The latest word in swanky riding gear, desirable bolt-ons and must-have goodies for your pride and joy
»SHAD SH38x expanding panniers
PRICE £487.99
WHAT IS IT? The slimmest hard side bags on the market that will accept a modular flip-up helmet, thanks to a (patent pending) telescopic expandable design that increases capacity by 40%. Can be used in conjunction with SHAD’s existing expanding top boxes to give up to 134 litres of storage.
WHAT DO WE LIKE? Commute with them closed, and there’ll be space for waterproofs, a flask of sweet tea and corned beef butties while still letting you bust traffic. Friday evening, expand them by 70mm ready to swallow a weekend’s clobber. Neat. Retractable handles, one key operation, choice of finishes (these are the carbon ones).
HOW MUCH AND WHERE FROM? £487.99, shad.co.uk
» Merlin Torsten
PRICE £379.99
WHAT IS IT? Leather jacket with CE AAA certification, featuring D3O armour at the shoulder and elbow plus a reflective UV coating that deflects 70% of the sun’s rays.
WHAT DO WE LIKE? Nothing wrong with a straight black leather jacket or something with stripes, but we appreciate this alternative, modern take on doing retro. Thermal liner too, for all the days when you don’t need the cooling effect of the coating. Space for a back protector, plus a jacket-to-jeans strap on the back to stop it riding up. Black or brown. Sizes from XS to 5XL.
HOW MUCH AND WHERE FROM? £379.99 (female ‘Isla’ version is £349.99), merlinbikegear.com
» Nexx X.WED3 helmet
FROM £329.99
WHAT IS IT? Nexx’s X.WED2 upgraded to ECE 22.06 standa
