The 2026 Vuelta a Espaa doesn't have, at the time being, any major star confirmed in its startlist to fight for the red jersey. The idea that Tadej Pogacar will race it this year looms large, and according to Monaco's prince Albert, the Slovenian said that he would take part in the race. The Slove...

The new Revelate Designs Underpackers are a bolt-free, minimalist cargo solution for carbon and aluminum frames with wide, flat-bottomed downtubes. Take a closer look here...The post Revelate Designs Underpackers Bolt-Free Cargo Mounts appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

In the world of car + bicycle collaborations, an ebike from an electric car company seems like it would make sense. And after years of speculation, Tesla just released their first bike: a balance bike for toddlers. Its probably not what the Teslarati were hoping for, but its probably one of the easiest ways to get into bike design. Constructed with a magnesium alloy frame, Tesla claims this is lightweight, yet fails to provide an actual weight for the bike. The frame features a futuristic design including a wedge-shaped seat that juts forward from the frame and can be adjusted to 5 height levels. There is a minimum leg length requirement of 13.7 inches (35 cm), and the bike is targeted at children aged 25 years.The frame itself looks quite wide at the rear, and with hard 90 angles on the top tube/seat tube area, it seems like it could potentially be painful for children frequently crashing as they learn to ride a balance bike. While most kids bikes these days are moving towards smaller diameter handlebars and grips, the Tesla Balance Bike seems to have gone in the other direction with a chunky one-piece bar/stem. Weight capacity is rated at a recommended 66.1 lb (30 kg), but with a maximum limit of 77.1 lb (35 kg). Assembly tools are included (a few Allen wrenches), so you can install the handlebar/stem following the Ikea-esque instructions. Availability is slated for a late August shipment, though the website says the $225 balance bike is out of stock and doesnt provide an option to pre-order. You can sign up for an email notification when the bike is back in stock, however. shop.tesla.com

Everybodys got an opinion about whats wrong with the Tour de France and what the organizers need to do in order make it more popular. More doping controls! Fewer doping controls! Get rid of the bikes and make them compete in a stadium with a ball! And so forth.But heres a rather surprising opinion from the worlds second-most ridiculous bike publication:Who suggest that the problem with the Tour isexpensive bikes?Road cycling has become more elitist than ever. Top-end bike prices are astronomical. A pair ofbib shortscan cost several hundred pounds. The best roadcycling shoes are a rip-off. None of this encourages youngsters and their cash-strapped parents to get into the sport. Wait, Im sorry, arent you this guy?Do you really get to dry-hump all the new tech while at the same time decrying the disappearance of the simple and affordable bicycle?Apparently you do:But thats the media for you. One minute theyre contradicting themselves, and the next theyre writing headlines that sound like the setup for a joke:Come on, the headline answers its own question. Were talking about cycling here, the dorkiest of all sports! Why even read the article? This is like asking, The High School Valedictorian Is Really Good At Math. So Why Isnt He Getting All The Chicks?And heres a headline that preempts its own article even more aggressively:What else could you possibly need to know that is not contained in the words naked bike ride? They even call it a nude event, just in case you were still confused. However, I do think its worth exploring why people who ride bikes seem to be uniquely susceptible to this behavior. For example, too my knowledge at least, there are no large scale nude fishing or golfing eventsboth of which are activities far more compatible with being in a state of dshabill. And yet cyclingsomething so punishing to the taint that companies successfully market bib shorts costing hundreds of dollarsinspires thousands of people to foist their bodies upon the populace and their bare perinea upon their saddles.Every so often I wonder if maybe the world has finally moved on from thinking of cyclists as a bunch of entitled childish attention-seekers, but then along comes the World Naked Bike Ride to hit the reset button.Perhaps the reason cyclists go in for this sort of behavior is that were undertaking a journey every time we get on a bike, and therefore we cant help crafting a narrative for that journey, hence all the theme rides. And when it comes to theme rides, things can swing wildly in either direction, as any pantsless male cyclist can tell you. On one end youve got your goofy naked bike ride, on the other theres the classics-themed luxury bike tour:This is an extremely rare example of someone putting an education in the liberal arts to use:Though his background is in Roman archaeology, Wood developed cycling routes inspired by famous journeys throughout history, following the path of Richard the Lionhearts Third Crusade, the expansion of the Venetian empire and Alexander the Greats conquests. But when it came to naming his company, there was one route so well-known, it has become a byword for any adventurous undertaking.I studied the Odyssey back at university and loved it, Wood says. The very word is a theme that resonates with our journeys, so it was always a trip I wanted to do. In addition to naming his company Bike Odyssey, he based its logo on Argos, the faithful hound who is the only one to recognise Odysseus on his return to Ithaca.And this does seem rather Homeric, or at the very least like a poignant metaphor forsomething:But the greatest challenges often come from guests who choose to keep vital information to themselves. Weve had multiple people turn up with no bike experience after telling us otherwise, he says. One had only ever ridden in a bike trailer and another had no peripheral vision so she went straight off the edge of the road at the first corner! She was fine and she kept riding but I had to stay close to her for the rest of the journey.Of course, not all bike rides are journeys, and some people prefer to ride to nowhere by using Zwift. No doubt youve already purchased a Colnago watch, and an Eddy Merckx watch, but just in case you sprout a third wrist (or want to utilize another appendage on your next naked ride) you can also buy a Zwift watch for some reason:They say its a natural fitbut why?I can only assume the second hand moves around and around, but the hour and minute hands ust stay in the same place forever.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG has a firm hold over the ongoing Tour de France, and that is disruptive for the teams hoping to succeed from breakaways or chase the KOM classification. That, in fact, affects quite a few French riders. One such is Lenny Martnez, leader of Bahrain - Victorious, and currentl...

Our Reader's Rig of the week comes from Nathan in Bend, Oregon, who shares the custom Mostly Forever titanium hardtail he uses to pursue his main passion of heading out for adventurous rides through remote places. Meet Nathan and read a little about the challenges of finding a well-fitting bike as a 68 cyclist here...The post Readers Rig: Nathans Custom Mostly Forever Titanium Hardtail appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

The Tour de France comprises more than 3,300km over 21 stages. Even the fastest rider takes in excess of 80 hours to complete the race, meaning an average of at least four hours a day in the saddle. But how do riders stay comfortable during these gruelling events? We end up seeing some interesting tech trends from riders on different teams to address comfort, some even going as far as to ditch sponsor-correct kit for the sake of enhanced ergonomics and performance. Were going to run through the key touch points on the bike, as well as emerging trends that highlight how riders have prioritised on-bike comfort.Comfort is key to performance after many hours in the saddle (Image credit: Getty Images)The preference of pedal systemsPedals might seem like a rather mundane component, but that doesnt stop riders from having specific preferences. Juan Ayuso, GC leader for Lidl-Trek, is an interesting case study. On the road, he continues to use the Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9200 pedals he employed while riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. His current team is SRAM-sponsored, so the bulk of the team uses Time pedals (a company SRAM acquired a few years ago). Both pedals have a similar three-bolt cleat mounting and engagement type, but the Time pedals are open by default rather than requiring pressure to clip in. The higher-end Time XPro 12 SL is also lighter than Dura-Ace and has a similar stack height.Interestingly, on his TT bike, Ayuso changes things up again, using the SRM x Q36.5 pedal system. This is a two-bolt system and requires either the specific Q36.5 Unique Pro shoes or drilling out the sole of another shoe manufacturer. This choice has likely been driven by the lower stack height, 9.9mm pedal/cleat system versus 14.8mm for Dura-Ace pedals. It allows the saddle to be a touch lower to reduce the coefficient of drag, while also lowering the centre of mass slightly. It raises the question of why he doesnt use these pedals on road stages, but he may just have more confidence in the Shimano pedals and know his cleat positioning on them better for comfort and performance on longer road stages. The issue with running non-team issue pedals, though, is that in a crisis, Ayuso won't always have a teammate's bike to use. Think Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix this year, who was using different Shimano cleats from Jasper Philipsen, which resulted in the Dutchman needing to wait on the side of the road for a spare bike. You can see the low stack of the SRM x Q36.5 pedals versus Shimano (Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)Sticking with a shoe that works, or going completely customOn the theme of Q36.5, Tom Pidcock, who rides for the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling team, is forgoing the Unique Pro road shoes from the brand in favour of his preferred Specialized models. He currently uses Specialized S-Works Torch road shoes, as he has throughout his entire WorldTour road career. Having tested both shoes, there are many similarities between them, but the Specialized features a slight varus tilt and a 1.5mm built-in wedge that tilts the foot outwards slightly. For some riders, this can better fit their individual foot geometry, while the Q36.5 Unique Pro shoes feature a neutral shape or flat foot, but insoles can adjust this.Pidcock has removed the branding from his shoes to avoid upsetting the sponsors. While you can be sure many fittings and test sessions have taken place behind the scenes to get him comfortable on sponsor-correct equipment, the Yorkshireman still feels more confident in the Specialized shoe. Those aren't the Q36.5 Unique Pro shoes on Tom Pidcock's feetGetty ImagesThey are the Specialized S-Works Torch modelZac Williams/SWpix.comSaddles are always a personal choice even for amateursOne of the most important touch points is the saddle. These have improved considerably in recent years. Previously, the Fizik Arione was a popular choice for its long, narrow, and lightweight design now riders prioritise comfort for performance, with a wider array of saddle widths now available. Shorter-nosed stubby saddles such as the Specialized Power aim to be comfortable in more aero positions, and there are even custom-made options.Tadej Pogaar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates are sponsored by Fizik saddles, but rather than use the off-the-shelf variants, they use the custom-made one-to-one models. Riders are measured to determine width and sit-bone positioning, and then pressure-mapped to create a custom 3D-printed cushion that reduces hot spots and excess pressure on soft tissue. Posedla is another brand that offers custom-fitted saddles via an at-home kit, while other brands tend to have a wide array of options for riders to choose from. In previous years, riders have blacked out saddle logos and gone against sponsor commitments. A poorly fitted saddle and the resulting sores have even taken riders out of Grand Tours, jostling for high positions in the GC.Pogaar uses the custom fitted Fizik model of saddle (Image credit: Andy Carr)Some riders prefer sticking with a helmet shape/model that worksHelmets are a harder piece of equipment to swap out due to sponsor commitments, but riders will sometimes use a completely different model from their teammates. Mathieu Van der Poel is an interesting case in point. His team is sponsored by Abus, and uses the Gamechanger 2.0, which has won Tour de France stages on the head of Jasper Philipsen. MVDP, however, uses the older Gamechanger model rather than the newer one. Having tested both, MVDP likely opts for the previous-generation model because the new model has a narrower profile that may affect comfort. As the superstar of the team, management will likely overlook this to keep him content and comfortable.Van der Poel (Gamechanger) and Philipsen (Gamechanger 2.0). You can clearly see the difference in the helmets here (Image credit: Getty Images)Richard Carapaz was another who had a preferred helmet. When the POC Cytal was first launched, he opted to continue using the Ventral Lite model likely owing to its lighter weight and better ventilation. However, when POC unveiled the Cytal Lite, he eventually made the swap.The rise of bike fits and geometry analysisAlmost every rider at this years Tour de France will have been specifically fitted to their bike by a professional bike fitter. Specialized-sponsored teams use Retl for this to gauge what frame size, saddle position, bar widths, stack height, and every other measurement are required. The pursuit of comfort is also apparent in the new design of bike frames. Previously, long-and-low slammed bikes were de rigueur in the peloton. Nowadays, bikes tend to feature a slightly higher stack, and riders are opting for more spacers underneath the bars. Although not as low as before, bikes tend to be more aerodynamic when ridden with the forearms horizontal. For climbing and riding in the bunch, a more upright position can provide greater comfort over three weeks of racing and potentially better power production on steeper gradients. Even riders such as Pogaar and Vingegaard use bikes (Colnago Y1Rs and Cervelo S5) that feature stem/bar designs with an in-built rise to them rather than a slammed design.All professional riders are fitted across the season at various pointsSpecializedSlammed stems are now far less common than spacer stacksAaron BorrillAnother attribute of frame design is compliance. Essentially, you want carbon fibre to be stiff in one direction (laterally at the rear triangle), but you also want some vertical flex in that area, too. This should result in high power transfer and precise handling and sprinting, while providing some rear comfort to reduce fatigue from road buzz.

Steve reminisces about the many adventures had on his 20-year-old Giant XTC, a bike he still rides to this very day

Chris Horner has accused Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek of turning a sound green jersey plan into knucklehead racing during the frantic finale to stage 12 of the Tour de France. Pedersen began the day attempting to protect his lead in the points classification from Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay and...

Neil's latest video is a thoughtful look back at a recent journey along the picturesque Colorado Trail. Reflecting on how his outlook on life, bikepacking, and more has changed as hes gotten older, it's an insightful personal story with lessons for everyone. Watch it and find a written version with photos here...The post Im Done Bikepacking by the Rules appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.