Bianchi has expaned its gravel bikes line-up with an alloy version of the Arcadex and a new all-road reimagining of its classic Via Nirone 7.

Bianchi’s gravel offerings to date have consisted of the rough-stuff-ready carbon Arcadex and the racy aero-optimised Impulso, as ridden to victory in the Masters 40 race at the UCI World Gravel Championships by Nico Roche.

The new Arcadex AL is priced at £2,050 / €2,350 / $TBC, while the Via Nirone 7 comes in two models: a 1×11-speed Shimano GRX-equipped model at £1,590 / €1,890 / $TBC and a 1×12-speed GRX model for £1,690 / €1,950 / $TBC.

• Icons of Cycling: how Bianchi has maintained the winning habit for 125 years
• Best gravel bikes in 2025: top-rated carbon, aluminium, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed

New Arcadex AL

The aluminium Arcadex frameset comes with 50mm tyre clearances and a UDH-compatible rear dropout.

The bike’s hydroformed tubing gives it a similar aero aesthetic to its premium carbon cousin, with smooth welds adding to the carbon-like finish.

The slick look continues with full internal cable routing.

The front end uses a longer carbon fork, meaning it’s corrected for use with a gravel suspension fork.

With a 71-degree head angle and large tyre clearances, the Arcadex AL should appeal to roadies wanting to get way off-road and mountain bikers looking to get into gravel riding.

The Arcadex AL is a single model equipped with Shimano’s 1×12 GRX  mechanical drivetrain, combined with an SLX 10-51 cassette.

Velomann alloy wheels wrapped with Pirelli Cinturato 45mm tyres, a Velomann bar, stem and seatpost, and a Selle Royal SRX saddle complete the build.

Bianchi Arcadex AL geometry

Via Nirone 7 reimagined

The Via Nirone 7 is named after the original address of Eduardo Bianchi’s first workshop. The bike has historically been Bianchi’s point of entry into its road bike range.

For 2026, it has been reimagined as a multi-surface machine that, in Bianchi’s words, is “designed for riders entering the world of all-road gravel and bikepacking”.

The new aluminium frame is, like the Arcadex AL, made from hydroformed tubing. However, unlike the Arcadex AL, it can be built around both 1x and 2x drivetrains.

Up front, a full carbon fork, replete with triple anything mounts, complements the frame, which features a bikepacking-ready three sets of bottle bosses, top tube bag mounts, and both mudguard and rack mounts.

The Via Nirone 7’s geometry is a degree steeper up front, and the stack is lower, making it more of an all-road endurance ride. However, it has very generous tyre clearances and comes as stock with 40mm tyres.

Like the Arcadex AL, it has full internal cable routing, making it also compatible with Bianchi’s new one-piece carbon bar, as found on the premium Impulso and carbon Arcadex.

Bianchi Via Nirone 7 geometry

Geraint Thomas has wasted little time spreading his wings in retirement. 

The 2018 Tour de France champion, who called time on a glittering 19-year professional career after the Tour of Britain in September, revealed on Friday’s Watts Occurring podcast that he took part in his first Parkrun last weekend, ahead of his brother’s wedding in South Wales.

Parkrun, established in 2004, has become a global sensation, with more than 2,300 weekly, community-led 5km running events, and more than nine million registered participants.

“It was weird going to it,” said Thomas. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s just a 5k run’. Then I turned up and obviously there’s a mix [of people] there.

“There’s a few that look quite good, then it’s just families and a few people keeping fit, but I was like, ‘This is a whole new world now, isn’t it?’”

Thomas swapped his cycling shoes for running trainers at the Severn Bridge event, which crosses the border between South Wales and England. The event is one of the most iconic Parkrun events in the country, seeing runners cross the suspension bridge over the River Severn into England, before doing a U-turn and returning to Wales.

Thomas’ ex-team-mate and podcast co-host, Luke Rowe, asked the question we were all thinking: what time did he do it in?

Read more: Tadej Pogačar beaten by 40-year-old lawyer in Pogi Challenge charity ride

“Well, I didn’t have my QR code, so I couldn’t get an official time, but the guy I was with did 19:50 minutes and I was a bit behind him,” said Thomas. “He dropped me on the downhill.

“I reckon I was just under 20 [minutes].”

Will Thomas catch the Parkrun bug and return to better his time? Turns out it didn’t take long for that to happen…

“As [my brother’s] wedding was going on though, my time was getting better,” joked Thomas. “By midnight, I was doing 16-something.”

The average Parkrun finishing time is 29:32 minutes. The men’s record of 13:44 minutes was set by Nick Griggs in November 2024, while the women’s Parkrun record of 15:13 minutes was set by Ciara Mageean in December 2023.

The 5,000m world record on the track is faster still, with the current mark of 12:35.36 minutes established by Joshua Cheptegei in Monaco in 2020.

Cheptegei went on to win 5,000m gold at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics Games in 2021, before winning the 10,000m event at the Paris Games in 2024.

• Read more: 470 watts and 46,485.2km – Geraint Thomas’ Tour de France career in numbers

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This weekend’s notable events are headlined by Cycle Nation’s annual 24-hour charity ride, and we’ve also selected two popular community-organized races, a beginner-friendly community group ride, and of course Zwift’s popular Zwift Unlocked series. See details below!

Cycle Nation/CMC Distance 4 Difference 24 Hour Ride

Tour de Andrasta

La Cyclo MedioFondo Foudre

Bikealicious Weekend Social Mixer

Zwift Unlocked Stage 2

How We Make Our Picks

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!

Belgian wax lubricant brand Cyclowax has launched an updated range, claiming you can cover up to 800km between treatments and triple the lifespan of your bike’s drivetrain. 

Cyclowax says its new hot wax formulation increases durability and performance, as well as keeping your chain cleaner and delivering ultra-low drivetrain friction, whatever the weather conditions. 

It has presented a graph plotting the fall-off in drivetrain efficiency over distance and reckons that after 250km an oil-based lubricant will have lost around 8 watts in drivetrain efficiency, while its treatment halves that loss to 4 watts. 

Its premium product is its new Race Wax Tablet, priced at €58.95, and used by the Lidl-Trek team. The 200g tablet is claimed to be enough for six treatments and contains tungsten disulphide, as well as being vegan-friendly and PFAS-free.

According to Cyclowax, this delivers the fastest chain in the WorldTour, although teams are divided on whether waxing is the best option for chain lubrication during stage races.

“We’ve tested Cyclowax’s new Race Wax throughout the season and mainly in the Tour de France and we were blown away by the results. To date, the best hot wax we’ve used,” says Glen Leven, head of performance at Lidl-Trek.

At the 2024 Tour de France, we spotted Lidl-Trek using a prototype hot waxing machine from Cyclowax, which enabled the team to rewax chains before every stage without removing them from their bikes.

Cyclowax’s Race Wax was also used at the 2025 Unbound Gravel race by 2016 Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaet, who’s an investor in Cyclowax and praised the wax’s performance. He finished Unbound 200 30th overall, clocking a time of 9:08:08, averaging just over 22mph for the 200-mile course.

• Why I wax my chains (and how to wax your own)
  

Two additional hot waxes and two drip waxes

The Race Wax Tablet is one of three new formulations, with Cyclowax also unveiling an updated Performance Wax Tablet, priced at €28.95, and a Core Wax Tablet, priced at €18.95.

Cyclowax says the Core tablet is designed for everyday road, gravel and MTB riding, while the Performance tablet is claimed to last 50% longer than the previous formulation and present 10% lower friction. 

In addition, Cyclowax offers two liquid formulations if you don’t have time to hot wax your chain. The Core Pocket Wax is priced at €14.95 and the Performance Pocket Wax at €24.95.  

As well as its waxes, Cyclowax sells all the gear you need to hot wax your chain, including a heater bath, a swizzle wire and a whole range of chain tools and bundled kits. 

You can also buy pre-waxed chains from all the major brands for 11, 12 and 13-speed drivetrains, a pre-waxed track chain and even a hot waxed chain for the Zwift Ride smart frame.

Now in its 17th round, Zwift Racing League continues to take racing to the next level on Zwift! Registration is now open for the second round of the 2025/26 season, which begins on November 4.

This page contains everything you need to know about the current ZRL round, and is updated as WTRL announces new details.

Intro to ZRL

Zwift Racing League (ZRL) is team-based racing for all abilities. It’s also the world’s largest virtual cycling competition, with over 30,000 riders of all abilities participating in each of the past two seasons!

Organized by WTRL, this is a team-based points competition spanning multiple weeks, with teams divided into divisions based on time zones and ability. Races take place every Tuesday, and the season is divided into distinct rounds with brief breaks in between.

ZRL is Zwift racing at its highest level. Its unique structure and varied race formats drive serious Zwift racers to show up week after week while providing a place for new racers who jump in and find their first team home.

Key Changes this Round

Each year, Zwift + WTRL collaborate to modify ZRL’s structure and rules with the aim of engaging as many racers as possible. The vast majority of these changes were put in place for Round 1, so read that list here if you didn’t race the first round.

For more info, see ZRL Technical Guide & Rules, version 5.0.2 >

Routes and Dates

Each ZRL round comprises weekly races which are either scratch races, points races, or team time trials (TTT). Scratch Races and Points Races are both actually points-based in terms of final results, but Points races include intermediate segments while Scratch Race points are all earned at the finish line. TTT winners are the teams who complete the race course fastest, with team time taken from the fourth rider across the line.

Race #1: Greatest London Flat
November 4, 2025 (TTT)

The round kicks off with a team time trial in London, on rolling roads that will be familiar to Zwift racers. No big climbs here, but those false flats will make you work. Hup hup!

• 1 Lap of London’s Greatest London Flat (31.1km, 223m elevation)
• PowerUps: none �

Race #2: Rising Empire (A/B) or Everything Bagel (C/D)
November 11, 2025 (Points Race)

The first points race of Round 2 is also the first proper climbing race of the 2025/26 season. Riders will take on the New York KOM in both directions, with A/B teams hitting it both ways, twice!

• A/B: 2 Laps of New York’s Rising Empire (41.4km, 750m elevation)
  • Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
    • New York KOM
    • NY Sprint Reverse
    • New York KOM Reverse
• C/D: 1 Lap of New York’s Everything Bagel (34.9km, 527m elevation)
  • Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
    • New York KOM Reverse
    • NY Sprint
    • New York KOM
    • NY Sprint Reverse
• PowerUps: TBD �

Race #3: London Loop Reverse
November 18, 2025 (Scratch Race)

Didn’t get enough climbing in last week? How about a scratch race with the tough Fox Hill climb on each lap?

• A/B: 3 Laps of London’s London Loop Reverse (44.6km, 694m elevation)
• C/D: 2 Laps of London’s London Loop Reverse (29.8km, 463m elevation)
• PowerUps: TBD �

Race #4: New Route TBA
November 25, 2025 (TTT)

Our second TTT of Round 2 will be on an as-yet-unreleased route. Watch this space for details…

Race #5: Glasgow Crit Circuit
December 2, 2025 (Points Race)

Our second points race of Round 2 takes us to Scotland for multiple action-packed laps of the city’s crit course. Will you contest the punchy Clyde Kicker, the flat Champion’s Sprint, or just try to hang on for dear life?

• A/B: 10 Laps of Scotland’s Glasgow Crit Circuit (30.2km, 340m elevation)
• A/B: 7 Laps of Scotland’s Glasgow Crit Circuit (21.2km, 238m elevation)
• Intermediate Segments (FAL+FTS):
  • The Clyde Kicker
  • Champion’s Sprint
• PowerUps: TBD �

Race #6: New Route TBA
December 9, 2025 (Scratch Race)

Our second scratch race of Round 2 will be on an as-yet-unreleased route. Watch this space for details…

Race Timeslots

Some divisions and start times get tweaked between each round, so use the table below to find a current time slot that works for your team.

Teams/Registration

Team registration opened October 15, 2025 (go to wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/participants/ and click “Register a Team”. Registration closes November 2, 2025 at 00:00 UTC.

ZRL is a team-based competition – you cannot sign up as an individual rider. Teams can have up to 12 racers rostered, but only 6 can race in each event. Teams must have at least 4 riders on their roster, and a rider can be rostered on no more than 2 teams per round.

Want to race, but don’t have a team? Here are seven ways to find a team:

1. Recruit friends onto a new ZRL team, then sign up your team at wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/participants/.
2. If you’re already a member of a larger Zwift Club, contact a senior Club representative to see if you can join one of your Club’s ZRL teams.
3. Join an official team-lead ZRL Group Recon Ride (see below) where several teams can be found looking for more riders. These run several times a day, starting two weeks before the first race.
4. Join the ZRL Facebook Group and post preferred race times/league, Pace Group Category, and any other preferences under the #zrlteamhunt tag where many teams are eagerly waiting.
5. Reply to one of the #zrlrecruiting posts that teams make in the ZRL Facebook Group if you don’t want to post your own request.
6. Reach out directly to WTRL and they can match you to a team based on race times, category, and team preferences.
7. Use the new “WTRL Team Finder” tool once it becomes available at wtrl.racing/zwift-racing-league/teamhunt/.

First-Timer Tips

If this is your first time racing on Zwift, here are a few tips to get you started fast:

1. You must create a WTRL profile linked to your Zwift account – do so at wtrl.racing/registration
2. The minimum category you’ll race is determined by your power history on Zwift. See this post for details.
3. Riders must use a power sensor to transmit power to the game – this would be a smart trainer, smartbike, or power meter. (You’re allowed to race C and D categories with a “classic” trainer and virtual power, but your points are cut in half.)
4. Heart rate monitors are required. (You’re allowed to race without a HRM, but your points are cut in half.)
5. Cadence monitors are required.
6. You’ll want to have at least a few races under your belt before you try to join a team, so you are confident that you’re in the correct category. It causes a lot of hassle if you join a team and are forced to upgrade to a new category mid-round!

Race Recon Events

If you’re unfamiliar with a particular week’s race course, join a ZRL recon ride! These happen multiple times per day and are led by experienced racers who may share route info and racing tips as you ride.

Find a list of upcoming ZRL recon rides at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon >

2025/26 ZRL Dates

• Round 1: September 16-October 7, 2025
• Round 2: November 4-December 9, 2025
• Round 3: January 6-February 10, 2026
• Round 4: April 7-28, 2026

Questions or Comments?

We recommend checking out WTRL’s Zwift Racing League page for rules, team registration, results, and more. They also have a Help Center with lots of useful info, and their Facebook page is the place to go for discussion of all things ZRL.

You may also share questions or comments below!

M&M’s will be the official sponsor of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for the next three years, in a bid to reaffirm the chocolate confectionary’s “French industrial and cultural history”. 

While the partnership between M&M’s and the world’s biggest bike race might come as a surprise, the Tour de France and the chocolate treats might have more in common than you think. The Tour de France is a point of national pride in France, and the bags of brightly coloured confectionery also have a place in the heart of France. 

“For 50 years, the famous coloured sweets produced in Haguenau, Alsace, have won the hearts of the French people and become a permanent part of their daily lives. Today, France’s second-largest chocolate confectionery brand is purchased by one-third of French households,” an official press release published on Tuesday said. 

We can also expect the M&M’s characters to make an appearance in the Tour de France caravans, which precede the pro peloton and consist of small vehicles designed to look like company products, including cheeses and even washing detergents. 

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme says: “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with M&M’S, one of France’s favorite sweets. 

“This is an adventure with a brand that perfectly embodies the values of conviviality and community spirit that define the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes with Zwift. The whole family will be in for a treat when the caravan passes by!” 

At the Mars Wrigley factory in Alsace, 750 workers help produce and promote 72,000 tonnes of M&M’s products each year.

Scoop up 20 victories in a year, your second rainbow jersey in a row, three monuments and your fourth Tour de France win, along with increasingly being referred to as the GOAT and surpassing Eddy Merckx, and you can expect to be rewarded well.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, that’s certainly the case for Tadej Pogačar, with the Italian sports journal estimating his 2025 earnings at €12 million.

That’s split between the salary from his deep-pocketed UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, a well-merited bonus, personal sponsorship and merchandising.

The Gazzetta says that, following the 2024 season, when he took the triple crown of the Giro, Tour and Worlds, UAE signed a six-year, €8m per season contract with Pogačar, securing his services until 2030, when he will turn 32.  

• Pogačar beaten by 40-year-old lawyer in Pogi Challenge charity ride

As an incentive to keep pedalling, the contract is claimed to add a bonus of €1m for winning the Tour de France, which maybe helps explain why Pogačar kept going in the 2025 edition despite suffering from knee pain.

There are further bonuses of €500,000 each in the contract for winning the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, and €250,000 for winning the World Championships, according to the Gazzetta.

It calculates that Pogačar‘s bonus income has dropped by €0.5m this year from 2024, though, thanks to not competing in a second grand tour, having won the Giro as well as the Tour last year.

Plus sponsorship income

Turning to sponsorship income, La Gazzetta dello Sport reckons Pogačar‘s income from his main sponsors is €2m, with another two sponsors negotiating to come on board next year and rumoured to be paying €1m each.

The €2m is said to be paid out by bike sponsor Colnago, shoe brand DMT, MET helmets and a cluster of other brands, including the Slovene tourist office. Pogačar will play host at the UCI eSports World Championships in November, an event platformed by another of his sponsors, MyWhoosh.

Then there’s Pogačar‘s merchandising income, with his TP logo appearing on everything from Carbon-Ti chainrings to MET helmets. La Gazzetta dello Sport reckons that’s worth another €1m, paid out by brands including cycling kit maker Pissei, and sunglasses and bag vendor Scicon. You can buy one of 300 special Pogačar edition Colnago V4Rs bikes for €17,000.

More cash than Armstrong or Pantani

La Gazzetta dello Sport points out that there have been other high-earning cyclists in the past with, ahem, Lance Armstrong benefiting from a $28m contract with Nike.

In 1998, Marco Pantani, who had just taken the Giro-Tour double, declined an offer of 5 billion Lire from Mapei to leave his Mercatore Uno team. Even when translated to Euros, that’s quite a lot: the Gazzetta calculates it to be worth around 4 million Euros in today’s money, accounting for inflation.

Totting it all up, the Gazzetta comes to the €12m figure for Pogačar’s 2025 income, which it reckons he will eclipse in 2026. It points out that it doesn’t all end up in his pockets, though, with some of Pissei’s cash paid into the Tadej Pogačar Foundation, which funds cancer research, support for sick children and assistance for victims of natural disasters.

What if another team wants to sign Pogačar before 2030? It will need deep pockets; his contract with UAE Team Emirates-XRG includes a €200m break-out clause, so expect to see Pogačar winning in UAE team colours for some time to come.

YT Industries UK is selling off all of its remaining assets in an online auction, with 30 bikes among the listings, after the brand entered insolvency in September.

Auction house Marriott and Co. is hosting the sale, with 144 lots on offer. The auction kicked off on 7 October and runs until 3pm on 22 October.

The listings include mountain bikes and eMTBs, with one lot consisting of a quantity of miscellaneous MTB parts with a claimed value of £170,000.

There are also two Transit vans, electric workstands, power tools and posh coffee equipment going under the hammer.

We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting lots you could bid on.

• YT Industries enters insolvency as CEO prepares to relaunch brand after buying it back
  

Ex-demo YT mountain bikes

Firstly, there are some 30 bikes for sale. These are ex-demo bikes, so will have likely had some use, but they could sell for bargain prices.

All the lots containing bikes have already met their reserve price, so will sell for whatever price they reach.

The cheapest bike at the time of writing is lot 10, a YT Izzo Core 1 CF trail bike in XXL. Bidding has reached £694, with a full retail price of £2,699.

There is also a YT Jeffsy Core 4 in size Large with SRAM AXS Transmission, which is currently going for £1,010 and retails for £5,000.

There are electric mountain bikes galore and we like the look of lot 34: a YT Decoy MX Core 5, which has an RRP of £7,799 but is selling for £1,110 at the time of writing.

The most valuable bike is lot 33, a YT Decoy SN 29 Core 4, which retails at £8,499, but is currently bid up to only £1,280.

Both these eMTB lots come with spare Fazua motors.

Parts bin special

Lot 36 is made up of miscellaneous MTB parts, presumably destined for bike builds on frames that will now never arrive.

The listing’s description says the stock is worth £170,000 and it’s currently at £2,600 without meeting the reserve.

Looking at the photos, it’s possible to make out what appear to be brake rotors, cassettes and even a fork hidden high up on a shelf.

Van life

If you fancy a new van, lot 1 is a long-wheelbase, high-top Ford Transit 350 for £10,000 (and the reserve has been met). It looks perfect for some van-life adventures.

YT wizardry

If you fancy redecorating your house with a bang, lot 95 could be for you. It’s a display set said to have been built by the Harry Potter set designers and includes a Mk1 Ford Transit van front end.

Caffeine fiends

Lot 114 is a two-group coffee machine from La Spaziale, which retails for £5,699 and is currently bid to £780 with the reserve met.

Capra collectables

With Halloween coming up, you might want a goat’s head mask. If so, you have three chances to be the winning bidder on lot 124, lot 125 and lot 126.

Ineos Grenadiers’ bike sponsor conundrum has been resolved with the most predictable of conclusions – the team has confirmed a three-year extension with Pinarello.

Pinarello has supplied Ineos with bikes since the British WorldTour outfit was established as Team Sky in 2010.

Ineos’ current agreement with Pinarello is due to expire at the end of 2025, and speculation earlier in the season suggested that the team may be forced to find a new supplier.

However, Sir Dave Brailsford’s team will now continue to use Pinarello bikes through 2026-2029.

While Daniel Benson reported for BikeRadar in July that a renewal was “the most logical outcome”, Pinarello’s relationship with Ineos has been under scrutiny owing to the extending influence of the brand’s owner, mining billionaire Ivan Glasenberg.

Glasenberg bought Pinarello from private equity firm L Catterton in 2023, and the South African also has a controlling interest in cycling clothing company, Q36.5.

Q36.5 is the title sponsor of Tom Pidcock’s team, currently supplied with bikes by Scott (though Pidcock rides a Pinarello mountain bike when on off-road duty). 

Glasenberg has been expected to align his interests at Pinarello and Q36.5 by putting the team’s riders on the Italian firm’s bikes when the current arrangement with Scott comes to an end later this year.

Bike brands rarely sponsor two prominent teams and Pinarello’s potential switch to Q36.5 could have left Ineos looking for a new sponsor, but Fausto Pinarello has now all but confirmed that the brand will supply both Q36.5 and Ineos in 2026.

“It’s not nice to see our rider use other bikes,” Fausto Pinarello told the Tuttobiciweb podcast, referring to Pidcock. “There’s a good chance that Tom will also use our road bikes [in 2026].”

While Q36.5’s switch is yet to be officially announced, the move would see Pinarello significantly increase its visibility in the pro peloton.

Pidcock’s transfer to Q36.5 has rejuvenated the second-tier team, with Pidcock finishing third overall at the Vuelta a España. The team has secured 14 victories in 2025, compared to only five in 2024.

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Silca has launched a range of three TPU inner tubes. That’s despite Josh Poertner, Silca’s boss, previously having had bad experiences with the ultra-light tubes.

Poertner says he put his whole family’s bikes on orange TPU tubes from an unnamed brand a few years ago, but because the valve stems are narrower than standard ones, and unthreaded they’re difficult to engage with a pump.

Within six months, all the tubes failed at the junction between the valve and the tube, he explained.

We’ve also had bad experiences with TPU tubes, with Jack Luke rating them his worst upgrade.

Poertner delved further and found that dyes in the TPU could reduce their strength. “The dyes can reduce the peak elongation, they can reduce the ultimate tensile strength and the yield strength of the material,” he says. They can also increase rolling resistance, Poertner claims.

Therefore, the Silca Ultimate TPU inner tubes are made in Germany using undyed thermoplastic polyurethane. Silca is not the only brand to make undyed TPU tubes: Continental, Schwalbe and Vittoria, for example, all sell undyed TPU tubes.

• Latex v TPU inner tubes: what’s the difference and should you upgrade?
  

Lower weight and rolling resistance

TPU inner tubes offer lower weight and a more compact size than a traditional butyl inner tube, plus they’re more air-tight than latex tubes, so you don’t need to pump them up before every ride.

Rolling resistance is usually lower than butyl tubes, too, although bicyclerollingresistance.com, testing a range of brands of inner tubes, has found them in general to be slightly less free-rolling than latex tubes.

Nevertheless, Silca claims a rolling resistance reduction of between 2 and 4 watts versus a butyl tube and that its tubes are only 0.2 watts slower than latex.

Designed to address weak points

TPU tubes tend to have two weak points, depending on how they’re made: the valve stem can break if it’s made of plastic rather than metal, and the tube can fail at the junction between the valve and the tube.

Silca has a patented bonding system between its aluminium valve and the tube, which uses two aluminium flanges to sandwich the TPU, with a rubber gasket on top to protect the tube around the valve drilling in the rim. Poertner claims many brands use a plastic one-sided flange, even with a metal valve. 

It also uses a threaded valve with a locking nut to avoid tube failure due to movement and friction when pumping by hand. The valve has a removable core, making it compatible with valve extenders.

The Silca TPU tubes are also claimed to be heat resistant, so they’re suitable to use with an electric pump, although Silca recommends inflating in 15psi steps to avoid overheating. Some TPU tubes are not recommended for use in rim-brake wheels, but Silca’s tubes are rated for both disc-brake and rim-brake wheels.

Most TPU tubes are glued together along their length, which can also cause failure. Poertner says Silca’s tubes are friction-welded with a turned-back overlap between the two sides, while many tubes are only glued with a flat overlap. 

“The joint is guaranteed air-tight and the tubes are 100% tested at the factory,” Poertner says. “It’s significantly stronger and has significantly higher elongation before failure. That’s what allows us to have two sizes of tube in a space where others might have three or four sizes of tube.”

Silca packages its TPU tubes with an alcohol wipe and an adhesive repair patch, so if you are unlucky enough to puncture twice on a ride, you’ve still got the means to repair the tube.

The Silca Ultimate TPU inner tube is available in two widths, covering a wide range of tyre sizes: 24-43mm and 44-64mm. The narrower tube is sold with either a 50mm valve, with a 44g claimed weight, or a 70mm valve with a 45g claimed weight.

The wider tube comes with a 50mm valve only and weighing a claimed 64g. All are priced at £39 / $39 each. 

The last few weeks have been full of surprises from the world’s biggest training app, Strava. 

On October 2, we reported that Strava was suing Garmin over patent infringement, related to Segments and heatmaps. Strava claims in its lawsuit that it has suffered damages, including lost revenue and business opportunities, due to the alleged infringements.

Yet, news of the lawsuit was followed quickly by a Reddit post from Strava’s chief product officer Matt Salazar, putting a new spin on why the company was suing its long-time collaborator.

Salazar said the primary reason behind the litigation was in fact a set of “new developer guidelines for all of its API partners”. According to Salazar, these guidelines would require Strava and other platforms using its API (Application Programming Interface) – which offers developers a data connection between services – to integrate Garmin’s logo “on every single activity post, screen, graph, image, sharing card, etc”.

The guidelines will take effect from 1 November. Meanwhile, Salazar’s post has had 1,500 comments and zero upvotes. 

When contacted by BikeRadar, Garmin declined to comment on Salazar’s post – and the noise has continued to come from Strava’s side. 

An email sent to Strava developers on Friday, 11 October, provided an update to Strava’s own API that says Garmin attribution will be required.

“Activity data obtained through the Strava API may include data that requires attribution to Garmin. Therefore, if your application displays information derived from Garmin-sourced data, you must display attribution to Garmin in the form and manner required by Garmin’s brand guidelines,” the guidelines reportedly state.

On the one hand, this could be read as Strava capitulating to Garmin, despite Salazar’s strong words. But it’s more a case of Strava ensuring that however many of its 150 million athletes that use Garmin smartwatches or bike computers don’t run into issues next month. Losing Garmin’s data would be a big blow. 

When asked about the updates to its own API, Strava told BikeRadar that it’s unable to comment on ongoing disputes. But a spokesperson said: “While we don’t agree with the extensive branding Garmin is forcing, uninterrupted connectivity for the subset of our community that uses Garmin remains our top priority, and we have also decided that we will give similar attribution to all of our device partners going forward to be fair. 

“Our aim is to make branding as unintrusive as possible and we believe it is the right thing to do in light of the mandatory changes that Garmin is asking all developers to implement by November 1st.”  

From Strava’s statement, it seems that come next month you won’t only see attribution to Garmin but also other platforms and devices “to be fair”.

The further context to Strava’s decision is its bid to go public in the US. The San Francisco-based company was valued at $2.2 billion last May following a funding round.

Rumours began to circulate last month after Reuters reported that Strava was in discussions with banks about an initial public offering. This made sense considering the value of the company, but also one big hire. In August, Strava announced Matt Anderson as its new chief financial officer, joining from Nextdoor, a social network for neighbourhood communities, which he helped guide through its public listing. 

And this week, Strava’s CEO Michael Martin confirmed the app has an “intention to go public at some point” because the move “provides easy access to capital in case we wanted to do more and bigger acquisitions”. 

There’s no indication yet of when Strava will join Wall Street, but smoothing things over with Garmin may be a way to stay in the good books of any potential investors.

Whether the lawsuit will continue to go ahead is yet to be seen, but it’s unlikely Salazar will take to Reddit again any time soon. 

You may like 

• Strava is becoming irrelevant – I use this free app instead
• Suunto sues Garmin over patent infringements as legal troubles build

I’m a sucker for fresh cycling kit, and being an avid Zwifter, I’ve owned every kit Zwift has released! Along with short-term kits for special tours like Tour of Watopia, Zwift has almost always had a general “Zwift kit” for sale. There was the “skinny Z” kit (OG Zwifters only), the high-end Giordana FR-C kit (pricy but so nice), the Expression kit (affordable yet unbreathable), and now, released just last month, the Watopia Essentials collection.

Designed by Zwift and produced by Pedal Mafia, the Watopia Essentials kit is understated and indoor-friendly, with multiple color options. Based on Pedal Mafia’s workhorse “Core” line, this kit is well-made without breaking the bank. Read on for my full review…

Shop the Watopia Essentials collection >

Note: sizing can be tricky with cycling kit. For reference, I’m 5′-10″ tall (179cm) and around 190 lbs (86 kg). I put my actual measurements in the text below where appropriate.

Watopia Essentials Bib Shorts

Priced at $168USD, the Watopia Essentials bib is from Pedal Mafia’s Core collection. (This is the more affordable “do everything” collection vs the more expensive “Pro” line.) The most distinctive thing about these shorts is the metallic printing of the Zwift logo, Scotty emblem, and Pedal Mafia logo on the small of the back. These metallic accents carry over to the jersey and base layer as well, as you’ll see below.

I have a 34.5″ waist and 39.5″ hips, so I went with the medium bib as recommended by the sizing chart.

The Watopia Essentials bibs aren’t indoor-specific, so they don’t include some of the extra-breathable features indoor kits often have, like mesh panels, minimal chamois, or super lightweight strapping. That said, the brace paneling on the back and lower front is nicely perforated, even though the straps themselves are not, and the main short fabric (75% recycled warp knit lycra) is just the right thickness to allow sweat to evaporate indoors while still working well outside in most conditions.

While I haven’t had time to run the Watopia Essentials bibs through the wringer across many rides (since they were just released), I do own multiple pairs of Pedal Mafia’s core bibs, so I know what kind of durability to expect. I’d say these shorts hold up as well as other mid-range bibs, with the first point of failure for me being some frayed stitching in the inner leg area due to saddle rub. (This hasn’t affected the feel or wearability of the bibs, but it’s something worth noting.)

Chamois fit is a very personal thing, but I prefer thinner pads, especially for indoor riding. I’d say the Watopia Essentials’ chamois is on the thin side as chamois go, while still having plenty of thickness for all-day/outdoor wear.

Leg length on Pedal Mafia bibs tends to be on the longer side, as this “pro look” is the trend in today’s kits. I don’t particularly love super-long legs, as they aren’t helpful for indoor riding. That said, I ordered the medium bibs, which fit great on my frame.

If you look closely, you’ll see some nice finishing touches on these bibs. The metallic logos are fun, but you’ve also got a little pocket on the back brace to hold a gel or even your phone, Pedal Mafia-branded extra-wide leg grippers, a logo on the chamois, plus the feel-good factor of 75% recycled lycra composition… these aren’t just basic bibs.

Watopia Essentials Jersey

The Watopia Essentials jersey, like the bibs, is based on Pedal Mafia’s “core” line. Priced at $128USD, this is a well-made, indoor-friendly jersey with lots of finishing touches. Based on my chest measurement of 38″ (and my experience with wearing other PM Core kits) I went with a medium jersey, as I prefer a tighter fit.

A note regarding color: I chose the “frost” color, and what you see in the pictures below is, to my eyes, a fairly accurate presentation of the actual color of the jersey. What I see on Zwift’s website for this color looks significantly bluer than it really is.

While the sizing chart would have placed me in a large jersey (just barely), I went with a medium because I prefer a tighter fit, and because I got a few medium Pedal Mafia core jerseys in my closet already. These jerseys fit nicely, with plenty of length in the arms and rear torso without being too long in the front. (I hate it when jerseys bunch up in front when you’re hunched over the bike.)

While this isn’t an indoor-specific jersey, it is a very breathable top that works well outdoors in summer heat as well as indoors on the trainer. I’ve complained to ZHQ in the past that the kits they’ve sold aren’t indoor-friendly, particularly their previous Expression Jersey, which is one of the least breathable jerseys I own. So it’s nice to see Zwift selling a top that works well indoors. The arms and side panels use a 3D mesh material that keeps you dry and cool without being so fragile that it breaks down in the wash, while the front and back use a denser but still lightweight perforated fabric that provides more coverage but still wicks sweat and allows airflow for drying.

In my experience, it takes a lot of riding to wear out a jersey, unless it’s a super-light one made specifically for indoor riding or hot weather. All of my Pedal Mafia Core jerseys have held up well with no tears from washing or frayed stitching, so I expect the Watopia Essentials jersey to do the same.

Even though the design is far from flashy, there are lots of small finishing touches on this jersey. These include a PM-branded waist gripper, a tag with spaces to write your emergency details, a zippered side pocket, and a pizza slice in the back-left pocket. The inside of the collar (shown above) even lists all the Watopia expansions, in chronological order. A super-nerdy Zwifty touch! (And while I’m being nerdy, the back-left pocket includes “Four Horseman” in the list of routes… but it should be “Four Horsemen“.)

Watopia Essentials Base Layer

The Watopia Essentials base layer is priced at $50USD. I chose the frost color to match the jersey, and went with the Medium size as well.

While many riders don’t wear a base layer, especially indoors, they do help keep things, as Zwift says, “cool, dry, and breathable.” Adding a layer to increase breathability and cooling doesn’t seem intuitive, but that 3D mesh wicks the sweat from your skin then increases the surface area for air to contact that sweat and cause it to evaporate.

It all works quite nicely, and it also means you can unzip your jersey without showing too much skin. You can also wear it in place of a jersey, at least indoors.

My medium base layer fit tightly, as it should. Not so tight that it restricted breathing, but tight enough that it stayed in contact with my skin and didn’t feel “baggy” beneath my jersey.

The entire base layer is made of the same 3D mesh, which is an even lighter/more open mesh than the arms and sides of the jersey. It’s about as breathable a fabric as you’ll find, if you want something that also wicks sweat (and you do).

Super lightweight 3D mesh fabrics can suffer small tears in the wash if they snag on something sharp like the pointy half of velcro glove straps. Some people will wash their more fragile fabrics in a laundry bag to avoid this, but that’s too much hassle for me. I just keep my gloves velcroed together and it (usually) works!

With a base layer that will generally be covered by a jersey, I don’t want to pay for lots of fancy visual touches. The Watopia Essentials base layer keeps things pretty simple, with a Zwift logo across the chest, a metallic Scotty logo on the front-bottom-right corner, and a Watopia logo on the top back, just like the jersey.

Watopia Essentials Socks

Like most cyclists, I love a good pair of socks. Aero socks, colorful socks, merino wool socks… I’ve got more than I can fit in one drawer, for sure. Because it’s always fun to get a new pair in the mail and take them for a spin!

Keeping with the theme, Watopia Essentials socks are from Pedal Mafia’s Core collection. I got the Small/Medium size because I’ve found Pedal Mafia’s socks run quite tall. And I went with the “frost” color to match the top.

If you’re looking for “pro-length”, these are your socks. Like I said, I went S/M. But if I had gone for the L/XL, they would have been gone up over part of my calf. Size-for-size, Pedal Mafia’s Core socks quite a bit higher up the leg than most of the socks in my drawer. This isn’t good or bad – it’s a question of what look and feel you prefer.

These are lightweight, which is to be expected for cycling socks. I’d describe them as “medium-thick” when compared to the current crop of cycling socks. They aren’t super-thin like some, but they aren’t as thick as others. They make a good all-around sock suitable for riding in most conditions, although I may prefer something thinner for indoor riding.

Final Notes

Overall, I’d say the Watopia Essentials kit does a very good job of walking the line between quality and price. It performs where you want kit to perform, without soaring into the upper price ranges. I like the design, too: distinctively Zwifty, but not garish. And there are three color options to choose from, which is a first for Zwift.

I should also note that there’s a t-shirt, bottles, and sweatshirts included in the Watopia Essentials line. Along with a women’s jersey and bibs, of course!

Shop the Watopia Essentials collection >

Questions or Comments?

Post below!

As part of the ongoing debate over alleged forced labour in the Taiwanese bicycle industry, Giant has announced today that it will reimburse current migrant workers hired before 1 January, 2025, for their previous recruitment expenses. 

The announcement follows the Trump administration’s barring of Giant bicycles, components and accessories made in Taiwan. The ban followed US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) saying it had identified ‘forced labour indicators’ during an investigation of the cycling brand. 

One of the indicators of forced labour that the CBP identified was debt bondage, where a person is forced to work to pay off a debt. 

Last year, investigative journalist Peter Bengtsen found migrant employees at Giant had paid high recruitment fees.

“For decades, workers hired from abroad have paid exorbitant fees to home-country recruiters and Taiwanese labour brokers for jobs and services. As a result, workers borrow significantly from banks and money lenders, often at excessive interest rates, and thereby risk debt bondage while working in Taiwan to pay off loans,” Bengtsen told BikeRadar.

Following the import ban, Giant was seeking to revoke the CBP’s decision. Since the start of 2025, it has implemented a zero recruitment fee policy.

Now, it says it has hired an international third-party advisor “to identify, assess, and develop a comprehensive compensation plan to reimburse current migrant workers hired before January 1, 2025, for their previous recruitment expenses”.

“Giant Group has already initiated the first phase of fee reimbursement payment this week to demonstrate its commitment. Giant has made the provision in the book with sufficient funding ability to support the payment so Giant can ensure all migrant workers receive what they are eligible for. This is a further concrete action to fulfill the company’s commitment to human rights and fair employment practices,” a statement from Giant read.

Giant also said it has completed the relocation of all migrant worker dormitories, with 400 workers moving into newly built facilities. 

“The new dormitories were designed and upgraded in line with international labor and human rights standards, providing a safe, healthy, and respectful living environment that meets fire protection, construction, and public safety requirements,” Giant said. 

The CBP’s decision to bar Giant imports sent shockwaves through the Taiwanese bicycle industry.

Following the blockade, Merida announced a zero-fee recruitment policy for migrant workers, effective from 1 October, as well as a reimbursement scheme. Merida said that while it complies with Taiwanese labour laws, it is committed to “internationally recognised labour standards”.

Last week, the Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA) announced an initiative for industry suppliers to observe human rights, following the CBP’s announcement that it would detain Giant shipments.

“To meet growing global expectations for Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and sustainable supply chain governance, the Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA) has announced an industry initiative encouraging suppliers across the value chain to undertake supply chain due diligence, with a particular focus on human rights and forced labor,” the TBA said.

The TBA said it would also provide suppliers with a self-assessment checklist to help suppliers conduct internal reviews to ensure compliance with Taiwanese law and align with international standards.

Unless you plan to always ride alone, drafting is an essential skill for the cyclist – both indoors and out. Here’s everything you need to know about drafting in Zwift.

Why Draft?

The goal of drafting in Zwift is to conserve energy, just as it is outdoors. The amount of energy saved by drafting is no “marginal gain” – it is literally the difference between winning and losing in every bike race.

Estimates vary, but the most common figure mentioned outdoors is a 30% power savings when drafting behind just one other rider. It’s just physics: air resistance is the number one force slowing you down when you’re moving at speed, so if a rider just ahead is in the wind and you’re on their wheel, you’ll be able to travel at the same speed with less effort.

Example: you could put out ~210 watts while drafting and maintain the same speed as the rider ahead of you who is putting out ~300 watts, assuming you’re both the same size, weight, CdA, etc.

Riding in a large pack will reduce wind resistance even more, resulting in greater power savings. Scientists studied the draft effect of a large peloton (121 riders) and found that wind resistance in the “sweet spot” of this large group was only 5-10% what a solo rider would experience. Incredible!

Drafting Power Savings in Zwift

Based on our tests, drafting in Zwift behind a single rider gets you a power savings of approximately 25%. Using power emulators on a closed course, we had one rider sustain 300 watts while another rider drafted behind. We found a rider could stay in this 300-watt draft at ~225 watts while on relatively flat ground.

Changes in pitch affect these numbers, as gravity comes increasingly into play. Using the above power numbers, the front rider will pull away on an incline. But when a decline hits, it will take even fewer watts to stay in the draft. For more on how gradient affects drafting, see Saving Watts In the Draft: Climbs vs Descents vs Flats.

The draft effect in Zwift is enhanced in larger groups, although it’s not as significant as we see outdoors. See our most recent tests of 4-rider drafting for more info.

The Challenges of Zwift Drafting

Zwift HQ has done a commendable job with their drafting algorithms to create something that works well in small and large packs for a variety of riders. That said, drafting in Zwift takes some getting used to, even if you are familiar with drafting in real life. Here are the differences:

• No steering: outside, you can steer in and out of a draft, but on Zwift, many riders don’t have steering devices, which leaves their left-right positioning up to the game’s pack dynamics algorithm. This means sometimes the game doesn’t position you for maximum draft effect.
• No brakes: when you ride outside, you can tap your brakes to maintain the proper distance off the back tire of the rider in front of you. Unless you have Zwift Play paired and braking enabled, you don’t have braking capability in Zwift, so your front-to-back position in the pack becomes a matter of putting down the right amount of power at the right time.
• Limited and delayed sensory feedback: outside, you can feel when you’re in the draft: the air resistance decreases and you don’t have to work as hard to keep the pace. On Zwift, there are very limited cues as to when you are in the draft or not, and resistance does not decrease when drafting. Additionally, if you need to modify your power output to stay in the draft, the response (your avatar moving in response to your power change) is not as immediate as it would be in real life.

Drafting Cues

Zwift uses the visual cue of sitting up (riding with your hands on the hoods instead of the drops) as an indicator that you are in the draft. It can be a little confusing though, since Zwift will also have your avatar sit up at slow solo speeds.

If you are moving at 33kph or more and your avatar is sitting up (on the hoods), you are in the draft.

Your avatar will begin riding on the hoods, but as you speed up to 32-33kph your avatar will move to the drops. If you are in the drops and begin to slow down, your avatar will move to the hoods as you hit 29-30kph.

A few more details: the Tron bike has no “sitting up” animation, so even though you are experiencing the draft effect, your avatar will never change position on the Tron. TT bikes have no “sitting up” animation either. And on mountain bikes, your avatar sits a bit higher when not drafting.

More Drafting Tips and Notes

Draft Boost (Van) Powerup

The draft boost powerup increases the strength of whatever draft you are experiencing for 40 seconds. It only works if you are in the draft, so use it in the pack to save some energy.

Dial It In

Because of how Zwift’s pack dynamics work, there is a “wattage window” within which you can hold a rider’s wheel. For example: you may be holding a wheel at 240W, but if you reduce your power to 220W you’ll may still be able to hold the wheel.

In a small group, it’s worth easing off the pedals to figure out just how much power you actually need to hold the wheel, so you aren’t putting out more power than necessary.

Steering Challenges

Since Zwift steers for you automatically, you may at times find yourself being steered out of the draft. If this happens while you’re attempting to stay in the draft, simply keep your power at a level that keeps you in a good position to get the draft, and Zwift will typically steer you into the draft soon enough.

Alternatively, if you have a steering device, you may find that manually steering will place you in a stronger draft position than the game’s automatic steering.

TT Bikes Do Not Draft

On Zwift, TT bike frames do not experience a draft effect unless you are in a special event (usually only team time trials) where TT drafting is enabled. You can draft behind a TT rider, but the TT rider will not get any benefit from riding behind anyone else.

Flick that Elbow!

Just like outdoors, you can use the elbow flick motion (F1 on your keyboard, or in your list of motions on the Companion app) to signal to other riders that it’s their turn to take a pull.

The Supertuck and Drafting

The supertuck may be outlawed by the UCI, but it’s legal on Zwift. There’s just one caveat: you have to be out of the draft in order to supertuck! That means in a race, only the rider on the front of the pack will be able to supertuck, assuming the other conditions are met (~36MPH/~58km/hr, -3% or more downhill, power below 11W). Read more about the supertuck here >

Breakaway Burrito Powerup

As the name lightly suggests, the Breakaway Burrito is the only powerup that affects those around you. When the Burrito powerup is activated, it turns off the draft benefit for riders in a cone shape behind you, for 20 seconds. Learn more about the Burrito here >

Get Saucy

If you run Zwift on Windows or Mac, you might consider installing the Sauce for Zwift add-on, which includes a helpful draft gauge which supposedly displays how many watts you’re currently saving. (That’s up for debate, but in practice, the gauge is helpful because it shows how strong the current draft effect is, regardless of what it’s actually measuring.)

See it below from a video of a recent race. Read more about S4Z here >

Questions or Comments?

Got questions about drafting on Zwift? Share below!

If you’ve ever felt Campagnolo’s ‘standard’ Super Record 13 groupset isn’t quite fancy enough, you’re in luck.

The Italian brand has announced Super Record 13 Ultra – a suite of upgraded parts for its flagship 13-speed road bike groupset, built with even lighter and pricier materials.

The so-called ‘Ultra component package’ consists of a carbon fibre chainring, a titanium cassette and ceramic bottom bracket bearings.

These components come with an endless number of superlatives and some big price tags, of course, but you knew that already.

• I tested new Campagnolo Super Record 13, and Shimano and SRAM should be worried – here’s why

Components for ultra-demanding cyclists

These upgrades are, Campagnolo says, targeted at “ultra-demanding cyclists who will appreciate the ultimate expression of mechatronics applied to a bicycle” and “those seeking the ultimate performance and lightest weight”.

If you’ve never heard of ‘mechatronics’ before – as we hadn’t – it’s the “synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical, and computer systems”, according to Wikipedia.

In layman’s terms, it means Campangolo has sought out the finest materials to make marginal improvements to its Super Record 13 electronic groupset.

Let’s take a look at the new components and compare them to the standard versions.

Campagnolo Ultra chainring

While ‘standard’ Super Record 13 chainrings are made from aluminium alloy, the Ultra chainring combines carbon fibre and aluminium to reduce weight, improve stiffness and give it a “highly attractive racing look”.

Campagnolo says the carbon is structural and the chainring teeth are made from 7075 aluminium – which is said to be “among the lightest aeronautical-derived alloys”, while also being very durable.

Available in 50- and 52-tooth sizes, Campagnolo says the Ultra chainring is designed and manufactured at its headquarters, in Vicenza, Italy – which I visited to test the Super Record 13 groupset ahead of its launch.

These outer chainrings are claimed to weigh 78 and 102g each, 34 and 28g lighter than the stock alloy chainrings (respectively).

They are priced at €330 each, around €110 more than standard chainring sets cost.

Ultra titanium cassette

The clue is again in the name with the Ultra titanium cassette, which uses “aircraft-grade titanium” for the largest four or five sprockets on the cassette (depending on which range of sprockets you select).

Each cluster of sprockets is machined from a block of titanium, and is also made in the brand’s Vincenza headquarters.

The titanium sprockets also contrast with the ‘black chrome’ alloy sprockets that make up the remainder of the cassette, which “transform the cassette into a distinctive element that makes the entire groupset unique”.

The two options are 10-33 and 10-36t, with four and five titanium sprockets, and claimed weights of 215 and 238g respectively, saving 30 or 44g compared to stock equivalents.

Both cassettes cost €620 – a steep increase compared to the £325 / €349 standard Super Record 13 cassettes.

Ultra ceramic bottom bracket bearings

Completing the package is a set of ceramic bearings for the groupset’s Ultra-Torque bottom bracket cups.

As with most ceramic bearings, these are designed to minimise friction, with Campagnolo saying the silicone nitride ball bearings are “selected according to international aerospace standards”.

This guarantees “superior roundness”, the brand says, which contributes to “optimal pedalling performance and long life”.

The bearings also feature an “internal cage” made from “high-performance resin”, which helps further reduce friction, and a “double-seal system” is used to prevent contamination during use.

As well as cutting friction, Campagnolo says the Ultra ceramic bottom bracket bearings cut 3g of weight compared to standard steel bearings.

They cost €164, which is only slightly more expensive than Campagnolo’s existing CULT hybrid-ceramic bottom bracket bearings, which cost £155 / €160.

Ultra-Torque steel bearings are, unsurprisingly, far cheaper at £32 / €33.

The lightest groupset gets lighter

Overall, Campagnolo says the Ultra parts will save a rider up to 81g over a standard Super Record 13 groupset, for a grand total of €1,114.

The brand notes it makes the lightest electronic road bike groupset currently available even lighter.

This, the brand says boldly, “will not go unnoticed and will certainly be felt immediately”. 

We’re sceptical about this, but it’s fair to say the Ultra components look very cool and we’re sure riders with deep pockets and an appreciation for high-end materials will find plenty to like here.

Campagnolo says the Ultra components are available to order now and can be purchased individually or as part of a kit, which comes in “equally striking packaging”.

Oscar Delaite is the new world-record holder for the longest continuous wheelie, having nearly doubled the previous record of 81.59km with a new distance of 150.4km.

The Frenchman set his record at a running track in Vittel, France, keeping his front wheel in the air for 752 laps of a 200m indoor course.

It took Delaite 6 hours and 31 minutes to cover the 150.4km distance.

This isn’t Delaite’s first time in the record books, with the Frenchman also holding the Guinness World Record for the longest bicycle wheelie with no front wheel, at a distance of 100.5 km.

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Delaite also holds the record for the longest-duration one-handed bicycle wheelie, clocking a time of 1 hour 46 minutes and 36 seconds.

• Learn how to wheelie, with Anna Glowinski
  

He completed the attempt on a rigid frame from Rose Bikes, fitted with Thickslick tyres from Wilderness Trail Bikes, both sponsors of the rider.

Apart from running the saddle slanted forward to offset the angle of the wheelie, the bike Delaite used for the record was standard.

As for the reason he chose to use a track, to be officially validated by Guinness World Records, the record attempt had to be made on an approved track. The indoor track also removed any variables, such as sudden gusts of wind, which could have ended Delaite’s attempt early.

The verification process for a Guinness World Record attempt takes a long time, so while the record is yet to be officially confirmed, we expect to see Delaite’s name in the book soon.

Racing is one of the best ways to stay motivated and engaged while riding on Zwift. In this week’s top video, hear from one Zwifter as she shares her experience from her first race on Zwift.

We’re also featuring videos about VO2 Max, pain cave set ups for small spaces, a test of the KICKR Core 2’s compatibility, and more exciting Zwift racing content.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

Posedla might be a saddle brand you haven’t heard of yet, but that could be about to change.

Its 3D-printed saddle service enables riders to get the perfect saddle for them, by taking an imprint of their sit bones.

The service is called the ‘Smiling Butt Kit’, whereby you sit on a pad to create an impression, which is then posted off to Posedla. The resulting measurements are used to produce a custom-shaped saddle for your specific use case – be it road, gravel, MTB or even time trialling.

On top of this, Posedla enables you to customise the spec of its saddles, including rail choice, width and foam density – and even personalisation.

Interested? So were we – so Ollie Smith has given it a try on your behalf to see how the process works.