Back in October, I went on an amazing holiday to the island of Elba, in Italy. A wonderful week was had with my pal Sam from bikevillage.co.uk, enjoying some of the best riding I’ve sampled in Europe.
But, what did I pack? Well, with plenty of options on the table, I was in the fortunate position of only picking my top-rated products from the past year – the best of the best.
So, it stands to reason that some of those make up my Gear of the Year 2024 list.
Restrap Race Hydration Pack
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- £139.99 / $189.99 / €167.99
I’m no fan of carrying a day’s worth of stuff on my back. Cycling backpacks tend to be heavy, wobbly, sweaty and excessive in size. And, truth be told, if I’ve got a 15-litre or 40-litre bag, I will fill it.
However, there are times when on-bike storage isn’t quite enough – extra food, additional tubes and tools, and spare layers for changeable conditions are a factor when you’re in the mountains.
While Restrap’s Race Hydration Pack is built for long-distance racers, I’ve found it the perfect hydration pack for additional carrying capacity on a trail bike.
It’s got just enough volume for the essentials, without tempting you into packing the kitchen sink – with the mesh pockets on the chest sized perfectly for a phone, keys and a snack.
It sits close and comfortably to the body – and is as stable as a rock when you’re rockin’ and rollin’ over, er, rocks and rolls.
It doesn’t have the same footprint as a traditional pack on your back, so feels more airy and thus less sweaty – a real bonus for Bristol’s Sweatiest Man(™). Needless to say, I’m now not that guy who’s always asking to borrow a pump or a shell when caught short.
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Endura MT500 D3O Glove II
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- £49.99 / $49.99 / €54.99
You’re either totally neurotic about your choice of MTB gloves or just sling any old pair on and forget about them – well, unless you’re one of ‘those’ who never wears them whatever the conditions.
I’m in the former camp – gloves have to be ‘right’ to make their way onto my hands for any length of time.
This means a thin, pad-free palm and an upper that's as unobtrusive as possible, while still holding my hand snug inside them. A glove that lets my hands slip and slide inside is a complete no-go.
The MT500 D3O Glove II achieves both of those measures, while adding a little D3O protection over the top of the knuckles for good measure.
I was sceptical at first (especially as the first pair didn’t quite fit as well as I wanted), because I thought the structural addition of the knuckle protection would annoy me.
But props to the Scottish brand. The fit now I've sized up is great and the orange non-Newtonian material is quickly forgotten about – until it’s needed.
Oh, and as a plus point, the colours offered are on-point, too.
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G-Form Pro-X3 Knee Guards
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Much like my gloves, I like knee pads that feel almost as if they're not there until you need them.
I don’t know if I’m particularly sensitive to material bunching behind the knee, but it’s my knee-pad ick, for sure.
As such, thin, stretchy knee pad socks are my go-to.
Likewise, I hate a knee pad that doesn’t extend far enough up my thigh – they don’t stay in place well enough and that gap is an aesthetic no-no.
It won’t take a genius to guess that these latest pads from G-Form tick my boxes.
The tightly woven, but smooth, flexible and breathable sock is barely noticeable next to the skin, and the top of the sock extends easily under the ends of my liner shorts, keeping my look in check.
The pad itself is a classic low-mid-weight pad. It's thin and flexible enough to live happily under trousers without tugging on the material, and with just enough bounce to keep all but the biggest hits from ruining your day.
These pads go on at the start of the day and are comfortably peeled off right at the end, without a thought along the way.
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Styrkr Bar50 Rice Bars
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- £29.99 / $39.99 / €36 for 12 bars
Now, I’m not going to claim to be entirely au fait with the technical world of sports nutrition. I’m just as happy cramming down a pork pie and a jam sandwich as I am slamming energy gels and drinks.
What I am au fait with is what tastes good.
And, buy heck, these Bar50 Rice Bars from Styrkr are absolutely delicious.
They’re a complete throwback to childhood; a marshmallowy rice cake, with just enough sweet stickiness to feel indulgent and a wonderful hint of flavour to make sure you’re not chowing down on pure, unadulterated sugar.
Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find they contain plenty of the good stuff, too.
They pack in 250 calories per bar, 50g+ of carbs and some electrolytes, with all-natural ingredients, and they're friendly to vegans.
They might get a little squashed in your pocket, but that doesn’t stop them tasting great. They can get caught in your teeth too, but I see that as a little more slow-release sugar as they dissolve over time – and it's a lot less annoying than getting a flapjack's oat lodged in your gnashers.
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RockShox Pike Ultimate
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- £1,049 / $1,049 / €1,169
I think nerdily looking back at 2024, it would be remiss to ignore some of the key suspension updates. Fox released a whole new line of dampers for its forks and so did RockShox.
Both brands’ new dampers are excellent, as you can see in our forks head-to-head video.
I’ve not spent much time with the new Fox kit, but I have spent a lot of time bouncing around on the new Charger 3.1 from RockShox, in a 140mm Pike.
It’s a sublime bit of kit and would be a worthy upgrade to the front end of any trail bike.
The fork’s action is smooth and supple, supportive and progressive, adjustable and adaptable.
It really is that good.
In the past, I’ve always just whanged fork dials to their most open, feeling that they’re all just a little over-damped for my comfort requirement. But with the new Charger 3.1, I’m running the compression circuits – high- and low-speed – in the middle of their settings.
Okay, so once the fork is set up, it doesn’t hugely matter where those dials sit, but it’s nice to have a little more adjustment than before.
I will say, though, that my love for the torque-cap-hub interface is yet to grow. I don’t think I need the extra stiffness it’s said to bring, but the little plastic spacers provided with the fork means it's easier to live with now.
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