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aeroe's rear rack is an incredibly elegant piece of engineering. It's stable, good-looking and perfect for any adventure. But here's the thing: not every ride is an adventure, and not everyone has multiple bikes to use for various different purposes. That's why aeroe has adapted their Spider Rear Rack into the Spider Pannier Rack, for those trips that are a little less adventure, and a little more necessity.  That doesn't mean you can't go off-road with the pannier rack, mind you, as the below video demonstrates. The best part is that it's designed to be compatible with any panniers on the market, so you can take any you already have and just clip them straight on. You also dont have to buy a whole new rack if you're using the current Spider Rear Rack, as the receiver on the top simply swaps out so you can leave the rack in place and switch between that and the cradles for the aeroe dry bags. It really is one system for both send and sensible.  If you don't believe

Riding outside all winter is the dream. No matter how good indoor riding gets it just can't compare to the fun you have riding in the real world. That's especially true for off-road riding where  95% of the fun doesn't come from the actual pedalling, but from navigating the terrain.  But to stay outside for as much of Autumn and Winter as possible, you're going to need kit that'll keep you warm and dry. Warm is the easier of the two as that can be achieved through layering but dry require quality kit that actually keeps the water out properly, not stuff that 'keeps water out as long as it's not raining that much and doesn't keep up for more than about 20mins'.  Madison Clothing's DTE collection (which you wont be surprised to find out after reading the headline stands for Defy the Elements) aims to help keep you riding outside for as long as you want. The main pieces - bib trousers, pants and 3-layer waterproof jacket - are serious, heavy duty items of clothing

Call it ambient, atmospheric, ASMR or anything else you fancy, there's no doubt that videos of 'stuff just happening' are very popular right now. Maybe it's because life is so busy that sitting back and watching something relaxing is really fulfilling, or maybe it's just fun to watch interesting things. Probably best not to psychoanalyze it.  No matter what the motivation for watchers, DT Swiss is in on the action with a series of seven short videos that shows how their spokes are produced on the incredible machines in their factory. Each individual video is only around 16secs long, but we just can't stop watching them. They're pretty mesmerising and we've been watching them all morning here, especially the one with the machine that forms the J-bend heads onto the spokes, that's our favourite (video number 5, if you're interested).  DT Swiss is one of the very few wheel manufacturers that make everything in house, from rims to spokes, hub shells, internals - every

As a bike rider or commuter in winter, there are a few things that just make your heart sink. One is rain, because nothing makes the cold less pleasant quite like getting wet. Another is punctures, because getting cold and wet is one thing but then having to change a tube really is insult on top of injury. The third is getting ready for your ride home only to find that your lights dont have enough charge, thus begins the classic game of 'front light chicken' where they may or may not have enough juice left, so it becomes your legs versus the light battery to see which fails first.  What we're trying to say is that a quality front light is an absolutely essential piece of kit for anyone who intends to ride in poor light conditions, whether that be early morning/late evening rides during Spring and Summer, or basically any time of day in the UK in Autumn or Winter.  Coming in 600, 900 or 1300-lumen varieties, the real beauty of the Blinder Pro is the battery technology

Hydraulic disc brakes are one of the best things to have become widespread on bicycles in the last decade. They're powerful, have great feel and require very little maintenance when setup correctly due to being a sealed system. Setting up hydraulic brakes is called bleeding, and it's the process by which you remove air from the system. The reason you need to do this is that air is compressable while hydraulic fluid is pretty much the opposite, so the more air there is in the brake system the more inconsistent and 'spongy' your brakes will feel.  The trouble is, bleeding is often seen as a one-size-fits-all solution to almost any problems you might have with your hydraulic brakes. But in reality there are only certain situations that you need to bleed the brakes, while other symptoms will actually require other remedies (like changing the pads, for example). In the below video Truman and Calvin from Park Tool talk you through 5 things that mean you need a brake bleed and five

If you're building your own bike, one of the nicest parts is figuring out all the little things that will really make the build. Sure, the frame, wheels and groupset are the glamour items, but the smaller bits like bottom bracket, derailleur hanger, thru axles, top cap and seat clamp are the parts that turn a good build into a great one. One brand that's earned an excellent reputation by making just these sorts of things is Wheels Manufacturing (or Wheels MFG) who made their name by making top notch bottom brackets and a huge catalogue of mech hangers to fit almost any bike. Oh, and possibly the best-looking bearing presses that money can buy. That's not all they do, though, and one of their latest creations is a variety of beautifully machined thru axles that will make any bike look that little bit better.  Almost all disc brake frames

There are multiple ways to cope with internal routing. The first way is to buy a bike that doesn't have anything routed internally, which immediately solves the problem but bikes like that are becoming increasingly difficult to find so might be more effort than it's worth. Second is to come up with some kind of home-made fix to get those wires, cables or hoses through the frame. Again, absolutely nothing wrong with this one (and we've done it ourselves in the past) but it generally requires a fair amount of trial and error, and if you need to route a bike more than once a year you're definitely going to want something a little less frustrating. Which brings us onto option three: the Park Tool IR-1.3. The 'IR' in the name stands for internal routing, and the '1.3' signifies that it's the third version of the tool, one with a few very helpful upgrades over the previous (called the IR-1.2 would you believe).  The first new addition for the IR-1.3 is a connector for Shimano's EW-SD300

New groupset day is our favourite day, and last week Shimano lifted the lid on their latest GRX groupsets. With multiple different configurations over two levels (800 series and 600 series), GRX is one of the most versatile groupsets around and has options to cater for almost any kind of off-road or all-road riding you can think of. For an in-depth dive into the new groupsets, you can head over to Cyclist or BikeRadar who have had their hands on the new components for a while, or read on below for a top-line run down of what's available.  First of the new GRX groupsets

Back to school is right around the corner, and what better way to start the day than riding your bike? Knowing that thousands of kids nationwide will be taking to two wheels at the start of September, Nutrak has a fantastic range of kids' tyres that are tailored to suit young cyclists' needs. With three distinct tread patterns and sizes ranging from 12 to 26”, these tyres offer a fantastic blend of performance and safety, ensuring an enjoyable riding experience for kids of all ages. For the adventurous souls who crave off-road exploration, the Meteor off-road tyre is the perfect choice. Its rugged tread design offers superior traction on uneven surfaces, making it an excellent companion for young explorers who love venturing into the wild. On the other hand, the Asteroid semi-slick tyre strikes a balance between on-road efficiency and off-road capability. With its versatile tread pattern, it provides confident grip on both smooth surfaces and light trails, making it an i

If you think protein is just for weight-chucking, gym-loving strength athletes then think again. While protein - and, we can't stress enough, nurition in general - is a vital component of weight training programmes, it's just as important for endurance athletes but for a slightly different purpose. While weight lifters use protein to fuel muscle growth (aka trying to make muscles larger and stronger), endurance athletes also need protein to aid muscle recovery after training and a similarly important role in energy supply and muscle maintenance.  Basically, after around 90mins of endurance exercise the body's glycogen stores are depleted and it looks for other ways to supply energy. One of the first things the body looks to do is called gluconeogenesis which is in this context (in a wildly oversimplified and unscientific explanation) basically the breakdown of your muscles to supply that energy. Having a good quality protein source supplies the body with the amino acids that

People have been using bikes to carry things for almost as long as bikes have been around. Bikepacking also isn't new, it's pretty much just an evolution of what used to be called touring. What has changed significantly, though, is the variety of bikes used for things like bikepacking, the way that racks look and mount and the general vibe of the whole experience. Where racks used to be big, clunky things that allowed you to carry bags but generally made the bike worse, they're now light, sleek and fit in with the aesthetic of a machine that's precision engineered and, generally, quite expensive.  Basically what we're saying is that bike racks dont always mean compromise these days. It's not a case of you can either enjoy the ride experience or carry stuff with you but not both. Right at the forefront of this idea of 'nice racks for nice bikes' sits aeroe, a brand that have taken form and function and blended the two together to make something rather good indeed. 

Organisation is one of those skills that you either have or you dont. If you think that you're 'sort of' organised, it probably means you're not (sorry if that feels like an attack) and while it wont pack itself for you, Thule's RoundTrip kit bag is exactly designed for people who think they might be sort of organised but in reality need a little helping hand.  The best part about the RoundTrip is that even though it's incredibly well organised its 55L capacity means you don't actually have to be all that organised when it comes to what you're taking with you and what you're leaving behind. A bag this large can easily fit 3-5 days' worth of riding kit so there's no problem with taking a few extra bits just in case. The main compartment has an expandable segemented organiser section which is perfect for rolling up jerseys, arm and leg warmers, socks and any other soft goods you want to take with you. There's also a specific compartment for shoes with a tarpaulin liner to make

When you're thinking about upgrading bikes and bike-related kit, it's probably fair to say that upgrading your track pump is probably not the first thing that springs to mind. Which is a bit mad, because as people who have spent years struggling with sub-standard pump heads, and since a pump is something you use more frequently more than almost any other piece of kit, the pump is something that you really, really want to be easy to use.  Pump heads come in all shapes and sizes. Some screw on (not a great idea as they almost always end up unscrewing the valve core when you remove them), some press on with a lever that flicks up to hold it in place, some press on a rely on that seal to keep the air in and very few are practically perfect in every way. The Truflo Track Mate is, happily, in the latter category.  The great thing

Indoor training has changed so much over the last few years. What used to be the domain of only the most committed has evolved into something that - whisper it - might even be called fun. Online training games (okay, Zwift), interactive turbo trainers and an ever-growing array of accessories mean that while indoor riding still isn't quite as fun as being outdoors, it's certainly moulded itself into a genre all of its own.  But there is still one fundamental that makes indoor riding different to the open roads: airflow. When you're out on the bike, the air moving past you helps to cool you down and regulate your body temperature. When you're indoors, you're not moving so the air isn't moving either which means you'll warm up incredibly quickly, and a hot body is not an efficient, performance ready body.  Fans are the solution to this problem. But a standard fan with a few settings that you have to constantly change yourself can be a bit of a pain. That's why Elite

Most of you are probably familar with the idea of a dream build video by this point. Basically, it's a person building a bike with either very calm music in the background or only ambient noise as the soundtrack. Well DT Swiss have taken that idea and built on it with the help of Jean Brun in Switzerland to make a dream wheel build video. It's exactly as it sounds - man builds gravel wheels onto the latest DT Swiss 350 hubs while you sit there and admire both his handiwork and the loveliness of the video in general. It doesn't need much more of an introduction than that, to be honest, so sit back and enjoy. 

Before anyone gets hung up on our use of the term 'saddlebag' this isn't just about neatly organising whatever you hang off your saddle rails. It's about what to take with you in whatever you use to carry spares be that jersey pockets, a hip pack, frame bag, bar bag, hydration pack or any other form of storage short of a team car.  Riding bikes is great, but every now and then - just like with cars - something unfortunate will go wrong and require some kind of on-the-fly repair. Fortunately bikes are much easier to fix by yourself than motor vehicles, and 90% of things can be at least temporarily mended by the road or trail side.  So here we're going to discuss what it might be nice to have with you to cover the greatest variety of potential mid-ride issues from punctures to bolts to chains and back again. Here we go...

Over the years Genesis Bikes have had some fantastic collaborations. We've had all sorts of bikes painted for all sorts of people, but there are a few that really stick out because, well, they're just fantastic. The Genesis Volare 931 we have here is a particularly wonderful example. Painted by the mega talented Colourburn Studios in Bristol, it was dubbed the 'nonconformist' features one of the most incredible paint jobs we've ever seen.  The Volare 931 is, if we do say so ourselves, one incredibly good-looking bike and to take it and make it even more eye-catching isn't an easy task. There's defintely a risk of going over the top on a stainless steel frame and taking away from the natural beauty of the materials, but Colourburn took that canvas and made it into the masterpiece you can see below. Enjoy. 

If you've never watched downhill mountain bike racing, then you've really been missing out. As far as pure excitment goes there's almost nothing better and the terrain the athletes cover - combined with the speeds they're going - is probably the most astonishing in the whole world of bicycle racing.  World Cup downhill returns this coming weekend with the racing in Lenzerheide, Switzerland and the Madison Saracen race team will be in action with Matt Walker and Greg Williamson in the men's elite event. Qualification is on the 9th and the race itself on the 10th. With that in mind, we figured that now is the perfect time to have a look back at some of our favourite Saracen downhill race bikes - called the Myst. Check them out below. 

If there's one man on planet Earth that knows his way around a bike, it's Calvin Jones from Park Tool. More years in the business than he'd care to remember, more bikes built than you could possibly count and still more enthusiasm than almost anyone else we know. This is a slightly different video than the standard fare that Park Tool upload in that it's not directly instructional on any single part of bike building or maintenance. Instead, it's Calvin building a bike and talking his way through it for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy. 

There are a lot of great things about carbon wheels. They're light, they're aerodynamic, they look great and, yep, they make a really cool 'whoosh, whoosh' sound as you ride along. Carbon wheels have been a thing in road cycling for at least two decades now and although the wheels you can get today look ostensibly similar to the ones ridden back then, the technology has been refined over and over again through the years making carbon wheels a practical (and durable) every day choice rather than something you'd only stick in the bike for race days.  The main thing to change in the last couple of years is the move from rim brakes to disc brakes on road bikes. With rim brakes, every time you brake you're wearing the carbon rim away slightly which means that depending on how much you ride there is a a clear and finite lifespan to that wheelset. Not that most of us ride enough for that to be a real concern in the short term, but the beauty of disc brakes is that braking wears the

Ah nostalgia, it's just not what it used to be. Looking back fondly on the past is big business these days - just look at the sheer amount of throwback jerseys available for every sports team ever - and so we figured we'd get in on the action by taking the occasional look at bikes we've loved that are no longer with us (in the range, that is, they haven't all been banished to the big bike shed in the sky). First off is the Genesis Mantle, a carbon XC race bike with the speed to back up those oh-so-tempting looks.   These days, though, unless you're an actual XC racer, the lines between what is an XC bike and what is a gravel bike have blurred together further than ever. It's left pure-bred XC bikes like the Mantle in a difficult position becuase although they're incredible fun to ride they dont have the same on-road/off-road capability that a gravel bike does, and a lot of trail riding in the UK lends itself to something longer, with bounce at both ends like the Saracen

Bike stuff, it's expensive, right? Well, yes and no. Like everything, bike kit ranges from expensive enough to make your eyes water right down to really rather good value for money. The thing is, just like every aspect of consumer life, there's something for everyone at pretty much every conceivable price point. Still though, we're all just trying to get the best we can for the money we have to spend. What that means is you have to look through what's on offer and try to find the real sweet spot when it comes to value. For Lazer and its bike helmets, that's the Strada Kineticore.  The Strada is £89.99. That puts it firmly towards the more affordable end of Lazer's road helmets that peaks with the Vento Kineticore (same helmet used by Jumbo-Visma pro cycling) which comes in at £249.99 and goes all the way down to the Tempo Kineticore at £39.99.  What so great about the Strada? For a sub-£100 helmet it contains a lot of the features that its more expensive counterparts hav

Okay you got us. This isn't really a collaboration, it's more of a combination. But describing it as such makes it sound like two things we really, really, really like - being tan wall tyres and tubeless tyres - have got together to make our riding lives a better place to be, and we like that idea.  In reality, we have the wonderful people at VIttoria to thank for this. Makers of the Worlds Most Beautiful TyresTM , Vittoria have in the past only offered an either/or option when it comes to tan wall or tubeless tyres. As in, you can have tan walls or you can have tubeless but you can't have both. All this changes with the new Corsa Pro, a tyre designed to marry the highest level of performance with the loveliest aesthetics in a potent blend of style and substance.  So, what makes the Corsa Pro so good? Let's start with the 320TPI cotton casing. which now has a 100% seamless transition between casing and tread compound, and this increases suppleness