Big wheels keep on rolling, and those 32 wheels keep winning races. Back at Sea Otter Europe in Girona, we got a good look at the unreleased 32 carbon Avona Callis gravel bike that Leon Kaiser raced for the win at the UCI World Series Race in Girona. And thanks to Avonas liberal teasing of the bike at the show, we also now know that the bike will be available to consumers in just two weeks. That likely makes this the first production carbon gravel race bike on 32 wheels that you will be able to ride out of a bike shop this month!Avona Callis 32 carbon gravel race bike, coming soon! (Photos/Cory Benson)Avonas upcoming 32 gravel bike looks a lot like the 700c carbon Callis gravel race bike that we test-rode last year. And it likely follows much of the same ethos a premium race-ready gravel bike that blends light weight with aerodynamic nods, quick handling, tidy integration, and high-performance component spec in even the small details. All combined in the original Callis, it made for a pretty killer fast gravel all-rounder.And clearly, this new 32 iteration is built to go fast.The UCI World Series Race in Girona on September 19th was a relatively short one in the gravel racing world, at just 109km with 980m of elevation to tackle. And it was reasonably quick at just over 3 hours, with more than 35km/hr average speed. An interesting aspect of the race, XC mountain biker Kaisers victory on the bigger wheels came in a 3-up sprint at the finish. One of the theoretical downsides of going with larger diameter 32 wheels is the additional work to accelerate bigger wheels with heavier rims & tires. But that clearly didnt hold Leon Kaiser back!Tech detailsWhat we know about his race-winning 32 Avona Callis gravel bike is that it shares many of the same details as its 700c predecessor.It again gets plenty of aero integration details. From the fully integrated internal cable routing through the 1-piece Faserwerk cockpit to its smooth fork crown transition into the downtube. Frame tubing shapes are still quite small. But Avona manages to fit the same internal frame storage into the downtube under the cage mount. Frame shaping necessitates a more-sloping toptube to ensure standover with the big 32 wheels. But there still appears to be plenty of room inside the main triangle for two full-size water bottles, both on Kaisers size L frame, and a smaller M we saw in the Avona tent.The new 32 bike gets a UDH to fit all the most modern gravel drivetrains, but looks to be 1x and electronic only. Kaiser opted for an XTR Di2 derailleur and cassette setup, pairing a 42-tooth GRX crankset to a 10-51T cassette out back. The 32 Callis gravel bike also looks to get a threaded bottom bracket, and the same D-shaped aero seatpost with a hidden wedge clamp like the 700c Callis. Like most 32 gravel bikes though, this one does appear to use Boost MTB spacing 110x15mm up front & 148x12mm out back.Prototype 32 Newmen Streem G.62 CS aero carbon-spoked wheelsAlso noteworthy, this race-winning 32 Avona Callis bike was sporting some also-unreleased 32 Newmen Streem G.62 CS deep aero carbon wheels with aero-bladed Vonoa carbon spokes. They look pretty much exactly the same as the 700c G.62s that launched midsummer, just now in a larger diameter. Avona suggested that the carbon-spoked Newmen wheels offered a significant stiffness boost over steel spokes, making them an ideal choice for fast gravel racing on the bigger wheels. But perhaps, everyday 32 gravel riders would prefer the bit more comfort you would get from conventional steel-spoked wheels.Kaiser raced on prototype 32 Newmen wheels with their flashy Pro-style silver decals. But Avona also had more subtle black-on-raw carbon decals on their own 32 Callis gravel preview bikes, suggesting they will be a regular option at launch in a couple of weeks.32 Avona Callis gravel bike Options & availabilityAt Sea Otter Europe, we saw 32 Callis frames marked as sizes Medium and Large. All were built up with SRAM Force AXS Xplr groupsets. And with either these new Newmen carbon-spoke wheels, or more conventional-looking carbon wheels under Avonas own Faserwerk branding.Avona didnt appear to have any bikes labeled smaller than medium. But this purple M looked pretty small. And with the spacers under the stem removed and the same zero-offset seatpost they already offer on their 700c Callis, Avona could likely fit pretty small riders on these big wheels.Regarding when you can get your own, Avona says the bike will be available from the 15th of October through their dealer network. We will have full pricing, more detailed model specs, and even first ride impressions on the new race-winning 32 gravel bike then!Avona.cc

A look at the Shimano Bike Museum with praise for its focus on bicycles over its own corporate history. For anyone in the Kansai area of Japan, perhaps visiting Kyoto or Osaka, this has a prodigious collections of machines and within a well-designed setting.The museum itself is striking, a modern building thats glass and steel. To see pictures of it online is to imagine it might be Shimanos head office in a prime location, and that theres a museum inside. However it is all museum, and the surrounding area more ordinary.In Japanese, we call a bicycle jitensha, which literally means wheels rotated by oneself. This means a bicycle is operated by the rider and that there are as many ways of enjoying cycling as there are riders.This English text is from the welcome message written on the wall at the start of the museum tour. You might learn the word for bicycle here as you enter, by the time you leave the message of many ways to enjoy cycling will come through. The sign is of course in Japanese too and the museum is bilingual.Head upstairs and you enter a large darkened room with a procession of bicycles under spotlights. These cover the chronology of the machine, from rudimentary hobby horses to the arrival of pedals, the chain, tires more evolution. This large space also doubles as an auditorium and an educational film is played at times that covers the history of the bicycle and the origins of cycle sport too, all within a wider societal context that touches on war, industrialisation and consumerism.Then its into a bright white room where frosted glass lets in daylight and more spotlights highlight exhibits such as Freddy Maertens steel Flandria. You can get close to touch it not that you would or should but its not behind glass or roped off, just raised on a small stage. You can see the Ishiwata tubing decal and the Shimano Crane rear mech, the beginnings of Shimano in the pro peloton. All the other bikes are similarly accessible. You can see bikes used at Paralympic games and notice the custom modifications up close. A Specialized Stumpjumper, one of the first mountain bikes to go on sale, sits there and you can spot a Campagnolo headset and motorbike brake levers among the components on the clunker.As well as history theres the humdrum. A Crescent bike in the yellow and blue of the Swedish postal service, complete with studded tires to show you can ride on ice, even with a heavy cargo. A very much used Cannondale is loaded with luggage, spare tires wrapped around the bags like boa constrictors, and all caked in dust, as if Tatsu Sakimoto had come in and parked it mid-way during his four year, 55,000km journey around the world. A Merida bike from the 2021 Olympics road race is there, complete with scratches galore and crash dents. The event feels like yesterday but the bike already looks ancient. Plenty of kids bikes feature too, shopping bikes and more. Everyone ought to recognise something theyve ridden.Stands explores materials science with a comparison of steel, aluminium and titanium tubing and the chance to feel the weight of these metals yourself. Another lets you pick up racing bike to feel how light it is. But among all this educational material is the simple message that bikes can do plenty.Its actually hard to find much about Shimano and its origins here. Theres a mention that gun blacksmiths in Sakai started repairing imported bikes in the late 19th century and soon began manufacture. For what its worth the city Sakai has long been a big steel production area, first for swords and then into other goods including guns and cutlery. Its here that Shimano started too but its only later and in passing that you come across a small item that was Shimanos first product: a freewheel.Shozaburo Shimano founded the company to make these and one thing led to another. Including fishing freewheels and gearing can be applied inside reels and today one quarter of Shimanos revenue coming from fishing tackle, about a billion Euros, comes from fishing but theres not a rod nor reel in sight.Still the museum is visibly the Shimano museum in other ways. Theres excellent stand where a racing bike has been broken into pieces, apparently there are 3,200 parts in one bike if you really count every chain pin, bolt and electronic circuit component. Of course its a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset in the display. Good luck finding SRAM or Campagnolo but there are a few examples, even a Mavic rear mech.The top floor of the museum includes also a set of display cases for the flagship Dura-Ace and XTR groups starting with the 1973 version, then 1984, 1996, 2004, 2012, 2016, 2021, complete with four empty displays waiting to house 2027 and the rest of what the future brings.Theres also a library and behind this, a locked archive for researchers. This is valuable, the museum might house one of each type of bike but here the shelves are full of books, brochures and catalogues. A treasure of primary source material. This section marks the end of the tour but youre free to wander rather than guided to a gift store and the exit.The VerdictAn enjoyable celebration of the bicycle and a good visual history of the evolution of machines. This might be the Shimano Bicycle Museum, and it is full of Shimano componentry, but this is firmly a bicycle museum with very little about corporate history and no hard sell either. If you want a Shimano t-shirt or some components you wont find them here.It covers the history of bicycles and puts the machine first, all sorts sit under spotlights and pleasantly within reach if you want to look at any details up close, from the crinkled cast iron of early bikes to the exploded disassembly of a modern race bike down to the last component.There are other bicycle museums in the world but many are smaller and have the feel of hobby projects. Sometimes there can be excellent temporary collections in science or art museums, Merckx-Ickx was a fun example. This one works well as a permanent collection Giant has a possibly similar one in Taiwan and enhanced by its architecture, it is spacious (4,223m says the museum spec) and peaceful inside. The top floor with its research archive bolsters all of this.AccessSakai is a city about 15km south of Osaka, Japan. Its a 30 minute train ride from Osaka central station to Sakai or Sakaihigashi stations, the latter is closer to the museum. Theres bike parking of course.Admission is listed JPY 500 (less than 3) but has the price gone up? I didnt keep the receipt but a vague memory of having paid more. Its still cheap if they doubled the price.The post Shimano Bicycle Museum Review first appeared on The Inner Ring.

CyclistCyclist Magazine Podcast: Sir Chris HoyThis week on the Cyclist Magazine Podcast, James is joined by Sir Chris Hoy, who in case you havent heard was a pretty good cyclist in his day. Chris won six Olympic gold medals and one silver on the track, spanning four Olympic Games including that incredible week at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won golds in the Team Sprint, Individual Sprint and Keirin as Team GB notched up a staggering 14 cycling medals, cementing Britain as a cycling powerhouse and putting cycling into the mainstream in the process.In this episode, Chris discusses that day in Beijing as well as many other memorable moments, like sitting trackside in Athens watching world records get smashed over and over until it was his turn to compete; turning up in Japan to learn to race Keirin at Japanese Keirin school; a love of coffee that meant he never travelled anywhere without his espresso machine and grinder, and his even bigger love and respect for cycling compatriot and maverick record breaker, Graeme Obree; and which of his teammates rode with different length cranks without even noticing.Chris also talks about his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and how prostate cancer affects men and what men can do to catch it early. We also talk about how you can support Chriss annual charity ride, Tour de 4, which raises money for cancer research and care, and which this year saw 191 riders with Stage 4 cancer join thousands more as they cycled and raised nearly 3 million for charity, taking Tour de 4s total to a staggering 5.8 million in two years.You can check your risk of prostate cancer in under 30 seconds at prostatecancer.org/risk-checker and you can donate to Tour de 4, or sign up for next years event at tourde4.comChat begins at 11:10.Listen to our chat with Chris Hoy on the Cyclist magazine app or wherever you get your podcastsGet the Cyclist iOS app / Get the Cyclist app on the Google Play storeThis episode is brought to you by Rouvy, the indoor riding platform that makes indoor rides look and feel real, from smashing up Sa Calobra to group rides around Vietnam to Rouvy Fest, which this year takes place between 12th and 25th October and will include a host of special group rides, including tackling Mount Teide in Tenerife, riding the shores and hill of Lake Garda in Italy and puffing up dust on the Strade Bianche chalky road of Tuscany. All this plus special ride guests telling stories and answering questions as they pedal, challenges, rewards and giveaways, and the Rouvy Fest Race, a huge single race where the competitive spirit meets fun and inclusive vibes. See Rouvy.com for more details, including how to sign up for a free month using the code KEEPITREALCYCLISTThe post Cyclist Magazine Podcast: Sir Chris Hoy appeared first on Cyclist.

Dylan Teuns is approaching the end of the 2026 season with his future still unresolved, with the 34-year-old set to leave Cofidis when his current contract expires and talks ongoing with three potential teams over a move for 2027. The former Fleche Wallonne winner joined Cofidis on a two-year deal a...

Collective Reward #256 is here! One lucky winner will take home a grab bag full of bikepacking-ready gear, including useful accessories from Stan's, a toolkit from Granite Gear, bags from Topeak and Swift, a digital pump, stickers, and more. Dig into the full prize package hereThe post Collective Reward #256: Grab Bag! appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

ENVE has finally launched the SES 6.7 Pro wheelset, which has been in use in the WorldTour throughout 2026, saying the new wheels incorporate a redesigned rim profile and claiming they're its fastest UCI-legal option.The new wheels were developed in close collaboration with UAE Team Emirates, which ENVE is the wheel sponsor for.ENVE says theyve accumulated more than 10 victories at WorldTour level in 2026, including at Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianche and the Vuelta a Espaa, principally under Tadej Pogaar. Tadej Pogaar rode the ENVE wheels to many of his 2026 wins. The rims are a clean-sheet design in response to the UCIs rim-depth regulations, introduced in January. The regulations made ENVEs previous SES 6.7 wheels ineligible for use in competition due to their 66mm rear-wheel depth, which is 1mm over the limit for road races.According to David Herrero, head of biomechanics & aerodynamics for UAE Team Emirates: Our track testing demonstrated a notable advantage compared to the prior version. At the highest level of professional cycling, these are the marginal gains that make a real difference. Working closely with ENVE allows us to turn innovation into measurable performance and give our riders every possible competitive advantage.Steel spokes and a new hubset ENVE has shaved 60g off its hubset's weight. The SES 6.7 Pro front wheel is 59mm deep, while the rear is 65mm. Both have a 22.5mm internal rim width, which ENVE says is tuned for the pros' preferred 28mm-width tyres, although ENVE has tested with a range of widths, and at typical pro and amateur speeds. The outer rim width is also identical at 30.5mm, although the profiles differ front to rear.The 1,495g claimed weight includes rim tape and valves, and the wheels are designed for tubeless-only running. ENVE uses 24 Alpina Ultralite steel spokes with internal alloy nipples front and rear unlike many wheel brands, it has yet to swap to carbon spokes.The previously launched SES 4.5 Pro wheelset, also used by UAE Team Emirates-XRG, weighs a claimed 1,295g. Its slightly wider internally at 23.5mm, and has 49mm front and 55mm rear rim depths. The new wheels complement the aerodynamics of the Colnago Y1Rs aero bike. The SES 6.7 Pro wheels spin on new Innerdrive Pro hubs, which ENVE says are a lighter, lower-drag development from its existing Innerdrive hubs. It claims the new hubs are 60g lighter than Innerdrive and offer lower friction, thanks to a redesigned 40-tooth ratchet, a spring with lighter tension and a lighter hub shell.The hubs incorporate ENVEs new Pro ceramic bearings, with hardened stainless steel races and low-friction polyamide cages. Low-contact outboard and non-contact inboard seals further reduce rolling resistance. Theres a five-year warranty on the bearings.The ENVE SES 6.7 Pro wheels are priced at $1,700 front and $2,050 rear, for a $3,750 total wheelset price.

Crisp, quiet and powerful braking with a unique look

Mads Pedersen's final preparation for the European Championships will be rather different from that of most of his rivals. On Saturday, while the Danish team settles into its final preparations in Slovenia, Pedersen is due to race 190.7 kilometres for Lidl-Trek at the Mnsterland Giro in Germany. Th...