Next Sunday the clocks go back – and cyclists will once again start to feel a whole lot more vulnerable on the road. This bike, however, will do its best to make sure you are well and truly seen. The paint is a silvery white in daylight, but at night it dazzles and sparkles thanks to its 3M reflective top coat. The special frame is part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of Pinnacle – the respected inhouse brand of Evans Cycles. They’ve taken their bestselling hybrid, the Lithium, and created this limited edition, giving it a unique paint job as well as a host of nice extras. There’s an upgraded saddle; a built-in dynamo to give you permanent front light power (though it’s a bit stingy not to throw in a rear light, too); a sturdy rack placed up front so you can keep an eye on your bag; decent grips; and disc brakes for all-weather stopping. It’s time to go nocturnal… (evanscycles.com)
Price: £950
Frame: 6061 alloy
Gears: Shimano Alvio 9-speed
Weight: 13.9kg
Silver rider
Sometimes a product so perfectly fulfils its duties that you buy it twice. The Proviz Reflect360 Backpack is one such thing. I first bought one about five years ago. I’ve used it to lug my kit to work every day since then. I’ve torn out the netting side pockets and scraped off so much of the reflective coating that it was beginning to look very shabby. It was time to buy a new backpack and there could only be one contender.
It’s tough, durable, capacious, comfortable, well designed and dazzlingly reflective. The sweep of a car’s headlights sets it shimmering in the dark. Cycling home wearing this makes you feel you have spotlights all over your back. Using 100% CE EN 20471 certified reflective material, the Proviz backpack’s millions of integrated reflective beads ensures other riders and drivers will always see you in the dark and poor light.
It’s unisex, fully adjustable and has been designed to fit closely to your body so that you are completely stable while riding.
And Proviz had not been idle these past few years. I’d have been happy to buy the exact pack again but it now has numerous improvements. The material is thicker and feels more substantial. There is more padding over the shoulders and round the hips. The zips are water resistant, there’s adjustable waist/hip straps, chest straps, webbing haul, gear loops, mesh pockets and a light loop. It’s been built with a decent ventilation system to ensure good airflow between the bag and you to help avoid that uncomfortable sweaty back when you arrive at the office.
Oh, and it looks pretty cool in daylight, too. It costs £69.99 and is available at Provizsports.com.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
