It’s a Bank Holiday weekend and the thermometer is getting ready to hit 30°C in London. I believe this is what it means to be back in business. But before we stretch up for the beer garden, let’s take a moment to recap another week on the Cyclist website.
We’re knee deep in the Giro d’Italia right now, with two weeks of racing now under the riders’ belts. Understandably, we’ve been locking into the Corsa Rosa on the website. Robyn has been busy weighing up the podium candidates, and she’s managed to single out the stages that could decide the final GC outcome.
On the tech side, we’ve been diving into Canyon’s new Grizl AL. Plus, we wished congratulations to the lucky new owner of a Tadej Pogačar-ridden Colnago V5Rs, which sold at auction for a mere €70,000.
With that cleared up, let’s look into this week’s collection of gravel and bikepacking goodies.
Tailfin Journey Rack
Bristol-based bike luggage brand Tailfin has released the latest version of its bow-shaped rack, called the Journey Rack. It’s available in a slightly cheaper guise this time around thanks to an option that has fewer mounts, but still packs all the smart punch of previous versions. Instead of £280 for the Carbon Pannier Rack, the Journey Rack starts at £130.
Speaking to founder Nick Broadbent, it’s a release the brand is pretty excited about.
‘The Journey Rack is essentially our third generation of the original Tailfin rack,’ Broadbent says. ‘As a company we’ve amassed comprehensive manufacturing knowledge about how to make the rack stronger and lighter, while equipping it with a raft of different pannier size options, mudguards and light mounts.
‘We have also been able to make it more accessibly priced this time around. I never wanted Tailfin to be a premium brand – I want it to be as accessible as possible, both technologically and economically.
‘To that end, we’ve got two price points, one for a product that’s minimalist without pannier mounts that you can even just strap your own dry bag to. And then the other has pannier mounts. The whole thing folds away flat and can be taken off in a matter of seconds.’
Our pannier mount sample came with an array of bags that all mounted easily with Tailfin’s intuitive mechanism and offer the same waterproofing and hardiness of previous models.
As mentioned, there is also a mudguard, light mount and Cateye light included, and Tailfin sends over a specific axle for your needs. Tailfin claims a weight of 740g, which can take a max load of 32kg – that’s 10kg on each pannier and 12kg on the top.
Sidi Dominator X gravel shoes
With the gravel season in full swing, Sidi’s latest Dominator X off-road shoes are ready to tackle the trails.
The Italian brand’s newest gravel kicks are available in three colourways and are wrapped in an upper that uses the brand’s breathable Wyve fabric structure. This TPU-infused compound is coated in golf ball-like protective bumpers for extra resilience, with a set of ventilation holes for… well, ventilation.
That upper is tightened using Sidi’s signature Instep strap and a pair of Nuun dials. This aluminium-based system has been introduced across Sidi’s 2026 range and offers replaceable dials and a claimed aero advantage over competitors. Instead of the usual bobble-shaped dial like Boa, the Nuun system is flicked up to loosen tension, meaning it creates a more streamlined profile on the shoe.
The Dominator X shoes are also shaped to Sidi’s new Millennium fitting standard. This has been rolled out on all of the brand’s latest releases and is said to be designed to cater for a slightly wider forefoot by increasing the volume around the toe box. Sidi claims this switch-up improves comfort and adaptability for a broader range of foot and insole shapes.
This improved fit is backed up by the X3CC carbon composite sole, which scores an 8/12 on Sidi’s own stiffness index. The sole is supported by plenty of lugs for better grip and protection when the terrain gets tricky, and there are a pair of studs too.
If the gravel gets nasty, the Dominator X shoes come with replaceable heel pads, strap and dials. What more can you ask for?
VSSL Nest Pour Over Kit
If you’re looking to upgrade your coffee game on upcoming bikepacking trips, VSSL’s Nest Pour Over Kit might be worth a shout.
This five-piece tower of brewing allows you to make filter coffee on the move. Just unscrew the steel parts to release two cups, sippy lid and Nest Dripper. Scoop your coffee up into the reusable pour-over dripper, let the hot water in, and Bob’s your uncle. Freshly brewed coffee will start to drain into one of the two cups, with its screw-in BPA-free lid.
The whole thing comes to 607g in weight, and if coffee is essential for your adventures it’s a worthwhile addition to your bikepacking loot. It’s also sustainably sourced and made using 80% recycled stainless steel. Plus, there’s 25% off on VSSL’s website until Monday.
Sunski Tera sunglasses
We’re about to move into the hottest week of the year so far. For those unsoaked moments off the bike, a good pair of sunnies is a necessity (because who wants to be seen on a pub terrace with a pair of wraparound cycling lenses).
Over the past fortnight or so, I’ve been sporting Sunski’s Tera sunglasses. These vintage-style shades call on the mountaineering glasses of old, but with a modern touch.
What’s most striking is the leather-coloured pair of removable magnetic side shields, which offer a unique field of view and brilliant all-angle coverage against solar glare. For extra points, there’s a Morse code message punched into these shades, so go ahead and do your best to decipher it.
That protection is backed up by a polarised polycarbonate lens that is claimed to block 100% of UV400 wavelengths. Most Tera pairs come with category 3 status, but in the black style I opted for the mirrored lenses boast category 4, meaning it allows a claimed 6.3% VLT (Visual Light Transmission), which is far better than most top racing glasses.
Fitted with rubber nosepads for comfort, the frames are made from Sunski’s proprietary SuperLight material. This uses a recycled resin made from items found in landfill. They’re also pretty flexible and pocketproof too, and if something does go wrong, a lifetime guarantee has you covered.
If that’s not enough motivation, there’s also 25% off Sunski’s entire sunglasses range at the moment.
What we’re into this week: The Scottish Premiership
It’s been a week of big footballing stories. Arsenal won their first Premier League title in over 20 years and Aston Villa claimed a first European title in 44 years after defeating Freiburg to win the Europa League (well done, John McGinn).
On a personal level, my attention was all on the final day of the Scottish Premiership, which came down to a winner-takes-all match between Celtic and Hearts in Parkhead. Despite season-long leaders Hearts’ best efforts, the Edinburgh team would see their improbable title run come to a bitter end as Daizen Maeda put Celtic in front in the match’s final quarter. Hearts pulled their goalkeeper out in the final moments, but an open goal would open the door for 20-year-old Callum Osmand to secure the Bhoys the title in one of Scottish football’s most extraordinary twists of fate.
Martin O’Neill’s team had overturned the deficit, and even after a nightmare season for Celtic’s standards, Glasgow is green and white for the fifth year running.