha and USA Cycling
American interest in cycling is at an all-time high, with 112 million American people riding bikes in 2024 according to PeopleForBikes. The debut USA Cycling Collection has been designed as a clean and timeless symbol of this rising movement.
Fran Millar, Rapha CEO sez: “This kit represents over a decade of world-class competition and innovation. We’ve left no stone unturned so that when USA Cycling athletes show up for their country, they can stand on the start line with total confidence.
“The starting pistol for LA has been fired and there is nothing more powerful for a sport than a home Games. The energy, the expectation, the history – Rapha will support American cycling to seize the opportunity with both hands.”
Behind the designs
A futuristic exploration of the nation’s storied sporting history, the design evokes the lightness and grace of a rider in full flight. It is a kit that feels fast even when standing still, meant to mirror the explosive energy of a new generation of American talent.
The collection draws inspiration from 1984, a watershed moment for American cycling as the home nation took nine medals in Los Angeles. The full range is printed and sublimated on the Rapha Pro line. Using the most technical fabrics and performance oriented features, such as the Pro chamois, Rapha delivers kit that will make you feel as fast as Team USA are.
Availability
The USA Cycling kit has gone on sale to the general public from February 4. The range includes the Pro Team Aero Jersey ($275.00), Pro Team Rouleur Jersey ($175.00), and Pro Tema Bib Shorts III ($350.00). Rapha also offer socks, caps, and casual T-shirts. To see the full range, visit Rapha.cc.
Pas Normal Studios Off-Race Collection
Subtle function, adaptable
Pas Normal Studios introduces its SS26 Off-Race collection, built around adaptability, with each piece integrating subtle functionality drawn from cycling use cases. This includes considered pockets, zippered storage, ease of layering and weather protection. All while maintaining an understated aesthetic suited to everyday wear. The result is apparel that feels purposeful, wearable and relevant beyond racing.
The Off-Race line is shaped by cycling’s utilitarian roots and refined through premium materials, technicality and considered construction. It responds to a cyclist’s mindset beyond performance, reflecting the reality that cycling is not confined to the ride or race itself, but influences how people move through the city. It is what cyclists wear in transition – moving to and from.
The SS26 Off-Race collection is guided by a set of core design principles, including:
Functional storage informed by cycling use cases.
Lightweight, packable layering systems.
Weather protection without technical overstatement.
Materials chosen for durability, breathability and comfort.
A refined aesthetic that sits naturally beyond sport.
The Hero Pieces of the Collection
Off-Race 3-layer Poncho — $360.00
A waterproof shell designed for commuting in unpredictable weather. Constructed from a 3-layer woven fabric with hydrophobic membrane and fully taped seams. Cut with a loose, extended silhouette for coverage while riding. Helmet-compatible adjustable hood maintains side visibility. Zippered front pocket for on-the-go storage. Reflective logos front and back for visibility.
Off-Race Utility Jacket — $420.00
A lightweight, weather-resistant layer designed for transitional conditions. Made from 100% nylon with water-repellent finish. Features include a magnet chest pocket, a larger zippered back pocket, a two-way front zip, a rear vent for airflow, adjustable hem, and snap cuffs. Slightly extended back length provides additional coverage when riding. Reflective heat transfer logos enhance visibility.
Off-Race Light Fleece Half-Zip — $275.00
A versatile mid-layer built for changing conditions. Front panel constructed with windproof, water-repellent nylon stretch treated with C0 DWR. Sleeves and back use 207gsm Polartec® microfleece (100% recycled polyester) for warmth, breathability and quick-drying performance. Features discreet zippered hand pockets, sleeve utility pocket, key loop, adjustable hem and reflective logos.
Off-Race Light Tech Shorts — $190.00
Lightweight everyday shorts designed for warm-weather movement. Breathable nylon stretch fabric with C0 DWR finish offers quick-drying comfort and resistance to light rain and stains. Relaxed fit with elasticated waistband, adjustable integrated belt, two front pockets and zippered back pocket. Reflective logos front and back.
Women’s Off-Race Tech Skirt — $260.00
A functional utility skirt designed for movement on and off the bike. A-line wrap construction with elasticated waistband. Features an internal hook system to secure the garment while riding on a bike. A C0 DWR coating provides light protection from rain and road spray. Includes zippered side and back pockets for essentials.
Availability and pricing
PNS launched collection from February 5, 2026. The full collection is available via pasnormalstudios.com and selected retail partners. See pricing for featured pieces above, additional pieces and pricing listed at PNS.
ASSOS MILLE/UMA GT S11 Collection
Refined comfort, modernized aesthetic
ASSOS of Switzerland this week launched the latest evolution of its endurance cornerstone, the MILLE/UMA GT S11. Designed for daily riding, season after season, the new jersey and bib shorts refine comfort, breathability, and fit while modernizing aesthetics across the collection.
As the core of ASSOS’ endurance range, the S11 generation builds on its legacy with material updates, trickled-down Racing Series technology, a cleaner, more contemporary silhouette, and an updated ASSOS logo. The MILLE/UMA GT S11 Kit defines what everyday cycling apparel should feel like: refined, reliable, and uncompromising in comfort. Designed for riders who demand performance without distraction, it is endurance equipment at its most evolved.
Luca Zanasca, Senior Manager of Development at ASSOS of Switzerland, sez: “The MILLE/UMA GT is the backbone of our collection, so every update has to meaningfully improve the ride experience. For S11, we focused on refining the essentials: increased breathability, and subtle construction improvements that deliver noticeable gains in comfort, stability, and fit – ride after ride.”
MILLE/UMA GT Jersey S11 EVO
ASSOS engineered the MILLE/UMA GT Jersey S11 EVO to keep riders cool, dry, and comfortable for daily riding. The main body retains ASSOS’s proven AirCell textile, an ultralight circular knit with an open hexagon structure that delivers exceptional airflow and elasticity.
The sleeves are updated with Eclipse, an impossibly light warp-knit material with an ultrasoft feel and UPF 50+ protection. Borrowed from the Racing Series, the raw-cut sleeve construction creates a low-profile finish that improves aerodynamics while eliminating pressure points. The Triple Ramp Pockets use flexible panels to help stabilise cargo even when fully loaded.
Available in a refreshed spectrum of colourways, including Black, White, Edge Green, Blossom Pink, Golden Yellow, Ground Brown and Deep Petrol in the Mille Range. The UMA range is available in White, Almond Milk, Edge Green, Blossom Pink, Wisteria Violet and Golden Yellow.
MILLE/UMA GT Bib Shorts S11
The MILLE/UMA GT Bib Shorts S11 refine everyday comfort with a lighter, more durable construction. The longer leg length gives a modern silhouette. The new QUARTZ textile delivers breathable compression with permanent odorControl. It is a perfect choice for long days in the saddle. Importantly, 80% of the fabric content comes from pre-consumer recycled polyamide.
RollBar bib strap technology, adapted from the Racing Series, provides stability and support locking the chamois in place as the rider moves through sprints, climbs, and corners. At the leg openings, the invisible, low-profile PILtec Plug-In grip provides a secure hold in wet or dry conditions.
At the core of the shorts is the chamois pad. Called GT S11 Insert, it features a 12mm endurance platform with Shock-Absorb Damping Mono foam, a three-layered perforated construction for increased breathability, and the goldenGate 2.0 technology that allows the insert to move freely with the body, reducing friction throughout the pedal stroke.
Chris King Gold Grease
Faster Bearings, Longer Component Life
As part of the ongoing, comprehensive effort to improve the performance of all their components, Chris King is introducing a new lubricant, Gold Grease, optimized for their hub and bottom bracket bearings. This is the second big announcement flowing from the company’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Kirby Bedsaul, CKPC President, sez: “Obviously, we put a lot of effort into making our components look good and last a long time, but at the end of the day, riders want components that perform, and that has always been one of our core tenets, too. Gold Grease reduces bearing drag and improves bearing life, so it quite literally makes you faster. It’s also a more stable lubricant, so it extends service life, too.”
Development
King discovered Gold Grease during an extended testing period, in which a number of lubricants were put through speed and wear tests. What they discovered is that Gold Grease was both more lubricious AND more stable. The grease yielded faster hubs right out of the box and then allowed those hubs to get even faster over time. Critically, it took longer to break down under heavy use than any of the other lubricants tested, including the company’s own Silver Grease, which has been discontinued.
Real performance
Gold Grease produces 25% less drag right out of the box versus the company’s Silver Grease, and 16% less drag at 1000 miles versus Silver. With time to wear-in, Gold Grease also produces 18% less drag at 1000 miles versus brand new, giving some context to the company’s frequent claim that their bearings get faster over time.
Bedsaul sez: “With hubs, but really with all components that use bearings, you’re looking at two characteristics, drag and durability, Gold Grease gives us a huge advantage in reducing drag, which is really about gaining speed. It’s funny to get so excited about grease, but honestly, these are the details that make all the difference.”
The Bottom Line
Gold Grease isn’t merely a rebrand of the company’s already superior lubricant products. It is a wholly new mixture, available not only during King’s anniversary season, but as a permanent addition to their product lineup.
Availability and pricing
It is available now at authorized Chris King retailers and through the company’s website. 25g tins retail for $15.00, and 100g tins retail at $29.00.
Lazer Sphere Kineticore
You never want to test it, but if you do…
New for this season, Lazer brings a new approach to head protection. Continuing Lazer’s legacy of innovation, the Sphere KinetiCore offers built-in rotational impact protection through Controlled Crumple Zones. These zones strategically crumple under pressure to redirect energy away from the head, resulting in a helmet that’s both lighter while improving ventilation and reducing plastic use.
Confidence in every curve
Whether racing at high speed or enjoying an easy Sunday ride with friends, the Sphere KinetiCore is the go‑to helmet for cyclists of all levels. Designed with everyday practicality in mind, it offers features that make each ride more comfortable and secure. Optimized eyewear docking keeps your glasses firmly in place when not in use. A built‑in LED port allows you to attach the Lazer Universal LED for enhanced visibility in low‑light conditions.
Comfort is guaranteed thanks to an easy‑to‑use adjustable fit system that ensures stability, complemented by stitched straps that add both durability and a premium touch. And when the pace picks up, strategically placed vents channel airflow to keep you cool, all without compromising the helmet’s sleek, aerodynamic design.
Performance meets style
The Sphere KinetiCore brings sleek design and advanced comfort. Its slim profile and streamlined, closed-off design delivers a fast, modern look, while large front vents ensure optimal airflow to keep the head cool on every ride.
Key specifications
Sizes – S/M/L
Weight – 270 g for M Helmet
Colors – Matte Black, Black Red, Electric Blue; Flash Orange, Frozen Violet, Deep Green, Harbor Grey, Tyrian, White Silver
Universal Mount compatibility
Pricing
149,99 EUR
$149.99 USD
$219.99 CAD
The Sphere KinetiCore helmet is available through Lazer’s official website and select retailers worldwide. For more information, visit: https://www.lazersport.com/global/
Note: If you have other experiences with gear or something to add, drop us a line. We don’t claim to know everything (we just imply it at times). Give us a pat on the back if you like the reviews or slap Andy in the head if you feel the need!
PezCycling News and the author ask that you contact the manufacturers before using any products you see here. Only the manufacturer can provide accurate and complete information on proper/safe use, handling, maintenance, and or installation of products as well as any conditional information or product limitations.
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