Recent Updates
United Kingdom
All Countries
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Hrvatska)
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
France, Metropolitan
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Guernsey
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard and Mc Donald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Isle of Man
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jersey
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Republic of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States of
Moldova, Republic of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia South Sandwich Islands
Spain
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre and Miquelon
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, United Republic of
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
United States minor outlying islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zaire
Zambia
Zimbabwe
-
Bikepacking Ireland's Atlantic Coast was WILDBikepacking Ireland's Atlantic Coast was WILD Watch The Full Video LIVE NOW On #YouTube!0 Comments 0 Shares 145 ViewsPlease log in to like, share and comment! - WWW.CYCLINGWEEKLY.COMCan a padded bra make you faster? New CFD modelling delivers a deflating answer for cyclistsAhead of Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes last month, riders encountered an addition to the familiar pre-time-trial ritual of bike measurements and equipment checks: officials were paying particular attention to their chests.Several Women's WorldTour teams had reportedly complained that riders appeared to have greater chest volume in time trials than in road stages. The suspicion was that some competitors were using padding, ice or other material underneath their skinsuits to effectively create a "chest fairing" for an aerodynamic advantage.The UCI regulations, specifically Article 1.3.032, state that clothing and accessories may not modify a rider's morphology and prohibit non-essential elements added to, placed beneath or integrated into clothing. The UCI's technical guidance for Article 1.3.032 also prohibits products or substances applied to the body or clothing to improve aerodynamics.However, neither document establishes how much padding a sports bra may contain. They also do not provide a specific protocol for examining one, and the sudden bra checks drew a lot of critique as well as questions around the exam's invasiveness, bra structure, breast shape and size, and, of course, whether a padded bra can actually make a rider faster. While initial chest fairing studies found drag reductions of up to 3.6 percent, new CFD modelling from AiRO suggests that sports-bra-sized marginal gains may be negligible. At least in AiRO's test, a push-up bra is more likely to lift expectations than speed.What the studies sayWind tunnel testing (Image credit: Andy Jones)Much of the understanding of chest fairings comes from a 2024 peer-reviewed paper by Bert Blocken, Fabio Malizia and Thijs van Druenen in the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics.The researchers used computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, to examine seven chest fairing configurations on a male cyclist in a time trial position. The simulations were then validated through wind-tunnel testing. Their best-performing configuration reduced drag by 3.6 percent, which is a potentially significant advantage in a race decided by fractions of a second.However, not every fairing was beneficial. Some configurations increased drag, and the researchers concluded that a rider would need dedicated wind-tunnel tests or CFD simulations to determine whether a particular shape would provide an advantage. The study found that a chest fairing can be effective, though it did not conclude that additional chest volume is inherently faster.The size of the fairing matters greatly. The study's largest drag reduction came from a substantial, purpose-built form modelled on the chest fairings used by some triathletes, far from the shape or padding amount of a conventional sports bra.AiRO, a company that provides CFD-based aerodynamic modelling to bike fitters, has now tested a narrower question: whether comparatively small changes in chest volume can produce the same effect. That is, changes small enough to be hidden inside a bra. What AiRO testedAiRO CFD modelling testing various chest volumes using a female rider model wearing a Specialized Evade helmet. (Image credit: AiRO)AiRO created a digital female rider in a fixed cycling position and modelled three chest volumes: small, medium and large. The company tested each version with two helmets, the Specialized Evade and the Ekoi Pureaero, because aerodynamicist Ingmar Jungnickel argues that changes around the chest could affect airflow reaching the rider's head and equipment farther downstream.Jungnickel told Cycling Weekly that the virtual athlete was based on a rider measuring 175cm (5'9") and weighing 60kg (132lbs). With the Ekoi helmet, AiRO reported drag differences of 0.1%, +0.2% and +0.3% percent across the three chest configurations. Plus means more drag; minus means diminished drag. Jungnickel described the differences as "nothing at all," writing that "not one configuration produced a measurable gain."With the Specialized Evade, all three chest configurations were approximately 2.2% slower than its reference, while changing from the smallest to the largest volume barely altered the result."Small chest volume changes, as they could be hidden in a sports bra, do not seem to make riders faster," Jungnickel concluded. AiRO also modelled what it called a "proper fairing," akin to a water bottle stuffed down a jersey as has been seen by some male riders in the past. This model featured a rider with the Giro Aerohead and the Specialized Evade.The drag reductions were 0.7% on the Giro Aerohead, 0.1% on the Specialized Evade. "The best case is a possible small advantage that is within measurement uncertainty. That is with an object under the suit, on a male rider, in a full time trial position," AiRO concluded. "Changing chest volume by the amount a padded sports bra can change it did nothing on either helmet, for either sign, at any of three sizes," AiRO concluded.AiRO acknowledged the limitations to its findings. For one, the company tested only one rider model per sex, and Jungnickel said the effect could vary with "bust volume, torso length, shoulder width and how closed the riders position already is.""A single athlete tells you the mechanism exists and roughly how big it is for that rider, but it doesnt give a universal number," he said.AiRO also used a parametric human model fitted to images rather than a 3D body scan. Jungnickel said that approach allowed the company to preserve the same underlying geometry between tests, avoiding variations caused by scanning artefacts.That consistency may improve comparisons within AiROs test, but the analysis remains a company-authored demonstration rather than a peer-reviewed study. AiRO has not published the full solver settings, mesh-independence analysis or numerical uncertainty calculations that would allow outside researchers to evaluate its results in detail.Even with those limitations, Jungnickel said the central finding was clear: "Bra stuffing is at least not clearly a benefit."So what to believe?(Image credit: Getty Images)Jungnickel argues that AiROs results do not necessarily contradict Blocken and his co-authors. The disagreement, in his view, lies in the interpretation of the data.According to AiRO's reading of the Blocken paper, the three smallest fairings changed drag by +0.54, +0.39 and 0.68 percent. Under that convention, two made the rider marginally slower and one produced a small improvement. The widely reported 3.6-percent reduction came from a much larger, solid fairing measuring 313mm wide and 87mm tall.Jungnickel argued that sub-one-percent effects may fall within the practical uncertainty of CFD, wind-tunnel or velodrome testing and may vary from rider to rider. "At differences that small, most serious fit changes offer a larger benefit," he said.The two analyses therefore point to a more nuanced conclusion: a large, carefully shaped fairing can reduce drag, but small changes in chest volume do not appear to provide a consistent or readily measurable advantage.So, before you start stuffing socks into your sports bra, the evidence calls for restraint. A large, carefully shaped fairing can reduce drag, but modelling suggests that bra-sized changes offer no reliable shortcut to speed. It appears that for most cyclists, a better position and fit remain safer and legal places to find free watts.0 Comments 0 Shares 223 Views
- WWW.CYCLINGWEEKLY.COMThe madding crowd: What pro riders really think about fans at the side of the road"Being on the podium was a little bit sad, just seeing photographers and a few people," said Tadej Pogaar after stage three of this year's Tour de France. The subdued finish at Les Angles, the race having just crossed from Spain into France, proved that even for the sport's biggest champions, racing just isn't the same without the fans. As a precautionary response to nearby wildfires, French authorities had banned spectators from attending; while many risked prosecution to line the roadside, the Tour's usual thronging crowds were nowhere to be seen.It was a bitter blow for Les Angles. The Pyrenean outpost had spent months preparing to host the finish, with hoardings, posters and infrastructure all in place. Local cafes and restaurants were stocked to the brim for their busiest day ever - only for the spectacle to fizzle out. The empty town recalled the lonely races of the Covid lockdowns, illustrating in stark relief the vital role of crowds. As Pogaar implied, take away the noise, colour and sheer human energy of cycling's roadside devotees, and the sport simply isn't the same.At the same time, bike racing has an often fractious relationship with its followers. Riders are regularly forced to dodge projectiles of various, sometimes unsavoury, kinds. They must breathe in smoke from flares and suffer half-cut, over-eager cosplayers running dangerously close alongside them. They have been knocked off their bikes at high speed in the throes of peak exertion, and punches have been thrown in both directions.Fans are undeniably the sport's lifeblood, but the frequent chaos they bring makes them an ever-present threat. This paradox poses the question: is cycling's greatest asset - unrestricted fan accessibility - also its biggest liability?The cycling fan experience extends far beyond the racing itself. Spectators can mingle with riders and team bosses outside the team buses before and after a stage, and, if they're fit enough, even invade the pros' training arenas to ride alongside them on the open road. That isn't to say barriers don't exist-certain scenarios demand that riders and fans are protected from one another. Usually, though, they share the same space on the road. Unsurprisingly, this unrestricted access doesn't always end well, especially when alcohol is involved.(Image credit: Getty Images)"Most fans are great," says Matej Mohori of Bahrain Victorious. "It's really cool that they take the time to come out and cheer us on. I will do so myself, and show my kids, once I stop cycling. We'll go and see the Tour de France. The roads are our stadium, and it's probably the sport where you can get the closest to the big champions, so it's special in that regard."It's not just at the road side when fans are getting too close to the ridersTHE FAN'S EYE VIEWWe found three spectators at the Tour de France and asked them how important they thought the fans were to the sport-and whether the mountaintop crowds needed regulating.Laia Bertran, from Taragona, Spain "For cycling, fans are very important, because fans support sponsors and sponsors have money. For me, being a fan is about cycling, and seeing the riders suffering under the sun - because I am a cyclist. When I see [fans endangering riders] on television, I think, please don't do that. Give space, let the riders breathe, because it's very important. I understand that people are encouraging them to go faster, but please give them space and don't touch them. That's important - they are suffering."Donato Genovese, from Italy "Fans are essential. If you see how many people are here today in Tarragona under this heat to see their cyclists from many different teams, it's quite telling. You wouldn't see it otherwise. The Tour de France is the third-most-important sporting event after the World Cup and the Olympics. It adds to the importance of the event today."Hughie McCooey, a member of the Ben Healy Fan Club "The importance of the fans is massive. Although the riders get paid a fortune, they still need the fans to cheer them, the madness, everything that goes with cycling. Fans have just got to police themselves and do their best, because if you have too many regulations, it'll kill the sport."Both Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogaar have made headlines this year following clashes with fans. Vingegaard was the first, involved in what was ultimately a rather humiliating incident. The Dane crashed on a descent in southern Spain after attempting to drop an amateur rider who had latched on to his wheel. Though he avoided serious injury, his Visma-Lease a Bike team issued a statement urging fans to be mindful. "In general, as a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first," read the missive. "For both your own and others' wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible."Only two weeks later, Vingegaard's chief rival Tadej Pogaar had his own run-in with a fan, prompting him to take to social media. "If you find me in conversation with someone and you ask me for photo, I ask you to give me two minutes to finish talk," he wrote. "Do you wait two minutes or show me middle finger and take off angry? Long day ended with losing biggest fan."While training incidents are an occupational hazard for world-famous riders, the most volatile flashpoints are usually crowded mountain passes. "You always have those few who take it a step too far and start to be a bit over the line," says Mohori. "Especially with the smoke, or sometimes by running next to the riders, or by just being surprised by the sheer force and speed we travel at. Sometimes they want to take a photo with their smartphone, and they turn their backs to us, and then it can get really dangerous."(Image credit: Getty Images)Lotto Intermarch mechanic Rhune Clynen echoed Mohori, even suggesting that smoke bombs and flares should be banned. "It has pros and cons," he said of the fans massing on the mountainsides. "For sure the ambience is a pro, but the risk of having an accident is also a possibility. I think [the smoke] could be forbidden, because of the inhalation... and also the running with the riders." Given the unpredictability of the crowds, he admitted that teams can offer riders very little actionable advice. Ultimately, it comes down to common sense: "Just be careful with the crowds, and look in front of you, though it's not always easy."Balancing actOver the years, teams, riders and race organisers have repeatedly tried to discourage the dangerous behaviours Clynen highlights, though whether these efforts have had any real effect is debatable. While the number of spectators running alongside riders may have dipped, the experiences of Pogaar, Vingegaard and others demonstrate that unruly crowds are far from a thing of the past. Roadside harassment continues to plague the peloton. Just ask Mathieu van der Poel, who has been pelted with beer, urine and water bottles, had a cap thrown into his wheels, and suffered a full lungful of vape smoke blown directly into his face all within the past few seasons.Ultimately, managing fans at bike races is a balancing act between keeping riders safe and preserving the vibe of the occasion. Mohori understands both sides of the equation, having raced to an empty house at the 2023 Tour de France. He finished third on a highly anticipated stage to the Puy de Dme, which fans were barred from attending owing to logistical restrictions. It was an experience he called "pretty miserable". Even watching on TV, the spectacle lacked soul.(Image credit: Getty Images)As Mohori admits, the fan conundrum remains "quite a challenge, and it's become more of a topic in the last few years". "[Race organisers] are doing their best... on Mont Ventoux, they fenced off the top four or five kilometres, but then the fans just move further down the mountain." Despite the hazards fans sometimes cause, he acknowledges their vital role: "They remind you of why you're doing it - it's a crucial part of the race... This is why we do it - to inspire people and to put on a show." His Puy de Dme experience serves as a stark warning. The unparalleled accessibility cycling offers is a precious thing that risks becoming its biggest liability if abused - a golden goose we need to take care of. If the risk from fans endangering riders continues to increase, it may threaten to lock away the spectacle of bike racing for everyone.When riders and fans collide: Five times when fans definitely got too closeThe Eddy Merckx punch (1975) This incident from more than 50 years ago remains one of the most notorious fans-gone-wrong moments. Merckx, gunning for his sixth Tour de France win in 1975, was punched by a roadside wrong'un on the Puy de Dme. He lost the race lead the following day and never regained it.Allez Opi-Omi (2021) So read the sign held out by a roadside fan on stage one of the 2021 Tour de France. "Go Grandpa-Grandma" being the literal translation. So eager was she to have her message caught by the camera bikes, she apparently didn't spot the onrushing bunch, who ran her down. A huge crash ensued that took several riders out of the race. The fan became something of a pariah and was ultimately fined in court.Laurent Jalabert cops it (1994) This crash, which changed the course of a career, was caused by a police officer, no less. Just metres from the line, the gendarme stepped out of an alcove in the barriers with his camera raised, and into the path of a bunch sprint approaching at full speed. French rider Jalabert was the most seriously injured of those that came down, and the incident saw him change tack, becoming more of an all-rounder. He rarely participated in bunch sprints after that.Lance Armstrong on Luz-Ardiden (2003) When the strap of a fan's shoulder bag snared Armstrong's bars and brought him down on Luz-Ardiden, it looked as though it could have been the end of his already faltering challenge against rival Jan Ullrich. But the American only seemed to derive strength from the incident. Catching the front group, which had sportingly slowed, he attacked almost immediately to win the stage and extend his GC lead, which he held to Paris.(Image credit: Getty Images)Chris Froome runs Mont Ventoux (2016) One of the most memorable fan-related incidents in modern Tour history. Froome, wearing yellow, was reduced to running uphill after massing fans brought a race moto to an abrupt stop and Froome plus fellow GC hopes Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema crashed into it. His bike broken, no team car in sight and his yellow jersey disappearing up the road, Froome began running. Eventually, neutral service issued him with an ill-fitting bike, with which he made do until his own Team Sky car appeared with his own spare.0 Comments 0 Shares 128 Views
- ROAD.CCI could see straight away that it was bad. He just wasnt moving: Pro cyclist to seek therapy after 19-year-old Ezra Caudells horror crashTeenage American pro Caudell suffered multi-system trauma after crashing into a lamppost at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic0 Comments 0 Shares 150 Views
- WWW.BIKERADAR.COMCanyon reveals 32in gravel bike made especially for LeBron JamesCanyon has revealed a Grizl CF gravel bike with 32in wheels, made especially for LeBron James.The bike was designed and built in southern Germany and Wolfgang Kohl, Canyons lead engineer for gravel, says it wasnt just a case of taking the current frame and making it bigger".The geometry might land in the right place, but the loads don't scale the way the dimensions do. Everything needed to get re-engineered or the bike simply wouldn't function as a responsive system to the rider, Kohl explains.Alongside its 32in wheels, the 3XL bike uses a special carbon layup to withstand the load the 6ft 9in athlete and NBA player will put through the frame. It also has custom CNC-machined thru-axles with wider Boost spacing and a custom seat clamp.A bespoke bike and a familiar story LeBron James' custom 32in Canyon Grizl gravel bike. Canyon While there is a lot of hype and debate around 32in wheels, Canyons bike for LeBron James doesnt mean the brand is publicly committing to the oversized wheels. In fact, it describes the bike as a one of a kind, even if it is fully functional.This is a similar story to Scotts recent 32in bikes, which Robin Gemperle used to win the 2026 Unbound 2026 XL race and Cameron Jones also rode on the shorter 200-mile Unbound course. However, when Scott revealed its 32in bikes, it said they were pure prototypes and they would never be released on the market.BMC athletes also raced a 32in prototype at the Andorran round of the XC World Cup in July 2025, but BMC later told BikeRadar it had no plans to release a 32in bike. James' 32in Canyon Grizl (left) next to the standard Grizl. Canyon So it seems that while big mainstream brands are still treating 32in wheels as an experiment, its only smaller bespoke companies that are committing to the size.That doesnt mean we wont see the likes of Canyon, Scott or BMC eventually release a 32in-wheel bike.Schwalbe said in January that it is fully convinced by the wheel size and that it would release 32in tyres next year (its prototype 32in G-One RX tyres are fitted to James' new Grizl).Meridas Stephan Seitz told us in March that the company is developing gravel bikes and cross-country mountain bikes with the wheel size. He also added we can expect to see 32in wheels become the performance standard by the spring of next year.In the meantime, its LeBron James who is reaping the benefits of Canyons experimentation and hes probably the ideal candidate, because the general consensus is the wheel size will be ideal for taller riders.James says: On most bikes I've ridden, I was aware of the bike, where it didn't fit me, what I was working around.This is the first one that I didn't have to think about. That's what I love most about riding. It's just you out there and everything else is gone.0 Comments 0 Shares 155 Views
- WWW.BIKERADAR.COM"Already a winner" Duke's first 32in wheelsets promise big-wheel rollover without the weightFrench wheel brand Duke has released two new carbon 32in wheelsets: the XC-focused Lucky Jack SLS5 32in and gravel-oriented Sierra 42 32in.Duke says the cross-country model is "already a winner after a prototype version tasted victory under Felix Stehli on a stage of the Cape Epic earlier this year.The brand says both wheelsets have been designed from scratch for the bigger size, rather than simply scaling up Duke's existing 29in and 700c rims.Duke says it has done this because a bigger wheel behaves differently on the trail or road, with more leverage acting on the rim, more inertia and different spoke angles.Complete Lucky Jack SLS5 32in wheelsets start at 1,559 for a DT Swiss 370 CL SP hub and top out with Chris King-equipped hubs priced at 2,489. You can buy the rim for 607.The Sierra 42 32in complete wheelsets start at 1,659 with a Baron CL SP hub and rise, with Chris King R45 CL hubs, to 2,599. The rim is also available for 649.Lucky Jack SLS5 32in Duke shows off the wheels alongside Fox's 32in prototype fork. DUKE The Lucky Jack SLS5 is Duke's cross-country wheel. Beyond Stehli's Cape Epic result, Singer KTM Racing is also lined up to race it at the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup.The wheel has been around in different size variants for a little while, but the brand says the 32in version was designed from the ground up.Duke says the rim is made using its SLS5 manufacturing process, which it claims makes it 10% lighter than the previous generation, with better vertical compliance, more resistance to impacts and improved vibration damping.The rim is hookless, with moulded spoke holes and a varnish-free finish. The rims come in three variants. DUKE Duke lists three available rim variants, with two featuring a 31mm internal width, 4mm of offset and a 28h spoke pattern, weighing 360g and 400g.The other has a 29mm internal rim width and weighs in at 410g, while featuring the brands AntiPinch rim edge, which is said to minimise the risk of punctures.Duke recommends pairing a lighter front rim with the 410g rear.In its lightest build, with Duke's own hubs and Sapim spokes, Duke quotes a full wheelset weight of 1,233g, with a stated tolerance of +/- 30g.The brand recommends a 2.2 to 2.4in tyre width, which is up to date with modern XC expectations.Sierra 42 32in As the name suggests, the Sierra 42 32in wheels are 42mm deep. DUKE The Sierra 42 is Duke's gravel wheel, positioned as an update to the existing Sierra 42 with the added rollover of a bigger wheel.It's built from Toray T1100 carbon fibre using Duke's SLR5 process, which the brand says cuts weight by up to 23% compared to the older version.Unlike the XC rim, it uses a hooked profile, aimed at road and gravel tyre pressures.The rim is 42mm deep and weighs a claimed 390g, with a 28mm internal width.Duke quotes a starting weight of 1,270g for complete pairs, and recommends tyre widths of 40mm to 2.2in.Further gravel rim options are said to be in development, although Duke hasn't given a timeline.0 Comments 0 Shares 140 Views
- ROAD.CC“Every part we made for him taught us something we’ll use again”: Canyon unveils custom Grizl gravel bike with 32″ wheels specially made for basketball legend LeBron JamesTeased by the man himself yesterday (all 6"9 of him), this custom creation presented an engineering challenge like no other according to the German brand0 Comments 0 Shares 96 Views
- WWW.CYCLINGWEEKLY.COMJacob Omrzel takes solo mountain win on Vuelta a Espaa stage 12Twenty-year-old Slovenian Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) crowned his first season in the WorldTour with an impressive solo victory in the mountains of stage 12 in the Vuelta a Espaa.He attacked with more than 11 kilometres of the final climb remaining and held off the remains of the day's breakaway all the way to the finish to win by nearly two minutes. It was his first pro-level victory.As expected, the GC battle ignited behind him on the slopes to Calar Alto, with Enric Mas (Movistar) putting time into his rivals for the overall with an unanswerable attack.More to follow...0 Comments 0 Shares 76 Views
- ROAD.CCMotorists accuse council of ignoring road safety in its cycling propaganda for posting photo of cyclist not wearing a helmetDo you wear a helmet in your car? Its safer0 Comments 0 Shares 69 Views
- WWW.CYCLINGWEEKLY.COM'Big wheels, big tyres, let's roll!' Canyon builds LeBron James a custom 32-inch gravel bikeEarlier this week, LeBron James teased his newest Canyon bike on social media, and eagle-eyed observers were quick to note how proportional the 6-ft 9-in, 250-lb basketball star looked on it. That could mean only one thing: 32-inch wheels.And indeed, Canyon Bicycles has now confirmed that it has made a custom Grizl for James, pairing a custom 3XL frame with 32-inch DT Swiss wheels. It is Canyons first gravel bike built around the emerging wheel size, and James could hardly be better suited to testing it."Big wheels, big tyres, lets roll!" James said as he set out for a group ride on the new steed. "On most bikes Ive ridden, I was aware of the bike, where it didnt fit me, what I was working around. This is the first one that I didnt have to think about. Thats what I love most about riding. Its just you out there and everything else is gone."Despite its experimental construction, Canyon stated that the Grizl is "neither a prototype nor a display model." Instead, Canyon calls it a custom bike "engineered from the ground up for a 69 athlete whose size very few production frames are designed to accommodate."Canyons engineers eagerly welcomed the opportunity to design something specifically for the NBA star."It was the perfect excuse to explore the use of 32-inch wheels on an adventure bike, said Grizl Design Engineer Matej Smen. An Extra Extra Extra Large Grizl (Image credit: Canyon Bicycles)The bike is based on Canyons Grizl adventure platform, which James selected after what the company described as extensive deliberation, some "late night scrolling," and real-world testing."Gravel doesnt have to be Unbound. You dont need a 200-mile race to enjoy a gravel ride," said Riley, referencing the bikes versatility."Still, at the end of the day, the Grizl is a high-performance machine that perfectly supports where and how LeBron actually rides."Creating a performance gravel bike for an athlete of James proportions presented Canyons engineers with an unusual set of demands. Rather than stretching an existing Grizl frame, which tops out at size 2XL, the company developed new geometry and redesigned its carbon construction.Simply extending the tubes would have introduced too much flex, Smen explained. Canyon instead worked with specialist manufacturing partners in southern Germany, giving its engineers access to manufacturing methods that had not previously been available to them."This was an opportunity to make something genuinely cutting edge, and it took a full engineering team to do it," said Wolfgang Kohl, Canyons Lead Engineer, Gravel.The frameset was manufactured using a high-pressure autoclave, with the main triangle and rear stays moulded as a single structure without bonded sections."The parts came out so pristine that they required zero putty, zero grinding and no cosmetic paint," Smen said.That construction is reflected in the bikes finish. Raw carbon remains visible along the top tube and through the Canyon logo on the downtube.Canyon also manufactured custom CNC-machined Boost thru-axles and an in-house CNC-machined seat clamp, configured specifically to handle James power. For functionality, the bike features custom mounts throughout the bike, including the fork, to provide carrying capacity for equipment or additional hydration. At hand off, the bike was built up with a small front rack, just big enough to carry a basketball. A test of the 32-inch platform (Image credit: Canyon Bicycles)James new bike arrives as 32-inch wheels become one of the cycling industrys most discussed developments. Built around a 686mm rim diameter, the format has appeared on a growing collection of gravel and mountain bikes. Scott showcased its 32-inch RC Gravel prototype at Unbound Gravel, while Salsa, Stinner, BTCHN and Mosaic have also released gravel bikes around the larger platform this season.Component manufacturers are beginning to respond with dedicated tyres, wheels and inner tubes. James bike adds another significant piece to that emerging ecosystem, with Schwalbes yet-to-be-released 32" G-One RX gravel tyres wrapped around DT Swiss wheels.Proponents of the larger diameter point to its speed and ability to roll more easily over rocks, ruts and washboard surfaces. While the trade-offs include additional weight and rotational mass, as well as significant geometry challenges.For an exceptionally tall rider such as James, the biggest gain may be proportionality. Very tall cyclists can find themselves squeezed onto the largest conventional frame available, even when its wheelbase and front centre remain too short to distribute their weight optimally. Designing a custom frame around 32-inch wheels allows those dimensions to grow with the rider, potentially producing a bike that looks, fits and handles more naturally.James Grizl has a massive 680mm stack, 470mm reach and 1,201mm wheelbase, with 476mm chainstays - dimension you rarely see in mass produced bikes. Canyon says it's using the one-off build to evaluate new construction processes intended to shorten development timelines for future projects and refine the way it develops bikes for professional athletes and the wider public."We have a true Canyon innovation story," Smen added. "We have Canyons first 32-inch gravel bike. We have awesome features, we have a killer aesthetic, and we have a rider who has the right bike for the riding he does."Canyon was quick to note, however, that James bike is a one-of-one and not available for sale.James has been involved with Canyon since 2022 and is a minority shareholder in the German company. In 2024, the two launched "Find Your Freedom," a cycling advocacy campaign intended to encourage more people to ride. Canyon also began providing bicycles to the LeBron James Family Foundations I PROMISE Program in Akron, Ohio.The partnership builds on James lifelong connection to bicycles. Growing up in Akron, he rode to basketball practice, visited friends and explored the city on two wheels. LeBron James 3XL Grizl (Image credit: Canyon Bicycles)Drivetrain: SRAM Red AXS XPLR, 38T chainring, 10-46T cassetteWheels: DT Swiss XR1700 32Tyres: Schwalbe G-ONE RXHandlebar: Canyon Gravel Cockpit CP0039, 16 deg. flareFrame size: 3XLGeometry:Seat tube length: 625 mmTop tube length: 642 mmStack height: 680 mmReach: 470 mmHead tube length: 194 mmChain stay length: 476 mmWheelbase: 1201 mmHead tube angle: 71.2 deg.0 Comments 0 Shares 49 Views
More Stories