Alpha, Max Blower, Regal and Rolls, in this weeks serving of rich tech soup

Reading Tom Davidson’s excellent piece on why you don't need £800 worth of gadgets to ride a bike, I found myself nodding in agreement. Cycling should be accessible to all. Too often we’re being marketed items that we really don’t need but are made to feel like they are somehow essential pieces of kit.

But there is a flip side to this coin. Many hobbies involve a few gadgets and the more said hobby becomes an obsession, the greater collection of gubbins we seem to accrue. Golf. Fly Fishing. Hiking. You name it. All entice us to buy more than we need, but we do so in pursuit of improvement but also, quite often I’d suggest, just for the sheer heck of it.

Which side of the aforementioned coin this selection of products adorn is debatable. We’re best off keeping our bikes dry in order to better protect them but do we need a dedicated hand dryer to do so? Likewise a winter jacket is an essential item to get us through the colder months, but whether we need to spend north of £350 is another question.

What I will say is that both examples are from reputable brands both who know its onions, so if you do choose to indulge your passion once more, you’re likely to be rewarded with something that works and lasts, too. Do you need it all? Hell, no!

Dynamic AirForce Max

If you’ve ever towel dried your bike after a wet ride you’ll appreciate that it’s not the most efficient way of protecting it against rust and corrosion. But getting rid of moisture is important, hence the creation of the AirForce Max, an electric blower that’s designed to reach the parts on a bike that a towel or cloth often misses.

The makers, Dynamic Bike Care, say the blower delivers a constant airflow up to 12 on the Beaufort scale. Essentially that’s hurricane force, so water beware! There are four settings so it’s not all or nothing, while the nozzle is designed to allow you to pinpoint areas on the bike, such as derailleurs, hubs and the chain, where water can sit even after a conventional rub down with a cloth.

Rechargeable with a USB-C cable, the battery is said to be good for 75 minutes of continuous airflow, which makes it a good fit for cycling teams (Dynamic Bike Care supplies Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Canyon CLLCTV, FDJ-SUEZ, and Fenix-Deceuninck), families or anyone who needs to clean a few bikes at a time.

The AirForce Max retails for £119.99.

Castelli Alpha 150 winter jacket

To celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026, Castelli decided to do what it arguably does best. Make a winter jacket.

While the iconic Italian brands make cycling kits for all occasions, its ability to keep cyclists protected from the elements has made the scorpion logo a regular fixture in both the professional peloton and on the club run. They also feature annually in our guide to the best winter cycling jackets.

The new Alpha 150 jacket is an updated version of a garment that was first released in 2014. Twelve years on and it's now using Polartec’s AirCore and Alpha fabrics to deliver warmth, breathability and protection. Castelli says the jacket is built for temperatures ranging from -2 to 10°C (28-50°F), and while best for dry days does feature some water repellency. A double-opening front allows for independent ventilation of the two layers.

Other features include top and bottom opening zips that are covered for added protection, a high collar, three rear pockets and reflective piping on the rear.

Available in both mens and womens, it retails for £360 / $420.

MAAP x QUOC Gran Tourer XC

MAAP and QUOC continue its collaborative series with the release of the Gran Tourer XC: Graphite. QUOC’s gravel shoe has already featured in this series, with a limited-edition Fog colourway put out earlier in the year.

Once again, MAAP’s logo, stylings and palette are on show, including a pink-ish All-Terrain Performance tread to contrast with the muted grey upper and Alt_Road webbing pull tab on the heel. There’s also a ribbed TPU tongue that doesn't feature in the original shoe; it’s designed to mould to the foot and comes with larger ventilation holes.

Elsewhere the shoe boasts a stiff carbon sole, replaceable studs and reinforced toe guards; combined it add ups to a shoe with a claimed weight of 327g and one suited to gravel racing, bikepacking trips, and much in between.

The MAAP edition Gran Tourer XC: Graphite retails at £250 / $330.

Selle San Marco Bottega range

The Italian saddle brand is another with a significant birthday this year. It’s turning 90 and what better way to celebrate almost a century of making cyclists a little more comfortable on their bikes than by releasing three of its most storied models.

The Bottega range launches at this year’s L’Eroica and features the Regal, the Rolls and the Concor Supercorsa.

Italian style meets cycling tradition in Selle San Marco’s Bottega saddle range, with the Regal, Rolls and Concor Supercorsa.

The Regal was the first saddle to serve up a cushioned upper and was popular with Grand Tour cyclists because of this. Here it's offered with two cover choices - ‘Le Classiche’ and ‘Le Rino’ and naturally features its signature rivets.

Next up is the Rolls, a favourite of Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond to name but two. Again it’s available in two different covers including the classic black leather and silver details combination.

Last, but not least, is the Concor Supercorsa, a favored perch of many cyclists in the 1980s, “reimagined for today” according to the team from Vicenza.

Bianchi T-Tronik C

Bianchi is famed for its Grand Tour pedigree, with riders from Fausto Coppi to Marco Pantani winning the biggest races aboard the Italian marque. The T-Tronik C is a little different.

While it might get you up an and down an Alpine col, this step-thru e-bike is designed for slightly more sedate journeys, from the commute to work to running errands around town. It’s powered by the tried-and-tested Bosch Performance Line CX system, which delivers 75 Nm of torque, four assistance modes, and a 600Wh battery and is used by some of the best electric bikes.

It comes equipped with integrated lights, rear rack and frame lock as well as suspension fork with 80mm of travel. On sizes medium and upwards a dropper post is included. There’s also the option to choose between a regular chain or a belt drive system.

Prices are €3,250 for the chain drive transmission version, and €3,750 for the belt drive version.