This article has been freshly updated as part of our 'New to Riding' week, running from March 10 to March 17, with a special focus on tips, tricks and inspiration for new riders.

Keeping your bike clean can feel like an arduous task, especially when you come back from a long ride and all you want to do is eat all the food, take a hot shower and sit down to relax for a while.

The reality is though, if you want to keep your bike looking and sounding as good as new, you need to put in a little effort. If you don't, eventually you'll be hearing a squeak from your chain, the clunks of poorly shifting gears and even potentially seized components.

Cleaning your bike doesn't have to be such a drag, or take as long as you think it will, so long as you have everything you need and make it part of the routine. Read our step-by-step guide to an efficient and effective bike clean.

How to clean your bike: step-by-step guide

1. Rinse the frame down

Start by giving the frame a basic wipe. This can be with a sponge and bucket of water or a hose — just don't use a high pressure washer as this will force water into the bearings.

Spray the bike with a bike cleaning product, and then, with more clean water, use a soft bristled brush to give the bike a scrub.

Don't be tempted to substitute the bike cleaning product and soft brush with washing up liquid and a kitchen sponge — this can result in a scratched or even colour faded frame.

2. Use degreaser on the derailleurs and chain

Next, spray the derailleurs and chain with a degreasing agent and give them a good (but gentle) scrub. You might find this easiest with the wheel still in the bike or, as you'll need to take the wheels out later anyway, a chain-keeper will help to keep tension in the chain.

3. Use degreaser on the cassette and chainrings

Spray more degreaser over the chainrings and cassette and give them a scrub. Using a gear brush really helps you to get into the cassette cogs.

If the chain still looks grimy, you can use a chain cleaner: simply fill the unit with a degreaser, snap it on and rotate the pedal backwards to feed the chain through. Dispose of the degreaser safely when you're done.

4. Clean the braking surface and pads

You should still clean the rims of your bike whatever braking system you're using. But for rim brakes, it is particularly important to give the braking surface a good wash and wipe – and then repeat for the pads, checking for any debris that might have wedged itself in.

For disc brakes, make sure the cleaning product you're using is suitable for the job. Some general purpose bike cleaners are, but if yours isn't, make sure to use a dedicated disc brake cleaner or some isopropyl alcohol to wipe down the rotors and spray onto the brake pads. If you're getting some squealing when you pull the levers, a good clean of the discs and pads may be all that's needed. Be careful not to get any other products or grease on the pads or discs as it's likely to cause contamination, and, consequently, poor performance and noise.

5. Rinse the frame, dry and lube the chain

Rinse the soap suds off the bike, dry the chain with an old rag — you can spin the pedal crank backwards first to remove excess water from the chain and cassette — and apply chain lube to the chain, running through the gears to distribute it onto the cassette cogs, and pivot points on the derailleurs.

What you need for cleaning your bike

To clean your bike effectively, there are essentially six broad categories of equipment you'll need. The good news is, you'll likely already have half of them around the home and everything else can be found quite cheaply if you shop around.

1. Brushes
2. Cleaning fluid
3. Degreaser
4. Lube
5. Towel
6. Bucket

But if you're time-pressed — or simply prefer simplicity — there is always the option to go in for a bike cleaning bundle from brands such as Muc-Off, Bike Hut or Weldtite. These kits include everything you need in one easy package.

Bike cleaning brushes

To really clean out all the nooks and crannies of a bike, specialist brushes do make the job a lot easier — whether that’s getting in between the cassette sprockets, around the jockey wheels or any parts of the frame prone to collecting dirt. Larger, softer brushes really help with quickly cleaning down large areas of the frame without causing scratches.

Cheaper brushes are, of course, kinder on the wallet initially. But investing a little more can get you a higher quality product, which will see the brushes last for longer.

Bike cleaning fluid

There are a whole range of bike cleaners out there which promise many different things. One point we like to check is whether the product is safe to use on disc brakes — there’s nothing wrong with having multiple products for multiple purposes, but cutting down on clutter does make things easier.

Likewise, some concentrated bike cleaners can double up as degreasers in their undiluted form – saving yet another cleaning product there. Buying concentrates tends to be easier on the wallet and better for the environment too, as it significantly reduces the volumes of water being needlessly shipped around when you’re adding it yourself at home from the tap.

Sticking with environmental concerns, another quality we like to look for is how friendly the cleaning product is to wildlife. As there is the choice, it’s always better to go with cleaners which are specifically formulated not to poison water ways.

Bike degreaser

To cut through the grime of a chain, a dedicated degreaser is often needed. It’s typically cheaper and more environmentally friendly to get refills and use a squirty bottle, but aerosols do make it much easier to reach those hard-to-get-at places — just make sure not to get it in your bearings.

As with general purpose cleaners, there is often the option to go for a bike degreaser specifically formulated to minimise the ecological impact, which is always a good thing.

Chain lubricant

After stripping all the gunk off your chain, the next step is to add some chain lubrication to keep it running smoothly, efficiently, and to protect against rust. Depending on the conditions, you’ll either want to use a wet lube or a dry lube.

Wet lubes, as their name suggests, are best for wet conditions. They cling tenaciously to the chain and are much more resistant to being washed off than a dry lube. The downside is, in dry conditions, they also have a tendency to collect dust and debris, making a gritty paste that’s no good for the longevity of your drivetrain and is a bit of a pain to clean.

Dry lubes, on the other hand, are best used in dry conditions. A good quality one will repel dust, keeping your drivetrain squeaky clean. They also tend to be slightly more efficient than wet lubes, saving you a few watts. The downside for dry lubes is that they can be quickly washed off in wet conditions, leaving you with an unprotected chain.

Towel

The final step to cleaning your bike is drying it off, removing any water that might cause streaky marks or corrode parts of your bike. A microfibre cleaning cloth is the best tool for this job, as they don’t leave any unsightly lint in their wake. You can get ‘bike-specific’ ones, but you’ll save a lot of money simply going for an automotive or general cleaning set – they are essentially the same thing. Alternatively, use a clean, lint-free rag.

Bucket

You probably already have a bucket you can use, but one can be bought for a reasonable price if not, and makes cleaning a lot easier. You could even have more than one: for soapy water, for plain water and to carry around your cleaning supplies.

The bucket doesn’t have to be anything fancy and between 5 and 10 litres is a good volume to aim for.

Bike cleaning FAQs

Whether you are brand new to cycling or an experienced racer, communication when riding in a group is imperative for not only race tactics but for the safety of everyone cycling out on the road as well.

Therefore hand signals are a crucial skill that must be adopted to communicate during a sportive, a club ride or a race. Here are a few common signals that you will need to know when you hit the road with other riders.

In the video above, and written below, we've explained the key hand signals that all cyclists need to know before they head out for their first group ride.

Potholes/other road hazards

As we all know, poor road surfaces exists wherever you live in the world. Making fellow riders aware of any upcoming hazard is fundamental to the safety of the group.

This could range from a pothole or a rock intruding on the expected route, if you can see an obstruction up the road, clearly point down to the hazard and warn the group of riders verbally.

Some riders can be more conscientious about this than others. You should always point out potholes or large obstructions, smaller road imperfections will come down to group etiquette, and you'll pick it up over time. 

Moving out into the road

When riding in a group it is sometimes difficult to see what is clearly up the road, this can be particularly tricky if approaching a parked car or pedestrian that the whole group needs to avoid.

Pointing or gesturing with a bent arm behind your back to where the group needs to move to avoid the danger will mean ample warning is giving to all the riders in the group in particular the ones further back. Once again signals should be backed up with verbal warnings if appropriate to what the actual danger is ahead.

Slowing down

As much as we would like to be unrestricted when out riding on a bike, sometimes slowing down is the only option if the road narrows or an obstacle restricts a clear path that can be rode at high speed.

This could be because of a horse or a tractor in a narrow country lane or maybe just a general easing off of the pace. You can convey this message to the rest of the group by raising your arm out and motion as if you are gently patting an invisible dog.

Stopping signal

There will be times where you may have to stop suddenly and have to warn riders behind. Whether this is because of a crash up ahead, riding up to a junction or even a puncture of a teammate or yourself.

If this does occur put your hand flat out to the side of your body and call out ‘stopping’. If possible, don’t slam on your brakes as there may be someone immediately behind you who hasn’t heard the call or isn’t anticipating a sudden stop in the road and it could be more dangerous than the initial reason you were stopping for in the first place.

Flick of the elbow

This signal is more specific to racing and club riding rather than safety but it is crucial to understand what it means (unless you want to become very unpopular). 

As we all know, riding on the front of the group can be tough work and requires rotation so if you want the next rider to come through, flicking out your elbow signals that you are about to move over.

You may have seen this in pro races within teams chasing down a breakaway or when riders in a breakaway are trying to work together.

However as seen on a number of occasions in the professional ranks, this signal only works if the rider behind is actually willing to come through and ride on the front of the group! It's not a signal you have to obey, but, if your breakaway is caught because you wouldn't take a turn, you may regret it (and lose some potential allies along the way).

This month we’ve got a double hitter of pedal releases, Shimano celebrates its 100th anniversary, a five-way sub £100 shoe group test and the beautiful Specialized Tarmac SL7.

News

Shimano

First up is Shimano’s centenary, there’s been a lot of build up to this with YouTube videos of tech from years’ past being steadily drip fed over the last so many months.

But for those who were anticipating the release of a shiny, new Dura-Ace groupset, the result was something of a disappointment – finally unveiled was a limited-edition commemorative photo book.

This tells Shimano’s story in 100 products, with accompanying images. Only 2,000 of these 10,000 yen (£66.50) books are to be made and they will be available via pre-registration and lottery selection through Shimano’s centenary website.

On which you’ll be able to find more information about the company’s history, along with some interesting poetry. You can view our full story of the release here.

Wahoo

Ever since the Wahoo’s acquisition of Speedplay in 2019, the release of a set of pedals was always a question of when, not if.

There have been some updates to the design, which should make them more durable – both in terms of the binding mechanism and the bearings.

These ones won’t read power, but it is hotly anticipated that a pair that do will be launched this summer. For all of the details, our launch story is well worth a read.

Garmin rally pedals

Garmin’s previous model, the Vector 3, had arguably the best looks of any power meter pedal, with a minimalist body that could pass for just an ordinary set. However, the Vector 3 platform was plagued by reliability issues and it only worked with Look style cleats.

Both these issues stand to be addressed in this complete rebranding. Regarding cleat compatibility, Garmin has released three different – and interchangeable – pedals bodies. Whether you’re running Look cleats, Shimano road faring SPD-SL cleats, or the two-bolt Shimano SPD mountain bike cleats – there’s Rally pedal body for you.

Assessing the reliability is going to take a little longer, but we have a set on test and we’re running them through all conditions – time will tell how well they measure up. If you’re after more information about these pedals, pop over to the article here.

Shoe grouptest

We’ve had five sets of sub £100 road cycling shoes on test and of them all, it was the dhb Dorica Carbon which most impressed. These have a full carbon sole, as the name would suggest, and delivered an incredible stiff pedalling platform for the price point.

We found the upper to be quite comfortable, constructed from a perforated synthetic leather for breathability. The one thing that knocked these shoes down a point from being a full 10/10 was the heel cup, which was really quite wide.

There’s something of a trend for cheaper cycling shoes to come up in quite a large width. It’s not completely clear why brands are doing this – it shouldn’t cost any more to make a shoe a little narrower.

Some have suggested that the reason is a cyclical ploy by shoe manufacturers to encourage you to buy more expensive shoes. For a bit of an investigation into the phenomenon, we’ve done some digging here.

The full review of the dhb Dorica Carbon can be found here, or if you’d like to peruse the entirty of our shoe reviews, just follow the link through here.

Specialized Tarmac SL7 Expert

Believe it or not, this is the entry level Tarmac and it comes in at £5,250 – making it the most expensive entry level bike we’ve had in for a while. But to contextualise that a little bit, the top end model costs a whopping £11,750.

For this you get the very nice Ultegra Di2 groupset, but there have been some major savings on the wheels. DT Swiss R470 rims are laced to Specialized’s own hubs – for context, these rims can be picked up for £40 each on Wiggle.

The assumption here is that you have your own wheelset which you would be using with this frame anyway. Although interestingly, the high-end Specialized Turbo tyres are paired to those budget wheels, so evidently Specialized believe that even if you have your own wheels, you could probably still do with some fresh tyres.

Stay tuned for when the review of this bike hits the website.

The big news this month, unfortunately, centres around issues Canyon has been having with elements of its finishing kit.

Canyon’s finishing kit problems

The 2021 Canyon Aeroad has a seat post which has been engineered to allow a little bit more flex in order to increase comfort. However, there have been complaints from some customers that this flexing has caused significant gauges in the carbon seat posts and left the bike unrideable. For more detail on this story, you can check out our full article here.

Shortly after this news broke, so did Mathieu van der Poel’s handlebars at the one day race, Le Samyn. Canyon issued a stop ride order for all bikes with these handlebars – due to the high levels of integration, a different set of handlebars couldn’t simply be fitted.

Although this meant most pro cyclists had to switch bikes for their upcoming races, Canyon was able to modify Mathieu van der Poel’s frame to accept a different handlebar ahead of Strade Biacnhi – which the Dutch rider went on to win.

Open moulds

It might surprise you to learn that there aren’t many bike brands which have total control over the construction of their bikes. Factor and Giant are very much in the minority in owning their own factories – most brands will design a frame and then pass it on to a manufacturer to do the messy work of making the bikes.

In other cases, the factory develops its own bike designs – open moulds – which poorer bike brands that can’t afford to design their own frames can then commission a certain number of and sell under their badge.

Although you can as a customer purchase these open mould frames from the factories direct – and gain a significant saving – you don’t have the assurance of quality control that you would do if purchasing the same frame from a recognised brand.

For more details on the bike design process, we’ve got an in-depth article on everything from open moulds to in-house manufacturing.

Racer Rosa SC21

Custom made from Dedacciai Aegis scandium tubing, this frame is designed to fit tech writer Simon Smythe like a glove. At the joins on the inside of the main triangle, there are deep inserts designed to increase the stiffness of the frame.

In English, we call these gussets, but in Italian they go by the far more elegant term fazzoletti, meaning handkerchiefs – drawing on the image of how it looks when one’s tucked into a breast pocket.

As you might expect, it’s a full Italian build, with a Campagnolo Chorus groupset, Bora wheels and Vittoria Corsa tyres to name a few highlights. In this build, the price comes to £5,570, while frame only is £1,950 – which for a fully custom geometry and such quality tubing is actually quite incredible value.

Simon's full review hasn't yet landed, so keep an eye out for when it does.

Tech of the Month has taken on a new format for 2021, with a look at the hottest tech news we published over the four weeks leading up to filming, as well as some cool new product insights.

Product news headlines

Brexit

This was big news over the course of December and January. Brands were still trying to work out what impact Brexit was going to have on availability and prices. The most viewed story talked about Campagnolo stopping direct sales of some products UK. But it’s ok, UK distributor Chickens confirmed that Campag fans won’t be left in the cold, and the story was similar for Brookes, who won't be selling direct to the UK but will still be available via Extra.

We have been speaking to brands about the effect Brexit is going to have on bike prices, with one brand telling us to expect around 10-20% increases. We already saw price hikes at Specialized and Giant last year, with Trek upping its prices in Jan 2021.

Chrome bikes

We had a lot of hits on this story from two guys based in Wisconsin, who believed they’ve been the first to create a mass production scale method of spray chroming bikes.

Spray chroming isn't new - it can be applied to any surface, unlike traditional chroming, and it uses fewer harsh chemicals. But there’s a lot of reasons spray chroming can be difficult - covering the holes on the frame so drips don't ruin it, the size of the bike and making sure the surface is totally clean. 

These guys say they’ve cracked it .. in a shed, on a 400 acre farm, using plastic sheeting, 2 fans, and 1,5000 staples! 

Painters we spoke to said they’d seen a bike spray chromed before, so we question the ‘worlds first spray chromed bike’ story they claimed - what’s different is they say it takes them 15mins per frame and costs less than $100 per frame to do. Of course, the ‘how’ is a secret and that’s the tech they’re trying to sell to a big brand. Watch this space. 

Dura-Ace 12 speed

The other big story on the site was tech writer Stefan’s look at the Tech Trends for 2021. This included what we expect to be 12- speed Dura-Ace, based upon patents that were submitted last year.

Unfortunately, the list also includes price hikes - due to a mixture of supply and demand, factory prices increasing and the use of lighter versions or Toray carbon, and probably a lot more gravel and ‘all-road’ bikes - the aero drive seems to be slowing down, we’re even seeing that in new road bikes such as Specialized’s Aethos. 

World Tour bikes 2021

And of course, being January we’ve seen a host of cool new World Tour bikes coming in. 

Mitchelton Scott is now Bike Exchange, and they’re on these very un-celeste Bianchi Specialissima and Oltre XR4 bikes. Chris Froome’s move to Isreal Start-Up Nation puts him on a Factor VAM, and Mark Cavendish - as he’s gone to Deceuninck Quick-Step is back on board a Specialized in the shape of the SL7 - the brand was happy to welcome him back! 

What we're testing in January...

Specialized Ares S-Works Shoes (£375)

Launched towards the end of January, the Ares shoes from Specialized are not a replacement for the S-Works 7 road shoes. Instead, they're designed for a narrow range of use: sprinting.

Offering up a claimed 1% performance boost, the fastening system is designed to prevent the rider's foot from lifting up inside the shoe during those crucial pedal strokes.

Schwalbe G-One Ultrabite (£60) and Schwale X-One Bite (£60)

Stefan has been testing out the G-One Ultrabite and X-One Bite tyres. The former is designed for gravel riding, providing a happy medium between performance on and off the road, and it has already been reviewed, so you can take a look at our verdict here. The latter is a cyclocross tyre, ideal for slicing through thick mud - something we've been enjoying a lot of as of late, with the trails waterlogged by winter rainfall. Keep an eye out for the review, coming soon.

Lapierre Aircode DRS 8.0 (£6299)

Whilst many brands have been moving away from aggressive geometries, Lapierre has made its set-up more so. It's also got short chainstays for a responsive rear end, though a wheelbase not far off market leaders like the Specialize SL7 implies the front-centre is a little longer.

The Aircode aims to provide both aerodynamic benefits and comfort, this is the top of the line model - dressed in Shimano Ultegra, with Lapierre opting against a Dura-Ace build. It comes shipped with clip on TT bars, such is the brand's confidence in its prowess against the clock. We'll be putting it to the test over the coming weeks.

Tech of the month will be back on March 6 with more headlines and tech bling...

Specialized Mirror 3D printed saddle

Specialized's new Mirror saddle isn't secret, we've known about it since the summer of 2019 but not many people have seen it.

In fact, it doesn't even have a release date yet, or a price tag for that matter. Using Carbon, a company based in San Francisco that has previously printed saddles for Fizik and soles for Adidas, Specialized has managed to make the Mirror, which has different densities depending on how you sit.

Although not confirmed, we'd predict that the end result of this technology is a completely customisable saddle 3D printed to your specification based on your Retul fit.

Silca Ypsilon home tool set £110

This month Michella has brought a Silca Ypsion Y tool. Silca is a purveyor of luxury tools and at £110 the Ypsilon certainly falls into that camp. It features a magnetic quarter inch collet that's removable and can be replaced with multiple different tool heads.

Bontrager Comp and Elite pedals £54.99/£84.99

Bontrager isn't usually a company you'd associate with pedals which is probably why they've piggybacked off the Look system, using the same cleats. However, costing £54.99 and £84.99 respectively they offer both a decent entry and upgrade option, featuring a tension adjustment screw as well as a bash plate (made of different materials depending on the level of pedal).

Bike of the month: Giant Defy Advanced 1 £2199

The Defy is Giant's endurance bike that has been erring towards the do-it-all market for some time now. Much like the Trek Domane, it features wide tyres (32mm) with room for up to 35mm tyres, a clear nod to taking the bike off-road.

Elsewhere, the bike uses a D-Fuse seatpost to take the sting out of the road. The frame is made out of Giant's Advanced grade carbon fibre and uses an OverDrive steerer for increased stiffness.

The Giant Defy Advanced 1 retails at £2199.

If 2020 is anything like 2019, cycling tech fans are going to be in for an absolute treat. The last year has brought us lightweight e-bikes, new cycling computers, sophisticated cycling shoes and so much more.

So, we've gazed into our crystal ball for the next year, and here's what we're predicting to be big in 2020...

CeramicSpeed Driven

When CeramicSpeed introduced its radical Driven concept at Eurobike 2018 it took the cycling world by storm thanks to a chainless driveshaft and exquisitely machined parts.

2019 saw the company go one better and produce a rideable prototype as well as a working, shfting driveshaft. 2020 should finally see the concept come to fruition and a rideable, shifting Driven bike become a reality. Promising to be the most efficient and aerodynamic of all drivetrains, are we seeing the future?

Rideable indoor trainers

2020 is going to be the year of the proper indoor bike. With all the main indoor and training specialists including Wahoo, SRM, Stages and Wattbike introducing new, dedicated machines in the latter part of 2019, we can see more riders opting for a complete setup to improve indoor training.

Optimised to deliver the most interactive and as close to real life training experience, you can now mimic any type of riding and any type of bike using one of these machines.

3d printed saddles

Both Fizik and Specialized promise to have some exciting new saddle tech spreading out into the mainstream next year that could see custom saddles coming to the general public.

Working in collaboration with Silicon Valley based tech firm Carbon, both brands are developing uniquely constructed saddles that does away with the traditional foam padding utilised by almost all saddle manufacturers and instead creates a latticework of polymer material that act as tiny springs to take on the role of cushioning and supporting the rider.

Rotor interchangeable power meter

Back in September Rotor unveiled a new, interchangeable power meter system.

What’s so good about this? Well, it means that you now only need one unit to swap across all your bikes, no matter the discipline. From road racing to mountain biking the new INSpider is designed to work across most brands of drivetrain and fits any existing four bolt cranksets simply and easily.

Fast aluminium wheels

With both Hunt and Prime launching new, aero tuned aluminium wheelsets it looks like it’s no longer a carbon whitewash if you want to speed up your bike. For years aero aluminium wheels were rare and pretty damn heavy but both Hunt’s 34 Aero Disc Wide and Prime’s Attaquer Road Disc weigh in at less than 1500 grams a set.

This low weight is achieved thanks to the adoption of disc brakes, enabling each brand to build lighter rims, reducing rolling weight and increasing speed. And the best thing is this comes without the associated costs of carbon.

What would you include?

A decade is a long time in cycling, and the past 10 years have seen cycling technology advance faster than ever before. We seen sharper refinements in technology as well as an increase in science and, of course, marginal gains.

Here's our pick of the decade's top tech.

Pinarello Dogma F8

>>> Pinarello Dogma F12 review

The 2014 Tour de France represented the end of and the beginning of science.

The marginal gains era was already underway by the time Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France in 2012, but the Brit, using the curvy Pinarello Dogma 65.1, appeared to have disregarded it and instead relied on the classic champion’s blend of personality, panache and passion.

Although Chris Froome won on the Dogma 65.1 in 2013, by 2014 Team Sky had all but commandeered its Italian bike sponsor in order to develop a world-beating new machine that fitted with its ethos. It brought in Jaguar, already the team car supplier, to provide top aerodynamicists, state-of-the-art CFD software, and a full-scale automotive wind tunnel.

The resulting Dogma F8 – F for ‘faster’ with ‘8’ denoting the eighth version of the Dogma – was the first bike in the modern peloton to integrate the superlative aerodynamic performance that the sprinters demanded with the nimbleness and punch required by the climbers.

Sky and Pinarello claimed the F8 was faster in the wind tunnel than all its competitors yet improved on the previous Dogma’s weight and stiffness. Perhaps even more significant was that Team Sky’s rivals used aero bikes or climbers’ bikes depending on the rider and the terrain, all Sky’s riders used the F8 on all types of road stage.

Chris Froome crashed out of that year’s Tour leaving Vincenzo Nibali to win, but he took the next three Tours on the Dogma F8. Its successors, the F10 and the F12, represent just small improvements on a phenomenally successful template, whereas other WorldTour teams’ bike sponsors are still playing catch-up five years on.

ENVE SES wheels (eg 4.5 as used by Cavendish in 2018).

>>> Enve SES 5.6 Disc clincher review

Fast road riding used to require very narrow rims with even narrower tubular tyres pumped up to as many psi as your biceps could squeeze into them.

That was until British ex-F1 aerodynamicist Simon Smart deduced that a fast wheel might not be fast in the real world because the air easily separated from the narrow rim, making it unstable.

So he worked out a way to test steering torque in his Drag2Zero wind tunnel and, with US wheel brand Enve composites, developed a range of wheels that used wider rims and tyres that kept the flow attached at higher yaw angles.

Now 23mm tyres are virtually obsolete; even 25s are considered narrow and 28s are becoming the new normal, which have the added advantage of rolling faster, pinch-flatting less easily and gripping better.

Strava

“If it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen” became one of the catchphrases of the 2010s.

Maybe it’s not just cheaper, more versatile power meters that made speeds increase in the 2010s: the addictive social network for athletes, founded in 2009, encouraged riders to PLF for KOMs and kudos from fellow users.

With many pros now on Strava it’s also possible to analyse and compare the data of the world’s top riders on the most epic Tour de France stages with one’s own – which admittedly can also be demoralising.

Strava has been blamed for antisocial cycling and even for a death in America 2012, following which the dead man’s family tried to sue Strava (the judge dismissed the lawsuit).

In 2018 its Heatmaps function – an interactive map of location data – raised security concerns that it could be revealing the secret locations of military bases (Strava has since focused on increasing privacy awareness).

Strava has also been blamed for decreasing interest in real racing and declining club membership.

However, as of this summer Strava had 42 million users and was adding another million each month. In other words, everybody is on Strava and it’s still happening.

SRAM Red eTap

It doesn’t feel like only four years ago that the first wireless electronic groupset arrived. Maybe that’s because SRAM teased us for some time before finally unveiling it at the end of 2015.

First spotted in the low-key setting of the Illinois state cyclo-cross championships in December 2013, it was then tested with some fake wires at the 2014 Tour of California, before Ag2r tested it much more openly throughout 2015.

Requiring no fiddling about with magnets, threads or vacuum cleaners to coax wires through small gaps, you simply bolted on the shifters, paired them with the mechs and away you went. Shifters and derailleurs had their own batteries that supplied about 60 hours of riding and took just an hour to recharge – and were small enough that you could carry spares with you. Plus, with its single paddles for shifting, you never needed to worry about pressing the wrong button even in thick gloves.

And the new 12-speed SRAM Red eTap AXS is even better.

Giro Empire

>>> Giro Empire review

If you judged a decade by its shoes the Noughties would not come out well. Somehow the shoe manufacturers got bogged down in overly bulky heat mouldability, unwieldy closure systems that involved a lot of Velcro straps and in the case of one, magnets, finished off with excessively silvery swooshes.

It took a cool kid like Taylor Phinney to talk to US helmet brand Giro, who had only just started making shoes, to come up with a design classic.

The Empire’s football boot-like lace-up design enabled riders to get the fit across the top of the foot exactly right, with pressure distributed much more evenly. Laces also saved weight over straps or Boa dials, and they also were more aerodynamic. But maybe most important of all, they looked awesome.

Phinney debuted them in the 2012 Giro, in which he won the prologue and held the lead until stage three, and it’s fair to say the grey Empires with bright green laces attracted more attention than the pink jersey.

Phinney later wore Empires with custom designs and inspired a generation of riders to go back to laces, including Bradley Wiggins, who wore a pair of gold Empire SLXs for his 2015 hour record.

Zwift

The virtual training and racing app that some people claim is ruining the ‘real cycling’ of Strava (oh, the irony), has been around since 2014 and was only launched on iOS in 2016. Now it has over a million accounts.

Zwift, which has a downloadable app with a monthly subscription, lets you ride with or against other users in a virtual environment.

The imaginary Watopia was the original course; since then Zwift has added six others including most recently the Harrogate World Championships circuit. Zwift racing is massive, with teams up to Pro Conti level competing. This year the first official British Cycling-organised eRacing National Championships were held, with the winner, Cameron Jeffers, disqualified and banned for six months after it emerged he had cheated, by “manipulation of pre-race data to gain an unfair advantage via in-game equipment.” He used a bot to ride at 2,000 watts for distances of over 200km with a weight of 45kg in order to unlock the Tron bike.

So Zwift might be a game changer, but some might say the game is not that different, it has just moved indoors.

3T Exploro

>>> 3T Exploro review

Gravel started to become a ‘thing’ this decade as more and more former roadies decided they’d had enough of the traffic-choked roads and hit the dirt for a new type of adventure.

A new genre of bike grew up around the scene – clearance for big tyres, disc brakes, shorter geometry, longer wheelbase, lots of bosses, generally more rugged – but 3T took it to a new level with its first bike in 2016. The Exploro was an aero adventure bike designed by Gerard Vroomen formerly of Cervélo and one of cycling’s original thinkers. It had a wind tunnel-tested frame which could take either 700c or 650b wheels and was designed for a 1x groupset. It sounded crazy but it worked. And it’s still the ultimate gravel superbike.

The Strada road version, released a couple of years later, didn’t go down quite so will with the Aqua Blue team, but that’s another story.

Long socks

In the 2010s socks got longer and louder. In what was hopefully a more innocent decade than the one before, the word was ‘dope’ was reclaimed to describe particularly impressive socks, as in #sockdoping.

However, there was actually a performance advantage to be gained by sockdoping if the right pair of socks was worn: aerodynamic fabrics with seams to trip the airflow into staying attached saved a measurable number of watts, so that the UCI issued a new rule about sock height for 2019 (“Socks must not rise above half the distance between the middle of the lateral malleolus and the middle of the fibula head”) – enforced to much hilarity at this year’s World Championships.

“We’re going to spend 25 hours camping out in a field, alternating cycling quite hard with snatches of sleep, mostly fueled by the sort of dehydrated meals only astronauts eat when nothing else will withstand the atmosphere. Michelle, are you game?”

Well, obviously.

Red Bull Timelaps is a 25-hour race, with the majority of riders entering into the madness via relay format. The cruelly constructed joke is that with the event coinciding with the great British changing of the clocks, this is the longest one day road race in the world.

Having celebrated a successful road racing season with a fortnight spent competing in a one-woman sleep, eat and drink-athon, followed by a taper period of panic miles, I arrived at Windsor Park feeling hilariously unprepared.

James Bracey was elected team leader, placing Zwift racing fanatic and time trialling supreme Alex Ballinger as the magic 'double points' Power Hour athlete. Guest for the weekend Will Thompson rounded off the team and eventually completed the final shift in a delirium of impressive speed.

If there was an “all the gear, no idea” prize, we topped the podium. A collection of BMC Roadmachines, BMC Timemachines, and my own Look 785 Huez were lined up outside a stealth Overland Life van conversion, with more USB ports than could be of use to a classroom of teenagers sustained by intravenous Instagram.

Once 224 teams and 12 soloists with questionable cognition were registered, it was time to ride – amid driving rain, whilst assorted poorly fixed gazebos spun up into the air and somersaulted across Windsor Park.

Our schedule - beginning at 12pm Saturday and ending 12pm Sunday - had each rider complete four 60 minute stints, plus a two hour finisher. At 11am, someone (as yet unnamed) would have to step up and do an extra hour. We had a signing in sheet and everything, not that anyone used it past 5pm.

Sergeant Bracey suggested a goal of five laps per hour, equating to around 20mph. I laughed. Then I went out and rode five laps in my first hour, equating to 20.3mph – because, well, I can't turn down a challenge as we've already established.

I'd expected to be able to slot into pacelines around the course, but after untangling myself with an unnecessary extra layer and losing my first opportunity, I proceeded to complete the hour mostly solo - sometimes picking off riders on the ramp of Slan's Hill and gentler Break Heart Hill before meeting them again on the flat headwind areas and bemoaning my own inefficiency.

Pacing for the event, six hours but with minimal sleep, was the biggest unknown - and finishing my first hour with a normalised power at 92 per cent of my 225(ish) watt FTP didn't do much to to quell my fears.

Back at the van, I dumped several sodden layers, smashed a protein flapjack, lingered over a hot chocolate made by our amazing helper Laura from UKCE and prepared to go again, convinced that what lay before me was an on-bike reenactment of the tortoise and the hare.

Still, it could have been worse, Alex had already run his first mile of the race following a puncture.

The next three one hour stints would be completed in the dark, though the narrow and consistent park paths meant there was little need to slow down, the only jolt being the plunge into darkness after the greenly illuminated woods with their upward facing floodlights.

To my surprise, the drop-off in actual time was only about 30-60 seconds per lap versus my first shift. My breath wasn't rasping so hard as and I clicked down the gears to spin up the hills rather than attacking them.

Charging into the pits to swap the flashing baton, I stopped the Garmin with a normalised power at a hopefully more sustainable 85 per cent of FTP.

Back at the van, I set my alarm for a 90 minute shut-eye stint which, when broken by the mocking cheer of my alarm, felt strangely more refreshing than expected.

Plunged back into the cold, I following the trail of my own white cloud of breath and noted that at least the rain had slowed to drizzle - the sky was finally almost empty.

Amid short lived chaingangs, and a few laps spent impersonating a derny powered by shouts from the most dedicated race marshals in the history of bike racing, my 11pm and 2am stints passed with a normalised power one watt apart, again at 85 per cent - consistency and I were clearly friends for the night.

Somewhere in the middle of those two turns, Ballinger bashed out seven strong power hour laps - whilst back at basecamp I earworm tagged everyone remaining with "Get Low" by Lil Jon which had been running circles in my mind from the beginning.

I fell asleep for the last time in the dark, vaguely conscious of one of potentially four bodies breathing deeply into a sleeping bag next door. When I woke up for my final two hour stint, a tiny portion of my mind was a little sad that it was almost over.

I immediately hooked onto a fast moving chain, and vowed to stay close as long as possible, managing a few laps before concluding my tunnel vision of sleep deprivation was a crash risk at the speed required in the chicanes.

I wasn't alone long before I heard the familiar voice of eventual women's solo winner, Tamala McGee.

Our mixed team was not troubling the podium. So with Tam dangling between first and second in the overall (having taken an extended nap in the night) I concluded that my final 90 minutes would serve one goal: playing domestique in the pursuit of her win.

My last two hours gave us nine more laps - a lower power again (77% of FTP) but only a smidge slower than that very first stint, albeit in considerably better conditions amid sharp blue skies and dry air.

Finally, I ran a final stretch of the blue carpeted pits to swap the baton onto the wrist of a waiting Alex, and returned to inform Will that he had won the prize of an extra 60 minutes.

We'd made the right selection for that final hour, too - a clearly hyped Thompson train smashed out five fast laps to finish off our race strong.

If the off-season months are an opportunity to try new things, test boundaries and most importantly enjoy time in the saddle, then Red Bull Timelaps certainly provided a playground to do just that.

My greatest concern heading into the event was how to negotiate pacing alongside fatigue, less so from hours and miles, but more from disrupted sleep patterns and a horrifically confused digestive tract. However, in turn my greatest surprise was quite how restorative a 90 minute nap can be.

Next time someone asks me if I'd like to spend 25 hours interspersing riding quite fast with minimal sleep and midnight picnics what will I say? As the sun sets on my first experience, I'm just as confident that the answer will be yes as I was the first time around.

It’s been a good Tour de France for Mitchelton-Scott this year, with four stage wins so far. And three of them have been on the brand new Scott Addict RC, which was launched in June.

With RC standing for Racing Concept, it’s Scott’s premium Addict. Whereas the outgoing Addict RC was a classic round tubed lightweight climber’s bike, the new Addict RC has sprouted aero features, including its kammtail tube profiles and dropped seatstays. Plus it’s disc brake only, with an integrated cockpit that fully hides the cable runs. Scott says that the bike still weighs around 6.8kg in its lightest commercially available configuration.

Adam Yates rides the smallest 49cm frame – Scott had to prioritise the manufacture of its smallest size to make sure it was ready for Adam and his twin brother Simon to race. Yates has his saddle height set at 684mm and has 502mm from saddle tip to the bar. There’s more about the changes to the Addict RC’s geometry here.

Mitchelton-Scott runs Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, with Yates opting for the classic 53/39 chainset, although with a close ratio 11-25 cassette at the race start in Belgium. His crank arms are 170mm long. The bike was set up with Dura-Ace C60 deep section tubular wheels and the team runs Pirelli P-Zero 25mm tubs, although there’s clearance in the new Addict RC frame for tyres up to 28mm wide.

The bar is a Creston iC SL carbon bar/stem combo from Scott’s Syncros component brand and is 380mm wide with a 120mm effective stem length. Although Yates’s shifting is electronic, the bar is designed to allow mechanical shifter cables to run internally too.

The bar has its own aero computer mount, which along with the V-shaped profile helps keep Yates’s Garmin 530 out of the airstream. Plus Yates has Shimano’s satellite shifters mounted on the bar tops, so he can change gear without having to change hand position.

Yates’s Addict RC comes with the team’s special iridescent paint scheme that seems to change colour as it catches the light.

With only one stage win to his name so far, Peter Sagan has been having what for him is quite a quiet Tour de France. But he’s been steadily racking up points, so a record seventh green jersey is looking more and more like a foregone conclusion.

Sagan’s bike of choice from Specialized’s quiver of Tour-worthy bikes is the S-Works Venge. Although Specialized sells a Sagan Collection version of its aero road bike, Sagan’s Tour bike has his own unique customisation.

That includes a special paint job in an understated grey, although with Sagan’s name on the top tube. Sagan is hedging his bets with a “We’ll See” legend under the bottom bracket shell too.

Sagan’s S-Works Venge is a size 56cm, with the saddle height set at 753mm. Coupled to a super-stiff 140mm Venge-specific Specialized stem, that puts 625mm from the saddle tip to the bar.

>>> Pro bike: Geraint Thomas's Pinarello Dogma F12

That super-aggressive set-up will have been tried and tested though and Sagan’s top cap has the name of Specialized’s Retul Fit bike fitting brand on it. We reckon that the bike weighs around 7.3kg.

Sagan is running a full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. His power delivery is reflected in the extra-large 54/42 chainset and 11-28 cassette he had on the bike ready for the early stages. His cranks are 172.5mm long and he uses Dura-Ace pedals too.

For fast finishes, Sagan has sprint shifters mounted below the brake levers, on his S-Works Aerofly carbon bar, allowing him to shift gears quickly when riding in the drops.

Like Julian Alaphillipe, Sagan is riding Roval CLX Disc wheels, complete with CeramicSpeed bearings and S-Works Turbo Gripton 26mm tubular tyres, although Sagan's are the deeper 64 wheelset. Also like Alaphilippe, he sits on a carbon railed Specialized S-Works Romin Evo saddle. He has a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt aero computer, fixed to a BarFly forward mount.

Other custom features include grip tape stuck inside the bottle cages, to keep his bottles firmly in place however bumpy the road surface may get.

It’s taken Pinarello another two years to bring out the Dogma F12 after the launch of the Dogma F10, on which Thomas won last year’s Tour de France. In that time, Pinarello says that it’s improved the aerodynamics, saving 8 watts at 40kph, and made the frameset stiffer and lighter too.

Plus it’s brought the disc brake frameset’s weight down to just 20g more than the rim brake bike, although Team Ineos are still riding with rim brakes.

As well as the matt black carbon to gloss burgundy fade of the frameset, Thomas has a small welsh dragon sitting on his head tube, but otherwise the frame is decoration-free.

There’s a new Most Talon integrated bar and stem, that helps shave weight off the Dogma F12 and routes all cables internally apart from the front brake. With external cabling alone adding up to 5 watts of drag to a typical bike, there’s a significant aero benefit to hiding them out of the wind.

Thomas’s bike, like Julien Alaphilippe’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac, is kitted out with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 mechanicals. Thomas uses 175mm cranks and a 53/39 chainset with an 11-28 cassette.

Thomas’s saddle is 787mm above the bottom bracket and he has a long 130mm stem, that’s slammed for an aggressive riding position. The seatpost is Pinarello’s custom F12 aero design and it’s capped with a Fizik Arione saddle.

When we previewed Thomas’s bike, it was kitted out with the Dura-Ace tubular wheels which Team Ineos and before them Team Sky usually ride. But once the road heads up, Team Ineos are swapping their wheels out for Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer tubs, which weigh just 935g.

Tyres are 25mm Continental Pro Ltd tubulars. They’re just for the sponsored pro teams, so don’t try to find them in your local bike store.

Julian Alaphilippe’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc, on which he rode into the yellow jersey with his solo win on the first Monday of the Tour de France comes in black with the deep blue accents of his Deceuninck – Quick-Step team’s colours.

Alaphilippe’s bike is kitted out with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, a cockpit from Shimano’s Pro component brand and wheels from Specialized’s Roval brand, shod with Specialized’s own S-Works Turbo 26mm tyres.

The latest S-Works Tarmac comes with disc brakes only, and Alaphilippe has 160mm front and 140mm rear rotors. They’re mounted to Roval CLX 50 Disc carbon wheels, which spin on CeramicSpeed low friction bearings.

Alaphilippe sits on an S-Works Romin Evo saddle with Specialized’s Fact carbon rails. There’s a central cut-out, which Specialized says is designed to maximise blood flow when riding for extended periods in an aero position.

Whereas the retail version of the S-Works Tarmac Disc in Dura-Ace Di2 spec comes with Specialized’s own S-Works Power Cranks, with their built-in power meter and running in CeramicSpeed bottom bracket bearings, Alaphilippe’s bike has a Dura-Ace power meter chainset.

Detailing on Alaphilippe’s bike includes the legend “The Wolf Pack” on the inside edge of the fork blades. The name that the Deceuninck – Quick-Step team calls itself is also reflected on a stylised wolf’s head logo on the top tube.

The S-Works Tarmac is the same bike ridden by Peter Sagan and his Bora-Hansgrohe team. The bike retails at £9500 kitted out with Shimano-Dura-Ace Di2, or an extra £500 makes it a round ten grand for the Sagan Collection bike.

All photos: Dan Gould for Cycling Weekly

Full steam ahead, summer!

As the team are enjoying the best of the weather this June they've been testing products to find the best to show and tell, including a couple of slightly different options.

Tech Editor Symon Lewis has been enjoyed the new Brompton X CHPT 3 and shows the rest of the team how he's been getting on folding and un-folding it!

Meanwhile, James Bracey has been testing a USE Vybe suspension seatpost, perfect for those who can't quite get comfortable on the bike.

Rupert Radley has found some brand new tyres from Maxxis that are looking to make a big impact in the road market.

The Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod with SRAM Red eTap AXS is this month's featured bike and it's an absolute stunner!

Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod SRAM Red

Read More: Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod

Thanks to lessons learned from it’s Slice time trial bike, Cannondale knows how to make an aerodynamic bike. But what’s impressive is that it managed to create a whole package that works very well first time around, when many bike brands have taken two or three attempts to get it correct.

See more: Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod SRAM Red from Evans Cycles £7,500

Brompton X CHPT 3

Read more: Brompton X CHPT 3

Weighing 10.3kg, the Brompton x Chpt3 aims for style and a light weight, using titanium for the rear of the frame.

The components and suspension also get an upgrade from the standard model, and the tan walled Schwalbe One 35mm tyres are designed to roll faster than the standard-issue Brompton tyres. The saddle is a Fabric Scoop titanium railed number finished in Chpt3’s latest Devesa print, which was launched in October last year and is used on products by POC and Castelli, too. The Fabric dual texture grips have red accents, too.

See more: Brompton X CHPT 3 From Evans Cycles for £1990

Ultimate Sports Engineering Vybe Seatpost

James Bracey has found this USE seatpost a great way of allowing a bit of comfort to your  bike. It offers up to 50mm of suspension which can be tuned to the riders weight – perfect for those riding off road. Watch out for the slightest of sag though, so a check of your saddle height will be needed.

Maxxis High Road tyres

Read more: Maxxis High road tyre review

If you’re in the market for a top end bike tyre and don’t mind paying a top-end price of around £90 for a set of Maxxis High Road’s (roughly in line with the likes of a Conti GP5000) then these are definitely worth considering. I’d say they’re even worth a switch from your usual race tyre of choice, I can assure you certainly won’t be getting a dud.

The Cycling Weekly Tech Team takes a closer look at some brand new product from SRAM, Vittoria and Fulcrum

It has been a month of new product and so the tech team takes a closer look at a few of them including the controversial new helmet from Trek and Bontrager. It caused a bit of a stir with MIPS, a safety technology company, disputing its claims.

James Bracey went to see how Vittoria tyres are made with new functional graphene and the team takes a look at the still very stunning Canyon Aeroad, which now has SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset built on it.

Vittoria TLR Graphene 2.0

New functional graphene is moving the performance gain of tyres with graphene to a whole new level, according to Vittoria. Its new 2.0s are said to have improved on all fronts to offer a better racing tyre.

Vittoria tyres of old were great and improved massively in wet conditions over the years so testing should provide us with an even bigger smile this time around.

Bontrager WaveCel XXX

Bontrager was at the centre of some controversy with its new WaveCel technology last month with MIPS disputing its rather bold claims.

The new XXX race helmet is one of four lids that come with the WaveCel technology. It claims that its new helmet is 48 times better at protecting against concussion compared to a conventional EPS foam helmet. Going onto to say that 99 out of 100 times it prevented concussions!

Those are both massive claims and despite those both being hard to prove in reality, we feel that improved safety in helmets, however large or small, it a good thing. This style of technology has been seen in both Smith and Endura for a while now too.

Fulcrum Racing Zero Carbon DB

Fulcrum wheels have always been a go to set of wheels whatever the price point. It has managed to produce performance lead hoops for a good few years with the Racing Zero Carbon wheels in particular being excellent.

They have now been updated with disc brakes as an option, with the DB version coming in tubeless ready design too using Fulcrums two-way fit. That means that you can use both clincher and tubeless tyres.

Annoyingly, the rim brake version doesn't come in a tubeless ready option and something that we feel is holding back that particular wheel. Fulcrum does this with all its rim brake wheels at the moment.

These are a pricey set of wheel costing £1899.99, although if you wanted a performance wheelset that you could use on any terrain, these would be them.

Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 9.0 SL with SRAM Red eTap AXS

Now, as we state in the video, the Canyon Aeroad hasn't been updated for a while. But we got to take it for another ride thanks to Canyon equipping it with the new SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset, which meant that we rediscovered how good this bike is.

There have been so many aero bike updates in the last few years. The Aeroad is a staggering four years old now and still going strong.

It is a comfortable and racey bike and with the new groupset and paint job just looks amazing.

It's the time of year that plenty of cyclists head out to sunnier climes to ride nicer, warmer and more cyclist-friendly roads to finish off that winter base ready for the summer season ahead.

By chance the Tech team has three products that fit the bill for your spring rider ,whether home or abroad.

DT Swiss Spline 23

These wheels will no doubt enhance your performance over stock wheels that came with your bike. Equally, if you wanted to give your carbon wheels a rest then something like these will be the ideal option as they'll be more robust without losing all of the performance side.

Many brands use DT Swiss for its hubs and spokes so quality is second-to-none and these 350 hubs use all the same tech inside its more expensive wheelsets, although they are a little less refined in terms of weight.

Tech Editor scored these a solid nine out of 10. See the full review here >>> DT Swiss Spline 1600 23

Specialized S-Works Exos 

Brand new for 2019 are the Specialized S-Works Exos road shoes that are said to be the lightest production Boa dial road shoe on the market at 158g per shoe in a size 43.

Unlike the S-Works 7 shoes which uses only a small section of Dyneema material, the whole of the Exos upper is used with it. This is expensive but also is very durable and immensely lightweight. Impressively, Tech writer Ruper Radley claims these still feel stiff and are really comfortable.

The new Exos shoes certainly fall into the 'money-no-object' category and will set you back £450.

Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro

It is that time of year to travel with your beloved bike and for all us cyclists it is a worrying time to put our pride and joy in the hands of baggage handlers.

The Evoc Bike travel Bag Pro essentially is a hybrid between a hard box and a soft bag, giving you the best of both worlds in terms of easy travel and bike protection. This Evoc bag in particular has an aluminium frame insert that you can easily remove to take down/ build up your bike pre and post travel.

Two side wheel compartment also mean the wheels stay away from any precious paint schemes too.

Pinarello Prince

The Prince was once Pinarello's top end racing machine, Oscar Pereiro won the 2006 Tour de France on one. But now it's the Italian brands 'mid ranged' bike, however, at a glance it is hard to distinguish between the new Prince and the current Pinarello F10.

Yes, it'll use a lower grade carbon, although the frameset still comes under a 1kg, but you still get a number of features found on the £10,000 sibling.

At £3,300 it is the first time in a long time Pinarello has offer some performance at a much more reasonable price. But, as seen here, you do have to forfeit some of the spec. Mechanical Shimano Ultegra for example rather than Di2 and Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels are good but don't match up in terms of price.

Giant has revealed Greg Van Avermaet's custom gold and black Giant TCR that he'll ride this season.

The front end is resplendent in gold before fading to black at the rear end with the bike designed to honour the Belgian's Olympic road race gold medal that he won at the 2016 Rio games.

Along the top tube, the bike features other homages to the Olympic champion's victories, including the symbol of the city of Rio complete with Christ the Redeemer statue, the trident of Tirreno-Adriatico and a cobblestone symbolising his victory at Paris-Roubaix in 2017. On the back of the down tube the bike features Van Avermaet's personal logo.

The bike also has a one piece Giant Contact bar and stem, giving the TCR a slight aero advantage and a very neat front end, with the cables running through the bar and into the stem.

The unit is finished with neat golden touches while the bike is finished almost completely with Giant's own brand finishing kit, including deep section wheels and saddle.

In the video Van Avermaet explains that he believes "having fun is the most important thing in life and cycling", and that when you have fun the results will come.

He says how he was given the freedom by Giant to design the bike he wanted and that he aimed to achieve the cleanest look possible, and that the bike is giving him the inspiration to have success in a year where he carries the sole hopes of the new CCC Team. In 2019, he is aiming for wins at the Tour of Flanders and the World Championships in Yorkshire.

The bike is matched by a gold Giant helmet and a gold set of sunglasses as well as gold finishing touches to Van Avermaet's CCC Team kit.

We've heard rumours that some riders employ underhand tactics to put their name at the top of the leaderboard of their local Strava segments.

Some riders struggle for days, weeks or even months to try and beat their local rivals on key KOM segments. These can be taken with hard work and persistence – but sometimes the temptation of needing a bit of assistance can be overwhelming to those who lack certain moral standards.

Obviously, we'd never condone such cheating behaviour, but in order to highlight this nefarious activity we've put together a brief guide to some of the ways in which unscrupulous individuals try and beat the opposition.

1. Motorpacing

Getting a friend to let you draft behind their vehicle can provide a way to improve your speed and therefore segment times. Think of all those pro riders who tuck in behind team vehicles as they try to catch up with the peloton after an untimely mechanical. Of course, your friend has to be aware of how fast you can actually go and this tactic can go badly wrong if they speed off. Worse still is if they brake heavily, leaving you with no room to manoeuvre. So, maybe not...

2. Throw your Garmin

This is a bit extreme, and could very well result in the rider breaking or losing their GPS-enabled bicycle computer. The idea is that you put in maximum effort to within striking distance of the end of the segment, then deftly lob your computer as hard and as fast as you can to give an amazing turn of finishing speed. Obviously, if your Garmin is subsequently broken or lost then your effort will have been entirely wasted.

3. Wait for the wind

"No one ever took a KOM into a headwind". So make the wind your friend, and plot your assault on segments by carefully matching up the direction of the wind and the direction of the segments you are targetting. A helpful tailwind can make all the difference in bumping up your average speed, particularly on flatter sections.

>>> Which town has the UK’s fastest cyclists? These Strava stats reveal the answer…

4. Just drive

Taking motorpacing to it logical conclusion, you just dispense with your bike all together and mount your Garmin on the dashboard of a car or handlebars of a motorbike and go for a 'ride'. The secret here is to keep the speed at something nearing a reasonable, realistic level, so that you are not instantly flagged for "activity was in a vehicle".

5. Use an eBike

Now that electric bikes have become more commonplace – and cheaper – the temptation has grown for riders to use some electric assistance in claiming segments. If you get an eBike with electric assist, then at least some of the effort is yours. And it looks like you are riding a bike, too. So it's not fully cheating. Is it?

Remember, though, you're really only cheating yourself.

Well there you have it, the last Tech of the Month for 2018 and the team see it out in style with new tech from the cycling world.

Shimano 105 R7020

The hotly anticipated groupset of the year and we've finally got our hands on it. Shimano's top three groupsets; 105, Ultegra, and Dura-Ace have never been so close in performance and the latest 105 hydro disc brings it closer in line with the other groupsets.

You can get it as low at £650 at the moment discounted from its £800 plus RRP. The main thing here is that 105 now gets its own hood design which is much smaller than the large and unsightly levers used previously.

Specialized MIPS SL

No new helmets here as such, but new technology to go into the American brands top end helmets the Prevail II and the Evade II. MIPS SL is now hidden within the helmet padding so no MIP sheet that did hinder cooling and additional weight cost.

It is also a change in tact for Specialized who has been staying away from the technology. We are now at a stage where this technology doesn't hinder performance so we can only see it as a great thing.

MET Codatronca TT

MET has been producing some great helmets this year, the Met Trenta is one point in case. Here is the Codatronca TT which in Italian means short tail, which is just what this helmet is.

The short tailed helmet is there to offer aero benefits for riders who can't hold position constantly through a time trial effort. It also claims to be very well vented and comes with a cool magnet system for the visor.

Canyon Endurace CL SLX 9.0

A super fast yet comfortable bike from Canyon, which helped tech editor Symon Lewis through the challenging coast to coast ride this year, which you can see on our YouTube channel. Its super lightweight too at 6.8kg for a size small for a bike that is costing £5,500 currently with a £450 discount on Canyon's website.

It is an incredible bike for the money and feels super fast without hindering comfort or stability. What a bike!

Promotional feature with Tacx

For most people strength is not the limiting factor when it comes to turning the pedals over faster.Unless you’re on the steepest of gradients, vastly over-geared, or an all-out track sprinter, then you’re probably riding well within your capabilities in terms of maximum force at the pedals.

For full-time professionals who are already doing 30 hours a week of cycling, specific work inside the gym is a perfect supplement to their riding. However, for the rest of us, getting stronger without sacrificing time on the bike is a great way to get the best of both worlds.

The purpose of this session is to manipulate your cadence in a controlled environment in order to increase the muscular force required to turn the pedals. A direct-drive trainer which allows for high-torque pedalling without any rear-wheel slippage will make this workout far easier to complete.

It’s important during these workouts that you maintain a strong core and remain stable on the bike. The only thing that should be moving is your legs. If you are rocking and rolling all over the bike then it’s likely that your core strength isn’t giving you a stable enough platform with which to push hard from.

What it’s for

Getting you over steep hills. Improving your muscular endurance, time trial speed and ability to push a big gear.

How to do it

Use a direct-drive trainer that doesn’t suffer from rear-wheel slippage.

Select ERG mode on your trainer and program the workout using your smart trainer software so that you can focus on good pedal technique and low cadence without having to worry about anything else.

It is also possible to pre-program this workout into the Tacx app (free to download on Android and iTunes).

Alternatively, select a riding app that will use your trainer to simulate a long climb and apply changes in gradient

to your ride. The Tacx Neo can simulate up to a 25 per cent gradient, which you’d be hard-pressed to find in the real world.

For extra motivation use the video feature built into the Tacx software, which shows you ascending an iconic climb in real time and adjusts your speed based on your power output.

For the main 20-minute efforts select a low cadence that doesn’t put too much stress on your joints and leave them sore. Between 60rpm and 80rpm is a typical target for this style of workout.

Lift the cadence if it feels too difficult to complete. Focus on hitting the power numbers first and reduce the cadence over time if it doesn’t come naturally. Make note of your power output for these sessions and see how it changes in relation to your heart rate over time.

This is a great way to measure and see real improvements to your fitness.

For your warm-up, rest periods and cool-down, take the strain off your muscles by spinning a lighter gear.

A cadence that feels natural should be the most efficient; try 90rpm to 100rpm for these sections if you’re unsure.

Try a strength session for yourself

1 After a 17-minute steady and progressive warm-up, complete

2 x 20 minute pyramid-style intervals.

2 Each 20-minute block is broken down into 5 x 4 minute segments starting at 80% of your FTP, building up to 90% and then coming back down again.

3 Complete these 20-minute blocks at a very low cadence of between 60 and 80rpm. Maintain a strong core and smooth pedalling technique throughout.

4 For the rest periods and cool- down, select a higher and more natural cadence to rest the legs.

Checking your disc brake pads for wear is essential, and replacing them when they are worn should be a top priority. Why not check out our guide for the best disc brake pads for road and gravel? The last thing you want is to have the metal back plate of the brake pad rubbing against your rotors and damaging them.

>>> Watch: How to bleed your Shimano disc brakes

How to replace your disc brake pads: What you'll need:

• New brake pads (sintered or organic)
• Screw driver
• Allen keys
• Pliers (optional)
• Disc pad spreader (optional)

The first thing you need to do is whip your wheel out of the bike so that you can access your disc brake calliper. Then you need to reset the pistons, which is a job that sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. The easiest way to do this is put a screwdriver between the pads and push it back and forth, levering the pads back into place.

Remove the clip from the retaining bolt either with pliers or by hand then take the bolt out – it's usually an Allen head but can sometimes be Torx. Once that's removed, you're now able to take out the old pads.

At this point grab your new pads and place them into the spring, squeeze them together and slot them into the calliper, then replace the retaining bolt, clip and wheel. If they rub when you turn the wheel it might be that you need to realign the calliper – easiest way to do it is loosen both bolts then hold the brake lever and tighten them again.

Bedding in the new pads is very important, but fortunately quite easy to do. Simply go out and pull 10-20 hard brakes – you'll feel them get more powerful as you go.

The clocks are about to go back and despite temperatures not quite hitting the lows of winter just yet, the number of daylight hours has reduced drastically.

But training and cycling in the dark is still an option as well as being a great way to stay focused for those who struggle with motivation when it comes to indoor turbo trainers or rollers.

The first step is to make sure both you and your bike are visible. If you ride purely under the street lights of an urban environment then it’s likely you’ll just need front and rear lights that mark you out to other road users.

Poorly-lit rural rides will demand more powerful front illumination to pick out verges and road hazards such as potholes.

Here at CW we’re big fans of running a rear light on a pack or on the back of the helmet. Think of it as a high-level brake light — any extra chance of being seen is worthwhile.

>>> Buyer’s guide to rear lights

Wearing reflective clothing will dramatically improve your visibility. By law you will also need to have front and rear reflectors, as well as amber reflectors on the pedals.

Though few of us abide to this somewhat antiquated law, it’s worth bearing in mind as several insurance companies have cottoned on to the fact that most keen cyclists throw the reflectors in the bin and that most clipless pedals don’t have them in the first place.

The essentials

• Decent lights and reflectors are a must
• Do short laps rather than a long loop; short-cuts home can be useful
• Wearing reflective clothing increases your visibility to other road users 
• Plan your training

James Millard, performance director at Cyclism Coaching, highlights the importance of making your training sessions suitable for night rides. “It is crucial to control the sessions themselves to suit the rider’s needs and weather conditions.

>>> Seven tips to get your bike ready for winter (video)

"For example, when riding in the dark, an ideal session may be to complete hill repetitions on a well-lit road. This could prove wiser than trying to complete an interval ride on a long route on roads that are less than ideal for riding or training at the high intensities in the dark.”

Tim Kennaugh, coach, has a few other pointers for night rides:  “Try to pick a route you know well, avoiding lanes with lots of corners where you might not be seen by other road users until it’s too late. If you are familiar with the route there’s a fair chance you’ll know where all the potholes are.

"It’s also good to go training with a friend so you’re not out there alone.”

Key points

Do have multiple lights, varying from ones that alert other road users to your presence to lights that are strong enough to illuminate the road ahead

Don't ride in the gutter when riding in the dark as this is where the majority of road debris will go

Do remember to take spares on a night ride — riding in the dark could hide hazards such as potholes and broken glass that can cause punctures or other mechanical problems

Do ride with fellow cyclists so you can be seen more easily

Don't assume you have been seen by other road users

Do wear bright colours such as white and yellow instead of black to make yourself more visible

Following the great summer of bike launches we've just had, we've decided to pull together a list of the hottest aero bikes for 2019.

From the Cannondale SystemSix, to the Trek Madone and the Specialized S-Works Venge to the Ridley Noah, this video features seven seriously hot aero road bikes.

There's also some innovative new tech on display. For example, the unique BMC Timemachine storage box, or Cannondale's new partnership with Power2Max where you can pay an additional price to upgrade your bike with a power meter. There's even a Trek Madone newly equipped with Trek's IsoSpeed dampening technology.

It's safe to say that 2019 probably offers some of the most exciting and interesting changes to happen to the Aero bike genre.

Months of riding in wet conditions can do some serious damage to your bike. To help make riding throughout the winter more pleasurable, whether you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated winter steed or are going to soldier through on your one main machine, here are seven ways to protect your bike from the bad weather:

1. Clean it

Seeing as your bike is likely to be covered in muck after only a few miles in really bad conditions, it might seem a bit counter-intuitive to spend an hour or two making sure it's beautifully clean.

But making sure your bike is clean will not only make it easier to see any mechanical defects, but will also (hopefully) get you into a cleaning routine for the rest of the winter.

>>> Eight simple ways to make your bike faster for free

The best thing to do is to give your bike a quick wipe down after every ride; nothing too thorough, just taking five minutes to get rid of the worst of the mud.

Then every week or two take a little longer to give the drivetrain a proper clean. It might seem like a faff, especially after a long ride in the cold and rain, but if you can keep this going then you'll save a lot of money in the long term.

2. Service it

Once your bike is clean, it's time to give it a good check over to make sure everything is running smoothly. This is especially important if you're using a bike that's been tucked up in the garage since April.

This would mean inspecting the bearings, checking the chain and cassette for signs of wear, and doing the same for the brake and gear cables. Anything that doesn't look like it's up to the job should be replaced as soon as possible.

All of these tasks are easy enough to do at home, but if you're not feeling confident then there's always the local bike shop.

Once you're happy that everything is running smoothly, don't forget to lube the chain using a thicker lube than usual. This will last longer in rubbish conditions than lighter lubes, keeping your drivetrain running smoothly.

3. Fit mudguards

If you want to do a single thing to make your winter riding more pleasant for yourself (not to mention your bike and riding mates), then fit a pair of mudguards.

If you've got a dedicated winter bike then the likelihood it will probably have mudguard eyelets, allowing you to fit heavy duty mudguards that will offer good coverage, but if not then there are plenty of clip on mudguards out there. Just make sure you've got enough tyre clearance.

If you don't want to make enemies on the club run then it's also worth fitting a rear mudflap. This is easy to bodge together at home.

All you have to do is drill a hole in the bottom of your mudguard then attach an extra strip of material, essentially extending the mudguard downwards therefore stopping the rider behind you from getting covered in mud and whatever else might be on the roads.

4. Fit training wheels

If you've invested in an expensive pair of deep section wheels, winter definitely isn't the time to get your money's worth out of them.

Not only will they get extremely dirty, but the bearings are likely to wear out more quickly and if they've got a carbon braking surface then the might not stop as well in the wet.

If you haven't got any other cheaper wheels hanging around, then a good pair of training wheels is a worthwhile investment.

The most important thing to look for is a wheelset with a high spoke count to make sure they stand up to the battering of British roads, and maybe one with a wider rim, meaning you can get a greater volume of air inside your tyres.

5. Fit winter tyres

While cheaper wheels might be a good choice for winter, cheap tyres most definitely aren't. Riding in the cold and wet can be unpleasant at the best of times, but if you also have to spend 20 minutes at the side of the road fixing a puncture, then a ride can be properly ruined.

>>> Winter road bike tyres: a buyer’s guide

To avoid this, it's really worthwhile investing in a dedicated pair of winter tyres, which will offer extra layers of puncture protection.

For added comfort it's also worth going for wider tyres, either 25mm or 28mm, which can be run at a lower pressure in order to improve comfort and offer better grip in wet conditions.

6. Double wrap your handlebar tape

One final way to improve the comfort of your winter riding is to double wrap your bar tape. Although this is a tip usually reserved for the pros on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, anyone will notice the extra cushioning that it will offer on rough roads.

If you can, try and find a gel tape that will offer an extra layer of padding.

7. Get some good lights

An essential addition to any winter bike is a good pair of lights. Personally I like to keep two rear lights on my bike throughout the darker months: one main one, and another back up one just in case the other runs out of battery.

This is even the case when riding during the day, as you may well need a rear light even in the middle of the day during gloomy weather or when you'll be hard to spot against the low sun.

>>> Best front bike lights for under £100

As for the front light, this isn't quite as crucial to have attached at all times, but it's still not a bad thing to have on your bars once the days start getting darker around 3 o'clock.

And of course if you're using your bike to commute, then both front and rear lights are absolutely essential, and worth spending a bit of money on if you're riding beyond the glow of street lights.

In association with Canyon Bikes, Kinesis Bikes Orro Bikes and Aussie Grit.

When people think of adventures they often think they need to go big. But here at Cycling Weekly, we're firm believers that adventures can also be small, and anything can qualify as long as you do something new or think outside the box.

To demonstrate this, we thought we'd ride from our office in Farnborough all the way to London. We discovered that you can actually do it all off-road via canal paths never having to ride on any main roads.

To do this we needed three capable gravel bikes, and we opted for the Canyon Grail, Kinesis Tripster A/T and the Orro Terra C Adventure. We decked these out with enough bike bags to get our stuff home and set out the path less travelled.

Never ones to shy away from adventure, on our route home we discovered the great wonders of Woking, bravely fought off the angry advances of geese and became fully fledged members of the canal path appreciation society.

Joking aside, though, we did discover mountain bike trails, dirt jumps and even had a hill race just to push these bikes to the limit.

Ultimately, the aim of this video is to inspire and hopefully help others think outside the box.

This year has seen some major new cycling computer releases, here's the low down on the latest performance pushing technology.

Sigma ROX 12.0 sport – €399/$475

The ROX 12.0 Sport is the new cycling computer from Sigma, as seen aboard Tom Dumoulin’s bike at the Tour de France.

With sophisticated navigation skills, including ‘draw a route’, where you literally draw a line with your finger, it's everything you'd expect from a top of the range computer. It also has Strava compatibility or you can manually upload a route via wifi or USB.

You can create your own personal structured workouts and it's compatible with power meters and Strava Live segments. You can even create specific training profiles that are tailored to each type of bike, and the type of training you do on it.

The Rox 12.0 Sport has both a touch screen, fortunately with rain drop detection, and six additional buttons and is even customisable with additional colour cases.

Garmin 130 and 520 Plus – £169.99 and £259.99

The Edge 130 and the Edge 520 Plus are the latest additions to Garmin’s expansive cycling computer range.

While the Garmin Edge 1030 head unit released last year was one of the largest in Garmin's stable, the 130 has gone in the other direction, with the new head unit having a 1.8” display.

It’s tiny, but that hasn’t stopped it being a bonafide performance pusher in its own right. It’s compatible with power meters, cadence and speed sensors, can show you Strava Live segments and can even navigate for you despite it’s small screen. Despite its size, the battery life of the 130 is a claimed 15 hours.

The 520 Plus is a minor update to the already very good Garmin Edge 520 and now features the more advanced navigation features such as on the device course routing and is also now able to calculate your VO2 Max.

Stages L50, M50, L10 – £275, £210 and £135

These are the new Stages L50, M50 and L10 head units, with L standing for large and M standing for medium sized 50. The big news for these two units is the addition of coloured mapping and it supports GPX, TCX and FIT files.

Being training devices you can also use them to follow structured workouts on the unit itself, and Stages has added colour coding to workouts.

Battery life is as equally impressive, with Stages claiming the larger unit has 18 hours and the smaller 15 hours, even with the backlight on. You can even mount the computers both vertical and horizontal.

The new L10 is smaller, but no less powerful than its siblings.

Stages have updated it so that it’s now possible to upload a route from the Stages Link app and have a bread crumb trail to follow, although it doesn’t have a base map. It’s also Bluetooth Smart compatible and you can download structured workouts to train with.

Checking your chain regularly is the easiest way to make sure your drive chain is in the best possible health. It's an important job because if you catch chain wear early, you can swap it out before it ruins your cassette and even your chainrings.

How to check a chain for wear: what tools you need:

• Chain wear gauge

It's an easy job checking the wear on your chain, all you need is a chain wear gauge and we recommend using either Shimano's own gauge or a Park Tool one. The Shimano tool is a little more advanced as it spreads the chain rollers, giving a more accurate reading.

When you're checking your chain you're looking for between 0.75% and 1% of wear. If your chain has the former then you're in luck: all you need to do is swap the chain out for a new one. If it's at 1% then it's advised that you change your cassette, too.

Basically, pop one end into a link and if the other end (marked 0.75%) drops into the chain unassisted then you need to change just the chain. Turn it upside down and do the exact same thing to measure whether there has been 1% of wear.

The key here is that we're not forcing the second end of the chain gauge into the link but letting it rest, we're looking to see if it'll drop in of its own accord.

It's a simply job but one that's quite important and it's well worth checking your chain semi-regularly. For this reason, we keep our tools strapped to our track pumps as a reminder for periodic checking.

Cycling Weekly and Garmin have sent Matt Barbet on an Everesting challenge, where he’ll have to climb the height of Mount Everest in one single, brutal ride, using the same ascent.

That means multiple rides up the same climb to achieve Everest’s mammoth 8,848m of elevation; a tough challenge that will require ideal preparation as well as mental strength and fortitude to achieve.

In episode three of the series, watch as Matt takes on the challenge on the climb of the Col de Braus in the south of France.

He'll have to complete 14 ascents of the climb to achieve the elevation gain he needs; not easy when riding a climb of over 10km at 6.4 per cent average gradient.

Moreover, Matt will have conquer the elements. The heat can get unbearable at times in that part of the world in the summer, so fuelling and hydrating will be key, as will getting an early start for what will potentially be a 12-hour ride.

Cycling Weekly and Garmin have sent Matt Barbet on an Everesting challenge, where he’ll have to climb the height of Mount Everest in one single, brutal ride, using the same ascent.

That means multiple rides up the same climb to achieve Everest’s mammoth 8,848m of elevation; a tough challenge that will require ideal preparation as well as mental strength and fortitude to achieve.

In the second episode of the series, Matt shows us through the equipment he'll use for the attempt, including the bike and gearing he'll be riding with.

Matt also reveals the climb he'll be riding, the Col de Braus. The Col de Braus riding west from the village of l'Escarène covers a total of 10.1km at an average gradient of 6.4 per cent, pitching up to almost 10 per cent in places.

That means Matt will be covering around 645m of climbing each time, so approximately 14 ascents of the climb.

Watch episode two to find out what equipment Matt will be using for the attempt, and keep an eye out for episode three coming soon.

Cycling Weekly and Garmin have sent Matt Barbet on an Everesting challenge, where he'll have to climb the height of Mount Everest in one single, brutal ride, using the same ascent.

That means multiple rides up the same climb to achieve Everest's mammoth 8,848m of elevation; a tough challenge that will require ideal preparation as well as mental strength and fortitude to achieve.

In the first video of the three part series, Matt gets started with the preparation for the challenge, and receives advice from his friend and ex-pro rider Yanto Barker about what to expect while he's out there doing it. Yanto has completed and Everesting challenge himself, so knows exactly how tough it'll be for Matt.

There aren't a huge amount of hills for training in London where Matt lives, so he'll have to go slightly further afield to find something that will give him that vital training ahead of the big day.

Watch the first video in the series here and stay tuned to find out how Matt gets on with his Everesting challenge attempt.

Here at Cycling Weekly, we don't hide the fact that we love a great looking pair of cycling shoes and here are seven of the best looking ones available, or are going to become available in the next year.

Shimano S-Phyres

Shimano’s S-Phyres were one of our favourite pairs of shoes from last year; a stunning pair of performance orientated racing slippers that were both comfortable yet very stiff.

For 2019, Shimano has sought to improve on the best. There’s this new stunning green colour and minor changes to the closing system of the shoes. It still uses two Boa dials to allow minute changes to be made on the fly, but they’ve changed the cable’s routing a little to make the fit more snug and comfortable.

Gaerne Stilo

The new shoes have a full carbon sole that is extremely thin whilst still managing to maintain stiffness, helping bring the weight down to an impressively low claimed weight of 275g per shoe.

Gaerne says the other benefit is that your foot is very close to the pedal, offering maximum power output with minimal loss of energy. The funky look to the microfibre upper is actually made by precise lazer drilling which should help maximise breathability. In turn, this is helped by two channels within the sole to help boost airflow.

A reinforced heel cup and two Boa dials on each shoe help with retention. Interestingly, each dial has a rubberised edge to help grip when making changes on the fly.

DMT KR1

DMT might be late to the knitted cycling shoe party but they’ve arrived in style, and these stunning new shoes are the DMT KR1 coming with a knitted upper that looks very supple. Unlike the knitted shoes like the Fizik R1 Knit and Giro Empires, these DMTs have a sock like cuff that grips the ankle closely.

The upper is closed by a single Boa dial and the shoes come with a carbon sole to give them a performance edge.

Bont Helix reflective

For 2019, Bont has jumped on the reflective bandwagon, producing this Dazzling pair of reflective shoes that both look great, and will help keep you safe out on the road. 

Aside from the reflectivity, the Helix shoes also use a very novel retention system wherein the Boa cable passes inside the shoe, underneath the sole. It’s supposed to give a more secure and snug fitting. At 260g a shoe, the Helix are competitively lightweight, probably thanks to the durolite upper and the stiff carbon sole, which is wide – as is often the case with Bont shoes.

Northwave Extreme Pro

Brand new for 2019, the Northwave Extreme Pro shoes have seen moderate updates across the board from the previous Extreme RR models. At the beating heart of the new design is the XFrame2 upper. The biggest change that this brings to the shoe is a dual SWL2 dial fit system, which allows riders to have a different fit on the instep and on the forefoot.

The shoe also gets a new generation microfibre upper that’s more adaptable for a close, but less restrictive fit.

Northwave’s Extreme Pro has a unidirectional sole that gives slightly more arch support than the previous one, and the brand is claiming it to be the stiffest on the market.

Sidi Shot

Nothing new here really except for the stunning new red colourway.

Afterall, if it ain't broke, don't fix and for that reason these shoes retain the distinctive Sidi techno-3 push closing system, which includes 2 ratchets on the tongue and then the Reflex Adjustable Heel Retention device on the back of the shoe.

One other unique feature of the Sidi Shots is the closable vent on the stiff carbon sole which makes the shoe useful in both the hottest, and coldest weather.

Lake CX241

The interesting thing about these Lake CX241 shoes is that they’re specifically designed for riding with a very high cadence and are made from a 'competition last', which gives the shoe more of a curved shape. This increases heel lift and gives a wider area for the ball of the foot.

No-one likes saggy jersey pockets; full of food, extra clothing, spare tubes and all your maintenance tools to make sure you can do those essential roadside repairs.

That's where the humble saddlebag comes to the rescue. A nice, compact bag to sit beneath the rear of your saddle can relieve you of those cluttered pockets and be a great place to store everything you need to make sure you can ride home instead of calling someone out to save you.

And despite what you might be thinking, saddlebags are pro. While you won't see any saddlebags in the Tour de France, you won't see too many pros heading out on a training ride without a saddlebag full of the essentials.

But what exactly should you pack in your saddlebag? Well in the end, that's down to you and what you think you might need. But a small saddlebag should be enough to pack a tube and some Co2 cannisters if you haven't got a mini-pump.

Likewise some decent tyre leavers are a must to get your tyre off for those inevitable punctures.

One thing many riders might leave behind is a chain tool to fix your chain if it breaks out on the road. Chain issues are probably the most common kind of mechanical you can experience after punctures, so it's always best to be prepared for any unfortunate snaps.

We've also got some more handy tips for you in the video above, so take a look and don't forget to let us know if you've got any top tips for items to pack on your rides.

In partnership with dhb

What differentiates a low end piece of kit from a high end garment? We've partnered with dhb to help explain the ins and outs of its clothing line.

dhb jerseys – what are the differences?

dhbs lowest priced cycling jersey starts at £25, and has some basic technical features like a half zip and pockets across the rear. It also has a slightly looser cut than more premium clothing, making it more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

In comparison to this, at the top end of dhb's line is the dhb Aeron Lab kit, one step below that is the dhb Aeron Speed kit and then at the entry level is the dhb Aeron jersey and shorts.

In short, the key differences between the three tiers of kit is fit, fabric, features and the price tag. At the entry level, you get a smaller price tag £49.99 for the jersey, a slightly looser cut for additional comfort and comes with features like technical fabric and tighter fitting cuffs.

For £65, the Aeron Speed jersey is tighter still from the Aeron version and comes with different fabrics to help wick away sweat from key areas.

Lastly, the Aeron Lab jersey costs £110 and uses two different types of materials to help the jersey move through the air in the most efficient way possible. The fit is far tighter and shorter on the front to pull you into an aerodynamic tuck, and it doesn't have a collar and the sleeves are longer.

dhb shorts – what are the differences?

Moving onto shorts, the Aeron entry level garment is very impressive. For £75, it has a comfortable pad, that's quite wide and bulky whilst also having soft bib straps and comfortable leg ends.

The Aeron Speed shorts sit in the middle of the range costing £80 while at the top end, the Aeron Lab shorts cost £130 are far more compressive and have the same material as the jersey to make them aerodynamic.

When it comes to the chamois in each short, there are key differences. At the entry level the pad is thicker and the padding is weighted to the rear of the chamois, as dhb know that riders in these shorts are more likely to sit further back.

Meanwhile, at the top end, the Aeron Lab shorts are far more aggressive and chamois has much less padding and its more focussed at the front, knowing that rider's are more likely to sit in an aggressive position.

Brand new for the 2018 Tour de France, the Trek Madone SLR Disc was launched one day before the start of the Tour de France. It's an update of Trek's aero bike with the biggest additions being the IsoSpeed Decoupler and disc brakes.

The Decoupler allows each rider to fine tune the bike's riding characteristics to their preferred level of comfort – interestingly, John Degenkolb didn't have his set to full stiffness, but rather at a slightly softer setting; around 17% more compliance to be precise. The Trek-Segafredo team were the only team to ride solely aboard disc brakes at the 2018 Tour de France.

The bike comes equipped with Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, complete with sprint shifters on the handlebar and the Japanese brand's Shimano Dura-Ace R9100-P power meter. Degenkolb opted to run a 54/42 chainset at the front and an 11-28 cassette out on the rear.

Sizing-wise, Degenkolb rides a 54cm frame with a 130mm stem and 400mm bars. Unlike last year, this bar has a two piece design so the rise of the bar can be altered. His saddle height is 73cm high and he uses 172.5cm cranks.

Following what had been a tough final year at Giant-Alpecin in 2017 following his horror crash in 2016, Degenkolb joined Trek-Segafredo to refresh his career. He came good on the tough cobbled stage nine of the Tour de France when he rode away from the breakaway to secure victory.

For the majority of the 2018 Tour de France and especially on the mountainous stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees, Adam Yates would have been riding this Scott Addict RC.

What's particularly interesting about Adam Yates' Scott Addict RC is that it's a size 52cm frame, which is actually one size bigger than what his brother, Simon Yates, rides.

It's a great looking bike in a classic Scott yellow and black colour. It's a full Shimano build, including the Japanese brands Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, although Adam has chosen to ride rim brakes rather than discs. Nestled neatly inside the 54/42 chainrings is his Shimano Dura-Ace power meter.

Up front, he has his Di2 climbing shifters mounted on tops of the bar, which is his preferred climbing position. To round out the bike, he's also using Shimano's Dura-Ace wheels.

The bike is completed with Synchros finishing kit, including his 120mm stem, 42cm bars, saddle and seat post.

One of the biggest changes for the Mitchelton-Scott this year has been a new partnership with Pirelli, which has the rider's riding a race ready tubular version of the Velo tyre.

The 2018 Tour de France didn't go quite how Adam Yates would have liked. He never quite hit form in the Alps, watching the rest of the GC contenders battle it out in the high mountains. Things looked better after he turned his attention to taking a stage win and he would have had success on Stage 16 had it not been for a very late crash on the descent off the Col Du Portillon into the finish.

It's likely we'll see Adam and Simon Yates couldn't to ride aboard Scott bikes until 2020, with the Lancaster duo re-signing their contracts.

A world champion needs a bike worthy of that title, and Peter Sagan's Specialized S-Works Venge certainly lives up to the status. Only yesterday the brand announced the new Sagan colour way, but we were lucky enough to get up close and personal the brand new aero bike.

If anything, that new colourway looks even better in real life, and the highlight has got to be the fade from grey to blue along the top tube. Up front, the bike's paint job really sparkles in the sunlight and the glitter continues down the forks and downtube. There's then a clear division where the bike's grey starts, and it's a great way to balance the colours up front.

The slightly esoteric sprinter also has the words 'we'll see' printed on the underside of the bottom bracket. It's an interesting addition even if we don't really know what it means.

We measured the bike and can confirm that Sagan rides a 56cm frame with his saddle at 76cm, measured straight down the seat tube. Up front, his brand new Aerofly 2 bars are 42cm wide and he's running an enormous 140mm stem. However, because of the forward sweep of the bars his reach will be extended even further.

The new Specialized S-Works Venge is disc brake and electronic gearing specific, and as a result Sagan is running Shimano's disc brake and Di2 Dura-Ace groupset, with 140mm rotors. In his bid to secure his sixth green jersey he's placed his sprint shifters neatly on the drops. The Di2 junction box is tidily stored in the back of the bike's seat post.

According to Specialized, this is the most convenient place for the mechanics when they're leaning out of the team car window.

More specifically, he's running a mighty 54/42 chainset and an 11-28 cassette on the rear. Smuggled neatly inside the chainrings is the Shimano version of Specialized's power meter.

Interestingly, he and the Bora-Hansgrohe team have opted to use Roval's CLX 50 disc wheelset over the CLX 64mm wheels that will ship with the full build bikes. There's a couple of potential reasons for the change. The 50mm wheels are lighter and he might prefer the faster accelerations of the shallower wheels or he's potentially worried about cross winds.

Alongside the Venge, Specialized and Sagan have also released a range of accessories in the new Sagan colours. This includes the Specialized Prevail helmet, the S-Works 7 shoes as well as the Tarmac SL 6 frame and bike. Here at the Tour we also managed to spot a Specialized Roubaix in the same colours.

Promotional feature with Specialized Bikes

Peter Sagan might be the current reigning world champion and one of the fastest men on two wheels, but there's a new challenger in town – his granny Joan.

In these two hilarious videos, Specialized is celebrating the third generation of its Turbo electric bike by pitting Sagan and Joan in a hill climb competition on the mean, and very steep streets, of San Francisco.

The video starts by showing the 81-year old Joan riding her way around the city, enjoying the benefits that electric bikes can offer – varying levels of riding assistance. That's until Sagan - for reasons unknown sitting in a tent in the woods - spots her claiming to be the greatest cyclist in the world and challenges her to the race.

What follows is a Rocky-esque training montage of Sagan, but is it enough? The video below holds the result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJETokbfnNI

Mike Sinyard, founder and CEO og Specialized said:  “We’re excited to introduce on the Tour de France this unusual product demo featuring two unlikely competitors. Will an electric bike help a Grandma beat the world’s fastest cyclist in an uphill, head-to-head race? Let’s see.”

Whilst many cyclists might turn their noses up at the idea of a motor on a bike, this video demonstrates one the very real benefits of an electric bike; allowing those who might not be able to ride a standard bike to still enjoy the benefits of cycling.

Though the video does make a joke, it also raises the serious point that many people could benefit from the assistance in their day-to-day lives allowing them to gain vital exercise and run their errands.

You can book to test a Specialized E-bike today

“Electric bikes are levelling the playing field for the future of cycling. This spot shows that even a Grandma could give the champ a run for his money. Now imagine what it could do for those who just want to move around in an even more efficient way?” said Rich Silverstein, co-chairman and founder at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, an avid biker himself.

Might we see Granny Joan find a spot on the Bora-Hansgrohe team? Only time will tell...

Team Sky have, in recent years, ridden the Pinarello Dogma F10. However, for this Tour de France the new race leader Geraint Thomas has opted to ride the Italian brand's lightweight version of the frame.

Aptly named the X-Light, the bike uses a slightly different carbon fibre material and as a result the frameset weighs around a kilogram in weight. Other than that, the X-Light's frame is unchanged from the Dogma F10. It uses the same asymmetric bottom bracket, and the same concave down tube that neatly integrates the bottle cages.

Interestingly, Thomas has opted for an integrated 40mm Talon handlebar and 130mm stem for a cockpit. It could be he likes the additional stiffness or maybe it'll be aerodynamically advantageous. The paint job on the frame remains the same from last year, with each line representing a Team Sky victory.

Geraint perches on a Fizik Arione saddle and has his optimum position marked in pen on the saddle. Watching him ride away from Tom Dumoulin on stage 11 you could see him riding right on the nose of the saddle for optimum power transfer.

His saddle height is around 78.5cm and he has 175mm cranks which is quite long, longer than most of the pro bikes we saw at the Tour.

His Shimano Dura-Ace groupset is a 53/39 crankset and out the back is an 11-30t cassette. He also uses a Stages power meter and out front display. The same extends to his carbon tubular Dura-Ace wheels which are shod with Continental Competition tyres.

In our constant pursuit for the fastest kit, we've returned to the velodrome to put six of the latest and the greatest road cycling helmets to the test.

On test:

• Giro Synthe
• Giro Vanquish
• Kask Infinity
• Lazer Bullet
• Met Trenta
• POC Ventral
• Limar 535 Superlight (baseline helmet)

The testing process

To help with the testing process we enlisted the help of Watt Shop as well as GB Pursuit rider and World Champion Charlie Tanfield. He rode in a road position on the track at 45 kmh, constant velocity and constant position.

The results

So the moment of truth, which road racing helmet is the fastest?

Well, in seventh place for the Kask Infinity, in sixth place was the POC Ventral, fifth went to Giro Synthe which was narrowly beaten by the Lazer Bullet. Interestingly, then we had the Limar rental helmet from Derby Velodrome. It was beaten by the Giro Vanquish MIPs, but the grand title goes to the Met Trenta.

Of course, this leaves a lot to talk about. Like how the Limar 535 Superlight has absolutely stormed to 3rd place. Asking Dan at Watt shop, he explained that lots of cheap helmets have really good aerodynamic shapes because the designers try and make them look professional. They also have fewer vents, and fewer vents have less drag.

Meanwhile, the Kask Infinity was a surprise in last place, but it is a slightly older design. The POC Ventral is one of the newest on test, so it's a surprise it didn't rank higher.

The Met Trenta has performed exceptionally well, especially considering it has far more vents than the second place Giro Vanquish. Perhaps this is down to the the width of the helmet, with the Trenta being a lot less wide than the Vanquish.

In association with Trek, Canyon, Argon 18 and Scott

Clothing partnership with Chapeau

Hailing from the very part of the UK that our route would cover, Chapeau provided us with a selection of its spring and summer kits including the Etape, the Tempo and the Club.

Endurance bikes represent one of the fastest growing areas of the cycling industry, and to find out more, we put four of the latest and greatest to the ultimate test; 100 miles from the North Devon coast to the South Devon one.

For all four of us it represented the longest ride of the year so far, so our bodies weren't as attuned to long days in the saddle as we'd have perhaps liked. Cue our bikes, featuring some of the latest endurance technology they helped us stay the course.

Symon was riding the beautiful Canyon Endurace CF SL Disc 8.0 Aero in storm green, Rupert was riding the Trek Domane SLR 6, Oliver was on the Argon 18 Krypton CF and James was on the Scott Addict 10 Disc.

The great thing about this route is that it is almost 60 per cent on a cycle path rather than on the road. It starts by climbing out of Ilfracombe before joining the Tarka Trail, an old railway line, at Barnstaple. It then hops on and off this as you head south, sticking right to the edge of Dartmoor and crossing over the mighty Malvern Viaduct. You can check out the route here.

In a video that can certainly be filed under "Only in Australia" one rider filmed themself sprinting up behind a group of emus then riding in the slipstream of the giant birds.

Uploaded to YouTube by "Cerebral Cyclist", the video shows handlebar-mounted camera footage of a rider riding off-road somewhere in the Australian bush.

The video shows the rider sprinting along a narrow dirt path in between rows of trees to catch up with the four birds who are also sprinting along the path.

The rider has to put in a fair effort to catch up with the flightless birds, riding at 41kmh to make the catch before sitting behind the final bird as it cruised along at 37kmh.

>>> Watch Sunweb rider throws bottle at neutral service car which had driven into him; gets fined by commissaires

The rider stays behind the group of birds for just over half a minute, before they swing off the path and into the undergrowth at the right-hand side of the path.

Once the emus disappear off the path the rider, presumably quite out of breath, drops off the pace although the emus are probably quite capable of keeping the speed up as they weren't forced to get close to their top speed of nearly 50kmh.

While cyclists in Europe might be more used to dodging squirrels and rabbits on their rides, Australian riders have a few more interesting wildlife encounters on their bikes.

There are plenty of examples here and there of cyclists colliding or having near misses with kangaroos while riding, while the magpie breeding season in the southern hemisphere spring can see birds swooping at and attacking riders.

However from the evidence in this video it seems that this particular rider isn't too concerned with such encounters, appearing to be quite confident riding in close proximity with the giant birds.

The reach of the leavers is basically how far away they sit from the handlebars. In the past, this has been a bit of a faff to adjust, and you had to insert a spacer. Now though it couldn't be easier and all you need is a allen key and there's no need to remove anything for the bike.

The adjust is just a small two millimetre screw, and to find it all you need to do is roll back the hood of the levers, pop the allen key in and turn it. Depending on the direction you turn it you can see the lever either moving in or away from the bars.

Whip the allen key out and do the exact same thing on the other hood so that they're matched. What you might notice once you have adjusted this is that the throw of the lever is slightly different. You might then want to re-adjust your brakes.

Shimano hasn't ever really shouted about this, so there's every chance you weren't even aware that you can adjust the levers in this way. It's a neat touch for those with smaller hands or to give greater confidence when riding on the drops.

It's also a key part of getting the fit of your the bike dialled. Having levers that are too far away can leave you reach forward and putting strain on your neck and shoulders.

Getting more aerodynamic on your bike is the easiest way to increase your average speed while riding, and, as our tests have shown, will help you go faster on nearly all terrain.

In this video we give you our four top tips for improving your aerodynamics, helping you to get faster without needing to do any extra training. What's not to like about that?

The first thing you can do is buy yourself some speed, and the flashiest way of doing this is definitely to treat yourself to an aero road bike such as the Canyon Aeroad or the 3T Strada. These will typically save you 10-20 watts over standard road bikes, with the latest bikes also coming with disc brakes for better stopping too.

>>> Aero challenge: Why you should always choose an aero bike over a lightweight bike (video)

However if you're after a slightly cheaper and simpler way to improve your aerodynamics, then something as simple as bending your elbows can make a big difference. This lowers the top half of your body to create a more aero position, and although it might be hard to hold for long periods of time, is certainly worth practising.

That links in nicely with our next tip, which is to be as small as you can to reduce the frontal area of your body exposed to the wind. That means tucking in your knees and elbows, and even tucking your head in which can make a surprising difference.

Finally, think about the clothing that you're wearing. Look for jerseys which are tight-fighting, some of which feature aerodynamic fabrics that are more aero than skin. Of course the ultimate aero gain when it comes to clothing is a skinsuit, which will get rid of any unnecessary material and make as aero, and as fast, as possible.

Aerodynamics has been the big buzz word in cycling for a few years now, trumping the obsession with weight that had been on cyclists' minds for generations before.

And for good reason. Our own testing, and that of others, has shown that bikes with more aerodynamic frames and wheels have out-performed bikes with normal-shaped frames and tubes in the velodrome, finding that an aero bike is significantly faster in flat terrain.

Now we're taking things out into the real world to test three aero bikes on proper roads, putting them up against a seven kilometre course including a descent to test handling, a flat section to test aero dynamics, and a climb to see if any gains on the flat will be done away with in the hills.

>>> Power vs aerodynamics: how to get the balance right

All three of our aero bikes were heavier than the lightweight climbing bike that they were up against, with each of the Orro Venturi, Scott Foil, and Giant Propel conceding weight.

The bikes were ridden at different wattages at the test, and we found that while with an average power of 210 watts there was little difference between the aero bike and the climbing bike, at higher wattages the benefits of improved aerodynamics became clear, with the Giant Propel, ridden at 275 watts being more than 30 seconds faster over the short seven kilometre course.

In fact, at higher wattages the aero bike was even quicker on the two kilometre climb that was included in the course, showing that even when climbing improve aerodynamics can be more important than low weight.

What's more, with all three of our test bike having disc brakes instead of rim brakes, our testers were able to go faster down the descent, even in damp conditions on wet roads.

Do you know your lube from your anti-seize, or your Loctite from your GT85?

If not, don't worry, we've put together this handy video with all the most important oils, greases and lubricants in the cycling world, as well a how to apply them.

Lube

Probably one of the most important products you'll buy for your bike, Lube will keep things ticking over for longer.

There are a couple of things to know in the world of lube. Most commonly, you get wet and dry lubes, and as you might expect, use wet lube for winter and dry lube for summer.

>>> 11 bike maintenance mistakes, and how to avoid them

Wet lube will last longer but attract all types of crud, whereas dry lube is thinner, washing off more easily but doesn't pick up as much dirt or debris.

There are also some golden rules when it comes to lube application. Firstly, never apply lube to a dirty chain, or a chain with lube already on it. Instead, give it a degrease first then re-apply.

Secondly, don't over apply your lube – you're more likely to attract dirt and debris than resist it. Be sure to run through the gears to let it sink in and then wipe off the excess.

GT85

GT85 is somewhat shrouded in mystery. Some mechanics won't use it, others swear by it. In reality, it's a great tool for getting rid of excess water before it can rust.

Pivot points on derailleurs are a great place for this. Definitely don't spray this on bearings, though, as it'll strip the grease right out of them.

Grease

In the world of home mechanics, good grease is a must have, as is a grease gun, which makes the application process so much more precise.

Primarily, grease is used for bearings to keep them turning smoothly, but it could be used for its anti-seize properties if you're desperate, but there are other products that do a better job.

Anti-seize

This is the business if you don't want your threads to seize to each other. There's nothing more infuriating than stuck pedals, so clean the threads and dollop a bit of it on them before you tighten them on the bike.

Threadlocker

Loctite 243 is also geat if you want to preserve the life of your thread. The best thing about it is that it's suitable for safety critical components, such as disc brakes – it can be used on the bolts and caliper mounts to make sure they don't come unstuck when riding.

It can also be used on bolts you don't want to over torque. For example, if you have a band on front mech and don't want to damage your frame.

Make sure you clean the thread before applying it.

Carbon Fibre assembly paste

It's vital that you don't grease carbon fibre components, as they absorb it and swell, meaning components can actually get stuck. A carbon fibre seat post is a great example of somewhere that carbon paste should be used rather than grease.

It's also great if you have issues with your seat post slipping, or if you've found the anti-seize product you've used hasn't quite done the trick.

Riding on cobbled roads can be somewhat intimidating to riders facing the pavé for the first time. But applying a little bit of tactical nous will slowly increase your confidence and see you floating over the cobblestones in no time at all.

More power and more speed

It may seem daunting, but increasing the power you put through each pedal stroke, which will in turn increase your speed will make riding on cobbles much easier. A steady increase in effort will help your wheels skip over the cobbles. Instead of getting bogged down and caught in the groves and bumps in the road.

It’s not a case of hitting the cobbles full throttle however spinning a gear that is too low can make bike handling far trickier and even lead you to losing traction if you are riding in wet conditions.

As most cobbled sections of road shouldn’t last much longer than five minutes, increasing your speed and effort levels for a short period of time shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.

Weight distribution

For some cyclists it may be second nature to stand up when trying to put more force through the pedals, however shifting your weight forward isn’t always a shrewd move when riding on cobbles.

Ensuring you distribute your weight to go through the back wheel when possible is important to maintaining traction, which will in turn improve your bike handling ability. Pedalling standing up can also lead to greater front wheel movement, which makes it harder to pick the best line in the road on bumpy surfaces.

>>> How to lose weight cycling

Avoid the hoods

Due to the forces that shoot through your body when riding over the cobbles, it’s important to have a strong but not overly tight grip on the handlebars.

Positioning your hands on the tops or drops when you can ensures the safest and most secure grip. Despite the comfort that placing your hands on the hoods can bring, it isn’t as safe and could see you losing your grip and control of the bike.

Road positioning

Due to cobbled roads being old farm tracks, many will have a very noticeable camber. If possible, try to ride on the crown of the road, which is the smoothest part of the pave.

Failing that, riding in the gutter is the next best place for maintaining control of your bike. A word of warning though as this can leave you susceptible to punctures from debris and broken cobbles.

It is also best to avoid suddenly changing your riding line as this can lead to your wheels sliding down the camber and potentially crashing into other riders.

Cornering

Cornering can be tricky to master at the best of times, and on cobbles it is common to come across tight and tricky 90-degree bends, which can often trip you up if you don’t anticipate them coming.

Using the camber in the road – the same way as you would when riding on a track - will help slingshot you round a corner. This is also far safer than riding the on the crown of the road – especially if the cobbles are wet and muddy.

>>> How to improve your bike handling

Relax

It may seem like a white knuckle ride at times but riding with locked arms and gripping the handlebars tightly wont allow the bike to move freely across the road.

Use your arms as shock absorbers to help relieve the strain from your shoulders and the rest of your body, which can be prone to tensing up over a long ride.

To service your brakes, you’ll need:

• Locktite 243
• Maintenance spray
• A small brush
• Paper towel or rags
• An allen key set
• A 10mm ring spanner
• A pick or small screwdriver
• Grease
• A file

You’ll need to totally disassemble the caliper to get it back in prime condition ready for summer.

Start by removing the brake pads and cleaning them up, removing any embedded metal shards or other foreign bodies. Then use the file to recondition the pad faces. There’s a video here telling you what to do.

Next, you want to disassemble the brake arms. Look out for the spring, so it doesn’t ping off somewhere, and be careful of the tiny bearing races. It’s not really necessary to fully disassemble these and you need to watch out that anything you use on them is plastic-safe.

>>> How to fit a new brake cable

Give everything a good clean with paper towel – especially the bushes within the brake arms. Look out for recesses in the brakes which can collect muck.

Now reassemble things. Grease the bolt shafts but not the threads, which should have Locktite 243 applied to help make sure they stay tight. Tighten things up well, so they’re firmly in place without play.

>>> How to look after your road bike disc brakes

The last part is a bit tricky. Assemble the front arm, then against the spring tension fix it to the front of the brake assembly, adding a bit more Locktite if it’s needed.

Check that it all moves correctly, then refit the pads, making sure that the shoes are pointing the right way, so that the pads don’t shoot out of them under braking.

You’ll need to realign the pads once the brake is back on the bike. There’s a video for that too.

Fit the brakes back on the bike and you’re ready for a summer of efficient braking.

Handlebar videos from inside the pro peloton have been around for a while, but Team Sunweb and LottoNL-Jumbo have now taken things a bit further with the first 360-degree video filmed within a race.

Filmed at the Abu Dhabi Tour last month, Velon mounted GoPro Fusion cameras on the bars of Team Sunweb pro Lennard Hofstede and LottoNL-Jumbo's Antwan Tolhoek, with the results now available to view online.

Both of the videos have been shot in 4k ultra-high res definition, giving fans an incredible glimpse at life inside the peloton as they relax ahead of the start and ride along and chat on one of the stages through the desert.

Unfortunately neither video features any footage from the sharp end of the action, so we'll have to wait a little bit longer for a first 360-degree view inside the cut-and-thrust of a bunch sprint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UnwEt335wk

Tolhoek's is the longest of the two videos (which you can watch at the top of this page) and shows him riding out of the starting area before a moment of panic as a number of riders, including Alexander Kristoff, avoid crashing, and a few riders having to bunny hop a stray bottle in the road.

However for the most part the riders in the peloton look relaxed, with a number such as Team Sky's Jonathan Castroviejo and fellow GoPro-er Hofstede coming up for a chat and to take a look at the camera mounted on his Tolhoek's bars.

This isn't the first time that we've seen riders mount 360-degree cameras on their bikes, with Alex Dowsett often using them on training rides, and Manuel Quinziato producing a really cool video of a motor-pacing session back in 2015.

We'll be hoping to see more of these sorts of videos in the future, hopefully involving bunch sprints and big crowds to give an even more in-depth look at what's it like to be in the middle of the action.

Promotional content with Cycle Surgery

If you are a keen cyclist and you aren’t fortunate enough to live in the South of France, it is an inevitability you will find yourself riding in bad weather at some point. You may have a big event that you have been targeting all year, only for it to fall on bad weather.

You might just be sick of the turbo and keen to ride outside.

Well fear not. Here are our tips to maximise your bad weather rides and make them more enjoyable.

1. Don’t suffer on your own. When the weather turns nasty Riding with others is great way to stay motivated and help the time pass quicker.

2. When waiting for your mates to arrive to group ride, keep warm by practising skills like track standing and wheelies.

3. Punctures are more common on dirty wet roads. If one of your group gets a puncture, if you are not helping change it then keep moving. As you can quickly get cold if just standing around. Also use a co2 inflater for speed, though we would always recommend bringing a pump.

4. Pick a route with bail out options if the weather could turn bad. This can mean doing a loop close to home, so you can peel off at any point, or picking a route with strategically located cafes and train stations.

5. If there is a cold snap, consider setting off an hour later, as this can lower the chances of random ice patches in small lanes.

6. Finally be sure to use social media to make sure everyone knows how hardcore you are for riding in bad weather. However, if the weather is really bad, either take a tactical rest day, or do an indoor ride.

This list isn’t exhaustive though, so if you have your own ideas or tips, then feel free to share them in the comments.

Promotional feature with Scott, Canyon, Met and Assos

I’m physiologically unremarkable! I will never race professionally but what I lack in talent I like to think I somehow make up for in enthusiasm. I’m also experienced in time trials having ridden lots of them and also doing the Project 49 feature last year.

Alec on the other hand is a sponsored athlete, who professionally races Red Hook Crits. Depressingly I could spend four times the time training as Alec and still never match his power numbers. He’s one of those annoying people that’s ‘talented.’

However, Alec has never ridden a time trial, so we were intrigued to see how experience could match up against talent in this highly non scientific, but hopefully entertaining challenge.

This was an excellent chance to ride some top notch current TT bikes and kit, so I opted for the Canyon Speedmax CF, while Alec hopped aboard the slippery Scott Plasma RC.

We were also able to use the Met Drone TT helmet and Assos Chrono Speed Suit.

The course was a 19km loop just north of Henley. It’s a sporting course meaning that it has a good mixture of hills in it and isn’t just flat. At 19km long it finishes with an ascent of Pishill. Which is 9km at 2 per cent gradient with a nasty sting in the tail.

To see how we got on, watch the video.