At the end of another Black Friday we’ve got a Tech of the Week round-up to offer some relief from the relentless deals and discounts. Take a break from the bargain-hunting, make a cuppa, get comfy and settle in for our weekly run-through of everything that caught our eye over the past seven days. Let’s dive straight in…
Kostüme rejects Black Friday and “discounting that has plagued the cycling industry”… by launching its most expensive cycling clothing yet
2025 Kostüme #EDIT006 winter clothing (credit: Kostüme)
Someone at Kostüme — the British premium cycling clothing brand which won the rarest of rare five-star reviews off Jo for its bib shorts a couple of years ago — has done a cracking job of marketing a new kit launch around Black Friday, getting us to bite on the bait and share this front and centre of Tech of the Week.
While you might not assume ‘cycling brand releases its most expensive kit yet’ is the sort of headline a clothing brand is after, in Kostüme’s case… it is. In fact, it’s quite literally the PR email’s subject: ‘The brand defying Black Friday by launching its most expensive product yet’. The brand has spun the launch of its new winter range as an anti-Black Friday statement, a stance against “discounting that has plagued the cycling industry”.
“Riding on the back of a second consecutive year of three-figure organic growth,” Kostüme’s press release tells us in the first line, the Bristol-based pre-order apparel specialist heading into winter with the launch of two new batches, dubbed #EDIT005 and #EDIT006.
2025 Kostüme #EDIT006 winter clothing (credit: Kostüme)
As suggested the model is pre-order by the batch, ensuring Kostüme only makes what people buy. This, the brand says, “eliminates the overstock and discounting that has plagued the cycling industry, meaning significantly more budget to spend on R&D and product specs and fairer pricing for consumers”.
2025 Kostüme #EDIT006 winter clothing (credit: Kostüme)
Each batch is on sale for 10 days, #EDIT006 having opened to orders yesterday and #EDIT005 having launched on Friday 21 November. So what are the actual products, now we’ve got past the Black Friday-bashing?
The winter layering system is made up of the winter bib tights (£285 standard/£300 cargo), windproof cargo gilet (£155), winter cargo jersey (£175), a long sleeve base layer (£65) and neck warmer (£30). Kostüme tells us the range features “state of the art recycled fabrics”, as well as “innovative technical details on every product”.
The bib tights have “a luxurious Italian-made two-layer softshell with full 20k/18k waterproof and breathable membrane”, as well as the wonderfully named “clipless dropseat” that promises to make cold, clammy toilet breaks a thing of the past.
Elsewhere the gilet aims to be windproof, waterproof, breathable and is fully recyclable at the end of its life thanks to a mono-material design. There are four pockets and Kostüme calls it the clothing equivalent of a multi-tool due to its versatility.
2025 Kostüme #EDIT006 winter clothing (credit: Kostüme)
The brand says the winter jersey “redefines cold-weather comfort” and features a two-way zip and six-pocket cargo configuration. Kostüme tells us: “The body features a double-knit fabric with an exceptionally dense weave, making it extremely soft, warm and protective without being bulky.”
The full range and product details are available on Kostüme’s website.
Winter kit built for -8°C from Gobik
Gobik Superarmour Jacket (credit: Gobik)
It’s all about winter kit this week and we’ve still got more to come after this too. Gobik this week launched it’s intimidatingly named Superarmour Jacket, the “most advanced” winter gear the brand has ever produced. Promising absolute protection down to temperatures of -8°C, you should feel pretty toasty in this and it has been tested by the Ineos Grenadiers riders for extra peace of mind. Kostüme probably thought it would win the ‘most expensive’ crown this week, but Gobik’s Superarmour is priced at €395. We did enjoy this pic of it hanging in what looks like Bruce Wayne’s basement Batcave, just with the freezer door left open.
Gobik Superarmour Jacket (credit: Gobik)
Some very bling hubs
Tactic Racing hub (credit: Tactic Racing)
Taking a quick break from winter kit, Tactic Racing has some new hubs out that caught our eye. These aren’t technically new this week, but we’ve got some more info and thought we’d share it.
It’s Tactic’s second version of its TR01 and TR02 hubsets, featuring a new HDS (that’s Helical Drive System) ratchet, lighter weight and faster engagement. That faster engagement is apparently the work of the HDS replacing straight splines, Tactic explains, because “as the ratchet ring moves axially outward, it also rotates, meshing the engagement teeth with those on the face of the freehub body”.
Tactic Racing TR01 V2 SHIMANO (credit: Tactic Racing)
Weight has been reduced across all models and they are available in Shimano and SRAM XDR configurations right away. Campag, Microspline Road and 24/24 will follow at some point in the first quarter of next year. Check them out on Tactic Racing’s website.
Tactic Racing TR02 V2 SHIMANO (credit: Tactic Racing)
Pas Normal Studios brightens up gloomy winter rides with some colour
Pas Normal Studios TKO AW2025 (credit: Pas Normal Studios)
For something a bit more artistic, Pas Normal Studios has launched its autumn/winter T.K.O range, which it calls “a refined suite of performance styles crafted for a season defined by exploration, endurance, and the evolving character of winter riding”. In lay man’s terms, that appears to mean some rather eye-catching designs and colours.
Pas Normal Studios TKO AW2025 (credit: Pas Normal Studios)
PNS’s Mechanism Thermal Jacket, Mechanism Woven Long Sleeve Jersey, as well as bibs and short-sleeve jerseys are all included, the latter probably more suited to winter-training getaways than any riding here in the UK. The range is on Pas Normal Studios’s website now.
“Powering the next generation of African talent”
Team Amani x Vekta partnership (credit: Vekta)
AI-powered coaching and training platform Vekta has joined forces with Team Amani, the Rwandan-registered cycling team looking to develop African talent and boost the number of riders from the continent at the sport’s biggest races. Vekta has worked with pro athletes and teams before, the platform also offering amateurs “advanced sport science” combined with “real-time AI insights to deliver a complete view of training, recovery and readiness”.
The three-year deal with Team Amani will, Vekta CEO and co-founder Paul-Antoine Girard says, hopefully “redefine what is possible for African cyclists”.
Team Amani x Vekta partnership (credit: Vekta)
“At Vekta we are firm believers that elite performance should not be limited by geography, background, or access,” he said. “By bringing advanced AI and high quality coaching tools to Team AMANI’s riders and staff, we’re helping level the playing field and create sustainable opportunities for athletes across the continent.”
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