The best new tech heading your way

01 PAPRIKA 53 MODEL 25 GT

£TBC, paprika53.com

Two big bits of exciting news collide here. First, the maker: whip off the Scooby-Doo joke shop mask and it turns out that, ruh-roh, Paprika 53 is actually OnePlus, spinning off and pouring its well-honed innovation attitude into the adventure bike market for the first time.

Second, the electric drive train, whose 600Wh battery and 1,000W peak, 120NM Avinox M1 motor mark the gravel bike debut of drone and stabilisation expert DJI.

It’s a combo with plenty of promise, particularly due to the laser focus with which the Model 25 has been put together – this isn’t an all-purpose bike, or a road bike that’s been given extra chunky tyres, or even a straight mountain bike. It’s an e-gravel bike, full stop. It’s been specifically formulated to be the best it can be on the loose stuff, to help you keep control where others wouldn’t, and to prevent itself from falling to bits given the rigours of rough terrain.

Noble and niche, then. This will fill a market gap and get a specific subset of riders particularly excited. For those that prefer things a little more sedate, it’ll serve to prove Paprika 53’s frame engineering capabilities, the power of DJI’s electric drivetrain, and the potential for that combo to change the entire ebike market as we move into the future. Maybe it’ll even spawn some kind of super-drone or flying bike. Or, y’know, maybe not. Preorder for the Model 25 GT opens on 3 May.

BUM STEER Much of the engineering focuses, as it probably should, on chatter-heavy gravel rides, on the rider’s rear end. Fizik’s extra-wide Terra Argo saddle offers extra support, acknowledging that DJI’s powerful drivetrain probably means you’ll be sitting a lot more than usual – and clever frame design helps add extra adjustability.