Thinking of putting together an indoor cycling space? In this week’s top video, watch as one Zwifter converts his packed garage to an impressive Zwift setup.
Also included in this week’s top videos are videos about a Zwifter’s first race, a comparison of indoor and outdoor FTP tests, an overview of the TrainerRoad and Zwift integration, and fitness gains from Zwift racing.
New “Paincave” Setup & Zwift Ride Unboxing
Ryan Condon has finally made the move to upgrade his paincave. Watch as he puts together his new setup in his garage.
Sprinter Tries His First Zwift Race
Jeff from Norcal Cycling tackles a Zwift race with Dylan, who has never raced on Zwift before. Can Jeff help Dylan win his first Zwift race?
Zwift FTP Test vs Outdoors FTP Test
To accomplish one of his cycling goals, Nathan must increase his FTP to be more competitive in the higher Zwift categories. In this video, Nathan does an FTP test both indoors and outdoors to see how the numbers compare.
TrainerRoad x Zwift: The Ultimate Indoor Training Combo?
J Dirom covers the TrainerRoad and Zwift integration and shares his thoughts on the topic.
I tried Zwift racing for 4 months – this is what happened
After racing consistently for the last four months, Henry shares his takeaways from the experience and the progress that he has made.
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Sturdy Cycles has introduced its new off-the-peg SC-G gravel bike, showing off the British brand’s 3D-printed custom tech.
Somerset-based Sturdy Cycles has a global reputation for making some of the best full-custom titanium bikes around. It uses some of the latest 3D-printed technology in its bikes.
Now the brand has launched an all-new gravel bike, the SC-G, which is available in four standard sizes rather than only as a made-to-measure purhcase.
Sturdy hasn’t strayed from its entirely in-house building, however, so each SC-G is handcrafted and meticulously finished in its Frome workshops.
The attention to detail on the SC-G is incredible. Sturdy Cycles
The SC-G is designed for those who want a top-tier titanium bike but without the wait time associated with a full-custom build.
The SC-G should be seen as a homegrown rival to bikes such as the Moots Routt 45 or a bridge between mass-produced titanium gravel bikes and high-end fully custom options from the likes of Mosaic, J Laverack, and indeed Sturdy.
The Sturdy head tube uses Deda’s SCR headset to route brake hoses fully internally. Sturdy Cycles
The frame is made with 3D-printed junctions throughout, which are then machined to match custom-drawn titanium tubes.
The frame is designed to be adaptable, with big tyre clearances of 55mm (700c) and with mudguard mounts, triple bottle mounts, top tube mounts and ENVE’s In-Route carbon fork with triple anything bosses.
The rear axle on the SC-G is titanium. Sturdy Cycles
The geometry is pure modern-gravel stuff, with long chainstays to add stability, a 71-degree head angle to aid handling in the rough, and a stack and reach that are more akin to endurance than race bikes.
The SC-G is available as a complete bike or a frame kit.
The frame kit includes:
1.5-inch Deda DCR headset
Titanium rear thru-axle
Titanium bottle-boss bolts
Titanium UDH
It is available either in a raw titanium shot-peened finish or a choice of eight Cerakote colours (Cerakote is a highly durable ceramic-based paint, mainly found in the firearms industry and more recently in high-end watch production).
The SC-G comes in shot-peened raw finish or one of eight Cerakote colours. Sturdy Cycles
SRAM’s new derailleur-hanger-free Eagle 70 and 90 Transmission gearing is operated by a cable, offering a number of the same benefits as its electronic brethren at a fraction of the cost.
Shifting under power feels very well managed, and once cable tension has settled down, quick shifts between cogs feel accurate and punchy.
However, the feel through the shifter is something of a mixed experience.
Just like its wireless counterpart, there are no B-tension or limit screws to worry about, which should make setup swift, plus it’s claimed to be just as tough as the electronic derailleur – and to be the toughest mechanical derailleur ever made.
SRAM’s Eagle 90 Transmission is cable-operated but uses the Full Mount design of the latest-generation AXS derailleurs. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Yes, that’s right, you can, apparently, stand on the derailleur without killing it, although we wouldn’t recommend doing so.
Most important of all, it’s far cheaper than the top-tier XX, X0 and GX Eagle AXS Transmission gearing, with the Eagle 70 derailleur costing £120 and the complete Eagle 90 group £655.
Should you total part of the derailleur, spares are available to rebuild it, which is a nice touch and bolsters the value.
SRAM Eagle 90 ride impressions – Rob Weaver
Gear changes are crisp, but the shifter feel could be improved. Scott Windsor / Our Media
I’ve had the Eagle 90 Transmission on a Specialized Epic 8 Expert for a little over a month and clocked up around 250km while testing it.
While I’m a long way from being able to deliver a definitive verdict, I can at least give you some insight as to how Eagle 90 has performed so far.
When it comes to performance, the first thing worth commenting on is the shifter feel and performance.
Push the larger of the two paddles to access an easier gear and you can feel the cable progressively tensioning as you increase thumb pressure.
The paddle travels a little way until you hit an indexed click and the gear shifts from one sprocket to the next.
The feel of this push is somewhat softer than that of a Shimano equivalent, which seems to travel less and offers a more solid, positive click when the shift is initiated.
We’ve put 250km in on the new drivetrain. Scott Windsor / Our Media
On the flipside, shifting into a harder gear feels quicker and easier, thanks to the limited travel that the smaller of the two paddles has, with a positive click that feels as though it’s reached more rapidly than that of a Shimano shifter.
In terms of accuracy at the cassette, my first couple of rides in muddy conditions left me twiddling the barrel adjuster at the shifter to tweak the indexing.
While 11 of the 12 gears seemed to shift perfectly, I had some issues when selecting the third sprocket, where the derailleur seemed to jump around when I was really putting the power down.
I put this down to cable stretch, added some tension at the barrel adjuster and have since had no other issues.
While I’m on the subject of accuracy, it’s worth noting that despite the lack of limit screws, I’ve had zero issues with the derailleur over-shifting at either end of the cassette.
Like Eagle AXS Transmission, shifting on power is impressive. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Where I’ve been really impressed with the Eagle AXS Transmission is just how reckless you can be when shifting under power.
Thankfully, this carries over to the mechanical version. I’ve shifted countless times while sprinting – both up and down the cassette – and found the gear I’m after each and every time without any skipping or crunching. It’s really impressive in that regard.
Only time will tell how it all holds up over time. I’ll keep putting the miles in and report back when I’ve put it thoroughly through the wringer.
Ditching the derailleur hanger… again
Full Mount and Hangerless Interface remove the need for a traditional derailleur hanger. Scott Windsor / Our Media
As if we’re stuck on Groundhog Day, SRAM has once again re-written the rulebook and ditched the derailleur hanger on its latest product.
Moving to the brand’s Full Mount design – pioneered on the electronic AXS derailleurs – means SRAM has also done away with high and low limit screws, the B-tension screw and the fiddly chain-gap tool used on Eagle drivetrains.
As before, the move to a Full Mount design means the derailleur bolts through the frame’s Hangerless Interface, which is claimed to be much sturdier than a traditional design.
This interface – which is simply a hole at the dropout – is in the same place on all bikes, dictated by SRAM’s open-source UDH patent.
And because it’s in the same place on all bikes, and all Eagle Transmission – AXS or mechanical – cassettes are the same, SRAM has ported the installation and setup process to Eagle 90 and 70 Transmission.
Still simple to set up
Thanks to SRAM’s nifty design, the high, low and B-tension screws are removed, simplifying setup. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Adding cables usually increases complexity – or at least requires the mechanical nous needed to fine-tune tension – but according to SRAM, that’s not the case with Eagle 90 and 70.
As with the AXS equivalent, SRAM’s setup method for the cable-operated version relies on frame data collated on SRAM’s chain-length guide web page to determine several factors.
These include chain length, setup key position, which gear the derailleur needs to be fixed in and, in turn, which cog on the cassette is required to determine the derailleur-to-cassette chain gap.
The final step involves setting cable tension, which is very similar to all other cable-operated systems, from all manufacturers, that preceded Eagle 90 and 70 Transmission.
Crisp-click shifting
The shifter comes in single or double-click variants. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Because Eagle 90 and 70 Transmission use the same cassettes as Eagle Transmission AXS, in theory they’ll share the electronic system’s crisp, high-quality on-power shifting it has become famed for.
Here, 44 shift lanes and the X-Sync tooth profile combine to create what the brand claims is the “best mechanical shift performance under load there is”.
While the cassette and derailleur deal with the dirty end of shifting, the shifter – as your only point of contact – is where it really counts.
Eagle 90 Transmission shares its cassette and chain with GX AXS Transmission. Scott Windsor / Our Media
The new shifter – which is visually very different from Eagle drivetrain shifters – is slim and sleek, hiding beneath the handlebar and under the brake lever.
Its cables, like SRAM’s Stealth brake lines, are routed parallel to the bar for a clean look.
However, there are only two variants of Eagle 90 and 70 shifter; one with a single click that’s mandatory for ebikes and another with two clicks for non-assisted bikes.
While Eagle drivetrain single-click ebike shifters have existed all along, the ‘normal’ version previously enabled up to five clicks or gear changes with one actuation.
Whether you see that as a positive, neutral or negative will depend on your shifting habits.
Smashed up the derailleur? Rebuild it entirely
Each of the derailleur’s parts is replaceable, and available to buy should you need them. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Taking a large number of steps further than the impressively rebuildable AXS Transmission derailleurs, all of Eagle 90’s derailleur parts can be replaced.
The brand’s claim that this is “the most rebuildable derailleur ever” might, in fact, be true.
While the Eagle 90 cranks are available in 155, 160, 165, 170 and 175mm lengths (plus 150mm on the ebike version), the Eagle 70 arms come only in 165, 170 and 175mm options.
The two new Transmissions use different direct-mount chainring standards – eight-bolt for Eagle 90 and three-bolt for Eagle 70.
While Eagle 90’s silver-coloured rings are available in stamped steel or aluminium, Eagle 70’s black ones are steel-only.
Only three sizes are available – 30, 32 and 34t – but both Transmissions are also compatible with AXS chainrings of the same mounting standard.
Eagle 90 or 70 Transmission?
SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission is the aftermarket version, while Eagle 70 Transmission is the OE drivetrain. Scott Windsor / Our Media
SRAM says Eagle 90 Transmission components and upgrade kits are fully available aftermarket, while Eagle 70 Transmission is original equipment on full bikes.
However, individual replacement Eagle 70 Transmission components will be on sale, to ensure riders can replace broken or used parts like-for-like.
A dropper lever not for Reverbs
The dropper post lever (not pictured) looks very similar to the slimline shifter. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Also in SRAM’s new line-up is a cable-operated dropper post lever that’s not compatible with any of SRAM’s own electronic or hydraulic dropper posts.
Mimicking the design of the new Eagle 90 and 70 Transmission shifter, it runs the cable close to the bar.
It’s compatible with most cable-operated droppers – according to SRAM – and should round out your newest cable SRAM cockpit.
SRAM Eagle 90 and 70 Transmission prices
A full Eagle 90 Transmission drivetrain costs £655 / $670 / €730. Scott Windsor / Our Media
A full Eagle 90 Transmission drivetrain (derailleur, shifter, cranks, chainring, chain, cassette) costs £655 / $670 / €730.
Compared to SRAM’s most affordable AXS Transmission – GX – an equivalent groupset costs £1,180 / $1,099 / €1,300.
Removing the electronics slashes the price almost in half.
Other highlights include a £185 / $190 / €205 Eagle 90 Transmission rear derailleur price and a £50 / $50 / €55 shifter cost.
SRAM has announced it is simplifying its line-up of brakes, switching to mineral oil throughout and only using four-piston calipers in its mountain bike brake range.
While we wave goodbye to the likes of the Level and Code ranges, SRAM’s new Motive line-up should help fill the gap, and is said to offer Code-like power with Level-like weight. Pricing for the Motive Bronze starts at £170 per end.
At the lower end of the pricing spectrum, SRAM has bolstered the DB range, adding the £95 DB6 and £75 DB4 brakes to the catalogue.
The heavy-hitting Maven remains, although SRAM has added a more affordable ‘Base’ model, which will set you back £180.
While we’ve spent plenty of time on the Maven and DB8 brakes already, the Motives are entirely new.
SRAM is also offering its Ultimate Expert kits for the Maven and the Motive.
We got our hands on the Motive Ultimate Expert kit and bolted the brakes to a bike to see how they held up.
After a little over a month on the trail, the Motives remain powerful, with more than enough punch to slow down the Specialized Epic 8 Expert we had them bolted to.
Lever feel is light and they’ve proven to be decently predictable, solid performers to date.
SRAM Motive ride impressions – Rob Weaver
We’ve been initially impressed by SRAM’s new anchors. Scott Windsor / Our Media
I’ve now had just over a month on the new Motive Ultimate brakes and have managed to ride with them in a multitude of conditions aboard a Specialized Epic 8 Expert.
The four-piston calipers were paired with 180mm (front) and 160mm (rear) CentreLine X rotors.
For a cross-country bike such as this, it’s impressive that I haven’t once been left wanting more braking power. Even when slithering down wet, muddy trails usually reserved for enduro bikes, the lever feel was consistent and power levels always impressive.
The modulation feels better than previous SRAM brakes. Scott Windsor / Our Media
The carbon lever blades feel light and easy to pull with little in the way of resistance when hauling on the anchors.
Modulation is good, too, creating a very predictable, easy way in which to control your speed.
I’d argue this wasn’t always the case with older Level brakes, which didn’t feel quite as punchy.
The Motive Ultimate Expert felt relatively consistent in early testing. Scott Windsor / Our Media
After around 250km on the new Motive Ultimate brakes, only once have I experienced a slight shift in the bite point of the front brake, with the lever coming back closer to the bar than expected.
I’ve continued to ride, tweaking only the lever reach, and it seems to have now settled down, returning to its old consistent self.
The rear-brake bleed has been spot-on from the off, with zero bite-point wander and nothing but a consistent feel no matter how much I drag it.
I’ll keep testing the Motives and follow up with a full review soon.
XC weight with DH power
Disc-rotor sizes will impact how much power is on tap. Scott Windsor / Our Media
The new Motive brakes are designed for hard-charging XC, with the performance powerful enough for aggressive trail riding.
Weighing in at claimed 264g for the Ultimate rear brake, the Motives are slightly heavier than the 250g Level Ultimate 4 piston they replace, but SRAM says this is a worthwhile trade-off for increased control and power.
How much power do they have? Well, SRAM claims the Motive has similar power to its Code range of brakes, which were the brand’s downhill-focused mountain bike brakes before the launch of the Mavens.
If the power is too much for your intended use, SRAM says the brakes can be tuned by using different rotor sizes and pad compounds.
The Motive Ultimate Expert brakes come in an unusual teal colour. Scott Windsor / Our Media
The brand says a 20mm change in rotor size should result in an increase or decrease in power of 14 per cent.
Its HS2 rotors offer 7% more stopping power and heat management per rotor size than CenterLine.
SRAM offers both sintered and organic pads, with the latter preferred for their greater stopping power.
The Motives features DirectLink, which SRAM says offers lightweight power delivery for an incredibly solid, linear feel.
In a departure from DOT, the brand says its seal design eliminates the downsides of mineral oil while leveraging its advantages.
It says that due to mineral oil’s hydrophobic properties, unlike DOT, it won’t take on water over time, reducing the need for maintenance and bleeding.
The brand says the brake is only compatible with its Mineral Oil Bleed Kit, eliminating one factor when trying to bleed the brakes.
DB6 and DB4
Only the lever design has changed on the DB6 and DB4. SRAM
Alongside the new Motive, SRAM has updated its DB6 and DB4 brakes.
Both of the new brakes have adopted the brand’s Stealth lever design, seen on other models in the range, which run the cables closer to the bars.
SRAM says this also offers greater ergonomics, allowing for an inward hand position on the bar.
The new levers also offer better compatibility with the brand’s Eagle Transmission shifters, with the split ring clamp compatible with SRAM MMX-compatible shifters and dropper levers.
The brand also says power is on par with its Code brakes.
SRAM Motive spec and pricing
The new Motive brakes will be available in four build levels, including an Ultimate Expert kit featuring a split-caliper finish.
The Motive Ultimate Expert will be released in limited numbers. SRAM
Blade material: Carbon fibre
Caliper hardware: Titanium
Adjustments: Reach
Pad type: Organic and sintered
Claimed weight: 264g (rear brake)
What’s included: MMX Clamp, Two 20P-1 mounting brackets, two 180mm CL-X rotors, two 160mm CL-X rotors, rotor belts, rotor carrying case, Pro mineral bleeding kit, four barbs, four olives, two pairs of steel-backed metal sintered pads
Price: £585 / $599 / €655
SRAM Motive Silver
SRAM Motive Silver features stainless steel caliper hardware. SRAM
Garmin has announced Connect+ premium plan, which it says will bring even more personalised health and fitness insights to its smartphone app.
Currently, the Garmin Connect app has a host of training and health insights available for free. But the new premium plan will expand the number of features for £6.99 per month, or £69.99 per year. Garmin says all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free.
Garmin says existing features and data will remain free. Garmin
Garmin says there is a range of features available on Garmin Connect+, which vary by device:
Active Intelligence, powered by AI
A performance dashboard
Live activity tracking
Training guidance
LikeTrack features
Social features
Garmin says the new Active Intelligence feature will provide personalised insights and suggestions throughout the day based on your health and activity data.
Powered by AI, Garmin says the insights will become more tailored to you and your goals as you use Connect+.
The subscription will also enable you to compare fitness and health data in the performance dashboard via customisable graphs and charts.
If you start an indoor workout on a smartwatch, you can use the live activity tracker on a compatible smartphone to see real-time heart rate and pace data, workout videos, reps and more in the Connect app.
While following a Garmin Cycling Coach or Run Coach training plan on a compatible bike computer or smartwatch, you can “receive additional exclusive expert guidance from Garmin coaches – including educational content and videos – for peak performance.”
The expanded LiveTrack features will notify selected family and friends when you start an activity via text. You can also create a personalised LiveTRak profile page to share with your followers.
Garmin says you’ll also be able to access exclusive challenges, such as the Power Challenge to record four hours of zone 3 training in a month.
“Customers worldwide love using Garmin Connect to track, analyse and share their health and fitness activities,” says Susan Lyman, Garmin’s vice president of consumer sales and marketing.
“We are excited to provide even more personalised data and enriched features with the addition of Garmin Connect+. You can now learn even more about yourself, take on new challenges, train confidently and stay even more connected,” she says.
MAAP has released its first endurance-focused kit collection called Aeon, which promises a “ghost-like feel” to enable you to “focus on the road ahead”.
The new range includes two jerseys and bib shorts. It focuses on comfort with what MAAP calls advanced construction techniques and high-tech materials.
The jerseys use Polartec fabric, which aids your body’s natural cooling process, while the shorts use soft yarns and a 3D Thermo Moulded chamois for “all-day comfort”.
MAAP hasn’t sacrificed its flair for comfort and long-distance performance, though. The Australian brand says the Aeon collection is understated and minimalist. Just excuse the large logos.
MAAP Aeon Jersey
The jersey’s Polartec fabric is said to enhance your body’s natural cooling. MAAP
Available with long or short sleeves, MAAP says the Aeon jersey has the brand’s signature sleek, form-fitting silhouette but uses less compressive fabric for a more comfortable fit.
The Polartec Delta fabric is said to keep you feeling cool and fresh when the heat or pace rises, thanks to its “advanced evaporative cooling technology”.
The low-profile collar is said to eliminate irritation. MAAP
It has a 3D-knit structure to lift the fabric away from your skin and boost airflow. A blend of hydrophobic and hydrophilic yarns is said to disperse moisture for cooling.
MAAP says the wide hem at the front of the jersey means it stays put without feeling restrictive.
The low-profile collar, similar to those on aero jerseys, is said to eliminate irritation.
Aeon short-sleeve jersey: £170 / $230 / €185
Aeon long-sleeve jersey: £190 / $260 / €210
MAAP Aeon bib shorts
The Aeon bib shorts use MAAP’s 3D Thermo Moulded chamois. MAAP
MAAP has used its 3D Thermo Moulded chamois in the Aeon bib shorts to aid comfort.
This proprietary chamois first featured in MAAP’s Alt_Road range, but this is the first time the pad has been used in any of MAAP’s road cycling shorts.
The chamois has the same design and thickness as MAAP’s other seat pads but uses a higher-density foam for more shock absorption.
MAAP says the fabric is “ultra-soft”. MAAP
Elsewhere, the shorts use a Spanish yarn with four-way compression stretch. MAAP says this fabric has an “ultra-soft” touch and is abrasion-resistant.
MAAP describes the leg shape as optimised for efficient pedalling, with a single flatlock seam in each leg minimising potential irritation.
There is a pocket at the back of the shorts so you’ve got “plenty of storage for epic days in the saddle”.
Ridley’s new gravel bike, the Ignite GTX, is claimed to bridge the gap between mountain bikes and gravel. It’s a bike designed for the toughest races, even able to make the leap into ultra-distance mountain bike events according to Ridley.
The Ignite GTX has the biggest tyre clearance we’ve seen on a gravel bike to date – 2.3in, or 58mm.
Ridley’s designers say they’d noticed a shift towards some privateer riders using home-built drop-bar equipped mountain bikes for more technical gravel races, and some even adopting them for marathon mountain bike events.
Meanwhile, professional athletes were sticking to either gravel bikes or mountain bikes because that’s all that was available to them.
Extreme geometry
The Ridley Ignite GTX has MTB-based geometry. Ridley
Ridley’s answer to that conundrum is the Ignite GTX. The new bike is based on Ridley’s high-performance Ignite SLX hardtail mountain bike. It has what Ridley describes as ‘pure mountain bike geometry’.
The Ignite GTX, with its optional 100mm-travel mountain bike fork. Ridley
The Ignite GTX gets a slacker 70-degree head angle than even Ridley’s rough-stuff-ready Kanzo Adventure. The wheelbase measures 1,100mm, with a long reach of 418mm and a 614mm stack (size large).
The Ignite GTX certainly looks very different from the average gravel bike. Ridley
At the rear, the Ignite GTX uses Ridley’s flex-stays, employing a carbon construction that enables the flex to smooth out vibrations from rougher surfaces.
The Ignite GTX is intended for extreme terrain, according to Ridley. The wheel choice is a mountain bike 29-inch, with a huge maximum tyre clearance of 2.3in (58mm). This makes it the gravel bike with the largest tyre clearances we’ve seen to date, on trend for the recent shift to larger tyres in gravel racing.
Is Ridley becoming the European gravel specialist? It has the ASTR, Invenio, Kanzo Fast, Kanzo Adventure, Kanzo A, Grifn RS, Kalazy and Grifn Gravel. Adding the Ignite GTX makes for an eight-model line-up, not counting electric gravel bikes.
Ridley Ignite GTX spec options
Ritchey’s super-shallow and very wide VentureMax bar comes as standard on the Ignite GTX. Ridley
The Ignite GTX has four options: SRAM Rival 1, SRAM Apex 1, SRAM Rival-GX AXS mullet setup and Shimano GRX800 1×12 in a mullet setup.
The Ignite GTX is available with either a suspension fork with 100mm of travel or a rigid carbon fork.
All models come with Ritchey’s VentureMax bar, with a very wide 24-degree flare and super-shallow drop. Prices range from £2,699 / €2,799 for SRAM Apex 1×11 with a RockShox Judy fork while pricing for the range-topping SRAM Rival/GX AXS with RockShox SID SL Select fork had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Zwift’s Epic Race Series is known for its longer events, which many find especially welcome on weekends. Heading into April, organizer James Bailey has tweaked the series based on racer feedback. Key changes include:
Mass Start (with categories): these races have always been mass start, to help give everyone someone to ride with. They still are, but riders will be signed up to racing score-based categories.
Riders will be forced into the proper category (to counter some of the complaints about people racing up to reduce their racing score.)
Each category will wear the same kit, so you can easily spot the riders you are racing against.
Apart from the changes above, series distinctives remain: races are around 50km in length, without powerups.
Fox has released a new 36SL trail fork, while updating its 36 all-mountain fork, with the brand going all-in on the 36 chassis for the trail category.
The new 36SL is a lightweight evolution of the 36 chassis designed for 120mm to 140mm travel bikes, replacing the existing 34 and boasting a claimed 20 per cent more torsional stiffness.
Fox’s 36 is still aimed at all-mountain riding, with its updated chassis and increase in bushing overlap adding 20% torsional stiffness over the previous model.
Both models feature the brand’s optimised, generatively designed fork arch, as seen on the 32 Step-Cast as well as the 34SL released last week.
The 36SL has a claimed weight of 1,755g for a 140mm fork, while the beefier 36 is said to rest on the scales at 1,920g for a 160mm fork.
Prices range from £806 / $699 / €939 / AU$1,199 to £1,259 / $1,149 / €1,539 / AU£1,999 for the 36SL, with the Performance being the cheapest and the Factory the most expensive.
The 36 is more expensive, ranging from £879 / $749 / €999 / AU$1,299 to £1,399 / $1,199 / €1,609 / AU$2,099.
All new arch
The new arch is similar to that found on the new 34SL. Fox
The arch of the new fork is somewhat familiar, with the 32 SC debuting the generative design concept when it launched last year.
Cutaways expose more Kashima on the Factory model. Fox
This time, Fox has decided to keep the arch on the front of the fork, as opposed to the rear, and has used cutaways for greater weight savings.
Fox says the design increases torsional stiffness by 20 per cent.
On the 36, this is said to make the torsional stiffness 87 per cent of the brand’s 38 enduro fork, up from 75 per cent.
For the 36SL, this has resulted in a 20 per cent increase compared to the 34.
Compliant air spring
The 36 comes with 140mm, 150mm or 160mm travel. Fox
Both the 36 and 36SL feature a redesigned Float air spring that has built-in compliance to prevent binding when a bending force is applied to the fork.
The new air spring decouples the stanchion from the air shaft, enabling the piston to move with the fork while under bending loads, decreasing resistance.
Compliance is added by using polymer mounts in the air spring. Fox
This is said to result in a smoother suspension action overall, especially when the fork is experiencing high loads from speed or the weight of a rider.
Increased bushing overlap
Increased bushing overlap should lead to more suppleness. Fox
Also in the interest of reducing this bending force, both forks feature increased bushing overlap.
The force creates resistance between the lower leg and the stanchion, causing an increase in friction and a less supple feel through the suspension travel.
Increasing the bushing overlap reduces the amount of friction.
Fox has increased the overlap by 20mm on the 36, compared to the 34, and by 30mm on the 36 compared to the previous model.
GRIP X and GRIP X2 dampers
Fox also offers the GRIP X damper in the new 36 for riders looking for a more trail-oriented fork. Fox
The 36 uses the GRIP X2 damper released last year, which features increased tunability over the GRIP 2 damper.
This sees base diameter values up to 24mm, with 23 valves resulting in an increase of the overall four-way tuning range of high/low-speed rebound and high/low-speed compression, all with less cross-talk.
The GRIP X2 is designed for riders who want to push hard on enduro and downhill trails.
The 36SL uses a lightweight GRIP X damper, which is said to exude the descending performance of the GRIP X2 while maintaining a light weight and making it easier to access firm mode for pedalling efficiency.
Inboard bypass channels
As we saw with the 34SL, Fox has moved its bypass channels inboard on the 36 and 36SL.
The brand says this helps curb pressure ramping for increased small-bump sensitivity, as well as recirculating oil to lubricate bushings and seals.
It also says the new location puts the channels out of the fore-aft load path, further reducing friction and wear, as well as increasing the overall sensitivity of the fork.
Easier to live with
The previous mudguard design posed some compatibility issues when putting a bike on a chairlift. Fox
Both new forks feature added utility, with a new low-profile bleeder featuring on the rear of the fork redesigned for the air to escape around your finger while pressing them.
Shimano’s cassette tool is now used instead of a 15mm spanner. Fox
As we saw with the 34SL, the fork’s air-spring top cap can now be removed with a Shimano cassette tool, which should make air-volume changes a lot easier.
There is also a new mudguard design that attaches to the fork’s seal, as opposed to the bleeders, which should help them stand up to chairlift wheel holders.
Zwift’s “ZRacing” is the platform’s most popular ongoing race series, and it continues to evolve as we head into April 2025. Here are the changes Zwift is rolling out this month:
Advanced Event Schedule Expansion: advanced races now happen every other hour, to increase availability.
Advanced Event Minimum Score Requirement: to avoid riders joining these events in order to tank their scores, Advanced events are now “category enforced” at 650+, meaning you must have a racing score of 650+ to join.
Advanced Event HRM Requirement: this isn’t really a new requirement, but lower-category events no longer require a heart rate in order to join. Zwift says requiring HRM “will bring the events into line with the minimum criteria to feature on ZwiftPower and is the first of a number of additional fairness measures we hope to add to Advanced events over the coming year.”
Range 2 modification: these events now top out at 725 (up from 700). Zwift says “We hope this will provide racers with scores of 650-725 with a softer ‘Advanced’ transition.”
Zwift.com-Based GC Leaderboards: an upgraded version of the Zwift Games leaderboards will be used for tracking the monthly ZRacing GC. More on this below…
For April, the series takes on “after party” routes which feature a climb in the final kilometers. Also, there’s a yet-to-be-revealed new route (on new roads!) for us to race in stage 5, April 28-May 4! Watch this space for more news on this front.
Read on for details about this month’s race routes and more!
Zwift debuted new web-based leaderboards at zwift.com for tracking the Zwift Games 2025 GC, and an upgraded version of those leaderboards will now be put to work for use in the monthly ZRacing series!
Your GC ranking is based on your best finishing time for each stage, and you can race each stage multiple times if you’d like.
Choose Your Category
Zwift now 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.
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.
Men’s road world champion Tadej Pogačar has been spotted on what appears to be a new Colnago V5RS. But while a geometric wrap hides any changes to the frame, one photo can tell us a few crucial details.
There are no jaunty angles to be seen like on the Y1RS. Liam Cahill / Our Media
The Y1RS was claimed to be a whopping 20 watts faster than the V4RS at 50kph and 0º yaw.
As a result of this gulf in aero performance, we would expect a new V5RS to come with claims of significant aero improvements.
However, given the angular camo wrap covering Pogačar’s bike, it’s difficult to tell whether the V5RS takes any frame-design cues from the Y1RS.
There is also a possibility that the UAE Team Emirates riders asked Colnago for similar aero credentials to the V4RS, but at a lighter weight. Outside Magazine reported Pogačar’s Giro d’Italia-winning V4RS, with ENVE 4.5 wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, weighed 7.4kg.
Given a number of Pogačar’s competitors boast lightweight climbing bikes that get close to the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight limit, there could have been a focus on lowering the weight.
The CC.Y1 cockpit requires a very specific head tube design. Liam Cahill / Our Media
What we can see clearly is the Y1RS’ CC.Y1 cockpit is not being used. Pogačar’s current ENVE one-piece cockpit is visible and, given the design of the head tube, we suspect there’s no new bar design in the works.
Carlos Verona’s Trek Madone SLR for the 2024 Tour de France. Simon Von Bromley / Our Media
The new bike also appears to be set up with standard bottles and cages. Other brands, such as Trek with its latest Madone, have looked to reduce drag through specially designed water bottles, but Colnago told BikeRadar this idea was rejected by the team during development of the Y1RS.
While we don’t know when we’ll get full details of the new bike, we’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for it being used in the pro peloton in the coming weeks.
Ever thought there weren’t enough colour choices for your bike tyres? Well, Panaracer now has you covered.
Panaracer has released its Gravel King tyre in two new vivid colours, Honey Butter and Cranberry, with the option of black or brown sidewalls.
I can’t say I’ve ever thought I needed more vividness from my tyre choice, but I’m warming to the Cranberry and tanwall option, which might be a good fit for my Cannondale Topstone.
The limited-edition Gravel Kings certainly stand out. Panaracer
Panaracer has released a range of brightly coloured gravel tyres in the past, including purple, orange and green options.
The company has provided rationales for its 2025 colours, which reference their food-y roots.
“Honey Butter brings warmth and charm to any ride. Inspired by the golden richness of churned butter with a touch of honey and the soft glow of afternoon light. This creamy hue adds a timeless, refined look that stands out and brings a unique blend of comfort and sophistication,” Panaracer says.
It says the Cranberry option “draws inspiration from the rich, deep hue of freshly picked berries. Evoking a sense of adventure from the vividness of the natural world”.
“Cranberry is perfect for riders who want their bike to stand out on city streets or rugged trails,” Panaracer adds.
Tread options
The limited-edition colours can be had with tan or black sidewalls. Panaracer
The Honey Butter and Cranberry tyres are available in four tread patterns: Gravel King Slick; Gravel King SS; Gravel King SK; and Panaracer’s latest Gravel King X1 tread.
Panaracer says the X1 is the fastest-ever GravelKing tyre and that it’s an homage to the tyre’s 10th anniversary, featuring “cutting-edge technology”.
“This next-generation tyre aims to surpass its predecessors by delivering unparalleled performance, boasting low rolling resistance, puncture resistance, and a supremely smooth riding experience,” Panaracer says.
The tyres will be available in 700x40c or 700x45c and cost £54.99 / $64.99.
The upgraded “Tron vs Top Performers” chart below lets you toggle between seeing how frames perform in their un-upgraded state, vs fully upgraded. It also includes an additional wheelset (Zipp 858) based on user requests, and features updated test data based on additional tests we’ve run.
Tip: we charted how many seconds each setup saves across an hour of riding compared to a basic bike/wheel setup (Zwift Carbon frame + Zwift 32mm Carbon Wheels). This means you’ll find the top performers higher on the Y-axis and further right on the X-axis.
Frames used:
Zwift Concept Z1
S-Works Venge
S-Works Tarmac SL8
Pinarello Dogma F 2024
Canyon Aeroad 2024
Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71
S-Works Aethos
Wheels used:
Zipp 858/Super9
DT Swiss Disc
ENVE 8.9
ENVE 7.8
Zipp 858
Zipp 454
Lightweight Meilenstein
Colored based on frame. Mouse over each point for details. Zwift Concept Z1, S-Works Venge, S-Works Tarmac SL8, Pinarello Dogma F 2024, Canyon Aeroad 2024, Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71, Specialized Aethos
No Upgrades (Stage 0)
Max Upgrades (Stage 5)
Chart updated March 24, 2025
Observations
The first thing you may notice is that the Tron bike seems to have gained a few seconds of flat performance, now 3-4 seconds faster than the next-best combination (Aeroad 2024 + Zipp 858/Super9). This surprised us a bit, too, but we ran multiple tests to confirm.
While the Tron is clearly a standout performer on the flats, it’s worth noting that moving to an all-arounder setup like the Aeroad 2024 + ENVE 7.8 wheels costs 7.4 seconds on the flats, but gets you 11.6 seconds on the climbs (assuming both bikes are stage 5). Not a bad trade.
Next, you’ll notice that the Aethos regains its position as King of the Mountain when viewing fully-upgraded frame performance. The fully upgraded Aethos really is a climbing weapon, and moving from an all-arounder like the S-Works Tarmac SL8 to the Aethos means you’re basically just trading flat seconds for climb seconds on a one-to-one basis.
Example: the Aethos + Zipp 454 wheels lose 21 seconds to the Tarmac SL8 on the flats, but gain 22.8 seconds on the climbs. That’s a pretty solid trade if you’re a rider who struggles on the climbs more than the flats.
Of course, when considering performance, one also has to consider the work that goes into upgrading the bike. Getting a fully-upgraded Tron is going to take significantly more riding than upgrading a production from like the Dogma F 2024!
Never a brand to shy away from superlatives, BMC announced the Teammachine R Mpc. last autumn, and now we’ve finally had a chance to see what all the fuss was about.
Priced at a whopping €8,999 / $8,999 for the frameset and seatpost alone, the Teammachine R Mpc., which stands for ‘Masterpiece’, is claimed to set “a new standard in speed, precision, and performance”.
It is, BMC says, “more than just a perfect bicycle” – it’s “a work of art… brought to life by the hands of the world’s leading carbon fiber artisans” and “eager to be ridden on some of the world’s most scenic and challenging terrains.”
Heady stuff…
Last week, at Bike Connection’s spring 2025 road and gravel event (look out for a full round-up of new tech from that event coming soon, and check out our coverage from the mountain bike-focused winter event), I got a chance to get up close and personal with both the Teammachine R Mpc. and the Swiss brand’s updated gravel race bike.
Pushing the limits of carbon fibre tech
The Teammachine R Mpc. is the latest addition to BMC’s ‘artisan’ Masterpiece collection. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
At a glance, though, you could be forgiven for thinking it doesn’t look all that different from the ‘standard’ Teammachine R – a bike that was developed in partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies (a “high-performance vehicle engineering division” of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team) and costs a far more reasonable €4,999 / $4,999.
And in terms of aerodynamics, stiffness and geometry, you’d be right – in respect of those characteristics, it is the same bike.
The Teammachine R Mpc. features an optimised layup and raw carbon finish. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
BMC, though, says the Teammachine R Mpc. pushes the limits of carbon fibre bike construction, with no overlapping fibres and a “perfect finish out of the mould”.
The latter also means there’s no clear coat or paint needed here, allowing the carbon layup to be shown off proudly.
The branding is extremely subtle. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
The result, the brand claims, is a weight reduction of 130g on the Teammachine R 01 frameset (which carries a claimed weight of 1.8kg for the frame, fork, seatpost, aero bottle cages and hardware).
In fairness to BMC, the finish of the frameset is – when you’re up close and the light catches it just so – stunning.
It’s understated in a way custom paintjobs often aren’t, but all the more elegant for it.
The precision of the carbon layup is revealed when light hits the frame in the right way. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
The man on the Clapham omnibus might not recognise it as anything special, but anyone’s who’s into carbon bikes will.
And, in case the frameset alone didn’t make its owners feel special enough, BMC says each one will be “identified by a unique number plate to emphasize its exclusivity”.
Because the Teammachine R Mpc. is only available as a frameset, owners will be able to spec the cockpit of their choice (from BMC’s range). Simon von Bromley / Our Media
Due to its handmade construction – BMC says it partnered with a German brand to apply carbon layup methods typically reserved for one-offs to a production bike – only 200 framesets will ever be made.
The brand says it has already supplied two framesets to Tudor Pro Cycling Team riders Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi, leaving only 198 framesets for the rest of us.
The slender rear end of the bike maintains the same comfort levels as ‘standard’ Teammachine R bikes, according to BMC. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
If you’d like to join the exclusive Teammachine R Mpc. owners club, BMC says the frameset can be pre-ordered now, in six sizes from 47 to 61cm.
Framesets should be dispatched within 60 days, with BMC saying lead times are longer than normal because its Masterpiece collection bikes are essentially made to order.
From this point, you’ll be free to spec the frameset according to your preferences (and remaining budget).
The bike we had a close look at was specced with SRAM Red AXS. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
This Teammachine R Mpc. was set up like a Tudor Pro Cycling Team bike, with SRAM’s latest Red AXS groupset.
It features DT Swiss ARC 1100 carbon wheels. Simon von Bromley / Our Media A raw carbon bike wouldn’t be complete without a raw carbon saddle – although BMC’s representatives at Bike Connection lamented the yellow and red Selle Italia logos didn’t fit perfectly with the bike’s monotone aesthetic. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
Updated BMC Kaius with UDH and carbon-spoked gravel wheels
BMC has updated its Kaius 01 gravel race bike for 2025. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
Like the Teammachine R, the Kaius isn’t technically a ‘new’ bike, but BMC has treated it to a running update in recent months.
The overall design and geometry of the latest Kaius 01 ONE is almost identical to the gravel race bike launched in 2022 (and BMC’s fondness for slightly confusing naming conventions continues unabated). However, this year’s model sees the adoption of SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger standard.
The headline change is the adoption of SRAM’s UDH standard at the rear of the frame. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
This means the bike is compatible with SRAM’s latest 13-speed 1x gravel groupset, Red XPLR AXS (and potentially any future lower-tier versions, given it looks as if we might soon get a new Force AXS groupset too).
Aptly, the bike we saw at Bike Connection was set up in full race trim with Red XPLR AXS and its integrated power meter, plus the brand’s aggressively narrow ICS Carbon Aero cockpit, which measures just 360mm centre-to-centre at the hoods.
The narrow ICS aerocockpit retains its place on the spec. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
Like many gravel bike handlebars, the drops flared out to a more standard 420mm, but it’s fair to say not everyone is convinced such a narrow bar belongs on a bike designed primarily for riding off-road.
Our tester, Warren Rossiter, wrote: “When things were more technical and tricky, I felt the road-derived geometry and the narrow bars hampered me at every stage” in his review of the BMC Kaius 01 ONE back in 2023, for example.
Did you know BMC made carbon gravel wheels? We didn’t… Simon von Bromley / Our Media
The bike was also specced with BMC’s own CG 39 SL Carbon gravel wheels, which we’ll admit to not realising existed.
Compared to the hot red frameset and matching handlebar, the CG 39 SL Carbon wheels feature a far more subdued design, with subtle logos and branding.
BMC’s CG 39 SL Carbon wheels have a subtle appearance that compliments the rowdy frameset effectively. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
The headline specs are impressive on paper, though, with 39mm-deep rims and a modern 25mm internal width.
Built with bladed carbon spokes, BMC claims the wheelset weighs only 1,380g, contributing to the Kaius 01 ONE’s low overall weight of 7.6kg in a size 54.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on this red racer, the Kaius 01 ONE costs €11,999 / $11,999 – but you do at least get a complete bike for your money in this case.
Overall weight is a claimed 7.6kg (size 54). Simon von Bromley / Our Media
If it weren’t for the chunky tyres, you could easily mistake the Kaius for a road racing bike.
Pirelli supplies its Cinturato Gravel H tyres. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
BMC specs its flagship gravel race bike with Pirelli’s Cinturato Gravel H tyres, which are designed for fast rolling on hardpack gravel.
The new Kaius also sports SRAM’s Red AXS power meter. Simon von Bromley / Our Media
For almost €12,000, you do at least get a truly high-end build, plus the latest SRAM Red AXS power meter – which enables you to swap chainrings using the brand’s Thread Mount standard.
Continental has released its new Terra Adventure gravel tyre, the first model in the brand’s re-launch of the Terra range, blurring the line between gravel and cross-country mountain bike tyres.
The Terra Adventure has been designed to prioritise puncture protection, durability and grip rather than low rolling resistance and weight. Continental tells us “riders want to escape to the unknown, but seek reliability in tires”.
The tread pattern is reminiscent of those found on XC mountain bike tyres, albeit with lower-profile knobs.
The tread pattern is inspired by the brand’s MTB tyres. Felix Smith / Our Media
I flew out to Italy to test the new tyre ahead of the official launch in Tuscany, where I got the chance to ride with professional gravel athletes Paige Onweller and Rosa Klöser.
There is no central slick section, with an alternating pattern of ramped and edged studs in a ‘3-3-4’ sequence making up the middle part of the tyre. This is said to increase braking performance, while maintaining rolling resistance.
Paige Onweller’s 55mm Terra Adventure tyres are a similar size to many narrow XC tyres. Emm Whitaker
Sightly wider-spaced outer knobs are angled and designed to improve cornering and off-camber grip.
The Adventure is not only visually similar to some mountain bike tyres, though. It comes in the brand’s Grip compound and uses its Trail casing. Continental says it is “the first model being partly integrated in the technology nomenclature of our new MTB Line-Up”.
The aggressive tread pattern of the Terra Adventure promises improved grip on loose surfaces. Emm Whitaker
Continental’s Trail-casing tyre construction sees a reinforced two-ply sidewall and three layers of carcass material under the tread pattern for better puncture protection.
Paige Onweller’s Trek Checkpoint in full adventure mode, complete with gravel-specific suspension fork. Emm Whitaker
The Terra Adventure is available in widths from 45 to 55mm.
The latter size is equivalent to 29×2.2in for those who like to work in mountain bike tyre dimensions.
Continental Terra Adventure first ride impressions
It was a pleasure to share the trails with such esteemed company while testing the Terra Adventure.
The two riders alongside me in Tuscany are right at the top of the sport, with Onweller finishing third in both Unbound and the Lifetime Grand Prix overall in 2024. Klöser became Unbound 200 champion and finished second overall in the UCI Gravel World Series in the same year.
The region had suffered extreme rainfall in the weeks before our visit, which made for plenty of loose, wet and muddy surfaces – a vital element of testing gravel tyres, particularly for use in the UK.
The guided route took in a huge variety of trail and surface types, from sandy beaches to beautiful Strade Bianche-esque trails and steep off-camber tracks.
My Cube Nuroad was equipped with the Terra Adventure in a 700X45 size. I started the ride with around 22psi in the front tyre and 26psi in the rear. I lost a small amount of pressure in the front tyre early in the ride, so had the opportunity to increase the pressure slightly to a more reasonable level in the front.
Another sublime gravel trail through the vineyards towards our lunch spot in Follonica. Emm Whitaker
After around 20 minutes of warming up and remembering my slightly rusty mountain biking skills, I started to push the tyres into corners and deliberately take rougher lines.
I was rewarded with impressive levels of grip, helping me stay with the group. This was more noticeable after higher-speed turns on loose terrain – the kind of corners where I’d normally back off a touch.
On a couple of occasions, the rear lost traction under heavy braking, but each time the deceleration was excellent and I was able to stay in control.
All too quickly, and after a memorable lunch in the seaside town of Follonica (salad, pizza, gelato and espresso if you were wondering), the group split, with Onweller and Klöser unsurprisingly leading the way.
While at this point I was barely three hours into riding the new tyres, the performance on wet, loose terrain clearly made up for the slightly slower speeds on road and hardpack trails.
One of the many light gravel roads crisscrossing the Tuscan farmlands.
Riding with these two was immense fun as we climbed up and into several forested areas with steep pitches, deep gullies and large rocks to negotiate. Some of the rocks were slippery, which required careful body positioning and speed to get the most from the tyres.
I slipped a couple of times, so don’t expect the Terra Adventure to completely cover up your lack of off-road skills.
If I was planning a particularly long gravel route with minimal loose surfaces, I’d consider opting for a tyre with less rolling resistance. For those rides, the lower risk of puncturing and need to cover ground faster wouldn’t warrant the need for such a robust tyre.
I’ve since weighed a single 45mm Terra Adventure tyre at 527g.
Given its beefed-up Trail casing and Grip compound, the Continental tyre is not going to be the choice for gravel racers looking to go fast. If that’s your preferred type of gravel riding, you’ll be better served by tyres such as the Terra Speed, WTB Vulpine S TCS, Hutchinson Caracal Race or even the Continental Race King, an XC mountain bike tyre, if it can fit in your frame.
Many gravel riders just want to get outside and explore new areas rather than pushing their limits, while gravel events such as Grinduro are more about pure fun than pure speed. More grip and better puncture protection will likely be welcomed by many riders.
Post-lunch and not quite ready to take on the return leg, did someone say espresso? Emm Whitaker
So, if you ride on mostly tarmac and hardpack surfaces and don’t mind it taking a little longer to get to technical, natural trails, my initial impressions suggest this could still be a good option.
With the boundaries between XC mountain biking and gravel cycling becoming ever more blurred, the launch of the Terra Adventure feels like another step in that direction. Are we going to see a major tyre brand merging its XC and gravel tyres into a single line-up soon?
Gravel bike frame clearances seem to be half a step behind and, in a similar vein, it feels like a matter of time before drop handlebars could be the only distinguishing feature of gravel bikes.
Pirelli has announced a tube-type version of its fastest road bike tyre, the P Zero Race RS.
The new clincher tyre uses the same SmartEvo rubber compound as the P Zero Race TLR RS, but swaps the SpeedCore tubeless casing for a 120 TPI TechBelt Road clincher version.
According to the Italian brand, a 28c P Zero Race RS clincher weighs only 230g per tyre, compared to 290g for an equivalent tubeless version.
This, Pirelli says, enables it to offer a “record system weight” when paired with its SmarTube TPU inner tubes.
Available now in 700×26, 28c and 30c sizes, the Pirelli P Zero Race RS clincher tyre costs €79.99 (US and UK pricing is to be confirmed).
Why is Pirelli launching a high-end clincher tyre in 2025?
Pirelli’s new P Zero Race RS ditches the tubeless casing and cuts weight significantly. Pirelli
With tubeless road bike tyres becoming increasingly dominant in recent years, it’s rare to see one of cycling’s biggest tyre brands releasing a new flagship clincher.
With the P Zero Race RS, though, Pirelli says it’s looking to better serve the needs of riders who prefer to stick with inner tubes.
According to Pirelli’s head of global marketing, Samuele Bressan, the pros want tubeless tyres and technology, but around 50 per cent of its Italian customers still prefer clinchers.
As a result, then, it’s convinced there’s still a big enough market for clinchers to warrant making separate tyres.
After all, it’s worth remembering tubeless tyres can be used with inner tubes on both hooked and hookless rims, whereas clincher tyres (including the new P Zero Race RS) can only be used on hooked rims.
The primary gains from ‘tube type’ tyres, then, come from a reduction in weight. In this case, for example, the P Zero Race RS clincher is a little more than 20 per cent lighter than the tubeless version.
This is because clincher tyres can use a lighter bead and casing, because there’s no requirement for them to be airtight without an inner tube and pressure from inside the tube helps retain the tyre on the rim.
Clincher tyres also offer improved compatibility with older clincher rims, which lack the deep central channel designed to offer more slack when installing inflexible tubeless tyre beads.
Different construction, same performance
Pirelli says the P Zero Race RS clincher isn’t too delicate for everyday use. Pirelli
Despite the change in construction, Pirelli says the P Zero Race RS offers comparable performance to the tubeless version (when paired with a high-quality inner tube, of course), with a focus on speed and racing.
Despite this and the tyre’s low weight, Bressan insists the P Zero Race RS is “usable in the real world”, because the TechBelt Road casing includes a dedicated puncture protection belt.
Bressan also notes that its pro teams have consistently requested lighter, faster tyres in recent years, even at the cost of some durability, because they experience relatively few punctures.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at Zwift Insider! We’ve been testing Zwift’s recent frame and wheel performance tweaks as well as the new Bike Upgrades functionality so we can present data and help everyone wrap their heads around what has changed.
If you haven’t read up on these changes, but want to become an expert on all things Zwift performance, here is some further reading:
Below you’ll find charts and data that can give you the most thorough, detailed view yet when it comes to understanding how all the frames, wheels, and upgrade options in Zwift interact. This includes a new publicly-available Google sheet with all of our test results, so you can crunch numbers in your own way. Good luck!
Table of Contents
Test Methodology Notes
The following results are from tests done using our standard parameters: a 75kg rider, 183cm tall, without drafting. Flat tests were done on Watopia’s Tempus Fugit since it’s Zwift’s flattest route, while Climbing tests were done on Alpe du Zwift since it’s a long, steady climb.
While we present time data with tenths-of-a-second precision, it’s important to understand there is a 1-second margin of error in these results, so it’s probably not worth obsessing over fractional seconds.
Public Test Data Now Available!
Several readers asked for access to our raw speed test results, so we’ve compiled those into a public, read-only Google sheet.
The data is presented differently than we’ve done in the past, but you should find it much more useful for a variety of purposes. The following test results are compiled in the sheet:
All frames in Zwift at both stage 0 (un-upgraded) and stage 5 (fully upgraded) status, at 300W and 150W
Flat test average speed and hour time gaps
Climb test average speed and hour time gaps
All wheels in Zwift at 300W and 150W with the Zwift Carbon frame
Flat test average speed and hour time gaps
Climb test average speed and hour time gaps
All wheels in Zwift at 300W with the Zwift TT frame
Flat test average speed and hour time gaps
Climb test average speed and hour time gaps
Time Savings Over 1 Hour (Stage 0 Frames)
This is a chart many of you have already seen, in our post previewing Zwift’s recent performance tweaks. Here you see time savings across 1 hour of riding at 300W (4 W/kg) on each frame compared to the stock Zwift Carbon frame. These are “stage 0” frames, meaning no performance upgrades have been applied.
The chart is sorted from the best-performing frames to the worst, and you can sort based on flat performance or climb performance.
Sort Chart By:
Flat Performance
Climb Performance
Takeaways
When sorted by flat performance, you can easily see that the top 10 frames are very close on flat ground, separated by less than 3 seconds across an hour. There is also a big chunk of bikes near the low end (26 of them, in fact) which are all rather slow on flats, but perform within 2 seconds of each other.
If you sort by climb performance, the speed falloff from one bike to the next is more even across the board. The new S-Works Tarmac SL8 is king of the hill, but remember, this is before any performance upgrades. Let’s move on to the next chart to see which fully-upgraded frame climbs fastest!
Time Savings Over 1 Hour (Stage 5 Frames)
This chart is just like the one above, except these are “stage 5” frames, meaning all possible performance upgrades have been applied.
We are still charting time savings across 1 hour of riding at 300W (4 W/kg) on each frame compared to the stock (stage 0) Zwift Carbon frame.
The chart is sorted from the best-performing frames to the worst, and you can sort based on flat performance or climb performance.
Sort Chart By:
Flat Performance
Climb Performance
Takeaways
We don’t see any major rankings changes in terms of flat performance, but that’s no surprise. The Bike Upgrades system is structured in a way that increases performance differences between different frame types as upgrades progress.
So climbing bikes become even stronger climbers, and aero bikes become even more aero.
Sort the results by Climb Performance and you can see obvious evidence of this. The all-arounder S-Works Tarmac SL8 is no longer king of the hill at stage 5, as the Aethos has received more weight reduction upgrades than the Tarmac.
Two other climbing road bikes (Bridgestone Anchor and Trek Emonda) move up dramatically in the rankings compared to their stage 0 counterparts, handily beating the S-Works Tarmac.
The takeaway? If you want a true pure climbing weapon in Zwift, you’ll want to upgrade the S-Works Aethos.
Time Savings for Climbing (2 W/kg vs 4 W/kg)
Some readers have asked us to compute time gaps at lower power numbers, which is a perfectly reasonable request. Making this change has the interesting effect on climb times of making lightweight bikes move up the rankings while the more aero-focused bikes drop.
This is because, as you reduce your climbing speed, having an aero bike delivers less benefit.
Below we’ve charted climb time gaps for both 2 W/kg and 4 W/kg, and you can toggle between those two power levels to see how the rankings change. (The 2 W/kg time gap is compared to the Zwift Carbon frame at 2 W/kg, while the 4 W/kg time gap is compared to the Zwift Carbon frame at 4 W/kg).
Show Chart For:
2 W/kg
4 W/kg
Takeaways
If you’re a lower-powered rider, this chart may help you decide to focus on lighter-weight frames for races or PR efforts where significant climbing is involved.
Stacked Percentile Rank (Stage 0 vs Stage 5 Frames)
Lastly, we have one of our favorite charts: the stacked percentile. This chart ranks frames by their performance relative to other frames, but combines those rankings so you can see which frames are strongest all around.
We give you the option of viewing stage 0 frames, or fully-upgraded stage 5 frames.
Show Chart For:
Stage 0
Stage 5
Takeaways
The non-climbing bikes don’t move around a lot between the stage 0 and stage 5 versions of this chart, and this makes sense, since they receive the same upgrades.
What you do see, though, is the climbing bikes actually losing ground, as their increased climb performance isn’t enough to make up for the aero performance boosts of the other frames. The Aethos manages to lose only 1 spot, but the Bridgestone Anchor and Trek Emonda each drop several spots.
Questions or Comments?
Hopefully these charts help you make decisions about which frames to use in which events, and which frames you want to upgrade first.
An extra £500 million to fix potholes “will save lives”, according to Cycling UK chief executive Sarah Mitchell, but the funding boost is only the start in making the UK’s roads safer for cycling, as the government issues an ultimatum to councils that don’t make sufficient progress in repairing roads.
From mid-April, local authorities in England will receive an extra £500 million, enough to fill 7 million potholes a year, according to the Department for Transport, as part of the government’s £1.6 billion highway maintenance budget.
That funding falls well short of the estimated £17 billion required to fix all of the potholes in the UK, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
Cycling UK’s Mitchell has welcomed the renewed focus on fixing the country’s roads – but highlights the need for long-term investment in safety and infrastructure for cyclists.
“The investment to rebuild our roads is hugely welcomed,” says Mitchell. “We’ve been working to highlight the need to fund and fix the nation’s potholes for decades now. Not only are they an inconvenience that can damage a person’s car, but to people who cycle they’re a serious safety risk.
“Whether in rural or urban areas, potholes can cause crashes, potentially putting cyclists in the path of an oncoming car or sending them over their handlebars where they could suffer serious injury.
“On average, a staggering 40 cyclists are killed or seriously injured each year. Commitment to fixing our nation’s potholes will save lives, but we must ensure that funding addresses safety and infrastructure concerns in both rural and urban communities. Only then can we ensure that these efforts truly benefit all cyclists and road users nationwide.”
Councils in England must now publish their progress when it comes to repairing potholes. Getty Images
As part of the funding announcement, all councils in England will now be required to publish annual progress reports on their websites, detailing how much they are spending and how many potholes they have filled, to improve public confidence and accountability in what the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, describes as the “pothole plague”.
Councils that fail to show sufficient progress risk seeing 25 per cent of their share of the £500 million in additional funding withheld.
“British people are bored of seeing their politicians aimlessly pointing at potholes with no real plan to fix them,” says the prime minister, Keir Starmer. “That ends with us. We’ve done our part by handing councils the cash and certainty they need – now it’s up to them to get on with the job, put that money to use and prove they’re delivering for their communities.”
However, Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, says the additional scrutiny on council spending will wrap local authorities in red tape.
“The implication that we are not spending it well is not helpful,” says Nethsingha, adding that the funding in place is “nowhere near the amount that is needed”.
She adds: “It’s not clear that there is extra money coming as a result of this announcement. There is extra red tape and I don’t think that’s going to be helpful.”
According to the RAC, there are six potholes per mile in England and Wales, and Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, says more must be done to prevent potholes from occurring in the first place.
“The additional £500 million will help start to address the previously ever-growing backlog of local road repairs, which now stands at nearly £17 billion and could take more than a decade to fix,” says Hug.
“Councils already spend more than they receive from central government on tackling potholes and repairing our roads. However, it’s in everyone’s interests to ensure that public money is well spent.
“This includes the Government playing its full part by using the Spending Review to ensure that councils receive sufficient, long-term funding certainty, so they can focus their efforts on much more cost-effective, preventative measures rather than reactively fixing potholes, which is more expensive.”
The recent big Zwift update included the welcome addition of several new bike frames, including two bikes from US-based Cannondale. The fastest of these bikes is the Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71, which is a top-spec racing frame ridden by the pros at EF Pro Cycling.
You’ll need to be updated to game version 1.86+ to see the SuperSix EVO LAB71 in Zwift’s Drop Shop. You’ll also need to be at level 40+ with 1,750,000 Drops to buy it. Here’s how it’s described in the Drop Shop:
“The SuperSix EVO LAB71 is the trusted bike of EF Pro Cycling, crafted for cyclists who demand peak performance. This fourth generation of the SuperSix EVO boasts razor-sharp aerodynamics and an ultra-lightweight frame, delivering exceptional performance across all terrains. From steep climbs to powerful sprints, this bike offers unmatched speed and agility. Every detail is engineered for excellence, making the LAB71 SuperSix EVO the ultimate race-ready machine that gives you a competitive edge.”
This is a pro-spec bike that the pros actually ride, which is fun. And reviewers say the IRL bike handles very well while being stiff in the right places and super light. But how does it perform in Zwift?
It’s rated 3 stars for aero, 4 stars for weight, like a handful of other top newish all-arounders. But a 4-star system isn’t the most granular of performance measurements, so we ran this frame through our precise tests to measure performance at nerd-level detail. Let’s dive in!
Note: test results below are from a 75kg, 183cm rider holding 300W steady using Zwift’s stock 32mm Carbon wheelset.
Aero (Flat/Rolling) Performance
The SuperSix EVO LAB71 is very slippery, trimming 61.4s off our baseline Zwift Carbon frame over an hour of flat riding.
That puts it within 1.6 seconds of the game’s fastest frame. And like we said with the S-Works Tarmac SL8, when you consider that our tests have a 1-second margin of error, one could reasonably lump this frame in with the other fastest frames in terms of performance on flat roads.
Climb Performance
The real-life SuperSix EVO LAB71 is known for its light weight as well as aero performance, so we expected it to climb well. We weren’t disappointed.
This bike shaves 52.3 seconds off of our baseline Zwift Carbon’s time on an hourlong climb, which means slots neatly into 3rd place in our rankings, just 3.7 seconds behind the S-Works Tarmac SL8 over an hour of climbing.
Upgrading Your Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71
Like all frames in Zwift, the SuperSix EVO LAB71 can be upgraded in five stages. As a high-end race bike, each of the five stages results in a performance improvement. The Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71 upgrade stages are as follows:
Ride 200km, pay 100,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
Ride 260km, pay 200,000 Drops for a weight reduction
Ride 320km, pay 350,000 Drops for a drivetrain efficiency improvement
Ride 380km, pay 500,000 Drops for an aero upgrade
Ride 440km, pay 750,000 Drops for a weight reduction
You can expect a fully upgraded SuperSix EVO LAB71 to be approximately 28 seconds faster on a flat hour and 36 seconds faster on an hourlong climb vs the “stock” SuperSix EVO LAB71.
Conclusions
While it’s not quite as fast in Zwift as the new S-Works Tarmac SL8, Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO LAB71 is within just a few seconds of this new standard… so close that it’s doubtful riders will notice the difference.
So if you’re a Cannondale fan, or just like the look of this frameset (it is a sweet paintjob, even if there’s no color slider), buy it and race it! Because it’s one fast bike.
Questions or Comments?
Got questions or comments about this frame? Share below…
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.
