March 2019’s edition of Hot stuff ie. what we’re excited about this month. From OTT fancy bike racks to dinky workshop helpers, it’s all good.

>>> Dirty Deals: essential clothing, wheelsets, protein bars and much more!

Thule VeloSpace XT 3 and BackSpace XT, £575 and £495

Thule’s latest towbar rack is the VeloSpace XT, and it works almost exactly like previous generations of their premium racks, with the bike sitting on a wheel tray and an arm grabbing you bike and keeping it upright. Why is it our Most Wanted this month then? Well, it’s seriously big and burly. Bikes are longer than they’ve ever been, putting some models and sizes beyond the scope of bike racks from just a few years ago. But the VeloSpace can still accommodate wheelbases up to 1300mm meaning almost everything will fit.

Most other racks don’t take this kind of weight either, the Thule can handle a 30kg bike individually, and will carry a maximum of 60kg across its three bike capacity, meaning it’ll take three of the new Specialized Turbo Levos. Just — they weight 19.9kg in S-Works guise. Of course in this scenario you’d have to be happy leaving £30,000 of bike in the wind and rain outside your car, but that’s a whole other discussion.

BackSpace XT storage box pivots downwards

300-litre capacity to take your riding gear

What is new here is the BackSpace XT, a storage box Thule has developed to work with this rack. It sits on top, gets ratcheted securely into place and takes 300l of cargo so you can take all your bike gear on, say, a family holiday when the boot is crammed full. There’s an adapter for the back of it too, so you can still take your bike when the box is installed, and it’ll pack down flat when you want to store it away. madison.co.uk

Evoc World Traveller, £254.99

2019 brings this earthy new colourway to Evoc’s luggage range. Matching luggage never looked so pro and the World Traveller 125-litre holdall is the ideal kit bag for those big riding trips. zyrofisher.co.uk

Alpine Stars Cascade WP Tech gloves, £60.00

Waterproof and insulated, the Alpine Stars Cascade WP Tech glove is for those really grim days. The back is a softshell Clarino construction, whil ehte palm is made from goat leather. zyrofisher.co.uk

Hackney GT jersey, £65.00

Straight out of the 1980s, the Hackney GT features an old-school perforated chest panel, retro graphics and Lycra cuffs to add a little comfort. Not one for cold, muddy conditions, mind. hackneygt.com

Kind Protein bars, £1,69

Made mostly from nuts, Kind Protein bars have 12g of protein, are high in fat but low in saturated fat, and so should keep you energised. Gluten free, low salt, and available in three flavours. sainsburys.co.uk

DVO Garnet dropper post, £359.95

DVO’s Garnet dropper is cable-actuated, comes in 100, 125 or 150mm travel, and claims to be totally reliable. The air valve is found under the head rather than the bottom of the post. windwave.co.uk

Shredmate, £70.00

How big you go, G-forces you pull, the speed — info that can be yours with the Shredmate bike sensor. Strap it to your fork and it uses accelerometers, magnets and your phone’s GPS to figure it all out. shredmate.co.uk

PaMu Scroll headphones, $79.99

These hassle-free PaMu Scroll headphones sync to your other devices using Bluetooth, charge wirelessly, are water resistant and have snug fit, too, it’s claimed. po.st/PaMu

Osprey Ultralight Drysack 12L, £12.00

The Osprey Ultralight Drysack 12L is made form waterproof and tough siliconised ripstop nylon and has a roll-top closure. Comes in four colours and five sizes. ospreyeurope.com

Feedback Sports Chain Keeper, £50.00

From 2pure.co.uk

We never knew we needed the Chain Keeper from Feedback Sports but it’d be hard to give up now, holding tension in the chain when the rear wheel is removed. This makes it useful for maintenance, washing, travel and storage.