absoluteBLACKs unique, single-sided HOLLOWcage oversize derailleur pulley system is arguably the most unique such upgrade on the market, and now theyve made it a bit more normal looking by switching to a standard carbon fiber injection molding process for the mono plate.Its a new type of carbon (for them) with a glossier finish that makes it look more like carbon fiber. They say its the same material and process used on the SRAM RED AXS derailleurs stock cages, just with a different (and dimpled) shape.One of the benefits of this mono-plate design is that it can bend slightly, helping keep the lower jockey wheel pulley aimed more directly at the chainring, reducing lateral loading on the bearings.Admittedly, the original looked a little like plastic, so this should help visually justify the 399 price.They also now offer the lower lock-ring in colors besides the originals flashy Rainbow/Oil Slick. Keep it a bit more subtle with black, titanium (color), gold, or red.If youve never seen aBs OSPW before, there are quite a few things that make it uniqueRather than a standard two-piece cage that sandwiches pulleys between them, the HOLLOWcage uses a single mono plate with a massively oversized lower pulley that spins the toothed jockey wheel around a large diameter ring.They use a full ceramic design, with bearing races made out of 100% Zirconia Oxide ceramic, and balls are made of Silicon Nitride ceramic. They verify the material composition using X-ray diffraction by Lucideon Ltd, a specialist in ceramics and materials science.The upper guide pulley uses a special rubber ring around it to soften the chains contact with it, which they say reduces chain noise by ~5db, or about 40% over a standard Shimano Dura-Ace derailleur.MSRP is $419 / 399, available for Shimano Dura-Ace 9250 only at launch. Original owners of the HOLLOWcage V1 can get a discounted upgrade. Ive been riding the original for a couple of years and its been great, and it is indeed noticeably quieter than stock cages.GRAPHENlube wax chainlube updatesIf youve wanted to try their graphene-infused wax chain lube but been turned off by the price, theyve just added a smaller 50ml bottle for $43.90 (39.90). They still offer a tiny 14ml sample size, but the 50ml bottle lets you immerse the chain if you want, or get quite a few drip applications out of itenough for thousands of kilometers of riding.Theyve also recently updated the formula to last longer in wet conditions, claiming dramatically longer-lasting performance than their competition:Heres how they tested, in their words:All chains were prepared with single lube application according to manufacturer instructions. Friction test at 250W resistance, 100rpm cadence, 40km/h speed, 25deg C and 25% humidity. The test continued until the chain reached 8W losses. Chains and testing machine had a 5km warmup/break-in period. First 50km on the graph were recorded in DRY conditions. Without stopping the machine after the 50km mark chains were continuously sprayed with liquid to simulate wet road conditions. The liquid contains water, trace amounts of diesel oil and small amounts of micronized alumina powder to simulate the contaminants which get onto the chain when riding in the rain.Ive been using their original formula for several years and really like this one, too. If you have the means, its worth a try.absoluteBLACK.ccThe post absoluteBLACK updates HOLLOWcage OSPW & GRAPHENlube for more speed appeared first on Bikerumor.

WithTour of Britain as a quick warm-up in the legs, Julian Alaphilippe heads overseas for his next adventure. In Canada, he'll take on the two WorldTour classics which he's not completely unfamiliar with, having finished in the top-10 of both races in the past.It's always complicated to try to pred...

Reports in the European cycling media have suggested Jonas Vingegaard wants to ride Giro dItalia next season and has already informed his Visma-Lease a Bike team he would like to competed in the Italian Grand Tour. Both Gazzetta dello Sport, which is owned by Giro owners RCS, and Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws have reported []The post Reports Jonas Vingegaard wants to ride Giro dItalia next season appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

At the end of the day, Lotte Kopecky proves that she's not a picky eater as she chooses to compete in both the time trial (22/9) and the road race (28/9) at the world cycling championships in Zurich, Switzerland. In addition, the Belgian all-rounder will also take on the gravel world championships s...

The 2024 Vapor Trail 125 was held this past weekend with a record number of racers tackling the challenging 125-mile course that features over 15,000 feet of climbing. Find an incredible gallery of images and race report from Eddie Clark and Devon Balet here...The post 2024 Vapor Trail 125 Gallery and Report appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Jarno Widar had an exteremely impressive entrance to the world of U23 cycling, picking up handful of victories at one-day classics as well as stage races. Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction for a raid on the GC at Tour de l'Avenir. However Widar couldn't keep up in final stages an...

Despite being left out in the initial selection, Edward Theuns will join the Belgian selection for home European Championships on Wednesday, day before the mixed time trials where Theuns surprisingly makes an appearance as well, on top of the road race start."When the selection was announced, there...