Bike Shopping of the Week: Our Selection for 11/7/2025

This week’s news: cycling refuses to choose between pleasure and performance. SRM announces new pedals specially developed with Q36.5, requiring specific shoes, Officine Mattio revives a Granfondo more beautiful and faster than ever, Scott electrifies the road without betraying it, RAR unveils the EXALT 52, transforming every watt into a definitive lead. Meanwhile, Bernard Hinault returns to haunt bookstores, Newlane folds Mips safety into your handbag, and Prologo proves you can save the planet without massacring your backside. Six gems, no fluff: proof that 2026 is already starting strong.

SRM and Q36.5 partner to create an unprecedented pedal and shoe combination

The two brands are ready to redefine power transmission with a new shoe-pedal system offering much more than just performance: it improves aerodynamics, confidence, and control with every pedal stroke. Better efficiency is promised, linked to some “secret” parameters for now but publicly announced at the beginning of December. To be followed on Q36.5.com/fr

Officine Mattio revives the Granfondo: endurance that wins

875 g of hand-painted T1000 carbon, 40 mm of tire clearance, invisible cables, two geometries to choose from: race or grand touring, same killer DNA. Comfortable as an armchair, spirited as a thoroughbred: hours in the saddle without suffering, climbs swallowed mercilessly. Giovanni Monge states, « It’s the most beautiful bike I’ve ever designed. A 4.0 version of the original, but better. » Starting from 6,990 € on the brand’s configurator — each unique, tailored for those who ride far and still win. Contact: officinemattio.com

Scott and TQ unveil the new Fastlane: the road electrified by the TQ-HPR40

An e-road where performance makes no compromises: extreme lightness, absolute silence, and assistance that only kicks in when your legs demand it – 40 Nm, 200 W, a motor weighing only 1.17 kg. Thanks to Harmonic Pin Ring technology, the motor whispers instead of roaring; no more vibrations, just the feeling of a real race bike… only better. « We don’t add technology; we erase it until it becomes invisible and amplifies the human », summarizes Daniel Theil, Head of Product Management at TQ. The Fastlane: for obsessive climbers who want to conquer passes and kilometers without ever giving up the raw pleasure of pedaling. Starting from 6799 €. Contact: scott-sports.com

RAR launches the EXALT 52

RAR, a pioneer in high-end handmade wheels, enriches its EXALT range with the new EXALT 52. Designed for courses where every second counts, they combine a 52 mm profile with extreme lightness, the perfect cocktail for dominating speed. Thanks to their double-core carbon rims woven with high-modulus fibers, air glides without resistance and power is instantly transferred to the French-made ESO hubs. The result? 1,380 g per pair, devilish stiffness, and accelerations that leave the competition behind, while remaining unperturbed in fast corners or full-speed descents. For the rider who wants it all – explosive accelerations, sustained speed, impeccable stability – the EXALT 52 are not an option, they are the absolute weapon. Price: starting from 3099 €. Contact: roues-rar.fr

Bernard Hinault’s official autobiography finally reborn

Ten years after disappearing from shelves, Bernard Hinault’s official autobiography is finally reborn. Co-written with Jean-Paul Brouchon, Hinault par Bernard Hinault is much more than a book: it is the raw and sincere testament of the Badger, the last French emperor of all-around cycling. Five Tours de France, three Giro, two Vuelta, a world title, classics by the bucketload: between these pages, the Breton relives his great battles, reveals the behind-the-scenes of the peloton, and shares the same space as Guimard, LeMond, or Merckx. « It’s not to boast; it’s to show that with work and willpower, you can conquer anything and succeed in life after cycling », he writes in the preface. On November 13, the book that has marked generations of riders and fans finds its place back on bookstore tables: essential. Contact: mareuil-editions.com

Newlane: a foldable helmet with Mips!

The world’s first foldable helmet equipped with MIPS® technology is released on November 17. It slips into a handbag, passes the strictest European standards, and, thanks to its low-friction layer, absorbs rotations of 10 to 15 mm to protect your brain like no other urban helmet. After six years of obsession and two years of collaboration with the Swedes at Mips, the British start-up Newlane signs the revolution that commuters have been waiting for: absolute safety, zero compromise on style or portability. « We didn’t add Mips; we made it disappear inside », smiles Dom Cotton, co-founder. 175 € – available on November 17 at wearenewlane.com. The city will never be the same.

Prologo Raion: the All-Road saddle that reconciles pleasure and planet

245 mm of pure freedom, T-shape, recycled base, foam and rails made from reclaimed materials: 65 € and zero compromise on comfort or durability. Thanks to the Active Base and its soft central cutout, long days in the city, on gravel, or singletrack become a simple smile. 135 mm for free movement, 145 mm for settling in for the long haul: two widths, one promise – your backside will never speak of suffering again. RAION is here, on prologo.it and at retailers: mount it, the road has never been so smooth.