Today, Castelli announced the latest iteration of its ‘iconic’ Castelli Gabba, alongside newly released Perfetto 4 and Perfetto Pro jackets.

Only, the press release kind of reminded me of that horrendous Yorkie advert: not for girls (or, women).

The new Gabba Pro sees the brand – which supplies kit to the Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance-Soudal teams – integrate its ‘AirCore’ tech into the garment that has set the benchmark for wet weather racing apparel since it broke cover in 2010.

This reimagined Gabba promises "complete waterproof coverage" for riding in "torrential rain", alongside the jacket-meets-jersey's legendary breathability and flexible fit, that was challenged by the ban on PFAS-based chemicals used in the original.

The Gabba received a divisive redesign in 2024 with the Castelli Gabba R, but the new Gabba Pro looks to take the ‘holy grail’ of cycling kit back to its roots.

The Castelli Gabba R is still available in men's and women's fits on the brand's website, with its unique selling points a combination of weather protection and aerodynamics.

Castelli is making its Perfetto 4 – which is "designed for everyday riders", in the words of Castelli’s press release – in a women’s fit. The Perfetto Pro, designed for cooler conditions, suitable for light showers, and in a ‘race’ fit, is being released only for men.

Castelli's Global Brand Manager Steve Smith notes in the brand's press release: “[The Gabba Pro], and the Perfetto Pro, are jackets you want to wear when you need breathability, mobility and a competitive edge, while the Perfetto 4 is everything you loved about our previous Perfettos, but taken to the next level.”

It’s far from the first time a top-level piece of cycling equipment has been made only for the majority market. And, it’s possible that the expectation is that female racers will be suitably catered for with the 'men’s fit’ jackets, similar to Santini’s move to providing ‘unisex’ jerseys.

However, I can’t help but feel disappointed in this leading garment seemingly shutting the door on its top-level gear to female customers. It may be that sales figures show fewer female riders gravitate towards the Gabba and its wet-weather credentials. But, there's got to be an argument for a lack of kit availability creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

Plus, the Gabba has been available to both genders since 2014, so a walkback feels like another case of reducing women's specific kit in the pursuit of reduced manufacturing cost.

Asked to comment on the lack of women's model, a representative from Castelli said: "At Castelli, we are committed to equipping female riders with top-tier performance apparel, and women's-specific garments remain a central pillar of our product roadmap.

"Rather than simply scaling down men's patterns or offering compromise unisex fits, our women’s line undergoes a dedicated, gender-specific R&D and testing process. This initial launch features a female version of the Perfetto 4, and our product team is continuously evaluating and developing high-performance garments for both men and women, based on rider feedback and testing. We look forward to sharing updates on future additions to our women's collection as development progresses."

Still, if you’re the majority, perhaps you just want the tech specs – so, here we go.

Castelli Gabba Pro

The Gabba Pro now uses the AirCore tech that Castelli designed in conjunction with Polartec. This move was made necessary by a ban on the use of PFAS-based chemicals. The fabrics aim is to create a "tight membrane that shuts out the elements while still allowing air to permeate it", e.g., providing water and wind resistance without creating that ‘boil in a bag’ experience no one wants.

Castelli says AirCore is "essentially windproof as it lets in a very small, imperceptible amount of air that delivers air permeability of 0.7 cubic feet per minute (CFM)", and "essentially waterproof", due to its "achieving a hydrostatic pressure test score of 5,000mm, which means normal rain would have to fall with 6.25 times more force than it usually does to permeate it."

The jacket provides a "close to body" race fit, with short sleeves designed to be paired with arm warmers when required.

It’s also, interestingly, an online exclusive – which may be an unpopular decision with local dealers.

Smith states: "All three jackets provide excellent warmth, breathability and protection against intermittent showers but if torrential rain is forecast, we’d recommend the Gabba R for complete waterproof coverage."

Sizes are available from XS to 3XL and the quoted weight is 196g. RRPs are €260/$320/£230.

Castelli Perfetto 4

The Castelli Perfetto 4 is designed for "everyday riders", it offers a "tailored" performance fit that’s not as close as a race fit. This jacket is suited to "cool conditions" – between 4-12°C / 39/53°F – "with a possibility of light showers".

Taping at the shoulders, previously silver, has been swapped out for a transparent "chameleon tape", reportedly creating a "revitalized look and feel".

Sizes for men range from XS to 34XL, women's sizes from XS to XL, with weights a claimed 286g and 239g respectivey. The RRP is €260/$330/£280.

Castelli Perfetto Pro

Finally, the Perfetto Pro mirros the Perfetto 4 in many ways, but provides protection for cooler conditions, its "sweet spot" a reported 6-14°C /42-57°F. It's the jacket the Soudal Quick-Step team have been using over the last season.

Here, the transparent shoulder tape was reportedly introduced to "reinforce the shoulder seams for targeted rain protection without added bulk". The floating pocket and splash tail construction created for the Gabba R have made their way to this garment, too.

The fit is 'race' tailored, with the men's only option available from XS to 3XL and weighing a reported 226g, prices are €280/$350/£300.

Cycling Weekly will call in some kit to put to the test. We'll update this story if Castelli provides more information about the male only approach in two of the three jackets.

When a rider wheels their bike into our workshop with the drivetrain chirping like a field of crickets and all the parts that used to be silver now a furry black texture, we can usually tell what’s wrong before the client opens their mouth.

“Gears not shifting well?”, we’ll suggest.

The above is such a common experience, it leads me to write this list. Within it, you’ll find simple tips that could save you money, and, your mechanic from reaching for their fourth coffee of the day before 9am.

WD-40 is not lube

It is very common for a customer to walk in with a very squeaky chain, proudly telling us that they’ve given it a good spray with WD-40.

WD stands for Water Dispersal. When you spray this stuff onto metal that is meant to be lubricated or greased, it will simply wash away all of the good stuff. What it leaves behind is a thin, greasy film, that will not lubricate metal-on-metal contact.

This practice causes excessive wear on things like cassettes and chains. And, as soon as WD-40 gets anywhere near your disc brakes, it won’t just be your drivetrain singing to you.

Don’t lube a dirty chain

If your chain has started squeaking and you feel it’s time to apply some lubrication, just stop and think for a moment: was my chain black when it was fitted? If the answer is no, then stop before you waste an expensive product.

To properly clean your chain, use a purpose-designed degreasing agent, rinse thoroughly, then apply the lube to a clean, dry surface.

This also applies to chain waxing. There is a difference between having a good professional mechanic wax your chain and following the steps in a home kit.

A pro workshop will typically spend over an hour getting the chain clinically clean again before dipping into their large vat of hot wax. This is so the wax properly adheres and lasts for up to 1000 miles and doesn’t contaminate their wax. The home kits that some wax vendors now sell seem only designed to sell more wax, as the cleaning steps are not thorough enough. If you’re not using an ultrasonic cleaner, then you’re throwing away your wax.

Give your bike a once-over before dropping it off

Now I’m not asking for you to bring your bike into us with Concourse standard polish. But, bringing in a clean bike doesn’t just make our job easier, it will save you money. It’s far quicker to diagnose an issue when we’re not chipping calcified chain lube off of the jockey wheels.

If the brown muck on the front tyre smells a bit like dog poo, it probably is – we don’t want it in our workshop any more than you want it in your home. And, for the triathletes out there, please remove the 12 empty but still very sticky energy gel wrappers from your bento box.

Tell us if you had a go first

A common cause of raised eyebrows in our workshop is when a bike we regularly service comes in with an issue that “came out of nowhere”. On inspection, the bike has clearly been worked on by a less-than-competent mechanic.

There are a million ways for us to tell when someone else has worked on a bike before it arrived with us. We won’t be offended that you tried to fix it yourself, or, if you took it to someone else first. But please don’t bring in something that’s already been cocked up once and pretend that you’ve no idea where the issue came from.

Your poor planning is not our emergency, however far you drove

Just because you have driven for over an hour to bring your bike to us doesn’t mean we will drop everything and fix it while you wait. Ditto, if you have a race/event/other tomorrow and need the bike that’s been groaning for months to work perfectly right away.

Most well-organised workshops have scheduled work plans and a queue of jobs. Even if a while-you-wait repair can be squeezed in, parts may be required. So If you are travelling a distance, why not pick up the phone first – you might save yourself a lot of time. And if you’re targeting major events, consider bike prep something worth booking in in advance.

Please don’t touch your spokes

It’s quite a romantic notion to be able to take a spoke key to your trusty wheels and true them up, so they’re as good as new. But trust me, these days this isn’t as easy as tuning a guitar string. Modern wheels with straight pull and bladed spokes are increasingly temperamental when it comes to fine-tuning them.

We’ve had clients bring in wheels out of true that, upon inspection, have had their bladed spokes twisted like a corkscrew. Typically, when amateurs true a wheel, they tend to only tighten spokes; doing the job properly means tightening and loosening to balance tension. By only adding tension, you risk cracking the rim or destroying the nipples.

A packet of biscuits goes a long way…

Managed to ignore all of the above? Well, personally I’m partial to a Jaffa Cake, but if you’re going to cause your mechanic to go for that fourth morning cuppa, check in first so you can pick up their chosen accompaniment en route.

Schwalbe has announced it will launch new 32-inch versions of its G-One RS Pro and G-One RX Pro gravel tyres in April 2027, both in 50mm and 55mm widths.

The German brand says the move follows growing interest in 32-inch gravel bikes, with the first models expected to reach the market in autumn 2026. It says testing has shown benefits including improved stability, traction and comfort, and it points to evidence that Robin Gemperle won Unbound XL on 32in G-One RX Pro prototypes fitted to a prototype Scott gravel bike.

Gemperle himself was quoted as saying afterward: “This big boy is the actual size gravel racing and especially Unbound Gravel was waiting for.”

Meanwhile, from Schwalbe’s side, head of product management Felix Schäfermeier says: “At first, we were skeptical about whether 32 inches would be a meaningful addition. But the more we tested, the clearer the conclusion became: riders on 32-inch wheels definitely notice a difference.”

Schwalbe looks to be the first of the big brands to launch a gravel-specific 32-inch tyre with a 'G' printed on the sidewall, but US gravel and MTB specialists Teravail already offer both 32-inch tyres and rims for “service roads” while Silca’s Protocol 32in RCG-3 is also designed for gravel and comes in a massive 2.4in (60mm) width.

Maxxis’s Aspen ST 32 x 2.15in and Aspen AT 32 x 2.4in are mountain bike tyres that could double as gravel tyres while Vittoria and Kenda are expected to launch gravel tyres next year. The former showed off a new Peyote tyre at Sea Otter in April but would not be drawn over when they would go into production. The Kenda Dagger, a “cross country and light trail tyre” is expected to be available in 32 inches soon. There’s no word from Continental so far, but it’s clear the bicycle tyre industry as a whole is getting ready for the new standard.

Okay, but where are the 32-inch bikes to use them with? This one could be a bit trickier to answer.

Schwalbe might be the first mainstream tyre brand to release a gravel-specific 32-inch product, but the global bike brands are either noncommittal or playing cat-and-mouse to see who’s going to lead it out.

Earlier this month, NBA star and Canyon shareholder LeBron James rolled out on a one-off 32-inch Grizl but Canyon was quick to explain that the bike was neither a prototype nor a display model – it was a custom bike "engineered from the ground up for a 6ft 9in athlete whose size very few production frames are designed to accommodate."

There's no sign of Scott making a production version of the bike Gemperle rode to victory in Unbound – the Swiss brand stated at the time that it was a “pure prototype” that would never be released to the market.

Right now, smaller, mostly US builders are leading the 32-inch charge. Last month, Colorado's Mosaic released its GT i55 32, a handmade titanium gravel bike that owner Aaron Barcheck said was categorically “not a concept bike”. Stinner has already shown its Refugio 32, BTCHN’ has been preparing its Bandito for production, and Salsa has said 32-inch Fargo framesets will go on sale this summer, with complete bikes to follow later in the year.

So where are the 32-inch gravel bikes from Specialized, Trek, Giant, Cannondale et al? There’s no doubt they’re coming but, on the subject of big things, there’s still that elephant in the room that could be getting in the way: not every future rider of a 32-inch bike is going to be 6ft 9in, like LeBron James.

What if they’re 5ft 2in? The diameter of a 32-inch wheel with a chunky tyre on it will measure over 80 centimetres, and obviously the smaller the frame size, the harder it becomes to adapt the geometry, particularly the steering, so that the bike still handles in a way that makes the most of the larger wheel size – as championed by Schwalbe – instead of being compromised by it.

Last week we wrote about British brand Hunt launching an upgraded version of its 650b gravel wheel – the size that played a major part in the early gravel boom a decade ago because the outer diameter of a 700c tyre (40-45mm) and a 650b tyre (2.0-2.2in) are very similar, and wheelsets could be swapped for different types of terrain. That made sense – the bike’s geometry wasn’t dramatically altered. But with 32-inch wheels, the smaller the rider and frame, the more the geometry has to change to accommodate them.

Robin Gemperle said the larger wheel standard was the size gravel racing was waiting for, but as the 32-inch situation in the bicycle industry currently stands, it might have to keep waiting a little longer.

Wolf Tooth is making hubs now, and they’re as pretty as you’d expect. Rounded aluminium barrels with angular spoke mounts and simple white branding. With six colours at launch, here's yet another opportunity to carry a personal touch throughout your build.

For a recent build – a silver Blackheart Road Plus – I opted for blue. It started with the little details: matching rotor lockrings, a headset cover, bottom bracket, seatpost collar and even bottle cage bolts. Now, the hubs carry that same splash of colour into the wheels. It’s enough to make the bike feel uniquely mine.

There is, of course, plenty of competition for colourful bits. Chris King, White Industries, Industry Nine and Hope have long given wheel buyers reasons to stray from black. Wolf Tooth’s Kurt Stafki readily acknowledged the established players, but said the new hubs have more to offer than just a splash of colour.

"In addition to bringing another eye-catching set of colour options to the table, our hubs are reliable, easy to service, and customisable via the ratchet tooth counts," he said.

That last detail brings a second company into the story. Inside Wolf Tooth’s new hubs is Enve’s INNERDRIVE™ mechanism, chosen after Wolf Tooth tested competing systems and even prototyped its own.

Conversations with Wolf Tooth and Enve revealed why Wolf Tooth chose to license the design, and what Enve hopes to get from making its technology available to other brands.

The Hubs

Wolf Tooth today launched its hub range with three models:

• Straight-pull road/gravel: 24-hole drilling; claimed weight of 326g per pair.
• Straight-pull XC/trail MTB Boost: 28-hole drilling; claimed weight of 371g per pair.
• J-bend MTB Boost: intended for aggressive trail through downhill riding; 28- or 32-hole drilling; claimed weight of 442g per pair.

All hub shells are machined in-house in Minnesota from 7075-T6 aluminium and come in black, red, blue, gold, orange and ultraviolet purple, with more colours promised.

Once you’ve settled on a model and colour, there’s another choice to make: how quickly you want the rear hub to engage when you start pedalling again.

Enve’s Innerdrive mechanism uses two facing toothed rings. Their teeth engage when you pedal, transferring your effort to the wheel. When you coast, the teeth slip past one another, producing the familiar freehub buzz.

Wolf Tooth offers 40-, 60-, 80- and 100-tooth options. More teeth mean less movement before the mechanism engages—useful when picking your way through technical terrain or getting back on the power out of a corner. Wolf Tooth says fewer teeth reduce drag while coasting.

The road/gravel hubs come with the lighter 40T Pro ratchet. Riders who prioritise quicker engagement can move up the tooth counts, with the 60T and 80T options sitting between the two extremes.

Why Wolf Tooth chose Enve after protoyping its own system

That choice of ratchets was only one reason Wolf Tooth set aside its own internal design in favour of INNERDRIVE.

"We spent a long, long time testing hubs, including our own internal design, which we tested and prototyped alongside existing options," said Wolf Tooth’s Marketing Manager Zach Dolinaj.

Testing took in Minnesota’s distinct seasons, including what the company calls "Salt Season," when road salt joins the moisture and grime. If you want to know how bearings and seals cope when conditions turn unpleasant, Minnesota gives you plenty to work with.

"Choosing INNERDRIVE gives us what we believe is the most balanced, high-performance hub available, focusing on bearing load/life, robustness of the drive mechanism, POE options, weight, and serviceability," Dolinaj said.

Inside the shiny exterior, INNERDRIVE's large, opposing toothed ratchets sit over the bearings, which is meant to reduce stress on the axle and bearings to help prolong their life.

Then there’s bearing preload: the small amount of force applied to take up play in the bearings. Too much can add friction and accelerate wear; too little can leave unwanted movement. INNERDRIVE's Perfect Preload system handles that adjustment with a wave washer. Tighten the end cap to the specified torque, and the system sets the preload for you.

Thanks to these features, Wolf Tooth says maintenance requires no special tools. Riders can swap ratchets to change engagement, while a retaining circlip keeps the freehub and ratchets in place during servicing.

These practical touches continue in the rest of the hub design. Standardised bearing sizes across the front and rear hubs simplify sourcing replacements, while consistent spoke lengths within each wheelset make keeping spares more straightforward.

None of this has the immediate appeal of, say, purple anodising, but it helps explain what Wolf Tooth means by hubs that are "easy to live with".

So why choose these over Enve’s own hubs? Colour, customisability and domestic production, argued Stafki.

"Compared to Enve, customers will be able to ride with a Made-in-the-USA hubshell, with colour options and ratchet selection based on style and preference," he said.

Enve technology, open for licensing

For Enve, supplying the technology represents a reversal of roles. Before developing a drive mechanism of its own, the company used Mavic’s ID360 in its hubs. It knows the appeal of building around an existing design as well as the large amount of work involved in creating an alternative.

Enve’s VP of Product, Jake Pantone, said INNERDRIVE took roughly two years to develop before launching in 2024. Wolf Tooth’s decision to license it is therefore a particular kind of endorsement: a fellow manufacturer tested the alternatives, including its own prototypes, and chose Enve’s engineering instead.

“We've opened the technology up for licensing, and so we've licensed it to BMC, to Wolf Tooth, and there's a handful of other brands who are looking at the opportunity to use INNER DRIVE,” Pantone shared.

That raises an obvious question: does Enve want its internals inside everyone else’s hubs?

"Right now we're not necessarily looking to be a DT Swiss, like we're not looking to grow and establish a hub business unit per se."

Pantone described licensing as validation rather than a revenue driver. The development effort was first and foremost about producing a dependable mechanism for Enve’s own wheels. Having another manufacturer choose it gives that work a life beyond Enve’s product range.

“We really believe INNERDRIVE is a really nice, simple, low-maintenance system. And so it was great that someone like Wolf Tooth recognised that and wanted to use that same drive mechanism."

Hub pricing

At launch, hubs will be shipping worldwide from the Wolf Tooth website, and are also available internationally via its distributor and dealer networks.

• Front: $239.95 USD / £205 / €270
• Rear: $489.95 USD / £410 / €540
• The set: $729.90 USD / £615 / €810

Wheelset options

Wolf Tooth is selling seven in-house wheelset options featuring the new hubs:

• Enve SES 4.5 - $2950
• Enve G SES 4.5 - $2950
• We Are One Whisp - $1975
• We Are One Triad 29" and Mullet - $1975
• Enve M6 - $2400
• Enve M8 - $2400

First Impressions

I've been riding the blue Wolf Tooth hubs laced into Enve SES 4.5 rims since late July. Sunny, dry late-summer miles are hardly Minnesota’s "Salt Season", so any verdict on bearing life will have to wait. I have, however, used INNERDRIVE in Enve wheels previously without issue, which gives me confidence in the mechanism inside these new shells.

The looks certainly deliver. I like the hub's angular shapes and the way the machining gives the hubs character beyond their colour. Alongside the matching Wolf Tooth details elsewhere on my Blackheart, they make the build feel uniquely mine. The finish remains pristine, too, without a scratch or ding despite some questionable off-road choices.

Enve says it has no plans to offer colourful hubs itself, so this is one way to bring that personal touch to an Enve-equipped build.

Freehub sound is personal, but with the 40T Pro ratchet fitted, this setup sits on the quieter end of the spectrum with just a pleasing buzz.

Wolf Tooth sent along alternative ratchets to try, and swapping them was remarkably painless. I particularly appreciate the retained internals. With other systems, I've misplaced a spring or two when the freehub body came away while swapping cassettes or changing a tyre. And watching Keegan Swenson search for lost freehub springs in the gravel at Unbound this year only reinforced the appeal of keeping those small parts in place. To me, it's an easily overlooked but much-appreciated detail.

At $729.90 for the set, Wolf Tooth's hubs are close in price to White Industries’ offerings, and below Chris King’s $890 R45D Centerlock pairing. It’s very much a premium purchase, but priced in familiar territory for riders considering colourful hubs for a custom build.

With wetter weather approaching all too soon, I’ll continue testing these in less favourable conditions. For now, Wolf Tooth’s distinctive machining, coordinated colours and straightforward ratchet swaps are a compelling package.

POC has finally launched a suitably radical successor to the Tempor, the time trial helmet that started an aerodynamic revolution when it debuted at the London Olympics back in 2012 – and was possibly the first to be compared to Spaceballs on social media.

The Swedish brand’s headline claims for the new Sonal, which was used by EF Education-EasyPost in the Tour de France, are a 15-20 watt saving at 60km/h and a lower weight, but the most groundbreaking is that it comes in two shell widths so that both narrow- and wide-shouldered riders can achieve as optimal an aero profile as possible.

POC doesn’t claim it, but this must be the first TT helmet that comes in different shell sizes for the same head circumference. Our Tech Editor Aaron Borrill has been riding the medium over the tail end of his TT season.

There will be more Spaceballs comparisons, but POC is better than most people realise at explaining the real science behind the sci-fi aesthetics. Before the Tempor, time-trial helmets were teardrop-shaped almost without exception, with long, tapered tails that released airflow smoothly off the back of the rider’s head. Additionally, a lower-volume helmet was considered to be better simply because it was a smaller object to push through the air. But POC’s approach with the Tempor was to make the helmet an integral part of the rider’s overall profile rather than treating the head as an isolated object.

It was big and bulbous instead of sleek and long, and POC admits it took time for the Tempor to win over doubters. It was ridiculed, and Gustav Larsson, with whom it was developed, finished only 16th in the 2012 Olympic time trial, four minutes behind gold medallist Bradley Wiggins, who was wearing the classic teardrop design.

The Tempor seemed in danger of falling out of favour with the pro racing world (although it was always loved by the UK time trial scene) and POC played it safe with the stubby, more versatile Cerebel in 2014. Then Dan Bigham revived the Tempor in the latter half of the decade with his HUUB-Wattbike track team, winning national and international team pursuit titles and then using it with the Danish quartet when he masterminded their world record-breaking ride in 2020.

So POC relaunched the Tempor and rival helmet brands responded with similar designs with larger frontal profiles as the idea of making the head an integral part of the rider’s whole profile became mainstream.

The next giant leap came when Giro unveiled the Aerohead II at Paris-Nice in 2024: an enormous nosecone design that pushed the outer limits of the UCI’s bounding boxes and elicited a similar reaction to the POC Tempor 12 years earlier.

Perhaps POC should have been first to punch that particular missile-shaped hole through the air, but the Sonal looks likely to have made up any lost ground with its elongated front and contours at the side and rear, which closely follow the human body, and it may well have gained some ground by offering two shell widths.

As is now well understood, there’s no absolute fastest helmet – their aerodynamic performance is very dependent on the rider’s individual body shape and position on the bike. A helmet that’s fastest in the wind tunnel for one rider might not be fastest for the next, but by offering two shell widths, the Sonal is designed to test faster for a broader range of riders. POC says: “Results from testing with the [EF Pro Cycling] riders show that with both widths of the Sonal there was a significant improvement in aerodynamic performance. Tested against the already very fast POC TT helmets and at speeds we typically see in modern TT and track events, 60kph, the Sonal delivers average savings of 15 to 20 watts.”

POC advises riders with shoulders narrower than 37cm to choose the narrow size, while those with shoulders wider than 37cm should choose the regular size. Measurement is taken at the outer shoulders in a TT/aerodynamic position.

Both the narrow and regular width shells share the same internal helmet size, spanning head circumferences 51-59cm – covering most small to medium-size heads. This means riders get a shell matched to their shoulder width without worrying about head-size fit separately.

The Sonal is built to international protection standards and certified to EN and CPSC. POC also says that the wider form and internal structure, which are optimised for deformation in a crash, also provide an additional safety buffer. There’s no Mips rotational impact protection system.

Despite the larger surface area, the Sonal is relatively lightweight at a claimed 440 grams for the narrow and 490 grams for the large. The Tempor is 520 grams and the Giro Aerohead II 570 grams.

It’s available in ‘Hydrogen White’ and 'Uranium Black Matt' and it’s priced at €600/ £550 / $660. That’s a little bit more expensive than the Aerohead II but below the Kask Mistral 3.0, as worn by Filippo Ganna.

POC Sonal – first ride impressions

Tech Editor Aaron Borrill has been testing the POC Sonal – here are his initial thoughts.

I first caught a glimpse of the POC Sonal at the Tour de France Grand Départ, where it was being field-tested in the wild by EF Education-EasyPost on Stage 1’s team trial in Barcelona. As an ardent time triallist and resident tester here at Cycling Weekly, I managed to twist POC’s global director of PR Damian Phillips’ arm and had one delivered to my house just a few days later.

Having spent much of the early TT season using the Giro Aerohead II Mips, it was an easy transition as the two share some design similarities – the front overhang and elongated proportions. The big difference between the two helmets is the weight: the Sonal is lighter (my medium weighed 435g) and doesn’t feel as pronounced or weighted when lifting the head or moving side to side. The fit is good, too, and tailorable via the retention dial at the rear.

Damian made a point of emphasising the two size options – regular and narrow (riders with shoulders narrower than 37cm), which has aerodynamic and fit implications should you get that wrong. With medium-sized shoulders, I opted for the regular version, which fits my shoulders and back almost perfectly. It’s worth noting that time trial helmets don’t fit like regular helmets, and you’ll need to position it so that you’re looking just over the bottom of the visor when in the time trial position. Often, this means the visor is sitting well above your field of view when you’re standing, almost tilted backward. You’ll need to experiment with this so the tail and shoulder interface aligns as intended when stretched out in the extensions.

If there’s one area I’d like improved, it’s the helmet strap and buckle system. I’m a big fan of magnetic buckles and would like something like this included on the Sonal in the future. That said, the straps are easy to manage with no flappy ends – once you’ve arranged the straps to fit your chin, any excess strap can be doubled over and inserted into the fabric keeper.

In terms of performance, it’s hard to quantify whether the helmet truly is as fast as claimed. Without empirical testing in a wind tunnel, this would be guesswork, but it does require a disciplined position, as the long tail and elongated front/rear design will act as an airbrake if you’re moving about and not locked in. Of the six open time trials I’ve used the Sonal for, all of them (bar one) felt incredibly fast. I’ve managed a 25-mile personal best and recorded four sub-20 10-mile times, including two course personal bests and my first sub-20 minute Bentley 10 on the H10/8 in Hampshire, known for its wind-exposed layout and grippy and challenging surface. The one occasion I struggled was in heavy, turbulent crosswinds where I felt the helmet catching the wind. As such, I’d personally only use the Sonal in conditions where there's a block head or tailwind, or if the wind is calm to mild.

I’ve got two more time trials remaining, including some testing with AeroSensor in the coming weeks, after which I’ll file my final thoughts and write the review.

It was one of the most iconic moments of the season. The sight of Mathieu van der Poel, walking back against the race on the Trouée d’Arenberg at Paris-Roubaix, to get back to his original bike, after the wheel had been changed. He still managed to finish fourth.

In between puncturing at the start of the five-star sector and remounting his bike, Van der Poel had attempted to get on his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen's bike, not realising in the mayhem that there was a cleat-compatibility problem. You see, Philipsen was running what we now know are the new Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, with SPD-SLR cleats, while Van der Poel was on the old model, and still using SPD-SL, which we know and love.

The new Dura-Ace pedals, R9300, do not work with your old SPD-SL cleats, but instead with the new SPD-SLR versions. Hence the merry dance Van der Poel went on on the cobbles. There is an element of backwards compatibility, with SPD-SLR cleats fitting into SPD-SL pedals, but it is not recommended, and doesn't feel great.

The reason why Van der Poel's chaos matters is that it could happen to you, too. Obviously, you're unlikely to be swapping bikes with a teammate in a high pressure situation at the biggest one-day race of the year, but plausibly, you could find yourself in a bind if you have multiple bikes and want to use the new Shimano SPD-SLR ecosystem.

Essentially, if you want to make the most of the stack height advantages, and make sure everything matches up, you need to get new Dura-Ace or Ultegra R8200 pedals to go with the new cleats. These don't necessarily require the new S-Phyre or RC810 shoes, but if your shoes do not have a lot of aft and fore adjustment built in underneath, then your preferred cleat position might not be possible.

Of course, you could use the new grey cleats, which retain adjustment, but that then negates any advantage that the new lower stack height brings. If you're also willing to deal with the worse nature of using SPD-SLR cleats with your old-style pedals, then you can do that too.

Do the advantages of reduced stack height mean every rider should be rushing out to the shops for the new system, though?

I asked Andy Turner, performance coach and wind tunnel optimisation expert, for a bit more info: "I’ve tested the SRM pedals and they do feel a bit better connected and maybe a bit more direct for sprinting but a couple of millimetre reduction is not going to be something particularly tangible to most consumers. It does help a little bit and also reduces the centre of mass as well as the coefficient of drag by a minuscule amount. There is essentially is no downside to it. But it’s not something that I think people need to flock to to see some magical gain and improvement."

Therefore, it might be the sort of thing that you update when you need new pedals, or get a new bike, rather than something ride-changing that needs to be sorted now. However, be warned, that if you start changing pedals on one bike, then you probably should do it for all, unless you want to have different shoes for different bikes. At £199.99 / €229.99 / $300 for the Dura-Ace pedals, or £139.99 / €160.99 / $200 for Ultegra, however, it might start to add up.

One other thing that should be of comfort to Van der Poel, does he find himself walking along the Trouée d’Arenberg again, is that the new cleats are easier to walk in. With their lower height, and slightly-redesigned rubber grippers, I've found the new cleats the best road versions I've ever trotted around in. It's not revolutionary, but it is better, just like the whole new SPD-SLR ecosystem.

The third-generation Canyon Grail has plenty to live up to. The previous model won at both Unbound and the UCI Gravel World Championships. But Canyon seems confident its changes will only strengthen the Grail’s racing pedigree, calling it “the fastest, most accomplished gravel race bike out there”.

The newest iteration is offered in three guises: CFR, CF SLX and CF, with the ‘fastest’ tag attached to the CFR model. Claimed frame weights are 989g, 1,095g and 1,128g respectively.

Testing the bike for CW has been video manager Jamie Williams, who called the changes a “revolution rather than an evolution”.

Perhaps the most notable of the changes is the increased tyre clearance. Reportedly, this was a product of working closely with Rosa Klöser, who won Unbound in 2024. Her move to Canyon, we’re told, was based in part on the promise of a gravel race bike that would allow for tyres as wide as 2.25.

Canyon says this marked a turning point in the development of the third-generation Grail, which boasts clearance for tyres as wide as 57mm, with 4mm to spare (although the bikes will ship with 45mm as standard).

Unsurprisingly, the Grail is now compatible only with 1x groupsets.

Klöser provided ample justification for her demands by winning The Traka 360 on the Grail CFR’s racing debut. And as Canyon is keen to point out, if the likes of Klöser are all in on running 50mm+ tyres to help them go faster over challenging terrain, then it’s likely a good solution for any gravel rider who enjoys tackling tough trails, whether they have a number pinned on their back or not.

Clearly, off-road performance is the focus here, with getting to the trails via the road a means to an end.

If ‘wider is faster’ has been gravel’s hottest debate of the past couple of years, then aerodynamics has been a close second. Seemingly every new gravel race bike comes with substantial aero claims, but when developing the new Grail, Canyon says it focused only on realistic scenarios. Testing at the GST Wind Tunnel in Immenstadt used a moving leg dummy and focused on 35km/h, which the brand deems “real-world gravel race pace”.

Canyon says it tested its prototype against leading machines, including Factor’s Ostro Gravel and Cervelo’s Aspero-5, as well as the previous-generation Grail. Using control wheels and a 45mm tyre width, it bested its rivals, albeit by less than half a watt in the case of the Aspero-5. Throwing on 55mm tyres it still proved faster than the Gen 2 Grail fitted with 40mm rubber.

While you might assume that the increased tyre clearance requires more than a few tweaks to the Grail’s handling geometry, Canyon says the only change is to the wheelbase, which has been lengthened by 10mm. Otherwise, the handling characteristics of the previous model remain intact, with a consistent 71.5-degree head tube angle and 69 mm trail values across all core frame sizes.

The aim is predictable, stable handling, with the rider’s weight balanced at the centre of the bike to help with cornering.

The overall geometry has shifted, most notably in the reduced stack height. The new Grail is 15mm lower than the previous model, which Canyon says enables a more aggressive fit. The CFR and CF SLX versions also feature Pace Technology, which lets riders adjust the cockpit height and width with a single Torx 25 tool; the adjustments allow for 50mm width and 20mm height. It also added a new drop bar option, called Control Drops, which offers 10mm of adjustment to the effective reach.

While the generous tyre clearance should, in theory at least, equate to a more comfortable ride, Canyon has also called in the seatpost to help absorb the shocks. The VCLS post is the same as the one used on the brand’s Endurace CFR road bike and, according to Canyon, delivers 25% more compliance than a rigid post.

Another feature born from the needs of the self-sufficient racer that benefits the everyday rider is the inclusion of the Load down tube storage, featured on both the CFR and CF SLX models. Canyon has also teamed up with Cyclite, the Bavarian bikepacking brand, to create two lightweight and waterproof bags - a midloader and a top tube - that work seamlessly with the Grail to avoid any aerodynamic issues. The former uses a ‘push-to-release’ mechanism that's designed to make it a cinch to install and remove.

The adaptability options don’t end there. All three models feature Gear Grove, a ‘cockpit interface’ that lets you fit lights and a computer, plus adjustable aero extensions if you fancy taking on an ultra-endurance challenge. Both the CF SLX and the CF are also compatible with Defend Fast Fenders.

Canyon is launching a new set of gravel wheels alongside the Grail, the GR 50 CF carbon wheelset. Featuring a 50mm deep rim with an internal rim diameter of 27mm, they come specc’d on two Grail models - the CF 7 AXS and the CF SLX 7 Di2 - as well as being available as an aftermarket purchase.

Canyon Grail CF SLX 7 - first ride impressions

CW's Video Manager, Jamie Williams, has been testing out the bike – here are his early thoughts...

The third generation of Grail hasn’t been kept much of a secret after being raced at the world’s biggest gravel events throughout 2026, but we now have all the details and have managed to swing a leg over the mid-tier CF SLX model ahead of its launch, so here are our initial impressions.

I think it’s fair to say that the new Grail is a revolution rather than an evolution, with some massive changes over the outgoing model.

The stat that is sure to grab the headlines is space for up to 57mm tyres, matching the new Factor Elara and Scott Addict Gravel. For me, this is a welcome change, as it was one reason I overlooked the previous generation and opted for a Lauf Seigla instead (which also has space for my favourite 2.2in Continental Dubnitals). This has been made possible by a clever solid chainstay on the driveside and the switch to making the frame 1x compatible only – for me, that’s not a deal breaker, although it might be for some people.

Canyon has also published plenty of aero claims about the new bike with some unsurprisingly favourable data of the new Grail compared to bikes such as the Cervelo Aspero 5 and Factor Ostro Gravel, but the most interesting data for me was the fact that the new Grail is faster than the outgoing version fitted with 40mm tyres even with the new one fitted with 55mm tyres – another nail in the coffin for ‘narrow gravel tyres’.

Out on the trails and tracks of South Wales, the new Grail has certainly been fast; it’s also surefooted and finds a good balance between agility and stability. The ability to fit wider tyres has undoubtedly made it a more versatile bike. I also like that the bike comes with an adjustable cockpit, and the fitted bags are a nice touch. In fact, they’re the first frame bags that I haven’t taken off at the first opportunity; they’re lighter than most, fit the frame excellently, and the quick-release system is genius.

The internal frame storage has also worked well, and the system is much less rattly than competitors' systems I’ve used. The Grail CF SLX 7 Di2 model I’ve been riding will retail for €3,999 / £3,899, which is a lot less than I expected. This model also comes fitted with Canyon’s new GR50 CF in-house wheelset, which has performed well, although it is hookless, which not everyone will be delighted about.

The bike feels excellent when up to speed and is impressively smooth and comfortable, however, as impressive as the bike has been - I have found a few (minor) drawbacks although most are easily remedied…Firstly, all of the new bikes ship with 45mm tyres; to me, this is like having a supercar and then never using the top half of the rev range. Like I say, easily remedied, but you'll probably need another 100 quid or so to get the most out of this bike. Secondly, the GR50 CF wheelset has been very good overall, and the DT Swiss 350 hubs are a solid, reliable spec choice. I did, however, wish it had a higher-engaging freehub, and I’d certainly invest in an upgrade kit if I bought this bike to make it feel more instantaneous on slower, techy climbs.

The hardest thing to remedy with the Grail CF SLX 7 Di2 model that I tested is that it's no featherweight, with a claimed weight of 9.5kg. A 1,100-gram frame weight means that this is almost entirely down to spec choice. The Shimano RX715 cassette is heavy, and the wheelset isn't the lightest either at 1,675 grams. With that in mind, I personally find the 9.1kg, €3,499 / £3,499 SRAM Rival-equipped Grail CF 7 a far more attractive proposition.

Overall, there’s been a host of welcome updates to the Grail platform, and Canyon has been busy bundling a lot of changes into a package that performs very well. If you want a gravel bike to race on or to traverse everything from road to MTB territory as fast as possible, then the Grail is definitely worth considering.

Model lineup and pricing

The pro-endorsed CFR comes in two builds, with SRAM RED XPLR AXS and Shimano GRX Di2 800 groupsets. Both bikes are equipped with 50 mm DT Swiss GRC 1100 wheels as standard.

Grail CFR Di2: £6,200 / $7,999 / €6,500
Grail CFR AXS: £7,600 / $8,999 / €8,000

The CF SLX, described by Canyon as “the privateer’s favourite” is available in two builds: the CF SLX 8 AXS with SRAM Force XPLR AXS groupset and DT Swiss GRC 1400 wheels, the 7 CF SLX 7 Di2 with the aforementioned GR 50 CF carbon wheels and a Shimano GRX Di2 700 groupset.

Grail CF SLX 7 Di2: £3,899 / $4,999 / €3,999
Grail CF SLX 8 AXS: £4,799 / $5,999 / €4,999

Finally, the entry-level CF 7 model is offered with a SRAM Rival XPLR AXS groupset and Canyon GR 50 CF wheels, and with a mechanical Shimano GRX 600 groupset and carbon Newmen Advanced G.34 wheels.

Grail CF 7: £2,499 / $3,499 / €2,499
Grail CF 7 Speed: £3,499 / $4,299 / €3,499

All models are available in seven sizes, from 2XS to 2XL.

Component giant Shimano has launched a new range of products, marking a move away from SPD-SL, with top-of-the-range shoes, pedals, and cleats announced on Thursday.

SPD-SLR represents the first update to the Shimano road cleat system since it was introduced in 2003, with the famous yellow, blue or red-bottomed cleats being refreshed to go with the latest Dura-Ace and Ultegra pedals.

The news comes half a year after the prototype cleats were spotted at Paris-Roubaix and were partly responsible for ending Mathieu van der Poel's chances of victory.

The latest generation of S-Phyre shoes, Dura-Ace and Ultegra pedals, and a new cleat system have been engineered together in a quest for a better connection. Whilst it might seem obvious, as Shimano states in its press release, "every watt begins at the rider’s foot", and the brand felt there was low-hanging fruit available.

Called SPD-SLR, Shimano says the integrated platform utilises "lower stack height, faster engagement, lighter components and simplified fit adjustments". And rather than redesigning each shoe, pedal and cleat from scratch, it has instead sought to refine "every interface where power is transferred from shoe to cleat, cleat to pedal and rider to bike".

It’s generally agreed that a reduction in stack height, which is the difference between the height of the centre of the pedal axle to the ball of your foot, leads to more power. How much is up for debate, but reports suggest that for every millimeter the height is reduced, the cyclist gains a 1% increase in power. The SPD-SLR system reduces stack height by 2.3mm, which Shimano says not only improves power transfer but also "enhances bike control whether climbing, sprinting or riding at threshold."

"We did a lot of testing; we did testing on bike fit, testing on road with different types of riders," Edoardo Esercizio, product planner at Shimano Europe, said at a launch event. "The real thing that improves is the contact point, and how attached you feel to the bike. You will notice. You won’t feel that you’re lower, because 2.3mm isn’t much. Some riders don’t even change the saddle height.

"The big improvement is the sensation that you have a connection with the bike, there’s basically no wobbling or air gap between the cleat and the pedal. When you’re sprinting, you really feel it. Above 500 watts, you don’t have the sensation that the cleat isn’t really attached. It’s one piece. You can’t see improvement in watts, as these are marginal gains. It’s about the feeling and connection you have with the bike."

New cleats

The system also promises faster engagement. Shimano says that by creating a "wider catch zone", as well as narrowing the engagement angle - down to 10.5° from the 15.5° on SPD-SL - it enables riders to clip in more quickly, increasing confidence in the process. They are, apparently, also easier to walk in.

The redesigned CL-SL120 cleats, available in three options with float ranging from 0 to 3 degrees, are also claimed to be 22% lighter than the SPD-SL equivalents. The familiar red, blue, and yellow-bottomed cleats remain, with 0, 1, and 3 degrees of float, respectively, but the oblong washers are no more. The new cleats are £24.99/€28.99 a pair.

There’s also a fourth option designed to help riders using fixed-mount outsoles to transition to the new SPD-SLR system, in grey, with the oblong washer. However, these don’t offer the lower stack height or weight-saving benefits. It’s also important to note that the SPD-SLR cleats are not backward compatible with SPD-SL pedals, but can be used with existing SPD-SL shoes, albeit without the low stack benefits of the new ecosystem. Unofficially, the new cleats do fit into old SPD-SL pedals, but this is not manufacturer-recommended.

The Dura-Ace pedals will be shipped with yellow cleats. The introduction of SPD-SLR does not mean the end of SPD-SL, importantly.

"Shimano will continue to support the SPD-SL system with a full range of cleats – as long as there is a meaningful need from riders and the market, we intend to continue supporting the system," a Shimano spokesperson said this week. "Continued support is important given the significant number of SPD-SL products that have been sold and are still being used by riders worldwide.

"This is consistent with our approach to other legacy road components. For example, we continue to supply brake pads for previous-generation road brake calipers to ensure long-term support for existing users."

New pedals

This SPD-SLR system makes it debut on Shimano’s new Dura-Ace PD-R9300 and Ultegra PD-R8200 pedals and the low-stack height isn’t the only headliner. The Dura-Ace pedals feature an injection-molded carbon-composite body and an integrated stainless steel contact plate designed to add interface stiffness and improve engagement.

Shimano says the pedals are 11% stiffer than the PD-R8200 model, thanks to a new axle design with wider bearings that better distribute the load. The heat-treated axle and the refined bearing surfaces help to reduce rotational resistance by a claimed 53%. A pair will cost £199.99 / €229.99 / $300, which is intriguingly cheaper than the RRP for the old top-of-the-range pedals.

The Ultegra PD-R8200 uses the same SPD-SLR architecture but swaps the carbon-composite body for a lightweight resin one. The stainless steel contact plate remains, and the Ultegra version will cost £139.99 / €160.99 / $200.

New shoes

The final piece of the SPD-SLR puzzle are the shoes. The range-topping S-Phyre SH-RC910 features a carbon fibre heel cup with Shimano’s Anti-Twist tech, a carbon mid-sole and a ‘surround-wrap’ upper, with two Boa Li2 dials allowing for a precise fit. Shimano says the lower stack height, improved stability, and lower weight make for a shoe that lets the world’s best “maintain efficient power delivery from the opening attack to the final sprint”.

The shoes come with wider lasts, thanks to Dynalast 2.0, with the regular pair widened by 3mm at the front, and 2mm at the back. They also offer more fore-and-aft adjustment underneath.

They are available in blue, white, and black, and in wide, narrow, and regular varieties, and will cost £389.99 / €449.99 / $525.

The SH-RC810 model takes its cues from the S-Phyre model with some shared details, such as the Boa Li2 dials, the same external heel stabiliser and a carbon midsole that features a hollow channel to allow for water drainage and improved ventilation, but comes with a more affordable price tag. That's £319.99 / €369.99 / $400.

Continental has launched a new 32mm version of its Grand Prix tyre, recognising “the shift in consumer behavior and industry trends”.

First of all let’s establish that the Grand Prix is a different tyre from the Grand Prix 5000, the flagship road race model ridden in the WorldTour. According to Conti, it “inherits proven technology from the iconic Grand Prix 5000 range to offer cyclists the ultimate blend of performance and durability. The robust three-ply construction and Continental’s BlackChili Compound deliver an optimal balance of reliable puncture protection, exceptional grip, and low rolling resistance.” You could say it’s what we used to call a training tyre. It’s obviously much cheaper, too. The Grand Prix 5000 S TR, as used by the Conti’s WorldTour teams, is listed at £84.95 on the brand’s own website, whereas the Grand Prix is around £30 cheaper.

It’s not exactly news that a tyre is now available in a wider size – this is something that’s been happening over the last few years, with the pros now routinely riding 30mm tyres. The Grand Prix 5000 S TR is even available in 35mm. Perhaps what’s interesting here is the ambiguity in Continental’s press release. Does the “shift in consumer behaviour” that Continental talks about refer to the growing frustration with tubeless tyre tech – the faff, the mess, the compatibility issues and so on – by everyday riders rather than the ever-increasing width?

Continental launched the affordable all-rounder Grand Prix range last year, but it clearly lavished all the attention on the tubeless Grand Prix TR version, making it available in 25mm, 28mm, 30mm and 32mm sizes while the standard tube-type Grand Prix was only available in 28mm and 30mm. It seemed to be something of an afterthought, there to pay lip service to the ‘old’ technology. But now, with the growing popularity and accelerated development of lightweight, durable TPU tubes, Conti appears to have realised – without exactly spelling it out in the press release – that there is now a strong case for tube-type again, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

It’s not only that tubes take away the faff, the mess and the compatibility issues – the construction of the tyre also generally results in a lower system weight. Look at the claimed weights of the tubeless-ready Grand Prix TR in 32mm compared with the new 32mm Grand Prix. The tubeless tyre weighs 395 grams while the tube-type is 340 grams. Add 30ml of sealant per tyre – about 30 grams – to the Grand Prix TR and Continental’s own ContiTPU tubes for 25-35mm tyres – 35 grams each – to the Grand Prix and you’re saving about 100 grams per pair. And there’s arguably no better place to save weight than in the wheels.

There’s obviously a much wider debate to be had that goes beyond weight and has to account for rolling resistance. In its independent testing of the Grand Prix TR, Bicycle Rolling Resistance found that Continental managed to get a respectable performance from a relatively heavy, robust casing. So just because it’s lighter, the 32mm Grand Prix will not necessarily be faster. The new tube-type tyre is as yet untested, but it will be interesting to see how it performs.

The other potential downside of tube-type compared to tubeless is, of course, the risk of pinch flats at low pressures. However, the Grand Prix is a road tyre, not an all-road tyre, and it’s unlikely many consumers would run it ridiculously soft for riding on tarmac. And the bigger the volume – 32mm is quite voluminous for the road – the less likely the pinch flat.

So for many riders, the balance is tipping back in favour of tubes, and for them, having the same width options as tubeless is only right and proper.

In the world of bicycle wheels, where bigger is regarded as better almost without exception, Hunt appears to be going against the flow with a new, completely overhauled and redesigned version of its Adventure Carbon Disc.

But why?

The current narrative in the mainstream bike industry might be that 650b is dead, with 32in wheels emerging as the next big thing, but Hunt says the core alt cycling community knows better. “At Hunt, 650b never left,” it claims. “Enjoying the benefits of massive, high-volume tyres shouldn't require buying an entirely new frame. Honouring the rugged roots of gravel cycling, the 650b concept allows riders to unlock a plush, highly capable ride on their current setups.”

To rewind, 650b wheels played a major part in the early gravel boom a decade ago because the outer diameter of a 700c tyre (40-45mm) and a 650b tyre (2.0-2.2in) are very similar. In the case of 650b or 700c, swapping wheelsets for different types of terrain didn’t drastically alter a bike's geometry. But then frames started to get more clearance, 700c came back, and now the huge 32in is looking unstoppable.

“We see this overhaul as a love letter to ‘old’ bikes,” says Hunt. “It’s about keeping your favourite gear running longer while unlocking the sheer fun of riding big rubber.”

So how are the new Adventure Carbon Disc 650b gravel wheels different from the originals? In a nutshell, they’re 71g lighter at a claimed 1,390g, the internal rim is 1mm wider and the maximum tyre size increases to 65mm, while the carbon rim has been redesigned for greater impact resistance. Hunt has incorporated its H_Core technology into the new rims, which means using a pultruded carbon core within the rim sidewalls. “Pultruded” splices pull and extruded and is a process that pulls reinforced fibres through a heated mould filled with liquid plastic resin. Hunt says this reduces porosity in high-stress areas and improves impact resistance, making a set of rims that it says are built to withstand the “harshest singletrack beatdowns, even on a fully loaded rig”.

As for the dimensions, the old rim had an internal width of 26mm and was 33mm wide externally. The new one has 27mm internal and 32mm external, so the new rim is fractionally wider internally and narrower externally by the same amount. The new profile is designed for supporting bigger tyres: Hunt says it’s optimised for 45-60mm tyres, and it works with rubber from minimum 35 to maximum 65mm.

Hunt has also used preformed carbon angular spoke patches to protect against spoke pull-through, while the 28-spoke build uses Sapim D-Light double-butted stainless steel spokes and brass nipples with the conventional J-bend interface.

The hub is upgraded from an older six-pawl version to a 36-tooth, nickel-coated ratchet system with extra sealed bearings for increased durability.

Claimed weight is 1,390g for the pair. The price hasn’t changed: £949, as before.

It’s refreshing to see a brand let consumers stick with an older standard and upgrade a compatible product rather than making it obsolete, as the cycling industry is often fond of doing. And of course, extending the life of a bike rather than persuading us to throw it away and buy a new one is the kind of sustainability message that's too often missing.

Meanwhile, from a practical point of view, some aspects of the 650b standard can’t be beaten, even by 32in. A wheel with a smaller rim can have a lighter overall weight – Hunt’s new wheelset is a perfect example: impressively light, and it still has steel spokes rather than carbon.

The smaller wheel is not only lighter but also nimbler, accelerates faster because the rotational weight is closer to the hub, and can feel more responsive. Sure, it doesn’t roll over large obstacles as efficiently as a 32in, but that’s only one aspect of off-road riding.

Manoeuverability is arguably more important on technical terrain. Perhaps most crucially, as is frequently pointed out, 32in is simply too big for small frames, resulting in unmanageable toe overlap or too-long steering geometry. The 650b is a much better option for smaller riders.

Those are the arguments: in conclusion, it looks as though the 650b is alive, kicking, better than ever, and here to stay.

The Caad platform is known for its sprightly performance and robust build quality, which has endeared it to many fans over the years. However, with the Caad13, Cannondale took a risk, designing a bike that looked and felt more like the carbon SuperSix Evo, diluting its heritage and design architecture despite retaining an aluminium construction. While this didn't ruin the bike's dynamic character, it did move away from the hallmark features of the original recipe.

To rekindle the original's traits, Cannondale redesigned the frame once again, returning it to its roots. The new blueprint blends past and future, paying homage to the double-diamond architecture without pandering to contemporary trends or aerodynamic principles.

Cannondale says its intentions were “to create a bike that stays true to aluminium instead of trying to mimic carbon shapes, while building on the material’s natural strengths to deliver a fast, responsive ride.”

The real question however lies in whether there's still a place for aluminium road bikes in today’s aero- and carbon-fibre-obsessed landscape, and more importantly, can the Caad14 deliver both as a racer and everyday riding rig?

Design details

The focus of the new Caad was to engineer an aluminium frame with no carbon-fibre bike design influences. That meant returning to classic angles and tubes that shun truncated aerofoils in favour of more retro themes – and the Caad looks superb as a result.

The frame is constructed from Cannondale’s proprietary SmartForm C1 alloy tubing, oversized and with smoothed-out welds so clean they’re hard to see. In fact, during my testing, many passersby couldn't tell the bike was aluminium and were convinced it was a carbon-fibre frame. I like the clean look, but intentionally leaving the welding beads visible as an aesthetic choice would have reinforced Cannondale’s “not carbon, not sorry” tagline. The welds, however, are more visible on the raw-alloy finish of the range-topping Caad14 1.

While I appreciate the Cherry Lacquer colour and chevron overlay on the toptube, I feel Cannondale played it safe with the paint and graphic design on the full builds. The Rally Red frameset colourway or Team Dream livery is more in line with the Caad vibe, and I feel the brand should have run with those designs across the range for maximum visual impact. The current full-build colours are, dare I say, a bit too boring and don't match the Caad's personality or modus operandi for that matter.

The double-diamond design features high-mounted seat stays reminiscent of the Caad12 and second-generation SuperSix Evo – a refreshing visual that boldly middle-fingers the dropped seatstay and aerodynamic cookie-cutter facades of contemporary road race bike design. While the premise of the Caad14 is largely its aluminium construction, the fork and seatpost are made of carbon, a move not just to reduce weight but also to improve ride feel and rear compliance.

Weight was not a massive focus for the Caad14 project, but the bike is not what you’d call portly – of course, some component choices have inched its gram count up, but also helped keep the price relatively low - notably the wheels. As such, our Caad14 weighed in at 8.9kg in size 54cm.

The lack of mudguard mounting hardware points to its race-bent design, which also sees UDH compatibility, a switch from press-fit BB30A to the threaded 68mm BSA bottom bracket standard, and an increase in tyre clearance (up from 30mm to 32mm).

In terms of sizing, there are six options spanning 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm, which are two sizes less than the outgoing model. The geometry is very racy and not too far removed from the current SuperSix Evo, nor its predecessor, for that matter.

In size 54cm, the Caad14 matches a 71.3-degree head angle to a 73.3-degree seat tube angle - not a far cry from the SuperSix Evo - while the stack and reach figures are basically identical at a respective 540- and 386mm. The 415mm chainstay and 58mm trail are the same across all sizes, with the latter matching the SuperSix Evo.

Specifications

For the money, you get a decent mix of components, including a SRAM Rival AXS groupset with a 48/35T, 10-36T drivetrain. There is an alloy Vision Trimax Aero bar and a Cannondale Conceal C1 stem, along with a 27.2mm Cannondale Save carbon seatpost with an external clamp and a Prologo Nago RS STN saddle.

If there’s one area that needs addressing, and I felt the same way about the Synapse Carbon 4 I tested last year, it’s the DT Swiss wheels, the E1800 Spline model in this case. Sure, they’re durable and reliable, but they’re heavy and hold back an otherwise sound package. At this price point, I'd have expected at least a set of DT Swiss ER 1600 Spline carbon wheels.

I suspect prospective competitive riders may want to buy a separate wheelset if they want to race. Still, a carbon wheelset would have done wonders to bolster value, not to mention feel and communication, too.

Performance

It’s been a while since I last tested an aluminium road bike, and the Caad14 delivered in every respect. It’s a lively, agile machine, with the firm ride quality to match.

Our Caad14 test bike came fitted with 28mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres and inner tubes, so there was only so much I could do to improve plushness and soften imperfections. While alloy frames are known for their firm ride quality and stiff frame properties, I also feel relocating the seatstays into an upright, more traditional position has perhaps heightened road buzz.

In terms of straight-line speed, the Caad14 is perfectly adept at going fast – don’t let its round tubing and old-school architecture fool you. It accelerates well and does well to maintain momentum thanks to its responsive underpinnings. Sure, you can feel the system weight on the climbs, but it doesn't negatively impact the experience – in fact, I was very impressed by the way the Caad14 responded to out-of-saddle accelerations up punchy climbs.

The sporty ride character and alloy construction do come with some drawbacks, particularly the firm ride quality, but you can mitigate this to some degree by fitting wider rubber (the Caad14 can accommodate up to 32mm-wide tyres) and lowering tyre pressures. It’s super-stable during tight, technical cornering manoeuvres, showing its prowess when darting from left to right, and scything down descents with poise and precision.

In many ways, the Caad14's geometry flatters the rider, but it's not perfect, and some of this might be down to the wheels. Despite the durability they might offer over a season, the heavy alloy wheels ruin the bike's overall dynamic character. In fact, they feel more like a cost-saving measure than a genuine consideration. Thankfully, this can be upgraded, and I expect many prospective buyers to do so as their first port of call.

Value

Overall, the specification list is solid, and the Caad14 delivers a sporty, detailed experience that inspires confidence in the twisties and descents. The geometry is racy, which might limit its appeal somewhat, but for the pure racer and rider wanting a sprightly, durable machine, the Caad14 is a compelling choice.

However, some concerns remain. Some might argue the lack of mudguard integration and carbon wheels let down an otherwise sound package, especially at this price point – and I tend to agree. At £3,700/$3,999/€3,999, carbon wheels are non-negotiable, especially when you consider the increasing value threat posed by Chinese race bikes rolling off far-east production lines.

That said, the Caad14 range is diverse, and if price is a concern, there's a £2,500/$2,499/€2,499 model available. It keeps the carbon fork of its stablemates and is available in two classic colourways - black or white - but ditches electronic shifting for mechanical Shimano 105. As the entry point into Caad ownership, most of the components are aluminium, including the wheels, cockpit, and seatpost, which will no doubt increase the weight, but at this price, there’s scope to upgrade parts down the line as you need them.

Scoring breakdown

Tech spec

• Price: £3,700/ $3,999/ €3,999
• Brand: Cannondale
• Frame: Caad14, SmartForm C1 Premium Alloy
• Fork: Caad14, carbon
• Weight: 8.9kg (actual, 54cm)
• Sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61cm
• Levers: SRAM Rival AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Rival, 160/160mm front/rear
• Rear derailleur: SRAM Rival AXS
• Front derailleur: SRAM Rival AXS
• Crankset:  SRAM Rival 48/35T
• Bottom bracket: SRAM DUB BSA
• Cassette: SRAM Rival 10-36T
• Chain: SRAM Rival
• Wheels: DT Swiss E1800 Spline
• Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro IV 28mm
• Bar/stem: Vision Trimax Aero, Cannondale C1 Conceal
• Seatpost: Cannondale Save Carbon, 27.2x350mm
• Saddle: Prologo Nago RS STN

When I reviewed the original Enve Melee, my headline was: "You had me at fender mounts."

That probably wasn’t the sentence Enve expected to define its race bike, which was aerodynamic, responsive and raced at the Tour de France by TotalEnergies.

But gravel pro Alexey Vermeulen took it even further when he won the 2022 Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego on one, muddying the bike’s identity before it had even reached customers.

But those fender mounts pointed to something important: the Melee was a serious road racing bike, but it didn’t demand that every ride, or rider, be quite so serious. With 35mm tyre clearance and wet-weather practicality, it was remarkably easy to live with. Rode beautifully, too.

The Melee V2, unveiled today, is markedly different. The mounts are gone, official tyre clearance has shrunk to 33mm and the front end is lower. The frame is lighter and every millimetre seems to have been revisited in pursuit of speed.

Enve has made the Melee V2 pointier, sharper and more overtly race-focused. The Utah-based company says that is exactly the point.

Lately, the bike industry seems intent on trading its well-loved Swiss Army knives for surgeons’ scalpels (RIP Crux 4). But before we lament the loss of another beloved and versatile bike, here’s why the Melee V2 makes perfect sense for Enve, and why I’m stoked to test it once I get my chassis built up.

The original Melee had to do everything

When the first Melee arrived in 2022, it was Enve’s only production road bike beyond the made-to-order Custom Road.

"We were a little more conservative with it, and it kind of needed to be the road bike for everyone," Enve’s Neil Shirley told Cycling Weekly.

The Fray changed that calculation. Despite its more upright position, clearance for 40mm tyres, in-frame storage and fender mounts, it still feels very much like a performance road bike, only with more versatility. It is for riders who may no longer pin on a number every weekend but haven’t lost the urge to go fast. A bike that, in my opinion, most of us should be riding.

"For most people, including us, the Fray is probably the bike that we really should be on," Shirley agreed.

With the Fray now available to carry Enve’s all-road and real-world responsibilities, the Melee no longer needed to serve such a broad spectrum. However, it also created a bit of a problem for Enve as the three models on offer sat rather closely together. Now the range is clearer: the MOG is the gravel bike, the Fray is the fast, versatile all-road bike, and the Melee is the race bike.

"That [distinction] really allowed us the ability to take the Melee V2 more extreme in terms of the fit," Shirley said. "We have the full range of drop-bar bikes now. Let’s really sharpen this one."

And they left no stone unturned.

The TotalEnergies bike that arrived too late

Unfortunately, Enve has produced its most uncompromising race bike at a time when it finds itself without a top-tier team to race it.

Enve’s two-season relationship with TotalEnergies ended before the new bike was released, but the team’s influence is embedded in it, Enve says.

"We were halfway into our first season with TotalEnergies when the development process really began," Shirley said. "By the time we weren’t working with them anymore, that bike was done."

Development was driven by requests for a lower position, less weight and better aerodynamics without losing the original’s ride quality. I asked Enve directly whether this was the bike it wished it had been able to give TotalEnergies.

"One hundred percent," Shirley replied. "That’s really where so much of the development comes from."

Due to its agreement with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Enve does not expect to outfit another top-tier road team with its frames in the foreseeable future.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG has exclusivity, focusing Enve’s racing development on components and wheels only.

The Melee V2 won’t be absent from competition, however. Enve continues to support a broad roster of athletes and smaller programmes across road, gravel, triathlon and mountain biking.

Faster by subtraction

The Melee V2 is a purebred racer. You can read our launch story for the details, but here are the key figures:

• Enve claims a 791g frame in a size 56, around 60g lighter than before, and says the complete system is 17 watts faster.
• Frame surface area is down a claimed 7.5 per cent.
• Enve says the two Melee frames are not meaningfully different in measured stiffness, although the original’s thicker, more mid-modulus laminate may filter slightly more road buzz. The company believes the Melee 2’s thinner seatpost and wheels help compensate.
• The head tube is slimmer and deeper, using smaller headset bearings similar to those we've previously seen on bikes such as the Specialized Venge.
• T47 has given way to a BSA bottom bracket.

Perhaps the most welcome change for long-time Enve users is a lighter, two-bolt saddle clamp replacing Enve’s current divisive design. Jake Pantone acknowledged that the existing system has been a "love-hate" feature for some customers and suggested the new hardware could eventually spread across the range.

"At some point, the answer is probably yes," he said. "There’s nothing currently being done with that at the moment, but it’s likely that we’ll be migrating away from that wedge design."

All in all, Enve says the Melee V2 feels "more pointed", "more racy" and "a little snappier" than the first Melee.

Those are Enve’s impressions, not mine. At least not yet. On paper and standing in my garage, however, the bike looks like a rocket ship.

The minimal finish is gorgeous, too, allowing the carbon construction rather than layers of paint and graphics to do the talking. It looks purposeful from every angle. I can already identify the weakest component in my eventual build: its rider. Me.

If the frameset shows how far Enve was willing to go, the cockpit demonstrates that no watt was considered too small to chase. The cockpit features thin, airfoil-shaped drops and ships with optional pads for added comfort. Meanwhile, exceptionally minimal "aero tape" is intended to save 1.5 watts over conventional bar tape. The frame even comes with aerodynamic, frame- and position-specific bottle cages.

Considering handlebar tape as an aerodynamic liability may be the clearest indication of the new Melee's priorities.

But what about us fans of the OG Melee?

It would be easy to frame the missing fender mounts and narrower tyre clearance as losses. I loved the original because its well-roundedness and thoughtful details added comfort and convenience rarely found on race bikes. It handled like a charm and was, if you will, a race bike for the people.

The new bike gives some of that breadth away. And yes, the Melee V2 may leave some fans of the original behind. But Enve hasn’t abandoned those riders; it has given them the Fray. And the Fray is by no means a consolation prize. As mentioned, it is arguably the better proposition for riders who don't pin on numbers. The Melee, meanwhile, can pursue all-out road-racing performance.

I won't prejudge a bike for being honest about its purpose. On looks and intent, the Melee V2 is exciting: focused, impressively light and unapologetic about the rider it wants.

I may miss the fender mounts (we’re nearing autumn, after all) but I’m also very keen to find out what Enve gained by leaving them behind.

The Enve Melee entered the professional peloton with the TotalEnergies Pro Cycling team in 2024, just two years after its launch. Although the American company is better known for its components and for supplying teams such as UAE Team Emirates with bars, stems, and wheels for years, its first mass-produced road bike was bound to get heads turning – especially when it made its debut at the Tour de France.

And then there were the idiosyncratic details, for a WorldTour-level race bike at least, that included tyre clearance up to 35mm and bosses for mudguards.

Despite the partnership with TotalEnergies ending, the Melee is back. And the second iteration appears to be more serious than ever – in fact, our North American Editor has already got her hands on one. The U.S. brand describes it as a "world-class, benchmark WorldTour-level race bike," delivering aerodynamic advantages while still allowing lightweight builds that meet the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg.

Claimed frame weight is 791g.

A casualty of these goals is the tyre clearance, which is reduced to 33mm, perhaps an indicator that priorities have changed a little. While the original Melee was a great fit for elite racers wanting a little more practicality and comfort, at the sport’s highest level these considerations pale in comparison to out-and-out speed.

Enve says the reduction in clearance improves aero drag savings and reduces weight, while still allowing for the use of higher-volume tyres that are now prevalent.

To improve both weight and aerodynamics Enve has approached the areas together, which it says “removes the trade-off between a lightweight climbing bike and an aero race bike without sacrificing the responsive ride characteristics the [original] Melee is known for.”

Given that the two bikes look similar, it’s no surprise that the differences are subtle rather than drastic, but with a cumulative effect that, Enve believes, is pronounced. It’s becoming standard practice for race bike designers to think holistically, treating the bike, the components, and crucially the rider as one, rather than creating a frameset in isolation. This latter approach seems to produce bikes that impress in wind tunnel tests but suffer in real-world use.

To avoid this, Enve compiled its wind tunnel testing using real riders, seemingly going another step further than the moving-leg mannequins that contributed to the design of new race bikes such as Specialized’s Tarmac SL9. In essence, a moving rider significantly affects airflow, and the Melee 2’s tube shapes were designed to let this air flow through the legs and onto the rear of the bike without disruption.

So what does this look like?

Enve says the frame’s total surface area has been reduced by 7.5%, and it’s now 11.4 watts faster than the original. This figure accounts for the new seatpost, which, along with the frameset and other components, was designed with aero expert Simon Smart and developed at the Mercedes-Petronas Wind Tunnel at Silverstone.

A noticeable example of the refinements is the headtube shape, which appears both slimmer and deeper than before, and which Enve says is lighter and more aerodynamic, adhering to the two main principles of the redesign. As a result, a new headset was required, with smaller bearings.

The holistic approach to reducing drag includes the SES Aero Road bar wrapped in Aero Race Tape, which Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates teammates have put to good use, and the Aero bottle cages. Wind tunnel tests have long shown that bottles and cages reduce aerodynamic efficiency, but since staying hydrated is essential for any cyclist, let alone WorldTour riders, limiting these losses through intelligent design is the best approach. If the claims are accurate, the improvements are noticeable. Enve says the bars and tape save three watts, while the aero cages and bottles save 2.6 watts. Added to the frameset, the Melee 2 is 17 watts faster than the outgoing model.

The approach to reducing the weight of the Melee appears to also have focused on small, incremental changes that together make a significant difference – the claimed weight of 791g makes this second iteration some 60g lighter based on a size 56. This starts with the aforementioned reduction in the frame's total surface area. The frame also boasts a new ‘ultralight clear over raw carbon’ finish with minimal graphics that is said to weigh 31g, lighter than a traditional paint job.

Two areas already mentioned are also contributing factors: the reduced tyre clearance and the aero seatpost. The latter features a new two-bolt design that is 28g lighter than the post used on the previous Melee. A switch to a BSA bottom bracket from a T47, and the adoption of the UDH standard have also helped drop weight; Enve says the BSA is 30% lighter.

Geometry numbers are what you’d expect for a modern race bike. A size 56 has a stack of 564.7mm and a reach of 393.3mm. The stack is some 5mm lower than before, and when combined with the new SES bars adds up to a reduction of 11mm. Fork rake changes across sizes - 47 to 60 - to keep handling characteristics uniform, while the seat tube length increases on larger sizes to allow for more flexibility with the fit.

Builds and pricing

The Melee 2 is offered in several builds:

Pro Red - £13,199/ $13,950
SRAM Red 2x AXS drivetrain, SES 4.5 PRO wheels, Enve Aero PRO One-Piece Bars with ENVE handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.

Pro Force - £11,399/ $NA
SRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.

Foundation Red - £8,899/ $NA
SRAM Red 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.

Foundation Force - £10,779/ $NA
SRAM Force 2x AXS drivetrain, SES wheels, Enve SES AR One-Piece Bars with Enve handlebar tape, SES Road tyres.

Melee 2 Frameset - £4,399 $5,000

Melee 2 Frameset with cockpit - £5,299/ $5,800

Due to the vagaries of the weather, the transitional autumn season can be a tricky one to get right when it comes to your kit selection. Temperatures can still feel somewhat summery, while humidity can also be a factor. However, rain is increasingly a threat, and some days it feels distinctly like winter.

So what sort of kit should we be looking to wear in these conditions? Are there items we should definitely include in our wardrobe? And are there some that may be superfluous for many but whose specialist nature makes them worthy of attention for some?

Having spent three years riding for a UCI team and seven as a BC Elite rider, I'm no stranger to putting the miles in when the weather isn't playing ball. Here's my advice for kitting yourself up to ensure you never miss a ride just because it looks grim outside...

The basics

The foundation of any cycling kit is a really great quality cycling jersey and a pair of the best bib shorts. This should cover you from around 16˚C / 60˚F and upwards.

As the weather drops below this, adding some lightweight essentials can help keep you warmer. Arm warmers and leg warmers are useful here, given they can be stripped off and shoved in a pocket if you start cool and the ride heats up. A mesh base layer can also help maintain temperature when it gets cooler, but also when it gets warmer.

Since autumn often brings rain, a packable waterproof jacket is a smart addition. We lose body heat via evaporation of water off the skin, usually as sweat, but in the rain this accelerates the process, especially when travelling at speed; when it rains, it drops the effective temperature.

A long-sleeve showerproof jacket can reduce this cooling, but breathability can be an issue. This is where one of the best cycling vests, or gilets, helps: they keep your core warm while allowing greater breathability.

Starting a ride in the rain

Some days, we walk out the door straight into the wet. The key is to create a barrier against the rain, and the easiest way to do that is with a hardshell waterproof jacket. A general rule of thumb for waterproofs is a water column rating of 10,000mm. Fit and stretch also impact actual waterproofing, and sometimes lower-rated jackets can be just as waterproof, if not more, than higher-rated ones.

You also want a jacket that has a degree of breathability. In the PFAS era of ShakeDry jackets, this was easier to find, but the ban on PFAS products has made it harder to find a jacket that effectively balances keeping you dry without creating that dreaded 'boil in the bag' effect.

Since waterproofing and breathability are harder to find together, look for other features. A two-way zip lets you unzip from the base of the jacket to improve breathability without sacrificing protection as much. You can also find jackets with breathable panels around the armpits or sides, where rain is less likely to hit.

In addition to the jacket, overshoes and gloves are key. Waterproof overshoes and gloves keep the two areas with a higher concentration of nerves as dry and warm as possible.

Temperatures dropping below 15˚C / 60˚F

When it dips below 15˚C / 60˚F, we're likely to switch from short to long. Lightweight, long-sleeve jerseys and tights become the norm, as do base layers. Again, mesh layers work well here because they trap a layer of air, which can both insulate and cool depending on external temperatures.

As we drop below 10˚C / 50˚F, a thicker base layer is often ideal and still lets you get away with lightweight long sleeves. However, lightweight long-sleeve jerseys don’t offer weatherproofing, so a durable water repellent (DWR) coating gives you more flexibility in how you use them.

A good balance is a long-sleeve jersey/jacket with DWR that also has some breathability at the back, where weather like rain has less impact, while still allowing better cooling. As mentioned, a two-way zip further improves the functional usable temperature.

Navigating wintery weather

As temperatures drop, insulation is key. Fleece internal linings help trap body heat and prevent cold outside air from penetrating. Typically, this is 'jacket weather', where windproof and weatherproof outerwear is essential.

Overshoes and gloves also become heavier-duty at this point; rather than just blocking wind, they need to trap heat as well. Fleece lining is sometimes used on these items, but make sure the fit isn’t too tight, especially when choosing the best winter gloves. If there is no space between your fingertips and the glove, it is easier for cold to transfer through the fabric and into your hands. Air is a great insulator, so a layer of that between your fingers and the fabric helps keep them warmer.

You will also likely look for a base layer with neck protection to help keep your neck and airways from getting cooler. This can also reduce your risk of picking up upper respiratory infections.

How to dress for the harshest of conditions

The harshest conditions - freezing temperatures with biting winds and some bouts of cold rain - are when the elements try to thwart you, but getting through them leads to some epic tales. High levels of insulation are required to keep your core temperature from dropping, so you'll likely need heavily fleeced, insulated jackets and heavier-duty winter bib tights as well. Forgoing some flexibility and freedom of movement is well worthwhile, even doubling up with leg warmers under tights in some cases.

You can also add a waterproof layer to keep the elements out and the heat in. Meanwhile, a balaclava or snood covering your nose and mouth can significantly take the chill out of the air, while gloves can become so heavy-duty that, in some cases, they are fully waterproof and offer less dexterity.

The key essentials to get you through the AW period

The list of kit items you need to cover all bases in different weather conditions could be, potentially, a long one indeed. However, you can cover most of these areas with smart layering and some crossover use of items.

For milder autumn weather, you can get away with shorts and a jersey, plus some arm and leg warmers, perhaps a sleeveless mesh base layer, and then a gilet for when the temps drop to the lower teens.

As it gets cooler, bib tights and a long-sleeve jersey/jacket that features a two-way zip, some weatherproofing up front, and more breathability at the rear will work from around 5-15˚C / 41- 59°F, depending on how you layer. A long-sleeve mesh layer and the aforementioned vest or gilet will cover you across a good range of conditions. Meanwhile, a waterproof layer ensures you're protected if the weather turns wet. Lightweight gloves work well too, and rainproofing features reduce wind chill factors considerably.

Even when riding in lower temperatures, I still find the same jersey and gilet, paired with a heavier-duty base layer and snood, is enough. The add-ons? Leg warmers under tights for extra protection, and rainproof overshoes under the tights to keep rain out. A waterproof can work well as an extra wind layer at this point, as long as you keep moving. Where I would invest, though, is gloves, as cold hands can make any ride fall into disarray. Fleece-lined and weatherproofed is ideal.

The one thing I wouldn’t bother with is thermal socks. They can change the fit of your shoes, and once they get wet, they can get cold; extra pressure between your foot and shoes can make this worse. You are far better off investing in rugged overshoes to keep water out, as this will keep your feet at a good temperature.

Earlier today, a video of Canyon-sponsored rider Aenni Faye fitting new Pirelli 55mm tyres to an unreleased Canyon gravel bike popped up in our feeds. The video was posted six days ago, but this afternoon other Canyon-sponsored riders have posted similar teasers, all of which quote 17/09/2026.

We assume this is the date the new bike will officially launch; the leaked model looks very similar to the bike our Video Editor, Jamie Williams, spotted at Eurobike.

This possible launch tease comes after a swath of new aero gravel race bikes have broken ground, including the Van Rysel RCR-G, Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 and the Factor Elara, all of which launched in the last week. Not to mention a number of aero gravel bikes launched earlier in the year, like the latest Specialized Crux 5, which launched back in May.

With the UCI Gravel World Championships just over a month away in Nannup, Australia, it should come as no surprise that Canyon potentially has a new gravel bike on the way – especially as the brand has a real chance of taking the rainbow bands with Traka 360 and 2024 Unbound XL winner Rosa Maria Klöser.

So, what do we know about this new Canyon gravel bike?

It's clear from Aenni's video that this new Canyon has phenomenal frame clearance – the tyre she fits is a new Pirelli Cinturato EVO TLR 55mm/2.1in. Once fitted, there looks to be decent clearance at the chainstay and seat tube, which suggests that, like the Crux 5, Canyon is aiming for at least 55mm with generous mud clearance. They may be stretching it further, though, towards 60mm/2.3in like the Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0, which offers up to 58mm.

The video also makes it clear that this new gravel bike has significantly more 'aero-profiled' tubing. The slightly elongated headtube junction is matched with a very straight, flat-looking top tube, and the usual wing-profile down tube.

The most significant change appears to be around the seat tube, a stark departure from the current Grail design and clearly developed in tandem with the latest Endurance CFR.

The Seat tube now looks considerably more 'aero' and features a more dramatically dropped seat stay design. These changes aimed to deliver not just aero performance, but a more forgiving ride, which is understandably welcome on any gravel bike.

Whats next?

It's still unclear whether this will be a new Grail. Canyon has several franchises within its gravel range, including the Grizl; however, since it has used the Grail name for previous 'gravel race' models, this is the most likely option. It could also follow the brand's latest updates to its Endurace range by being branded as the top-tier offering, CFR.

As the social media posts suggest, Canyon look likely to release more information on this new bike on 17/09/2026. Until then, we will have to wait and see. If what CW Tech Editor Aaron Borrill had to say about the Endurace earlier in the year is anything to go by, then we are all looking forward to seeing what this new bike has to offer.

Orbea has announced a recall of 2019 and 2020 Optima urban e-bikes due to a potentially weak welded joint in the middle of the frame that could cause it to break while in use.

According to the UK government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards, which has issued a notice, affected consumers should stop riding the bike immediately and take it to their closest Orbea dealer for a replacement frame.

To check whether a bike is included in the recall, owners should locate the stamped code on frame – near the bottom of the seat tube below a bar code sticker – and If the code contains “19A”, it belongs to the affected batch and is subject to recall. The 19A characters will be within a longer sequence of alphanumeric characters such as the SNK1N19A featured in the circulated image.

The Optima has a step-through frame made from hydroformed aluminium tubing and is assisted by a Mahle Ebikemotion X35 250W rear-hub motor with a battery that’s integrated into the down tube. It was praised for its weight of around 17kg – light for a bike of this type.

There are Asphalt and Comfort versions of the Optima, which are both at risk.

We reached out to Orbea for more information about the recall – what caused the faulty joint, how many bikes are affected, are the affected frames distributed globally or just in the UK and European markets, why did it take six years for the fault to be discovered – but we haven’t received an answer as yet. If we do, we’ll update this story, but it’s standard practice for a brand to issue a recall notice and then not supply any more details beyond the official wording – which is perfectly clear.

However, law firm Leigh Day, the legal partner of British Cycling, ran the details of the recall on its website last month and included a quote from product safety solicitor Philippa Wheeler: “Structural failures in bicycles and e-bikes are particularly serious because riders can have little or no warning before a component fails. Cyclists rely on the safety of their bike when cycling, and catastrophic failures can cause serious and life-changing injuries.

“It is vital that anyone who owns an Orbea Optima e-bike checks whether their model is affected and stops riding it immediately if it is included in the recall. This is yet another reminder that consumers should be entitled to safe products from the point of purchase.”

At the beginning of the year Specialized issued a stop-ride notice for its Turbo Como SL urban step-through e-bike due to a potential for the head tube to crack, while at the end of 2025 Trek recalled around 700 electric gravel and road bikes due to an issue with chainring bolts.

Earlier this week, LeBron James teased his newest Canyon bike on social media, and eagle-eyed observers were quick to note how proportional the 6-ft 9-in, 250-lb basketball star looked on it. That could mean only one thing: 32-inch wheels.

And indeed, Canyon Bicycles has now confirmed that it has made a custom Grizl for James, pairing a custom 3XL frame with 32-inch DT Swiss wheels. It is Canyon’s first gravel bike built around the emerging wheel size, and James could hardly be better suited to testing it.

"Big wheels, big tyres, let’s roll!" James said as he set out for a group ride on the new steed.

"On most bikes I’ve ridden, I was aware of the bike, where it didn’t fit me, what I was working around. This is the first one that I didn’t have to think about. That’s what I love most about riding. It’s just you out there and everything else is gone."

Despite its experimental construction, Canyon stated that the Grizl is "neither a prototype nor a display model."

Instead, Canyon calls it a custom bike "engineered from the ground up for a 6’9” athlete whose size very few production frames are designed to accommodate."

Canyon’s engineers eagerly welcomed the opportunity to design something specifically for the NBA star.

"It was the perfect excuse to explore the use of 32-inch wheels on an adventure bike,” said Grizl Design Engineer Matej Sömen.

An Extra Extra Extra Large Grizl

The bike is based on Canyon’s Grizl adventure platform, which James selected after what the company described as extensive deliberation, some "late night scrolling," and real-world testing.

"Gravel doesn’t have to be Unbound. You don’t need a 200-mile race to enjoy a gravel ride," said Riley, referencing the bike’s versatility.

"Still, at the end of the day, the Grizl is a high-performance machine that perfectly supports where and how LeBron actually rides."

Creating a performance gravel bike for an athlete of James’ proportions presented Canyon’s engineers with an unusual set of demands. Rather than stretching an existing Grizl frame, which tops out at size 2XL, the company developed new geometry and redesigned its carbon construction.

Simply extending the tubes would have introduced too much flex, Sömen explained. Canyon instead worked with specialist manufacturing partners in southern Germany, giving its engineers access to manufacturing methods that had not previously been available to them.

"This was an opportunity to make something genuinely cutting edge, and it took a full engineering team to do it," said Wolfgang Kohl, Canyon’s Lead Engineer, Gravel.

The frameset was manufactured using a high-pressure autoclave, with the main triangle and rear stays moulded as a single structure without bonded sections.

"The parts came out so pristine that they required zero putty, zero grinding and no cosmetic paint," Sömen said.

That construction is reflected in the bike’s finish. Raw carbon remains visible along the top tube and through the Canyon logo on the downtube.

Canyon also manufactured custom CNC-machined Boost thru-axles and an in-house CNC-machined seat clamp, configured specifically to handle James’ power. For functionality, the bike features custom mounts throughout the bike, including the fork, to provide carrying capacity for equipment or additional hydration. At hand off, the bike was built up with a small front rack, just big enough to carry a basketball.

A test of the 32-inch platform

James’ new bike arrives as 32-inch wheels become one of the cycling industry’s most discussed developments. Built around a 686mm rim diameter, the format has appeared on a growing collection of gravel and mountain bikes. Scott showcased its 32-inch RC Gravel prototype at Unbound Gravel, while Salsa, Stinner, BTCHN’ and Mosaic have also released gravel bikes around the larger platform this season.

Component manufacturers are beginning to respond with dedicated tyres, wheels and inner tubes. James’ bike adds another significant piece to that emerging ecosystem, with Schwalbe’s yet-to-be-released 32" G-One RX gravel tyres wrapped around DT Swiss wheels.

Proponents of the larger diameter point to its speed and ability to roll more easily over rocks, ruts and washboard surfaces. While the trade-offs include additional weight and rotational mass, as well as significant geometry challenges.

For an exceptionally tall rider such as James, the biggest gain may be proportionality. Very tall cyclists can find themselves squeezed onto the largest conventional frame available, even when its wheelbase and front centre remain too short to distribute their weight optimally. Designing a custom frame around 32-inch wheels allows those dimensions to grow with the rider, potentially producing a bike that looks, fits and handles more naturally.

James’ Grizl has a massive 680mm stack, 470mm reach and 1,201mm wheelbase, with 476mm chainstays - dimension you rarely see in mass produced bikes.

Canyon says it's using the one-off build to evaluate new construction processes intended to shorten development timelines for future projects and refine the way it develops bikes for professional athletes and the wider public.

"We have a true Canyon innovation story," Sömen added. "We have Canyon’s first 32-inch gravel bike. We have awesome features, we have a killer aesthetic, and we have a rider who has the right bike for the riding he does."

Canyon was quick to note, however, that James’ bike is a one-of-one and not available for sale.

James has been involved with Canyon since 2022 and is a minority shareholder in the German company. In 2024, the two launched "Find Your Freedom," a cycling advocacy campaign intended to encourage more people to ride. Canyon also began providing bicycles to the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I PROMISE Program in Akron, Ohio.

The partnership builds on James’ lifelong connection to bicycles. Growing up in Akron, he rode to basketball practice, visited friends and explored the city on two wheels.

LeBron James’ 3XL Grizl

• Drivetrain: SRAM Red AXS XPLR, 38T chainring, 10-46T cassette
• Wheels: DT Swiss XR1700 32“
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-ONE RX
• Handlebar: Canyon Gravel Cockpit CP0039, 16 deg. flare
• Frame size: 3XL

Geometry:

• Seat tube length: 625 mm
• Top tube length: 642 mm
• Stack height: 680 mm
• Reach: 470 mm
• Head tube length: 194 mm
• Chain stay length: 476 mm
• Wheelbase: 1201 mm
• Head tube angle: 71.2 deg.

Scott's Addict road and gravel bikes have a 19-year legacy in the peloton, but their latest edition is taking a different route. 'Find yourself, get lost' is the slogan, and given how it rides, it seems fitting.

The new Addict Gravel that we rode at the recent launch in Germany is designed for everyday performance rather than the elite racer. They're better served by the Addict Gravel RC. This means enough versatility to tackle a variety of trails or even a bikepacking trip across a continent. Having said that, we think it's still perfectly capable for anyone who does want to compete.

Compliance is key

While many of the best gravel bikes focus on low weight and greater aero savings, this Scott Addict has placed a premium on compliance. Not that it's heavy. At 8.4kg for the Premium build it’s a reasonably lightweight bike, especially given the huge 50mm wide tyres.

Tyres that size run at a suitable pressure will naturally give compliance, but it was also central to the design of the frame. It has a high degree of vertical flex in the seat tube, with a claimed 60% increase in vertical compliance over its predecessor, and 30% more vertical compliance at the front, thanks to the bowed fork leg design.

Stiffness, pedalling efficiency and confident handling haven't been sacrificed, but both the HMX and HMF fibre builds are around 5% less stiff than on the performance focused Addict road frames.

Scott has pushed the boundaries of carbon tubes with 8.5mm-wide chainstays that house the brake cables. Whereas other frames I have tested with similar design principles have lacked lateral stiffness in this region, the Addict Gravel has retained it well.

The Addict's finishing kit has also been updated with compliance in mind. The seatpost features an impressive degree of deflection, which the team at Scott demonstrated to the gathered press by attaching a weighted rig.

They've done this predominantly with the use of a large cutout at the rear, similar to that of the Scott Foil race bike. This feature alone accounts for the majority of the vertical compliance at the rear of the bike. Quite brilliantly, it also provides attachment for a rear light.

The bars are a brand-new design featuring a forward sweep and outwards flare for better wrist clearance. Their flexion helps absorb some of the vibration we all encounter on the trails. They also have an optimised drop shape that means you can almost roll your hands from hoods to drops to maintain control in hazardous moments, while also better aligning the brake levers, improving on some bars that twist the hoods inwards slightly and thus alter the ergonomics.

Adventure machine

In addition to the compliance, the Addict Gravel has also been created around the use of 50mm tyres. With a claimed 57mm of clearance, it means large 55mm tyres can be fitted while anything less wide will have plenty of clearance when riding in the mud. But this frame goes beyond just having room for larger tyres, basing many elements of its geometry around them.

If you go from riding 30mm road tyres to, say, 55mm, your position is raised, altering the headtube angle in relation to the ground, as well as increasing the trail. In essence, if you design a bike around smaller tyres and then fit larger ones, it will feel excessively slack at slower speeds and lose agility. Meanwhile, switching the other way will lead to a twitchy ride feel, hence why Scott designed the frame geometry around 50-55mm tyres deemed most suitable for the bike’s purpose. To do this, it dropped the bottom bracket and also increased the fork rake to preserve the desired ride characteristics with wider tyres.

I'd agree that the larger-width tyre is well-suited to the sort of riding this bike is designed for. If you’re tackling the ‘road less travelled’ then wider tyres will offer more grip on wet and loose surfaces, provide greater rolling resistance on rough terrain, and much greater levels of comfort for longer and more adventurous rides, which was, according to Scott, the entire purpose of this bike.

Aero isn’t everything

Refreshingly, during the launch presentation, there was not a single mention of aerodynamic savings for this bike compared to the previous version – or any other frame, for that matter. I love aero-optimised equipment, but I despise the current gravel industry standard of providing single-figure aero savings at 45km/h. These are highly imperceptible to almost any user and, frankly, irrelevant to most of us.

The Scott Addict Gravel still features components such as an integrated one-piece handlebar with aero tube profiling and a D-shaped seatpost. Meanwhile, integrated cables and cut-off aerofoil tube shapes will undoubtedly assist aero performance compared with those without. But those design elements were never the focus, and the bike is all the better for it. Compliance and practicality have been sought, along with a bike that is pleasing to the eye, resulting in something that has the necessary performance attributes but, more importantly, is a joy to ride.

In-built and ready to roam

Scott introduced the idea of a single tool to cover most of the bike with the Addict RC. Here, a tool hidden in the bar end with a T25/H6 head could be used to tighten and adjust almost every component of the bike, as well as remove the thru axles. It was a neat, integrated solution that also saved weight compared to carrying a multi-tool. The Addict Gravel takes this a step further.

Firstly, the same T25 multi-tool remains, and I found it wonderfully easy to use. Adjusting the bars or seatpost using the tool was a cinch. For several of the Addict Gravel models, a tubeless repair kit has also been added with plugs and a fitting dart. The seatpost also features the same clip-in light system as seen on the Addict Road and Foil RC bikes.

If that wasn’t enough, the Save the Day kit has been added under the downtube where it meets the bottom bracket. This includes a hand pump, levers, and TPU inner tube for 50mm tyres. It looks smarter than a saddle bag, weighs less, and drops the centre of mass lower for a marginal improvement in stability. The seal for the hatch is also very secure and can be easily opened even when clogged with mud. Fortunately, I didn’t need to use it, but it was there in case the day needed saving.

Finally, Scott has developed size-specific frame bags with S, M, and L offerings that connect directly to the frame. It’s a very neat solution, and similar in design to the Argon18 Anti Matter system. It uses internal zip-up storage, with a flexible pouch on the exterior that’s ideal for stashing food wrappers and the like. The idea is that your jersey pockets remain relatively unburdened while the bike as a whole maintains a sleek, attractive silhouette. Even the fork bottle mounts are hidden internally for aesthetics, while the bottles are mounted farther back to reduce the steering moment force that would be created by fitting them farther outboard.

Scott Addict Gravel - First ride impressions

To really get to grips with the Scott Addict Gravel, I was hosted in Germany's Black Forest for the launch. We had one 70km ride, and then freedom of choice for routes on the other two days.

The big ride took in a mix of fairly classic champagne-style gravel, some rocky climbs and descents, technical terrain, root-infested singletrack, and some truly horrid steep ascents. We were even graced with a shower of rain, which broke up the humid heat nicely.

The Addict Gravel sizing was spot on for me, with a 58cm frame a great fit for my 192cm height. Saddle height and setback were easily achieved, and although the stack was high and stem was short, it was a suitable position for what was to come.

With 50mm tyres fitted as standard, the bike's geometry feels nicely snappy at the front for quick changes of direction, yet slack enough for good stability. Sharp 180-degree turns on trails were a little cumbersome but nothing to cause concern. It is simply a very easy bike to ride off-road, and after I got the pressures sorted, it felt wonderfully smooth across varied terrain.

The enhanced seatpost and handlebar compliance really showed itself by the end of the three-hour loop on my second day in Germany. More often than not, I get a bit of discomfort on the base of my palm after a longer gravel ride. By the end of the loop, my hands felt fine despite the fairly rough terrain. Equally, I had no saddle discomfort, which was impressive given this was a new saddle, which I often find leads to pressure points.

Another area of the bike that really impressed me was the design of the rear end, and the handling as a result. Over some single track with plenty of rocks and roots to avoid, the shorter chainstays allow for some rapid corrections as the front end avoided the obstacles. It’s an impressively lively bike on this type of terrain, unexpectedly so given the stability when going at speed. This was again highlighted by some ad-hoc route planning for the final day, which took me up some questionable trails. Steep, slippy, rocky, and lacking in gravel, the bike was able to be easily manoeuvred up the climbs to find the best traction.

I was initially hesitant of the one-by gearing only on the frame, as I often prefer two-by. However, given the terrain we covered, I never felt I was missing a gear with the SRAM Force XPLR groupset, while the chain retention was fantastic.

As mentioned, I appreciate that the bike does not chase aero performance or watt savings. The lateral frame stiffness at the BB is sufficient to transfer power to the ground effectively, but seeking comfort is itself a performance gain for longer gravel events. It also has the wonderful effect of making the Addict Gravel a joy to ride on pretty much any off-road terrain. It's good enough to use for gravel races, but the focus is on adventure. I would argue it compromises on neither at the speeds most riders will tackle in gravel events.

Let’s see how that holds when I get one to take around the UK and some MTB trails in the Forest of Dean and Wyre Forest.

Builds and pricing

There are four frame options available, with the standard Scott naming convention: the higher-end model referred to as the Premium, and other models progress down from 10 to 40 in intervals of 10.

The Premium HMX frame build comes with SRAM Red XPLR 13-speed and a claimed weight of 8.4kg, with a 794g frame shaving 75g off the previous iteration. This and the Addict 10 HMF frame models, which use Force XPLR, all feature the Save the Day kit, handlebar tool, and tubeless kits. They also come fitted with the Fulcrum Sharq wheelset and Schwalbe G-One RX PRO Evolution 700x50C tyres as standard.

Moving down to the Addict 20, the tubeless kit is removed and the bar and stem become two-piece rather than the one-piece integrated Syncros SYN IC-R501-CF2. Meanwhile, the Addict 30 moves to SRAM Rival XPLR and Syncros Capital GR 35 CF II wheelset and misses out on the power meter and Save the Day kit. Finally, the Addict 40 switches to Shimano GRX 1x12 mechanical gearing, the only non-electronic model in the range.

All models are 1x only and come with a bespoke chain guard designed for the supplied chainring size. Frames range from XXS-XXL sizes.

• Scott Addict Gravel Premium – £7,999 / $10,499 / €8,999
• Scott Addict Gravel 10 – £5,799 / $8,499 / €6,499
• Scott Addict Gravel 20 – £4,999 / $6,499 / €5,449
• Scott Addict Gravel 30 – £3,499 / $4,799 / €3,999
• Scott Addict Gravel 40 – £2,499 / $3,499 / €2,699

Originally launched in 2023 as a more relaxed answer to the racy Dogma X, the new Pinarello X Series continues its role as a pure endurance model, focusing on comfort and control and providing riders with a "bike designed for long hours in the saddle". The new model follows hot on the heels of the new Dogma X and, according to Pinarello, is a way to “bring new customers to the brand.” With that kind of statement, pricing will always be key, and the Italian company has a broad range spanning myriad specifications, carbon grades and price points.

As expected, the geometry numbers are more relaxed than those of the Dogma X, but not at the expense of handling or rider-bike connection. In fact, the frame angles remain untouched over the outgoing model, blending compliance with traditional endurance numbers, and the result is a very impressive ride. To further bolster its appeal among riders who enjoy mixing up road surfaces, maximum tyre clearance has been increased from 35 to 40mm, allowing a broad mix of rubber options – and even the possibility to run narrow gravel tyres should you wish to explore further afield.

It’s a good-looking bike, quintessentially Pinarello, and while it cuts a similar figure to the Dogma X, the two bikes couldn't be any different in terms of application. Both are aimed at opposite ends of the endurance category, with the X Series catering more to the everyday rider than competitive racer.

We spent some time in Italy’s Treviso region sampling it on a variety of road surfaces to get a feel for how it performs in the real world.

Creature comforts and X-Stay 2.0

Like the Dogma X, the new X Series incorporates Pinarello’s updated X-Stay arrangement that uses a double-arm, four-point configuration that attaches further down on the seat tube/seat stay junction than before, claimed to reduce road chatter and vibrations. It also carries over the same elliptical steerer tube design used on the Dogma X and F, which reroutes the brake hoses down the front of the headtube rather than along the side. It also helps protect the carbon steerer from damage caused by hose rub and is also said to improve front-end stiffness and connection.

Pinarello has also taken the decision to incorporate in-frame storage into the X Series, again, a move that helps distinguish the X Series’ inentions from the Dogma X. The integrated access port in the downtube just under the bottle cage, houses a bespoke, elongated tool bag which can be used to store tools and a spare tube – binning the need to use a saddle bag or other on-bike storage solutions.

There’s also a new D-shaped adaptive seatpost, included to work together with the X-Stays to help smooth out road imperfections and vibrations coming through the frame. It uses the same design as the seatpost used on the Grevil F, while also reducing weight and delivering 10mm of longitudinal flex.

In a move to help the X Series appeal to more riders, Pinarello has increased maximum tyre clearance from 35 to 40mm. Not only does this help future-proof the platform, but it also adds a sense of utility that is lacking in some of its rivals, many of which top out at 38mm. The provision for tyres as wide as 40mm, also opens up the possibility of fitting gravel tyres - albeit skinnier options - and allowing riders to traverse terrain previously reserved for dedicated gravel bikes. The ability to shoehorn a knobbed gravel tyre into both ends really proves the versatility of the bike and illustrates Pinarello’s modus operandi here.

Different layups, different weights

The X Series uses totally different tooling and frame moulds to the Dogma X – no rehashed cost-saving measures here. Pinarello was adamant about not watering down the brand cachet, but rather ensuring riders experience the same level of exclusivity as any other model in the range. That said, to ensure a mechanical option in the range, the entry-level X1 still utilises the same frame architecture as the outgoing model.

The X Series is available in three specific carbon fibre grades, providing a spread of tuned layups to suit a wide demographic of rider types – all frames (bar the X1) are UDH compatible. As expected, the range-topping X9 and X7 models comprise Pinarello’s premium TorayCa T900 layup, while the X5 and X3 are constructed using T700 carbon fibre, employed for its vibration-damping properties. The X1 uses T600, which priotises durability over weight saving and responsiveness.

Despite the three layup options, system weights are fairly consistent and par for the course in the endurance bike category. The lightest and only model in the range to dip under the 8kg mark is the X9, which tips the scales at 7.7kg, followed by the X7 (8.1kg), X5 (8.75kg) and X3 (8.85kg). The X1 is the heaviest, coming in at 9.05kg in Shimano 105 mechanical.

Shimano only (except the US)

As you might have gathered, the Pinarello X Series range is only available in Shimano builds for Europe and the rest of the world. Asked about the rationale behind this choice, Pinarello told us that the inclusion of Shimano components was a ‘commercial decision’ for the brand, and that SRAM builds will be available for the US and for some special additions down the line.”

As a result, Pinarello has rolled out Shimano’s entire groupset portfolio across the X Series range, with Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra Di2 underscoring the premium X9 and X7 builds, respectively. The X5 and X3 models are built around the high-value Shimano 105 Di2 groupset, while Shimano 105 mechanical is available only on the entry-level X1 model. As stated earlier, the X1 is structurally unchanged from its predecessor to maintain compatibility, as the X3 and above are compatible with electronic groupsets only.

Since the media event in June, Pinarello has added an X7 SRAM Force AXS build, which is exclusive to the US.

Pinarello X9 - First ride impressions

Despite the relaxed frame angles over the Dogma X, the X Series still delivers a connected and sure-footed riding experience. Having ridden both the racier Dogma X and X Series back-to-back over two days, the differences were stark but not completely disconnected – and clearly illustrate Pinarello’s aim of creating two endurance bikes that sit on either end of the category.

I was assigned the range-topping X9 model (not available in the UK for now), complete with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, which perhaps elevated the sportier side of the X Series platform – the X9 is, after all, manufactured from the brand's premium carbon and festooned with the best components on the market, making for a total system weight of around 7.7kg. Pictured here in Shadow Violet, the bold colourway garnered its fair share of double takes along the 73km test loop around the rolling hills of Treviso. The geometry, while unchanged over its predecessor, seems spot on for the rider demographic it targets.

A quick recap of the numbers places it firmly in the traditional endurance space, with a 72.25-degree head tube and 73.25-degree seat tube angle, a 376.7mm reach, a 588.2mm stack, and 422mm chainstays matched to a 994.3mm wheelbase. They’re not overly relaxed and are still sporty enough to assume a semi-aggressive position should you wish. Most adopters of this platform, however, will be looking for a middle ground that supports comfort, and the 3cm taller stack and 1cm shorter reach over the Dogma F race bike will find favour with this audience as a result.

The X Series feels neither sluggish nor heavy at low speeds and responds well to pedal input from standstill. The frame is stiff in the right areas, particularly the bottom bracket and head tube/ handlebar arrangement, but detail isn’t as vivid as the Dogma X and F – the 38mm Most Competition tyres and wheels are excellent at absorbing imperfections, both on asphalt and smooth gravel. In fact, the grip afforded by 38mm tyres is outrageous, allowing you to carry speed and really lean into corners thanks to the larger footprint. Sure, the wider 38mm tyres will penalise you on the open flat roads, but not by much; if anything, you'll feel the tyres more on the climbs where they squirm under load and during out-the-saddle accelerations and sprints. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the X Series isn't a race bike, and climbing isn't the platform's focus. Either way, it’s no slouch.

Its strong points are unquestionably in the comfort stakes. It softens abrasive roads and takes the edge off on gravel – granted, I sampled it on smooth off-road surfaces. Whether the X-Stays and adaptive seatpost indeed help in this regard is hard to quantify; vibrations seemed less noticeable at the rear end, and traction was decent, too. As mentioned, it doesn't feel hamstrung by the 38mm tyres on the flats. We were traveling at decent speeds on the press ride, and progress was swift. I was more impressed at how stable and confident the X9 was during descending maneouvres. While the wheelbase and longer chainstays do help in this regard, I found the Most Talon UltraFast bar and elliptical steerer provided substantial feel and feedback in the corners, allowing me to lean in with assurance and trust the grip reserves of the tyres.

The X9 is an impressive endurance bike and does possess everything you’d want of a modern road bike, even a degree of all-road ability. If I’m honest, however, I’d have preferred to have sampled an X5 or X3 to have a fuller grasp of the platform and what it offers users further down the range – after all, I feel these two models will prove the most popular with riders wanting to upgrade or move into the Pinarello stable from rival marques. Overall, the X9 felt sublime; loaded to the hilt and with many features previously trialed on its more premium, racy siblings. With so much bling on offer, it’s easy to have a skewed opinion, and that's why I’ll be testing one of the less posh models before giving my verdict on the X Series endurance platform.

Build and pricing

There are five models available from launch, spanning nine sizes (43- to 60cm) and eight colourways, which should appeal to the masses.

The range is spearheaded by the Pinarello X9, which gets an exclusive Shadow Violet paint job and comes dressed in a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with Most Ultrafast 45 DB carbon wheels wrapped in 38mm Most Competition tyres. For now, it's not available in the UK. Pricing is set at $11,000/ €11,000.

Following hot on the heels of the X9 is the X7. Available in both Titan Pulse and Atlas Glow colourways, it gets the same Most Ultrafast 45 DB carbon wheelset and 38mm Most Competition tyres, but drops Dura-Ace for a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset - yours for £6,500/ $8,200/ €7,900.

Both the Pinarello X5 and X3 employ Shimano 105 Di2 groupsets. The £5,000/ $5,500/ €5,100 X5 comes in two colour options: Iron Blue and Amber Trace, and rolls on Most Fast 45 carbon wheels. The X3 differentiates itself by way of aluminium DT Swiss A1800 wheels, but uses the same Most CompEtition 38mm tyres. It will set you back £4,400/ $4,750/ €4,500.

The entry-level X1 is the most affordable option in the range at £3,150/ $2,950/ €3,200. It's an all-mechanical affair, comprising Shimano 105,and is available in a brace of colour options: Racing Red and Racing Black, and gets Most Fast27 wheels.

Campagnolo has announced that SPAC SA, a Swiss-based holding company, has acquired a “minority stake in the company through a strategic investment”, with the Campagnolo family remaining as the majority shareholder.

The Vicenza-based cycling giant, famed for such innovations as the quick-release skewer, has been family-owned since Tullio Campagnolo founded the company in 1933.

Little is known about SPAC SA, but it is said to have “other investments in the cycling industry, including Pinarello” and has been linked to billionaire Ivan Glasenberg, who also owns the Pinarello Q36.5 team and the companies that sponsor it.

Campagnolo says the investment “represents an important step” in its “evolution" and will bring “additional resources and strategic expertise” that will “strengthen its position for the future”. It also says that it “will continue to operate entirely independently” of SPAC’s other investments.

In recent years, Campagnolo has sought to regain its standing after losing ground to Shimano and SRAM in the groupset battle; it didn’t release its first wireless groupset until 2023, with the launch of Super Record 12V. Subsequently, a complete overhaul of its groupset architecture occurred with the release of Super Record 13V in 2025 and the new Record in 2026 – the latter of which was released to fill an obvious gap in the product portfolio, and has helped the brand get back in the game in a serious way.

Campagnolo says that this new partnership will allow it to “accelerate this journey”, as it seeks to “strengthen its technological and product capabilities”.

The brand continued, saying, "With the continued commitment of the Campagnolo family and the support of SPAC as a minority shareholder, Campagnolo is opening a new chapter in its history, with greater resources, a clear direction and renewed ambition to compete at the highest levels of global cycling."

But the announcement also states that the investment will help Campagnolo achieve greater involvement in professional racing, aiming to "strengthen its connection with elite cycling and professional racing, which have always been central to the brand’s identity, innovation and credibility."

Once a supplier to many pro teams, its presence in the WorldTour has dwindled. In fact, Campagnolo currently has no presence in the WorldTour, losing out to Shimano and SRAM, both of whom share the majority – 10 teams currently use Shimano, while 8 are aboard SRAM. At present, Campagnolo supplies equipment to lower-tier ProTeams such as Team Cofidis (relegated from the WorldTour at the end of 2025) and Bardiani–CSF 7-Saber.

With this acquisition and SPAC SA's links to Glasenberg, there's a high possibility we'll see Campagnolo return to the WorldTour next season with Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling.

With summer on the horizon, any dust that may have gathered on the turbo will likely be shaken off in the coming weeks. And if you’re a user of Zwift hardware, you’ll now be able to enjoy Rouvy’s real-world routes as part of your autumn and winter indoor training programme.

Starting today, the indoor cycling app, which Zwift acquired in April, will provide full support for trainers fitted with Zwift’s Cog and Click technology, delivering greater compatibility and virtual shifting from the handlebars. Equally, Zwift Ride smart frame users will be able to enjoy an “always-ready” Rouvy setup; a Rouvy edition of the adjustable smart bike will be available from its online store from 9 September, complete with a set of Rouvy stickers.

But the integration doesn’t stop there. Rouvy has announced that TrainerRoad users will now have the option to complete TrainerRoad workouts using Rouvy’s routes, which feature realistic roads and gradients, and it will soon add new destinations.

The latest real-world locations include remote desert roads in Morocco, the world’s highest paved roads in India and several routes that bring the wilds of Patagonia to your house, garden shed or wherever you happen to do your training.

Rouvy says all the new routes feature its Enhanced tag, which it says means they benefit from “greater visual detail” thanks to high-definition improvements. Rouvy users will be able to add these latest routes, along with others, to a Ride Later collection. Alongside the existing Favourites option, it enables users to create a ‘to-do’ list of rides.

Rouvy also aims to bring an improved community experience alongside the increased compatibility and additional routes. Building on the Clubs, Communities, and In-Ride Chat that were launched in the summer, new Club Challenges are arriving to enhance camaraderie and competition. Rouvy says that 850 clubs and 130 communities have been created in the past two months alone.

“Cycling doesn't stop when the outdoor season changes. This season we're making it easier for riders to stay connected to the roads, goals and people they ride for,” says Rouvy Co-Founder and CEO, Petr Samek. “From full Zwift hardware compatibility and training integrations, to new routes and ways of riding together. Everything we're introducing has the same purpose – helping riders achieve their cycling goals and keep riding throughout the year.”

And if your motivation starts to flag as the weather worsens, Rouvy is introducing more opportunities to ride with the pros. This autumn, beginning in October, it’s releasing a calendar of Group Rides that are led by some of its most notable sponsored athletes, including Wout van Aert, Victor Campanaerts, Tour de France Green Jersey winner Mads Pedersen.

When To Replace... is a feature series in which we explore when one should replace common cycling products like helmets, apparel and various moving parts on your bike. Curious about a particular product? Shoot us an email at anne.rook@futurrnet.com

Tyres have wear indicators; chains can be measured; cleats have colour-coded wear pads. But how do you know when it’s time to remove and replace your handlebar tape?

If your cleats are worn, you can pull a foot out of your pedal. Likewise, if your handlebar tape is worn, there’s a risk of your hands slipping. Handlebar tape is one of a few contact points between you and your bike, so keeping a secure grip is important.

Silca recommends changing bar tape annually with a tune-up, unless the tape is torn or damaged, in which case replace it as needed. Many riders forgo this small detail and ride with torn or worn-out bar tape.

Why neglect this relatively inexpensive and easily maintainable upgrade?

What ages and wears handlebar tape?

While it may seem obvious, the more you ride, the faster you will wear your bar tape. If you ride without gloves, your bare skin can wear bar tape more quickly, as natural body oils, salts and sweat will degrade the tape.

Exposure to the elements also wears tape. If you’re a bike commuter who leaves your bike exposed to sunlight and repeated heating/cooling, this too will more rapidly age your bar tape.

Riding in the rain can allow some water and debris ingress, which again wears the bar tape. And dirt lodged between your tape and bars can cause additional, more significant damage over time.

How worn is ‘worn enough to replace it’?

While some classic bar tape designs remain relatively unchanged – a layer of cork with an adhesive backing – most current bar tapes are constructed of three layers. There's the grippy top "skin" layer, a middle layer of foam or other material for padding, and a base layer (that might also have dampening properties) with adhesive that contacts your handlebars. Wear happens through all three layers: the top can get torn, the middle compressed over time, and the bottom layer can lose its adhesiveness, move or unwind.

Aside from visible signs of wear, one of the first indications that it's time to rewrap your bars is when the tape loses its grippiness. You can also look for any discolouration or peeling in the outside layer.

This no-slip surface helps keep your hands in place with minimal effort in sweaty or wet conditions and directly affects your ability to control your bike. Do you really want to be thinking: "Will my hands slip?" after taking a swig from a condensation-covered bidon or when riding in the rain?

If you use moderately to heavily padded bar tape, you’ll definitely notice flattening and compression when the padded cushioning is worn. This compression will allow more road noise and vibration to come through, which negates the whole purpose of padded tape. If you use thinner tape with minimal padding, you may have to rely on swapping your bar tape on a schedule.

Once the adhesive layer wears, it can slip and shift under the weight and stress of your hands. While this is usually the last layer to wear, as it’s not exposed, this may not always be the case depending on your grip, riding conditions, frequency of use, and quality of bar tape.

Bar tape and indoor riding concerns

Cycling saddle and accessories manufacturer Selle Italia says freshening bar tape "depends on the material of the tape, how often we use the bike."

"In general, the tape should be replaced when it begins to lose elasticity, is no longer soft to the touch and no longer absorbs vibrations as it did when it was new," indicates the Italian brand.

While old bar tape is not as much a safety concern when riding indoors, it can mask other concerns. Those who frequently ride indoors may sweat through bar tape more quickly. The sweat mixed with other oils from your hands can quickly deteriorate bar tape, and then corrode your handlebars underneath.

Even if you use terrycloth sweat catchers and towels, changing your bar tape at least annually is an opportunity to check for rust on bolts and fasteners. Changing tape is also an opportunity to inspect brake and shifter cables, and peer under the brake hoods to ensure there’s no rust that could cause failure.

So just by checking your bar tape once or twice a year, you could actually save yourself a lot of time, money and grief.

The biggest development in gravel racing over the past couple of years has been the adoption of wide tyres. Make that seriously wide. Looking to best address the issue of suspension losses which zap racing speeds over challenging terrain, elite racers began to experiment with high-volume mountain bike tyres run at extremely low pressures. It seemed to work.

Fast forward to today and it’s accepted wisdom that this approach is the best route to lowering rolling resistance while also improving comfort and increasing grip. And who doesn’t want to be faster and more comfortable? But to allow for such voluminous rubber, frames have had to adapt. A case in point is the new Kanzo Fast 2.0 from Ridley. When the Belgian gravel race bike was first released in 2020 tyre clearance was 42mm, the second iteration has seen this expanded to 58mm.

By going wider, the Kanzo Fast 2.0 has also become more adaptable. While it can now run 29 × 2.3in MTB tyres, it also means that riders can fit a range of tyre widths to meet their needs. For example, when faced with muddy conditions a narrower tyre can be used to create more clearance for dirt and debris, while still being wide enough to reap the benefits discussed above.

While this whopping tyre clearance will garner plenty of headlines, it’s not the only story. The aforementioned original Kanzo Fast was something of an outlier. As an early example of a dedicated gravel race bike, it had more in common with a WorldTour rig than it did with the majority of the adventured-focussed gravel bikes that had become so popular. And the 2.0 edition continues this theme, with aerodynamic efficiency front and centre.

To achieve this, Ridley looked to its Noah Fast race bike, using its validated aero technology to help make the Kanzo Fast, well, faster. Typically wide tyres have created an aerodynamic disadvantage, but Ridley has sought to counterbalance this added drag by designing tube profiles accordingly. A quick look at the new frameset reveals an exceptionally deep head tube and an oversized down tube, despite the frame being claimed to be 150 grams lighter than its predecessor.

The bottom bracket has been lowered to compensate for the wide tyres and the increase in wheel diameter they bring. The fork rake is also designed to accommodate the larger wheel radius, aiming to keep the 2.0 as agile as the original Kanzo Fast. In addition, by limiting the bike to electronic 1x groupsets only (with up to a 56T chainring), the designers have been able to keep the chainstays short - 425mm - to aid responsiveness.

Naturally, a race bike needs to be fast with a rider on board, and Ridley has opted for a steeper seat tube angle to create a more forward and aerodynamically beneficial position. This is paired with the new integrated Nimbus Pro cockpit, designed to enable riders to enjoy an aero position while also offering the option to adopt something wider when greater control is required.

In Ridley’s Aero Performance Lab, all the tweaks appear to have paid dividends. It says that its tests show that the new frame has reduced the gap between a 38mm tyre and 55mm tyre to just 6 watts, a number low enough to be easily mitigated by the holistic benefits of wider tyres over rough terrain.

With identical wheels and tyres (Forza Skiron wheels and 38mm Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres) Ridley says 2.0 bests the original Kanzo Fast by 13 watts with a rider present compared to just 2 watts in a bike-only test. This seemingly validates the design approach that chose not to view aerodynamic performance in isolation, instead creating a gravel race bike for the real world, one where setups vary based on the terrain ahead, as riders seek to balance aero gains with improved rolling performance.

As for the wheels, the Forza Skiron RS have been designed specifically for gravel racing and feature 50mm-deep hookless rims with a 27mm internal width. Carbon spokes help to keep the build suitably light, with a claimed weight of 1,350g for the pair.

Given the length and remoteness of many of today's gravel races, a degree of self-sufficiency is required. To help, the Kanzo Fast 2.0 comes with some internal frame storage that includes two padded pouches and integrated top tube mounts. There’s also compatibility with a bespoke mudguard system, designed in conjunction with Curana, that increases the bike’s versatility.

The Ridley Kanzo Fast 2.0 is available in sizes XS, S, M and L. It's currently offered in three complete builds:

SRAM Red XPLR 1x13, with DT Swiss GRC1400 Dicut wheels and 4ZA Nimbus Pro cockpit, with a price tag of €11,699.

SRAM Force XPLR 1x13, with Forza Skiron RS wheels and 4ZA Nimbus Pro cockpit, priced at €6,999.

SRAM Rival XPLR 1x13, with Forza Skiron CG40 wheels and Forza Cirrus Pro cockpit, which retails at €5,499.

The frameset can also be purchased separately for €4,499.

When Specialized launched the S-Works Tarmac SL9 ahead of the Tour de France, it proclaimed it “the fastest road bike ever made.” While Remco Evenepoel couldn’t prevent Tadej Pogačar from securing his fifth win at the race, his second-place showing, achieved largely aboard the SL9, did no harm to the US brand’s bold claims.

And now it’s time for the Tarmac SL9 S-Level, a more affordable version of the WorldTour-proven machine with an equally persuasive moniker: "the second fastest bike ever made".

Unsurprisingly, then, the S-Level SL9 shares much in common with the more expensive S-Works model. Essentially, the bikes’ DNA is a match. That means the S-Level is shaped by the same aerodynamic blueprint that informed much of the S-Works version's development.

Here’s a quick 101 in case you missed the details at launch. In creating its ‘Time to Finish’ metric, the Specialized engineers used the kind of computational race simulation data (inputs include aerodynamics, weight, rolling resistance, surface roughness, environmental conditions, and rider power) that pro teams typically rely on to fine-tune bike set-ups and race tactics to help them design a faster bike. Using a moving-legs mannequin in the wind tunnel, they were able to better understand how a cyclist in motion impacts airflow across the bike. From here, they redesigned tube shapes accordingly.

Like the S-Works Tarmac SL9, the S-Level version features the redesigned Speed Sniffer headtube, seatpost and WinFin, the reconfigured seat tube and rear triangle junction. A quick recap on these design details. The headtube is now slimmer than its predecessor the SL8, made possible by a combination of rerouting the rear brake hose and an offset steerer tube. The result is a refined hourglass shape that reduces the bike’s frontal area by 10%.

Similarly, the new seatpost is more streamlined, with a thinner, deeper design to improve airflow from the rider’s legs into the space between the legs and the frame before it hits the seatpost.

As for the WinFin, it’s a product of Specialized’s analysis of racing behaviour. In this case, breakaway riders ditching a water bottle. By losing the second bottle, airflow around the seat tube and rear triangle changes, so Specialized re‑engineered the rear of the bike around this real‑race configuration. It says the change saves 0.5 watts compared to the SL8. A marginal gain for sure, but if true, a gain nonetheless.

So if the similarities are plentiful, what are the differences? In short, material, weight, and price. The most impactful of those is likely price. To bring “world‑tour‑level performance to more riders than ever,” Specialized needed to reduce the cost. While an S-Works SL9 with SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 will set you back £11,999 or $14,000/ $13,500 in the US, an S-Level with the same groupsets retails at £8,799/ $10,500. It’s a significant chunk of change, achieved in no small part by the first two measurables mentioned above: material and weight.

While the S-Works model uses Spesh’s top-of-the-line Fact 12r carbon across the frameset, the S-Level adopts Fact 10r for the frame and 12r for the forks. It’s a recipe that comes with a weight penalty, but not as great as you might imagine given the price differential. The claimed frame weight of the S-Works SL9 is 687 grams. The S-Level version tips the scales at 882g. With less than 200 grams between them, complete builds for the cheaper bike are still suitably svelte, with options as light as 7.13kg.

Lower price. Competitive weight. It makes the Tarmac SL9 S-Level a compelling new entry in the second-tier race bike category. It also raises the question of why anyone who pays for their kit might choose the S-Works over the S-Level? For amateur racers, a few hundred grams is negligible and can be made up with a bit of componentry switcheroo, especially when you have £3,200 more cash in your pocket; the S-Level complete builds come equipped with Roval CL III and a Power Pro Mirror saddle, while the S-Works uses CLX III wheels and the S-Works version of the saddle. Both share the same integrated Roval Rapide carbon cockpit.

Yes, the S-Works marque carries a certain cachet, and for the finely tuned athlete, there might also be a discernible difference in performance between the two models. But for many cyclists this won’t be the case, and the design attributes that are likely to positively impact your performance are those shared by the S-Works and S-Level.

If your purse strings are tighter still, the Expert and Comp versions of the Tarmac SL9 are available, starting at £3,999/ $4,500, and rising to £5,999/ $7,000 for an Expert model (built using Fact 10r carbon) with SRAM Force AXS, Roval C38 wheels and a two-piece Specialized cockpit.

Specialized Tarmac SL9 S-Level specs

• Price: £8,799/ $10,500/ $10,000
• Frame: Fact 10r carbon
• Forks: Fact 12r carbon
• Wheels: Roval Rapide CL III
• Saddle: Specialized Power Pro w/Mirror Saddle
• Bars/stem: Roval Rapide Cockpit
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

The Flanders-born brand unveils a sub-900g frame and aerodynamic drag-reduction features for its new flagship gravel racing platform, the RCR-G.

Designed for the demands of elite gravel racing, the new platform marks a shift from multi-purpose gravel geometries to a pure competition setup.

The launch of the Van Rysel RCR-G marks a new chapter for the brand in gravel, making it a notable addition to its existing line-up and positioning it to compete with the best gravel bikes already at the start line.

Speaking to me ahead of the launch, Van Rysel RCR-G project manager Jeremy Debeuf said development of the all-new gravel bike focused on four key performance metrics: high average speeds, mixed-surface efficiency, quick acceleration, and precise handling on technical terrain.

Building on the engineering layout of the Van Rysel RCR-R road bike, which is currently being ridden by the likes of Paul Seixas and the rest of the Decathlon CAM CGM.

Debeuf says the team used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, virtual prototyping, and wind tunnel testing to adapt the road frame's architecture for gravel use.

One major departure was the decision not to use the same top-level carbon layup: "This would be too stiff for a gravel bike," confirmed Debeuf, and would create a very uncomfortable ride feel.

Built for speed

While the core of the RCR-G is still a high-modulus carbon frame. Van Rysel's Race Bike Engineer, Alexis Grosecorge, who also worked on the road and cross platforms, explains how the carbon mix just needed to be 'toned down'.

He explained that this was initially challenging as the target weight for the whole bike, in a size medium, was set at 7.8kg; "we actually achieved 7.7kg, with a SRAM Red AXS build," he told me, clearly delighted with the outcome, although caveating that the 885g carbon frame and 415g fork are at the unpainted weight.

To also help keep the overall weight low, top models feature an integrated monocoque carbon cockpit, lightweight thru-axles, and, curiously, a 27.2mm round carbon seatpost.

This regular seatpost setup may seem like a compromise on proprietary frame tech, but asking Grosecorge about it in more detail, he assured me that the seatpost specification was chosen specifically to help filter out high-frequency vibrations and reduce rider fatigue during long-distance races.

Despite its focus on low weight and aerodynamics, the RCR-G still has off-road-ready clearances, with room for tyres up to 50mm wide, although it comes as standard with 45mm Continental Terra Comp TLR tyres on the VR 50 Carbon wheelset.

Another uncommon choice on a performance-focused bike is drivetrain compatibility: it supports a maximum 50T chainring in one-by configuration and a 52T when set up as a two-by arrangement.

It's a helpful safety net for riders planning to tackle crazy, hilly events and need fail-safe gearing options. It's Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) compatible and will also open up more cassette options, but a braze-on is a pretty rare sight in this day and age, and I can't work out if it's the future or living in the past.

Peer pressure

Looking at the big gravel bike rivals and doing a quick back-of-the-envelope cross-check, the RCR-G most closely resembles the Factor Ostro Gravel, with nearly identical stack and reach (RCR-G: 554mm stack and 391mm reach vs 555mm stack and 394mm reach on the Ostro, both size medium).

It also closely mimics the snappy handling of the Ostro, with its 72- vs 72.2-degree head angle. That said, the chainstay is 6mm longer at 426mm.

Compared with the Specialized Crux, with a 560mm stack and 388mm reach, the Van Rysel RCR-G could be considered 'racier' in its lower, longer position.

Double new bike day: the Van Rysel EDR-G gravel bike

The EDR-G was the second bike launched by Van Rysel today, and is the more adventurous ultra-long-distance twin of the RCR-G, favouring total comfort and practicality for multi-day riding.

Carrying the 'don't endure terrain, outplay it' strap line, the woman behind the bike, Product Manager Rachel Gassier, also worked on Van Rysel's EDR-CF Ultra and EDR-CF endurance bike range and spent two years on the design, capturing 25,000km of ride data from more than 30 testers.

The EDR-G has a longer wheelbase (1,033.7 mm vs 1,019mm in size M) and a slacker head tube angle (71 degrees in size M) than the race-oriented RCR-G, aiming to deliver a more stable ride at high speeds and smoother, less "twitchy" steering on technical trails.

An even more vibration-damping carbon lay-up was chosen for the frame, which, along with the forks, has 15 luggage mounting points and an integrated toolbox as standard.

The top-end EDR-G uses a RockShox Rudy XPLR fork with 40mm of travel, a Deda Gera cockpit with 24-degree flare, and a VR32 carbon wheelset, capable of running up to 50mm tyres.

Van Rysel RCR-G – First ride impressions

So far, I've only spent a day on each model, at a pre-launch press event in the Var region of southern France, just east of Marseille, and in the lesser-known Massif des Maures, a mountain range considered part of the pre-Alps.

A 70km hilly route included tough techy gravel, leaving all riders grateful for the respite provided by stretches of paved road. Despite the rocky, loose-stone, hilly terrain, I was impressed by how agile and responsive the RCR-G was. I was far more fluid than on the previous day's ride on the EDR-G, finding the bike easier to maneouvre over and around the pretty gnarly trails.

A mix of drops, rock gardens, and rain-slick climbs with little flat ground meant I struggled with the wide bar flare and barely used the drops, not wanting to risk putting more weight on the front wheel. I've tried to unpick this and concluded that the longer wheelbase and flared bars meant I didn't have the strength to overcome the bike's turning moment and lift the front end at all.

On the RCR-G, however, I was significantly more graceful. I had initially left the 35psi in the Continental Terra Comp TLR 45mm tyres, knowing that it would be a few kilometres on tarmac to the trailhead, But on dropping into the first off-road section, I was immediately dealing with too much bounce back from rocks and stones. A quick pressure drop—measured unscientifically by a thumb and forefinger squeeze—changed everything.

I went from hanging on to feeling far more harmonious with the bike. It felt way more comfortable than the two new models, despite having a much stiffer frame and fork and more road-like handlebars.

It was still a brutal ride, and one that could have used more vibration-damping tech. Despite wearing gloves, my hands were blistered, like the pros' at the end of Paris-Roubaix, and the five kilometres of black tarmac had never looked so inviting.

I'm looking forward to getting a longer term test with the RCR-G. I've turned down the ECR-G for now, as I can't see how, for the riding that I do, the RCR-G can be beaten, even if I'm not looking for podiums, or rapid full gass rides, it just rides so much better than it's adventure going sibling that I would be more confident at coming back in one piece, perhaps minius small patches of skin on my palms.

Model range

There are three Van Rysel RCR-G models.

The top-end Red AXS uses SRAM Red XPLR AXS (46T, 10-44T), a VR50 carbon wheelset, and the integrated Combo RCR-R carbon cockpit used on the RCR-R Pro bike from the Decathlon CMA CGM pro team. It weighs a claimed 7.8kg (size M), comes in XS to XL, and costs £6,500/ $10,999.

Next is the RCR-G Force AXS, which moves to SRAM Force XPLR (46T, 10-42T), an aluminium/carbon stem-and-bar combo, and VR35 carbon wheels. Weight rises to a claimed 8.2kg, while the price drops to £4,000/ $7,399.

Finally, the RCR-G Rival AXS uses SRAM Rival XPLR (46T, 10-40T), an aluminium bar and stem, and VR30 AL wheels. It weighs a claimed 8.6kg, costs £3,000/ $5,299, and is also available in XXS to XL.

The Van Rysel EDR-G also has three models. The top model, the EDR-G Force XPLR, uses a carbon frame and fork, SRAM Force groupset (46T, 10-40T), Deda Gera Alloy stem and handlebars, VR32 carbon wheels, Schwalbe G-One R Pro 45mm tyres, and comes in sizes XS-XL. It weighs more than the race version, with a claimed 8.85kg for a medium. Unfortunately, it’s currently unavailable in the UK, but retails in the US for $6,299.

The EDR-G Suspended fork is reserved for the UK and has a retail price of £3,500. The spec is the same, but the carbon fork has been replaced with a RockShox Rudy XPLR with 40mm of travel. While I’d have loved this extra suspension on the routes we rode, it adds about a kilo, bringing the medium to 9.7kg.

The final model, the £2,100 EDR-G GRX, is also not heading to the States. It keeps its 1x setup, but drops to 12-speed (40T, 10-51T). It comes with DT Swiss G1800 wheels and Schwalbe G-One R Pro 45mm tyres. It comes without suspension and weighs 8.75kg.

This 1947 Alex Singer was specially built to compete in Technical Trials – Concours de Machines – gruelling French competitions for bicycle constructeurs held intermittently throughout the 1930s and ’40s.

These punishing events pitted fully loaded bikes against one another over the roughest gravel tracks of the Massif Central. The routes stretched for 460km or more.

It was, however, the bikes, not the riders, that were being judged, fuelling fierce competition among the finest French constructeurs.

Barra, Reyhand, Narcisse, René Herse, Jo Routens and Alex Singer defined the challenge – building the lightest bikes possible while ensuring they were durable enough to finish the course without issue.

What an astonishing achievement this 78-year-old Alex Singer team bike is, weighing just 9kg including rack, pedals, dynamo, lights, metal mudguards and chunky 650b-fit tyres. That rivals the weight of many modern mid-tier carbon gravel bikes.

“This bicycle represents the pinnacle of Alex Singer’s bicycle design,” says current owner Richard Hoddinott of vintage specialists Velo Pages. “It’s so understated, it’s striking.”

There are weight-saving details everywhere – note the skeletal front mech, unique rear derailleur ‘hanger’ and the novel cam-operated brakes – all made in-house. Alloy was chosen wherever possible over steel.

The exquisite Stronglight Diament Touriste L.V. 49 chainrings are a lesson in minimalism, as is the brazed, lugless frame, which is fashioned from Vitus tubing – it wouldn’t look amiss on a bike from the 1960s, ’70s or later.

Indeed, many of the bike innovations we take for granted today were shaped by Singer et al on the rough slopes of the Massif Central.

Visit any WorldTour race paddock, and you'll find it littered with radical-looking aero bikes. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) has won prolifically using the Colnago Y1Rs, banishing the V5Rs lightweight bike to the team van. Perhaps most eye-catching is Factor's One bike, with its new take on geometry and wide forks that verged on UCI-illegal.

While many brands – Specialized with the Tarmac, Cannondale with the SuperSix Evo and Trek via the Madone – have dropped dedicated lightweight and aero models in favour of a 'one bike to rule them all' approach, elsewhere, it seems that aero bikes are here to stay. And they look weirder and more wonderful than ever.

Pogačar's dominance is such that he could probably ride pretty much any bike in the WorldTour and still win, while the Factor One has seldom been used by either the NSN Cycling team or Human Powered Health, with most riders instead opting for the Ostro VAM 2.

Are these latest aero bikes really offering the best solution for riders to be their fastest, or are they perhaps ‘not quite there yet’? If so, what refinements might come next?

Rider and bike, together as one

There is one annoying trend in the bike industry: vague, unclear testing or white papers. There are often quotes about the ‘watts saved’ versus another bike, be that a previous generation one from the brand or, quite commonly, ‘the leading competitor’.

Very often, details are limited: just the speed is given, maybe the yaw angle if we’re lucky. But it is often neglected which wheels were tested, tyres, handlebar width and geometry setup, or even if a rider was present on the frame for the test or not.

Our sister publication Cyclingnews has been testing bikes in the wind tunnel over the last few years. A common trend has been that, just because a bike alone shows itself to be fast, or even slow, with no rider present, it does not necessarily mean that it will maintain that relative position when a rider is added.

Some frames may perform badly without a rider, then be significantly faster with a rider present. Meanwhile, others test fast as a frame only, yet drop down the charts once a rider is onboard.

The reason for this is that a cyclist's legs are two large moving pistons that disrupt airflow and create more frontal area than the entire bike frame and wheels combined.

Add a great big torso on top of the bike, and total drag increases dramatically. This is why the performance differences between frames tend to get significantly closer with a rider present. Partly because the total drag percentage of the bike is so small when a rider is present, but also because some aerodynamic features of a bike can be rendered somewhat inept once you add legs on either side of it.

The industry has taken note of this, and some bikes are being designed and tested with a rider present. In developing the latest Specialized Tarmac SL9, for example, the engineers used a moving-legs mannequin as part of the design process.

We may be reaching a point where aerodynamic gains in bike design are slowing down – the low-hanging fruit has already been collected – but designing bike frames with riders in mind is where we will most likely see the next set of gains.

Shape shifting

There are a few other interesting design features that have become commonplace in cycling, which need to be considered when taking aerodynamics into account. First and foremost, the acceptance of wider tyres.

Previously, riders typically used 19-21mm tyres, whereas now 30mm tyres are commonplace, often measuring as wide as 32mm due to the wide rims they are fitted to. The wheel size, however, has remained consistent. These wide tyres marginally increase the height of the bike and the circumference of the wheel.

The introduction of shorter cranks has an impact, too. Short cranks, which open a rider's hip angle, require a higher saddle to achieve the same leg extension at the base of the pedal stroke. This again raises the COM and the frontal profile by a small amount and does increase drag.

Given that road frames have not changed significantly since tyres have gone from 19- to 32mm, and crank length from 175- to 165mm, there is clearly scope for aerodynamic frames to be designed with these factors in mind.

For example, a lower bottom bracket drop would account for shorter cranks, and I think it is likely a design path that frame manufacturers will pursue.

Track cycling leads the way

Track cycling leads the way in aerodynamic innovation, in part because, in individual efforts as well as small-team events like the Team Pursuit, aerodynamics accounts for most of the forces riders must overcome.

Factor, for example, takes several design cues from its track bike that won gold at Paris 2024 for Team Australia in the men’s team pursuit, and applies those to the Factor One.

The latest BMC time-trial bike, used by Stefan Küng and his Tudor Pro Cycling teammates and currently offered to the public in limited quantities, shares several design features with the Hope track bike used by Team GB.

This wide-fork, high-seatstay design is a perfect example of bikes being designed around riders. The new BMC Timemachine features high seatstays, directly contradicting the approach taken by most brands in their aero bikes. Seatstays dropped across the board when aero bikes first appeared on the scene; doing so reduces frontal area and frame-only drag. But when a rider is present, the difference is smaller.

This is where it gets interesting. BMC has not only raised the seatstays, but also deepened them and extended the aerofoil profile forwards. This, in theory, should result in a smoothing of the airflow off the back of the rider’s legs and decrease turbulent pressure drag behind.

We are also seeing more customized cockpits and handlebars solutions. This is not new in track or time trial events, but road setups are more tailored now. The latest Cervelo S5 uses a one-piece bar and stem, but what the pros are using features bespoke effective stem lengths, bar widths, and stem angles that are not readily available for the public to use, even if the overall design is the same.

Bikes designed for purpose

While track and time-trial bikes may influence road design, they're generally designed to travel at much higher, more consistent speeds. A design that is ‘fast’ at 60-70km/h (track speeds) might not be relatively as fast at 40-50km/h (road race speeds), let alone at WorldTour climbing speeds.

In the same way, riders use specific skinsuits for expected race-speed averages; frame designs suitable for track and time trial might not work as well for road racing, let alone for consumer frames.

How a bike actually rides also matters. Let’s take the radical Colnago Y1Rs and the more traditional Cervelo S5.

The Colnago is not quite as refined and direct in the front-end handling, while the rear compliance is not at the same level as the Cervelo S5. We’ve tested the S5, and it is genuinely a superbly balanced race bike, with stiffness and comfort where required. The design principles of the bike have remained similar in all its iterations going back over 10 years, but each model has been refined and optimised based on rider feedback.

Potentially, the reason the Factor One has not been used as much at the pro level is that, given its design choices, it lacks versatility.

Tech editor Aaron Borrill, who tested the Factor One, found it was an absolute rocket at higher speeds. But, several design elements and feedback I’ve heard suggest that it is not the most comfortable for long days in the saddle.

It’s also been suggested that it can be prone to variable wind directions experienced at lower speeds and when riding in a bunch. It’s a great piece of specialist design, and I applaud Factor for it. But being a revolutionary bike, it will likely need some refinements to find that balance between out-and-out aero and a bike that offers all-day compliance, comfort, and confidence.

The weight factor

Aero frame design can be held back by our obsessions around weight.

We’ve seen with the new Giant Propel, Merida Reacto, and Trek and Specialized converging on a do-it-all aero lightweight bike that some manufacturers are still chasing low weight over total aero efficiency. This does result in a somewhat compromised aero bike, but one that can hit the 6.8kg UCI weight limit, or even drop below it for consumers.

The aero bikes, even if heavier, are ‘faster’, with the caveat that speed remains consistent. Even over longer climbs with some accelerations, a 500g weight difference does not hinder the aero bike, especially at the WorldTour level. But there is a tangible difference between a bike that is 500g lighter vs a frame that is five watts less draggy. Psychologically, we can feel the weight difference, but not the watt difference.

Personally, I can also attest that a lightweight bike is more ‘fun’ to ride. It is lively, accelerates perceptively faster, and feels nimble and effortless.

I used to train on my TT bike and do 40km/h endurance rides, but it felt sluggish to accelerate, climb, and descend, even though it was undoubtedly faster. I can’t feel the difference between riding at 30- or 32km/h, but removing a bottle from my bike makes it ‘feel’ better to ride, which in my mind has a psychological impact.

The final word

Even though we are seeing some wild and wacky aero bike designs, in my opinion, they are not going far enough, given how technology and equipment choices have advanced.

We are starting to see more technology from track cycling make its way into bike design, as are rider- and frame-engineered solutions. But larger tyres and shorter cranks accommodating new frame designs might be the most interesting direction that frame design will likely travel.

Of course, this needs to be balanced with the other factors that contribute to a ‘good’ bike. There is a good chance that the next lot of revolutionary aero bikes will be refinements of what we are seeing now, with features that improve ride quality, not just wind-tunnel performance numbers.

But there will still be the ever-present limitation of weight, where riders are unwilling to sacrifice the tangible, perceptible difference of a lighter bike, versus the less perceptible to humans yet clearly genuine advantage of a less draggy bike.

Yesterday, we wrote that the supporting ecosystem around 32-inch wheels is beginning to catch up. Today, there’s another fairly significant piece to add to the puzzle: an actual bike you can order.

Mosaic has unveiled the GT i55 32, a handmade titanium gravel bike designed around 32-inch wheels. And the Boulder, Colorado, brand is making its intentions pretty clear: this is, in its words, "not a concept bike."

Thirty-two-inch wheels are quickly becoming the bike industry's biggest new trend. We saw a host of bikes, wheels and tyres at Sea Otter, followed by perhaps the highest-profile example yet at Unbound Gravel, where defending champion Cam Jones and ultra-endurance racer Robin Gemperle raced Scott’s RC Gravel 32-inch prototype. But Scott made it clear that its bike was a "pure prototype," stating that it "will never be released on the market."

Mosaic, meanwhile, is going the other way. The GT i55 32 will debut at this weekend’s MADE bike show in Portland, Oregon.

Mosaic isn’t the first brand to move beyond the prototype stage, nor is it the only 32-inch bike headed for consumers. Stinner has already shown its Refugio 32 with pricing attached, BTCHN’ has been preparing its Bandito for production, and Salsa has said 32-inch Fargo framesets will go on sale this summer, with complete bikes to follow later in the year. Mosaic stands out in that its made-to-order platform is available from launch. A Batch Built option will be added later.x

"The new GT i55 32 platform wasn’t simply designed to generate conversation around a new wheel size. It’s not a prototype destined to disappear after a trade show," Mosaic insists. "Instead, it represents Mosaic’s commitment to 32-inch wheels as a legitimate performance platform."

More than simply squeezing bigger wheels into a gravel bike

Larger wheels bring some compelling theoretical advantages. Compared with a 700c wheel running an equivalent-width tyre, the shallower angle of attack should help it roll over rocks, holes and generally rough terrain more easily, while the larger wheel size is also claimed to carry momentum more efficiently.

But there are compromises. Bigger wheels increase stack and wheelbase, stretch chainstays and can create toe-overlap headaches – particularly as frame sizes get smaller. They’re concerns Cycling Weekly has looked at in depth in previous coverage.

"...A new wheel standard only matters if its benefits aren’t limited to the tallest riders in the field," Mosaic states and tackled the aforementioned limitation as "an engineering problem rather than an unavoidable consequence of the wheel size."

For starters, the brand's designers decided to design an entirely new platform from teh groun up rather than modifying one of its existing gravel bikes.

The frame uses a bent seat tube and relatively compact 440-445mm chainstays to tuck the rear wheel beneath the rider. A 3D-printed titanium yoke creates clearance for tyres up to 55mm (2.2"), while still accommodating a standard gravel chainline and chainrings up to 46 teeth.

The axle standards do move into mountain bike territory, with a 148x12mm rear and 110x15mm front.

And then there’s the fork

Mosaic says one of its biggest headaches was finding a fork that would allow the geometry it wanted without pushing the front of the bike too high.

So it made its own.

The result is a new 32-inch gravel fork under Mosaic’s new Zero Components name, with a 445mm axle-to-crown measurement and 60mm offset. The former is intended to keep the front end down, while the latter helps Mosaic achieve its desired steering geometry while creating more toe clearance.

Mosaic says the combination of its shorter fork, increased offset, compact rear triangle and offset seat tube helps make the platform work across a wider range of rider sizes.

And because these bikes are being offered through Mosaic’s custom programme, geometry can also be tailored to the individual rider.

You can actually buy this one

Mosaic is rolling out the GT-1 i55 32 in two initial versions:

• Fully integrated: The high-end option gets fully internal brake routing, a T47 bottom bracket and a choice of Mosaic’s standard paint layouts, with pricing starting at $8,250.
• Semi-integrated: The second option offers semi-integrated brake routing via Cane Creek HCR, a T68 bottom bracket and Mosaic’s Titanium Ghost finish, and starts at $5,000.

Both come with rider-specific custom geometry.

More information can be found at mosaiccycles.com.

Continental's flagship race Aero 111 is now available in widths of 32mm width, adding to the 26 and 29mm versions already on the market.

A 32mm aero tyre would have been unthinkable a few years ago when it was thought that “narrow and hard” was the only way to achieve speed. But times have changed, and there’s now plenty of empirical data showing that wider and softer can also be fast under the right conditions. A bigger tyre volume and lower pressure result in a broader contact patch, less bouncing and better power transfer to the road – the result of which improves speed.

Another key contributor to the demand for wider aero tyres is the speeds at which riders are travelling. Faster frames, clothing, and helmets have increased average speeds across the spectrum, with riders seeking ways to boost comfort and ride quality.

What's new on the Continental Aero 111?

Aside from the new width, the latest Aero 111 remains unchanged. The 32mm Aero 111 uses the patented tread pattern developed by Continental and Swiss Side. The tread features “48 precision cavities that act as vortex generators,” which claim to improve aerodynamics by reducing drag and enhancing the sailing effect. Continental’s data shows a six-watt saving at 30km/h and 18 watts at 45km/h when compared to the regular GP5000 S TR tyre.

Continental’s Black Chilli compound and Vectran puncture protection are once again present, designed to balance weight and grip in both wet and dry conditions.

Continental’s rubber compound recipe is such a closely guarded secret it’s impossible to provide any empirical evidence to support the company’s claims. And despite spending a whole day looking round the R&D facilities at Continental’s Hannover Centre on a recent press trip, I’ve come out none the wiser (and as we weren’t allowed to share most of what we saw, I can tell you even less).

What we do know is that the rubber compound is the same as used on the flagship Grand Prix 5000 series, a tyre constantly seen as the standard to beat in terms of road performance.

On the subject of the GP5000, Continental recommends running the Aero 111 as a front tyre paired with a GP5000 S TR on the rear, as seen employed across the pro peloton, including none other than Tadej Pogačar.

Compatibility, weight and pricing

Before upgrading to 32mm tyres, it’s worth considering the potential downsides.

First up, there’s rim compatibility. In terms of ETRTO standards, you can safely run the Aero 111 on internal rim widths of 16-25mm for both 29mm and 32mm width tyres. However, given the overall ranges, we would expect that the 32mm tyre would be better suited – and so achieve an optimum fit – on rims at the mid- to wider end of this range and the 29mm at the narrower end. Conversely, the tyre profile and fitted width of the 32 mm tyre may not be optimal on a rim at the smaller end of the width range. This is something we’ll look at as part of our full test.

Secondly, there’s a 30g or 10% weight increase between the 29- (280g) and 32mm (310g) widths.

And finally, there’s the price. At £113.95/ $140.94/ €128.95, the Aero 111 represents quite an outlay for a niche product. We’re awaiting confirmation from Continental on whether this price applies to all three widths or only to the new 32mm offering.

Oh, and sadly, despite Continental offering the previous widths of the Aero 111 in tan wall as well as black during this year’s Tour de France, they’ve not made it into the new line-up, so we’re stuck with black on black.

In further evidence that a wave of 32-inch bikes could be coming, Rene Herse has launched a TPU inner tube specifically for the emerging wheel size.

Thirty-two-inch wheels, built around a 686mm rim diameter, have been one of the bike industry's biggest talking points this year, appearing on prototype gravel and mountain bikes at some of the off-road world’s biggest races and industry shows.

And they’re set to again be a leading theme at this weekend’s MADE bike show in Portland, Oregon. Just in time for the largest showcase of handmade bicycle craftsmanship, Rene Herse is making sure riders will have something to put inside those increasingly large tyres should tubeless sealant fail.

Until recently, however, inner tubes for 686mm wheels have been hard to come by. Conventional options have largely been aimed at cruisers, custom 32ers and unicycles, complete with Schrader valves and considerably more bulk.

Performance-oriented options are beginning to appear, however, with Tubolito also launching a TPU mountain bike tube for 32-inch wheels earlier this year.

Rene Herse expects most riders adopting 32-inch wheels to run tubeless, but most riders do still carry an emergency inner tube, no matter the diameter of their wheel.

The new Rene Herse 32-inch TPU tube fits tyres from 45 to 68mm (1.8–2.6 inches), weighs just 66 grams, and uses a 70mm threaded Presta valve with a removable inner core. They're available directly from the Rene Herse website and its select retailers for $43.

Whether 32-inch becomes the next 29er or remains a niche is still an open question, but the momentum has been building all season.

At April's Sea Otter Classic, 32-inch wheels went from internet talking point to something approaching an industry trend. Nearly all of the major tyre manufacturers had 32-inch products or prototypes on display, while bikes built around the larger platform were shown by Salsa, Stinner and BTCHN’.

Then came Unbound, where Scott unveiled its RC Gravel 32-inch prototype for defending Unbound 200 champion Cam Jones and ultra-endurance racer Robin Gemperle.

With bikes, tyres and wheels increasingly appearing around the new platform, Rene Herse’s arrival in the 32-inch tube market is another small sign that brands are preparing for the possibility that bigger wheels could be here to stay.

The enduring popularity of gravel riding has led many cycling brands to throw a little dirt into the mix. Sometimes this is nothing more than releasing an existing product in a gravel-friendly brown or green hue. But in the case of Merida and its Speeder bike, “going gravel” is thankfully a move of greater substance.

Originally designed as a flat-bar hybrid road bike for commuters and fitness riders, it’s now been updated to deliver greater versatility, drawing inspiration from the Taiwan-based brand’s gravel bikes, such as the Silex.

This starts with clearance for up to 50mm tyres. While the bikes will come with fast-rolling 45mm tyres - Schwalbe’s excellent G-Ones for the most part - as standard, the option to go wider and use more tread will add greater compatibility with more challenging terrain and conditions. That added clearance also makes fitting mudguards less challenging, adding yet another string to the Speeder's bow.

While high-volume tyres go a long way to improving comfort, Merida has adjusted the Speeder’s frame design and geometry to assist, while also improving handling. Combined, it says it makes the bike more adaptable to a range of conditions, fitting with the brand’s wish for the bike to excel in the “urban jungle” as well as “venture beyond country lanes” and become “a companion for the occasional gravel tour or even a weekend-long bikepacking trip”. Quite the chameleon then.

To achieve such a broad remit, the top tube is now sloped to a greater extent, helping to expose more seat post, a tried-and-tested design detail that adds deflection and reduces vibrations; Merida equips the Speeder with round 27.2mm post, which should prove a good fit with regards to adding compliance, as well making it easy to adjust and replace should you want to upgrade; this low maintenance approach runs across the Speeder, with a 1x drivechain as standard on three of the four models, a threaded bottom bracket and rigid fork.

The head tube angle has been slackened to 71 degrees on all but the smallest frame sizes (XS-XL) and Merida says this has been done to make the Speeder more stable when ridden off-road, another feature commensurate with the bike’s desire to be more versatile and robust.

This theme continues with the inclusion of multiple mounting points. While the Speeder of old was stripped back, appealing to more of the urban fitness rider, this gravel-inspired version allows you to fit not only the aforementioned fenders but also a rear rack and frame lock as well boasting fork mounts and the usual bottle cages. A Speeder EQ kit is available as an aftermarket purchase, which includes guards and a rack. Year-round computer, weekend tourer, or, indeed, both.

Merida has chosen to offer the Speeder in two frame options: a sloping top tube design and a mid-step-through for easier mounting and dismounting. These designs are available across the complete range, which features four models: the Speeder 500, 300, 200 and 100.

The 500 is the range-topper and features its own AL-A finish, with all welds treated to create a look akin to a carbon frame. The fork, however, is carbon. Shifting and braking come courtesy of SRAM and Tektro (for the hydro calipers), with Rival XPLR, Apex XPLR AXS and Eagle components used in this blended set; the Rival 44T chainset is paired with an 11-44T SRAM cassette.

The wheels are Merida’s own Expert SLIII, which feature a 26mm deep aluminium rim and Joytech hubs and are shod with Schwabe G-One Allroad tyres in a 45mm width.

A rung down on the ladder, the 300 has an AL-C frame finish, and an aluminium fork. The groupset is largely 11-speed Shimano Cues, with a 42T chainring matched to a SunRace 10-50T cassette, delivering bags of range. You still have a set of Merida wheels, but here it's the SLII complete with Shimano hubs.

The 200 sticks with Shimao Cues, albeit it is a model that uses a 2x drivetrain, while the entry-level 100 moves back to the simplicity of 1x, in this case, 8-speed Shimano Essa.

While Merida is not available in the United States, the pricing split between the UK and European markets should appease the adventure commuters among us. The Speed 100 and 200 come in below the £1,000/ €1,000 threshold at £800/ €900 and £850/ €975, respectively. The 300 and 500 are slightly more expensive, pegged at £1,000/ €1,150 and £1,500/ €1,699.

Trek has removed its IsoSpeed frame-compliance technology and internal frame storage from the fifth-generation Domane endurance road bike to help reduce claimed frameset weight by up to 305g. It says the lightest spec weighs 950g less than before at 6.63kg, albeit with 28c tyres.

A new carbon layup and round seatpost, and wider 40mm tyre clearance mean the new bike is nearly as compliant as before, according to the American brand. Even when fitted with wider 35mm tyres, Trek says the new Domane is faster than its predecessor because lower rolling resistance cancels out higher drag.

Trek has further relaxed the Domane's riding position by adding a riser bar that increases the effective stack by 20mm. It also gains a UDH-compatible rear dropout to enable the use of SRAM's Full Mount derailleurs, which attach directly to the frame. Mounts for mudguards and bags remain.

Complete builds start from $2,400 for the Domane SL 4 (available in the US only), which is cheaper than before, and prices rise to £11,250/ $11,499/ €10,499 for the range-topping Domane SLR models. Trek appears to have discontinued the pro-focused RSL version, which had only been available as a frameset.

The end of IsoSpeed

IsoSpeed was Trek's built-in frame suspension, which, the brand claimed, provided flex to improve comfort. But it has been phasing out the technology over the past two Domane generations to reduce weight and complexity.

At its launch in 2022, the fourth-generation Domane lost IsoSpeed from the front of the headset while retaining IsoSpeed in the top tube. This worked by decoupling the top tube from the seat tube to damp vibrations. Trek removed adjustability from this version of IsoSpeed, claiming riders tended to leave it on the most comfortable setting.

It has now gone a step further in making the new Domane frame fully rigid. Trek says the increases in stock tyre size from 32c to 35c and maximum tyre clearance from 38mm to 40mm combine with greater frame and seatpost compliance to compensate. Using vibrational power as a measure of 'full-bike comfort', the brand says the fifth-generation Domane with 35mm tyres gets within five percent of the old model with IsoSpeed and 32mm tyres.

Weight reduction

Although not mentioned in the launch press material, it's clear from the images of the new bike that it no longer has storage in the down tube, which you accessed by removing a hatch over the bottle cage bosses. Like the removal of IsoSpeed, this appears to be another weight-saving move. Trek will separately sell frame bags, which attach to new mounts in the frame triangle, to mitigate the loss of carrying capacity.

As a result, Trek says the new Domane SLR frame using new 900 Series OCLV carbon weighs 835g in an unpainted ML size, and the fork weighs 367g. That amounts to a claimed 305g reduction in frameset weight. The fully built Domane SLR 9 weighs 7.3kg, according to Trek.

The cheaper Domane SL frame and fork, made from lower-grade 500 Series OCLV carbon, are said to weigh 1055g and 430g respectively, also in size ML without paint. Trek says the Domane SL 5 weighs 8.8kg.

Revamped sizing philosophy

While Trek has maintained the Domane's endurance geometry, it has cut down its size range from nine to six, which is still more than some brands offer.

It's done so by reducing the extremes of reach and stack, which may come as bad news if you're at either end of the size chart, but shouldn't negatively impact most people's bike fit.

Stock crank lengths are shorter across the range at 160mm for sizes XS and S, 165mm for M and ML, and 170mm for L and XL.

The Bontrager Riser bar, which adds 20mm of height to the default shifter position, is back-swept for a more comfortable hand position on the tops and has a 4cm flare.

From Tiagra to Project One

The Domane carbon range starts at $2,400 with the 2x Tiagra-equipped SL 4, which is only available in the US. For comparison, the aluminium Domane SL lineup ranges from £950 to £1,600.

Specced with mechanical Shimano 105, the Domane SL5 costs £2,500/ $2,700/ €2,500 with the same alloy Bontrager rims.

The Domane SL 6 AXS comes with SRAM Rival 2x and Bontrager Aeolus Elite 50 carbon wheels for £3,750/ $4,200/ €4,000. On the same wheels but with SRAM Force 1x XPLR, the Domane SL 7 AXS will set you back £6,300 / $6,500/ €6,999.

In the lighter and more expensive carbon, the Domane SLR 7 is priced at £6,700/ $7,999/ €6,999 with Ultegra Di2 and Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51 wheels. For the equivalent spec with SRAM Force AXS, you'll pay £8,500/ $8,499 / €7,499 for the Domane SLR 7 AXS.

To step up to Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Bontrager Aeolus RSL 51 wheels, the Domane SLR 9 will cost you £9,000/ $10,999/ €9,999. The SRAM equivalent is the SLR 9 AXS at £9,000/ $11,499/ €10,499.

The range-topping Domane SLR 9 AXS 1X, which hits that headline 6.6kg claimed weight, costs £11,250/ $11,499/ €10,499 and is equipped with the integrated RSL cockpit from the Madone race bike. It does, however, seem odd to fit 700x28c Pirelli P Zero Race tyres to a bike with 40mm clearance.

Trek will continue to offer its Project One customisation scheme on the Domane SLR. For a price, it lets you personalise components and paint at point of purchase.

It will also sell just 124 of the Project One 'Icon No 76' Domane SLR 9 AXS for $14,999 / €12,999. The original Trek logo and heritage blue paint celebrate the brand's early designs.

When Van Rysel launched the RCR Pro, it garnered plenty of attention as the most affordable bike in the professional peloton. And now it has some fresh competition. Cube’s 2027 collection features the redesigned Litening Aero C:68X, which was ridden by the TotalEnergies team in this year’s Tour de France.

With the range starting at under £5,000, and a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-equipped model retailing at £7,499, it makes a strong bid for the most affordable ride in the pro ranks.

The collection doesn’t stop there. The road lineup includes an updated Attain range, with both aluminium and carbon offerings, while the NuRoad gravel series benefits from refreshed designs and brand new models, which again feature prices that should turn plenty of heads. But first, the Litening Aero C:68X.

For those obsessed with weight, the headline is a reduction in the frame’s weight by a claimed 150g compared to the outgoing model. This allows for complete builds under 7kg. ‘Lighter’ is joined by the familiar promises of ‘stiffer’ and ‘more aerodynamic’, with Cube stating that the update to its best road bike will save you some 6.2 watts, although greater details on these savings are absent from the press material.

For many prospective buyers, it’s the promise of greater comfort that might offer the greatest appeal. Pro bikes aren’t always the most comfortable to ride, and while the appeal of riding something you’ve spotted during the Tour de France is obvious, the reality can be a little bone-jarring at times - but not here, says Cube.

Thanks to a newly designed carbon seatpost, the Litening Aero C:68X is 10% more comfortable; again details are light but presumably the new post does a better job of absorbing road chatter, with the frame still providing the required torsional stiffness to reward your efforts. Clearance for 34mm tyres should also add to the plushness of the ride.

The new seatpost is joined by the IC Aero Max carbon cockpit, which is said to promote a more aerodynamic riding position and likely plays a considerable role in the watt-saving claims. Other noteworthy details include a power meter as standard and a carbon Newman wheelset.

New to the range is the Litening Aero C:68X Orbit, which uses SRAM’s 13-speed Red XPLR AXS groupset. Eschewing a front mech makes this the lightest build available at just 6.9kg. The range-topping SLT weighs 200 grams more and features a Shimano Dura-Ace FC-R9200 groupset, a pair of Newmen Aero/Sprint 60/66 Vonoa hoops and a price tag of £7,499. This makes it cheaper than a comparably specced RCR-F.

The Attain range sees the entire C:62 line receive updated specifications and a lower entry point, with the C:62 Race starting at £1,999. The C:62 SLX speaks of the value for money that appears to run across the 2027 range. Here you get a carbon frameset, an integrated carbon cockpit, a set of carbon Newmen Advanced C.38 J wheels and the ever-reliable Shimano 105 Di2 drivetrain, all for £2,499. Tipping the scales at 7.6kg shouldn’t hurt its saleability either.

Cube’s Nuroad gravel range vows to “cover all the bases from adventure to race and everything in between”. Again, frames are offered in both aluminium and the German brand’s C:62 carbon, with models ranging from the versatile, complete with mudguards and a carrier, to the more stripped-back gravel race offerings.

The Nuroad C:62 SLT is the signature model and, like the Litening Aero C:68X Orbit, uses SRAM’s Red XPLR AXS drivetrain for greater simplicity and improved aerodynamics; it pairs a 42T chainring with a 10-46T 13-speed cassette. Its claimed weight of 8kg is aided by a set of Newmen Streem G.62 Vonoa wheels that tip the scales at just over 1,500g despite the 62mm rim depth; these are the hoops that Lukas Pöstlberger used while winning this year’s Traka 200 race.

At £6,499, value for money is again a clear selling point, certainly when viewed against rival models with a comparable spec. For comparison, the latest Specialized Crux S-Works with the same SRAM Red AXS groupset will set you back almost £12,000. Seemingly only the direct-to-consumer Canyon Grail CFR can compete from a price perspective.

For 2027, Cube has also introduced updates to its City and Trekking hybrid bike lineups. These include belt-driven e-bikes, such as the Editor Hybrid 360 FE series (£1,899), folding bikes like the battery-powered Fold Hybrid Deluxe 540 (£2,999), and touring-specific models like the Kathmandu Hybrid, which boasts automatic shifting and an integrated frame lock.

A range of clothing and accessories completes the new additions for 2007, including Mips-equipped road and gravel helmets and an expanded eyewear range.

Summers are getting hotter, and with that, it's getting more important for riders to look at skin protection - both in terms of sun cream and UV-protective kit, as incidences of skin cancer and melanoma are increasing all around the world. With average temperatures and days of sunshine reaching record highs, should we really be heading out for long rides without giving our skin a thought?

While cyclists in the northern hemisphere are super-keen to get into short-sleeved jerseys and shorts after grinding out a long and cold winter period, is it time to switch to lightweight, long-sleeve, UV-protective garment alternatives instead?

What is skin cancer?

There are two kinds of skin cancer: melanoma, which is faster-acting and more serious, and non-melanoma, which is slower-acting and more easily treatable. Both are serious concerns and require medical attention. They occur as UV radiation from the sun penetrates our skin and damages the DNA in the skin cells, which, over time, can develop into skin cancer. The higher the UV exposure, such as extended periods sunbathing, sun beds, or living nearer the equator, the more likely you are to develop skin cancer.

According to the cancer charity Macmillan, individual risk factors are blonde/red hair, fairer skin or freckles, and green or blue eyes. People of colour have less risk of developing skin cancer due to more melanin being produced in the skin, but areas such as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet are risk factors, and prolonged exposure to UV rays will still cause damage.

There are two kinds of UV: UV A and UV B. UV B is short-wave and causes more surface damage, such as burning and DNA damage, while UV A is long-wave, penetrates deeper, and has a greater impact on aging skin.

Why does this matter to cyclists?

If you cycle in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey, you are exposing your head, arms, hands, and legs to UV radiation. These are common locations for skin cancer development. Cancer Research UK found that between 2018 and 2021, more than a third of melanomas diagnosed in women were on the leg (hip to feet). In men, 40% were diagnosed on the torso. Reasons for this were suggested as men being more likely to remove shirts in the summer, and women wearing shorter skirts or shorts.

Additionally, a research paper published in 2026 by T J Scott et al, found that between 1990 and 2023, the mean length of the summer period has increased by 5-7 days in both hemispheres, but more so in the northern hemisphere. This is also paired with more days of sun and an increase in temperatures, which comes with an increase in UV radiation.

As cyclists, summer and sun normally mean arms and legs come out, which are both areas that can be affected by skin cancer and UV damage. Which really begs the question: why aren’t more cyclists keeping long sleeves on in the summer?

Why would I wear long-sleeved kit in the summer?

For many cyclists, a long-sleeved jersey is typically a thermal fleece-lined offering designed for autumn and winter riding. But there has been an ever-growing trend, in part pushed by mainland European and Asian markets, for lightweight, summer-focused long-sleeved garments that provide greater UV protection.

A good example is MAAP’s Aeon Jersey. This comes in both long- and short-sleeve variants, and both are UV protective to 15 UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor). UPF is the protective rating for clothing, which blocks UV A and UV B, while SPF (Sun Protection Factor) protects against UV B, burning rays, and is the rating for suncream. As a general guideline, UPF refers to the percentage of UV that penetrates, so UPF 50 means only 1/50th or two per cent of UV rays penetrate. SPF rating refers to the amount of time you are protected from sun damage in minutes, times the rating. So if you’d require 10 minutes of sun to burn, SPF 15 gives you 150 minutes of protection; this doesn't account for moisture, sweat, or salt but provides a useful indication. Meanwhile, UPF is a constant, and the protection does not wane over time.

The Aeon jersey comprises Polartec Delta fabric, which is highly breathable and exceptional at moisture wicking. Indeed, the temperature range for the long-sleeve jersey suggested by MAAP is 18-35˚C, so definitely the warmest of summer weather we can expect in the UK, and the upper end of what tends to be tolerable for most. Having tested the long-sleeve jersey on some more tropical summery days, it does a very good job of wicking moisture away while keeping me cool.

Other similar options include the Pas Normal Studios Essential Light LS, Assos Mille GT LS, and Castelli Coretto LS; all are lightweight long-sleeve jerseys that aim to protect against UV damage.

For the legs, the Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Bib tights offer full-length bib-tight protection, but the material is thinner and has no fleece or thermal properties. Both the Velocio Luxe bibs and the Ornot lightweight bibs serve a similar purpose.

The big benefit here, of course, is that UV exposure to the skin is greatly reduced, so the incidence of UV-related damage should be lower, and the risk of skin cancer should be reduced as a result. Yes, these garments are a touch warmer by comparison, especially on more humid days, but I'd argue the potential long-term safety benefits far exceed the slight increase in discomfort.

What about sun cream?

Of course, another way to protect against sun damage is by using sun cream. Normally, these are at least SPF 30, but it is generally recommended to use SPF 50 in Europe. SPF 100 is not uncommon nearer the equator, though. Sun creams do protect well against UV damage, better than most jerseys in fact.

But there is a problem.

Sun creams are generally tested in an environment where there is not as much sweating. When cycling in high summer, this is usually not the case. It's also recommended to reapply them every 90 minutes or so, although some of the best cycling sunscreens do offer a longer window of protection. Although you can get small sun cream bottles or sprays, I have rarely seen any cyclist stop mid-ride to reapply suncream. That 90 minutes recommendation is also generous if you end up sweating heavily. Additionally, salt crystals on the skin left as residue from sweat and evaporative cooling can increase the damage caused by UV to the skin.

As previously mentioned, suncream becomes less effective over time. In contrast, a UPF-rated piece of clothing maintains its UV-blocking capabilities for the entire duration of a ride.

The bottom line

If you are riding in sunnier conditions, to best protect your skin against UV damage and reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, you should wear long-sleeved, UV-protective cycling garments. A lot of brands now offer long-sleeved jerseys and tights that feature lighter, more breathable, moisture-wicking materials designed to keep you pretty much as cool and comfortable as a short-sleeved variant. You can also buy UV Screens from various brands, which are lightweight arm and leg warmers that generally offer UPF 50 protection.

You should also apply sun cream to areas of high UV exposure as well as to any visible scars and the back of your neck, ears, and nose. If you’re planning a long day in the saddle, take sun cream with you to reapply.

For those with finer hair or less hair on the top of their head, wear a lightweight cap. All those helmet vents will let sunlight in and cause both an interesting-looking tan as well as damage to the skin.

While top-tier models might set you back five figures, it's perfectly possible to get a great entry-level road bike – with an aluminum frame and disc brakes – for under £1,000/$1,500. Nobody needs to spend hours restoring an aged steel-frame machine to enjoy cycling on a budget. However, there's a lot to be said for the personal satisfaction that comes from breathing new life into something old.

That's why I chose to restore this Ribble – but how long did it take me, and how much did it cost? Finally, was it worth it? Let's dive in...

Winning the eBay bidding war

I decided to buy this particular bike because it was made from Columbus SLX tubes (with internal helicoidal spine ridges to improve stiffness, if you believe the marketing), so for a steel-frame bike it’s relatively light.

The full Shimano 600 Tricolor groupset was a big plus, and the frame is fully chromed, which means that it’s about as weather and corrosion resistant as a steel bike can be.

Checking an older steel frame for rust is essential, particularly around the bottom bracket, the seat clamp and the headset, not to mention the chain and seat stays. The steerer tube and fork crown are also crucial inspection items.

Having won the eBay bidding war (a minor skirmish, really) for just £199 ($270 for our US readers), I collected the Ribble from Greenwich, which is less than 10 miles away from home. Since Columbus SLX frames alone sell for upwards of £150 (it’s worth getting a general sense of prices before buying your bike), it was a no-brainer. I would have paid the extra £50 or so for courier delivery even if the bike was further away – it can be a worthwhile expense if you find your unicorn.

All used bikes need some TLC to get them running smoothly, and the base condition of the bike dictates just how much time, money and effort you’ll have to put in. This generally works on a sliding scale, with bikes in good condition sporting the highest price tags, and the real dogs being offered for a song.

The Ribble, it turns out, was closer to needing daily walks and regular flea treatments than I’d hoped. But I still got away with spending just less than £370 ($500) for a mechanically sound and delightfully rideable piece of dead sexy British cycling history.

Here's how I did it.

The component search

From careful scrutiny of the eBay photos, I fully expected to replace the tyres (cracked and worn and 23 mm), the saddle (tattered and torn), the bar tape (ditto), the chain (very evident wear), the gear and brake cables and housings (as a matter of course), the brake pads (safety first) and the pedals (I ride Shimano SPD pedals on all my bikes for convenience).

But with older bikes, you often don’t know what you have until you take it all apart, so after a few ‘before’ photos I put my Allen keys and socket set to good use. Once I had all the bits laid out, it was clear that I’d soon be forking out for even more replacement parts.

The lower saddle clamp was inexplicably split in two, the inner chainring teeth were worn to resemble shark fins, and the front brake caliper had corroded into position and refused to respond to my rigorous degreasing and lubrication. The headset was in terrible condition, with multiple grooves worn into the lower cup.

The geometry was spot on for me personally. With a 54cm top tube despite being a 56cm bike, the frame was clearly made in heaven for my slightly off-kilter body dimensions (long legs, short torso). However, the 110mm stem proved to be a touch long, and the gorgeous Cinelli handlebar was too wide for me at 44cm. Perhaps the nastiest surprise was the cracked rear derailleur parallelogram.

In this world of instant gratification, there’s something deeply satisfying about hunting for bike parts that are often no longer in production. Rather than simply clicking online or swiping your bank card at your LBS, you have to trawl the online classified sites and forums to find the specific hens’ teeth you’re looking for. And when you find the right component at the right price, the thrill is real.

So, I subjected my eyes to more blue light from my laptop screen than is strictly healthy and, lo, I found all the bits and pieces that I needed, with the proviso that I wasn’t being overly pedantic about maintaining the original component specs.

The basics, like gear and brake cables and housings, bar tape, chain, ball bearings, and bottle cage I quickly bought new. The other bits took a bit more work, with the 39T chainring and Shimano 600 Tricolor brake calipers (with new brake pads, no less) eventually coming from eBay, the front tyre and Shimano SPD pedals after patient Gumtree searches, and the rear tyre from Freecycle (a Continental GP5000 S TR for free).

A near-mint Shimano 600 headset and rear derailleur (both for more than I was hoping to pay) came from kindred eBay users, while Golden Age Cycles – a great resource for vintage restorations – provided me with the 90 mm quill stem.

The three non-original replacements comprised a System EX seatpost from Tredz, a Fabric Radius saddle (it keeps my bum happy) from Merlin Cycles, and a handlebar from Temple Cycles, one of the only companies currently selling compact bars with a 25.4mm clamp diameter.

These purchases pushed my restoration spend up to £242.68, over and above the bike's purchase price. But I recouped a few quid for the sale of the Cinelli A1 110 mm stem, the Shimano 105 pedals, the Turbo saddle, the Shimano 600 Tricolor seatpost (even with the broken lower clamp) and the Cinelli handlebar (no surprises there). All of this netted £72, bringing the total bike and restoration cost to £369.68.

Of course, I managed to keep the total cost low because I did all the work myself. If the restoration was left to your LBS, you’d be paying anywhere between £200 and £300 for a full strip, clean and rebuild, not taking into account the additional replacement cost of the component parts. But if you have a decent set of Allen keys and a shifting spanner, you can do the bulk of the restoration work yourself, like replacing brake and gear cables and housings, fitting a new chain, installing derailleurs, setting up brake calipers, inserting the stem and handlebars, and wrapping bar tape.

The trickier jobs that require specialised tools aren’t far out of reach either, and I’d argue that they’re worth the investment even in the short run. Buying the relevant cone wrenches for around £15 and learning how to service a wheel hub has paid for itself many times over (a hub service at your LBS will likely cost around £20 per wheel). Servicing a headset and bottom bracket follows the same simple principles as servicing a wheel hub and will comfortably save you £50. Truing the wheels accounts for another £30 saving.

YouTube is a wonderful resource (RJ the Bike Guy and Sheldon Brown are two of my favourites), and you can rest assured that any issue you come across while restoring a bike has already been experienced by someone somewhere, and there’s an online tutorial, blog post or forum thread for fixing it. If there is a better way to learn about the basics of bicycle maintenance, I haven’t found it yet. Also, steel-frame bikes are slightly more forgiving for the home mechanic than the exacting tolerances and torques required by carbon frames. So, if you can do it yourself, do it!

Grunt and labour

More than just a wondrous mechanical learning curve (you have to take something apart to understand how it works), a lot of restoration work is simply about grunt labour. When a frame and components haven’t been cleaned for years, all sorts of gunk builds up in the nooks and crannies. And it’s the assiduous application of elbow grease – and toothbrushes, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, ear buds, wash cloths and miscellaneous cleaning fluids – that peels back the years of abuse to reveal the glory of former years.

When a thorough cleaning doesn’t quite cut the mustard and the paintwork needs more focused attention, you have a handful of options. I decided to leave the Ribble as is, patina and all (as the enthusiasts would have it), but the careful application of colour-matched Humbrol model paint or even nail polish is a surprisingly effective way to touch up an otherwise-good-enough paintjob.

You can, of course, respray a frame that is simply too far gone. Rattle cans are a cheap option that can provide a decent finish if you remember the golden rule – painting is 90 per cent surface preparation. A step up from this is Spray. Bike, a paint developed specifically for respraying bicycles (the clue’s in the name). Touted as a non-drip alternative for amateur users, you can manage a full single-colour respray for under £50, including primer, base coat and lacquer finish.

If you’d prefer a professional to handle the job, the prices ramp up quickly, with a single-colour frame and fork spray starting around £350 if you provide the painter with a stripped and prepped frame. Frame prep, multiple colours, masking, decals and logos quickly push you towards (and even over) the £1,000 mark, so you’ll be reserving this treatment for high-value bikes.

The bit money can't buy

When you buy a bike off the peg, it takes a while before it really feels like yours. But restoring your own bike makes it very much yours because you’ve painstakingly brought it back to life. And you can be assured that yours will more than likely be the only one of its kind out there.

There’s something wonderfully elegant about the slim tubes of an old steel-frame road bike, not to mention classic aesthetics punctuated by ornately filed lugs, smooth fillet brazing, chromed stays/forks, intricate pantographing and myriad other details handcrafted in steel.

Riding a steel-frame bike from previous generations really makes you stand out in the sea of ubiquitous carbon and aluminium, and it’s seldom that I don’t receive a compliment when out riding one of my gleaming restorations.

Megamo is not a leading brand in the road bike space. However, the Girona-based company has a decorated history over on the bumpier side, its mountain bikes have delivered riders to the podium at the Absa Cape Epic with the Buff-Megamo team. It’s only recently that Megamo has expanded into the road bike space. In such a competitive market, however, it takes a lot to stand out – a fact that's become even more apparent with Chinese brands offering high spec builds at increasingly competitive prices.

The bike we tested is the Megamo Pulse 04 SLR - the Iberian brand’s best road bike offering. It looks the part and is handsomely appointed, but value alone is not going to win over new customers – attributes such as aesthetics, value and dynamics need to be met; after thorough testing, I reckon the Pulse has nailed all three. It’s also not as ubiquitous as the mainstream bike companies and model ranges, which might be an issue for some but also a unique attribute to others.

We spent over 500km getting to know the Megamo Pulse 04 SLR and came away impressed by what it offers as a package compared to the perennial favourites.

Technical details

While the Megamo Pulse cuts a pretty sleek facade in profile with a dropped seatstay configuration, it could be argued it looks somewhat generic, but the sublime paintwork helps lift the overall visual package. Dubbed ‘White Ice’, the finish looks completely flat from a distance; but closer inspection reveals an intricately detailed, shimmering pattern that mimics icicles. To further boost the visual clout, a purple Megamo wordmark logo dominates the downtube with Pulse markings on the fork. There’s even a purple chain.

It really is a good-looking bike and one that attracted its fair share of interest from onlookers – as mentioned earlier, Megamo is not a mainstream road bike brand, and this is even more prominent in the UK.

The bike is impressively light, utilising the company’s Super Light Race (SLR) high-modulus carbon fibre chassis that is claimed to balance stiffness, compliance, and weight. In size medium, a ready-to-paint frame and fork weigh 924g/458g, respectively – which is in line with Specialized’s Fact 10r Tarmac SL8 carbon frames. Tyre clearance is up there with the very best road bikes at 34mm front and rear, which should appease those who enjoy the comfort and versatility afforded by wider tyres.

The Pulse is available in five sizes: XS, S, M, L, and XL. At 175cm tall and with longer arms and legs typical of my height, I opted for a size large Pulse - besides, the 55.8cm top tube, 410cm chainstays and a sub-metre wheelbase (997cm) aren't too far off some of the medium frames I enjoy riding.

The frame angles are balanced with a 72.5-degree head and 73.25-degree seat tube angle matched to an aggressive 557 and 390mm stack and reach – these numbers are spot on for the category.

Specifications

The Pulse 04 SLR is handsomely appointed and gains a SRAM Force AXS groupset, complete with a power meter and a 48/35T, 10-33T gearing configuration. In size large, Megamo has paired the Pulse with 172.5mm cranks - shorter (160/165mm) and longer (174mm) options are available depending on the frame size. Call me a traditionalist or maybe even a late adopter, but I much prefer the leverage afforded by longer cranks. I particularly enjoyed the 172.5mm cranks on the Pulse test bike as I prefer grinding a bigger gear as opposed to spinning. Who knows, maybe I’ll convert to shorter options in the future, but for now, 170-172,5mm seems an optimal crank length for me.

Integration was a big focus on the bike, so Megamo has ensured no visible brake hoses or cables and matched the Pulse with an integrated carbon handlebar configuration – 410mm/110mm in this size, which looked wide at first but felt good in practice and performed decently in the ergonomic stakes overall. Again, bar width and stem length are dependent on frame size.

Rolling stock is handled by Zipp’s 303 S carbon wheels and 30mm Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyres, configured with inner tubes.

The sum of these parts totals a respectable 7.4kg without pedals – again, this is the going weight for this frame size and component configuration. That said, with such a light frame and fork, it won't take much to get the bike close to or under 7kg. As an experiment, I fitted a pair of Zipp 202 wheels, which dropped the Pulse under the seven-kilo barrier at 6.9kg.

Further weight can be trimmed by ditching the Fizik Vento Antares R5 saddle for a 100g lighter carbon-railed version, and then there's the option of fitting TPUs, too.

While Megamo doesn't share complete build weights on its website, I expect the posher models in the range include the Pulse 00 SLR (SRAM Red AXS) and Pulse 01 SLR (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2) to weigh under 7kg.

Performance

The Pulse is a well-balanced bike, and very easy to ride. It’s stable in crosswinds and planted during high-speed cornering, which provides the rider with loads of confidence in challenging conditions. The geometry is spot on for its size and intentions – it is a race bike after all but doesn’t feel overly aggressive. The riding position falls squarely between upright and stretched out, allowing you to assume a semi-neutral position without the back and neck niggles often associated with race bike geometry.

Climbing is a breeze, too. At 7.4kg, the Pulse is neither the lightest nor heaviest bike in the segment; instead it represents the middle ground and doesn't hold you back when gravity comes into the equation. It devours elevation in very much the same way as a Cannondale SuperSix Evo or Specialized Tarmac. During testing, it allowed me to hold a good climbing speed over all the lumps and bumps that comprise the UK's Surrey Hills.

The same goes for rolling roads where very little pedal input is needed to keep it sailing along - it’s very impressive. And when things do ever get super steep, the stiff bottom bracket and head tube provide enough response to quickly power up any kickers.

Once up and over the other side, the bike’s dynamic character comes to the fore, thanks to the neutral frame angles – it’s super planted and predictable on the descents but also reactive to steering inputs. To improve front-end grip and communication, I got the steerer cut to drop the bars and remove some spacers. This not only reduced the effective stack but also helped place more weight over the front wheel for improved front-wheel traction in the corners.

Speaking of grip, the Pirelli tyres offered decent grip - even in the stock inner tube configuration - but should perform better at lower pressures and set up tubeless. I kept the bike as close to stock as possible during the entire test period and was very impressed with its behaviour throughout. It was only when traversing choppier, broken road surfaces that the ride quality became apparent - again, this can be tuned by lowering tyre pressure, but the associated vibrations experienced are expected on poor roads.

The Zipp 303 S wheels offer good straight-line performance and aerodynamics, and are very stable during cross winds. The whole platform is rock solid, and one of the better-performing bikes I've tested all year.

Value

Considering the crowded space, the Megamo Pulse 04 SLR makes a serious case for itself as a genuine race bike. As far as looks go, its unique paintwork and contrasting branding and iconography make for a bold and attractive bike - as does the modern design and silhouette. It’s well specced and will appeal to the ardent racer wanting a reliable performer able to keep up, compete, and hold its own against the established marques.

The Megamo Pulse 04 SLR will set you back £6,199/ $6,500/ €5,999 - which is still a significant outlay, but considering rivals such as the Cannondale SuperSix Evo 1 Hi-Mod, Scott Addict RC Team and Specialized Tarmac SL8 Pro are £700-1,000 more, it’s a bike worth considering – even if it’s still a leftfield option. While it lacks the brand cachet of the more mainstream brands, it delivers an equally engaging riding experience, and maybe even better in some instances.

With an all-new Pulse platform already upon us, you can expect some discounts on the outgoing Pulse pictured here, making it an even more attractive race bike option. Megamo will continue to sell the new Pulse and outgoing Pulse alongside each other.

Tech spec

• Price: £6,199/ $6,500/ €5,999
• Brand: Megamo
• Frame: Carbon Advanced Composite Super Light Race Frame
• Fork: Carbon Advanced Composite fork
• Weight: 7.40kg (actual, Large)
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Levers: SRAM Force AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Force AXS
• Rear derailleur: SRAM Force AXS
• Front derailleur: SRAM Force AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Force AXS, 48/35T
• Cassette: SRAM Force AXS, 10-33T
• Wheels: Zipp 303 S
• Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Race TLR Classic, 30mm
• Bar/stem: Megamo Carbon integrated, 110x410mm
• Seatpost: Aerodynamic Advanced Carbon
• Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R5

Factor has revealed two custom Factor One aero race bikes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift decked out in SpongeBob SquarePants graphics.

Human Powered Health will ride the yellow-and-blue One XXRAY Plus SpongeBob SquarePants Edition, featuring the hit show's eponymous sea sponge on the radical aero bike's deep fork leg. Ma Petite Entreprise will race the One XXRAY PLUS Patrick Star Edition in pink and purple. A graphic of SpongeBob's friend Patrick, a starfish, runs down the fork.

Nods to the cartoon's setting in the submarine city of Bikini Bottom, such as starfish symbols, cover the vibrant colourways of both bikes. Factor wanted to liven up the looks of its bikes ahead of the fifth Tour de France Femmes, which starts on 1 August in Lausanne, Switzerland.

David Millar, Factor's chief brand officer, said: "The reason for doing it was to create an unexpected meeting of two worlds. The One is Factor’s most advanced aero race platform, developed for performance at the highest level, while SpongeBob, Patrick and the XXRAY concept bring optimism, personality and playfulness.

"Putting them together shows that a cutting-edge race bike can be technically serious without being visually predictable, and that elite cycling still has room for creativity, culture and fun."

The graphics are the artwork of Jason Freeny, who designs the XXRAY pop culture collection. The former professional cyclist said the One's large surface area helped Factor's global creative director Jay Gundzik translate Freeny's artwork onto the bikes.

"The One's broad, sculpted aerodynamic surfaces gave him an unusually large canvas, allowing the characters to appear at a scale and with an impact that would not be possible on a more conventional frame," added Millar. "Rather than simply adding small graphics, Jay was able to make the artwork part of the bike’s overall visual presence."

Human Powered Health, a WorldTour team based in the United States, and Ma Petite Entreprise, a French ProTeam outfit, are both sponsored by SRAM, so will ride the brand's Red AXS groupset and Black Inc 62 wheels from Factor's in-house component brand.

As unlikely as the partnership may seem, it's not the first time we've seen SpongeBob in cycling. Fashion brand Supreme released a SpongeBob range of jerseys and bib shorts with Castelli in 2025.

Factor has a history of collaborations, too. It launched an exclusive version of its aero bike called the Bugatti Factor One, which features an even deeper, vented fork harnessing Bugatti's motorsport know-how. At this year's Paris-Roubaix, some riders from Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, an American UCI Pro Team, and Human Powered Health raced a Factor Monza with graphics designed by Belgian artist Vexx.

Factor says it will sell a limited run of both SpongeBob SquarePants bike designs online and through official dealers.

Shimano has officially unveiled its new Dura-Ace wheel lineup that the WorldTour teams it sponsors have been racing as prototypes – something we spotted at Opening Weekend already. Mathieu van der Poel and his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates have ridden the wheels in competition and training over the past year, including at the Tour de France, as part of Shimano's development process.

The new WH-RH9370 series is lighter by up to 220g per wheelset thanks to carbon spokes and produces as much as 2.7 watts less aerodynamic resistance than before, according to the Japanese brand.

Shimano has also broadened the hooked internal rim from 21mm to 23mm to better support the wider 28-30c tubeless tyres its pro teams ride.

Shimano's best road bike wheels continue to use the company's adjustable and repairable cup-and-cone hubs, to which it has added replaceable bearing cups.

The Dura-Ace road wheel range includes three rim depths: 36mm, 50mm and 60mm. All cost £2,299.98/ $2,970 per wheelset. The time-trial range consists of a 99mm-deep front wheel (£1,199.99/ $1,595) and rear disc wheel (£2,299.99/ $3,030). Shimano says they will be available to consumers from September.

Weight savings

Shimano says a reduction in weight compared to the outgoing R9270 series improves climbing and acceleration with no detriment to stability or longevity. Most of the savings will have come from the move from steel to carbon spokes, which are a couple of grams lighter per spoke as well as being much stiffer and stronger.

Shimano has also credited improved rim layups and overall engineering efficiencies. It claims to have saved 180g from the C36 climbing wheelset, 159g from the mid-depth C50 and 220g from the deeper section C60. These reductions close the gap between Shimano's wheels and high-performance options from the likes of Scope, Cadex and Roval.

Optimised for wider tyres

The new 23mm-wide internal rim is said to put wider tyres into a more stable and aerodynamic shape, while the external rim width manages speed and stability in crosswinds. Shimano says it adjusts the profile of the front and rear rims to their depth.

However, the purported improvements in aerodynamic efficiency are modest. At 48km/h (30mph) on 30c tyres, Shimano says the new wheels can save up to 2.7 watts.

It adds that it developed the wheels with computational fluid dynamics and certified their performance at wind angles riders are likely to face on the road.

Tailored carbon spokes

Shimano has designed two kinds of carbon spokes, both with hidden nipples to lower drag, to deliver its objectives for each wheelset.

• Super Aero: 5.2mm x 0.8mm
• Aero: 4mm x 1.1mm

Like any other wheel builder, it tailors the spoke type, count and configuration to the wheel's intended use.

For example, the C36 has 18 front and 21 rear Aero spokes to favour low weight and reactivity while the C60 has 21 front and 24 rear Aero spokes to prioritise lateral stiffness in sprints. The C99 front TT rim drops down to 16 Super Aero spokes to minimise drag.

Updated cup-and-cone bearing system

Shimano's removal of cup-and-cone bearings from its latest XTR mountain bike wheels disappointed fans of fully serviceable hubs. Unlike the now-more common cartridge bearings – which have to be binned when enclosed ball bearings, races and seals wear out – a mechanic can disassemble, clean and regrease cup-and-cone bearings and replace individual parts.

Shimano has maintained cup-and-cone bearings in the RH9370 series, it reckons the long-term serviceability, adjustable torque and smoother rotation are better than before.

It says its comparative testing found lower friction in cup-and-cone hubs than cartridge alternatives. To two wheels, it applied 500N of vertical force, simulating the rider and bike weight, 200N of pedaling force, and 500N of clamping force from the thru-axle. The new cup-and-cone bearings displayed 30% less rotational torque than standard cartridge bearings, according to Shimano. But it didn't explain how this translates into performance on the road.

In addition, Shimano has introduced replaceable bearing cups. The outgoing wheelset suffered from water ingress at the front bearings, which caused them to corrode and the internal surfaces to pit, requiring a whole new hub shell or wheel. It also claims to have improved the hubs' waterproofing.

What about the rest of Dura-Ace?

Shimano hasn't announced more details on the prototype SPD-SL pedals that caused Alpecin-Premier Tech strife at Paris-Roubaix. After puncturing in the Carrefour de L'Arbre, Mathieu van der Poel was unable to clip into the pedals of his teammate Jasper Philipsen's bike, fitted with the prototypes. This seemed to indicate that the new pedals use different cleats to the existing Dura-Ace R9100 platform Van der Poel was riding. Nor is there any word on the anticipated update to the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset.

Tune is expanding the Nano platform with six new road wheelsets: Nano Road 35, 45, and 60, plus the Nano CS Road 35, 45, and 60.

The new Nano CS Road wheelsets feature Tune's newly patented carbon-spoke hub technology, enabling carbon-spoke wheel builds with a much wider range of rim designs than previously, while also claiming weight reduction and increased robustness.

Building on the Tune Yokto wheels, this new dual lineup extends the brand's road-market offering and underlines its push to compete at the sharp end of the best road bike wheels.

The new dual lineup features carbon rims in 35mm, 45mm and 60mm depths, with either 24 stainless steel Sapim spokes on the Nano Road or 20 high-modulus carbon-fibre spokes on the Nano CS Road.

While the hookless debate continues, albeit in a more subdued form, Tune has firmly planted its flag in the camp of tradition, with a hooked bead across the entire Nano range. By retaining the hooked profile, Tune says the wheels can be used with both standard tubeless systems and traditional clincher tyres with inner tubes. It also accommodates higher inflation pressures, removing compatibility restrictions around tyre brands and construction styles.

The internal rim bed is wide enough to support modern, high-volume road tyres, helping optimise the tyre footprint for lower rolling resistance and improved cornering grip.

While versatility appears central to the Nano range's design, the Nano CS models are a claimed engineering first, with the spoke system at its heart.

Traditional steel spokes are relatively compliant; they tolerate slight deformation during wheel building. Carbon spokes, by contrast, are far less forgiving. Despite their low weight and high stiffness, forcing them to sit at an offset angle introduces stresses that can lead to fracture.

This creates a wheel-building challenge: keeping carbon spokes perfectly aligned typically requires a custom hub design for each rim depth and profile, a prohibitively expensive solution. Tune says the Nano CS addresses this with a patented ball-milled socket. Instead of forcing the carbon spoke into a fixed slot, Tune says that the spoke head can swivel to align naturally with the rim, reducing stress and the risk of spoke failure.

Balancing aero and stiffness is a fine act, and Tune says it concluded that with the deeper 45mm and 60mm rims, the balance is struck with a symmetrical rim; but when it comes to the Tune Nano CS 35, it transpired that stiffness gains from asymmetric front and rear rims were more important than the aero gains.

That same focus on efficiency carries through to the rear hub, where power transfer is handled by Tune's proprietary Poetry freehub mechanism. In its standard configuration, the system offers 69 points of engagement, up from 40 on the Tune Yokto 4550 wheelset.

For riders still demanding quicker engagement, the internal pawl system can be upgraded to double the engagement points to 138, and the hubs upgraded from the standard Enduro premium steel bearings to Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings.

But all that titivating will cost you. The current starting prices for the Nano Road wheelset are £1,960/ $2,610/ €2,290, and the Nano Road CS wheelset is £2,390/ $3,200/ €2,790.

Pop in ceramic bearings and the wheelsets jump an additional £540/ $720/ €630. It's a perspective-giving price tag that makes you question whether you need ceramic bearings in your wheels altogether.

While the Nano Road and Nano Road CS share the same UCI-certified rim, albeit with different spoke counts, both come with a 24mm internal width and 32mm external width, tailored for 28mm to 45mm tyres.

The Nano Road tips the scales at 1,280g for 35mm-deep rims, 1,340g for 45mm-deep rims, and 1,440g for 60mm-deep rims.

Opting for the carbon-spoked Nano CS variant, however, sees a significant reduction in mass, shaving off approximately 100g to reach a featherweight 1,180g for the 35mm depth, 1,250g for the 45mm, and 1,350g for the deep-section 60mm wheels (all weights cited within a 3% tolerance and are claimed).

Obviously, any swap-outs will change these numbers, but so marginally so that you probably wouldn't even nudge the kitchen scales.

Tadej Pogačar secured his record-equalling fifth Tour de France title on a custom yellow Colnago Y1Rs after battling Mathieu van der Poel for victory in the final stage in Paris. The Dutchman narrowly held off a stampeding group to win his second stage in a pulsating finale on the Champs-Élysées.

The Slovenian rode a raw carbon version of the Italian brand's aero bike to save weight in the previous 20 stages. But he switched paint to commemorate his third consecutive yellow jersey, which drew him level with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on five Tour de France wins.

Six of Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates also received yellow bikes, including Brandon McNulty, who abandoned the race. Isaac del Toro rode a white Y1Rs to match the colour of the Young Rider's jersey he won on his way to third overall.

Colnago painted the frames at its facility in Pisa and added a collection of details specific to the 113th edition of the race to make the frames truly one of a kind.

The elevation profile of the route from Barcelona to Paris runs along the seat stays and the names of every team member are written on the top tube.

Each rider's bike has his national flag on the seat tube and the years of Pogačar's Tour de France victories on the head tube are displayed when the handlebars turn.

Pogačar's frame also carries rainbow flags in honour of his road race world title on the top tube, head tube and seat tube where Y1Rs is spelt out in Morse Code.

Colnago says each frame is one of a kind and they are not for sale. It will not make replicas either.

In terms of the components, the full bike is built to the original specification level of the bike Pogačar and his team raced to Paris. As such, the Colnago Y1Rs is built around a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset with Carbon-Ti taking care of the chainrings and derailleur hanger. As the final stages took in just 88.7km/1,000m of climbing over a shortened course, the Slovenian kept his gearing configuration unchanged at 55/40T, 11-34T with 165mm cranks.

To ensure uniformity across the board, the team paired his Enve SES 4.5 Pro wheels with yellow decals, and switched out all the red anodised Carbon-Ti hardware for the golden equivalent. His golden Bikone ceramic bottom bracket remained unchanged owing to its already complementing colour scheme.

Other details included a yellow Wahoo Elment Bolt with matching Elite Leggero Carbon cages and bidons. Pogačar also matched his shoes with yellow laces and wore a yellow Whoop strap.

Although we've explained why Tour de France riders' setups have become more relaxed lately, there are always exceptions. Kasper Asgreen has an extremely aggressive position on his Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo, with a huge saddle-to-bar drop paired with a long and narrow cockpit.

It's clearly something that works for the 2021 Tour of Flanders champion and stage winner at the 2023 Tour de France. As we know from speaking to Cannondale and the Dane's team, EF Education–EasyPost, Asgreen is one of the peloton's most tech-focused riders and fastidiously optimises his bike.

Being a breakaway specialist who usually wins solo or from a small group, Asgreen's position makes sense. When he gets away, he needs to be in the most aerodynamic position possible. It's not one many pros attempt to hold these days, but Asgreen has shown he can on many occasions. He's also used a few nifty tricks to help him win in these scenarios.

Let's run through the details of his Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo that we photographed at the Grand Depart and featured in our Tour de France tech gallery from Barcelona. We'll pick out a few differences from the Specialized S-Works Tarmac he rode while at Soudal–Quickstep.

Despite standing at 1.92m tall, Asgreen rides a 56cm SuperSix Evo, which is one or two sizes smaller than an amateur of the same height might ride. That explains the massive drop between the saddle, which has previously been measured at 82cm above the middle of the bottom bracket, and handlebars. He does this because the low position he wants would not be possible on the frame size up. The stack of the 58cm SuperSix is about 25mm taller than the 56cm.

Cannondale dropped the stack of the fifth-generation SuperSix by one centimetre across the range, bringing it into line with the Tarmac SL8 Asgreen raced at his previous team. Nonetheless, since joining EF Education-EasyPost, Asgreen told me he has gone slightly up and out, maintaining overall reach while flattening his torso angle. This makes that still-aggressive position easier to hold. He appears to have done this by adding a couple of spacers, using upturned hoods and benefitting from the extra reach these long SRAM Red AXS shifters bring.

At the SuperSix launch last year, Cannondale said all EF racers were narrowing their cockpits and Asgreen has followed suit, dropping down from 38cm to 36cm for this year. His SystemBar Road integrated cockpit has a 130mm effective stem length and 4cm flare. This gives more control in the drops and abides by the UCI's handlebar dimension rules requiring a 40cm outside-to-outside width.

SRAM's wireless sprint Blips are tucked into the handlebar tape on the drops. Although Asgreen isn't a sprinter, these would come in handy during a reduced group sprint, enabling him to change gear at full tilt.

Some SRAM-sponsored teams have taken advantage of the American brand's provision for 1x road drivetrains at this year's Tour. EF Education-EasyPost, however, has stuck with traditional double chainrings. Asgreen is pushing a 54/41T combo.

As pro chainrings have increased in size, so have cassettes. A choice of 10-33T or 10-36T SRAM Red AXS cassettes is the new normal for SRAM teams on rolling and hilly terrain. Not so long ago an 11-28T cassette was considered a climbing gear.

The green around the pedal thread of these SRAM Red AXS cranks denotes they measure 172.5mm. That might seem long these days, but Asgreen is very tall and would have doubtless ridden 175s previously.

A benefit of the SuperSix's low frameset weight is that riders can run deeper rims without much of an overall weight penalty. These look like 60mm-deep Vision Metron RS rims fitted with 700x30c Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres. Note that these are the non-time trial version that offers better puncture protection.

A sleeve of black fabric on the fork leg isn't the tidiest nor potentially most aero way to carry an obligatory race transponder, but it does the job here.

This quick link matches EF's pink-themed kit in a reminder than professional cycling isn't all about going fast.

Asgreen's perch of choice is the Argo Adaptive, a 3D-printed saddle from saddle-sponsor Fizik. This appears to the narrower 140mm version which is 265mm long. This level of bike has titanium hardware in the clamp to save a few grams.

Lab71 is Cannondale's highest-tier carbon, equivalent to Specialized's S-Works Fact 12r carbon. This build will set you back £11,000/ $13,499.

Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo specs

Frameset: Cannondale Lab71 SuperSix Evo, Ultralight Series 0 Carbon
Fork: Lab71 SuperSix EVO, Ultralight Series 0 Carbon
Cockpit: Cannondale SystemBar Road, 130mm/360mm
Seatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2
Groupset: SRAM Red AXS 54/41T, 10-33T
Wheelset: Vision Metron 60 RS
Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro 30mm
Saddle: Fizik Argo Adaptive

The need to go faster has turned gravel racing into an arms race, with everything from helmets and clothing to frames and components undergoing extensive R&D and wind-tunnel testing to improve overall speed. One of the easiest and cost-effective ways to unlock performance is upgrading to a set of the best gravel bike wheels, and this applies to all disciplines - even gravel riding.

While several companies, such as Zipp and Parcours, have been early adopters of the aero gravel wheel concept with their respective 303 XPLR SW and FKT, West Sussex-based Strada Wheels has also jumped on the aero gravel bandwagon and developed a go-faster gravel wheelset - the Strada Gravel Aero Plus 2.

The Strada Gravel Aero Plus 2 has been designed to provide a reliable gravel wheel at an affordable price, with myriad build options and weights available. I say ‘developed’ because these are not generic, open-mould wheels but rather designed and built in-house by Strada, to improve speed, control and comfort on technically demanding, rough terrain.

We’ve been using the Gravel Aero Plus 2 wheels in all manner of terrain and weather, including traditional gravel and mountain bike trails, and the results have been mighty impressive.

Technical details

The Strada Gravel Aero Plus 2 wheels are constructed from unidirectional carbon fibre and built to modern standards, featuring a mixed front/rear rim height of 40/45mm and matched to a 30mm internal rim width, positioning it squarely between the Parcours FKT (27mm) and Zipp 303 XPLR SW (32mm) wheelsets. Owing to the nature of gravel terrain and the reality of bottoming out tyres at lower pressures, the wheels have been constructed with hookless uprights and a 3.5mm impact zone. Like the Parcours Alta and FKT gravel wheels, the flatter rim edge has been raised and reinforced to reduce stress concentrations around the rim, improving impact protection and compliance.

The front and rear wheels utilise tailored rim profiles and layups, as the air path, rim impacts, and applied forces differ greatly between the front and rear. As a result, while both wheels employ the same internal width and 36.5mm external width, the front rim is constructed from T700 fibres, while the rear rim is made from T800-grade carbon. The big party trick here, however, comes from resin used in the layup to bind the fibres, something Strada calls advanced viscoelastic resin matrix, which is claimed to “absorb vibration, increase durability, and enhance overall ride feel”.

In terms of tyres, the Gravel Aero Plus 2 was optimised around 40-45mm tyres, but is compatible with widths spanning everything from 35mm to a gargantuan 62mm (2.4-inches), so it will play nicely with a slew of recently launched wide-tyre gravel bikes such as the BMC Kaius, Factor Sarana and Open Wi.De 2.0.

Both wheels are laced using 24 aero-bladed Alpina spokes: Ultralite at the front and Extralite at the rear. The wheels can be built to your personal specifications and needs, with hub options from Hope, DT Swiss, ExtraLite, and Tactic. Our test pair came with DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs featuring a 36T ratchet that provides a 10-degree engagement angle.

Visually, the wheels are stealthy yet striking and should complement most gravel bike colour schemes and design themes. Our test pair came with black-on-black decals, but if you require a bolder visual impact, a white decal kit is included in the box.

While system weight was not the chief focus of this wheelset, the Strada Gravel Aero Plus 2 tipped our scales at 1,465g (680g/785g front/rear with rim tape and valves fitted) for the pair - a little heavier than the claimed 1,426g but still lighter than both the Parcours FKT (1,500g) and Zipp 303 XPLR SW (1,496g) wheels.

Performance

While the Strada Gravel Aero 2 has some stiff competition, they don’t feel inferior in any way. In fact, out in the real world, they feel as controlled and fast as rivals from Zipp and Parcours, maybe even better on lumpier terrain and in windy conditions.

At just under 62kg, I paired the Stradas with 45mm Vittoria Terreno T30 rubber, set at 25psi all round – a little lower than I usually ride but, considering my tyre inserts ( a non-negotiable for me since Gravel Burn), wide internal rim width and tall hookless beads, I felt confident with the setup throughout my testing period. The front-end control on my Cannondale SuperX Lab71 was sublime, allowing me to eke out maximum traction around fast, washed-out corners, and the ride quality was plush yet communicative.

While I can't say I actively felt the effects of the viscoelastic resin matrix, it didn't feel like I was wrestling with the bike or bouncing off the pedals when the terrain was choppy and corrugated, unlike with other wheels I’ve sampled. Of course, this reduction in upper-body fatigue can be attributed to the low tyre pressures, but there’s only so much pressure manipulation can do to nullify high-frequency vibrations, and I never felt that the wheels slowed me down during these situations.

I feel the 40/45mm rim depth is a sweet spot for gravel riding and racing. This height is deep enough to improve aerodynamics and shallow enough to stave off crosswinds. Throughout the test period, the wheels tracked accurately on high-speed descents and provided the confidence needed for off-road riding.

Climbing is a breeze, too. They’re not the lightest wheels around, but are far from the heaviest either, so you can wind them up pretty quickly and sail over rolling terrain. The rear hub engages quickly and helps keep progress swift and hesitation-free. It’s only on super-steep pitches where you’ll need to summon your skills to ensure weight is evenly distributed over both axles to avoid wheelspinning and coming to a halt.

I also tested the wheels on some mountain bike singletrack that comprises sections of my gravel test routes. These trails are notably technical, with small drops and very sandy corners, but the Stradas managed comfortably and, dare I say, even smoothed off some of the step-downs and bumps. Very impressive indeed.

Value

With such quality options among the best aero gravel wheelsets, it’s going to come down to preference and brand loyalty, but it’s hard not to recommend the Strada Gravel Aero 2 wheels. While the Strada Gravel Aero 2 wheels are £250 pricier than the Parcours FKT in base spec, they’re £100 cheaper than the Zipp 303 XPLR SW, trumping both when it comes to weight and spread of compatible tyre widths. (Pricing creeps up depending on hub choice).

As someone who considers themselves neutral and objective, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance and stability afforded by the Strada Gravel Aero 2 wheel platform - not only do they feel fast on all terrain, they are super-reliable and durable, and that’s what you want on technically demanding gravel events and even stage races. They comfortably dismissed washboard surfaces and ensured average speeds on flat gravel roads were high.

While it’s hard to quantify whether they’re better than their rivals, based on the ability to run super-wide tyres alone, I’m inclined to say the Strada Aero Gravel 2 wheels will stay relevant for the next couple of years. Well, at least until we know where the whole 32-inch wheel agenda is headed…

Tech specs

• Price: £1,499 / $2,020 / €1,750
• Weight: 1,465g (actual)
• Hubset: DT Swiss 240 EXP
• Freehub options: Shimano HG11/12, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo
• Rim depth: 40mm front, 45mm rear
• Rim width: 30mm internal, 36.5mm external
• Spoke count: 24 front/rear
• Rim: Hookless

As Tour de France cyclists switch between screens on their bike computers and pause them as soon as they cross the line, you may have wondered what they're looking at and recording.

To their detractors, the best bike computers make racing more predictable and diminish the breakaway's chances. But they are here to stay despite a recent ruling by cycling's governing body, the UCI. It announced a restriction on bike computer size, in case riders get distracted by the supposed plethora of data at their fingertips.

These fears seem to be overblown based on what we've found out about how professional cyclists use their head units in races.

Bigger isn't better for racing

Unlike some of the UCI's equipment rules, its ruling on bike computer size isn't set to inconvenience elite riders. Computers such as the Wahoo Elemnt Ace are nowhere to be seen, with most riders opting for smaller models for marginally lower weight and drag.

Wahoo told us the WorldTour teams it sponsors tend to use the smaller Elemnt Bolt instead of the larger Roam or Ace.

Garmin-sponsored teams also prefer its svelter head units in competition over the big Edge 1040 and 1050.

Lotto–Intermarché's Georg Zimmermann says: "I use the Edge MTB because it’s the lightest option."

Bike computers are a good way for pros to save weight because, being removable, they don't count towards the 6.8kg UCI weight limit. Weighing just 58g, Edge MTB is half as heavy as larger models, making it popular among Visma–Lease a bike riders too.

Some riders, like Netcompany-Ineos' Sam Watson, prefer more data and a larger screen in training than in races.

"In training I prefer the Edge 1050 because of its large screen," says the former British road race champion, who was not selected for this year's Tour. "Everything is easy to see, and I almost always ride with maps enabled, as I like seeing clearly where I’m going.

"For racing, I use Edge 850. Because it’s light and smaller, I like to think there’s a marginal advantage in it, and during races I’m generally not looking at my screen very often and focus on the race itself.

"I like to train with the Edge 1050 because the larger display is ideal for navigation and makes all my data easier to read. But in races I keep things simple. My maps screen also displays only distance and time.

"During training, I switch between several screens: one for structured efforts, one for general riding, and a map screen when I am following a route. When I have my map screen on, I also display power and time."

Mapping for safety

Instead of distracting riders, it seems bike computers have a role in safety.

"I always have the map on my screen," says current British road race champion Fred Wright, who races with the Garmin Edge 850. "For me, it’s important to know how long it is until the next corner, especially at the more crucial points in the race.

"Alongside the map, I display power and the elevation profile because I like knowing when the next flatter section of the climb is coming up.”

Wright's Pinarello Q36.5 teammate Tom Pidcock uses his Edge 850 in a similar way.

"I always use the same data screen: power, speed, lap time, lap distance, heart rate and cadence," says the Olympic cross-country mountain bike champion. "I also have a map showing lap time and the distance to my destination, so I know how far I still have to go.”

Zimmermann also displays maps on his Edge MTB and configures nutrition alerts.

"During races my main screen shows the map with the GPX course, current power output and a timer," he adds. "I use the map to know where we’re heading and the time to keep track of my nutrition, so I know when it’s time for me to eat, which is every 30 minutes, and the power data helps me pace myself.”

Data differences

Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old Frenchman who is fourth in the general classification, also has a map screen, but his is busier than most riders'. We caught a glimpse of it on his unreleased Van Rysel RCR-Pro.

During stage 14 from Mulhouse to Markstein Le Fellering, he displayed metres climbed, altitude, average heart rate and maximum speed. The elevation data makes sense on a mountain stage, but the other two readings seem less crucial.

The other data screen on his Bolt is also quite crammed. It displays current and average power, speed, BPM and cadence, as well as distance and time.

His nine data fields contrast to Mads Pedersen's seven. The Green Jersey wearer might have his averages on a different screen, but one we can see only shows current speed, power, BPM and RPM. The Dane must like keeping track of time, as he has clock and ride duration fields.

Alex Baudin has kept the polka dot trim around his Bolt from when he wore the climber's jersey earlier in the race. The Frenchman's data screen has a similar layout to Pedersen's, with additional average speed and altitude.

Only the essentials

Another common theme is that riders are also tracking a few data points during races, such as core body temperature and ventilation sensors, but generally don't look at these metrics while racing.

Cofidis rider Jenthe Biermans did have the Core heat sensor connected to his Wahoo on the rest-day recon of the individual time trial, which he crashed out of. But this appears to be on a 'training' data screen. His map screen is sparse, with only distance and distance to go at the top.

The breakaway star of the 2026 Tour France, Baptiste Veistroffer, also keeps things simple on his Edge 850, which he likes for the "balance of screen size and data visibility."

He adds: "The metrics I pay the most attention to are power and heart rate. The screen I use most often is the map page, with distance and power data displayed at the bottom.”

Garmin has acquired TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic to improve the quality of the coaching it offers to users of its bike computers and multisport watches.

Launched in 1999 to enable coaches to work remotely with athletes, TrainingPeaks is considered one of the best cycling apps and pioneered data-driven training analysis, and has become the most popular online platform for structured endurance training. While you can coach yourself on TrainingPeaks, Garmin seems more interested in letting you buy training plans from human coaches or pay extra for more tailored coaching. This appears to affirm the value of human expertise, pushing back against the spread of AI coaching.

Garmin, the US-based sports-wearable giant that turned over a record $7.25 billion in 2025, says it won't disclose how much it paid for the training planning apps, but, being a publicly traded company, the amount will be included in upcoming financial reports.

The purchase is the latest in a series of consolidations in the fitness app market. Activity-sharing app Strava has also moved into coaching by buying Runna and The Breakaway while Zwift bought Rouvy, another virtual-reality indoor cycling app, this year. Wahoo, Garmin's main rival, also has form in this area, having swallowed up The Sufferfest and RGT Cycling.

Details on how the acquisition will affect TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, which is more focused on weight lifting, are scant. Garmin says the digital platforms' 120 staff will become Garmin employees.

Will Training Peaks become part of Garmin Connect?

Garmin hasn't revealed whether it will integrate TrainingPeaks into its Connect companion app.

Through its Garmin Coach feature, it provides off-the-peg training plans and adaptive coaching.

Logistically, it would seem difficult to mesh these two apps together, in light of the sophistication of TrainingPeaks. So we'd expect them to remain separate, but we can't be sure.

Will you still be able to use TrainingPeaks without a Garmin?

Garmin hasn't said whether Training Peaks will continue to support connections with non-Garmin devices.

Currently users can sync planned and completed workouts between most watches and head units.

Again, it wouldn't benefit Training Peaks' popularity to close it off to users of Wahoo, Coros, Suunto and more, but we can only speculate at this stage.

What will happen to TrainingPeaks Virtual?

Questions also remain over the future of TrainingPeaks Virtual, Training Peaks' own indoor cycling app that it integrated into its platform after buying Indie Velo. This works with most indoor trainers, so it's unclear how this will live alongside Garmin's own Tacx Training app, which is only compatible with Tacx trainers.

A message to TrainingPeaks members from managing director Lee Gerakos suggests continued cross-compatibility.

"As a valued customer, we wanted to proactively assure you that TrainingPeaks will continue to operate as a cross-platform ecosystem, enabling athletes and coaches to use the devices, platforms and services that best suit their needs," he said.

"More authentic coaching experiences"

Brad Trenkle, Garmin co-chief operating officer, said: “TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic share Garmin’s passion for empowering athletes and coaches around the world with world-class training tools, performance metrics and actionable insights. The addition of these highly successful platforms to the Garmin ecosystem will expand access to more authentic coaching experiences—connecting athletes with professional coaches who guide, motivate and inspire them to reach their goals.”

Andy Stephens, CEO of Peaksware Holdings, parent company of TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, said: “We’re thrilled to join forces with Garmin to advance our shared mission of empowering coaches and athletes with science-based training. For over a decade, we’ve worked together to democratise coaching and performance insights, helping millions of athletes reach their peak through data-driven, structured training.”

When To Replace... is a feature series in which we explore when one should replace common cycling products like helmets, apparel and various moving parts on your bike. Curious about a particular product? Shoot us an email at anne.rook@futurrnet.com

Tyres have wear indicators, chains can be measured, and clipless pedal cleats show distinct signs of wear. But how about less obvious things like when to replace your helmet or the sealant in your tyres?

The best tubeless tyre sealant serves two main purposes: it ensures an air-tight seal between your tyres and your rims, and fills small punctures on the fly. While sealant can prevent a puncture from ruining your day, it needs a little more care than a traditional inner tube.

Depending on frequency of use, bike storage environment, riding conditions and weather for instance, you’ll need to perform a bit of maintenance on your tyres and wheels to keep them rolling.

The most obvious time you’ll need to replace sealant in a tubeless setup is if you suffer a puncture and the sealant in your tyres spills out while doing its job. Another indicator it's time to check your sealant levels is if your tyres start losing air more quickly between rides.

Cadex Cycling’s Jeff Schneider likened tubeless tyre sealant to chain lube, as both are consumable products, and not set-it-and-forget-it.

“A common misconception is that tubeless systems are set-and-forget,” said Schneider. “In reality, sealant is a consumable maintenance item, much like chain lubricant. Periodic inspection and replenishment are essential to maintaining puncture protection and optimal system performance.”

Why tubeless tyre sealant ages and how to gauge sealant loss

Silca’s Josh Poertner explained why sealant dries and ages, and characterises the minor difficulties with troubleshooting sealant viability.

“Tubeless sealant relies on solid latex liquified by a high pH solvent. Once in the tyre, some of the solvent evaporates into the tyre air allowing the entire system to maintain a good pH level for that sealant to remain liquid.

“This solvent gas slowly escapes the tyre with the air in the tyre. When you add more air more solvent has to leave the sealant itself to allow the new air to reach equilibrium and the cycle repeats.

“As it loses solvent to evaporation, [the sealant] will thicken to something more like honey before eventually becoming hard.

“You are aging your sealant far faster if you are adding air every two days than if you are having to add it every two weeks,” said Poertner.

There are several methods for checking tyre selant levels, as outlined by Poertner:

• Hold the wheel to your ear and shake it; the sealant in there should sound like water sloshing around.
• Use a dipstick (which requires complete tyre deflation and dragging sealant through the valve stem).
• Weigh the wheel/tyre system to see how much of the sealant liquids have been lost. Most sealants are on the order of 70-80% liquid solvent by weight, so if you add 50 grams of sealant to a tyre, your sealant will be completely dried out when you've lost 35-40g.

Poertner indicated he uses the first method. Whilst using enough sealant that you can hear it sloshing may represent a weight penalty, he's not overly concerned, believing the trade off to be worth it.

“I use the shake method every week or two and then add sealant every 60 days or so even if it still sounds good. Better safe than sorry! Another 15 to 20g of sealant doesn't bother me,” Poertner told us.

Schneider recommends checking sealant every two to four months, depending on the environment.

Factors affecting sealant lifespan

“Riders in hot, dry climates may find that sealant dries out more quickly, while cooler and more humid environments can extend service intervals,” Schneider advised.

Schneider, like Poertner, suggests using the shake method, among others, for determining if your sealant needs replenishment.

“Riders training or racing regularly, particularly those participating in long events where puncture protection is critical, checking sealant before major events is a good practice regardless of the service interval.”

Another sealant aging consideration Schneider cautions is the use of CO₂ cartridges.

“CO₂ gas can accelerate the coagulation and drying of some latex-based sealants, potentially reducing their effectiveness and shortening their service life.

“Riders using high-pressure road tubeless systems, where sealant volume is relatively small compared to gravel or mountain bike tyres, the effects of CO₂ on sealant condition can be more noticeable, making post-ride inspection particularly worthwhile.

“If a rider uses a CO₂ cartridge during a ride to repair and re-inflate a tubeless tyre, it is a good idea to inspect the sealant and, if necessary, refresh it once they return home. This is especially important if multiple CO₂ cartridges have been used or if the sealant was already several months old,” said Schneider.

We asked the cycling maintenance authority Park Tools for its advice about signs and indications for when to replace road tyre sealant.

“This is not a cut and dry answer and depends on climate, amount of riding, tyre choice, and type of sealant being used,” says Park’s Truman Purdy.

“My universal suggestion is that you should replace your sealant at the beginning of your riding season, check and refresh about half way through the season and (for best results) drain [and replace at] the end of the season,” Purdy added.

While this seems like a lot to do, in the larger scheme of cycling maintenance, the time spent proactively maintaining your tyre and wheel systems is well worth the investment to keep you rolling.

Purdy cautioned cyclists who use tubeless systems in hotter and drier regions to do a little more proactive maintenance.

“The goal is to be sure that you have enough liquid sealant in the tyre to prevent small leaks and to fill larger holes as they come up. A person who rides a lot in hotter and dryer climates should be checking sealant monthly,” Purdy said.

How to remove old sealant

Silca makes a sealant removing agent, useful for getting sealant off bikes, kit, floors, shoes, and other surfaces sealant may have leaked or sprayed onto while doing its job. But you don’t want to use sealant remover on the inside of your tyres when refreshing sealant. This would compromise the newly installed sealant.

The safest and most effective way to remove old, dried sealant from tyres is with a crepe rubber block (often sold as a sanding belt cleaner) or a heavy-duty natural rubber eraser. Some elbow grease is also useful—use your thumbs to push and roll out clumped sealant.

If the sealant is tricky, you can submerge your tyres and rims in hot—but not boiling—water to soften it up a bit before going to work on it. While some mechanics suggest using a small, plastic scraper, we think the risk of destroying tyres or marring wheels is great enough to avoid using tools.

Stay away from acetone or other cleaning agents which can compromise new sealant, the materials comprising your tyres, and even your rims.

Canyon launched the new Endurace CFR with one goal in mind: to help Mathieu van der Poel win Paris-Roubaix. And while that didn’t quite work out, with van der Poel opting to use his Aeroad CFR instead, the Endurace CFR platform is still a mighty impressive bike. After all, van der Poel did win the E3 Saxo Classic on the new Endurace CFR in its first outing, proving its prowess for taming cobbles and tough terrain. For riders seeking a more relaxed geometry, the regular Endurace CF and CF SLX are more in line with the endurance-bike recipe and even boast greater tyre clearances than the CFR, as well as provision for mudguards and on-bike storage.

I’ve spent a lot of time on the Endurace CFR – both at the global press camp in the Flemish Ardennes and back home on the rough surfaces of the UK. With upwards of a thousand kilometres in the saddle to date, the Endurace CFR has failed to disappoint me. If anything, the wider tyre clearances (compared to options from the best aero race bikes), combined with the racy fit and aero-inspired frame, make for one of the most entertaining and rapid machines for broken roads.

It’s not perfect, however, and some niggles pertaining to the handlebar configuration and specification choices sully an otherwise impressive package.

Technical details

The similarities between the new Canyon Endurace CFR and Aeroad CFR are glaringly obvious, but by no means a mistake – Canyon’s modus operandi was to create a bike able to compete at the sharp end in the Spring Classics without impacting the fit and rider position of the Aeroad CFR. The most notable changes are the seatpost and seat tube cutouts, which have been tweaked to accommodate wider tyres – 35mm versus the 32mm maximum clearance on the Aeroad. The fork and headset hardware, however, are identical to the Aeroad, as is much of the geometry. Keeping things largely in line with the German brand’s aero bike means the new Endurace CFR is the fastest endurance bike it’s ever made, testing within 1 watt of the Aeroad at 45km/h in the Tour Magazine wind tunnel test protocol: 204 vs 205w.

The Endurace CFR is constructed from Toray T1100, T800, and YS80 pitch-based fibres to balance strength and stiffness. This layup makes the frame naturally very stiff yet compliant enough to ensure comfort over choppy terrain. The Endurace CFR also gets a new SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, claimed to improve ride quality - an industry-first aero-comfort post that offers 25 per cent more compliance over a rigid post.

Owing to the Aeroad CFR-inspired geometry and blueprint, the big news pertains to the tyre clearance. Canyon reckons 32mm is no longer the upper limit but rather the baseline for Spring Classic race bikes, with the new Endurace CFR now able to clear 35mm front and rear. According to Canyon, tyre widths can be pushed even further to 40mm in dry race conditions, but this is not recommended outside the WorldTour due to potential frame damage and warranty voiding.

The new Endurace CFR is available in three colour options (Pro Black, Paradigm Shift, and Dark Matter) and six sizes: 2XS, XS, S, M, L and XL. Sizing is a little larger than other brands', so I suggest checking Canyon’s sizing chart to ensure the best fit. In retrospect, I should have sized down to a small, but based on my body measurements (I can ride both 54 or 56cm), Canyon reckoned I’d get away with riding a medium. The fit is not typical of the classic endurance bikes, as the Sport Pro Geometry allows Canyon-sponsored riders to seamlessly switch between Endurace CFR and Aeroad CFR race setups.

While the geometry is not identical to the Aeroad CFR, it is very similar with a marginally longer wheelbase and chainstays for improved stability. In size medium, the parallel head and seat tube angles of 73.25 and 73.1 degrees are spot-on for this racing application and complement the aggressive stack (563mm) and reach (393mm).

Specifications

The Endurace CFR can be specced in one of two configurations: SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, it all comes down to your preferences. The bike pictured here came outfitted in the latter, complete with 50/37T, 10-33T gearing configuration, which I felt was an ideal spread for the terrain that comprises the Surrey Hills.

As has become de rigueur in the pro peloton, there are a host of crank options available depending on the frame size. My size medium test bike came standard with 165mm crankarms, down from 172.5mm. Your optimal crank length, however, can also be specified from 165 to 175mm in the MyCanyon programme.

System weight wasn’t a driving motivator when designing the new Endurace, but the engineers still made sure it came in as light as possible. Considering that many of the regular aero race bikes are between 7.4-7.6kg (especially in Spring Classics trim), Canyon has nailed the system weight. Our medium test bikes tipped the scales at 7.55kg without pedals – a number you can reduce by 120g by speccing the CP0053 Race bar.

The balance of the build comprises a Canyon SP0093 VCLS Aero seatpost, Selle Italia SLR saddle, 65mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheels wrapped in 35mm Pirelli Pzero RS tyres and a Canyon CP0048 Pace bar with classic drops.

Performance

The Endurace CFR doesn’t ride like a typical endurance bike, and I personally don't think it should be classed as one, if I’m honest. It’s more of an Aeroad CFR with more utility. The riding position is aggressive, and the geometry has been tuned to deliver a fit similar to the Aeroad CFR, a race-honed platform with no ties to the endurance concept. As a result, riders need to be aware of this and shop accordingly – the Endurace CF SLX and CF are the bona fide endurance platforms in the range.

When I tested the bike in Belgium, I was blown away by the way it handled cobblestones and poor roads. I was also impressed by its descending prowess and ability to accelerate quickly out of corners, but I was unsure how this would translate to my typical riding routes back in the UK. I didn't expect it to be as fast as some of the racier bikes I’ve been riding on home roads, but it blew me away - particularly the average speeds and overall riding manners of the platform. I do feel this stems from the lower pressures of the 35mm tyres, but also the lateral compliance of the seatpost – the combination of which has resulted in more tyre staying in contact with the road surface, absorbing imperfections and not skimming over the terrain.

I felt the front end was a bit too high for my liking, as the CP0048 Pace bar spacers essentially increased the effective stack height and shortened the reach a touch, resulting in not getting enough weight over the front axle during cornering. The handlebar system, however, is designed to offer 20mm of height adjustment without cutting the steerer or brake hoses, but I couldn’t get it sorted in time for this test.

Overall, the bike is super grippy in the corners, thanks to the 35mm tyres. I went pretty low on the tyres, with 40psi front/rear proving ideal for my weight. I was very impressed by the stock Pirelli PZero RS tyres – the compound is balanced, delivering good grip and rolling efficiency. The shorter cranks also mean you can scythe through corners with ease and confidence, and get on the pedals earlier, thanks to the greater crank clearance at aggressive lean angles. Gearing is impressive, and you won't feel hampered on descents thanks to the 50/37T, 10-33T drivetrain. There’s ample range for steep kickers and longer climbs, too.

The boxy frame profile, together with the 65mm DT Swiss Arc 1100 wheels, means the bike can be a handful in crosswinds or gusts, requiring the drops to be kept in check to improve control. It’s nothing to be alarmed by and can be totally solved by fitting a shallower front wheel.

Value

The Canyon Endurace CFR is an impressive bike. Melding the aerodynamics of the Aeroad CFR platform with wider tyres clearances and comfort has resulted in an outrageously capable machine that can dismiss poor road surfaces at unnoticeably fast speeds.

While it’s not quite what I’d consider a veritable endurance bike, I do undersratnd Canyon made this particular bike to solve an issue riders and teams had with the Aeroad CFR: tyre clearance. Should it be called the Endurace CFR? Maybe not, as it’s more of an Aeroad CFR Plus than a veritable Endurace – the Endurace CF SLX and CF prove this, but that doesn’t take away from a really impressive bike.

I suspect it will appeal more to the Aeroad CFR owner who wants greater tyre clearance and comfort while keeping the same racy fit, but this, coupled with the £8,500 / $10,499 / €9,000 sticker price, puts it out of the picture for a large portion of the cycling demographic. There are other options within the range, including the Endurace CF SLX and CF platform, which offer more relaxed upright fits, greater utility, more affordable pricing and even larger tyre clearances.

Tech spec

• Price: £8,500 / $10,499 / €9,000
• Brand: Canyon
• Frame: Canyon Endurace CFR-Pro
• Fork: Canyon FK0137 CF Disc
• Weight: 7.55kg (actual, medium)
• Sizes: 2XS, XS, S, M, L, XL
• Levers: SRAM Red AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Red AXS, 160/140mm front/rear
• Rear derailleur: SRAM Red AXS
• Front derailleur: SRAM Red AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Red AXS 50/37T
• Bottom bracket: SRAM Dub Press-fit
• Cassette: SRAM Red AXS 10-33T
• Chain: SRAM RedE1 Flattop, 12-speed
• Wheels: DT Swiss Arc 1100 65mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR 28mm
• Bar/stem: Canyon CP0048 Pace T-Bar
• Seatpost: Canyon SP0093 VCLS Aero
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Carbon

Warming up for Tour de France stages has gone from being a marginal gain to a default protocol for time trials and hard-start road stages.

In the extremely high temperatures at this year's race, achieving the goals of a warm-up without overheating and compromising performance is a physiological and logistical challenge.

We asked EF Education–EasyPost's performance coach and technical innovation strategist Jacob Tipper and Wahoo's cycling category director Tyler Harris how the WorldTour outfit overcomes this using sports science, the latest technology and old-fashioned tricks.

The science behind warming up

In a blistering heat wave, 'warming up' sounds counterproductive, so why do Tour de France riders do this?

Sports scientist Tipper says, "A warm-up has to tick a few boxes. The one a lot of people forget is mental preparation. Psychologically, you still need to get yourself ready for exercise.

"You also want to increase core body temperature to an extent and increase vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels. As you breathe harder and levels of carbon dioxide rise in the muscles and blood, vessels dilate and you get extra blood flow.

“And then you want warmer muscles, which good studies show are better for muscle contraction than colder muscles, and neuromuscular activation. That's the ability of the muscles to contract properly. Riders will sometimes work with bands to activate their glutes, and some guys do a few rev-outs on the turbo.

"Finally, you want to activate your VO2 [oxygen uptake] kinetics, which is essentially how well you are switched on aerobically and how efficiently you can use energy. Like when you restart a ride with 'cafe legs', your threshold will be lower than usual if your aerobic engine isn't switched on."

What riders are trying to avoid in warm ups

"All these things have a fine line," adds Tipper. "You don't want to tire yourself out, empty glycogen stores, or cause a lot of muscle damage.

"You don't want to burn the mental matches you need to save for when push comes to shove in the race.

"From a core temperature perspective, you don't want to get too warm [since this lowers VO2 max] because in the Tour de France it's been very hot and we don't have a really hard start."

This contrasts the approach of some track cyclists, who might need to go all-out from the gun, and wear ice vests and heated trousers to make their leg muscles much warmer than their core.

Ahead of a longer effort, Tipper says: "You may decide to compromise and start with lower core body temperature, so you don't feel as good off the line but stay cooler for longer."

"You are always trying to balance these things with the type and importance of the event. At the team time trial in Barcelona we had crazy hot temperatures, so keeping the core as cool as possible, relatively speaking, was important, but in the first few turns you had to ride at 500 watts, so you still had to be warm. That's the compromise between these two objectives."

How riders stay cool while warming up

As you've probably seen at stage starts and at the start of the team time trial in Barcelona at the Grand Depart, riders are wearing ice vests and chilled towels, eating slushies, and getting blasted by fans. Netcompany–Ineos even dunked their forearms in cold water while waiting to start in Barcelona.

Like other teams sponsored by Wahoo, EF Education–EasyPost warms up on Kickr V6 smart trainers in front of Kickr Headwind smart fans. Elite's Aria smart fan does the same job for teams supported by the Italian brand.

"The Kickr Headwind automatically adjusts airflow based on real-time sensor data," says Wahoo's Harris. "Users can pair up to five supported sensors including heart rate, power, and core body temperature, and Headwind dynamically increases or decreases cooling based on the athlete's effort.

"For example, it can respond to a combination of power output and rising body temperature rather than simply running at a fixed speed. The result is a more personalised cooling experience that helps riders stay comfortable during and after their hardest efforts."

However, Tipper says: "We are not looking at the Core sensor in the warm-up and trying to stay below a certain core body temperature because it does not react quickly and accurately enough.

"If someone goes badly in a race, we might look into whether core body temperature goes too high in the warm-up, as research afterward. That is where we are at the moment in terms of our learnings and developing our understanding."

"Using the Core sensor, you could create a warm-up that doesn't overcook you. If before the Zwift races when your core body temperature gets to 39°C in the warm-up, you prematurely blow up, there are almost definitely things you can take from that, but that's not what we are doing with it right now."

During warm-ups, riders will follow the nutritional plan laid out by the team, whether that involves caffeine, carbs or bicarb, for example, while avoiding getting depleted.

"The warm-up shouldn't do any nutritional harm and should keep you topped up on whatever you're losing – fluid, electrolytes, carbs, etc," says Tipper.

Cooling down on and off the bike

Racers will also cool down post-stage depending on the demands of the day.

"Not everyone has the fun opportunity to finish with a full-gas sprint on top of the Tourmalet," says Tipper. "Guys who have chilled in a group further back or in the grupetto have basically done a cool down on the road.

"I hate the phrase 'flushing the legs out' but the idea is to keep blood flowing post-stage."

It seems at this year's race that teams have upgraded their post-race cooling, with some switching from ice-filled paddling pools to dedicated trucks, the idea being that prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures reduces inflammation and thereby speeding recovery.

But the scientific jury is out as to whether ice baths (and inflammation-reducing antioxidants in the form of cherry juice, for example) are beneficial even at demanding stage races like the Tour.

"Decreasing inflammation could have a negative long-term effect and it's debated how harmful it can be during a race," says Tipper. "Inflammation is a main driver of repair and proper growth, so if you did these things after every session you'd be worse off.

"At the Tour it's a fine line between feeling that you could be improving and getting so beat up that it's better to have a bit less inflammation, so you can perform that bit better the next day rather than feeling crap."

After the succession of gruelling mountain days in the final week, an ice bath could benefit a lot of riders in the short-term at least, if they use them properly.

"Jumping in a cold paddling pool for a minute isn't doing a fat lot physiologically," says Tipper. "It's a nice relief, but unless you're spending enough time in there, it's offering no more than a cold shower."

At the Tour de France, bikes cannot weigh less than 6.8kg, a minimum limit set by the sport's governing body, the UCI, which applies in any race under its jurisdiction.

With some of the best teams in the world struggling to ensure they're not under the limit, you might expect every bike to achieve a weight as low as 6.8kg. But that'd be far from true, despite the amount of money and engineering expertise at teams' disposal and the supposed advantage that lower weight brings.

As the Tour de France meets the high mountains, only a select few riders' bikes will be at or near the minimum weight limit. As we'll explain below, this is due to bike and component sponsorship deals, specific rider roles, rider size, and greater emphasis on aerodynamics.

Aero is still everything

We expect to see most riders on all-out aero bikes or all-rounders that combine low weight and low drag, even on the most mountainous days. This is because they climb so fast, with the best exceeding 25km/h, that aerodynamics still trump weight – as they do on flat and rolling terrain.

This is more pertinent if a team can get its aero bike close to the weight limit. Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar have exclusively raced the Cervélo S5 and Colnago Y1Rs in recent years because their teams can get these aero bikes down to the 7kg-mark in their smaller frame sizes. They seem to have calculated that this option is faster overall than riding a 6.8kg climbing bike.

Aero bikes may also be better for riders whose job it is to pull on the flat or set the pace early on climbs. They need to optimise for low drag, not low weight, because they'll drop back when the pace picks up on the ascent.

But a climber or GC favourite who shelters in the wheels at these points will benefit more from a lighter bike, especially smaller riders for whom the bike constitutes relatively more of their system weight (bike, equipment, clothing, body). For example, Paul Seixas is likely to continue to ride his Van Rysel prototype in the mountains while some of his teammates stay on the RCR-F aero bike.

One-race-bike platforms

Many Tour de France teams race the same bike on every road stage. In terms of weight, if they're lucky, this will be an all-rounder, such as the Jayco-AlUla's Giant Propel, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe and Soudal-Quickstep's Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL9, or EF Education-EasyPost's Cannondale SuperSix Evo.

These major bike brands have succeeded in making either climbing bikes more aero or aero bikes lighter, making a 6.8kg build eminently possible. At the Grand Depart, we weighed Remco Evenepoel's 52cm S-Works Tarmac SL9 complete with pedals, bottles and cycling computer fitted at 7.05kg.

The trend for team leaders to get a special-edition blacked-out frame, saving 150-200g of weight in paint, makes this easier, as does the option to ditch a front derailleur and opt for a one-by drivetrain.

Frame size is influential too. Movistar's diminutive climbers will be able to get their Canyon Aeroads down to 6.8kg. This will be harder for Alpecin-Premier Tech's taller Classics-style riders.

The less fortunate teams will have one bike that may be fast but isn't that light. In previous years, Uno-X Mobility, for example, has climbed mountains on its Ridley Noah Fast 3.0, which weighs about 8kg. This year, the Norwegian team will probably ride the Belgian brand's unreleased Falcon RS climbing bike, although this might still be above the UCI weight limit. As attractive as it is, Groupama-FDJ United's Wilier Filante SLR ID2 is also likely to be a few hundred grams over the weight limit.

Teams also report that their riders generally prefer to race the same bike all year round. Such tuned-in cyclists like having consistent geometry, handling, contact points and components. They usually don't consider it worthwhile to forsake all this for a slightly lighter climbing bike a handful of times a year.

As aero bikes and all-rounders have become the go-to choices in the WorldTour, several bike brands have differentiated their climbing bikes through renewed focus on low weight – this includes the Canyon Ultimate, Giant TCR and Scott Addict RC Pro, each of which is light and competent enough to be used in the high mountains of the final week of the Tour de France.

This leaves the Scott-sponsored NSN Cycling Team with just the Foil RC for racing. Being quite an old aero bike, released in 2022, it's not the lightest of the pro peloton's do-it-all race bikes, weighing 7.28kg in size 54cm on our scales. We'd expect Scott to address the Foil's weight in the next generation, but for now, NSN is giving away about 500g to rivals whose bikes are at the weight limit.

Budgets and sponsorships

The amount of money, whether in cash or in kind from sponsorships, available to teams influences bike weight, too. The better-funded teams have the means to lower the weight of stock bikes that worse-off rivals don't.

Most wheel brands these days can hit 1,300g or lower in a 50mm-deep wheelset, so teams are on a pretty level playing field regarding rims. But squads whose bike or component sponsor makes a lighter, climbing handlebar can save weight by switching from the thicker, aero bar. EF Education-EasyPost, for example, can save about 110g by changing from Cannondale's SystemBar Road to the SystemBar Road SL, which has thinner, rounded tops.

The biggest budget teams can go aftermarket, too. Lidl-Trek, for example, has been using $1,200 hubs to save 70g as reported by sister site, Cyclingnews while Tadej Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG is sponsored by lightweight component company Carbon-Ti. Parts such as its X-CarboRing Evo chainrings cost €436, and its X-Hanger DM integrated derailleur hanger costs €42. While these parts won't cut massive weight from the complete system, they do add up and arguably improve performance, too.

The cost-to-benefit ratio of such modifications is marginal at best and well beyond the means of Cofidis or Caja Rural–Seguros RGA. It goes to show that the richest teams can not only afford the best riders but also equip them with the best equipment, giving them a further advantage.