Simon Smythe

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Simon Smythe is a hugely experienced cycling tech writer, who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003. Until recently he was our senior tech writer.

In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal, a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares. These days he spends a bit more time testing road bikes, or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son.

What's in the stable? There's a Colnago Master Olympic, a Hotta TT700, an ex-Castorama lo-pro that was ridden in the 1993 Tour de France, a Pinarello Montello, an Independent Fabrication Club Racer, a Mercian Classic fixed winter bike and a renovated Roberts with a modern Campag groupset.

And the vital statistics:

Age: 53 Height: 178cm

Weight: 69kg

Latest articles by Simon Smythe

SRAM v Princeton ‘humpback whale wheel’ lawsuit goes to jury trial

Judge orders that lay people must decide whether or not Princeton CarbonWorks infringed Zipp's 'biomimicry' patents, as claimed by Zipp owner SRAM

Has NASA just invented a puncture-proof tyre that will last the life of your bike?

Airless wire mesh tyres originally invented for the Mars Rover are being developed for bikes and are hitting the market this year - and they could be the last ones you ever buy

By Simon Smythe Published 13 January 23
Styling it out with Rigoberto Uran - how a pro puts on his Rapha team skinsuit

EF's 2023 kit isn't as funky as in previous years, but Rigo's moves more than make up for that

By Simon Smythe Published 9 January 23
Oops! Unreleased Shimano 105 mechanical 12-speed groupset leaked - and it could be really cheap

US bike brand KHS's website lists a bike apparently with the unreleased groupset - and then takes down the page

By Simon Smythe Published 6 January 23

New Dutch team TDT-Unibet unveils a Cannondale even louder than EF’s

YouTuber's dream team is aiming to make a big yellow-and-pink splash in its first year of competition

By Simon Smythe Published 5 January 23
Wilier’s new Astana team edition: the prettiest bikes in the 2023 peloton?

Sumptuous 'chrome-plated graphite' scheme for the bikes that Mark Cavendish may or may not be riding this year

By Simon Smythe Published 4 January 23
Altura Grid Field Jacket review - nice, but better for dog walking than bike riding

A good-quality all-purpose jacket that has a couple of cycling features built in

By Simon Smythe Published 30 December 22

Nine road bike trends that will shape 2023: affordable electronic groupsets to the growth of 3D printing

We consider the way forward for road bikes in the new year

By Simon Smythe Published 28 December 22
Christmas kids' bikes deals: Early Rider, Specialized, Cannondale and more

From balance bikes and BMXs to the more grown-up machines, we've found the best savings from around the web

By Simon Smythe Published 23 December 22
France lost the World Cup but Cofidis' lovely Look bikes with Corima wheels will restore national pride

Cofidis set to ride the Frenchest bikes in the WorldTour in 2023 - and they're going to be très beaux

By Simon Smythe Published 21 December 22

Top 7 road bikes for 2023 – lightweight hyperbikes, 'controversial' endurance bikes and much more besides

We take you through the most headturning drop-bar road bikes of the last 12 months

By Simon Smythe Published 21 December 22
Hottest five aero bikes for 2023... plus three all-rounders that can hold their own

Trek, Giant, Scott and more dig deep in the search to go faster

By Simon Smythe Published 20 December 22
Dolan is back on the racing scene, replacing Canyon as bike sponsor to WiV SunGod in 2023

Top British team to ride the Dolan Ares in a two-year sponsorship deal

By Simon Smythe Published 19 December 22

Colnago V4RS first ride with UAE Team Emirates: a bike for Pogačar to win on (but I got dropped)

We ride Colnago's new flagship race bike with UAE at their training camp in Spain

By Simon Smythe Published 17 December 22
Data-loving roadie selection: Simon Smythe's Gear of the Year 2022

Forget about riding over small stones - cycling is really about producing big numbers, right? Here are 10 things that might help

By Simon Smythe Published 16 December 22
New Colnago V4RS unveiled - the bike Tadej Pogačar will use to take back the Tour in 2023

Different versions of a new Colnago race bike had been trialled in competition under the name 'Prototipo'... now the design is finalised and all the details revealed

By Simon Smythe Last updated 12 December 22

Zwift teases all-new Esports World Championships Scotland map, launches new features and content for 2023

Glasgow to hold both the physical and virtual UCI Worlds as Zwift reveals a glimpse of the Scotland map

By Simon Smythe Published 9 December 22
Millionth Brompton rolls off the assembly line in London and heads straight onto a global tour

Instead of being put on display, the millionth bike will be ridden by thousands of people worldwide

By Simon Smythe Published 7 December 22
New Ribble Gravel 725 brings classic looks and feel of steel to the off-road range

A steel model joins the carbon, titanium and aluminium options in Ribble's latest gravel line-up

By Simon Smythe Last updated 6 December 22

Wahoo X's 'A Week With the UCI World Cycling Centre' invites you to live and train like a pro

New videos and workouts plus the chance to win prizes for those completing the series

By Simon Smythe Published 2 December 22
This limited edition 'frozen' Colnago C64 with £550 off is literally the coolest thing in the Cyber Monday deals

But £550 barely scratches the surface when this beautiful bike costs £4,999 to start with...

By Simon Smythe Published 27 November 22
Cyber Monday mountain bike deals - we get gnarly to bring you the best off-road bargains

While we were looking for the best roadie deals we couldn't help noticing that there are a lot of mountain bikes and MTB kit on sale too...

By Simon Smythe Last updated 27 November 22

What kind of tires do you need for winter?

What you need to consider when switching tires for the winter months

By Simon Smythe Last updated 26 November 22
How wide is too wide, is hookless pointless, are carbon spokes worth it and what aero innovations are coming next? We ask Parcours’ Dov Tate the big questions about road bike wheels

The dynamic British wheel brand talked to CW exclusively about a new study it's conducting on how to quantify aero wheel handling stability - the first of its kind - and we picked founder Dov Tate's brain about the other stuff, too

By Simon Smythe Last updated 24 November 22
From the archive: 1950s Claud Butler gets ready to leave the Clapham factory

A young mechanic puts the finishing touches to this gleaming, handmade steel 'lightweight'

By Simon Smythe Published 23 November 22

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