Mathieu van der Poel’s bikes are near the top of our most-covered Pro Bike Checks’ list, and he gets another one with a new Canyon Inflite “CFR”. MvdP had a whole fleet of white Inflites to race for a 6th UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championship title in Tábor, Czechia over the weekend – on the same course where he earned his first Elite rainbow stripes almost a decade earlier.

Yet while his bikes undeniably got the integrated cable routing upgrade of the latest evolution of Canyon’s carbon cross Inflite, van der Poel’s frames seemed like they were having a bit of an identity crisis – each labeled Inflite CF SLX on the side of their seat cluster, but CFR on the top of their toptubes…

So what gives?

Canyon Inflite CFR of 2024 World Champ Mathieu van der Poel

Canyon officially introduced a higher-spec, more integrated CFR spec of their carbon Inflite cross bike at the start of this cross season. All built around their ultralight Canyon Factory Racing carbon construction.

And Mathieu van der Poel was racing on it from day one.

On the outside, this still looks a lot like MvdP’s Inflite CF SLXes that we featured in 2018 & 2019. He’d already won CX Worlds on this same bike in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and now adds a 2024 win. Only his first Elite win, also in Tábor back in 2015, was on a different bike – a camouflage Stevens Super Prestige.

So, why the Inflite CF SLX vs. Inflite CFR identity crisis?

My first guess would have been that the new CFR frame was simply not yet on the UCI List of Approved Models of Framesets for road/cross/track racing. At least not as recently as the February 1st update – the day before CX Worlds kicked off.

All of van der Poel’s bikes featured a UCI-approved sticker with the number R059 – the number approved for the CF SLX back in July 2017.

In fact, no Canyon bikes seem to have been added to that list at all in 2023.

But it seems that all of the CFR models on Canyon’s own website have that same R059 designation. So there really is nothing different between a CFR & a CF SLX frame, it seems

The big new feature on the recently introduced Inflite CFR model was its clean fully internal cable routing. Now with cables directed inside through the Aerocockpit borrowed from the road, and via the headset into the fork. So the CFR frames shouldn’t need external cable routing ports, but there still are 3 of them on the sides of the headtube.

What is new though is the CFR fork.

The standard CF SLX had a 1.25-1.5″ tapered steerer. But the CFR uses a 1.125-1.5″ tapered steerer with an opening at the top to allow the rear brake cable to enter the frame internally. And then a 1.25″ sleeve extending down from the cockpit (kinda like an old quill stem) fills in the gap to the same 1.25″ upper headset bearing in the CFR/CF SLX frame.

Race-ready CX bike

Presumably, that’s a minimal enough change to not warrant going through the hassle of getting the UCI to approve an entire new frame. And apparently, the UCI doesn’t ask too many questions about this fork – with Zwift logos and no external cable ports – not being separately on the approved list.

So, essentially the same carbon Inflite as for his previous four championship titles while riding Canyon.

Also the same Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x 12-speed wireless electronic groupset that Mathieu van der Poel has raced since its introduction back in the summer of 2021. He’s been on the latest disc brake Di2 groupsets ever since his first Elite Worlds title nine years ago.

It all is a hard formula to argue with. And Mathieu van der Poel continues to dominate professional cyclocross racing on this Canyon Inflite CFR. And especially so, in tough conditions like the unrelenting mud of the Czech course for the 2024 World Championships.

A big help falls to a huge fleet of bikes and a support staff with a fresh, clean bike every half lap. See van der Poel with a clean bike here mid-race, after having just exited the pits.

And mud-ready tires!

And of course, reliable mud traction.

Like fellow Dutch World Champ Fem van Empel, Mathieu van der Poel was also racing on Dugast Rhino tubulars.

What’s different, his tires don’t have any labeling on them. Presumably, that’s to appease official Alpecin-Deceuninck tire supplier Vittoria, even though they actually own Dugast. Anyway, with no logos, we can’t be sure if his tires feature Monsoon rubber or neoprene sidewall treatment. But they are the max 33mm width allowable for cross racing by the UCI.

Van der Poel’s mechanics glue his tires up to deep Shimano Dura-Ace C50 carbon tubular wheels, the same he often races on the road.

Muddy enough to get a fresh bike every half a lap

And yes, there was plenty of mud during the race, when mechanics had to be quick getting the bike cleaned and ready to head out again. But during training, they had a little bit more time to spare. So we caught up with bike #1 getting a bath, for a closer look.

The latest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset sees the R9270 levers mounted to the 3-piece adjustable-width Canyon Aerocockpit handlebar + stem + integrated carbon quill combo. It’s a tidy, aero setup. And no displays to distract Mathieu while racing – or warming up apparently.

His Inflite CFR gets a classic pro cyclocross 46/39T Dura-Ace double chainring crankset setup there under a full lap’s mud. An a trusty set of XTR SPD pedals. (Trust us, they’re under there.) No power meter though. When you are swapping bikes every half a lap – or roughly every 1.5km – collecting data across several bikes would simply be a mess.

So van der Poel sticks with a simple Whoop wristband fitness tracker, instead.

Everything gets clogged up with mud & grass in a proper cross race. So when time allows before the racing, MvdP’s mechanics use a Morgan Blue pulley that slides onto the 12mm thru-axle to really get in and clean every nook-and-cranny with the wheels off. There’s also a ton of mud stuck up in that saddle. And with its ergonomic cutout – also van de Poel’s backside.

He rides maybe the saddle with the longest name in the industry, the Selle Italia Flite Boost Kit Carbonio Superflow MVDP edition. And no, this isn’t a custom saddle. We saw several other racers sitting on Mathieu van der Poel’s initials to race.

Muddy kicks, and pro cleaning tips, too.

Mathieu van der Poel has long run the top shoes in Shimano’s line-up. And often can be spotted wearing development prototypes that don’t always make it to production. His shoes this year are Shimano’s latest S-Phyre XC903 iteration of their top mountain bike shoe. Now with a redesigned laser-perforated upper, the latest Ultread rubber sole, and tweaked lacing guides. And of course, for muddy racing van der Poel is running a set of the optional toe spikes.

His pro team secret here, besides having lots of fresh shoes to change into while training? Team mechanics pressure wash his muddy shoes after a course recon pre-ride. Then, they use an air compressor to blow all the water out of them immediately after. With their synthetic construction, they come out surprisingly dry when the mechanic is done with them.

2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Champion Mathieu van der Poel

With that setup, MvdP stomped his way to another emphatic World Championship win aboard his Canyon Inflite CFR.

Now with racing for the Dutch National Team done, he can go back to a fresh rainbow-striped Alpecin-Deceuninck skinsuit. And most likely, it’s time for Canyon to figure out a new rainbow-themed paint job for his Inflite CFR race bikes. It’s the 5th World Championship win on this Inflite platform. So, Canyon’s graphic designers are going to have to come on with some creative new ideas.

Any design theme suggestions?

Canyon.com

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Fem van Empel is the Cyclo-Cross World Champion for a second year in a row on Cervélo’s carbon R5 CX cyclocross bike. We caught up with her bike for a closer look at what the, now 2x Elite World Champ, was racing to a fresh set of rainbow jerseys…

Oh, and those fan-held flags above, they were created by her uncle & illustrator Wouter van Empel who was leading a supporters club around the muddy fields of the Tábor course.

Cervélo R5 CX of 2024 World Champion Fem van Empel

Dutch domination was the rule for the elite racers at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tábor, Czechia this weekend. Nicknamed SuperFem, the 21-year-old Fem van Empel continues to rack up big wins on her Cervélo R5 CX cyclocross race bike.

Developed in a partnership between Team Jumbo Visma & Cervélo, first as a race bike for Marianne Vos and Wout van Aert, van Empel has put the bike to good use, as well – winning almost every race she entered on this bike.

The Cervélo R5 CX has been ridden to the past 3 Elite Women’s World Championship titles. First, by Vos with a Shimano build.

Now twice by van Empel on SRAM.

What’s different on Fem’s bike? And what stayed the same?

What’s the same is the shorter list. A classic double clamp to make sure the seatpost stays securely in place when jumping back onto the saddle. And a 2-piece FSA AXR cockpit with fully internal cable routing and a separate carbon handlebar.

The biggest difference on Fem van Empel’s Cervélo cross bike is the SRAM Red AXS groupset. The majority of elite pro cyclocross racers do seem to be on Shimano Di2, but there’s a solid contingent on SRAM AXS, too.

Curiously, a lot of top riders race not on the top-tier group, but on Force, as well.

And even 2x World Champ van Empel is no different, with a little Red & Force mix-and-match.

Part of that stems from Red’s road focus and its chainring integration. Not available in appropriate 1x chainring sizes for CX racing, van Empel opts for the non-series carbon crankarms and 4-bolt AXS power meter spider on her Cervélo R5 CX. This lets he ride a relatively small 42T SRAM X-Sync chainring for the muddy Tabor course.

While her mechanic can easily swap out a bigger ring for faster, drier courses, like the recent Spanish World Cup track in Benidorm just a couple of weeks ago.

She also opts for Force AXS shift/brake levers with non-series graphics. The difference isn’t huge, but teams have told us that pros with smaller hands prefer the slightly shorter Force hood shape and the longer shift button. Those levers are connected to Red brake calipers, and top-level CenterLine XR rotors.

Btw, another athlete not racing on a Shimano groupset, but who still prefers XTR pedals.

Little pro CX details

Van Empel’s mechanics add a few small additions to tweak the bike for cross racing. Of course, since she runs a 1x, she doesn’t need the braze-on front derailleur hanger. But instead of just removing it, the bolt on an alloy chain retention device, with an adjustable plastic puck that sits just over the top of the gold flattop chain as an insurance policy against dropped chains.

While some CX pros ask for frames without water bottle bosses, most still prefer the versatility for hot weather racing or training. And van Empel’s mechanics keep things clean with little stick-on covers to keep mud out of the bolt holes.

The most popular pro CX tubular, no longer made in Europe

The Rhino tubular is maybe the most popular & most common mud tire on the professional cyclocross circuit. Still, Fem van Empel was racing on the most high-performance of them all. The handmade 100% cotton casing is the most supple Dugast makes for cross. Plus, she gets the factory Neoprene sidewall treatment (the little star logo on the sidewall). And Dugast’s latest Monsoon “superior” compound rubber that promises “lower rolling resistance” AND “enhanced grip”. It’s a next level after their 11 Storm rubber, both introduced after being bought by Vittoria a few years back.

Also, Fem van Empel was racing on 32mm Rhinos, a shade thinner than the max allowable 33s we saw on most of the men’s bikes. A couple years ago chatting tires with the staff behind Team NL, they told us essentially that the smaller and lighter riders (like van Empel) can race the smaller tires to save every last gram without sacrificing grip or comfort.

Of note, this might be the last season to see all these Dugast tires handmade in Europe. Dugast shut down their Dutch production at the end of 2023. And moved it all to the Vittoria factory in Thailand from this year. So outside of existing stock, Dugast will make all new CX tubulars in Asia, now.

Race-ready for a muddy World’s course

Wheel-wise, Fem van Empel races on Reserve 36|39 mixed depth carbon tubulars. Also from the same Pon Holding corporate family as her Cervélo bike. Built light enough to win Tour de France climbing stages, but also clearly strong-enough to race cross. Her wheels are 28mm wide – 36mm deep up front & 39mm deep in the back. And they are laced up to DT Swiss 240 EXP hubs for proven durability and ease of servicing.

Fem van Empel delivered another emphatic win in the Czech mud aboard her Cervélo R5 CX in its stock Jumbo Visma team-edition black & yellow paint job. With another World Championship title she can go back to racing her white bike painted with rainbows for another year. The real question is, will Cervélo think up an all-new World Champ’s custom paint job to celebrate her win a little differently this coming year?

Cervelo.com

The post World Champ Fem van Empel’s Cervélo R5 CX: Fem-tastic Cyclocross Pro Bike Check appeared first on Bikerumor.

We thought we might have seen it already four years ago, but for sure a Campagnolo Super Record power meter crankset is now really on the horizon. We’ve just spotted independent Dutch cyclocross racer Ryan Kamp’s shiny gold Colnago G3-X race bikes fitted with an alloy power meter spider on carbon crank arms, clearly branded with the winged hub logo of Campagnolo.

Take a closer look and speculate with us below!

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype

Today at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tábor, Czechia, we spotted Ryan Kamp’s lovely Colnago cyclocross bikes sporting some prototype power meter cranks from his Italian drivetrain sponsor.

While we spotted the bike through the trees this morning, we got some closer looks inside Kamp’s camp. And then out on the race course several times.

He’s the only rider we’ve noticed at CX Worlds riding Campagnolo. And the word in the pits is that he’s been working closely with Campy to refine their ultra-top-tier Super Record Wireless groupset to survive the rigors of cross racing.

Stay tuned, and we’ll have more on that story soon, too.

In the meantime, this is the Campagnolo Super Record power meter we’ve been waiting for since we saw Campy’s patents all the way back in 2019.

But – at least for now – power measurement is NOT integrated into a carbon spider. Instead, it uses an alloy power meter spider much like the SRM that Campy athletes have been racing for years.

Yet, it’s not quite the same as the SRM, and now clearly gets Campagnolo branding.

Customized for Cyclocross

Apparently, it features the same low-Q and standard road chainring spacing. But the pro CX mechanics have spaced the chainrings out about 3mm closer back to the centerline of the bike to better align the chainrings with the bigger/easier cogs of the cassette to deal with the slower speeds of cyclocross racing.

From the driveside, you can see one curious hollow opening of the crank arm just offset from the spindle (like the old SRM option).

But from the backside we also spotted another opening. It’s not entirely clear why either opening exists.

3 of the 4 Kamp’s bikes that we spotted in the open around the public team pits had power meters. And 2 of those 3 appeared to have a stick-on cover on the backside of the carbon driveside crankarm, at least to keep the CX mud out. In any case, it’s pretty surely a hollow carbon crankarm on this prototype power meter.

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype for your winter training bike

A bit of an angled look, shows the thickness of the alloy spider body on this prototype Campagnolo Super Record power meter.

This specific crank was fitted to Kamp’s training bike, and shows plenty more wear from heel rub. But interestingly, it seems Ryan Kamp has only been working with Colnago and Campagnolo since the start of January after his previous team sponsorship ended. So, this bike hasn’t seen too much long-term use & abuse, just yet.

The Shimano XTR pedals are always a nice reminder that Campy doesn’t make pedals. But those XTRs are so trusted and reliable, that we often also find them on the bikes of riders with SRAM groupsets, too.

That’s all we know officially for now. Campagnolo says no comment. But Kamp’s mechanic team seems to be pleased with a genuine back-and-forth R&D relationship, and hints that the overall Super Record Wireless groupset is constantly being refined to withstand the harshest conditions cyclocross can throw at it!

More on Ryan Kamp’s unique Colnago G3-X bike and Campy Super Record groupset for cross racing soon…

Campagnolo.com

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The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships have kicked off in Tábor, Czechia and we already have a World Champ Pro Bike Check with U19 European Champion Aubin Sparfel winning the sprint for Mixed Team Relay gold on his custom-painted Decathlon x Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike. With a young mix of riders the French team edged out Great Britain to take the first World Championship race win as Junior racer Sparfel outsprinted Elite racer Cameron Mason on the fast paved finishing straight.

An exciting end to the first race for rainbow stripes of the weekend!

Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike by Decathlon

Aubin Sparfel is racing on the second generation Van Rysel RCX Pro carbon cyclocross bike, launched by outdoor goods superstore Decathlon late last year. And you can buy it directly from your local big box retailer with affordable Apex AXS or Force AXS builds.

He took the European U19 (Junior) win back in November, so there was plenty of time to get him a custom EU Champ paint job before representing his nation at the World Championships. It’s a subtle update to the standard black team-edition bike, but really makes it stand out.

While we love to drool over premium superbikes at pro races, it’s refreshing to see something a bit more affordable on the top step of the podium. Complete builds of this bike are sold from just 2500€ complete with a wireless groupset. Wow!

Since the Mixed Team Relay is made up of a mix of men & women from multiple teams and multiple age categories, not all of the French racers were on the same bike as Sparfel. But a few of his fellow AG2R Decathlon teammates also race on the Van Rysel RCX Pro cross bike.

As if the white, and blue & stars don’t give it away, Sparfel’s RCX Pro gets his name on the top tube to keep it straight. We only spotted one with the EU Champ paint scheme, and this is bike #1.

Junior Pro bike build

His bike is built up with a well-worn Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, and XTR pedals.

Tires are the long-proven 33mm Dugast Rhino tubulars that you’ll see on many bikes for this slippery muddy course, glued up to some mid-depth aero Swiss Side carbon wheels. The cockpit comes straight from the road with a Deda Elementi Superzero RS carbon bar & stem.

A closer look at the headtube of the RCX Pro reveals a bit of sparkle in the custom EU champ paint. Not much sun is forecasted for the weekend of racing, so it’s not likely to shine much more than this.

Junior racers might not always get the newest kit, but Sparfel’s Di2 levers seem to work well, with some battle scars.

Clean, ready & waiting for one lap of the Mixed Team Relay on Friday afternoon.

Getting the Van Rysel RCX Pro muddy

In the relay format, Aubin Sparfel was the last of his national team to race. And he had just one lap to get his Van Rysel RCX Pro cyclocross bike muddy. But the bike has plenty of mud clearance – officially 10mm of clearance around a 33mm cross tire. Van Rysel calls it “Mud Proof Certified”.

The hi-mod carbon frame from Decathlon served Sparfel well for his one lap. And it delivered on its stiffness promise as the 17-year-old outsprinted the UK’s Elite Men’s racer down the long asphalt finishing straight on the Tábor track.

UCI CX Relay Rainbows for the French Federation

So that’s it. The 2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships is underway, and the French have claimed the first set of rainbow jerseys. We’ll be here all weekend, scoping out cool custom bikes, and maybe a few prototypes!

The post Pro Bike Check: Decathlon x Van Rysel RCX Pro Helps French Team Land Rainbow Jerseys appeared first on Bikerumor.

The French accessory powerhouse Ekoi is developing a new aero-top-of-the-line road pedal. If you follow the French continental team Nice Métropole (you should), you’ll notice some pretty large clipless pedals on their rides.

Ekoi PW8 — What is it?

The piece catching everyone off guard is the size of the platform of this new design. If you look at some of the photos posted on their Instagram account, it’s obvious. The pedal length compared to the crank arm is telling; this is a long, lean pedal.

The French cycling outlet LeCycle.fr first broke the news, reporting that the new Ekoi PW8 pedal will offer a modern twist to the road clipless pedal. The pedal may cover more surface area while also offering a thinner stack height.

From the picture above, it looks as if the ‘cleat’ may extend all the way to the edge of the shoe around the toe, with the pedal then recessed inside it when clipped in. That could result in a more aerodynamic connection between the pedal and shoe. It also could create a more walkable platform on the bottom of your shoes.

A New Standard?

If that is the case, it seems likely this system could require a new mounting system, though it’s possible it could be added to a shoe around the traditional 3-bolt interface currently used by most pedals. We’re guessing that’s where the new Ekoi road shoes come into play.

We contacted Ekoi for comment but all they would divulge at this time is that the pedal is currently being tested with various teams. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching the Nice Métropole Team, Burgos-BH Team, or the Ekoi website.

Update:

As reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine and many others, it seems the UCI has already banned the Ekoi pedals from use in competition – at least for now. Apparently, even though the proper paperwork for prototype use in competition had been filed, it hasn’t been approved yet by the UCI. So even though they had already used the pedals in one stage, the UCI made the team scramble to find replacement shoes just before the race started thanks to their last-minute decision.

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If you haven’t watched the men’s elite US cyclocross national championship in Louisville, do yourself a favor and check it out now — we’ll wait. Full contact racing and a fight for every feature, that’s what national championship racing is all about. There were crashes, mechanicals, sharp elbows, and lots of power. Ultimately, on-lookers were treated to an inspiring ride by the Pan-American champ (now current US National champ) Eric Brunner (WTB/Pivot Endurance).

We caught up with Eric and his team before the race and discussed his Pivot Vault, tire selection, and the changing course conditions.

The Race

When the lights turned green — the riders charged the slight uphill start straight, battling to be first to the stairs. Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) took the hole shot and quickly distanced himself from the field, with Brunner’s teammate Scott Funston (WTB/Pivot Endurance) on his wheel. After the first lap, the duo was joined by defending champion Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation) and former national champion Eric Brunner.

The select group traded blows at the front while jockeying for position into features. On lap three, Brunner and Strohmeyer connect after the barriers, fighting for the lead. What looked like a small bump turned into something more. Sending Brunners Di2 derailleur into crash mode and sticking him in high gear on a muddy, challenging course. The same thing would happen a few minutes later. Causing Brunner to dismount and troubleshoot the problem far from pit two. The later crash mode incident would cause Brunner to lose touch with the lead group. Eventually drifting into 6th place behind Kerry Werner (Bikeflights p/b Kona Adventure Team).

The ensuing laps would see Funston and Strohmeyer duke it out, with Brunner a seeming afterthought. After a pit, however, Brunner rode himself back through the field, surmounting a considerable gap. Throughout the next four laps, Brunner caught and passed Strohmeyer displaying his maturity and perseverance. In the end, Brunner finished 9 seconds in front of Strohmeyer and 28 seconds in front of his teammate Funston.

Brunner pointed to the sky while crossing the line, dedicating his win to Magnus White. White was killed by a reckless driver while training in the lead-up to the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow.

Brunner started the 2023 season early. Racing the LifeTime Grand Prix and partnering with Pivot and WTB on a new endurance-focused team. Brunner would pilot the Pivot Vault for most gravel races and the 2023 cyclocross season.

The Pivot Vault leans towards gravel, sporting dropped seat stays and a vibration-damping seat tube, but it is (clearly) capable on the cross course. Brunner’s team commented on the seatpost damper as an excellent tool for long-distance gravel racing but not a deciding factor for cyclocross.

Brunner’s Pivot Vault is decked out with a full Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed Di2. Brunner rides a traditional 46/39 double gearing in the front and 11-34 in the rear.

Bunner has run a double for many years, and the setup is similar to his custom Blue Cycles (featured here).

The FSA/Vision cockpit is aero and tight. The fit works well with Brunner’s riding style and position on the bike. Brunner rolls the Vision Metron 4D aero bars and a FSA SLK 120mm stem. Like the groupset, Brunner’s team rolls on Shimano Dura-Ace tubular wheels with whatever tire best fits the course.

Since WTB sponsors the team and does not produce a ‘cross-tubular, Brunner is free to choose the best. The saddle, however, is all WTB, and like most road-focused WTB athletes, Brunner rolls on the WTB Gravelier. The front is narrow with lots of thigh glide room, and would be easy for on/off the bike ‘cross work.

For our photos and the race, the team chose Dugast Rhino 33mm tires (one of our favorites). The Rhino has a fast-rolling center tread and side knobs that grip well in off-camber terrain. Besides the grip, the Rhino clears mud quickly. With a fair amount of pavement on the Louiseville course, the Dugast Rhino was an excellent tire choice. As for what’s next; Brunner will head back to home base in Colorado and prep for his lead-up to Worlds later in the new year.

Eric Brunner’s Nationals Winning Pivot Vault

• Frame/Fork: Pivot Vault
• Bar: Vision Metron 4D 40
• Stem: FSA SL-K 120mm
• Shifter/Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200
• Rear Derailleur: Dura-Ace Di2 Rear Derailleur SHADOW RD 12-speed
• Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace 170 46/39
• Cassette: Dura-Ace 11-34T
• Rotors: Dura-Ace 140
• Pedals: Shimano XTR
• Wheels: Dura-Ace
• Tires: Dugast Rhino 33 Storm Compound
• Saddle: WTB Gravelier
• Seatpost: FSA K-Force Light 27.2

For more info on Eric and his cyclocross program, check out WTB-Pivot-Endurance

The post CX National Championship Winning Bike: Eric Brunner’s Pivot Vault appeared first on Bikerumor.

Dubbed The Ribble Edit, the UK consumer-direct bike maker put together a unique 5 bike collection for this year’s Rouleur Live show, headlined by a subtle silver all-road bike prototype crafted of 3d-printed titanium. The 4 customized bikes and 1 all-new prototype all-road bike are meant to celebrate “the brand’s heritage craftsmanship, innovation and design“.

Ribble Allroad Ti Prototype all-road & gravel bike

The most interesting of the 5 to us is this prototype Ribble Allroad Ti. Built up with a 3al/2.5v titanium tubeset, it’s the seamless headtube and seat cluster that piqued our attention to details. Using 3D-printed titanium, Ribble creates the smooth look of an aero carbon bike. But with all those lovely benefits of building with ti. Durability, a road buzz-eating smooth ride, and the beauty of a raw metal finish.

Ribble prototype carbon cockpit, too

Besides aerodynamics, additive manufacturing also let Ribble integrate fully internal cable routing and a built-in hidden integrated seat clamp.

“Furthermore, it provides the freedom to create shapes with a high strength to weight ratio coping with more multi directional loads as well as allowing you to put material exactly where you want it to deal with specific stresses as opposed to taking material away in a more traditional format like CNC milling where you cannot always access the small areas like a 3D printer can.“

Finishing off the ti all-road bike and its full carbon fork are a couple more Ribble prototypes in the cockpit. Ribble created a dramatically-shaped RS-2 Prototype stem & UB-2 Prototype carbon aero handlebar that mix aerodynamics with ergonomic comfort. And retain full cockpit adjustability.

The ti frame gets an etched-in headtube logo, and a brushed finish. While all the carbon parts get painted in speckled Ice Marble.

The Allroad Ti Prototype all-road bike build features a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset paired to 4-piston Hope RX4+ calipers & floating rotors for extra stopping power. Purple ano Hope RD40 Carbon wheels on Pro5 hubs hang a set of 35mm fast gravel Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H tires with classic tanwalls.

As for the other 4 bikes in The Edit, check out the:

Ribble x Vic Lee – The Vic Lee E

This is probably the most visually impressive of the bunch. A collaboration project with graphic artist or “inkist” Vic Lee, this hand-painted city bike is actually a stealthy commuter ebike. The Vic Lee E itself is everything but stealthy overall.

But with all the dazzling hand drawing over the muted pink frameset… It is easy to overlook the Mahle X35 hub motor out back.

The graphics take their inspiration from “a bike ride from the brand’s original store in Preston on Watery Lane on the banks of the River Ribble to the Rouleur Live venue at the Truman Brewery in London. The journey visually expresses the joy and freedom of cycling and interweaves the narrative with the cities, iconic locations, tow paths and twisting roads down to Shoreditch.”

This alloy ebike gets a full carbon fork. And it tops off an FSA KFX SiC integrated carbon flat bar cockpit with a Mahle ebike controls computer. A SRAM Red AXS XPLR groupset combines with a Hope RX crankset, MTB shifter & Hope Tech 4/X2 brakes.

To battle city streets, it gets Mavic Cosmic SL45 carbon wheels with that hub motor laced in. And then topped off with fat 42mm Pirelli Angel GT Urban slick tires.

Ribble Endurance SL R Superlight Edition

A more subtle build is this carbon Endurance SL R road bike built to break the UCI’s weight limit. Coming in at just 6.6kg complete, the Endurance Superlight pares back to the carbon for its frame. But it lets color pop with a “Purple Haze” metallic paintjob for the fork, cockpit, seatpost, and the frame logos.

A premium build kit gets the complete bike weight down. A wireless Shimano Dura Ace Di2 group, THM Clavicula crankset, unpadded Selle Italia SLR Boost SuperFlow Tekno saddle. And then Mavic Cosmic Ultimate Disc wheels with 26mm Pirelli P Zero Race SL TLR tires.

Ribble Ultra SL R Forces Edition

Back with some flash, it this WWII Spitfire-inspired Forces Edition build of Ribble’s Ultra SL R aero road bike. An RAF roundel over the green fuselage is complimented with Allied fork stripes. All created to “coincide with the launch of the Royal British legion’s London Poppy Day on the 2nd Nov” when these bikes debuted last night.

“The Forces Edition features an authorised one-off Royal British Legion logo adorned Kapz Titanium Top Cap to seal the brands union.”

Ribble finished off the monocoque carbon aero road frameset with a SRAM Red AXS Aero 1x groupset and CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero System derailleur upgrade. Then, Zipp 454 NSW carbon wheels, and 30mm Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tires for fast everyday riding.

Ribble Gravel SL Hero Stone Collection World’s Edition

Lastly, Ribble actually created this Hero Stone Collection Edition gravel bike as 1 of 4 for Ribble riders to compete at this year’s Gravel World Championships in Veneto, Italy. Ribble rider Metheven Bond raced this aero carbon Gravel SL. It comes straight from Gravel Worlds. There’s still plenty of Italian gravel dust left on it – topping off what was already a hand-painted faux marble finish.

Interesting standout kit on this gravel pro race bike includes wide for Gravel Worlds 43mm Panaracer GravelKing SK+ tires on Zipp 303s wheels. Plus, a dirty Shimano GRX Di2 1x 11-speed group with an elliptical 46T Rotor Qrings chainring.

RibbleCycles.co.uk

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With a name like Cyber Cycles, the strong retro theme is a little surprising from this new made-in-Germany component maker. But while Cyber Cranks and Cross Blade forks undeniably harken back to the early days of mountain bikes, both combine modern modular tech and performance in that good old retro styling. Build up a rigid dropbar mountain bike (or a gravel bike as we tend to call them these days) and Cyber will have your cranks, forks, and even stems covered…

Cyber Cranks modern modular tubular steel bicycle cranksets

It’s been a while since I rode a mountain bike with tubular steel cranks – maybe 20 years or so? But we got a sneak peek last summer that Cyber was bringing sexy back. On a steel Sour Bad Granny belt-drive MTB singlespeed.

Now this year, Cyber Cycles has since rolled out 4 versions of their tubular steel Cyber Cranks. Each is welded in Germany from tubular steel. A classic no-nonsense crankset to finish off you custom commuter, gravel, trail, all-mountain, or enduro mountain bike.

Tech details

The Cyber Cranks are designed and fabricated in the middle of Germany, welded by life-long Italian framebuilder Stefano Agresti. Made of custom cold-drawn US-made air-hardened steel, Cyber cranks feature a standard SRAM 3-bolt direct mount interface for 1x chainrings. Or there’s optional machined alloy 110BCD spiders for 1x or 2x setups. The standard cranks use an integrated 24mm (Shimano Hollowtech 2 BB compatible) spindle. But this summer, Cyber also added a ST square taper version that you can use with old style bottom brackets.

Cyber Cranks are independently lab tested for strength and durability. But the cranks are NOT rated for DH or BMX, and have a rider weight limit of 110kg for their specific discipline.

Cyber Cranks – Pricing, Options & Availability

Cyber Cranks retain for 469€, without a chainring or bottom bracket. Lengths are available in 5mm steps from 160-180mm (and maybe outside of that range if you ask nicely.) Cyber also offers them in several standard finishes. Raw to see the underlying steel as it changes color when welded, but will continue to oxidize with time. Extra Raw which is more like a matte gun metal black look stat still reveals a bit of warm steel hues below. Matte nickel plated for a warm durable almost titanium-like look. Matte chrome-plated for a bit more shiny silver style. And gloss white or gloss black for 90s MTB bling.

Then, you can from 4 options depending on your bike and how you ride:

The Cyber Cranks GR are the lightest and narrowest for gravel (or road) with 156mm Q-factor, 46-52mm chainline, and a claimed weight of 475g. Cyber Cranks OR are the same weight and chainline, but wider at 173mm Q for off-road use. If you go big, pick the Cyber Cranks EN which use thicker, stronger arms with a 174mm Q-factor and 52-58mm chainline and a 520g claimed weight. Lastly are Cyber Cranks ST a good ‘ol square taper crankset that you can use with a conventional bottom bracket on or off road – claimed 460g and 145mm Q & 38-44mm chainline with a 108mm BB.

Cyber Cross Blade forks

Besides, those tubular steel cranks, Cyber Cycles also has a new Cross Blade fork, too. Developed as a modern interpretation of 90s rigid MTB forks, the Cross Blade features a burly CNC-machined alloy crown that clamps either replaceable chromoly steel or titanium legs.

Meant to be a modern alternative to carbon forks for gravel of rigid XC mountain biking, the forks can be built with up to 430mm axle-to-crown lengths depending on what you need. Up top, the machined 7075-T6 aluminum crown clamps to a straight 1 1/8″ Columbus Lite steerer, with replaceable stainless hardware.

Then, you can pick from lighter and more forgiving 1.2mm thick 3/2.5 titanium or heavy-duty 0.9mm thick Columbus CrMo legs. Down below, Cyber bonds machined 7075 dropouts onto each leg and connect with a 12or 15mm x100mm DT Swiss thru-axle and flat mount 160mm disc brake tabs.

Internal able routing is possible through the fork leg with 3D-printed guides. And there’s even the possibility to store a mini-pump inside the right fork leg. Officially the new Cyber Cross Blade forks are not yet for sale – still in a development and testing phase. But we saw an early supporter head away from the Bespoked show last week with a duplicate Agresti bike to this one below, ready to ride. Official availability is slated for next month.

MTB & Gravel Bike Stems, too

Finishing out the modern retro kit, Cyber also has a few custom steel stems, too. A series of 190€ Roller Stems for either threadless or quill steerers feature an integrated cable stop and roller under the stem for canti brake routing.

Or the 199€ Crypto stem, like on this bike, offers sleek old school MTB quill stem looks with the stealthy convenient clamping of a modern threadless stem

Remember how we all keep talking about how modern gravel bikes are just rigid dropbar mountain bikes from the 1990s? Yeah, Cyber Cycles gets it! And make it by hand in Germany.

CyberCycles.de

The post Cyber Cranks Out Tubular Steel Cranksets in Germany, Retro MTB Gravel Forks & Stems appeared first on Bikerumor.

Modern steel road bikes really don’t get much prettier and more well put together than Repete Cycles’ all new R3: Reason. This third generation road bike from the Czech framebuilder is a beautiful example of classic road bike looks updated with some of the cleanest integration and internal cable routing we’ve ever seen…

Repete R3: Reason neatly integrated modern steel road bike

A classic trope of perfected minimalism is that a design is complete when there is no unnecessary feature and detail that could be removed. Looking at the new Repete R3: Reason, this road bike is so smooth and sleek. There are clearly no extraneous details remaining.

We’ve been following Repete since their first road bikes built in Prague back almost a decade ago. But they’d really stepped up their game around 2019. That’s when we got a sneak peek inside their updated workshop of what would become their 2nd generation Reason road & Verne gravel bikes. But now Repete take their design and craftsmanship to the next level with this new generation three R3: Reason integrated road bike.

What’s new?

Compared to the 2nd gen road bike, Repete still welds and brazes the new Repete R3: Reason Prague, from top-tier lightweight Columbus Spirit HSS double-butted steel tubing. But now, fully integrated. Cables completely disappear. The seatpost clamp gets hidden away. A new removable CNC-machined braze-on front derailleur clamp makes 1x, 2x & Di2 setups sleeker than ever. And even the water bottle bolt braze-ons are so low-profile that they blend into the tubes.

To make the integrated routing and internal 1 1/8″ to 1.5″ tapered headset solution work, Repete welds a stainless cup for the upper bearing of the headset directly onto the top of the tapered Columbus headtube to create that multi-curve hourglass shape without losing the strength of the originally-drawn tube. It’s quite a bit more work that simply machining such a headtube, but Repete assures us it’s worth the hassle.

The seatpost clamp is a special treat. It utilizes a 3d-printed stainless steel element at the top of each of the seatstays that flows neatly into the back of the cut-away seattube. Then a stainless steel bolt tightens from the non-driveside to replaceable hardware tucked away inside. It’s such a clean modern adaptation of an integrated clamping concept you could find on classic steel bikes for decades.

Oh, and at the same time, Repete gives the R3: Reason more tire clearance to take on rougher roads. Now there’s room for up to 35mm tires. While at the same time, they shave a couple millimeters off the already short chainstays.

Tech Details & Geometry

The Repete R3: Reason is a performance road bike handbuilt in the Czech Republic from the best steel available. It features fully hidden internal cable routing. And it’s compatible with electronic shifting groupsets only – either 1x or 2x. Repete calls it the perfect blend of “rigidity, durability and truly unique comfort“. All with classic good looks and modern functionality.

The Reason features a threaded T47 bottom bracket, flat mount disc brakes, a stainless dropouts for 12mm thru-axles, a polished stainless chain hanger inside the seatstay, and a classic 27.2mm seatpost for comfort & style.

Repete R3: Reason – Pricing, options & availability

Repete sells the new Reason frameset for 5600€, available in 6 stock frame sizes (50-60cm). For that you get the frame and a full carbon ENVE Road In-Route fork painted to match in the RAL color of your choice, plus all the regular hardware. Frameset lead-time is approximately 10 weeks.

Integrated routing headset & stem are apparently extra. Repete will also build you up a complete Reason road bike with the component spec of your choice. Or you can get a frame and build it up through one of their retailers.

Must Watch: Inside the Foundry

On a side note – well they are a part of the new bike too – we haven’t shared this video before. But it’s great. Repete has the stainless steel dropouts of the Reason and the Verne, investment cast locally in the Czech Republic – about an hour from their workshop. For Repete, custom cast dropouts were core element of a proper handmade bicycle frame. And a bit of a symbol of success. So, they worked hard to make it happen. And then, they documented the process of development. So, they take us all along for the ride, all the way inside the foundry to the actual casting.

Enjoy.

Repete.cc

The post Repete’s New R3: Reason is the Cleanest Modern Steel Road Bike You’ve Ever Met appeared first on Bikerumor.

Slovenian road pro Matej Mohorič won the UCI Gravel World Championships on Sunday aboard an unreleased, but not very hidden Merida Silex gravel race bike. We caught up with him an evening after the race in Italy for an up-close look at the new Merida gravel bike. And a quick chat a bit about why he chose a proper gravel bike over some to the endurance road bikes you’d find in the gravel peloton. And what spares he carried in case he had a mechanical…

Update: The Pro Bike Check Teaser of Matej Mohorič’s Gravel World Championship-winning unreleased Merida Silex is now an official Pro Bike Check of the all-new 2024 Merida Silex carbon gravel bike. Read on for his actual race bike weight. Then, click through for the full launch story details on the new bike!

2023 Gravel World Champion Matej Mohorič’s unreleased Merida Silex

As is almost de rigeur for pro UCI gravel race winners these days, Matej Mohorič is first and foremost known as a pro road cyclist, racing for Bahrain Victorious. Over the last few years he’s won stages in all three of the Grand Tours, plus Milan-San Remo last year. But speaking to him, it seems Mohorič is very much an off-road rider at heart. And he was pretty excited for the opportunity to put his road racing chops to the test on gravel.

With that said though, the Gravel World Championships was his last planned race of the season. And he really didn’t expect to be fighting for the win. Mohorič said he went into his first Gravel Worlds just hoping to have a good day on the bike and finish near the front.

What about this new bike?

The trick here was that Merida had a new bike in the works. And he jumped at the chance to try it out.

Merida has released the full details just yet on the new bike. But the custom team paint job pretty obviously shouts that this is the replacement for their existing Silex. While that versatile gravel bike seems to have been quite successful for Merida over the past 6 years, its tall headtube looks were pretty divisive for anyone looking for a performance-focused bike.

What apparently convinced Mohorič to race this unreleased Silex vs. Merida’s fast gravel endurance all-road bike, or even the same Reacto that his ex-teammate Sonny Colbrelli rode to a muddy Paris-Roubaix win in 2021, was the long-wheelbase stability of the Silex.

What’s new on the bike looks like pretty much everything at first glance.

But apparently, even through details like subtly more aero tube shaping, an integrated seatclamp, full internal cable routing, and dropped chainstays… the character of this upcoming Silex reboot was still about versatility. Not just racing.

Apparently, this is not really a gravel race bike. Luckily nobody told Matej Mohorič that.

Pro roadie gravel bike setup

The first hint that this is a pro road racer’s setup of what might be an average Joe’s gravel bike is that incredibly long FSA stem. And that fact that the stem was slammed.

At first, I thought Mohorič subscribed to the weird ‘turn your levers in’ crowd on his 40cm wide bars.

But in reality, he just had a crash in the last few kms of the race when he was sprinting off the front for the win. And he couldn’t be bothered to try to mess with it when the brakes and shifting still worked and he had hungry racers closing in behind him.

How did Matej Mohorič customize his Gravel Worlds setup?

I had a chance to chat with Matej, and much of his bike setup came down to the last minute. And literally building up the frameset with whatever road components the team had lying around their service course at the end of the road race season. In fact, his team mechanics got this Silex prototype ready just in the last week for him. They didn’t even have time to round up a Dura-Ace powermeter crankset. So, Matej raced Gravel Worlds just based on his heartrate.

Onboard gravel flat repair kit

Interestingly though, while most road pros are used to being followed by team cars with spare bikes and capable mechanics, Matej told us how he wanted to be more self-sufficient racing gravel. Of course, if he got a flat he wouldn’t likely get super fast mechanical support anyway.

So, in his bar ends were Muc-Off’s Stealth Tubeless Puncture Plug tire repair kit. With the clear silicone protective covers still in place. And Matej was quick to show how the removable QR axle tool he carried in his pocket could pull the serrated knife or plug tool out in a moment to fix a flat. Clearly, he knew what he was doing to enact a fast fix if needed.

Under his saddle was also a small saddlebag with a few CO2 canisters, a Muc-Off inflator and a small bottle of Stan’s tubeless sealant. Matej figured if he got a flat that he had to repair quickly on the roadside, he could squeeze in some extra sealant, stab a tire plug in, and blast some air back into it before the team cars would ever make their way to him.

In the end, he had no mechanicals for the entire race thanks to smooth riding and great luck. That ultimately helped him distance the competition. But he was clearly prepared more than we’re used to seeing from pro road riders.

Compact road gearing for gravel racing

Back to the ‘run what you brung mentality and a road bike build, his Gravel World Championship-winning Silex prototype was built up with a pretty straight-forward Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset with compact 50/34T gearing and an 11-34T cassette. No fancy gravel gearing required. But also plenty of speed from a road compact setup, even for elite professional racing.

A closer look at the non-driveside of the unreleased next-gen Silex reveals a good ‘ol threaded bottom bracket. And there dramatically dropped chainstays (under all the Italian gravel dust) to provide ample tire clearance and 2x chainring compatibility.

I also not unsurprisingly that Mohorič was racing gravel on road pedals. If you go fast enough, and never put your foot down, who needs walkable pedals, anyway!

There’s nothing much more pro than a ludicrously long stem, with race notes taped on top.

Matej raced with this 140mm long FSA ACR stem with all of his cables hidden inside. And his team marked out where in the race they’d be standing roadside for a bottle hand-up, plus the one feed area where he’d get a musette full of snacks, too.

Actual gravel components too!

About the only real dedicated gravel component outside of the unreleased Silex bike itself, were the tires.

Mohorič raced on a set of 40mm Continental Terra Speed tubeless tires. Presumably with Stan’s NoTubes inside, based on the spare bottle he was carrying in his saddlebag. And inside were some lightweight tire liner inserts. Mohorič didn’t know which ones they were. or even what color they were, as I tried to see if he might clue us in.

But he wanted the added security in case he flatted, since he was running the very lightweight carbon Vision Metron SL road wheels.

As a nearly last-minute build to be ready to race Gravel Worlds on the new frame, pretty much everything else on the bike except the tires is straight out of the Bahrain Victorious road service course, including these Dura-Ace brakes with 160mm rotors.

Of note, Matej raced with one of Merida’s removable QR axle levers in his pocket as it includes a 4mm/6mm Allen key for quick bolt tightening. But also a second one already installed on the rear axle to speed up a wheel change if needed. That rear one wasn’t in a very aero position either, based on the dust that accumulated during the race.

Doesn’t seem to have slowed him down much.

What’s next for Mohorič as new Gravel World Champ and with a new Silex coming soon?

The 2023 Gravel Worlds title wasn’t Matej Mohorič’s first rainbow stripes. He won Junior Road Worlds in 2012 & U23 Road Worlds in 2013. But both of those times he moved up in the ranks the season after he won those gold medals. So he never got to compete in a rainbow jersey. Now Mohorič says he won’t miss that opportunity again. And he will ride “at least 2 or 3 or 4 or maybe 12” gravel races next season to make sure he gets to show off a new rainbow kit.

And he seems pretty happy with the new bike. He even talked about what he would change with his race setup… Maybe a 2cm shorter stem. But with some negative rise to get the bars a bit lower. But that’s about it. And has already mentioned that he can’t wait until he gets one with a rainbow-themed paint job!

Coming soon… Here now!

Update: Yes, this is a new 2024 Merida Silex gravel bike

Yes, we can now officially confirm that this is the all-new carbon Merida Silex gravel bike. No, it’s not a gravel race-specific bike. It’s more of an all-rounder. In fact, it’s also a pretty solid bikepacking bike too. It’s also not crazy lightweight. Read our launch story coverage for the full details now.

With a roughly 1200g frame & 540g fork, Mohorič’s race bike weighed in at a real 9.33kg complete on our scale.

That’s with his very road-oriented build as outline above with pedals. And with spares under his saddle, tubeless tools in his bar ends, liners in his tubeless tires, and an empty bidon in his bottle cage. Still, 800g lighter than my Silex 7000 test bike with mechanical GRX and alloy wheels.

I’m sure Mohorič raced against plenty of lighter and more aero bikes at Gravel Worlds. But it seems that the bike’s stability combined with his fitness, bike handling & race tactics worked out quite well in the end!

Merida-bikes.com

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