Core bike is the annual kick-off for the UK bike-industry calendar, a chance for brands and distributors to show off their latest gear for the first time.
We were on hand at the show in Northamptonshire and have already shown you plenty of great new bikes and kit.
Here’s my round-up of five of the coolest things I saw at the show and should be on your radar.
A coffee-coloured gravel bike
First up, it’s a tweaked and refined version of an old favourite – Kinesis’ affordable, do-it-all Tripster AT gravel bike.
The 2026 Tripster AT aluminium frame and carbon fork have had a geometry update to bring it in line with the range-topping titanium ATR. Kinesis has also added more sizes, with the range expanded from 48cm up to 62cm.
Cable routing has also been improved, and Kinesis has added top tube pack mounts. What stood out for me, however, were the new colourways – subtle two-tone matt 'Matcha Green' and this stunning matt coffee colourway called 'Cortado'.
The all-carbon Columbus Futura Cross+ fork is colour-matched to the frame, making this £900 frameset look so much more premium.
Here, the AT is built up in a custom show build by Kinesis owner Upgrade.
It has Shimano GRX 1x mechanical and Sector GCa alloy gravel wheels wrapped in handmade Challenge Gravine tyres. It gets a Thomson Elite seatpost and stem, and the wild-looking Farr alloy Aero Gravel bar.
The price for a build such as this would be approximately £2,700.
Big-volume, user-friendly and super-secure bar bag
Next up is an unreleased new bar bag and mount system from Old Man Mountain. While not officially launching for another month or two, hence details are thin on the ground, the bag and mount look to be among the most secure and user-friendly I’ve seen.
The substantial twin-spar mount holds a supporting cradle that the bag hooks onto. This provides support and stability when bikepacking.
Cleverly, the compression straps loop through the bag and into the cradle. That means one-handed adjustment without having to fumble around holding the bag.
The fully waterproof bag has an air-release valve built in, so you can really pack down the volume, too.
The bag incorporates a T-bar on top to fit lights, a GPS or an action camera, with the twin spars offering multi-mount points, too. Old Man Mountain also told us it is looking at more accessories for the bag system, including bolt-on aero bars for marathon adventure racers.
New one-piece carbon aero cockpit
Reserve is known for aero road wheels and tough carbon mountain bike hoops, but now – much like rivals Zipp and ENVE – it has branched out into carbon cockpits.
The new RD1 cockpit is wind-tunnel developed. Its one-piece design features a top section with an inset surface so that, once taped, the shape is more in unison and stops you from taping the key aero-advantage gaining mid-section.
The bars is available in 36, 38, 40 and 42cm widths and stem lengths from 80 to 120mm for a total of 12 configurations. Weights vary between 301g and 341g, making the RD1 impressively light.
The shape has a 75mm centre-to-centre reach and a 125mm drop with a subtle 6-degree flare. The stem has an effective -6-degree angle.
The RD1 comes with no weight limit and a lifetime warranty. The bar is accompanied by a spacer kit and headset cover optimised for Acros ICR systems (52mm upper bearing). It also includes an integrated out-front computer mount. It’s priced at £499 / $549 / €549 / CA$769.
I’d expect to see the premium RD1 becoming original equipment on high-end offerings from affiliated brands under the Pon.Bike banner, such as Cervélo and Cannondale.
Topeak bikepacking solutions
Topeak has expanded its bikepacking offerings further with a new, very adaptable rear rack system and a mini-bar mounting rack.
The new Zi:Rak looks similar to thru-axle systems from the likes of Tailfin and Restrap, but it comes in a multitude of options and is compatible with Topeak's existing rack and bag ecosystem.
You can choose between thru-axle, traditional rack mounts or quick-fix straps to attach the Zi:Rak.
It can be specified with a lightweight bar top and make use of Topeak's new curved U-Shell accessory. This enables you to carry oversized wrap packs including Topeak's new U-shell 10-litre dry bag.
Alternatively, you could opt for a Topeak MTX Quicktrack top, making it compatible with the wide range of top-mounting Topeak rack packs.
The vertical supports have inserts to make them compatible with traditional panniers, too. It’s all very typically Topeak, with bundles of options and accessories so you can tune the rack to your needs.
Prices are keen, ranging between £89.99 and £109.99 (approximately $110–$140). The Zi:Rak has a 25kg capacity.
Next up is Topeak's funky handlebar rack, made from slender aluminium tubing and coming with a clever anti-droop mounting-support system. It has clamps compatible with 25.4/28.6/31.8mm-diameter bars and is compatible with most stems up to 52mm wide. It has a 4.5kg payload.
The rack weighs 320g and the elasticated cord adds another 55g. It’s priced at £49.99 / $77.95.
Hope’s new 4-pot caliper brings enduro power to road and gravel bikes
When it comes to upgrading brakes on gravel and road bikes, options have been thin on the ground. Stepping up the groupset hierarchy has usually been the only option.
While Hope has had a road-compatible option in its range for many years, the RX2's minimal size and myriad colours are enough for me to want this upgrade.
When it comes to the more extreme end of gravel, I've often wondered about shifting to MTB-style 4-pot brakes (with four brake cylinders instead of two). The downside is the size of said brakes. Especially since the trend for road and gravel frame design has shifted away from the traditional double-diamond shape and moved to compact dropped-stay rear triangles.
With the RX4+ SL, Hope has designed a new narrower bore cap, similar to that seen on the GR4 and TR4 brakes. That’s enabled it to reduce the overall caliper width, making for a much wider range of frame compatibility.
The latest bleed nipple design has been brought over from the RX2, making for a much simpler and cleaner bleed process. Plus it reduces the all-important bulk.
Why upgrade?
Hope's RX4+ SL is the only four-pot brake caliper for road bikes. It offers more power, improved heat management and improved modulation. Hence, these brakes are usually found as offerings for downhill and enduro mountain bike use.
Both the RX4+ and RX2 are precision CNC-machined in a single piece from high-grade aluminium billet. This monobloc design is claimed to creates a stiffer caliper, improving lever feel and eliminating brake rub.
The new RX4+ SL and RX2 are available in both mineral oil and DOT fluid versions. This makes them compatible across the board with Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo groupsets. They come in an array of colours, too: Black, Blue, Orange, Purple, Red, Silver and Smoke.
The RX4+ SL brakes will be available from March, priced at £115 / $160 / €144.50.
