This week has passed by in a bit of a blur with office talk being mostly road orientated as the skinny wheeled half of the team (plus our Rachael) prepare for the RedBull Timelaps this weekend - a 25 hour road race in Windsor Great Park. As we try to cocoon ourselves behind a fort of mountain bike goodies, blocking out talk of rider changeovers and 'power hours', we take a look at the most exciting kit to be delivered this week. 

• Review - Squit Lube,  a necessity, right?
• What's the future of gravel biking? 

Saracen Ariel Elite

We've been eager to get our hands on the new Saracen Ariel and finally, it's here! We've just taken delivery of the 2018 Ariel Elite, that's the aluminium version of the 165mm trail slayer in what is just a two bike lineup. Rachael's going to be swinging a leg over this one, check out the bike as it's unboxed in the video below.

• £3,300
• www.saracen.co.uk

Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Gloves

'Tis the season to be waterproof - not jolly, not yet anyway. One lucky reviewer this week is getting waterproof hands courtesy of Showers Pass. The Crosspoint gloves are said to be fully waterproof with three bonded layers: a wear resistant knit exterior, a waterproof-breathable Artex membrane, and a Coolmax moisture-wicking antibacterial knit lining. Could these be a useful, slimline wet weather glove?

• £34
• www.showerspass.co.uk

Showers Pass Lightweight Crosspoint Waterproof Socks

As above, the reviewer with the dry hands will also hopefully have dry feet using these waterproof socks from Showers Pass. Same tech as above just different phalanges protected....

• £30
• www.showerspass.co.uk
   

Fizik Luna X5 Women's Saddle

The Luna X5 from Fizik, is a female-specific saddle which, they say is aimed at those with a relatively high power output to bodyweight ratio, we reckon this is going to fit best on something with an XC race bias. The saddle features alloy rails and supports a carbon-reinforced nylon shell with thermoplastic elastomer side panels to allow flexibility and movement when pedalling. Rachael will be setting the rails on a number of different bikes and seeing how her derriere fares.

• 99 Euro's
• www.fizik.com

Smith Pivlock Asana Glasses

The Asana's are a female-specific pair of eye protectors from Smith Optics. Built to be a lightweight and minimalist they look set to offer a wide field of vision. These are a small to medium fit, perfect for smaller faces. The sunglasses lens can be swapped out for an orange lens but unfortunately, they don't come with a clear lens - a let down from the start especially at this time of year. 

• £100
• www.smithoptics.com

SRAM GX Eagle 

The new SRAM GX Eagle will be put through our long-term test process to see just how much abuse it can take. All you need to know is said by Jon in the video below: 

• £425
• www.sram.com

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• Off-Road Arrivals - last week - new Endura MT500 lid and waterproofs
• Off-Road Arrivals - the week before! Cockpit components