Topeak's £1,200 bike toolkit of dreams, Princeton's more affordable(ish) wheel sub-brand, new Panacer superlight inner tubes, fresh Fizik and Udog shoes + more from our cycling trade show travels

Much of the UK’s cycling industry has been at the COREbike show 2025 over the past few days and here are some of the highlights and sneak peeks from behind the curtain.

Liam has already shared CoreBike 2025 tech gallery - the best kit from the show. 

Here’s more. It’s a pretty random selection, to be honest – new, nearly new, new to us, yet-to-be-released… you get the idea. That’s shows for you. Pick out the bits that interest you.

Basso’s updated Sempre Veloce (SV) looks very tasty indeed

Basso updated its Sempre Veloce (SV) road bike last month and we’re doing our best to get hold of one for review. In the meantime, we got to check out the new Basso SV at COREbike, and it’s a looker. 

Basso says, “Many brands start by creating bikes for elite athletes and then adapt those designs for consumers, often leaving gaps in comfort and versatility. At Basso, we chose a different path. By not fielding a World Tour team, we focused entirely on real riders, crafting a bike that embodies the perfect balance of racing performance and everyday usability.”

What does that mean? Basso says that this is a bike that balances aerodynamics and speed with fit and comfort, sitting somewhere in the space between race bikes and all-road bikes. You get clearance for 35mm tyres.

The Basso Bikes SV pictured here in this Viola Galaxy iridescent finish and built up with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset is £6,999.

P1: Princeton’s less expensive* wheel sub-brand

Everyone has heard of the Princeton CarbonWorks wheels brand, but you might be less familiar with Princeton’s P1 Race Technologies sub-brand. The P1 wheels are less expensive than the rest of the Princeton range, but we’re still talking about a lot of money. It’s all relative. We're certainly not talking about bargain basement prices.

> Check out our review of the Princeton CarbonWorks Peak 4550 Evolution wheelset 

Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot each won Olympic Gold in XC mountain biking with the Singularis M30 last year.

You can buy the wheels with White Industries hubs for £2,000 or with Tactic Racing hubs for  £2,400.

The Tactic Racing hubs are designed around straight-pull spokes “with flanges smoothly integrated into the hubshell for stiffness and weight optimisation”. 

Tactic says the hubshells take a combined three hours to machine on a five-axis CNC mill. 

The disc brake road hubs weigh a claimed 64g (front) and 151g (rear). There’s no rider weight limit.

A pair of Tactic Racing TR01 hubs with 45-tooth engagement is £1,299. 

Fizik introduces wide-fit off-road shoes

Fizik already offers wide-fit shoes for the road and it’s extending that option to the off-road sector with the launch of a wide-fit Vento Proxy. This is model that already exists in a standard-width fitting (£229). 

“For those who find our standard shoe sizing a bit too snug, we have created a special Wide collection, offering select models in expanded sizing for riders with slightly wider feet,” says Fizik. “Rather than sizing up, riders can now enjoy the same great Fizik performance, only with a roomier forefoot area.”

New shoes from Udog

Udog has some new road shoes on the way with a single-dial closure and three-bolt cleat compatibility. These will be priced at £160.

> Read our review of Udog’s existing Cento shoes 

For those who take maintenance REALLY seriously: Topeak Prepstation Team Issue

The vast majority of us aren’t going to buy a complete high-end bike tool kit, but let’s take a moment to appreciate the majesty of Topeak’s new Prepstation Team Issue (and the famous COREbike show carpet in the corner there).

Highlights of its 48 tools include a lever with a 40Nm torque wrench function built-in that can be used for tightening cassettes in place, a chain tool that works on all types of chains, a hammer with the choice of three heads of differing hardness, an alignment tool that can be used for both rear derailleur hangers and setting STI levers…

Yes, it’s overkill for most of us, and the £1,199 price tag puts it out of reach of the majority too. Still, very cool.

More accessible: Topeak Essential Toolshop

Topeak’s Essential Toolshop is a lot more realistic for most home mechanics.

It includes a heavy-duty ratchet tool, a set of tool bits, a chain tool, and a torque toolset.

It’s yours for £89.99.

Sneak peek: Moon Titan Max 1700 light

Moon’s Titan Max 1700 is an interesting light that’s coming soon. It fits on a quarter-turn mount and can sit either above or below your handlebar.

You have the choice of a circular beam or a more rectangular light distribution that’s more suitable for the road.

It comes with a wireless remote and Moon says that you can get 1700 lumens for about an hour’s runtime, although various other modes are available.You can also use it as a battery pack to charge another device. 

Moon’s UK distributor, Extra, expects the Titan Max 1700 to be priced £79.99 with delivery in June – plenty of time before this year’s peak light buying season.

New saddles from Ergon

Germany’s Ergon has launched several new saddles, all made in Austria. The SRS Men £109.99) follows the trend towards shorter saddles (SRS stands for Saddle Road Short). Ergon says it has been ‘developed specifically for the male anatomy with emphasis on relieving pressure, pain and numbness in the sensitive perineal area”.

With TiNox rails (vanadium stainless steel alloy with a small amount of titanium in a tube construction), it should be out in May or June. We’ll see if we can get one in for review.

As the name suggests, the SR Allroad saddle is designed to provide comfort over rougher surfaces. Again, you get a short length, but this time with “gender-specific relief surfaces [to[ alleviate pressure, pain and numbness]. Prices are from £79.99 to £179.99, depending on the rails.

Brompton-specific Brooks Cambium C17 saddle

Brooks has made a Brompton-specific version of its Cambium C17 saddle.

What makes it Brompton-specific? It has an added grip section under the nose that’s designed to make carrying your folding bike easier.

> Check out our review of the Brooks Cambium C17 saddle

It’s priced at £139.99, so you’re paying a £10 premium over a standard C17 Cambium.

Check out Old Man Mountain’s luggage

US brand Old Man Mountain’s new Hemlock 7L system (£170) comprises a pair of bags which fit on mounts that attach to a fork via three fix points. Each mount has a removable foot and is a cargo cage in its own right.

The lower section of the bags features an Italian armoured fabric for durability. 

Mounting each bag is simple: you drop it in place and then twist that device you see in the middle there 90° forward or back, and it locks in place.

Interesting! We’ll request this system for review.

Have you seen Fidlock’s Pinclip system?

You might well be familiar with Fidlock’s various fixing systems, including Twist and Vacuum, although its Pinclip technology is still pretty new.

> Read our review of the Fidlock Vacuum phone case + base

It’s a clever design. Essentially, Pinclip relies on magnets to draw the accessory to the correct position on its mount. You don’t need to be precise, the magnets do the hard work, and once in place, a locking mechanism takes over. It’s simple to use, even with one hand, and feels very secure.

Here's a quick video from Fidlock to show you how it works...

To release your accessory, a simple pulling or pushing movement is enough to release the pins. 

A Pinclip Saddle Bag (including base) is priced from £49.99, and lights (both front and rear) are on the way this spring/summer.

Pre-waxed chains from KMC

Chain waxing used to be a bit of a niche interest but it has become much more popular over the past couple of years, and now KMC is offering pre-waxed 11-speed and 12-speed chains. This TT12 Neo Chrome chain doesn’t feel at all greasy or sticky to the touch and this means it doesn’t attract dust or dirt.

It’s priced £148.99 although a KMC X12 pre-waxed chain is much cheaper at £42.99. 

The idea is that “a durable microfilm on your chain repels water and resists stickiness’. It is said to “significantly reduce friction, enhance shifting and provide optimum efficiency”

> Your complete guide to waxing your chain: how to save watts and keep your chain clean for longer

When the chain gets dirty, you clean it in water and allow it to dry completely before reapplying KMC Go Wax (£18.99 for 150ml) directly from the bottle.

Panaracer introduces superlight Purple Lite TPU tubes

There are a lot of superlight TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) tubes out there these days and Panaracer is the latest brand to join the fray. It announced its new Purple Lite TPU tubes last month with a claimed weight of just 36g for the 23-32mm road version, and 45g for the 32-47mm gravel version. You’re looking at £24.99 each.

Evoc’s upcycled handlebar bag

Clothing brands like Rapha have introduced various collections using surplus materials from previous lines and Evoc is doing a similar thing with its upcycled Handlebar Roll. Measuring 24.5cm long with an 11.5cm diameter, it’s priced at £31.99.