Tech: New shoes and helmets on show at the Tour Down Under

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While most components and accessories usually fall under team sponsorship, some teams allow items like shoes and sunglasses to be selected on an individual basis.

Sidi was once the clear leader but now, after we paced up and down the 2015 Santos Tour Down Under's stage starts for a good look, there is no obvious choice in shoe. Brands such as Specialized, Bont, Gaerne, Shimano and Sidi are most common, with Bontrager, Scott, Northwave and Diadora appearing just a little less.

Many of these shoes remain the same from our look last year, however, there are a few surprises.

Beyond every shoe featuring some form of carbon sole, the next most common feature is dial-type buckles, with many riders using either Boa-equipped or similiar type shoes. This isn't too surprising, with Boa featured on the top-end shoes of more than 10 brands, with brands such as Sidi and Northwave doing their own version. Giro and Shimano are now the only two major brands that don't offer a dial-type shoe, sticking with buckles and velcro instead.

For helmets, we already revealed new models from Giant, Bontrager and new-entrant Suomy – but highlight a few more, including a few additional angles of those originally shown.

Check out the gallery here for the latest and generally popular shoes, helmets, sunglasses and other accessories we spotted at the 2015 Santos Tour Down Under.