Shimano SH51 vs MT001 vs SH56 cleats: what’s the difference between Shimano’s three off-road cleats?

If you buy a pair of Shimano clipless pedals, they’ll come packaged with a set of cleats for your shoes.

Many of Shimano’s off-road pedals come with two-bolt cleats designated SM-SH51. However, the Japanese brand has recently started shipping mountain bike pedals, such as the XTR PD-M9220, with its new multi-entry CL-MT001 cleat.

Shimano also has a range of ‘Explorer’ pedals, which feature the brand’s ‘Light Action’ release system. Most of these come packaged with the SM-SH56 cleats, with SM-SH51 cleats as an option.

What’s the difference between Shimano SH-SH56, CL-MT001 and SM-SH51 cleats, and why might you choose one over the other? Let us explain.

Differences at a glance

  • Shimano SH56: Single direction of release, but can only be engaged from the front of the pedal first.
  • Shimano MT001: Single direction of release and can be engaged from multiple angles of the pedal for better off-road performance.
  • Shimano SH51: Can only be engaged from the front of the pedal first, but has multiple directions of release, making it easier for beginners.

What are SH51, MT001 and SH56 cleats?

SM-SH51 vs SM-SH56 vs CL-MT100
There’s not a lot to differentiate the cleats at a glance. Scott Windsor / Our Media

There’s not much visual difference between the SH51, MT001 and SH56 cleats.

They are all made from metal with two recessed bolt holes and attach to the soles of your shoes with the included bolts.

To fit the cleats, you’ll need to make sure your cycling shoes are compatible with the two-bolt SPD cleats preferred for mountain bike shoes and urban riding, not the three-bolt cleats used on road cycling shoes.

There’s an arrow at the front of each cleat to make sure you attach them to your shoes the right way round. They’re interchangeable between left and right shoes.

Shimano CL-MT001 cleat
Shimano’s CL-MT001 cleat has a line embossed on the rear tab. Shimano

The only clue as to which type of cleat you have is that the SH51 and MT001 cleats are black, with the latter featuring a line on the rear-facing tab, while the SH56 cleats are silver-coloured, with an M embossed on the rear-facing tab.

There are also product names stamped into the cleats, but these can be harder to see.

You can buy Shimano SPD-compatible cleats from other brands, too.

Look’s X-Track cleats offer two equivalent cleat options, designated X-Track, equivalent to SH51 cleats, and X-Track Easy, equivalent to SH56. The type of cleat is stamped on the front of the Look cleats’ undersides.

What’s the difference between SH51, MT001 and SH56 cleats?

Shimano’s SH51 cleats are black, whereas the SH56 cleats are silver. Stan Portus / Our Media

The difference between SH51, MT001 cleats and SH56 cleats is the number of directions in which you can enter and release the cleat from the pedal.

SH51 cleats have a single direction of release; that’s to say you can only disengage from the pedal by pushing your heel out in a flat plane relative to the pedal, or by pushing it in.

Shimano CL-MT001 SPD cleats
Shimano’s MT001 SPD cleats can engage the clip mechanism from multiple angles. Shimano

Shimano’s MT001 cleats keep this single direction of release, while enabling multi-entry engagement, meaning you can connect to the pedal from multiple angles, rather than needing to lead with the front edge on the SH51 and SH56.

The SH56 cleats, on the other hand, enable multi-directional release; as well as pushing your heel out or in, you can also roll your shoe on the pedal or pull up to release it.

The shape of the cleats is subtly different to enable this.

Which cleats should you choose?

Choose the cleats that best suit your riding style. For many riders, that will be the SH51 cleats. Stan Portus / Our Media

There’s no right or wrong answer to which type of cleats to choose. Which cleats work best for you depends on the type of riding you do and also how confident you are riding with clipless pedals.

The fact that SH56 cleats are included with Shimano’s Easy Release pedals gives a clue to their advantage.

Having multiple release options means you’re much less likely to get trapped in your pedals and topple over when you come to a stop. For a clipless pedal beginner, that may increase confidence because it feels more like riding flat pedals, and you may find the easier release is preferable for urban riding.

On the other hand, most riders find it relatively easy to get used to single-release SH51 and MT001 cleats and the twisting-out action necessary to disengage. The learning curve is a lot less steep than with the road-going SPD-SL pedal system.

If you’re riding on more technical terrain, particularly off-road, having multiple release angles may be a disadvantage, because you’re much more likely to come unclipped when you don’t want to. That’s why Shimano’s off-road pedal range comes with SH51 and MT001 cleats rather than SH56.

The pedalling action of some riders may also make them susceptible to unwanted unclipping, making SH51 cleats a better choice.

Although SH56 cleats may be useful for a beginner worried about having problems unclipping, it’s likely that persevering with SH51 and MT001 cleats, and reducing the release tension on the pedal, will help as much as the multi-directional release.

Lowering pedal-release tension is simple, by turning the hex nut on the release mechanism at the rear of the pedal anticlockwise.

The new MT001 cleats are designed with mountain biking in mind, with the multi-entry engagement enabling riders to clip in by engaging the rear first, then the front, or by simply stomping straight down on the pedal.

Riders may prefer this on the trail as it requires less thought than the SH51, which must be clipped in via the front of the pedal first. This means dismounts or foot dabs in technical terrain are less consequential for getting back on the pedals.

Is this polished-silver CUES groupset a sign Shimano is finally listening to riders?

Shimano has announced another set of polished-silver limited-edition components – this time for its 1x 10-speed CUES U6000 drop-bar groupset.

Following on from its GRX Limited groupset, which launched to great fanfare three years ago, the Japanese brand says the special-edition polished-silver CUES groupset is designed to celebrate its “heritage of metalworking excellence”.

Unveiled at the Bespoked bike show in Dresden, Shimano says the groupset will feature on two custom bikes at the show.

Is this a sign Shimano is finally listening to riders and embracing its continued love affair with metal components? Let’s find out.

Classic Shimano

Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
Shimano is back with another special-edition polished-silver groupset. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano

The special-edition CUES U6000 groupset consists of six components, each with polished-metal parts.

As a 1x 10-speed groupset, there’s a polished-silver crankset and chainring spider, plus a rear derailleur, an 11-48t cassette, and a set of brake calipers and matching shifters.

There are also polished-silver hubs to complete the look, although it seems you’ll need to source your own rims and spokes to build these up into something you can ride.

Clandestine x Shimano Bovey Tracey, Devon, 2 October 2025 Photography by Adam Gasson for Bespoked
The rear derailleur features a mix of polished-silver and black parts. Adam Gasson for Bespoked
Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
The polished-silver brake calipers show off the groupset’s intricate metalwork. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano
Clandestine x Shimano Bovey Tracey, Devon, 2 October 2025 Photography by Adam Gasson for Bespoked
The rear brake caliper looks similarly smart. Adam Gasson for Bespoked

As with GRX Limited, not every part of the components is polished to a shine, but there’s an elegant mix of silver and black, reminiscent of Shimano’s iconic Dura-Ace R9000 groupset.

As things stand, there are only options for the CUES U6000 1x 10-speed drop-bar groupset, with shifters for hydraulic or cable-actuated disc brakes.

The new special-edition parts are widely cross-compatible with other parts in the CUES ecosystem, though, so riders can “mix and match” them to build their preferred setup.

Clandestine x Shimano Bovey Tracey, Devon, 2 October 2025 Photography by Adam Gasson for Bespoked
Independent frame builder Ted James put together this Clandestine x Shimano bike to show off the new parts. Adam Gasson for Bespoked
Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
The groupset also looks very handsome on this Sputnik gravel bike by St Joris Cycles. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano

Shimano CUES Polished Silver range

  • RD-U6000 10-speed rear derailleur
  • CS-LG400-10 cassette, 11-48t
  • FC-U6030-1 crankset, 40 or 42t chainring, 170-175mm crank lengths
  • HB / FH-QC400 rear and front hubs
  • BL-U6030-L and ST-U6030-R hydraulic dual control levers
  • BR-U6030 flat mount hydraulic disc brakes
  • BL-U3030-L and ST-U3030-10R mechanical dual control levers

We asked Shimano for details about pricing and availability, and will update this article if we receive a response.

Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
The metal brake levers also get a polished-silver finish. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano
Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
The silver crankset looks fantastic. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano
Shimano CUES U6000 polished silver
More of this, please, Shimano. Jeroen van der Wielen / Shimano

More to come?

An intriguing question raised by this launch is whether it’s a signal of more to come.

GRX Limited launched to an incredibly warm reception, and Dura-Ace R9000 and 7800 – the last Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets to feature predominantly polished-silver components – are still widely regarded as among the most desirable the brand has made in the modern era.

Clandestine x Shimano Bovey Tracey, Devon, 2 October 2025 Photography by Adam Gasson for Bespoked
Could this be a sign of more polished-silver components to come from Shimano? We hope so. Adam Gasson for Bespoked

It’s fair to say polished-silver parts are – in some quarters – seen as distinctly retro. After all, it’s what bike parts used to look like before the introduction of carbon fibre, and a desire for everything to mimic that took over.

But there’s something to be said for celebrating the materials being used, and in a sea of black everything, something like this can help a bike or component stand out from the crowd.

While I think the standard, matt grey CUES U6000 looks fine, for example, the new silver crankset and rear derailleur, in particular, look fantastic – and far more premium than the original versions.

Shimano FC-7800C Carbon Crankset
Shimano briefly trailed carbon fibre cranks in 2007, but the design was dropped when Dura-Ace 7900 launched only a year later. Shimano

Aside from a brief flirtation with carbon cranks in 2007 with the FC-7800C, though, Shimano has stuck steadfastly with alloy cranksets through thick and thin – even as a global recall of its bonded Hollowtech II aluminium cranks threatened to dent rider confidence in the design.

Despite this belief in the material, Shimano has tended to hide that fact behind paint in recent years.

The last non-limited edition silver groupset it produced was 105 R7000 (which was available in gloss black or matt silver), and we’ve since had a succession of excellent-but-slightly-dull black and grey road bike groupsets from the Japanese giant.

Shimano XTR Full Groupset
Shimano’s new XTR Di2 M9200 groupset features a good quantity of polished-aluminium parts. Dan Milner / Shimano

Recent developments might give riders reason to hope change could be on the horizon, however.

Shimano’s XTR Di2 R9200 mountain bike groupset, for example, features a decent amount of polished-silver accents, while ENVE’s new SES 4.5 Pro wheelset – as used by man of the moment Tadej Pogačar – also features polished-silver hubs and spokes.

Could we see polished silver make a return in some form for the next-generation Dura-Ace Di2 R9300 groupset, then?

When we put this to Shimano, it told us it wouldn’t comment on future developments, but did say that “if there is an increased demand for a polished silver line-up across the range, Shimano may consider future silver editions and expanding this to higher-end models”.

It seems, then, that Shimano is listening after all.

Cyclocross could be added to the Winter Olympics by 2030

Cyclocross could be added to the Winter Olympics by 2030 in France, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has predicted, alongside cross-country running and judo in a bid to keep the Games relevant. 

This isn’t the first time adding cyclocross to the Winter Olympics has been suggested, with World Athletics and the UCI holding talks about its inclusion last year. 

But Coe is reported to be increasingly optimistic it will be added to the Games due to the support of the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Kirsty Coventry, and UCI president, David Lappartient, according to the Guardian

Coe, who is part of the IOC’s “fit for the future” working group, says: “I think there’s a good chance it’ll happen. And I think it’s come at the right moment, because Kirsty is certainly prepared to think differently about the programme, and what could go out of the stadium, and that mix between winter and summer.”

Following conversations with Lappartient, Coe says there was already a provisional plan to have the cyclocross and cross-country running on the same course in the French Alps. 

“I’ve always wanted to see cross-country back in for all sorts of reasons. Some are emotional. But it also gives Africa a proper presence in the winter Games, which, if we are being honest, it doesn’t really have,” Coe says.

“And sharing the same course in 2030 with cyclocross is really where our thinking is going. We’ve already had good conversations.” 

There is movement elsewhere towards adding cyclocross to the 2030 Winter Olympics. La Planche des Belles Filles submitted a formal bid to host the discipline, L’Équipe revealed in June. 

One of the iconic features of the Tour de France, La Planche des Belles Filles has positioned itself as a potential venue for cyclocross at the 2030 Games. 

Documents obtained by L’Équipe revealed the application promised to deliver “an unforgettable venue” to enhance the image of the winter Olympics.

Thibaut Pinot is among the backers of the project, and is said to be ready to come out of retirement. “One day in February 2030, I’ll finally get my victory at La Planche,” the three-time Tour de France stage winner said in the dossier. 

Lappartient is said to support the bid, alongside former French prime minister Michel Barnier, who attended the 2025 Cyclocross World Championships, hosted in Lievin, France. “I was very impressed by the popular success of cyclocross,” Barnier said at the time.

The Pashley Skyline is a steel mini velo for everything from city riding to light gravel adventures 

British steel bike maker Pashley has launched another new bike that extends its range in a novel direction.

The Pashley Skyline takes inspiration from mini velos designed for city riding, with 20in wheels and disc brakes, but it’s also intended to handle loaded excursions and light gravel use.

Pashley says the Skyline is designed to be “fun, versatile and practical”. 

Three specs are on offer at launch, with flat-bar and drop-bar options. Full bike prices range from £1,795 to £1,895, and there’s a frameset-only option for £995.

Versatile riding options

The Skyline frameset is hand-built from a mix of three Reynolds steels.

As with all of Pashley’s bikes, the Skyline is made from steel and hand-built in its Stratford-upon-Avon factory. Its frame is fillet brazed from a mix of Reynolds double-butted tubing: 725, 631 and 525.

According to Pashley CEO Andy Smallwood: “This bike is all about maximising the unique experience you get from a small-wheeled bike. You could be riding through the city, local village, commuting to work or just out for fun – simply enjoying the exhilaration you get on two wheels.”

Pashley says the geometry is designed for “a controlled and comfortable riding position, with direct, confident handling across a variety of terrains”. The top tube is a little longer, which it says adds stability to the ride, while the chainstays have been kept short for snappy acceleration. 

The extensive range of mounts enables you to set the Skyline up for adventures.

The 2.3in tyre clearance enables you to set up with knobbly tyres if you want to head off-road for some light gravel riding and Pashley fits two of its three builds with Schwalbe Smart Sam treaded tyres.

You can also fit mudguards, front and rear racks, and bottle cages for extended load-lugging. With 20in wheels, Pashley says the Skyline is easy to store, too.

Pashley has aimed to support a wide range of configurations for the Skyline, which it offers with both riser and dropped handlebars. You can also choose to fit the frame out with derailleur, singlespeed or hub gears and even add a dropper post.

Branching out

The Skyline joins the Wildfinder in Pashley’s expanding range. Pashley

Founded in 1926, over the last couple of years, Pashley has been diversifying rapidly from its classic British bikes, often complete with a basket, which would grace a television series set in the 1950s.

It’s had the retro-racer style Guv’nor in its range for a while, but more recently that bike has been joined by the Roadfinder SL, which Warren Rossiter described as “the first steel bike I’ve truly desired in 30 years”. 

Not only that, there’s an electric Roadfinder and Pashley has launched the Wildfinder, a drop-bar gravel/MTB hybrid with 2.4in tyre clearance and geometry to fit a suspension fork.

Pashley Skyline builds and prices

You can choose drop bars as well as two flat-bar builds.

Pashley will sell the Skyline in three builds – two with flat bars and one with drop bars.

There’s a choice of MicroShift Advent derailleur or Shimano Alfine hub gearing, as well as a frameset option. You can choose a custom colour from £75 / $125 / €100 / AU$170.

  • Pashley Skyline Alfine 8 Flat Bar: from £1,895 / $2,895 / €2,495 / AU$4,395
  • Pashley Skyline MicroShift Advent Drop Bar: from £1,895 / $2,895 / €2,495 / AU$4,395
  • Pashley Skyline MicroShift Advent Flat Bar: from £1,795 / $2,695 / €2,295 / AU$4,195
  • Pashley Skyline frameset: £995 / $1,495 / €1,295 / AU$2,295

Zwift Update Version 1.99 (153089) Released

Zwift version 1.99 begins its phased rollout today. This is a minor update containing mostly bug fixes. Read on for details…

JetBlack Kit Automatic Unlock

Zwifters can now unlock the JetBlack cycling kit by riding with any JetBlack trainer – just connect to the trainer in the Pairing screen and enjoy your ride!

(Note: most trainer manufacturers have an automatic kit unlock in Zwift. Read more here.)

Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

  • Improved connection reliability for trainers paired via Wi-Fi.
  • Fixed an issue that could potentially cause duplicate devices to appear in the Pairing screen when using the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 as a sensor hub.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause virtual shifting to be unavailable for Zwifters using the new Zwift Click if they had previously disabled virtual shifting for Zwift Play controllers.
  • Improved the appearance of some pedestrians in Paris.
  • Windows: Fixed a crash that could occur when exiting Zwift with devices connected via ANT+.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum > (link coming soon)

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!

Giant’s Reign Advanced E+ eMTB may suggest innovation has stalled – but I think it’s brilliant

Giant’s latest Reign Advanced E+ enduro eMTB is cut from the same cloth as so many other gravity-focused ebikes on the market.

While that’s no bad thing – after all, we expect long-travel eMTBs to handle gnarly terrain and certain elements will be shared across all bikes – some will argue it’s not exactly pushing the boundaries of our sport.

The slack, long and low geometry, plenty of travel and robust frame design could be transposed onto any critically acclaimed eMTB on the market.

Its aesthetics are typical of swathes of other bikes – for good reason – and the SyncDrive Pro 3 motor – which has 90Nm of torque and 800W of peak power – isn’t exactly winning the arms race of more, more, more.

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike SyncDrive Pro 3 motor
The Yamaha-made SyncDrive Pro motor is claimed to output 90Nm of sustained torque. Giant Bikes

So, why should consumers choose the Reign Advanced E+ over the Santa Cruz Bullit, the Orbea WildYT DecoyPivot Shuttle LT and others?

On the face of it, it feels as though innovation has stalled.

But look beyond the standard must-haves and the Giant packs in some incredibly well-considered details that stand out and show brands are still innovating, but not always in the most obvious places.

Hiding beneath the Giant’s rather generic surface is a bike that looks capable of being a resounding success.

Breaking the mould

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike-1
The Reign Advanced E+ is designed to descend harder than any eMTB on the market. Giant Bikes

I am being unfair in suggesting the Advanced E+ doesn’t appear to break the mould. Well, yes, I probably am.

Beyond the foundations you’d expect to find on any good bike, the new Reign Advanced E+ has quite a lot of really cool tech.

Torque is up to 90Nm, but according to Giant, this isn’t the latest motor’s peak output, it’s how much it can sustain.

Most other manufacturers’ claims relate to the motor’s peak figures rather than constant output, potentially nudging the Giant ahead.

Thanks to the battery and motor’s 48-volt architecture – up from 36 volts previously – it means amperages can be lowered, by 30 per cent according to Giant, for the same power demands.

This equates to less heat build-up and stress placed on the motor and battery; the in-built 560Wh battery is claimed to last up to 2,300 charge cycles, which is more than “any other [eMTB] on the market,” Giant says.

There’s an external 280Wh range extender, that’ll be shipped with all Reign Advance E+ bikes in the UK and Ireland, upping total capacity to 840Wh. This will have to be bought separately in other markets, however.

Even more integration

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike-1 RideControl Go Lux display
The RideControl Go Lux display is integrated into the bike’s top tube. Giant Bikes

There’s a new integrated top tube display – one that all ebikes are now expected to have – dubbed RideControl Go Lux, which shows key ride data.

Boosting that onboard, integrated information screen with even more stats are Giant’s Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS) valves.

Named the Aegis Tyre Checker, these battery-powered valves – that are compatible with both inner tubes and tubeless setups – connect automatically to the Go Lux display to keep tabs on your tyres’ pressures in real-time.

Giant Reign Advanced E Aegis Tire Checker TPMS pressure monitoring system
The Aegis tyre pressure monitor connects directly to the bike’s onboard display. Giant Bikes

While Quark’s TyreWiz has offered this for a while via a smartphone, it’s the first time a TPMS has been integrated into an eMTB.

it’s a neat idea and looks to be well executed.

The next step would be doing the same for the front and rear dampers – whether that’s via Fox’s Live Valve protocol or RockShox’s Flight Attendant – to boost the integration of important and useful information.

Anti-theft measures

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike-3
It’s got a new mode controller. Giant Bikes

A lot of ebikes now support remote deactivation or bricking via their smartphone app, and Giant’s new Reign is no exception.

Giant’s Aegis E-Lock disables motor support when activated, and sounds an integrated alarm if the bike is moved. Importantly, it also integrates with Apple’s Find My network.

Instead of having to buy a separate AirTag and attach it to the bike, the Reign’s onboard battery powers an AirTag-like Bluetooth transmitter that pings its location to compatible iPhones.

The bike then appears on Apple’s Find My network, so you can always track its whereabouts without having to worry about charging up or hiding a dedicated AirTag.

This isn’t unique to Giant, however.

Specialized, VanMoof and Velotric also offer Apple Find My network compatibility, and Bosch has its own system with a similar setup.

Still, it’s a neat feature that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Lots of little things add up

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike Titanium skidplate
The underslung bash guard is made from titanium. Giant Bikes

Its chain device, bash guard and under-frame protection are also quite fancy.

With the low-slung belly most eMTBs have – the Giant being no exception – the chainring and motor are particularly prone to being walloped on the ground on drops and crests thanks to reduced breakover angles.

Giant has looked to mitigate this potentially motor-damaging occurrence from causing any harm.

Along with a large, slippery stronger-than-aluminium titanium under-frame plate that protects the motor’s casing, the bike’s chain device and chainring bash guard are loaded with tech.

This bash guard is suspended by elastomers where it bolts to the motor, which are designed to cushion the relatively vulnerable electronic components from excessive shocks during floor, rock or root strikes.

Improving the longevity of your eMTB’s most costly components is a good thing, and Giant’s solution to a common problem is commendable.

There’s more

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike Flip chip
There’s a three-position geometry-adjusting flip chip in the rocker link. Giant Bikes

The Reign’s geometry figures hit the sweet spot across its four-size range.

Reach numbers start at 430mm and lift to 510mm, and chainstays are 450mm across the board.

Elsewhere, there’s a gravity-friendly 63.5-degree head tube angle and steep, comfortable 77-degree seat tube angle.

But Giant has gone further than most with adjustability.

Not only is there a three-position flip chip in the upper Maestro rocker link with low, mid and high settings, there’s also a reach-adjusting headset cup with three positions.

Thanks to a -5mm cup, a neutral cup and a +5mm cup, the bike’s figures are enormously customisable depending on your needs.

A compelling purchase?

Giant Reign Advanced E electric mountain bike range extender
The range extender has a 280Wh capacity and it comes with the bike in the UK and Ireland. Giant Bikes

The new Reign Advanced E+ is – on the face of it – just a bit boring and really highlights significant convergence across the market.

It’s a full-powered, long-travel ebike with about the same torque, Watts, suspension kinematics and geometry as every other similar bike out there from a host of other brands.

And with a 22.7kg (medium) claimed weight, it’s also par for the course given the relatively small 560Wh onboard battery.

However, dig a little deeper and there are glimmers of technical brilliance; the integration, electronics, protection and geometry adjustment, along with a solid warranty, mean the Reign Advance E+ could edge ahead of the competition.

The most affordable model in the range – the Reign Advanced E+ 2 – costs £6,499. The next one up – the E+ 1 – is £7,499, and the most expensive E+ 0 costs £9,999, but each gets the same fundamental battery, motor, protection and frame tech only with a slightly different spec list.

In a sea of copycats, all costing roughly the same amount, the Giant Reign Advanced E+ looks like a compelling purchase.

“We made some noise”: Rapha and EF Pro Cycling end partnership after seven duck-filled, psychedelic years

Rapha and EF Pro Cycling have announced they are parting ways after seven years, bringing one of cycling’s most distinctive partnerships to an end. 

Since 2019, the collaboration has “disrupted” the world of cycling, according to EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters, with the alternative racing calendar and headline-grabbing jerseys, including the famous duck

“We made some noise, and brought new people into our sport along the way. To me, that is the hallmark of a successful partnership,” says Vaughters. 

Beyond the WorldTour

Lachlan Morton resting on ground after Auckland to Wellington record attempt.
Lachlan Morton in Rapha/EF kit after his Auckland to Wellington record attempt. Dan King / Rapha

Rapha and EF Pro Cycling moved beyond the typical WorldTour events, with the team’s athletes taking on races such as Unbound Gravel and the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. 

Much of the partnership’s success outside WorldTour races is down to one athlete in particular, Lachlan Morton.

The Australian has taken on many challenges since the partnership began, which were captured in the Gone Racing documentary series between 2019 and 2022.

One of Morton’s biggest challenges was the Alt Tour, which saw him cycle the 2021 Tour de France route unsupported, beating the peloton to Paris by five days

This year, Morton set a new record from Auckland to Wellington in New Zealand. The feat was documented in a film that Rapha later issued an apology over because it neglected to mention one of the previous record holders

Kit collaborations

Lachlan Morton at 2020 Giro d'Italia in helmet with duck design.
Rapha and EF Pro Cycling collaborated with Palace to create a bold aesthetic. Rapha

The partnership made EF Pro Cycling one of the sport’s most recognisable teams through its bold kit designs, particularly at the Giro d’Italia, where the team had to ride in special kit so its typical pink didn’t clash with the leader’s jersey. 

While there were often interesting designs for the Giro d’Italia – including a kit that used excess fabric and another one that celebrated people from different nations – the most eye-catching was the 2020 kit designed in collaboration with the skateboarding brand Palace.

The kit grabbed people’s attention thanks to its psychedelic patterns and one cap-wearing duck, which also informed the design of the team’s time-trial helmets.

Rapha and EF Pro Cycling also collaborated for the 2022 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to mark the return of the women’s race after 30 years

Racing success 

Magdeleine Vallieres looks at world championship medal.
EF Education–Oatley’s Magdeleine Vallieres won the women’s world championships road race this year. Dario Belingheri / Getty Images

Although EF Pro Cycling and Rapha made a name for themselves through off-beat challenges and loud kit, the partnership has still seen success in professional road races.

The team has secured stage victories at all three Grand Tours, as well as wins at the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix Femmes. 

EF Pro Cycling has had notable success in 2025. Magdeleine Vallieres recently won the women’s world championships road race in Kigali, Rwanda, while Ben Healy finished third in the men’s race. 

This year, Healy became the first Irishman to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France since Stephen Roche in 1987, and finished the race in ninth position overall. 

So what’s next for Rapha and EF Pro Cycling?

EF Education - EasyPost team's Irish rider Ben Healy wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey cycles with the pack of riders (peloton) during the 12th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 180.6 km between Auch and Hautacam, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France, on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Ben Healy wearing the yellow jersey at the 2025 Tour de France. Loic Venance / Getty Images

The end of the partnership means Rapha is leaving the WorldTour for the time being, according to the brand’s CEO, Fran Millar. 

“EF Pro Cycling has a unique spirit which we will always respect and champion. But we have made the decision to broaden our horizons and increase our impact across other, progressive areas of elite and participation cycling. This does not mark the end of our support for the world’s most talented and charismatic riders. The next chapter begins now,” says Millar. 

Vaughters says: “It’s an exciting time to be at EF Pro Cycling and we can’t wait to keep building on one of our most successful seasons to date.” 

EF Pro cycling is yet to confirm who its next kit sponsor will be, and the team had not responded to BikeRadar’s request for comment at the time of publishing. 

One final limited-edition collection 

In keeping with their partnership, Rapha and EF Pro Cycling haven’t missed the opportunity to release a limited-edition kit collection to mark their parting of ways.

Available to Rapha RCC members from Thursday 9 October and to the general public from Friday 10 October, there will be three designs available. 

The Crashed the Party kit uses the signature pink colour and is described as a fusion of the “best-loved” Rapha and EF Pro Cycling kit designs. 

The Changed the Game jersey marks some of the team’s biggest victories, and the Back to Blackout design “closes the loop on the partnership, echoing the original blackout jersey worn by the first Rapha and EF Pro Cycling team in Australia, 2019”.   

50 years on and still family-owned, this is why Basso manufactures its carbon bikes in Italy

I take a swig of beer as my eyes adapt to the darkness. My ears are still adjusting to the pounding four-to-the-floor beats pulsing from the speakers. 

Had I spawned here without any prior knowledge, I’d wager I was at a DIY electronic-music festival or some sort of illicit cycling-themed hilltop rave – I certainly wouldn’t guess I was at a Wednesday evening club ride. 

But Basso, as I’m about to find out over the next few days, takes great pride in doing things differently.

We’re at the summit of a short, steep stretch of road just above Bassano del Grappa, Italy, waiting for the weekly ‘Carbo Ride’ peloton to complete a timed mid-course hill climb. 

I’d wager your club ride doesn’t look like this. Basso

Basso flags flutter in the evening breeze. To my left, marketing and product manager Leonardo Basso leans against his Instagrammable company-branded Land Rover Defender, squinting into the night. 

“Here they come!” he exclaims as the first riders rip through the darkness in a blur of red and white light.

Participants congregate at the top – many straddling Basso bikes – chatting and comparing segment times. 

After this, it’s just a short cruise back into town for the hard-earned pay-off: refreshments and free pasta at Basso’s bustling community hub, Bassano Club House. It’s a fitting introduction, both to the brand and the town that fostered it.

Local knowledge

Basso’s Club House is the heart of the brand’s community Basso

Basso was born in Bassano almost 50 years ago, but unlike most brands, which outsource production to Asia as they grow bigger, Basso has doubled down on keeping operations local.

After a short but restful night’s sleep in one of the Club House’s five rooms (the Italians don’t do early nights), I meet CEO Alessandro Basso to find out more. 

As we drive the 10 minutes to the brand’s HQ, he talks me through the local riding in detail.

“There are lots of routes that go to Venice, to the seaside, to the beach,” he explains as we speed through emerald-green Italian countryside. “But Bassano is really the gateway to the mountains. When you go north, you have Monte Grappa and Asiago. Behind that, you can ride the Alps. Left and right, it’s all the wine country – smaller hills, rolling terrain. I mean, you don’t want a two-hour climb every day, do you?”

Crucially, Bassano and the surrounding areas have a bit of everything. 

MTB trails, gravel tracks, iconic Giro d’Italia climbs – this makes it the ideal setting for a local brand developing and testing new bikes. 

“There’s a big variety,” Alessandro agrees. “From a brand perspective, you can do everything from your doorstep when it comes to testing. There’s one particular MTB loop we use for this purpose. It’s a minute away from the office.”

For Basso, building bikes in Italy is about more than heritage. Basso

For Alessandro, building in Bassano is less about the perceived prestige of the ‘Made in Italy’ label and more about quality assurance.

“Made in Italy is important,” he explains. “But the most important thing is that we manage the whole supply chain of our bicycles. This way, we know exactly who put their hands on each and every product. 

“We know what time of the day it was, what the temperature was like, even the level of humidity. We know everything. This gives us complete control over the quality of every single bike we make, no matter what.”

Nerve centre

Basso is proud to keep its production close to home Basso

We pull up outside Basso’s head office and step inside. The brand already does everything locally, including carbon-fibre manufacture and painting. But the ultimate goal is to have everything housed under one roof. 

To achieve this, Alessandro is in the process of expanding the facility I’m standing in right now.

There’s already a brand-new warehouse, where bikes are assembled on the production line before being carefully boxed up to be shipped all over the world. 

“This one’s going to Canada,” Alessandro tells me, inspecting the shipping notes of one package. “And these are going to one of our distributors in Germany,” he says, scanning another.

“Each frame produced here is assigned a unique code,” Alessandro explains. “This allows it to be tracked through every stage of the production and pre-assembly process. It means we have complete traceability from start to finish.”

Past the towering stacks of boxes and rows of mechanics tinkering away lies a cavernous expanse of empty space. This, Alessandro tells me, will soon be home to Basso’s in-house carbon-fibre production unit, testing facility and paint room. “Like I said,” he reiterates, “the entire process from start to finish.”

The patriarch

Basso is still closely involved in the operations of his eponymous brand. Basso

To understand the Basso brothers’ vision for the future of the brand, it first helps to understand their father and company founder, Alcide Basso. 

When he founded the brand in 1977, it was just him – a teenager in a garage with some tubes and a few tools. But even then, the focus on quality and attention to detail was there.

I meet Alcide in the Bassano Club House. Like me, he’s fresh from Basso HQ, where he can still be found on an almost daily basis. 

When he’s not consulting on matters regarding the business, you might even catch him in the workshop, where he still builds the occasional Basso Viper frame – the only classic steel bicycle left in the company’s range.

Basso remains true to its original Italian manufacturing. Basso

I’ve spent the afternoon carefully preparing a set of questions for Alcide, but within seconds of him pulling up a chair and ordering a drink, it becomes apparent that this is going to be more of a strap-in-for-the-ride type of interview.

“This is the bible!” Alcide proclaims as he proudly flicks through a carefully preserved copy of the first-ever Basso catalogue. 

He stops at a page filled with complex diagrams detailing his own personal research into how different tube thicknesses react to varying levels of heat. 

“I wasn’t an engineer. I learned by making mistakes. I studied the materials, the welding, the microstructure. I had to understand what happened when you changed the thickness or temperature. That was the foundation of Basso – that’s what set us apart from the other Italian brands.”

Bicycles are in Alcide’s blood. His brother, Marino, was a world champion road racer, and he remembers growing up surrounded by cycling paraphernalia. 

“I liked working with the mechanical side of things, so when I was 18, I began welding frames.”

A meeting with Harry Hall changed the trajectory of the brand for good. Basso

Business was slow at first, but Alcide remembers the sale that started it all in 1978 – Harry Hall Cycles in Manchester. 

Alcide met the man himself at Milano Bike Show, and before he knew what was happening, Hall had taken it upon himself to visit Alcide’s garage in Bassano and watch a Basso frame being built. A week later, Alcide received an order for 35 bicycles.

“It’s just me! I can’t possibly make that many bicycles! But he told me he would wait for them, and he did.”

A distribution agreement with two key German suppliers kicked off the brand’s growth – and the rest, as they say, is history. Basso

That order helped take Basso to the next level, but it was when Alcide travelled to Germany to visit his other brother at university that things really kicked off. 

He knew there were plenty of high-end automotive marques headquartered nearby in Stuttgart. If German consumers appreciated a well-engineered car, perhaps they would also value a well-engineered bicycle. 

So, Alcide embarked on a full-blown German sales mission armed with his catalogue and a frame, determined to speak with anyone and everyone who might be interested. 

Eventually, it paid off when two colossal German sporting goods suppliers, Brügelmann and Stier, took an interest.

“We expanded operations, and after eight years, we were selling 5,000 frames a year in the UK and Germany alone,” Alcide says.

Core values continue

Basso remains family owned, and is proud of its roots in its hometown. Basso

No matter how big Basso gets, Alcide’s core values remain central. “Basso is a unique company,” he says. “Almost 50 years as a family business. Many other Italian companies have stopped or been sold to investors – we are still here.

“Now it is the second generation – my sons and my daughter – but the most important thing we transfer is attention to detail. Growth is one thing, but controlling quality alongside it is harder. We don’t just want to make more, more, more. We want to make better. That is why we control every detail ourselves.”

‘You can’t ride fast if you’re not comfortable’

The SV is Basso’s newest road bike. Basso

Basso has evolved with the times, without losing sight of its founding principles. The same is true of its bikes. 

The brand’s latest creation, the SV, is a prime example, fusing cutting-edge technology with a methodical approach to geometry, speed and comfort.

After wrapping up with Alcide in the Club House, I’ve got about five minutes to throw some kit on and take one out for an evening spin with his other son, Leonardo. 

The SV is a stunning bike – and comfortable. Basso

As we cruise out of Bassano and into the rolling hills to the west, Leonardo gives me the lowdown on the bike I’m riding.

“With high-end road bikes, you usually had two options – a bike designed for the pros, or an all-road bike,” he explains. “The middle ground wasn’t really developed. That’s where the SV comes in.

“We tried to understand who is buying these very expensive pro-level bikes. Naturally, most are not professional racers. So, the focus with Sempre Veloce was simple – you can’t ride fast if you’re not comfortable on the bike. We call the concept ‘performance comfort.’”

This is the first Basso road bike with a significantly sloping top tube. 

The stack is higher, the reach a little shorter, the tyre clearance a generous 35mm, and the wheelbase slightly longer, which gives more stability without losing responsiveness. 

As someone who rides a slammed road bike at home, my spine is grateful for the more practical geometry, but aesthetically, it still looks like a real race weapon. 

Angular lines, raw-carbon finish, narrow bars – proof that ‘comfortable’ isn’t always a synonym for ‘boring’.

Community matters

The Bassano Club House is the heart of the brand. Basso

As we coast back into town, I can see the famous Bassano del Grappa nightlife beginning to bloom. Under the warm glow of streetlights, Bassano Club House and its neighbouring bars are all bustling with activity. We grab the two remaining seats outside and order ourselves a well-earned beer. 

We’re not the only people who’ve popped in for a post-ride pint. The tables out front are occupied in equal parts by casual diners and sweat-streaked cyclists, helmet straps dangling freely. Inside, cleats clatter across tiled floors, and various Basso bikes hang resplendent on the walls. 

“People can come, they can stay here, they can hire a bike,” Leonardo says. “We also have a workshop, a kitchen and a retail space too.”

It’s a living extension of the Basso brand and a place for Bassano’s cycling community to come together. 

From Alcide’s garage in 1977 to the bustling Bassano Club House today, Basso has always been about more than bicycles. 

The frames may be lighter, faster and more advanced, but the spirit is unchanged: a family business rooted in its hometown, fuelled by community, and driven forward by the firm belief that the best bikes are built close to home.

Israel–Premier Tech to change its name and drop Israeli identity after mounting pressure 

Israel–Premier Tech has confirmed it will undergo a full rebrand, changing its name and its national identity.

“With steadfast commitment to our riders, staff, and valued partners, the decision has been made to rename and rebrand the team, moving away from its current Israeli identity,” the team said in a statement released on Monday. 

The team’s co-founder, Sylvan Adams, will also step back from his day-to-day involvement and will no longer speak on behalf of the team.

The decision follows a period of mounting pressure on the team. Israel–Premier Tech was the target of massive protests throughout this year’s Vuelta a España, which saw several stages cut short, and organisers of the protests described the team as engaging in “sportswashing”.

Organisers of the Giro dell’Emilia pulled Israel–Premier Tech from the race over the weekend and the team then abandoned its plans to race the Italian classics this week due to safety concerns.

Factor bikes also threatened to withdraw support from the team, with the brand’s founder Rob Gitelis stating: “Without a name change, without a flag change, we won’t continue.”

The team’s title sponsor, Premier Tech, also demanded the team drop ‘Israel’ from its name and adopt a new identity and brand image.

Suunto sues Garmin over patent infringements as legal troubles build 

Less than a week after Strava’s lawsuit against Garmin was revealed, it has come to light that Suunto is also suing the company.

Filed in a Texas court on 22 September, Suunto’s case accuses Garmin of infringing five patents related to measuring a user’s respiratory rate, antenna design, watch casing and tracking golf shots. 

The complaint alleges that many Garmin smartwatches incorporate the patented technologies without permission, including the Marq, Fenix, Epix, Instinct, Venu and Forerunner models.

Suunto is seeking damages and potentially a permanent injunction to block sales of the Garmin devices that use the features. 

Strava’s case against Garmin 

Strava user's guide
Strava’s lawsuit against Garmin also covers patent infringements. Scott Windsor / Our Media

Suunto, a Finnish smartwatch and tech company, is not alone in suing Garmin, with its filing appearing soon after Strava’s complaint against the GPS giant. 

Like Suunto, Strava is also pursuing legal action against Garmin over patent infringements. 

Filed in a Colorado court on 30 September, Strava’s case alleges that Garmin violated the terms of a 2015 agreement between the two companies by offering Garmin-branded segments and leaderboards. 

However, Strava’s chief product officer, Matt Salazar, offered a different explanation for the legal action in a Reddit post. He said the primary reason behind Strava’s litigation was a set of “new developer guidelines for all of its API partners”. 

Salazar wrote that the dispute arose from Garmin’s new API guidelines announced in July that require “the Garmin logo to be present on every single activity post, screen, graph, image, sharing card etc”. 

“We have until November 1st to comply, and if not, Garmin has threatened to cut off access to their API, stopping all Garmin activities from being uploaded to Strava,” Salazar said.

British Transport Police’s decision not to investigate bike thefts at train stations “will hit lowest income groups the hardest”

The British Transport Police’s decision not to investigate certain bike thefts at train stations “will hit the lowest income groups the hardest”, according to Sophie Gordon, campaigns manager at Cycling UK. 

Last week, the British Transport Police (BTP) said it will not investigate bike thefts at train stations where the bicycle has been left for more than two hours, and CCTV footage will not be reviewed outside of this time frame. The BTP also said the theft of any bike worth less than £200 will not be investigated and that robberies on trains should only be reported if the passenger knows which carriage they were in. 

“The decision not to investigate bike theft when cycles have been left for longer than two hours will hit the lowest income groups the hardest,” Cycling UK’s Sophie Gordon said.

“These are often working people who might not be able to afford a car and are relying on bikes and public transport to get to work. If you’re on shift or at work, you will inevitably be away longer than a couple of hours,” she added. 

Cycling UK found that cycling for commuting made up 29 per cent of all cycle journeys in 2023. 

Last year, it was revealed that 49 per cent of Brits couldn’t afford a new bike, with a quarter saying it would take them six months to save for one. The Walk Wheel Trust, formerly Sustrans, also found that almost 2 million people want to cycle but are priced out due to the initial cost of a bicycle and accessories. 

More than 14,000 bikes were stolen from outside train stations between 2021 and 2023. A freedom of information request revealed bicycle thefts from outside stations increased by 39 per cent from 2022 to 2023. 

An estimated 1.33 million cycle journeys were recorded by Transport for London in 2024, but critics have said bike thefts will discourage people from cycling in the capital.

“We know that people who have their bike stolen quite often don’t go back to cycling,” the London Cycling Campaign’s Simon Munk told the BBC. 

“Everyone understands that more cycling, more walking, fewer people in cars is a good thing for London [and] for the planet – for everyone,” he added. 

Gordon said: “Bike theft is not a petty crime but has serious social consequences and the police need to take it seriously – to have your means of getting around stolen can be devastating.

“By partnering with cycle trade, planners and other groups, the police could find ways to prevent cycle theft, seeing as that’s more effective than enforcement, but it’s not acceptable for the police to say they will be doing less to investigate theft, when they should be doing more.” 

BTP said that these crimes are unlikely ever to be solved. “The more time our officers spend reviewing CCTV footage for these offences, the less time they have available for patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes which cause the most harm and providing a visible presence across the network,” a BTP spokesperson told the BBC. 

“We will continue to apply a test of proportionality when determining investigation – looking at factors such as timeframes, witnesses, the availability of CCTV, the impact on the victim or whether there is a realistic prospect of a successful outcome.

“Any offence which is not investigated will still provide us with valuable intelligence, used to direct our patrols and operations.”

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Merida adopts zero-fee policy for migrant workers following Giant import ban

Merida is implementing various measures to improve its labour practices, following the blockade on Giant Bicycles by the US due to allegations of forced labour. 

In a statement released today, Merida says it complies with Taiwan’s labour laws, but it has emphasised its commitment to “internationally recognised labour standards”. 

Merida says it will implement a zero-fee recruitment policy for migrant workers effective from 1 October. In Taiwan, labour laws allow brokers to charge fees to migrant workers, but this can lead to debt bondage, which is an indicator of forced labour. Now, Merida will not allow brokers to charge fees to new migrant workers. 

Furthermore, Merida says no migrant workers will have to pay monthly service fees to brokers, and any such costs will be covered by Merida. 

“In addition, we are in the process of creating a reimbursement plan to compensate migrant workers for their earlier recruitment costs. Our goal is to complete the reimbursement by October 25, 2025,” Merida says.

“We will work with our recruitment partners to make sure these standards are upheld and will continue to monitor them to ensure this is the case. Employee welfare is further supported through routine check-ups and ongoing feedback mechanisms, including anonymous mailboxes and satisfaction surveys, to drive continuous improvement,” Merida told BikeRadar. 

Merida’s statement on its labour practices follows the announcement last week that the US Customs and Borders Protection (CBP) said it would detain bicycles, accessories and parts manufactured by Giant in Taiwan after it found indicators of forced labour, including debt bondage. 

The ban is the first of its kind on a Taiwanese manufacturer and Giant is now taking steps to resolve the embargo. It has formally engaged with CBP through its US legal counsel and will arrange an official meeting in the near future.

Giant said it is “firmly committed to upholding human rights and labour protections. Since January 2025, we have fully implemented a Zero Recruitment Fee Policy, under which all recruitment, agency, and government-related fees for newly hired migrant workers are fully covered by the company. By the end of 2024, we completed upgrades to employee housing, providing a safer and more comfortable living environment.” 

The investigative journalist Peter Bengtsen uncovered the labour conditions in Taiwan’s bicycle industry after he and his team conducted more than 200 interviews with migrant workers between 2022 and 2025. 

“The risk of debt bondage is the rule, not the exception, for migrants employed in Taiwan’s bicycle and other industries,” Bengtsen told BikeRadar.  

“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,” he added. 

US legislation allows authorities to stop imports at the border if forced labour is suspected. 

Last year, the EU passed legislation that, from 2027, will allow authorities to prohibit the sale, import and export of goods made using forced labour.

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of October 4-5

This weekend’s big events are… well… Zwift’s Big Weekend events. But we’re also featuring two long group rides, a community-organized fondo race series, and a ride for a cause. Check them all out below!

� Zwift’s Big Weekend

✅ Celebrity Leaders  ✅ Popular  ✅ Banded

It’s Zwift’s birthday celebration this weekend, since the platform turns 11 years old this fall – and Zwift is holding a series of events with celebrity leaders to celebrate! Each ride is on a different route with different leaders, but they’re all 45-minute banded rides.

Read all about Zwift’s Big Weekend >

Note: Zwift is also holding its biggest sale ever on the Zwift Ride with KICKR CORE 2. See this post for details…

Multiple timeslots this weekend
Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/zwiftsbigweekend

�La Cyclo MedioFondo Foudre

✅ Long Race  ✅ Age-Based ✅ Unique Event

Here’s a fun and unique event concept – a weekly series of “medio fondos” featuring age-based groupings. Team Foudre is organizing this series, and it appears that the first four events, held on four consecutive weekends in October, serve as a sort of “pre-series,” where your best two results count towards the overall. (See event description for details.)

The series kicks off this weekend with a race on Big Foot Hills in Watopia (69.9km, 714m).

Sunday, October 5 @ 7:45am UTC/3:45am ET/12:45am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5106370

� Team Vegan World Animal Day 2025

✅ Good Cause ✅ Banded Ride ✅ Beginner-Friendly

Join Team Vegan in a ride on World Animal Day, a day that “unites the animal welfare movement, mobilizing it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals.”

This is a 60-minute banded ride on Wandering Flats, so as long as you pedal, you’ll stay with the group.

Saturday, October 4 @ 2:15pm UTC/10:15am ET/7:15am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5111133

� USMeS – Task Force 100 [E]

✅ Fresh Ride Host  ✅ Beginner-Friendly  ✅ Banded

The USMeS Team holds a 100km ride every Saturday, but on the first Saturday of the month it’s a 100 mile event. This month they’re riding on London’s PRL Full (173.8km, 2628m).

If you’ve been wanting to knock this route out, this is a great way to do it… because long rides are always better with friends!

Rider leader will pace at 2.2 w/kg average, but all paces are welcome.

Saturday, October 4 @ 12:50pm UTC/8:50am ET/5:50am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5126436

� Vikings Valhalla Sunday Skaal Ride

✅ Endurance Challenge ✅ Legacy Leaders

We’ve featured this event many times in the past, as it’s always well-attended and well-led at paces that helps everyone stay together. Experienced leaders and sweepers do their best to keep the groups together so everyone can work together to knock out a long ride!

This week’s ride has two pace category options: a D pace of 1.7-2.2 W/kg, or a C pace of 2.5-2.8 W/kg. Both groups will ride 3 laps of Watopia’s Triple Flat Loops for a total length of 104.2km and 476 meters of climbing.

Sunday, October 5 @ 7:05am UTC/3:05am ET/12:05am PT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/5127265

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!

Bikes stolen at train stations after being left for more than two hours will not be investigated

British Transport Police says it will not investigate bike thefts at train stations where the bicycle has been left for more than two hours.

This means most bike thefts will not be investigated, and CCTV footage will not be reviewed after the two-hour timeframe, according to the BBC

“The more time our officers spend reviewing CCTV… the less time they have available for patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes which cause the most harm,” the BTP said. 

In a list of crimes the BTP won’t investigate, it said any bike worth less than £200 will not be investigated. The BTP also said thefts on trains should only be reported if the passenger knows the carriage the bike was in.

A BTP spokesperson told the BBC that it knows bike thefts are upsetting, inconvenient and potentially costly, but “there can often be limited opportunity for investigation”.

The spokesperson said: “Our experience tells us at an early stage that there are some crimes that are unlikely to ever be solved – such as those without a clear estimate of time or location for the incident or if there is a lack of CCTV or witnesses.

“The more time our officers spend reviewing CCTV footage for these offences, the less time they have available for patrolling railway stations and trains, investigating crimes which cause the most harm and providing a visible presence across the network.

“We will continue to apply a test of proportionality when determining investigation – looking at factors such as timeframes, witnesses, the availability of CCTV, the impact on the victim or whether there is a realistic prospect of a successful outcome.

“Any offence which is not investigated will still provide us with valuable intelligence, used to direct our patrols and operations.” 

More than 14,000 bicycles were stolen from outside train stations between 2021 and 2023. The number of bikes reported stolen from outside stations was up 39 per cent from 2022 to 2023. 

The London Cycling Campaign’s Tom Fyans told the BBC: “A lack of secure cycle parking at stations and next to no action against thieves leaves London way behind the Netherlands where nearly half of trips to stations are by bike.

“Many victims of theft in the capital just stop cycling – if we want to reduce car trips in London and encourage cycling we have to redouble enforcement against cycle theft.”

Strava explains why it’s suing Garmin in Reddit post to “set the record straight”

Following yesterday’s news that it had filed a lawsuit against Garmin, Strava has sought to explain the reasons behind the action.

In a post on Reddit, Strava’s chief product officer, Matt Salazar, said the primary reason behind its litigation was a set of “new developer guidelines for all of its API partners”, which Strava took issue with.

Curiously, this appears to be unrelated to the claims in Strava’s lawsuit that Garmin has infringed on two of its patents.

According to Salazar, Garmin’s new guidelines were announced on 1 July 2025 and would require Strava, and other platforms using Garmin’s API, to integrate a Garmin logo “on every single activity post, screen, graph, image, sharing card, etc”.

Strava post on Reddit about it's Garmin lawsuit
Strava’s chief product officer, Matt Salazar, took to Reddit yesterday to explain the brand’s actions. Reddit

For context, an API or ‘Application Programming Interface’ is a tool that enables different pieces of software to connect with one another and share features, data or functions. In the case of Garmin and Strava, Garmin’s API is what enables activity data to be automatically shared to Strava after it’s uploaded to Garmin’s Connect app.

Entities using Garmin’s API have, Salazar claims, until 1 November 2025 to comply with the updated guidelines, or else “Garmin has threatened to cut off access to their API, stopping all Garmin activities from being uploaded to Strava”.

Salazar says Strava does not wish to comply with the new guidelines because it feels that including Garmin’s logo would amount to “blatant advertising” that would “actively degrade your user experience on Strava (and the other 150M+ athletes)”.

Strava, Salazar says, “already provides attribution for every data partner”, but sees the inclusion of logos as a step too far: “they told us they care more about their marketing than your user experience”.

Salazar also suggests this is unfair because “Garmin doesn’t even provide data attribution for third-party devices (such as heart-rate monitors or power meters) on the Garmin Connect app”.

Continuing on this theme, Salazar says: “If you recorded an activity on your watch, we think that is your data.

“We believe you should be able to freely transfer or upload that data without requiring logos to be displayed alongside it or have that data be used as an advertisement to sell more watches.”

As a result, Salazar says Strava “could not justify to our users complying with the new [Garmin API] guidelines”.

He claims Strava has “tried to resolve this situation with Garmin over the course of the past five months, including proposing additional attribution across the platform in a less intrusive way, but to no avail”.

Garmin API Guidelines
Garmin’s current API guidelines suggest using its logo is optional. Garmin

It’s notable, though, that Garmin’s current API guidelines suggest that although “a Garmin [device model] attribution” is mandatory, the inclusion of its logo is not.

Platforms should “list the Garmin attribution in all expanded views or subscreens. For multi-entry displays, you can apply the attribution globally – such as in a header – or per entry. Screenshots, printouts and reports must retain visible Garmin attribution”.

It continues: “The attribution can include the Garmin tag logo followed by the device model or simply be listed in appropriately sized text: ‘Garmin [device model].’.”

The guidelines then provide a number of illustrative examples with and without the Garmin logo included.

When contacted, Garmin told BikeRadar that it “doesn’t comment on pending litigation.”.

BikeRadar has contacted Strava for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.