Revelate Designs helped define the modern handlebar harness nearly two decades ago, so when the Alaskan brand finally released its first rigid cradle, expectations were high. After several overnighters and some rough trail miles, the new Hammerhead Harness proved that theres still room to improve in this category. Find our full review hereThe post Revelate Hammerhead Harness Review: Natural Evolution appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

As larger companies stay quiet, small cycling brands are stepping into the political arenanot just because they can, but because they have to

Michael Matthews is reluctant to give it is all in a bunch sprint at theTour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes ahead of Wednesday's stage 4. The Australian fast man is in strong form after capping off a solid team time trial for Team Jayco AlUla, but has good reason to not want to go to the line in a chaotic su...

Dublin City Council has published plans and started the public consultation for the proposed public space at the end of Vernon Avenue in Clontarf. The location is part of Clontarf, which was historically a fishing village and is now the main area for shops and other businesses. A report among the documents sets the urban centre as developing out of that fishing village, with what was to become the Clontarf Road at that point marked in some historical mapping as the Clontarf Sheds.In the same report on the project, the council said: Traffic Management is a key challenge in Clontarf Village. Solutions to address this have evolved over time, and currently include interventions such as double yellow lines along most of the length of the Vernon Avenue (except for some limited on-street parking), one-way traffic along Clontarf Park, the removal of parking to the southern end of Vernon Avenue to provide a public space in 2007, the introduction of temporary bollards on the footpaths to Vernon Avenue, pay and display parking in Clontarf Village and in the car park to the south of Clontarf Road.Current traffic volumes have begun to detract from the quality and amenity of Clontarf Village, hence, a new and updated approach to traffic management is now required. This project tries to recalibrate the village in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, while still maintaining vehicular access and loading for deliveries, services and the provision of accessible parking, the council said.The council added: By creating a new civic space at the southern end of Clontarf Village addressing the sea and improving the connection to Clontarf Promenade, it hopes to create a new destination for Dubliners along Dublin Bay.IMAGES: The draft drawings for the project.As well as creating a new public space, the Vernon Avenue to Clontarf Road Active Travel Scheme will connect the planned cycle path north of Seafield Road to the S2S Dublin Bay route while maintaining access for motorists.The consultation runs until the 10th July 2026. As part of that, there will be an information evening on Tuesday, June 23rd, from 3-7pm at Clontarf GAA Club, ras, Seafield Rd W, D03 Y6V3.The drawings and documents are also available at dublincity.ie/vernonave, and at Raheny Library, D05 VY99 and Marino Library, D03 VW10.MORE: A detailed look at the outline plan to restore more of a village feel to Clontarf againIMAGES: 1-3 show the public space at the Clontarf Road end of Vernon Avenue, and images 3-4 show shared street treatment between Seafield Road and Clontarf Park, where people cycling will share with local access traffic.

Caletti Cycles is hosting another framebuilder summit this year, but they need help to make it happen. With prizes from Paul Components, White Industries, Moots, and more, this fundraiser is a great way to grab some gear and support US framebuilders...The post 2026 Caletti Framebuilder Summit Fundraiser appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

This new Scott Spark RC is a complete reimagining of the Swiss bikemakers top-tier XC bike. The Spark was the bike that legitimized wider 2.4 tires and longer 120mm travel for cross-country race bikes. And now, it gets an all-new suspension design that seems inspired by even longer travel bikes to deliver more grip and control, and give riders more suspension tuning options, all without sacrificing ultralight weight!2027 Scott Spark XC lightweight carbon 120mm XC race bike(Photo/Cory Benson)The Scott Spark has won more elite-level cross-country races than any other mountain bike. We lost county how many World Cups, World Championships & Olympic titles. It also happens to be the single bike model weve covered most with Pro Bike Checks, limited editions & production bikes over the years, for that same reason. It certainly didnt hurt that it was N1NOs race weapon of choice for a decade. But Scott hasnt set idly since they moved the rear shock inside the Sparks frame 4 years ago.(Photo/Cory Benson)We even spotted it on the XC World Cup in Nov Msto just a couple of weeks ago. As XC tires got bigger, rims got wider, and tire pressures went lower, the tires themselves have become flexier. So, Scott worked to better balance frame flex for more controlled handling when racers really push their bikes hard in the corners. Making a pro-level XC bike became more than just making it lighter and stiffer. Scott have continued to refine that longer travel, bugger tire concept around 3 core XC race-ready development goals: Light Weight, Ride Dynamics & Seamless Performance.An all-new suspension designMaking a bike lighter without sacrificing strength or performance is always tricky. But Scott achieved weight savings again by integrating the rear shock further into the frame, and moving it deeper into the base of the downtube. There, where the frame is already reinforced against pedaling forces, it required less additional material to handle the extra forces from suspension movement. There was also the significant side benefit of shifting weight balance lower, while simplifying the suspension linkage design within the frame.While it looks quite similar from the outside because of everything hidden inside and the lack of a rear pivot, in the end, the new Spark RC features an all-new suspension design. While the prior bike was a single pivot with a linkage driven shock, this new 5th-generation Spark adds a short-link rotating around the bottom bracket, with a pivot just below the crankset, making it a bit more complex. That means that chainstay length grows through the travel, effectively making this perform like a 4-bar, even though it also looks quite similar to a mid pivot swingarm design. (Photo by Piper Albrecht/Scott)The secret is the reliance on a flex-pivot in the rear triangle, which Scott engineers carefully tuned to deflect just 1mm though the first half of the bikes travel, so its undamped spring characteristic would not effect the supple performance of the bikes early travel. Then, for the remaining travel, it flexes 5-6mm more, increasing the suspension designs spring rate for more support as the bike gets pushed harder, balanced by damping tuned into the rear shock.The resulting kinematics feature higher anti-squat to give racers more support with bigger chainring. But to still deliver sensitive travel to ensure the rear tire stays connected to the ground for power transfer and solid cornering grip over rough racetracks.Lightweight integration(Photo by Cory Benson)Again, integrating the shock under cover inside the frame protects it seals from dust, dirt, water & mud infiltration for more consistent performance all season. The new design is open on top, both with a magnetic cover over the main body of the shock and a snap-on cover at the rear shock mount. The more-open asymmetric design ensures it is easier than ever to reach suspension adjustment controls, or to replace the AXS battery form Flight Attendant shocks. And theres still an external travel indicator to speed up sag setup and see how much of the suspension you are using.(Photo by Cory Benson)It also provides plenty of space to access internal frame storage. Scotts tool & accessory arm at Syncros created a trailside repair kit, plus a minimalist L-shaped multi-tool that clips inside the frame with the bits you need to make cockpit & suspension adjustments without having to dig out bigger tools.5-12% lighter top-tier, yet still lighter all-around even with Flight AttendantLight weight was a big driver of the new Spark redesign, according to Scott engineers. And this generation frame is significantly lighter anywhere between The new 2027 Scott Spark RC HMX-SL frameset has a claimed painted weight of just 1427g without a shock, making it 1776g with the electronic lockout SIDLuxe Ultimate Flight Attendant shock. The previous 4th generation Spark HMX-SL frame weight claim was ~1624g without its shock, or 1870g with its lighter shock. Comparing framesets alone, thats a 12% weight reduction (-197g) on an already light full-suspension XC bike. But in a real-world apples to oranges comparison of what top racers are actually riding, thats 94g weight savings (-5%) while adding the huge functional upgrade of automated traction & lockout controls.The new HMX frame without shock is also ~183g lighter than the previous HMX frame, still 80g lighter with the more advanced Flight Attendant shock vs. the old frame with its lighter mechanical lockout shock. And even the new standard HMF frame is ~111g than its predecessor, still 8g lighter with Flight Attendant now.Tech detailslightweight carbon XC bike with integrated shock inside & 3 layup options: HMX-SL, HMX & HMF 1427g HMX-SL frameset weight with carbon lower link & Ceramic Speed SLT bearings 1570g HMX frameset with alloy lower link & Ceramic Speed SLT bearings 1793g HMF frameset with alloy lower link, mechanical shift compatibility & stainless bearings (note: weight claims for size M, painted with hardware and frame covers, but no shock. SIDLuxe Ultimate Flight Attendant shock weighs a claimed 349g, or just 246g for the mechanical lockout version.)120mm of rear wheel travel paired to 120mm fork travel (rated for up to 130mm forks)190x45mm rear shock inside, with modular covers to fit all possible shock options(Photo by Cory Benson)threaded BSA 73mm bottom bracket in the alloy link of HMX & HMF (all but one complete bike)PressFit BB92- PF92 bottom bracket in the carbon link of the HMX-SL framemax 40T chainring with 55mm chainline29 x 2.6 max tire clearance+/-0.5 angle-adjust tapered headsetfully internal cable routing through the headsetheadset rotation lock-block integrated into the lower headset race pressed onto the fork steererfully guided, flexible color-coded internal Octopus routingtitanium frame hardwareUDH derailleur mount31.6mm seatposts with roadie-style wedge-expander integrated seatpost clampno seattube bottle bosses with optional external adapter to fit long travel droppersremovable clip-on mini rear fenderintegrated mini chainguideinternal frame storage with included Syncros Save the Day kit: spare tube & multi-tool (only down to the Pro-level)hidden tool-free tire repair Syncros Tool & Tubeless Handlebar kit inside the bar end4 frame sizes available (S-XL)Category 3 trail bike testedMY27 Scott Spark RC Pricing, options & availability(Photo by Cory Benson)Scott has 8 models of the new 2027 Spark RC available in this summers lineup. All of which share the exact same frame design & features, but they come at 3 different levels of carbon inside with only one complete bike build each for the lightest two layups.HMX-SL carbonMY27 Spark RC SL (Photo by Rupert Fowler/Scott)At the top with the lightest HMX-SL ultra-premium highest-mod carbon layup is the $15,000 / 13,000 Spark RC SL, with RockShox SID Ultimate Flight Attendant suspension, a full SRAM XX SL Transmission with powermeter cranks, 4-piston Motive Ultimate brakes, the lightest-ever 1180g Syncros Silverton CF1 Vonoa carbon-spoke wheels, a special HMX-SL ultralight carbon Syncros 1-piece handlebar cockpit, and CeramicSpeed bearings at a claimed complete weight of just 9.9kg set up tubeless.HMX carbon2027 Scott Spark RC World Cup EVO (Photo by Rupert Fowler/Scott)The next level already steps it down to HMX which Scott still describes as a top-tier, hi-mod layup, just 143g heavier. The $13,000 / 11,500 Spark RC World Cup EVO gets a similar SID Ultimate Flight Attendant and XX SL powermeter build, the same Silverton CF1 wheels & CeramicSpeed bearings, but a standard HMF carbon Syncros 1-piece cockpit, all at a claimed complete bike weight of 10.5kg. (All claimed weights for size M, set up tubeless but without the Save the Day repair kit & tools in the downtube.)HMF carbon frameset, carbon cockpit & wheelsThen theres the standard mix-mod HMF frameset that adds 223g more over the HMX.A slightly more affordable $10,000 / 8500 Spark RC World Cup keeps the same top Flight Attendant suspension spec, but steps down to the more affordable HMF frame, an X0 drivetrain still with a powermeter, conventional bearings, and new 1500g Syncros Silverton CF2 carbon wheels at a claimed weight of 10.9kg.Bringing price down under 5 figures across all currencies, there are two different builds at similar pricepoints with or without automated suspension control.The $8500 / 7300 Spark RC Team Issue still gets the automated SID Ultimate Flight Attendant suspension including a powermeter, the carbon Syncros cockpit & CF2 wheels, but dials back its price with a wireless GX AXS Transmission at a claimed weight of 11.3kg complete.The $9000 / 7300 Spark RC PRO is even lighter though, swapping in mechanical-lockout Fox Factory suspension and a full Shimano XTR Di2 groupset but no powermeter. You still get the carbon Syncros cockpit & CF2 carbon wheels at a weight of 10.9kg complete.HMF carbon frameset, alloy cockpit & wheelsThe $7500 / 6700 Spark RC Expert then sticks with Fox Factory suspension, but swaps in a more affordable XT Di2 with Deore bits combo, and scales back to an aluminum cockpit and alloy Syncros Silverton AL2 wheels at a weight of 1.8kg.At $5500 / 4700, the Spark RC Team goes back to the SRAM fam, with mechanical lockout SID suspension and a wireless electronic S1000 AXS derailleur paired with Eagle 70 drivetrain components, at 12.5kg.And only one build gets a mechanical shift rear derailleur, but its key to not then that all of the HMF carbon frames are mechanical compatible. The $4500 / 3700 Spark RC Comp gets mechanical lockout RockShox suspension, a mechanical shift Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, and interestingly the only 2-piston brakes in the entire new Spark RC family all at a total bike weight of 12.9kg.All eight models are available to order now through your local Scott dealer bikeshop (not all specs available in all markets). Real in shop availability is officially summer 2026, which translates as already available now or coming very soon for most buyers.Scott-sports.comThe post All-New 2027 Scott Spark RC Reimagines Winningest Pro XC Mountain Bike Once Again appeared first on Bikerumor.

Eight teams will use water bikes to cross from Viareggio in Italy to Monaco

Tadej Pogacar is in the height of his 2026 Tour de France preparation as he goes from versatile classics hunter to a more slimmed-down Grand Tour specialist ready to soar in the high mountains. But with the Tour de France just over three weeks away, the Slovenian has received some bad news about his...

The newly released 7Roads PackTrain Rack uses a simple, bolt-on mounting system, has six threaded mounts on each side, and is available in three widths. Take a closer look at the latest release from the Ukrainian brand here...The post The 7Roads PackTrain Rack is Covered in Mounts appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

The peloton closed in on the escapees in final kilometre, but couldn't pull it back