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Five cool things coming soon from Garmin, Merida, Topeak, Showers Pass and SunGod

Here's another selection of cool stuff we're testing at the moment, with full reviews coming soon...

Hopefully you enjoyed the sunshine while it lasted, because it's just come to an abrupt end by the looks of things! Come rain or shine, here's the best of what we've been riding around on recently... 

Merida Reacto Team Disc Bahrain McLaren

£9,000.00

2021 Merida Reacto Disc Team-E 2.jpg

This is the all-singing, all-dancing team edition Reacto being ridden by Cav et al through to 2021, with full internal cable routing and a total bike weight of 7.51kg on our scales. It's dripping with Shimano's top-tier Dura-Ace Di2 groupset (with a power meter included), plus hydraulic disc brakes and Vision's Metron 55 tubeless-ready carbon wheels. Up front, everything is hidden away nicely by the 5D carbon handlebar also courtesy of Vision.
Did the Reacto garner a positive reaction from our tester Liam Cahill? Find out in his full test report soon...
merida-bikes.com

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar

£739.99

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar - map.jpg

Featuring all the bells and whistles of the feature-packed Fenix multisport line of watches, Garmin claim the Fenix 6 Pro Solar has a huge battery life of up to 10.5 days. It uses solar panels under the glass face and around the edges of the watch to draw power from the sunshine, and has a host of cycling-specific functions such as compatibility with Garmin’s Vector power pedals. Of course you have all the (now standard) features that appear on high-end smartwatches, including text/email alerts from you phone, GPS and a contactless payment function. There are also extensive navigational features. 
Worth the hefty price tag? We'll leave it to Mike Stead to tell you what he thinks, in a full review coming later this month. 
garmin.com

Topeak Pakgo Gear Pack

£109.99

2020 Topeak Pakgo Gear Pack.jpg

Topeak may be best known for their tools and on-bike storage options, but this solid-looking case is built to cart all your gear off the bike with a 40 litre capacity. It has a hard shell to keep everything safe, with five divided compartments that keeps your helmet, cycling and post-ride clothes, water bottles and more neatly organised. There's also an integrated carry handle and clip on shoulder strap, plus five more pockets on the exterior. The ultimate for lugging your gear around? Nick Cox is reviewing the Pakgo, with a test report coming soon. 
extrauk.co.uk

Showers Pass Tempo Socks : No Show

£11.00

2020 Showers Pass Tempo Socks No Show 1.jpg

Featuring an organic Cotton, Nylon and Lycra blend, Showers Pass say their no-show socks offer "the perfect mix of materials that provide earth-friendly comfort and durability". Silicone grips also mean you can "achieve a sockless look" without sacrificing a secure fit... we're not sure if it's really an "achievement" to look like you're not wearing socks, but there ya go! 
Elsewhere Showers Pass say there is zone padding in the heel and toe area to offer cushioned support for long days out. Time to get the sockless look? Stu Kerton's test report is imminent. 
showerspass.co.uk

SunGod Velans sunglasses

£115.00

2020 SunGod Velans sunglasses 1.jpg

These shades are worn by the Ribble Weldtite pro cycling team, and feature SunGod's new 8KO Iris photochromatic lenses that adapt to the light conditions - SunGod boldly claim they have "the most advanced lens technology on the planet". They're available in full frame or half frame options, and we weighed our full frame test shades at just 34g. Unobstructed peripheral vision and maximum coverage is promised via the wide lenses, and they come with four different nose pad sizes for the perfect fit. Mike Stenning is testing them now (when the sun's out) and his review is due soon...
sungod.co

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

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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1 comments

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Carior | 3 years ago
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It's worth noting that Garmin doesn't really offer payments on its watches in a way that any of us would find useful.

The list of bank's supported in the UK is available on the website but long story short, the only high street bank is Santander then its a handful of fin techs and random non-UK banks so its not really a meaningful feature for most of us.

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