road.cc Recommends updated with 17 of our best-scoring reviewed products from Canyon, Merida, Giant, Handsling, Spatz + more

We know that our readers are always looking for the best products out there and our reviews are here to help you choose the best of the best. road.cc recommends is a badge that only the best-performing products will claim - and it's rewarded for those products that have scored very highly in our rigorous testing. 

We review cycling things constantly, which means we also update the recommended products list regularly, and here you can see the latest additions. These are some of the best-scoring products we've reviewed in the last month... 

Bikes: 

• Canyon Grail AL 7 eTap
• Handsling CEXevo SRAM Force AXS
• Merida Scultura Limited 2023
• Boardman JNR Hybrid Bike - 26 inch Wheel
• Giant TCR Advanced 2

• Cytronex for Brompton T Line

Components: 

• Challenge Criterium RS Handmade Tubeless Ready Road Tyre
• Roval Rapide CL II Tubeless Wheelset
• Deda Elementi RS4DB Carbon Disc Tubeless Wheels

Clothing: 

• Udog Distanza Shoes
• Spatz Legalz GLO UCI Legal Race Overshoes with High Viz Reflective Detailing

• Vulpine Mens Regents Mac

Accessories: 

• Exposure Joystick Mk16
• Exposure Boost-R with ReAKT and Peloton
• Polar Verity Sense Optical Heart Rate Sensor

The Canyon Grail AL 7 eTap has been with us on a long-term review and we've very much fallen in love with this bike that is very capable in a variety of gravel conditions. It also comes very nicely specced for the price tag.

 Continuing with the off-road bikes, Handsling CEXevo SRAM Force AXS also scored well in our test, with Stu praising it as "fast, fun and nimble" and concluding it is an excellent cyclocross racer and high-speed gravel racer. 

The Merida Scultura Limited shares the same geometry as the pricier models used by the pros, but in a more wallet-friendly package. The Scultura delivers a cracking ride, and the inclusion of deep-section carbon fibre rims (our test bike had SL35s, and production models have SL45s) means that performance doesn't suffer. 

Something for the smaller riders, too: Boardman's JNR 26in got an excellent review, praising it for good value for money, capability, good quality and fun to ride. The components are also well specced and you get external cables for easy maintenance. 

Any rim-brake fans out there? This Giant TCR Advanced 2 is one of those few bikes that still operate without disc brakes. Stu said it's a beautifully simple, classic-looking race bike with great performance and ride quality. 

Our colleagues at Ebiketips said that the Cytronex for Brompton T Line is right up there on the list of the most exciting e-bikes they've tried.  This T-Line Brompton features a brand-new, all-titanium mainframe and is claimed to be the lightest folding bike out there - and we did conclude it is very light. 

The Challenge Criterium RS TLR is a super-supple, high-tpi, handmade tubeless-ready tyre which offers an abundance of grip, confidence and speed. These open tubulars may cost a pretty penny but well, they convinced Jamie who said he'd give the money-no-object award straight away to these tyres!

The Roval Rapide CL II Wheelset offers an all-around fast ride, delivering top-end road riding performance at a price point a notch down from the top end. You get different depth front and back wheels designed for real-world riding conditions, offering great stability and handling to match their pure speed. They are also a grand cheaper than the top-of-the-range CLX IIs.

These Dedas seem to have no real downsides if you're looking for one set of wheels to tackle all types of terrain. In our review, they ticked all the boxes: they look the business, they roll quickly, they're light enough for climbing and the review indicates they're durable, too.

Udog's Distanza gravel shoes are very comfortable, supportive, and stiff enough for everything bar full-on racing – and the rubber toe cover boosts durability too. 

Although most of us don't have to follow UCI's silly rules, these Spatz Legalz Glo UCI Legal Race Overshoes with High Viz Reflective Detailing (one name, eh?!) are a great and UCI-legal pair of overshoes for serious winter conditions. 

This jacket would not be out of place mincing around the high street. Indeed, Vulpine's Regents Mac is a stylish raincoat made for cyclists, with a host of cycling-specific features – but it's a really versatile and quality piece for casual use, too. 

In the accessories category, we have not only one but two Exposure lights. The new Exposure Joystick Mk16 once again ups the game in the contest for best helmet/bar light. There are cheaper options – but our review concluded it's well worth the money.

And for the rear, we have the Exposure Boost-R with ReAKT and Peloton - an excellent rear light that provides very good visibility and impressive runtimes and a couple of cool features that lift its performance above the norm. 

Lastly, we have the Polar Verity Sense optical heart rate sensor that uses LEDs to measure your pulse through your skin - much like fitness watches do. It provides the same data as a more common chest heart rate strap but is more comfortable. 

These are only the latest additions to our road.cc Recommends, so do check out the full bunch of things that we recommend here.