On an international scale, Australia only has a handful of recognisable cycling brands: Bont, SKINS, 2XU and Knog come to mind. Twowheelcool is set to join their ranks. Founded in 2012 in Balmain, Sydney by designer Bruce Hanlee, Twowheelcool’s first product has been picked up by Australian distributor, Eureka Brands, and sold internationally.
Twowheelcool produce a number of silicon based cycling products designed to address cyclist’s special needs, and they made quite splash recently at Eurobike and Interbike, the industry’s two most important trade shows. This is no mean feat for a young brand, though their aspirations are big; with the deals they made at Eurobike, distributors from eight countries have signed Twowheelcool up, so you’ll be seeing the following products popping up in the cycling media soon.
Twowheelcool’s flagship product is the Air Head, a silicon helmet liner that provides better ventilation for the wearer and prevents the dreaded “helmet hair”. This is something that I’m looking forward to, come the Aussie summer, but the product that really caught my attention (since it solves one of my particular pet problems) is the Toe Cap, silicon covers for cycling shoes. Typically covers like these are neoprene and more often than not they are black; the toe caps have a black and clear (mist) version as well as red, pink and a Bianchi green.
The silicon material means they are water-proof and, unusually, they’re being promoted as being dishwasher friendly! This demonstrates that it is easy to clean as silicon will inevitably attract grime. The toe caps will retail for $29.95 a pair and come in sizes S (36-41) and L (42-48).
The next new product is the Wrapper Chainstay Guard and is, you guessed it, silicon. While road cyclists tend to avoid chain slap, on my bike the drive-side chainstay is often the dirtiest part of my bike and many road bikes already have an extra sticker on the top of the chain stay in anticipation. The Chainstay Guard looks really suited to mountain biking as an alternative to neoprene and adhesive protectors.
If you’re making silicon cycling accessories, then it’s pretty much required that you make an an iphone 5 case, but the offering from Twowheelcool differentiates itself as a complete silicon solution, including the mounting mechanism that allows it to be center mounted on the stem. The $39.95 price tag makes it competitive, though it should be noted that the face of the smart phone is not covered. So while visibility and access is not impeded, it isn’t completely waterproof.
The journey doesn’t end there – in 2014 two new products are on horizon, both lights. One of them, the Pilot helmet light, attracted my attention as a helmet mounted light with front facing white and rear facing red light. It looks like a great secondary light source and something I’m keen to try when commuting.
Twowheelcool have kindly shared these photos from their international brand presentation at Eurobike with Bicycles Network Australia. For more information about the products and stockists, visit www.twowheelcool.com
