Warren Rossiter Gear of the Year 2024 The last 12 months have seen some huge leaps in tech.
With its direct-mount derailleur, SRAM’s new RED XPLR changed the game for slick gravel gearing. I look forward to SRAM trickling that tech down to a level I can afford soon!
On the bike front, Giant’s new TCR reinforced its place at the top of the race-bike tree. Plus I got the chance to see what goes into building them at Giant’s GTM factory .
I was impressed by new gravel bikes at all price levels from Rondo , Giant , Kinesis and Marin – not forgetting GT’s brilliant Grade and rowdy Grade X .
I liked Q36.5’s premium clothing and shoes and, at the affordable end of the scale, Madison’s gravel-friendly Roam range caught my attention. Udog’s road and gravel shoes remain strong favourites.
That all said, however, my standouts for the year have (nearly) all come from my utility riding.
I’ve got performance trousers tough enough for the ride and smart enough for the office; pedals that offer SPD performance and a huge safety bonus, and a lock that’s as tough and secure as anything I’ve tested in 20 years of lock testing.Lastly, it’s Skarper’s unique click-on, click-off ebike conversion system , so I can commute on a performance bike without having to get a sweat on. The only outlier is Prologo’s innovative CPC bar tape, which gives comfort and grip like nothing else. Skarper DiskDrive The Skarper has impressed me and I’ve used it […]
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