Pick ’n’ Mix
Like shooting water pistols at rainbows
1 CONDOR PRO SOCKS £14.99, condorcycles.com
What kind of dog can do magic tricks? Paul Spaniels. And what kind of birds can make socks? Condor of course. The London stalwart of bicycle making and bicycle shopping has added to its in-house range these luxurious Pro Socks, made with silver yarns for antimicrobial properties and boasting an eight-inch cuff and a host of colours.
2 HUTCHINSON TYRE ACCESSORIES From £4.95, windwave.co.uk
Explaining a joke is a lot like dissecting a frog: you understand it better but it dies in the process. And it’s similar trying to explain Hutchinson’s new tyre accessories with words alone, as their function is best understood by the eye. That said, it is worth noting the French company has all bases covered, from tyre removal to patches to tubeless plug repairs. C’est bon!
3 TAILFIN CARGO CAGE RACKS From £39, tailfin.cc
Perhaps the most surprising news this month has been Tesco paying to have one of its shops superimposed into The Hobbit films – a most unexpected item in the Baggins area. Luckily, when it comes to unexpected items for bikes, Tailfin has you covered with these lightweight alloy racks, which bolt to bottle bosses or fork mounts to create a platform onto which all manner of things can be strapped.
4 WOLF TOOTH 8-BIT PACK PLIERS £70, saddleback.co.uk
Saw our Uncle Bill the other day; couldn’t believe how much we’ve been spending on uncles. We might well say the same about this multitool from Wolf Tooth, but we’re willing to forgive the price as it’s a beautifully neat quick-link splitter tool, replete with multiple driver bits in the handle plus stowage for a spare quick link.
5 SEE SENSE BEAM LIGHT £119.99, seesense.cc
Bonnie Tyler’s Greatest Goalkeeping Saves Ever! DVD is totally clips of Joe Hart. And See Sense’s Beam light really is a totally illuminating product. It boasts 1,000 lumens and selfadjusts in intensity depending on speed and ambient light. Even better, a ‘Get me home’ mode selfregulates the Beam to deliver at least one more hour of shine when the battery drops below 20%.
And it pairs to an app – because everything pairs to an app now.