In one of the biggest bike industry news stories in recent memory, this week saw Shimano announce a huge crankset recall.
The Shimano recall affects around 760,000 HollowTech road cranks in the US and Canada, due to 4,519 incidents of 'separation of delamination', with the recall set to be extended globally.
In the early stages of hill climb season, we published a guide to climbing faster.
Our British Gravel Championships tech gallery covered the best bikes from the King's Cup Gravel festival. We took a closer look at the Pinarello Grevil F of Ineos Grenadier Connor Swift.
Liam Cahill reviewed the new Garmin Edge 840 Solar, while Nick Clark rated the cut-price Calibre Rake 29 hardtail highly.
To find additional affordable MTBs, head to our guide to the best mountain bikes under £750.
In other news, Moots, best known for its titanium frames, released the Express, a carbon electric bike.
Genesis also switched the frame material of the new Fugio adventure bike from steel to aluminium.
Stan Portus wrote about the new Swytch Go ebike conversion kit, which costs only £500, and went for a spin on it.
With that rapid round-up delivered, let's check out the best new tech to land at BikeRadar Towers in the past seven days.
Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 smartwatch
The Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 is one of the brand's most premium smartwatches with a plethora of functions to challenge the Apple Watch.
To name a few of the Epix Pro Gen 2's lifestyle features: it can pay for items, store and listen to music, and answer or reject phone calls on Android devices.
From Body Battery to Endurance Score, the list of fitness and wellness metrics the watch records is as long as your arm.
As is the number of activities. In the cycling modes, you can navigate, connect a heart rate monitor and power meter, and do pre-loaded interval sessions.
For nighttime adventures, the Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 has a powerful flashlight, which saved me carrying a torch when bikepacking.
The touchscreen AMOLED display is easy to read in all light conditions, and on the move.
Battery life is a claimed 31 days in smartwatch mode, but unlike the Fenix 7 Pro, it doesn't solar charge.
The Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 can also track your stocks. Fingers crossed they're on the up – the Pro Standard edition in the 51mm case size costs £929.99/$999.99/€1,049/AU$1,699.
Specialized S-Works Torch Lace
The Specialized S-Works Torch Lace is the lace-up version of the S-Works Torch.
Swapping Boa dials for laces and using a lighter, but equally stiff carbon outsole saves 100g per pair in size EU42, according to the brand. My size-46 test set weighs a dainty 456g.
Drawing from foot scans and its Retül bike-fitting database, Specialized says it made the forefoot area 4mm wider than the S-Works 7 to improve fit for more riders.
Specialized adds that its Varus Wedge, which tilts the sole 1.5mm outwards, helps hip, knee and ankle alignment to reduce the risk of injury.
The ventilated upper is supple, but won't stretch over the course of long rides, ensuring a consistent fit, according to the brand.
You can rotate the titanium alloy cleat nuts to move your three-bolt cleats 5mm rearward.
The heel lug is claimed to be grippy and replaceable thanks to internal screws.
Besides blue, the Specialized S-Works Torch Lace comes in black and white. It is available in size-EU 39 up to 49 and in half sizes from 39 to 46.
The Specialized S-Works Torch Lace is priced at £300/$350/€340/AU$550.
Nopinz Pro-1 Gravel Racing Suit
I decided against wearing the Nopinz Pro-1 Gravel Racing Suit in the British Gravel Championships because I didn't want to finish last in a skinsuit.
In the end, that wasn't quite the case, so expect to see this fetching green number at gravel races next year.
I suspect that when designing the Pro-1 Gravel Racing Suit, Nopinz was thinking more sunny Girona Traka than sodden Dirty Reiver.
The torso and back areas feel well-ventilated, while there's no hint of flap from the race-cut sleeves.
Being a skinsuit, sizing needs to be spot-on, so unfurl your tape measure. I was in one category for weight and another for height. Measuring my waist and chest helped Nopinz find me the right size somewhere in between.
There are pockets on the back and cargo pockets on the legs. Nopinz claims the crash panels on the hips are tear-resistant.
The Nopinz Pro-1 Gravel Racing Suit costs £199.99. It's available in black, blue and green, and sizes 2XS to 2XL in standard and tall fits.
A women's version is also available.
Restrap 18L Saddle Bag
The Restrap 18L Saddle Bag is a high-capacity, stable bikepacking bag that should fit all kinds of bike, according to the brand.
Including all the straps and the dry sack, the Restrap 18L Saddle Bag weighs 639g. That's a lot less than the best pannier racks and bags, even if you just use a top trunk bag on a rack.
Made from textured and coated nylon, Restrap says the bags are durable and waterproof.
The fairly rigid holster attaches to your bike through the saddle rails and double-wraps around the seatpost.
Once you've slid the dry bag inside, you close the end of the holster with a magnetic strap. A buckle then clips over the top from one side to the other. This is designed to stop the Restrap 18L Saddle Bag from bouncing about on rough ground.
When properly packed with heavier things at the bottom of the bag, it shouldn't swing excessively, according to Restrap.
If you pack pretty lightly, the 18L Saddle Bag can hold most of your stuff for a week-long, credit-card bikepacking trip.
The Restrap 18L Saddle Bag costs £129.99/$194.99/€155.99 and is also available in orange and smaller sizes: 7L, 8L and 14L.
