8 products from Rapha, Zefal, Schwalbe, Vitus and more added to road.cc Recommends

road.cc Recommends is the section of our site devoted to products that have performed superbly in our reviews, and we've just added in eight new items. We have bikes from Vitus and Spa Cycles, clothing from Rapha, sunnies from Magicshine, wheels from Just Riding Along, some very neat tyre levers and more. 

All of these top scorers have secured four or more stars out of five in our rigorous testing in the last month, and thus gained a spot in the recommends list. To read more about the products, you can jump to the full product review from the list below or read short summaries of each by scrolling down. 

Remember to also check out our reviews page regularly for any new reviews that might be of interest to you. 

Clothing and accessories: 

• Rapha Men’s Pro Team Powerweave Bib Shorts

• Magicshine Windbreaker Classic Sunglasses

Bikes and wheels: 

• Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon wheels 
• Vitus Venon EVO-RS Force AXS All-Road

• Spa Cycles Audax Mono

Tools and accessories: 

• Reserve Fillmore Valves
• Schwalbe Tyre Levers

• Zefal Adventure Frame Bag

Rapha Men’s Pro Team Powerweave Bib Shorts

Rapha is a name that most cyclists know, and for a reason as the British brand keeps updating its ranges regularly. These Pro Team bibs feature Powerweave textile woven on the sides of the legs, offering excellent sweat-wicking and compression - without any irritation or wrinkles. 

> Best cycling bib shorts 2023 – the top picks to keep you comfortable in the saddle

If you can afford the £300 price tag, George thinks these are the comfiest of bibs with superb chamois and non-traditional colourways. 

Just Riding Along Monitor Carbon wheels 

Wheels that can have it all? These Monitor lightweight wheels impressed Stu on nearly every aspect. Tipping the scales at 1,360g, this pair is built around a 27mm inner rim width, featuring a hookless bead for tubeless tyres. The recommended tyre width to be fitted on these hoops is 38mm to 57mm wide, meaning that they are targeted at off-road riding. 

> Best road bike wheels 2023 — transform your road bike with some shiny new hoops

Although the hookless rim design might put some off, there is no denying that for £879, these are very good value wheels for the performance they offer. You can get the Monitors built the way you want, too, with Bitex hubs - including a dynamo option - and you can choose between 24,28 or 32 spokes in either j-bend or straight-pull style. 

Reserve Fillmore Valves

As tubeless technology takes over our tyres even on the roads, the market for valves is ever-growing. These Reserve's Fillmore valves prioritise high flow rates and prevent clogs very successfully.

> Buyer's guide to tubeless tyres — find out all about new technology rubber

The valves promise three times the airflow over a regular Presta valve, which Tom deemed to be accurate in his testing. There are a host of lengths available ranging from 18 to 68m - but only one stealthy black colour option. 

Magicshine Windbreaker Classic Sunglasses

Magicshine's cycling sunglasses have impressed us with their great value for money, and these Windbreaker Classic sunnies are no exception. Retailing for £38.99, they are not leaving you out of pocket as many big brands do, but yet still offer good optical clarity, an adjustable nose pad and very light (30g) construction. Lara said the wraparound lens is also the perfect size: not too big, but not too small to let the wind and debris in. 

You also have five combos for frame and lens colours, meaning there are options for style-conscious cyclists wanting everything to match. 

Vitus Venon EVO-RS Force AXS All-Road

The Vitus Venon is the Wiggle brand’s all-road bike, and Stu has concluded that it’s indeed a “great interpretation of 'all-road'”, offering exceptional performance and handling whatever the terrain. 

> What is an all-road bike? Is this new bike breed really an N+1 killer?

All-road bikes are in increasing segment blurring the lines between road and gravel bikes. That is the case with the Venon, too, as it can take up to 45mm tyres but features a very unique geometry literally making it sit between the road and off-road bikes. Our test bike came equipped with a Sram Force AXS groupset with a 2x setup, 28mm tyres and weighed only a smidge over 8kg with the alloy wheels. 

If you’d like to go for a one-bike setup, this bike might be just the one to consider… 

Schwalbe Tyre Levers

Tyre levers are not all equal - and these Schwalbe ones are clearly some of the best. Having secured a full five-star score, John said these levers are very tough, and have a “perfectly shaped bead hook”. 

> Best tyre levers for cycling 2023 — make light work of puncture repairs and tyre swaps on your bike

The unique feature of Schwalbe's tyre levers is a hook in the lever body that you use to pin the tyre bead in place as you install it - something that can save you from breaking into tears when installing tight tyres. 

Spa Cycles Audax Mono

This bike, as the name suggests, is made for long-distance cycling. It's not just any bike though, but a fixie! 

> What's a fixed-gear bike good for? Should you buy a fixie?

Matt said the bike is superbly comfortable and at £835, great value and built for those long miles - he completed a 400km Audax on it. The saddle might not suit all and the welding on the double-butted steel frame is not the neatest, but if you love hassle-free gearing, then this bike is one to consider. 

Zefal Adventure Frame Bag

Zefal’s Adventure frame bag was praised by Bryan to be a”great value and well-designed frame bag that performs well above its modest price tag”. It’s easy to fit, and the big zip makes for easy access - and it comes with an affordable £29.99 price. 

You get 2.2l of storage space which is ideal for storing essentials without taking too much space from your frame’s front triangle.  

Head over to road.cc Recommends to see the full archive of products that have been awarded the Recommends badge.