The Frasers Group-owned retailer posted a profit of 388,000 for 2025, just two years after suffering a huge 28m loss

Stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia was another day where the peloton saw the breakaway succeed, without chase from the peloton as expected. A group of climbers, classics specialists and rouleurs stood out on the stage into Verbania, and it was Italy's own Alberto Bettiol who took the home country's third...

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and I look forward to a long weekend of riding.Just kidding.Oh, well. Guess there will be more solemn remembrance and less outdoor recreation, which is fair enough.In any case, I am now signing off in observance thereof, and I will see you back here on Tuesday, May 26th, likely still soggy from what is shaping up to be three straight days of rain.In the meantime, cycling journalists have written muchly (is that even a word?) about the ascendance of Chinese bicycle brands, and its no surprise theyre becoming so popular when they allow you to put together a race bike for only4,000?Wait, is that supposed to be cheap? Four Thousand British Complacency Units is over Five Thousand American Fun Tickets! This is like a story in the real estate section called We Bought a House in Coxsackie, NY for under $2 Million, or a restaurant review about how We Fed a Party of Four at Arbys for Under $500.But can it fit 60mm tires? Because 60 is the new 50or something:Yeah, sorry, those are mountain bike tires.Calling those gravel tires is like saying this guy is practicing self-care:Ah yes, not only am I old enough to remember when that was still called a mountain bike tire, but I can even remember when 29 inches was the hot new wheel size and Niner even built an entire bike company around the concept. Now theyre in a financially-induced coma:And the cycling world has moved on to 32-inch wheelsthough Jan Heine is not impressed:His analysis is well worth reading, and heres his conclusion:The real conclusion from all this data is this: At least for the popular wheel sizes between 26 and 32, there is no measurable difference in performance.Basically he debunks the idea that larger wheels roll over stuff better when you factor in the pneumatic tires. Im not sure hes right when it comes to really rough terrain, like what you might find on a very rocky mountain bike trail where the tire is really deforming a lot, but for most other terrain what hes saying makes sense to me. Fortunately for me Im in the happy position of not really caring one way or the other, and fortunately for Jan Heine hell happily sell you 32-inch tires if the industry insists on going that way anyway, so I guess everybody wins.And finally, its time to start shopping for a personal exoskeleton:Not only can you hike up mountains in a single bound, but you dont even need an e-bike!The cyborg cyclistOn a bike ride, the puppet effect was even more dramatic. At one point I was barely moving my legs myself. On certain climbs, I topped out panting and exhausted, then realized my bike was in its hardest gear.The Spandex-clad cyclists who tackle San Franciscos iconic Hawk Hill have a saying: The climb doesnt get easier, you just get faster.Thats also true of riding with battery-boosted legs. I was out of breath because I was pedaling at my regular cadence, but each stroke had a lot more power.It would be ironic if this is the invention that ends up saving the non-motorized bicycle.And with that, I shall now take my leave. Thanks as always for your readership, and for your support. Enjoy the long weekend, and Ill see you back here on Tuesday.As always, I remain, Jrs Trli,Tan Tenovo

Giant has quietly unveiled the new TCR SLR, and it could become one of the most desirable alloy road bikes of the year. The TCR SLR takes the brands long-running TCR platform and gives it a premium aluminium makeover. Aimed squarely at performance-focused riders, it's bang up to date with internal cable routing, decent 33mm tyre clearance and clean lines. The frame uses Giants ALUXX SLR alloy construction and shares a silhouette similar to the brand's TCR carbon road bike. The bike looks refined for an alloy road bike. Giant Theres just one major problem: you probably cant buy it. At least for now, the bike appears to be exclusive to the Japanese market, with no announcement regarding availability in either the UK, US or Europe. And thats a shame, because on first impressions, Giant may have produced one of the most compelling aluminium road bikes in years. The bike follows the similarly limited Giant PCR, which we spotted last year and only available in select markets. Read more: 6 reasons why your next bike should be aluminium The TCR SLR 1 comes with a Shimano Tiagra-based groupset. Giant From the information we've seen so far, there are two builds of the TCR SLR available, with the range priced much lower than the recently-released and broadly similar CAAD 14: TCR SLR 1 - 253,000 (around 1,183) TCR SLR 0 330,000 (around 1,543) The SLR 0 build includes a Shimano 105 groupset, mid-depth alloy wheels, and a Contact SLR Road Integrated handlebar. The cheaper model downgrades to Tiagra and an aftermarket crank. Read more: Shimano 105 vs Shimano Ultegra: Which groupset should you choose? Visually, the bike looks far more refined than many aluminium frames on the market today, with smoothed welds, sculpted tubes and fully internal cable routing. The bike looks to be priced very competitively. Giant We've asked representatives of Giant UK if the bike will be made available outside of Japan, but we expect, like the PCR, this one will remain a forbidden fruit for customers worldwide.

Italian seals XDS Astana's third win of the race

The 2026 Giro d'Italia will take place from the 8th to the 31st of May. It is the first Grand Tour of the season, and there are 21 stages that will take the riders through many of Italy's iconic cities, the mythical Alps, and many treacherous stages - each one can end the climber's chances of winnin...

This weeks Debrief features fresh Ingrid Cranks, an Ortlieb Gravel-Pack update, White Industries seatpost collars, a new Zefal Adventure mini-pump, multiple events to follow live, and more. Find it all hereThe post Friday Debrief: New Ingrid Cranks, Ortlieb Gravel-Packs, White Ind Seatpost Collars, and More appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

We need to provide safe, fun places for teenagers to ride bikes and be outside. If we dont want damage, maybe we should consider how we allocate resources, one local said

Alberto Bettiol has nine wins in his palmars, but almost all are of an extremely high level. The Italian has won the Tour of Flanders, a stage at the Giro; and most recently the national championships in 2024. This afternoon, he broke his two-year dry streak at the Corsa Rosa where he won in his se...

The latest Camp and Go Slow drop includes custom handlebar bags from Bags by Bird, machined top caps from Forager Cycles, and more. Get all the details here...The post Fresh Camp and Go Slow Drop with Bags by Bird and Forager Cycles appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.