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 infl...

Stinner goes big with 32" wheels, Fizik heads off-road too, and Tailfin and Garmin help the journey become just that little bit easier

What was in the past can't be really measured against what weve currently got today. Its not up to me decide if something is good value or not

Jonas Vingegaard has the plan to race both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France this summer. There is speculation that up against a modest GC field, the Dane will try to take it easier on the Corsa Rosa so as to manage fatigue before the Tour; however that is firmly denied by the team who are not focusi...

Were used to buying groupsets and components from the big three brands Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo but theres an increasing range of Chinese competitors filling a gap for lower priced groupset components. So heres a rundown of five emerging Chinese competitor groupset brands and what each offers. These companies havent come out of nowhere, with their founders often having worked for Shimano or SRAM as subcontractors or in these brands' factories in China before starting their own companies. They are typically different to the big three. They sell individual components instead of complete groupsets, leaving you to source the rest of the parts needed. Many offer Shimano compatibility and there are also some SRAM compatible components. Youre going to need to buy online, with AliExpress a favoured outlet and products shipped from China. The brands differ in the quality of information about their components and compatibility provided, so you may in some cases need to take a guess at how well a component will work with your other drivetrain parts. On the other hand, you can expect to save a significant sum relative to the big three groupset brands, although look out for import duties or other additional charges. You may like: Made in China: why the country's cycling revolution should have Western brands worried Wheeltop Wheeltop sells electronic groupsets for MTB, road and gravel use. Jack Luke / Our Media Wheeltop has been making groupset components since the 1950s and has recently taken a majority holding in the Spanish component brand Rotor. It has used its wireless electronics in the Rotor Uno groupset. Wheeltop sells three wireless electronic groupsets, aimed at road, gravel and MTB use, which can be configured to work with cassettes with between three and 14 speeds. Wheeltop sells the derailleurs and shift levers and hydraulic brake callipers for some groupsets, but not other components yet. Its TX road groupset is 1x or 2x compatible, with carbon fibre parts and hydraulic disc brake callipers, although there is a cable brake alternative. Its compatible with cassettes from 10 teeth up to 36 teeth. EDS GeX is an electronic 1x gravel groupset with cassette compatibility ranging from 10 teeth up to 52 teeth and includes hydraulic brake callipers. The EDS OX2.0 wireless electronic mountain bike groupset includes shifters and 1x rear derailleurs, with cage lengths for 46t and 52t maximum sprockets. It doesn't include brake callipers though. Wheeltops latest offerings, which we spotted at the 2026 Taipei International Cycle Show, are a range of carbon cranksets and a fully wireless time trial groupset. Magene Although it's yet to bring it to market, Magene has developed a QED rear derailleur. Stan Portus / Our Media While Wheeltop has focused on derailleurs and shifters, Magenes groupset focus is on power meters and cranksets. The top spec TEO P515 power meter has carbon cranks and is available with crank lengths from 160mm and the full range of common road chainring combinations. It can also be bought as a spider only, although this is only compatible with Magene cranksets. Magene also sells the QED and PES power meter cranksets, made of aluminium. There are options compatible with a wide range of bottom brackets and all Magenes power meters support both ANT+ and BLE protocols, for compatibility with a full range of cycling computers. Magene's power meter range includes these P715 power meter pedals. Simon von Bromley / Our Media The P715 dual-sided pedal power meter is available with Look Keo and Shimano SPD-SL cleat compatibility. The brand also has a line-up of wheels, ebike components, lights and a rearview radar and its cycling computers and smart trainers are used by the XDS-Astana WorldTour pro team. It showcased a range of electronic shifting components at the 2025 Eurobike trade show, although as of May 2026 it's yet to bring these to market. L-Twoo L-Twoo has an extensive range of groupsets including electronic and mechanical options with up to 13 speeds. Warren Rossiter / Our Media L-Twoo offers a wide range of groupsets for road, gravel, triathlon, mountain bike and folding bike use, as well as electric bike components. The company only sells derailleurs, shifters and hydraulic brake callipers and six-bolt rotors, so its components need to be paired with a cassette, crankset and chain from another brand. But it offers 1x and 2x electronic and mechanical shifting systems with up to 13 speeds and shifters that work similarly to either Shimano or Campagnolo. Electronic systems have wireless transmission from the shifters to the derailleurs. Road electronic groupsets are powered by an in-frame battery thats similar in size to Shimanos, but 1x gravel and mountain bike rear derailleurs have a non-removable battery housed in the derailleur and charged via a USB-C port. Sensah Sensah supplies the groupset for State's Undefeated road bike. Oscar Huckle / Our Media Sensah sells road, mountain bike and folding bike groupset components, with its own dedicated store on AliExpress as well as a combined Chinese/English language website. As with L-Twoo, it sells the shifters and derailleurs, but not the other components needed for a complete groupset. All its current components provide mechanical shifting only. On the road and gravel side, the HRD groupset offers hydraulic systems with 7 to 13 speeds and 1x and 2x compatibility. 1x gravel derailleurs have a clutched cage and up to a 50t maximum sprocket compatibility, dependent on speeds. Mountain bike groupsets offer 1x, 2x and 3x systems with between 7 and 13 speeds and derailleur capacity of up to 52 teeth. Folding bike components provide trigger shifters with up to 2x11-speed compatibility. S-Ride S-Ride is the only brand here that sells cassettes and chains, alongside derailleur systems. S-Ride Uniquely among the brands here, S-Ride sells cassettes and chains, as well as road, gravel and mountain bike derailleur systems. All thats lacking from its component range are cranksets and brake callipers. Eliminating the guesswork, S-Ride provides detailed compatibility information for its parts with Shimano components. S-Ride's road and gravel components include mechanical shifters and front and rear derailleurs with between 8 and 11 speeds. 2x options offer 8/9 and 10-speed derailleurs with 34t maximum sprocket compatibility, while 1x gravel derailleurs come in 10, 11 and 12-speed variants with 50t maximum sprocket size. There are MTB derailleurs with 7 to 12 speeds and up to 52 tooth cassette compatibility, as well as 7/8 and 9-speed components designed for electric mountain bikes. S-Ride sells both trigger and twist shifters. Cassettes range from 7-speed, with a maximum 11-36t to 12-speed with 11-46t and 11-50t ranges suitable for 1x MTB use and include e-MTB 7, 8 and 9-speed options. S-Ride's chains suit drivetrains from seven to 12 speeds. Read more 11 Chinese cycling brands you dont know about, but should Chinese groupsets could take over pro cycling sooner than you think here's why Panda Podiums Joe Whittingham on how Covid and Western hubris laid the ground for the rise of Chinese bikes

Organisers ask riders to 'respect the image of cycling and the Giro dItalia'

Lotto-Intermarch entered the Giro d'Italia with several ill riders, with Arnaud de Lie and Milan Menten leaving the race within the first few days as they failed to recover from it. The team is down to only five riders and on stage 9 Toon Aerts gave it a go to try and chase a result. However, he wa...

Emil & Karl is an uplifting 22-minute film that follows two dads and their young sons on a six-day bikepacking journey through the Swiss Alps. With patience, humor, and a healthy dose of pushing, its a celebration of childlike wonder and shared family adventure. Watch it and find an introduction from director Holger Wimmer hereThe post Emil & Karl: Small Wheels, Big Mountains (Film) appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

A new Specialized race bike, which appears to be an updated Tarmac, has surfaced online. Those hoping for some kind of groundbreaking new aero bike from the brand might be disappointed, though, given the visible changes are minor. The images, posted on X, reveal a modified fork which smoothes the leading edge to the pronounced head tube via a deepened leg profile. X The Specialized Tarmac SL8 saw the debut of the speed sniffer design. This elongated the effective head tube by extending it forward, and meant Specialized could keep the steering axis in the same place as the SL7. The speed sniffer resulted in a slightly awkward look, but the new design appears to address this while, presumably, offering an aerodynamic benefit. The seat tube closely follows the rear tyre. X The next obvious change is to the seat tube, which follows the profile of the tyre more closely than before. This is likely to help reduce turbulence caused by air spilling off the rear wheel, yet the small nature of the tweak suggests that Specialized is aiming to retain much of the SL8s comfort. pic.twitter.com/QllvMjZQgn (@John_Doe_0774) May 15, 2026 The final clear change can be seen at the seatpost. To the naked eye, the insertion section looks unchanged, but the upper portion appears to be deeper than before. This looks to be a balanced approach taken to improve aerodynamics, by retaining the (relatively) slender lower section to keep a level of vertical compliance. New hardware for the saddle is also visible possibly an attempt to balance the scales with the deeper section. Its impossible to know if tyre clearance has changed from the images, but the SL8 featured space for 32mm tyres. Its not unreasonable to speculate that Specialized might have increased this bearing in mind the latest trend towards running wider tyres. The silhouette is similar to the Tarmac SL8. X We dont know if this unreleased bike has a different geometry to the SL8, but the silhouette looks so similar that any changes are likely to be minimal. The Tarmac SL8 is still regarded as something of a yardstick for race bike handling one we refer back to regularly so it could be that Specialized is responding to pro rider and customer feedback by keeping this unchanged. All-in, should the images prove to be accurate, the supposed new Tarmac seems to favour evolution over revolution, with Specialized appearing reluctant to follow more progressive designs like the Factor One. Specialized is sticking to its typical formula, rather than adopting a more radical design. X Well keep our eyes peeled for an official racing debut of the new bike over the coming months, with the traditional Tour de France warm up race, the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes (formerly known as the Critrium du Dauphin) starting in June and the Grand Boucle itself in July. You may like: Simon says: Forget the Tarmac, bring back the Specialized Venge!