And the week’s top news, reviews and cycling advice

By Jack Evans

Published: Friday, 01 December 2023 at 07:00 AM


A week on from Black Friday, congratulations if you and your bank account made it through without rashly purchasing a massage gun and budget-hotel-standard shower gel.

Before I reveal what’s behind the first door of our tech advent calendar, let’s recap the past week at BikeRadar.com.

First up, we explained how to get your gravel bike ready for winter and reviewed the SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4-piston brakes.

Then AG2R Citroën went shopping at Decathlon and emerged with a new name and new bikes (the Van Rysel RCR Pro), leaving their divisive brown shorts on the shelf. Do you agree with Stan Portus that the French team’s old kit was the best in the peloton?

We also covered the release of the 3T Extrema Italia, a genre-defying adventure gravel bike.

The new Look 795 Blade RS was Bike of the Week. Both the Van Rysel RoadR 900 Full Carbon Road Cycling Shoe and the Manitou Mattoc Pro suspension fork scored highly in their individual reviews.

The Canyon Ultimate CFR and Specialized Tarmac SL8 went head to head on the website and YouTube channel. Find out which superbike came out on top and let us know what you think in the comments.

Ceramic Speed unveiled a new Oversized Pulley Wheel System for SRAM Eagle AXS Transmission with an ‘Active Debris Remover’. Yours for €579 / $669.

Now it’s time to check out the tech and kit that’s arrived early under the BikeRadar Christmas tree.