Cycling Weekly test a lot of road bike cycling tech and a lot of it is really good. Most products made today have very little which makes them bad, but there are some products which we feel are universally loved by all cycling journalists the world over.
Sam Gupta has rounded up 8 products which he thinks represent the best of what the cycling industry has to offer us road cyclists.
What else would you add to the list?
Sam Gupta has rounded up 8 products which he thinks represent the best of what the cycling industry has to offer us road cyclists.
What else would you add to the list?
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00:00There's no doubt, cycling tech journalists are a pretty lucky bunch. You get to ride and test
00:05brand new kit, often in exotic locations. What is not to like? And while you get the occasional miss,
00:12most of the tech we review is pretty good. It's actually quite hard to make a bad product these
00:17days. It's just a matter of teasing out the small differences that may matter to us,
00:22and of course you, the viewers. However, there are still products which stand out from the
00:28crowd being universally loved by cycling journalists the world over. They may not
00:33always be the most exciting products, but this really is the best of the best. So, let's get into them.
00:45If you've spent time reading reviews from the likes of Cycling Weekly or Cycling News,
00:50or watching them on this very YouTube channel, then you may have heard us mention the law of
00:54diminishing returns. And by that I mean, basically, the more you spend, the less you get. This applies
01:00to lots of products, like wheels, pedals, frame sets, and finishing kit. However, one of the
01:06biggest offenders has to be group sets, which brings me neatly onto the godlike Shimano 105.
01:13If you're unaware, 105 is Shimano's mid-tier group set. There's two versions above, and then three
01:19that sit below. Crucially though, 105's performance bears a much closer resemblance to Shimano's top-tier
01:25Ultegra and Dura-Ace group sets, while costing much less. And by less, I mean a lot less. Prices can vary
01:34depending on region and whether you're buying online or from a physical store. But a top-spec
01:41Dura-Ace Di2 group set will set you back around two and a half grand, while Mechanical 105
01:47can be found for as little as £500. If you want to spend a little bit more, then you can get the
01:53Electronic 105 Di2 group set for around £900. Obviously, being so much cheaper means 105 will
02:01be heavier, less refined, and miss out on some of the bells and whistles of Shimano's higher-tier
02:07group sets. But again, in terms of pure shifting performance, it's pretty close. And this newest
02:14version looks the part as well. As you can probably tell, I love 105. And I'd wager you'll struggle to
02:21find a cycling journalist who doesn't. Ask a cycling journalist to recommend you a fast,
02:31all-round bike tyre, and you're likely going to get some umming and ahhing before they give you
02:37two or three options. Now, those options may throw up some curveballs, but I bet nearly all of them
02:43would recommend the Continental GP5000s, the successor to the legendary GP4000. Now, the 5000
02:52caused quite a stir when it was released back in 2018, and since then it's won many cycling fans
02:59over the world. Why, I hear you ask? Well, it's not the fastest, the grippiest, the lightest,
03:05or the best value, but it does seem to offer the best balance of all of those key factors. A kind
03:11of jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none for the bike tyre world. Despite being such a fast tyre,
03:17we've also found it's got pretty decent puncture protection, no doubt thanks to Continental's
03:22newly-improved Vectron Breaker layer. And for such a popular tyre, Continental have made sure
03:29to cover nearly every option that you can think of, including tubeless, clincher, wide sizes,
03:35thin sizes, and Tamils. The list really does go on. Not to mention the special variants like the
03:41ASTR for all-season riding, the TTTR for out-and-out speed, and the STR for more all-round
03:49road race situations. So, chances are, there will be a GP5000 to suit you, no matter how niche your
03:56requirements are. And of course, being so popular means there are some good deals to be had if you
04:02shop around. So, what are you waiting for? Next up on our list is another great value,
04:11yet high-performing product from Shimano. I am, of course, talking about its M520 pedals.
04:18A quick Google of the M520 pedals will tell you two things. Number one, they're very affordable,
04:24retailing for around £28. And number two, they're pretty much universally loved, with pages of
04:31glowing five-star reviews from journalists and paying customers alike. Pros include their ease
04:37of maintenance, durability, all-round performance, and aforementioned pricing. While these pedals are
04:43mainly aimed at off-road riders, we found they suited road riders as well, particularly for those
04:49who like to be able to walk around in their riding shoes, which the recessed cleat on the M520 pedal
04:55does allow for. Lastly, the M520s have legendary mud-clearing abilities, and it wasn't uncommon
05:02to see pro cyclocross racers using them in particularly muddy races. So, if this £28
05:09pedal is good enough for the pros, then chances are it will be more than good enough for us.
05:14There's no doubt, owning and riding a fancy carbon race bike is one of the true pleasures
05:20of cycling. What's less pleasurable is what you do with said carbon road bike when the weather
05:26turns nasty. Sure, you can keep riding it while keeping on top of the cleaning, but many of us
05:32don't have that kind of time. And, as most carbon race bikes don't come with mudguard eyelets,
05:38finding something else to do is a bit of a pain. So, if you're looking for something
05:42to keep you and your bike clean, it can be tricky.
05:48Fortunately though, SKS have you covered with their clip-on race blade mudguards.
05:53While clip-on mudguards of the past would often just be flimsy and need constant adjustment,
05:58and be prone to breaking, the race blades are rock solid, and are made of strong, stiff plastic.
06:04They're also easy to fit, and will work on frames with both round and aero tube profiles.
06:10It's worth noting they won't offer quite as much mud protection as a dedicated eyelet-attached
06:15mudguard, with a bit of spray usually managing to work its way up your backside,
06:20but they will protect your bike, and surely, that is the most important thing.
06:25Finally, if you like your tyres wide, then SKS has you covered with their XL model,
06:30which works with 700c wheels, up to 32mm on the rim, and disc brake bikes.
06:41Sometimes, the best cycling products do their job so well that you hardly ever notice them at all,
06:47and nowhere is this more apparent than with your bottle cages.
06:52The best bottle cages will do exactly as they should, namely, hold your drink no matter the
06:57surface you're riding on. The worst will fill you with doubt as you never know when you might
07:02lose a bottle during a ride. And if you want the best, then I think you can't go wrong with Elite.
07:08They have a huge variety to choose from, and cater to different budgets.
07:12You can also choose between carbon, metal, Elite's eco-friendly material,
07:17and their fibre-reinforced material. So again, lots of options.
07:22A quick look online will tell you everything you need to know, with lots of 5 or nearly
07:275-star reviews. When we tested their Vico Carbon bottle cage, we found it provided a firm,
07:33rattle-free hold while weighing just 28 grams. Costing only £26 at the time of testing,
07:39it also represents fairly decent value for money, considering it's made out of carbon.
07:49Search online for cycling socks, and you will find an almost limitless array of styles,
07:54colours, lengths, and thicknesses to choose from. So, which do we recommend?
08:00Well, if you like your socks in either white, black, or grey, then you can't go wrong with
08:06Raffer's Pro Team Socks. They've been around in some form or another for a long time,
08:11which goes to show how popular they are with cycling journalists and everyday riders.
08:17My personal favourite are the standard socks, but for taller riders, there is an extra long
08:22version for that trendy high cuff look. Socks may not be the most exciting of
08:27products, but these really do the job quite well, keeping your feet cool during the summer months,
08:32and not slipping down your legs during riding. It's worth noting, the Raffer have you covered
08:38in the colder months as well, as they have a winter version of the Pro Team Sock. So,
08:43what's not to like?
08:49Supercars makes a bold statement on their website, and I quote,
08:54We boldly claim that Super Sticky Cush is the best bar tape ever,
08:59and that's backed up by being the world's number one selling bar tape.
09:03Now, whether or not that's true, well, I don't know, but what I do know
09:08is that it's an incredibly popular product loved by riders the world over.
09:13As you'd expect, it's seriously grippy stuff, even when wet and not wearing gloves,
09:19so you shouldn't need to worry about slipping from the bars. It's also quite thick at 3.2mm,
09:25so will be well suited to riders who value all day comfort.
09:29Thick bar tape can sometimes be trickier to wrap, but we found the Super Sticky Cush tape
09:34didn't present us with too many issues. Finally, it's available in a wide variety of colours,
09:40so you should be able to find something to match your bike.
09:43Last on our list, but by no means least, is Park Tool's P-Handle Hex Wrench Sets.
09:50Now, these hex keys, or allen keys, depending on where you come from,
09:54have the distinction of being loved not only by cycling journalists, but also by bike mechanics,
10:00and they're a familiar sight in workshops the world over.
10:04As you'd expect, they're made from super high torque industrial steel
10:08that will last you a lifetime, and they're also made from a high-strength,
10:13that will last for years to come. They're also available in all the popular sizes for when it
10:18comes to working on your bike, and there's a small ball head right there on the long
10:22side for those hard-to-reach places. Lastly, you get a neat wall hanger mount thingy,
10:28meaning no more rummaging around in drawers or toolboxes.
10:32So, there you have it, 8 products almost universally loved by cycling journalists.
10:37But, do you have any recommendations of your own? As always, let me know down below.