We are still deep in the midst of testing winter gear here at off-road.cc, with the latest shoe offering from Fizik in for review. We've also got a toasty looking jacket from Polaris and an exciting steel new bike from Cotic that has just been launched today, plus a nifty but pricey tool stored inside you handlebar from Wolf Tooth.

The Trail Women’s Long-Sleeve Jersey is one of the first all-mountain tops from ASSOS, a predominantly road and cross-country brand. Although it's as impressively lightweight as claimed, the poor fit, odd choice of material and high price make it hard to recommend.

There are some great edits to be given some screen time this week, Santa gets out on his first bike ride of the year plus we look at a brand new short travel Cotic. Here are the posts popping up on our Instagram feed this week...

The CamelBak Podium Flow Belt is a great little pack for those who like bum bags yet also need to carry a water bottle. It carries two litres of gear, 600ml of water and is comfortable – if a little pricey.

Fabio Wibmer is back in his latest video, filmed in France. There's a huge huck as the opener and many more to follow, the speed that this rider navigates staircases is unreal - take five and watch this at lunchtime!

The Dukes Weekender is an event that has captured the imagination of riders from every discipline over its first 2 years.  A unique festival based in Aberfoyle, Scotland (now dubbed ‘Gravelfoyle’) exploded last year to attract 500 riders to this location that is becoming a widely viewed as a premier destination for gravel riding in the UK.

Alongside a new wheel build from Raleigh with Industry Nine hubs and WTB i29 rims we've got lots of protective gear from 661 and Bluegrass. Timely, seeing as the riding conditions round our neck of the woods have just turned super slick and we've been hitting the deck rather a lot lately! 

• First Look: Shand Stooshie

The Giant Trance 29 3 is a sprightly cross-country weapon made for mile munching and groomed singletrack. It quickly runs out of travel when the going gets rough, though, and some of the spec choices of this base level model are a bit under par.