However, the protest slowed Israel–Premier Tech who went through the first time check 47 seconds behind Ineos Grenadiers, the fastest team at that stage of the race. They finished 45 seconds down on stage winners UAE Team–Emirates XRG.
Pro-Palestine protestors have now disrupted all three Grand Tours of 2025, with incidents also taking place at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
��� | Oei! De ploeg van Israel-Premier Tech wordt vertraagd door een protest met Palestijnse vlaggen. ⏱️ #LaVuelta25
While no group has yet taken responsibility for today’s protest, in April the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions Movement called for peaceful protests against Israel–Premier Tech at this year’s grand tours.
Israel–Premier Tech is co-owned by Israeli–Canadian Sylvan Adams who has vocalised his support for the country.
In a statement published on its Instagram this evening, the team said: “Israel–Premier Tech respects everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest peacefully, but we absolutely condemn the dangerous acts of the protestors on stage 5 of the Vuelta a España which not only compromised the safety of our riders, race personnel, but the protestors themselves.
“The team continues to work with race organisers and relevant authorities to ensure our safety at the Vuelta a España and all races, and ensure any protestors do not impact our safety, nor our right to race.”
This week, Zwift releases a new wheelset from ENVE: the SES 4.5 PRO. The real-life ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels were announced in July of this year, and ENVE shared that the wheels were developed with direct input from Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates XRG over two seasons. When the wheels were announced, they had amassed 25+ victories this season alone … before Tadej won the Tour de France!
Here’s what the Drop Shop says about them: “Designed for the cyclists seeking the ultimate wheelset, where low weight, aerodynamics, and rolling efficiency meet.”
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for a price of 675,000 Drops. This is the only wheelset in the Drop Shop with a 4-star rating for both aero and weight, so we expected them to be both fast on the flats, and light on the climbs! Since Zwift’s 4-star rating system isn’t precise enough for our taste, we ran these wheels through our standard battery of tests to determine exactly how they perform in Zwift and stack up against other wheelsets in game. (Spoiler alert: they’re fast.)
Let’s dive in and learn all about the performance of this new wheelset from ENVE…
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The ENVE SES 4.5 PRO is definitely in the upper echelon of aero performance in Zwift, with our tests showing that it is bested by only three non-disc wheelsets: the ENVE SES 8.9, ENVE SES 7.8, and DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65.
The ENVE SES 4.5 PRO is 5 seconds slower than the ENVE SES 8.9 wheelset (the most aero non-disc wheelset) across an hour of flat riding. If you include disc wheels in the picture, the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO is 10.8s slower than the fastest disc wheels in game, the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 85/Disc.
Climb Performance
The climbs are where this wheelset really shines. It turns in a time that puts it within a half second of the top climbing wheels (Zipp 353 NSW, Lightweight Meilenstein, and Roval Alpinist CLX) across an hour of climbing. All of these wheelsets trim 9+ seconds off of our stock Zwift Carbon wheels’ times in our tests.
So the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO is essentially tied with the best climbing wheels in game, while delivering much better aero performance than the other top climbing wheelsets.
Note: all test results above are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using the Zwift Carbon frame.
Conclusions
These wheels show exceptional performance as climb-focused all-arounders. Perhaps the best way to see this clearly is to compare them to the best aero all-arounders in game, the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65. Consider this:
The ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels save 9.4 seconds across an hour of climbing compared to our stock Zwift Carbon wheels. The DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 saves just 2.7 seconds. A 6.7s difference.
The ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels save 41.7 seconds across an hour of flat riding compared to our stock Zwift Carbon wheels. The DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 saves 46.2 seconds. A 4.5s difference.
So if you swap from the DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 to the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO, you’re essentially trading seconds gained on the flats for seconds gained on the climbs.
Another way to see it clearly: check out the Tron vs Top Performers chart, which we’ve just updated by swapping out the Zipp 454 wheels with these new ENVE SES 4.5 PROs, since the new ENVE wheels effectively replace the 454s as climb-focused all-arounders, beating them in our flat and climbing tests.
These wheelsets have been, or will soon be, added to the following posts:
Important note: this post contains speed test results for Zwift frames or wheels. These results may change over time, and a bike’s performance relative to others may also change. We don’t always revise posts when performance rankings change, but we do keep current, master versions of our speed test results which are always available. See the frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top Performers for current performance data.
Brakes are one of the most important components on your mountain bike, with good-quality stoppers giving you the confidence to carry speed, knowing you’ll be able to slow down again.
Like many components, mountain bike brakes come in all shapes and sizes depending on the discipline.
Whether they’re going on a downhill or XC bike, upgraded brakes can make a big difference to your riding.
We’ve listed some of the best mountain bike brake deals on at the moment, just in time to get the most out of the last of the summer riding.
While these brakes have recently been replaced by the M8200 in Shimano’s line-up, they still offer excellent performance and are now available at a budget price.
We’ve tested these brakes on various bikes in the past, and awarded their beefier four-piston siblings 4.5 stars when we reviewed them.
This model is great for those looking to shave a few grams off, while still getting great stopping power.
Zwift’s “ZRacing” is the platform’s most popular ongoing race series, and in September, the series teams up with ENVE for a wheelset worthy of the spotlight!
Read about this month’s race routes below, along with more on the ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels, including the real-life giveaway.
The new ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheelset makes its in-game debut in September’s races, with every rider automatically placed on these wheels for each event. Word is these wheels are fast, and Zwift says this month’s courses were chosen “to showcase their all-round dominance.”
It’s not just marketing hype, either: the IRL wheels were developed with direct input from Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates XRG over two seasons, and this year they amassed 25+ victories before Tadej won the Tour de France! They’re lighter and more refined than the standard ENVE 4.5, including new hub and bearing technologies.
You can test the new wheels for free in September’s ZRacing, then head to the Drop Shop whenever you’d like to buy them:
Complete any stage for a shot at winning a real-life set of the new 4.5 PROs in ENVE’s official prize draw! (Zwift will send an email with an entry link…)
GC Leaderboards
Zwift’s web-based leaderboards are used for tracking the monthly GC competition for the ZRacing series. No ZwiftPower registration or use is necessary.
Your GC ranking is based on your best finishing time for each stage, and you can race each stage more than once to try for a better time.
Category Options
Zwift schedules three different flavors of ZRacing events in order to encourage “Fairer, more competitive racing for everyone.” They each use different racing score ranges for categorization and are titled Advanced, Range 1, and Range 2. Click banners below to see upcoming events for each:
Extras
Get the Badge
Each month’s ZRacing series has a unique achievement badge, which you can unlock by finishing every stage for the month. There are no makeup events, so if you miss a stage, you miss out on the badge and competing in the GC.
One and Done
Zwift has planned these events to deliver a solid 1-hour workout, so each race should only take around 1 hour to complete, including your warmup and cooldown.
Back in May, Zwift introduced a “Route of the Week” challenge, where a different route is featured each week, and completing it earns a 500XP bonus. Learn more here >
Yesterday, two new weekly challenges have launched: a “Workout of the Week” featuring an ERG workout from Zwift’s library and a “Climb of the Week” featuring a climb portal. In simple terms, these work like the Route of the Week: simply complete the featured workout or climb to earn an XP bonus. But let’s take a closer look…
Click the Workout of the Week card on your homescreen to see the details of this week’s featured workout. Kicking it off? “Emily’s Short Mix”, a popular OG Zwift workout named after Emily Mullen, an early leader on the Zwift’s marketing team.
Finish the workout (I’m not sure what constitutes “finishing” the workout, as you definitely don’t have to earn all the stars), and you’ll see a banner on your screen:
Once you finish the workout, clicking the homepage card initiates a confetti party and a popup telling how much much bonus XP you earned:
How Much Bonus XP?
Until this week, completing the Route of the Week would earn you a 500XP bonus. But Zwift has changed their XP bonus formula, giving different bonuses based on the difficulty/length of the featured route/workout/climb. On the weekly challenge forum thread, Zwift staffer Alex says, “The XP reward does vary based on the difficulty of the ride, though we’re still fine-tuning the reward for these.”
So Zwift isn’t sharing the exact formula yet, but you can see above that we get a 250XP bonus for the 30-minute Emily’s Short Mix workout, and a 750XP bonus for the longer Tourmalet climb. Alex also says, “We agree that the reward needs to be clear on the UI. We’re looking at some options.”
Climb of the Week
Click the Workout of the Week card on your homescreen to see the details of this week’s featured climb portal. Our first featured climb? The mighty Col du Tourmalet, with 1213 meters of elevation gain across 17.2km of riding.
Finish the climb (yes, finishing it at 50% scaling counts), and you’ll see a banner on your screen:
Once you finish the climb, click the homepage card for a confetti party and a popup telling how much bonus XP you earned. (The Tourmalet earned my test bot 750XP.)
Double Dipping
Keen XP farmers will, of course, want to know how to maximize their earnings in these challenges. And there are certainly ways to do so! The trick is to figure out how to complete more than one of the three challenges (route, workout, and climb) in one go.
There really is no way to knock all three out at once, because you can’t do the Route of the Week and Climb of the Week at the same time. But you can certainly layer the Workout of the Week on top of a Route or Climb of the Week ride.
Alex from Zwift confirms, saying, “Yes, you can double dip! You just need to make sure you’re registered for both ahead of time until we update that.”
To register for a challenge, just click the challenge card on your homescreen. That signs you up for the challenge, and now, if you complete the route/workout/climb via another official pathway, it will still count.
(Note that it won’t always be this way. Alex also says, “You currently need to view each challenge to get credit for the ride, though you don’t have to start the route/workout/climb from the Challenge screen. We will soon change it so that you’re automatically registered for them on log in.”)
Two examples of double dipping (there are other ways to do this, but hopefully this illustrates how it works):
Click the Workout of the Week challenge card, then return to your homescreen. (Now you’re registered for this week’s WotW Challenge). Click the Route of the Week card, and click the route to enter the map and begin your ride. Now go to Menu>Workouts (“E” keyboard shortcut) and choose this week’s featured workout from the library. (Emily’s Short Mix is under the “30 minutes to burn” category). Complete the workout and finish the route, and you’ll finish both challenges and get both bonuses.
Click the Workout of the Week challenge card, then return to your homescreen. (Now you’re registered for this week’s WotW Challenge). Click the Climb of the Week card, and click the climb to enter the map and begin your ride. Now go to Menu>Workouts (“E” keyboard shortcut) and choose this week’s featured workout from the library. (Emily’s Short Mix is under the “30 minutes to burn” category). Complete the workout and finish the climb, and you’ll finish both challenges and get both bonuses.
Schedule of Upcoming Challenges
I don’t yet have the schedule of upcoming Workouts and Climbs of the Week, but I’ll share that ASAP in a separate post here on Zwift Insider. The Route of the Week schedule is available here.
Indoor cycling season is fast approaching for riders in the Northern Hemisphere, and we want to hear from you to better understand how you train.
We’ve created a short survey to dig a little deeper into the training apps and hardware you use. Even if you don’t take part in indoor cycling, we’d still love to hear from you.
Your feedback helps shape the stories, reviews and advice we share – and it only takes five to seven minutes to have your say.
As a thank you, UK mainland residents who complete the survey can enter our prize draw to win one of five £50 Sigma Sports eGiftcards.
Zwift version 1.96 begins its phased rollout today. This is a small update, but racers should take note of a fast new wheelset, and achievement badge completionists will want to know what’s changed on their badge list. Read on for details…
New ENVE SES 4.5 PRO Wheelset
The biggest news in this week’s update is a new, top-performing wheelset from ENVE. The real-life ENVE SES 4.5 PRO wheels were announced in July of this year, and ENVE shared that the wheels were developed with direct input from Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates XRG over two seasons. When the wheels were announced, they had amassed 25+ victories this season alone … before Tadej won the Tour de France!
The wheels are now available in the Drop Shop, accessible at level 29 and above, for a price of 675,000 Drops. They are the only wheelset in the Drop Shop with a 4-star rating for both aero and weight, so we expect them to be fast on the flats, and light on the climbs!
Watch this space for a detailed post about their performance once we finish our speed tests.
If you’d like to try the wheels before purchasing, September’s ZRacing events feature them, meaning everyone will be placed on these wheels for each of September’s races. (More info on September’s ZRacing will be published here on Zwift Insider tomorrow.)
Unearned Event-Only Badges Now Hidden
Zwift says, “In the Achievements screen, placeholder badges will now only be shown for routes that are available to all Zwifters in the Routes list. If a route is only accessible via an Event, the badge will be shown in the Achievements screen if it has been earned.”
The event-only route badge situation has been a messy one for years on Zwift. In the early days, event-only routes didn’t have achievement badges. That changed with the release of the Neokyo Crit Course in November 2021, the first event-only route to ever have an achievement badge and corresponding bonus XP.
Since then, more and more event-only routes have had achievement badges attached. But there are still many that don’t.
Zwifters who love earning achievement badges have been frustrated by their inability to earn badges for certain event-only routes, and this seems to be the driving force behind Zwift removing unearned event-only route badges from the list and the counter at the top.
To be clear, you can still earn these badges. They just aren’t visible until you earn them, making them like other hidden “extra credit” badges in Zwift.
Here’s a full list of event-only routes with achievement badges and associated XP, in case you want to make sure you earn all these badges:
I can already hear the comments… Pashley? Wasn’t that the brand behind the wicker-basket bearing Princess? That lot who made the Royal Mail’s rides when I was a kid?
I do like a nice steel bike, and I love to see the custom creations at Bespoke or NAHB, but I’ve never really wanted one, not since I was a poor student in 1994 when I lusted after a classy (now classic) steel Colnago. That’s now changed with this lovely looking machine.
Now, admittedly, Pashley has made some very cool bikes; there’s the Hipster gold-star bearing Guv’Nor, and who can forget the super-cool mountain bike TV series made famous by the talented Tongue brothers’ antics.
Things started to look up when Pashley announced the Roadfinder at the start of this year, which appeared to be a solid, do-it-all classic British road bike, albeit with a nice, stylish twist and a hint of the new technology Pashley introduced alongside its traditional manufacturing expertise.
In Pashley’s 99-year history, however, it appears the brand has learned a great deal. This new bike showcases its frame-building mastery and sets the agenda for what we can expect from the Stratford-upon-Avon-based manufacturer in the future.
The Y-shaped yoke between the top tube and seatstays is made from 3D-printed stainless steel. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The new Roadfinder SL is something very special. Not only is it one of the best-looking new bikes of 2025, it’s also steel, and under the skin it’s made with the sort of craftsmanship and tech know-how that would shame the most exclusive boutique frame builders.
The tubeset comes from fellow West Midlands outfit Reynolds, in the shape of its legendary seamless 853 tubeset, custom drawn for Pashley in this SL version. That’s combined with 3D-printed stainless steel junctions, along with cast pieces. The mixture of materials means a multitude of fabrication techniques.
So, every Roadfinder SL frame has traditional brazing, TIG welding and even silver soldering to join its component parts.
The classic Pashley P logo on a dropout that’s been optimised to drop 30g over the standard Roadfinder dropout. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The frame weight is down to around 1,600g, which is very light for steel, even more so when you consider the Roadfinder SL is a disc frameset with 12mm thru-axles, mudguard eyelets and a UDH dropout.
The minimal mudguard mount keeps the Roadfinder SL practical for UK riders. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Fantastic ferrous
The tubing is Reynolds 853 SL, replete with a classic Reynolds badge to match. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Pashley’s attention to detail is evidence of a brand that’s serious about making one of the most advanced steel frames available.
The brand says it re-evaluated every component of the frame fabrication. This involved redesigning and removing material from every 3D-printed element without compromising its structural integrity. It also involved a new custom 853 tubeset produced in collaboration with Reynolds – made exclusively for the Roadfinder SL.
The special tubeset developed with Pashley takes in the smallest of details. “Positions of tube butts and wall thickness all came under additional scrutiny for weight reduction; the top tube, for example, now has reduced butt lengths and a central portion that is only 0.4mm thick,” Jon Cumberpatch, lead designer at Pashley, explained.
It’s all in the details
The front derailleur hanger is 3D-printed stainless steel. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Every element of the frame has come under scrutiny, without compromising style. Take the left-hand rear dropout; it still bears the signature casting Pashley ‘P’ emblem, but internally and structurally, Pashley has worked to reduce the weight by 30g.
With a combination of laser-cut pieces and lots of 3D printing rendered in stainless steel, the Roadfinder SL is the most advanced steel frame Pashley has ever produced.
Other details, such as a 3D-printed stainless steel front derailleur hanger, help reduce weight, while the frame is solidly up to date with a threaded T47 bottom bracket and UDH rear dropout.
The frame is designed for internally routed brake hoses and electronic drivetrains. So, once Pashley had fabricated the frame with its multitude of routing ports, it needed to make sure the steel isn’t vulnerable to corrosion.
Pashley CEO Andy Smallwood explains: “Once the fabricated frame is finished, we shot-blast it in-house to clean and remove any impurities as well as adding further marginal improvements to the frame’s strength and durability. We then send it for electro-coating, which completely covers the frame inside and outside in a 2-micron thick durable layer to fully protect from corrosion and act as an initial base ahead of painting.”
That’s a huge improvement in anti-corrosion compared to a standard primed and painted frameset.
Even the hose guides are 3D-printed stainless steel. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The wet-paint process is then applied with graphics and logos stenciled and painted rather than decals. This also gives Pashley lots of options with regard to custom colours and customisation options.
Minimal manufacturing miles
There’s a Cambium saddle from fellow Midlands brand Brooks. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Pashley has been fabricating steel frames at its Stratford factory for 99 years. Unlike many of its rivals, it hasn’t seen the need to move manufacturing overseas for cost savings.
The tubesets come from Reynolds in Birmingham, a distance of only 26 miles (42km), and the 3D-printed stainless parts are produced locally too. The whole fabrication, painting and assembly process is done in-house, too.
It’s impressive to think that your first ride out on a Roadfinder SL could well be the longest distance it has ever travelled.
Realistic prices
Zipp provides the bar and stem on the Roadfinder SL. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
What would you expect to pay for a handmade, state-of-the-art, custom tubeset and 3D-printed steel frame from a boutique builder?
I’d suggest thousands for the frameset alone. So, when Pashley gave me the UK price list for the Roadfinder SL, I had to double-check it hadn’t made a mistake.
The bike shown here, with Shimano Ultegra Di2, Parcours carbon wheels, Zipp carbon bar, seatpost and stem, finished with Vittoria Corsa tyres and a Brooks Cambium saddle and bar tape, costs £5,495.
With bikes starting from £3,950, the range-topping Campagnolo Super Record 13-equipped bike is £8,995. I can’t think of another handmade steel bike that gets close to that sort of value.
Pashley Roadfinder SL Campagnolo Super Record 13-speed: £8,995
Pashley Roadfinder SL frameset: £1,795
Custom coming soon?
I like the idea of a handmade steel bike made in Shakespeare’s home town that could cut it with the most exclusive handcrafted boutique builds for a fraction of the price.
Smallwood told me that, because of the new techniques and technology used on the Roadfinder SL, along with having complete control over the whole manufacturing process, Pashley is looking into offering full-custom options around the new range of performance bikes.
Pro cyclist Derek Gee spoke out publicly yesterday to confirm he has “formally and duly” terminated his contract with Israel–Premier Tech.
In a statement released on his social media channels, Gee said: “This was not an easy decision, but one I made after careful consideration and for legitimate reasons. Certain issues simply made my continuation at the team untenable.”
Gee’s decision follows Israel–Premier Tech’s statement last week that said the Canadian road cycling champion’s contract is valid until 2028.
“Israel-Premier Tech was unexpectedly issued a notice of termination from lawyers representing Derek Gee on Friday, 9 August,” the team wrote.
“Gee, who is under his contract with Israel-Premier Tech until 2028, having signed a five-year contract extension in 2023, had been engaged in discussions with team management to renegotiate the conditions of his current contract.”
Gee’s statement also came after reporting that Gee was linked with a move to Ineos Grenadiers, as reported by Daniel Benson and La Gazzetta dello Sport. But Gee has dismissed the rumours.
“I want to make it very clear, despite some current reporting, this decision solely concerns the termination of my previous contract with Israel–Premier Tech,” his statement said. “In accordance with UCI regulations, I have not yet signed with, nor even spoke to, any new teams.”
Gee has raced for Israel–Premier Tech since 2023. He finished ninth at the Tour de France last year and fourth at the 2025 Giro d’Italia.
He was supposed to be riding the Vuelta a España, which started on Saturday, but he was not announced as part of the Israel–Premier Tech squad.
Designed to redefine what’s possible in all-mountain riding, Pivot has given its Shuttle AM a refresh, with refined geometry, an updated motor and a few fine details gaining the attention of its engineers.
The new Shuttle AM has 150mm of rear-wheel travel and the latest Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX or CX-R motor, for punchy power on the trail.
The bike is built to be ridden all day, with an efficient suspension platform that can still deliver on the descents and a large 800Wh battery for increased range. Add a 250Wh PowerMore range extender and you shouldn’t run out of juice.
The new Shuttle AM has a similar use case to Pivot’s non-assisted Switchblade and sits alongside the longer-travel Shuttle LT.
The Shuttle LT has a softer ride feel through the suspension, while the AM is more efficient under power.
In-depth frame development
The new Pivot Shuttle AM has 150mm of rear-wheel travel, ready for all-mountain adventures. Moss Davis / Pivot
Pivot tells us that around half the bike’s development time was spent on ensuring the carbon layup was just-so.
In reality, this means the engineers spent around two years working on the way the carbon sheets were laid, and what size and shape they needed to be.
One of their priorities was a bike that drops into, and holds, a corner nicely.
As such, each size bike has its own layup, with different tube profiles visible between the sizes.
Going further, the battery is decoupled from the down tube, with nylon mounts preventing the structure impacting on the frame’s flex.
Making the suspension work
Dave Weagle’s famous pair of little links define how this bike rides. Moss Davis / Pivot
It’s no surprise to see Pivot employing Dave Weagle’s DW-link suspension design – it’s one Pivot uses extensively throughout its full-suspension line-up.
The system employs two short links to join the front and rear triangles, creating a virtual pivot point.
During the launch presentation of the Shuttle AM, John Pentecost, from Pivot, told BikeRadar the DW-link delivers increased anti-squat (the force that resists pedal bob) when more power is added – something an eMTB does very well.
This increased anti-squat means less compression damping is required in the shock for it to remain stable under pedalling loads, freeing up the shock to work properly.
This is, according to Pentecost, different from a typical four-bar bike.
These perform well under braking, usually. However, increased power, especially on an eMTB, causes the suspension to squat more, sinking the rider down and back, and effectively shooting the bike forwards from underneath.
As such, this can necessitate increased low-speed compression damping on the shock to calm pedal inputs.
More motor
The latest-generation Bosch Race motor packs a punch. Moss Davis / Pivot
Bosch’s fifth-generation Performance CX motor is bolted into the belly of the bike, with the Pro and Team models receiving the CX-Race motor.
The motor has been updated, giving it 100Nm of torque and 750W of power – up from 85Nm and 650W previously.
The Race motor sees a weight reduction of around 100g, uses ceramic bearings and a titanium spindle, and has better heat management. There’s also the option to run up to a three-second overrun, should you wish.
So punchy is the power delivery in the Race mode, that Pivot advises getting used to the motor’s performance before using it on the trail. It’s quite the experience.
SRAM’s XO Transmission is a dependable groupset. Moss Davis / Pivot
The Team and Pro bikes, with the CX-R motor, get Tour+, EMTB+, Turbo and Race modes, while the cheaper Ride build, with the standard CX motor, gets Tour+, EMTB, EMTB+ and Turbo modes.
The EMTB+ mode has a little more fine-tuning in its dynamic power delivery, with a goal of maximising traction on loose climbs.
The eBike Flow app allows plenty of customisation to power levels and modes.
All the bikes receive an 800Wh battery, with the option to run the 250Wh PowerMore range extender.
The new screen, on the top two models, is data-rich and easy to read. Moss Davis / Pivot
The Pro and Team build also feature the new Kiox 400C top-tube screen, which is full-colour, and has customisable data and ride navigation capabilities.
A new magnetic cap over the charge port adds sealing, and can be removed easily if the range extender cable is attached. The team at Pivot are particularly proud of it.
Ample sizing
Four sizes will be offered, from Small to XL.
Key geometry figures include a head angle of 64.1 degrees, 76.5-degree seat angles, reach figures from 431mm to 496mm and a BB height of 345mm.
There is a geometry chip, which will steepen the angles by around 0.5 degrees, reduce the reach a touch and raise the bottom bracket, ideal for those riding technical climbs and in areas with lots of roots and rocks to get over.
While bikes will come as full 29ers, a 27.5in rear wheel can be fitted, with Pivot suggesting the geometry flip chip is placed in its ‘High’ position.
Size
S
M
L
XL
Reach (mm)
431
461
476
496
Stack (mm)
632
642
651
660
Head tube angle (degrees)
64.1
64.1
64.1
64.1
Seat tube angle (degrees)
76.5
76.5
76.5
76.5
Seat tube length (mm)
378
399
432
470
BB height (mm)
345
345
345
345
Wheelbase (mm)
1217
1251
1270
1295
Chainstay (mm)
444
444
444
444
Top tube (mm)
599
631
649
671
Standover (mm)
677
676
682
687
Pivot Shuttle AM range details
Big bikes deserve big forks, this time in the shape of a RockShox ZEB. Moss Davis / Pivot
The range starts with the Ride model.
This has, for the first time in Pivot’s history, a RockShox suspension package, featuring a Lyrik Select+ fork and Super Deluxe Select shock.
There’s a SRAM Eagle 70/90 Transmission mechanical drivetrain, DT Swiss alloy hoops and EXO+ casing Maxxis tyres.
The mid-spec Pro model also sees RockShox suspension, this time Ultimate-level Lyrik and Super Deluxe, while an X0 Transmission and Maven Silver brakes look after the bike’s stop-and-go capabilities.
eMTB-optimised DT Swiss HX1501 wheels are again wrapped in Maxxis tyres.
At the top end, the Team build has Fox Factory suspension – a 36 fork and a Float-X shock.
There’s a SRAM XX Transmission drivetrain and Maven Ultimate brakes, and the same wheel/tyre combo as found on the Pro. Fox’s Live Valve Neo system can be added, too.
It has a claimed weight of 21.5kg.
Dust a-plenty during testing. Moss Davis / Pivot
Pivot Shuttle AM Pricing
Shuttle AM Ride: £8,600 / $8,499 / €8,599
Shuttle AM Pro: £11,900 / $11,999 / €11,999
Shuttle AM Team: £13,900 / $14,499 / €13,999
Bosch PowerMore: $599
Fox Live Valve Neo shock (Team builds only): $1,500
Pivot Shuttle AM Pro ride impressions
It’s not the smoothest, but it definitely pushes on. Moss Davis / Pivot
I’ve only had a very brief time on the Shuttle AM, in some incredibly dusty conditions, and I need more time on the bike before I can draw definitive conclusions.
However, the Shuttle AM climbs very well.
Bosch’s latest motor is an impressive unit, with plenty of power and torque on offer to get you up the steepest hills.
The delivery of both is impressive, especially in the EMTB+ mode, which seems to dole it out with almost perfect control.
While DJI and Mahle’s ebike motors have more sensors measuring wheel speed, giving them more clarity over what the wheel is doing at any one time, Bosch’s computing power has been put to good use.
Traction is impressive even on loose surfaces.
As Pivot warned, though, the Race setting is very, very punchy.
The Race mode is punchy enough to get you up anything. Moss Davis / Pivot
This all works well with the DW-link suspension. It’s stable under power, which helps give the bike plenty of zip, despite its weight of around 22kg.
Although it’s stable, the suspension remains active enough to soak up uphill hits.
On the way down again, the low and central weight, and modern geometry give the bike ample stability, even if it’s not quite as long and slack as the most radical rides out there.
It’s not quite as smooth as, say, the Shuttle LT.
The rear suspension, designed to be efficient for all-day rides, does a good job of dealing with the bigger hits, and tracks the ground well, but it’s not entirely isolating from the chunder.
Handling is quick and easy. Moss Davis / Pivot
It will, however, pick up speed and encourage you to push harder on more flowy terrain.
Cornering characteristics are pleasing, with a light-feeling, snappy attitude between the corners.
There’s still stability, though, on long, rough corners.
The Maven Silver brakes are punchy and powerful, and I’ve not had any wandering bite-point issues on this bike. I’ll admit to not being a huge fan of the Maxxis Minion DHF on the front, though, in dry and dusty conditions.
The tyre requires you to lean the bike right over for the shoulder tread to bite properly into the dirt. In summer conditions, an Assegai would be a better bet.
What happens when an elite distance runner attempts an FTP test on Zwift? In this week’s top video, watch as a sub-elite marathoner tackles an FTP test.
Also included in this week’s top videos are tough Zwift races, the addition of native power to the KICKR ROLLR, a comparison between the different types of FTP tests, and a dream pain cave build.
2:24 Marathoner Tries Cycling FTP Test (Shock Result!)
Sub-elite marathoner Ben is Running attempts an FTP test to see how well his running fitness translates to his cycling abilities.
Zwift Racing: Cat D Podium or L?
After learning some new Zwift racing tips and tricks, WattR Cycling is back for another round of racing. Watch as he battles through the pain and leaves everything out on the course.
Wahoo KICKR ROLLR Native Power Update // For Real This Time!
Last week, a comment from an astute reader alerted me to a browser extension I’d never heard of: ZwiftPower ZRS.
Available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, the extension delivers a simple but useful upgrade to the ZwiftPower experience for racers by adding Zwift Racing Score results to event pages. Here how it works…
Installation
Installation is easy – just navigate to the ZwiftPower ZRS page for your browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) and click to add it to your browser. Done! It will automagically function when viewing event results on ZwiftPower.
ZwiftPower ZRS adds a “ZRS” column to the results, as shown below:
The number in black is the ZRS result for the race, while the smaller superscript number tells you how much the rider’s score changed with this result.
If a rider’s score increased due to a power PR that resulted in a seed score boost, you’ll see an upward arrow ⇡. You may also see an up tack ⊥ next to the score, which indicates that the rider’s ZRS floor has been reached.
From the Creator
I reached out to the creator of ZwiftPower ZRS, who prefers to go by the nickname “int” for online anonymity. Here’s what they shared:
The project started when I noticed Sauce4Zwift showing ZRS scores in their app. At the time, it was a feature the racing community was really missing. I thought it would be great to have the same thing directly on ZwiftPower – the one website every racer already uses – so there’d be no need to check anywhere else just for ZRS.
Curious how they managed it, I checked their source code and discovered that ZRS data is actually accessible via the official Zwift API. The problem: even though I’m a software engineer, I had never built a browser extension before and barely knew JavaScript. Still, I figured someone had to do it (hence my nickname SomebodyHasToDoIt in the webstore). So I dove in, looked things up, and with a bit of AI help had a basic version working in about 3 hours.
I uploaded it to the Chrome Web Store, and while it was under review, I shared the source code in the Zwifties Discord #nerd-corner to gather feedback. A few people there offered great suggestions, which I quickly implemented.
Since then, the extension got approved and has only needed small fixes. I never promoted it anywhere, yet word spread – and today it’s used by around 200 people each week.
I’ve had requests to add more features (like a ZRS history graph), but I hesitated because of rumors that Zwift might replace ZwiftPower. Looking back, I kind of regret not expanding it further for the community – maybe your post will give the project new life.
Two quick facts:
First released: Feb 16, 2025
Privacy: No data collection, analysis, or tracking
Feature Requests for Zwift
We could discuss potential improvements to the ZRS algorithm all day long, but for this post, I want to stay focused on what the ZwiftPower ZRS extension does: make it easier to view ZRS information.
A ZRS column should already be built into ZwiftPower, of course. This extension, like other brilliant community projects over the years, just adds functionality Zwift should have already built!
I would also love to see the score change number showing up on the event results page at zwift.com as well (for example, at zwift.com/events/view/5061096).
And my bigger ask – which Zwift has said is coming – is some sort of historical view of a rider’s ZRS, as int mentions above. I want to see how my score has tracked over time, and I want to see that for others as well. Please make it so, Zwift!
Questions or Comments?
Have you used this browser extension? Would you like Zwift to make ZRS information more available, and if so, how specifically? Share your thoughts below!
Knog has announced a recall of early production runs of its Blinder 900 and Blinder 1300 front lights following reports of potential battery issues that may cause the units to fail.
“Customer safety is our absolute top priority,” said Mal McKechnie, Knog’s chief operating officer in a statement sent to the media. “While a recall is never ideal, we’re acting proactively to prevent any additional product failures.”
The Blinder 900 and 1300 sit at the higher-output end of Knog’s range. The 1300 is our current pick as the best all-round light for road cyclists.
Scope: early batches only (identified by batch code)
Issue: potential battery-related failure that could compromise performance and safety
Knog is asking riders to check their batch code via its product recall portal. If a unit is affected, customers can submit a claim for a free replacement.
Once confirmed, the faulty light should be disposed of. Knog encourages affected riders to follow local regulations because its lights contain lithium batteries.
When you’re on the bike, it’s important to keep hydrated – we all know that. But what many of us don’t know is that water often doesn’t do a good a job as we want.
That’s where electrolytes come in. An electrolyte mix can help to replace the fluid and salts you burn through on long rides, supporting hydration and recovery.
Sweat on the bike and you’ll lose essential minerals that your body needs to function at its best. Water is good, but it doesn’t contain the electrolytes that’ll keep you cycling at your peak and feeling good throughout the day.
Water Wealth tastes like summer fruit and contains a mixture of essential electrolytes (776mg of electrolytes per scoop), trace minerals and vitamins. That includes 50mg of Vitamin C and 100 per cent of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin B12. There’s also no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
You simply mix one scoop into 500ml of water, give it a stir or a shake, and you’re good to go.
Gut Wealth, the company behind Water Wealth, is best known for its daily vitamin tablets, designed to aid gut health, particularly for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
Water Wealth is its foray into hydration, combining the brand’s expertise in gut health with hydration science.
This week’s selections include a bit of everything… a memorial ride, two races, an endurance effort, and a banded ride. Pick what works for you, and Ride On!
BMTR LANDER Alpe Memorial Tribute Ride
Good Cause Big Climb Popular Ride
A recent Zwift update added an Alpe du Zwift memorial for Michael Lander, “Red Beacon extraordinaire for over five years in the C group for BMTR’s Flat 100 Event, who passed away suddenly last February at a far too young age.”
On Sunday, Zwifters will ride up the Alpe and pause for a minute of silence when reaching this tribute, before continuing to the top of the climb.
Two paces are offered: 2.6 W/kg and 2.2 W/kg. Read more about the tribute on the event description.
Join Team Not Pogi (TNP) for their second chase race, this time on Scotland’s BRAEk-fast Crits and Grits with a custom finish at 32.4km.
In a chase race, slower categories start earlier, with the goal of all riders coming together near the finish for an all-out battle to the line. Work with others in your category to stay away from chasers and catch those ahead, and you may just have a shot at the overall win!
This banded ride on Watopia’s challenge Muir and the Mountain (39.2km, 914m) lets you ride at whatever pace you’d like, while hanging with the group. Get some elevation in while enjoying the friendly and welcoming Bikealicious atmosphere!
The Spanish HISP club is midway through its popular Tour de Hisp, a grueling 14-day tour featuring 13 stages. This Saturday’s race features France’s newish Hell of the North route (20.2km, 241m). Even if you haven’t been taking part in the tour, you can jump in and try out this fresh route and get the route badge plus bonus XP!
This is the USMES team’s weekly 100km ride (except on the first Saturday of each month, when it becomes a 100 miler). This week’s ride is on Makuri Islands’ Makuri Pretzel.
The ride is paced at 2.2 W/kg average, but all abilities are welcome and stronger riders are free to fly off the front.
We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:
Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
Is it for a good cause?
Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?
In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!
The 2025 Vuelta a España starts on Saturday 23 August and finishes 21 stages and 3,151km later on Sunday 14 September.
This year’s route starts in Turin, with three stages in Italy and one that crosses from Italy into France, before arriving in Spain for a 24.1km time trial on stage 5 in Figueres. The route stays firmly in the north of Spain, making a traverse from east to west, before heading towards a second time trial on stage 18 in Valladolid and finishing in Madrid.
The 2025 route doesn’t reach Spain until stage 5, then stays firmly in the northern half of the country. Unipublic Cycling
Last year’s win for Primož Roglič was his fourth at La Vuelta, equalling the record set by Spain’s Roberto Heras in the early 2000s. But having started both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this year, Roglič is skipping the race, as is his countryman Tadej Pogačar.
That leaves Jonas Vingegaard as a top contender, although he’ll be up against strong competition that includes Pogačar’s teammate João Almeida, who picked up a string of overall wins in shorter stage races this year, before crashing out of the Tour de France.
How to watch the Vuelta a España 2025: quick guide
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2025 live in the UK?
There’s the usual selection of spectacular Spanish scenery on display. Unipublic Cycling/Toni Baixauli
TNT Sports/Discovery+ will show live coverage of the Vuelta a España 2025 and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option. Coverage times are to be confirmed.
A TNT Sports subscription costs £30.99 per month. It’s available on a range of platforms including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast, or AirPlay, Android TV or Apple TV.
How else can I watch the Vuelta a España 2025 when I’m outside the UK?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that enables you to change your device’s IP address, making it appear as though you’re accessing the internet from another country.
As long as you adhere to your broadcaster’s terms and conditions, a VPN enables you to unblock your usual streaming services, no matter your location. Additionally, a VPN can improve playback speeds and significantly enhance your overall internet security.
There are many VPN options available, but we recommend NordVPN as the best choice. It offers strong streaming capabilities, robust security features and excellent value for money.
*At BikeRadar (published by Our Media Limited), we review VPN services to help you access online content and services securely while you’re on the go. This includes activities such as streaming your favourite TV shows, live web content or using apps from different countries (provided it’s okay with the service provider’s terms and conditions). It’s important to note: BikeRadar does not endorse or support the use of VPN services for illegal or malicious activities, such as accessing paid-for pirated content. Please ensure you enjoy online content responsibly.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2025 live in the US?
This year’s race sticks firmly to the hills of northern Spain. Unipublic Cycling/Toni Baixauli
Viewers in the US can enjoy daily coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock. You can watch NBC on demand, too – there’s no additional charge above your cable, satellite or telco TV provider’s subscription cost.
Peacock access requires a subscription to its premium tier, priced at $7.99 per month, or $79.99 for a year’s access.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2025 live in Australia?
In 2024, Ben O’Connor held the race lead from stage 6 to stage 18, before losing it to Primož Roglič. Unipublic Cycling/Toni Baixauli
SBS will be covering the Vuelta a España live and on demand. With live coverage of most stages starting around 11pm, this might be one to pick up on demand on the SBS Sport website.
How can I watch the Vuelta a España 2025 if I can’t get live coverage?
YouTube is a good option if you want shorter highlights and you don’t have on-demand access to any of the above sources. You can also watch short highlights videos on the Vuelta a España site.
Both are also good sources for highlights of previous editions to get you geared up for the racing.
SRAM XX T-Type Eagle AXS Transmission £2,195 £1,097.50 (save 50%)
XX is the lightest of SRAM’s Transmission groupsets. Merlin Cycles
SRAM XX T-Type Eagle AXS Transmission is one of the few products to receive our coveted 5-star rating, with its launch signaling a revolution in mountain bike drivetrains.
The groupset utilises SRAM’s UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) design, with the derailleur bolting directly to the frame and using reinforcement from the axle to add strength.
XX is SRAM’s top-of-the line groupset, and is targeted towards trail and cross-country riding.
We praised the groupset’s durability, ergonomics and ability to shift under load in testing, and it will make a great addition to any bike.
Just remember, you need a UDH-equipped bike for compatibility.
SLX is still a great-performing groupset, especially at this price point. Merlin Cycles
Shimano’s SLX groupset might not receive as much attention as XT and XTR, but it’s still classed as a performance mountain bike groupset in the brand’s hierarchy, borrowing tech from its siblings.
For those not wanting to spend loads on upgrading their groupset, £225 is an excellent price for all the parts you need to get your bike running smoothly again.
X0 is a great choice for those riding electric mountain bikes due to its durability. Ian Linton / Our Media
X0 is SRAM’s enduro and trail Transmission, with near-identical performance to XX and a heavier-duty design for more challenging conditions.
Many of the best enduro mountain bikes feature the groupset, with its shifting among the best on the market.
If you’re looking to upgrade your mountain bike or electric mountain bike, SRAM’s X0 groupset should be on your shortlist, and with 29 per cent off, it’s even sweeter.
GX is the cheapest way to experience SRAM’s Transmission technology. Andy Lloyd / Our Media
Like XX and X0, GX uses the same technology for its derailleur design, including X-SYNC and cassette mapping that creates timed shifts that help when changing gear under load.
While it’s slightly heavier than XX, the trade-off shouldn’t leave your wallet as light.
We’ve spent plenty of time on the groupset while testing bikes and found it to be nearly flawless.
If you’re looking to upgrade your groupset to a new shifting experience, this is one to consider.
On Tuesday, Zwift began rolling out Companion app v3.73 to iOS and Android devices.
This version includes two small but handy new features and one bug fix.
Toggle Between Home and Live Map Views
Zwift is making a big push toward their new fitness trends features in Companion, so it makes sense that they would make it easy to access those charts while you’re riding. You’ll now see “Home” and “Map” buttons at the bottom of your Companion app in iOS (Android users already have this option).
“Home” takes you to the default offline homescreen which includes Fitness Trends and more, while “Map” shows the live map you’re used to seeing while riding on Zwift.
Hammerhead Connections
Zwift took their Hammerhead integration live last week (read all about it here), but the only way to connect was through your profile page at zwift.com. Now with the new version of Companion installed, you can easily connect your Zwift account to Hammerhead.
Navigate to Settings>Connections and tap the Hammerhead +. Sign into your Hammerhead account, approve Zwift data sharing, and you’re ready to start getting credit for outdoor rides recorded on your Karoo!
Once you connect your Hammerhead account, the past 90 days of activities will be sent to Zwift for processing and integration into your fitness metrics.
Bug Fix: Activity Feed
Fixed an issue that caused the user’s profile page Activity Feed to not show private or outdoor activities.
BMTR LANDER Alpe Memorial Tribute Ride
Good Cause 
TNP Chase Race
