Gear of the year: Josh Croxton's top picks from 2023

It's that time of year again. Summer has faded, the Black Friday bonanza has been and gone, the Christmas music is blaring (it has been since mid-November, don't email me), and it's the point in the year when we get to reflect back on our year of riding, racing and reviewing all the tech that the bike industry has to offer. 

For me, 2023 has been a quiet year of on-bike achievement. It's been fairly busy here at work, especially in the first half of the year which saw me heading overseas at least once per month between February and August. Combine that with a new puppy taking up a lot of my spare time and a wedding on the horizon to save up for, I've not managed much-structured training, racing, or any really big rides this year. 

Most of my riding at home has been done indoors (alongside testing various smart trainers). Although I spent a good number of summer days on a mountain bike that was loaned to me by Giant, and that reignited a love for riding mountain bikes, something I've not done since I was around 16; almost half a life ago.

Despite the lack of mileage, I've ridden more bikes this year than ever before and had some serious pinch-me moments too. In April, I was lucky enough to get to ride on the Monza F1 circuit with Josh Tarling for the launch of the Kask Elemento, and then a month later I rode around Vicenza with Filippo Pozzato for the launch of Campagnolo Super Record Wireless. I also got away to Morzine for a week-long holiday in August with startup Treacle Velo, taking with me the Factor O2 VAM and some excellent tyres. 

My first road race of the year was most people's last, in October (I came 2nd and was very proud of myself), and my only other race was a reasonably dry CX race on a gravel bike with 1,100g road wheels (more on that below). 

Anyone who read last year's version of this will know that I had recently begun bikejoring with our older dog, Duke. This weekend, we have our first-ever race in that, marking three races this year, each in a different sport. Does that mean I'm like Van Aert and Van der Poel? I hope so. Anyway, wish us luck. 

I've already digressed a little, so let's get to the point of this article: The gear I've loved this year. 

2023 was my first full year as El Capitan of the tech ship here at CN, and it saw a shift in our approach to one that has seen us get hands-on with A LOT more gear. More bikes, more clothing, more shoes, more tools, more… stuff. 

Naturally, that helps us have a greater understanding of each category's landscape when sharing recommendations for which product to buy (and which not to). It also means we have a bigger pool of tech from which we can pull when it comes to sharing our individual Gear Of The Year picks. That means a harder choice, but I hope also a better list and a more enjoyable read for you.

We've already had Will's top picks, and now it's time for mine. 

1. Vitus Venon Evo

My first is a bike that I met in April at the Sea Otter Classic show in California. It is a bike that promises big things, a dual-purpose nature that isn't only marketed as 'all road' like many gravel-adjacent bikes are these days, but actively comes in two configurations. The Venon Evo-RS comes with a 2x groupset and road tyres, while the Venon Evo-GR comes with 1X groupsets and gravel tyres. Since then, I've ridden three of them, across both road and gravel, and I've loved them all. 

For the Cyclingnews Awards, which took place in summer, the Evo-RS won our Honourable Mention award, mainly as it's one of the few bikes that offers this party trick while still being a racy machine. Others can cover both road and gravel, but they're often endurance machines like the Canyon Endurace or Trek Domane. 

The Evo-GR also won an award, the Best Racer award, and given its current sale price in the Black Friday sales, it's currently cheaper than the bike that won Best Value too. 

Since the awards, I've even taken one into battle in my local cyclo-cross league, shod with wheels worth more than the bike itself – the super-lightweight Black Inc 28/33 – and everything performed flawlessly. Besides my fitness, but we shan't dwell. 

This is a fast-everywhere bike, and somehow with very little in the way of compromise anywhere, and it's absolutely a bike I'd recommend. 

2. YT Szepter

Another bike, and another gravel bike, but this one leaves no doubt about its intentions. Equipped with front suspension, a dropper post, fat tyres and flared bars, the Szepter is the most fun I've had on a gravel bike, no question. 

I rode the Szepter in the hills around Massa Marittima, an area known for hosting riding holidays for mountain bikers. I stuck mainly to the easier 'blue' trails, of course, but jumped into a handful of the tougher 'red' trails to see what the bike – and my bravery – could handle. I don't need to tell you which gave out first. 

The bike is the first foray into gravel from the German direct-to-consumer mountain bike brand YT, and that heritage shines through in the bike's intent, but it wasn't until testing it for our Awards that I realised it was also just as capable when the road pointed up. It's not the lightest bike, but the steep seat angle and wide range SRAM XPLR gearing make for a genuinely excellent bike on all terrain. 

3. S-Works Tarmac SL8

For a year in which I feel like I've not ridden as much as usual, I've certainly ridden a lot of different bikes, and the road bike that impressed me most was without a doubt the S-Works Tarmac SL8. 

I rode this in Glasgow for two days in the build-up to the UCI 'super-worlds' for roughly 150km total. The bike is lighter than its predecessor, with a frame weight of 685g and a full-Dura-Ace build at 6.62kg. It's supposedly faster, smoother and stiffer too, although I won't claim to be able to pinpoint these exact characteristics precisely enough to compare them without real back-to-back testing. 

Where it really shone for me was just how natural and confidence-inspiring the handling was. Within the first 5km of the ride, I was comfortably railing around corners without feathering the brakes like I would on most bikes. And before long I was zig-zagging between white lines just for fun. 

Since then I've ridden the SRAM Force-equipped Tarmac SL8 and the confidence has remained. I even raced a local criterium on it and unsurprisingly, it felt right at home. 

Fun added note here: Thanks to the big Specialized Tarmac leak in the week prior, the launch date was brought forward to coincide with the morning of the men's race. This meant I was up 'til 2 am in a hotel lobby writing the news and review stories so that it would all be ready to publish in time. My job isn't all glitz and glamour. 

 4. Specialized Globe Haul ST // Class 3 Electric Bikes 

Yes, another Specialized bike – sorry, not sorry – but there are two parts to this highlight. 

I was lucky enough to attend Sea Otter Classic in April, the cycling trade show that's combined with a boatload of road, gravel and mountain bike races in the grounds surrounding Laguna Seca race track near Monterey, California. It was a great atmosphere all week, and the only complaints I heard were in relation to the traffic getting in and out of the grounds. 

*Puts on smug face

The idea of driving 10 miles each way to a cycling trade show every day for a week felt wrong, so I reached out to Specialized, whose HQ is an hour away in Morgan Hill, arranged a visit, and borrowed a Globe Haul ST electric bike. Now my experience of utilitarian electric bikes is limited, especially Class 3 bikes, and so a review of the bike from me wouldn't be all that valuable, but for what it's worth I was impressed with the easy and intuitive functionality of the bike and the carrying load offered by the four cargo buckets.

But what really imprinted the bike into my memory was the high power and speed offered. This'll be nothing new for our American readers, but with its Class Three categorisation, the assistance up to 28mph and the throttle-assisted acceleration away from junctions was excellent. I could mix it among traffic while holding a similar speed away from lights, I could ride at 25mph with relative ease while carrying a day's worth of stuff, and I could get to my destination faster than on a normal bike, and in this case also faster than most cars. The smug face was really in action as I rode past them all. 

Since returning, I regularly wish I had it in my life, especially when I have an errand to run that involves carrying stuff, such as the weekly shop. 

More broadly, a bike that could average closer to 25mph – rather than the current EU- and UK-mandated assistance level of just 15mph – would make me more inclined to ride when time is of the essence, especially if I could get there without being a sweaty mess and/or in need of spare clothes. 

That also leads me onto the thought of cargo bikes. They're becoming more popular, at least they seem to be more prominent in my echo chamber of a social media feed, and many of the bigger ones suffer the inability to navigate UK bike infrastructure, forcing their users onto the roads. Limiting their assistance to 15mph means there's a high-speed differential between them and cars, making it less fun and, pertinently, more daunting. The result by my logic is fewer people taking to cargo bikes, and more cars on the road. 

5. Giant Anthem Advanced Pro 1

This is the last bike, I promise. I was kindly loaned an Anthem Advanced Pro 1 by Giant for a feature on bikejoring, the sport mentioned at the top of this feature. Luckily, they didn't need it back too quickly, so I was allowed to hold onto it for a while. I put it to good use to revisit the thing that got me into cycling in the first place: cross-country mountain biking. 

My history in cycling dates back to 2005; 13 years old, my best friend's dad was sporty, and their neighbour was a keen cyclist. One winter, they collectively entered a cross-country mountain bike race – the well-known Soggy Bottom series at Newnham Park, Plymouth, for anyone based in the UK – and I begged my dad for a bike so I could go along to the next one. That first race, a cold, wet early-January Sunday, I raced my alloy hardtail, with its Rockshox Judy forks, triple chainset, 26in wheels and Avid Juicy 5 brakes, to a totally average 7th place. 

I hadn't yet learned to use clipless pedals, so I wore my Umbro Astro turf football trainers, and it was cold, so I wore four layers including a rash vest (yes, for surfing) and a yellow long-sleeve t-shirt. Two of my outer layers were shed, thrown to my Dad in a mid-race stop and throw, and my long sleeve t-shirt was later tied around my waist, only to spend the final few miles being dragged on the back wheel. My mum didn't even attempt to clean it. 

But that was it, I was hooked, and I'd go on to do every race in the series for the next two years, and many more besides. 

So with the Anthem at my disposal this year, I corralled my friends and had them show me around the local mountain bike routes. The bike was incredibly forgiving of my poor line choice and a great climber, with its Fox LiveValve tech taking care of the suspension for me. 

My ability and speed are probably the same as when I was a teenager, but more importantly, the enjoyment is about the same too. 

6. GP5000 TT TR

I'm aware that moving from mountain biking to a low-resistance road tyre designed for TT bikes is quite the subject change, so apologies for the whiplash, but it's not a bad metaphor for my summer of riding. It's been eclectic, to say the least, but I've had fun.

The tyres were sent to me for testing back in Spring, but with various things getting in the way of doing any objective testing, I decided to take the subjective route and test them on my week-long holiday in Morzine. 

I fitted them (easily I might add) to the Black Inc 28/33 wheels that came with the Factor O2 VAM, and quite simply, they transformed the bike. The O2 VAM is an aggressive machine with narrow bars, a long stem, and a 6.7kg weight with pedals, but for some reason, I couldn't build any confidence in the corners unlike on the Tarmac SL8 which happened immediately. 

Ahead of the trip to the Alps, I swapped in the GP5000 TT TR tyres. I'd never used the GP5000 tyres so I had no real prior expectation but having seen Ineos Grenadiers use them exclusively at Strade Bianche, I had no concerns as to their durability, and having seen Tom Pidcock's descending performances, I knew the tyres weren't going to be troubled by me and my mediocre speeds. 

Perhaps as a result of the placebo effect that comes with tyre trust, my confidence shot up and I was attacking hairpins like never before, pushing the bike's SRAM Red brakes to their squealing limit. 

The tyres covered around 500km of riding that week alone and came back looking brand new. They've since been ridden to work and back on debris-filled back roads a handful of times too, and I've had no punctures at all. 

Not bad for a time trial tyre that tests as one of the fastest in the world. 

7. Specialized Prime Alpha jacket 

Like the Globe Haul ST above, there are two parts to this inclusion too. The Prime Alpha jacket from Specialized is my current favourite winter cycling jacket, and it boasts my favourite material as its liner. 

I've not been doing much riding in truly terrible weather and I'll caveat this by saying that if I were, I'd probably throw a Shakedry on over the top, but for a winter ride that's anywhere from around freezing to 10C/50F, in conditions from bone-dry to a fairly persistent drizzle, on the road bike, gravel bike and mountain bike, this Prime Alpha jacket has been excellent. It's basically the only jacket I reach for whenever it's clean, and I've worn it with a variety of base layers from short sleeves to full winter Merino options without any discomfort. 

Its magic lies in the Polartec Alpha liner, which is soft against the skin, wicking enough to stop you from feeling clammy when warm, and warm enough to keep you cosy when the temperatures drop. Testament to my adoration for Polartec Alpha is the fact that whenever my two Prime Alpha jackets are in the wash (yes, I own two of them!), I reach for my Sportful Total Comfort jacket instead, which boasts the same inner layer. 

Elsewhere, the Prime Alpha boasts a nice, not-too-racy cut with pockets that are easy to reach and big enough for all the trimmings you need for a long day on the bike, sleeves that are long enough to overlap gloves, and a collar that's high enough without being irritating. It performs well, looks excellent, and by comparison to the market leaders, isn't drastically expensive.

8. Pentacon F1.8 manual-focus 50mm lens 

This one is a leftfield inclusion, but for me, it's intrinsically tied to photographing bikes and my ability to do my job, so it makes the cut. 

2023 is the year I decided to learn more about photography and try to improve my own. I've long wished I could take a photo of a bike where the bike was sharp and the background blurry, but never understood what I was missing. But with very-good-photographer Peter Stuart as my Editor and also-very-good-photographers Will Jones and Josh Ross in our team, I thought it was about time to step my game up. 

Throughout last winter, I joined my fiancée at various canicross race weekends and in between being chief cheerleader and dog looker-afterer, I would wander the grounds photographing the dogs. It's a remarkably similar job to wandering the buses at a race photographing bikes and new tech, just with fidgety targets and cuter faces, so it provided an opportunity to practice and to better my understanding of the Cyclingnews DSLR's settings. 

To get that sweet sweet blur I was missing, I learned that I needed a shallower depth of field, which I could get in a 'faster' lens, so two weeks before I was due to go to Bilbao for the Tour de France Grand Depart, I bought the cheapest compatible F1.8 lens I could find on eBay: A manual-focus Pentacon 50mm F1.8. 

In hindsight, 50mm was too big a zoom, as when paired with my Micro Four Thirds crop, I need to stand a good 15m away from a bike. Despite this, the results, if I do say so myself, are night and day when compared to the quality of picture I submitted beforehand. 

That's the front end of Mads Pedersen's Trek Madone. It was photographed using the new lens and with a little bit of luck with the available location having such a vast open space, I was able to get that beautifully blurry background. 

Hopefully, I can keep improving my skills to make our content more visually appealing and give Cyclingnews subscribers better value with more premium content. 

And with that, thanks for reading.