Argon 18 has revealed the new Anti Matter gravel bike, which features an integrated system, generous tyre clearance and the goal of redefining what gravel race performance really means. The new gravel bike is the race-ready companion to Argon 18's very capable Dark Matter, and is said to blend the Dark Matters off-road capabilities with the cutting-edge aero design of last years Nitrogen Pro road bike. The integrated system means a new holistic approach centred on the integration of the frameset with the component parts, airflow management, and most importantly the riders position. The result is a bike that's said to be significantly faster than the Dark Matter. Aerodynamic and off-road capable The new Anti Matter brings cutting-edge aerodynamics and big tyre clearances to gravel-race design. Argon 18 Argon 18 tells us the gravel race bike was refined over more than 800 hours of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation and 45 hours of wind-tunnel testing. It claims the result is a 14.5W advantage over the Dark Matter (+/ 15 yaw, wind-averaged drag at 45 km/h). Details include the new ATTEN (Argon 18s tech components lab) CHB-01 one-piece cockpit and the co-developed ATTEN x Apidura frame bags designed to carry race essentials with no aerodynamic penalty. Not even the bottle cages and frame bags have escaped the aero treatment. Argon 18 The bottle cages havent been spared the aero treatment, with a flush-fitting design thats shielded by the down tube shape. The down tube cage is side-loading, allowing for easy access even when the bike is fitted with the frame storage bag. Vincent Lemay, Argon 18s vice president of research and development, says: With the Anti Matter, our ambition was clear: redefine what gravel racing performance truly means. This platform is the result of a complete reengineering of speed and control for todays increasingly fast and technical courses. The low-slung horizontal seatstays are claimed to bring aero efficiency and compliance. Argon 18 Aside from the aerodynamics, Argon 18 has designed the Anti Matter to be a capable bike in tough conditions. The bike has generous 55mm tyre clearance and low-dropped stays, with a horizontal junction to the seat tube, which is said to bring aero efficiency and increased compliance. The frame features a T47 threaded bottom bracket, UDH dropout, CeramicSpeed SLT headset and a standard 1-1/8in round steerer tube rather than a proprietary shape. That makes for simpler servicing and opens the Anti Matter up to a gravel suspension fork. The Anti Matter's wide fork brings both aero efficiency and 55mm tyre clearance. Argon 18 Three models The Anti Matter range consists of three models, all based around SRAM XPLR AXS drivetrains. The Red XPLR AXS bike is priced at 10,495 / $12,999 / 12,495. Argon 18 The range-topping SRAM Red XPLR AXS model comes with Zipp 303 XPLR SW wheels, a power-meter equipped crankset, Schwalbe G-One RS Pro 45mm tyres and an ATTEN x Apidura frame bag. Its priced at 10,495 / $12,999 / 12,495. The Force XPLR AXS bike is priced at 7,495 / $8,999 / 8,995. Argon 18 The second-tier model is based around SRAM Force XPLR AXS, again with a power meter crankset. It has Zipp 303 XPLR S wheels and the same Schwalbe G-One RS Pro 45mm tyres, plus the ATTEN x Apidura frame bag. Its priced at 7,495 / $8,999 / 8,995. The Rival XPLR AXS bike is priced at 5,495 / $6,499 / 6,795. Argon 18 The entry into the Anti Matter range comes with SRAM Rival XPLR AXS, DT Swiss G1800 alloy gravel wheels and the ATTEN x Apidura frame bag. The Rival model is priced at 5,495 / $6,499 / 6,795.

The Giro dItalia has long built its reputation on attrition as much as spectacle. Across three weeks of racing between 8 May and 31 May, crashes, illness, exhaustion and withdrawals can completely reshape the race, whether in chaotic bunch sprints, freezing mountain conditions or the brutal final w...

Wilier launched its new gateway aero bike, the Rapida. The bike features the same design styling as Wiliers aero-focused road bikes, but comes at a price thatll appeal to a much wider audience. EF Pro Cycling showed us its limited-edition Grand Tour kits havent stopped since leaving Rapha for ASSOS. The new kit features an alien on the front with an out-of-this-world theme. Lego released a new Road Bike model with 1,015 pieces. The model captures the intricacies of modern-day aero road bikes and is priced at 109.99 / $129.99. MyWhoosh is introducing anti-doping tests to virtual cycling races, which it hopes will strengthen trust in elite virtual racing and protect clean athletes and represents a major step in MyWhooshs commitment to professional standards. Spanish manufacturer Rotor is seeking investment to avoid bankruptcy and secure jobs in Madrid. The company has previously merged with the Chinese brand Wheeltop and adopted its wireless drivetrain technology. Want more of the most important cycling tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Why not sign up to our newsletter? Twice weekly, our editors cut through the noise with the most important BikeRadar news, reviews and buying advice. Plus, The Breakaway delivers expert analysis and opinions from our testing team on Saturdays. The BikeRadar Podcast is also a great way to keep up to date with trends, news and our opinions.

The chaotic finale to the opening stage of the 2026 Giro dItalia has already sparked an angry safety debate after a major crash inside the final kilometre in Burgas wiped out much of the sprint field and left several notable contenders unable to fight for the stage victory and Maglia Rosa. Paul Mag...

If you werent aware Porsche made electric bicycles, we wouldnt blame you. Despite being one of the biggest names in automotives, the German car companys ebike exploits havent made a massive impact. And you're unlikely to see many of its bikes in the future. Thats because the company announced today that it is discontinuing its Porsche eBike Performance subsidiary, alongside the Fazua ebike motor company, which it has owned since 2022. Porsche eBike Performance will be discontinued following the planned sale of Porsches stake in Bugatti Rimac and the Rimac Group. Porsche will also discontinue its Cellforce Group battery and Cetitec software companies, and 500 employees will be affected by planned job reductions. Although the ebike motor company Fazua has not put out a statement at the time of publishing, a Porsche spokesperson told BikeRadar: Fazua customers and dealers will continue to have long-term access to spare parts and service. Further information will be announced shortly." Dr. Michael Leiters, chairman of the executive board of Porsche, said: We must refocus on our core business. This is the indispensable foundation for a successful strategic realignment. This forces us to make painful cuts including our subsidiaries. Porsche says its electric bike activities will be discontinued due to fundamentally changed market conditions for ebike drive systems. Porsche hasnt specified what these changed market conditions are. But we know the European electric bicycle market has slowed in recent years. Last year, trade publication Bike EU said ebike sales saw a further cooling down in 2024. Across Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the UK, Spain and Switzerland, the total number of electric bikes sold in 2023 dropped from roughly 4.2 million to 4 million. This drop came despite large-scale discounting and marketing efforts by brands and distributors, according to Bike EU. Year-over-year sales in 2024 fell by -9.65% in the UK, -15.76% in France and -19.09% in Spain. The ebike market has also seen disruption from the latest Avinox M2 and M2S motors, which have been adopted by many brands including YT Industries, which now specs the M2S alongside Fazua motors.

The 2026 Giro dItalia classifications will evolve day by day across three weeks of racing between 8 May and 31 May, from the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria all the way to the final stage in Rome. Every summit finish, sprint stage, breakaway, and time trial has the potential to reshape the fight for th...

Jonathan Milan admitted Lidl-Trek lost control of the Giro dItalia opener at exactly the wrong moment as the Italian sprint star saw his chance to claim the Maglia Rosa disappear in the chaotic finale into Burgas. After spending much of Stage 1 among the major favourites for both the stage victory...

Local race series, recreational riding and a UCI world champs all take place on a former landfill site in South Carolina's Rock Hill

The Giro dItalia is not only shaped by attacks in the mountains and sprint finishes on the road, but also by the decisions made behind the scenes by the race commissaires. Across three weeks of racing between 8 May and 31 May, fines, time penalties, relegations and other sanctions can quickly influ...

Comment & Analysis: Theres never money for people on the front line, says Sinn Fin spokesperson on finance Pearse Doherty when hes complaining about a secure bicycle shed in Dublin and Kerry for checks notes hospital staff. He has repeatedly said it is pure waste, but even if a project has an overspend, how are the bicycle parking sheds pure waste if they are used by staff? Calling it a designer bike shed because its made of steel and glass rather than bike parking unsheltered and unsecured in some far-off corner of a car park. Its throwing the baby out with the bathwater repeatedly.Doherty is highly intelligent. But, when it comes to bike sheds, he has decided that the populism seen in the US and UK will gain favour with voters. Sadly, he is likely right at least to some level. A larger problem is that the stop the waste mantra will not stop at bike sheds.Irelands health budget is 27.4 billion. For the shed at the Kerry hospital, the majority of the cost (70,000) was covered by active travel funding. If Doherty thinks the remainder 57,385 will have much impact on the health services problems, he might keep in mind that money spent on active travel is estimated to return many times over in health benefits. The Dutch, for example, estimate that for every 1 spent on cycling infrastructure, they save 30 from the health benefits alone.Staff who can cycle, making that choice to cycle to hospitals, is good for them personally, good for the health system as their employers, as it actively leads to fewer sick days, and good for the health service as cycling lowers the chances of illnesses. But maybe Doherty wants staff cycling to hospitals to have their bikes left less secured, adding to the risk that the bike wont be there when they return? And the hospital bicycle sheds are not the same as the Dil bike shed. The Dil shed, or more correctly, the Leinster House bike shelter, cost 336,000, or 9,333 per space (with a small bit of car park resurfacing, etc, also done in part of the project, which is strangely never mentioned).IMAGE: Leinster House bike shelter.The 127,385 spent on the latest bicycle shed in the news, at Unverity Hospital Kerry, amounts to just 3,184 per space for a far more substantial structure. The security at Leinster House is provided by way of Garda manning the gates and tall fences of our parliaments grounds, while the structures at the Dublin and Kerry hospitals are fully enclosed from the elements, use keypad access, and have lighting and CCTV.The problem with populist rhetoric is that it lumps everything together, and people who cannot accept the cost of things will see everything as waste. Its toxic.The excessive amount spent on the Dil bike shelter was a waste of money theres no doubt about that. It often does not even block the rain when the wind is blowing in a prevailing direction. But lets be honest, people turn a blind eye to the vastly more being spent on car parking and other car infrastructure. The fact that it was related to bicycles helped fuel the story with populists polititions and clickbait editors.While a shed will for many bring up the idea of an old wooden garden shed, thats not what this is. According to the Irish Independent, this was the breakdown in costs:Option A was a 40 cycle shelter with glazed aisle, hinged padlock door and toast rack which would cost 21,090 excluding VAT, while Option B was a Bespoke 40 Cycle Hub of galvanised steel and toughen glass which cost 57,790 not including VAT..The cost of the preferred option came to at 127,385 which included the cost of the hub at 49,990 plus steel bike racks at 7,800. Vat came to 13,292. Ground works came in at 39,363, including concrete and the demolition of the kerbs and tarmac and their replacement. Electrial work costs included CCTV and cabling came to 16,940 including VAT.Funding of 70,000 was provided, with UHK/HSE having to pay 57,385 for the project.Politicians like Doherty and others, who are complaining about cheaper options not being chosen, are using the cost of one part of the project and comparing the full costs to claim that an option 20 times the cost of a cheaper option was chosen. This does not account for the fact that groundwork, VAT, CCTV and lighting work would all need to have been paid for.But it also looks at the cost of everything without looking at the value of anything a shelter with only partial cover from the rain, and no extra security than a bicycle rack on a street, or a more of a shed structure with just a padlock and cheap toast rack stands (aka wheel benders). Its not like Doherty was not aware of any of the reasons for picking a higher standard option in the Dil, he dismissed toughened glass as if normal glass could be used on such a structure. No shock at car parking spendingAs Cycling Ireland president Ciaran Cannon said while posting a photo of the shed: This is the bike shed being described here. Its a safe, secure and appropriate bike park for 40 bikes, at a one-off cost of 3,175 per space. Meanwhile, why no furore over the OPW spending 3,500 per car parking space, every year? #carbrainThis is recurring funding. But yet no heads explode, and its not brought up over and over again in general discourse about public spending.Cannon also points to a guide from a chartered quantity surveyor firm, Buildcost, which outlines the construction costs of car parking, ranging from 4,500 to 85,000 per space, depending on the structures involved: This is not just abstract. A multi-storey car park at Wexford General Hospital recently cost around 13 million or 36,516 per space for the 356 spaces in the car park. Where is the outrage? And before you say that parking changes will cover the cost in a few years, the populists who complain about all bicycle parking construction costs generally also look for free hospital parking for all (even when such policies impact the people who most need car parking).In 2019, the Dutch city of Utrecht and national bodies spent an estimated 30 million to build a three-story bicycle parking unit with 12,500 spaces. If you suggested even a fraction of this for bicycle parking at an Irish train station, the heads of populists would explode, and somehow they would explode a second time when they find out that the parking unit was just one of a number built for tens of millions around Utrechts revamped train station.