Those nights are drawing in - and with many of us still working from home, it's time to bust the lights out for after work rides. We'll be testing plenty over the coming weeks and months, plus plenty of other stuff to deal with the cold and wet of course...
Liv Devote 1
£1,349.00
Designed for versaitility, the Devote should suit bikepackers, gravel grinders and commuters alike, with clearance for 45mm tyres and plenty of mounting points for bottle cages and luggage thanks to the Smart Mounting System. Liv's ALUXX-Grade aluminium frame paired with a carbon fork brings the weight down to 10.3kg for a size medium, and the wheelset is purpose-built to be tough and strong to cope with harsh weather. The D-Fuse handlebar and seatpost system features on numerous Giant/Liv endurance and gravel bikes, providing some shock absorption to smooth out the ride and make things more compliant up front and at the rear. Did Lara Dunn become devoted to her Devote demo bike over the test period? Her full review is coming soon...
liv-cycling.com
Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed gravel groupset
£1,447
After numerous rumours did the rounds over summer, Campagnolo finally turned things up to 13 last month with the launch of their sleek 1x 13-speed gravel groupset. It has a super wide range (466% on our 9/42 test cassette) with a tiny 9-tooth cog built around their new N3W freehub, and Campag have ensured weight weenies are catered for by claiming to have made the lightest ever gravel groupset. The chainset is looking as good as you'd expect from the Italians, with UD carbon arms and a guard to protect it against rock strikes at the end. The famous Campag thumb paddles have had a little redesign, with a J-shaped design that they say should make shifting easier from the drops. As you'd expect, powerful hydraulic disc brakes feature, with 140mm or 160mm rotors available. Did Matt Page appreciate the extra cogs? His test report is coming later this month.
campagnolo.com
Koo Demos sunglasses
£129.00
These shades weigh in at just 35g, and are in keeping with the current trend for massive retro-style shades in the pro peloton.Featuring a quality Zeiss anti-reflection lens, Koo say they should deliver "impressive panoramic viewing angles" for plenty of clarity, while the coating eliminates reflection from the front and back surfaces so your eyes will receive as much light as possible to reduce eye strain. Several cut-out areas and two additional vents at the top should prevent fogging to keep the rider's view crystal clear.
Hollis Jones is currently waiting for a sunny day to test these shades again, with a review coming early next month...
kooworld.cc
Scott Centric Plus Helmet
£149.99
Billed as their most versatile lid to date, the Centric Plus is recommended for road and mountain biking, and is optimised for ventilation and lightness: "one helmet to suit all riders", so say Scott. It's also got MIPS inside, weighed in at 222g on our scales and is optimised to let in plenty of airflow both on the inside and outside of the lid. They say it's designed for winners... but does Stu Kerton think it's a winner for the rest of us too? He'll be delivering a verdict at the end of October.
scott-sports.com
Fidlock TWIST Toolbox
£34.99
If you're not a fan of stuffing tools in your pockets and need to free up space elsewhere on your bike, then this handy toolbox from Fidlock could be the storage system for you. With a 550ml volume, there's space for an inner tube, tyre level and CO2 system at a minimum, and the clever magnetic system means the box is always held in place with the TWIST mount, and just needs a short, sharp twist to take it off. Mounted in the frame's triangle, it won't block off your other bottle and you can run it on the downtube or seat tube depending on your preference. Worth sacrificing a bottle cage for? Hollis Jones will be reporting back in a couple of weeks with a full test report...
ison-distribution.com
For all the latest road.cc test reports, head over to our reviews section. If you want some more advice before splashing the cash, check out our buyer's guides.
Enough for what?
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