External cable routing FTW! Five cool things we're reviewing from Condor, Cinelli, Garmin, InvisiFRAME and Cycology

Here is the latest selection of five standout things we're currently reviewing here at road.cc. This week, we take a look at the Condor Odyssey Gravel bike, the Cinelli Hobootleg touring bike and also some indoor training and bike accessories from Garmin/Tacx, InvisiFRAME and Cycology. The full reviews will drop soon, and in the meantime, you can read through the thousands of reviews we've already published here. 

Condor Odyssey Gravel - £2,645

The Condor Odyssey Gravel is a versatile and lightweight aluminium gravel bike, and the choice of frame material that Condor has also allowed Condor to keep the price pretty reasonable. The fit on the bike is described as "fast endurance". You can bung on up to 43mm tyres to soften any bumps on the gravel tracks. 

If you rather enjoy the scenery and not chewing your handlebar, the Odyssey is also equipped for bikepacking; the carbon fork includes multiple mounts for a front rack or extra bottle cages, and there are also bosses on the top tube. The cables are not fully internally routed, which also lends itself well to bikepacking, as although they are securely housed on the frame they are also easier to maintain. 

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Cinelli Hobootleg - £1,499

Are you wanting to do some bike touring this year, but missing a suitable bike? The Cinelli HoBootleg is a bike that really looks like the ideal horse for those kinds of adventure rides. This Italian steel adventure bike comes with a 9-speed Shimano Sora groupset (and bar end shifters!), Tektro brakes and WTB Riddler tyres and of course, it can take all the luggage racks you might want to put on it.

> Best touring bikes

The frame, made with double-butted Columbus steel tubes, is finished with an electrophoretic paint job for rust prevention and Cinelli is convinced this fine-tuned bike can be ridden "straight out of the box, as hard and as far as you like without a second thought".

Will this bike that flies in the face of internally-routed-everything machines that we're accustomed to seeing nowadays prove to be a touring triumph? The verdict is due soon... 

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Garmin Tacx NEO 3M Smart Trainer- £1,749.99

The Tacx NEO 3M Smart Trainer is Garmin's newest direct-drive smart turbo trainer equipped with a pre-installed 11-speed cassette. This trainer doesn't hold you still but instead offers slight multidirectional movement (in a slightly more engineered way than those exercise balls some have started placing under the trainer's legs), simulated inclines up to 25%, and accurate power and cadence measurements within an impressive 1% accuracy.

The list of things this trainer does goes on: it should handle sprints up to 2,200 watts (in case that is a number you can actually produce), it should never need calibration and it's compatible with the most popular training apps, of course. We are curious to see how this trainer fares against its main competitors, and whether our reviewer reckons it's worth its whopping price tag. 

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InvisiFRAME Protective Coating 100ml - £15

InvisiFRAME is well known for its premium frame protection sets, and now the brand has collaborated with Fenwik to create Protective Coating, a hydrophobic, invisible shield for bike frames. The coating repels contaminants like energy drinks, gels, mud and grime, and is suitable for gloss, matte and carbon finishes. InvisiFRAME says it lasts up to six months, it's easy to apply, leaves no marks or greasiness, and "complements invisiFRAME kits". 

Will it compliment our reviewer's bike? Find out early next month.

See it here

Cycology 8 Days Handle Bar tape - £20

If you like your bars to stand out, then the Cycology 8 Days handlebar tape will certainly do that for you. It's claimed to provide reliable grip, extra padding and shock absorption, and the set includes two rolls of 3.5mm thick tape and matching Cycology bar end plugs. If you wanted to be even more matchy, you could pair the bar tape with Cycology's 8 Days clothing and accessories range as well. 

Read more here