Happy New Year and welcome to the opening First Look Friday instalment of 2025.
If you’ve finished seeing in the new year and are looking for some flashy new kit to take out on the bike, you’ve come to the right place.
First Look Friday is our weekly round-up of the best new products to arrive at BikeRadar.
While we've continued to furnish you with our regular mix of news, reviews, features and riding advice throughout the Christmas period, the main focus on-site this week has been our hotly anticipated Gear of the Year articles, with Liam Cahill, Rob Weaver and Tom Marvin the latest to bring you their picks from a busy year of testing.
The MBUK TV YouTube channel has also been churning out some great content from a team of dedicated presenters (including me in the workshop).
When you've caught up on all that red-hot cycling content, read on for some of the shiny new swag to arrive at BikeRadar this week.
Fox Ranger MTB kit
Fashionable, functional MTB kit that won't break the bank and will look equally at home on a downcountry ride or the DH track. Does that sound too good to be true?
Fox highlights its Ranger kit as offering “max value” and it appears to be some excellent-looking gear at a competitive price point.
Fox says the Ranger kit is performance-orientated and versatile, meaning it should be suited to various MTB disciplines. I think the brand has nailed that aim.
Fox Ranger Taunt Long Sleeve Jersey
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The Ranger Taunt Jersey is available with short or long sleeves and in pale green or steel grey (pictured).
It comes in five sizes, from S-2XL.
Its sweat-wicking fabric is said to be made from recycled materials, so it’s got green credentials too.
- Fox Ranger Taunt Long Sleeve Jersey: £49.99 / $74.95 / €54.99
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Fox Ranger Race Pants
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The Ranger Race pants are slim-fit mountain bike trousers, inspired by the downhill race tracks.
Fox says the slim silhouette and tapered lower leg reduce drag and the chance of snagging.
A pair of zippered pockets is a welcome addition for riders needing somewhere to stash their phone and keys.
They come in a range of sizes from 28-40in waists.
- Fox Ranger Race Pants: £99.99 / $129.95 / €109.99
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Fox Ranger Gloves
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The Fox Ranger Gloves come in at a competitive price point, with thin palms, and grippy rubber on the first two fingers and thumb for braking and shifting duties.
In the digital age, it’s welcome to see they're touchscreen-compatible thanks to special stitching on the index fingers and thumbs.
Steel Grey is the colour shown here, but they're available in a whopping nine alternative colourways, as well as five sizes from S-2XL.
- Fox Ranger Gloves: £27.99 / $29.95 / €29.99
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SKS Speedrocker universal fit mudguards
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Mudguards can be a welcome relief in the winter months, protecting your body and bike from cold, dirty spray.
Ideally, they should be easy to fit and look great, which is where these Speedrockers come in.
They are universal fit guards, not requiring the bosses and bolts usually reserved for touring and hybrid bikes.
SKS says the Speedrocker is designed to fit gravel, cyclocross and racing bikes, but with a 42c maximum width I think they'll be perfect for gravel bikes too.
I’m always sceptical of universal fit mudguards, preferring to bolt them on wherever possible, but the fitment and geometry of these guards seems great, and the grippy fitting equipment should mean they don’t slide about.
They’re stealthy in black, have some really great lines, and provide what I think is a great mix of coverage and good looks.
I like the integrated recesses for brake or gear cables, so you don’t have to mess around or compromise fit if your bike has external routing. These guards are priced reasonably, too.
You'll see I've been a bit creative with the mountings, using some bolts to attach them to my Marin DSX test bike, but I think this makes the fitment system even more impressively versatile.
- £52 / $85.99 / €54.99
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Aeroe Spider MTB front pannier rack
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Aeroe proudly states that the Spider rack will fit any bike. It doesn’t mount to the axle, so all axle standards are catered for, and Aeroe says it can be easily fitted in seconds.
The rack is aimed at mountain bikers and is eMTB-compatible. One of the main selling points is the ability to fit a suspension fork, which are usually without built-in mounting points. It will also clear up to a whopping 3.8in front tyre.
The rack weighs in at only 593g, but adding the various Aeroe accessories, which are required to make the rack usable, adds a bit of extra heft.
The Spider Pannier Receiver makes it possible to mount a pair of conventional panniers to your Aeroe Spider rack. It weighs 552g with mounts.
The Rack Cradle is ideal for strapping a dry bag to, and it weighs 325g with straps. Aeroe makes its own 8l dry bags to fit this too, which weigh 225g each, but it states any dry bag will work.
The Quick Mount Pod can carry 11 litres of gear and weighs a claimed 910g with its Uni-mount. It’s a fully waterproof, semi hard-case pannier with a quick-release mount, costing £114 each. It looks ideal for use during bad weather or river crossings.
If you’re after a functional setup for some bikepacking or MTB touring duties, this classy looking solution could be worth a try.
- Aeroe Spider Rack: £95 / $120 / €115
- Aeroe Spider Rack Cradle: £65 / $79 / €69
- Aeroe Spider Pannier Receiver: £75 / $90 / €80
- Aeroe 8L Heavy Duty Dry Bag: £49 / $59 / €49
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