Pick ’n’ Mix
1 ALTURA MERINO LINER GLOVES £22.99, altura.co.uk
Ah, Merino Liners, that golden age of cruise ships. But as time and accidents have demonstrated, wool is a terribly unsuitable material to build boats from. However it has proved perfect for Altura’s glove liners thanks to its highly insulating, highly breathable and antimicrobial properties. Not tested on icebergs. Except the lettuce variety.
2 MUC-OFF RIM STIX £4.99, muc-off.com
Those cheeky scamps from MucOff could shoehorn an innuendo into even the most innocent of bicycle repair products. And the tool they would use to do it would be one of these Rim Stix tyre levers, which are super-tough, non-slip and have a spoke hook at one end and a valve core remover in the handle. You’ll be pounding away again in no time – oo-er.
3 ALBION BURNER £35, albioncycling.com
Is it a strapless vest? A chest shield? A picnic blanket for your cat’s date in the park? No, the Burner is in a category all of its own – a windproof, insulated ‘layer’ to slide under your jersey on cold rides. And at just 18g it will stuff easily into a pocket when you don’t need it. In the old days they used newspaper, but in the modern age ipads are a bit bulky.
4 CHROME HELIX BAR BAG £55, chromeindustries.com
Remember going to get your new stationery for school? Parker ink pens? Berol roller balls? Rotring propelling pencils? And Helix! The rulers, the pairs of compasses, the twin-tip erasers with penerasing end that rubbed holes in your paper! And the, er… bar bag? OK, wrong Helix, because this Helix is from Chrome Industries and features bar straps and zip-up weather-resistant construction, plus a carry strap to convert it to a sling bag or bumbag.
5 VELOFORTE CUBOS CHEWS £2.49, veloforte.cc
‘Cubos’ is what your Strava mates shout when they’ve got a cold and you’ve bagged a PB. Cubos is also a range of energy chews with about the most grown-up flavours on the market, including citrus and ginger, sour cherry and guarana, and lemon and mint. As with all Veloforte energy products, Cubos are all-natural, pack a surprisingly comprehensive amount of nutrition for their compact size and are mighty delicious.