I always find reviews for gravel bike tyres quite contentious as obviously the reviewer doesnt ride the same local trails as I do. One riders gravel can vary wildly from anothers. Some stick to fire roads, others live in a gravel nirvana like Aberfoyle whereas my local riding is a mix of mud, roots, fire roads, singletrack, bridleways all of which can be sunbaked like concrete or resemble a swamp with patches of cookie dough, somtimes in the space of a few miles on the same day. Once in a while I actually get to ride on actual gravel!So you can see any tyre that comes to me for a review is going to be properly put to the test, even in conditions they are not really designed for, such is the uniqueness of the UK gravel scene.Luckily, and I say lucky for you the reader and not me the rider, we have had both biblical rain adding to the already saturated ground and 35 degree temperatures during the weeks Ive been testing these two tyres from Vittoria. Vittoria Terreno T70Vittoria Terreno T50I really like how Vittoria catergorise their tyres, the higher the number, the more knobs/aggressive the tyre is so lets start low and work up. Both tyres were set up tubeless with Vittorias own sealant on my usual wheels. No punctures occured throughout the test and this might be down to Vittorias use of a anti-puncture belt in the construction of both models tested. Both tyres also benefit from Graphine empregnated rubber for suppleness and longevity, endurance casing and reinforced sidewalls.The Vittoria Terreno T50 is what used to be called a semi slick tyre, it has low height knobs in the centre that graduate to much higher knobs on the shoulder of the tyre. Vittoria says the tyre has great efficiency between pavement and off road and I tend to agree. The centre section gives a consistant roll along ability with a near silent performance. The version I tested was the largest avaliable at 50mm. This big size didnt add any noticable drag on tarmac or hard packed trail and I was very glad of the extra volume on rough ground. When the trails became damp I was able to adjust the air pressure for a little more grip to counteract any slide that occured. The side knobs look quite aggressive but when cornering the transition from almost slick to knobbles was smooth and predictable. Any wobble on this type of tyre is usually much more pronounced when cornering hard on tarmac, more so than on dirt. The T50 did not suffer this and I became confident that I could really lean the bike over in turns. The shoulder knobs came into their own when the going got a lot more loamy and would bite into the trail and grip just when you though traction had gone. You need to get a few rides under your belt to get used to this but once learned you are able to use this to your advantage. That said, extreme mud conditions as youd expect arent this tyres forte but as an allrounder with a drier conditions bias they one of the best tyres Ive tried. Vittoria Terreno T70Vittoria terreno T50I had a couple of comments on social media that said the tyres wear out quickly, I put around 300 miles on the tyres and I couldnt see any discernable wear. This also included a long lock up skid when a car tried to T-bone me. I did leave some of the rubber from the side knobs on the giys front bumper though!Vittoria Terreno T70Vittoria Terreno T70 cafe stopthe Vittoria Terreno T70 is Vittorias very successful and popular Mezcal MTB tyre in gravel form. It has more agressive centre knobs than the T50 but these are placed in such a way that they almost form a central ridge that the tyre rolls on. This reduces rolling resistance a lot and there didnt seem to be any drag, although there is a pleasing buzz to them when crusing on tarmac. Off road the T70 had to cope with quite a lot as I managed to find much muddiness. The T70 coped admirably though and traction and turning wasnt an issue. As you can see from the picture that tacky clay/mud will build up on the tyres at slow speed but once you get the wheel spinning again they do clear quickly. In all other conditions from damp to desert (it did get dusty for a couple of days, a guy can dream!) they are in their element and although these were only 45mm in width I found them perfect for my local riding, in fact I think the 50mm version might be overkill for these tyres. If I had to chose between the two tyres it would come down to what time of year it was, late spring-summer-early autumn Id run a T70 on the front wheel and a T50 on the rear for some turn in bite at the front and less rolling resistance and predictable breakway at the rear. The rest of the year and If I could only run one model it would be the T70 as it could cope with anything the UK could throw at it barring extreme weather.you can find out more about Vittorrias gravel range on their website Vittoria.com

Richard Contacted me back in February 2026 asking if I would like to read his book, Restless Lanes about his journey from Lands End to John OGroats. I was reluctant at first because there are too many of these type of books, most seem to exist as a how to guide giving route advice, nutritional recomendations for a fast time and well, frankly contain too much data and not enough adventure. Simply put, not the kind of cycling I am interested in.Chatting to Richard and looking at his Instagram postings as well as reading the synopsis of the book I thought Id give it a try and give the benefit of the doubt. If it turned out to be all about average speeds, energy gels and bypassing views to save a few minutes off your time Id come clean, tell Richard it wasnt my thing and rather than give a negative review I wouldnt post anything about the book.As you gather after reading the last sentence and reading from the start the book was nothing like id expected and so heres my review.When reading any book, to enjoy it you need to feel attuned to the character in the story. In this case the author is also the hero of the tale and within the first chapter i was already on board as we had had a similar childhood bike wise, even down to owning the exact same model (and colour) of full suspension bike back in the 1990s (I wont spoil the book by mentioning which bike). Also our desire to avoid busy traffic laden roads also matches.The book is easy to read and if you sit down with a plan of reading for 10 minutes youll suddenly realise your cuppa has gone cold and its an hour later but youll feel that hour has been used gainfully rather than wasted. The book is not a guide but a journal of gentle adventure and historical discovery in areas of the country we often dont even notice as we speed by in motorized transport. This is done in such a genuinely interesting way it feels like you are talking to a mate rather than being read facts verbatim from a history book. At times I felt like I was in the saddle with the author struggling with the gradients and getting tensed up on descents, if youve ridden at all youll know what I mean or maybe youll feel like the stoker on his tandem as he points out the reason villages are named as they are and what joy or skullduggery has befallen them and why they are there seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the first place.if your hoping for FTP, thresholds and Strava segments look elsewhere but there is a real struggle going on as the author battles not just the elements (did he plan multiple storms for effect?) but the hardest thing of all, his own subconscious, Richard is not an elite athlete, hes just a run of the mill cycle enthusiast like the rest of us, full of self doubt and with maybe a touch of imposter syndrome. I can definitely relate to that. What I cant forgive however is not making the detour to try the cheese in Garstang!Ive read talk of long distance endurance sports not just being about the physical strength but mental strength too and although this is not an Olympic competition or an attempt to climb K2, the LeJog is hard enough physically and the authors struggles to complete the journey are not just confined to aching limbs but lay bare his battle with his own mind to be able to sum up the drive to turn the pedals. That in itself makes the book more readable, more human and more real.So if you are looking for a turn by turn route guide to riding the length of the country then look elsewhere, if you are lookng for a genuinely entertaining read thats informative, sad and funny at times where you end up rooting for the main character to complete the ride then Restless lanes is the book you should read.Find out more about Richard Warrick and how to order a copy of Restless Lanes at Richardwarrick.co.uk

Revel bikes, have you heard of them? If you were into mountain biking in 2019 then you probably will have. They were originally based out of Colorado USA and were a niche but well respected brand, a few years on and they hit the same woes as many companies in the cycle industry and the owner Adam Miller sold the company to a private equity. They in turn ended up closing the company. Then in 2026 Adam bought the company back and the next chapter of Revel Bikes began. Sounds like a fairy story or great marketing doesnt it but its all true. This time though Revel isnt just based in the USA, Thomas Dibley now owns the UK arm of the company and is based in Abergavenny in the heart of Wales. Revel bikes will primarily sell bikes direct to the customer with maybe a few premium shops in the UK.So, great news that Revel are back but why i hear you ask am I writing this when the website is call UKgravelCO? Thats because this time round Revel have a gravel bike, infact they have 2. A titanium frame and the one I got to test which is a carbon framed bike called the Revel Rover.i really want to sharpie mars on thisRevel Rover bridleway specialistThomas got in touch and asked if Id like to try the bike out, I was hardly going to say no was I?! He then actually hand delivered the bike to my door on the day Revel Bikes UK officially launched! Ive managed to get two weeks of intensive riding on the bike, mostly on familiar routes so I could compare how it rides to bikes Im used to.Im always a little trepidatious about bikes designed in the US. They tend to have minimal tyre clearance, which is fine in say California for example and some states even ban off road riding if its wet, In the UK that would mean no riding for around 5 months a year. I was relieved though to find that the Revel Rover is right on trend and has the capacity to run 700x50mm tyres (27.5 x 2.1) In fact the fork clearance looks very generous and some experimentation with a bigger front tyre could be worth trying. Again another up to date feature is the UDH (universal deraileur hanger) allowing all the new Sram road XPLR (and MTB) rear mechs to fit. The frame has internal routing.stop, I know this will make some of you groan but the internal routing on the Revel Rover has internal tubing. No fishing about in the frame hoping the cable will magically find the exit, just push the hose or cable in one end and out it pops in the right place, fantastic! Theres more though because the hoses or cables dont route through the headset, so no dismantling of the bike to change a bearing or a big bike shop labour bill to fit a 20 part. Well done Revel!Revel Rover generous clearanceRevel Rover clearance for days!Its also refreshing to see that Revel has chosen not to got down the aero is everything road. there are some lovely curves and profiles on the bike such as the hour glass seatstays and it even has a proper seat post clamp, not a wedge or bolt hidden in the frame. It also has a round seatpost rather than an eliptical one so fitting a dropper post if you want one is much easier. The frame has 3 sets of bottle bosses inside the front triangle and one set under the down tube near the bottom bracket. interestingly there are no top tube or fork bottle mounts or mudguard eyelets.Revel Rover standard headset, yes, yes!Revel Rover hydration is keyThroughout the range of builds on the Revel website the one common denominator is the frame and fork so even of you go for the entry level Sram Apex build youll still get the same frame as the top specification bike. The only change is the bike colour. The bike on test is the sin city colour and I presume this refers to the black and white film of the same name as the frame is a mix of white and black.or is it? Actually in direct sunlight the black paint sparkles with reds, blues, purples and is a real feature. Weirdly though the Revel frame branding is under the top tube so youve got to get on your knees or turn the bike over to see it.this does not do the pint justiceRevel Rover understated brandingI tend not to mention the finishing kit on bikes as its all so subjective and riders will probably fit their favourite saddle, stem and handle bars the first day they get the bike but if its your first bike then the carbon Zipp bars, stem and SDG saddle are top quality items. This bike came with Srams Force XPLR groupset, a pair of Zipp 303s wheels and Revels own branded carbon seatpost, very fancy. The size large bike weighed in at just under 19.8lbs/8.98kg. Special mention must go to the new shape Sram levers, they are 100 times better than the old shape, they actually feel like theyve been designed for off road riding whereas the old lever was just the standard road one co-opted into a gravel groupset. Brake feel was tremendous and as a long time Shimano user who has never got on with Sram brakes at all these are far in away the best Sram brakes Ive used performance and asthetic wise. The crisp shift of the electronic AXS rear mech was faultless too.The gearing is 1 x 13, 40t chanring and 10-46t cassette. Finally I must mention the tyres and commend who ever decided to spec the bike with Maxxis Rambler tyres (here in 45mm size) as they are an excellent all rounder and reflect that someone who has ridden a gravel bike off road has had a hand in it. Too many new off the peg gravel bikes come with slick or semi slick tyres which are at the very least unsuitable for most conditions and sometimes lethal in those wet UK months I mentioned above. Round of applause emoji for Revel Bikes for that.Revel Rover curvesland?classy kitcool comfortSo to the most important part, how did the Revel Rover ride? As youd expect of a bike weighing sub 9kg it climbs very well the 10-46 cassette was low enough paired with the 40t chanring for me not to miss the 38-11x51t set up on my personal bike. I was able to spin up gradients that would have had me standing up on my regular bike. Being able to change gear with one finger with the electronic shifters encouraged rowdy behaviour on the flat and downhill. The frame is very responsive to pedal input, theres hardly if any side to side movement when putting the power down, only my leg and lung capacity held it back. It felt like a race bike on climbs and the flat but then point it down hill on something rooty and twisty and the bike wasnt skittish like youd assume a race bike would be. Neither was it slow and ponderous to steer. It was confident and sure footed. The head angle is 71.5 degrees so not super slack and not twitchy. The excellent tyres also contribute to this. The Zipp wheels were stiff and direct but at no time did I feel like all the terrain roughness was being transmitted through the frame into me so those frame profiles were working as designed to protect the rider. I could sit and batter on through the rough stuff without feeling broken myself.Revel Rover cafe stopRevel Rover pie shop ride (ultra race not pictured)So the Revel Rover rides beautifully, it has impeccable manners but it will respond instantly if you want to push it hard. The only thing you might have to get creative with is if you want to go on long bike packing trips. It would be great for credit card touring (or lightpacking) with minimal kit or the Ultra races/Gravel sportives but the lack of fork mount and top tube bosses might hold you back from long tours carrying all your worldly goods. There are more specialised bikes for that though.Revel Rover and grass up the middleRevel Rover not motorised!At slow speeds the bike is mild mannered and perfect for everyday riding with a bar bag and a bell on the bars on a cafe run and then like a super hero you could pop into a phonebox, swap the bar bag for a hydration vest, fill the multiple bottle mounts with your favourite electrolyte and go and ride an ultra!The Revel Rover is pitched as an all rounder and thats exactly what it is, mild mannered if you want but put your foot down and itll fly. The design of easy internal routing is refreshing to see and the enlightened specification of the kit on the bike just adds to this ready for anything feel.you can find more details on the Revel Rover at the Revel bikes website for a look at how the bike rides pleae watch the youtube video below and please consider subscribing!

When you think about it, tyres are one of the most inportant parts on a bicycle. They are the only way that the bike connects to the ground and the size, tread pattern, air pressure and rubber softness/hardness (compound) are all vital to how the bike performs in a straight line, uphill, down hill and on corners. The other big factor is what the ground conditions under the tyre are like at the time of riding.Ill go out on a limb here and say there is no tyre that covers all the bases, dry, wet, muddy, icy, tarmac, gravel, roots etc and I know these are the conditions the majority you ride in too. There is no perfect tyre but some come close with just a few compromises.Continental have been in the tyre making game for donkeys years so know a thing or two about tyres. The Terra series has quite a few different models that have been well received by riders all over the globe but really I dont care about that. What I need is a tyre that works where I ride and if you are in the UK too probably where you also ride. The name adventure conjours up epic riding in inaccessable jungles, icy windswept plateaus whilst surviving by foraging food from the hedgerow after riding 500k in one day. Well, the West Midlands isnt like that. What I have is tarmac, clay based soil, leaf litter, lots and lots of wet slimy roots at all times except summer and axle deep floods in winter. So yea, getting to work at some points in the year can be an adventure!Continental Terra Adventure centre and side knobsContinental Terra AdventureContinental say the terra adventure blurs the lines between MTB and gravel and that its predominently for off road riding. The tyres have quite close spaced knobs down the centre of the tyre which actually roll quite well on tarmac, they have a lot less rolling resistance than i thought they would have even in this 55mm size (more on this later). this also works well on hardpacked dirt and gravel paths. The shoulder knobs are slightly more pronounced and angled to bite into the ground when you lean the bike over. The tyres are tubeless ready and work with hooked and hookless rims. The tanwall tyres I tested weigh 734g/735g eachContinental Terra AdventureContinental Terra AdventureFitting the tyres and adding sealant was easy and straightforward and inflated with a track pump, this is a lot to do with the rim type and tape set up though, your experience may be different but Ive had to work much harder to get other tyres to stay inflated on these rims than the Conti terra adventures. There was no sidewall sealant weep or overnight deflation.How did they ride? well lets first tackle the size issue, yes they are 55mm which is equivalent to a 2.1 tyre. A lot of you will be saying they are not a gravel tyre at this width and right now that is pretty much true (Im running them om my Cotic Cascade which is a drop bar MTB thatll actually take 2.4 tyres) but with new gravel bikes being made with 50mm tyre clearance then I think 55mm isnt far off. You can of course buy Terra Adventure tyres in 45mm.Continental Terra Adventure rocky Continental Terra Adventure prime gravel!Its spring time locally and even though winter brought floods to the local area it has dried up remarkably quickly and so it was a novelty seeking out muddy sections to test the tyres in rather than avoiding them. the terra adventures did quite well in mud, if its really sticky the centre knobs will get clogged and here the wide size of the tyre didnt help and could sometimes start to slide. Leaning the bike into turns and letting the side knobs bite worked much better though. The tyres do quickly clear that mud when you hit a drier section. On firmer dirt and gravel the tyres performed really well maintaining purchase on the ground and the more I rode the more confidence I had in them even to the point of deliberately seeking out off camber stuff to push the limits of the grip. On tarmac there is a pleasant buzz as they roll along but they didnt feel draggy at all and at no time do you feel that it takes more effort to propel yourself forward.I found the tyres to be quite pressure sensitive especially on tarmac. Too much air especially in the front tyre when cornering made the bike ride on those taller side knobs making it feel unstable. Dropping the pressure down eliminated this completely. I ended up with around 35psi rear, 30psi front as a good compromise for on/off road riding. Dropping those pressures also made the ride incredibly comfortable. Gravel chatter and rooty trails caused much less vibration to the arms and saddle this would greatly benefit long distance rides leading to less fatique. In fact perfect for adventures! maybe the name is correct afterallContinental Terra Adventure singletrackContinental Terra AdventureOverall I was very impressed with the Continental Terra Adventure tyre in all but the muddiest conditions, definately a tyre to consider if upgrading your tyres for a more all road model.The continental terra adventure tyre is a great tyre for 3.5 seasons of the year and if you are a rider who avoids winter mud completely its a tyre you might not want to take off.You can find more details on the Continental tyre website Terra Adventure

I will be the first to admit, back packs or waist packs are not my favourite way to carry things on a bike, so I asked my good friend Dan Daniel Phillips Photography to try it out as he commutes by bike and also walks (shudder!) around taking photos with various bags so has a lot of experience of the genre. Here are his thoughts on the Victory Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack...When I first started riding, I used to use a Hip Pack (back then known as a Bum Bag) most ofthe time, especially when riding further afield and needing to carry a bit more than just aspare tube and a multitool. Ive used them in a range of different sizes and from severaldifferent brands, which is why Im guessing Gary from UK Gravel Collective asked me toreview the Out There Hip Pack/Sling Bag from Victory Chimp.Victoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack additional bungieVictoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack contentsNow I feel its only fair, for full disclosure, that I highlight the following, since my riding hasinvolved less mountain biking and more gravel riding/bikepacking adventures, strappingbags to my bike rather than to myself has become the norm, and for most rides, its ahandlebar bag or a small frame pack that I use to carry the essentials. Taking the bags off mybike and putting their contents into the Out There hip pack felt a bit odd, but there was noissue with fitting everything I usually carry into it with a fair bit of space to spare.The stated capacity is 6 litres and I easily fitted my wallet and phone (slid into the meshdivider for easy access), my keys attached to the provided key clip ensuring they could beeasily accessed rather than them falling to the bottom and needing to be rummaged for, abuff, a cycling cap, arm warmers, a multitool, tyre levers, spare tube, caf lock, a set oflights, my glasses , tubeless plugs and a small case I carry with spares, patches etc. All of thisfitted in the main pocket and I could have easily fitted some snacks had I not planned a cafstop. This also left the front and rear pockets empty had I needed any additional space.Victoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack optional bottle holderVictoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack quick releaseA feature I really liked is the quick release cargo net on the bottom of the pack which I usedto carry my waterproof jacket, (an essential with the recent changeable UK conditions). Thebungy cords that form the net are adjustable and held my jacket really securely, but thequick release buckle meant it could be easily accessed should I encounter a shower, withouthaving to open the pack and expose the rest of its contents to the elements.The pack Victory Chimp sent over came in a really nice olive-green colour, with reflective details, butblack and multi-coloured options are also available. It is made of 1000D Cordura so shouldbe very tough with a bright orange Waterproof liner covered in a subtle banana motif. Zipsare water resistant YKK AquaGuard and the waist belt connects using a really easy tooperate Fidlock magnetic buckle (Im a big fan of the Fidlock system and have several bagsthat utilise it).The pack was easy to adjust to size (Victory Chimp state it fits waists up to 56/142 cm) andonce set up the mesh padded back panel and wings made it comfortable to wear. One ofthe most annoying things Ive found with some hip packs Ive owned, is that the waist strapworks loose when riding ,resulting in the pack sliding lower and me having to stop to tightenit back up again. The Out There pack didnt suffer from this frustration during any of therides I used it on.Another nice little touch is the customisable Velcro patch system on the front of the pack,allowing you to add your favourite patch and make it your own. (Victory Chimp sell a coupleof different patch sets separately for this very reason).Victoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling PackVictoria Chimp Out There Hip/Sling Pack paddingAs well as riding with the pack I also used it on a couple of walks, but utilised as a sling packon my back rather than around my waist. Again, it had plenty of capacity to carry everythingI needed, the only downside with wearing it in this way is that the main strap lacks any sortof padding meaning if you carry a reasonably heavy load, it does dig into your shoulder alittle.So, was there anything else I didnt like about the pack? Well yes there are a couple ofthings that I dont feel work that well and both of them revolve around the options providedto use the pack for hydration purposes.The first is the Hydration port which Victory Chimp suggest can be used for a water bladderhose or headphones. Although I didnt try using a bladder in the pack as I didnt have onethat would fit, I feel that this would really limit the storage space and also the weight itwould add, could make the pack quite uncomfortable to wear. I also dont know manypeople who use wired earphones since the advent of Bluetooth ear buds, so this seems anunnecessary addition and one that has the potential to make the pack less weatherresistant.Victory chimp Hip pack Specifications: Size:30 x 15 x 10 cm Weight:308g(392g with bottle holder) Carrying Capacity: 6 Litres Materials: Cordura + Ripstop nylon liner Zips: YKK AquaGuardThe second is the removable bottle holster. This attaches using straps which slide throughthe molle loops on either side of the pack. Its quick and easy to attach and remove and thebungy cord that slips over the top of a water bottle held it very securely in the holster. Theissue is the length of the straps used to attach it to the pack. Once attached the holster hasspace to slide up and down meaning that when riding over even slightly rougher terrain, itbounced up and down jabbing me in the ribs on several occasions. The holster worked muchbetter when I used it while walking, but as Victory Chimp is predominantly a provider ofgear for cycling, this seemed like a bit of an oversight. Again, as most cyclists have at leastone bottle cage on their bikes, I feel this is also an addition that could have been omittedand wouldnt have affected the usefulness of the pack.Overall, the Victory Chimp Out There hip pack is well made and generally well thought out. If yourelooking for one pack that can be utilised for riding, hiking and for everyday carry, then youwont go far wrong, providing being able to carry some kind of drink in it, isnt a dealbreaker for you.Big thanks to Dan for writing this review and for Victory Chimp for sending the out there packs for us to try, both the Bar bag (review here) and the Hip pack seem UK proof, i.e. well made, waterproof and robust and look like theyll take on everything gravel riding can throw at them. For more details and a look at Victory Chimps other products check out their website www.victorychimp.cc

When it comes to a stem on a gravel bike there isnt much of a job that this component has to do, granted they need to clamp to the fork steerer tube to hold the forks on and they also have to hold a handlebar securely at the right angle. Simple eh? Well not really because you are quite literally trusting your life to this piece of metal (or carbon fibre) So all in all its one of the most important parts of the bike. Afterall you can only steer so far by leaning the bike over, to turn the wheel you need to be connected to it!However, lets face it all that safety and steering stuff is secondary to how good a stem looks! youll be staring at it for hours anyway so might as well get one that looks great from above and from other riders perspective. If the bike looks and feels good youll want to ride it more. Hope RX stem frontHope RX stem sideThe recently rebranded hope RX stem, it used to be Hopes XC stem, achieves all the above with ease. It is designed and built in the UK at Hopes factory at Barnoldswick in Lancashire. Hope are not new to the bicycle industry, they made some of the first disc brakes for those new fangled mountain bikes way back in 1989! I had a pair of their C2 hydraulic brakes and have had lots of their excellent hubs and wheels ever since. Their reputation for CNC machining is exemplory and their customer back up and service legendary. Since 2000 the company has concentrated fully on bicycle components.Hope RX stem made in the UKHope RX stem 70mm 0 degreesThe RX stems are all CNC machined from a solid piece of aluminium with a separate face plate to hold the bars. They come in 80mm length with an agressive -15 degree rise/drop or the version I opted for, a 70mm 0 degree rise (90mm also avaliable). I chose the black version as it goes with anything but you can choose from orange, purple, red, blue, smoke, or silver. my 70mm length stem weighs in at 137g on my unvarified kitchen scale. the anodising is perfect and a much better way to colour the stem than painting as you can see where all the machining has taken place. The finishing is spot on too, all surfaces are smooth with no burrs or imperfections, the stem just looks and feels like a quality product. A few grams can be saved by opting for the titanium hardware version, I went for standard bolts.Hope RX stem topHope RX stem face plateIts not a superlight carbon stem but then i really really dont want to trust a featherlight piece of plastic with my questionable riding style rolling down some of the stupid things I find myself riding down. it does everything a stem needs to do but does it with style and you also get that proud feeling that youre using something designed and actually made right here in the UK which is priceless in my book.At the end of a test period I always like to balance whats good and what i think could improve a product, This is impossible with the Hope RX stem, quite simply for everyday gravel riding, bike packing and exporing it is faultless.you can find out more about the RX stem and all he other UK made products from the Hopetech website here Hopetech.com

The handle bar bag has become a bit of a clich in the gravel bike world, along with check shirts and pictures of gravel bikes next to wood piles in the forest. However the bar bag does have a place on a gravel bike as we tend to carry more stuff than our skinny tired cousins because we go a bit further out there (did you see what I did?) away from civilisation. By that I mean away from cafes and shops. Gravel bikers also seem to be not such fair weather riders and go out when the forecast could turn nasty and inevitably being the UK the ground is muddy. So, the need to carry a decent waterproof jacket, some snacks, some tools and a phone for selfies next to a trig point is there. Stuffing all that into the aforementioned check shirt or the pockets of your cargo bib shorts can be problematic if not downright impossible.The Victory Chimp Out There bar bag is cylindrical and 20cm wide x 12cm high x 12cm depth and has a 2.8L capacity. It is made from 1000D cordura with a waterproof lining and aquaguard zip. There is an elasticated fabric pocket at one end and a mesh pocket at the other. The mesh side also has a bungee cord and clip where Victory Chimp suggest you can secure a phone. The bag has Molle style webbing back and front to enable straps to fit it to a handlebar and front for attaching, well anything you like. I found it ideal for a cafe lock. The bag also has elasticated paracord on the outside for cinching down anything that doesnt fit inside. The whole bag is stiffened by a plastic liner meaning theres no chance of saggy bag syndrome. The inside fabric is bright (and bananary) enabling you to see inside better in low light and theres also a mesh divider in there too to separate a wallet/phone credit card from the rest of your stuff. The ends of the bag have D rings so you can attach the supplied shoulder strap for carrying the bag off the bike. To fix the bag to your bars Victory Chimp supply two plastic straps with plastic buckles. There is also a cord to stabilise the bag around your bikes head tube or steerer. Victory Chimp have also added a nice touch as theres a velcro pad area where you can attach a patch of your choice to customise the bag!Victory Chimp Out There bar bag side Victory Chimp Out There bar bag frontIn use the bag passes the can it be opened and closed with one hand while riding along test with flying colours. So on the fly haribo or crisp rations are easily accessible. I managed to get a lightweight jacket, E-inflator, tubeless repair tool, multitool, Mini phone tripod (social medial, sigh), phone and sandwhiches (normal medium sliced 2 rounds, usually cheese) inside easily and used the side pockets for empty wrappers until I found a bin.Victory Chimp Out There bar bag strapVictory Chimp Out There bar bag topThe bag is very stable even with a heavy load in it, I carried a large glass jar of chunky marmalade (dont ask) for 36 miles over rough terrain and there was hardly any bounce or swinging. Also because of the lining theres minimal rattle when youve only got a couple of things in the bag too. Fitting to the bike is easy, the straps are long and so should fit any weird wide aero bar you have. The straps could be a bit more elastic though, especially when its cold out and they stiffen up but then you are probably not going to be taking the bag off and on again like I do so thats hardly a negative. In fact its hard to find anything but praise for this bag, it quietly gets on with its job, seems tough without being overbuilt and heavy, has lots of features but no silly gimmics and can resist typical UK weather. Then again Victory Chimp is based in Northern Ireland so I really shouldnt be surprised at its design. So the Victory Chimp Out There bar bag is perfect for day rides freeing up your pockets and holding your essentials securely and comes from a UK rider owned company.At time of writing the bag costs 45, for that you get a lot of bag for your money. You can find more info on the Victory Chimp websitebelow are a couple of short videos to give you a better look at the bag and a bit more about that marmalade!

Some folks ride gravel bikes with flat pedals and Im not here to say that is the wrong way, infact Ive tried it and its a perfectly acceptable way to ride any bicycle. In fact I published a video on the subject here Gravel biking on flat pedals For those of us who use clip in pedals its not always convenient. When you want to pop to the shop for some milk, the pub without waddling like a penguin in your clipless compatible shoes and in my case when I have to park 1.5 miles away from work because theres no parking on site. I dont want to have to put on special shoes for such a short journey, then have to change into shoes suitable for work and have to store the special shoes somewhere and then of course have to reverse the process at the end of the shift.Pre internet (yes kids there was a time before WiFi!) Shimano had a solution which was the quite frankly hideous PD22 pedal adapter. These were a struggle to clip into your pedal but that struggle was in no way at the level of purgatory that was the attempt to get the damn things back off again! Having to twist a hard plastic pedal with teeth jutting out cutting into your hand to the correct amount of degrees to attempt to release it with out the leverage of a foot inside a shoe was impossible without backing the spring tension off so far that when you eventually got to ride the pedal as intended it didnt retain the shoe cleat at all! So to cut a long story short they were unusable. The PD22 has had many copies over the years from various companies but nearly all of them still need that twist action to remove them.Redshift Sports, well known for their suspension stems, seatposts and the Kitchen sink and Topshelf bar may just have come up with the perfect solution.Redshift Mousetrap Pedal AdapterRedshift Mousetrap Pedal AdapterThe Redshift Mousetrap Pedal adapter doesnt do anything different from all those previous pedals. It still fits to one side of your clip in pedal and supports any style of shoe. What it does (actually doesnt) have is that need to twist the adapter to remove it.Redshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapter frontRedshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapter openYou just lift the lever, place the adapter on the pedal, it even has front embossed into it so you cant get it wrong, then when seated you just close the lever and the adaptor is locked securely to the pedal. Guess how you release it? Yes, pull the lever and off pops the adapter, simple but effective, arent all the best ideas like this?Redshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapter locked onRedshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapter rearOk, so like any one sided pedal, the heavier side with the adapter will always swing to the bottom so you will have to learn to look down to ensure you flip the pedal over with your foot, but thats hardly a chore and soon becomes second nature. Worried about loosing one? no need they have a tiny magnet that sticks them together for storage. Redshift say they are not recommended for off road use and you can see from the tread they wouldnt be grippy in muddy conditions. Thats not to say I havent ridden them off road as theres some cheeky singletrack on my commute that I cant resist and theyve been fine.Dont like the colour? there will be options with different colour levers. They are Shimano SPD compatible only at the moment but SPD-SL, Look Keo, and Crankbrotherscompatiblevariants will be outin Autumn 2026.You may not need these adapters but for those of us who use our bikes for lots of other things apart from weekend riding the Redshift Mousetrap pedal adapters are a great design and the perfect thing to keep in your work bag/car/van for those unexpected but essential rides for beer, cake and sadly to work.for more details check out Redshift SportsRedshift Mousetrap Pedal Adapter in action on uk gravel collective you tube channel

Im going to try to write this first paragraph without sounding like an old git reminiscing about the good old days of biking. First off Ill say that the old days, the late 1980s early 1990s when Mountain bikes were new and those of us who got into off road riding at that time took our first pedal in the dirt were pretty bad. Bad bikes unless you spent a silly amount of money, bad components and hardly any parts back up if you broke anything. This was pre internet so no surfing the web for the best prices or how to videos, even your local bike shop unless you were very very lucky was really only interested in road bikes so were reluctant to stock parts for MTBs.ok, I know those of you born this side of the milienium are now thinking get on with it grandad! well my point is (and this will reinforce the old fogey opinions) youve never had it so good!Back then, we expected that the bike was probably not going to make it to the end of the ride without some sort of mechanical. Im not just talking punctures either although they were many as we only had tubes and tyres were heavy and still managed to be fragile. Im talking about broken chains, rear mechs, front mechs (remember them?) 26 rims that needed truing after every ride, ball bearings either seizing as the seals were so bad water just flowed straight past them or bearings just falling out as the manufacturing tolerances were stuck in the 70s and not designed for the job. It was fun, learning to rebuild your bike on a friday night until 1am so you could at least get to the start of the ride on Saturday morning was a great way to learn how things worked and Im still amazed I could rebuild a shimano freehub with bearings scrounged from my local motor factors on my stairs with totally inappropriate tools, some of which came from the cutlery draw in the kitchen!I think Ive painted a picture there and Ive done it to point out how good todays bikes are. We have come a long way. The bikes still shift with deraileurs be it cable or electronic but I cant remember the last time I had a mechanical problem out riding and with the advent of tubeless technology I have to check my pump and tyreslevers are still working every now and again as they get used so infrequently. Bikes are much more reliable now and are built so they can take on the demands of off road riding and still be in one piece afterwards. But being blas about this reliability is a mistake. Even the best most expensive bike still needs maintenance, you need tools to do this and to fit those gram saving upgrades to your pride and joy, some tools will even indirectly save you money.So here are a few of the tools I think every home mechanic should have in the garage/shed/bottom of the stairs, Topeak and their importer Extra UK very kindly took a look at my list and sent out the Topeak tools they thought best fitted the bill.Topeak Hex setA good quality set of Allen wrenches/Keys should be at the heart of every cyclists home maintenance kit, this one from Topeak runs from 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10mm. They are T type and the T piece is moveable, sliding from one side to the other enabling you to get into tight areas. The T gives you more control and leverage than the standard L shaped wrench. Each also has a plastic speed sleeve on the main shaft which you can hold while you twizzle (technical engineering term for turning rapidly) the end for rapid tightening and untightening of bolts. The wrenches have a straight cut end rather than a ball end. This makes engaging bolt heads at an angle more awkward but does ensure the risk of rounding off of allen bolts is reduced and gives excellent tool to bolt engagement when undoing stubborn hardware.The tools come in a plastic stand that feels robust, has a magnetic tray so you dont loose tiny steel parts and the hex key carrier can be detached to hang on a tool wall. It also fits to topeaks work stand, the E-up Pro. The tools seem to be of excellent quality and weight and should last many years of bike tinkering by expert and the most hamfisted amongst us *waves* alike. The size range should be adequate for all modern gravel, MTB and road bikes unless your bike has some left of field bolt head sizes, if it does its probably Italian.topeak JoBlow sport ex pumptopeak JoBlow sport ex pump smart head Even in the days of tubeless tyre technology you still need to add or reduce the air pressure in tyres. A track pump is a home workshop must have. It takes all the work out of pumping up tyres that you get with using a small hand pump. This JoBlow 120 is the ideal thing to have, its not complicated at all, you dont even have to swap parts in the pump head to change from Presta (thin) to Schrader (car valve) valves. The Topeak smart head does both without fuss. I even used this pump to inflate a car tyre in an emergency one frosty 5am Morning. There I was half asleep on my non working day standing outside not looking forward to swapping and losing the parts of my old pump (all are set to presta) in the dark but i suddenly thought of the smart head and it just pushed straight on, with the lever locked I was able to inflate the tyre and get my other half off to work and go back to bed, I was in love with Topeak smart heads from then on!The Topeak Sport EX pump will inflate tyres to 120psi, hence the name but even roadies have abandonned rock hard tyres now havent they? but if you need that pressure itll do it. Ive even used it to seat tubeless tyres but that might be more about how tight the tyre bead was on the rim and the quality of my rim taping. It isnt designed for that job but it was a pleasant surprise. The pressure dial is large and even though its situated at the bottom of the pump it is easy to read. Ive got nothing other than my thumbs to test the accuracy of the dial but it is definately in the ball park of how much squidge I like from my tyres at 30psi. The pump has a barrel made of steel and a plastic foot and feels sturdy enough to take some knocks. At less than 37 at time of writing it is great value and I cant see you needing anything more than this for your home workshop.Topeak cable cutterTopeak cable cutters nifty cable end openerFrayed cables not only look bad they can get you into trouble too. The frayed end can fail, pull out form under a bolt when under tension and this is at best a loss of gears and at worst a loss of teeth if its a brake inner on a non hydraulic system. Frayed cables are also a nightmare to thread through cables and ferrules if not cut precisely. The Topeak cable and housing cutter looks like a set of garden pruners but it is a simple design that works perfectly every time. They are long enough to get the required leverage to cut neatly through gear and brake inner cable and also through outer cable leaving a neat end with no fraying. They are spring loaded too making life easier. These cutters also have a bonus feature Ive not seen on other models and thats a little pin that you can push into an outer cable and to open up the plastic sleeve to allow much easier access to pass an inner cable through. In a world where there are 100s of cable cutters out there doing the same job that little feature elevates the Topeak version above all the others.Topeak Shuttle tyre leversWith the demise of tubed tyres, tyre levers have become somewhat redundant until it comes time to swap tyres. These Topeak shuttle levers then are a worthy edition to your tool arsenal. Made of tough engineering grade plastic (I presume that makes then stronger?) they come as a set of two levers, one long and one shorter. The longer one has more leverage for stubborn tyres and because they are plastic they are less likely to damage rim tape or wheel rims if you have to get aggressive with them. They clip together which should stop them from getting lost in messy sheds or cars.However, because of the size of the one lever its not something id carry on the bike as theyd take up too much room and if you are running tubeless youll hardly ever need them but they are perfect for home and when a little more oomph is needed to remove or pop on a tyre.Topeak Essential ToolshopTopeak chain tool and ratchetTopeak torque sleeveTopeak quick link pliers and chain hookUp to now the tools have been the basic essentials you get you started with home maintenance. Now if you want to go a touch further Topeak have their Essential Toolshop and it is pretty comprehensive. It consists of Hex (allen) bits 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm. Torx bits T10, T15, T20, T25, T30, T40. Phillps x 2 and flat head bits. it has a ratchet for the bits with an extension bar (or speed sleeve as Topeak call it), a chain tool, chain quick link pliers and chain hook to aid rejoining chains, a disc brake/pad spacer and a torque sleeve to make sure your bolts are tightened to manufacturers spec. this all comes in a robust compact carry case. Weirdly, even though this is a lot of tools, all of which are relevant for home bike maintenance the bits are small and fiddly and when swapping the most used bits, the 4-5mm I soon reverted to the Hex key set above. However the essential tool kit was perfect for keeping in the van/car for car park repairs or bolt checks, its come on every biking holiday and was much better than lugging bigger tools around. So, if you are stuck for space at home, I have friends who have to keep their bike in a cupboard under the stairs Harry Potter style then the Essential tool kit is ideal for keeping on a shelf somewhere taking up minimal space and works equally well in a cluttered garage or shed filled with lawn mowers. Topeak chain wear indicatorFinally a tool every cyclist should own. If you dont own any other tools i recommend you buy one of these first. Its a chain wear indicator and its a tool that can save you money. A chain wears out, even a well lubricated one wears out and wears the other steel components it touches such as chainrings, cassette sprockets and pulley wheels on a rear derraileur at the same time. This is fine if you regularly change your chain. however if you dont and wait until a chain is so worn out it starts to affect shifting or all the teeth on everything resemble sharks fins its too late. The wear on other components will be to such a level that simply adding a new chain wont be enough. that brand new unworn chain will not interact with the other components that have litterally changed tooth shape to match the other chain. this causes skipping and chain slip. This is where it gets expensive, changing a cassette, chainring and associated items is going to cost an absolute fortune in parts (and labour if you need a mechanics help).So this tool that costs less than 6 can save you hundreds of pounds by letting you know when to change a chain before it starts wearing out your drivetrain to the point of no return. its very straight forward to use but rather than write paragraphs in a how to style ive stolen Topeaks instructions to show how easy it is, Im sure (hoping) they dont mind.All of these Topeak tools Ive written about have been in use working on my bike for the last 4 months. they endured my hamfistedness, got covered in oil and grease, have been sworn at when Ive dropped one and the bolt Ive been loosening has fallen to the floor never to be seen again. The essential tool kit has been to 3 different countries in the back of my van and saved a couple of my rides from being cancelled and helped a few strangers to get their bike going again. Ive even fixed a couple of machines at work with that kit as no tools were in site! Nothing has broken, none of them look worn out so im confident to say that they will last the average home bike mechanic for years and years and with that longevity in mind it makes the inital outlay to buy them seem more and more insignificant.You can find all of Topeaks tools, those above and many many more on their website here but be careful, once you start buying tools it can get addictive!

Over the last 6 months the bike accessory market has seen a flood of E-inflators. These small rechargable pumps have been marketed as a replacement for the traditional hand pump. Those pumps have been around really since bikes changed from solid tyres to pneumatic rubber versions and are carried on the bike or in a pocket so in the event of a puncture or just a tyre pressure adjustment to cope with a change in riding terrain you can add or release air to suit.The big thing that those traditional pumps have going for them is that they are mechanical. You as the rider are the engine that powers them. As long as youve made the required number of cake shop stops on your ride you should have endless energy to power them. The downside of course is that you need to carry that pump and pumping up a tyre, especially a road tyre to say 90psi takes quite a bit of effort. CO2 cannisters I hear you say! small, effective and they can seat a tyre onto the wheel rim easily. What I say is that they are mainly a one shot job, if you get the applicator incorrectly fitted to the valve you lose all the gas in one go, they can burn your fingers with the extreme cold the escaping gas produces and that cold doesnt always play well with tyre sealant. They are also not refillable and become litter straight away.So a small, rechargable pump sounds ideal doesnt it. lightweight compared to a frame pump, can be used again and again and they work with any sealant on the market. The air being pushed out of them even creates heat instead of cold (theres even a warning about this on most inflators). The fact that its powered by a battery (hard to dispose of) and charged by electricity that (in the UK) is generated by coal fired or nuclear power stations and so is bad for the enviroment is another thing to consider. Then again modern frame pumps are mostly plastic and lets not even go there!So, with the positives and the negatives of the concept of an e-inflator laid out lets look at the Topeak E-Booster mini. Ive tested quite a few inflators now (5 others in fact) but the Topeak version has come along as the first that has UK distributor backing when it comes to warranty etc. Obviously they are all manufactured in China. All the others were direct from China also and any issues would need to be dealt with by contacting a company overseas. So 1st point to Topeak and Extra UK.The Topeak E-Booster Mini weighs in at only 121g on my unverified kitchen scales and is 5.4 x 3.2 x 7.3mm in size.. It has an electronic display showing battery status and switchable PSI/BAR, an on/off button and +/- buttons. it comes with interchangable parts to fit presta or schrader valves and some disassembly is requred to change these over, but thats no different to any other pump. Generally youll adjust it to how your valves are configured once and never change it again. it also comes with a flexible extension tube so if the inflator doesnt fit between your spokes because of deep section rims or weird spoke patterns you can still use it. Topeak also recommend using the extension on TPU inner tubes as the heat generated by the pump might melt the plastic valves!Operation is simple, a long press on the on button to turn the pump on. then using the + or buttons set the PSi you want your tyre to inflate to. Then push the pump onto the valve and press the on button once and the pump will start pushing air into the tyre. Heres a warning, these things are LOUD! and that goes for all e-inflators Ive tried. The Topeak E-Booster Mini then happily pumps your tyre up to the pressure youve chosen and then shuts itself off when the pressure is achieved. If you want to stop it before then then one press of the on button will stop the inflator. Ive not checked to see if the pump achieves the stated pressure as I dont have anything accurate enough to check. What I do have though is my thumbs and they are never wrong! So a quick squeeze to see if its in the normal range I like and then pull the pump off the valve and you are good to go. An extra feature on the Topeak E-Booster Mini Ive not seen on any other inflator is the fact it has a torch light. A double tap on the on button turns the light on or off, quite handy when you drop your valve cap in the grass on a night ride!Topeak claim that the E-Booster Mini on one charge will pump 80psi into 70028 road tyres 3 times and 25psi into 29 x 2.4 4 times. Ive found that itll inflate a typical gravel tyre such as a 700 x 45 to 35psi 4 times. The inflator takes 45-50 minutes to charge from zero to full using a USB-C cable and a little longer if thats via a laptop or similar. The box also contains a handy drawer string cloth bag to keep the inflator and accessories together.So, would I choose to throw away my traditional frame pump and just use an e-inflator? Well, yes and no. For local riding which in my case is probably 85% of my riding Id definately only take the electric inflator. With the reliability of tubeless technology these days I cant actually remember the last time I had to use a frame mounted pump, in fact Id better check its not seized up! So Im more than happy to rely on an e-inflator when im not too far from home and know where i am at all times and I think 4 tyre inflations would cover any eventuality. If i was riding a multi day ride somewhere remote Id want analog back up of a manual pump.Would I chose the Topeak E-Booster Mini over all the other e-inlfators Ive tried? Yes definately, its proved to be reliable and robust, its taken a few knocks and drops and continued to work as described but a big thing for me is the UK back up and the peace of mind that comes with it.you can find more details on the Topeak E-Booster Mini here