OK, here we go again, a dozen years running. Another twelve months of digging through the best bike gear to pick my 2025 Editor’s Choice Awards.
The year has again flown past my eyes like a blur. Maybe that’s in part because I’ve felt spread a bit more thinly this year. I’ve travelled to more road & gravel launches than in recent years, spent more time on fast eMTBs, and hit up a lot of pro races. From Grand Tour road to World Series gravel to World Cup cross, cross-country, enduro & downhill… I guess I made it to most of the UCI spectrum in 2025. It’s also been quite a tumultuous time for the bike industry, with issues like rising inflation, many bike companies still in recovery mode, and unpredictable tariffs hitting bike tech, which comes from all over the world but with a big focus on manufacturing in China & Taiwan. And the biggest trade show, Eurobike, even shows signs of waning.
With those thoughts floating around inside my head, let’s just dive right into my theoretical wish list. My Editor’s Choice round-up of the best new gear that I actually tested myself this year. Plus, I’ve thrown in a few nice Honorable Mentions for promising new goodies that I just haven’t had time to ride, or to ride much just yet…
About Cory
Another quick refresher on me, and why my picks may be most relevant to you. I’m a bike tinkerer, designer & general tech nerd, and a technical off-road rider for more than three decades. Light enduro mountain bikes are my standard go-to, followed closely by gravel bikes for their ability to take my adventure rides further. I really enjoy a sub-24-hour overnighter, and am even happy to ride a road bike on quiet roads, so long as I can get the tires a bit dirty. Really, I’ll happily ride anything with two wheels and air in the tires, so I often end up with the most year-end picks of our whole Bikerumor crew.
Best Experience
Editor’s Choice: Winter Finale Escape
I like to kick off my best-of list each year with an experience. Because new products come and go, but new experiences live on in your memories much longer.
Now, this wasn’t my first time riding Finale Ligure. I’ve previewed several new mountain bikes and MTB tires on these rocky trails over the past decade. But this year was the first time I went there to ride for fun, not for work. My wife organized an apartment for us to stay for the week in late winter. She arranged a couple of days of guided 4×4 backcountry shuttling to hit trails I had never seen before. Then, a few more days of classic Finale shuttles to hit all the best-known NATO base & Pietra tracks.
The riding was great, as always. And the food, the coffee, and gelato were all top-notch, also. We ate pasta and rode fasta.
Finale Ligure sometimes feels overhyped, but the riding really delivers. And heading there in March, when our home trails were still covered with snow, was the perfect escape from winter. Plus, it was a great way to get excited about a new season of riding. There are several other places like Finale where you can get early-season uplifts, to lift yourself up out of the winter doldrums and get amped for riding again. I highly recommend searching one out, and planning a getaway with your favorite riding buddy. I’m gonna try to talk my wife into planning another Italian escape for us this winter, too.
Honorable Mentions: Blinduro and Multi-Day Bikepark Trips
These are two more of my most memorable riding experiences this year. But both have been on my Editor’s Choice lists in years past. They’re still just as great as ever, and I highly recommend each. They just move down to honorable mentions this time around.
I feel like Blinduro is consistently the best mountain bike racing experience I’ve ever experienced. It all started 4 years ago for us, with a special edition called Hardcore Blinduro that introduced us to the sickest, toughest enduro tracks, freshly hand-cut by 3x Four-Cross World Champ Michal Prokop. And one which saw me crack a helmet, and a friend crack a wrist. And yet, we keep going back for more. There must be something to it. (Note: The regular tracks aren’t as insane as they were during that one-off ‘hardcore’ experiment.)
You get 2 days of racing with staggered starts, for everyone from weekend warriors to the occasional EWS pros who drop in.
Every timed section is raced blind, almost entirely on tracks no mountain biker has ever ridden – made solely for these races, then covered up afterwards. My wife takes it seriously, racing for top podium spots in her category, since that first win in 2021. And I’m just there for a good time, happy if I’m in the top half of my category. Everyone loves it. Entries sell out quite quickly. And next year will include a special 3-day race to celebrate Blinduro’s 10th anniversary. Snag a spot ASAP, since registration just opened this week via the links on their Facebook, and some of the races already sold out.
Family Bikeparking has also become something of an annual tradition for us now.
This year we rode 9 days in a row, in 8 different bikeparks. Our kids are a lot more grown-up now, at 15 & 11, and can shred all day on their full-sized trail bikes. In fact, it’s shocking how much they’ve progressed. The 15-year-old especially is a killer rider, even though bikes are no longer in the top-5 of her fav hobbies these days. And the younger one really came into his own after he experienced the bump-smoothing capabilities of 29″ wheels after a growth spurt yielded a bike upgrade. While my wife & I rode every day and prefer rough rocks & roots, the kids rode one day on, one day off, preferring manicured jumps and berms. Full-face helmets, back protectors & knee pads for all. Everyone was happy. And it definitely will be repeated.
Mountain Bikes
Editor’s Choice: Atherton S.150
This one came out right at the end of last year, but it was earlier this spring that I got a chance to ride the alloy version of Atherton’s wide range of bikes. Having ridden both the more expensive carbon A.150 (and the bigger A.170), I actually preferred the more poppy, playful ride feel of the simpler DW4 suspension layout on the aluminum bike, with its lower maintenance one-piece rear end.
This Atherton S.150 is fully made in the UK with drawn aluminum tubes bonded into machined alloy lugs, and with a lifetime warranty. It comes in 12 sizes, so you really can get the exact fit and position on the bike that you prefer. And the frameset costs about half of what the carbon bike does. A killer bike, and something truly unique.
Honorable Mention: C/Duro Shremeeq
So, I haven’t ridden this one because no one outside of C/Duro’s race development team have yet. But I’m always interested in what the carbon specialists at CompoTech’s C/Duro bike division are working on. And now that they’ve refined the adjustable 170mm or 190mm high pivot bike with new 3D-printed frame junctions and linkages that get wrapped into their unique filament-wound tubes, it’s just more and more appealing than ever.
This new C/Duro Shremeeq prototype officially debuted at Bespoked where we learned it was named after the mythical Czech cliff jumping horse Šemík. The suspension and geo have been refined with real-world R&D on the Enduro World Cup with Czech racer Vojta Bláha, whose first prototype we featured in midsummer. It’s all progressed so quickly, and I can’t wait until I can trick Vojta into letting me borrow his bike for a trip to the local bikepark that sits about halfway between where he and I live. That’s a 2026 Wish List item.
Fingers crossed.
Gravel Bikes
Editor’s Choice: Merida Mission
This bike surprised me. In a time of ever-wider gravel tires, the new Merida Mission doubled-down on 40mm tires and a proper racing focus. Sure, you can squeeze 45s in there if you really want, and there’s even tiny but neatly solved internal frame storage. But this isn’t meant to be a bikepacking adventure bike. Merida’s Silex already does that well, and even won a gravel world champs title, to boot.
No, this is a fast gravel race bike that feels more like a road bike. No other new gravel bike I’ve ridden this year (or really in the past few years) jumps forward the second you put the power down like this bike. It is very rewarding to ride fast. And frankly, it made me push myself harder to hold the wheel of gravel racers much fitter than I. If I wanted one gravel bike to do it all, it wouldn’t be this. But if instead, I wanted a gravel bike that I would also do long road and all-road rides on, I can’t think of a much better option or better value than a new Mission.
Honorable Mention: 3T RaceMax² Italia
The new 3T RaceMax² Italia keeps a lot of the style and familiar aero gravel looks of the first RaceMax (and even the original Exploro) – love it or hate it, giant aero gravel downtubes forever! But the newest RaceMax² mixes it up with some slick aero integration adapted from 3T’s Strada road bike. This feels a lot like the previous generation RaceMax, but much more refined. No annoying cables where they used to get in the way. The top tube bag mounts are finally in the right place. Plenty of big tire clearance, 48-51mm depending on if you are a 2x classicist or want a 1x. I also love the new taillight integrated into the seatpost, which also brings a little extra comfort, too. Plus, the bike is made in Italy, which is cool, even if it does make the bike very pricey.
(All) Road Bikes
Editor’s Choice: Cinelli Speciale Corsa XCr
Last year, my pick for best road bike was also entirely made in Italy. It kinda does feel like where all road bikes should be born, right? Well, instead of carbon, this one is handcrafted in Milan, from stainless steel tubes shaped one at a time in the same town. And yes, it costs more than 4x more than last year’s carbon pick (Yikes, that one is still an unbeatable steal in my opinion!) But this is a road bike that you’ll ride for a lifetime.
The Cinelli Speciale Corsa XCR feels like a perfect blend of classic looks, traditional handmade Italian steel craftsmanship, indestructible modern multi-butted Columbus XCr stainless steel tubing, sleek modern integration, and future-proof standards. Flat mount disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles, fully hidden integrated internal cable routing, a 27.2 seatpost, T47 threaded BB, UDH, and max 32mm tires. This bike will be just as happy trudging through wet & grimy winter back roads as it will be perfectly polished to show off on sunny summer café rides.
All 100% made-in-Italy. If I were to pick the spec, it would, of course, have Campagnolo Super Record 13 & Campy wheels. And that means it will cost 13,500€. I’m sorry it’s that expensive. But, man, is this a beautiful bike with a nearly perfect ride.
eBikes
A special standout in my mind this year were the eMTBs. Between seemingly minor powertrain updates and all-new drive system players, I feel like the latest crop of performance eMTBs is just so improved to make ebike naysayers reconsider how much fun an ebike could be. The latest motors are quieter, more powerful yet smoother on & off power, and they are almost all more customizable these days.
Editor’s Choice: Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo 4
While DJI shook the eMTB world up last year with their all-new super-powered but controlled motor, Specialized proved that a refined evolution of their long-running Levo platform could still compete for the title of the most well-rounded off-road ebike.
The latest Specialized Turbo Levo 4 is one of the lightest & smoothest full-power eMTBs you can buy, and there are no corners cut. This thing feels surprisingly light & nimble for how much power it can crank out. And yet it’s still enduro-ready with a burly Fox 38 fork, indestructible (I’ve tried) carbon Roval Traverse HD wheels, and uniquely-tunable Genie rear shock. This S-works edition cranks out 111Nm of torque with 720W of peak power, or it’s 100Nm & 666W on the more affordable standard Specialized version. In either case, Specialized does an excellent job of controlling how that much extra power gets to the ground in a controlled way, while still making you feel like a superhero flying up climbs.
The debate on the validity or necessity of ebikes on trails will continue to rage. But this is an eMTB that makes my average heartrate higher on most rides, as I try to push both myself and the ebike to the limit, to squeeze more riding into my busy work/life schedule. It also happens to be my trail dog’s best friend, as I no longer have an excuse not to take him out for a quick lunch lap before getting back to work in the afternoon.
Wheels & Tires
Editor’s Choice – MTB Hub Tech: DT Swiss DEG DF
Does everyone need an anti-kickback device? No. But this might be the best way to decide. See if you like the feel of removing pedal kickback from your favorite mountain bike. See if it makes you faster, if you like a little or a lot of anti-kickback, or if you might want it sometimes but not always.
All those are possible with the simple new DT Swiss DEG DF ratchet internals upgrade. The secret is that if you already have one of DT’s super high-engagement DEG hubs (the recently oversized 180, 240, or 350), you can install anti-kickback functionality in the wheels you already have in less than ten minutes, for less than the cost of a new set of tires. You get 0°, 10°, or 20° of anti-kickback that you can change back-and-forth tool-free in seconds, depending on what type of trail and riding experience you are getting after. Plus, DT says that starting sometime next year, several of their stock wheels will already come set up with DEG DF inside, so more mountain bikers will get to try it themselves!
Honorable Mention – MTB tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial
I’ve been going on like a broken record about these tires for more than a year now. But seriously, radial mountain bike tires were a game-changer in getting magical grip out of nowhere. Last year, I gave the all-new Alberts an Editor’s Choice pick. This time around, I’m giving the Magic Mary a mention. Because here is a tire that Schwalbe literally hadn’t changed since 2013, besides some rubber & casing updates in 2017. It still has the old molded-in sidewall diamonds from years back. But by simply reorienting the fibers inside last year, Schwalbe once again made their Magic Mary one of the best-performing trail and gravity mountain bike tires you can buy.
Radial mountain bike tires are seriously shaking things up. And there’s another, even more radical radial MTB tire alternative on the horizon from Zleen. We can’t wait to try that one. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Racerunner on this list next year if its dramatic claims come true!
Components & Gadgets
Editor’s Choice – MTB Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle 90
While everyone has gone electric, SRAM gave us a pleasant surprise this past spring with the launch of two all-new mechanical mountain bike groupsets – Eagle 70 & Eagle 90. At a fraction of the cost of anything electronic and wireless, you still get the latest direct ‘full mount’ attachment to your UDH-ready bike and T-type transmission compatibility. Plus, for lovers of actually ‘feeling’ when you shift, the new mechanical Eagle groupsets offer a proper tactile click to shift.
I especially love how Eagle 90 delivers on the serviceability & modular rebuildability that Transmission promised even before it officially debuted. Finally, a high-performance derailleur from SRAM that I can put on an enduro bike and not feel worried about how much it will cost to replace when I inevitably bash it against a rock. Plus, you have to actually put in a little effort to shift, in a good way. So, no more accidental electro shifts for me, thank you very much.
Editor’s Choice – Road & Gravel Drivetrain: Campagnolo Super Record 13
At the exact opposite end of the spectrum comes Campagnolo Super Record 13. Here is a very precious wireless electronic road bike groupset, mostly made in Italy from premium carbon, titanium, and aluminum. But don’t worry, we can still get this one dirty, too.
It started in the spring with a new road version. A jump to 13-speed, while getting lighter and cheaper than the not-very-well-received 12sp wireless version before it. Plus, it brought back Campy’s beloved thumb shifter, excellent ergonomics, and lots of shift button flexibility. I rode it on the road in Italy, and immediately felt how much it had improved over its predecessor. Then, Campagnolo teased that 2×13 road was just the tip of the iceberg, and more road, all-road, gravel & TT versions were in the works…
By the end of the year, there were 3 different Campagnolo Super Record 13 rear derailleurs – with or without chain stabilizing clutches. We’ve tested two so far, with the third on its way. And Campy’s claims of it being the lightest and fastest-shifting electronic road groupset seem to ring true. Plus, now with a dedicated Campagnolo Super Record X version for 1x gravel builds, it is also the most versatile dropbar drivetrain family out there – and the most expensive gravel group yet.
Editor’s Choice – Suspension: DVO Jade X Prime coil shock
A bit over a year ago, DVO rolled out a Prime update to their top-tier air and coil rear shocks that brought easier adjustability and a wider range of usability for individual tuning. So this year, we decided to try out the DVO Jade X Prime, and were seriously impressed with the results. The most obvious update was the newly wider high-speed compression tuning range gave our lightweight rider real control over the support her small bike offered on heavy hits and hard landings, when she’s used to running shocks wide open with little adjustability control. The other great thing about this coil shock is the air bladder inside that piggyback chamber, which gives you control to still finetune the support and progressive feel of your bike’s travel with a standard shock pump.
So all that buttery coil feel & performance, with easier air shock adjustability.
Editor’s Choice – Radar Safety: Wahoo Trackr Radar
Wahoo debuted their first radar-equipped taillight when they launched new GPS cycling computers last spring. On paper, the Wahoo Trackr Radar sounded pretty much like every other rear-facing radar, including brake-light functionality. That’s not really a bad thing, because anyone who spends a lot of time sharing the road with cars and has adopted a smart radar light will tell you, it can both seamlessly improve your awareness while also making you feel safer.
In practice, the Trackr Radar is even better than the runtimes Wahoo first communicated. (They first talked about only 5hr burn in its highest consumption setting.) That’s because a smart battery extender mode turns brightness down when it doesn’t detect cars, extending realistic runtimes up to 20 hours. And you can even turn the regular taillight function off for even longer battery life, and it will still flash when it detects a car coming up from behind. Of course, the integration with their latest Roam & Bolt computers gives the best user experience, with a simple colored bar on the left side of your screen showing multiple approaching cars and colors to indicate how aggressively they are coming. But it’s really the customizable light modes that make the Trackr so great.
I love it for mixed-surface rides turned into that lowest-consumption light-off mode, as it doesn’t annoy fellow riders when we are away from traffic. But when we do end up back on asphalt sharing the road, the radar-governed flash comes back. We gravelers may dream of car-free riding everywhere we roam, but the truth of the matter is we often spend plenty of time on tarmac in between the gravelly bits.
Editor’s Choice – Lights: Exposure Toro + Joystick 18 combo
Exposure lights are crazy expensive, but also wildly powerful. This year, when they upgraded everything across the board, I decided to try out their 3rd brightest bar light and their lightest, smallest helmet light. You can always go with the most powerful. But I had used previous generations of these slightly more affordable lights. And I wanted to see how much they had evolved in the past few years. (Plus, my colleague just reviewed the brightest ones.) And oh, how great they are these days!
The Toro 16 cranks out up to 3850 lumens and costs $385 / 355€ (28% cheaper than Jeremy’s Six Pack), and the Joystick 18 puts out 1200 lumens for $215 / 195€ (30% less than his Zenith). Their self-contained simplicity is great. The easy-to-understand display on the back of the Toro is super cool. And the ‘Tap your helmet’ mode switching of the Joystick is killer. As are the simple one-button controls – once you learn the button pushing orders.
I really feel like this Toro + Joystick pairing delivers great value and more than plenty of light output vs. the more expensive Exposure lights.
Editor’s Choice – Fender: Ass Savers Win Wing MTB fender
It feels like the past few years, I have picked a different Ass Savers Win Wing as one of the best new products I have tried. This year, it’s their newest Win Wing MTB. But I ride in a lot of wet conditions, and honestly, these Win Wing fenders do a seriously good job of keeping my butt dry and clean for not a lot of money. And especially on the mountain bike, they keep my dropper post clean. That means less bike service required, something I’m bad at remembering to do. And while cycling products keep getting more and more expensive, this thing is still truly affordable for any mountain biker. Plus, you can pick pretty colors, or simple all-black.
Tools
Editor’s Choice – Affordable: Muc-Off AirMach Pro inflator
Yes, it’s a loud little electric pump. And sure, I could just break out a normal mini-pump and reinflate a tire myself – for crying out loud. But this silly thing is so convenient. Pick a tire pressure, set it, and it will inflate your tire consistently every time. Get a flat? Plug it or swap in a tube, attach the little £100 Muc-Off AirMach Pro inflator, and let it air up the tire while you clean up the mess and pack everything else back up to go ride again. I simply love how portable it is. And how I can stick it on a bike without air in the tire, turn it on, walk away to do something else more productive than pumping, and come back to a perfectly inflated tire.
Plus, it makes disposable CO2 cartridges obsolete, finally.
Editor’s Choice – Extravagant: Remco electric bike lift
While that inflator is small and affordable, this electric Remco Bike Lift is the exact opposite.
Really, this is meant to be a pro bike shop repair stand for everyday mechanics who need to work on heavy ebikes. But as more $15,000+ road, gravel, mountain & high-powered ebikes get sold, it starts to make sense that more people are going to buy fancy repair stands to take some of the ‘work’ out of ‘working’ on your bike, even at home. Plenty of amateur shadetree mechanics already buy premium-quality professional tools. Why not a pro work stand, too?
Now, I’ve been servicing & maintaining dozens of European Bikerumor test bikes in the past month on this stand, including cleaning, packing & returning 5 test bikes in the past two weeks. And oh, how nice it is to have this little baby picking those bikes up and putting them back down. Just like the inflator, I preset my ideal work height, clamp the bike in the stand, hit 2 or 3, and the Remco lifts the bike as I round up any special items I need to service the bike. Then, press 1 to put it back on the ground.
Yes, realistic pricing starts around $744/840€, even if you already have a pro repair stand clamp and want to bolt this to the ground. A freestanding setup with a pro clamp, and including a tool tray & USB charger like my shop can easily add up to almost twice that. Is that extravagantly expensive for a not-pro bike mechanic? Yes, certainly. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lust over one, just like you might drool over the next greatest five-figure bike that comes out.
Clothing & Protection
Editor’s Choice – Leatt Mono Suit MTB HydraDri 5.0 v2
When Leatt came out with their first waterproof Mono Suit, I thought I should give it a try. I ride a lot on wet, muddy, and snowy natural trails, and staying dry and comfortable was my first thought. Then, I realized the biggest benefit was coming home from a dirty ride, simply taking off one piece of clothing, and everything was clean underneath. I didn’t even need to really clean the suit either.
So I rode in the original top-tier 5.0 Mono Suit in black (above right, and below) and then got my wife a red one (below) for our sloppy trail & enduro adventures. Internal suspenders allow you to independently adjust the fit of the top & bottom halves, and ride with the top half open or even off tied around your waist, while velcro straps at the waist, wrist & ankle secured the Mono Suit in place. There were tons of external pockets, lots of waterproof zip-open vents, and a hood that fits over many helmets with a neat magnet system to hold it in place.
And we loved them.
Then, this summer Leatt told me they improved the fabric and I should try a new one (at left, above) once they were available this winter. I’ve only had the new MY26 Leatt Mono Suit MTB HydraDri 5.0 for a couple of weeks, and I haven’t even made time to write up a story on them yet. But they are a game changer on what had already been an essential in my year-round mountain biking kit.
The new 5.0 Mono Suit is noticeably lighter – with a fabric that is softer, more flexible, more comfortable – and with a closer, tapered cut that simply fits better. It still promises the same 30k/30K waterproofing & breathability as before, but I really think I overheat less in this new iteration of Leatt’s own HydraDri Max fabric. It feels light, yet also appears better reinforced, with extra protection in high-wear areas. There are a couple fewer external pockets, but now they are better positioned and include a new padded phone sleeve in the chest pocket.
While the original was a workhorse that I regularly recommended to those who ride in the same conditions as me, this new one is much better!
Editor’s Choice – Castelli Alpha 150 Polartec AirCore + Alpha insulated jacket
When Castelli launched a not-quite-waterproof lightweight Perfetto softshell jacket this year because cyclists don’t ride in the rain anymore, I was confused. That definitely didn’t sound perfect to me. I ride in the rain pretty regularly. And that jacket didn’t even feel warm enough to keep me comfortable on cold and drier autumn days. Then, a few weeks later, they quietly rolled out another jacket with the same Polartec AirCore outer shell material, but backed by smartly placed Polartec Alpha insulation. And it turns out, this one was perfetto for me.
This Castelli Alpha 150 jacket combines the super breathable, almost entirely windproof & water-resistant Polartec AirCore membrane softshell with my favorite Polartec Alpha quick-drying open insulation. And it does it with some really well-thought-out detailing. Insulation only where you need it on the chest, back & upper arms. A semi-separate Alpha insulation vest that means you can ride with just the insulation, just the shell, or both covering your chest, depending on how you feel.
It’s comfy when it’s cold, comfy when you warm up mid-ride. It wicks and breathes well when I inevitably start sweating. And it sheds snow and light to medium rain when the clouds start to open up.
Editor’s Choice – Dainese Linea 01 full face helmet
I think the Dainese Linea 01 is probably the lightest full-face helmet I’ve ridden in. And it is DH certified with a MIPS liner inside and easy-to-use Fidlock buckle, yet is incredibly well ventilated. When it launched a few years back, my L/XL weighed 667g and the S/M just 544g. I even picked it for my 2022 Editor’s Choice selection.
I kind of prefer the idea of an ultralight full-face helmet from a safety standpoint. I feel like you are more likely to replace a light helmet after an impact than an overbuilt one, which you might incorrectly assume is still fine.
You can see when an ultralight helmet cracks, showing that it absorbed some impact that was trying to get to your head. The black one on the lower left saw such an impact this past summer.
So, when I looked to replace it I learned that Dainese had quietly updated the Linea 01, with some very small but key changes. Oh, and Jeremy might be a little happier.
The new version has a new visor that sits lower, and offers a bit more protection to keep the sun out of your eyes. (It also omits the TwiceMe NFC chip as Dainese hasn’t really seem that take hold in the last few years.) But the real reason wasn’t just sun shading, the new visor is made from a thicker plastic, with a stiffer structure, and a more closed design, so that you can mount a GoPro to it. More gravity junkies (like us?) want to record POV video shredding the trails, and so now you can securely mount an action cam under (or over) the visor for the perfect first-person perspective.
The new visor is still adjustable, and goggles will still fit up there. It does add a few grams. This new size S/M weighs 582g. But it’s essentially the same price, and the same great ultralight full-face protection for another few years.
Honorable Mention – Leatt All Mountain 3.0 helmet
Now this is a slightly older product, so it just gets an honorable mention this time around. But I recently crashed, and kinda landed on my head (and face) earlier this autumn. And the tech inside this Leatt helmet made it so I could ride away. I really appreciate that. Enough said.
Parting thoughts
Alright, there’s another wordy wrap on another great year, with a comprehensive overview of the best of the best bike gear that I tested in 2025.
I did a lot of great off-road riding this year. But also several new and familiar drop bar experiences this year, too – from racing The Traka, to exploring Border Bash Aragon, to riding the slippery slopes of Mt. Etna, to climbing back up to the Madonna del Ghisallo to scope out the world’s first aero bike amongst other beauties.
Our roads and trails are wet again, as good snow has already come and gone, leaving patches of slush and ice to dodge. But I have several winter escapes already planned for the first couple months of 2026. So, I’m happy to round out the remainder of this year with shorter rides in my backyard, trying to avoid the wolves.
I hope all of you readers enjoy the coming holidays. And that the small breaks that they bring, give you time to get out for a ride. Ride bikes outside. Breathe some fresh air. Prove the clothing and indoor trainer makers wrong by embracing the cold & wind & rain for the most authentic cycling experience.
And then, take a break. You deserve it. You survived another year at work, in life, in a society that isn’t always what we all hope, and on a planet that has seen better days. We at Bikerumor will be here waiting for you when you come back. Refreshed and ready to dig into all the new bike tech that is to come in the New Year!. (Did someone say 32″?)
Methodology & Clarification
Each of these products was chosen exclusively by me, purely on their technical merits for the reasons I elaborated in detail above. Many more great products passed through my hands in 2025, but I had to pick what I thought stood head-and-shoulders above the rest. Under no circumstances were any of my picks paid for or influenced by their producers. Nor was any preference or favor given to any brand or advertiser. My Award selections are limited to products I’ve actually spent time riding/testing in person, Honorable Mentions a bit less so. That does mean that a brand’s willingness to invite Bikerumor to join a launch event, or to provide me with product samples certainly makes it more likely that I will have given their products full consideration, if only so I can share my true firsthand experiences.
