Spain is entering the World Championships men's elite road race with a team of outsiders, but realistically where everyone has a chance of playing a role. It's a strong collective that can put pressure on the main favourites and Juan Ayuso hopes to be part of this plan."We have talked a little bit...

Mondrakers new SLY electric mountain bike takes many of its design cues from the carbon-framed NEAT, sharing everything from the suspension kinematics and amount of travel through to the geometry.But there are significant differences. For a start, the SLY uses a more affordable alloy frame, making it the first of Mondrakers lighter-weight electric mountain bikes to do so.Mondraker has also added an extra size (ML) into the mix, compared to its carbon counterpart and unlike the NEAT, which uses the TQ HPR50 motor, the SLY is powered by the BOSCH SX power unit.The SLY is available in two build options, with prices starting at 5,299 / $5,599.Five things you need to know about the new Mondraker SLYStealth alloy frame, 29in wheels and 150mm of rear-wheel travelFive sizes: small, medium, medium/large, large and extra-largePowered by Bosch SX motor, which delivers 55Nm of torque and 600W of peak power, with a 400Wh battery (plus optional 250Wh range extender)Claimed weight for both build options is sub-21kgSLY R will set you back 5,299 / $5,599, while the SLY RR costs 6,199 / $6,599NEAT DNA but with an alloy frameThe SLY is Mondraker's third lighter-weight eMTB, joining the DUNE and NEAT. - MondrakerMondrakers new SLY frame has a lot in common with the mid-travel, mid-power NEAT, although the frame is constructed from the brand's Stealth Evo alloy, rather than carbon, which helps to make the SLY significantly cheaper.The SLY uses 29in wheels at the front and rear, and pumps out 150mm of rear-wheel travel, controlled by Mondraker's ZERO Suspension System. As on the NEAT, the shock is anchored to the upper of the two co-rotating links and rear triangle.A neatly integrated shock guard adds a little protection where its needed most. - MondrakerThe rear suspension is paired with a 160mm-travel fork up-front.There are mounts for two bottle cages (you might want one of these to house the optional range extender), clearance through the rear end for a 29x2.6in tyre, head tube rather than headset-routed cabling, loads of rubberised frame protection and an integrated mudguard to better protect the shock.Plenty of powerMondraker employs its ZERO Suspension System to deliver the SLY's 150mm of rear-wheel travel. - MondrakerPowering the new SLY is Boschs Performance Line SX motor, as used in the Whyte ELyte 150 Works that won our 2024 lightweight eMTB Bike of the Year title.This can produce 55Nm of torque and peak power of up to 600W.Mondraker has paired this with an integrated Bosch 400Wh Compact PowerTube battery, which it claims will get you around 1,500m of vertical ascent on a single charge.If you want more, theres a 250Wh PowerMore range extender thatll fit into a bottle cage and boost your time on the trail by 60 per cent.Size does matterThe SLY comes in five sizes. - MondrakerBuilt around Mondrakers Forward Geometry, the SLY comes in five sizes (one more than the NEAT), ranging from small to extra-large. The added bonus here is the medium/large, which should help cover a wider range of rider heights.The medium frame has a reach of 460mm, seat tube length of 410mm, 633mm stack height and a 455mm effective chainstay, which remains constant across all sizes perhaps not ideal for riders on the smaller bikes.Fear not, while the cables are internally routed, they don't thread down through the headset. - MondrakerThe head angle sits at a claimed 64.5 degrees in a bid to keep the SLY nice and stable at speed, while the effective seat tube angle is 77 degrees, helping you stay perched quite upright with your weight centralised for comfortable climbing.At 350mm, the bottom bracket should ensure theres a decent amount of crank clearance when tackling chunky, technical climbs, helping you avoid nasty pedal strikes. SMM/LLXL Seat tube angle actual (degrees)7474747474 Seat tube angle eff (degrees)7777777777 Head tube angle (degrees)64.564.564.564.564.5 Chainstay (mm)455455455455455 Seat tube (mm)380410435460490 Top tube (mm)595615635660685 Head tube (mm)120140150150150 Fork offset (mm)4444444444 Bottom bracket drop (mm)2222222222 Bottom bracket height (mm)350350350350350 Wheelbase (mm)12251250126512901315 Reach (mm)440460480500520 Edit Table Mondraker SLY range overviewMondraker's in-house component brand, OnOff, supplies a host of parts, including this adjustable-travel dropper seatpost. - MondrakerMondraker only currently offers the SLY in two builds: the R and the RR.Both builds feature a multitude of components from Mondrakers in-house brand, OnOff, including the dropper post. This has 25mm of travel adjustability, helping you tailor the fit more precisely to your needs. For example, the medium frames post travel can be altered between 135 and 160mm.The bikes also feature identical Maxxis tyres a Minion DHF up-front and a Minion DHR II at the rear, both of which come in the EXO+ casing.Other components come from the likes of Fox, Mavic and SRAM.Mondraker says even the cheapest SLY R build will weigh in under 21kg.Mondraker SLY RThere are two builds available, with the SLY R being the cheapest. It comes with RockShox suspension, SRAM DB8 brakes and Mavic wheels. - MondrakerFrame: Stealth Evo alloy, 150mm travelShock: RockShox Deluxe Select+Fork: RockShox Psylo Gold RC, 160mm travelDrivetrain: e*thirteen Helix Core E*Spec Plus cranks, SRAM S1000 Eagle AXS T-Type gearingMotor: Bosch Performance Line SXBattery: Bosch Compact PowerTube 400WhWheels: Mavic E-CrossRide 29Brakes: SRAM DB8Price: 5,299 / $5,599Mondraker SLY RRThe SLY RR is the priciest of the two builds and is equipped with Fox Performance suspension, Mavic wheels and SRAM's GX Eagle AXS Transmission gearing. - MondrakerFrame: Stealth Evo alloy, 150mm travelShock: Fox Float X PerformanceFork: Fox 36 Performance GRIP, 160mm travelDrivetrain: e*thirteen Helix Core E*Spec Plus cranks, SRAM GX Eagle AXS T-TypeMotor: Bosch Performance Line SXBattery: Bosch Compact PowerTube 400WhWheels: Mavic E-CrossTrail SL 29Brakes: SRAM Code Bronze StealthPrice: 6,199 / $6,599

Denmark is heading to the World Championships with less chances than last year. Magnus Cort Nielsen doesn't arrive with good form, whilst Mads Pedersen will take on the race as a domestique in a climber-suited course, thinking of Mattias Skjelmose's chances.Pedersen, who admitted that he would pref...

Comment & Analysis: Sure, there is a clear element of people out there who are that bit more enraged because its a bike shed, but a TheJournal.ie article yesterday arguing that the bike shed controversy shows us we dont condone investment in sustainable transport is just a leap too far.The writer of the TheJournal.ie article, Simon Tierney, a journalist, is right about that general point that all things are not even when it comes to outrage.Before I go any further, I should say that Im well aware that this article might be disliked even more than Tierneys article. Im probably going to lose anybody who has already agreed with him, and Ill also lose anybody who thinks theres no way a bike shelter could cost anything more than a few grand at most.Yes, there is a huge problem with a large percentage of people being far too accepting of the cost of car infrastructure and being overly concerned about sustainable transport. Spending on anything from a pedestrian crossing to a railway line is questioned far more than a car park or a road.Its also not just financial cost. Environmental and other external costs are often dismissed when it comes to car infrastructure and any environmental downsides of sustainable transport infrastructure are usually amplified.With cycling infrastructure, there are especially issues when full street redesigns are classed as just bike lanes, and many people show their true colours when they wont listen to facts.The most infamous example is the Clontarf to City Centre Cycle and Bus Project. For many, theres no point explaining that the price tag includes full footpath replacement, new crossings, improved public spaces, bus stop upgrades, strengthening and replacement of the carriageway (which is 4-7 traffic lanes wide), water main replacement, new greenery, and more.But even accounting for the response from the anti-cycling elements and a chunk of people who are cycling sceptic, the 336,000 bicycle shelter is still a scandal because its an outrageous price for what it is.And we need to stop calling it a shed. Its a shelter that cannot even keep the bikes dry.One source told IrishCycle that he counted 17 stands, not the 18 that the OPW mentions and which has been often repeated. Looking at the many photographs of the bike stands, it seems like this is the case. Each stand can be used to lock two bicycles, so, the capacity is double the number of stands.In any case, 3 of the bicycle stands arent even under the shelter that means the total capacity of 34 (or 36) bicycles includes 6 bicycles outside of even the ineffective shelter.Given theres been so much focus on the shelter, we have seen mainly wide-camera views of it. Its not just the number of stands that is unclear from the photos. In terms of materials and workmanship, most of the photos dont do the bicycle shelter justice. From the close-up photos Ive seen, it looks like high-class work and bespoke materials.But even with fancy granite (which extends beyond the shelter) and shiny bollards (with fancy down lighting), there are few people who would think it is value for money at a third of the 336,000 price tag.This is where it gets difficult to talk about costs. People are quick to do a quick Google and find off-the-shelf costs of shelters without talking about the costs of planning around a protected structure, labour, groundworks, drainage, expensive granite slabs, bollards, electric works (including lighting and ebike charging points), repaving part of the car park or taking any other factors into account.But the bespoke structure and surrounds should have cost closer to half the cost around 150,000 with all of the work involved.In some cases, people looked at much smaller shelters, and companies used the whole thing as marketing opportunity. However, where such companies are selling shelters and even installing them, they are not doing the work around it to the level which was done around Leinster House. It is great PR, but not so great for giving the public a realistic idea of the cost.But then, if youre trying to look at comparable shelters reasonably, its also worth keeping in mind that parliamentary staff and politicians have said that the shelter doesnt even keep the rain off the bicycles. So, while the shelter is bespoke, theres a huge question about its effectiveness alone.Then theres also the wider question of why granite paving was used when it is an isolated section of the surface surrounded by a sea of asphalt used for car parking. Many people say a black top surface isnt suitable for outside our parliament buildings, but a patchwork of projects may look worse.Of course, the location (outside the Dail) is going to grab more national media attention than a car park in a town down the country. Especially just before the new political season kicked off. Tierney isnt being realistic by claiming otherwise.As said, theres also no doubt that more than a few eejits out there were extra animated because it was a bike shed. Just as theres no doubt that theres a cohort of people who will not accept the cost of things today (those people are always annoyed at public spending and doubly grieved when its something they dont like or arent interested in).But its a massive oversimplification to claim that the outrage is because people overall dont respect green infrastructure in the same way that we fetishise car parks.We dont need a bike shelter to find out that a significant percentage of people have a troubling reluctance to prioritise the sustainable transport infrastructure which we need.Its also just not true to claim that we rarely want such sustainable transport infrastructure survey after survey and even most public consultations show that a significant majority of people support such investment.Some of the media, lobbyists, and politicians focus on a vocal minority and often pretend that they are the majority when they are not.We collectively still have car brain. Or, if you want, we can call it the more academic-sounding motonormativity.The well-proven and repeatable effects of motonormativity include being more accepting of driving-related risks and being more accepting of storing our cars in public spaces over anything else. So, it doesnt take a leap to say it will include spending or wasting money on car infrastructure.Theres a huge amount of research which outlines that car-centric planning is not just environmentally unsustainable but also economically unsustainable. Or that more roads and traffic lanes can only solve congestion for a very short time in busy areas.But nothing changes that a bicycle shelter costing 336,000 should have cost something closer to 150,000 and most people think it should have cost less (even if they are wrong).Theres still no doubt it being a bike shelter helped aggravate some peoples annoyance but the security shed reaction shows its far from the main factor.The outrage relates to the above-mentioned highly inflated cost, that it was outside our parliament buildings (and seen as something for politicians), and that it was news (politicians getting free lifetime parking isnt new). And the story was likely helped by factors such as the timing just before the Dil got up and running again.

Lauf has taken its bike range to the next level with the release of the Elja, the brand's first mountain bike, designed to tackle the worlds of XCO and downcountry.Lauf believes the secret sauce for going fast is the humble single pivot. There are no fancy flex stays or complex linkage designs simply a true two-bar single pivot.This is contrary to much of the industry, where multi-link designs dominate, giving engineers more control over leverage ratios on shocks.Lauf joins a small crew of single-pivot, 2-bar devotees, most notably Orange and Starling. However, while both brands have built shorter travel bikes the Segment or Sub-5 of old or Mini Murmur respectively neither has delved into the world of carbon XC-race-ready rigs.The Elja's other sprinkling of magic is in the tyres. Should you wish, you can squeeze 3-inch rubber into the rear triangle. Stock bikes roll on 2.6in tyres.However, getting broad rubber for an XC bike is tough. So Lauf, being Lauf, had some custom-made.Elja means something akin to having a gritty nature, much like the Seigla name of Lauf's gravel bike. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaAs youd expect from the brand that brought us the True Grit and Seigla gravel bikes, and the Uthald road bike as well as unique linkage forks for MTB and gravel the Elja is carbon, and introduces specific areas of flex to ensure tip-top performance.In keeping with current trends, theres 120mm of travel at the rear, with the XC builds coming with a 120mm RockShox SID fork and the downcountry builds with a 130mm RockShox Pike fork.Why is the Lauf Elja a single pivot?LSP Lauf Single Pivot. It's in the name. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaLaufs engineers spent a lot of time in the launch presentation talking about suspension linkage systems, their differences and their similarities.Every brand will have a different take, but Lauf believes most leverage curves on XC bikes, created by differing linkage systems, are pretty similar and dont offer a huge amount of progression.It also reckons the most important aspect of suspension performance comes down to the rear wheels centre of rotation the real, or effective, pivot point.With the development and tunability of shocks, the rest of the fine detailing of how the suspension feels can be done via the shocks damper and air spring.Lauf looked at the centre of rotation on a range of XC bikes and found that the bulk, whether single-pivot flex-stay, or multi-link designs, tended to average out just above and just in front of the chainring.As such, why not just make a single pivot, with a pivot roughly in that location, and work with RockShox to fine-tune the feel and give the required progression via the spring?Where is Laufs pivot located on the Elja?A chunky, asymmetric swingarm ensures stiffness where it's needed. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaLauf did, however, feel a slightly higher and further forward pivot location was preferable.This, it says, increases anti-squat the force that resists pedal bob, reduces brake jack the stiffening of suspension under braking and gives a slightly improved initial arc of the wheel under impact.The cost is slightly more chain growth, which theoretically can mean a little more feedback through the pedals on bigger hits.The challenges of single pivotsThere are no additional pivots on this single swingarm. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaOne of the main issues with a two-bar single pivot is increased wear on the shock. The rear swingarm flexes and puts lateral forces through the shock, leading to damage to the shocks shaft.Lauf is well known for flex whether its the glass-fibre struts in its Grit gravel fork, or the thinned top tube on the Seigla gravel bike, which adds compliance. The Elja hast dodged the engineers love for a bit of bend.The shock is driven by two slim arms emerging from the swingarm that flex, giving the SIDLuxe shock, held in by titanium hardwear, protection from the lateral forces that might otherwise cause premature wear.The rear end pivots around a SRAM DUB bottom bracket. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaThe lower portion of the swingarm, from the pivot to the bridge between the two asymmetrically built halves of the swingarm in front of the wheel, is built super-stiff. It pivots around a SRAM DUB bottom bracket, this being the ideal solution to a large-diameter, wide-braced pivot (its also handily cheap and easy to replace).The design location of the pivot, sturdy bracing-box swingarm and flexible shock flex-arms is called LSP (Lauf Single Pivot).Final touchesIt's pretty snug for a pair of bottles, but they will fit. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaThe frames main story is clearly the suspension layout, however there are a few interesting touches along the way.The frame is built from a standard-modulus carbon fibre. Lauf said a higher-modulus carbon could have resulted in a lighter bike. However, the frame is already within a claimed 100g of competitor frames, and higher-modulus carbon is less impact-resistant something Lauf didnt want to compromise on.Lauf gives a claimed frame weight of 1,960g for a Medium, of which around 130g is paint.Theres a pair of bottle cages within the frame, although the compact nature of the available space means side-entry and small or Fidlock bottles are required.Theres a third pair of bosses under the down tube, too.Only the brake hose is fed through the frame, in fully guided tubes. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaThe rear brake hose is fully routed, from the side of the head tube all the way to its exit point on the swingarm no headset cable routing here.Next to the hose entry is a spare hole, should you wish to run a cable dropper, however every model on sale comes with a RockShox Reverb AXS post a wireless dropper. As such, there are no internal cable guides, although you could run a loose cable if required.Theres also no provision for a rear-shock lockout.Most models have RockShox Flight Attendant shocks fitted, while those on more entry-level models will have to reach for a two-position lockout lever on the shock.The Elja will be wireless only. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaIn another nod to fuss-free living, the bike is wireless-drivetrain only.Finally, Lauf specs FSA-built damped headset Honey bearings top and bottom. My experience of these on my gravel bike is that they help calm steering a touch, filter out twisting chatter through the bar, and help slow the bar from flopping from side to side during maintenance.Fatter is fasterIf nobody makes a suitable tyre, get one made! - Tom Marvin / OurMediaWhen Lauf launched the True Grit gravel bike, the 45c tyre clearance was seen as extreme.When the brand unveiled the Seigla, the thought of running 2in mountain bike tyres was deemed even more out there.The Elja is an XC race bike, specced with 2.6in tyres. It will easily fit 2.8in tyres and has space for 3in rubber.Lauf firmly believes wider tyres are faster.There arent many XC-race ready tyres available at 2.6in, so Lauf went to Goodyear, which has opened a 2.6in mould of its Peak XC tyre.There's plenty of clearance in the fork for wide rubber. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaWhile thin tyres feel fast, thanks to increased vibration and sketchy handling, Lauf claims that in reality the additional grip and supple sidewalls offered by wide tyres at low pressures makes them faster.This seems to hold true (at least to some extent), given the road WorldTours shift to wider rubber, and pretty much all of the best gravel bikes coming with 45-50c+ tyre clearances, even on their race bikes in 2024.How this will translate to MTBs is yet to be seen.Lauf Elja geometryThe Lauf Elja has 120mm of travel at the rear, with 120 or 130mm forks plugged in up-front. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaWhile Lauf has pushed the boundary in geometry terms with the Seigla and Uthald, the Elja is modern without being extreme.There will be XC and trail (or downcountry) versions of the bike, with 120mm or 130mm forks, so the geometry will differ slightly depending on fork travel.The 130mm-fork bike will have a slightly slacker head and seat angle, higher bottom bracket and slightly reduced reach, because both versions of the bike share the same frame.Below is a geometry chart for an Elja with a 120mm RockShox SID fork and 2.6in Goodyear tyres.Four sizes are on offer, for rider heights from 156cm to 200cm.Yep, tons of room in there. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaReach figures range from 420mm to 507mm, with the Large sitting at a lengthy 480mm. The 66-degree head angle is slack, but in line with most fresh XC bikes out there, while wheelbases range from 1,149mm to 1,249mm.Seat angles range from 77.5 degrees in the Small through to 75.7 degrees for the X-Large seat angles usually steepen with larger-sized bikes.Chainstay lengths are consistent across the sizes at 435mm. SMLXL Seat tube angle (degrees)77.576.876.275.7 Head tube angle (degrees)66666666 Chainstay (mm)435435435435 Seat tube (mm)406443453463 Head tube (mm)95106117127 Bottom bracket drop (mm)40404040 Wheelbase (mm)1149118312181249 Standover (mm)724747756765 Stack (mm)595605615625 Reach (mm)420450480507 Edit Table Lauf Elja range detailsThe shock sits low in the frame. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaThe Elja will be available with either a 120mm RockShox SID fork (Elja Race) or a 130mm Rockshox Pike fork (Elja Trail).Lauf Elja RaceThe Race variant has two build kits (Race Flight Attendant, Ultimate Flight Attendant), both of which feature RockShox Flight Attendant suspension technology.Via sensors on the fork and shock, as well as a power meter, and connection to the AXS Transmission gears, the suspension units low-speed compression settings (Open, Pedal, Firm) are automatically selected, depending on the terrain and the level of effort youre putting in.Power meters are required for RockShox Flight Attendant to work and are increasingly popular in XC. - Tom Marvin / OurMediaTheres plenty of information on how the system works here.Lauf Elja XC Race Flight AttendantThis model comes with Ultimate-level Flight Attendant suspension, along with SRAMs XO AXS Transmission and Level Bronze brakes. Theres a single-sided power meter in the cranks.Zipps 1Zero HiTop S carbon wheels are paired with 120 TPI Goodyear Peak 2.6in tyres.FSA, Fizik and Lauf finishing kit completes the built.$6,990Lauf Elja Ultimate Flight AttendantThis top-spec bike sees the same Ultimate suspension, but XX SL AXS Transmission from SRAM, with a dual-sided power meter and Level Ultimate brakes.The same wheels, tyres and finishing kit are also there, but we see upgraded HS2 brake rotors, from SRAM, for extra stopping power.$8,290Lauf Elja TrailThe Trail version has four builds (Weekend Warrior, Race, Race Flight Attendant and Ultimate Flight Attendant).As youd expect, the two Flight Attendant builds are at the upper end of the price range.The two non-Flight Attendant models will get a two-position SIDLuxe Select+ shock with a manual lock-out.Lauf Elja Trail Weekend Warrior TransmissionThis entry-level Elja should see you right on the trails.Theres a Select+ SIDLuxe shock and a Pike Select fork, while SRAM also supplies a GX AXS Transmission and two-piston Level T brakes.DT Swiss M1900 wheels hold the 2.6in Goodyear tyres, while FSA, Lauf and Fizik provide the build kit. You also get a RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post.$4,590Lauf Elja Trail RaceThe next model up gets you Select+ suspension at both ends, along with an XO AXS Transmission and punchier four-piston Level brakes.Theres a power meter here, too, which seems like a nice addition to the package for riders looking to improve their performance, as well as the carbon Zipp wheels we saw on the XC bikes.$5,890Lauf Elja Race Flight AttendantThe Race Flight Attendant build is similar to the XC version, but with the 130mm Pike Ultimate instead of the SID.A SRAM XO AXS Transmission and Level Bronze brakes provide the stop-and-go.$6,990Lauf Elja Ultimate Flight AttendantThe top-end trail bike sees Ultimate suspension front and rear, and the fanciest drivetrain the XX SL.The dual-sided power meter is a step up from the Race Flight Attendant for even more accurate data.$8,290Lauf goes the extra mileOn top of this, Lauf is offering an Ultimate Rift Experience build kit.On top of getting an Ultimate-level bike (Race or Trail), you also get two entries, plus a rolled-out-red-carpet package for you and a friend, to Lauf's new five-day MTB stage race, set for August 2025.This includes three to nine hours of racing per day, seven nights' hotel accommodation, transfers, breakfast and dinner.$12,790 (XC or Trail bike)

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