I tried to make the ideal race steed for both ends of gravel cycling spectrum and got wonderfully lost in the details on the way there

Turn that neglected shed bike or skip find into a Zwift setup: with Zwift Cog, anything will work wont it?

Matej Mohoric is an extremely talented rider and bike handler; and because of the latter he is also a natural for gravel racing. He proved this by becoming World Champion last year in Veneto; but will have a much more difficult task this time around, specially coming from injury.Recently ahead of a...

Wout van Aert has finally got back on his bike for the first time since the Vuelta crash that ended his season exactly one month ago. Though the Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke no bones in that crash on stage 16th on September 3rd, Van Aert suffered very deep cuts, especially to his right knee. []The post Wout van Aert back on bike for first time since season-ending crash appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Riders of the 2024 Arkansas High Country Race will choose one of three loops, ranging from 250 miles to the main 1,000-mile route, and less than half of the starters will finish. Just in time for tomorrows grand depart, we gathered details on more than 40 riders and rigs that will be on the course. Dig into them all hereThe post Rigs of the 2024 Arkansas High Country Race appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

INEOS Grenadiers still have a contract with Tom Pidcock for several more seasons but it is quite noticeable that the relations are not as bright as in the past. Whilst he became Olympic MTB champion once again, on the road he has been far from the expectations and far from giving the value of his hu...

Any good at design and engineering? If so then here are some problems you might be able to help solve. There might even be a prize from a team or two if you can make it happen.Embed from Getty ImagesRace radiosLove them or loathe them, race radios are in use. But theyre literally a pain to wear, a hard block. They can make a crash worse if a rider lands on it too. So why not design a radio unit that fits inside a bike frame and with a charging port? All a rider needs is a bluetooth earpiece.One advantage would be the bike weight now includes the radio so some models that require ballast to meet the UCIs 6.8kg rule may no longer need this. A custom radio would be lighter as most devices used are marketed as rugged devices and come with features like displays and buttons that arent needed. Theres even the chance for a longer aerial to help improve the signal.One disadvantage is it would be harder to change during a race in case of a problem but if a rider drops back to the team car to change their radio well they can drop back for a bike change too.Sticky bottlesTalking of dropping back to the team car, once upon a time a rider would go back to fetch bottles. It still happens, but increasingly teams post staff on the race route to hand up food and drink. Only how many times have you seen a rider try to get a bottle from a soigneur only to drop it? In quieter moments of a race its a brief moment of excitement: catch or fumble?This matters because riders are taking on a lot of calories and so a missed bottle can mean dehydration and a missed fuelling. Teams with big resources can post staff all along the route and even then a missed drink can be a penalty. But imagine the problem for a small team, their disadvantages can compound if one opportunity missed.Its not easy taking a bidon at speed. Theyre made to slide in and out of a bottle cage, not to grab at speed. But as theyre so important in a race could this change? How about a bottle that has some grip on the outside like dimples or a shaped like a decagon, ie with 10 sides. What about gloves with more rubber or silicone grip on them to help rather than just the faux-suede finish?Fork steerer tubesOnce upon a time you had to spend a while aligning your saddle to ensure it pointed forwards, that it was straight. Now many bikes have D-shaped seatposts, supposedly more aero but they are aligned to start with. Why not extend this to fork steerer columns so the stem is straight from the get-go, either D-shaped, square, octagonal or whatever?Now before you rush to the comments to say the bars can twist in a crash, a round steerer tube helps slide rather than snap, sure. But cynically this hasnt prevented other innovation and there is a trade-off, instant fitting versus durability. A stumbling block could be a common system across the industry.Adjustable ventsOnce upon a time bike helmets had to be as vented as possible, that was the selling point. Now plenty are vaunted for aerodynamics but this can come at the cost of cooling. But what if you could have a helmet where you can slide the vents closed just in time for the final kilometres of a race, especially one ending in a sprint? This way you can stay cool for 95% of the race and then get any tiny gains for when the pace is high. There are regulations about casings and coverings but theyre typically about parts that are added to the helmet rather than built-in.Bearing sizeGot some fancy climbing wheels? You can have a pair that weighs under 1,200g, or 950g if you use rim brakes. Lightweight hubs can help here, and smaller bearings are a part of this. But as any skater knows, bigger bearings are crucial for lower rolling resistance.Its an open question but without naming names hubs on regular wheels can have surprisingly tiny bearings on the axles, often way smaller than the bottom bracket and they might be specced once the rest of the hub has been designed, so flange size comes first. The torsional force is not the same as the BB but still the hub bearings are expected to spin even more so there might be some watts to be saved here at the expense of weight.Safety pinsThese work when it comes to pinning on a number, but its a chore. Plus theyve worked in the jersey era but are less useful for todays stretchy speedsuits where a pin in the wrong place can tear the number, the kit or both. A crash or just a sudden movement can result in annoying acupuncture mid-race too.Theres already the use of pockets made by the likes of Nopinz of course but the point is theyre OK for UCI time trials but not allowed in road races. So short of the rules changing, invent another system. The Tour de France had adhesive dossards but no longer.Of course having a jersey with a permanent number printed on it would be better. But thats less a design and engineering topic and more one of economics and politics. Organisers like to attribute the numbers and sometimes the numbers are sponsored so theyd be reluctant here. While, say, U1 could be Pogaars number for UAE and V1 for Vingegaard at Visma, with Alpecin, Arka and Astana its not so obvious to have the [letter]-[number] system.Smaller rear disc brakesDo rotors and calipers need to be as powerful at the back as the front? Arguably not, so the design brief here is a system to help balance the braking and help save weight. You can have different rotor diameters today, but instead why not go further with a redesign with lighter calipers too.Magnetic thru-axlesA quick-release skewer was just that. Borrowing from Tulio Campagnolo who invented the quick-release lever in response to needing to swap over his backwheel each time he needed the lower or higher sprocket on each side, somethings got to change today too.Pro mechanics can change a disc-brake wheel with a thru-axle reasonably but one risk is fumbling with the axle. They use impact wrenches to unscrew the axle like a motorsport pit mechanic and then pull the thru-axle out of the way to put the spare wheel in before putting the axle back and then tightening. If there was a way to ensure the thru-axle says on the end of the impact wrench until its torqued back in place and the wrench is pulled away this could save time and stop the axle rolling around in the dirt.ConclusionThings are still used because they always have been, like safety pins. And readers with actual engineering specialisms might have views on hub bearings. Some suggestions are more pro-cycling only rather than every day consumers so less of a commercial imperative. But among the pro-issue only there probably is a design prize and even an order book for an inbuilt race radio, at least one team has explored this. Feel free to add your suggestions for problems that need solving.The post Engineering Ideas first appeared on The Inner Ring.

CyclistBe fitter, be faster with BKOOLHands up if you enjoy riding in winter, through driving wind and rain on dimly lit streets strewn with mushy leaves or snow? Very sensibly youve kept your hands down, although you can actually take them off your handlebars whenever you like if youre riding indoors while enjoying all the other benefits beyond being warm, dry and safe that BKOOL has to offer.What is BKOOL?BKOOL is a virtual cycling simulator that stands out for its realism and breadth. It is the only indoor cycling app that offers four different types of riding content: real roads and tracks, velodrome, spinning classes and workouts, all of it customisable so you can plot your own training path rather than follow the hordes.That isnt to say youre alone. BKOOL brings together a community of thousands of cyclists in more than 150 countries around the world, so there will always be others on hand to ride or share tips with.What about kit?You can enjoy BKOOL content on your computer (PC or Mac), tablet (Android or iPad) or smartphone (Android). All you need is a BKOOL Premium subscription, priced at 11 per month or 110 per year, plus a smart trainer or smart bike. That makes it among the best-value training apps, and you can try it free for 30 days at bkool.com.How does it work?BKOOL is designed to provide an immersive and realistic training experience. Your smart trainer or smart bike will simulate every incline, so you can experience legendary passes such as Alpe dHuez or the Col du Tourmalet without leaving home. BKOOL even adds in details such as the slipstream when you slot in behind another rider and the force of the wind when youre on your own.And its simple your smart trainer or smart bike connects to the BKOOL app via Bluetooth or ANT+, and you can connect to your favourite cycling apps such as Strava, Garmin Connect and TrainingPeaks.Why is BKOOL the most complete?What makes BKOOL so complete? Four reasons, the first of which is the largest collection of virtual cycling routes in the world. You can ride big mountain passes, classic road routes, gravel roads and mountain bike trails from all over the world.You can upload your virtual routes in video and 3D and add them to the BKOOL community. And with the Video Route Editor, you can turn your weekend rides into virtual routes and share them. All you need is a GPX file and the route video.What about workouts?BKOOL has you covered here too, with the largest catalogue of structured cycling workouts available on any virtual training platform. There are hundreds of options with different durations, targets and intensities to help you get fitter on the bike, or you can create your own.Once signed up, you can find out your power zones with an FTP test, and BKOOL will automatically adjust the resistance of your trainer for each workout. As well as allowing you to create your own workouts, BKOOL lets you import workouts from other applications such as Training Peaks, which you can personalise by creating custom sessions.And theres spinning tooBKOOL Spin Studio gives you the same workout as you get at the gym without leaving home. There are hundreds of instructor-led Video Spinning classes at different levels and durations, and in a selection of languages. BKOOL Spin Studio is a standalone app that you can use as part of your BKOOL Premium subscription.Did someone say velodrome?Yes, BKOOL is the only virtual cycling app that includes three different velodromes, including Londons Lee Valley VeloPark. As well as racing, they can be used for warm-ups, warm-downs and training and there are always other riders to share the experience. You can even test your fitness by taking on the Hour record and kilometre test, then set training goals to improve your times.The community aspectBKOOL also allows you to take part in events to experience the thrill of real-life races, all delivered using the same immersive mix of HD video and 3D elements.BKOOL is the official host of the virtual Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Il Lombardia, Deutschland Tour and the ultimate simulation experience: the Virtual Giro dItalia, which thanks to exclusive and innovative technology allows you to enjoy videos of the real stages of recent editions of the race.Ride with the prosBKOOLs ambassadors include Alberto Contador, Chris Froome, scar Freire, Team Polti Kometa and the Soudal-QuickStep team, including Spanish hero Mikel Landa and the current World Time-Trial and recently crowned double Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel. You can ride with all of these huge names several times a year thanks to special Group Rides, as well as interact with them via Instagram Live. Theyll let you into their world from the comfort of your home. Try BKOOL free for 30 days atbkool.comThe post Be fitter, be faster with BKOOL appeared first on Cyclist.

This weekend, the prestigious Giro dellEmilia returns,marking the main race in the build-up to Il Lombardia. Its a race that haslong captivated cycling fans and is renowned for its dramatic uphill finale.This years edition, taking place on October 5th, promises to deliver yetanother thrilling...

Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL took a strong win today at the Cro Race. Sprinter Tobias Lund Andresen paced perfectly up the final steep cobbled climb to take a spectacular win as others exploded in the final meters. Brandon McNulty was attacked but remained in the race lead.The fourth day of racing was...