It's a tech-packed edition of cycling tech products that we're testing right now, with full reviews coming soon

Groupama - FDJ are hunting for stage wins at the Vuelta a Espaa. After a disappointing Tour de France where they were not close to achieving their goals, the French team is looking to turn it's luck around in Spain on the many hilly and mountainous stages.David Gaudu, taking into consideration the...

US retailer Jenson is offering some big savings on mountain bikes and MTB accessories as the end of summer approaches. Jenson has cut the price of a selection of bikes, forks, wheels and dropper posts.Check out our top picks of Jenson's best deals for mountain bikers, with savings of up to 63 per cent on offer.GT Force 29 Comp $3,500 $1,799.94 (save 49%)The 2020 GT Force Expert, which we rated 3.5 stars out of 5, has a race-built pedigree in a well-priced package with solid kit.The GT Force Comp features mid-range RockShox suspension, a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes. It offers a solid, reliable option for those seeking a capable enduro bike at a more accessible price point now at a 49 per cent discount.Buy now from Jenson ($1,799.94)Norco Fluid FS 3 2023 $2,499 $1,699.94 (save 32%)We gave the Norco Fluid FS 3 3 stars in our review, for its solid and confident performance once up to speed, although it's not the fastest to accelerate.It features a SRAM Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, X-Fusion rear shock and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. You can now save 32 per cent with Jenson.Buy now from Jenson ($1,699.94)Santa Cruz Jackal 4.1 frame $1,200 $464 (save 61%)The Santa Cruz Jackal 4.1 is a dirt-jump, pump-track and urban-assault bike frame, designed to withstand heavy use. It's now available with 61 per cent off. Designed for 26in wheels, this aluminium frame is compatible with 100-160mm forks and offers clearance for tyres up to 2.5in.Buy now from Jenson ($464)hlins RXF34 m.2 Air OTX fork 2022 $1,180 $499.99 (save 58%)We rated the hlins RXF34 m.2 Air OTX Fork 4 stars for its excellent performance and adjustability. It has 34mm stanchions for optimal balance and an OTX18 damper, and saves nearly 600g of weight compared to the RXF34.Its high price was the main drawback, but you can now get it at 58 per cent off with Jenson.Buy now from Jenson ($499.99)RockShox ZEB Ultimate Charger 3 RC2 27.5 fork MY23 $1,159 $579 (save 50%)We rated the RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork 4.5 stars for its exceptional control and adjustability.It's now on sale with 50 per cent off and boasts a 38mm chassis for precision, a Charger 3 damper for consistent performance and RockShox ButterCups to reduce trail chatter by 20 per cent.Buy now from Jenson ($579)OneUp Components Dropper Seatpost V2 $199.50 $159 (save 20%)OneUp's V2 dropper post delivers outstanding performance and versatility, offering up to 210mm of travel while maintaining a compact design, all for a competitive price.Now with 20 per cent off, its a top choice for riders seeking both value and high functionality.Buy now from Jenson ($159)SDG Tellis Dropper Seatpost $270 $99.99 (save 63%)SDG's Tellis dropper post offers an easy setup and reliable performance with a low stack height, making it ideal for those seeking straightforward installation.Now with 63 per cent off, its a good budget option despite its non-adjustable lever and limited access for adjustments.Buy now from Jenson ($99.99)Race Face T2 Tailgate Pad $219 $109.99 (save 50%)Race Face's T2 Tailgate Pad is designed to ensure secure transport for up to six bikes with its PVC construction and micro-brushed lining. Now with 50 per cent off, it features an adjustable camera panel, raised bumpers and extra straps to keep your bikes protected and in place on rugged journeys.Buy now from Jenson ($109.99)

"I finally felt myself again, and I'm really happy the solution came in time," says the first yellow jersey wearer of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes

Movistar has dropped a fantastic '8' for the Vuelta a Espaa where they will try to take the overall classification victory. Enric Mas is looking to capitalize on a mountainous route in the team's home Grand Tour and alongside him will be talented climbers such as Nairo Quintana and Einer Rubio.Mas...

From the 12th to 18th of August we have on the road the Tour de Pologne. If you are unable to watch any of the action, you can follow all the racing right here with our handy Live Blog!Stage 1 sees the race start off with a hilly stage where the general classification contenders (such as Jonas Vinge...

How do you secure your bikes when traveling in a vehicle? Personally Id rather not use a car/van at all but we are not all lucky enough to have fabulous riding right from our door. Even if you do have great singletrack on your doorstep you can get bored of it, especially in winter. So, youll need at some point to travel with your bike.Up until now Ive been bungy cording mine to the side of the van, which is ok but not ideal as the bike can slip and if you have more than one bike in there they can rub together. I was looking for a solution and came across Bikestow.com which looked interesting. I then checked their contact details and found they were situated only 20 minutes from my shed! I dropped them a line and they very graciously offered and trusted me to review a demo Original 3 bike rack.I popped over to their unit in Stourbridge and got a tour of the workshop (i have to comment how clean and well organised it looked) and chatted to one of the owners. They were about to leave for the Ardrock event in Yorkshire so after a quick demo on how to use the rack it was in the back of my van and I was home pcking for my own trip to Norfolk.The racks are made from exterior grade birch plywood so it ok if your tyres are wet when the bikes go in. All the shapes are CNC cut with a very high standard of finish. All smooth edges and straight lines (not like my attempts at jigsawing I can tell you!) and this was a demo unit so has been used and abused by lots of different riders and press. It folds out from absolutely flat to a triange design and clips into position using magnets, very easy to use. See the video below for a better understanding of how simple but effective this design is. The rack is then secured in the vehicle with two tie down straps using the anchor points bolted into the floor.you then undo the little knob on the aluminium slider, lift it up until you can slide your bike wheel in, slide the slider down over the tyre, tighted the knob and it doesnt need to be tight at all and thats it!When you get back from the trip, reverse the process, remove bike, unto tie straps, fold the bikestow rack completely flat and remove from vehicle and store in your shed/garage/under the bed until its needed again.Anyone who has driven in Norfolk will know that they dont seem to like main roads over there, either that or my sat-nav was on the blink. We seemed to spend the entire time driving down twisty narrow lanes with hair pin bends and stop-starting to give way to huge lorries nad tractors weighed down with hay bales. This gave the Bikestow rack a proper workout and id removed the bulkhead not long before so any rattles or noise was going to be easy to detect. I had two gravel bikes in the rack, toe to tail next to each other and didnt hear a peep out of either of them. I have to say I was very impressed.Ive also tried mountain bikes in the Bikestow rack and they work perfectly too, in fact the rack will take up to 2.6 29er tyres and the website does show a + option too which takes up to 5 tyres for the fat bike riders! I used the space between the rack sides to stow (see what I did there) a tack pump, shoes, helmets and a bag of kit too so no space was wasted.Products and ideas get overcomplicated and they work but with lots of setting up and fuss. No one wants to spend hours constructing a bike rack and having to find somewhere to store it between rides, we want maximum saddle time in our busy lives.The Bikestow Bike Rack is a simple idea that really works, easy to use, very secure and folds away for storage. It will maximise your saddle time and make your life simpler. Now Ive just got to decide if I want a two or Three bike version!check out my youtube review below to seethe Bikestow rack in action, oh and if you could subscribe to my youtube channel that would be awesome. It costs you nothing but helps me approach companies like bikestow to review kit for you to see and save you forking out hard earned cash for someting that might not suit you.

Originally launched on Kickstarter in 2021, the Tunitas Creative Motion Strap offers a convenient and stable way to carry a camera on the bike. Maker Jessica Chan has them back in stock in a handful of colors now. Learn more here...The post Have You Seen the Tunitas Creative Motion Strap? appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

CyclistMeet the maker: Javier Valiente of Amapola CyclesVariety, they say, is the spice of life. The world would be a boring place if we were all exactly alike, and if no two people are identical then why should any two bicycles be?Its this line of thinking that inspires Javier Valiente of Amapola Cycles to create his fully custom high-end steel bikes. Together with his partner Elena, he has spent the past six years creating stunning, one-of-a-kind machines for his customers and building a respected brand in the process. Related Posts Meet the maker: Alex de Kraker of St Joris Cycles Meet the maker: Dominik Dominiak of Project D Meet the maker: Driss Boucif of Boucif Custom Bikes Created in Spain (Madrid to be precise), Amapola takes its name from the Spanish word for the poppy flower. Every spring, millions of them sprout across the Spanish countryside, and Valiente says they represent the resilience, refinement and brightness he wants his bikes to embody.Despite strong ties to Spain, the couple moved to the Netherlands in 2020 to give them greater international reach. Since then, Amapola has sold bikes in seven countries across Europe and North America.Blending old and newAmapolas Javier Valiente designs a wide array of bikes, but his most popular are high-end steel race bikes such as this stunning examplePatrik Lundin / CyclistBicycles have always been present in my life, says Valiente. Since I was a child I have been repairing and customising bikes myself. I used to ride BMX and mountain bikes, which allowed me to explore all kinds of terrain. Back then, the most important quality in bikes for me was that they were tough enough to withstand the use I gave them, which was quite extreme. I think this is partly why nowadays I choose to make steel bicycles with a strong focus on durability.Valiente is fascinated with finding ways to merge new technology with traditional bike-building techniques. The goal is to create bikes with soul, that are built to last while still being competitive with the latest crop of carbon fibre speed machines.There is an old myth that steel bikes are heavy, says Valiente. But with todays technology a top-of-the-range steel bicycle can have a similar weight to a carbon one.Patrik Lundin / CyclistValiente has built all sorts of bicycles. He has designed and made a cargo bike, a commuter, a hardtail enduro MTB and even a rather fancy kids balance bike. Still, the products Amapola sells the most of are high-end performance drop-bar bikes, and the one you see here is perhaps the most extreme example of this.Its a completely custom-built race machine modelled on elite competition geometry, with short chainstays for nimble handling and fully internally routed cables. Its also designed with lightness in mind, and the handpicked selection of high-performance steel tubing has enabled Valiente to get the weight down to around 8kg for the complete bike.Patrik Lundin / CyclistI wanted to make the frame unique, so I used tubes from three of the best manufacturers, says Valiente. The lower part is made of Dedacciai Zero 25th anniversary steel tubing, including a large-diameter bi-oval down tube and very nicely thought-out chainstays that balance aerodynamics and wheel clearance well.Another feature that makes this bike special is Valientes use of new old stock (NOS) tubes. He was lucky enough to rescue a collection of tubes from a retired framebuilder, including plenty of rare gems. Valiente likes to use these bits and bobs when working on a special project such as this one.Patrik Lundin / CyclistThe top tube is NOS Columbus Megatube Nivacrom EL [extra light] shaped and elegant, says Valiente. It is a tube from the 1990s that has the thicknesses of the latest-generation tubes. The seatstays are NOS Reynolds 531C, and in the bottom bracket Ive used the T47 threaded system that facilitates the integration of the cables. This selection results in a bicycle that is aerodynamic and stiff but at the same time has some flex in specific areas that makes it comfortable.Minimalist details come in the shape of a thin bridge integrated between the seatstays, which is a strip of steel rather than a tube, and the Paragon dropouts for the Syntace X-12 axle system.Keeping it cleanFrame aside, Valiente wanted to continue the clean lines achieved with the cable integration by choosing components that kept things neat and tidy. For this reason he opted to use the Deda Vinci bar and stem system combined with a Columbus integrated carbon fork to keep the cables hidden at the front of the bike.Meanwhile, pedalling, braking, shifting and rolling is taken care of by Shimano, with an Ultegra Di2 12-speed groupset and 60mm Ultegra carbon wheels to match.Finally, this bike couldnt have a simple paint design, says Valiente. I contacted a friend of mine in Barcelona with my ideas. Hes more of an artist than a painter and he used at least five different painting methods to bring my drafts to life.We love custom handmade bikes because of what it means to be part of the process and the joy every time we deliver a finished product to a customer, seeing that the end result is as beautiful as we imagined it to be.Amapola custom steel race bike, approx 7,000 (5,900) for full build, amapolacycles.com This article originally appeared in issue 155 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribeThe post Meet the maker: Javier Valiente of Amapola Cycles appeared first on Cyclist.

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe have announced their lineup for the Vuelta a Espaa. The German team will aim as high as possible, taking Primoz Roglic as their leader but also a very strong team of climbers and rouleurs to protect the Slovenian.We are also going into the third Grand Tour of the year...