road bike gears trek

Mastering Gear Shifts: A Step-by-Step Guide for Trek Road Bikes

Rony Tushar

June 18, 2023

To change gears on a trek road bike, use the left shifter to shift the front gears and the right shifter to shift the rear gears. Now, let’s explore how to effectively change gears on your trek road bike with a step-by-step guide.

Riding a bike is a great way to enjoy some exercise while getting to your destination. A trek road bike is a great option for anyone interested in road biking, as it is designed with performance and comfort in mind.

Changing gears while riding can make your journey smoother and ensure that you are efficiently using your bike’s power. However, it can be intimidating for beginners to know when and how to shift gears. With a basic understanding of gear shifting, anyone can easily and effectively change gears on their trek road bike.

Credit: cyclingmagazine.ca

Table of Contents

Understanding The Different Gears On Your Trek Road Bike

Riding a bike is a fun and healthy way to get exercise, but it can be intimidating for beginners to navigate all of the gear options. Understanding the different gears on your trek road bike can make a big difference in your ride experience and help you get the most out of your workout.

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

• Your trek road bike has multiple gears that can be adjusted using the shifters on your handlebars. These gears control how much resistance you face when pedaling, allowing you to tackle hills and inclines more easily or pick up speed on flat terrain.
• The most common type of gears on a road bike are called “derailleur gears”. These gears work by moving your bike’s chain from one sprocket to another in order to adjust the resistance you feel when pedaling.
• Understanding how to shift gears properly is essential to get the most out of your ride. Shifting too quickly or too often can cause your chain to fall off, while not shifting enough can make it difficult to pedal on hills or increase your speed.
• Once you get used to using your bike’s gears, you’ll be able to get a feel for which gear is appropriate for different riding situations. For example, you’ll want to use a lower gear for uphill climbs and a higher gear for downhill descents or flat terrain.

Understanding The Gear Ratios And How They Affect Your Ride

Each gear on your trek road bike has a different ratio that determines how much your bike’s wheel will turn with each pedal stroke. In general, higher gears (i. e. , those with a higher numerical ratio) will provide more forward momentum with each pedal stroke, while lower gears (i.

e. , those with a lower numerical ratio) will provide less forward momentum but more control and power.

Here are some key points to keep in mind when thinking about gear ratios:

• Understanding your bike’s gear ratio is important because it can affect your pedaling cadence, making it either more difficult or easier to pedal at a given speed.
• Switching to a higher gear ratio can help you go faster, but it will also make it harder to pedal and may cause you to tire more quickly.
• On the other hand, using a lower gear ratio can help you tackle steep hills or provide greater control when navigating tricky terrain.
• Ultimately, the best gear ratio for your ride will depend on the terrain, incline, wind conditions, and your own physical ability and comfort level.

The Benefits Of Using The Correct Gear For Different Terrains And Inclines

Using your trek road bike’s gears properly can make a big difference in your riding experience and help you get the most out of your workout. Here are some key benefits of using the correct gear for different terrains and inclines:

• Better efficiency: Using the right gear can help you maintain a consistent pedal cadence and conserve your energy, which can help you ride longer and more effectively.
• Increased speed: Shifting to a higher gear can help you pick up speed on flat terrain and enjoy a more efficient ride.
• Enhanced control: Using a lower gear can help you navigate steep hills or technical terrain safely and with greater control.
• Less risk of injury: Using the correct gear can reduce strain on your joints and muscles, which can help prevent injury and allow you to ride pain-free.

Overall, understanding how to use the gears on your trek road bike can make a big difference in your riding experience. With practice and experience, you’ll be able to master shifting gears and choose the right gear for any given ride, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of cycling to the fullest!

Getting Started With Gear Shifting

A trek road bike is an exceptional bike for enthusiasts who love speed and adventure. Changing gears on a trek road bike is an essential skill that any rider should possess. Proper gear shifting is vital to ensure a smooth ride and avoid any unnecessary strain on the body.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Proper Hand Placement On Handlebars For Shifting

• Place both hands on the handlebars, positioning your fingers around them, with your thumbs underneath them.
• The right hand triggers the rear derailleur which controls the bike’s cassette gears.
• The left hand controls the front derailleur and is responsible for gear changes of the chainrings.

Understanding The Gear Indicators And How To Read Them

• Before changing gears, take note of the gear indicator found on the handlebars.
• The gear indicator will display which gear chainring and cassette gear you are currently using.
• The chainrings are the larger gears next to the pedals, whereas the cassette gears are the smaller cogs on the rear wheel.
• Higher gears are indicated by higher numbers, whereas lower gears are indicated by lower numbers.

Tips For Making Smooth Gear Transitions While Riding

• Change gears before you need to. Don’t wait until a steep hill or a sprint to shift, plan ahead and choose the correct gear in advance.
• When shifting, stop pedaling for a moment, shift gears, and start pedaling again.
• During gear transitions, ensure that there’s minimal power transfer through the pedals. This minimizes gear slippage and chain wear.
• Using a single-gear shift at a time ensures a smoother ride and reduces the likelihood of chain and derailleur malfunctions.
• Avoid cross-chaining, a situation where you use the smallest chainring in the front and the smallest cassette gear in the back, or the largest chainring in the front and the largest cassette gear in the back. This puts unnecessary pressure on the bike’s chain, causes wear, and reduces its lifespan.

Changing gears on a trek road bike is a fundamental skill, but with practice, it becomes second nature. Remember to shift smoothly, choosing the right gear for the terrain, and anticipate changes before you start to climb or sprint. Happy cycling!

Mastering Gear Shifts For Uphill And Downhill Terrain

Changing gears on a trek road bike can seem challenging, but with adequate knowledge and practice, it can be a breeze. Mastering gear shifts for uphill and downhill terrain requires familiarity with the various gears available, the terrain, and your individual fitness level.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss three strategies for tackling hilly terrain and adapting your gears to them: techniques for tackling steep uphill climbs, adjusting gears for downhill descents, and strategies for maintaining speed and control on hilly terrain.

Techniques For Tackling Steep Uphill Climbs

When it comes to uphill climbs with a road bike, things can get tough, but with the right technique and gear selection, you can make it through. Here are some key points:

• Always shift to a lower gear before starting an uphill climb to allow easy pedaling.
• Keep a steady, comfortable pace, and try to maintain it until the end of the climb.
• Keep your body weight centered on the bike, and avoid leaning too far forward or backward.
• Keep your upper body relaxed and focused on breathing.
• Use your gears wisely by shifting up gradually as you gain momentum.

Adjusting Gears For Downhill Descents

Descending hills at high speeds can be thrilling, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t control your speed. With these key points, you can have a safe and enjoyable descent:

• Shift into a higher gear to avoid excessive pedaling and maintain speed.
• Keep your body weight centered on the bike and your arms relaxed.
• Focus on the road ahead, anticipate turns, and brake in advance to maintain control.
• Shift your weight back slightly to maintain balance on steep descents.
• Use your gears wisely by shifting down gradually as you slow down.

Strategies For Maintaining Speed And Control On Hilly Terrain

When facing hilly terrain, maintaining speed and control can seem like a daunting task. However, with these key points, you can handle it with ease:

• Be mindful of your energy levels and adjust your gears accordingly.
• Keep a steady cadence by shifting gears as necessary to prevent muscle fatigue.
• Anticipate the terrain ahead and shift gears in advance to maintain momentum and speed.
• Stay hydrated, fueled, and focused on the ride, and take breaks when necessary.
• Seek professional help if you struggle with gear selection.

By mastering these gear shifting techniques, you can become a pro at tackling uphill and downhill terrain. With patience, practice, and dedication, you will become more confident and have a fantastic riding experience. Remember to always prioritize safety, and don’t push yourself beyond your limits.

Now it’s over to you – get out there, enjoy the ride, and conquer those hills!

Troubleshooting Gear Shifting Problems

Changing gears on a trek road bike takes practice and a little bit of know-how. However, even with practice, sometimes gear shifting problems pop up, which can be frustrating. In this section, we will focus on some tips to troubleshoot these issues.

Common Gear Shifting Issues And Their Causes

• Misaligned derailleur hanger: Shifting issues often occur due to not aligning the rear derailleur hanger properly, which can cause the chain to slip or make a grinding noise.
• Worn-out shift cables and housing: Old shift cables can stretch, fray, or become stiff, leading to inconsistent or sluggish gear changes.
• Poorly adjusted limit screws: Limit screws control the range of motion of your derailleur. If they’re not correctly adjusted, the chain can rub or fall off the cassette.
• Dirty chain: Grime and dirt buildup can cause your chain to shift poorly, so make sure to clean and lubricate it often.

Tips For Adjusting And Maintaining Your Bike’S Shifting Mechanism

• Check the gear shift index: Check your gear index by shifting up and down while pedaling your bike. If you notice a delay in the gear changing process or hear any clicking noise, it means the shift indexing is off, and you need to adjust it.
• Adjust the limit screws: Adjust both high and low limit screws of the gully to ensure the bike stays in gear before and after each shift.
• Lubricate the cables and housing: Lubricating the shift cables and housing helps keep the shifting mechanism smooth, consistent, and friction-free.
• Keep the chain clean: Regularly clean and lubricate the chain to keep the shifting mechanism working correctly.

Knowing When To Seek Professional Help For Gear-Related Issues

Sometimes, gear issues are too tricky or require more complicated fixes, which are best left to professionals. Here are some scenarios in which you should consider seeking professional help.

• Excessive chain skipping while shifting
• Difficulty downshifting, especially under load
• Loose or wobbling derailleur
• Damaged or bent derailleur

By following these simple tips and tricks, you can keep your trek road bike shifting correctly and smoothly.

Frequently Asked Questions On How To Change Gears On A Trek Road Bike

How many gears does a trek road bike have.

Most trek road bikes come equipped with either 18 or 22 gears.

How Do I Know When To Change Gears?

You should change gears when you feel resistance or find it difficult to pedal.

How Can I Change Gears Smoothly On My Trek Road Bike?

Shift gears one at a time, using light pressure to avoid chain slipping or breakage.

What Gear Should I Use For Uphill Climbs?

Use a lower gear for uphill climbs to make pedaling easier and prevent fatigue.

Changing gears on a trek road bike is a necessary skill to have when cycling. It’s important to understand how to shift gears properly to ensure a smooth ride and avoid any potential damage to the bike. With these simple steps, you can quickly and easily change gears on your trek road bike.

Remember to keep pedaling while shifting gears, and make small adjustments to the chain to avoid abrupt changes. Pay attention to the terrain and adjust gears accordingly. With practice, you’ll be able to change gears naturally and intuitively without even thinking about it.

So, don’t be intimidated by the gears on your trek road bike. Take it step by step and soon you’ll be shifting gears like a pro. Happy biking!

Related posts:

• Mastering Road Bike Shifters: A Complete Guide
• Mastering Gear Change: When to Shift Gears on a Road Bike
• How Do Road Bike Gears Work: A Beginner’s Guide
• Mastering Gear Changes: A Guide to Specialized Road Bikes

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How to Shift Your Gears

Learn how to use your full range of gears: applies to 21, 24, and 27 speed shift systems.

Video updates

• 02:14 - Never use either the large/large or small/small gear combination!

Most bikes these days come with ’21 speeds’. However, this doesn’t mean you have 21 useable gears. Actually, on a 21 speed system it’s closer to 13. A lot of people get confused by all of the gear combinations available. I myself didn’t understand it when I first started using a multi-speed bike, so today we’ll learn how to use your gears most effectively.

It’s very important not to shift under pressure, as this will cause shift problems and damage your drivetrain. If you’re going uphill and you need a lower gear, keep pedaling, but ease off and pedal lightly while you shift.

Most systems have three gears on the front, which are controlled by your left shifter. The rear gear cluster usually has 7 gears, with some systems having 8 or 9. Not to worry, the concepts here are the same.

For most everday riding, you’ll want to keep your chain on the middle ring on the front, or number 2 on your left shifter. This allows you to use the full range of rear gears. Number 1 on your right shifter is the easiest gear for climbing hills, as it puts your chain on the largest rear sprocket. Number 7 on your right shifter is the hardest gear for going really fast, and it puts your chain on the smallest rear sprocket.

I find it helps to think of numbers 1 and 3 on your left shifter as options for extreme circumstances.

If you’re climbing a really tough hill and your left 2 and right 1 combination aren’t easy enough, you can shift your front derailleur to number 1 which drops the chain down to the smallest front chainring. While you’re in the smallest front gear you can shift the rear gears between 1 and 3 for a finer range adjustment, but you should always shift the front back to 2, or the middle chainring before using gears 4-7 on the rear.

If you’re going really fast and need a harder gear, and your left 2 and right 7 combination isn’t fast enough, you can shift your front derailleur to number 3 which pulls the chain up to the largest front chainring. While you’re in the largest front chainring you can shift the rear gears between 5 and 7 for a finer range adjustment, but always shift the front back to 2, or the middle chainring before using gears 1-4 on the rear.

Never use the full range of rear gears when you’re in either the small or large front sprockets (number 1 or 3 on the front shifter). This causes too great an angle in your chain line, which can cause noise and shifting problems.

A bicycle geek since early childhood, spent his twenties as a mechanic in bike shops. His passions include flatland BMX, unicycles, cycle touring, mountain biking and road riding.

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Shifting Gears The ins and outs of using your gears effectively When you hear that a bicycle has "ten" or "twenty-seven" gears, it sounds complicated. It really just means that there are plenty of gears and that you'll have an easy time pedaling your bike regardless of what the road or trail throws at you. Still, having all those gears is daunting. You wonder which to use and how often to shift. Well, to put your mind at rest and have you shifting like a pro in no time, we've prepared this easy guide. You're The Engine One of the main sources of confusion is thinking of bicycle shifting in car terms. Bikes aren't shifted like cars. You don't start in first gear, shift into second, and so on. Instead, you shift by how your legs and lungs feel. As the engine for the bike, you're most efficient pedaling at a steady and maintainable pace (called "cadence," or the number of times one foot goes around in a minute). For most people a cadence of about sixty to seventy rpm (revolutions per minute) feels comfortable. Once you're pedaling comfortably, you shift gears every time you feel your legs starting to strain or spin too quickly. For the former, you shift to an easier gear. For the latter, you shift into a harder one. In other words, there's no right or wrong gear to be in. Just use the one that feels right for your legs and breathing at the time. This means that, unless you live where all the rides are pancake flat, you're shifting a lot to keep your pedaling cadence and riding effort steady, which ensure that you complete your rides comfortably. Changing Gears You probably already know that you must pedal in order to shift. And it's also important to ease the pressure off the pedals during the gear change. This makes the shift smoother and prevents possible drivetrain glitches. In order to do this on a hill, anticipate the steep section and shift into an easier gear before you get there. Shifting is done by moving the shift levers. You shift when your legs are working too hard or spinning too fast because conditions have changed. To make a good shift, all you need to know is whether you want to make it easier or harder to pedal and by how much. How do you know which lever to shift (never shift them simultaneously)? The right lever makes small differences in pedaling effort and is usually clicked once or several times. Shifting this lever moves the chain across the cluster of cogs on the rear wheel. On a newer bike, there are eight or nine cogs and they only vary slightly in size. The larger the cog, the easier it is to pedal and vice versa. Contrarily, the left lever makes larger differences in effort. Use it to make it considerably harder or easier to pedal. Operating this lever moves the chain between the two or three chainrings on the front of your drivetrain. Here, the larger the ring, the harder it is to pedal and vice versa. One way to remember where you are in the gears: When the chain is closer to the bike, front or rear, you're in your easier gears. As the chain shifts away from the bike (to the right), the gears get harder. A Shifting Example So, a short ride might go something like this: You roll out of your garage and start pedaling and find the going too difficult. You click the right lever once but it's still way too hard. So, you shift the left lever, which makes it much easier and lets you spin your legs at a good pace. You cruise toward the lake feeling fine but then your legs get heavy. A headwind! You shift the right lever twice and find a good rhythm again. Toward the backside of the lake, there's a short steep climb. You shift the right lever each time the hill steepens until you're in your easiest gear. Cresting the hill, it's all downhill home with a tailwind. Yes! You pick up speed quickly. You keep pedaling to match the wind's speed and get the workout. You shift the right lever but need a larger change so you shift the left and head for home lickety-split. You'll get better at shifting with practice so don't be afraid to shift a lot. You can't hurt the gears and it's the best way to familiarize yourself with them. After a few rides, shifting will become natural and you won't even think about it and all those gears (except for being glad every time the road heads uphill).

How To Change Gears On A Trek Road Bike

Road bikes are designed to be ridden on pavement, but they can also be ridden on trails. Their tires are thinner and they have fewer gears than mountain bikes. To change gears on a road bike, you need to use your shifters. The shifters are located on the handlebars. There are two shifters, one for the front gears and one for the rear gears. To change gears, you need to push on the shifter with your thumb. The number on the shifter corresponds to the gear you are in. For example, if the shifter is in the 2 position, you are in the second gear.

• Locate the shifters on your handlebars
• On most trek road bikes, the shifters will be located on the down tube of the frame
• Place your hand on the shifter and depress the lever
• While depressing the lever, use your other hand to push the bike pedal forward
• As you push the pedal forward, the bike chain will move to a higher gear
• Release the lever when the desired gear is reached

How to shift gears on trek domane

• 1 How to shift gears on trek domane
• 2 How do you shift gears on a trek?
• 3 How do you adjust gears on a Trek road bike?
• 4 How do you shift gears on a road bike smoothly?
• 5 How do you use gears on a road bike?
• 6 How To: Shift a Road Bike
• 7 Conclusion

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think much about how to shift gears on your bike. After all, it’s not something you have to do very often. But if you’re planning on doing any serious biking, whether it’s on the road or off, you’ll need to know how to shift gears properly. Here’s a quick guide to help you get started. There are two main types of bike shifting systems: derailleur and hub. Derailleur systems are the most common, and they’re what you’ll find on most road and mountain bikes. They’re also the most complex, so we’ll start there. The first thing you need to know about derailleur systems is that they have two main parts: the shifters and the derailleurs. The shifters are the parts you actually use to shift gears. They’re usually located on the handlebars, and you operate them with your hands. The derailleurs are the parts that move the chain from one gear to another. They’re located near the wheels, and they’re operated by the shifters. To shift gears, you’ll use the shifters to move the chain from one cog to another. On most bikes, you’ll find that the left shifter controls the front derailleur and the right shifter controls the rear derailleur.

How do you shift gears on a trek?

Assuming you are talking about shifting gears on a bicycle, the process is actually quite simple. Most bicycles will have either 21, 24, or 27 gears. To shift gears, you simply use your left hand to click the appropriate lever up or down. For example, if you click the lever down, you will be shifting to a lower gear. There are a few things to keep in mind when shifting gears, however. First, you always want to be pedaling when you shift gears. This helps the chain move to the new gear smoothly. Second, you want to make sure you click the lever all the way. Otherwise, you may find yourself stuck in between gears, which can be frustrating. Finally, it’s important to remember that you don’t always need to shift gears. If you’re pedaling along and find that you’re going too slow, you can shift to a lower gear. However, if you’re pedaling too fast, it’s better to just slow down a bit rather than shifting to a higher gear. Shifting to a higher gear when you’re already going fast can actually make pedaling harder. So, to sum up, shifting gears on a bicycle is simple. Just use your left hand to click the appropriate lever up or down. Remember to pedal when you shift, click the lever all the way, and don’t shift to a higher gear when you’re already going fast.

How do you adjust gears on a Trek road bike?

If you’re new to road biking, adjusting your gears may seem daunting. But don’t worry – it’s actually quite simple! Here’s a quick guide on how to adjust gears on your Trek road bike. First, you’ll need to identify which gear you’re in. Your bike will have a number of cogs (gears) on the rear wheel, and a number of sprockets (teeth) on the front. The number of teeth on the sprockets will determine the gear you’re in. To adjust your gears, you’ll use the shifters on the handlebars. On most Trek road bikes, there will be two shifters – one for the front gears, and one for the rear. To shift up a gear, you’ll want to push the appropriate shifter away from you. For example, if you’re in the second-lowest gear on the rear (which would be indicated by the number two on the shifter), you’ll want to push the shifter away from you to move up to the third gear. To shift down a gear, you’ll do the opposite – you’ll pull the shifter towards you. So, if you’re in the third gear on the rear, you’ll want to pull the shifter towards you to move down to the second gear.

How do you shift gears on a road bike smoothly?

When you’re shifting gears on a road bike, you want to do it smoothly so you don’t lose your balance or disrupt your pedaling rhythm. Here’s how to do it: 1. Start by pedaling at a steady pace in a lower gear. 2. When you’re ready to shift, ease off the pedals briefly. 3. While you’re coasting, use your left hand to move the shifter on the handlebar until you’re in the higher gear. 4. Start pedaling again and you’re in the higher gear!

How do you use gears on a road bike?

Gearing on a road bike is all about finding the right balance between pedaling cadence and bike speed. While there are many different ways to set up the gears on a road bike, most riders will find that a standard setup with two chainrings in the front and nine cogs in the rear works best. This gives you a wide range of gears to work with, so you can find the perfect balance for any situation. To use the gears on a road bike, you’ll need to shift the chain between the different chainrings and cogs. The front derailleur moves the chain between the two chainrings, while the rear derailleur moves it between the cogs. Shifting is done by moving the shifters on the handlebars; one shifter controls the front derailleur and the other controls the rear. When shifting, it’s important to pedaling gently and not put too much pressure on the chain. This can cause the chain to come off the chainrings or cogs, and can also damage the drivetrain. Always pedaling smoothly and shifting gently will help prolong the life of your bike’s gears. Road bikes typically have a wide range of gears, which is ideal for riding on varied terrain. The low gears make it easier to pedal up hills, while the higher gears let you zip down them.

How To: Shift a Road Bike

If you’re new to road biking, you might be wondering how to change gears on your bike. Trek road bikes have a shifting system that’s easy to use, even if you’re new to cycling. Here’s a quick guide on how to change gears on a Trek road bike. To shift gears on a Trek road bike, you’ll use the shifters on the handlebars. The left shifter controls the front derailleur, and the right shifter controls the rear derailleur. To shift up to a higher gear, you’ll push the shifter lever away from the handlebar. To shift down to a lower gear, you’ll pull the shifter lever toward the handlebar. It’s important to shift gears gradually, especially when you’re riding up hills. If you shift too quickly, you could damage your bike’s drivetrain. When you’re ready to shift, pedaling at a steady pace, gently push or pull the shifter lever until you hear the chain click into place. Then, continue pedaling and enjoy the ride.

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Results have arrived, road bike accessories: 7 must-have pieces of road biking gear.

After buying your first road bike, it's time to gather important gear like a helmet, shorts, and pedals. This checklist of essential bike accessories will help you stay safe and improve your road cycling experience.

Written by: Bruce Lin

Published on: Oct 6, 2022

Posted in: Guides

Congratulations! You just bought a shiny new (or Certified Pre-Owned ) road bike and have taken the first step toward becoming a cyclist. But before you hit the road, you’re going to need a few more things. These are the seven road cycling essentials you should pick up after (or even before) buying your first road bike. They’re listed in order of importance and will make riding your new bike safer, easier, and more fun.

[button] SHOP ROAD BIKES [/button] | [button] SHOP ACCESSORIES [/button] 

Traditionally, road helmets don’t have a visor to keep them light and aerodynamic. Budget helmets are fine as long as they fit properly and meet U.S. CPSC Safety Standards.  

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If you’re going to be knocking out serious mileage, it’s worth investing in a mid-range or even high-end helmet. These helmets use better materials and have improved safety features like MIPS, lower weight, and better ventilation.  

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For more helmet recommendations, check out: Our Favorite Road Helmets . 

[button] SHOP ALL ROAD HELMETS [/button]

If you just need something cheap and simple to get the wheels turning, then a basic pair of flat pedals will get the job done. You can use them with your regular shoes. 

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As you get more advanced, you should pick up some clipless pedals. Clipless pedals keep your feet attached to the pedals, which improves power transfer and makes pedaling at high cadences easier. Plus, it’s more secure to be attached to the bike on bumpy roads. You’ll also need to purchase cycling shoes to mount the cleats that come with clipless pedals.

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The name can be confusing because you “clip in” and "clip out" of clipless pedals. They’re called clipless because decades ago, riders used to use “toe clips” — small cages with straps — to keep their feet attached to their pedals. Instead of using toe clips, clipless pedals keep your feet attached using a cleat that locks into a binding-like mechanism on the pedal. Thus they’re “clip-less.” 

[button] SHOP ALL PEDALS [/button]

You can’t ride on flat or underinflated tires, so you’re definitely going to need a bike pump. Floor pumps provide the most leverage and air volume to pump up tires quickly and easily. A small hand pump will work too, but they’re slower and a lot more work. Entry-level floor pumps are around the same price as hand pumps anyway. 

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You will want a pump with a head that is compatible with Presta valves, the type of valve used on modern road bikes. Many floor pumps have heads that are compatible with both Presta and Schrader valves. A pump with an air pressure gauge is best because it allows you to dial in your tire pressure to achieve the perfect balance between comfort and speed. 

[button] SHOP PUMPS [/button]

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4. Flat repair kit

You’re bound to puncture at some point, so keep a flat repair kit on your bike. You don’t want to end up stranded somewhere miles from home. A basic repair kit should include at least one spare inner tube, one or two tire levers, and a CO2 inflator or small hand pump. 

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You’ll also need a way to carry your repair kit. The most popular method is the saddle bag. It attaches to the underside of a saddle, behind the seatpost where it is out of the way but always there when you need it. 

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For more details on how to build the perfect emergency repair kit, check out: Road Bike Repair Essentials .

[button] SHOP ALL ON-BIKE ESSENTIALS [/button]

5. Chain lube

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Wipe off your chain and give it a lube whenever you hear it start squeaking. Or better yet, keep a consistent routine where you clean and lube after X number of rides. To learn the basics of chain lube and how to clean and lube your chain, check out: Bike Chains and Lube Explained . 

[button] SHOP LUBE [/button]

6. Cycling shorts 

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As you get more advanced, you can look into bib shorts. Regular cycling shorts are held up with elastic around the waistband, but bib shorts use straps that go over the shoulders. Regular shorts are usually less expensive and easier to put on and take off. But cyclists who ride a lot prefer bib shorts because they are more comfortable without elastic digging into your waist when riding. 

[button] SHOP ROAD CYCLING SHORTS [/button]

7. Water bottles & bottle cages

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Hydration packs are another valid option, but most road cyclists prefer bottles because it feels nicer to ride with your back unencumbered. It’s also easier to mix electrolytes into bottles and wash them when they get grimy.  

If you’re riding a smaller-sized frame with limited space for bottles, look specifically for side-load bottle cages . 

[button] SHOP BOTTLES & CAGES [/button]

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Do Road Bikes Have Gears? (Easy Guide for Beginners)

Gears help cyclists to control their speed, and to navigate a variety of different terrain, including uphill and downhill rides. And if you’re looking into road bikes, you might find yourself wondering:

Do road bikes have gears?

As a general rule, road bikes have 16-27 gears (or speeds) which make pedaling easier on different terrain and at different speeds. There is one primary exception to this, which are “fixie” bikes that have a single fixed gear. Road bikes also have a range of gear ratios that control the power of each crank. 

In this article, we’ll talk about the gears on road bikes and how they work. We’ll also explain how to shift so you can ride comfortably uphill and faster on the flats with a nice, easy cadence. But first, let’s take a look at how many gears you have on your bike and how that relates to your cadence. 

How Many Gears Does a Road Bike Have?

It’s common for entry-level road bikes at leading bicycle brands like Trek and Cannondale to have 16-27 gears. However, there are exceptions to this. For example, “fixie” bikes are a style of road bike that only has one fixed-gear. 

When you’re choosing your own road bike, you should make sure you have enough gears to keep you pedaling at a comfortable rhythm. This is known as cadence. Cadence is how many times you turn the pedals in one minute. Most people find that a comfortable cadence falls somewhere between 70 and 100 rotations per minute, or RPMs. 

You change the gears on your bike to keep your cadence in this range. A comfortable cadence helps you ride faster and longer without getting as tired. Different bikes will have a different number of gears, depending on its purpose. Let’s dig into this concept in more detail. 

How Bike Gears Work 

Bike gears are made up of cassettes and cranksets. The cassette is the collection of sprockets or cogs found on the back wheel.

The crankset is found in the front next to the pedals . A road bike will usually have 1-3 rings on the crankset. And the crankset and cassette are both connected by your bike chain. 

The larger chainring in the front is the one you use for speed and flat roads. It gives you lots of power but makes it harder to turn the pedals. The little chainring in the front is easier to pedal, making it well suited for spinning up hills. 

The cassette in the rear is for finetuning your cadence to keep your pedals spinning at the most comfortable speed for you. With the rear cassette, the smaller cog is harder, and the larger cog is easier. 

For example, many standard road bikes come with an 11-28 cassette and a 50/34 crankset. This means that the large chainring in the front has 50 teeth and the smaller has 34. In the back, the smallest cog has 11 teeth, and the largest has 28. This gives you a nice variety of gears to use.

As a specific example, Giant’s Contend 3, an all-around good entry-level road bike, comes standard with an 11-34 cassette and a 50/34 crankset. Diamondback’s similarly priced HAANJO 2 comes standard with an 11-28 cassette but a 46/34 crankset. Canyon’s Endurace, which is a bit pricier, delivers a 50/34 crankset and 11/-34 cassette.

These are all good examples of the gear components that come standard on road bikes. 

How Many Gears Do I Need for My Road Bike?

You need enough gears on your road bike to keep your pedaling cadence at a comfortable rhythm for the terrain that you ride. If you ride a lot of hilly terrain, but it’s a struggle for you, then you’ll probably want to get at least 22 gears on your road bike.

With that said, the number of gears isn’t the only thing that matters. It’s also the range of those gears that affects the difficulty (or ease) of pedaling.

For example, if you’re struggling on the hills, you might want to swap out your 11-28 cassette for an 11-32 to make going uphill that much easier. 

On the other hand, if you mostly ride the flats and have strong legs, you might try an 11-25 to give you more speed. Your local bike shop can help you change the cassette on your bike if needed.

To know the number of gears you have on your current bike, you’ll need to be able to count them.

How to Easily Count the Gears on a Bike

It’s easy to count the gears on your bike. In the past, a bike was simply called a ten-speed or a 12 speed, but bike gearing and how we count the gears have changed a little bit over time. 

To count the number of different gears that are available on a bike, all you have to do is to count the number of “rings” on the crankset attached to your pedal and the number of “rings” on the cassette attached to your rear wheel. Multiply these two numbers, and that’s your total number of gears. 

For example, if you have two “rings” on your crankset and 8 “rings” on your cassette, then your total number of gears is 2 X 8 = 16. 

For reference, it’s pretty common for road bikes to have 1-3 “rings” on the crankset and 8-11 “rings” on the cassette.  

But that’s not all there is to it. There’s a little more nuance to keep in mind. More gears isn’t always better because more cogs mean more frequent shifting. The range of gears and the gear ratios also matter. 

What Is a Gear Ratio?

The gear ratio is how many times the back wheel spins for each turn of the pedals. To get the gear ratio of any gear combination on your bike, you divide the number of teeth on the chainring by the number of teeth on the rear cog. 

So a combination of the 34 tooth chainring with the 32 tooth cog gives you a gear ratio of 1.06. This means your wheel spins 1.06 times for every turn of the cranks, depending on your wheel size. You can calculate your gear ratios here.

The smaller the number, the easier it is to spin your pedals, but you won’t travel as far. The higher the number, the harder it will be to pedal, but with each pedal stroke, you will go farther. Every bike will have a range of gear ratios and gears to use. 

Do all Bicycles Have Gears?

All bicycles have gears, but single-speed bikes, also known as fixies, only have one gear. Fixies often have a fixed rear wheel, which means that the pedals have to be spinning for the wheel to spin, and therefore, you can’t coast downhill. You can’t change the gears to match your cadence; you have to change your cadence to create the speed you want. 

A typical gear ratio for a fixie is 32/16, meaning the front chainring has 32 teeth and the rear cassette has 16. This 2:1 ratio means that for every turn of the pedals, the rear wheels turn twice. 

Fixies are similar to the bikes we rode as kids since you couldn’t change gears. The bikes are simpler, lighter, and less expensive, but they are also much harder to pedal uphill.

For a fun example of riding a fixie, check out the below video by State Bicycle, Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros. But if you don’t ride a fixed gear bike, you’ll need to know when to shift gears. 

When to Shift Gears on a Road Bike (Gear Strategy 101)

All this information about gearing may sound complicated, but the basic idea of shifting is pretty simple. You don’t need to know gear ratios or count chainrings to shift effectively. You just need to know how to use them. 

If you have a drop-bar bike, your gears will be activated by levers that sit alongside your brakes. If you have a flat bar, your gears will be activated by a dial built into the grips. 

In the United States, the left shifter controls the front chainring. The front chainring makes big changes in the feel of the gears. The right shifter controls the rear cassette, which makes smaller changes in the feel of the gears. 

Basic shifting can be summed up very easily. We already discussed cadence; that is, how fast your pedals turn in one minute. If pedaling gets difficult enough to slow down your cadence, then shift to an easier gear. If pedaling gets too easy to maintain your cadence, then shift to a harder gear. 

Whenever possible, shift ahead of time to avoid putting too much strain on your drivetrain. 

What Bike Gear Do You Use to Go Uphill?

To go uphill, you want to use an easy gear, sometimes called low gear. Your lowest, easiest gear is a combination of the smallest chainring in the front and the largest cog in the back. This is the easiest gear to pedal in. You won’t go up the hill as fast, but it will be easier to get there. 

For best results, try to anticipate the changes. Don’t wait until you are going uphill to shift down – try to shift right before the hill starts. Most modern bikes can handle the stress of being shifted while going uphill, but the extra tension on the gears could cause you to drop your chain. 

To go downhill, you’ll want to use a hard gear or high gear to avoid spinning the pedals faster than feels comfortable. Your hardest gear is a combination of the big chainring in the front and the smallest cog in the back. This will give you enough resistance to push downhill, increasing your speed. 

What Bike Gear to Use on Flat Road?

To ride on a flat road, you’ll want to find a happy medium. You’ll probably want to use the big chainring in the front and a middle cog in the back. This will give you a balance of speed and power to ride fast on a flat road.

You can use the rear cassette (right lever) to finetune your gearing so that your cadence feels comfortable to you. If it feels too hard, just move to a bigger cog in the back. If it feels too easy, move to a smaller cog in the back. 

Try to avoid using the gear combinations of big-big and small-small. These combinations put too much tension on the chain, making your pedaling less efficient and damaging your drive train over time.  For a demonstration of how gears work, check out Manon’s video from GCN.

JJ here - I've spent a lot of time on a bike, including completing the 3,000+ mile Southern Tier Route (CA to FL). I started Cycling Beast to "demystify" cycling topics, and to help people overcome roadblocks and level-up their skills.

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Review: Trek Fetch+ 2

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One of the things that can be intimidating about buying a cargo ebike is how unfamiliar they feel. Whether a bike is designed with weird geometry and wheel sizes or odd features for heavy hauling, every ride can feel unfamiliar.

For traditional cyclists who want to haul a grocery store trip’s worth of groceries home but don’t want to mess with technology they’re unfamiliar with, the Trek Fetch+ 2 is a decent option. It’s more expensive than some of our favorite alternatives, but it has an easy-to-ride step-through design, well-made components, and great plastic buckets (and other accessories) for storage.

There are bikes with more advanced features for the money, but even after I spent a summer riding the Fetch+ 2, it barely needed a tune-up. For a modern cargo ebike with a classic cargo bike maintenance schedule, it might be worth spending a bit more cash.

On the Road

The Fetch+ 2 is the smaller of Trek’s two latest cargo ebikes, which includes the box-fronted Fetch+ 4 ($8,500) , which is more oriented toward toting around dogs and children in between groceries and beer.

The Fetch+ 2 instead is a more traditional step-through cargo bike that employs a myriad of attachments, most notably two plastic panniers that hang off an extended rack on the rear. You can get a padded seat cover for the rear to let friends hold on and ride, or mount a couple kids’ seats behind you, but I’d still probably use this bike more for errands than transporting little ones.

As an objet d’art , the bike is simple and unassuming, which is ideal for a bike this expensive. The battery is integrated into the frame, but a sizable bulge means nobody will fail to notice it's an ebike. You can get it in three colors. I liked the black of our review unit, but the bright blue would probably be my choice if I was buying one.

While much of the bike will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen or contemplated a cargo bike, Trek really gets the geometry and style of this bike correct as far as making it very usable for many tasks. Even the dual-sided kickstand pops up and down with remarkable ease (shockingly rare on other large ebikes I've used). I particularly enjoyed using the rear panniers for hauling flats of berries and other easily squished items that tend to rattle around in softer panniers.

The panniers fit a ton of stuff; I was able to get four full-size grocery bags spread between the two black plastic totes. I like that they had little plugs in the bottom that you could feasibly use a plastic bag to cover and then fill them with ice and drinks.

I spent a couple months using the Fetch+ 2 as my primary bike, and came away much more impressed than anticipated, given the specs and the price.

On paper, this is an expensive ebike to have pretty standard mid-drive cargo bike specs. The 85 Nm Bosch motor and 500-wH battery are good for 20-plus miles a day loaded down in any city, but they’re not better than models like the larger Xtracycle Stoker, which has the same torque and a 630-wH battery for $4,999. The Trek also doesn’t have a carbon belt drive and variable transmission, which we consider the best (and easiest to maintain) shifting mechanism for cargo bikes.

The more traditional chain-and-gears drivetrain and no suspension make this a less comfortable and more difficult-to-maintain bike than favorites like the Tern GSD ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends ), which costs about the same. I have to say, I was expecting the difference in riding experience to be more severe. The fatter-than-usual 20 x 2.35-inch tires of the Trek absorbed potholes better than other suspensionless bikes. It also stopped just as well as its competitors, thanks to hydraulic disc brakes.

Mid-drive cargo bikes are much better than their rear-hub counterparts, especially when toting larger items or smaller humans, because they allow you to get more torque to the wheels, and provide a more traditional riding experience. I never found myself lacking for power, though I did crunch through the gears a bit when starting on a hill.

The Fetch+ 2 rides really well, with a solid frame and no creaks or sketchiness of any kind (as picked up from my local Trek dealer, another plus of ordering from the brand), and I really liked how bright the built-in lights were when riding home from soccer games and band practices at night. The fat wheels were easy to turn, giving this a turning radius similar to a non-extended ebike when I was making U-turns in the city. It also has a built-in phone mount with a wireless charger, which makes it really nice for using a map app to cruise to unfamiliar places.

It’s not a fun bike to ride in the traditional sense; it’s not the fastest or the most comfortable, but it is satisfyingly robust and confidence-inducing. In my months of riding, I never had a single issue with the bike. That’s unusual given the state of some of the roads I often took the Fetch+ 2 on the side of, and a testament to Trek's great build quality.

If I was a longtime Trek owner and interested in getting into cargo ebikes, I’d certainly give this line a look, with the understanding that I might find something I like better from Tern, Xtracycle, or another brand for the same price—or something from Rad Power Bikes or another more affordable direct-to-consumer manufacturer for less. It’s a well-made bike that does what it claims to do, but it’s on the spendy side.

It is a bit hard to come by, at least in bike shops around my hometown of Portland, Oregon. If you’re interested in this one for your treks around town, I’d make sure to call ahead for a test ride. If you want a familiar-feeling bike with all the frills of electrification, it’s worth a spin.

Trek takes the fight to Garmin with new CarBack Radar rear light

Brand promises 'best in class experience compared to Garmin Varia and other competitors'

Trek, known predominantly for its bikes, has long made a selection of genuinely excellent bike lights under its Bontrager subsidiary. Its Flare RT, for example, has long existed in our guide to the best bike lights , as has a selection of its front lights. 

In recent years, that Bontrager name has been phased out somewhat, but if today's news is anything to go by, the product development continues apace, as the Trek range has an all-new flagship light on offer, complete with inbuilt radar technology, called the CarBack.

Now, I know what you're thinking, and much like the existing – longstanding – Garmin Varia RTL515, Trek's new product promises to combine the performance of the brand's market-leading rear light technology with a rear-facing radar that will alert you of approaching traffic from behind. 

Trek says it will connect to your bike computer via ANT+ or an app on your smartphone (presumably via Bluetooth), and allow you to see where on the road behind you a car is at any given time, and how quickly they may be approaching.

Like its Flare RT rear light, Trek describes it as a Daytime Running Light, promising visibility from up to two kilometres away. Meanwhile, it also says the new inbuilt radar is able to detect vehicles at up to 240 metres. 

Radar technology is well revered by the Cyclingnews product testers. It integrates naturally into riding habits and gives a real sense of increased safety, but Trek knows that it's got stiff competition from Garmin, whose Varia radar and rear-light combos have been on the market for over half a decade already. 

But Trek remains confident. In the product's media release, Trek explicitly calls out its competitor by promising a "best in class experience compared to Garmin Varia and other competitors."

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Those other competitors are currently few in number. Garmin's patent on the technology expired in 2021, according to reports by DC Rainmaker , and two lesser-known companies were both quick to jump on the bandwagon with Bryton launching the Gardia and Magene launching the Magicshine Seemee in the summer of 2022. 

Trek's entry into the market might be a little delayed by comparison, but the on-paper specs appear competitive. It will feature USB-C charging, IPX7 waterproofing, and connectivity to all of the major bike computers . It will also boast a newly designed mount that Trek says will work with all bikes, including its Madone aero bike.

It will be priced at £169.99 / $199.99 / €199.99 / AU$299, and is available to buy at Trek Bikes right away. 

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Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton.

Josh has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years.

He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. 

These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.

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Trek Bicycle opens its first Reno store and showroom

The first dedicated trek store and showroom in reno is located at the crossing at meadowood square..

A big name in cycling is joining the list of shops in the area as Trek Bicycle opened a new 8,000-square-foot store and showroom in Reno.

The Trek store is in south Reno at The Crossing at Meadowood Square across the street from Whole Foods. The store is Trek’s first in Reno, according to the K Corp., which manages the shopping center at 6407 S. Virginia Street.

The store sells the latest bikes and products from Trek and the Bontrager brand. Offerings include cycling accessories, apparel and gear. The store includes a demo area to try out the bicycles.

The Trek store also provides service for any brand of bike. The full-service bike shop offers tune-ups, maintenance, repairs and customizations.

The Trek showroom is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The Crossing at Meadowood got Reno’s first dedicated Panera Bread last year . Other stores there include Blind Onion Pizza, FedEx and Hotworx.

Road | Gravel | Commuter | Mountain

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Each year, Bicycling ’s test editors choose the Best Bikes from the thousands available across dozens of categories. Our process starts with analyzing price, features, and how each bike solves a rider’s needs. We also monitor cycling trends, research emerging riding categories, and closely follow new technologies. Then we tighten our focus on the bikes with the most potential, get them, ride them extensively, and discuss them rigorously amongst the test team and with other cyclists.

Almost no one uses a bicycle only how it’s portrayed on bike brands’ websites. So we test bikes in ways our readers ride them. We go to group rides and events, dig through social media posts, and dive into the minutia to give us insight into obstacles riders face and how they use their bikes to solve them. — Tara Seplavy, Deputy Editor

Ritte Esprit

Specialized Allez

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Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8

Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8

Standert Kreissäge RS

Ritchey Road Logic Disc

BMC Teammachine R 01 LTD

Cervélo Rouvida

Mosaic RT1 iTR

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State 6061 All-Road Apex XPLR AXS

Lauf Seigla Core Wireless

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Norco Sight C1 MX

Santa Cruz Heckler SL GX AXS Carbon C

Canyon Lux Trail CF 9

Pivot Shuttle AM Team XX Eagle Transmission

Transition Repeater PT X0 AXS

Specialized S-Works Epic 8

Evil Offering LS X0 AXS Transmission

As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.  

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling , Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race. 

Test Editor Dan Chabanov got his start in cycling as a New York City bike messenger but quickly found his way into road and cyclocross racing, competing in professional cyclocross races from 2009 to 2019 and winning a Master’s National Championship title in 2018. Prior to joining Bicycling in 2021, Dan worked as part of the race organization for the Red Hook Crit, as a coach with EnduranceWERX, as well as a freelance writer and photographer. 

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Gravel Bikes

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Reviewed: Colnago's Italian Made C68 Gravel

Obed’s GVR Is a Fast and Customizable Gravel Racer

MADE Bicycle Show Expands to Oz in 2024

Gabe's Bike Shop | Episode 2

Shimano Debuts New GRX...and Its Not Di2...Yet

MADE Show 2023’s Most Beautiful Bikes

The Ultimate Tire Gravel Guide

SRAM Road Disc Brake Service and Bleed Procedure

The Best Gravel Bikes You Can Buy Right Now

The Best Cyclocross Bicycles

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Aero bikes, disc brakes, and bigger gears making pro cycling more dangerous and causing crashes, says Sean Kelly; Locals slam money spent on “pointless” cycle lanes over fixing potholes; Women more likely to commute by bike + more on the live blog

• Aero bikes, disc brakes, and bigger gears making pro cycling more dangerous and causing crashes, says Sean Kelly
• “We’re spending cash on posh streets and cycle lanes... not on dangerous potholes,” says Manchester Evening News’ chief reporter, as locals slam “juxtaposition” of “pointless” new bike infrastructure and “old worn-out road surface”
• Those Van Rysel bikes are doing the trick: Dorion Godon leads home Decathlon-AG2R one-two after attacking day at Tour de Romandie
• “We don’t want Julian Alaphilippe to come to Cofidis as a retirement home,” says team boss Cédric Vasseur
• “It is pretty common on my route to be fair”: Near Miss of the Day lurches into the 900s with a classic taxi driver close pass on the brow of a hill (and a police warning letter)
• Sean Kelly’s right, these massive gears are getting out of hand
• Tobias Lund Andresen sprints to first professional victory and takes race lead at Tour of Turkey
• Total (Crankset) Recall for FSA due to potential detachment risk
• Look at the state of those silly, super-wide gravel bars – Oh wait, hang on a minute…
• Victoria Pendleton says she was “discouraged from having anything else other than a cycling focus” during career
• That’s Tom Pidcock, MBE, AGW (Amstel Gold Winner) to you…
• Come fly with me… to a bike launch (or maybe not)
• London the UK’s most popular city for cycle commuting, Strava report finds, with almost two-thirds of all cyclists in the capital uploading a commute to the platform – while women are found to be more likely to commute than men
• Cyclists to be allowed to ride on popular shopping street pedestrianised for 30 years as police say it will “split opinion”... and Conservative councillor concerned about “abuse by vehicles”
• Power meter and indoor bike company Stages Cycling lays off all staff and ceases operations, reports suggest
• Business booming at Colnago since Abu Dhabi investment, bike brand states — with sales “more than tripled”

The advent of disc brakes in the peloton and the increasing use of aero bikes, aero clothing, and bigger gears, along the modern preference for individual training efforts which neglect group riding, are behind the recent spate of high-profile crashes in professional cycling, Sean Kelly has said.

The classics legend-turned-iconic Eurosport commentator’s claims come in the aftermath of the shocking high-speed crash at the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this month, which injured several leading riders including Jonas Vingegaard (potentially ending the Dane’s hopes of a third consecutive Tour de France title), Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, Jay Vine, and Steff Cras.

> Jonas Vingegaard warned about the descent of Basque Country horror crash half a year ago, but organisers “never gave an answer”, claims Safe Cycling CEO

And while the famously combative Kelly was himself no stranger to the rough and tumble of pro cycling, especially in the sprints and the cobbled classics, the Irishman has told Sticky Bottle that a number of modern trends and innovations within the sport have increased both the speed and therefore the danger for today’s crop of riders, and have contributed to the unusually high number of mass crashes we’ve seen over the past few years.

“There are these high speeds now,” Kelly told the Irish cycling site. “The bikes are so aero, and maybe more difficult to handle. They add a bit more speed to the riders, as does the aero clothing.

“Everything is all about speed now, and you can only go so fast in some of those corners. That’s the problem, they are arriving at too much speed.”

The former world number one also believes the use of much larger gears has had a massive effect on how descents are tackled – a key talking point following the crash in the Basque Country.

“Of course, they are using much bigger gears. We hear about this crazy gearing in different events like in time trials, especially. But also in the normal road races they are using these huge gears,” the Eurosport commentator said.

“So that means that on descents you can get higher speeds than before as you don’t run out of gearing. Previously you were spinning out and you couldn’t pedal anymore. So that adds to it.”

Kelly also reckons that the increased focus on riding to watts, and bespoke individual training plans, have led to a widening disparity between the best and worst bike handlers in the bunch.

“Some riders can calculate how fast they can go on a corner. Others maybe don’t have enough experience and they just crash out and slide off the road,” the double Paris-Roubaix winner said.

“There is a question if bike handling is perhaps not as good as before, there is talk about that as well, that when riders nowadays are junior they have a coach and they are told to go out and do X number of hours at X number of watts.

“This individual training. And they don’t get enough bike riding in groups. Whereas if you go back some years, a lot of riders trained together in groups of six or eight or 10 people. So perhaps with some riders, their bike handling is not as good as it should be.”

> The King versus Strava KOMs: Sean Kelly admonishes focus on Strava times, says he doesn’t “really take any interest in them”

And of course, it wouldn’t have been a discussion about increased risk in the peloton without disc brakes rearing their sharp-stopping head.

“The disk brakes are so sensitive. When you go on them hard, somebody behind you does not have the reflexes to react quickly. Then they just crash into the back of you. That’s how a lot of the crashes are happening,” Kelly pointed out.

“It slows up suddenly front, there is a bit of a panic, and they seem to crash in from behind. Eddie Dunbar had that problem there when he crashed in the UAE Tour. He was hit by behind. If a big guy hits you like that, and particularly if you are a light like Dunbar, it is like being hit in a car with a truck coming from behind.

“I think the issues are a lot to do with the speed they are going now, the bikes, the riders, the level of fitness that is there. There are more riders at a higher level a long, long way into a race. They’re all able to be up there to a certain point until the vital where the race is blown apart.

“You have 70, 80, 100 riders fighting for 30, 40 positions. And that’s going to equal crashes because there’s not enough room on the road. It’s just a combination of all those things that are causing those crashes.”

Ah, is it that time of the day already, when the local press decides to focus in on the terribly neglected nature of our roads and streets – by comparing it to newly installed, apparently “pointless”, cycling infrastructure.

Yes, because that’s the problem, bike boxes.

But that’s the argument that was put forth by the Manchester Evening News’ chief reporter Neal Keeling this week – under the catchy headline “We’re spending cash on posh streets and cycle lanes... not on dangerous potholes” – who described a “notorious crossroads” in Bury which, according to Keeling, is a “cluster of twenty craters, cracks, and holes”.

> Remember when you knew where the potholes were? Nowadays, cycling on British roads is a constant, crater-ridden skirmish

“The state of the road has been an issue for many locals but their, and my patience, has become volcanic overnight,” Keeling wrote.

That volcanic eruption (which surely wouldn’t be good for the state of the road) occurred because Bury Council “finally sent out a highway repairs gang in the last week or so to the junction”.

“But their handiwork did not stretch to tackling the craters,” Keeling notes. “Instead at the bottom of Church Lane we now have a beautifully sea green buffer zone for cyclists waiting for the traffic lights to change. We also have extra road signage for cyclists.

“The closeness of cracked, wrecked road next to spanking new – and pointless – road markings has not gone down well with Whitefield residents.”

New bicycle lane markings at the bottom of Church Lane Whitefield .. juxtapositioned with the old worn out road surface on the junction .. This has to be one of the most damaged section of road in the Borough pic.twitter.com/JHn7xhBzch — Love Whitefield (@LoveWhitefield) April 20, 2024

One of those residents posted a photo of the junction, and the new bike box, with the caption: “New bicycle lane markings at the bottom of Church Lane Whitefield... juxtapositioned with the old worn-out road surface on the junction. This has to be one of the most damaged sections of road in the Borough.”

Another wrote: “The irony is that they’ve made it safe for cyclists at the lights who then have to weave through the potholes at a very busy junction.”

Keeling then added that the new splash of paint and some cycle markings proves hat “priority appears to have gone out of the town hall window”.

“If it was in Bavaria where Audis purr over perfect roads you could imagine in one night Germanic engineering and floodlights would arrive and leave the road pristine the next morning. But the bumpy ride in Whitefield town centre looks set to continue,” the chief news reporter wrote.

But how about fixing both the potholes and installing safe cycling infrastructure, rather than pitting them against each other, eh Neal?

Ditching the brown shorts, bringing a major French sporting goods retailer on board as title sponsor, and riding that retailer’s bikes have certainly paid dividends for Decathlon-AG2R, who secured their 11th win of a staggeringly successful season with one of the most comfortable sprint one-twos you’re ever likely to see, as Dorion Godon won stage two of the Tour de Romandie in Fribourg this afternoon – ahead of his designated sprinter Andrea Vendrame.

Like a vintage Renshaw-Cavendish or Steegmans-Boonen performance, Godon launched as Lidl-Trek’s lead-out for the boxed-in Thibau Nys faltered, with Vendrame tucked in his wheel.

But with the line swiftly approaching, and nobody else able to match the Decathlon pair, the Italian Vendrame remained tucked behind what was supposed to be his lead-out man, raising his arm in celebration as Godon crossed the line to cap off a stunningly dominant team performance, closest challengers Gianni Vermeersch and Milan Menten not even in a picture that could well soon be framed and hung on the wall at Decathlon HQ.

It's a 1️⃣-2️⃣ for @decathlonAG2RM at Stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie Dorian Godon comes home ahead of Andrea Vendrame in a sprint finish @TourdeRomandie | @DorianGodon | @AndreaVendra pic.twitter.com/yVKB4x6GPe — Eurosport (@eurosport) April 24, 2024

See, it was the brown shorts holding them back.

Before Decathlon-AG2R’s sprint par excellence, the GC battle continued to bubble over nicely on the first road stage of the Tour de Romandie, as UAE Team Emirates’ young Swiss prospect Jan Christen launched a strong attack on the cobbled climb of Lorette with 35km to go, drawing out Richard Carapaz and David Gaudu in the process.

And in the final 15km, Julian Alaphilippe – perhaps motivated by Cédric Vasseur’s “retirement home” comments – proved there’s plenty of life in the old, swashbuckling dog just yet, building on yesterday’s podium with a series of speculative digs. Is the old LouLou back? If he is, this week in Romandie could soon become very interesting.

It’s fair to say that Cofidis haven’t enjoyed the most promising start to 2024. In fact, the French team are yet to win this season so far, and with the threat of relegation from the WorldTour looming at the end of 2025, Cofidis chief Cédric Vasseur knows that this winter’s transfer window could prove pivotal for his squad’s future.

With Vasseur keen to convert this year’s series of top fives into wins – despite last year’s apparent breakthrough performance at the Tour de France, where the team secured two wins, their first at their home grand tour since 2008 – Soudal Quick-Step’s big name duo Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen are reportedly touted to be considering swapping blue for red.

However, former Tour yellow jersey holder Vasseur is acutely aware of the risk of signing a star like Alaphilippe, who finished third at yesterday’s Tour de Romandie prologue, especially considering the mercurial Frenchman’s advancing years and recent patchy form.

“In an interview, I said Julian was a champion, not just a rider, and I really respect him,” the 53-year-old told GCN . “As a team manager, I would be delighted to work with him, but we didn’t really talk seriously until now.

“If there’s an interest and he’s still showing something in the Tour de Romandie we would go on the market but for this moment we’re still… We don’t want to sign Alaphilippe for the name.

“We want to sign Alaphilippe for what he can give to the team. At this moment he’s facing a hard time so we wait for a bit and of course, we don’t want him to come to Cofidis as a retirement home.”

(A.S.O/Billy Ceusters)

Vasseur also pointed to the chastening example of Peter Sagan’s ill-fated stint at TotalEnergies, where the three-time world champion looked a shadow of his former swashbuckling self.

“We all know the situation with Peter Sagan and TotalEnergies and we don’t want to do that with someone else. It’s why I don't want to go too fast with Julian. I really respect him. If I start a discussion with him, it means that we want to go until the end. I don’t want to him to lose time with us,” Vasseur said.

“We want to be sure because we’re in a situation where we can’t make any mistakes in 2025. We can’t be in the position of FDJ and say if Julian cannot bring in success then it’s not a problem because others can.

“If we take Julian then he will have to perform in order to bring us between 2,000 and 2,500 points. I’m not sure at this moment that he can do that. I don’t want to sign him because I appreciate and respect him. I want to sign riders who can bring good results to the team and show that Cofidis still has a place in the UCI WorldTour.”

> Near Miss of the Day 901: Taxi driver gets police warning letter over close pass that cyclist “nearly felt the wing mirror”

Six times around the earth for one revolution, is that all?

I’m pretty sure Bert Grabsch was churning a bigger gear than that on his way to winning the 2008 world time trial championships…

The Club 18-30 Seaside Tourist Resort Sprintathon Tour of Turkey (to give the race its full, completely unofficial title) continued this afternoon in Bodrum, where Tobias Lund Andresen continued the race’s recent trend of surprise victory, sprinting to the first win of his pro career and taking the race leader’s jersey in the process.

At the end of a hilly 138km, which saw the breakaway hold on until the last few kilometres before a speculative late surge by young Belgian Robbe Claeys, the 21-year-old DSM-Firmenich rider Lund Andresen showed remarkably patience, capitalising on Astana’s lead out for stage two winner Max Kanter, before timing his sprint to perfection on the fast downhill run to the line.

"What a chaotic final" 🫨 Tobias Lund Andresen is victorious in the Tour of Turkey Stage 4 after an incredible finish 💥🚴 #tur2024 pic.twitter.com/VMKT2uBo3H — Eurosport (@eurosport) April 24, 2024

Danny van Poppel, in a bid for redemption after yesterday’s win was stripped from by the commissaires for a sprint deviation, was the only capable of following Lund Andresen acceleration, but the chaotic, rapid nature of the finish left Van Poppel little opportunity to overhaul the young Dane, who took his maiden victory at the elite level with impressive style.

Now, just get three for two vodka shots in the nearest bar, and he’ll be set.

> FSA recalls Gossamer Pro AGX+ cranksets due to potential detachment risk

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Robert Gaines (@eightyxproof)

Not a bike I’d be throwing my hand up in the air to review, if I’m honest…

Stages has ceased operations and laid off all its staff, say reports, while UK consumers reassured that warranty claims will be covered

Victoria Pendleton has revealed that she was “emotionally, psychologically” drained by the time she finished her illustrious cycling career at the 2012 London Olympics, and said that she was told by the people around her to focus purely on cycling if she wanted to be the best.

The double Olympic gold medal-winning track sprinter, who has spoken about her mental health struggles and her fractious relationship with the culture at British Cycling in the past, spoke about the stress she felt during her career as part of Sky Sports’ Real Talk podcast .

“I’d been very much led to believe by the people around me that you had to focus all your energy on this one thing if you wanted to be the best. And actually thinking about life after cycling, other career opportunities, was a distraction,” the nine-time world champion said.

“I was discouraged from having anything else other than a cycling focus. I thought I’d cross that bridge when I come to it. Even as I was nearing the end of my career, I didn’t allow myself to think beyond London 2012. When I took off my shoes and that was it, it felt like a sudden deadline to my career – it was finished.”

> Victoria Pendleton says she could be at Rio if not for Shane Sutton

She continued: “By the end of my career, I felt like I had no choice but to leave. Emotionally, psychologically, I’d had enough. I thought, ‘I can’t exist in this system anymore’.

“And the only way I could justify that to myself and manage that feeling, was telling myself it was only a stepping stone – I was putting my whole cycling career into a tiny little stepping stone.

“It was a really fantastic stepping stone and it supported me for a long time, but it was only a stepping stone for what I’m going to do next.”

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by INEOS Grenadiers (@ineosgrenadiers)

‘Good job your blisters have healed from Roubaix. And that descent on the Galibier was something else. Hopefully Ineos allow you to continue to focus on the classics, instead of trying to turn you into a Wiggins clone for the grand tours,’ Princess Anne is (probably) saying here…

road.cc chief Tony’s thoughtful piece on the necessity (or otherwise) of flying a load of journos across Europe to cover the launch of a shiny new bike has opened up quite an interesting discussion for the cycling industry as a whole, and seems to have generated quite a lot of positive feedback.

What do you reckon? (Yes, I’m fully aware that we’re gazing upon our belly buttons rather intently with this one, but it does have wider implications).

> The problem with bike industry launches… and how to fix it

Alright, back to potholes and bike lanes…

London is the most popular city in the UK to commute by bike – well, if you have Strava anyway – according to recent research by the ride-sharing platform.

According to the findings from Strava Metro, collated to mark Earth Week, 63 per cent of cyclists in Greater London have uploaded a bike commute.

Second on the list of cities with the highest cyclists to bike commuters ratio was Bristol (55 per cent), followed by Edinburgh (50 per cent), Cambridge (43 per cent), and Manchester (42 per cent).

The research also, notably, found that women are more likely to upload commutes to Strava than men.

In Bristol, 47 per cent of male Strava users uploaded a commute, compared to 50 per cent of women. In London, the figure was 53 per cent for women and 52 per cent for men, and in Edinburgh 44 per cent of women uploaded a commute compared to 42 per cent of their male counterparts.

Millennials were also found to be most likely to travel to work by bike, with 56 per cent of those aged 30-39 uploading cycle commutes.

And new post-pandemic working trends have also been flagged by Strava’s research. Tuesday was the most popular day to log a cycle commute on Strava, with 7am the most popular time to start a journey across all the big UK cities.

The average median commute distance in London was 9.2km, with Manchester close behind at 8.8 km, while Bristol and Edinburgh were 6.9km.

In total, bike commutes uploaded to Strava in the UK as a whole have saved 52,993,433 kg of CO2 (compared to if these journeys had been taken by car). Londoners, unsurprisingly, made the most savings, with 17,438,800 kg of CO2 saved – equal to the annual emissions of 10,365 cars.

Findings from Strava Metro’s survey also found that 87 per cent of cyclists commute because it allows them to exercise at the same time, while 56 per cent said they were motivated to commute by bike to positively impact the environment.

A shopping street that has banned cycling for three decades will be opened up to those riding bicycles, as a cycling campaign group argued that the move could be a “great boost to the struggling high street” with “space for all users to circulate in safety”.

However, the decision concerning Bicester’s Sheep Street, in Oxfordshire, expected to be approved tomorrow, has not been universally popular, with Thames Valley Police weighing in with the comment that the proposal will “split public opinion” and Conservative councillors expressing concerns.

Read more: > Cyclists to be allowed to ride on popular shopping street pedestrianised for 30 years as police say it will “split opinion”... and Conservative councillor concerned about “abuse by vehicles”

All staff at Stages Cycling, the well-known US-based power meter and indoor bike company, have been laid off as the brand prepares to cease operations, seemingly the latest casualty of the cycling industry’s ongoing troubles.

According to Escape Collective , supply chain and cashflow problems, an over-reliance on the struggling health club industry (which, one source claimed, comprised up to 80 per cent of the business), and the late collapse of a deal with Giant to acquire a minority stake in the company all contributed to Stages’ apparent demise last week.

Initially starting as a single brand under the Foundation Fitness umbrella, Stages Cycling quickly grew into a successful standalone company, becoming a household name in the cycling world with its revolutionary – and most importantly, affordable and accessible – single-sided power meter in 2012, which helped Team Sky on their way to several grand tours during the 2010s.

However, the company’s reliance on health clubs (it supplied the likes of David Lloyd and Soul Bikes) left Stages in a precarious position during the pandemic, while an “unprecedented global shortage” of microprocessor chips and a massive fall in the supply of Shimano cranks resulted in a lack of inventory right at the point when the bike industry was enjoying the Covid boom.

In January 2023 things started to look up, however, as Giant reportedly acquired a 33 per cent stake in the brand , with a $20 million investment – a deal which quickly collapsed four months later, and which seems to have ushered in this week’s bleak news.

According to anonymous sources who spoke to Escape Collective, the Oregon-based company had initially ceased orders with suppliers and then ceased shipping to customers, before laying off its entire workforce last week, while most products on its website are now unavailable.

We’ll have more on this story as we get it.

In case you missed it last night, Colnago’s CEO Nicola Rosin says the legendary Italian bike manufacturer is on the “right track” to becoming “the most desirable bicycle brand in the world”, after sales “more than tripled in three years” since the company was bought by an Abu Dhabi investment firm.

In a press release containing a few selected financial figures, Colnago said that its sales for 2023 were €55,715,101 (£48 million) and its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) were €14,015,100, or 25.15 per cent of turnover.

Read more: > Business booming at Colnago since Abu Dhabi investment, bike brand states — with sales “more than tripled”

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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34 comments.

So that 2nd article is about the rantings of people in Bury - home of the Yates twins. Proud of their professional cyclist local heroes? Wanting to be jump on that, be seen as a corner of a cycling-friendly hotbed in Lancashire? No chance...

What other place could have local lads grow up to be Tour podium finishers, stage winners, and yet deride cyclists...

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road.cc wrote: “We’re spending cash on posh streets and cycle lanes... not on dangerous potholes,” says Manchester Evening News’ chief reporter, as locals slam “juxtaposition” of “pointless” new bike infrastructure and “old worn-out road surface”

People who are subsidised* to make big holes in road (amongst other negative effects) complain about the holes in the road.  Same people also complain about spending (much smaller sums of) cash on enabling people to travel without making big holes in the road (and not requiring other other subsidies).

They shouldn't worry, they're still being subsidised...

* People paying tax all contribute to road maintenance even if they don't drive.  Drivers are paying some extra taxes but those do not cover the total costs of driving.

Hate to say it, but the Relativity Special builders may have  their calcs awry.

c = 2.998 x 10^8 m/s

Circumference of Earth = 4.008 x 10^7 m

So light travels the equivalent of 7.5x around Earth in 1 sec.

If moving at the speed of light at 90 rpm, you would need a rollout of 1.999 x 10^8 m, which would only take you 5x around the Earth per revolution, not the 6 they state.

Assuming each set of gears has a 52x12 ratio and wheel circumference = 2.1 m gives a rollout of (52/12)^12 x 2.1 = 9.2 x 10^7 m

You'd need an average gear multiplier of about 3.815 per chainring, a bit smaller than 46/12.

I'll get my (lab)coat.

"Can we find my Aunt Joans cyclist rescuers?! She fell on Saturday in Bletchingley Surrey & they helped. She's OK and wants to write a thank u. "

https://twitter.com/timegan1995/status/1782810254889078817

Aunty Joan swears she had bought cake the day before but maybe her memory is playing up.

So the collective noun for a group of cyclists is 'a hoard'? 

BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP wrote: So the collective noun for a group of cyclists is 'a hoard'? 

Are Strava only using their commute tag to identify commute rides or some form of big data mangling that they use for metro data instead ?

As their data could be wildly inaccurate.

stonojnr wrote: their data could be wildly inaccurate.

Publicity comes before accuracy with this kind of research!

I've found a way to enforce the 1.5m gap

https://youtu.be/rj9JSkSpRlM

Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog. This quadruped is coupled with the ARC Flamethrower to deliver on-demand fire anywhere!

Don't forget how they claim it's only for clearing snow from your driveway - no home defence uses or anything like that, honest, guv.

It's not the dogs fault, it's the owners.

And won't it need to lower its aim to clear a drive?

So much for the First and Second Laws of Robotics.

Didn't they consider putting some sort of rifle on one and using it to 'police' the streets of New York, a couple of years ago?

brooksby wrote: Didn't they consider putting some sort of rifle on one and using it to 'police' the streets of New York, a couple of years ago?

San Francisco: it was actually approved and they were going to go ahead with it until public outcry forced them to back down.

Rendel Harris wrote: brooksby wrote: Didn't they consider putting some sort of rifle on one and using it to 'police' the streets of New York, a couple of years ago?

"Put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply"

I'd buy that for a dollar.

This is why I question the utility of shared-use paths; you're constantly dodging flamethrower-dogs and their operators.  Mind you, they're probably better wireless, having them on a cable is just another hazard.

It pains me to say it, but as his increasingly pause-prone commentary demonstrates, Sean Kelly is an irrelevance.

He's not there to fill air-time (that's Kirby and the other one), he's there to use his expertise to give good insight into the racing. And he's pretty good at that.

A lot of what he says will be bang on.

I hadn't considered the reaction time issue before, but as an owner of both modern disc brake and old, 80s era, cork pad rim brake bikes, coming to think of it he is bang on. The rim brake bike (and especially the vintage cork-pad stuff) you're just never going to brake that quickly, compared to discs, and riders behind are going to have more reaction time.

Though, the crash on the descent in the Basque country the road surface was terrible.

He'd be bang on if there was a mix of disc and rim brakes in the pro peloton. 

Surreyrider wrote: He'd be bang on if there was a mix of disc and rim brakes in the pro peloton. 

It wouldn't make any difference to his point which is that discs slow/stop riders so quickly that the person behind doesn't have time to react, whatever type of brakes they have. Having said that, I feel he only has half a point really as he's ignoring how many crashes have maybe been avoided because of this extra brake power where in the past they might not have been.

Rendel Harris wrote: Surreyrider wrote: He'd be bang on if there was a mix of disc and rim brakes in the pro peloton. 

If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate what they are going to do, that is why practice riding in bunches matters.

You might get caught out by reacting on discs v rims the first time it happens, your brain quickly adapts though.

Unless you are constantly swapping bikes you learn.

Plus there will be riders now in the pro ranks who have only ever ridden discs.

That Basque descent crash had more to do with his group riding & bike handling theory not the technology.

stonojnr wrote: You might get caught out by reacting on discs v rims the first time it happens, your brain quickly adapts though. Unless you are constantly swapping bikes you learn. Plus there will be riders now in the pro ranks who have only ever ridden discs. That Basque descent crash had more to do with his group riding & bike handling theory not the technology.

His point is that if someone grabs a handful in front of you, you don't necessarily have time to do likewise. Whether or not you've experienced rim brakes is immaterial.  

You do have time, because the 1st time it happens it catches you out, the 2nd time it happens, unless youre completely incapable of learning, you remember to adapt to the braking zone you need, not to crash.

And eventually it just becomes something you don't even consciously think about, your brain calculates it for you

And its all nonsense anyway, the pro rim brakers always claim rim brakes on carbon wheels on pro bikes are just as powerful (in the dry) and quick to engage as disc brakes. So the reaction times and stopping would be near identical regardless of tech.

None of the crashes happened in the wet,so unless pro cyclists are somehow incapable of learning or adapting, and just keep repeating the same mistakes, or it's got naff all to do with disc brakes

"braking zone" This is about bunch riding.

Kelly being silly again.

I like this gem: "Everything is all about speed now."

I'm wondering what it was about in his day...

Mind you, descending with 53x13 tends to be slower than with a 56x10.

Surreyrider wrote: "Everything is all about speed now." I'm wondering what it was about in his day...

Same back then. Oh, also Codeine.

https://www.dopeology.org/people/Sean_Kelly/

Agreed. Saying bikes are trickier to handle now is a strange one. Wider tyres, more grip, easier shifting (from the bar, not the down tube), electronic gear changes, etc.

Latest Comments

I also think he knows..

I've been really happy with my Rapha cycling stuff - mainly the cheaper end as core is more than sufficient. The colours recently have been very...

Frame built by my own fair hand, heavily supervised, at the former Downland Cycles a few years ago.  Cobalt blue by Argos. ...

You can also check if it's insured but it's not exactly legal if you aren't the owner of the car. I always check the tax/MOT to include in a report...

when 3D arione plz 

So - to something like a photog's mini reflector. I do enjoy working out the detail of what will be the best solution.

I think the mass of the car can be treated as infinite, in the sense that the velocity of the car is not going to change much at all on impact....

Signs installed by Devizes Town Council. AFAIK they are not the Local Highways Authority, and have no authority to install such signs.

Tom Allen? Please tell me you don't mean the comedian.

A flame thrower dog robot is something every cyclist needs.     

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Canyon launches its lightest ever e-MTB, Saracen's downhill bike is a budget-friendly ripper, Mondraker reinvents its Dusty e-gravel bike, and big MTB brands drop huge Spring sales. It's been a busy week of MTB and off-road news!

There is plenty of excitement to bring in what's been another hectic week in the bike world, with lots of new MTB and off-road products dropping. This week's edition has some exciting 'shock' news, with two big brands launching all-new affordable bikes – which includes this week's news highlight, the first lightweight e-MTB from Canyon.

There's been a fair bit landing in our in-boxes and we've rounded up all the newest bikes and products into one handy single article, so read on for all the must-know details and the Bike Perfect team's top picks from this week's mountain bike and off-road news...

Canyon launched its first lightweight e-MTB and it could be set to dominate the category as the Neuron:ONfly has a very affordable price point and weighs just 19.1kg

Canyon's latest e-MTB, the Neuron:ONfly dropped this week, and was the stand-out story for the round-up. Not only because it's Canyon's first ever lightweight e-MTB, but its price point makes it significantly cheaper than most of its competition.

The Canyon Neuron:ONfly comes in four carbon-framed builds – the CF LTD, CF 9, CF 8 and CF 7. All four will be available worldwide except for the US, which only gets the CF 7 model. The competitive pricing starts at $5,499 / £4,649 / €4,849 for the CF 7 model and tops out at £7,649 / €7,900 for the CF LTD.

Canyon claims the lightest model of the new Neuron:ONfly – the CF LTD, weighs in at 19.1kg and costs £7,649 / €7,900, and as an example of weight and pricing the similar Whyte E-Lyte 140 Works weighs less at 17.4kg, but is priced at £10,999. The Cube AMS Hybrid ONE44 weighs 17.7kg and costs £7,999.

Canyon's 'ON' electric mountain bikes are already a popular choice in the best electric mountain bike market with models like the Spectral:ON CF and the original full-powered  Neuron:ON , so with an established e-MTB pedigree it looks as though the German direct-to-consumer brand's first-ever lightweight e-MTB might just be set to dominate.

If you're looking to hit the uplifts this summer, then the Saracen Myst is a downhill bike packed with 10 years of race development with a budget-friendly price tag

Saracen launched an all-new Myst downhill bike which gets a brand-new aluminum frame, and a reworked suspension system. Saracen says the new Myst benefits from the brand's 10 years of downhill race development alongside the Madison Saracen Factory Race Team and makes it the fastest downhill bike it has ever made.

So does the  best downhill bike  it has ever made come with a whopping price tag? The answer is no. This nicely specced downhill bike comes in two complete builds and starts at just £3,599 / €4,499 for the Myst Pro and £5,499 / €6,299 for the Myst Team Edition. There is also a Frameset plus a Fox DHX2 Factory option at £2,199 / €2499. However, the bikes are currently not available in the US.

Mondraker ups its game in the e-gravel market by adding two new additions to its Dusty range – a 40mm suspension model and a flat-bar urban commuter too

The original Mondraker Dusty XR was the Spanish MTB giant's first delve into the best gravel bike market. It has now launched two new versions of its Dusty e-gravel bike – the Dusty R and the Dusty X.

The Dusty R now gets a 40mm lock-out RockShox Rudy suspension fork and an exclusive new and very attractive looking paint job in Midnight Blue, Tonic Gold and Teal Green. The rest of the build matches up with its rigid forked sibling and uses the same Mahle X20 Drive Unit and e-Gravel Stealth Air Carbon frame. The Dusty R is priced at $5,499 / £TBC.

The X version is a flat bar version of the Dusty aimed at urban commuters but also claimed to be capable on longer weekend gravel rides. Dusty X comes with integrated lights which are a bar-mounted 150-lumen headlight and a Supernova seatpost with built-in LED rear light. The rigid forked Dusty X shares the same motor and frame as the other models. Pricing for the X is $5,199 / £TBC.

Half-price Epic Evo anyone? Specialized's massive Spring Sale drops 50% off deals across a huge range of MTB and off-road cycling gear including the brilliant Epic XC bike

The Specialized Spring Sale launched this week and is one of the biggest ever from the US bicycling brand. There are whopping discounts of up to 50 percent on off-road cycling products that include its  best mountain bikes , gravel bikes and e-MTBs.

One of the stand-out MTB discounts is on various models in the Specialized Epic Evo range, which is the brand's highly-rated World Cup XC bike. The sale ends on the 30th of April, so we'd suggest if something catches your eye, especially on bikes, don't hang around because they are bound to be snapped up quickly.

Another highlight that caught the eye was the Specialized Gambit Full-Face helmet – our best overall helmet in our  full-face helmet  buyers guide. Check out the  Specialized US  and  Specialized UK  websites as deals differ in each territory.

Trek also has a massive Spring sale going with hefty across site price drops up to 30%

Not to be outdone on the big spring deal offers – Trek launched its own April MTB and off-road cycling sale with up to 30 percent off bikes, helmets and parts.

Trek have deals across its site and includes its ever-popular Trek Marlin – one of the best budget mountain bikes around, but unfortunately not the recently launched budget e-MTB version, the Trek Marlin+ .

However, one of the stand-out e-MTB discounts is on the Trek Fuel EXe 9.9 XX1 discounted to $12,999 / £9,499.95, from the usual $13,999 / £13,500 which is a very nice deal on this carbon framed and TQ-motor-powered full-suspension e-MTB. The analog version Fuel EX 9.9 XX1 also has a sweet discount currently discounted from $10,749 / £11,800, to $9,749 / £7,994.

The Trek sale is live now and ends on the 30th of April. Check out the  Trek US  and  Trek UK  websites as deals vary depending on location.

Restrap launched its all-new Race Hydration Vest aimed at gravel bike racers, but it looks like a good option for any cyclist looking for a lightweight hydration pack

In last week's news round-up , UK brand Restrap added the Race Top Tube Bag Short to its Race Range of bikepacking bags . This week, the bikepacking and adventure gear brand has launched its all-new Race Hydration Vest. It's designed for the best gravel bike racers to carry all the food, water and other essentials. It also looks like a pretty cool lightweight addition to any rider's kit who fancies trying out the best hydration packs instead of the humble water bottle.

Restrap’s new Race Hydration Vest design looks to tick all the boxes and has a capacity of 5.5 liters of storage, plus the included 2-liter hydration bladder. There is front chest storage and more storage on your back too, which "will be held securely by the highly adjustable retention system to customize a perfect fit."

Available now, the unisex design comes in two sizes, S/M and L/XL. The Restrap Race Hydration Vest is priced at $190 / £140 / €168.

Café du Cycliste launches another stunningly stylish gravel shoe adding to its Outlands collection with brand new colorway but they don't come cheap

Café du Cycliste revealed it's brand new 'Scots Pine' version of its gorgeous looking hiking-boot-inspired gravel shoe. The Café du Cycliste Outlands was a shoe I loved straight away, especially for looks, but was backed up with top performance too. Although the color has taken a hammering in Scottish gravel riding conditions.

This new colorway looks like it'll cope better with filthy conditions and the new dark green shoe has all the same features as most of the best gravel shoes and its original sibling.

Outlands has a SUPtraction custom-designed rubber tread and a carbon footbed for rigidity and maximum power transfer. The upper is made from flexible leather with laser-cut holes for ventilation surrounded by abrasion protection rubber.

The Café du Cycliste Outlands 'Scots Pine' is available now priced at $390 / £295 / €300.

YT Industries collaborates with footwear legends Vans and drops the BMX-influenced 114 flat pedal shoes

YT Industries partnered with cult street footwear giant Vans to drop an all-new MTB footwear collaboration. The Vans x YT Industries 114 shoes are influenced by the requirements of the Vans BMX team but are designed to deliver the best MTB flat shoe performance too.

Sporting a very casual look, the 114s come packed with plenty of performance features to back up the cool vibe, including the Vans Wafflecup outsole, Popcush cushioning, and Duracap underlays. These are all designed to deliver support, protection, and durability for the most demanding riders.

Available now in three color options White, Red and Black, the collection also includes a set of Vans x YT Industries 'Live Uncaged' La Costa sliders.

The 114 shoes are priced at $99.99 / £99.90 / €99.90. The 'Live Uncaged' sliders are priced at $44.99 / £44.90 / €49.90.

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Lidl-Trek head to La Vuelta Femenina with high ambitions

We’re in Valencia for the first Grand Tour of the season!

This year, the Vuelta is even bigger and better than before, with the addition of an extra stage. We face eight varied stages, starting with a team time trial in Valencia, and ending with a summit finish Valdesquí in the community of Madrid. Between those two points, the peloton must pass 868 kilometers of varying terrain, with sprints, crosswinds and medium mountains thrown into the mix.

Come the finish in Valdesquí, we’re aiming for the top step of the podium. Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini will lead the team together, and they will benefit from the support of Ellen van Dijk, Lizzie Deignan, Elynor Backstedt, Amanda Spratt and Brodie Chapman to help them through everything the race, and competitors, will throw at them.

The two leaders, Elisa Longo Borghini and Gaia Realini shared their thoughts ahead of the race, as well as Lizzie Deignan, who has just recovered from a broken arm.

• Elisa Longo Borghini

We have the potential and the desire to race a great Vuelta as a team. I believe that, in these months, we have proven that we are back to our full potential. Our understanding and our team spirit have been the key to achieve great success. This will be our approach to the Vuelta as well. We are aiming to win it and we will do everything we can to succeed. Gaia and I represent a complementary match in terms of characteristics. There is a very good understanding between us and we intend to enhance it.

The classics season has given me a lot of strength and confidence. Thanks to great results and great performances I am very satisfied. The condition is there and the mindset is positive. The one-day races are tests where you can sometimes go all in, where you concentrate your efforts in a few hours. Grand Tours are different and the mental approach has to be according. Therefore, having two good options to play with is definitely a great added value for the team.

The Vuelta route is all about toughness. I think every stage is tougher than what the profile we see on paper might say. The wind then can be a major unknown, as in the Zaragoza stage. The initial team time trial is undoubtedly the best way for us to start.

• Gaia Realini

I face the first Grand Tour of the season with grit and motivation. The Vuelta 2023 was, for me primarily, but I think also for the general public, a wonderful surprise. The thrilling victory with Van Vleuten, the final podium… it was a beautiful, intense and unexpected experience. It was like a revelation, it was the first time I realized that Grand Tours could become a concrete goal for my future.

This year there will be a different expectation. I will have more eyes on me, the chances to surprise will be few, but I will certainly not be discouraged or intimidated. I face it with the knowledge that the season of the big climbs, the challenges in the mountains between climbers, begins. My terrain is coming. I am confident that I can have my say. As a team we have multiple goals, from stages to the general classification. I want to do my part. The big hope is that the weather will be, at least a little more fair than in Belgium…

My approach was different to last year. It was good, because if I look beyond the results, the performances were always solid, like in the queen stages of UAE Tour, Volta Valenciana and Vuelta Extremadura. Every time the road went up, I was in front. The cold and bad weather affected my performance in the classics, but that’s part of the game.

Lizzie Deignan

I’m happy to have recovered in time for the Vuelta, I’m really looking forward to it and getting the first stage race of my season under my belt. It was obviously disappointing to crash out of Flanders and I definitely missed racing the remaining Classics. However, everything has gone really smoothly since and my recovery has maybe been better than we even expected so it’s great to be in a position to be able to resume racing already.

In terms of my expectations for the race, it will firstly be to get through the eight days safely and to be stronger at the end that I am at the beginning. To be at the start line in a team role is really nice and it’s a good chance to build my form as it means I can get loads of work done, and that’s what I need. Overall, we have a really strong group of women racing and I think it’s going to be a good chance for us to keep the momentum we built in the Spring Classics going and to get some more results.

In this story

Discover more

Lidl-Trek win La Vuelta Femenina Stage 1

A very Nys day in Switzerland

WATCH: Why Trek Factory Racing Downhill is FIRED UP for 2024

• Ellen van Dijk
• Elynor Backstedt
• Brodie Chapman
• Amanda Spratt
• Lizzie deignan

Gaia Realini is the first to cross the line in the team time trial and becomes the first leader of La Vuelta Femenina