{"id":436549,"date":"2026-02-20T18:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/436549\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:37:13","slug":"in-the-drops-truflo-electric-mini-pump-comfy-lizard-skins-bar-tape-the-pogacar-biography-magic-broccoli-juice-and-connie-converse-co","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/436549\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Drops: Truflo electric mini pump, Comfy Lizard Skins bar tape, the Poga\u010dar biography, magic broccoli juice and Connie Converse & co"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the end of next week it will be March, which \u2013 by some measures, at least \u2013 is spring. We did it. Congrats everyone.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been quite busy at Cyclist doing our best to enjoy the penultimate throes of this wet winter. We gave our homepage<\/a> a shake-up (hopefully you like it), welcomed the new Cannondale SuperSix with an in-depth news story<\/a> and first ride review<\/a>, and enjoyed the UAE Tour <\/a>and Volta ao Algarve<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We also assessed the goings on at Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a>, had a look at who\u00a0might have the faintest chance to win a big Classic<\/a> and is not named Tadej or Mathieu, questioned Remco Evenepoel\u2019s GC potential <\/a>and asked if Paul Seixas\u2019s Decathlon-CMA CGM are the next great superteam<\/a>. <\/p>\n

And finally, the latest episode of the podcast is a lovely interview with bike designer Pieter Potters<\/a>, who works on Ridley and Eddy Merckx bikes.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n

\"'sign<\/a><\/p>\n

Truflo Electron mini pump<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Electric mini pumps are taking over, and Truflo has recently joined the party with this, the Electron. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s compact, has a big digital screen, pumps to 120psi with a claimed +\/-1psi accuracy and is said to be able to seat tubeless tyres. Truflo says on a test with 700x38c tyres one full charge provided approximately three inflations to 50psi from flat.<\/p>\n

It comes with a hose included for cleaner inflation as well as a needle for pumping balls if you’re that way inclined. Truflo says it weighs 118g.<\/p>\n

Lizard Skins DSP Ultra bar tape<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As my erstwhile colleague Matthew Loveridge noted in his review of the Van Rysel RCR-F,<\/a> handlebars and bar tape are the most undervalued parts of any bike build. Never underestimate the power of good bar tape, like Lizard Skins\u2019 new DSP Ultra. <\/p>\n

It’s for both road and gravel \u2013 an easy indicator that it should be comfy \u2013 and features the ‘next generation’ DuraSoft polymer construction, which is claimed to help with both vibration damping and durability \u2013 hence the ‘Ultra’ label.<\/p>\n

It also has an extra-grippy texture and reliable adhesive to prevent slipping no matter how wet or sweaty it might be. It comes in thicknesses of 1.9mm, 2.7mm or 3.5mm and loads of colour options, but this one is clearly the best.<\/p>\n

Tadej Poga\u010dar: Unstoppable by Andy McGrath<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tadej Poga\u010dar is seemingly unstoppable, hence why occasional Cyclist writer Andy McGrath\u2019s new book is called just that. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s claimed to be the first biography of the greatest cyclist of all time, tracking his life from his upbringing in Slovenia and getting the inside scoop from those closest to him as well as his rivals.<\/p>\n

Nomio shots<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Buckle up, because the latest performance secret to be unlocked by science is… broccoli. <\/p>\n

Yes, the Swedish boffins at Nomio have produced a drink made with mostly broccoli sprout extracts (the other 20% is lemon and sugar) that’s claimed to help reduce lactate, handle high training loads and quicken recovery thanks to chemicals called ITC (isothiocyanates).<\/p>\n

Nomio says ITC is known to activate the body’s stress regulator, which essentially helps the body to handle hard exercise. Be sure to visit Nomio’s website below for the actual, more scientific description of how it’s meant to work. <\/p>\n

To bring it back to cycling specifically, Mads Pedersen is big into it.<\/p>\n

What we’re into this week: Post-radio music discovery<\/p>\n

Say what you like about TikTok and co, but you can’t deny that it’s been a good thing for music. Yes there are annoying TikTok songs, but on the whole, it’s bringing a massive range of actually good music to younger audiences. Fleetwood Mac got back in the charts, Djo took over the world, and Labi Siffre got so viral he’s releasing a new album at 80 years old. Gone are the days when the only music people heard was whatever was playing on Capital FM or Radio 1. Thank the lord.<\/p>\n

I’ll also give some reluctant credit to the algorithm in saying that Spotify’s ‘made for you’ playlists have put me on to some new favourites. My go-to at the moment is the ‘Cottagecore Mix’, which currently includes Labi Siffre as well as Connie Converse. If you don’t know, Converse was a folk singer-songwriter active in the 1950s who didn’t break through at the time but after old recordings were published she’s gained plenty of fans 70 years too late. She was certainly ahead of her time, I highly recommend having a listen and then looking up her crazy story.<\/p>\n

I previously included playlists of new music I like in this section but have gone off the boil, so I’m going to start a new one that I’ll keep going with my current rotation of songs I’m enjoying rather than exclusively new discoveries. You can find that here<\/a>, it’s not got loads in at the moment but I’ll keep adding and removing.<\/p>\n

Ad feature<\/p>\n

Boyd Cycling’s gravel wheel range covers high-speed racers and real-world riders<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At Boyd Cycling, performance has never been one-size-fits-all. At the very top of its gravel lineup sits the Jocassee SL, the no-compromise gravel wheelset built with aerospace-grade carbon fiber and the brand’s flagship Grade 54 hubs. <\/p>\n

With lightning-fast engagement and an obsessively refined carbon layup, the Jocassee SL tips the scales at an incredible 1,145g. However, the strength of the rim rivals that of a mountain bike wheelset. That\u2019s a goal most brands struggle to approach, let alone beat, even at weights north of 1,400g. <\/p>\n

The Jocassee SL exists to prove what\u2019s possible when wheel design, materials selection, and build spec have no limit. But that isn\u2019t the only story Boyd Cycling wants to tell. Boyd believes great gravel wheels shouldn\u2019t be reserved for just those riders chasing the cutting edge of wheel design.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it built the Reiver.<\/p>\n

The Reiver brings true carbon gravel performance to a more accessible price point without losing the durability and ride quality that matter when gravel turns rough. With a 26mm internal-width carbon rim, Grade 36 hubs with 10\u00b0 of engagement, and a proven spoke and brass nipple build, the Reiver is designed for punishing terrain \u2013\u00a0not pristine racecourses. At just 1,385g per set and priced at only $1,200, the Reiver delivers serious performance where it counts.<\/p>\n

From the uncompromising Jocassee SL to the value-driven Reiver, Boyd Cycling remains committed to building wheels for how people actually ride gravel.<\/p>\n

Two paths. One philosophy.\u00a0Built to ride hard!<\/p>\n

Ad feature ends<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By the end of next week it will be March, which \u2013 by some measures, at least \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,62984,101,8782,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-436549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-in-the-drops","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tadej-pogacar","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}