For the purists out there, dedicated to the essence of cycling, a product like this is a real statement. The simple, no-nonsense application of luxurious materials in a classic cut and retro style is a two-fingered salute to our obsession with synthetic engineering. With a large dollop of Merino wool, this jacket can take on […]
?Silva has a fantastic headlamp pedigree, and there’s no doubt that the X-Trail is a top-performing and versatile product. The beam it produces strikes a perfect balance between flood and spot, is the best on test and easily copes with full-on, off-road adventures. The massive rubberised button makes operation easy, even with gloves on. At […]
There’s a strange irony to naming a piece of safety equipment after the most dangerous person in Christendom. Then again, the Diablo does share one characteristic with its namesake – deceptiveness. It looks and feels like a lid with a three-figure price tag, but in fact costs a very competitive £75. You may not get […]
Apart from the regular features you’d expect in a standard bike computer, the Adventure adds an altimeter, slope indicator and thermometer to the mix. The altimeter, which works using barometric pressure, is accurate as long as you calibrate it regularly to known points or use the ‘Home’ function. If you live and ride in a […]
Out of the box the Mavics scream quality and, when you pick them up, their lightness and stiffness is instantly impressive. All of the key tri-specific features are present including a large in-to-out strap, heel-toe bumpers and a large heel loop. The inner is soft and comfortable in bare feet and is treated with an […]
Mudguards may serve a useful purpose by keeping the rooster tails of rain spray off you and your mates, but people are often reluctant to use them. That could be due to the fiddling required to fit them or possibly the rattling and rubbing they cause when riding. But most probably it’s because they make […]
With 850 lumens of power coming from three LEDs, this is a super little light in more ways than one. We tested the flood version but it comes in a spotlight version, too. An off-road night rider might benefit from both, but the flood version was spot-on for road riding, though we did try it […]
Being Giro’s new range-topping lid, you’d expect the Prolight to be more expensive than its predecessor, the £159.99 Ionos. But it’s not. It’s 10 quid cheaper. And you pay less, because you get less – weight that is. The Prolight has been on a diet that’s so effective it barely troubles the 220 scales at […]
Cannondale, founded in the early 70s, is a well-established brand who pioneered aluminium bicycle frame technology in the mid ‘80s. The CAAD9 frameset is the next iteration of Cannondale’s award-winning welded aluminium frame design, which has built up a well-deserved reputation for its stiffness and light weight. The spec of the Cannondale CAAD 9 Tiagra […]
Planet X started out in the ‘90s making dirt jump mountain bike frames out of its factory in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. More recently they’ve concentrated largely on the development of the road side as well as their range of track, triathlon and time-trial. The Planet X SL Pro Carbon Ultegra 6700 is a winner when […]
If super-slick aero framesets were the memorable sight of September’s Eurobike, and German sausage the memorable taste, the memorable sound was a cool R2D2-style motor noise. Everywhere you went, it seemed, you could hear the clicking and whirring of a Shimano Dura Ace Di2 mech being fiddled with. The Di2 adorned nearly every single top-end […]
Two LEDs powered by a single Li-ION gives this light plenty of punch with a long, penetrating beam. It also has a good light spread that shows plenty of immediate detail. It’s certainly good enough for hammering the trails off-road and down dark country lanes. Mounting is simplicity itself, and while Cat-Eye’s single-shot model has […]
This handlebar-mounted integral light and battery unit is easy to fit and straightforward to use. It has two power settings that are adequate for street use, plus occasional unlit road riding. A single button – mounted centre at the top of the unit – flips through low and high power, and also boasts a flash […]
Basically, for another £75 this doubles up the light power of the Light and Motion Stella 150 by having two light units instead of one. The lights can be placed together on your handlebars or placed up to 15 centimetres apart. The result is a penetrating beam of light that’s good enough for safe road […]
A robust single light with a two watt LED and a Lithium Ion battery that fits neatly on top of a bike stem. It was powerful, gave a surprisingly wide beam and was suitable for countryside use. The battery pack and light unit both have solid, easy to assemble mounts, onto which the light and […]
A hugely powerful four LED lamp unit with five light modes, ranging from dipped light for urban areas up to the ultra-bright level four, which would work beautifully on a gnarly off-road track. All of these modes (including the handy flash) are operated by a single on/off button, which is ideally positioned for gloved thumbs. […]
This well-made light is intended for road use. It’s easy to mount on a very solid metal bracket and boasts some nice features, including a separate switch that can be placed anywhere on your handlebars and operated while wearing gloves. Its two LEDs give a wide, penetrating beam and, despite the battery pack being part […]
With a combined weight of 174g for unit and battery pack, this is extremely light for its power. It’s so light, in fact, that if you put the light and battery pack on your helmet you won’t notice it. Yet despite this, the MiNewt Mini knocks out a hefty beam, claimed to be 110 lumens […]
Two powerful LEDs are mounted facing a reflector, which then casts forward a wide beam of penetrating light. The handlebar-mounted unit is bulky because it includes the NIMH battery pack, and although fitting is easy, we felt the bracket was a bit weedy for what is a relatively heavy unit. This is a bike-only light, […]
The NiMH battery makes this small light a little heavier than the MiNewt Mini, but it packs in 40 more lumens in a slightly wider beam. Critically, there’s also more control. A push button on the light unit switches first to full power, then lower power and flash mode. This is good because it gets […]
This was the mighty atom of the test, giving out a huge amount of light from a tiny source – an incredible 220 lumens at full power. Amazingly,all this power comes from two lithium batteries. Fitting the ExposureSpark to your bike is as simple as pulling two tie wraps in place; it really is that […]
AceCo specialises in precision engineering and has produced this K-Edge Chain Catcher – recently seen on Bradley Wiggins’ Felt – with the dual aim of keeping your chain in place and protecting your frame from damage caused by a derailed chain. It works only with braze-on style front derailleur, is just 10 grammes and, tucked […]
With most of the SRAM-sponsored teams in the pro peloton running these derailleur cables, it’s a sure bet they offer pretty snappy performance. I’m a convert to the sealed versions on my mountain bike and cyclocross steeds, and immediately noticed improved shifting, increased resilience to mud and crud, and prolonged durability. This latest incarnation is […]
The Gorilla Cage is a smart looking piece of carbon that’s not going to look out of place on even the fanciest steed. And, at £37.99, it’s competitively priced compared to other carbon cages. Hitting a pothole and losing bottles can spell disaster but here my bottle stayed firmly in place despite hard mountain biking. […]
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