Off-road riding

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

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...

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. 

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

Of all the bike-related tasks that are both essentially, boring and potentially messy, chain lubrication might be the worst. And maybe the only one too, but that's not the point. Anyway, the perfect way to lube a chain has been a hotly-debated topic for about as long as chains have been a key component of the bicycle (so forever, basically). But what if we told you that someone has developed a cheap, mess-free and very smart way to make sure your chain is clean and lubed thoroughly. Interested? Yeah, us too.  Enter Ryder Innovations, a South African brand with a well-deserved reputation for making very smart cycling solutions at even smarter prices. Dont believe us? Well the product we described above is called the Ryder Luberetta and it costs just £5.99. How does it work? To start, the Luberetta has a 15ml capacity that you

Puncture-proof tyres - that's the dream, right? Well tyre inserts are a relatively recent invention that helps to bring that a little closer to reality. Vittoria's new Air Liner Light is a tyre insert designed for XC, trail and down-country riders to give them that run-flat capability without adding too much weight to the bike.  Working with mechanics and riders from the BMC MTB Racing, Santa Cruz FSA and KTM-Vittoria MTB teams, Air Liner light has been developed to be extremely light and fast while still providing rim protection and run-flat performance.  Just 50 per liner, it's shaped to be a perfect fit with rim channels between 25-30mm wide. That fit means that the insert is always properly fastened to the rim so there's no additional rotating mass moving around inside the tyre.  One other smart of the Air Liner Light is the enhanced suspension characteristics it brings to the bike. Basically, the insert allows for the progressive compression of

The Levarg is a gravel bike, but a gravel bike done the Saracen way. This isn’t one of those road bikes masquerading as a gravel bike, that’ll spend half it’s life with skinny tyres in. This is a bike designed for off-road, with the geometry and spec that’ll turn your mind to trails and adventures rather than tarmac or commuting. The new Levarg comes in three different models: The Levarg, Levarg SL and Levarg FB. All are based around the same Series 2 custom butted and hydroformed 6061 alloy frame and UD carbon fork with 12mm thru axles front and rear. The base model Levarg features a 2X setup in the shape of Shimano’s 10-speed Tiagra shifters paired to GRX400 mechs and mechanical TRP Spyre C brakes.

The Spring weather may not have arrived quite yet, but that hasn't stopped us from getting out on the bike almost every opportunity we have and trying to summon that sunshine with a good old dose of pedalling. The weather has to get better soon, right? But whether it does or not, we've compiled a short list of a few of our favourite products for this time of year. Check them out below. Madison Stealth Glasses Cycling sunglasses are like pretty much everything: they come in cheap, moderate and very expensive varieties. It used to be

Now we're not saying that Free Shift and Auto shift will change your life, but it might very well change the way that you ride your E-Bike. One of the wonderful things about E-Bikes is that they've driven innovation, making things possible that nobody would have thought to try on a 'traditional' bike. Things like a change in the way shifting works and a level of automation that you don't know you need until you've tried it.  So basically there are three shift modes you can now choose from on your Shimano STEPS-equipped E-MTB. The first one is manual shift and it's exactly what you think it is. Standard shifting where you press the shift lever and the gears respond accordingly just like since the dawn of time (ish). On the other hand, Auto Shift is a system that, er, shifts for you automatically so you can keep your mind on the trail ahead. Basically, Auto Shift uses your speed and pre-set preferences (done on the app) to always keep you in the right gear. 

Dynaplug has long been one of our favourite brands here on Freewheel. Tubeless solutions just dont get any better than the many wonderful products from the California-based brand. But their new invention - the Covert - really does take practicality, style and subtlety to a new level. Basically, the Covert is a Dynaplug that fits handily into the ends of your drop-bar bike and lets you carry four plugs in an otherwise fairly useless part of the bike.  How does it work, you ask? Well good question. If you're worried about unravelling that painstakingly-wrapped bar tape, then put that fear aside. The plugs do push in just like a conventional bar-end plug, but instead of pulling them out whenever you want to use them, you instead unscrew the flat end to reveal two hidden Dynaplugs (that's two on each side, so four in total). Struggling to get your head around

Kerry MacPhee is one of those athletes that you just have to sit back and admire. Racing as a pro despite not getting paid to race full-time, you'd never believe it as she goes out and kicks butt week in, week out. She's competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games, won the Three Peaks Cyclocross race and holder of the fastest time to complete the West Highland Way, we couldn't be prouder to have her riding and racing Genesis bikes.  In honour of International Women's Day, we sat down with Kerry and picked her brains about all things cycling-related. Enjoy. 

Bikes need love too. Not in the whispering sweet nothings and romantic dinners sense (although if that's what you're into then we're not here to judge) but more in the 'if you ignore them they wont work very well' sense. All bikes need regular maintenance, but MTBs tend to have a harder life than almost all other types of bike so need to be checked regularly and thoroughly to make sure they're still ready to ride.  One way to do that is to take your bike to your local Shimano Service Center and get them to give it a full check up. But in between those semi-regularly Service Center visits you need to look after your bike at home and that's where this helpful video (below) comes in. Anna Glowinski talks to H+I Adventures lead guide and Shimano trained mechanic Chris Gibbs about what you should do yourself to make sure your bike is in good condition every time you ride. 

Sustainability and going carbon neutral are big topics in aspect every of life now, and Elite is trying to do its part over the next few years by refining its material use and production techniques to eventually become a carbon neutral company.  The first step in that process is new bottles and cages, each of which are made from different materials that make them significantly more eco-friendly - or 'Bio' as Elite calls it - than before.  The Jet is the first bottle to get a new design, and a new name in Jet Green, and moves from being constructed out of biodefgradeable plastic material to being made entirely from a plant-origin bioplastic that comes from sugar cane. That means no more petroleum-based plastic which is far better for the environment and also reduces the amount of CO2 generated in the construction of every 1000 bottles by 160kg.

Here at Freewheel, we're nothing if not relentless. Which is a perfect segue back onto one of our very favourite subjects: tubeless tyres. If you haven't tried tubeless yet then you really should. MTBers have been at it for years and you wont find a single one of them running a tube in a tyre except for in an emergency.  The main worry most people have about tubeless is puncture repair. Sure, tubeless setups can be a bit more of a pain than just sticking a tyre in a tube, but it's really not that hard and once you've done it you wont need to touch it for (hopefully) quite a while, so it's worth it. But punctures obviously represent a bit of a different issue. With a standard tube/tyre setup, you just take out the punctured tube, make sure there's nothing sharp stuck in the tyre, remount and get back riding. With tubeless there isn't a tube to replace, so you need to make sure that the tyre is sealed otherwise any air you add will leak straight out.  The first answer

You might think that dynamo wheels are a pretty niche product - and you'd be right - but if you're the sort of rider who loves a long day out (or a long night out) then they really are an essential bit of kit. If you're not sure what a dynamo wheel is, it's basically a wheel with a hub that generates electricity as you ride, powering your lights so you never need to worry about whether you have enough charge to see you through.  Dynamo wheels/lights are becoming more and more popular for bike packers, tourists and commuters - where that convenience of not needing to charge/change batteries is of huge value.  Plus, with the use of a rectifier, it’s possible to charge phones, battery packs and more during your ride. A modern dynamo lighting setup can achieve an output of up to 800 lumens, making this a great option for many cyclists, even those who fancy a jaunt off-road at night.  If you're thinking that something like this must cost the Earth, then think again.

After a few years where actually getting bikes to sell has been most of the fun for bike brands everywhere, Saracen is back with its 2023 range and it’s a pretty damn good effort if we do say ourselves. Whether you’re a downhill racer, downcountry enthusiast, bike park frequenter or just like getting both wheels off the ground, there’s a bike for you. Ariel The heart of the Ariel is the custom-butted and hydroformed 6013 alloy frame. Developed with the help of World-Cup-winning racer Matt Walker, the Ariel has been tested hard and is ready for whatever you want to throw at it (or throw it at, to be more accurate). The Ariel comes in three different flavours, each designed for a slightly different version of the riding experience. The 30 is our trail-ready, downcountry bike. With a setup that’s built for fun but still has an element of XC bike in its DNA, the 30 wont let you down when a bit of uphill pedalling is required but definitely doesn’t

Here's the thing about kids: they just keep growing. No matter how many times you buy them new clothes, within a few months you're on the hunt for something bigger as they've grown yet again. How inconsiderate. Well it's not just clothes and shoes that kids grow out of, it applies to bike helmets too. It's something that Lazer understands, and the Belgian brand has come up with a scheme to help relieve the pressure of having to buy new bike helmets as your child grows and it's called, appropriately, GrowWith Lazer.  The central idea of GrowWith is pretty simple. You buy a Lazer kids' helmet, you child grows and needs a new helmet, so you get a rebate if you buy another, larger Lazer helmet.  So how does it work exactly? Well anyone in the UK or Ireland who buys a kids' helmet (Lazer Bob+, Max+, PNut Kineticore, Nutz Kineticore, Gekko, Lil' Gekko or J1) from an authorised retailer in the UK or Ireland can apply to Lazer distributor Madison for a £10 rebate if they

Once upon a time, indoor training was seen as a chore. A necessary evil that kept your legs spinning through the winter and was endured rather than enjoyed by pretty much everyone who could bring themselves to suffer through 90mins on a static bike with nothing but the wall in front of you to keep you company (or maybe the TV or whatever, but that ruins the bleak picture we're trying to paint here). Over the last decade though, indoor training has changed out of almost all recognition. Sure, you still attach your bike to an indoor trainer and pedal for however many minutes your planned session lasts, but now instead of trying to keep your mind off the suffering, there are all manner of things designed to help you actually enjoy it.  The first of these things is what Elite calls the Interactive Trainer. Far from the wheel-on, monotone trainers of old, these things are really rather advanced and connect to your phone/iPad/computer via ANT+ or Bluetooth LE, and communicate with

Described by Shimano as shoes for 'rowdy mixed-surface riding' (which we can only imagine means riding off-road while yelling loudly), the new RX8-R shoes are absolutely the most gravel of all the gravel shoes on the market right now.  The most noticable feature is the socky bit - that's the technical term, stop us if we're going to quickly - that sits above the ankle of the shoe and is designed to keep gravel, sand, pebbles or weakness from getting in while you're hammering it off-road (it's actually called the gaiter - ed).  Elsewhere the shoes tick all the boxes you'd expect from a modern race shoe with a scratch-resistant TPU outsole, stiff carbon composite sole and a lightweight and breathable synthetic leather upper all finished off with a low-profile Boa Li2 dial for closure. It's a pretty bold concept, and one described by Shimano soft-goods product manager Jessie Gascon as inspired by 'my local favorite [sic] ride called the Trabuco Creek Trail, which

In the first of their back-to-basics series on mountain biking, Shimano has taken the questions most frequently asked online and turned them into videos, helping newer riders get to grips with some of the basic concepts behind bikes and bike maintenance.  This first video is about one of the most important parts of any bike ride - and especially MTB riding - the pre-ride bike check. It's what's called the 'M-Check' which is basically a series of safety checks starting at the front axle that follow an M pattern across the bike. The check then goes through spokes, bolts, headset and saddle to make sure everything is in working order and nothing's in poor condition.  Check out the video below to see Shimano Sponsored Rider Anna Glowinski and Chris Gibbs (H+1 Adventures lead guide and Shimano trained mechanic) talk you through how to make sure your MTB is ready to go. 

Bad news, it's December. If, like us, you spent the whole of November putting off doing any Christmas shopping, well, it's business time now and it's best to get something done before the panic really starts to set in.  In the best interests of being prepared - and in an attempt to provide some inspiration to anyone who dreads coming up with gift ideas - below are 10 (ish) things from Freewheel that we think are good options for all kinds of cyclists, from commuters to roadies to mountain bikers and a few things that'll fit all of those categories. 

Kerry MacPhee is one of those bike riders we all wish we were. As well as competing in the likes of the MTB event at the Commonwealth Games, she holds a whole bunch of records for significantly more adventurous cycling, like the fastest completion of the West Highland Way and winner of the Three Peaks Cyclocross race. Basically she's a heck of an athlete and we're really proud to have her riding Genesis bikes. Speaking of which, we recently built her a lovely new Croix de Fer Ti with Shimano GRX and before we shipped it off we thought we'd take some pictures to share. And here they are. 

Pop quiz: what is the first and only full-face helmet to receive a five star rating for safety from the Virginia Tech helmet testing lab? If you answered the brand new Lazer Cage KinetiCore, then you'd be right. So not only is it a great-looking helmet but it's as safe as you can buy for enduro riding.  Part of the reason for the safety rating is the KinetiCore tech - Lazer's very own proprietary rotational impact protection - which is integrated directly into the helmet rather than added on. Which means not only are you safe but the helmet is lighter and has better ventilation as a result, two things that you lose with added on rotational impact technologies. (If you want to find out more about KinetiCore, Lazer has a very helpful video on its YouTube channel).  Aside from safety - which is obviously the most important thing - the Cage has a whole host of other