After a week of budget surprises, Thanksgiving reunions and discounts galore, it’s time to settle into another instalment of In The Drops.
It would be remiss of me not to wish our American readers a belated Happy Thanksgiving. That means today marks Black Friday for us capitalist subordinates across the globe – so thanks, America. Given the occasion, there have been a lot of sales to chew through. To help you in your quest for bargains, we’ve published a couple of deal guides throughout the week, covering big discounts at Wahoo, Evans and Hunt.
If you’re still wondering where to place your Black Friday attention, the Cyclist team have rounded up the best winter jackets and reviewed the Ribble Endurance 725 road bike and the impressive (and expensive) MUOV smart trainer.
If you’re looking for some escapism from the 0s and 1s of online shopping, our latest podcast with Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee should be of good service. If road racing is more your thing though, Robyn has been highlighting the big changes coming our way in the new year, including the pointless name changes ready to strike the Classics and an important Tour de France tune-up. On that front, Robyn’s been arguing the case for Jonas Vingegaard’s Giro d’Italia debut, with the hope of becoming the heir to Chris Froome’s Grand Tour triple crown.
With that round-up attended to, let’s have a pootle through this week’s cycling Christmas list.
Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our AI search engine.
Gloria Titanium All-Gravel bike
‘Tis the season to be off-road (or something along those lines).
If you’re on the lookout for a new British name in the titanium sphere, look no further than Gloria Cycling.
The brand’s new gravel centrepiece is the Titanium All-Gravel. Assembled in the south of England, Gloria’s newest bike is sustainably crafted to tackle every track and trail across the country and comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Designed and tested on British roads, this titanium bike comes with the usual perks, including a carbon fork, a UDH hanger for groupset compatibility, and the option for both internal and external routing.
The All-Gravel adapts the know-how from Gloria’s All-Road, with some alterations to cater for tougher off-road demands, while balancing the on-road requirements to reach each trail. This includes a 50mm tyre clearance and, for extra coverage against the winter dirt, mudguard mounts on the fork and frame. The geometry is also tweaked for better handling with a 71.5° head tube and 74° seat tube angle.
Every Gloria bike is built on request, offering a wide range of customisation and finishing options. We were sent the Titanium All-Gravel (as photographed) with the 13-speed SRAM Force groupset launched earlier this year and a pair of Zipp 303S Carbon XPLR wheels fitted with Vittoria’s Mezcal tyres. Like each All-Gravel build, the bike’s equipped with a Zipp Service Course cockpit, titanium bottle cage and Gloria’s own saddle.
However, the wheelset, groupset, paint job and forks can all be picked out on the Gloria website, with prices starting from £2,999. Otherwise, the standalone frameset can be purchased from £1,499 and fully bespoke builds are also possible upon enquiry.
If you’re based in the south of England, be sure to drop into Gloria’s store in Crawley to learn more and discover its full range, spanning road, gravel and commuting.
History of British Cycling book
Who doesn’t like a trip down memory lane? Particularly if you’re a British cycling fan.
Historic Newspapers helps you reach for the rose-tinted glasses with its History of British Cycling book. The bumper-size read takes you through 172 pages-worth of Britain’s cycling highlights with the help of backpages and headlines from The Mirror and Sunday Mirror’s archives.
You’ll be whisked through the vaults of cycling history, beginning with Chris Boardman’s landmark Olympic gold in 1992, before a flyby visit to Beijing 2008, Bradley Wiggins’ summer of success in 2012, Chris Froome’s Grand Tour exploits, Mark Cavendish’s historic Tour stage victory and Simon Yates’s Giro exploits back in the spring. It’s not just road cycling either, as the book resurfaces articles covering Britain’s track cycling gold rush, especially the dominant Olympic display at London 2012.
Given we’re now angling towards the Christmas period this would make an excellent gift for the cycling fan in your life. To win yourself extra brownie points, the cover can be personalised to add a name or unique message for the lucky recipient.
There’s an extra Black Friday incentive too, as the book is on a 20% discount for the rest of the week if you apply the code BF20 at checkout.
Hunt 44_46 Aerodynamicist UD Carbon Spoke Disc wheels
British brand Hunt overhauled its Aerodynamicist range back in the spring. The result is a versatile and well-crafted carbon wheelset backed up by an impressive set of test results.
First, the basics. The front rim is 44.5mm deep with a 31mm external width, and the rear is 46mm deep and 30mm wide. Each has a 22mm internal width and are hooked to accommodate both clincher and tubeless tyres. The pair is optimised for 28-30mm tyres, but can run ETRTO-compliant tyres from 25mm right up to 50mm.
The combined weight for the wheelset is a claimed 1,274g thanks to the lightweight carbon build, which includes the TaperLock UD Carbon spokes. Each spoke weighs only 2.7g, but they can transfer a claimed 450kg of power each, meaning they’re 50% stronger than leading steel spokes. To boot, the UD system allows for better stiffness, offering a 30% increase in stiffness against equivalent steel-spoked wheels.
The wheels are UCI-approved and have been through wind tunnel testing. There, the results showed a 1.73-watt saving when compared to the previous 44 Aerodynamicist model, which featured a shallower rim. When compared to its similarly priced rivals, the brand claims the 44_46 Aerodynamicist is the best achiever on a weight-to-drag test.
Extra bonus, these wheels are currently on a 20% sale for Black Friday, bringing them down to £1,263.20. The wheels aren’t the only items to be discounted by Hunt this Black Friday either. To learn more about the offers of up to 40% off, check out our full overview of Hunt’s Black Friday range.
Wingback Key Cache
While bike computers are now integrating contactless payment technology, there’s no harm in carrying some good old-fashioned cash.
It’s tough to keep legal tender at hand on the bike, whether it’s left loose in a saddle bag or floating around in the depths of your back pocket. Wingback, however, tackle this with its key cache. This useful little tool connects to your keys and allows notes to be rolled up safely under its screw top (keeping it sweat and rain free at that).
In addition to helping you cover a round at the cafe stop, you can also stash away medication or safety details to make sure you have all those emergency contacts accessible even if your phone runs out of charge.
Machined in England from a solid block of brass, the cache is built to last and withstand any bumps or bruises. For extra personalisation, you can get a message printed onto its base. Each order is sent out in a cotton sleeve, so it makes the ideal stocking filler for Christmas morning.
What we’re into this week: Brad Stank
Between the Black Friday sales and gravel riding aboard the Gloria, I’ve managed to squeeze in some new music this week.
British artist Brad Stank has emerged from his cave to release the first single from his upcoming album. The track, titled ‘Chenchi‘, is everything I’ve come to expect from Stank. It’s jazz-inspired, laidback and laced in a sultry tone that feels at home in a smoky basement club.
Fun fact. I once went to an afters with Brad. The less said about that, the better.
