With the government strongly promoting active travel as a way to avoid public transport, and making £2bn of cash available to increase cycling infrastructure, it’s a great time to consider buying a bike to get to work on.

An outright purchase can be expensive, although many brands offer finance to spread the cost. But using a Cycle to Work scheme is a really good way both to spread the cost of the bike and to get significant savings – between 32 per cent and 47 per cent of the purchase price. 

The Green Commute Initiative (or GCI) is a social enterprise that looks to deliver a more flexible, cost effective bike buying experience via more than 1,500 bike shops and direct sales brands while still providing the tax saving benefits of Cycle to Work.

• Best commuter bike | What’s the best bike for commuting in 2020?
• What to wear on a bike ride

What is the Green Commute Initiative?

The GCI is a Cycle to Work scheme that looks to avoid some of the constraints of other options. That includes bypassing the £1,000 upper limit on spend, letting you buy a wide range of bikes and electric bikes, offering varying periods for repayment and not charging end-of-term fees to own the bike.

Like other Cycle to Work schemes, GCI uses salary sacrifice, where the cost of the bike is deducted directly from your payslip over a number of months, saving both you and your employer income tax and National Insurance. See below for more details on how it works.

What is the Green Commute Initiative looking to achieve?

According to the scheme’s website: “Green Commute Initiative is a Social Enterprise with a vision to get commuters out of cars and onto any kind of bike, with the dual purpose of improving both the individual’s health and wellbeing, as well as reducing the environmental impact of pollution and congestion from cars. We do this through our cycle to work scheme.”

It continues: “We want more people on bikes. Why? Think of a world where there is less congestion, less pollution, less crowding on public transport and more car park spaces for motorists. A world where employees become healthier, happier and more effective.”

What types of bikes does the Green Commute Initiative cover?

Anything, if it’s legally designated as a bike. So that includes not just road bikes, folding bikes and hybrids, but also ebikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, cargo bikes and specialist bikes too. 

The Green Commute Initiative puts a lot of emphasis on electric bikes for their extra push over hills and on longer rides, as well as their commuter-friendly aspect. It points out that you can wear your work clothes, because you’re not going to get as warm when riding, and you’ll not be constrained by train and bus timetables, social distancing and delays.

How is GCI different from other Cycle to Work schemes?

The original Cycle to Work schemes had an upper limit of £1,000 to the spend allowed. If you were starting from scratch and wanted other kit, such as lights, a helmet, tools and a waterproof jacket, that meant your remaining allowance limited you to fairly low-end machines.

Without the £1,000 limit, GCI lets you eye up pricier options such as flashier road bikes and Brompton folders. It also puts ebikes, most of which come in at over £1,000, within your reach. For people with disabilities or mobility issues, the scheme can be used for specialist or adapted bikes too.

Don’t go overboard though, GCI has a £10,000 upper limit and may veto a pricey package. It’s also worth buying insurance because you’ll still be liable for payments if the bike is damaged or stolen.

Unlike some other schemes, there are no exit fees if you want to own the bike (apart from a £1 charge to satisfy tax requirements). For example, CycleScheme charges you 7 per cent of the bike’s cost price after three years to take over ownership.

How does the Green Commute Initiative work?

GCI has its own Financial Conduct Authority licence, which lets it offer credit above the £1,000 limit of Cycle to Work. 

Technically, you’re hiring the bike from GCI for the term of the agreement, when ownership is then passed from GCI to the rider. GCI says that its scheme has been vetted by a ‘big four’ accountancy firm and found to be compliant with HMRC rules.

It says that with salary sacrifice, savings on the price of a bike could be as much as 47 per cent and that it doesn’t charge exit fees at the end of the agreement. 

As well as the bike itself, like other Cycle to Work schemes, you can add accessories and other kit you need. 

How do you apply for the Green Commute Initiative?

First you need to go and talk to your bike retailer and work out the package of bike and kit you want and its price.

If your employer isn’t registered with GCI, you use the online Instant GCI form to generate a pro forma invoice for the package, which you need to give to your HR department.

Some employers, typically those with over 1,000 staff, are registered with GCI already, in which case there’s a separate Corporate GCI page which routes your request directly to your HR department.

You’ll get a salary sacrifice agreement and a hire agreement to e-sign. Once this is done, GCI pays the retailer and emails you a voucher, which you take to the store along with photo ID to collect the bike.

What’s the benefit?

The employer pays GCI to cover the cost of your voucher, then deducts the cost of the bike and kit from your gross salary, usually over 12, 18 or 24 months, saving you income tax and National Insurance. 

Dependent on your tax rate, that can be either 32 per cent, 42 per cent or 47 per cent of the list price of the bike and kit. Some employers may charge you interest on the loan, reducing the amount you’ll save. 

There’s also a financial benefit for your employer, who will usually save on Employer’s National Insurance Contributions. 

If you want to keep the bike, there’s a further free-of-charge loan agreement made between you and CGI taking you to six years of riding, at the end of which you can take ownership yourself for a £1 fee. That’s an arrangement designed to satisfy HMRC’s tax requirements.

How many bike shops are signed up to GCI?

GCI says you can use one of more than 1,300 bike shops across the UK, from local bike shops to multi-chain retailers.

There’s a pretty good spread, with the map of retailers online showing shops from Penzance to Stornoway, as well as retailers in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

Use the shop finder on the Green Commute Initiative website to find a registered bike shop near you.

Can I use GCI to buy from a direct sales brand?

Yes, a fair number of direct sales brands have signed up with GCI. 

That includes heavy-hitters such as Canyon and Ribble, as well as niche brands including Mason Cycles and Temple Cycles. There are also direct sales ebike specialists represented, such as VanMoof and Cowboy.

There’s a list of available direct sales brands on the GCI site. To order from a direct sales brand, you first need to get them to supply a quote for your preferred ride or register an order. You then apply to GCI for finance, quoting the maker’s order reference number.

The aluminium Giant Contend range is designed to combine performance and versatility in an affordable package.

With bikes priced from £625 to £1,499, the 2020 Contend range is home to Giant’s cheapest road bikes, but you’ll still find some of the features found on more expensive models in the Taiwanese brand’s line-up.

In fact, the Giant Contend SL 1 was one of our favourite rides in BikeRadar’s £1,000 Road Bike of the Year awards for 2020.

Who is the Giant Contend for?

The Contend range is categorised as an “all-rounder” by Giant and is designed to cater for a variety of riders. That includes new cyclists looking to buy their first road bike, through to cycle commuters and sportive riders. With a relaxed riding position, the Contend is designed with comfort in mind, rather than head-down racing.

The lower spec models in the range are aimed at the beginner rider, who wants to experience road cycling or maybe commute by bike, without spending too much cash. 

Higher spec models offer a bike for the endurance rider who is looking for a comfortable riding position to tick off the miles, and who doesn’t want to move to a carbon frame, but still wants quality components.

As you move up the range, the majority of bikes have hydraulic disc brakes for more confident all-weather stopping. The most expensive bikes add tubeless-ready wheels and tyres too.

Meanwhile, the Contend AR range has increased clearance for larger tyres and extra grip if you want to go off-road, while still being able to keep up a good pace on tarmac.

Giant Contend 2020 range overview

There are four different framesets offered by Giant for the Contend. Two are designed for use with rim brakes, two are compatible with disc brakes. 

• Contend – the most affordable frame, compatible with rim brakes
• Contend AR – second-tier frame, compatible with disc brakes and with clearance for wider tyres
• Contend SL – the most expensive rim brake frame
• Contend SL Disc – the top-tier Contend for disc brakes

All four frames are made from aluminium, with two different grades of alloy available: the Contend and Contend AR are made from Giant’s more affordable ALUXX-grade aluminium, while the Contend SL and Contend SL Disc get up-spec ALUXX SL aluminium to lower the weight. 

All frames are paired with a tapered carbon fork with oversized headset bearings. Giant calls this ‘Overdrive’ and the technology, said to improve steering performance, is common on the company’s bikes.

With the different specs available through the range, the complete line-up extends to eight bikes in all.

What can you expect as you move up the range? Well, apart from upgraded shifting and braking components, higher spec models come with a carbon seatpost for extra compliance and lower weight, substituting for the alloy seatpost on lower priced bikes. 

Both the carbon and alloy seatposts are D-shaped, utilising a technology Giant calls ‘D-Fuse’ to apparently improve comfort. 

All bikes come with 28mm tyres as standard, except for the Contend AR models, which come with plumper 32mm tyres if you want to take to the gravel.

Shimano groupset components are specced across the board, with generous gearing to help out on hills.

All the Contend models make use of Giant’s status as the largest bike maker in the world to offer a good mix of own-brand components, including Giant’s wheels and tyres. Sizes for the Giant Contend go from S to XL. 

The Contend also uses Giant’s compact frame geometry, in which the top tube slopes down from the headset for a smaller frame that’s lighter and stiffer than a frame with a horizontal top tube. It’s a concept Giant pioneered in the 1990s and now commonplace on road bikes.

Giant Contend 2020 bikes

Let’s take a closer look at the Giant Contend range, starting with the most affordable bikes. 

As a global brand, you’re likely to find Giant bikes wherever you are, but the exact models and specs available may differ from one country to the next. We’ve focused on the UK here but have also made a note of US pricing where available.

Giant Contend 1 and 2

The entry-level Contend range consists of the rim brake Contend 1 and 2 bike, both using the same Aluxx-grade aluminium frameset, paired to an all carbon tapered fork. Giant says you can fit tyres up to 32mm width in place for the 28mm version supplied.

Both bikes get a 50/34t compact chainset paired to an 11-34t cassette, providing a wide spread of gears ideal for new cyclists or riders who live in a hilly area.

The Contend 1 and 2 are aimed at new cyclists who want an affordable road bike or riders upgrading who don’t want to break the bank.

Giant Contend 2 (2020) spec

• Shimano Claris 8-speed groupset with FSA Tempo chainset
• Tektro TK-B177 rim brakes
• Giant S-R3 wheelset
• Giant P-R3 AC 28mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse alloy seatpost
• 9.9kg claimed weight (medium)
• £625 / $680 (Contend 3 in the US)

Giant Contend 1 (2020) spec

• Shimano Sora 9-speed groupset
• Tektro TK-B177 rim brakes
• Giant S-R3 wheelset
• Giant P-R3 AC 28mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse alloy seatpost
• 9.6kg claimed weight (medium)
• £749 / $950

Giant Contend AR 1, AR 2 and AR 3

The Contend AR range aims to provide a little extra versatility, if you want a road bike that can also turn its hand to a little gravel riding.

With that in mind, all bikes get disc brakes and 32mm tyres, with clearance for 38mm rubber if you want to go wider still. That places it alongside machines such as the new Trek Domane in blurring the lines between road and gravel.

Once again you get hill-friendly gearing, with a 50/34 compact chain and 11-34t cassette on all bikes. All AR also models use the same Giant Contend Aluxx-grade alloy frameset and carbon tapered fork.

The Contend AR range is aimed at riders who are likely to spend most of their time on the tarmac, but who want a bike capable of turning down a dirt or gravel road.

Giant Contend AR 3 (2020) spec

• Shimano Sora 9-speed groupset
• Tektro MD-C550 mechanical disc brakes
• Giant S-R2 Disc wheelset
• Giant S-R3 32mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse alloy seatpost
• 10.2kg claimed weight (medium)
• £949 / $1,000

Giant Contend AR 2 (2020) spec

• Shimano Tiagra 10-speed groupset
• Giant Conduct hydraulic disc brakes
• Giant S-R2 Disc wheelset
• Giant Gavia Fondo 2 32mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse carbon seatpost
• 10kg claimed weight (medium)
• £1,099 / $1,300

Giant Contend AR 1 (2020) spec

• Shimano 105 11-speed groupset with a non-series RS510 chainset
• Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes
• Giant P-R2 Disc wheelset
• Giant Gavia Fondo 2 32mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse carbon seatpost
• Giant D-Fuse D-shaped handlebars for increased comfort
• 9.62kg claimed weight (medium)
• £1,499 / $1,550

Giant Contend SL Disc 1 and 2

The Contend SL Disc range consists of the SL 2 Disc, priced at £1,099, and the £1,399 SL1 Disc.

Both get an upgraded Giant Aluxx SL-grade aluminium frame, designed for disc brakes, and a compact 50/34t chainset with 11-34t cassette. There’s clearance for tyres up to 32mm wide.

The Contend SL Disc range is aimed at riders who want an upgraded frame with quality components.

Giant Contend SL 2 Disc (2020) spec

• Shimano Tiagra 10-speed groupset
• Giant Conduct hydraulic disc brakes
• Giant S-R2 Disc wheelset
• Giant P-R3 AC 28mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse carbon seatpost
• 9.94kg claimed weight (medium)
• £1,099

Giant Contend SL 1 Disc (2020) spec

• Shimano 105 11-speed groupset with a non-series RS510 chainset
• Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes
• Giant P-R2 Disc wheelset
• Giant P-R3 AC 28mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse carbon seatpost
• 9.56kg claimed weight (medium)
• £1,399

Giant Contend SL 1

There’s only one bike in the rim braked Contend SL range, reflecting the increasing shift to disc brakes on road bikes. 

You get the same Aluxx SL-grade aluminium frame material used in the disc brake SL. However, rim brakes limit clearance, so you can’t go wider than the 28mm tyres fitted.

This bike has slightly sportier gearing than the rest of the bikes in the Contend range, with a mid-compact 52/36t chainset paired to an 11-30t cassette. It’s also the lightest bike in the Contend line-up.

Giant Contend SL 1 (2020) spec

• Shimano 105 11-speed groupset with a non-series RS510 chainset
• Tektro TK-B178 rim brakes
• Giant P-R2 wheelset
• Giant P-R3 AC 28mm tyres
• Giant D-Fuse carbon seatpost
• 9.06kg claimed weight (medium)
• £999

Garmin Edge bike computers are one of the most popular go-to choices for cyclists.

Over time, Garmin has increased the feature-set seen on its GPS bike computers and has extended these to all but its entry-level models.

So what does the Garmin Edge range offer and which one’s right for you?

What can a Garmin GPS computer do?

At a minimum, a bike computer will let you track where you’ve been, how far and how fast. It will usually have a GPS chip that keeps track of your position, although some budget models will pair with a smartphone and use that device’s GPS data. 

All Garmin Edge computers have their own GPS chips though, and get position data from the Glonass, Galileo and standard GPS satellite constellations.

That basic data can be augmented with a raft of extras. 

Most computers will give you mapping, letting you plan and follow a route, with turn-by-turn navigation. Cheaper models have just a breadcrumb trail that doesn’t superimpose your route on a base map. 

You can also pair your computer wirelessly with peripheral devices such as a heart rate monitor strap, speed and cadence sensors, and a power meter to get more information on your performance.

Entry-level Edge models are controlled using buttons on the sides of the unit, whereas more expensive ones include a touchscreen. The screen gets larger as you move up the range too, and goes from black-and-white to a colour display.

All Garmin Edge computers let you control Garmin’s Varia front and rear lights, with the rear-facing units using radar to alert you via your computer of approaching vehicles. Most of the range can also be used to control the Garmin Virb action camera.

You can also link your computer to the Garmin Connect web app, where you can view and analyse your data and plan routes. 

There’s a supplementary Garmin smartphone app too. This allows you to pair your Edge to your phone, and they will talk to one another, with the computer showing you notifications of incoming calls and texts. The app can also share your position and other metrics with other riders and family at home.

The Garmin Edge range explained

The Garmin Edge range starts with the basic models that feature simple black-and-white screen. Moving up the range gets you increasingly larger devices with larger format colour touchscreens and more training data available. That said, even the base models have a lot of Garmin’s features included.

As well as offering standalone computers, Garmin also sells bundles for each Edge model. 

These package up the Edge computer with other kit, such as a sensor bundle, which adds a heart rate monitor strap and speed and cadence sensors. 

Opt for the mountain bike bundle and you get an off-road-specific mount, a silicone case for the computer and a remote, so you can operate it without taking your hands off the bars.

Garmin has recently done some housekeeping on its Edge range, discontinuing some older longstanding models, so you might not see some familiar names below. 

We’ll start with the simplest, most affordable Garmin Edge computers, and work up from there.

Current models in the Garmin Edge series 

Garmin Edge 130

• Best for: Riders wanting easy set up and plenty of functionality without the bells and whistles

If you just want basic cycling data and don’t want a whole load of extra features, the Garmin Edge 130 gives you exactly that. 

That means you also won’t spend ages setting it up rather than enjoying your ride. 

The Edge 130 is compact too, weighing just 33g with overall dimensions of 62 x 40 x 17mm. 

You get a super-sharp 36 x 27mm monochrome screen. It’s not a touchscreen, with the unit being controlled by five buttons on its sides, but the resolution is higher than Garmin’s more expensive models.

A pre-plotted route can be uploaded, which is displayed as a breadcrumb trail without a basemap. You do, however, get notification as you’re coming up to a turn.

Connectivity is via ANT+ and Bluetooth, the latter letting you pair the computer to your phone. 

This will give you a notification for incoming calls and text messages, and also lets you push out your location via LiveTrack to a pre-defined list of email addresses.

Garmin quotes a battery life of up to 15 hours for the Edge 130.

• Read our Garmin Edge 130 review
• Navigation: Basic, breadcrumb-style with no basemap
• Training data: Basic speed, distance, time, elevation, heart rate and power data field
• Connectivity: USB, ANT+, Bluetooth
• Compatibility: ANT+, Garmin Varia, Connect IQ
• Size: 40 × 62 × 17mm
• Screen: 27 × 36mm, black and white
• Price: £149.99 / $149.99 / AU$299

Garmin Edge 520 Plus

• Best for: Riders looking for lots of training metrics in a compact package

A bit larger than the Edge 130 at 73 x 49 x 21mm, the 63g Garmin Edge 520 Plus packs in a colour screen that’s 47 x 35mm. It’s still controlled via an array of buttons – seven in total – rather than a touchscreen.

The 520 Plus gets more features, including displaying Garmin’s Cycle Map basemap, so you get turn-by-turn navigation both on and off road. As with the Edge 130, there’s also Strava Live Segment compatibility (though to use this you need to be a paying Strava Subscriber). 

Pair the computer up with a power meter and you can also track functional threshold power (FTP) and other performance metrics. It will also pair with SRAM and Shimano electronic groupsets to show you which ratio you are using.

• Read our Garmin Edge 520 Plus review
• Navigation: Good, with turn-by-turn directions, Garmin Cycle Map, automatic rerouting colour mapping and back-to-start feature
• Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gear selection (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, sunset time, workout counters and more
• Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth
• Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap
• Size: 49mm x 73mm
• Screen: 35mm x 47mm, 200 x 265 pixels, colour
• Price: £259 / $279 / AU$449

Garmin Edge Explore

• Best for: Riders wanting navigation functionality but not interested in performance metrics

There’s just one Garmin Edge Explore now, and it’s a big one. In terms of form factor, it is most akin to the Edge 1030, with a large color touchscreen, a weight of 116g and up to 12 hours battery life.

At under half the price of the Edge 1030, the Edge Explore cuts out many of the performance features of the latter to concentrate on navigation, including the Garmin Cycle Map and turn-by-turn navigation. There’s also the ability to create a route on the device itself. 

You get the basics such as speed and distance, and can hook up via ANT+ or Bluetooth with peripheral devices.

• Navigation: Turn-by-turn directions, Garmin Cycle Map, automatic re-routing, colour mapping and back-to-start feature
• Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, distance, time, temperature,
• Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth
• Compatibility: ANT+, Bluetooth
• Size: 105mm x 55mm x 22mm
• Screen: 39mm x 65mm, 240 x 400 pixels, colour touchscreen
• Price: £219.99 / $249.99 / AU$N/A

Garmin Edge 530

Best for: Riders wanting the functionality of Garmin’s larger computers but in a compact package.

A bit larger than the Edge 520 Plus, the Edge 530 weighs 76g and has a slightly larger screen too at 51 x 38mm, while battery life is increased to a claimed 20 hours. 

It ups the training emphasis, adding effectiveness measures and VO2 max, as well as recovery time. It also adds the ClimbPro feature, which tells you how much further a climb goes on and how steep it gets ahead. 

The Bike Alarm is also a nice security feature that tells you via your smartphone if the bike is moved while you’re away from it. 

It’s also the first model up the range to get WiFi-connectivity built in, so you can exchange data wirelessly, rather than needing to use a USB cable to connect up to your computer.

As with the Edge 520 Plus there’s a colour screen with basemaps. What you don’t get with the Edge 530 is a touchscreen. For that you’ll need to step up to the Edge 830 or Edge 1030.

• Read the full review of the Garmin Edge 530
• Navigation: Good, aimed primarily at following courses created in advance, with excellent turn-by-turn instructions and hazard warnings. Non-touchscreen means browsing map is mostly a waste of time
• Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gear selection (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, navigation, performance monitoring and more
• Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi
• Compatibility: ANT+ and ANT+ shifting, power meter and bike trainer, Shimano Di2, Vector power meter, Garmin Varia and Virb
• Size: 85mm long × 51mm wide × 16mm thick (20mm total including protruding mount)
• Screen: 38mm × 51mm (2.6in diagonal), 246 × 322 pixel colour screen (non-touchscreen)
• Price: £259.99 / $299.99 / AU$499 as tested, now £229.99 / $299.99 / AU$499

Garmin Edge 830

• Best for: Riders wanting a larger format device with a touchscreen

The Garmin Edge 830 is the first model in the Edge range to get touchscreen control of its functions. It’s larger, but not a lot heavier, than the Edge 530 at 79g and with a larger 74 x 48mm colour touchscreen.

We also found it relatively easy to input a destination onto the device, although route calculation isn’t great, despite its Trendline routing based on riders’ most popular roads and trails.

• Read the full review of the Garmin Edge 830
• Navigation: Good, maps and navigation features are easy to understand and it’s relatively simple to programme routes. On-device route calculation isn’t great, though
• Training data: Speed, altitude, power, heart rate, cadence, calories, gear selection (for electronic drivetrains), distance, time, temperature, navigation, performance monitoring and more
• Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi
• Compatibility: ANT+ and ANT+ shifting, power meter and bike trainer, Shimano Di2, Vector power meter, Garmin Varia and Virb
• Size: 48mm x 74.5mm
• Screen: 50mm x 82mm, 246 x 322 pixels, colour touchscreen
• Price: £349.99 / €399.99 / $399.99 / AU$599

Garmin Edge 1030

• Best for: Riders wanting all the bells and whistles (and they’re willing to pay for it)

Top of the Garmin Edge tree, the Edge 1030 gives you a comprehensive feature-set in Garmin’s largest format. That’s 114 x 59 x 19mm with an 89mm diagonal colour touchscreen and a weight of 123g.

Battery life is around 20 hours, though this can be extended with an additional external battery that connects via terminals on the base of the computer’s mount. 

You can store up to 200 hours of ride history and the Edge 1030 is the only model where you can add a MicroSD card if you want more storage.

That large screen means you can fit up to ten data fields at once and change them on the fly. Plus you get a really detailed basemap and the turn-by-turn navigation alerts you to hazards like sharp bends ahead.

• Read the full review of the Garmin Edge 1030
• Navigation: Best in class
• Training data: All the metrics you can think of, plus a few dozen more, displayed in standard numeric form or, with Connect IQ apps, in a variety of infographics
• Connectivity: ANT+, Bluetooth, WiFi, USB
• Compatibility: ANT+, Shimano Di2, SRAM eTap, Campagnolo EPS
• Size: 59mm x 114mm x 19mm
• Screen: 3.5in / 89mm colour touchscreen, 282 x 470 pixels
• Price: £499 / $599 / AU$749

Are there other options to consider?

It’s worth considering other brands’ bike computers too. Whereas a couple of years ago, a bike computer was a Garmin, there are now alternatives from the likes of Wahoo and Lezyne, which in some cases offer other features, such as better aerodynamics, or lower price points. 

• Best bike computers | Top GPS devices ridden and rated

You can also get a lot of the functionality of a bike computer in a GPS watch/smartwatch, with more versatility if you’re into other sports besides cycling.

Garmin has a comprehensive range, but other brands to look out for include Fitbit, Suunto and Polar.

Discontinued Garmin Edge bike computer models

Garmin has done quite a bit of housekeeping on its Edge range recently, trimming its offering down to six. So gone are the smallest entry-level Edge 25 and the superseded Edge 1000 series, with the 1030 taking over deluxe duties.

Here’s a full list of discontinued models as at May 2020:

• Garmin Edge 20
• Garmin Edge 25
• Garmin Edge 200
• Garmin Edge 205
• Garmin Edge 305
• Garmin Edge 500
• Garmin Edge 510
• Garmin Edge 520
• Garmin Edge 605
• Garmin Edge 705
• Garmin Edge 800
• Garmin Edge 810
• Garmin Edge 820
• Garmin Edge Explore 820
• Garmin Edge 1000
• Garmin Edge Explore 1000

Mountain bike geometry and suspension kinematics might seem like a bit of a dark art but if one man knows his stuff, it’s Chris Porter.

The man behind Mojo Rising and the now legendary Geometron mountain bike brand has spent decades riding, testing, designing and hypothesising about how mountain bike geometry and suspension all works – and how it should, probably, work better.

Pre-lockdown, we sent our own suspension guru, Seb Stott, to the depths of the Forest of Dean to discuss the intricacies of suspension and frame design, and plenty more to boot.

Chris has a bit of a reputation as a talker, and there’s plenty to discuss, so we’ve split the interview in to two parts – the second will go live tomorrow (Tuesday 26 May).

Click the buttons below to subscribe to the BikeRadar Podcast via Apple or Spotify, or just search for us on your preferred podcast provider to make sure you don’t miss a show.

Alternatively, keep an eye on the BikeRadar Podcast page for the latest episode. Thanks for listening!

You know that getting eight hours of sleep a night is good for you. But factor in a working day, a bit of training or riding, cooking and eating, showering and changing, plenty of other daytime chores and responsibilities, and a couple of hours of just being and, well, you do the maths. Struggling to make it add up?

The obvious way to cram more into your day is to snip off bits of the night. Earlier mornings, pushing lights-out later, and bingo, you’re squashing everything in. But this might not be quite the ‘brilliant’ solution you think it is.

Your mind is racing so you’re tossing and turning half the night. Your legs feel like lead. You’re drinking double espressos to get through the afternoon. And that big fat sugary doughnut suddenly looks like the best breakfast on earth. That’ll be the fatigue setting in…

Research shows getting enough sleep is essential for optimum performance – and that sleep deprivation plays with your mind as well as your body.

So here’s why hitting the hay is so important for hitting your training and racing targets, and what you can do to make sure you get enough vitamin Zzz.

The five sleep stages

“Regular, good-quality sleep is essential for your body’s physical repair process, but also for your mental health and agility,” says Dr Guy Meadows, sleep and sports scientist, and cross-channel swimmer.

Scientists divide sleep into five stages. “The deep sleep of stages three and four is when your body releases human growth hormone (HGH) to repair muscles and bones,” says Meadows.”

“Stage five is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It’s when you dream, when you lay down memories and boost cognitive performance, enhancing skills and techniques you’ve learned during training.”

Research from Trent University in Ontario, Canada, showed complex learning tasks such as getting the hang of a new song on Guitar Hero become easier if you sleep well — so the same goes for learning technique.

Does sleep affect physical performance?

Good sleep, good performance

The boffins who make it their business to find out what boosts athletic performance have revealed that good quantities of sleep increase sprint time, energy levels and shooting accuracy in basketball players, and improve athletic vigour and alertness for footballers.

A study using Stanford University men’s and women’s swimming teams also revealed that athletes who extended their sleep to 10 hours per day for six to seven weeks swam a 15m sprint 0.51 seconds faster, reacted 0.15 seconds quicker off the blocks, improved turn time by 0.10 seconds and increased kick strokes by five kicks, as well as setting personal bests.

Bad sleep? You guessed it…

Just as filling up your Z-tank helps you reach optimum performance levels, skimping on sleep can put unwanted obstacles in the path to your next personal best.

Basic things your body needs to function properly – temperature regulation, energy recovery and heart function – are all affected by sleep, as well as things like concentration and focus.

Studies have shown various detrimental effects of chronic sleep deprivation, from reducing the performance of the heart, to increasing blood pressure, anxiety and depression, and interference with blood sugar metabolism.

“Lack of sleep over several weeks results in persistent fatigue and ultimately overtraining syndrome,” says endurance coach and sports scientist Scott Murray

Sleep and metabolism

Many of us have the target of losing weight by riding our bike.

What is particularly interesting in the field of weight-loss research is that, while gaining a calorie deficit from exercise is obviously important, non-exercise activity and nutrition are also paramount in achieving this. In short, there are other things that can contribute to losing fat.

Recent research looking at sleep and weight loss has compared the results of getting 8.5 hours to only 5.5 hours of sleep and the effect this has on fat loss, muscle loss and metabolic markers.

The study reveals:

• • Fat loss: 1.4 vs 0.6kg with 8.5 vs 5.5 hours of sleep
  • Fat-free body mass loss: 1.5 vs 2.4kg with 8.5 vs 5.5 hours of sleep

These results show that the low sleep group lost more muscle mass and less fat. They also saw a neuroendocrine adaptation to caloric restriction (slowing of metabolism), increased hunger and a shift in relative energy use towards less fat.

The research was done with non-exercising individuals and they didn’t monitor protein intake, only calories.

But the information we can take from this is significant as it shows that poor sleep habits in relation to a calorie deficit negatively impacts in a magnitude of ways: less fat loss, more muscle loss, increased hunger and the slowing of metabolism.

Not sleeping before an event effects performance

What about short-term sleep loss? The pre-race jitters, the teething baby or work stress worries that keep you up all night before a key training session?

“I’ve even seen athletes hydrate so well during the day that they’re up at night peeing.” says Murray.

“One night’s disrupted sleep negatively affects motivation and increases anxiety, lapses in concentration and delays in reaction time.

“Two nights of broken sleep has an effect on anxiety and anaerobic performance.

“And while three nights of severely restricted sleep may not affect your gross motor functions (such as muscle strength, lung power and endurance running on a treadmill), it’ll reduce your exercise duration and motivation levels.”

Meanwhile, research from the Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands also showed that healthy subjects can become insulin-resistant after a shortened night of sleep (four hours in this case).

Insulin resistance is the precursor state to diabetes, affecting your body’s ability to manage sugar, and therefore your energy levels.

Mind over matter

The good news? “When an event or crucial training session is on the horizon, adrenaline kicks in, and it helps us perform,” says Meadows.

“And the way we view our sleepless night is also key — buying into the idea that we will perform badly starts a downward spiral of doubt that affects performance, whereas chalking it down to experience, and believing in the hours and weeks of previous training helps you to perform.”

In a study showing that one night of sleep deprivation decreased endurance performance only slightly, Dr Sam Oliver, from the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Bangor University in Wales, concluded that: “Altered perception of effort may account for decreased endurance performance after a night without sleep.”

Get your mind in gear, and your body will follow.

Don’t stress about less sleep

One night of decent sleep helps you recuperate incredibly quickly after a sleepless night, according to Murray.

“The key thing is not to start stressing about a less than decent night, or you add another pressure into the mix,” he says.

A US study from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research also showed that if you’ve been getting good sleep for just a week, you’ll handle a disturbed night or two much better, as protective benefits from the previous week keep you going.

Research has also shown that genetics may play a part in how much sleep you need in order to function well, so while eight hours is a ballpark figure to aim for, don’t get tied up thinking that is an essential figure and get anxious if you’re not hitting that.

“Everyone is individual,” says Meadows. “There’s no point trying to force yourself to sleep for nine hours if you can manage really well on seven.”

Adapt your training to the amount of sleep you get

It seems that out of the lab, and in the real world, lack of sleep becomes an issue if it happens over an extended period of time, rather than as a single night blip.

“If your mind and body are both tired then you must listen,” says psychologist Catriona Morrison. “Dropping a training session, modifying your plans, getting an early night, having a long lie-in or taking a nap during the day will help to refresh you.

“If you push yourself when you’re tired, you’re at risk of overtraining, long-term fatigue and psychological staleness. Dropping a session and starting the next day fresh will mean the next day’s session is of far better quality.

“Don’t develop a guilt complex. If you need rest, take it.”

How to sleep better

If sleep eludes you long-term, here are the expert solutions to try:

Cover the basics

• A dark room, at a cool temperature, with a decent mattress, and not a lot of noise
• A bedtime routine that includes unwinding before sleep
• Switch off the TV and computer a couple of hours before bedtime

Evening training

• “Exercising hard three hours before bedtime can lead to a disturbed sleep, but a moderate session can help sleep,” says Scott Murray. “You know your own body, so consider the training level.”

Food and drink

• Wait three hours after food before sleep
• Research shows large, high-fat meals late in the evening affect sleep quality
• Avoid caffeine (from tea, coffee, cola and chocolate) from the afternoon onwards
• Foods rich in tryptophan, combined with healthy carbs, can help sleep, as your body uses it to create sleep-inducing serotonin and melatonin, and the carbs deliver it to the brain.
  Tryptophan-rich foods include pulses, turkey, eggs, sunflower seeds, miso, unsweetened soy milk and dairy products.

Power naps

“You don’t actually have to fall asleep to get benefits from a daily power nap,” says Dr Meadows. Close your eyes, be still, take time out and it can help restore you. Even 10 minutes in the toilet at work can help, or on the train or tube journey home. Make it 15-20 minutes if you can, but no longer than 30 or you might feel fuzzy-headed.

Mindfulness

“Mindfulness, an ancient tradition of meditation, means focusing on the present moment fully, rather than worrying about what’s happened in the past or being anxious about what might happen in the future,” says Meadows, who treats chronic insomnia using Mindful Sleep Therapy.

“If you’re lying awake worrying about being awake, try focusing on your senses – the feel of the pillow against your cheek, the sound of your breathing. When annoying or stressful thoughts come into your head, tell them now is not the time, and come back to your senses,” he says.

Stress-busting chemicals

Japanese scientists have shown that a chemical in lemon and lavender essential oils – called linalool – alters blood chemistry to reduce stress. Put a couple of drops on a tissue, fold it into your pocket, and inhale when you feel stressed.

Time management

“Think of sleep in 90-minute cycles, not hours (so four cycles is six hours, five cycles is seven-and-a-half hours),” says Nick Hales, sport sleep and recovery coach. “The shorter four-cycle routine is commonly used to free up time and control sleep without losing quality.

“In 24 hours we have two natural sleep periods, nocturnal and mid-afternoon. So you can adopt a shorter period at night and combine that with an afternoon 20- or 40-minute nap or total downtime period.”

A survey commissioned by BikeRadar, together with charity partner CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), has revealed that 87 per cent of cyclists have used riding to boost their mental health during the coronavirus lockdown.

Over a third of those polled (35 per cent) admitted to struggling with mental health issues since lockdown began, with 38 per cent saying their mental health has deteriorated overall.

However, nearly nine in ten of respondents to our survey agreed that cycling has a positive impact on their mental health, with most heading out on to open roads, tracks and trails to boost their mood.

On top of that, 91 per cent of BikeRadar users would recommend cycling to friends and family as a way to improve or manage mental health.

The cyclists polled are also taking positive steps in addressing mental health worries with more than 60 per cent confiding in friends and family about their mental health and 27 per cent seeking help from a GP or a health practitioner.

The survey has also shown that some cycling habits have already changed, with almost half of those that still cycle (46 per cent) saying that they have created, or are looking to create, an indoor set up at home.

Twenty-nine per cent also expect to continue cycling indoors in some capacity after lockdown ends.

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, more than half (57 per cent) of those polled are looking forward to an epic ride, with the Peak District emerging as the top destination. 

However, it’s not just beautiful roads on the minds of cyclists – many of the responses expressed a wish to simply get back to the daily commute and to cycle with friends. 

About CALM 

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide, offering life saving services, provoking national conversation and bringing people together to empower everyone to reject living miserably and stand together against suicide.

On average, 125 people in the UK take their own lives every week, with 75 per cent of all suicide in the UK being male. It is also the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. 

CALM runs a free and anonymous helpline and webchat service from 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year. On average CALM takes 12,000 calls and web chats every month and, in 2019, directly prevented 588 suicides.

Just £8 funds one potentially life-saving call to the CALM helpline. Donate today via our JustGiving page. 

For more information on CALM services, visit thecalmzone.net.

What’s the perfect lockdown bike? It’s the one you’re permitted to ride, for starters, and the one you have readily available, but it’s also the bike that inspires you to pedal when times are hard and provides a dose of government-approved adventure when everyday life has become a bit, well, monotonous.

For me, that bike has been my Mason Bokeh, a loyal companion over the past couple of months of social distancing and the latest showpiece in our BikeRadar Builds series.

A build for all seasons

I bought this Bokeh frame about a year ago when living in London but, for one reason or another, didn’t get round to piecing together the rest of the spec until December.

I then closed out 2019 with a shakedown ride on New Year’s Eve after picking it up from my local bike shop, Strada Cycles, who put the build together here in south Bristol.

The Bokeh is Mason’s ‘Adventure Sport’ frame. That’s gravel, to you and me, but it’s an indication of where the Sussex-based brand founded by Dom Mason, formerly of Kinesis, pitches the Bokeh. It’s a frame designed for covering ground quickly, with a sportier overall geometry to match.

That’s what drew me to the Bokeh in the first place. I wanted an aluminium frame with a simple, elegant aesthetic, fixtures and fittings for bikepacking, touring or winter road riding, and geometry numbers at the sharper end of the gravel bike spectrum (my 54cm frame has a stack of 568mm and a reach of 376mm). The Bokeh may not be as geared up for properly technical off-road riding as some gravel frames, but its strength is its versatility.

Most ‘gravel’ riding in the UK will likely involve linking sections of trail and bridleway together by road, rather than heading out into the wild or spending all day on dirt. That’s certainly the case where I live, so building a bike that also felt at home on tarmac was key.

If it could double as a posh winter bike with mudguards, even better.  A bike for all seasons and all occasions.

The frame is made in Italy from custom-formed, triple-butted Dedacciai tubing and is paired with Mason’s Parallax carbon fibre fork.

Claimed weights are 1,640g (52cm frame) and 465g (uncut fork) respectively – cast your mind back to Matthew’s recent Genesis CdF build and the weight savings over a steel frame are significant. I won’t dwell on the details – take a look through the galleries – but it’s a beautifully finished frame. And that orange!

In the time spent procrastinating between buying the frame and getting the build done, Mason actually released a second-edition Bokeh frame.

The updates are pretty subtle, namely a beefier bottom bracket shell to accommodate a 30mm crank spindle, repositioned cable ports and a new fork – the Parallax 2 – with mounts on each leg and the option to fit an internally-routed dynamo.

GRX because… gravel

Mason offers the Bokeh in six builds, as a rolling chassis with an own-brand carbon seatpost and Hunt wheels, or as a frameset.

I’d initially planned to put an Ultegra Di2 groupset on my frame, but one benefit of stalling the build was the release of Shimano’s GRX gravel components, so GRX Di2 RX800 it was (RX800 sits at Ultegra-level and includes both mechanical and electronic options).

I’ve opted for a double chainset up front; sacrilege on a gravel bike, I know. I ride with quite a high cadence and, sensitive soul that I am, dislike big jumps between gears. That’s not so much of a problem when riding off-road – the popularity of 1x for mountain bikes, mine included, is evidence of that – but those extra few gears make all the difference on a bike likely to spend time on a variety of surfaces, so the front derailleur is present and correct.

The GRX RX810 2x chainset gets 48/31t chainrings (the more affordable RX600 2x chainset has 46/30t rings) and is paired with a 11-34t cassette.

Shimano’s gravel gearing is on the punchy side compared to SRAM’s new Force eTap AXS Wide components, which come with a 43/30t crank and 10-36t cassette, but it works well for my kind of riding.

I’ll likely look to add a few extra teeth to that cassette when riding the South Downs Way later this summer, though.

The Ultegra-level PD-A600 pedals are also from Shimano. The PD-A600 has been around for a long time (it’s now been superseded by the PD-ES600) and is a single-sided SPD with a wide body that provides plenty of support, like a road pedal, but with the mud-shedding qualities of a mountain bike pedal.

It’s light too (286g claimed weight), but scuffs up pretty bad, particularly after a handful of careless pedal strikes.

The wheels are a collaboration between Mason and Hunt, both based in Sussex. The Mason x Hunt 650b Adventure Sport Disc wheels have a 25mm internal width, a claimed weight of 1,594g and a £339 price tag – numbers that all make sense for an everyday gravel wheelset.

Tyre choice is always important but particularly so when it comes to a gravel build. 650b wheels make sense for ‘proper’ gravel tyres and I’ve been running 42mm WTB Resolutes, set up tubeless.

With our workshop currently closed, I don’t have a set of calipers to measure how they blow up on the Hunt rims, but they’re suitably voluminous.

The Resolute is a popular all-condition tyre at BikeRadar but, like anything that’s pitched as an all-rounder, there are concessions to be made in a tyre that’s good at a bit of everything.

The tread (tightly-packed knobs in the centre, chunkier on the outer edge) struggled in the slop of winter (it was a very wet winter in Bristol) but is impressive in most conditions, providing plenty of bite in loose dirt and rolling pretty well on the road.

I’ve recently suffered a couple of punctures on especially rocky trails from sidewall cuts that have failed to seal, but Dynaplug’s excellent tubeless repair kit has taken care of those.

As for the rest of the build, the finishing kit comes from PRO, with a Vibe Carbon seatpost, a PLT aluminium stem and a Discover bar, also aluminium. It’s the medium option with 12 degrees of Flare, (30 degrees of flare seems frankly excessive).

The handlebar has been one of the revelations of the builds, in the low-key way a handlebar could be. It’s extremely comfortable, with slightly flattened tops and a compact shape that makes it easy to hunker down in the drops. It’s a sensible weight (265g) and price (£44.99) too. Light, strong, cheap.

I’d originally put my favourite Fabric Scoop saddle on this bike but that’s since been swapped for the new short-nosed Line S. This is the titanium-railed option that sits in the middle of the range and very comfortable it is, too.

The Gripper cages also come from Fabric and are normally paired with their namesake bottles.

No Instagram-friendly gravel build is complete without a handlebar bag and this one from Restrap is ideal for day-long rides.

The Canister bag has a 1.5-litre capacity – enough space for plenty of snacks and spares (tools, that is, not spare snacks, though I’m always an advocate of the latter) – and hangs fuss-free off the handlebar, understated in appearance and easy to access. It’s made from a tough Cordura fabric and also has elasticated side pockets and a light loop.

Finishing things off is a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt computer (with its aero mount, because aero gravel should be a thing) and an old Bontrager Flare R rear light I’ve dug out. The Flare R was one of the original lights marketed for daytime use and it still works a treat.

Government-approved exploring

Anyway, why has this been my perfect lockdown bike? I moved from London to Bristol last summer to join the good ship BikeRadar and, with a new job and new city to get to grips with, didn’t get a whole lot of riding done through the second half of the year.

There’s nothing quite like a new bike to provide a shot in the arm, though. Like plenty of others, the coronavirus lockdown (and a long spell of unbroken sunshine that feels like it’s now lasted for months) also provided fresh incentive to get out on the bike for the little time we have been allowed to leave the house.

It’s been the perfect opportunity to explore the lanes, bridleways and trails that criss-cross the countryside surrounding the city. In this guise, the Bokeh is a bike capable of riding pretty much anything you’ll come across here, though I’m also planning to get a set of 700c road wheels with 30mm tyres for summer rides.

Over the last few months I’ve been following my nose, pinching other people’s rides, poring over maps and piecing together Strava/Komoot segments.

I’ve been on some cracking rides, many close to home on trails I never knew existed; some further afield now lockdown restrictions have started to ease. South to the Mendip Hills, north along the Severn estuary and, most recently, east to the Fosse Way – an old Roman road that offers mile upon mile of sweet, sweet gravel.

Just over 1,000 miles in and it’s been a lot of fun – for the first time in a couple of years, I’ve got real momentum to my riding.

While we might not have the network of proper gravel roads of, say, the US, the inherent versatility of a gravel bike makes it ideal for those rides that involve a little bit of everything. When you’ve got a whole new area to explore and group rides are off the table that’s exactly the bike you want. I can’t wait to do the same once we are allowed to ride together, too.

What’s next? I’d planned to ride the South Downs Way over two days with a group of friends in early May but that, of course, was postponed. We’ll try in September, hopefully, but in the meantime there’s plenty more to discover round these parts.

Smartphones offer a wealth of information at your fingertips and there’s no shortage of apps aimed at cyclists, but sometimes it can be difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Fear not – these are the best cycling apps, as recommended by the BikeRadar team.

We’ve included a variety of cycling apps for iPhone and Android devices ranging from highly analytical training tools to simpler social apps and useful navigational resources.

For some apps – Google Maps, for instance – you need to have your device on the handlebars to take full advantage. For others, such as Strava, you can just hit start, put your phone in your jersey pocket, and go.

What’s more, with Bluetooth accessories, such as heart-rate monitors, speed sensors and power meters becoming more common, you can get your smartphone’s Bluetooth connection and processor to do the work that used to require a separate computer and, not so long ago, wires.

Some of the apps featured here are free, some are not, and some are free up front with an option to buy or subscribe for more bells and whistles.

Fair warning: any GPS-based app will tax your phone’s battery, so these are generally better suited to shorter rides unless you’re able to charge on the go.

We’ve also included a couple of our favourite mobile-friendly websites here, and, if you’re looking for a specific rundown for the likes Zwift and TrainerRoad, check out our guide to the best indoor training apps.

And remember, these are our recommendations, so make sure to add your own in the comments.

Strava

While you can use Strava like a cycle computer on your phone, most riders use a separate GPS computer to record and upload their rides and then use the app to see what their friends are up to.

All rides uploaded to Strava deliver automatic rankings of your times over popular stretches of road and trail – known as ‘segments’ in Strava-speak – along with a GPS map of where you rode.

The real-time feature, which tells you how fast you are tracking on a selected segment, such as the local hard climb, works on smartphones but also newer Garmin Edge and Wahoo computers, too.

Strava’s special sauce, which separates it from its competitors, is the slick social component. Much like Facebook, you can follow friends and see where and how hard they’re riding, leave comments and give kudos on their rides, as well as post photos of your own rides.

Strava pivoted heavily towards a subscriber model in May 2020, putting formerly free features such as segment leaderboards and route planning behind a paywall.

• Price: Free (premium version also available)
• Download: Strava for iOS or Strava for Android
• BikeRadar is on Strava: Join the BikeRadar Strava club

The Road Bike Manual

The fact that we have included our own bike repair app, co-authored by Haynes and BikeRadar’s finest tech minds, should come as no surprise.

The Road Bike Manual details every workshop task you can think of, with dozens of videos and hundreds of images that illustrate key steps.

• Price: £2.99 / $2.99
• Download: The Road Bike Manual for iOS or The Road Bike Manual for Android

Zwift

With an internet connection, turbo trainer and device compatible with the app, riders across the world can ride with or race each other inside the world of Zwift.

As well as being an efficient training tool, thanks to the built-in workouts and training plans, Zwift promotes social interaction and is a great way to break up the tedium of indoor riding.

• Price: £12.99 / $14.99 per month
• Download: Zwift for iOS or Zwift for Android
• Zwift online trainer video game review

Rouvy

Rouvy is an indoor cycling app that offers a growing number of real-life routes and augmented reality courses for you to ride on.

Unlike Zwift, which simulates virtual worlds and roads, Rouvy uses video recordings of real roads and combines them with elevation data to provide an interactive riding experience. On certain courses, the app can also generate animated 3D riders.

Beyond augmented reality, there are also – at the time of writing – approximately 2,036,020km of route films to ‘ride’ on, which should keep you entertained for several lifetimes.

The app is available for iOS and Android, as well as for PCs, Apple TV and more.

• Price: $8 / €8 per month
• Download: Rouvy for iOS or Rouvy for Android
• Rouvy: everything you need to know

Wahoo Fitness

Perhaps the biggest draw of the Wahoo Fitness app is that it plays nicely with others.

It pairs easily with Bluetooth sensors, such as heart-rate monitors, speed sensors and progressive power meters, including Stages. (With a Wahoo Key plugin you can pair with ANT+ sensors, too.)

In a world where many companies guard your data in their ecosystems, Wahoo Fitness uploads to all the good sites – Strava, MapMyFitness, TrainingPeaks, MyFitnessPal – and, if you like, can push your data in your choice of five file formats via email or Dropbox.

If you’re a data hound, you’ll love the number-heavy presentation of the app, with eight customisable pages of data on speed, power, heart rate and more. Plus, there’s a GPS map – though it burns through the battery pretty quickly.

The app can also be used indoors with Wahoo’s indoor smart trainers.

• Price: Free
• Download: Wahoo Fitness for the iOS or Wahoo Fitness for Android
• Best smart trainer: top-rated interactive turbo trainers

Cyclemeter

Cyclemeter turns your smartphone into a great cycling computer – if you’re down with putting your phone on your handlebars, that is.

It’s similar to Wahoo Fitness in its wealth of customisable options during the ride, but you also get a smorgasbord of post-ride analysis. Plus, you don’t have to log into any site; the data stays on your device.

You can start/stop rides with your iPhone earphone remote button, too (if you choose to ride with headphones), and integrated Google Maps can assist you in unfamiliar areas.

Cyclemeter also plays nice with Strava, Facebook, Twitter and more, while importing and exporting routes is also easy.

• Price Free (in-app upgrades available)
• Download Cyclemeter for iOS or Cyclemeter for Android
• Best bicycle phone mounts: buyer’s guide and recommendations

Google Maps

Apple has done some amazing things in the world of tech, but it can’t beat Google at mapping.

Just like you use your phone on the fly to find places, read a few reviews and then go to the one you select, you can use Google Maps to do this too – and get there on bike paths and bike-friendly routes.

Like any app, it’s not foolproof, but in its category it’s among the best there is. The audio turn-by-turn instructions are nice when riding, too; for riders who choose to ride with headphones, you can have your phone in your pocket and easily get where you need to be.

• Price: Free
• Download: Google Maps for iOS or Google Maps for Android

Komoot

While Google Maps is arguably the gold standard for dealing with navigation in general, it can sometimes come up a bit short for bike directions.

Komoot uses the open-source OpenStreetMap database and allows you to plan road, mountain bike and gravel rides as well as commutes. The big difference over Google Maps is in the routing, where Komoot tries to choose the most efficient route, taking into account how bike-friendly a road or path is, as well as your fitness.

Using a start and end point, Komoot will tell you the difficulty, fitness required, what road surfaces you’ll come across and an elevation profile to boot.

Once you’ve started your route, it will give you speed, distance travelled, distance remaining and allows for easy on the fly route changes. You can also check out other route recommendations in your local area.

Komoot also features curated highlights, as suggested by local riders and Komoot ambassadors. These can be a great way to discover unknown gems in your local area.

• Price: First map region free, subsequent map regions $3.99
• Download: Komoot for iOS or Komoot for Android

MapMyRide

Map My Ride

MapMyRide is similar to CycleMeter, but benefits from the parent company’s online history with route-mapping software.

The app is well-equipped for tracking not only rides but nutrition, weight and more, and can also get you to your destination.

The premium version includes training plans, more advanced routing options and live tracking that can be shared with family and friends. The premium version also ditches the advertisements you’re stuck with on the free app.

• Price: Free (premium version also available)
• Download: MapMyRide for iOS or MapMyRide for Android

Viewranger

While Google Maps is great for roadies or finding your way to the trails, this mapping app is useful for mountain bikers who enjoy a bit of off-road exploring.

It’s free to download and comes with a very usable and free OpenCycle base map of the entire world to release yourself from ‘navigational uncertainty’ whenever the need arises.

In addition, you can buy detailed large-scale topographical mapping for more than 20 countries. The maps are stored on your phone and use your phone’s GPS, so it doesn’t need a signal or data connection to work.

A cool feature is the Skyline VR, where the app uses your GPS location and phone camera to show you the names of the peaks you’re looking at.

You can create and share your own routes in the app, download other people’s tracks or just explore the riding around you. There’s even a live tracking ‘Buddy Beacon’ function that allows you to share your ride with your adoring public or just selected friends, as well as seeing who’s around you.

• Price: Free (premium version also available)
• Download: Viewranger for iOS or Viewranger for Android

Ride with GPS

Ride with GPS can plan routes in great detail, navigate and record your ride.

It’s got a user-friendly interface that allows you to start recording with a single tap, and can even be used to navigate offline, which makes it extremely useful out in the sticks or on long rides where preserving battery power is important.

The route data provided is particularly helpful, with detailed elevation profiles that you can zoom in and out of, and see exactly where on the route the biggest climbs will be.

Want to share your rides in real time? The app lets you do just that, and it will even read comments aloud as you pedal. Not a bad thing to have when you need that last motivational push.

The free version allows you to create routes and record your rides, as well as set yourself goals. There’s a Basic subscription that gives you access to mobile app features like turn-by-turn navigation, live logging and offline mapping. You can also publish ride reports.

The Premium version gives you all of this, plus advanced route editing, custom cue sheets, stationary bike support and private segments.

• Price: Free / Basic $6 per month / Premium $10 per month
• Download: Ride with GPS for iOS or Ride with GPS for Android

First Aid by British Red Cross

If the worst should happen on a ride it pays to be prepared. While it’s hard to beat going on a proper first aid course, this is probably the next best thing.

Using a range of videos, quizzes and step-by-step advice, the First Aid by British Red Cross app helps you learn how to deal with common first aid emergencies, as well as being an invaluable reference when things go wrong.

All the information is stored on the phone, so it’ll also work fine when you don’t have a data connection.

• Price: Free
• Download: First Aid by British Red Cross for iOS or First Aid by British Red Cross for Android

Trailforks

You’re riding a new trail network, you’ve been out for a few hours, it’s hot, you’re tired and ready for a rest, when you come to a fork in the trail. You took a picture of the trail map near the car park, but you’re not totally sure where you are, so you make a call and go left because you think the trailhead is in that direction. Turns out, you’ve picked the wrong one, and this trail takes you deeper into the forest – you’re now a bit lost and try and backtrack to get home. It’s in this situation that Trailforks comes to rescue.

Relying on crowd-sourced information, the app has more than 161,000 trails around the world and includes conditions reports, live tracking, and even points of interest, such as bike shops, in case you need a spare tube.

The maps are downloaded onto your device for offline use, so no worries if you lose reception.

The app also has an emergency info function that will generate your exact GPS coordinates and the name of the nearest trail.

• Price: Free
• Download: Trailforks for iOS or Trailforks for Android

Relive

Using ride data from Strava, Garmin Connect, MapMyRide and more, Relive generates a 3D video flyover of your ride, similar to the course previews shown ahead of WorldTour road races.

The moving map not only shows your progress over the route, but also pinpoints where you hit your top speed and the elevation profile, as well as any photos you may have taken along the way.

• Price: Free
• Download: Relive for iOS or Relive for Android

TrainingPeaks

If you’ve ever had a cycling coach, you’ve probably used TrainingPeaks. Heck, even if you haven’t had a coach you may have used TrainingPeaks.

For everyone from coaches and high-performance athletes, to data-hungry office-based crit enthusiasts, TrainingPeaks offers one of the most comprehensive tools for tracking fitness and fatigue.

However, it is not to be confused with a social network, navigation, or route-planning app, so look elsewhere if that’s what you’re after.

The app allows you to create and schedule workouts, or choose from a wide selection of training plans crafted by coaches such as Joe Friel and Frank Overton.

• Price: Free (premium versions $9.92 per month)
• Download: TrainingPeaks for iOS or TrainingPeaks for Android

What3words

What3words takes a unique approach to finding, sharing and navigating to a precise location, having assigned every single 3m x 3m square in the world with a unique combination of three words.

The app is pitching itself as the new global standard for communicating location, whether it’s for coordinating meeting points with friends, finding your tent at a festival or directing the emergency services to exactly the right spot in a remote place or undefined location.

It’s compatible with navigation apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze and others – just add the three-word address. You can also use voice command.

• Price: Free
• Download: What3words for iOS or What3words for Android

DotWatcher.cc

If you’re into long-distance racing, DotWatcher is a must-visit.

Managed and updated by a small team – all of whom are experienced long-distance racers – the site hosts tracking maps, insight and analysis on the majority of major long-distance bicycle races.

There is no dedicated app available, but the site is very well mobile-optimised, so there’s no reason to stop tracking on the go.

The web app was also recently updated to include profiles for each rider featured, making following your long-distance heroes that bit easier.

• Price Free
• Visit DotWatcher.cc

MyWindsock

While not a downloadable app, MyWindsock is a properly nerdy, mobile-compatible web app that will delight KOM/QOM-hunting Strava users the world over.

The site pulls weather data from the Cloud and overlays a heat map of where you are most likely to encounter head, cross and tailwinds over a Strava segment or ride.

This allows you to focus your efforts on segments that will have the most advantageous wind, or, if you’re a real TT-freak, alter your setup for a race depending on the conditions. Totally nerdy, totally brilliant.

• Price Free
• Visit MyWindsock.com

Cannondale has reimagined the 2021 Topstone as a full-suspension gravel bike with an all-new Lefty Oliver fork with 30mm of travel, and 650b wheels. And there’s an ebike version, too.

The 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty combines the Kingpin soft-tail design of the original Topstone Carbon, launched last year, with a completely revamped Lefty Oliver fork inspired by Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho mountain bike fork. You may remember the original Lefty Oliver from the radical Cannondale Slate gravel bike.

Two bikes make up the 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty range at launch, with prices ranging from £3,399.99 for the Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 (also available in a women’s-specific build) with a mix of Shimano GRX 812/GRX 600 components, to £6,599.99 for the Topstone Carbon Lefty 1 mullet build with SRAM Force and Eagle parts. US prices are to be confirmed.

Cannondale has also launched the Topstone Carbon Neo at the same time. The electric gravel bike comes in two guises: one with the Lefty Oliver fork and 650b wheels, one with a conventional rigid fork and 700c wheels.

Two builds will be available for each, priced between £3,999.99 and £7,999.99.

Natural progression

Cannondale’s Topstone gravel platform saw a major revamp last year with the launch of a carbon fibre model with its Kingpin soft-tail approach to off-road comfort. If you’re not familiar, the Kingpin design is a leaf-sprung rear suspension that provides damping over rough terrain.

At the time, I pondered whether the new Topstone could be further enhanced by the inclusion of Cannondale’s lightweight, single-crown version of the single-sided Lefty fork, the Ocho, which had been launched on the F-Si cross-country race bike. 

Well, Cannondale’s engineers were either listening to my post-ride pontifications or, more likely, it’s a natural progression for the Topstone.

Here’s what you need to know about Cannondale’s new full-suspension gravel rig.

Kingpin still rules the roost

First up, the Topstone Lefty features the same frame as last year’s Topstone Carbon debut, which has become one of our favourite gravel bikes of the past 12 months.

That means you get a lightweight (around 1,100g) carbon frame with the unique Kingpin back-end. If you’re already up to speed on the suspension design then skip ahead, but otherwise let’s quickly recap.

The Kingpin suspension offers 30mm of travel, with around 25 per cent of that (7.5mm) at the rear axle, according to Cannondale’s lead suspension engineer, Darius Shekari.

“We’ve engineered the seat tube to work as a leaf-spring, with flex zones in the chainstays and top tube,”  Shekari told us at the original Topstone Carbon’s launch.

“The pivot at the top of the seatstays runs on a maintenance-free bearing allowing this level of movement without the complexity or additional weight of a shock unit and linkages.”

The leaf-spring design is proportional to the size of the bike, with the thinnest part of the seat tube increasing from 16mm-wide on a small frame to 28mm on an extra-large. Cannondale says the tube cross-sections and laminate design also differ according to the size of the frame, with the aim of providing the same level of stiffness across the board, whatever size the rider.

The Topstone Lefty’s “out-front” geometry is also the same as the Topstone Carbon. Most significantly, that means 55mm of fork offset (the Cannondale Synapse endurance bike uses a 45mm offset).

Cannondale claims this keeps the steering light and agile, even with big volume tyres, while adding stability in the rough, and the added benefit of reducing the chance of toe-overlap (where the rear of the front tyre hits your foot when turning tightly).

The Topstone platform is compatible with both 650b and 700c wheel sizes, but the new Lefty-equipped models come with 650b wheels out of the box (unlike the standard Carbon models that stick to the larger 700c standard). 

Going with 650s on the Lefty models seems like the smart thing to do. This is the kind of bike that will inevitably take on more extreme ‘gravel’, so taking advantage of larger tyre sizes is the way to go.

All Lefty Carbon bikes come equipped with 47mm, tubeless-ready WTB tyres (Venture TCS Light at the front, Byway TCS Light at the back).

Other frame features include a removable mudguard (fender) bridge on the rear stays, the ability to add an internally-routed 27.2mm dropper seatpost and Cannondale’s Speed Release thru-axles.

Ocho meet Oliver

We’ve reported on the mountain bike Ocho fork at length since its arrival in 2018. That said. Cannondale hasn’t simply switched the mountain bike fork over to gravel, it’s reworked the design – as was the case with the firm’s first suspended gravel bike, the Slate, and the original Oliver fork.

The Ocho Lefty has been scaled down and pared back to create the new Oliver Lefty – this may be an extreme gravel bike, but it’s not a full-suspension mountain bike – and as such the weight drops from 1,446g to a claimed 1,340g for the carbon version of the fork (carbon crown, steerer and upper legs).

There’s also an aluminium version of the fork, which drops in weight from 1,735g to 1,610g. Both forks have the same alloy lower leg assembly and stub axle.

It’s interesting that Cannondale is rolling the fork tech down to alloy levels because the big criticism of the original Slate was its elevated price for what was an aluminium-framed bike – the result of the added cost of a very expensive carbon fibre Lefty fork.

The reshaped single-crown allows for 47mm tyres with 650b wheels (or 45mm with 700c) and offers 30mm of travel to match the Kingpin rear suspension.

Cannondale says the Oliver Lefty retains the same high-levels of lateral and fore-and-aft stiffness as the mountain bike fork, which has a reputation for stiffness, especially in its shorter travel iterations. 

Internally the Lefty Oliver uses the same ‘Delta Cage’ needle bearing system, where the three roller bearing assemblies are held in a lightweight polymer cage. This means the three bearing sets move in unison and can’t work against each other, which Cannondale says significantly reduces friction.

In practice, Cannondale claims this results in a fork that won’t bind under load and offers better bump performance (the speed and rate at which it reacts to rough surfaces) – better than any comparable system on the market, according to Cannondale. 

We don’t know exactly what Cannondale is comparing the Lefty Oliver to, but other gravel-focused suspension systems include the Specialized Diverge’s Futureshock, Lauf’s Grit fork, Fox’s AX and the Redshift Shockstop stem.

Cannondale’s engineers tell us they’ve done a lot of work on controlling the fork to avoid any pedalling-induced ‘bobbing’, claiming that the fork is super-stable under rider input, while remaining very open on hits. 

The rebound adjustment is isolated from compression and they claim the new Oliver offers 60 per cent more rebound range than the original Oliver from the Slate. 

Even with the claimed improvements in control, they’ve still included a manual lock-out lever on the crown, for extended sections riding on the road. The lock-out is designed to ‘blow-off’ should you hit any obstacle (or, more likely, forget to switch to active when you move between road and rough).

For wheel maintenance the Oliver also has a quick release system to remove the flat-mount brake caliper assembly (don’t worry, it has a very secure locking mechanism when you replace it).

That said, experience shows that, with the fork being single-sided, you rarely need to remove the wheel for switching tyres or puncture repairs. Only when it comes to brake maintenance/pad replacement (or serious wheel issues) will you need to take it apart.

The Ocho Lefty is also able to slot into the existing Topstone frame, thanks to the new design being based around a (much more standard) 1-1/8in to 1.5in tapered steerer, rather than the proprietary steerer diameter on Slate’s Oliver.

The Carbon fork will cost $1,500 (UK price TBC), but there will be the added expense of a new front wheel, too.

We have currently paused our bike testing schedule due to the coronavirus crisis, but I have the flagship Topstone Carbon Lefty 1 here and ready to ride, so will report back as soon as I can.

Full specs for the Lefty range are at the end of this article but the flagship Topstone Carbon Lefty 1 comes with a mullet mix of SRAM Force AXS and XO Eagle components (pairing a 40t chainring with a 10-50t cassette), the Save bar and stem from the Cannondale SuperSix EVO, Cannondale’s tubeless 650b carbon Hollowgram 23 wheels and a mix of WTB rubber (Byway and Venture). It tips the scales at bang on 10kg in a large. 

The only thing I would have liked to see with the Lefty 1 would have been the inclusion of a dropper post (the frame is designed with internally-routed dropper compatibility).

I’ve been riding a dropper on my own gravel machine for a while now and find having that option a big plus when the going gets steep, technical and rough – the kind of terrain this bike will tempt riders towards.

Topstone Neo | Power to go

Alongside the Topstone Lefty comes the Topstone Neo electric gravel bike, which is available in two configurations: a 700c version with a rigid carbon fork, and a 650b version with the new Lefty Oliver.

Whereas the SuperSix EVO Neo uses the ebikemotion hub motor, with its smaller battery and emphasis on low weight (the top-spec bike weighs just 11.3kg), Cannondale has opted for big power on the Topstone Neo in the form of Bosch’s latest Performance Line CX 250-watt motor, with a Bosch Powertube 500wh battery across both models.

That should give plenty of potential for both power and range over lighter assisted options.

Fork aside, the Topstone Lefty comes across more as an evolution of the Synapse Neo, which if Cannondale was being completely honest was much more of an e-gravel bike than its endurance moniker would suggest.

The frame design follows similar lines as the standard Topstone, with Kingpin suspension at the rear and either the regular carbon fork or a Lefty Oliver providing an additional 30mm of travel up front.

The Neo range consists of four models, with the base model coming with a standard carbon fork, 700c wheels and Tiagra-level Shimano GRX 400, plus Bosch’s Purion display.

Next comes a GRX 600/812 model with an alloy Lefty fork, 650b wheels and the same Bosch Purion display. 

Step up again and you get Ultegra-level Shimano GRX 800 components with a 2x drivetrain, rigid carbon fork, 700c wheels and Bosch’s full colour (and more informative) Kiox display, for what looks to be the most ‘all-road’ (rather than pure gravel-focused) bike in the range. 

The flagship bike gets the same mullet spec AXS layout as the best of the non-electric Topstone Leftys, with a mix of SRAM Force AXS and XO Eagle components, along with the Bosch Kiox display and controller, 650b wheels and, of course, the new carbon Lefty Oliver fork.

Again, we have the range-topping Cannondale Topstone Lefty Neo 1 charged and ready to go for when testing resumes.

Our large test bike with its SRAM AXS drivetrain, alloy WTB wheels, and an alloy bar and stem weighs in at 17.8kg.

Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 2021 range | Prices and specs

Cannondale Topstone Carbon Women’s Lefty 3

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension
• Fork: Lefty Oliver 30mm travel
• Wheels: WTB ST i23 TCS on Lefty 50 hub (f) and Formula DHT-142 rear
• Tyres: WTB Venture TCs Light 650 x 47c front, WTB Byway TCS Light 650 x 47c rear
• Gears: Shimano GRX812/GRX600 (40 x 11-42)
• Brakes: Shimano GRX400
• Price: £3,399 / $TBC / €3,799

Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 3

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension
• Fork: Lefty Oliver 30mm travel
• Wheels: WTB ST i23 TCS on Lefty 50 hub (f) and Formula DHT-142 rear
• Tyres: WTB Venture TCs Light 650 x 47c front, WTB Byway TCS Light 650 x 47c rear
• Gears: Shimano GRX812/GRX600 (40 x 11-42)
• Brakes: Shimano GRX400
• Price: £3,399.99 / $TBC / €3,799

Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension
• Fork: Lefty Oliver carbon 30mm travel
• Wheels: Cannondale Hollowgram 23 superlight hi-impact carbon (23mm internal) tubeless
• Tyres: WTB Venture TCs Light 650 x 47c front, WTB Byway TCS Light 650 x 47c rear
• Gears: SRAM Force AXS shifters, Eagle X01 rear mech and cassette (40, 10-50)
• Price: £6,599.99 / $TBC / €7,499

Cannondale Topstone Neo 2021 range | Prices and specs

Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 4

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension, 12 x 148 thru-axle, removable down tube battery
• Fork: Ballistec carbon, 12 x 110mm
• E-assist: Bosch Performance Line CX 250w
• Battery: Bosch Powertube 500x
• Display: Bosch Purion
• Wheels: WTB ST TCS i23 on Formula (F) and Shimano (R) hubs
• Tyres: WTB Riddler Comp 700 x 37c
• Gears: Shimano GRX 400 (48/32, 11-34)
• Brakes: Shimano GRX
• Price: £3,999.99 / $TBC / €4,499

Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 Lefty

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension, 12 x 148 thru-axle, removable down tube battery
• Fork: Lefty Oliver 30mm travel
• E-assist: Bosch Performance Line CX 250w
• Battery: Bosch Powertube 500x
• Display: Bosch Purion
• Wheels: WTB ST TCS i23 650b rims on Formula hubs
• Tyres: WTB Resolute 650b x 42c tubeless-ready
• Gears: Shimano GRX600/812 (42 x 11-42)
• Brakes: Shimano GRX
• Price: £4,999.99 / $TBC / €5,799

Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 2

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension, 12 x 148 thru-axle, removable down tube battery
• Fork: Ballistec carbon, 12 x 110mm
• E-assist: Bosch Performance Line CX 250w
• Battery: Bosch Powertube 500x
• Display: Bosch Kiox
• Wheels: WTB KOM Light i23 TCS on Formula hubs
• Tyres: WTB Riddler TCS Light 700 x 37c
• Gears: Shimano GRX 800 (48/32, 11-34)
• Brakes: Shimano GRX
• Price: £5,499.99 / $TBC / €6,299

Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 1 Lefty

• Frame: Ballistec carbon with Kingpin suspension, 12 x 148 thru-axle, removable down tube battery
• Fork: Lefty Oliver carbon 30mm travel
• E-assist: Bosch Performance Line CX 250w
• Battery: Bosch Powertube 500x
• Display: Bosch Kiox
• Wheels: WTB ST i25 TCS on Formula hubs
• Tyres: WTB Resolute 650b x 42c
• Gears: SRAM Force AXS shifters with SRAM Eagle XO mech (44, 10-50)
• Brakes: SRAM Force
• Price: £7,999.99 / $TBC / €8,999

According to an avalanche of rumours and a couple of mobile phone snapshots, Specialized might be about to release the latest model of its S-Works Tarmac Disc.

Since the current model is named the SL6, we can only assume this one will be called the SL7.

It’s likely Specialized originally intended for this bike to be unveiled at the Tour de France next month, but with that postponed until late August due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we might have to wait a little longer for an official launch.

What can we make out from these shots in the meantime? Let’s take a closer look.

Hidden cables

The most notable change is the cable routing at the front end of the bike.

While the cables routed semi-externally from a standard handlebar and stem setup on the SL6, the new model appears to borrow the more integrated setup from Specialized’s dedicated aero road bike, the Venge.

This sees cables routed internally through an aero handlebar and underneath the stem, entering the frame at the top of the head tube, in front of the steerer tube.

Though home mechanics might roll their eyes at the potential added complication, exposed cables can be responsible for a surprising amount of aerodynamic drag. In wind tunnel conditions, a sphere can have a drag coefficient over ten times that of an aerofoil shape of the same frontal area.

Specialized’s own testing suggests that removing cables from its Roubaix can save up to 12 seconds over the course of a 40km time trial, for example. A small saving in absolute terms, but one that few dedicated racers are likely to sniff at.

What else?

Beyond that, changes are more subtle.

The seatpost has a bulge around the top that suggests integration with a Di2 junction box, like the Venge’s seatpost.

There appears to perhaps be a little more tyre clearance around the fork and seatstays, which is always welcome.

The SL6 generation is officially rated for up to 30mm tyres already, but with Giant’s 2021 TCR featuring clearance for up to 32mm tyres on disc brake models, the new Tarmac might be set to quickly catch up or even surpass that.

A close look at the bottom bracket also reveals what could be a threaded bottom bracket – something the aforementioned home mechanics might be a little more excited about.

A threaded BB may not be optimal from a performance point of view, but they’re certainly easier to live with for the average cyclist.

If that is the case, it’s an interesting move.

The benefits of press-fit bottom brackets (lighter weight, greater frame stiffness, simpler manufacturing, lower costs, etc.) have long been touted by many manufacturers over the past decade, but some press-fit bottom bracket designs have also been plagued by issues, leading to annoying creaks and shorter bearing life.

All of this has seen increased demand from journalists and consumers alike for a return to threaded systems on performance road bikes, and it appears Specialized may be listening.

And as with every new road bike launch, we’ve no doubt it will also be stiffer, lighter, more aero, faster, cooler, etc. than the previous generation Tarmac. Get ready to throw your S-Works Tarmac SL6 in the bin!

When can I buy one?

So far, Specialized remains tight-lipped about the release date of this new model, but if we hear any news we’ll be sure to let you know.

One unanswered question is whether there will be a rim brake version?

The Roubaix, Venge and Shiv are all now disc-only, and given the new Tarmac appears to share the same cable routing system as the Venge, we wouldn’t be surprised if Specialized decides that the SL6 marks the end of the road for rim brakes on road bikes.

Sorry, #savetherimbrake fans.

Six years on from the launch of the radical Slate gravel, Cannondale has added a suspension fork to its latest gravel bike to create the Topstone Carbon Lefty.

With 30mm of bounce front and back thanks to the Kingpin soft-tail and new Lefty Oliver fork, the Topstone Carbon Lefty is a full-suspension gravel bike likely to divide opinion as much as the original Slate.

The Slate was introduced for 2016 and, while the bike is no more, it’s a machine that deserves high praise, bringing suspension to a gravel bike at a time when gravel bikes were just a seed in the minds of the bike industry. It was a bike before its time.

After reviewing the original Slate I took it on as a long-term test bike and, when time was up on that, I knew it was a bike I had to own, so it has stayed in my (admittedly overstocked) personal bike collection. Is N+11 a thing?

Following on from my Giant TCR Battle of the Bikes, I fancied pitting the new full-suspension Topstone Carbon Lefty bike against a bike that was, in its day, arguably even more more radical than the 2021 machine. Before we get started, you can read all about the new Topstone Carbon Lefty here.

When the original Topstone Carbon launched last year I mooted here, and to anyone who would listen at Cannondale, that this bike should get a Lefty, just like the Slate, to make it truly unique (nobody else had a full production, full-suspension gravel bike on the market at the time).

Since then, of course, the coronavirus pandemic has taken hold. We’ve paused our testing programme for the time being, so that means a proper head-to-head test isn’t on the cards – but it has given me the chance to paw over every last detail of the new Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty and compare it directly with my venerable Slate.

This is my own comparison based on my time owning the Slate, and the Topstone Carbon Lefty 1 as it appears out of the box. It’s based purely on my own opinion, so whether you agree or disagree, let me know what you think in the comments.

1. Looks

The look of any bike is so subjective. When the Slate launched in 2016 it divided opinion; some loved its rugged aluminium frame and that oh-so-imposing twin-crowned Lefty fork, while others thought it looked like a 650b hardtail mountain bike wearing a drop bar disguise.

I was firmly in the former camp and still think this bike looks killer today. The understated battleship grey paint with that massively manipulated aluminium tubing, with the massive head tube and fork, make it stand out.

The Topstone’s carbon frame, on the other hand, is much more subtle. The rear suspension may be new but it’s nearly hidden and the Lefty fork is less imposing with its single-crown design, based on the Ocho mountain bike fork.

The details, along with the gorgeous metallic paint and subtle Cannondale graphics make the Topstone Lefty look like a bike that was built by serious engineers, with serious industrial designers, and serious graphic design considerations for an air of total professionalism.

The Slate, on the other hand, looks like a bunch of folk at Cannondale put something together that they just fancied riding… but I still love it.

• Winner: 2016 Cannondale Slate (we all love an underdog)

2. Frame details

The Slate showcases everything good about Cannondale’s manipulation of aluminium. Look at the way in which those seat and chainstays are flattened and broadened to add comfort.

The Smartform frame (it’s not given any CAAD nomenclature) mixes traditional manipulation, hydroforming, burly welds and oversizing to create a purposeful and tough-looking machine.

The Topstone and Slate both have internally-routed cables, though the Lefty 1 here only has the hydraulic hoses for the brakes because it comes with SRAM’s wireless AXS components.

The Topstone’s tube shapes are superbly realised and details such as the size-specific seat tube diameter for tuning comfort and stiffness are also impressive.

The rear dropout is a Speed Release thru-axle with a fast, double-line thread as opposed to the standard 142 x 12mm thru-axle found on the Slate. So wheel removal should be quicker and the axle remains in the hub rather than needing to be removed and placed on filthy ground.

We’ll come on to weight later, but Cannondale claimed the aluminium Slate frame weighed 1,250g, while the carbon Topstone is much lighter at a claimed 1,100g.

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

3. Versatility

The Slate has mounts on the stays, like the Topstone, to fit a ‘guard/fender (with a removable seatstay bridge), and the Lefty fork has a few options for fenders, all in mountain bike dimensions, but with only two bottle mounts.

The Slate lacks mounts for true bikepacker appeal and it’s got the hugely oversized head tube that denotes the last gen Lefty design, meaning you are pretty much stuck with the stem it comes with.

On the other hand, the Topstone gets a removable mudguard/fender bridge like the Slate, but also has additional mounting options on the down tube bottle bosses, and on the top tube for a bento box.

As for wheels and tyres, the Slate is designed as a 650b bike. Yep, you ‘could’ go 700c if you had a wheelset built, but the slender back-end would limit tyre width to road-sized tyres. Official tyre clearance (which we’ll come on to) was 42mm with 650b wheels.

Originally, the Slate came with fat slicks, but I found them really fragile so settled on mildly-treaded Specialized Sawtooth tyres, to give it a bit of all-road versatility.

The Topstone Lefty comes with 650b wheels and a set of 45mm tyres (the regular, non-Lefty Topstone gets 700 x 37mm rolling stock out of the box), with a maximum stated clearance of 47mm. With 700c wheels you can go up to 45mm.

The geometry of the Topstone is based around the Synapse endurance bike, whereas the Slate is a little more aggressive.

The non-Lefty Topstone has all the makings of a one-bike-for-all machine, with good on road manners, whereas this new bike has much more of a dirt focus.

That said, the geo numbers remain the same as the regular Topstone and the fork has a lock-out, so it should in theory ride as well as its two-legged sibling on the road and way beyond off. So the Topstone has the edge again.

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

4. That fork!

The original Lefty Oliver Carbon on the Slate is, in my opinion at least, a great-looking thing. The length, diameter, fittings and fixings all make it stand out as something different and very special.

The anodised parts and woven carbon checkerboard finish on the legs also help. I love the look of the lock-out, with its contrasting, dual-ring anodised pieces and etched ‘lock to climb’ markings. The outer ring also offers a bit of on-the-fly rebound adjustment and, because it’s at the top of the long fork leg, it’s easy to reach as you ride.

As for weight, the Slate’s original Lefty Oliver comes in at a claimed 1,170g, which is impressive when you consider the sheer size of it!

The new Lefty Oliver is based on Cannondale’s Ocho mountain bike fork and is apparently stiffer, with faster bump reaction performance and better steering precision.

The whole brake assembly can now be quick-released to make wheel removal simple – on the old Oliver you had to undo the brake’s hex bolt mounts manually. The lock-out also includes a clever blow-off function should you hit something, which is handy because the lever is down on the lower crown so a bit harder to reach when riding.

The rebound is now isolated from compression and Cannondale claims it offers a 60 per cent improvement in rebound range over the 2016 bike.

Surprisingly, however, the new Oliver weighs more than the original at 1,340g, but that’s significantly less than the mountain bike Ocho fork in its lightest guise.

The new fork looks smaller overall (though the crown is broader, as is the tyre clearance) and Cannondale of course claims the revamped design outshines the original both on paper and in terms of performance. It’s also available in an alloy version, as well as carbon, to reduce the cost.

But I still have a soft spot for the mad looks of the original, even if it means you have to have a specific frame design and a specific stem. I love that the old Lefty has a bit more anodised bling and it shows off its carbon design, whereas the new Lefty is all painted black.

Controversial, maybe, but until I’ve ridden the new Lefty Oliver fork I’m going with my heart and sticking with the Slate.

• Winner: 2016 Cannondale Slate Ultegra

5. Tyre clearance

In hindsight, Cannondale must have been kicking itself over the Slate’s relative paucity in tyre clearance.

In 2016, 42mm with 650b wheels was generous but not exceptional, and not in the same league as the likes of Open’s UP, which could run 2in tyres. I’ve squeezed slightly broader 45mm tyres into my Slate, but that leaves almost no clearance, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

It’s the one bugbear I have with the Slate, especially because gravel wheels are getting broader and tyre options are expanding at the same time. So, it is now, without doubt, quite limited.

The Topstone, on the other hand, has space for 45mm with 700c wheels and 47mm in 650b. That’s not as wide as the likes of the new Specialized Diverge (47mm for 700c, 2.1in for 650b), but if you do need to go bigger there’s always a mountain bike…

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

6. Bottom bracket shell

I’m not going to get into the relative merits or otherwise of press fit bottom brackets here, but both the Slate and Topstone use Cannondale’s BB30a, the update to the original BB30 standard. (For what it’s worth, I’ve had zero issues on the Slate, despite using and abusing it for the best part of four years in all weathers).

Instead, I’m going to talk about how they look and how the shell integrates into the frame.

The Topstone does the latter very well. The carbon is shaped and smoothed to avoid any dirt getting trapped in nooks, and the stays smoothly integrate to create generous space for big tyres.

The flattening seat tube and boxy down tube all flow into the BB shell very organically – this thing has been styled and smoothed to the nth degree.

As for the Slate… well it’s, errr, generously sized, and has some rather large, but very even fish scale welds that join the oversized down tube and boxy chainstays to the ovalised and flattened seat tube.

The chainstay yoke creates a shelf behind the seat tube, with the front mech cable piercing through its centre, and this makes for quite the mud trap in my experience.

It’s all nicely old-school in its execution, but in aesthetic terms alone it’s outgunned by the Topstone.

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

7. Drivetrain

So the Slate Ultegra effectively has road gearing, and high-performance road gearing at that with a 52/36t chainset and an 11-28t cassette out back. That’s why this bike is such a demon on the road – it’s got the gearing for it.

To be fair, it’s been pretty decent off-road too, but when things get steep or technical the Slate is clearly going to struggle with its lowest 36/28 gear. I have ended up bike-hiking the Slate on occasion, and it’s something I’ve been meaning to address pretty much since I’ve had the bike.

However, my Slate does sport Ultegra, so has proved to be reliably robust, and I’ve always liked Cannondale’s Spidering-equipped chainset.

The flagship bike’s drivetrain combines Force AXS shifters, from SRAM’s road group, with the gravel-specific Force carbon chainset and its single 40t chainring.

Out back there’s an Eagle X0 AXS derailleur matched to the machining marvel that is SRAM’s Eagle 10-50t 12-speed cassette. That gives a bottom gear of 40/50, low enough to climb a wall.

This mullet drivetrain (short at the front, long at the back) is where the gravel cutting-edge is right now and, as this is a gravel bike shootout, the Topstone proves its worth again.

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

8. Components

The battle is a little off-kilter here because my Slate wasn’t the range-topping bike (it sat second in line), so it’s not a like-for-like comparison. However, in the spirit of this Top Trumps-style Battle of the Bikes, it’s worth taking a closer look at both specs.

The Slate Ultegra was priced at £2,799 – no doubt that’s pretty expensive in relative terms for an aluminium-framed bike. The fork was the big expense at around £1,500 alone – the new Lefty will be $1,500 as an aftermarket upgrade when available.

My Slate came with mechanical Shimano Ultegra but with Cannondale’s own Si chainset and the cool-looking eight-arm Spiderring. Now I’ve had it a few years I’ve also made a number of changes to the spec.

I upgraded the tyres almost immediately (£84 a pair) and switched out the fairly basic alloy back wheel for a carbon unit (£400).

I also changed the saddle to a Fizik Aliante VSX (£99.99) and put on a super-flared Ritchey Venture Max WCS bar (£88) because the original was a standard alloy Cannondale C2 bar with no concession for gravel.

Finally, I added a HideMyBell Garmin mount – I think gravel bikes should have a bell to warn other trail and track users.

Again, I’m not comparing apples with apples here, but, with upgrades included, you could say my Slate would be around £3,500 as seen.

The new Lefty 1 I’ve got here is the flagship Topstone, with a collection of top-grade parts, but it will set you back £6,600. The spec list includes SRAM’s AXS Eagle and Force drivetrain components, carbon Hollowgram wheels and premium WTB tyres.

The drivetrain is wireless, as I’ve already mentioned, and offers gravel-friendly gearing, while the Hollowgram wheels are in line with modern trends at 23mm internally, with a claimed weight of less than 1,400g.

The tyres are well thought out with a WTB Byway out back matched to a grippier WTB Venture up front. The saddle is Fabric’s classic Scoop with fancy titanium rails.

The cockpit is the SAVE carbon/alloy bar and stem found on the top-spec, five-star SuperSix EVO race bike we reviewed recently, with the two-piece aero design that looks integrated but still offers adjustability.

On paper there’s nothing I’d look to change or upgrade, it looks the business and exactly what you want from a bike that costs £6,500. An easy win… if you’ve got deep enough pockets.

If the veteran Slate does take your fancy, there are bargains out there if you’re prepared to look around. Providing you’re also prepared to live with a few of its quirks, there’s still a huge amount of fun to be had.

• Winner: 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty 1

9. Weight

Bike weight always needs a little context but everything here has been weighed on my scales.

The new Topstone Carbon Lefty 1 in its out-of-the-box specification weighs in at 10kg on the nose for a large (58cm) frame. In riding trim, which means a pair of steel bottle cages and a set of Shimano XT mountain bike pedals, that nudges up to 10.7kg.

Meanwhile, the Slate surprised the scales by coming in at 10.6kg in a size XL (a 58cm equivalent), with a set of Ritchey WCS Trail pedals, two plastic cages and a HideMyBell mount.

The Slate takes the win by 100g – or about the weight of six chocolate chip cookies or four AA batteries…

• Winner: 2016 Cannondale Slate Ultegra

The winner… 6-3 to the 2021 Topstone Carbon Lefty

Cannondale’s new Topstone Carbon Lefty beats out the veteran Slate in a fairly comprehensive 6-3 victory.

This, of course, isn’t a comprehensive test – and is subjective on my part – but I’m looking forward to seeing how the two bikes compare out on the road/trails.

I’ve been a big fan of the non-Lefty Topstone Carbon since it arrived last year and, in launching this latest version, Cannondale looks to have a boundary-stretching gravel bike to replace the Slate.

Full specs and weights

Cannondale Slate Ultegra (with upgrades)

• Weight: 10.6kg (XL frame, including pedals and cages)
• Frame: Smartform 6069 Alloy
• Fork: Carbon Lefty Oliver with 30mm travel, 45mm offset
• Gears: Shimano Ultegra (52/36t, 11-28t)
• Chainset: Cannondale Si chainset with 52/36 Spidering
• Wheels: Slate 650b disc, with Lefty front hub, rear 650b Roval CLX
• Brakes: Shimano BR-RS805 hydraulic disc
• Tyres: Specialized Sawtooth 2Bliss 42mm tyres
• Seatpost: Cannondale C2 seatpost
• Handlebar: Ritchey VentureMax WCS bar
• Stem: Cannondale C1 stem
• Pedals: Ritchey WCS Trail pedals
• Saddle: Fizik Aliante VSX saddle
• Extras: HideMyBell Garmin mount, two RaceOne plastic bottle cages

Cannondale Topstone Lefty 1

• Weight: 10.7kg (L, including pedals and cages)
• Frame: Ballistec Carbon frame, Kingpin suspension
• Fork: Lefty Oliver Carbon, 30mm travel, 55mm offset
• Gears: SRAM Force shifters, Eagle X0 AXS rear derailleur, Eagle 10-50t cassette
• Chainset: SRAM Force AXS, dub spindle, 40t
• Wheels: Cannondale Hollowgram 23 Carbon
• Brakes: SRAM Force hydraulic disc
• Tyres: WTB Venture (front), WTB Byway (rear)
• Seatpost: Hollowgram SAVE carbon
• Handlebar: Hollowgram SAVE carbon system bar
• Stem: Hollowgram SAVE stem
• Pedals: Shimano XT
• Saddle: Fabric Scoop Shallow Race Ti
• Extras: Hollowgram out-front mount, two Elite steel bottle cages

Cycling to work has, in our opinion, always been a fantastic way to stay healthy, save money and look after the planet. But with social distancing in force across the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic, cycling for transport looks set for a major boost.

In May 2020 the UK’s transport secretary Grant Schapps laid out government plans for ‘a new era for cycling and walking’, pledging £2bn worth of investment.

Maybe you’re considering cycling to work for the first time, or maybe you haven’t ridden a bike since you were a child. The old adage ‘you never forget how to ride a bike’ almost always holds true.

Even if you’ve never ridden a bike before, learning how to do so is easier than you think.

In reality, cycling to work is usually cheaper, more fun and often quicker than other forms of transport. There will be moments when not everything goes as planned, but, like with anything, preparation is the key to success.

These are our top tips for cycling to work, gleaned from years of collective experience.

Once you get into the habit, you’ll learn all the tricks and become a hardened bicycle commuter in no time. We genuinely don’t know many people who have decided to go back to commuting by car or public transport after trying cycling to work.

Safety check your bike

If you’ve already got a bike, the very first thing you should do before you try to ride it is give it a safety check.

Bikes built for general transport and commuter use are usually quite robust, but there are still a few parts that can wear out or degrade over time if the bike has just been sat in your garage.

Even if your bike is brand new, it still makes sense to double-check that everything has been correctly set up, especially if you bought it online. Better safe than sorry.

We’ve published a detailed guide to safety checking your bike and we would highly encourage you to read it.

Plan ahead and practice the route

Planning ahead and riding your route in advance is a great way to ease any stress on your first day commuting by bike.

There are plenty of good cycling apps and route mapping tools such as Komoot and Ride with GPS, but apps such as Google Maps can also work well too – just remember to change your transport mode from car to bike. Doing so enables it to work out a quieter, safer route.

• Best bicycle phone mounts

The National Cycle Network and Transport for London both have route planning capabilities too, and will indicate the quieter routes you can take if you want to avoid busy roads.

We’d usually suggest opting for a longer route on quieter roads, over a more direct route on busy ones. You want to make the journey as easy as possible.

Once you think you’ve got the best route planned, it’s always worth having a practice run on a quiet day (usually a weekend). This gives you a chance to double-check everything with less pressure from traffic and means you won’t have to worry about directions on your first proper go at it.

Give yourself time

If you regularly get stuck in traffic jams or have had to wait for delayed public transport on your commute, you’ll probably find cycling to work is quicker. It’s still sensible to give yourself plenty of time to cruise in at a relaxed pace, though.

If you leave too little time there’ll be the temptation to sprint into work. While it might be good for your fitness, you’ll arrive at the office a sweaty mess with your heart rate through the roof. It’s also arguably more dangerous.

No matter how good a bike rider you are, you want to give yourself plenty of time and space to react to other road users. The most important thing is to arrive at the office in one piece.

It probably goes without saying, but don’t be tempted to jump red lights or break the Highway Code, even if you’re in a rush.

Communicate with drivers

While we’d generally advise using segregated cycle lanes for commuting wherever possible (they make for a refreshingly stress-free experience when done properly), most cyclists will have to take to the road at some point.

Communicating with drivers using clear hand signals and lots of eye contact is vital. If you can’t make eye contact with a driver, it’s safer to assume they haven’t seen you and proceed accordingly.

Likewise, don’t forget to say thanks and give a wave to other road users that give way to you or give you plenty of room. It goes a long way to reinforcing good behaviour.

If you do have any trouble with another road user, our readers agreed the best thing you can do (assuming you’re okay) is to stay calm, take a deep breath and let it go. If you don’t, you’ll almost certainly get into a pointless argument with someone who has no intention of listening to you. Trust us, it’s just not worth it.

• Top tips for improving your commuter confidence

Be sensible around traffic

Though you have as much right to space as any other road user, be sensible and don’t forget you are more vulnerable on a bike than someone in a car.

Assume car doors will open and keep a good distance between yourself and parked cars. 

Likewise, don’t ride in the gutter right next to the curb. It’s usually littered with potholes, debris and other horrible stuff that could cause a puncture or a crash. It can also encourage drivers to attempt unsafe overtaking manoeuvres.

Filtering through traffic is fine as long as it’s safe to do so, but be wary of putting yourself in drivers’ blindspots. Where possible, you should overtake on the driver’s side, but if you have to filter on the inside of a vehicle watch out for side roads and turns.

If you’re in a driver’s blindspot they may not see you and could turn across you without warning. The safest thing to do is to not put yourself in that situation to begin with.

It’s also vital you take particular care around lorries, trucks, buses and vans. These vehicles often have significant blind spots, so you should never filter up the inside of them or get too close. Even if traffic is stationary, be patient and don’t take any risks.

• How to ride safely in traffic

Don’t forget your lights

The laws surrounding bicycle lights in the UK can be a little confusing at first, but the main thing you need to know is it’s illegal (and dangerous) to cycle on a public road after dark without lights and reflectors.

• Best bike lights 2020

Running lights in the daytime can also help you stay seen and stay safe. It can make a big difference to how visible you are on dark, dreary days during the winter months, too.

If your lights take standard batteries, it’s advisable to carry spares. If you have rechargeable ones don’t forget to pack the charging equipment in your commuting bag so you can top them up at work, if necessary.

We’d also advise stashing a couple of small spare lights in your bag for emergency use, if possible. This set doesn’t have to break the bank, but you’ll be pleased you have it the day you or a colleague forgets lights and ends up staying late at the office/pub.

Get the right kit

You don’t need cycling-specific clothing to commute to work, but the weather won’t always be kind to you and when it rains you and everything outside get inconveniently wet.

Thankfully, you can buy waterproof jackets and trousers to stop your work clothes getting soaked, and you might also wish to consider a waterproof backpack to protect your laptop, valuables, etc.

• The best cycling kit for riding in the rain

Mudguards (or fenders, if you don’t live in the UK) are one upgrade that we wish came stock on every bike sold for commuter purposes. A good set will mean you can wave goodbye to wet feet and a wet back forever more.

A handlebar-mounted bell will enable you to communicate your presence with pedestrians and other road users as well.

You’ll also need to carry a multi-tool, at least one spare inner tube (two is better), a couple of tyre levers and a mini-pump, in case of any mechanical mishaps.

A basic knowledge of how to use these tools is essential too, should you need to fix a puncture or adjust your gears in the middle of a ride.

We would advise practicing these things at home in advance. Don’t be afraid to flag down a fellow cyclist if you get stuck, though – they’ll almost certainly be happy to help.

When is it time for a new bike?

If you already have a bike of any sort that’s in serviceable condition, then you’re probably good for a while. If you don’t, or your commute is particularly long and arduous, then you may need to consider buying a bike.

Dedicated commuters might also look at buying a new bike specifically for the task, rather than pressing an old bike into service, for example. You can get the new one kitted out with all the right stuff and there’s nothing quite like ‘new bike day’.

The type of bike you need will depend largely on the type of terrain you’ll be riding; is it flat or hilly? On or off-road? etc. Don’t simply assume you need a road bike just because you’ll be riding on the road. More often than not, most ‘road bikes’ should actually be called ‘road racing bikes’, and aren’t always equipped for the demands of commuting.

For all-round capability, it’s difficult to beat a hybrid bike because they’re just so versatile.

If you live in a hilly area, want to carry heavy loads or just fancy a little assistance, then an ebike could be ideal.

The amount of choice available can be overwhelming, so make sure to check out our buyer’s guide to commuter bikes: What’s the best bike for commuting?

In the UK, working adults aged 16 and over can also use the Cycle to Work scheme to save up to 42 per cent off the cost of a brand-new bike. The Department of Transport also helpfully clarified that the £1,000 limit can be avoided providing certain requirements are met.

So, if you feel your commute demands a WorldTour-ready superbike, don’t let anyone hold you back.

Following the recent announcement of Zipp’s ‘budget’ 303 S wheelset, Zipp has released details of its updated top-flight 303 Firecrest tubeless disc-brake carbon wheelset.

Headline changes include an overhauled rim design, which is both hookless and 25mm wide internally (which is so wide it’s almost in MTB wheel territory), a new hub set and a claimed 300g reduction in overall weight.

Zipp says this makes for a wheelset more suited to varied terrain – which we take to mean endurance road and gravel.

Following the 303 S’s more subtle branding, the updated 303 Firecrest wheelset also receives grey, more toned down decals.

How wide did you say that rim was?

Twenty-five millimetres, internally. This is so wide it would have been in mountain bike territory only a few years ago, and even now is wider than some wheelsets specifically designed for gravel and off-road use.

Being hookless, the rim is only compatible with tubeless or tubeless-ready tyres. Standard clincher tyres are not compatible with these new rims. 

Inner tubes can be used, but only with tyres that have a tubeless-specific bead. This setup wouldn’t be optimal in terms of weight, tyre pressure or rolling resistance though, according to Zipp.

Zipp claims the new rim profile means that tubeless tyres can be fitted and removed tool-free, and that there’s no need for an air compressor to seat tyres.

As with the hookless 303 S rim, the maximum inflation pressure on the new 303 Firecrest rim is notably low at 72.5psi. The maximum rider weight limit is 115kg.

Externally, the rim grows a more modest 0.1mm to 30mm. At 40mm deep, it’s also 5mm shallower than the previous generation 303 Firecrest and the new 303 S wheelsets (which have 45mm deep rims).

Interestingly, Zipp didn’t test these new wheels in a wind tunnel. Instead, Zipp says an independent third-party company used an on-bike aero sensor (like the Notio Konect) to test the wheels’ ‘real world efficiency’ on a dirt road.

Despite the reduction in rim depth, Zipp claims the new 303 Firecrest wheelset is 15 watts faster than the outgoing model and 5 watts faster than the 303 S, when taking into account both aerodynamics and rolling resistance.

In terms of performance on smooth roads, Zipp conceded the overall efficiency savings would be smaller, but it also claims the difference would be larger on rougher surfaces than that used for testing.

Zipp notes the testing was performed with 28mm Zipp Tagente RT28 tyres across all wheelsets, which is also the minimum tyre width compatible with the new rims. You can run tyres up to 55mm wide on them according to Zipp though, assuming your frame has enough clearance.

Lighter on your bike and your wallet

The claimed weight for the new 303 Firecrest wheelset is 1,355g – 300g lighter than the previous generation.

Some of this claimed weight reduction is likely to be accounted for by the shallower, hookless rim design and improved carbon layup. A switch to aluminium spoke nipples may also account for a few grams too.

At £1,600 / €1,800 / $1,900 they’re also £700 / €800 / $600 cheaper than the previous 303 Firecrest wheels, which represents a pretty substantial cut in cost.

Of course, £1,600 is still a lot of money for a set of bicycle wheels in absolute terms. However, this reduction in RRP certainly makes the new 303 Firecrest wheels more competitive in an increasingly crowded market.

Zipp is also now offering a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects and impact damage (during intended use), for the original owner. While you hopefully wouldn’t ever need to use it, it’s definitely nice to have.

New hubs, disc-brake only

As with the rim, the 303 Firecrest hubs have also received a complete redesign.

Called the ZR 1 DB hub, it rolls on stainless steel cartridge bearings and has an updated seal design for a claimed improvement to durability, further signalling Zipp’s intention for this wheelset to be used both on- and off-road.

The rear hub features 66 points of engagement for snappier pedalling response.

The wheelset is laced using 24 j-bend Sapim CX-Sprint spokes, in a two-cross pattern, front and rear. It’s also disc-brake only (which is increasingly the standard for road bikes nowadays) and is compatible with Centerlock rotors. Lockrings are included with the wheels.

The rear wheel is available with an XDR driver or SRAM/Shimano 10-/11-speed freehub as stock, but a Campagnolo-compatible freehub can also be purchased separately.

Time for new standards

The European Tire and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO) standards (which aim to reduce compatibility issues across manufacturers and help ensure rider safety), currently state that a 25mm internal rim width is suitable only for tyres 42mm or wider.

When we put this to Zipp, it pointed out that this standard specifically refers to standard clincher tyres and doesn’t cover road tubeless tyres or hookless rims.

It also insisted the current ETRTO standard is outdated and that Zipp is currently involved in talks with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as well as other rim and tyre manufacturers, about the creation of a new standard for road tubeless systems (which we’ve been hoping would happen for a while now).

In fairness to Zipp, tyre giant Schwalbe also notes on its website that the ETRTO standards often lag behind industry progress. Worryingly, though, it nevertheless says using its tyres in combinations outside of ETRTO recommendations is done “at your own risk”.

In terms of tyre compatibility with its own hookless rims, Zipp does not have a list of approved tyres. Instead, it says all current tubeless and tubeless-ready tyres are compatible with the new 303 Firecrest (and 303 S) wheels, unless the tyre manufacturer specifically states the tyre is incompatible with hookless rims.

This is in contrast to Enve which has an ‘approved/recommended’ list of compatible tyres for its hookless SES 3.4 AR road rims (which also have a 25mm internal width), as well as a list of ‘not approved/incompatible tyres’ that includes popular tyres such as the Continental GP5000 TL.

When asked, Continental told us that while tyres in its Terra Gravel range are compatible with hookless rims, with a maximum pressure of 73psi, tyres in its road range (of both clincher and tubeless variety) are not. As things stand, it recommends none of its road tyres are used with any hookless rims.

As we noted with Corima’s recently launched G30.5 hookless wheelset, we would always recommend double checking with manufacturers that your chosen rim-tyre combination is fully compatible.

Getting the best mountain bike tyres for the type of riding you do and the conditions you typically encounter can be a real headache. Get it right, however, and tyres can make a big difference to how your bike rides.

• Mountain bike wheel sizes: 26in, 650b and 29in explained
• Best mountain bike wheels | Mountain bike wheelsets rated and reviewed

Why is it so tough to find the right tyres? First, there’s a lot of assumed knowledge with mountain bike tyres.

You’re expected to know what a mud tyre should look like and where it will perform best. You need to know what type of tread pattern works well on smooth or bumpy terrain, and you need a decent knowledge about carcass thickness and rubber compound.

But, fear not, we’ve done the leg work for you.

For each tyre we’ve added what that model is good at, what it’s designed for, whether it’s available with different rubber compounds or carcass thicknesses, and which discipline it’s most suited to.

We’ve also added an in-depth buyer’s guide and glossary at the end of the article, to help you find exactly what you need.

Many of the tyres we’ve tested recently, and have been impressed by, have been orientated towards trail and enduro riding, and this is reflected in our current list. We have more tyre reviews in the pipeline, and will only recommend tyres we’ve tested and that are current models.

Maxxis Minion DHF Wide Trail 3C TR EXO

Arguably the benchmark of performance, especially in dry or hardpack conditions, the Minion DHF is a favourite with gravity-fed DH and enduro riders and all-day trail-blazers alike.

Its time-proven tread pattern offers predictable grip on a wide range of trail surfaces and the large centre blocks means it rolls well to boot.

The Minion DHF’s lack of grip in sloppy and boggy conditions is its only pitfall.

• Read the full Maxxis Minion DHF Wide Trail 3C TR EXO tyre review

Maxxis Shorty 3C Max Terra EXO

The Shorty is a mud-specific tyre that offers exceptional levels of grip thanks to its tall, aggressive blocks that bite through soft ground.

Despite its large blocky tread, the Shorty still grips fairly well once it dries out and we’ve seen downhill and enduro racers use the Shorty in completely dry conditions with deep dust.

• Read the full Maxxis Shorty 3C Max Terra EXO tyre review

Michelin Wild Enduro Front Gum-X / Magi-X

The Wild Enduro impressed us with its consistent grip thanks to its large blocks that dig into soft ground with ease.

Its shoulders – despite looking square – provide predictable traction near their limits thanks to the rubber flexing and not rebounding quickly.

All of this grip comes at a cost, though. They roll very slowly and if run at lower pressures the flexy sidewall can squirm when ridden on hardpack sections.

• Read the full Michelin Wild Enduro Front Gum-X / Magi-X 2.4in tyre review

Schwalbe Hans Dampf SuperGravity ADDIX Soft

Best-suited to rocky, hardpack terrain, the Hans Dampf has great straight-line grip with impressive rolling speed. It’s also predictable when leaned over for cornering thanks to its bulky side knobs and the ADDIX Soft rubber is well damped

It’s not quite as good on soft, boggy terrain, though.

• Read the full Schwalbe Hans Dampf SuperGravity ADDIX Soft tyre review

Schwalbe Magic Mary SuperGravity ADDIX Soft

Thankfully, this tyre from Schwalbe really lives up to the ‘magic’ part of its name because it offers exceptional grip in soft conditions while providing plenty of bite in turns and off-cambers.

Because it’s such a generalist, it’s as grippy on hardpack, rocky terrain as it is on softer ground thanks to its large blocky tread and soft rubber compound.

Impressively, it also rolls well considering its weight and tread compound.

• Read the full Schwalbe Magic Mary SuperGravity ADDIX Soft tyre review

Vee Tire Co SNAP WCE Top 40

Thanks to sticky rubber and a tread pattern that resembles Maxxis’ Minion DHF, it’s no surprise the SNAP WCE Top 40 tyre is a cracking performer.

The sticky rubber means it grips to wet rocks, roots and trails impressively – as long as they aren’t too boggy. While the predictable squish of the side knobs means that when leaned over in turns they’re really predictable.

The payoff for this grip is a high level of rolling resistance and the tread pattern isn’t best-suited to gloopy conditions.

• Read the full Vee Tire Co SNAP WCE Top 40 tyre review

Michelin Wild Enduro Rear Gum-X

With good turning grip, especially when the conditions are loose – thanks to its bulky side knobs – the Wild Enduro also grips well on wet roots and rocks.

Because it’s a rear-specific tyre, the sidewall is fairly thick, so it offers resistance against punctures and tears.

It’s also got tightly-spaced centre tread blocks to help improve rolling resistance, making it less suited to trail riding.

• Read the full Michelin Wild Enduro Rear Gum-X tyre review

Specialized Eliminator BLCK DMND

The rear-specific Eliminator with BLCK DMND casing is well-suited to aggressive riders and hard surfaces.

It has a rounded shape which means it carves turns well and stands up to being pushed hard through corners even at low pressures.

It rolls well, even specced with this thick casing, but isn’t great in the mud or when the ground is really loose.

• Read the full Specialized Eliminator BLCK DMND tyre review

Specialized Hillbilly BLCK DMND

The Hillbilly’s aggressive tread pattern helps to make it one of the best tyres we’ve ridden in soft conditions, whether that’s wet, gloopy mud or hero dirt such as soft loam.

The BLCK DMND casing has thicker sidewalls with less material under the tyre’s tread. This gives it a damped feel on rough ground.

It’s doesn’t always offer the best grip on wet rocks, but the grip available is predictable most of the time. The square profile means that low cornering angles can make it give way quickly.

• Read the full Specialized Hillbilly BLCK DMND 2.6in tyre review

WTB Verdict 2.5 TCS Tough High Grip

The Verdict offers fantastic wet-weather grip especially if the trails are sloppy and soft.

WTB even makes a Wet version of the Verdict with even bigger knobs, but we never felt like the standard one needed more. Its compound makes it stick to wet rocks and roots, too.

It doesn’t roll very fast and isn’t very grippy or predictable on hardpack trails, or when you’re leaning the bike over in turns.

• Read the full WTB Verdict 2.5 TCS Tough High Grip tyre review

Mountain bike tyres buyer’s guide

Your tyres make a massive difference to the character and ride of your bike. We bring you the lowdown on what to look for when buying new mountain bike tyres.

Should I use tubeless tyres?

Traditional tyres use an inner tube to keep them inflated, but how do ‘tubeless’ tyres work?

Tubeless tyres ditch the inner tube in favour of a tyre that’s specifically designed to be airtight, either through the use of an additional layer of rubber or the use of a latex-based sealant.

• Inner tube buying guide: common sizes, materials, valve types and more

Mavic’s UST (Universal System Tubeless) system uses a thick side-walled tyre that locks into a specific sealed-bed UST rim. The advantage is an airtight seal with or without a sealant liquid inside, and very stable, pinch puncture-resistant, low pressure performance.

The downsides are that these tyres are more expensive and also heavier.

Most mountain bike tyres on the market today use some sort of ‘tubeless compatible’ system. These tyres use a tubeless bead but require sealant in order to make them airtight. They also require rim tape to seal the spoke holes off.

The benefit of this system is that it is lighter than a full UST system and offers the user a wide variety of tyre choices.

The downside is that there is not an established standard between the various tyre and rim manufacturers, so some rim and tyre combinations work better than others. Even so, this is the most common tubeless option you’ll encounter.

What is better, light or heavy mountain bike tyres?

Weight has a big effect on the agility and acceleration of your bike. Light tyres are much easier to spin up to speed, change direction with and even stop, so make sense for cross-country use.

Heavier tyres are generally thicker, which means they resist punctures and pinch flats better and are less likely to flop and roll off at low pressures. Heavier tyres also increase the gyroscopic effect of the wheel, making the bike more stable on the ground or in the air.

At the really heavy end, reinforced-carcass downhill tyres are designed to be run at low pressures without popping or tearing off the rim, and rely on the help of gravity to get their 1kg-plus weight moving.

What width mountain bike tyre should I use?

There’s a massive range of tyre widths available from 1.5in to 5in fat bike tyres. The majority of mountain bikers run tyres in the 2.2in to 2.5in range, and more recently up to 2.6in has become commonplace.

Tyres in this range offer good protection and grip for more aggressive riding. Narrower tyres offer less cushioning and have less ‘footprint’ to grip with.

Pinch flat resistance is lower, too, unless narrower tyres are running higher pressures. They are lighter and roll faster though, and often cut through sticky mud and gloop better.

Square-profile tyres have more edging grip but are harder to lurch into corners. Rounder tyres roll more easily into corners and slide more predictably. Edge grip isn’t as aggressive, though.

There’s a massive range of tyre widths available, from 1.5in to 5in fat bike tyres. The majority of mountain bikers run tyres in the 2.2in to 2.5in range, and more recently up to 2.6in has become commonplace.

Cross-country tyres are likely to be at the narrower end of the scale, while trail/enduro tyres tend to be a little wider. Tyres in this range offer good protection and grip for more aggressive riding.

Narrower tyres, on the other hand, offer less cushioning and have less ‘footprint’ to grip with. Pinch flat resistance is lower on narrower tyres, too, unless they are being ran at higher pressures, which in turn could negatively affect grip.

Narrower tyres often cut through sticky mud and gloop better, though.

Ultimately, the ideal tyre width depends on what you’re riding, where you’re riding and how you’re riding. Weighing up all three aspects will help you find the right tyre.

For a more in-depth explainer on the subject, head to our ultimate test on mountain bike tyre size to determine the fastest width for trail and enduro riding.

How grippy are mountain bike tyres?

This depends on the profile of the tyre, its durometer rating (how soft the rubber the tyre is made from is) and the overall build of the tyre.

A tyre with a square-profile will have more edging grip but is harder to lurch into corners. Rounder tyres roll more easily into corners and slide in loose terrain more predictably. Edge grip isn’t as aggressive, though.

It’s a slightly simplistic summary, but a tyre that grips well because of a sticky/softer rubber compound and tall square-edged knobs will have more drag than those that don’t. But within this generalisation there are some notable tyres that reduce drag with a slight sloping of tread patterns, multiple tread compounds or the use of a ‘fast’ carcass.

Conversely, some tyres that have barely any tread actually bite as well as some mid-knob rubber.

All of this depends on your local terrain as well – a super chunky aggressive tyre won’t be as useful on the slick rock of Moab as a lower profile tyre.

Glossary

• Shoulder: The edge tread that provides off-camber and cornering grip
• Sidewall: The bare side of the tyre. Double or ‘two ply’ on DH tyres for extra stability and pinch flat resistance; airtight on UST tyres for tubeless running
• Bead: The steel wire or Kevlar cord at the base of the sidewall that locks into the rim lip to keep the tyre in place. Kevlar or Aramid fibre beads are lighter and let the tyre fold, but are more expensive and the tyre is more likely to fall off if flatted
• Carcass: The fabric body of the tyre made from overlapping weaves. A more supple carcass enables the tyre to deform around lumps for extra grip but is less stable at low pressures. A reinforced carcass is more protective and less wobbly at low pressures but heavier and less comfortable. Lighter carcasses are more likely to get point punctures too
• TPI: The number of threads per inch in the carcass. Tyres with more threads are generally higher quality with a more subtle feel, but companies such as Tioga use a smaller quantity of fatter threads
• Multi-compound: Tyres that use different rubber compounds; dual compounds are normally harder in the centre or underneath for fast rolling and long life, but soft on the shoulders for cornering grip. Schwalbe and Maxxis now do triple-compound tyres too
• Durometer: The softness rating of the rubber; 70 and above is hard, 60 medium and anything below 50 is soft. The softer the tyre, the stickier it is on rocks and so on, but the faster it will wear out

The pandemic may be growing tedious at this point, but it’s been another big week in bikes, with new products coming thick and fast.

Cannondale went one-legged and full-sus with its Topstone gravel bike and launched an ebike version at the same time, while Zipp launched a new bells-and-whistles 303 Firecrest and the £850 Vitus Sentier 29 hardtail earned praise for its all-round spec and sorted geometry.

Closer to home, editor George Scott gave us the run-down on his lovely Shimano GRX Di2 Mason Bokeh gravel build, while we got a long-termer update on Tom Marvin’s Hope HB.130 trail bike and, with many of you planning to ride to work for the first time, we’ve updated our advice for budding bike commuters.

Read on for the latest kit to arrive on BikeRadar’s various doorsteps.

DT Swiss PRC 1100 Dicut Mon Chasseral wheels

DT Swiss launched its newest climbing-focused Mon Chasseral wheels last month and we’ve got our hands on a set. 

Once a spindly aluminium rim-brake offering, the latest Mon Chasseral is a tubeless disc-brake design using 24mm-deep carbon rims built on premium hubs.

The headline-grabbing spec detail was the claimed weight of 1,266g, and I can confirm that they really are that light, around 4g under in fact on my scales (including tape but not valves, which add about 8g).

In-house components have always been central to DT Swiss’s wheels, and the Mon Chasserals are built on a variant of the lightweight 180 hub, with the latest Ratchet EXP internals that’s also featured in the recent update to the benchmark 240 hub.

With hooked rims that measure a mere 18mm internally, the Mon Chasserals are aimed very much at the higher-pressure road end of the tubeless spectrum rather than squishy gravel tyres.

DT Swiss’s own charts recommend a maximum pressure of 7 bar (102psi) for a tubeless 25mm tyre or 6.3 bar (91psi) for a 28, and unlike some of the latest rims from the competition that have hookless rims, these have bead hooks and can therefore be used with conventional clinchers. 

While running wider rubber is certainly possible, the rims are optimised for 25s, according to the brand.

Like all DT Swiss hubs, the Mon Chasserals’ 180s pull apart by hand for easy cleaning. Having said that, full disassembly requires a proprietary tool to remove the threaded ratchet ring from the rear hub body.

These wheels are quite understated but feel beautifully made. Can they justify their immense price tag? We’re eager to find out.

• £2,649.99 / €2,948 / $3,734 
• Find out more at DT Swiss

Park Tool BKD-1 bleed kit

Park Tool offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of bike tools on the market, but a proper disc brake maintenance kit was notably absent until it launched two of them at the start of the year.

This is the DOT fluid version (for the likes of SRAM brakes), the BKD-1. A separate mineral-oil specific kit called the BKM-1 (for Shimano and others) is also available. 

The BKD-1 includes two syringes, tubing and a selection of adaptors to fit different systems, plus replacement o-rings for those adaptors.

There’s a chunky syringe holder, and two universal bleed blocks. Oh, and it all lives in a sturdy plastic briefcase. 

Park Tool completists will appreciate the heft of the syringes compared to the disposable variety but the BKD-1’s price tag might raise a few eyebrows.

Realistically, this is a product aimed more at pro bike mechanics who need a do-it-all solution than amateurs maintaining a single type of brake, although doubtless some of you are itching to pony up for both versions to cover all bases.

• £99.99 / $117.95
• Find out more at Park Tool

Temple Cycles stainless bottle cages

We appreciate a stylish bottle cage at BikeRadar, and these stainless steel ones from Bristol-based Temple Cycles are as simple and elegant as they come.

Weighing 43g each, they aren’t quite as robust feeling as Arundel’s stainless option (a personal favourite of mine), but that doesn’t have much bearing on how they actually perform.

What I can say with confidence is they look absolutely lovely on the Genesis Croix de Fer I recently built as  a Shimano GRX testbed.

Steel cages will never be the lightest option, but they feel right on a bike with a frame made of the same stuff.

At the time of writing, the cages are showing as sold out, but Temple Cycles tells us new stock is imminent.

• £20
• Buy now from Temple Cycles

Pirelli Cinturato gravel tyres

Pirelli launched its range of gravel tyres last year, with 35mm, 40mm and 45mm options for 700c rims, and 45mm and 50mm options for 650b. All are tubeless-ready and available in a choice of black or tan wall.

The brand splits its range down the middle, with slightly ambiguous ‘Hard Terrain’ and ‘Mixed Terrain’ options.

This tyre here is the former, and “hard” is used in the most literal sense, i.e. the opposite of soft. This means the tyre is designed for compacted surfaces such as dirt, non-loose gravel and tarmac, rather than mud or loose gravel.

The Gravel M (or Mixed Terrain) is chunkier, and it’s meant for rides where the surface varies between loose and compacted.

The Gravel H (or Hard Terrain) is therefore arguably the more versatile tyre inasmuch as it’s likely to be better suited to rides that take you both on and off road. It features a fairly low-profile, closely-spaced chevron tread with slightly wider-spaced knobs on the shoulders.

Both flavours of the Cinturato Gravel have a 127 TPI casing with a bead-to-bead anti-puncture layer. They make use of Pirelli’s SpeedGRIP compound, which claims to be formulated for both wet and dry conditions.

Claimed weight for a 700 × 35mm Gravel H is 410g but the set I have here are somewhat heavier at an average of 454g per tyre.

• £54.99

The Covid-19 lockdown has driven an unprecedented sales surge of bikes, leaving even the largest of retailers struggling for stock. As brilliant as that is, it does make this a potentially difficult time for those looking to upgrade or simply buy a new bike.

A great alternative to buying a new bike, of course, has always been to purchase one second-hand – and that’s exactly what this week’s Friday Shorts podcast is all about.

Podcast host and Technical Editor Tom Marvin is joined by BikeRadar’s Oli Woodman as they discuss what to look out for when buying a used bicycle from today’s online marketplaces.

As experienced buyers and sellers, Tom and Oli discuss their different approaches to buying a bike through the likes of eBay, Gumtree and the classified sections of bike forums.

The duo touch on anecdotes from their bike buying past and give advice on how to safely buy a bike that you’ll be happy with.

It’s the perfect listen for someone who is dipping their toes into buying their first used bike of any kind.

Want more on this topic? Head across to our used bike buyer’s guide.

We are currently publishing two BikeRadar podcasts every week during the UK coronavirus lockdown. To make sure you don’t miss out on any future episodes, click the buttons below and subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Radpower has released its fourth generation Radwagon e-cargo bike, with a raft of updates that we think should make this load-hauling, long wheelbase e-cargo bike much easier to live with, day to day.

• This might be the fastest cargo bike ever
• Is the Tern GSD the ultimate urban bike?

The most obvious change is the swap from 26in to 22in wheels, which are now wrapped in 3in wide tyres, specifically designed for the Radwagon and built by Vee Tire Co.

The tyres are said to have a unique tread pattern and with their wide stance should offer plenty of cushioning and comfort.

The smaller diameter also lowers the centre of gravity of the bike, which should help a little with stability, while reflective strips on the sidewall have been added for extra road safety.

While larger, narrower wheels may well roll faster, having tested the third generation of the Radwagon extensively we can confirm that you’ll never be setting any speed records on it.

We believe the 3in tyres are mounted to 50mm wide rims, and if they are should offer decent support – important if and when the bike is fully loaded.

Carrying capacity

Speaking of loading the bike, the payload capacity of the bike remains at 158kg, with the rear rack rated at 54kg.

This should be more than enough for large shopping trips, or a child or two if using any of the compatible child seats, or mini handlebars and footplates.

There are multiple options outside of child carrying, too, including crates and loading racks, as well as keg carriers for the front of the bike.

As with the third generation bike, there’s a highly adjustable stem to aid fit, however this latest bike gets a wider diameter seat tube that holds a two-part telescoping seatpost for a wider range of saddle height adjustability – from 690mm to 940mm, which Radpower says should fit rider heights from 156cm to 193cm.

Plenty of power

The bike also now fully complies as an electrically assisted bike in the UK. The third generation bike had a 750W motor and throttle, meaning while the assistance didn’t exceed 25kph it had to be registered with the DVLA in the UK as a L1e-A electric bicycle.

This fourth generation is limited to 250W continual power output, and the throttle body is there as a walk-assist, up to 6kph, we understand.

The bike still comes with a large 672Wh battery to drive the hub-based Bafang motor.

The on-bar screen shows a variety of data, including speed and battery life.

The drivetrain is based around a 7-speed set up, with an 11-34t cassette, while mechanical disc brake calipers clamp on to 180mm rotors.

Built-in lights, including a braking indicator light, are all wired in from the off.

Alongside all these updates is a cheaper price.

The third generation was priced at €1,699, while this one is €1,599. Pre-order is currently available (for September delivery) at a discounted €1,499, though.

There are lots of ways to store your bike indoors and make the most of whatever space you have, but if mud on your carpet and scuffs on your walls don’t appeal, or you simply can’t store your bike indoors, we’ve rounded up a selection of cheap bike sheds and outdoor storage solutions.

As well as helping to protect your bike from the elements until you’re ready to tackle them, our selection should also keep them safe. 

• What size bike do I need? 
• Buyer’s guide to storing your bike indoors
• Improve your bike shed security whatever your budget 

Apex Overlap Bike Store, 7ft x 3ft  (213cm x 85cm)

• Buy now from Primrose (£167.99) 

The Apex Overlap Bike Store provides storage room for three bikes and has double-door entry for easy access when maneuvering bikes in and out.

There’s no floor to allow moisture from wet bikes to run off unobstructed, and the wooden shed arrives with a preservative for you to add on installation.

The wooden doors feature a metal latch through which a padlock can be secured. 

• Buy now from Primrose

Rowlinson Shiplap Wallstore

• Buy now from One Garden (£229.99) 

You can store two to three adult size bikes inside this 6ft x 2.8ft bike shed.

It features a double-door front entry for easily reaching and rearranging bikes, plus a hasp and staple door catch for you to secure with your own padlock.

It’s built from pressure-treated wood to protect against rot. 

• Buy now from One Garden

Metal Garden Shed with Saddle Roof 

• Buy now from ManoMano (£280.99) 

If you’d prefer a metal bike shed over wood, this rust-resistant metal bike shed is designed to be robust, with reinforced walls and sliding door entry.

There are two colour options for the galvanised steel exterior of this shed, so can choose either green or grey to best fit your garden. Plus you are able to padlock the sliding door for some security.  

• Buy now from Mano Mano

Lotus 6ft x 4ft Low Pent Solid Metal Shed

• Buy now from Primrose (£219.99) 

This metal shed is made from high-tensile and hot-dipped galvanised steel and should prove a durable storage solution for your bike, being both waterproof and lockable.

It’s also non-combustible, which is a requirement sometimes stipulated by accommodation providers such as caravan parks for any storage sheds. 

• Buy now from Primrose

Shiplap Apex Wooden Bike Shed, 6ft x 3ft

• Buy now from Wayfair (£249.99) 

This pressure-treated wooden number is made of FSC-certified pine that’s weather and rot-resistant and comes with a 10-year anti-rot guarantee, as well as a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty.

Padlock compatible doors come with the shed that features shiplap cladding, seeing interlocking tongue and groove boards slot together for a seamless appearance and sturdy exterior. 

There’s a pent roof line to encourage rainwater run-off and flooring made from orientated strand board, offering similar durability to plywood.

• Buy now from Wayfair

Forest Garden 6ft x 4ft Apex Overlap Dip Treated Windowless Shed

• Buy now from Wickes (£200)

The windowless design of this 6ft x 4ft Apex shed should help with the security, hiding the bikes you stow inside, as should the hidden hinges and the hasp and staple latch.

Being wooden in construction, the shed comes with a 10-year anti-rot guarantee and has a pressure treated wooden floor for added resilience against dampness created by dripping bikes. 

• Buy now from Wickes

Mercia 6ft x 4ft Overlap Pent Bike Shed

• Buy now from Mercia (£265) 

This 6ft x 4ft overlap pent box bike store uses rustic overlapping cladding to form its external structure, while thick wooden framing supports from the inside.

Its base and roof are made of sheet boards, a slightly cheaper material to help keep things more cost effective. This shouldn’t make it less secure than other wooden bike sheds but you may, in the long term, need to coat it with an additional protective layer of waterproofing lacquer. 

There are two large and lockable double doors, plus a barrier against the elements provided by a roofing felt.

• Buy now from Homebase

Bottle cages aren’t usually the most exciting component on your bike.

Unless you’re looking for something exotic to complement a boutique build (and you’ve got a huge wad of cash burning a hole in your wallet), most just want something that does its job of securely holding on to your bottles without too much fuss. If it can also complement the look of your bike, though, that’s even better.

Sounds simple, right? Well, it really ought to be, but as a component that’s relatively cheap and easy to produce, practically every manufacturer involved in cycling has had a go at it, and most experienced cyclists will have found out that some bottle cages are simply better than others.

Like any other component, bottle cages also come in a variety of different materials – from plastic and aluminium, which tend to be the cheapest, to carbon and titanium, which are inevitably more expensive.

Performance often depends more on the style and construction of the cage, rather than the material it’s made of though, so don’t assume that a carbon bottle cage is better just because it costs more.

While some people swear by innovative solutions involving various types of magnets or studs, most people just want something simple that works with standard cycling bottles, and holds on to them securely over even the roughest terrain.

We’ve put together a list of our favourite bottle cages on the market in 2020, and included a variety of different styles and price points, so everyone should be able to find something to suit their budget.

Arundel Mandible DTR

• Price: £65 / $75 / AU$120
• Weight: 22g

Arundel’s 22g Mandible DTR stands for ‘down tube right’: its recommended position and access side. However, left-handed riders can switch the position with its seat-tube mounted STR sibling.

Made by wrapping carbon fibre over a foam core, the svelte design is far tougher than it looks, and both mounting options pair one round and one slotted hole for limited adjustment.

Bottle insertion is fast and smooth from the side, and the cage grips the bottle well.

Elite Rocko Carbon

• Price: £28 / $50
• Weight: 27g

Elite’s 27g Italian-made Rocko is a modern version of the popular Cannibal cage, retaining its wide mouth design and injection-moulded carbon construction that’s far stronger and lighter than fibreglass-infused resin.

Extra-long bolt slots ensure simple fitting, and with such minimal structure, any bottle can be instantly inserted from multiple angles, quickly centreing and snapping into place.

Bottle retention is impressively secure, and it’s a great option for frames with limited internal space and riders in a hurry.

Tacx Ciro

• Price: £16 / $26
• Weight: 30g

The Ciro’s carbon shell and glass-fibre core keep the weight down on this minimalist, decently priced cage.

This cage worked well with all the bottles we tried it with, Tacx and otherwise. It comes in 20 two-tone, black-and-colour designs and in gloss or matt finishes.

Elegant, effective, tough, light and good value – that’s a lot to like.

Birzman Uncage

• Price: £9
• Weight: 41g

Birzman’s tough 41g Uncage has an unfussy yet attractive design that’s formed from a high-polymer material.

Generous bolt slots ensure easy fitting and the cage has great rigidity, but also boasts enough flex to shrug off daily riding abuse.

Chamfered, angled edges guide all bottles in smoothly with a solid click signaling complete engagement and two internal ridges keep a reassuringly firm hold.

A supplied Velcro strap can be used to attach a spare tube and levers to a slot beneath the cage, too.

Elite Vico Carbon

• Price: £25 / $32 / AU$50
• Weight: 24g

A very good weight without a super-hefty price, the carbon-injected Vico works well with Elite’s own bottles, but you may find other brands’ bidons a slightly tight fit, even though they’re theoretically much the same diameter.

This makes it a case of pairing with Elite or checking it works well with your own bottles, but that’s our only reservation.

Fabric Gripper cage

• Price: £15 / $15 / €15
• Weight: 38g

Fabric’s durable, fibre-reinforced nylon Gripper cage comes in four colours. Generous bolt slots ease fitting and the cage has great strength, while only weighing 38g.

The design’s retaining arms wrap around the bottle high up and continue separately until joining in a Y-shape at the base.

This permits flex that helps easy bottle insertion while providing security. The cage’s engagement lip works best with Fabric and Specialized bottles, but holds everything well.