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Born from the Streets: Kryptonite’s Diamond Standard U-Lock - The Ultimate Bike SecurityCycling through the city offers unparalleled freedom, but it also comes with the unfortunate reality of bike theft. For years, Kryptonite has been the trusted name in bike security, providing reliable protection for cyclists worldwide. Among their legendary New York Series U-Locks, the Diamond Standard stands out as the pinnacle of security and durability. Whether you're navigating the streets of New York or any urban landscape, this lock is

PRO Empowers Women Racers Through Comfort and Performance with the New PRO Sirin SaddlesAs the primary point of contact between the rider and the bike, the saddle is of utmost importance. It can be a source of discomfort and hinder performance or enable a better all-round cycling experience. For female riders saddle choice has long been limited, especially for those who like to push their limits, race all-out, and chase podium places.  The new

The Genesis Croix de Fer has long been a versatile bike, known for its ability to handle everything from commuting to touring. But the latest version takes a big step forward, becoming a true gravel bike, offering a more enjoyable and focused riding experience without losing its historic flexibility. Key Pros: Excellent value for money Wider tyres (up to 47c) for improved comfort and speed Semi-internal cabling for cleaner lines and easy maintenance Neutral handling that's perfect for all types of terrain Key Cons: Limited tyre clearance No electric groupset options Updated Design: The new Croix de Fer sports a more modern design with dropped chainstays and internal cable routing, keeping cables protected from mud without complicating maintenance. The bike also includes numerous mounts for bottles, cages, and racks, making it a great choice for long rides or bikepacking. With a geometry tweak, it now features a slacker head angle and slightly longer wheelbase for more stability on rough surfaces. Performance: Handling is neutral, offering a smooth ride whether you're tackling gravel or road. It's particularly well-suited for off-road conditions, where the bike remains stable even at higher speeds. While it's not ideal for steep, technical singletrack, it performs well on gravel and road sections. The addition of wider tyres makes the bike even more capable on loose surfaces, though it does struggle in very wet conditions with the stock tyres.Value for Money: At prices starting under £1,500, the Croix de Fer is a great value, especially with its solid steel frame and Shimano components. The upgraded models, like the Croix de Fer 20, offer even more value with improved components, while the titanium frameset adds a premium feel for those willing to spend more. Verdict: The Genesis Croix de Fer has evolved into a top-tier gravel bike, offering a fantastic balance of performance, versatility, and value. Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or a newcomer to gravel riding, this bike delivers a reliable and fun experience. While it's still great for commuting and touring, its shift to a more gravel-focused design makes it an even better choice for off-road adventures. CLICK HERE to read the full review

The reason Quad Lock is so popular is because it's one of those things that just works. You install it, it's simple, reliable and looks after your phone. Perfect. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking that Quad Lock is so close to perfect that there's no point in messing with it, and that's a point we'd sympathise with.  However, the team behind the brand have indeed been looking for ways to make the best even better, and after much deliberation, creationing and prototyping, they think they've cracked it with the brand new Quad Lock MAG. What is MAG, you ask? Well it's basically a Quad Lock case with a magnetic back, meaning it snaps into various mounts, chargers and holders seamlessly. Not only that but it'll also attach to other magnetic surfaces, like workstands, car doors or the underside of aircraft (please dont try that last one, we haven't thought it through). So instead of using the quarter-turn system to attach your phone to stuff, it just sticks on and off. 

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

What is SHIMANO LINKGLIDE?New LINKGLIDE Technology for Smoother Shifting and More Durable ComponentsTo fully

Introducing M Part's New Front Pannier Racks: Tour AVS and Explorer Low RiderM Part has expanded its range of front pannier racks with two exciting new options: the Tour AVS Front Pannier Rack and the Explorer Low Rider Front Pannier Rack. Both racks are designed to meet the needs of cyclists, whether for commuting, touring, or everyday

Supporting the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain: Freewheel.co.uk's Commitment to Neutral SupportAt Freewheel.co.uk, we’re passionate about all things cycling. From providing top-quality gear to supporting local clubs and events, we’ve always been dedicated to helping cyclists at every level. This year, we’re proud to take our commitment to the sport one step further by supporting the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain through the Neutral Support service. Why We’re Supporting the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain

We are thrilled to welcome the Nevis Range to the Freewheel network, as Saracen become official bike supplier. In a significant move for the brand, Saracen will be the exclusive hire bike supplier for the Nevis Range giving 500,000 visitors a year the chance to ride a Myst or Ariel at arguably the most well-known MTB destination in the country. Not only can riders take on the famous Fort William World Cup track but there are over 80km of world class MTB trails at the Nevis Range, with everything from green to orange to cater for riders of all abilities. 

As a sponsor of multiple World Tour road cycling teams, Finish Line knows a thing or two about bike cleaning and lubrication. The company has been at the cutting edge of lubcrication innovation for nearly 40 years, and their first product was the groundbreaking Finish Line Dry Bike Lube with Teflon that changed the game when it came to drivetrain lubcrication. Fast forward nearly 40 years and Finish Line is still at the top of the game, as shown by their latest and greatest product: Halo.  The Halo range has three products: a wax lubricant for improved cleanliness, a wet lubricant for durability and water-resistance and a hot wax melt for ultimate chain lubrication in all conditions. All three are powered by elite-grade ingredients including patented Spherical Tungsten. That Spherical Tungsten is what gives the lube its magic, reducing vibrational friction caused by high-torque pedalling. You wont be suprised to learn that those micron-sized particles are spherical in shape

Five top tips for making sure you’re ready for your next big ride If you fail to prepare, then you should prepare to fail. Okay, that might be a bit extreme in the context of bike riding but the principle does ring true. If you have a big ride or event coming up then the best thing you can do to have a fun and stress-free experience is make sure you have everything you need. There will always be things that happen that are out of your control but if you follow our five tips below, you’ll have the best chance of navigating any mishaps

With the weather finally starting to look up and cyclists everywhere casting furtive glances at their summer bikes, Madison Clothing is back and ready for SS24. This new range puts the focus back on drop-bar riding with the Flux and Roam lines containing pieces for performance and adventure cyclists no matter what their budget.   Heading up the SS24 lineup is the Flux short sleeve road jersey. Focused on performance and made from lightweight material, it’s a smart jersey at a killer price point (£39.99) that pairs up with last season’s Flux EIT bib shorts to make a top performing, wallet-friendly combination. In tandem with that goes the

Ask any artist and they'll tell you that while creating something great is very hard, following it up is arguably more difficult. There's an entire cultural wasteland of poor second albums and disappointing film sequels that failed to live up to the shadow cast by their predecessors. In a similar vein, Lazer knew that following up its iconic Z1 helmet was going to be a difficult task as the original was so popular among pro and amatuer road riders. But the revamped version - the Z1 Kineticore - honestly not only lives up to the expectation but manages to exceed it, both visually and functionally.  The headline feature of this new Z1 is, as the name suggests, Kineticore. If you're not familiar with Kineticore, it's Lazer's own anti-rotational impact technology, designed to protect your brain from damaging forces during a crash. That's the main benefit - and it's an important one - but the even better thing about Kineticore is that it comes with other benefits that make a helmet

Winning awards is always a nice thing. But when the award you win is from the UK's best-loved and most respected MTB magazine, then it's even better. We're incredibly happy and proud that Saracen's fantastic Ariel 60 Pro has been chosen as a winner of a Singletrack Editors' Choice award for 2023. They test and ride a huge number of bikes every year, so to be picked as one of the very best is a real testament to the hours of planning and development that went into bringing that bike to fruition.  The favourite bike of Madison Saracen DH Race Team's Matt Walker, the Ariel 60 Pro is designed to be Enduro capable while also pedalling well enough that you can be your own uplift if that's what you fancy doing. The steep seattube and efficient suspension design handle the pedalling side, while the 160mm Fox 38 Performance Elite forks and matching

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

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

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

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 ideal

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

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

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

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