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Rounding out 2025, here’s our final road.cc Recommends selection from December featuring nine standout products, including one perfect 10/10, spanning gravel bikes, winter kit, accessories and more.
Below is the full list of December’s picks, with six highlighted further down the page, and don’t forget to check out our annual awards, starting on Wednesday.
- All That Matters by Sir Chris Hoy
- Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Bib Tights
- Vielo V+1 Race Edition SRAM Force XPLR AXS gravel bike
- Merida Mission 9000
- SQlab 410 2.0 Innerbarends
- Pearson On & On Race
- Santini Alpha Insulated Jacket
- Pedibal Maxima with throttle
- Apple AirPod Pro 3
All That Matters by Sir Chris Hoy
Chris Hoy’s All That Matters book does an extraordinary job of conveying the experience of being given a terminal cancer diagnosis, and the challenges of subsequent treatment.
While most of the book covers ‘the cancer years’, the biographical element recaps Hoy’s Olympic journey, and then moves on to his venture into motorsports, which hasn’t been covered in much detail before.
While the subject matter might put some people off, skipping the book would be a missed opportunity. If increasing understanding of cancer is a good thing, Hoy’s willingness to share his story plays an important role in raisining awareness.
Read our review of All That Matters by Sir Chris Hoy
Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Bib Tights
Buy now for £225 from Westbrook Cycles
There’s premium kit, and then there’s Q36. With a price tag of £300, the Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Bib Tights certainly had a lot to live up to, and they more than delivered, setting the standard for premium winter cycling performance.
Reviewer Sam Smith calls them “exceptional”, adding that “they combine unmatched comfort, highly effective temperature control, and a supportive aerodynamic fit that encourages fast and efficient riding. The chamois is world-class, the garment as a whole feels meticulously engineered, and the overall performance is simply outstanding”.
Overall, they are luxuriously warm, ultra-comfortable, and flawlessly engineered.
Read our review of the Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Bib Tights
Merida Mission 9000
Buy for £4699.99 from Damien Harris Cycles
The Merida Mission 9000 is part of the company’s new gravel racer/all-road lineup, a category that blurs the line between where current gravel bikes are heading and high-speed endurance road bikes.
The SRAM Force XPLR AXS (1x) groupset, Zipp 303 XPLR wheels and integrated cockpit show the performance-first intent, while details like internal frame storage and mudguard compatibility add real-world practicality.
If you’re a roadie who wants a road DNA in your gravel bike, then the Merida Mission 9000 could be the bike for you.
Read our review of the Merida Mission 9000
Santini Alpha Insulated Jacket
The Santini Alpha Insulated Jacket is a fantastic windproof and warm jacket with appreciated details for keeping cold but dry days at bay. It shrugs off biting winds while staying breathable thanks to a clever mix of Polartec Alpha and Power Wool fabrics.
The sleeves are long enough to keep your wrists covered, the cuffs seal against gloves, and the high collar blocks draughts.
The only real downsides are that it’s not resilient to water (though it’s not designed to be) and this green colour might be of concern to those who like to be more visible in the lanes.
Read our review of the Santini Alpha Insulated Jacket
Vielo V+1 Race Edition SRAM Force XPLR AXS gravel bike
If you’re after the performance of a gravel racer with the versatility of an adventure bike, the Vielo V+1 Race Edition SRAM Force XPLR AXS could be the bike for the job.
It lives up to its name with a low overall weight, sleek, smooth looks, huge amounts of stiffness and geometry that favours being ridden hard and fast, without alienating those who want to take things just a little bit easier. The race-focused geometry remains comfortable, with enough built-in compliance to avoid feeling harsh on longer rides.
Reviewer Stu said that the Vielo V+1 Race Edition blew his mind every time he rode it, “thanks to its balance of rider involvement, ease of control, planted feeling and general fun factor”. Fast, flickable and confidence-inspiring, this is an incredibly capable machine.
Read our review of the Vielo V+1 Race Edition SRAM Force XPLR AXS gravel bike
Apple AirPod Pro 3
While not specifically designed for cycling, the Apple AirPod Pro 3 offers small but meaningful improvements over its predecessors that makes it better than ever for cyclists and commuters.
The fit has been improved, the battery lasts longer and they’ve finally got a built-in heart rate monitor. You can get the heart rate monitor to send its data to your phone – which means you can upload to third party apps – but you can’t connect it to a bike computer.
The updated Adaptive Transparency mode remains the standout feature, letting in ambient sound without overwhelming your audio. You can hear traffic and other riders clearly.
Read our review of the Apple AirPod Pro 3
To see the full archive of products that have been awarded road.cc Recommends badges over the years, head over to the road.cc Recommends section.
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The Matt Stephens Cafe Ride
The Matt Stephens Cafe Ride with Sir Chris Hoy is on Youtube and is a great watch as well. Some good fun on the MTB trails but then a very personal conversation in the cafe that visibly moved Matt Stephens.