Pirelli has launched the Cinturato Evo TLR, a new all-season, all-road tyre available in 45, 50 and enormous 55mm sizes.
With more regular widths (28, 30, 32, 35 and 40mm) also available, the Cinturato Evo TLR is arguably the most all-encompassing road bike tyre ever put on sale.
Pirelli says you’ll be able to buy the three largest sizes in the summer, but the smaller sizes are available from today. These cost £74.99 / $92.90 / €79.90 in all sizes and sidewall variants.
The all-encompassing, all-season, all-road tyre?
We’ve got our hands on the 40mm tyre already, but can’t wait to see the monster 55mm version. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Pirelli claims the tyre is best suited for ‘endurance’ and ‘light gravel’ applications, with secondary usage cases for ‘performance’ and ‘gravel’ riding. Naturally, the widest tyres are better suited to rougher surfaces.
The brand doesn’t distinguish a favoured ‘season’ – it says the tyre is intended for use all year round, excelling for wet grip, high mileage, puncture protection and comfort (it scores 5/5 using Pirelli’s arbitrary ratings chart for these characteristics, and 3/5 for speed and weight).
These strengths are said to be derived from the brand’s new top-level SmartEvo AS (all-season) compound, representing an upgrade on the SmartNet Silica compound used for the Cinturato Velo and Cinturato Road TLR models.
The tyre features a bold tread pattern based on the brand’s Scorpion Trail III motorcycle tyre, claimed to help the Cinturato Evo TLR bite down into the road. Pirelli
The tyre employs Pirelli’s Techwall+ Road tubeless-ready casing, which debuted on the Road TLR, fortified by a nylon puncture protection belt rather than Kevlar, as seen in the Armour Tech casing of the Velo tyre. This has a 60 threads-per-inch count.
All the tyres are compatible with hookless rims, subject to ETRTO-recommended limits (the 28mm tyre can’t be used on a hookless rim with a 25mm-wide internal diameter), while Pirelli offers handy guidelines for each tyre for optimal rim widths.
At the time of writing, Pirelli hasn’t confirmed its recommended rim-width compatibilities for the 45, 50 and 55mm sizes, but the rest of the range’s vital statistics are as follows:
The 28, 30 and 32mm tyres are available with tan (pictured) and cream-coloured sidewalls. Pirelli
The new tyre is available from today, in 28, 30, 32, 35 and 40mm widths. The 45, 50 and 55mm versions are set to follow in the summer.
‘Classic’ (tan) and ‘retro’ (cream) sidewall variants are also available for the 28, 30 and 32mm sizes, alongside black. All feature the use of over 50 per cent bio-based and recycled materials in their construction, and FSC certification for the brands’ rubber-sourcing supply chain.
You may be forgiven for not knowing about Diamant. Even though the German brand was founded in 1885, Diamant bikes are rarely seen outside of mainland Europe.
Diamant was acquired by Trek Bikes in 2002 and it now has a range of affordable urban bikes, including ebikes.
Catching my attention from the new 2025 range is this Diamant 140, launched today and named in celebration of Diamant’s 140th anniversary.
It’s described as “A tool to go out and play, ride the way you always wanted, ride where you always wanted, and for as long as your fun lasts”. We’re invited to “Escape your boundaries. Escape this planet – why not ride the moon?”.
Urban cool
The 1x 12 GRX mechanical groupset is good to see on a bike at this price. Scott Windsor / Ourmedia
While Lunar bikepacking is somewhat ambitious, I like the Diamant’s retro-inspired paintjob, gold bolts and Brooks saddle, which give the 140 a splash of urban cool.
With huge tyres, suspension and a well-appointed frame, the Diamant 140 looks bang on trend alongside cutting-edge gravel bikes such as the Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel and Ridley’s new Ignite GTX. However, unlike those premium gravel race bikes, the Diamant is a modestly priced machine at £1,700 / €1,800.
The Brooks Cambium C17 saddle is a classy addition to the spec. Scott Windsor / Ourmedia
The chunky aluminium frameset is paired with a SunTour NX32, 75mm-travel gravel suspension fork.
The 140 rolls on 650b Bontrager/Shimano wheels with fat 2.1in tubeless Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres. It’s driven by a 1x 12 Shimano GRX mechanical groupset.
Completing the bike is a Bontrager gravel bar, a mini-porter rack and a classy Brooks C17 Cambium saddle.
The Racktime Viewit rack is minimalist and practical.
Smart price
The dropouts show a versatile frame; it’s ready for hub gears. The split seatstay makes it belt-drive compatible, too. Scott Windsor / Ourmedia
Diamant explains: “We’ve stripped this adventure gravel bike down to the essentials, but fear not. It can be fitted with anything you need or want.”
The £1,700 / €1,800 price tag looks like good value, especially for a rugged commuter bike that could be a lot of fun at the weekend.
I’m certainly looking forward to getting off-grid on my next ride home, although probably not via the Sea of Tranquility.
Visma-Lease a Bike riders have been spotted using what appears to be an updated Cervélo S5.
In images posted to Instagram by noted social media sleuth, @cyclingspy, various Visma-Lease A Bike riders are seen testing the new aero road bike ahead of next month’s Critérium du Dauphiné – the traditional build-up race to the Tour de France.
As far as we can see from the grainy images, the new Cervélo S5 looks set to continue with a broadly similar design.
However, the aero handlebar and eye-catching V-stem have been revised, with the new bike moving away from a two-piece system.
Let’s have a look at what else we can glean from the images and when we can expect to find out more.
Cervélo has trod lightly with its flagship aero bike platform since it last overhauled it in 2019, and this latest S5 looks to offer more of the same.
From the low-resolution image, the frame in question looks practically identical to the current S5, with a slightly sloping top tube and rear-wheel-hugging seat tube, alongside a deep aero seatpost.
Up front, though, Cervélo has again decided to refine the cockpit setup.
The new handlebar ditches adjustability in favour of performance. Cyclingspy
Where the current version of the S5 uses a two-piece cockpit, with a separate V-stem and aero handlebar (which bolts on to the stem, rather than being clamped by it), the new bike appears to use a one-piece integrated handlebar and stem.
The central portion of the handlebar, between the two arms of the V-stem, also looks to have been slimmed down – perhaps in a bid to save weight or to improve its aerodynamic efficiency (or both).
Is this really a new bike?
The bike seen on social media looks very similar to the current bike at a glance, but is there more here than meets the eye?
Given there’s little concrete indication anything significant has changed about the S5’s frameset, it’s reasonable to question whether this is a whole new bike and not just a handlebar upgrade.
Even if the side profile of the bike has only seen minor changes, though, it’s possible Cervélo has made other adjustments to the frame shapes – such as making the head tube or fork legs narrower, for example – which weren’t obvious when viewed from the side.
Changes such as those could, in theory, help make the bike more aerodynamic without adding weight – something that would be critical for Visma-Lease a Bike’s two-time Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard.
Given the UCI updated its technical regulations ahead of the 2023 WorldTour season, around six months after the current S5 was announced, it’s possible there’s more room to eke out performance gains from the current design.
Given the Critérium du Dauphiné serves as the traditional warm-up event for the Tour de France, we’re likely to get a better look at this new bike shortly, as the Visma-Lease a Bike riders polish their form and put any new kit through its paces before the biggest event on the cycling calendar in July.
This is my third article on Jersey hunting, following those from about two and four years ago. It is an overview of what is currently available, a few tips, and a section about my personal motivations.
The Basics
Zwift has four types of jerseys that can be earned during a ride:
Route (always orange, but different than the Standard Orange Zwift jersey)
Sprint (bright green, although some sprints in France are a darker green)
King/Queen of the Mountain (KQOM – red polka dot, except for Special KQOM jerseys)
Special (various other jerseys that are associated with Leaderboards, like France’s Ven-Top and Watopia’s Fuego Flats)
In most worlds, the Route, Sprint, and KQOM jerseys can combine to make more variations (more on that later)
What’s Possible
There are now 121 individual Leaderboard jerseys up for grabs (an increase from 95 from just two years ago). The current tally is:
Watopia = 34 (Specials for Epic KQOM, Jungle, Alp du Zwift, Fuego Flats, Volcano, and Titan’s Grove)
Makuri = 23
France = 18 (Special KQOM for Ven-Top, the same design as Watopia’s Epic KQOM)
Scotland = 9
London = 8 (Special KQOM for Keith and Leith Hills)
Innsbruck = 7
Yorkshire = 6
Richmond = 6
NYC = 6
Paris = 4 (no KQOM)
TdF KQOM Jersey (L) vs regular KQOM Jersey (R)
The Details
Watopia:
10 Special jerseys that are mentioned above (Alp du Zwift and Volcano have only forward segments)
4 Route jerseys: Hilly Loop and Jarvis Island, with forward and reverse segments for both
12 Sprint jerseys: 2 on Hilly Loop, 8 along the Coast, 2 on Jarvis (again, those include both forward and reverse segments)
8 KQOM jerseys: 2 on Hilly Loop, 2 on Jarvis, 3 associated with the Coast (The Grade, Itza, Mayan Mountain), and 1 for the Radio Tower
The Hilly Loop (and most world’s) jerseys can be combined four ways – meaning, earning a Sprint-Route, will result in a split green/orange jersey; the Sprint-KQOM will be a green with a mountain border; Route-KQOM, orange with mountain border; and all three will be split orange/green with the mountain border. Again, both forward and reverse combined jerseys are possible.
Jarvis Island Route, Sprint, and KQOM do not combine
France:
A few things changed with the Tour de France jerseys that appeared in conjunction with the 2023 race:
The Marina Sprint jersey, along with the Balloon and Pavé jerseys, turned to a darker green with the TdF sponsorships.
The Marina Sprint orange jersey was retired, although the Leaderboard ranking still shows it as orange. It was the same as the Route jersey in other worlds.
The Aqueduc and Petit KOMs turned to smaller polka dots with the TdF sponsorships
With the latest France update adding new roads, the old (non-TdF) Sprint and KOM jerseys reappeared – but only for the new Leaderboards (eg, Sprinteur, Ventoux Half)
Combined jerseys are not possible
No Route or orange jersey
6 dark green (TdF) Sprint jerseys; 6 bright green Sprint jerseys
3 small polka dot (TdF) KOM jerseys; 2 KQOM jerseys (Mostly Ventoux and Ventoux Half)
1 Special jersey for the full Ven-Top segment
TdF Sprint Jersey (L) vs regular Sprint Jersey (R) in France. Note the Leaderboard still shows the Marina Sprint as an orange jersey, even though it’s been retired.
All of the other worlds remain unchanged.
More Info
Some Combined jerseys can be earned on a single route, meaning no manual turns are required. Just ride the route. These are: Watopia’s Hilly Loop, Paris, Richmond, Innsbruck, and Yorkshire.
Earning the Combined jersey in NYC with all three requires manually going to the KQOMs on the skyline. I’ve found it best to complete the Sprint which is on the Route, then head to the skyline for the KQOM. In practice, getting the longest segment out of the way gives more time to make attempt(s) on the outlier.
Combined London is similar. Doing the London Loop route includes the KQOM (Box/Fox). Then head to the Sprint (Classique) to attempt the triple Combined jersey.
Combined Scotland requires the most turning, since neither the Sprint nor the required KQOM are along the Loch Loop route. My recommendation for Scotland forward is to do the Route, head down to knock off the Champion Sprint, then U-turn and head up Sgurr North. For Scotland reverse, after doing the route, U-turn and head right up Sgurr South, then down to the Champion Sprint. There’s only one direction for the Sprint, but it combines with either of the other segment directions.
Route, Sprint, and KQOM Combined Jersey in Scotland
Again, neither France nor Makuri have Combined jerseys.
I had a fellow Zwifter ask about getting the unique London Special pink polka dot jersey (Keith/Leith), as her favorite color is pink, and she had never been able to snag one. I’ve found the easiest way to earn it is to select the London Loop. After earning the powerup at the start (hopefully the Feather), do a U-turn. Then as you’re approaching the Box/Keith split, turn left to go up Keith to make the attempt. My experience is that fewer people ride Keith than Leith, so there’s less competition. BTW, it worked for her on the first try!
The Special Keith (and Leith) KQOM Jersey in London
Speaking of powerups, having the right one for the right segment is key – ie, the Aero or Van for most Sprints, or Feather for a KQOM. If you possess the “wrong” powerup, you can try to score the needed one by trashing (or using) it, then going across a finish line. But there’s a catch. You can’t get a new one until you ride at least a kilometer (0.6 mile) after you claimed your previous one.
Personal Note
As a few Zwifters know, I keep myself motivated by, surprise, trying to earn Leaderboard jerseys. And to motivate myself even further, I’m trying to see how many consecutive free rides I can do, earning one. I just recently exceeded 250 in a row (and counting – knock on wood), which is over a 3+ year span.
For those who are interested, here are my unofficial rules to make the ride count:
Free rides only. Events don’t count for or against the streak. That includes after the event is finished, when continuing to free ride is possible.
Only once per day. Meaning, I can’t ride several times a day, and then count each ride towards the streak.
But… if I do ride more than once in a day, and fail to get a jersey, then the streak would end.
Coffee Stops not allowed during a segment.
Rogue worlds not allowed – no using a hack to ride a world that is not offered on Zwift that day.
Not required, but I try to get “photo” evidence of the jersey. I do this because in the post-ride summary, some segments don’t show the jersey being earned when it’s due to someone timing out or ending their session.
Only Leaderboard jerseys count towards the streak. There are some segments where a jersey is not awarded for being on top of the Leaderboard. For instance, Watopia’s Volcano lap and Richmond’s 23rd St.
I try to rotate among the worlds. But I’ll admit, I don’t find NYC, Richmond, Paris, or Innsbruck very fun. I sprinkle them in only occasionally.
I’m also trying to earn every jersey out there, and am currently at 112 of the possible 121 individual jerseys. It seems like every time I get close to earning them all, Zwift adds some more. Ugh.
Keen Zwifters have been using Zwift’s Climb Portal to earn extra XP since the feature was first released in the summer of 2023.
Since then, Zwift has made some tweaks and additions to the Portals – some that made it harder to earn XP, some that made it easier.
But as you’ll soon see, the Portal is still the most effective way to earn XP on Zwift, provided you follow a few simple rules. Let’s dive in!
Gaming the Portal: the Basics
Climb Portals can be “gamed” to earn XP at a higher-than-normal rate because each climb is broken up into 10 equidistant sections with a powerup arch at the end of each section. That means you can receive 10 powerups during the course of completing each Portal climb.
Powerups are given in a “randomized” fashion, but that randomness is weighted:
Feather: 25%
Small Bonus (+10XP): 65%
Large Bonus: 10%
To maximize your XP earn rate, you need to maximize the rate at which you receive powerups, which means riding through as many powerup arches as possible in a given amount of time. How do you maximize your “arch count”?
Ride the shortest climbs
Ride the least steep climbs
Pedal harder
Use a fast bike
Perhaps the simplest way to maximize your XP earn rate is to think of it terms of four basic rules…
If you ride a TT frame, you’ll always get the small bonus powerup at every arch (+10XP). This may seem like a good thing, but it’s not, if you’re playing the numbers!
You’ll want to ride a standard road frame so you have the possibility of getting the large bonus (+250XP). Additionally, road frames climb faster than heavy TT frames, and also draft others, so you’ll be able to ride through more arches in less time. Read Fastest Climbing Bike Frames and Wheels at Each Zwift Level to learn which frame and wheels to use.
If you’re riding a very slack climb (or perhaps riding the 50% versions of climbs), riding a more aero bike may prove a bit faster than riding
Rule #2: Choose the Shortest, Flattest Climbs
Zwift places 10 powerup arches on every Portal climb, whether the climb is very short or very long. So a 20km climb will have an arch every 2km, while a 2km climb will have an arch every 200 meters. Which climb will award the most XP? The shorter one, of course!
As of today, here are the 5 shortest Portals on Zwift (you can see the full list of climbs here):
You’re at the mercy of Zwift’s Climb Portal schedule, though – you can’t just choose to ride these short climbs whenever you’d like. So you have to check out that schedule and plan your XP farming days.
To make a climb as flat as possible, choose the 50% scaling option when you select your climb, which trims off even more time! For example, Oude Kwaremont takes about 5:50 per round trip (up and down) at 4 w/kg at the default 100% scaling. But a round trip at 50% scaling is a minute faster, meaning you’ll earn ~20% more XP on average at 50%!
(One gotcha, though: your scaled-down climbing won’t be visible on Strava leaderboards. In fact, your entire ride is flagged as “gamified” and not matched against Strava segments, because doing so would break the leaderboards entirely.)
The game gives you a powerup as you ride through each arch, but if you’re holding a powerup through the arch, you won’t get a fresh one.
So if you enter the portal with a powerup, or you get a Feather powerup during your climb, be sure to use it before the next arch so you can get a fresh powerup when you pass through.
(This can actually be a little tricky on super-short climbs, since the Feather lasts for 30 seconds and the powerup arches come very quickly on shorter climbs. In some cases, you may want to simply trash your Feathers instead of activating them.)
If you’re doing hill repeats to earn lots of extra XP, flip a quick u-turn at the top after the last arch instead of riding the roundabout to get onto the descent. This will knock another ~30 seconds off of your round-trip time, which, on a short climb like Oude Kwaremont increases your earn rate by ~10%. #marginalgains
How much XP can you earn?
Given the breakdown of Portal powerup probabilities (Feather 25%, Small Bonus 65%, Large Bonus 10%), how much XP could you earn per hour if you follow the rules above and ride the shortest possible climb (Cauberg) at 50% scaling?
Riding at 4 W/kg and following the rules above, you’ll finish a round trip in just under 3 minutes, meaning you could do 20 repeats in an hour. Your expected XP earnings would be:
Round trip time at 4 W/kg: 3 minutes
Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
Total sections completed in an hour: 10 sections per ascent * 20 repeats = 200 sections
Bonus XP per hour: 200 sections * 31.5XP per section=6300XP
Distance-Based XP per hour: (0.8km*2)*(20 repeats)*20XP=640XP
But keep in mind this is the most extreme example: it’s using the Cauberg, which is a super-short climb that is rarely on the schedule. The next-shortest climbs are approximately twice as long, which greatly reduces your earning rate. Oude Kwaremont‘s numbers, for example, would look like this:
Round trip time at 4 W/kg: 4 minutes, 50 seconds
Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
Total sections completed in an hour: 10 sections per ascent * 12.4 repeats = 124 sections
Bonus XP per hour: 124 sections * 31.5XP per section=3906XP
Distance-Based XP per hour: (1.5km*2)*(12.4 repeats)*20XP=744XP
Total XP per hour: 4650XP
Of course, these numbers are also assuming you’re riding at 4 W/kg, which most Zwifters can’t maintain. What about a more reasonable 3 W/kg? Here’s what you would earn on Oude Kwaremont:
Round trip time at 4 W/kg: 5 minutes, 50 seconds
Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
Total sections completed in an hour: 10 sections per ascent * 10.3 repeats = 103 sections
Bonus XP per hour: 103 sections * 31.5XP per section=3244XP
Distance-Based XP per hour: (1.5km*2)*(10.3 repeats)*20XP=618XP
Total XP per hour: 3862XP
What’s the cutoff?
This logically leads to an interesting question: at what point does it become “worth it” to farm XP in the Climb Portal vs other methods? That is, if you look at the scheduled Portals of the day, and you know the power you want to hold for your ride, how do you know if you’ll earn more XP in the Portal vs, say, riding a new route and earning the badge and XP bonus?
The math here is admittedly imprecise, because there are lots of variables in play. But if we assume you’re following the rules above, I would say it only makes sense to farm XP in the Portal if you can earn more than 1600XP per hour. That means you would need to complete each Portal ascent in ~12 minutes at your target power. Here’s how that math works:
Round trip time: 18 minutes (2:1 ratio of climbing to descending is roughly accurate)
Average XP per section: (250*.1) + (10*.65)=31.5XP
Total sections completed in an hour: 10 sections per ascent * 3.3 repeats = 33 sections
Bonus XP per hour: 33 sections * 31.5XP per section=1039XP
Distance-Based XP per hour: estimated at 600XP
Total XP per hour: 1639XP
That 12-minute climb target means that around half of Zwift’s Portal climbs are worth farming, if you’re riding the climbs at 50% scaling.
Wrapping Up
The Climb Portal feature has evolved since it originally launched, but one thing hasn’t changed: Zwifters can still earn a lot of XP if they follow the simple rules above. In fact, there isn’t a more effective way to earn XP in Zwift today! Here’s a comparison:
How did you get into cycling? I have always ridden a bicycle out of function (living rurally, uni/work commuting, fastest mode of transport). I moved to the USA from Ireland at age 23 and functional bike riding was ‘more difficult’ (aka got a car) so I started recreational mountain biking which morphed into riding downhill/park riding. I got into racing probably the total opposite to most by picking up cyclocross at the suggestion of a friend. Those first cyclocross races led to racing cyclocross, mountain and road bikes and led me to a very successful few years of racing, training and traveling to race at the professional/elite level. I picked up riding indoors as part of my training in the winter months as my racing at the elite level demanded focused pre-season training.
How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I joined Zwift in 2016 primarily out of curiosity about how the gamification of riding could help break the mundaneness of riding indoors. Well, it worked lol. I quickly was doing meetups with IRL teammates and joining races as motivation for hard training efforts (think 20-minute threshold work with 10 laps of Crit City). It was not until 2022 that I picked up ZRL racing.
Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes, I joined Coalition in 2022 after a message via Zwift Companion app from a then Coalition team captain (looking at you Hollie).
What do you love most about racing? I love the mental challenge of racing: how you show up, goals, ability to transform in the race, reading tactics, acting on strategy. The roulette of how racing can make you perform, sometimes way above your expectation and sometimes below is what keeps me coming back for more. It can create a lot of internal retrospection that helps as a tool in my daily life and vice-versa.
What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)? I am most definitely a points racer/hunter. Nothing better than making your eyes cross with a good sprint then doing it all over again 3 minutes later.
What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? ZRL is very close to my heart as it brings so many women together. I’ve very much enjoyed the stage race format such as the Tour de Boudicca. Racing back-to-back days brings me back to my IRL racing days where your performance is not just individual or race-based but more so on how you prepare, recover, recon, etc so you can perform at your best over the stages and for your team.
What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Oh gosh, there is A LOT to choose from.
Outside: stage 2 of a 4-day road stage race. I was coming back from injury and was racing as a team floater/junior mentor aka no goals. As we approached the first QOM of the stage, I drifted back in the pack to check on one of our younger riders and ensure she positioned herself to not get dropped once the surge started for the line. As the surge started I surfed wheels and before I knew it I was in contention for the QOM points…. This was the day I 110% experienced the power of pack positioning and draft. It was eye-opening and let’s just say, I never looked back.
Inside: same, same ha, but really I’ve had so many memorable races with my Coalition ZRL teamies, we build each other up and commend each other on achievements, whether podiums or PBs. It is a really great environment for harnessing the power of positive vibes.
But really, the most memorable experiences actually come from pre and post racing: crazy travel adventures and mishaps; friendly jenga sessions trying to fit all the bikes in the car; missing highway exits to races because you were chatting so intensely with your teamies; team dinners; working the pits for a teamie in the muddiest cyclocross race ever; cleaning up after the muddiest of cyclocross races; borrowing team kit because you left your entire kit bag behind you. I can go on.
What is your favourite food to eat post race? I’m not one for having an appetite post race so I’m a protein shake post-effort gal and then go for the classic tea and a sandwich, yes rather boring.
What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Show up with an open mind and come with a plan A, B and C in preparation for how things pan out. Ultimate goal is to finish and come away feeling good, so setting yourself up for that is a good starting point.
Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? Nothing huge on the calendar this year but I’ll be back at it for cyclocross in the fall months and in the meantime I will enjoy a bunch of community gravel events, some local glory racing and group rides.
Where can people follow your racing adventures? I’m all about the Strava for IRL adventures, and always lots of photos, gotta keep the fan club happy.
This weekend features a bit of everything. We start off with a popular annual charity ride, follow it up with two popular race series, then finish with two group rides that couldn’t be more different. Enjoy, and Ride On!
Ride Like King Celebration Rides
Good Cause Popular Special Guests Prizes
The biggest event this weekend is the 17th annual Ride Like King (RLK). The RLK 17: Celebration Rides are open-paced group rides with a women-only option, guest ambassador leaders, and a party atmosphere with product giveaways as we rack up miles toward a big donation of Buffalo bikes!
The team at SISU Racing is holding its first Grand Tour of 2025, a 7-stage tour across the three weeks of the Men’s Giro d’Italia. Stage 3 is this Saturday, with a lap of Watopia’s Tides and Temples (39.1km, 470m).
Zwift Women’s Racing Series p/b FemmeCycle Collab || Race 2
Women Only Popular Unique Race
Zwift’s Women’s Racing Series has been rebooted for 2025, and ladies are loving the events! Saturday is your last chance to race stage 2, on Makuri Islands’ Turf N Surf (24.7km, 198m).
Ladies, join the women of OWL.BiKe for a shorter, easier event. “Get ready to pedal and ponder! While we spin in the Grey Zone, we’ll challenge our ‘”‘Grey Matter’ with trivia questions ranging from music and movies, to aging and cycling.” 45 minutes on New York’s LaGuardia After Party at 1-1.5W/kg.
Here’s a popular long ride with two pace options: B group at 3-3.3 W/kg, or C at 2.5-2.9 W/kg. Both groups will be riding 1 lap of the Zwift Gran Fondo 2022 route (92.8km, 1115m), with optional efforts on some of the intermediate segments if you’d like.
Choose your desired pace, listen to the ride leader, and get that endurance work done! Both categories have a leader (yellow beacon) and sweepers.
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!
Buy the UK’s only official Tour de France Guide now to prepare for the Grand Départ on 5 July.
This year’s 204-page official Tour de France Race Guide is packed with profiles of every team, exclusive interviews with key contenders in the men’s and women’s races, essential rider stats, stage maps and plenty more.
Or upgrade to the Premium Tour de France Guide and get all the same great content plus legendary mountain-climb themed coasters and souvenir cycling socks.
We’ve all been there. You head out for a ride with your friends and, despite trying to match each other’s pace, a gap emerges and your social ride is not so social anymore.
Sena, the communication device company, thinks it has a solution to this problem. Its new BiKom 20 is a walkie-talkie device that fits to your helmet strap and enables you to communicate with your riding buddy up to half a mile apart.
Best known for Bluetooth communication devices designed for motorcycling, Sena says its latest bit of kit redefines cycling communication “as the world’s most compact and lightweight communicator” weighing only 20g.
How does the Sena BiKom 20 work?
A helmet fitted with the new Sena BiKom 20 device. Sena
Sena started as an industrial technology manufacturer, providing Bluetooth networking products to companies.
But it later realised this technology could be used to provide wireless rider-to-rider communication for motorcyclists. It launched its first motorcycle Bluetooth communicator, the SMH10, back in 2010.
Bluetooth is at the core of Sena’s Mesh Intercom 3.0, which the BiKom 20 uses for “seamless communication with nearby riders” and a “real-time, uninterrupted connection”.
Sena says the technology supports “virtually unlimited” participants, so you can use it for group riding. However, this will require everyone on your ride to have one of the devices, which might be a luxury preserved for Sena’s partner, Team Picnic Post NL.
The BiKom 20 also has six customisable channels, to avoid interference with any other users out on the road, and a talk time of eight hours.
Safety and noise control
The microphone can be folded away, muting the device. Sena
Like many of the best headphones for cycling, the BiKom 20 has an open-ear design for safety. Sena says it “leaves the ears uncovered, ensuring that users can remain aware of their surroundings and stay safe”.
The device also utilises Sena’s expertise in noise-control technology, learnt from developing motorbike headsets.
Sena says the system “effectively eliminates wind and ambient noise”. This is so any communication with your riding friends remains clear.
If you’ve had enough of your friend’s yabbering or want to focus on your own effort, you can fold the microphone away to mute the BiKom 20.
How do you install the BiKom 20?
The BiKom 20 can be moved between helmets. Sena
Sena says it takes less than a minute to install the BiKom 20. All you need to do is clip it onto your helmet strap, cap or other gear.
This also means it’s easy to share the device between people, if you desire.
Sena includes a variety of different strap and clip mounts in the box so the BiKom 20 can fit different headware or helmet straps.
How much does the BiKom 20 cost?
The Sena BiKom 20 costs $159 for a single device, but there is also a dual-pack option, which will set you back $299.
Garmin has released the new Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 smartwatches for athletes who are “out there chasing goals and passionate about their data”.
Focused primarily on running and triathlon, the new smartwatches come with a host of new features, including Garmin’s brightest-ever display, a built-in speaker and microphone, and more health and wellness features.
“Created for every athlete who is out there chasing goals and passionate about their data, the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 include innovative training tools, recovery metrics and connected features to help them perform at their best,” says Garmin’s Susan Lyman.
Garmin has also announced the new HRM 600 heart-rate monitor, which features a rechargeable battery and is said to give athletes new performance data and ways to improve their training.
The Forerunner 570 has Garmin’s brightest-ever smartwatch display. Garmin
Described as an ‘advanced training tool’, the Garmin Forerunner 570 features the brand’s brightest smartwatch display to date.
The touchscreen display and five-button design are said to allow for fast, all-weather access to its training tools, health stats and notifications.
The watch includes free triathlon training plans, which will adapt daily to provide personalised workouts based on your performance, recovery and health metrics.
You can also create custom step-by-step multisport workouts in the Garmin Connect app and send them to the Forerunner 570.
If you’re running a course loaded for a race, the watch can suggest trimming data to the finish line if you forget to hit stop.
Costing £459.99, the watch also has a built-in speaker and microphone, so you can make or take calls when the watch is paired with a compatible smartphone. The microphone also means you can control the watch with voice commands, or dictate text messages.
With an eye on health and wellness, the watch will also provide you with an evening report. This includes a reminder of what sleep is needed, plus your workout for the following day, weather forecasts and events.
The watch can also track your skin temperature. Garmin says this can be related to recent activity, sleep environment and potential illness. It can also be used to provide female athletes with improved period prediction and past ovulation estimates.
Garmin Forerunner 970
The 970 has a built-in torch. Garmin
The Garmin Forerunner 970 has the same new features as the 570, but with some exclusive extras.
The watch has the same bright screen, but it features Garmin’s scratch-resistant sapphire lens technology. It also has a titanium bezel to “withstand the harshest of environments”.
A built-in LED torch can be controlled from the watch’s display.
The extra training features will be of most interest to runners. They include a running tolerance tool, which helps you better understand the impact a run has on your body, plus a running economy feature when used in tandem with the new Garmin HRM 600 heart-rate monitor.
The £629.99 watch can also detect signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm.
Garmin HRM 600 heart-rate monitor
The HRM 600 is rechargeable. Garmin
Garmin says its new HRM 600 heart-rate monitor provides accurate heart-rate readings, while tracking heart-rate variability, and it will send that information to compatible Garmin smartwatches, cycling computers or apps.
The heart-rate monitor also has new features, including ‘expanded running dynamics’.
When used with the Forerunner 970, the new step speed loss feature will tell runners how much they slow down when their foot hits the ground.
For team sports where a smartwatch can’t be worn, the heart-rate monitor will also record activity data such as heart rate and distance, which you can then view in the Garmin Connect app.
Possibly of more interest to cyclists, the £149.99 HRM 600 can be recharged, with a single charge lasting up to two months.
The heart-rate monitor’s strap comes in two new sizes (XS-S and M-XL) to fit a range of body types.
The HRM 600, and Forerunner 570 and 970 will be available to order from 21 May.
Chinese electronics giant Huawei has introduced a pair of new sports-oriented smartwatches, the Fit 4 and Fit 4 Pro, with prices starting at just £149.99/ €169.99.
Huawei launched the Fit 3 in May 2024 and says the Fit 4 series has even more to offer, with features including offline maps access, a new barometer and health-monitoring data.
Smartwatches offer cyclists the opportunity to monitor useful metrics such as biometric data, speed, location and a whole host more. The best on the market are user-friendly, unobtrusive and can enhance a rider’s experience – and even the effectiveness of their training.
The Fit 4 Pro smartwatch offers an improved barometer over the Fit 3, according to Huawei. Huawei
Huawei explains that the Fit 4 series introduces “innovative premium materials such as sapphire glass and aviation-grade aluminium body with titanium alloy bezel”, saying this signifies “a leap in build quality, protection and durability for a more wear-resistant experience”.
Huawei’s Fit 4 smartwatch retails from £149.99. Huawei
The Fit 4 is priced competitively from £149.99 / €169.99, with its higher-spec sibling the Fit 4 Pro starting at £249.99/ €279.99. Could the tech on offer at these prices worry more established brands such as Garmin, Coros and Suunto?
The Huawei Fit 4 Pro is claimed to be only 9.3mm thick. Huawei
Huawei says the Fit 4 Pro will combine an ultra-thin design with pro-grade sports tracking.
It also includes a new watersports route-tracking feature, offline maps access, water resistance up to 40 metres for diving and access to more than 15,000 global golf course maps.
Huawei says the Fit 4 Pro is only 9.3mm thick.
Improved altitude data
Offline maps access could be useful for those who like to head out in the backcountry. Huawei
A new barometer, to enable you to monitor elevation-gain data, is aimed at mountain climbers, but its benefits could also apply to cyclists.
This barometer, or air-pressure sensor, will be used to enhance outdoor-sport data measurement accuracy, according to Huawei.
Health-monitoring tech
The Fit 4 Pro can collect health data, such as blood oxygen levels and breathing rate. Huawei
The Fit 4 Pro also uses Huawei’s TruSense health-monitoring system. It measures vital signs such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels and respiratory rate, as well as emotional well-being and stress-level assessments.
Big battery
Despite its thin profile, the Fit 4 Pro is touted as having a large battery capacity. Huawei
The Fit 4 Pro can go without daily recharging, according to Huawei, although the brand didn’t supply any specific information on battery capacity. The brand says this makes it perfect for travel, long training sessions and spontaneous weekend getaways. It says the watch is “designed for life beyond the plug”.
Pricing and availability
Huawei’s Fit 4 smartwatch takes the tech up a notch from the Fit 3. Huawei
The Huawei Fit 4 and Fit 4 Pro are available to pre-order now from the Huawei Store. Both are slated for official launch on 26 May.
Riding your bike while listening to music can be an amazing feeling, as long as you stay safe.
The subject of whether it’s safe to cycle with headphones continues to divide the crowd. However, for those who are in favour, there’s a range of options designed to enable you to enjoy your favourite music while maintaining awareness of approaching cars and other hazards.
There are a few different types of headphones, with those featuring an open-ear or bone-conduction design most likely to keep you alert to your surroundings.
Alternatively, some in-ear buds use built-in microphones and transparency modes to help you pick up traffic noise, but many people believe this is a less safe option.
We have trawled through Amazon to find the best deals on cycling headphones, so if you’re in the market, take a look below.
The OpenFit 2 buds come in a pocket-sized case that keeps them charged. Amazon
The OpenFit 2 earbuds are great for cycling and running thanks to the open-ear design that keeps your ear canal open, enabling you to better hear ambient noise.
We’ve tested the original OpenFits, and were impressed by the detailed sound quality and comfort thanks to the sleek hooks that fit around the top of your ears, keeping the buds securely in place.
These new headphones enjoy up to 11 hours on a single charge and up to 48 hours with the charging case.
There’s a 15 per cent saving on the OpenFit 2 now, bringing their price down from £199 to £169.
We were impressed by the Pixel Buds Pro 2 when we tested them. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 buds are smaller, lighter and have a better sound than their predecessors.
When we tested them, we loved their immersive, powerful hi-fi performance, while the fit was reassuringly solid.
The RRP was on the high side, but this discount sees them sneak inside the £200 mark. If you’re an Android user on the lookout for in-ear buds, now could be the time.
Beats benefits from being part of the Apple family. Amazon
The Powerbeats Pro buds may have been surpassed by the latest Powerbeats Pro 2, but they still offer a range of up-to-date features.
Beats says the headphones have up to nine hours of listening time, or more than 24 hours with the charging case.
Thanks to using the H1 chip, the headphones benefit from the Apple ecosystem connectivity, meaning they will connect to your iPhone similarly to AirPods.
Adjustable earhooks should keep the headphones in place, and multiple eartips should make for a secure fit.
Cycling appeals to different people for different reasons, but I love how it enables achievement and exploration. Whether it’s a new Strava PR, a race win, or finishing a long ride, there are always new achievements to strive for. And who doesn’t love riding new roads? The best way to see the world is on a bicycle, after all.
At the time of this post, there are 199 routes on Zwift awarding a completion badge accompanied by bonus XP. And while some Zwifters may not pay any attention to all the different routes, badges, and XP bonuses, you, dear reader, are different. You love a good challenge, and the dopamine hit of achievement. And you’ve come to the right place.
Why?
Any self-help guru will tell you it’s smart to start with your “why”, so let’s do that. Why would anyone care about riding all of Zwift’s routes? Several reasons…
Exploring: if you’re the type of person who likes to see new sites, riding all of Zwift’s routes will get you intimately acquainted with the platform’s virtual roads. You’ll end up traversing popular sections multiple times, too, so you’ll really get to know your way around the place!
Veloviewer Leaderboards: we’ve set up a route/KOM leaderboard in partnership with Veloviewer so you can compete with other Zwifters to not only see who has completed the most routes, but how fast you’ve completed them! (Read how it works here, and I should mention there’s also a Climb Portal Veloviewer Leaderboard.)
Extra XP: the first time you complete a route in Zwift, you’ll earn an XP bonus with the route badge. That bonus is basically equal to the amount of XP you’ll have already earned each mile/kilometer while riding the route (32XP per mile, or 20XP per kilometer), so you’re effectively doubling your XP earnings when riding new routes. That means faster level ups!
Completionists, Rejoice: if you’re the type of person who likes to make a to do list, then check off each item until it’s done, route hunting on Zwift is made for you.
Another Carrot: Zwift is full of carrots – little prizes dangled in front of us to entice us to ride more often, or push harder. Route achievements are just one of those carrots, and while it may not appeal to you all the time, it may just grab your interest when other carrots do not.
Defining “All”
As we kick off this discussion, it’s important to define what we actually mean when we talk about riding “all” the routes in Zwift. Because there are Zwift routes you’ll never be able to ride (because they’re only for runners). And there are Zwift routes which can only be ridden in events (aptly named “event-only” routes).
Based on our master routes list, at the time of this post, there are 49 event-only routes on Zwift and 23 run-only routes.
To confuse matters more, it used to be that event-only routes didn’t award route badges. But then, in November 2021, Zwift released the Neokyo Crit Course route, an event-only route with an achievement badge. And since then, they’ve added badges to several other event-only routes!
For most Zwifters, when they talk about wanting to ride “all” the routes in Zwift, they’re talking about earning all the route badges. Doing this will show every route listed in game as finished, and will earn you all the extra XP available from route badges. So I’ll assume that’s what you’re going for.
Defining “Finish”
At the risk of being pedantic, I want to document precisely what is required to “finish” a route, since this is a common point of confusion with newer Zwifters. When I say “finish” here, I mean completing the route in such a way as to earn the route achievement badge.
You can finish a route in one of four ways:
Select the route from the game’s route list and ride to the route’s finish line
Select the route from the route picker that pops up after you choose a workout, then ride all the way to the route’s finish line
Join an event or meetup hosted on the route (don’t late join as you may miss the start of the route!) and ride all the way from the start of the route to the finish line
Join a Robopacer on a particular route and stay with that Robopacer from the start line of the route to the finish line
You will see an achievement banner pop up when you finish the route, and the badge’s XP bonus will pop in at the same time (see “680 XP” below):
If you don’t see that banner, you haven’t earned the route achievement badge!
There are three common ways Zwifters attempt to complete routes but aren’t successful. Hopefully listing them here will save someone a bit of grief:
Joining a Robopacer ride on a route, but failing to stay with the bot long enough to ride from the start of the route (including the lead-in) all the way through to the finish
Freely navigate your way along the route, expecting that since you covered all the route’s roads, you will earn the badge. While that makes logical sense, it won’t work: you must explicitly select the route before riding it in order to earn the badge.
Riding a route which covers the same roads as another route, assuming you’ll earn both badges (the first half of Sacre Bleu, for example, is the entire Three Musketeers route). Again, the route must be explicitly selected in order for you to earn the badge.
Looking Up Unfinished Routes
So we know what “all” is, and we know what “finish” is. And while you probably haven’t ridden all the routes in Zwift, I’m sure you’ve already ridden some of them.
How do you figure out which ones you still need to finish?
There are two easy ways: in game, and via Zwift’s Companion app.
In Game
In the Zwift game, you can tap “Routes” on top to see a complete list of free-ridable routes in Watopia and the other two current guest maps. The icon next to the route’s name indicates whether you’ve earned the route badge or not: a green icon is an earned badge, while a grey icon means you haven’t yet earned it:
Select a route, click “Start Ride”, and go until you see the achievement banner. Easy!
You can even use the “Sort By” dropdown to show the routes you haven’t yet finished. Sort by “Route Completion” and all the unearned badges in your chosen map will be listed first:
The downside of the Routes list approach is that you can only search the three current active maps for unfinished routes. If you click “Achievements” under your profile on the top right, you can scroll down to Route Achievements and easily see which routes badges you haven’t yet earned. Here’s my current screen:
This is just a visual list of badges, though: you can’t just click an unearned badge to be taken to that route. For a complete list of your unfinished routes, and a way to add them to a sort of “To Do List”, you’ll need to head to the Companion app.
Companion App
The Companion app has a route explorer with a filter to “Show Uncompleted Routes”. Here’s a video showing how it’s done (around the 1:20 mark):
This is the easiest and most thorough way to see all the routes you need to complete. And this is where you can add those routes to “My List” so you can easily access them in game (see below for details).
Plan of Attack
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Have you formulated a plan for finishing all the routes in Zwift? I’ve got three tips that may prove helpful.
Tip #1: Use “My List”
The Companion app has a “My List” tool where you can add workouts and routes which then show up on the game’s homescreen under the “For You” header. It’s a simple, straightforward tool (read all about how it works), and one handy thing about it is you can add routes to your list and easily click to ride them in game, even if that route’s map isn’t one of the three scheduled on the day.
You can even boot into the game, then pull up your Companion app, search for uncompleted routes, and add one to your list. It will immediately pop into your homescreen, where you can click it to begin riding. Easy!
Tip #2: Use Events
The downside of riding a route in an “off-schedule” map is that it will be a very lonely experience, since everyone else is riding in the “open” maps.
Whenever possible, I like to ride new routes with others in events. This ensures I always have others to ride with, which helps the time pass faster but also makes the actual ride time shorter, as I get the benefit of drafting.
Finding events for a particular unfinished route isn’t easy using Zwift’s current tools, though. Fortunately, ZwiftHacks has an events tool which you can use to filter upcoming events by route.
Tip #3: Ramp It Up
One last tip: don’t overdo it. Especially if you’re newer to cycling, you may want to plan your route badge hunting so you start with easier routes and work your way toward the longer ones. The My List tool in Companion lets you easily drag and drop routes to re-sort the list, so use this to schedule upcoming badge attempts in a sensible fashion.
Our printable list of Zwift routes by difficulty may be a helpful tool in your route badge quest. Plus, if you print it out, you get the satisfaction of checking off each route as you complete it!
You might also try alternating hard days with easy days, saving the shorter routes for your zone 1/2 recovery rides while doing a ramping-up succession of harder routes every other day.
Route Achievement Feature Requests
I’ll wrap up this post with a few feature requests for Zwift HQ to consider.
Route Prestige
The challenge of completing all the routes in Zwift is a fun one, but once you’ve done it, you sort of have to find more carrots since the achievement of finishing a route for the second or third time is much less significant than the first time.
What if Zwift could give me some sort of achievement prize when we finish all the routes? That would drive more Zwifters to work at completing every route. And with that prize, all of my route badges could (optionally?) be set back to “unfinished” so I could work to finish them all again.
This could even be grown into some sort of “route prestige” system, where riders earn a new prestige level each time they complete all badged routes currently in Zwift.
Consistent Badging
Opinions may differ, but I think route badges should only be available for free rideable routes. It’s frustrating and sometimes tedious, when I’m forced to track down an event on a particular event-only route just so I can earn that badge.
I should add that lately, Zwift has been rolling out some new routes as event-only routes with badges, then opening them up as free rideable a few weeks later. I think this is a perfectly acceptable approach.
Ride On
Route badge hunting is one of my favorite activities on Zwift, and I know lots of Zwifters are motivated by the fun of new roads and extra XP. Hopefully this post helps even more Zwifters join in the quest to finish all the routes!
Questions or Comments
Have you finished all the routes in Zwift? Is that a motivating carrot for you? Share your thoughts and any questions below!
Paris has topped a European ranking of cycling-friendly cities for children, leaving Amsterdam in second place.
Analysing 36 European cities, the report published by the Clean Cities Campaign (CCC) found Paris has been transformed into a cycling city over the past decade with another 60km of new cycling lanes added in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The report cites Paris mayor Anna Hildago’s efforts to boost cycling in the city, alongside the introduction of a 30km/h speed limit in the French capital.
Compiling data on ‘school streets’, safe speeds and protected cycling infrastructure, CCC put Copenhagen in third place, followed by Brussels and Lyon.
Three British cities made CCC’s top 20, with Bristol ranked 8th, Greater London 14th and Manchester just making the cut in 19th.
“Among the leading cities, some – such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen – are widely recognised as long-standing pioneers in progressive urban mobility, having started the re-design of transport infrastructure decades ago,” the report reads. “Others – like Paris, Brussels and London – have achieved remarkable progress in just the past 10 years. This demonstrates that meaningful change is possible within a relatively short period of time.”
The report, published yesterday, says Greater London leads in school streets, scoring 27 per cent and beating Paris by two points.
CCC says London has created more than 500 school streets, where cycling and walking are prioritised, in less than 10 years.
Bristol is the highest-ranked UK city in the report. Sami Auvinen / Getty Images
The report outlines that child mobility is an important metric because over 70 per cent of the EU population lives in cities, where 14 per cent of residents are under 14, and children are particularly vulnerable road users.
CCC also highlights how air pollution is the leading environmental health risk for children in urban environments.
“The effects of air pollution on children’s health are well-documented. It has been linked to a range of health issues, including asthma, respiratory infections, allergies, and reduced lung function,” the report says.
It also says that ensuring children have opportunities for active mobility in their daily routines is “essential” with research highlighting that physical activity for children improves brain health, muscular fitness, and better heart and lung health.
Despite improvements in many cities, CCC says no cities reached the A grade of 80 per cent. Paris came just short with a score of 78.9 per cent.
CCC says the absence of city-wide roll-outs of school streets emerged as a shortcoming across the surveyed cities.
Eight cities, primarily in southern, central and eastern Europe, received grades of E or F. These include Marseille, France’s second biggest city, Rome and Budapest.
Standert has overhauled its Kreissäge RS and says the new model promises to “revolutionise the way we think about aluminium race bikes.”
The previous Kreissäge RS launched back in 2022. Standert says that the geometry is “about all that remains” with this updated version, having taken everything back to the drawing board.
Now the bike features aero-optimised tubes, increased tyre clearance and a host of other changes.
Max Von Senger, Standert’s CEO and founder, says: “The Kreissäge RS has always been about defining our own standards. It’s about showing what metal bikes can do, about being different in a sea of black plastic, and about having fun, while putting in the hard work.”
The tube shapes are striking for an alloy bike. Standert / Poster CA
There is one obvious difference between the new and older version of this aluminium road bike.
Gone is the horizontal top tube, and in its place is a sloping tube for better power transfer and seatpost compliance, according to Standert.
Otherwise, the differences are more subtle. Instead of round tubes, the new Kreissäge RS has new tube shapes. The top tube appears to be ovalised, and the head tube now has a drastic hourglass shape.
Standert says these custom-engineered tubes give the new Kreissäge RS “significant aerodynamic improvements, enhancing speed and efficiency” – although no stats or numbers to substantiate these claims were provided at launch.
Scandium from Dedacciai
Standert’s tubing is supplied by Dedacciai . Standert / Poster CA
Like the previous Kreissäge RS, this new model uses scandium tubing, which is supplied exclusively to Standert from Italian manufacturer, Dedacciai.
The scandium and aluminium alloy is said to give an “otherwise impossible strength-to-thickness ratio” to the bike.
The alloy means it can have thinner and therefore lighter tubing for “a ride feel unmatched by aluminium alone.”
Further improvements – and a whopping tyre clearance
The bike now has clearance for 35mm tyres. Standert / Poster CA
Standert has widened the Kreissäge RS’s T47 bottom bracket shell, with the brand stating this aids stiffness.
The wider bottom bracket also facilitates one of the bike’s most appealing updates. Previously the Kreissäge RS could fit 700x30mm tyres, but the new bottom bracket design means it can fit 700x35mm tyres.
This whopping tyre clearance brings the Kreissäge RS in line with many of the best endurance road bikes – and even the best aero road bikes – which now fit wider rubber for greater comfort and potentially improved rolling resistance.
Cables are routed through the head tube. Standert / Poster CA
Elsewhere, Standert has opted to make the bike’s headset bearings internal “to increase longevity and reduce weight.”
“It’s becoming the standard and is available in almost every bike shop in the world, future-proofing the frame for any direct or full mount option Sram and Shimano might come up with,” Standert says.
How much does it cost?
The new Kreissäge RS costs a bit more than its predecessor, with the price of a frameset increasing by roughly €200 to €1,999.
The bike will be available via Standert’s custom programme. But the brand says an example of a complete bike with Shimano Ultegra and DT Swiss Arc 1400 wheels will cost €6,299.
The new Kreissäge RS costs a bit more than its predecessor, with the price of a frameset increasing by roughly €200 to €1,999.
The bike will be available via Standert’s custom programme. But the brand says an example of a complete bike with Shimano Ultegra and DT Swiss Arc 1400 wheels will cost €6,299.
Rapha has revealed its second collaboration with the streetwear brand Patta, bringing you your latest dose of cool cycling kit while reaffirming the two brands’ shared commitment to diversity and representation in cycling.
Rapha and Amsterdam-based Patta first joined forces back in 2023 with the Patta Cycling Team collection. It followed the announcement of the Patta team, which was formed to inspire people of all backgrounds to take up cycling.
The new collection, which includes men’s and women’s Pro Team Aero Jerseys and bib shorts, is said to reaffirm that mission and to increase the presence of people of colour in the sport.
Rapha and Patta say they share a commitment to diversity and representation in cycling. Rapha
“This latest collaboration broadens both the aesthetic and the purpose of the partnership, reflecting a zest for life and the sense of community that riding a bike can unlock,” Rapha’s official press release states.
This limited-edition collection features the words ‘Lobi Limi’ – Surinamese for ‘love life’ – in honour of Patta founder Edson Sabajo and Guillaume Schmidt’s Surinam heritage.
Anna McLeod, senior partnerships manager at Rapha, says: “We can all be guilty of watching the clock and measuring ourselves and our progress almost religiously – cyclists especially. But this Rapha + Patta collection is about being energised by, and finding happiness in, simple things like exploring a city, waking up to see the sunrise, or spinning around on your bike with friends. It’s about getting out there just for the love of it.”
Alongside aero jerseys and bib shorts, the Rapha x Patta collection includes Rapha’s Pro Team Cargo Bib Shorts, cotton hoodies and t-shirts, caps and socks, Rapha Reis sunglasses and other accessories.
The collection will be available to buy on Friday 23 May.
The collection includes Rapha’s Pro Team Aero jersey. Rapha It also includes Rapha’s Pro Team Bib Shorts. Rapha There is a range of casual wear too. Rapha The collection will be available to buy Friday 23 May. Rapha
As you progress through Zwift’s levels, you’ll unlock access to items in the Drop Shop which can be purchased with your hard-earned Drops. This inevitably leads to questions: do I buy the frame that just became available? What if there’s a faster frame unlocked at the next level? Or maybe some zippy wheels?
Here’s a complete list of frames and wheels unlocked at each level, with the most useful unlocks marked in bold and the key purchases marked with a MUST BUY. We’ve even added notes so you know what makes those unlocks special!
If the item’s price is crossed out it can no longer be purchased in the Drop Shop, and if an item’s name is linked you can click to read a detailed post published when the item was first added to Zwift. (Just beware that the performance characteristics of older items may have changed since they first launched – see our current charts and public test data for current performance details.)
Of course, you may want to purchase a particular frame or wheelset just because it looks cool or matches what you ride outdoors. Nothing wrong with that! Our recommendations, though, are based entirely on speed test performance.
Level 1
Zwift Steel frame (Free)
Zwift Classic wheels (Free)
Zwift Gravel wheels (Free)
Zwift Mountain wheels (Free)
Level 2
Zwift Gravel frame (50,000 Drops)
Zwift Mountain frame (50,000 Drops)
Level 3
Zwift Carbon frame (55,000)
Zwift 32mm Carbon wheels (100,000)
Level 4
Zwift TT frame (60,000 Drops):the first TT frame you can buy, but we recommend waiting a few levels to pick up a faster TT bike.
If you’re racing time trials on Zwift, upgrading your frame and wheels will cut some significant time off your efforts. And in the “race of truth” where there is no hiding in the draft, every bit of savings counts!
But figuring out where to spend your hard-earned Drops can be confusing, so we’ve put together these tables listing the fastest TT frame and wheelset available at each Zwift level.
Keep in mind this list applies only to flat and rolling routes. The list below is essentially a simplified, flat-race-focused version of our complete Zwift Shopping Guide. If the climbs in your time trial race are steep and/or last more than a few minutes, you may want to consider a more climbing-friendly setup.
* the Zwift Steel and Carbon frames aren’t TT frames, but they are the fastest frames available at their respective unlock levels, so they’re listed here as a baseline reference.
Fastest Wheelsets
Level
Fastest Wheelset
Time Savings
1
Zwift Classic (Free)
0s
3
Zwift 32mm Carbon (100,000)
7.1s
6
Mavic Cosmic Ultimate UST (525,000)
27.4s
7
Mavic Cosmic CXR60c (150,000)
29.6s
12
Shimano C60 (325,000)
35.4s
15
Roval Rapide CLX (500,000)
37.9s
16
Roval CLX64 (525,000)
45.5s
25
Zipp 808 (425,000)
47.3s
28
Enve SES 8.9 (550,000)
59.6s
36
Zipp 808/Super9 (650,000)
69.2s
37
Zipp 858/Super9 (750,000)
73.5s
Total time savings of fastest TT frame and wheelset over stock Zwift setup (Zwift Steel frame and Zwift Classic wheels): 189.8+73.5=263.3 seconds
Times above based on our flat speed tests, done with a solo 75kg, 183cm rider at 300 watts on Watopia’s very flat Tempus Fugit route.
Strategic Shopping
It may seem simplest to just purchase each TT frame or wheelset on the list as soon as you level up, but you won’t have the Drops to do so. Plus, if you want to maximize performance, you also need to take Zwift’s Bike Upgrade functionality into account, since it rewards riders who stay on the same frame long enough to fully upgrade it.
Speaking of upgrades: all the time data in this post is from un-upgraded versions of the frames. Upgraded frames will be even faster. Get more details here >
The Pinarello Espada is currently the only TT Halo Bike in Zwift, but it wasn’t included in the list above for two reasons:
It takes a lot of work to unlock. You’ll need to fully upgrade three Pinarello frames before you can purchase the Espada, and even then you’ll need 10 million Drops to add it to your garage!
It’s not the fastest TT setup on Zwift. Not even close, actually. It’s 236.8 seconds faster than the base setup on flat roads but as explained above, the top TT frame (CADEX Tri) coupled with the top wheelset (Zipp 858/Super9) is 263.3 seconds faster. And let’s not even talk about how slow the Espada is on climbs!
The Espada is a status symbol on Zwift, for sure, but it performs like what it is: a TT bike that’s over 30 years old.
The biggest TT performance gains come early in a Zwifter’s level progression, just as they do with road bikes. Here’s how much time you would be saving across an hour of flat riding if you upgraded to the recommended setups above at each level:
The biggest percentage improvement comes when you upgrade to the Zwift TT frame (your first TT frame) at level 4. This frame alone accounts for 57% of the overall improvements you can receive by upgrading equipment! By level 16, over 86% of your possible improvement has already been achieved. And once you’ve hit level 40, the only way you’ll get faster is by racing smarter and training stronger!
Hopefully this helps you select a rig for your next TT effort, no matter your Zwift level. Got questions or comments? Post 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 TT frame charts, wheel charts, and Tron vs Top TT Performers for current time trial-related performance data.
An electric bike battery pack classed as dangerous is being offered for sale by private sellers across the UK via Facebook Marketplace, according to Electrical Safety First, a UK charity working across the electrical industry.
The charity has found 13 listings of the UPP (unit pack power) branded ebike battery, which has been linked to multiple fires. Facebook removed the listings once contacted by the charity.
“We urgently need sellers to check if they are unknowingly passing on a dangerous e-bike battery. A single unit of this affected battery being sold online could put a household at serious risk,” says Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First.
In January 2024, the UK government issued a withdrawal notice to Amazon, eBay and Alibaba, stating that the UPP battery posed a serious risk of fire.
Although Facebook was not issued with the original withdrawal notice, Electrical Safety First says it was published online and re-issued by the government in April to “engage with the wider business community”.
“It’s essential all online marketplaces and businesses proactively engage with the published Government warning,” says Capanna.
“The current rules governing online marketplaces are not fit for purpose, and new laws are urgently needed to protect shoppers from dangerous goods being sold on these platforms.”
A UPP electric bike battery. Electrical Safety First
Electrical Safety First says models of the U004 and U004-1 triangular-shaped UPP battery are stated to pose a serious risk of fire due to ‘thermal runaway’. This process can see a battery reach 600˚C, release toxic gases and create fire that’s “almost impossible to extinguish”.
In March, a home in Surrey was damaged after a converted bike caught fire while on charge. This was linked to a UPP battery, the charity says.
Electrical Safety First also says a fire in Coventry in September 2023 devastated a high-rise property after a fire linked to a UPP battery spread.
A Freedom of Information request by the Guardian found fires caused by e-scooters and ebikes had injured at least 190 people and killed eight as of May 2023.
Last month, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking (APPGCW) launched an inquiry into ‘dangerous’ ebikes and conversion kits.
MP Fabian Hamiltion, chair of the APPGCW, said at the time: “Ebikes have enormous potential to support a cleaner, fairer transport future, but that future is at risk if we fail to address emerging issues, especially from low-quality imported upgrade kits.”
Electrical Safety First urges consumers to check their ebikes for the UPP batteries and explains how you can spot them: “The battery, distinctively triangular in shape, is often found with stickers on the two faces of the battery case with the words ‘UPPBATTERY’ and/or ‘U004 BATTERY’.
“The battery often comes with an LED display or LED indicator, a power switch and a charge socket.
“If the corresponding model number U004 or U004-1 number is displayed on the sticker consumers are urged to stop using the battery immediately.”
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