Just one quiet (and relatively cool) day of news, thats all your resident cycling live blogger Ryan Mallon wants this Tuesday. Is that really too much to ask?

Tadej Pogacar is scaring the peloton again. Weeks out from the Tour de France, the Slovenian demolished the Tour de Suisse with an authority that has many asking if were seeing the best form of his career. Johan Bruyneel certainly thinks this could be the case. That was precisely the big question...

Are 32 wheels cyclings new rage bait? No matter what content you consume, these wheels spark conversation and very strong opinions. The larger diameter wheels which in theory would roll faster and smoother over bumps potentially rule out a huge segment of the market. As I wrote when wheels and tyres appeared at the Sea Otter trade show: the geometry simply doesn't work at smaller frame sizes without some significant engineering resulting in a good chunk of the cycling population locked out before the format has even properly launched.Allison Schmitz, however, disagrees. And, shes designed the bike to prove it. Standing at 5'2" (158cm), Schmitz is a design engineer at Salsa Cycles and she rides a size small. Which is exactly why the Fargo, Salsa's new 32" wheel bike, is the first one I've seen that actually fits a frame that small.As a 55 female myself, the buzz around 32 bikes had been completely lost on me. In my mind, I was just too darn short to ride them. So you can imagine my surprise when I was walking about the Sea Otter Classic this past spring, to find a 32 wheel bike in a size small. A frame I could actually stand over. When I asked the rep at Salsa how this was possible, the answer was simple: Allison would never make a bike that wasnt available to everyone. I recently caught up with Schmitz to hear a little more about why 32 wheels arent just for tall people. THE 32" PROBLEM NOBODY WAS SOLVING(Image credit: Lisa Charlebois/Future)In case youve been shielded from the endless chatter about 32 wheels, the bikes built around this soon-to-be wheel standard are essentially designed for riders 5'9" and taller. Its just math. Bigger wheels mean longer forks, higher stack, and an elongated wheelbase to help with tyre clearance, and the dreaded toe overlap. All this translates into a bike that fits a 6 rider beautifully, and leaves the rest of us standing on the sidelines. That is, until you get the right people involved in the conversation. As Schmitz shares, when the Fargo project kicked off, the team had that same original intent: to follow the trend and create a bike around the 32 platform in size medium and up. And then things changed. "We have this big team to help challenge the product design process and ask the questions. So why are you stopping there? Why not small? It was this perfect confluence of me being the engineer on this project and being a person who rides a size small, to really put that effort and focus into small prototypes," Schmitz shares.A GAME OF MILLIMETRES(Image credit: Justin Enerson)How does one shrink a size large into a size small? You dont, as Schmitz shares. You start anew. Like most ideas, Schmitz began with a simple sketch: a 2D stick figure, as Schmitz describes it. A basic outline of what a bike looks like on a screen in a software program called SolidWorks, and then slowly, tube by tube, you start hanging parts on it. She talks about it as pulling geometry numbers, checking clearances, asking what happens if you move this millimetre here or that angle there. It's methodical, iterative, and the kind of detailed work that could send your head spinning.One principle she works by: always start with the smallest size. "That frame is honestly going to give you the most challenges because you've got less space to work with." Solve the small, she says, and the rest tends to follow.Schmitz and the team were able to push the front wheel just far enough forward to solve the toe clearance problem. A negative rise stem manages the higher stack. A shortened head tube brings things back into proportion. Small decisions, made carefully, added up into a bike that actually fits everyone.The next step was to ride it. With an in-house welder, the team was able to create rapid prototypes, bringing three different bikes to life for testing: a 29" variant, a 32" with a rigid fork, and a 32" with a suspension fork. The three builds weren't just variations for variation's sake, each one let Schmitz test how the small-frame constraints, toe clearance, stack height, fork length, behaved differently depending on wheel size and suspension setup. This was critical to nail down before any geometry was locked in for production."Bike design is a game of millimetres," she says. "You're just trying to squeeze every little millimetre you can get." And she feels those compromises personally. "It can be a little frustrating. You're like, is this a different experience? I understand why you had to do that, but also, what can I do to just make this a better compromise?"RIDING YOUR OWN WORK(Image credit: Gabe Welker)Schmitz rode the first Fargo prototype around Minneapolis and remembers the moment clearly."I was like, this bike looks cool. I'd like to keep this."She rode those prototypes all summer. The decisions about geometry, about what compromises were acceptable she was making them as a rider as well as an engineer."I'm not designing this bike for me," she's careful to say. "It's for a wide range of users." So how did the bike feel? The impact of bigger wheels is significant, Schmitz says. "It has better rollover and momentum to get you there faster or take you farther," Schmitz said. But it isnt necessarily the most intuitive, at least not at first. "There was an adjustment period, it felt like a lot of bike to get my leg over the wheel, but I was surprised how quickly that feeling went away and how normal it became. To help alleviate this issue, Schmitz added a dropper post. It helped me get used to the handling, even just coming to stops and getting on and off the bike."After that, something shifted. "It became my preferred ride," she said. "The better rollover, traction and maintained momentum is noticeable and I find myself more confident and daring on the 32" bike. The big wheels open up more trail for me, with the forgiveness of poor line choice because the wheels can overcome a lot."32 WHEELS SHOULDNT BE EXCLUSIVE(Image credit: Allison Schmitz)For Schmitz, this was never just about one bike. It's about access."Everyone deserves the benefits of 32" wheels and the choice on what wheel size is best for them," she says. Her argument is grounded in a very real, very practical need. "32" wheels have a higher angular momentum and a lower angle of attack, which means these wheels roll faster and farther under the same amount of power. This translates into tangible and measurable advantages. The longer contact patch improves traction and, paired with the other benefits (faster rolling, more momentum retention) it allows for new line choices through difficult terrain."These are benefits that every rider, regardless of height, should have the option. Just like any other bike, cyclists should be able to decide whether they want this performance, or not. Sadly, this isnt even an option for most riders. There isnt even the illusion of choice. The door isnt simply closedit doesnt even exist. Until now. "The only way to have this choice is if more brands to challenge and expand the size range for 32" bikes," she says. "We know it's possible, the Fargo 32 is a great example. But even with Fargo's versatility, it is one example with a specific set of design parameters in mind. I'm excited to see how the industry will innovate and serve a larger bike community with this new wheel size."While one bike doesn't fix the entire size challenge across the cycling industry, it does prove a point. The next question is whether the rest of the industry will answer. Or is even willing to try. WHAT SHE'S RIDING TOWARD, PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY(Image credit: Allison Schmitz)Schmitz describes herself as a casual rider. And then in the same sentence drops that she used to be a competitive distance swimmer and once did a 24-hour race in Minneapolis on a tandem, with her husband, that they found on Craigslist. She also wants to ride across the entire state of Minnesota and eventually, the United States on rail trails. Its this understated confidence that comes through in her professional life too. She wants to keep learning, expanding her skillset into more carbon frames and even some full suspension projects too. Its not about notoriety for Schmitz, instead, its about seeking solutions with the ultimate goal of becoming a subject matter expert. Not famous. Just genuinely good at the thing she's spending her time on. When I press her for a little more she keeps it cool and low-key with a simple: "I'm just ready to work on my next project.What makes Schmitzs story so interesting isn't that she's a woman in a male dominated field (though she is, and that matters). Instead, its that she's proof that the best products come when there are more perspectives involved. When you invite different people into the conversation. Schmitz didn't set out to make a statement. She just showed up, and asked the questions nobody else did. Ultimately, building something that made a difference and creating a bike that fits everyone because she needed it to fit her.The rest is just millimetres.

With the launch of 9-speed CUES shift levers, it's finally possible to have a fully CUES-branded 9-speed drop bar bike. Does this have wider significance for the continued existence of Shimano's entry-level road groupsets? As we've come to expect from Shimano recently, that's not exactly clear

Joo Martins is one of the young figures in Portuguese cycling who has stood out the most in recent seasons. After making his professional debut at just 17, the Portuguese rider from Credibom LA Alumnios / MarcosCar has consolidated his growth with consistent results and already has a victory among...

Having to pause your ride to fix a puncture is annoying enough as it is. Far worse is pausing for a friend's flat tyre, especially if you have to wait and watch your ride buddy thrashing away on a traditional pump. Having witnessed this one too many times, I decided the best electric pump our Cycling Weekly experts have ever tested was a gift my regular ride companion needed. The Cycplus AS2 Pro provides rapid inflation in a compact and lightweight package (120g), and although it's a fairly significant investment (at full price), in a time of smart tech it just makes sense.For Amazon Prime Day, the Cycplus AS2 Pro is discounted to just $83.59, from its usual $109.99, and for Amazon Prime Day UK shoppers the AS2 Pro is down to 69.43, from its usual 83.33, which means it's hit its best price of the year. Both prices also beat the Black Friday price from last year too. So if you fancy trying it out for yourself, now might be the time to pull the trigger.Amazon Prime Day runs for four days from 23-26 June, and there are plenty of reductions to be grabbed on cycling essentials like chain lube and tubeless sealant, as well as cycling tech, including the best bike computers. Our Prime Day hub is the place to check out all the cycling deals, and we'll be updating this as we find the best discounts.Best electric pumpIn addition to taking the top spot in our electric pumps group test, the Cycplus AS2 Pro is my own weapon of choice when it comes to electric inflation. The AS2 Pro is simply brilliant compact, precise, and easy to use, making it a practical tool for regular rides. It only missed out on a perfect score for its cost, so with this Prime Day discount, it might just tempt you into saying goodbye to the handpump for good.Read our fullCycplus AS2 Pro Review.View DealLowest price this yearFor UK shoppers, the AS2 is at its lowest price, although not as substantial as the US, it remains a decent offer. The Cycplus AS2 Pro pump is so good I'll never use a manual pump again, lightweight, pocket-sized, and does the job with ease and effortlessly.Read our full electric pump testing guide.View DealToday's best tubeless tyres and rims generally mean punctures are less frequent, but they still occur, especially if your name is Bart, my regular cycling pal, who punctures almost every single ride.In our group test of the best electric pumps, we put 13 of the leading brands' electric inflators through their paces. Our expert testers scored the Cycplus AS2 Pro a flawless 5 out of 5 stars, and picked it as the best overall, saying, "The Cycplus AS2 Pro stands out as the best of the bunch. Its speed, precision, and programmability make it the top choice in performance and convenience."Having used it myself, I wholeheartedly agree with the above points and would recommend it to anyone, especially at this price. The highlight is the large LED screen, which allows you to dial in precise pressure settings. It also automatically stops when the target pressure is reached, increasing battery life.Cycplus says the AS2 Pro battery will have you covered for at least two full inflations from 0 to 120 PSI on a 700x25mm tyre, but I've found it to last a lot more. My only gripe is that it can discharge when not in use, so checking the battery status before heading out is advised (the LED screen shows this too).It's also worth noting that this, like the majority of electric pumps, can get quite hot when using, so you need to be aware when using inner tubes with plastic valves, because they can melt. If you still use inner tubes (I don't), most models come with an additional valve to alleviate this.In my opinion, and my friends', is that the convenience of use, precise pressure levels (especially with this model and its LED screen), and the lack of effort when it's required are all box-tickers and the traditional pump is resigned to taking up residence in our sheds.Although these deals are for Amazon, our handy price checker below shows the best Cycplus deals from other retailers and also in your location and currency.

The 2026 Tour de Suisse has been very important for the upcoming Tour de France for several reasons. Tadej Pogacar has taken the overall win dominantly, but his mind was elsewhere - and his preparation for the Tour has changed once again after the crash of his partner Urska Zigart. With the men's a...

The Tour de France is starting within less than two weeks and at the start will be almost all of the best stage-racers in the peloton. At times, they use the national championships as their final preparation step ahead of the Grand Boucle, but that will not be the case with Paul Seixas. The Frenchm...

The collision is not the only stateside incident to have attracted attention in recent weeks