Cycling Weekly launched in 1981. Over the last 135 years, we've inspired thousands of cyclists to ride, but we've never had a club... until now.CW.CC is here. It's free, and you can join today.The club starts with a members-only area on our site. It's where we'll publish the very best of what we have to offer, for our most devoted fans. We've got more coming, too, with exclusive member-only training plans, plus bike fit advice from resident expert, Phil Burt. Members are able to comment and get stuck into the conversation, kicking off a discourse with our experienced journalists, perhaps even sparking our next ideas. But it's not all about written articles. The best cycling clubs are great because of the members that make up their club runs, and we'll be no different. We'll be shouting about our club riders in monthly features, starting with highlighting the achievements of riders taking part in our Big Ride Challenge. Our Strava club, where you'll already find over 12,000 members, is a great place for members to motivate each other and chat about their riding. If you want to represent as you go about your day-to-day activities, check out the link to our heritage clothing range which allows you to do just that. Jerseys and bibs are on the way, too; watch this space. Membership is free: you simply need to sign up with your email address. It's free.Read on to find out more about the benefits... Membership benefitsAccess to premium contentMember-only content includes exclusive features, with embedded video overviews. Here, you'll also find all our Dr Hutch columns, expert insight from our Undercover Mechanic and our coaching partner, Andy Turner - who writes our 'Ask a Cycling Coach' series. We're also proud to be adding a monthly bike fit clinic with former British Cycling head of physio, Phil Burt.Join the conversationBecoming a member also allows you to join over 10,000 members, who can get stuck into the conversation by commenting on our articles. Comments allow members to discuss articles, trade ideas and debate the latest news with our journalists. And, if you've got questions for us, pop them in the comments, we'd love to chat bikes. Join the rideEvery month, we set our Big Ride Challenge riders a host of new trials, culminating in a medal for every finisher, whether they completed 500 miles or the mega 5,000. We'll be highlighting one challenge rider each month for an exclusive interview and insight into their training, goals, and riding equipment. Join us on StravaThere are already over 12,000 cyclists within our Strava club, join them and you'll be able to share your rides, see how your weekly mileage stacks up, and perhaps compete for a top ten position. Look the partDid you know we've got a full complement of merch you can buy, right now? From t-shirts to mugs and prints, you can show your support for CW.CC and dress the part every day of the week. Where are our club members riding this week?(Image credit: Andy Jones)Keep up with CW.CC rider activities via the Strava club, and, set your aim at the leaderboard, if that's your thing... Meet the team(Image credit: Future)No cycling club is complete without a committee, right?CW.CC is headed up by our editorial managers, Simon Richardson, and Michelle Arthurs-Brennan. It's still TBC who will be managing the annual time trial (we do have a weekly 10 mile TT, by the way!), and who will be tracking you down to ask you to lead the next Saturday outing... What else would you like?We want to hear from you! If there are specific topics you'd like to see covered in our member-only content, you've got an idea for a new series we should look into, or you've got a great new trial for our Big Ride Challengers, get in touch at cycling@futurenet.com.

This isn't another 90s mountain bike conversion or a Frankenbike, monster-cross build. Its a much simpler, cheaper project born of necessity, curiosity, limited funds and space and a desire to make better use of a bike I couldnt possibly part with.My dedicated gravel bike, a Sonder Camino Al, can happily handle a 50mm tyre; however, it's not enough anymore. So I turned to a bike I'd left languishing in the back of my shed. My 2018 Cotic Solaris Max is far more capable than a hardtail should be; its composed, holds speed well, and has a utility newer bikes often lack qualities that could make it a great gravel bike.My build philosophy was simple: shed weight on a shoestring budget while maximising speed and versatility. The result: three simple swaps for less than 500 that just about anyone can do at home.The Build Drop bars were ruled out immediately. Sourcing a new drop-bar groupset, since I dont have one sitting around, would have killed the budget, and the Cotics long 435mm reach, designed around a stubby 35mm stem, would have stretched the cockpit uncomfortably far. Keeping the flat bar and existing shifting kept the cost down and preserved the bike's handling.(Image credit: Matt Ischt-Barnard)Swapping the fork for a rigid carbon one was the easiest win, and this is where much of the weight saving comes from. Ditching the hefty 2.2kg/4.8lbs, steel-stanchioned RockShox 35 for the 650g/1.4lbs Sonder Pathfinder saved 1.5kg instantly. Because the Solaris is designed around a 120140mm suspension fork, I opted for a 500mm axle-to-crown measurement to preserve the front-end geometry and stack height.Cheap Chinese Carbon ForksDirect-from-China marketplaces offer rigid carbon forks for well under 100 with numerous offset and length options. I paid more for the Sonder because it is the cheapest option (340) backed by a reputable UK retailer with a real warranty and crash replacement. Popular alternatives from Enve, Whisky, or Salsa easily top 500.Next, I binned the dropper post. While not a heavy-duty offering, it offered longer 180mm travel and weighed 725g/1.5lbs, including the cable and actuator lever. In its place, I opted for the cheap and no-nonsense BBB SkyScraper alloy seatpost for less than 30, which weighs only 295g/10.4oz even if the sudden loss of seated flex would come back to bite me later.Finally, I ditched the near-kilo trail tyres in favor of fast-rolling 2.4in/60mm Goodyear Peak SLs. At 710g/2.5lbs each, they saved me half a kilo overall, shedding significant rotating mass without adding much weight over many 50mm gravel tyres. At 60 apiece, backed by Goodyears solid track record for durability, they strike the ideal sweet spot between speed, weight, price, and carcass protection.Overall, this got my Cotic down to a ready-to-ride weight, including pedals, my tube, electric pump, etc., of just 12kg/26.4lbs. That's within 700g/1.5oz of my aluminium Sonder Camino, which features carbon wheels and seatpost, and 50mm Continental Dubnital tyres, marketed at well under 600g each.(Image credit: Matt Ischt-Barnard)Out GravellingOut on the very dry chalk and flint of the UK's South Downs this summer, the Cotic was an instant hit. The weight drop and fast-rolling tyres transformed its pedalling efficiency. Long climbs were effortless with the 30T chainring and 11-46T cassette, yet the steel frame retained enough planted composure to avoid getting pinballed around like an ultra-light carbon gravel rig. After my first few rides, I did drop the stem slightly and trimmed the bars down to 760mm from 800mm to help navigate overgrown trails and add a little more weight up front to stop it lifting on steep climbs. Best of all, returning to flat bars felt like home. Combined with 2.4in tyres run at low pressures, the front end was exceptionally smooth.(Image credit: Matt Ischt-Barnard)My biggest learning from the whole process was from the rear end of the bike, where the loss of compliance from the dropper post was very noticeable and not something I'd expected to miss. Swapping the dropper for an alloy post saved weight and seemed like a no-brainer, but I hadn't accounted for how much fore-and-aft flex a telescoping dropper naturally provides. Replacing it with a rigid, oversized 31.6mm alloy tube made seated trail chatter noticeably harsher. Future updates to this bike will include some solution to this problem. Potentially looking at a carbon post, a lightweight dropper post, or even something like the Redshift ShockStop, which I think might be less of an issue with constant fit changes. The South Downs isn't the most demanding place to ride a bike, especially in summer, when the chalk is dry. However, it features a lot of classic British mountain bike riding: tight, narrow, usually overgrown singletrack and byways, which inevitably means riding slower. That is where the only real handling quirk came from: the swap to the rigid fork. The bike suffers from a significant increase in flop at slow speed (yes, that is a technical term), because the Pathfinder fork features a 51mm offset, much longer than the 44mm the frame and my suspension fork were designed around. The tall stack didn't help, but because of the slack head angle, this change ultimately affected the bike's mechanical trail. I cant give exact numbers, but itll be around a 15 mm difference. Its manageable, and I can easily ride around it, but an angle-adjust headset is on my winter shopping list to pull the geometry back in line. (Image credit: Matt Ischt-Barnard)Three Golden Rules for DIYersBalance the axle-to-crown, but dont ignore the offsetMatch the sagged axle-to-crown of your frame's geometry to the new fork length. This is easy: check online what the suspension manufacturer states is the axle-to-crown, work out 25% of the fork's travel, then subtract that from the over-axle-to-crown as a starting point. If you wish to adjust the geometry, you can do this with the length, but just be careful you dont go too far, as itll drop the bottom bracket too much. Based on my own experience, especially if you're working with a reasonably slack head angle, keep the same fork offset. If, like me, you are limited on options, you can always consider an angleset headset; check your frame compatibility with these first before buying your fork. Resist the temptation of going too light on the tyresWhen chasing speed and weight savings, its easy to get carried away with tyres. Without suspension, its worth factoring in tyre durability, too. You dont have to go all in and choose 60mm tyres as I did; 2.1/53mm will save weight and boost speed while giving you some wiggle room for a more durable casing. If need be, consider running different tyres front and rear. Thats very common in mountain biking and helps balance grip and speed. Change one variable at a timeEven though it might read that way, I didnt make all these changes at once. This was a process that took a couple of months, so I could understand each change. I started with tyres; I didnt want to change the fork without understanding how these handled. Once I was happy, I swapped the fork, then adjusted the cockpit, and once happy with all that, I removed my dropper. Doing it incrementally isolates handling quirks and prevents you from throwing good money away unnecessarily. (Image credit: Matt Ischt-Barnard)In ConclusionSomething you cant put a price on is that this bike really helped me ride differently this year. At the start of the year, I said I was going to give up on the data and Strava and just ride my bike more. Until a recent back injury, that was all going to plan. The Cotic helped me learn to ride at my own pace, enjoy the ride more and lift my head up to the view. "New bike day could just be the old mountain bike you already own"For less than 500, three calculated swaps took my unloved frame from the back of the shed and turned it into the bike I reach for every time I ride. It isn't perfect; the wheel flop will get sorted before winter sets in, but it proves you don't need a new bike or have to sell much-loved bikes to make space. Sometimes new bike day, or even just building the ultimate gravel grinder, if you will, could just be the old mountain bike you already own, built up with a bit of thought rather than a shopping spree. This build also proves that it can be done with almost any kind of hardtail; it doesnt have to be a retro build, have drop bars, or even be very cool at all; it can just be very functional and do what you need it to do.

Albert Torres is embarking on a new chapter in his sporting career. The 36-year-old Balearic rider will leave Movistar Team in 2027 after seven seasons with the Spanish team. Eusebio Unzu informed him of the decision directly in late September, bringing an end to a spell Torres had hoped to extend...

As many as 127 brands will be on display at this week's Rouleur Live, with a second floor allowing 46 new exhibitors into the show. The annual London event, organised by cycling magazine Rouleur, will see brands show off their products along with launches, as well as talks from some of the biggest names in cycling.Across three days at the Truman Brewery in East London Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November riders will appear on stage and the public will be invited to examine some of the most exciting bike tech around.For the first time, there are two floors, with an Italian Pavilion upstairs, a partnership between Rouleur and ITA (the Italian Trade Association). This will include Italian brands, but also a number of historic bikes from the collection of the Museo del Ghisallo being flown over for display. Among the Italian exhibitors are bike makers Pinarello, Colnago and Willier Triestina, saddle brands Prologo and Selle Italia, tyre manufacturer Vittoria, kit marques Q36.5 and Santini, and iconic parts brand Campagnolo. There is much more than Italy, though, with other big bike brands on display including BMC, Cannondale, Canyon, Cervlo, Look, Orbea, Ridley, Rose, and Van Rysel, perfect for a bit of window shopping or if you're trying to work out which bike brand to go to next.There are more than 100 other brands on display, so there is a lot to see. Many of the stalls will have interactive displays for fans to take part in and test products out, with appearances from brand ambassadors too. There is also a whole room dedicated to independent frame builders, sponsored by components giant Shimano, with 11 different companies exhibiting there.It is not all commercial, though, with the Cycling Tattooist doing live tattoos, a selection of Karl Kopinski artwork on show, a jam-packed Gravel Gallery, a vintage bike display and a nod to next year's Tours de France Grands Dparts, which take place in Britain.It's not just displays, either, with talks from riders with a combined 29 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes stages gracing the stage over the three days. Tickets are available from rouleur.cc.

Not only is Isaac del Toro concerned about the knee injury that affected his Il Lombardia performance last month, but the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider revealed that it's an issue that has affected him for three years. The 22-year-old has enjoyed another terrific year following his 2025 breakthrough s...

If youre a fan of a clean cockpit, Campagnolos new firmware update may well be of interest to you.Campagnolo revealed today that the latest update means you can use the shifters of your Record or Super Record groupsets to change gear in Zwift.By connecting a Platform 13 groupset to a compatible smart trainer, riders can use their Ergopower levers to control virtual shifting, bringing a familiar Campagnolo experience to indoor training, Campagnolo said.That means you dont need to clutter up your handlebar with a Zwift controller and can retain the same shifting quality of the electronic groupsets.Ready in three steps The firmware update means you don't have to fit a Zwift Controller to your cockpit. Zwift Campagnolo outlines three steps for setting up the new feature.You should first attach a Zwift Cog to your turbo trainer and set it up correctly.Then, you should download the new firmware (3.1.16 version) on the MyCampy app and activate the groupset. Campagnolo says you should ideally place the rear derailleur in the fifth or sixth gear or the one that best fits your Zwift Cog setting and riding style.Finally, you should log in to your Zwift account and pair the groupset by selecting Controls.Once paired with Zwift, the groupset will switch from outdoor to indoor: the rear derailleur will stop operating in the conventional way, and the Ergopower controls interact directly with Zwift, Campagnolo explains.From there you should be good to go, and you can use the shifters just as you would when riding outdoors.This new meeting of mechanical innovation and the digital world will be on display at Rouleur Live, which opens on Thursday.Campagnolo launched Record 13 in April this year and Warren Rossiter said it couldnt have come soonerbecause it meant the troubled brand had a direct competitor to Shimano Ultegra and SRAM Force. Last year, Campagnolo restructured after reports of staff redundancies. In September, an investment group with ties to Pinarello bought a minority stake in Campagnolo.

Alpecin-Premier Tech's JohanPrice-Pejtersen is out of contract at the end of 2026. Despite being 27-years-old, the Danish rider will not be looking for a new contract and instead will be retiring from cycling after losing his passion for the sport. In a cycling world of Tadej Pogacar's dominance an...

Pinarello-Q36.5 wants to take a competitive step forward in 2027 and has found one of its most important reinforcements in Giulio Ciccone, who will join Tom Pidcock. The Italian is leaving Lidl-Trek after eight seasons, and his signing not only strengthens the squad but also allows the Swiss team to...