Pick ’n’ Mix
For shorter days, not shorter rides
1 BERYL LASERLIGHT CORE/PIXEL £69.99/£17.99, beryl.cc
If you ever see cows sleeping in a field, it must be pasture bedtime. And if you’re ever out so late it’s dark, that means you absolutely need lights. So enter stage left the Beryl Pixel, a two-in-one front or rear light, and the Beryl Laserlight Core, which along with a white LED beam projects a laser image (in green) of a bike on the road ahead. With runtimes up to 10 and 41 hours respectively, they’ll last until the cows come home.
2 HIPLOK DXF £74.99, hiplok.com
When the inventor of the hokey cokey passed away it caused a terrible kerfuffle at the undertakers. Every time they put his right leg in, he put his right leg out. Fortunately the Hiplok
DXF is much easier to fit, being a Sold Secure Gold-rated lock that weighs 1.16kg and which Hiplok promises is ‘rattle-free’ when frame-mounted using its patented ‘speed-loading’ bracket.
3 ST PETER’S WITHOUT BEER £14 (8pk), stpetersbrewery.co.uk
Terrified of lifts? Take steps to avoid them. Scared of speed bumps? You’ll get over them slowly. Worried you’re drinking too much? Better reach for St Peter’s Without, which as the name suggests is a 0% alcohol beer, but one that actually tastes like a flavourful amber ale. And all this for just 145kcal per 500ml bottle. Heavenly.
4 PHIZZ MULTIVITAMIN HYDRATION TABS £7.99 (20), phizz.co
Apparently during the festive period workers in the UK tend to be disproportionately ill Monday to Friday. It’s all to do with the weekend immune system. So this winter give yours a boost – and your cycling performance too – with Phizz’s hydration tabs, which combine electrolyte minerals with vitamin C and zinc.
5 FIZIK SADDLE BAG £21.99, extrauk.co.uk
They say chameleons blend really well, but they do tend to ruin a good smoothie. The Saddle Bag from Fizik, however, blends deliciously with the clean lines of a bike, being just big enough to carry the essentials but not so big as to hang down like uninvited grapes. The Velcro attachment strap is simple and no fuss, while welded seams and a storm-proof zip protect those precious tyre levers from the elements.