I’m not an easy man to impress.
The fact is, it’s becoming harder and harder for brands to make poor products. Even kit that isn’t outstanding versus competitors will probably do the job it’s designed to do pretty well.
It’s a mark of the maturity of the industry – the existing knowledge that goes into making a product (be it a bike light, bib short, wheelset or something else) usually turns around a decent item.
It shows in the scores we’ve given the vast majority of products this year, even after we’ve tested and critically analysed them for their strengths and weaknesses.
So, it’s entirely possible for a very good product to not live long in the memory banks. Likewise, a product that suits me specifically, or carries some kind of extra significance, is more likely to make my gear of the year list.
The products that follow hit those marks.
Specialized ADV Shorts
The Specialized ADV Shorts have revolutionised my outlook on gravel attire this year.
Gestated in the conservative world of road cycling – a Lycra-clad rider through and through – I’m ashamed to admit I’ve looked down my nose at those riding baggies on road and gravel bikes in the past. Not any more.
The ADV Shorts feature a breathable woven fabric, have useful pockets for day-to-day use and are suitably cut for an on-the-bike posture without riding up the leg.
Paired with a padded inner liner (or just a regular pair of bib shorts), or worn on their own for shorter about-town rides, I’ve found the sense of sartorial freedom liberating.
No longer do I feel as self-conscious when queuing for a coffee in the middle of a gravel ride, while I can ride to the supermarket, do a shop without attracting query-some gazes, then pedal home again.
Of course, the onset of winter has prompted me to find a warmer solution to the problem at hand, but I’m looking forward to donning these shorts again when spring rolls around.
Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR tyre
Last year, I heaped praise on the Pirelli P Zero Race 4S clincher tyre as being my all-round performance tyre of choice.
Of course, things change. I’m now far more happy than I was to run a tubeless setup on my own bike, and almost every tyre brand worth mentioning seems to have launched new rubber in 2023.
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR has emerged as my favourite of the bunch.
Don’t get me wrong, I would certainly prefer to fit a lighter, faster tyre for summer riding, such as a Grand Prix 5000 S TR, Schwalbe Pro One TLE, Goodyear Eagle F1 R or Pirelli P Zero Race TLR.
However, for the other, say, 75 per cent of the time, I think the AS TR hits a blend of performance and protection others have yet to match.
When I ride it on my Fairlight Strael 3.0 with any given wheelset, I can hardly feel the difference compared to an S TR (of course, weight is hardly the priority for my steel bike’s general application), and it gives me nigh-on the same confidence as the S TR when cornering.
Continental didn’t rip up the S TR’s construction blueprint when it designed the AS TR – all it did was add an extra ply to the casing for increased puncture protection, modify the compound to work better in the wet and make the tread slightly deeper (also for increased grip).
None of these things are bad for the general road cycling enthusiast – in fact, I’d argue they’re fundamentally good.
Tyre choice, as we repeat often, is very subjective, and the development race moves inexorably on for what is a very consumable item.
But this, for me, is the current performance all-season standard setter.
Mavic X-Tend prototype ebike motor system
It isn’t often we’ll travel to ride a product you won’t be able to buy for a couple of years. Even rarer is the time we’ll go to see a prototype that, by definition, is still in development.
However, when Mavic invited us to its new headquarters near Annecy in France, we accepted because intrigue was sky-high.
Here was a brand steeped in cycling history, most famous for providing neutral service at the Tour de France, with a reputation for creating performance bike wheels, about to announce a completely new line of business: an ebike motor.
I choose that word – business – carefully, because, of course, this was set against the context of Mavic’s re-emergence following serious business turmoil and its eventual buy-out.
What I saw and rode was the X-Tend, a bottom bracket-housed motor system that’s intended to change the way bike brands create their ebike frames around the electronic gubbins.
Instead of the frame featuring a cut-out, into which the motor is inserted, Mavic worked with Swiss brand BMC to create special Teammachine SLR bikes with minimal tweaks to the frame layup.
While some finessing remained to be done, the overall riding experience felt remarkably polished. Mavic estimated we could see the system on production ebikes as soon as 2025-2026. That felt realistic to me.
That said, while the X-Tend motor is an impressive technical achievement, it’s what it could represent for one of the more storied brands in cycling, and its future, that earns it a spot here.
Oakley Jawbreaker sunglasses
Ahh, the Oakley Jawbreaker.
I’ve tried many sunglasses over the years. Oakley seems to come to the table with a new model every year, while over the years I’ve dabbled with alternatives from – off the top of my head – Scott, Rudy Project, Koo, Smith Optics, Lazer, Bolle, Panda Optics and Ekoi.
None I’ve tried fit my face better, are as comfortable to wear, or look as good as the Oakley Jawbreaker.
Certainly, I still reach for my own Jawbreaker whenever I’m not testing others.
My own ‘Pop Fade’ edition frame might be beginning to pale, the lenses micro-scratched with age, one of the ear socks missing and the central pillar corroded with salty sweat, but I’ll stick fervently to them until they literally fall off my face. Then I’ll probably buy another set.
I can’t think of an Oakley-sponsored rider or team that still uses it – but all the key design boxes remain ticked, arguably more so than with the brand’s more recent models.
The lens clarity is excellent and it can be replaced.
The full frame protects the face but doesn’t intrude on peripheral vision.
The frame and lens shape bring good ventilation, avoiding steam-ups.
The arms hold fast to the side of my head and fit over helmet straps well.
The top of the frame doesn’t rattle against prominent helmet brows.
Mine even matches my BikeRadar kit (by happy accident, admittedly).
Irrespective of what I think, though, perhaps it’s testament to the enduring popularity of the design that Oakley continues to sell the Jawbreaker today, nearly nine years after its initial release.