Inspired by their love for 1990s mountain bikes, Magic Components has made a 26 ATB dubbed the Wizard. Built for fun, this fantasy-themed ATB has all the hallmarks of a modern do-it-all bike. Learn about the new Wizard belowThe post The Magic Wizard ATB is a 90s-Inspired 26er appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Whether you ride enduro, cross country, or even gravel, you likely enjoy the added maneuverability of a dropper seat post. Its one of those bike innovations that rose from niche to standard accessory seemingly overnight.Lets face it, nobody likes slamming into a saddle on descents or during rock crawls. One drawback to dropper seat posts has been the hassle of running cables between the post and handlebars. Wireless options solved that hassle, but cost a bundle. Or at least they used to.The KS Rage Circuit frees you from the hassle of internal routing while delivering true wireless performance at an approachable price tag ($429).KS Rage Circuit Wireless Dropper DetailsThe wireless remote for the KS Rage Circuit. (photo/KS)When KS says this post delivers the same wireless performance as the pros ride, it can point to its own LEV Circuit seatpost ($739). Like its pricier elder sibling, the Rage Circuit inherits the brands proprietary 2.4GHz wireless communication system, which is responsive and reliable. You should enjoy its transmission speed and quick deployment.In appearance, the Rage Circuit shares a similar (if not the same) head design, battery, electronics, remote, and overall aesthetic with the LEV. The biggest difference between the two is that the LEV Circuit has an adjustable air spring to tweak the return speed, while the Rage Circuit uses a hydraulic cartridge. KS states that the cartridge design is user-friendly if the need to replace it arises, and it has an automatic reset function, too.The Rage Circuit dropper post includes a removable, rechargeable battery and a pre-paired handlebar remote powered by a CR2032 battery. That means you can install the seat post and hit the trails. Its that simple! Welcome to WirelessThe posts electronics and battery are housed in the head, along with the saddle clamp. The battery can be removed from the post and recharged away from the bike via an included USB-C cord. It can rapid-charge to full power in as quickly as an hour. Additionally, KS knows you like to play in the elements, so the seat posts housing is dust-tight and water-resistant (IP67 rating).The Rage Circuit is currently available in 30.9 mm and 31.6 mm diameters, with drop lengths of 120 mm, 150 mm, and 180 mm for each. Thats a good range within two popular sizes, which should work for a majority of mountain bike riders. Shop around, and youll find that the KS Rage Circuit wireless dropper is competitively priced with high-end wired droppers. For wireless dropper, weve seen nothing comparable on the market especially not with the promise of these specs. Learn more about KS dropper seat posts and suspensions at the KS Suspension website.The post Wireless & Affordable: Free Your Ride With the KS Rage Circuit Dropper Seat Post appeared first on Bikerumor.

UPDATED March 26, 2026 BY Miles MacDonald IN Hippie Trail no comments A 20 Year Journey To The Hippie TrailSomehow, after working on and helping organize TDA Global Cycling tours for the past 20 years, the stars never aligned for me to travel to India, nor participate on TDAs Hippie Trail tour.At long last, 2027 will be the year I get to join the tour! Ill be there to help our staff team as needed, meet the cyclists participating on the trip, and experience the sights, sounds and culture of India.There are many aspects of the Hippie Trail that Im looking forward to, and I thought Id share a few of them here.Getting to meet up with staff persons Baba (left) and Ezhil (right), who are the backbone of our India tours. Theyre a pleasure to work with and their care and concern for our participants is well known by all whove been fortunate enough to cycle on a tour theyve worked on. Perhaps even a quick visit to their home city of Bangalore before the trip will occur!Chef Miles at work on the 2006 Tour dAfriqueIndian Cuisine. Having worked in restaurant kitchens and as a Chef on TDA tours, food has been an integral part of my professional life for decades. The opportunity to delve into the diverse regional cuisines of India is something Ive wanted to do forever! Theres no better way to learn about a culture than through its food. As a lover of spice and heat in my food, as well as mutton, the Rajasthani Laal Maas curry is a particular dish Ill be on the lookout for.The historical and architectural journey. There are few nations on earth with a more rich and diverse civilization. The ebb and flow of empires across its land have left distinct ways of being as well as a dazzling variety of distinctive architecture, from the Taj Mahal to the Victorian Gothic design at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (above). My university survey course on the History of India is somewhere in the recesses of my brain and Im keen to get those neurons working again.The cycling. This is certainly a given for most who are joining the Hippie Trial, but for myself I rarely cycle on our tours while Im working on them. Though being a long-ago competitive cyclist myself, most of my cycling these days is confined to the city limits where I live, with the occasional longer rides. I can think of no better country to delve into cycling on our trips than India, with its hectic and beautiful nature, bountiful colours, and curious and hospitable locals upon our routes. The Hippie Trail is a full-on embrace of the nomadic cycling lifestyle and a deep cultural immersion unique in this world. Cant wait!RELATEDTOURHippie Trail "Turn on, tune in, Drop out" It was 1967 - the Summer of Love - and Timothy Leary had this advice for his young followers at the Human Be-In taking... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "A 20 Year Journey To The Hippie Trail" Cancel reply

New wheelsets are lighter and faster than before, but can now also accommodate tyres as wide as 60mm

Specialized-owned brand says Terra Aero CLX is its fastest gravel wheelset ever, while Terra CLX is its lightest and most compliant gravel option yet

Carys Lloyd stunned the sprint favourites to win the Ronde van Brugge Women 2026, launching a long-range sprint and holding off Lorena Wiebes in a chaotic finale in Bruges. In a race that had been tightly controlled throughout and widely expected to end in a sprint dominated by Wiebes, the decisive...

A week ago, we reported on the redesigned Fox 40 downhill fork. Now, the Fox 38 gets the same internal updates, including the Glidecore air spring and new Grip X2 damper, along with increased bushing overlap and generatively designed lowers. Together, Fox claims these updates make the 38 stiffer while reducing friction, making it more supple and responsive, and consistent in appearance with the rest of the fork lineup.In February, I attended a Fox media event in Finale Ligure, Italy, where all of the latest Fox and Race Face products were introduced. I also had the chance to test the new Fox 38 fork for a couple of days on some of Finales world-famous mountain bike trails to get a feel for how it performs. Ill start with the details of the new fork, and finish with my first ride impressions.The 38 is Foxs hard-hitting, long travel, single crown fork built for high speeds and rough terrain. (All photos/Fox unless otherwise specified)Fox 38 DetailsSince 2020, the 38 has been Foxs gravity-oriented single-crown fork intended for use on longer-travel enduro, all-mountain, and aggressive trail bikes. According to Fox, the 38 is its top-selling aftermarket Factory fork, and already a popular choice for riders making an upgrade. Now, its getting a complete overhaul with the goal of improving its performance and staying ahead of the competition. According to Fox, it provides composure in the chaos. When the track gets wild at race speed, the 38 doesnt flinch.Ever since Fox introduced the inverted Podium, the brand has seemingly been working to get all of its right-side-up forks to mimic aspects of its performance. The Podium is incredibly supple, and the recent updates to the 40 and, now, the 38 are intended to bring both models closer to the Podiums sensitivity, with less friction, easier travel initiation, and reduced breakaway force.Redesigned LowersWhile the majority of the updates to the 38 are internal, the new version features the now ubiquitous generatively designed lowers with cutouts in the arch. Aesthetically, its not a wild departure from its predecessor, but it does give it a design language consistent with the rest of Foxs fork lineup. This design, along with increased bushing overlap inside, is said to increase fore-aft stiffness by 8.8%. At the same time, Fox states that torsional stiffness has been intentionally reduced by 6.8%, which helps to calm the handling somewhat.While not as visibly obvious, the lower leg bleed valves have also been updated, and the bypass channels relocated to the inside of the fork legs. Along with those changes, the 38 now uses the same mudguard as the 36 and 36 SL forks, using the GD3 mount. This updated mount design no longer relies on the potentially fragile bleeders for attachment.The 38 gets generatively designed lowers with cutouts in the arch, matching the rest of the Fox fork family. Internal UpdatesYou know the saying, its whats inside that counts, and thats where the majority of updates have been made to the Fox 38. Weve seen most of these already on other Fox models, but Ill touch on them again here for a quick refresher.Foxs Glidecore compliant air spring makes its way inside the Fox 38.GlidecoreOriginally debuting on the latest 36 and 36 SL, Foxs Glidecore air spring design has carried over to the 40 and 38. With both vertical and horizontal compliance built into the air spring with bushings, Glidecore aims to reduce friction by negating the effects of chassis flex.On the air spring side, Fox has also added a new MCU bottom-out bumper to reduce harshness should you reach the end of travel. To maintain a consistent air spring curve, the 38s air spring top cap has a special design and taller height to increase air volume.Increased Bushing OverlapFox states that, with its redesigned lowers, they were able to increase bushing overlap by 20mm. This is one of the primary factors contributing to the forks increased fore-aft stiffness, which, in turn, reduces friction and increases sensitivity. So, not only is the fork slightly stiffer than it already was, but that should make it a little more supple as well.New Grip X2 DamperOld Grip X2 on the left, new Grip X2 on the right. One of the biggest internal updates is the redesigned Grip X2 damper. Fox says it has an entirely new mid-valve piston and valve stack (aka the main piston assembly). The porting on the piston itself has been reshaped, and the valves updated with a cut design. Combined, these changes are intended to increase oil flow at the mid valve. With oil able to flow more freely through the piston, Fox claims this increases its sensitivity, suppleness, and responsiveness.The new Grip X2 still offers the four-way adjustability that riders already know and love. With independent external dials for low- and high-speed compression and rebound, its still quick and easy to fine-tune the Fox 38s damping settings to your preferences. Unfortunately, the new Grip X2 damper is not backward compatible with earlier forks; it only fits in the latest versions.Tall air spring top cap.External low- and high-speed compression dials.Fox 38 SpecsThe Fox 38 has, you guessed it, 38mm stanchions, which contribute to its stiff, sturdy feel. It comes in 160, 170, and 180mm travel lengths, which align with its intended use. It comes in 29 and 27.5 versions, and in the Factory and Performance Elite Series, with the primary difference being Kashima vs. Black stanchions. Aftermarket 38s have 44mm offset, and 37mm offset is available for OE only.Wheel sizes: 29 and 27.5Travel options: 160, 170, and 180mmTire clearance: 2.6 maxFork offset: 44mm (37mm OE option)Axle: 15 x 110mm floating axleBrake mount: 29: PM200, 27.5: PM180 (ABS mount available)Max rotor: 230mmStarting weight: 2,200gFox 38: Pricing and AvailabilityThe latest Fox 38 is available now. The Factory Series features Kashima Gold stanchions and lowers in Shiny Orange or Shiny Black, and it retails for $1,369 USD / $1,669 CAD / 1,499 / 1,439. The Performance Elite Series comes with black anodized stanchions and Matte Black lowers, and it sells for $1,259 USD / $1,539 CAD.Check it out at ridefox.comThings got a little muddy while getting familiar with the Fox 38 and the trails in Finale. (photo/Jeremy Benson)Fox 38: First ImpressionsYou know whats really good? Modern mountain bike suspension. Its honestly kind of outrageous how well it all works, enabling us to ride at unreasonable speeds on terrain and in places where bikes shouldnt reasonably even be able to go. And thats true of the previous Fox 38, a fork that I got quite familiar with while logging a lot of miles on the Yeti LTe eMTB last year. That fork was and still is spectacular and left me wanting for literally nothing. Then, while testing the Pivot Shuttle LT in January, I rode the Fox Podium inverted fork for the first time. Ive ridden a lot of brand-new suspension forks in the past few years, but the Podium really blew me away with its suppleness. Ive never ridden a fork that initiates travel so freely, and in that regard, I think its on another level. But that super-sensitive, supple ride feel comes with a weight penalty and a significantly higher price tag, which I think makes it pretty hard to justify compared to the Fox 38.Plenty of rocks in Finale to put a suspension fork to work.So, when the folks at Fox were explaining all of the updates to the Fox 38 that are intended to bring sensitivity and suppleness more in line with the Podium, I was intrigued, to say the least. Could they actually make the 38 even better than the existing version, which is already incredible? I was keen to find out.First RidesThe Fox crew arranged for test bikes for all of us media folks and set them up with the Fox 38 (or 40 if that was the preference). My test bike was an alloy-framed Canyon Spectral Fabio Wibmer series bike. It was completely unfamiliar to me, but it fit well enough and had good angles for tackling the rough and rocky test tracks in Finale. Best of all, I didnt need to fly internationally with a bike for just a couple of days of riding.Thankful to have a composed and sturdy fork on an unfamiliar bike on unfamiliar trails with LOTS of rocks.Given that this was a gravity-oriented media camp focused on the new Fox 38 and 40 forks, we did shuttle laps and sessioned a few of the same rugged tracks. This gave us all the opportunity to get a feel for the fork in the rough, enduro-style terrain for which it was intended. It also allowed for repeated laps on the same tracks to feel out the effects of tuning adjustments. On this trip, I rode with the new Fox 38 for two days in a row, and thats all of the time that Ive logged on it thus far. While a short introduction, the trails in Finale really served as a great testing ground with plenty of high speeds, drops, turns, and prolonged rough, rocky sections to get a feel for how the fork performed across the riding spectrum. Smash rocks, repeat. The Fox 38 felt pretty darn good to me.So, whats it like? Well, its a brand-new Fox 38 set up by Foxs professional technicians, so, of course, it felt amazing. Is it better than the outgoing model? Without riding them back-to-back, Id have a hard time really drawing any definite conclusions, but Id say the updates have made it feel marginally more supple and sensitive. I wouldnt put it on the same level as the Podium in that regard, but perhaps a little bit closer to that forks class-leading suppleness. I felt composed and responsive through high-frequency chop and chatter, and it recovered well after bigger hits and drops that used up all or most of the travel.Like its predecessor, I was impressed by its ability to maintain support and ride height, while still giving up full travel during harder impacts. It wasnt that long ago that I felt like I had to sacrifice support for full travel or vice versa, but that doesnt seem to be an issue anymore. Beyond that, the fork chassis felt plenty stiff, and steering felt responsive. Compression and rebound damping adjustments are still easy to operate, and with a reasonable number/usable range of clicks, so you dont get too deep in the weeds when tuning. I appreciated this fender, and its new mounting system, even if I still got covered head to toe in pale Italian mud. (photo/Jeremy Benson)As someone who has broken a bleeder valve while installing a fender, I really appreciate that the new mud guards and mount design do not attach to the bleeders. And with some wet trail conditions in Finale, I really enjoyed the larger mud guard that came installed on the fork. Beyond that, Im looking forward to mounting this fork on a longer travel frame as soon as I can get my hands on one. While a couple of days of testing still leaves plenty to be discovered, my initial impression is that its an incremental improvement to an already excellent fork.RideFox.comThe post First Look and First Rides: Latest Fox 38 Fork Gets New Look, Updated Grip X2 Damper, and More appeared first on Bikerumor.

Fox has unveiled a completely redesigned version of its 38 enduro fork, marking the first full overhaul of the platform since its launch in 2020. The substantial overhaul of the 38 brings it in line with Foxs gravity-focused range including the 36, Podium and newly released 40 with a revised chassis, updated GRIP X2 and GRIP X dampers, and a new Glidecore air spring. The focus is on reducing friction, improving sensitivity and refining ride feel. While Fox has updated the 38 incrementally over the past five years most notably through damper revisions this latest version represents a ground-up rethink of one of the most widely used forks in enduro racing. Read more: Best mountain bike forks 2026 top-rated MTB suspension forks and buyer's guide Podium learnings Cornering on rough, loose trails, the new Fox 38 is designed for improved grip and control. Fox Racing The biggest change is to the chassis. The new 38 features a generatively designed lower-leg assembly with 20mm more bushing overlap. According to Fox, this increases fore-aft stiffness by around nine per cent, while also reducing friction under load. At the same time, torsional stiffness has been reduced by just under seven per cent. While the original 38 prioritised outright stiffness and precision, the new fork appears to take a more balanced approach, similar to Foxs Podium fork. By slightly reducing torsional stiffness, the fork should track uneven ground more effectively and maintain grip in rough terrain. There are also updates to the air-bleeder valves, while the bypass channels have been relocated inside the lowers a change first seen on the latest Fox 40. Together, these updates point to a broader effort to reduce friction to the fork under load and improve consistency. In theory, the revised chassis should deliver a fork that remains stable under heavy braking and big impacts, and feels smoother and less harsh when the trails get rough. Feel the flow Updates to the Fox 38 should improve fore/aft stiffness when charging over rocks and rough trails. Fox Racing The GRIP X2 and GRIP X dampers remain, but with internal revisions rather than a complete redesign. The key update is a new mid-valve piston and valve stack (shim stack). Fox has altered both the shape of the piston ports and the valve stack itself, while retaining the same overall damping architecture. These changes are intended to improve oil flow and small-bump sensitivity, while maintaining the strong mid-stroke support the 38 is known for. Fox says the aim is to increase suppleness without sacrificing control or introducing harshness deeper in the travel. In practice, this points to a refinement of the existing dampers character, rather than a wholesale change in design. New Glidecore air spring At home on ebikes and enduro machines, the Fox 38 is the brand's go-to long-travel single-crown fork. Fox Racing The new 38 also features Foxs Glidecore air spring, first seen in the Fox 36. This is intended to reduce friction caused by side-loading. Unlike the previous Float EVOL air spring, Glidecore enables a small amount of controlled movement between the air piston and air shaft. Using compliant interfaces and larger O-rings, the system enables the internals to self-align under load, rather than bind when the fork is twisted through rough terrain. The result should be smoother suspension action, improved small-bump sensitivity and more consistent performance. Fox has also added an MCU bottom-out bumper to better control full-travel impacts. A more refined ride? The new Fox 38 focuses on reducing unwanted resistance through the fork. By minimising friction, stiction and binding, Fox is aiming to enable the damper and air spring to control the forks behaviour more efficiently, with less interference from the chassis. The combination of increased fore-aft stiffness, reduced torsional stiffness and lower friction should result in improved sensitivity, better grip and reduced rider fatigue particularly on rough, high-speed terrain. Familiar formats, similar weight The Fox 38 family remains unchanged, with the Factory, Performance Elite and Performance (OE only) models available. Travel options remain unchanged at 160mm, 170mm and 180mm, with both 29in and 27.5in versions available. The fork retains a 15x110mm Boost axle and clearance for up to 2.6in tyres. At a claimed starting weight of 2,200g, its broadly in line with the previous model. New Fox 38 pricing Fox 38 Factory 2027. Fox Racing Fox 38 Factory: 1,439 / $1,369 / 1,499 / AU$2,199 Fox 38 Performance Elite 2027. Fox Racing Fox 38 Performance Elite: 1,299 / $1,259 / 1,399 / AU$1,999

Carys Lloyd outsprinted Lorena Wiebes to win the Belgian race

When we make cycling safer for women, we make it safer for everyone, says Cycling UK, in response to Active Travel Englands new practical guidance and training for council