CyclistThe new Cannondale SuperSix Evo kills off the SystemSixCannondale has unveiled the new SuperSix Evo, claiming the fifth generation road race bike is more aero and that complete bikes can be built to just 6.35kg with its lightest ever disc frame. In completing the once round-tubed climbing bikes transformation into an all-rounder, where fast meets light, Cannondale has officially culled the SystemSix, its all-out aero bike.While the SuperSix Evos silhouette remains similar to its predecessor, Cannondale says a slimmed down and elongated head tube, new cockpit and wheels makes the new bike marginally more aerodynamic while weighing 148g less than before at 6.95kg in the range-topping spec.Cannondale has also taken one centimetre off the stack in all sizes, bringing the bike in line with competitors lower riding position, as requested by EF Pro Cycling. Now designed for electronic groupsets only, the fully integrated frame is free from extraneous ports, holes and hardware for a cleaner look.The extensive range consists of three frame tiers and multiple specs within each, as well as frameset-only options. Prices start at 4,495 / 4,499 / $4,999 and rise to 12,500 / 12,799 / $13,499. As expensive as these prices may sound, they are similar to the previous generation.For our first ride review of the new bike, click here.Whats different on the new Cannondale SuperSix Evo?700 U LAB71 SuperSix EVO AM Frm RAWNew SL variants of Series 0 builds can weigh 6.35kgSize 56cm, painted Series 0 frame is a claimed 728g, 42g less than beforeSystemSix aero bike is discontinuedWhat has changed?Top-tier build is 148g lighterDeeper, narrower head tube improves aerodynamicsStack is 1cm lower in all sizes; more smaller framesNew aero and climbing SystemBar Road handlebarsStripped back frameset is compatible with UDH and electronic groupsets onlyRear-wheel hugging seat tube mirrors new Synapse and SuperXWhat hasnt changed?Handling and stiffnessBSA bottom bracket and cable-hiding Delta steerer34mm tyre clearanceSimultaneously Cannondale announced an update to the SuperSlice time-trial bike. The brand claims the TT frameset produces 14% less drag than the outgoing model, amounting to a 10 watt saving at 50kmh, while only weighing 60g more. The head tube and bottom bracket are stiffer, and tyre clearance has increased to 32mm, according to Cannondale.The transformation of the SuperSix EvoCannondale spun out the SuperSix Evo from the SuperSix in 2011 as a climbing bike almost solely focussed on stiffness to weight.Somewhat ironically, it was a sprinter, Peter Sagan, who helped bring it to prominence. He won three stages of the 2012 Tour de France aboard a model in the white and lime colours of Liquigas-Cannondale.For the second generation, Cannondale changed little, apart from slimming the fork with a truncated aero profile. Halfway through its lifespan, a disc version was released.Cannondale says the third generation was the first fast Evo. Having just launched the SystemSix, it introduced integration, concealed cables and dropped seat stays to the climbing bike.Aerodynamic optimisation went a step further on the fourth generation. It gained a deeper head tube, more kamm-tail tube shapes and a one-piece cockpit for the first time. Related Posts Mid-market race bike test: Cannondale SuperSix Evo vs Trek Madone vs Specialized Tarmac Tour de France bike: EF Education-EasyPost's Cannondale SuperSix Evo New Cannondale Synapse integrates SmartSense, adds storage and gets more aero The complete history of the Cannondale SuperSix Fine-tuningMajor changes to older versions of the SuperSix Evo had produced a bike Cannondale and its professional road teams were largely happy with. So if the new bike looks very similar to the old one, that is intentional.Nonetheless, senior design engineer Nathan Barry says, Not only did we meet the aero performance of the fourth gen bike, but weve actually exceeded it.Were very confident it will be hard to find a faster bike than the Evo in the peloton.Barry claims the new bike is four watts more efficient at 45kmh than before. He attributes a third of the drag reduction to the deeper and more hourglass-shaped head tube and new cockpits, and two thirds to the wheel change.Because Reserve is a sister company of Cannondale at Pon the conglomerate that also owns Cervlo, Santa Cruz, Nimbl, Urban Arrow, Lease a Bike and a host of other cycling and car brands he says it made financial and aerodynamic sense to stop developing its own Hollowgram rims and switch to the Reserve 57|64 wheels (as also fitted to the Cervlo S5).We demanded a wheel that was going to improve on the set that we had previously, the 50mm wheels on the Evo 4. So thats how we landed there, says Barry.These wheels with a 57mm front depth and 64mm rear depth may seem problematic in gusts to some, but Barry says, Were big believers in using deep wheels on road race bikes and that its not detrimental to handling performance.There are some edge cases if youre tiny in strong winds, then you cant argue with physics. Its just more to handle. But in general, I think most people can adapt to it. It just handles differently as opposed to worse.From the net 148g weight reduction on the premium build, tweaks to the frameset, for example the new rounder edged fork, account for 122g.The last fork had a much longer, sharper corner at the back, says engineering manager Steve Smith. We were able to remove a lot of material in that area and still keep the aerodynamics.Cannondale has also tweaked the fork crown. In that area, the last fork was super shallow to make it very aerodynamic, but thats not the most structurally efficient thing to do, Smith says.So we created a little bit more volume through this area to allow us to be much more efficient in manufacturing, which allows us to take weight from it.This in turn forced Cannondale to adjust the steerer on sizes 56 and above. They have slightly different shaping to complement the frame sizes they go with, he says, and that again helps us reduce weight and get the stiffness we want.Smith also adds that a further 36g has been trimmed through smart material choices and refined, minimalist design.In addition to removing superfluous grommets and cable ports and integrating the seatpost grommet, Cannondale has redesigned the Di2 battery holder. The previous generation had a carbon tube moulded into the underside of the down tube, which you pushed the battery into and covered with a lid. Now the battery clips into a holder, which slides directly into the frame opening and is secured by a small screw.Its super clean, saves a bit of weight compared to the previous bike, and its intentionally lifted away from the sides of the tube so theres no risk of it rattling, Smith says. The connectors are at the top of the battery, so theyre firmly away from any water.Carbon bottle cages and titanium partsLike many modern race bikes, the SuperSix Evo comes with bespoke Aero Gripper bottles and cages, which Cannondale says complement the frames aerodynamics.Smith says switching the filling material of the bottle cages supplied with the bike from recycled plastic to carbon saves 13g per cage, and that it also helped improve the feel, finish and tension strength of the cage. While all builds get these new cages, titanium seatpost hardware is reserved for the Lab71 and SuperSix Evo 1 models. These save weight compared to standard alloy bolts at no detriment to safety, according to the brand.Similar stiffnessIn the previous SuperSix Evo frame, Cannondale believes it had struck the right balance between reactivity and compliance.The ride feel and the stiffness is exactly what we want, says Smith. A bike can be too stiff and the fatiguing element of a super-stiff frame in the Classics isnt great.You may also notice that the new SuperSix Evo seat tube cuts away around the rear wheel more than before. This is more about form and visually harmonising the SuperSix Evo with the Synapse and SuperX than function. On the previous generation it came off the bottom of the seatstays and it was much more straight cut, he adds.Both are doing very similar things, so for example the seated comfort of the new bike is the same as the old bike.To ensure the new Evo had retained the old ones characteristics, Cannondale first used Finite Element Analysis, a computer model that predicts how the frame will react to real-world forces.Its like a simulated ISO [International Organization for Standardization] test, says Smith. Then we take real samples to the lab to verify, does it pass [ISO]? But also how does that correlate to what weve been seeing?By the time EF Education-EasyPost pro riders Georg Steinhauser and Kasper Asgreen test rode a prototype in January 2025, Cannondale could still make changes. But on this occasion it didnt have to. The overall reception was very positive, Smith says.More aggressive and proportional geometryThe previous generation SuperSix Evos relatively high stack stood out among road race bikes, so Cannondale has dropped it by 1cm across the size range to promote a lower riding position.Generally considered to be on the stable side for a race bike, the SuperSix Evos handling is as before.If youre riding in a big group tight together you dont necessarily want the twitchiest bike, says Smith. You want something that is well behaved and also agile and nimble the Evo has that.The steering geometry has pretty much been unchanged for a number of generations. We really like where it is.Cannondale claims every tube shape and carbon layup is optimised for each frame size. For example, the seat tube is now shorter in the smaller sizes to look more proportionate.Cannondale now offers the SuperSix Evo in eight frame sizes (from 44 to 61cm), having split the previous size 51 into a 50 and 52 to give smaller riders more fit options.A choice of handlebarsThe choice of widths in the new aero-oriented SystemBar Road (340mm to 380mm) reflects the move towards narrower cockpits. It has a truncated airfoil shape, narrow top and is claimed to weigh 375g.The rounded topped Road SL version will be offered from 380mm to 400mm wide and weighs a claimed 265g. Both have 80mm of reach, 130mm of drop and cost $699.What about the SystemSix?700 U LAB71 SuperSix EVO AM Frm EFPAn update to SystemSix aero bike has been due for several years, prompting speculation that Cannondale would discontinue what remains one of the worlds fastest UCI-legal road bikes, both according to the brand and independent wind tunnel testing.At the SuperSix launch, Cannondale confirmed the SystemSixs demise for now.The SystemSix is no more, we are no longer selling it, Smith says.Despite not having been updated since 2018, EF pro riders still occasionally raced it in 2023 Ben Healy rode one to a Giro dItalia stage victory. However, in 2024 both EF teams almost exclusively rode the SuperSix Evo.Smith says, For us, it [the SystemSix] is still very much the benchmark of how fast you can be for a road bike. But this bike [the SuperSix] is getting very close to it in certain builds.Commercial considerations will also have played a role in Cannondales cull. Consolidating its road race offering into one model cuts costs, as Specialized and more recently Trek have done. The SuperSix Evo has always outsold the SystemSix anyway.That said, Smith lays out the conditions for the SystemSixs possible return: We would only do a new one if were making a big jump. It cant just be a little better And we do look at these things in our research. Related Posts Mid-market race bike test: Cannondale SuperSix Evo vs Trek Madone vs Specialized Tarmac Tour de France bike: EF Education-EasyPost's Cannondale SuperSix Evo New Cannondale Synapse integrates SmartSense, adds storage and gets more aero The complete history of the Cannondale SuperSix Cannondale SuperSix Evo 2026 builds and specsThere are three tiers of the new SuperSix Evo frame: Series 0 (used on the range-topping Lab71 builds), Hi-Mod (used on the second-rung models) and standard Carbon.The claimed weights of a size 56 painted frame and 45mm offset, uncut fork are:Series 0/Lab71 frame: 728g; fork: 392gHi-Mod frame: 781g; fork: 414gCarbon frame: 910g; fork: 427gThis equates to weight savings of 72g, 37g and 35g for the Lab71, Hi-Mod and Carbon framesets respectively compared to the previous generation, according to Cannondale.Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71Price: 12,000 / 11,999 / $13,499Weight: 6.95kgFrameset: Lab71 SuperSix Evo Gen 5Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9270Wheels: Reserve 57|64 CarbonTyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR, 700x29cBars: Cannondale SystemBar RoadSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares 00Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71 SLPrice: 12,500 / 12,799 / $13,499Weight: 6.35kgFrameset: Lab71 SuperSix Evo Gen 5Groupset: SRAM Red AXSWheels: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Spline 38 CSTyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x28c, tube typeBars: Cannondale SystemBar Road SLSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares 00Cannondale SuperSix Evo 1Price: 8,995 / 8,499 / $9,499Weight: 7.3kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Carbon Gen 5Groupset: SRAM Force AXSWheels: Reserve 57|64 CarbonTyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x29cBars: Cannondale SystemBar RoadSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares 00Cannondale SuperSix Evo 1 SLPrice: 8,795 / 7,999 / $8,999Weight: 6.8kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Carbon Gen 5Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170Wheels: Reserve 34|37 CarbonTyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x28cBars: Cannondale SystemBar Road SLSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1Cannondale SuperSix Evo 2Price: 5,995 / 6,299 / $6,499Weight: 7.6kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Carbon Gen 5Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170Wheels: DT Swiss ERC 40Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR, 700x28cBars: Vision Trimax Carbon AeroSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R5Cannondale SuperSix Evo 3Price: 6,995 / 6,499 / $6,999Weight: 7.6kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Carbon Gen 5Groupset: SRAM Force AXSWheels: DT Swiss ERC 45Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR, 700x28cBars: Vision Trimax Carbon AeroSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R5Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4Price: 5,495 / 4,999 / $5,499Weight: 7.9kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Carbon Gen 5Groupset: SRAM Rival AXSWheels: DT Swiss ERC 45Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR, 700x28cBars: Vision Trimax Carbon AeroSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R7Cannondale SuperSix Evo 5Price: 4,495 / 4,499 / $4,999Weight: 7.9kgFrameset: SuperSix Evo Carbon Gen 5Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2 R7150Wheels: Vision SC45 I23Tyres: Schwalbe One TLR, 700x28cBars: Vision Trimax Carbon AeroSeatpost: Cannondale C1 Aero 40 Carbon V2Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R7Cannondale SuperSix Evo Lab71 framesetPrice: 4,995 / 5,999 / $5,999Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod framesetPrice: 3,395 / 4,499 / $4,499The post The new Cannondale SuperSix Evo kills off the SystemSix appeared first on Cyclist.

For the first time ever, Reserve is making something other than a wheelset! Okay, okay, I know. The brand also makes valves and rim tape. But, you get the picture.Dipping their toes into the broader component waters, Reserve releases the RD1: a light and aerodynamic one-piece handlebar.Reserve RD1 DetailsFor their first significant venture outside of wheels, Reserve focused on creating a product with world-tour-level performance. The goal was to create an ultra-light, aerodynamic, one-piece handlebar, which they accomplished with the RD1.Backed by Reserves carbon technology and layup process, the RD1 delivers both in performance and strength. The bars have no rider weight limit across all sizes and come with a lifetime warranty. A one-piece design between the bars and stem allowed them to optimize the carbon layup and create a more cohesive cockpit.To save weight, Reserve also limits the amount of tape area. Tape is only used in the critical areas of the bar, which also enhances aero performance.The RD1s are designed for a standard 1 steer tube and feature integrated cable routing. Each set of bars includes a headset-bearing cover compatible with the Acros ICR headset with a 52mm upper bearing. They also created spacers and an integrated computer mount.Reserve is currently making headset-bearing covers for other headset makes and models. However, they said these wont be available at the time of the launch.Weight: 301-341gReach: 75mm (center to center)Drop: 125mm (center to center)Flare: 6 degreesStem angle: -6 degreesThere are 12 different RD1 configurations thanks to the stem length and bar width combos. Bar width varies from 36mm to 42mm, and stem length varies from 80mm to 120mm. But not every bar width is offered in every stem length. 36mm bar38mm bar40mm bar42mm bar80mm stemX90mm stemX100mm stemXX110mm stemXXXX120mm stemXXXXPricingUS $549CAD $769UK 500EU 549AUS $850reservewheels.comThe post Reserve is Announcing Something New, and It Isnt Wheels: Introducing the RD1 appeared first on Bikerumor.

Specialized's free over-the-air update boosts peak power and torque figures on the 3.1 Motor, fitted to the Turbo Levo 4. The S-Works Levo 4 gets a 130W power boost to 850W, while torque remains at 111Nm. The non S-Works bikes which have less power and torque as standard are upped to 810W and 105Nm from 666W and 101Nm. In a landscape of power and torque top trumps with Bosch's 100Nm and 750W and DJI's 120Nm and 1,000W it looks as though Specialized's update is a bid to keep its motors as competitive as possible. Four additional features have been added during the 30-minute over-the-air update. First is a rider-matched power setting for MicroTune. This new setting is claimed to match motor assistance precisely to rider input you put in 100W of power to the bike and the motor gives you 100W of support. Downloading. Specialized Bikes Specialized says it's designed to give the rider the "ultimate control" and boosts efficiency. The transition between the support cut-off at the assistance speed limit has been remapped, and is claimed to be smoother as a result. Support now tapers down towards the speed limiter, helping the bike feel more natural on the trails. Overrun has also been remapped, with "sharper" behaviour. When you stop pedalling, the overrun is said to be more responsive, with the aim of making it easier for the rider to get up steps, roots, rocks and obstacles. Walk mode has been given three speed settings; you can now set the bike to move at your pace. Specialized is keen to extoll the virtues of its over-the-air (OTA) updates, made accessible via the Specialized smartphone app. According to Specialized, the process should be easy. Specialized Bikes Marco Sonderegger,the brand's leader of turbo technology,says: "With over-the-air updates, every Turbo bike becomes a living evolving machine that gets better over time With a simple software update done from the convenience of their home, riders' bikes get more powerful, more refined, and more personalised." The brand also states "this milestone marks the start of a new era keeping bikes running the most advanced software Specialized has ever created." It's an arms race UNNO will be one of the first bike brands to take on the DJI motor, which is one of the most sensitive, responsive drive units available. UNNO But free OTA updates are nothing new; Bosch's recent 100Nm and 750W update was delivered to its Gen 5 Performance Line CX motors via the Flow smartphone app DJI's latest 120Nm and 1,000W boost also came via app, giving the Avinox motor the highest figures of any mainstream manufacturer. There's more to it than headline figures, however. How the power is delivered, and the bike's assistance or support ratio or percentage are just as important. The Performance Line CX Gen 5 has 100Nm of torque and 750W of power. The Bosch Gen 5 motor is hardly lacking in the power or torque departments, but its 1:4 or 400 per cent support ratio can make it feel lacklustre compared to the Avinox's 1:8 or 800 per cent figure. 100W of rider power gives you up to 400W of Bosch motor power, totalling 500W. In the Avinox camp, 100W of your power will generate up to 800W of motor power, totalling 900W. As I found in a recent head-to-head test between the Bosch and Avinox, the support ratio makes DJI's motor shine everywhere. Specialized doesn't disclose its support ratios in the same way Bosch and DJI do, making direct comparisons hard. The Bosch motor isn't lacking in power, but its support ratio means it feels gutless compared to the DJI Avinox. Roo Fowler / Orbea Instead, the brand quotes its support and power as a percentage, rather than treating it as a rider amplifier number. We don't know how much rider input is required to access the 850W or 810W of peak power on the Turbo 3.1 motor. Whether or not Specialized's latest updates will edge it closer to the feel of a DJI motor remains to be seen.

Scot set for Ineos Grenadiers debut at Volta ao Algarve this week

For young riders arriving at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the shock is rarely the workload. It is the proximity. For Francesco Baruzzi and Fabio Segatta, both 18 and newly embedded in the Dutch teams development structure, the first weeks have brought something far more formative than watts or kilome...

Imagine taking one of the fastest road-race bikes in the world and treating it like a blank canvas. Literally. I dont mean a blank canvas in the sense of hanging whatever high-performing components you want.No, a literal blank canvas, complete with an artist ready to create their next masterpiece.Pretty cool. And this is exactly what Specialized has done with their S-Works Tarmac SL8 frames.Meet the ArtistsEach of the three artists who received these blank canvases from Specialized comes from a different corner of the world. Yet, aside from art, they all have one thing in common: cycling.They were tasked to interpret a One Bike to Rule Them All concept through their own perspective and lens. Each drew on their own relationship to cycling, finding inspiration in color, speed, rhythm, and movement.Here is what they designed.Yoon Hyups frame design captures the essence of dawn and dusk rides. Streetlights become a runway of sorts, with the reflection of the night blurring into a fast state of flow.One word captures this collaboration for me: synergy. The rider and the bike moving as one.Parras inspiration is connected to the 90s cycling culture that first drew him in. His take on the Specialized Tarmac SL8 brings the rider through a color blast, connecting them to typography and hand-drawn, curvy elements, Parras signature. For him, the design, the bike, all of it is about chasing what he calls the cycling high.The inspiration comes after the ride. That cycling high is everything.For Lucas Beaufort, cycling is revelation. It opens people to more of the world and more possibilities. He connected these ideas to his iconic character, GusGus, on the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8. GusGus represents unity, community, and connection, found in the frame, rooted in life and experience.Dreams, connection, changethey start with action. Its all up to you.Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 Artist Series DetailsSpecialized crafted each frame and fork from S-Works FACT 12r Carbon, with a weight of 685g (56cm). As standard, the fork is 12x100mm thru-axle with a flat-mount disc, with a 12x142mm thru-axle and flat-mount disc in the rear.Each frame is uniquely hand-painted by its respective artist and numbered. This means each frame is distinct and will vary from the others in both logo and graphic placement. Both Lucas Beaufort and Yoon Hyup will produce 150 hand-painted frames each. Parra will produce 200.The frame prices are $5,499. For more details, visit specialized.com.The post These Limited-Edition Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 Frames are Literally Rideable Works of Art appeared first on Bikerumor.

Elite mens cycling has never struggled to talk about pain, fatigue or physical injury. Mental health is different. It is usually implied, softened or avoided altogether. That is why Dylan van Baarle speaking openly about seeking professional mental health support carries weight well beyond his own...

Almost a year ago, when Specialized launched its all-new full-power Levo 4 all-mountain eMTB, it cranked out 27% more power than the gen 3 Levo, but now via over-the-air Levo 4 update that gets ratcheted up once again. The big eMTB power wars have heated up. And new competition from the likes of DJI/Avinox & Mahle, joining traditional players like Bosch & Shimano in the full-power party, means everybody needs to up their game. With some careful motor optimization, Specialized managed to reclaim a couple of spots near the top of the pack, now with S-Works max power of 850W at 111Nm or torque, or for the standard Levo 4 motor now close behind at 810W max boosted up to 105Nm or torque.Specialized Levo 4 ebike motors get power boost update(All photos/Cory Benson)One of the things I love most about modern electronics in cycling is the occasional announcement that an over-the-air update just added new features or improved performance thanks to updated programming. It usually is something relatively small, like displaying new metrics on a smartwatch or added features on your GPS. But more recently in the ebike sphere, both Shimano and Bosch have pushed out major motor performance benefits thanks to refined motor control. Now Specialized takes it to the next level one-upped them, with a Levo 4 update that increases the peak power they can get out of both versions of their latest Levo 4 3.1 motors.With Over-the-Air updates, every Turbo bike becomes a living, evolving machine that gets better over time. With a simple software update done from the convenience of their home, riders bikes get more powerful, more refined, and more personalized. Marco Sonderegger, Specializeds Leader of Turbo TechnologyMore SuperNatural power & torqueSpecialized calls their blend of high ebike power output with smooth, manageable control Super Natural, and thats truer than ever in this new over-the-air Levo 4 control update. S-Works Levo 4 models increase 18% in peak power output, now topping out at 850W (up from 720W peak last spring) while keeping 111Nm of torque.All other standard Specialized Levo 4 models increase 22% in peak power, now to 810W (up from just 666W peak last spring). And they get a few extra Newton-meters of torque, up 4% to 105Nm (from 101Nm last spring).More control & customization, too!Besides more power, theres also a cool new mode with less power. Dynamic MicroTune was always a mode for the tinkerers, where the Levo gives support proportional to how much power you put into the pedals. But now a new 0/100 setting simply matches exactly the power you put into the pedals, up to the motors max power if you can pedal that hard!Theres also a smoother taper from getting pull power until the power goes off as you reach the legal speed limit for pedal assist, making it a bit more natural feel as you go faster. On the other side, Specialized now delivers more dramatic Overrun with customizable duration after you stop pedaling. This helps get up and over obstacles and step-ups where you might not be able to pedal continuously. But it can also make for a jerky ride. Thankfully, you can turn down Overrun Duration or set back pedaling to stop Overrun if you prefer a smoother power delivery tied more closely to your own pedaling. Last up is Personalized Walk Mode, which now lets you pick from 3 walk mode speeds so it more closely matches how quickly you would walk a bike up an unrideable hill.Just an in-app update awayAll you have to do make sure your Specialized smartphone app is updated to the latest version (minimum v1.55), then connect your Levo 4 and update its software by scrolling down to Bike Status. Specialized does offer a few key warnings as this is a big update and doesnt want to be interrupted. (Dont worry about bricking your very expensive ebike, though. I messed up the update when my phone had some alarms go off, and just had to start the update over.) Make sure your phone has a strong WiFi or data connection.Both phone and ebike must have plenty of battery to not conk out in the process (min 20%).Do NOT plug in your Levo 4 to charge it, and DONT plug in a second range extender battery during the updateDo NOT record a ride in the Specialized app during the updateThen, take a digital detox and just leave your phone & ebike alone while updating. No texting your friends or playing with other apps just to be safe. No pressing any buttons on the Levo 4.Sit back and wait while the free power boost beams into your ebike!So, is the extra power & control noticeable?We already said it when testing the 720W peak of the S-Works Levo last spring, and its even more important now with up to 850W with more power comes more need for control. Luckily, thats one of Specializeds strong suits. The Levo 4 is one of the most controlled-feeling full-power eMTB available. And that still feels like the case after this power boost that Ive been riding since last November. Yes, there is more peak power on hand when you need it, and when you are putting out more power, too. Mostly I feel it on the steepest climbs, at slightly higher cadence, where I can just get up the hill a bit quicker and can pull away from other equally-matched eMTBs. But I got used to it really quickly, and now it just feels normal again. I guess thats the SuperNatural thing again. What I do notice is that with the extra power, I spend more time in Trail mode now, when I might have opted for Turbo before. I also really like the other new customizable support controls. Riding in the new Dynamic MicroTune mode set to 0/100 is a lot of fun, and a really solid workout, especially on rolling technical trails and descending. You put 100W into the pedals, and the Levo 4 matches it with an extra 100W. Stomp out 500W, and you end up with a combined 1000W heading into the rear wheel. I dont think I ever really put a full 850W into the pedals to get the most out of the S-Works motor power-matching, but its fun to try. This is an especially great mode to ride when pedaling with someone on a lighter-powered ebike, or even on a regular bike without any motor support. You only get what you put into it, and you end up with a really long battery range.The extra sharp overrun behavior was not really my cup of tea. I tried longer overrun paired with faster responsiveness, and found that I didnt really like how it made it feel like the ebike was pulling me instead of assisting me. Plus, I think it made the cutoff when I passed the 25kph speed limit more abrupt. But the beauty in the Specialized app and the new features is that its entirely up to you to customize the motor feel and performance how you prefer.Update your Levo 4 now, and you get a more powerful and more customizable eMTB than ever. All for no extra money, in just a half hour!Specialized.comThe post Review: Over-The-Air Levo 4 Update Increases Specialized eMTB Peak Power by 18-22% appeared first on Bikerumor.

CyclistWhat is happening at Visma-Lease a Bike?While the opening two months of the season have seemed plain sailing for many, the same cant be said for Visma-Lease a Bike. The Dutch team have opened 2026 embroiled with injuries, a weakened roster, a cloud of comments ex-riders and staff exits.With seven weeks of the 2026 season now dealt with, Wout van Aert has suffered an ankle injury, Jonas Vingegaards coach has quit, and the Dane lashed out at a fan in training just days before skipping his scheduled opening rendezvous at the UAE Tour. To add to the chaos, the team are now reported to be in need of a new title sponsor in order to keep up with the rising budgets of UAE Team Emirates XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.What has caused this crossroads for the sports once dominant force? Lets recap the events unravelling around Visma since the New Year.Weakened rosterXavier PereyronOver the winter, Visma-Lease a Bike haemorrhaged a host of top riders, with several crucial Classics names and loyal lieutenants heading out. While UAE and Red Bull strengthened their arsenals on behalf of Tadej Pogaar and Remco Evenepoel, Visma-Lease a Bike have taken a hit.Dylan van Baarle and Tiesj Benoot, two of the teams top performers in the Classics, left over the winter. On top of that, the team lost usual Grand Tour support rider Attila Valter, young prospect Cian Uijtdebroeks, and top sprinter OIav Kooij. This removes a huge chunk of potential UCI points and leadership options for 2026. Importantly, these losses will hamper the teams Grand Tour prospects, whether that be for GC or stage victories.A.S.O./Billy CeustersThen theres the mysterious case of Simon Yates. The British rider left the squad suddenly in January despite featuring in the teams pre-season press photos. He was also confirmed to have a full schedule planned out, which leads me to believe that the decision was communicated to team staff later than imagined.Regardless, the team have balanced out these losses with their weakest set of incomers in over five years. Bruno Armirail is the biggest name to join the bees, with Davide Piganzoli the most notorious youngster added to the roster. Instead of their usual big bucks signings of years gone by, the transfer window was far more modest than normal. They scouted riders from the second and third divisions, while scooping up talent from their in-house development structure. In other words, cheaper signings.Weakened GC prospectsXavier PereyronWhile cyclings about more than just the GC, Visma-Lease a Bikes approach over the past few seasons has been centred on stage races and Grand Tours. This is what they do best, having won eight Grand Tours since 2020.At the teams press camp in January, Visma unveiled the schedules for their top riders ahead of the 2026 season. There, we received confirmation of the teams Grand Tour leaders. Vingegaard will compete at both the Giro and Tour, while the Vuelta offers up a chance for Wout van Aert and Matt Brennan to hunt stages. Interestingly, Matteo Jorgenson will only ride the Tour de France, despite hinting at a potential bid at the Vuelta in December.This leaves the team without a dedicated GC leader for the Vuelta, given the absence of Vingegaard and Jorgenson from the teams prospective roster. This will be the first time that Visma enter a Grand Tour without a GC leader since the 2022 Giro dItalia.Between the departures and rider schedule announcements, the team is left with a much weaker Grand Tour roster than before. Yates and Benoot were integral players in Vismas Tour de France setup last year, with the latter playing a key role in Vingegaards two victories in 2022 and 2023. The pressure will now be on to increase their resources to rival the opposition at the Tour de France, but other Grand Tours too, especially now that Red Bull have at least five genuine leaders for three week races.More widely, this GC contraction will be felt in other stage races too. Without Yates and Uijtdebroeks, the team have a bigger vacuum in the leadership department. Plus, with Jorgenson now vying for the Ardennes Classics, the team will be left without podium contenders in a packed spring schedule of stage races. Related Posts Pro Log: Isaac del Toro is a sprinter; Austin Butler is Lance Armstrong; Demi Vollering is inevitable Is 2026 make or break for JooAlmeida? Will Oscar Onley's departure spell the end of Picnic-PostNL? Rog, Remco or Lipo? Addressing Red Bull's 2026 leadership dilemma The search for looser purse stringsHarry TalbotWielerflits reported this morning that Visma-Lease a Bikes honchos are actively seeking a new title sponsor as Norwegian firm Visma look to take a step back. The Dutch newspaper claims this will be in order to secure top five status among the sports biggest teams, in an attempt to mirror the budgets of superteams such as UAE Team Emirates XRG, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Ineos Grenadiers, who are expected to take on the TotalEnergies name next season. This decision is not due to any financial hardships at Visma the company, as they are expected to remain a sponsor, but in the form of a more measured financial commitment.This news comes a month after Visma-Lease a Bikes CEO Richard Plugge went on record to say that the sport of cycling was in a downward spiral, telling the press that the urgency becomes bigger and bigger every day. Not only for teams, but also to the point, a lot of relatively big teams are getting in trouble and also organisers are getting in trouble.While he pleaded for wider change within the sport, Vismas decision raises concerns about return on investment. As more teams lean on state-backed sponsors, like UAE and Bahrain Victorious, or petrochemical and consumer giants, like Ineos, Red Bull and Decathlon, Visma-Lease a Bike may have to rethink their financial strategy going forward if they hope to retain riders like Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard even if the former has already penned a lifetime contract with the squad.Xavier PereyronCurrently, the team is co-sponsored by the company Lease a Bike, which is owned by corporate giant Pon Holdings, a conglomerate with yearly revenue around the 10 billion mark. The firm has been closely involved in the team in recent years, supplying sponsorship deals with Pon-owned Reserve wheels, Cervlo bikes and Nimbl clothing and shoes. Its likely that one of these firms steps up to the role of title sponsor, most likely Cervlo, as the Canadian brand has previously backed teams.Alternatively, the team was previously reported to be in talks with Saudi-backed Neom City, the infrastructure programme behind the infamous Line project. Plugge was also closely linked to the Middle Eastern states upper echelons during the planning process behind the foiled OneCycling deal, which was bubbling under the surface between 2023 and early 2025. This might be an avenue to explore if Visma-Lease a Bike want to keep hold of their top five spot in the UCI rankings.The team is missing a bit of individualismHarry TalbotOn top of the structural cracks appearing in Vismas facade, a pair of outgoing riders have been open about their struggles with Vismas training, nutrition and philosophical approach.Paris-Roubaix 2022 champion Dylan van Baarle has been particularly outspoken about Visma-Lease a Bike since leaving the squad in the winter. In an interview with Wielerrevue last month, the Dutchman said his structure at his new team QuickStep is freer than what [he] was used to. In another discussion with Daniel Benson, Van Baarle suggested that Vismas ways may have also influenced the early retirement of Simon Yates.[Yates] may have wanted to do a bit more of his own thing, Van Baarle said. For me, I didnt have the feeling it was working, and if you have that feeling, then for him it results in retirement, and for me it resulted in a good opportunity here [at Soudal-QuickStep]. If you cant feel comfortable with what youre doing, then its not going to work.Harry TalbotSimilarly, Hungarian rider Attila Valter expressed some of his own malaise with Vismas approach, telling Cyclingnews last month that the lines were too narrow at his former team. He cited a change of direction after the departure of Merijn Zeeman, the teams long-term sports director.When Merijn left, it changed, and the team also felt a lot of pressure from outside, that we wanted to get back to the top, but we werent at the top, Valter said. We were not the best team in 2025. The more you force it, the more you start to burn your hand. At least I and certainly [some] other riders in Visma definitely felt it. Its not about they didnt listen to us. They listened, but they didnt know how to change. I think the team is missing a bit of individualism.He believes the faults in Vismas system were down to a broad-brush approach. He went on to say that the team applied the same philosophy and training to all its riders, regardless of age. Valter believed this wasnt the best approach for riders above the age of 30, which includes Van Baarle and Yates.Similar criticisms were made of Team Sky during the 2010s, when riders felt they couldnt fit into the marginal gains approach that benefited the likes of Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins. As the sport progresses, perhaps the secret to success has changed around them. UAE and Red Bull, for instance, have been able to adapt and grow the strength of the roster regardless of age. Some speculate this flexibility is the key behind their recent success, which is starting to eclipse that of Visma-Lease a Bike.Staff exitsXavier PereyronAt the beginning of last week, it was confirmed that performance coach Tim Heemskerk will leave the team after eight years. Many have credited him with the teams GC success given his coaching relationship with Vingegaard. With the Danes reshuffled schedule and last-minute swerve from the UAE Tour, the decision has been considered a major loss for the team as they navigate a pivotal year.Vismas performance chief Mathieu Heijboer told the press that over the past period, I have had many conversations with Tim, and I believe this is the best outcome. However, Heemskerk took to Instagram to say that his creativity and passion have had too little room in my daily work.Given his choice of words, we could perceive this decision as an insight into the denouement behind the scenes. The squeezing out of creativity mentioned echoes the sentiment shared by both Valter and Vasn Baarle, who criticised the rigid regime of life at Visma.Whats next for Visma-Lease a Bike?Harry TalbotAs Visma-Lease a Bike enter the new season, results have been disappointing when compared to their usual standards. Unfavourably, talk is now centred on crisis rather than victories, as commentators discuss the future of the flailing superteam whose heyday seems to be fading into the rearview mirror.The Giro will be make or break this year. In theory, Vingegaard should win it with ease, but nothing is guaranteed. Its a big gamble for the Dane to target both the Tour de France and Giro dItalia in the same year, especially when the Tour will have a beefed-up startlist including the two Red Bull leaders, Juan Ayuso and Isaac del Toro. With the fatigue of the Giro in his legs, a podium finish isnt a given in France, especially with a reduced group of domestiques.The hunt for sponsors will prove critical. Will investors still consider Visma to be a horse worth betting on, or a deteriorating asset? For me, I think it should be easy for them to find a new backer. Cervlo feels like a natural choice, Rabobank even returned to the team on a low level last year, but the Saudi links may need to be explored again if they want the budget of UAE. As weve seen with Bahrain Victorious, these state backers seem less bothered by short-term success, instead favouring the exposure provided by a pro sports team.Perhaps that increase in finance will help secure some support riders to support Vingegaard going forward though. More often now riders are choosing UAE and Red Bull over Visma, but bigger bids could keep riders incentivised to pull on Visma yellow. That not only goes for riders, but also for team staff. It seems rival teams, notably Red Bull and Decathlon, are making bigger recruitment pushes in recent years. Maybe some new personnel will help the team break its habits and bring in fresh perspective. Though they might be opponents, Visma need to start pinching from UAE and Red Bull as much as possible, whether that be staff, riders or performance intel.The post What is happening at Visma-Lease a Bike? appeared first on Cyclist.

The 2026 Vuelta a Andalucia is going to take place between the 18 and 22nd of February, in the southern region of Spain where the stages are always either hilly or mountainous. This edition is no exception, with a set of stages that is set to make for some chaotic and tactical racing. We preview sta...