The head to toe and full of nuts edition! Five cool things coming soon from Clif, MAAP, Chrome, Magicshine and GCN

This week, our five cool things are another very mixed bunch of things... yet they all share one thing and that is, they'll likely make your life a little easier when cycling. No one wants to bonk, or have their eyes full of mud and muck, or be cold and wet! So this week we cover your comfort from head to toe, finishing off the list with a book that would perhaps make a good read for all of us cyclists. 

Have a look at what we've got our hands on, and for full reviews check back on our reviews section. If you want more advice, check out our buyer's guides. 

Clif Bar Mini

£1.19

Clif bars have been around for three decades, and in that time they’ve become quite a classic for cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts. The original Clif Bar, the brand’s best-known product, has always been quite chunky, weighing around 68g and coming in at 250 kcal per bar. 

Now, you can get the same product in a smaller 28g size, with each bar delivering about 111 kcal and 15g of carbohydrates. These mini bars come in three flavours: peanut butter crunch, milk chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut. 

• www.clifbar.co.uk/

MAAP Training Winter Jacket

£270

I - amongst many others, I can imagine - am looking forward to reading the full review of Maap’s Training Winter jacket, which might make it to the best winter cycling jackets list. This waterproof and windproof jacket is the perfect companion for winter rides, featuring a Drytex membrane, taped seams, and YKK Aquaguard zips to help keep the weather out. Inside, there is a fleece lining for a soft-to-skin feel that provides thermal retention and breathability. 

The jacket is part of Maap’s Team-Fit collection, so it has a little more relaxed fit than the performance range and as the name suggests, should make an excellent training jacket with pockets and reflective details… not to mention the colours.  We’ve got the green sycamore colour in, but there is also a light grey ‘birch’ version available. 

• maap.cc/uk/

Chrome Storm 415 Traction boot

£158

The Storm 415 Traction Boots from Chrome don’t really look like cycling boots, but that’s part of their appeal. They feature a new fit with a wider toe box, an updated Panaracer vulcanised rubber outsole, and TR exo-tread. Chrome promises that whether you're on two wheels or on two feet, the Storm 415 is versatile enough to wear all day long in any weather. 

We’ll just need to wait and see if that is actually the case but certainly, we’ve had weather where these claims are easily tested… 

• www.chromeindustries.com

Magicshine Windbreaker Photochromatic Sunglasses

£48.99

Magicshine is an American brand well known for its lights, and now it has brought out a whole line of eyewear, too. These photochromatic (meaning they adjust to the light conditions) sunglasses are pretty impressively priced, and claim to offer extraordinary optical clarity that is tailored for professional cycling and daily commuting activities. The wraparound PC lens provides complete eye protection and these glasses, with their frameless design, tip the scales at 29g, which is rather light for such a budget pair.   

• magicshine.com

GCN The Complete Guide To Cycling Psychology 

£16.99

Lastly, but definitely not tleast, we have the GCN The Complete Guide To Cycling Psychology - a book that GCN says is “every rider's mental toolkit, delivering the information, inspiration and techniques you need to help you ride faster and further, and have more fun!”. 

The book offers a comprehensive mental toolkit for cyclists, with advice and research from sports psychologists and industry professionals. With practical pieces of advice and exercises, this book seems like a great one to go through early in the year so that the full burden of racing, events, and training remain manageable.  

• shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com

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