CyclistIn the Drops: Pocket rockets from Exposure, bump-smoothing parts from USE, Assos kit that goes the distance and Garmins latest power pedalsIm writing this on what feels like the first dry day of the year so far. Given its taken six weeks for that to actually happen, the sense of spring being (nearly) in the air is particularly acute suddenly Ive noticed birds chirping, daffodils blooming and the daylight hours increasing.Theres the sense that things are winding up in the bike world as well. The WorldTour season openers are done and dusted and very soon well be into proper racing: the spring Classics. As such, this week web writer Robyn Davidson has published a definitive guide on the best races of the year (IMO). Look out for her guide on a not-so-good race the UAE Tour going live later today as well.Product launches are starting to ramp up too, as staff writer Ewan Wilson will be able to tell you. He covered the launch of Bassos new Palta III gravel bike this week and gave us an initial run down on how it rides to boot.The tech side of the sport is still only just coming out of hibernation though, so theres still been enough time to update some of our most popular guides. Best road bikes, best gravel bikes and our explainer on Shimano groupsets all got finessed, so be sure to cast an eye over the updates. Before you do that though, have a read about some of the latest gear to arrive with Cyclist courtesy of this weeks In the Drops product round-up.Garmin Rally RS210 pedalsSam ChallisPedal-based power meters are unquestionably the best solutions for those seeking accurate power measurement across several bikes. Garmin has been in the market sector for almost 15 years now and has celebrated that fact by releasing its most accomplished models yet in the Rally 210 series.The 210 moniker can be prefixed with either RS, RK or XC, denoting pedal bodies to suit Shimano road, Look or Shimano off-road cleats respectively, but crucially Garmin says the power-equipped spindle can be swapped between the bodies relatively simply, with just a 15mm pedal spanner and 5mm hex key required.Sam ChallisAs such, riders arent limited to inappropriate shoes should they wish to move pedals from a road bike to a gravel bike.Internal rechargeable batteries, a first in Garmins power pedals, contribute to the more streamlined switching process.Internal batteries were a priority this time around because they bring several advantages, says Andrew Silver, Garmins lead bike product manager. Another plus is convenience; riders do not need to replace physical batteries and can easily charge their pedals using an USB-C cable. A 15-minute charge provides up to 12 hours of ride time and a full charge can provides a 90-hour battery life.Sam ChallisAll important accuracy is rated to +/-1% thanks to sensor refinements in the meter itself.The addition of a gyroscope in the sensor enables more instantaneous power measurement. This allows for a greater responsiveness and accuracy in short efforts, and lets the meter self-identify when it needs to be calibrated, removing guesswork for the user, says Silver.For more information on the Garmin Rally RS210, visit garmin.comAssos Mille GT kitSam ChallisAssos says its revamped Mille GT line of kit is more for every day than race day, but it still borrows design features from the brands top tier Racing Series stuff.In the jersey, that manifests in the sleeves most prominently, which use a super-light warp-knit (a construction technique that uses yarns in interlocking, zigzagging loops to make a fabric robust yet stretchy) fabric Assos labels as Eclipse. This fabric attempts to creates a barely-there feel on the arms despite still offering 50+ UPF protection.Sam ChallisIn the updated Mille GT bib shorts, RS inspiration is found in the rollBar bib strap feature, which sees the bibs attached at the rear both at the top of the shorts and the pad as well, to improve chamois stability and keep it where it should be in relative to the rider.That pad is Assoss latest S11 generation, meaning a 12mm thick, triple layered damping foam which is only attached to the shorts at the front and rear, allowing it to conform better to the riders body.Though the new Mille GT kit leans on the Racing Series kit for certain upgrades, its not without tricks of its own. The bib short body fabric is a new composition Assos dubs Quartz. Its made of 80% recycled polyamide that naturally controls odours better than conventional fabrics, so the day-in, day-out use case of the new Mille GT shouldnt come with that particular common disadvantage.For more information on the Assos Mille GT collection, visit assos.com Related Posts The new Basso Palta wants to be everything to all riders The best gravel bikes 2026 reviewed Best road bikes 2026 ridden and reviewed Cycling Spring Classics 2026: Race dates, Monuments, cobbles and live TV guide USE Escape and Vybe finishing kitSam ChallisDevices to reduce fatigue on longer gravel rides do as much as the latest light and aero parts for performance and speed, not to mention orders of magnitude more for comfort and enjoyment. USE knows this better than most, having been making suspension components since the 1990s. The Vybe GR seatpost can trace its roots all the way back to those first products.Sam ChallisIt uses a telescoping design to provide up to 50mm travel while preserving pedalling kinematics, says Roger Sparrow, USEs founder. Other, parallelogram-based suspension posts cause the rider to move backwards in compression, which isnt ideal. Alongside vastly improving comfort, our post allows riders to stay seated over obstacles, which makes them faster than if they were bounced out of the saddle on a rigid design.Sam ChallisThe Vybe stem uses a bearing-actuated pivot close to where it fixes on the fork steerer and similar elastomer inserts to the seat post to provide up to 20mm of travel at the front of the bike.The pivot bolt is tapered, so locks into the stem structure when tightened, making the stem stiff torsionally despite moving freely in the vertical plane, says Sparrow.Sam ChallisThe bar design is the icing on this insulative cake: We lay the carbon up in a specific manner to promote vibration damping, says Sparrow. Then the splayed flare of the drops ensures lever positioning is kept neutral but the wrists are positioned ergonomically, for a natural ride, confident ride position.For more information on USEs gravel collection, visit use.components.comExposure Boost and Boost-R lightsSam ChallisNow on its Mk. III release, Exposures Boost and Boost-R lights have a valid claim of being just about the best be-seen lights on the market.The sleek little pills have proven durability and longevity credentials and both pack a punch, being brighter than ever. The front can now provide up to 600 lumens and the rear up to 200 lumens, despite claiming a 70-hour runtime in flash mode. The lights promise to be a true fit-and-forget system, with a DayBirght pulse pattern designed to catch the attention of other road users.Sam ChallisWhile the front light is more about straight-up power and runtime, the rear is the smarter of the two lights. Its Reakt feature uses an accelerometer to flare up like a cars brake lights when the rider decelerates, plus sensors in the light allow it to adapt to ambient light to maintain contrast and visibility in different conditions.For more information on Exposures Boost lights, visit exposurelights.comAd featureElite is still dominating the WorldTour in 2026Elite has confirmed its partnerships for 2026 with a larger-than-ever number of pro cycling teams: a total of 13 WorldTour teams across the mens and womens peloton will race this season with our products both for in-race hydration and on the smart trainers they use when riding indoors.For the worlds top riders at the sharp end of the peloton, every detail is tested, measured and refined. For that reason, Elite believes in an ongoing commitment thats built on technical support, product development and day-to-day presence. Today were the brand thats most present among WorldTour teams, and we continue to be the technical partner of more than half of pro teams worldwide. The value of these partnerships is tangible and you can see it in the results of the worlds biggest races.In 2025, Tadej Pogaar with UAE Team Emirates XRG delivered a benchmark year: victory at the Tour de France, a win at the Tour of Flanders, a hat-trick at LigeBastogneLige, and a gold medal in the World Championships Road Race. Elite made its mark in the Classics too, with Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) claiming wins at both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.The year brought just as much success on the womens side: UAE Team ADQ ended the season having celebrated victories at the Giro dItalia and UAE Tour with Elisa Longo Borghini. Fenix-Premier Tech, meanwhile, took La Flche Wallonne thanks to Puck Pieterses win, while Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto added to its palmars with Zoe Bckstedts U23 Road World Championships victory in Kigali.Find out moreAd feature endsThe post In the Drops: Pocket rockets from Exposure, bump-smoothing parts from USE, Assos kit that goes the distance and Garmins latest power pedals appeared first on Cyclist.