With a new 320tpi cotton casing, updated tread pattern with aero dimples, and a race dual compound rubber, the new Bontrager Aeolus RSL takes the mantle as their top (and fastest) road bike tire.The new tire replaces their R3 TLR and takes a multi-pronged approach to making you faster. The cotton casing is much softer, which helps it deform to the ground more easily for a smoother ride with less rolling resistance.Underneath the tread cap is a puncture protection belt that, combined with a tubeless setup, helps keep you rolling. A protective layer around the bead keeps the rim from wearing down the cotton and also adds a bit of pinch flat protection.It also gets a new dual compound rubber, putting a harder rubber in the center so it rolls faster and softer, grippier rubber on the sides for cornering. They say this saves 3.7watts in rolling resistance. But thats not allWhile Bontrager didnt dive very deep on explaining the aerodynamic benefits, my guess is its the strips and dimples that help trip the air and keep it attached for reduced turbulence. Its a very different design than the new Continental Aero 111, but they have some numbers to back it up.Whats noteworthy about this graph is that there are some savings even on the lower end of the speed spectrum (albiet still at a pace most of us arent holding solo), and also that the improvements are on a wider 28mm Aeolus tire versus a narrower 25mm R3.Its compatible with hooked and hookless rims, but note that the maximum tire pressure varies based on both tire width and rim type.It comes in 26mm (265g), 28mm (285g), 30mm and 32mm widths. (NOTE: Weights werent provided for all sizes yet and based on pre-production models. I have a set in for testing and will provide actual weights in a future review.)Bontrager.comThe post Bontrager Aeolus RSL Tires Bring Speed thru Comfort appeared first on Bikerumor.

This latest near miss, which saw Visma-Lease a Bikes riders forced to duck under the spectators arm, came just days after the Tour urged fans to please respect the riders and stay away from the road

Mads Pedersen crashed hard on the finale of stage 5 in this Tour de France, against the barriers but luckily not to catastrophic consequences as other crashes that have taken place in recent years. The Lidl-Trek rider fell back into the road and just moments later had Axel Zingle bunny hop over him...

Planned bus improvements this year are reliant on the plan going again, says the group. Engineering-focused Liffey Cycle Route was cancelled based on progress with traffic plan. Delay will risk more serious injury and death and more emissions and air pollution.Nine groups focused on sustainable transport are seeking a meeting with Dublin City Councils chief executive, Richard Shakespeare, after he said that he would only make his mind up about the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan when he receives a report from a lobby group linked heavily with car parks.The nine signees to a letter to Shakespeare are the Dublin Commuter Coalition, the Dublin Cycling Campaign, An Taisce, Irish Doctors for the Environment, Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, the Sustainability Action Research & Innovation Lead at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), the Irish Heart Foundation, I BIKE Dublin and The Bike Hub.The letter sent this morning said: The Dublin Commuter Coalition, along with the representatives of the undersigned groups, are calling for an emergency meeting with yourself DCC CEO Richard Shakespeare, and the Councils Executive Manager for Traffic Brendan OBrien, to discuss the last minute changes to the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan.Councillors were told at their first monthly meeting last Monday that Shakespeare is awaiting an economic analysis report commissioned by the Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance lobby group before making a decision on the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan.The letter sent by the nine signees said the conclusions of the report commissioned by a lobby group can not be considered independent or impartial. The Dublin City Centre Traders Alliance which was set up to oppose the College Green Plaza and whose only apparent activity is lobbying against car-free streets, cycle routes, and bus priority measures is made up of Brown Thomas Arnotts, Jervis Shopping Centre, Retail Excellence Ireland, Restaurants Association of Ireland, Louis Copeland & Sons, Irish Parking Association, Best Car Parks, and Fitzwilliam Real Estate Capital. Five of these have direct links to car parks.The new council was also told that bus gate locations on the quays would be changed, and their operational times would be reduced from 24 hours to 7am to 7pm. A right turn on the OConnell Bridge to Eden Quay would also be opened, allowing private traffic on it for the first time since Luas Cross City was opened (see further delays below).In addition, it was outlined by council officials that an element of the plan to stop private traffic from turning left from Westland Row into Pearse Street will be deferred until 2025 due to the nature of the civil engineering works requirements, which are more extensive than previously envisaged.The letter sent this morning highlighted the councils own estimate that 60% of all private motor traffic in the core city centre was just driving through it. The letter signees said this provides no economic value to local businesses and added that a recent Government Report outlines that the cost of congestion is estimated to be 336m in 2022 rising to over 1.5bn by 2040.The letter also highlighted Dublin Buss support for the plan and said: Crucially, a delay to March 2025, as has been suggested, will have serious consequences for the delivery of BusConnects, as core bus routes with higher frequencies were supposed to leverage these bus gates.The signees also said that the timely delivery of the transport plan was the basis for the cancellation of the Liffey Cycle Track project which included boardwalks as a solution. The transport plan aimed to resolve at least some of the space issues by reducing traffic on the quays.The letter said: Without implementing safe infrastructure for walking and cycling, we fail to see how DCC aims to achieve its own goal of increasing the modal shift to active travel, thus reducing carbon emissions and air pollution. We believe that this modal shift will bring much needed life, vibrancy and economic benefit to Dublin City.Reducing the bus gate on Bachelors Walk from 24 hours to 12 hours (7am-7pm) will hinder reallocating road space for walking and cycling, thus failing in the goal of promoting active travel. Additionally, we do not believe that this change addresses the concerns of disability groups as intended. Time-bound bus gates, like those previously seen at College Green, lead to poor adherence and ineffectiveness, often requiring constant enforcement. In the end, a 24 hour restriction for private vehicles was established which should have been the case from the start, the letter signees said.The groups also said that the intervention from Emer Higgins, Minister of State with responsibility for business, employment and retail, was unacceptable interference from political representatives outside of those directly elected to Dublin City Council while the weight being given to the concerns a small number of businesses undermines the democratic process of local government and public consultations, and this subversion of democracy needs to be challenged.The letter also highlighted how 80% of public submissions to the plan supported it and it was one of the largest volumes of submissions ever recorded.The nine signees added: In addition, last months local elections returned a majority of councillors who had supported the Transport Plan in its current form, further expressing the publics support. These councillors made their support for the plan clear whilst canvassing, and voters elected them. Furthermore, these councillors support is clearly outlined in their ruling groups document, stating that agreed transport plans will be safeguarded and implemented.

Team Uno-X is riding a radical, unreleased aero road bike at the 2024 Tour de France.Produced by Taiwanese brand (and Uno-X team sponsor) Dare, the bike bucks the prevailing trend for all-rounder bikes, instead taking a hyper-aero approach with little apparent consideration for weight.Prior to the race start in Florence, Italy, we got a close look at the new bike at the Uno-X team hotel.Could this be the bike to help the Uno-X team take its first victory at the sports biggest race?Return of the aero bikeDare's new road bike bucks the current trend for lightweight, all-rounder road bikes. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaIn recent years, weve seen a number of prominent brands ditch dedicated aero road bikes in favour of models that balance aerodynamic performance with low weight.Specialized, for example, famously put its S-Works Venge out to pasture when it released the S-Works Tarmac SL7 in 2020, while Treks recently announced eighth-generation Madone SLR spelled the end of its monda.Likewise, the release of a lightweight Giant Propel Advanced SL in 2022 has seen the brands iconic TCR relegated to only limited use in the WorldTour.The down tube appears to indicate this bike is called the 'Velocity Ace'. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaDare looks to be taking the opposite approach, with a design more akin to other all-out aero road bikes such as the Cervlo S5, Ribble Ultra SLR and Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod.As far as we can tell, Dares new aero road bike appears to be called the Velocity Ace, as this is printed on the down tube.Its most likely an update to the brands existing aero bike, the VSRu. The new bike doubles down on the aerodynamic optimisations, though, with deeper aerofoil tube shapes all over and a build focused entirely on speed.Deep-section tubes all-roundA head tube this deep wouldn't look out of place on a time trial bike. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaThe head tube is one of the most striking parts of the Velocity Ace.It uses a deep, truncated aerofoil profile and rises from the top tube to meet the rear of the bikes new integrated handlebar (more on this later).At the lower end, the head tube is sculpted to control the airflow off the fork crown.Viewed head on, the head tube is hourglass-shaped narrowing between the upper and lower headset bearings to further reduce drag.The aero-optimised fork is more aggressive than before. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaWhile the fork on the VSRu tapered slightly towards the bottom, the narrow bladed legs of the new fork stay deep all the way down.Where the down tube on the VSRu had a small cut-out for the front wheel, the Velocity Ace has a straight down tube with a deeper, wider truncated aerofoil profile.The deeper, wider down tube might provide more shelter for round bottles on the Velocity Ace. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaUnlike the new Trek Madone SLR, the Velocity Ace uses standard, non-integrated bottle cages with round cycling water bottles.It may be that the redesigned down tube provides greater airflow management around this area than before, however.At the rear of the bike, the aerofoil profiles of the seat tube, seatstays and seatpost have also been deepened significantly.The seat tube cluster has been reprofiled with deeper aerofoil tube shapes all-round. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaWhether this has any impact on compliance remains to be seen. Dropped seatstays aside, though, it doesnt appear that Dare has made many concessions to comfort.Like some time trial bikes, the seatpost appears to have multiple saddle clamp locations, enabling a rider to adjust the effective seat tube angle an important consideration for fit purposes.One of the deepest handlebars weve seenThis is one of the deepest aerofoil sections we've seen on a road bike handlebar. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaBeyond the head tube, the bikes new aero handlebar is also remarkable, thanks to its use of an exceptionally deep and thin aerofoil profile on the tops.Expectedly, the handlebar uses an integrated design, with the hydraulic brake hoses fully concealed within the bar and running into the frame unseen.The headset top cap on the Dare Velocity Ace looks to help smooth the airflow from the handlebar to the frame. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaThe top tube rises to meet the rear of the stem, while the headset top cap has been cleverly profiled to smooth out the junction between the two.Overall, Dares new bar appears to take the opposite approach to Ribbles ground-breaking Ultra handlebar (which features on the Ultra SLR). The Ribble bar uses a similarly deep aerofoil profile, but is much more bulbous, as its designed to manipulate the airflow hitting the rider behind it.Notably, Trek says the updated handlebar on its recently launched, eighth-generation Madone SLR does something similar (albeit on a smaller scale).The new handlebar on the Dare Velocity Ace is exceptionally deep and thin up top. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaThe Dare handlebar, in contrast, looks to be designed simply to reduce its impact on the airflow as much as possible.As with rear-end comfort, there doesnt seem to have been much consideration for a rider being able to hold the tops of the handlebar. As with the rest of the bike, it looks to be all about maximising aerodynamic efficiency.Kristof's cockpit dimensions are the same as at last year's Tour. - George Scott / Our MediaOn this bike, which belongs to four-time Tour de France stage winner, Alexander Kristof, the cockpit combines a 120mm-long stem with a 380mm-wide handlebar (measured centre to centre at the brake hoods).The frame also has a logo noting the headset contains CeramicSpeed's SLT (Solid Lubrication Technology) bearings which are claimed to provide exceptionally long lifespans, reducing the frequency with which the front end requires servicing.A speed-focused build with personal upgradesKristof opts for DT Swiss deep-section rims. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaThe rest of the build sees an uncompromising focus on speed.Like last year, Kristofs wheelset of choice is the DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut DB, with 62mm-deep rims.These are wrapped with Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres, in a 700 x 28c size that measures up at 27.9mm-wide on the DT Swiss rims.As with last year, the tyres have conspicuous blue accents that dont come on the versions of the Pro One TLE available in shops.Kristof's bike was again equipped with blue-branded Schwalbe Pro One TLE tyres. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaHaving spotted these last year, we asked Schwalbe if this was a new, updated version of the German brands highly-rated tubeless tyre. Unfortunately, the brand declined to shed any light on the subject.According to our well-informed YouTube audience, though, these could be special-edition, race day-only versions of the tyre something faster, lighter but potentially less durable than the standard tyres, for example.Schwalbe has apparently created similarly-branded tyres for its sponsored mountain bike athletes previously, so that could be whats going on here.As for the drivetrain, Kristof and his Uno-X team are still running Shimanos flagshipDura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset.Kristof's Dare Velocity Ace has a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 drivetrain with some upgrades. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaThis year, though, the team has switched from using Shimanos Dura-Ace FC-R9200-P power meter crankset to FSAs Powerbox Team.This consists of an FSA power meter spider (which we believe is made by Power2Max) paired with the brand's carbon cranks and aluminium chainrings.Kristof has switched to a Prologo saddle for the 2024 season. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaWhen we saw Kristofs bike, a couple of days out from the race start, it was equipped with some huge 56/40t chainrings.Even though these were paired with a wide-ranging 11-34t cassette out back, we wonder whether Kristof might have swapped to something smaller for the races mountainous opening stage.Perhaps due to a change in team sponsor, Kristof has switched saddles from the Pro Stealth Curved Team he used at last years Tour to a Prologo Scratch M5 with carbon rails.Kristof is using the new OSPW RS Alpha system from CeramicSpeed. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaFinishing things off, Kristofs bike was also decked out with CeramicSpeeds latest OSPW (Oversized Pulley Wheel System) RS Alpha and a waxed chain.The 'Alpha Disc' solid pulley wheels are claimed to prevent dirt or debris entering the system and contaminating the bearings.A new bike thats heavier than the old oneThe Dare Velocity Ace has gained weight compared to its predecessor, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be slower. - Simon von Bromley / Our MediaIts rare to see a new road bike released thats significantly heavier than the outgoing version, but thats exactly what we have here.According to Dare, the VSRu had a claimed frame weight of 1,190g in a size small (although Kristof rides a 56cm frame). While we dont yet have a claimed weight for Velocity Ace frame, we think its deeper tubes and aggressive aerodynamic optimisations have likely added weight.That appears to be confirmed by the overall weight of Kristofs Dare Velocity Ace, too, which came in at spot-on 8kg, according to our scales.Alexander Kristof's Dare Velocity Ace weighed 8kg ahead of the 2024 Tour de France race start. - George Scott / Our MediaThats 255g more than the 7.745kg weight we took for his Dare VSRu at last years Tour.As things stand, thats all we know about Dares radical new aero road bike.Given a number of Uno-X riders are using the bike at this years Tour, it appears the bike is production ready and could launch imminently.Frameset: Dare Velocity Ace (size 56cm)Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 with FSA PowerBox Team power meter (56/40t chainrings, 11-34t cassette), FSA carbon cranks, CeramicSpeed OSPW RS Alpha and UFO waxed chainWheelset: DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut 62 DBTyres: Schwalbe Pro One TLE 29c (measured width 27.9mm)Bar/stem: Dare, 38cm handlebar width, 12cm stem lengthSeatpost: DareSaddle: Prologo Scratch M5 NackBottle cages: Elite Vico CarbonPedals: Shimano Dura-Ace

Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish are riders of the same generation who continue to thrive in a cycling that has evolved beyond most of their age. Thomas continues to impress as a stage-racer and his former teammate and compatriot Cavendish has impressed him by winning once again at the Tour de Fran...

Presumably, youre riding to the climbs, and then also descending them, which helps justify the concept of aerodynamic climbing wheels. But also, maybe you just want a really lightweight, shallow set of road wheels (hand, raised).For all that, the new Swiss Side Hadron2 and Pion2 wheelsets are the solution, with 30-38mm depths and weights as low as 1,305g for the set. Heres the details and optionsSwiss Side Hadron2 Ultimate 380With a 38mm rim depth and weights of 587g (front) and 718g (rear), and in total 1305g, the HADRON Ultimate 380 is their lightest aero wheelset. The 20mm inner width is optimized for 25-29mm tires (compatible up to 64 mm tires, so gravel?) using a tubeless clincher (not hookless) design. Its built DT Aerolite II spokes and 180 DICUT hubs with the ratchet EXP and SINC ceramic bearings. All modern freehub options available on all three wheel options.Swiss Side Hadron2 Classic 380Using the same rim profile but built with DT Swiss Aerocomp spokes and 370 hubs with the ratchet LN system, these weigh in at 662g (front) and 814g (rear) for a 1476g wheelset.Swiss Side was a development partner on the new Continental Aero 111 tires, so for optimal aerodynamic performance, they recommend the26mm AERO 111 tire on the front and a 28mm GP 5000 STR on the rear.Swiss Side Pion2 300For everyday training, the alloy Pion2 300 has a shallower 30mm depth and 22mm internal width. Its shaped for the same general tire widths as the carbon Hadron models, but they recommend going with the wider 29mm front tire here, with a 28-30mm rear tire depending on your preference.Claimed weights are 877g (front) and 1030g (rear) for a 1907g disc brake wheelset. A rim brake version is also available, and both are built with DT Aero comp spokes and 370 hubs with ratchet LN system.Check their website for pricingas of this post going live, all three are discounted off MSRP.SwissSide.comThe post Swiss Side Adds Aero Optimized Climbing Wheels? appeared first on Bikerumor.

Remco Evenepoel and Mark Cavendish didn't race too often together but in Soudal - Quick-Step they were teammates for two years. Two riders of completely different generations but Evenepoel spared a moment to congratulate the Manxman for his unbelievable achievement that was conquered this Wednesday....

From this 2008 Giant TCR to the Wilier Filante which saw Cav claim the Tour wins record, here's a look at the Manx Missile's bikes through the ages