The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships have kicked off in Tábor, Czechia and we already have a World Champ Pro Bike Check with U19 European Champion Aubin Sparfel winning the sprint for Mixed Team Relay gold on his custom-painted Decathlon x Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike. With a young mix of riders the French team edged out Great Britain to take the first World Championship race win as Junior racer Sparfel outsprinted Elite racer Cameron Mason on the fast paved finishing straight.

An exciting end to the first race for rainbow stripes of the weekend!

Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike by Decathlon

Aubin Sparfel is racing on the second generation Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike, launched by outdoor goods superstore Decathlon late last year. And you can buy it directly from your local big box retailer with affordable Apex AXS or Force AXS builds.

He took the European U19 (Junior) win back in November, so there was plenty of time to get him a custom EU Champ paint job before representing his nation at the World Championships. It’s a subtle update to the standard black team-edition bike, but really makes it stand out.

While we love to drool over premium superbikes at pro races, it’s refreshing to see something a bit more affordable on the top step of the podium. Complete builds of this bike are sold from just 2500€ complete with a wireless groupset. Wow!

Since the Mixed Team Relay is made up of a mix of men & women from multiple teams and multiple age categories, not all of the French racers were on the same bike as Sparfel. But a few of his fellow AG2R Decathlon teammates also race on the Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike.

As if the white, and blue & stars don’t give it away, Sparfel’s RCX Pro gets his name on the top tube to keep it straight. We only spotted one with the EU Champ paint scheme, and this is bike #1.

Junior Pro bike build

His bike is built up with a well-worn Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, and XTR pedals.

Tires are the long-proven 33mm Dugast Rhino tubulars that you’ll see on many bikes for this slippery muddy course, glued up to some mid-depth aero Swiss Side carbon wheels. The cockpit comes straight from the road with a Deda Elementi Superzero RS carbon bar & stem.

A closer look at the headtube of the RCX Pro reveals a bit of sparkle in the custom EU champ paint. Not much sun is forecasted for the weekend of racing, so it’s not likely to shine much more than this.

Junior racers might not always get the newest kit, but Sparfel’s Di2 levers seem to work well, with some battle scars.

Clean, ready & waiting for one lap of the Mixed Team Relay on Friday afternoon.

Getting the Van Rysel RCX Pro muddy

In the relay format, Aubin Sparfel was the last of his national team to race. And he had just one lap to get his Van Rysel RCX Pro cyclocross bike muddy. But the bike has plenty of mud clearance – officially 10mm of clearance around a 33mm cross tire. Van Rysel calls it “Mud Proof Certified”.

The hi-mod carbon frame from Decathlon served Sparfel well for his one lap. And it delivered on its stiffness promise as the 17-year-old outsprinted the UK’s Elite Men’s racer down the long asphalt finishing straight on the Tábor track.

UCI CX Relay Rainbows for the French Federation

So that’s it. The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships is underway, and the French have claimed the first set of rainbow jerseys. We’ll be here all weekend, scoping out cool custom bikes, and maybe a few prototypes!

The post Pro Bike Check: Decathlon x Van Rysel RCX Pro Helps French Team Land Rainbow Jerseys appeared first on Bikerumor.

The all-new 2024 Scott Ransom is now officially a gravity bike, thanks to an all-new ultra-plush & efficient 6-bar suspension design. As enduro riding blurs into bikepark freeride, Scott built a new, much more-capable Ransom. A bike for how mountain bikers actually ride enduro these days. A bike that truly goes uphill almost as well as it goes downhill. But still one that can just shred back-to-back shuttles or bikepark runs.

2024 Scott Ransom 170mm 6-bar enduro mountain bike

Pedal up like you are riding a trail bike, flip a switch and descend like you’re on a dedicated freeride rig!

Scott went back to the drawing board for their all-new 2024 Ransom to build a gravity bike that you could also pedal to the top of the mountain.

The previous generation of the Ransom was already a quite capable 170/170mm enduro bike with an adjustable geometry Horst-link 4-bar. But bikes and disciplines evolve. And by now, last year’s latest all-mountain Genius ST, Super Trail, is already just as capable a descender as that old Ransom was on steep technical trails. So for their dedicated enduro bike, there was room for improvement when it came to full-send descending.

With so many mountain bikers taking their enduro bikes up bikepark lifts and doing shuttle runs, it was clear that the new Ransom needed to be more of a gravity bike than ever. With the same amount of travel, this new one takes enduro to another level… with 6-bar suspension.

What’s new? What is a 6bar?

Now, as Scott’s design engineers put it, “people expect to do some crazy stuff with enduro bikes these days”. So, they built an all-new freeride-capable Ransom.

The heart of their new enduro bike is an al-new 6-bar suspension layout, which gave the design team more fine control over performance changes like shock rate, axle path, chain growth, and braking influence throughout the bike’s travel. In fact, it allows for almost completely different suspension performance at different stages of travel.

Now 6-bar suspension deigns are becoming more common in big travel bikes. But they are harder to visualize mentally. And harder for me to put into words. (Even more so, when Scott hides the shock inside, Bold-style.)

I like to start to visualize a 6-bar as if were a bit simpler to get a better idea of what’s really going on. It it weren’t for that (blue) dogbone, it would have five links (easier to imagine its unstable movement with just an extra link splitting the Horst 4-bar). But then, with that extra control link (blue) connecting the two front short links (yellow & green), it guides their relative rotation mid-way through the travel – giving the suspension designer more control over kinematics.

Basically, it seems to take the virtual pivot concept to the next level, letting the suspension designers pick & choose performance characteristics that they want.

Things like supple early travel with more rearward axle path for a plush feel. Less chain growth in the middle to end of travel and a flatter anti-rise curve for consistency pedaling through rough sections and limited pedal kick back on big hits. A smooth, consistently progressive leverage ratio that works well with large volume air or coil shocks.

Really, it just seems like the extra pivots give the engineers more control over the situation. And it simply feels great out on the trail.

Why so Integrated?

Maybe more noticeable than the extra pivots and linkages tucked in there, is the Integrated Suspension Technology design, hiding the rear shock inside the enlarged downtube in front of the bottom bracket. From a design & engineering perspective, Scott’s move here is to get weight lower in the bike, to allow longer dropper posts, and to protect the sensitive shock from the dirty mountain biking elements.

As the lead Ransom engineer Kai Wheeler described it, “frame Integration keeps dirt & dust out of shock seals. So end of season suspension suppleness is just like day one.”

I know how my suspension gets treated year-round, and how much mud I wipe off my seals after most ride. And I also have good idea how few mountain bikers lovingly take care of their suspension and how few actually regularly service the internals (or pivots).

So, I can understand that might be the best reasoning for hiding shocks inside.

The new Ransom also moves to integrated internal cable routing, too. Routing brake lines under the bar and into the frame through a neat Syncros stem and through the upper headset bearing. Service-wise you can flip the angle adjustable headset cup around without messing with cables, but swapping to 0-offset or needing to replace that bearing is going to require disconnecting line and bleeding brakes.

Also new is integrated storage in the downtube. Scott already had to give the lower end of the frame s big cutout to access the rear shock. So, they took advantage of that opening and the big protective bash guard cover to store tools & spares. Clipped into the cover is an 8-bit mini tool. And then, a plastic “Matchbox” slides up into the downtube and clips in place securely. Inside you get a spare tube strapped flat, plus a chaintool & tire levers.

New Adjustable Geometry

The new Ransom gets updated enduro geometry that is a bit more gravity infused. And it is a 29er-only. Kinda.

A little longer frame Reach and a little slacker headtube angle want to make this bike go downhill fast. But it also gets a substantially steeper seattube angle to 77.2° for a more forward position for improved climbing. A lot of focus on putting more weight on the front wheel for good steering handling grip. And it makes the bike feel almost short when you are going uphill. Don’t fret, it feels long and slack going down.

That slackest 63.8° head angle is also adjustable so you can fine tune your ride. Many will keep it in that slackest -0.6° offset position for max stability at speed. But flip the +/- 0.6° cups around to get a 65° angle if you ride tighter trails where you need more maneuverability. Or the bike also comes with a zero offset cup for a 64.4° happy medium setting.

The rear end is also adjustable with a chainstay flip chip that allows an optional 27.5″ mullet rear wheel swap. No complete bikes come set up that way, but Scott knows that serious gravity riders want options depending on where they ride or race. And with this simple chip, the mullet conversion is quick & easy.

Trac-Loc: a whole new type of Twin-Loc 3-position remote lockout!

I first rode the triple-button Twin-Loc 2 remote lockout and dropper controls on the XC Spark when it first debuted the integrated internal shock layout for Scott 2.5 years back. It took a bit to adjust to. But wow, did it work well. Especially that middle reduced travel traction control mode (with reduced air volume AND higher compression damping). The new Genius also gets the same setup, which Tyler show in great exploded detail here.

Well, now the Ransom reinvents the remote lockout, too. And this genuinely might be the single feature that makes this bike work so well. (Sorry, 6-bar.)

You see, the new Trac-Loc isn’t actually a lock-out. It still has 3-modes. But Scott calls these three: Climb, Ramp Control & Descend.

The unrestricted Descend mode is fully open as you would expect.

But the Ramp Control mode does not change travel or compression damping. It is simply closes an air chamber in the shock, increasing suspension progression, like adding a bunch of volume spacers at the push of a button. Magic.

Then, Climb mode is your normal lower air volume AND extra compression mode, reducing travel down to 130mm and keeping the bike sitting high to make pedaling uphill more efficient.

Tech details

The new 2024 Scott Ransom comes in two levels of frame construction, all with alloy links. The top-tier features ultra-hi-mod HMX (High Modules Extreme) carbon front & rear triangles, only on the top 900 RC. A standard-spec hi-mod HMF front triangle paired to 6061 aluminum swingarm rear end on all other models reduces cost a bit, only adding a couple hundred grams.

All frame specs combine 170mm of travel front and rear. And all reduced down to 130mm in traction control Climb mode. There’s also a neat Sag-meter on the non-driveside link at the BB that makes suspension setup easy. And with the shock hidden, it lets you know if you’ve used all of your rear wheel travel.

The bike sports 29″ wheels and 2.5″ tire clearance. It features internal cable routing through the adjustable angle headset – wireless or mechanical shift compatible, a PressFit BB92 bottom bracket, UDH, and Boost spacing. With the 31.6mm Syncros posts, you get long dropper travel – 140mm on S, 180mm on M & 210mm on L & XL.

Pricing, options & availability

Five complete bike builds are available of the new Ransom, all with 29″ wheels only.

2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC

The 2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC that I tested is the top of the crop at a whopping $10,000 / 10,000€. For that you get the full HMX carbon frameset, a Fox 38 Factory fork to match the hidden Float X Nude EVOL Factory shock hidden inside the frame, and a complete SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission with Code Ultimate Stealth brakes at a claimed 15.2kg.

A 1-piece carbon Syncros Hixon iC bar+stem cockpit, Duncan travel adjust dropper, and no-nonsense alloy RaceFace R30 wheels wrapped in Maxxis Assegai EXO+/Dissector DoubleDown tires finish the build (tubeless sealant & valves included). Plus, built in Syncros Tubeless Tool in the handlebar ends & fully-stocked Matchbox kit inside the downtube.

Ransom 910 & Contessa 910

The stealth black $8000 / 8000€ Scott Ransom 910 softens the blow to your wallet just a bit, switching to the HMF mainframe & alloy rear, plus a Performance Elite fork & shock, and still a GX AXS Transmission with Code RSC Stealth brakes.

You get the same bar, dropper, built-in tools & tires, on Syncros Revelstoke 2.0 alloy wheels. All at a claimed 15.7kg (all weights claimed for a size M set up tubeless, but without the hidden tools/spares installed).

A Contessa Ransom 910 build at the same price gets a flashier white & splatter paint finish, but the same exact spec, except for a more women-friendly Syncros Savona saddle vs the Tofino on all of the other bikes. The only limit is the Contessa only comes in sizes S-L.

2024 Scott Ransom 920 & 930

Then, a 2024 Scott Ransom 920 at $6000 / 6000€ lops off another two grand in mustard yellow by dropping back to a conventional mechanical SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain on a good old fashioned Universal Derailleur Hanger.

It gets a RockShox Zeb Select+ fork, but the same Fox Float X Nude shock hidden inside. Plus, alloy separate Syncros bar and stem (still with hidden internal routing), the same Duncan dropper & Revelstoke 2.5 wheels for a claimed 16.4kg.

Lastly, the 5200€ Scott Ransom 930 offers the lowest cost of entry to the new bike. (Sorry Americans, looks like this one is not coming your way). You get the same HMF carbon front end with remote controlled 3-position Fox Float X Nude shock inside and alloy rear as the 910 & 920, but a lower spec again – still with the Duncan dropper & Syncros Matchbox internal storage.

The 930 gets a RockShox Domain R fork, the only Shimano build with Deore 12sp & MT520 4-piston brakes, plus 30mm alloy tubeless rims on Formula hubs, at a weight of 16.7kg.

As for availability, it depends a bit country-to-country. But officially, the new 2024 Scott Ransom is slated to be in dealer shops from the “early summer”. So you will get to riding as soon as possible.

So how does it ride?

My initial impressions were that the bike really crushes downhills. The 6-bar really seems to do some gravity-shredding magic.

But really, the first thing I did on the new bike was to pedal it up some super steep rocky & sandy fire road climbs to earn my turns a bit. And popping the new Ransom into reduced-travel traction mode really did turn it into a mountain goat. Thinking back, it’s kinda no surprise that my <16kg test bike reduced to 130mm of rear wheel travel climbed like a regular trail bike.

The magic of this bike really feels like the Trac-Loc. That lets it be a killer freeride bike on the descents. And a perfectly reasonable trail bike for the climbs back up. And there really isn’t much of a downside. Well, except for its impact to your wallet.

Tune in tomorrow morning for my complete detailed review of the Ransom 900 RC.

Scott-Sports.com

The post Scott Ransom Enduro Bike Shifts Towards Freeride on All-New 170mm 6-Bar Suspension appeared first on Bikerumor.

Colnago knows a thing or two about drop-bar off-road bikes, even though most think of them as a road-only brand….thanks Pogačar.

Let’s not forget that legends like Sven Nys and Niels Albert rode the Colnago Prestige — the same with a very young Wout Van Aert. The Prestige would eventually fade out of the Colnago line. The World Cup and World Title winning machine was replaced with the gravel/cyclocross-focused Colnago G-3X.

The G-3X is more of a gravel bike than a pure ‘cross-machine, but it does have that iconic Colnago kick and more tire clearance than the Prestige ever had.

In recent years, though, Colnago has put effort into re-thinking their business’s gravel side. Adding to it, they have created something pure Colnago. A performance-focused gravel bike. One that looks at home on the white roads of Tuscany or on twisty American single track (more on that later). Plus, it’s handmade in Italy.

What is the Colnago C Series

The C series is a moniker for the top tier of Colnago bikes; the more attainable version for most is the ‘V’ series. The C68 bikes are handmade in Italy and aim to balance beauty and performance. The Colnago C68 Series of bikes boasts a Road, All-Road, Titanium Custom, and now a Gravel bike.

Colnago describes the C Series as: “C for Carbon, Colnago, Cambiago (where the bikes are made), and Class. The 68 represents how far Colnago has come since its founding in 1954.”

Colnago C68 Gravel Frame Details

There’s much to unpack here, so let’s start with the frame creation. First, the Colnago C68 is 100% hand-made from high-modulus carbon fiber. Some parts are lugged, making it also a modular frame.

What does Colnago mean by ‘modular’?

The C68 Gravel is comprised of six separate carbon pieces. The engineers designed the headtube/downtube and top tube junction to be maneuverable when building the frame. The tubes are lugged and modular, as the builder can move them slightly, augmenting the stack slightly, the same as the headtube height.

This method is only used on the C series frames, though Colnago has used lugged carbon construction since the 1980s. The lugged tubes give the C68 Gravel a unique look, and the matte green pearl paint (similar to the Aston Martin) accentuates the curves.

How much does it weigh?

The frameset’s claimed weight is 1,150g for a medium (480mm) C68 frameset. The weight includes everything (framewise), including the rear derailleur hanger and seatpost wedge. 480g of the overall weight is attributed to an uncut, painted fork.

Yes to Top Tube Bag But No Third Bottle

As for modern gravel bits, the C68 has a top tube bag mount and can fit two large bottles (think 38oz) in the frame. There is no third bottle mount under the frame, so if you’re planning a super long, unsupported ride, you’ll need to plan accordingly.

The tube shaping in the C68 Gravel is designed for power transfer, minimizing road chatter, and handling a flying rock to the down tube without cracking.

The frame uses a D-shaped seatpost similar to the one on the G-3X but with an updated tightening mechanism.

The bottom bracket is a T47, the same as the C68 All Road.

The frame is optimized for a fully electronic groupset but can run a mechanical 1X like the new Shimano GRX 12-speed. The placeholder for a front derailleur is a neat 3D-printed cover, which takes nothing away in performance but adds cool points.

The chain guard is also 3D-printed and pictures the mountains of Italy.

Colnago Gravel Geometry

Though the C68 shares some features of the Prestige, All Road, and G-3X, it has a unique geometry. It has a shorter reach and higher stack than the C68 Road. The updated reach-stack ratio allows for a shorter stem, giving the bike a lively feel on the trails and lots of control over the front end.

C68 Gravel will be available in 5 sizes, all in sloping configuration: 450 (52cm), 480 (54cm), 510 (58cm), 540 (60cm), and 570 (63cm)

Colnago feels this setup offers better handling for challenging gravel or trail features without sacrificing an aggressive setup. I agree after spending some hours on the bike.

The Colnago CC.01 wide bar/stem combo riffs off the new C68 gravel geometery. The new Wide version of the CC.01 is specifically designed for gravel. The Colnago CC.01 Wide has more flare than the road version of the Colnago CC.01. The reach is 72.50 mm and a drop of 120mm with a stem angle of 82 degrees.

The Colnago CC.01 Wide is available in five different stem combinations with the same 40 hood and 46 wide at the drop: 80mm – 40/46, 90mm – 40/46, 100mm – 40/46, 110mm – 40/46, and 120mm – 40/46. The C68 Gravel complete bike arrives with the Colnago CC.01 Wide cockpit but is compatible with a traditional bar/stem combination.

How about tire clearance?

When I asked about tire clearance, the Colnago team calmly stated, “Up to 42mm but it performs best with the 40s”. Why not 50mm or something more extensive like the trend? The team told me, “This isn’t that kind of gravel bike.” The C68 is a fast bike designed around a more aggressive riding style, leaning more toward the gravel-road/racing side.

It’s the same reason you’ll find no internal storage on the C68 Gravel. The team didn’t want to compromise on the bike’s silhouette or the tubes’ integrity. I admire the choice not to follow the trends and to keep the design focused on speed, handling, and beauty.

Now, the team says 42mm is the max, but that is the maximum for the rear tire. If you want to push the limits, you can get a larger tire in the front. But the fork is more sculpted than some, and you could run into mud clearance issues if you run bigger. The frame can fit gravel suspension forks if you’d like…but like the super wide tires and internal storage box — that might not be this kind of bike.

Colnago C68 Gravel Builds and Paint Options

Currently, the C68 will come available as a frame and fork or in three different build options. The builds range from SRAM Red XPLR, Force XPLR, and Shimano GRX 822 mechanical.

All bikes will come equipped with Colnago CC.01 Wide integrated handlebar, Selle Italia Regal Short Open Fit CRB (Carbon) saddle, and Pirelli Cinturato Gravel TLR 40mm.

The wheels for each model change slightly, with the SRAM Red arriving with Zipp 303S carbon wheels, Force with Fulcrum Rapid Red 500, and the Shimano GRX with Fulcrum 900.

Paint-wise, the new Colnago C68 Gravel will be available in Green Pearl (in most photos) or gloss black with red undertones in the sun. Having seen the paint up close, both are great options (I’m a glossy fan), but the Green Pearl should hide the scratches and abuse of gravel riding better.

Colnago NFC Tag

Like other Colnago bikes, the new C68 will have a near-field communication or (NFC) tag. The tag is linked to the MyLime Polygon Blockchain and is inextricably linked to the bicycle. 

How does this help the rider? If your bike gets stolen, you can use the NFC as proof of ownership. The NFC also helps with re-sale and helps prevent (or disrupt) counterfeit Colnago bikes from entering the market. For more info, check out Colnago’s explanation of why they chose to be the first bicycle company to adopt Blockchain here.

Colnago C68 Gravel Pricing

• Frameset only $7,100.00, €5,935, £5,269.00 *Includes frame, fork, Colnago CC.01 bars and seatpost.
• SRAM Red XPLR, ZIPP 303S Wheels, $13,199.95, €12,010.00, £11,099.99.99
• SRAM Force XPLR, Fulcrum Rapid Red 500, $9,599.95, €8,690.00, £8,099.95
• Shimano GRX 822 1X, Fulcrum Rapid Red 900, $7995.95, €7250.00, £6,899.95

Look for a ride review shortly, and for more information and availability near you, check out; Colnago.com

The post Colnago Unveils its Vision of Gravel Racing with the Italian Crafted C68 Gravel appeared first on Bikerumor.

The French accessory powerhouse Ekoi is developing a new aero-top-of-the-line road pedal. If you follow the French continental team Nice Métropole (you should), you’ll notice some pretty large clipless pedals on their rides.

Ekoi PW8 — What is it?

The piece catching everyone off guard is the size of the platform of this new design. If you look at some of the photos posted on their Instagram account, it’s obvious. The pedal length compared to the crank arm is telling; this is a long, lean pedal.

The French cycling outlet LeCycle.fr first broke the news, reporting that the new Ekoi PW8 pedal will offer a modern twist to the road clipless pedal. The pedal may cover more surface area while also offering a thinner stack height.

From the picture above, it looks as if the ‘cleat’ may extend all the way to the edge of the shoe around the toe, with the pedal then recessed inside it when clipped in. That could result in a more aerodynamic connection between the pedal and shoe. It also could create a more walkable platform on the bottom of your shoes.

A New Standard?

If that is the case, it seems likely this system could require a new mounting system, though it’s possible it could be added to a shoe around the traditional 3-bolt interface currently used by most pedals. We’re guessing that’s where the new Ekoi road shoes come into play.

We contacted Ekoi for comment but all they would divulge at this time is that the pedal is currently being tested with various teams. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching the Nice Métropole Team, Burgos-BH Team, or the Ekoi website.

The post Spotted: Ekoi Developing All-New Road Pedal Design with Huge Platform! appeared first on Bikerumor.

It is Official — the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe sponsorship deal is clear to move forward. But why?

The rumor mill has been churning out a possible Red Bull + BORA-Hansgrohe partnership for a few weeks now. Well now it’s official. It’s moving forward. And it brings with it plenty of grand speculation of a super-Tour-team.

Dropping an official statement on January 29th, the BORA-Hansgrohe team website explained, “The joint venture between Red Bull and Team Manager Ralph Denk’s operating company can be implemented as planned. The Austrian antitrust authority has no objections to the planned partnership with BORA-Hansgrohe. Further details will be presented during the season.” 

What will or could a Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe Team mean?

Now that Red Bull is out of the UCI MTB World Cup broadcasting game, it is free to pursue other ventures.

Up to this point, the iconic energy drink brand has only sponsored individual athletes, never a team. However, it does have a collection of outstanding and well-rounded professional cyclists, on- and off-road. Although, as a brand, they do tend to focus more on ‘extreme’ athletes and ‘death-defying’ sports.

Now, If I let my mind run really wild, I would love to see all of the current Red Bull cycling powerhouses join up as a super squad.

Current Red Bull-sponsored men’s pro road cyclists include: Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Anton Palzer (already on BORA-Hansgrohe), and more still to come. They also have a new Red Bull Junior Brothers U19 road development team that’s likely to be a source of up-and-coming riders going forward.

Hell, maybe they could add American Justin Williams who wears the Red Bull helmet on L39ION of Los Angeles to the Euro-racing roster, too!

What about the Red Bull dropbar women like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Zoe Bäckstedt, Kata Blanka Vas, who first come to mind? Or could some XC, DH, Freeride or even BMX riders make do some crossover collaborations with the new road team?

That is all purely speculative, of course. And there’s plenty of existing contracts that would keep it from happening too easily, I think…

Or a straight-forward title sponsorship?

With (some) of the INEOS sponsor’s plastics money recently going to purchase 25% of Manchester United for $300 million, this could be the perfect time for a new cycling powerhouse to swoop in at the top-tier of the sport. And powerful new sponsors, too!

The Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe teams could end up being just that. Above all, Red Bull could assemble their famous athletes accordingly, the team would be stocked with loved cycling personalities. 

Can Red Bull energize Road Cycling?

Maybe Red Bull could shepherd in new crop of road cycling fans?

If all goes according, we would see Red Bull Media House producing shows around the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe team and some of its featured athletes. I’m a massive fan of Red Bull video content, especially the films. They certainly are great story-tellers!

And I would love to see a Red Bull feature on World Tour life. Can you imagine a Red Bull produced film about Paris–Roubaix?!

What does BORA-Hansgrohe management think?

Ralph Denk, Team Manager of BORA-Hansgrohe, explained what the decision could mean for the future. “With today’s decision, we have cleared an important hurdle. The foundations of our partnership with Red Bull are now officially in place. This is the green light we’ve been waiting for to proceed with the formalities and many specific parts of the collaboration.“

For now it sounds like a pretty straightforward Pro Team sponsorship deal, right? But we can’t help but read deeper in between the lines.

What are Red Bull’s next moves on the road? 

Although no monetary commitment has been disclosed nor a clear product agreement (other than those cool custom helmets, we assume), details should come to light rapidly.

If Red Bull is looking for a title or co-title sponsorship, I’m sure it’s not cheap.

But they seem like a company not afraid to dump cash into some wild bike projects. And are not new to aerodynamic optimization, whether F1 or on two wheels.

I’m thinking the wind-tunnel developed World’s Fastest Descent on a bike, Rampage, HardLine, BMC tri bikes, and more…

Now, we’ll see what they can do on the road!

Red Bull’s venture into the World Tour might convince other brands to do the same. We might be rooting for a Monster Energy-Visma-Lease-a-Bike-Drywall squad someday?

For more information and to dive more into the Red Bull and BORA-Hansgrohe partnership, check out:

Bora-HansGrohe.com

The post Red Bull Gives BORA-Hansgrohe Wings! Why are they Sponsoring Pro Road Racing?  appeared first on Bikerumor.

Atherton Bikes is celebrating their 5th birthday today, and in doing so gave us a sneak peek at a new bike in development. The UK-based mountain bike brand of probably the winningest gravity family ever, Atherton has come a long way from that first prototype DH bike made of carbon tubes bonded into 3D-printed lugs. And now it looks like they have an aluminum enduro bike up their sleeves.

Coming soon…

Happy 5th Birthday to Atherton Bikes

Atherton bikes, we wish you a Happy 5th Birthday.

The Athertons sent around a slew of photos celebrating the road map they’ve come from soft launching their own bike brand in mid-winter of 2019.

Check out their own wrap-up, here.

From that soft rollout in January… to Rachel already winning on the world DH stage that June at Fort William…

…to ultra-limited consumer bikes for the start of year 2, to making more bikes available to the public, to now 4 bikes on offer. We’ve been following along intrigued since the beginning.

And we can’t wait to see more from Atherton Bikes.

Like for example, a…

Prototype alloy Atherton enduro bike

The only info we have about the new prototype bike project comes from this note: “Coming soon: The team are working hard on a new Aluminium product for release early this year.” But we can unpack enough from that image to be interested.

Bikepark-ready… check!

Fox 38 & DHX2… check!

We can’t really see what’s going on with the suspension, but the boxy seatstay extends further into the front triangle, so it’s not teh exact same DW-link design as the current AM.170 – their latest new ti & carbon bike. But there is still a black rocker link here, attached to the seattube and driving a vertically-oriented coil shock, so it might not be all that different.

A Fox 38 Factory fork means enduro, with 160-180mm of travel up front. A 170 or 180mm Fox 38 is standard option for their current carbon & ti AM170. That matching Fox DHX2 coil rear shock supports the idea of big rear wheel travel.

The aluminum Stan’s Flow wheels, mechanical shift rear derailleur, and FSA Gradient 35 stem & Alloy 25 low-rise bar fits with a solid, but not ultra-expensive build. Purple Haze edition Hayes Dominion A4 disc brakes, are just a nice touch, though.

Headtube, downtube, toptube, seattube, chainstay & seatstay all look to be the same gray color of raw alloy. That should mean much lower cost of entry to buy an Atherton enduro bike.

Thus, the Athertons say their new HQ in Machynlleth in Wales is ready to “allow the company to build and scale in line with their ambitions”. So will that mean bringing alloy production in-house too?

Our attention has been piqued. And we’ll share more as soon as we hear (or see) it!

AthertonBikes.com

The post Atherton Bikes Tease Prototype Alloy Enduro Bike in 5th Birthday Message appeared first on Bikerumor.

Over the weekend, X user @MoBaohua posted three images of what appears to be the anticipated next SRAM RED group. They show a very different hood and lever shape, a streamlined and hollowed-out rear derailleur, and a tightly-spaced cassette. Read our 2024 Predictions from a couple of weeks back. We aren’t too surprised to see it’s really coming soon.

Here’s what we can tell so far…

First, the disclaimers: SRAM has not announced a new Red group. But based on timing and the age of the current Red group, it’s very likely launching this year. Second, they have not commented on the veracity of these images nor are they likely to, that’s just how this works. Third, the images are low quality and we’re living in the age of incredible AI image generation, so….

Is this a new 2024 SRAM Red eTap AXS that’s leaked on X?

All that said, if they’re real, the most exciting part seems to be the revised brake levers. Slimmer and shorter overall hoods, even more so than the recently revamped Force and Rival groups, lead to a very new lever shape.

The recess just below the hood should help it clear your fingers better when braking hard, which is a big deal. The paddle seems taller, though, so it’ll be interesting to see if that interferes with fingers on the drops. Equally interesting is the apparently higher lever pivot location, which should give us more leverage over the brake lever and allow for more nuanced braking.

And that little rubber plug at the top of the new carbon lever blade looks a lot lie where we would find the access hole for a brake lever reach-adjust bolt.

Upgraded ergonomics?

Of course, there’s no telling any of these are real, but they do match patent drawings from mid-2023. Those drawings also reveal a button on the inside top of the hood, which could allow remote control of a cycling computer. If it’s an AXS button, it could also (finally) allow one-handed shifting in either direction from a single shifter…something that we’ve wished for when trying to hold a bottle, snack, or phone while on a climb.

We’ve read plenty of unsubstantiated online rumors that following SRAM’s purchase of Hammerhead back in 2022, that the new Red group will also come with a newly-integrated cycling computer head unit. So these could likely be the control buttons for those, without taking your hands off the bars!

Lighter brakes?

The calipers appear much smaller, with a larger gap between it and the mount, and less material around the pistons. Combined with the slimmer levers, these could be substantially lighter weight than before, helping put SRAM RED back in the weight-weenie pole position.

The rotors look leaner, too, with deeper scalloping around the circumference, larger vents, and much less material on the aluminum carrier.

Still 12-speed, but lighter MTB-inspired Red rear derailleur?

The rear derailleur looks leaner, particularly with the cutout on the outer parallelogram. The weight-weenies are really rejoining now!

That part does not look to be user replaceable like on the new T-Type Transmission MTB derailleur, mainly because the rear-ward pivot sits inside the B-knuckle, not outside.

Two features really stand out, though:

• It is not UDH – it’s using a standard derailleur bolt attachment, not a concentric one like Transmission. This makes us think UDH is still primarily a gravel and MTB thing in SRAM’s eyes. But road bikes will remain focused on the lightest possible weights. The inclusion of high/low limit screws reinforces this notion.
• Larger lower pulley – This appears to have a 14-tooth lower pulley with the same breakaway design as T-Type. We feel like the breakaway aspect seems less important for road. But we do like that it’s bigger. Bigger wheels mean less resistance, just ask every aftermarket cage maker.

The angled view of this cassette makes the first six cogs appear much closer than the current cassette, but both share 1-tooth jumps for the first six cogs with a 33-tooth big cog. Current smaller cassettes get 1-tooth jumps for the first seven cogs and we assume that’ll carry over, along with 2x chainring combos up front.

It remains 12-speed, but that chain looks to have huge cutouts on the outer plates to save weight. That’s something the current Red chain does not have, but the new Eagle XX SL does.

Thoughts? Did we miss anything?

What do you want to see from a new SRAM RED group?

Let us know in the comments!

The post Next-gen SRAM RED group leaked? appeared first on Bikerumor.

We already got a sneak peek at Old Man Mountain’s new carry-anything Axle Pack back at the MADE show last fall – giving any fork more accessory mounts. But now they are available to buy. And we’ve strapped a couple onto a Mastodon fat bike fork to carry more and take our winter adventures further…

Old Man Mountain Axle Pack bolt-on fork accessory mounts

Two-position 3-pack mounts that fit any fork, no eyelets needed.

The Old Man Mountain (OMM) Axle Pack easily bolts directly to the end of your axle (requiring OMM’s own thru-axle Fit Kit ). That means they are strong and have nowhere to slide down or spin around your fork legs as you ride. The direct mount also means they get rated for a full 10kg in total 5kg/11lb per side. More than the 3-4.5kg per side that eyelet mounting is able to deliver.

The super-secure off-road-rated setup is relatively light, and gives you 4 mounting bolts to get that weight low. Two position options for a 3-pack Anything cage OR the ability to install two separate 2-bolt mounts. For ex. a regular water bottle cage up top, and a tool cage down below.

What you carry is really up to your imagination. I’ve bolted a couple up to a Manitou Mastodon fork with a couple of cages. And strapped on a tent & sleeping bag. Or a couple of 1l Nalgene bottles. The most I’ve attached so far has been about 1.6kg per side. So, I’ll have to get more creative with packing to push up close to that 10kg weight limit.

Anyone have any ideas what I should carry in the snow?

Tech details & Actual weights

The core of the Old Man Mountain Axle Pack are the two brackets that extend up the side of each fork leg. CNC-machined from 6061 aluminum in Taiwan. They then mount directly to a custom thru-axle made in the US by The Robert Axle Project with threads to bolt onto from either end. Up top, a pair of plastic fork Pucks get strapped around your fork leg with “ultra-strong” UV-stable Panduit zip-ties, providing a set of upper eyelets to attach the brackets.

All that, and an Old Man Mountain Axle Pack setup adds 265g to my fork, including all steel mounting hardware and the 3-pack bolts. OMM claims a weight of just 73g per side, which is just a single bracket without all the necessary hardware and special axle. Still, 265g is likely as light as other clamp-on mounting solutions. And the axle mounting is rock solid, with huge carrying capacity.

Figuring in a complete weigh-in… A couple of titanium King Manything Cages would be 68g a piece. Or a pair of the adjustable length aluminum Apidura Cargo Cages at 85g a piece. My Old Man Mountain 25″ Voile straps weigh 28g a piece.

All in my setup with 4 straps & one of each cage totals 531g, less than the weight of the water in my smallest bottles.

Easy mounting & setup

Installing the Old Man Mountain Axle Pack was pretty much as easy as replacing any bolt-on thru-axle. Then bolting on a 3-pack mount Anything Cage. With that said, between the Axle Pack & Fit Kit – it came with 12 bolts of 3 different sizes, 6 washer/spacers of 3 different sizes, a couple of Axle Pack brackets, 8 heavy-duty Panduit zip-ties, and a replacement axle.

What it didn’t include were installation instructions, just a couple of QR codes that link to the OMM support page. Part of the adventure of testing things before they officially launch… Of course, I ignored those QR thingamabobbers, and plowed ahead.

Of note, the Axle Pack instructions are now online (here) – even though persinally, I still prefer the trial-and-error method.

Sure, I switched up a couple of the longer bolts/spacers from top to bottom, at first. But it all fit and worked pretty well.

Then, I realized that installing the longer bolts and the spacer up top between the bracket & plastic fork Puck better aligns everything. So, I sorted that out before my next ride. It’s all steel bolts and sturdy aluminum brackets, and I’m hauling much less than the max weight. So, it wasn’t a big deal.

But, correcting my install mistake meant I could drop the King Manything Cage to the lower position and get the 1kg weight of my 1L Nalgene bottle a bit lower.

So, I would recommend looking at the install photos on the Old Man Mountain Axle Pack product page. Or this double Nalgene photo – here only – to get it right on the first try.

Unlike me.

Old Man Mountain Axle Pack – Pricing, options & availability

The new Old Man Mountain Axle Pack is available starting today and ready to ship for $60 for the 2-leg mount kit. They also come with a lifetime warranty for use on- or off-road.

To install it on your bike you will need an OMM front Fit Kit with its custom The Robert Axle Project thru-axle. Our Fit Kit for a Manitou Mastodon fatbike fork sells for $82 or $80 for our Fox 36 kit. Old Man Mountain also makes classic quick-release kits, but the new Axle Pack was only designed to use with thru-axles and their special Robert axles.

Old Man Mountain says the new Axle Pack makes any bike a bikepacking bike. Whether it has a carbon, aluminum, steel, or suspension fork. It’s already helping us load up some fat bikes for bigger winter adventures!

Axle Packs and Fit Kits to fit virtually any fork in existence are available now, direct from Old Man Mountain.

OldManMountain.com

The post First Look: Old Man Mountain Axle Pack puts Bikepacking Anything Cages on Any Fork appeared first on Bikerumor.

Pull out the Magic 8 Ball, cause we’re about to predict the future of 2024 in the bike industry. Will “signs point to yes” for our cycling tech prognostications… or maybe more towards “don’t count on it”? Really, only time will tell, for sure. But we keep our collective fingers on the pulse of all things bike. So, let’s dive into what we think will be coming down the road and trails in 2024…

Bikerumor predicts the direction of Bike Development in 2024

We spent the last couple weeks of 2023 cleaning house after a busy year – and compiling our favorites into a series of greatest hits Editor’s Choice stories. Then, we even took a look back at the 23 most popular stories of ’23. But as much as the end of a year is a good time to look back, the New Year’s start is a great time to look forward.

Ron asked A.I. what it thought was coming and the infinitely wise voice inside the machine suggested the Emperor’s New Protective Clothes. We’re not quite so sure, though.

But back in the realm of real people in the real world, we have a much better idea of what to expect…

Resurgence of Trail mountain bikes

After a few years where new mountain bikes all were calling themselves ‘enduro’, we expect to see a rebirth of the Trail bike. The past couple years have already shown us more mountain bikes filling that space between XC & enduro – like the latest Jeffsy or even Spectral 125. Slack geometries like on enduro bikes but lighter and much shorter travel. Not all of us can afford to keep a fleet of multiple mountain bikes from XC hardtails to mega DH sleds. Especially, when many of our purse strings have tightened in the past year.

A mid-travel modern Trail bike could just be the perfect bike for the kind of riding most mountain bikers actually ride. And we think the bike makers have been paying attention to our real needs.

Gravel Race Bikes give rise to MTB-inspired Gravel Bikes

2024 is going to see more and more gravel bikes with full-on mountain biking capabilities. This won’t be a huge surprise to our readers who’ve been seeing short-travel gravel suspension forks & even full-suspension gravel bikes on our site for literal years. But as gravel racing develops its professional side, adventure gravel bikes are becoming seriously differentiated from race-focused gravel bikes. And the same modern MTB geometry that started in enduro before trickling down to XC… it’s coming to gravel too.

I mean, even last year’s Gravel Worlds was won on a long-wheelbase gravel bike with a headtube maybe 3° slacker than some of the competition. You don’t need to build a retro-modern MTB gravel bike to know that modern gravel rides are more capable than early mountain bikes.

Even Road Racing Bikes are now All-Road Bikes

Road bikes that you can only ride on smooth asphalt are passé. Unless you are racing the Tour de France, who needs a skinny tire road bike anyway? And all the real-world testing data supports the rolling resistance science that wider, larger volume tires are faster anyway. Come on, even le Tour will take on a gravel stage (#9in Troyes) in 2024.

You can’t tell me that a road bike with 32mm tire clearance is not an all-road bike. 1 more millimeter, and it would be a cyclocross bike!

Aero Integrated Everything

If you’re shopping for a new bike, especially on the dropbar side of life, you’re already hip to this. Nearly all bikes are getting the one-piece cockpit and internal cable routing makeover. Many bikes (even like the cyclocross Canyon Inflite) are exactly the same as the previous version but with fully internal cable routing and fewer outside holes in the frame.

This “aero everything” isn’t (hopefully) just a cash grab for bike manufacturers but a way to improve the bikes’ looks and add some aero benefits. When you eliminate cables from the front of a bike and integrate the cockpit, the aerodynamic benefits are undeniable. That said, the technology and aero-advantage come at a real serviceability cost to the user.

Now — I am a fan of a clean-looking setup, but if I’m servicing a headset or changing the brake hose… I’m going to drop a few swears. So, let’s hope that this wave of clean internal routing comes with a resurgence in some more user-friendly designs. One that will let the home mechanic be free to make changes without bleeding a brake to change a headset bearing or take out a stack spacer.

While we are on the topic of aero cockpits, dramatically narrower road handlebars are seriously coming too. And road race bars with gravel-like flare and creative bends – all in a bid to get more aero.

The UCI first outlawed puppy paws, and then those ugly turned-in levers, which were confirmed to be sketchy, too. Unsurprisingly, installing a metal clamp on a thin carbon tube at a dramatic angle far away from what was designed… did in fact, create some nasty stress risers and result in broken handlebars.

But roadies will still want to get into that narrow aero tuck. So, we think the cockpit sponsors are working overtime to redesign some narrow but flared drop bars that will give pro riders that same narrow, aero position on the bike. The UCI did say they would allow turned in levers if the manufacturers showed that the bars were designed to handle it.

Shimano XTR Di2

We’re big fans of the current XTR 9100 groupset; it’s reliable, shifts supremely well, is lightweight, and never runs out of batteries. But it’s 5 1/2 years old now. And… there’s this little voice inside our head that’s like, “A new XTR Di2 would be awesome.” Considering what’s happening with the XT Di2 exclusively for e-bikes, I feel something could be in the works. 

What would it look like? I’m guessing that Shimano would bring the same tech from the new Di2 road line with zero wires on the front end. Now that integrated bars/stems are a thing even on mountain bikes (see above), I wouldn’t be surprised if the new lever points slightly inward to accommodate. 

Would it stay at 12 speed or go to 13? I think 12-speed is the max until we go all-in for Super Boost rear as the standard. The XT Di2 is 12-speed (or curiously 11sp to get AutoShift), and I can’t see Shimano going to 13-speed with just a single groupset. But it is an Olympic year…

That said, I’d be game for a 13-speed mountain bike drive train that shifts, as well as Dura-Ace Di2!

Btw, please give it a neatly integrated power meter, too.

GRX Di2 has to be getting 12-speed as well, right?

Let’s dive into some groupset-specific predictions, too. Remember, gravel is the new road. (Even if old roads, were actually gravel!)

Look, Shimano debuted new 12-speed 1x and 2x mechanical GRX groupsets for gravel riders this past fall, but not GRX Di2?! That surely wasn’t an oversight. Even if it is more expensive, contemporary cyclists love electronic shifting. Dura-Ace has it. Ultegra has it. Hell, 105 has it. Shimano has to be giving GRX Di2 a bigger 12-speed overhaul.

I suppose it will be of course be wireless. But with no real need for a front derailleur in the group now that GRX 12 covers 10-51T cassette range… I would bet that the next GRX Di2 ditches all the wires and internal batteries. Finally, a Shimano rear derailleur that you just bolt onto the hanger and ride away!

New SRAM Red, too, because it’s just time for a refresh

It’ll certainly be wireless, and I’m sure still be backwards AXS compatible. Thank you SRAM, for that.

It’ll probably still be 12-speed right? Although, why not ‘make the leap’ to 13? No one has done that on the road yet. What I really hope to see is a return to superlight weights. Red mechanical was the lightest groupset out there, and then came hydraulic disc brakes and we all kind of accepted that top groupsets would weight more. And that the weight differences between SRAM, Shimano & Campagnolo kinda disappeared. Both Shimano & Campy re-upped their top groups in recent years, without shedding weight. Now it the time for SRAM to stamp their foot down and to make weight weenies rejoice again!

Plus, a new Red most likely will usher in a new era of computer integration thanks to SRAM’s buyout of Hammerhead back in 2022. That almost certainly suggests a new computer will launch at the same time as SRAM’s top-tier road bike groupset. What will new Red x Hammerhead integration give us? Gearing & battery indicators? Live power visualization? Low tire pressure warnings?

Tell us what you want an integrated computer to tell you, down in the comments.

More lightweight eBike motors

There has to be a new lightweight Shimano ebike powertrain system in the works. It’s been quite a while since EP8 had more than simple internal updates. And now that Bosch has dominated eEnduro racing with Race-mode, while TQ is crushing it in the lightweight side of ebiking. Shimano has to do something to regain that ebike spark – whether it goes max power or ultralight is anyone’s guess.

My money is on lightweight. Max power ebikes have pretty much hit a wall of legal limitation before they become e-motorcycles, so the big moves have just been in increasing battery capacity. But TQ has proven that if you can make a light, compact & smooth ebike motor, everyone from roadies to XC racers will flock to it if it is unobtrusive.

3D-printing will surpass CNC-machining

Now we see plastic, rubber, carbon, titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys all being 3D-printed, why do we even need CNC-machining anymore? We know that’s a little rhetorical.

Sure 3D-printing has limitations, but it is still such a young technology. The optimized hollow construction possibilities are nearly limitless. And the power of artificial intelligence can actually be put to good use here in optimizing where the material is placed for strength & efficiency. Plus, you only pay for the material you use, so there’s a lot less waste material that needs to be scrapped or recycled like in machining.

Every year we hear promises of fully 3D-printed bikes. But 2024 looks like a year that will see even more adoption of 3D-printing on a huge scale. We’ve not yet reviewed a 3D-printed production bike. But we’re ready to do it this year!

Extremely Cool Olympic Track Bikes

Every Olympic year, it happens, and we love it. Press releases come with $25K track bikes that look like they are rejected concepts from the TRON movie set. 

Don’t get us wrong, we’re all in, and the only thing more remarkable than the bikes are the athletes who can pilot them. The 2019/2020 Hope/Lotus superbike took things to a new level, and the 2024 games in Paris will bring out the heavy hitters.

The Olympic rules state, “For track races, any equipment used at the Olympic Games must have been commercially available – in accordance with article 1.3.006.” Expect astronomical pricing, like this $80,000 track bike from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But we are waiting for more beautiful oddities with bated breath!

Dugast to Gravel

This one is real specific. But ever since Dugast production moved to Thailand in 2023, the once tubular-only Belgian brand has produced clincher tires. These new tubeless (TLR) clinchers are available in cyclocross tread patterns and in Dugast cotton casing. Cotton casing isn’t the best for gravel, but they’d have a winner if it were slightly tweaked to be more puncture-resistant (without sacrificing ride quality). Dugast already has the technology to make more giant tire treads. They currently offer 35 & 38-mm cyclocross tubulars, and made 50mm XC tubulars in the recent past. For 2024, we will likely see some Dugast gravel tires with a dry/sand cyclocross tread and a newly redefined, more resistant cotton casing. 

Return to Metal Bikes – whether that is aluminum or steel

Round-tube classic-looking bikes are fantastic no matter how you cut them. Of course, they must be well-designed and offer something the carbon counterpart doesn’t have. Manufacturers like Standert and Blackheart bikes have made sure modern alloy and steel bikes are more present on the race scene.

These frames often (always!) stand out amongst the crowds of carbon and aero offerings. The vibe is more than a race bike; it’s a curated design that the rider built – most often from the frame up. 

Even larger companies like Trek and Specialized have great alloy offerings. Our personal favorites are the Specialized Chisel and the Trek Emonda ARL. Both offer killer bikes with race-focused geometry at a palatable price.

Here’s to more affordable and traceable alloy bikes in 2024!

More Cargo Bikes and/or Bikes with Baskets

(Eds.: In case, it’s not obvious… these are Ron’s rants. But we all fully agree!)

We don’t have any concrete proof that ‘Merica will pull their collective heads out of competitive cycling’s arse long enough to pick up on the fact that bikes can save the world. If we let them. Seriously, put a basket on your bike and do your errands using your trusty steed. It’s fun.

Europe gets it (mostly)… some cities have actual automobile bans within the city limits leaving pedestrians and cyclists to rule the roost. That’s hot!

Listen, I’m pretty convinced that we can use our bicycles for just about everything we need if we try hard enough. I’d like to see cargo bikes that are more accessible by being less intimidating, less expensive, and smaller. The Tern Short Haul that I reviewed a while back is a step in the right direction.

Turn one of your old MTBs or other older bicycles into a highly versatile “grocery-getter” or “basket bomber” by adding a $40 basket to it. No one’s going to think less of you.

I’m just sayin’, ride more drive less.

More bikeparks?

Did you notice that the planet is dying? Snow is getting less reliable in the mountains. Ski resorts are closing. But some are building new mountain bike trails. Whether that means more gravity parks, or more flow trails, or more long easy tracks with limited climbing… the end goal is the same. Reuse existing infrastructure. Get more people on bikes. Spend more time riding.

You don’t have to send big jumps to get big smiles in a bike park. Maybe it just takes away one obstacle to newbies trying mountain biking. Plus, we can create more year-round sustainable recreation in beautiful places to ride.

Embrace the uplift. You are still going to pedal anyway. Probably hone some technical skills along the way, too.

More Smiles Per Hour not Miles Per Hour

I’ve been enjoying watching a resurgence of people riding their bikes like they were kids again. There is a newfound focus on non-competitive cycling, and I couldn’t be happier. Look, the fact of the matter is that most cyclists don’t race their bicycles regularly. So, it’s nice to see parts of the bike industry start to recognize and produce goods that are designed around having fun on a bike, not just being competitive on one.

I am hoping that this trend continues to grow and we see it get to the point where it needs to be. Where we see more and more products, people, bikes, and news focused on the non-competitive side of cycling.

Fingers crossed!

The post What’s coming in 2024? Bikerumor Staff Predictions for Bike Tech in the New Year! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Every year, Czech carbon and titanium framebuilder Festka shares their most popular custom bike builds with us. And usually it’s a gallery of some of the flashiest bikes we’ve ever laid eyes on. But this year was kinda different, with their Top 5 of 2023 mostly filled with raw carbon frames highlighting their unique woven structure, accented by a subdued splash of color. Well, mostly. The #1 bike goes over the top with bright colors, and a good story to back it up…

2023 Best of Festka custom road & gravel bikes

Only 1 gravel bike to 4 road bikes. And 4 full-carbon bikes to 1 carbon & titanium creation. Still 2 with mechanical shifting to 3 electronic shift groupsets. 2 take a bit of a weight weenie approach, but all look light. All with disc brakes and carbon wheels. No compromises on performance to be found here.

Festka’s co-founder Michael Moureček provides a little background on each of their top 5 bikes on social media in 2023:

#5: Festka Scalatore lightweight carbon road bike for Scampi Cicli

A beautifully proportioned FESTKA Scalatore built with top-notch super-light components from Chris King, Darimo and THM. A subtle dealer’s logomark on the fork complements the core design scheme of red logotype over naked carbon.

#4: Festka Scalatore OK40 lightweight carbon road bike for Ondřej Kubeš

This classy Scalatore, Festka’s flagship model, was a pet project of a FESTKA employee – Ondřej Kubeš – who gifted it to himself for his 40th birthday. The design he and art director Tom Hnida call neo-retro combines three motifs: speed, tradition and the present.

#3: Festka Rover carbon gravel bike for Velodrom Katowice

This inconspicuous yet perfectly built FESTKA Rover – our road/gravel hybrid – earned its podium spot not only because of its pared-down beauty but also thanks to the philharmonic hall setting where the dealer Velodrom Katowice had it photographed.

#2: Festka Doppler X Edition titanium & carbon road bike for Cyclist Wardrobe

Our premium dealer Cyclist Wardrobe of Kuala Lumpur bided their time until they built up this 10th-anniversary limited edition [ed. debuted back in 2020] FESTKA Doppler frame sporting black DLC-finished Ti tubes.

#1 Festka Spectre Bodies ultra-stiff carbon road race bike for Michael Moureček

BODIES, our collab with the artist Jakub Kois, was the absolute highlight of 2023, both in terms of the graphic design and the launch of the new FESTKA Spectre model. The enthusiastic reaction to the radically overhauled model handpainted by the artist completely exceeded our expectations and became a centerpiece of our presentations at the Bespoked handmade bikes show and the Prague design fair Designblok.

If I hadn’t seen this bike in person, I might have questioned how impartial Michael and his voting were, but this bike really pops. It also has a really good backstory.

After a serious injury on the bike that required major hip surgery and rehab, Michael, an ex pro rider, was struggling to get back on the bike to the same level as before the crash. And he was really struggling with motivation. Then he happened to meet Polish artist Jakub Kois, and saw one of his illustrations, depicting a body being crushed in the middle of a crowd.

Michael told me that crushing feeling was exactly what he was feeling at the time. And the almost playful depiction of the frustrating emotions, sparked something motivating in him. So they decided to work together for a one-off bike celebrating that pain, but at the same time brightly and playfully encouraging Michael to push on the bike again.

And in the end, the project was so well received that Festka opened up a limited Bodies edition artist series to be hand-painted by Kois. Just 10 full-custom geometry Spectre Bodies carbon road bikes are on offer for $16,800 / 18,500€, built-up with an uncompromising finishing kit. Find out more and reserve one here.

Festka.com

The post 5 Most Popular Festka Bikes of 2023 were surprisingly subdued, well almost! appeared first on Bikerumor.