Independent reviews
From everyday tech and home products to lifestyle and specialist gear, each review focuses on practical use, strengths, limitations, and who the product suits.
Road Bikes
Nine months on a lightweight aero road bike that matches premium race bikes on speed and weight, with a stiff front end and an ownership model worth understanding first.
Road Bike Frames
The Seeker Spear pairs a distinctive Wind Eye frame design with a 6.65 kg complete build and a frameset price roughly half that of a flagship race bike.
Road Bikes
A month on the SEKA Spear frameset: real race pace, strong seated comfort, a harsh front end on rough tarmac, and a price that undercuts the big brands.
Cycling Gear
Seven mountain bike and bikepacking products that earned their place through long-term use, from a race-proven fork to a saddle-mounted tool carrier.
Cycling Components
A close look at Shimano 105 Di2 R7100, from its semi-wireless layout and hood ergonomics to the shifting, braking and cassette trade-offs worth knowing before you buy.
Road Bike Groupsets
Shimano 105 Di2 brings 12-speed electronic shifting, semi-wireless shifters and revised brakes to the workhorse groupset, at a price well above the mechanical 105 it sits beside.
Road Bike Groupsets
Shimano's 12-speed mechanical road groupset tested over weeks of riding: light shift action, powerful hydraulic disc brakes, wide gearing options, and a clear value case against 105 Di2.
Cycling Components
A 9-speed flagship from the late 1990s meets the current entry-level groupset. Here is where Dura-Ace 7700 still wins, and where Sora R3000 has quietly caught up.
Cycling Components
A round-by-round comparison of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and SRAM Red AXS covering shifting, braking, setup, gearing, apps, weight, finish and price.
Cycling Components
A close look at Shimano's 12-speed GRX Di2 RX825 gravel groupset, covering semi-wireless shifting, measured weights, gearing options and who it suits.
Gravel Bike Groupsets
Shimano's first wireless drop-bar groupset delivers very fast shifting and a wide 1x range, but the rear derailleur design and missing options deserve a close look.
Gravel Bike Components
A 12-speed mechanical gravel group set with a 10-51T cassette, quieter brakes and revised shifter clamps, plus the trade-offs to weigh before buying.
Cycling Components
Shimano's new SPD-SLR road platform brings a 2.3 mm lower stack, a thinner cleat and a wider shoe fit. Here is what each part does, what it costs, and who it suits.
Road Bike Groupsets
A close comparison of Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100 and SRAM Force AXS, covering battery design, app features, shifting, gearing, braking, weight and price.
Road Bike Groupsets
A practical look at the Shimano Ultegra R8000 groupset, covering shifting quality, braking options, configuration choice, pricing, and the crankset recall worth checking before you buy.
Road Bike Groupsets
A practical look at Shimano Ultegra R8000, covering shifting quality, braking options, configuration choices, and the crankset recall buyers should understand.
Cycling Components
A detailed look at running the Shimano XT mountain bike 1x groupset on a drop bar bike, including its 500% gear range, shifting performance, and practical trade-offs.
Sports Headphones
A practical comparison of the Shokz OpenSwim Pro and OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones, covering waterproofing, MP3 playback, battery life and comfort on the bike.
Cycling Gear
A practical roundup of premium cycling pumps, chain lubricants and small accessories, plus a cautionary note on a low-cost carbon wheel set.
Cycling
Six real-world bike builds, from a tidy gravel setup with a short-travel dropper post to a steel crit bike and a comfortable budget hybrid.
Cycling
Six distinctive rider builds, from a deep-wheel S-Works Venge to a titanium Curve Belgie V3, with the practical details worth knowing before you buy.
Cycling Gear
Puncture-resistant tires, mechanical DoubleTap, integrated cockpits and ratchet seatposts all solve real problems. Here are the trade-offs to weigh before you buy.
Cycling Gear
A £225 carbon disc brake wheelset, two helmets with built-in turn signals, reflective bags from a collaboration with a cause, and a small sign that nudges drivers to pass wider.
Cycling Gear
Six cycling buys that looked sensible and turned out not to be, what went wrong, and the details worth checking before you spend.
Cycling
Six owner-built bikes compared, from a steel gravel machine with a short-travel dropper to a discontinued aero racer, a steel crit frame and a budget hybrid heading to its first triathlon.
Road Bikes
Six road bikes for 2026, from aggressively priced endurance builds to a 5.9 kg weight claim and a new aero race platform, with what is confirmed and what is not.
Mountain Bikes
Six mountain bikes that cover cross-country racing, high-pivot enduro, budget full-power e-MTB, lightweight electric trail and value alloy trail riding.
Cycling
Six real-world road and gravel builds, from a secondhand gravel bike bought for £170 to a custom steel frame finished with 3D-printed titanium lugs.
Road Bikes
Six road bike builds, from a top-tier carbon race frame to a rim brake bike kept alive with tape, with the details worth copying and the ones to think twice about.
Cycling
A practical roundup of six cycling products worth considering: two road race bikes, a progressive gravel bike, a dedicated indoor bike, a gravel wheelset and an electronic groupset.