The clocks haven’t yet gone back but it’s still time to start thinking about your winter riding essentials. Being fully prepared for all the elements can throw at you will make riding in the slop much more enjoyable. With a whole host of good technical gear on offer there are few reasons not to embrace the weather and get out and slide, erm we mean ride. 

Raleigh has revamped its Mustang adventure bike for 2018, ditching the curved top tube of last year’s model for a straight top tube and dropping the seat stays. It's available in three builds priced from £800 to £1,500 of which we've got the entry level model in for test.

When a new bike graces our screens, it's usually something to get worked up about but when an uber new bike brand pops up then the excitement goes off the scale. Especially when the bike in question looks like the RAAW Madonna!

In a shocking turn of events, there is more sun forecast this weekend. As Summer returns for one final fling it'll mean that the waterproofs we have in for test from Endura may have to wait another day to be put through their paces. The other kit, however, will be put to good use by the testers on the team. We've got new helmets from Smith Optics and Endura plus the chamois cream for him, her and er Europeans (?). Here are all the details....

The Andorra Comp women's shorts from big bike brand Specialized are a neatly designed and workmanlike pair of mountain bike shorts erring towards XC missions or gravel bike adventures. 

New brand Rondo, launched into the gravel market this summer with four brand new bikes complete with classy design, unique forks and a choice of materials. Rondo are no stranger to the bike market - they are the people behind NS Bikes – this time they wanted to create a new brand that fitted how they ride and where.

Like the fashionista's that we are (debatable) we've figured out the colour to be seen in this season. It appears to be burgundy, we've had kit flooding in from all different brands, including Rondo, Dhb, Ion, Ortleib to name a few with one thing in common - a colour that makes us think of our favourite pressed grape drink and curling up in front of the fire with a glass. So with the mulled wine sadly on hold, here's what we'll be getting mucky in this weekend. 

Pole Bicycles are no strangers to bucking trends and challenging preconceptions in the bike industry. Just a month or so ago they announced they were cancelling any production of carbon frames and today we hear that they are putting all their energy into a bike frame with a fully CNC machined front and rear end. 

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.

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.