£420 › Certainly not the cheapest feeling bike on test
At this cut-throat price level, every pound counts when putting a bike together. That means it might sound like a suicide mission submitting a bike that’s 16 per cent cheaper than the most expensive option here. Having tested the £500 Laterite 2, we reckoned the entry level version could hold its own, and the sorted all-round ride proved us right. The fact it leaves you with cash for a helmet, shoes, pedals, shorts and so on means your overall ride experience is likely to be even better. The Laterite 1 seems determined to impress straight away with a prompt and encouraging response to whatever pressure you put through the pedals. That’s a definite nod to the frame design as the wheels are the heaviest here for a rim-braked bike. Overall weight is good, which again suggests a quality frame.
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Raleigh Criterium
£500 › Can the UK household name still hold its own?
Simplon Inissio Crosser Ultegra
£3449 > Alpine gravel machine
Real Rider
A quintuple heart bypass isn’t about to stop Malcolm Jackson, 63, from achieving his cycling goals. If anything, it’s pushing him further
Pinnacle Laterite 1
£420 › Certainly not the cheapest feeling bike on test
Life Cycle - Figuring It Out
Rob Ainsley visits Eddington the new bike-friendly ‘village’cience nerds know
I'm A Rider Callum Smith
This keen bike racer’s next appointment is on the snow, for Great Britain in cross-country (XC) skiing at the Winter Olympics
Carrera Vanquish Disc
£425 › Are disc brakes worth having at a discount?
The Spin - New Dimensions
As Ollie Jones wins a Dimension Data deal through being good at a video game, we look at this and other 2018 pro cycling innovations
Winner
B’Twin Triban 520 › Sora-ing above the rest
Boardman Road Sport
£500 › Do sharp looks mean sharp performance from Boardman?
Razer Opus: Solid midrange ANC headphones
These cans are priced to compete, but don’t expect magic.
JBL Live 300TWS: Feature-rich earbuds for the not-so-rich
These true wireless earbuds’ many features, equalizer, and good sound quality (with tweaking) make them worth consideration.
Hot Stuff
What we’re raving about this month
AmazonBasics 450-watt Standby UPS: Amazon's affordable standby backup power delivers too little
Once a competitive option, Amazon’s 450-watt UPS doesn’t match up head to head.
Lenovo Yoga 9i (15-Inch): A Competent Convertible
We recently reviewed the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, a compact convertible laptop with plenty of upside, but maybe you’re in the market for something a little larger. Its big brother, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, brings the same high-quality hybrid form factor to a roomier display. Of course, the increased size makes the larger Yoga a little unwieldy as a tablet, but it also delivers more power. (The hybrid’s snappy Intel Core i7 H-Series CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics will impress.) Long battery life and an included stylus sweeten the pot for what is a good if not standout convertible. The premium HP Spectre x360 15 remains our favorite big-screen 2-in-1 machine.
Amazon Halo: Shines as Activity and Sleep Tracker
Lots of fitness trackers can measure your calories burned, heart rate, and steps. With the Halo, Amazon wants to give you greater visibility into your overall health, along with actionable insights to help improve it. The Halo does an excellent job of monitoring your activity and sleep, and its companion app gives you access to a wide range of workouts and wellness programs. In addition, the Halo can analyze the tone of your voice to tell you how you sound to other people and measure your body-fat percentage based on images taken with its app. These two features are a bit gimmicky, but the Halo band is otherwise useful when you’re looking to move more and improve your shut-eye.
TIP TALK
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLADE TIP SHAPES AND WHY IT MATTERS
HOLDING FIRM
GETTING A GRIP ON KNIFE HANDLE BENEFITS, MATERIALS, AND FUNCTIONALITY
EDGE UP
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
NEW OR USED? EITHER WAY, PRICE HIKES SQUEEZE US AUTO BUYERS
The viral pandemic has triggered a cascade of price hikes throughout America’s auto industry — a surge that has made both new and used vehicles unaffordable for many.