Our top pick this weekend is everyone’s favorite sort of charity ride, where every kilometer you ride unlocks a donation for a good cause. Let’s max it out, Zwifters! See all our picks below…
Bauhaus Ride of Hope
Good Cause KM for Krona
This ride has lots of signups already, and it’s easy to see why: they’ve set it up so that, for every kilometer ridden during this event, BAUHAUS donates 10 SEK to the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation, up to one million SEK in total!
The ride is 60 minutes long, on Watopia’s Triple Flat Loops. Some quick math: if riders average 35 km in the hour, that means each rider can “earn” a 350 SEK donation, which means we need ~2,800 riders to max out the donation. Let’s goooo!!!
Tour de Zwift is the biggest annual tour on the platform – a celebration of discovery across all Zwift worlds! It kicked off last week with stage 1, and now we’re on stage 2, which runs through Sunday. Hundreds (sometimes thousands) of riders are joining each event, so you’ll always have some company.
The Vätternrundan group ride series is back for another year, and very popular! The premise of the series is simple: weekly rides increasing in duration until March 1, with the goal of preparing you to handle many hours on the bike when the IRL race day arrives in June. (The Vätternrundan Group Ride Series is part of Vätternrundan’s official training program.)
Of course, you can use this to train for any endurance ride you may have planned this Spring/Summer. This week’s ride is 90 minutes long, on France’s R.G.V., and there are two pace group options (1.8-2.2 and 1.5-1.8 W/kg).
Ever heard of “Sweet Spot” training? It’s a staple for many riders, since it lets you accumulate a lot of training stress in relatively little time without suffering at or above threshold.
The guy who created the sweet spot concept – coach Frank Overton of FasCat – is one of the leaders on these rides. There’s even a Discord channel so you can chat directly with him and other FasCat coaches. So cool!
This is a big ride on Watopia’s The Mega Pretzel (111km, 1659m), and the goal is for riders to do “freestyle sweetspot,” with groups naturally forming around each rider’s sweet spot zone.
Want to accumulate lots of miles quickly? Join this newish and popular group ride, which puts everyone on the fastest TT bike in game (Cadex Tri) with drafting enabled. It’s 100km, but it’ll be a fast 100km!
Riders are on Tempus Fugit, the flattest route in Zwift. Three different pace groups, released so the faster groups catch the slower groups over time.
Bike upgrading hack: on rides with forced bikes, whatever bike you’re on when you join the event is the bike that accumulates the distance/elevation/time. So, for example, you could accumulate lots of distance toward a road bike upgrade, while riding the Cadex Tri in this event.
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!
In the history of technology, there is perhaps no greater cautionary tale of complacency than the death of Internet Explorer. Once the undisputed gatekeeper of the World Wide Web with a 95% market share, it now exists only as a punchline and a technical fossil. Today, we see a chillingly similar pattern emerging with the Windows operating system. As Microsoft struggles to push a reluctant user base toward Windows 11, the platform faces a growing “IE moment” a period where a dominant product becomes so disconnected from its users’ needs that it creates a vacuum for a more agile competitor to fill.
The Chrome Revolution: A Blueprint for Displacement
To understand why Windows is at risk, we must look at how Google Chrome displaced Internet Explorer. In the early 2000s, Microsoft used its OS dominance to bundle IE, effectively suffocating Netscape. However, once the competition was dead, Microsoft stopped innovating. IE became bloated, slow, and famously insecure. It ignored web standards, forcing developers to build “IE-only” sites, which frustrated the burgeoning tech community.
When Google launched Chrome in 2008, it didn’t just compete on features; it changed the paradigm. Chrome introduced the V8 JavaScript engine, which made web applications run orders of magnitude faster than they did on IE. It was minimalist, secure through sandboxing, and updated silently in the background. While Microsoft treated the browser as a static piece of the OS, Google treated it as a living service. By 2012, Chrome surpassed Internet Explorer as the world’s most popular browser. The lesson was clear: ubiquity is not a permanent defense against a superior user experience.
The Windows 11 Resistance: A Billion-Device Bottleneck
The parallels with the current state of Windows are striking. As of January 2026, Windows 11 has failed to achieve the dominance Microsoft envisioned. Despite Windows 10 officially reaching its end-of-life in late 2025, a massive portion of the user base—estimated at nearly 45% of Windows desktops—refuses to upgrade.
The resistance is not merely stubbornness; it is rooted in three distinct categories of friction:
Artificial Hardware Barriers: Microsoft’s strict requirement for TPM 2.0 and specific CPU generations has orphaned hundreds of millions of perfectly functional PCs. Recent reports suggest there is a billion-device bottleneck, consisting of 500 million PCs that cannot upgrade and another 500 million that will not because users see no value in the transition.
Unwanted Feature Bloat: The integration of AI tools like “Recall” (which originally drew heavy fire for privacy concerns) and the constant push for cloud-integrated Microsoft accounts have alienated privacy-conscious power users.
The “If It Ain’t Broke” Factor: For the average user, Windows 11 feels like a cosmetic skin on Windows 10 with more advertising and less control over the user interface.
This stagnation leaves the platform vulnerable. When a dominant player stops serving its customers’ best interests—by forcing hardware refreshes or intrusive telemetry—users begin looking for the exit.
Assessing the Contenders: Who Wins the Desktop?
If Windows follows Internet Explorer into obsolescence, the replacement must be more than just a different brand; it must solve the problems Microsoft has created.
MacOS: The Premium Stronghold Apple is the most obvious beneficiary of Windows friction. MacOS has seen a steady climb to roughly 15-16% of the global desktop market. For users who want a “it just works” experience and are willing to pay the hardware premium, the Mac is a natural destination. However, the closed nature of the Apple ecosystem and the high entry cost mean it is unlikely to ever capture the 70%+ market share Windows currently enjoys.
Desktop Android and ChromeOS Flex Google’s strategy for the desktop mirrors its strategy for the browser: simplify. ChromeOS Flex allows users to turn aging, “incompatible” Windows 10 PCs into fast, cloud-centric machines. While “Desktop Android” remains niche, the convergence of Android apps with ChromeOS makes Google a formidable threat in the education and light-enterprise sectors. If the “browser is the OS” trend continues, Google is perfectly positioned to repeat its Chrome victory but they’ll need to market the result to get people to switch and Google is historically poor at staffing and funding marketing adequately and they have the attention span of a 4-year-old on sugar. They have the funding and the greatest potential, but their historically poor execution offsets both sharply.
The Rise of the Linux Desktop: Mint and Zorin OS Perhaps the most interesting development in 2025-2026 has been the surge of Linux. The Linux desktop share recently hit a record high of over 6%. Two distributions are leading the “refugee” movement:
Linux Mint: Known for its “Cinnamon” desktop, Mint provides a UI that is nearly identical to the Windows 7/10 workflow. It is incredibly stable, respects user privacy, and runs beautifully on older hardware that Windows 11 rejects.
Zorin OS: This distribution is designed specifically for Windows switchers. It includes a “Zorin Appearance” tool that can mimic Windows or MacOS layouts with a single click. Following the end of Windows 10 support, Zorin OS reported over one million downloads, with the vast majority coming from Windows users looking for a safe harbor.
The Verdict: The Most Likely Replacement
If Windows truly collapses, no single OS will likely hold a 90% monopoly again. Instead, we will see a fragmented landscape. MacOS will dominate the high-end and creative professional space, while ChromeOS will capture the budget and education sectors.
However, for the traditional PC power user and the “orphaned” hardware market, Linux (specifically Zorin OS and Mint) is the most likely functional successor. Unlike MacOS, Linux can run on existing hardware. Unlike Android, it offers a full-powered desktop experience. For the first time in thirty years, the “Year of the Linux Desktop” isn’t a meme; it’s a migration strategy for a billion users who feel abandoned by Redmond.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft is currently walking the same path of complacency that led to Internet Explorer’s demise. By prioritizing AI telemetry and forced hardware upgrades over user trust and compatibility, they have created the perfect conditions for a mass exodus. While Windows 11 will likely remain the corporate standard for the next few years due to legacy software, the consumer and small business markets are rapidly reaching a breaking point. Whether the future is the polished simplicity of MacOS or the privacy-focused flexibility of Linux, the era of the Windows monopoly is finally drawing to a close.
Meta announced it’s discontinuing Horizon Workrooms next month, its productivity-focused VR platform, marking another step in the company’s ongoing restructuring of its VR and metaverse strategy.
Originally launched in 2021 on Quest 2, Workrooms was not only the company’s answer to remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a first big push to make the Quest platform into a productivity device.
The platform allows up to 50 total participants to interact in a shared space, which includes a mix of 16 Quest users (max) and users patching in through standard video calls.
“Workrooms showed how Meta Horizon can help bring people together to work, collaborate and connect. Meta Horizon has since developed into a social platform that supports a wide range of productivity apps and tools,” Meta says in a Horizon Workrooms help thread. “As a result, Meta has made the decision to discontinue Workrooms as a standalone app, effective February 16, 2026.”
For existing users, Meta has not announced a direct replacement for Workrooms; the company suggests users look into third-party apps such as Arthur, Microsoft Teams Immersive and Zoom Workplace.
If you thought we were exaggerating, the hunger for memory and GPUs is making many companies reassess their priorities. YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed discovered ASUS has stopped producing the RTX 5070 Ti and 5060 Ti 16GB due to the ongoing memory crunch. Both GPUs are 16GB models, making them more expensive to manufacture in the current climate.
“Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability,” an NVIDIA spokesperson told Engadget.
At CES 2026, we saw PCs and computing in the next 12 months will have higher prices and more limited availability for consumers. At the end of 2025, RAM prices skyrocketed, driven by demand from AI data centers. That’s not stopping anytime soon.
Matthew McConaughey filed trademark applications to prevent AI companies from using his likeness without permission, and the US Patent and Trademark Office has approved eight so far.
Trademarks were for video and audio clips featuring the actor staring, smiling and talking. One was for an audio recording of him saying “alright, alright, alright,” his catchphrase from the movie Dazed and Confused. Under the law, it’s already prohibited for companies to steal someone’s likeness to sell products. However, given the vague rules governing the use of someone’s likeness, McConaughey is taking a proactive approach. McConaughey himself is an investor in ElevenLabs and has partnered with the AI startup to create a Spanish version of his newsletter. Está bien, está bien, está bien.
Addiction! Radiation poisoning! Skeletal law enforcement?
AMAZON
The second season of Amazon’s excellent Fallout show is currently streaming, but the company is already looking to generate more revenue from its license to the well-regarded game series. Prime Video has greenlit an unscripted reality show titled Fallout Shelter. It will be a 10-episode run with Studio Lambert, the team behind reality projects including Squid Game: The Challenge and The Traitors.
Following numerous complaints and several state and national investigations, X is revising its policies on Grok’s image-editing capabilities. New safeguards will place Grok’s image-generating features behind X’s subscription offering, and it will geoblock all users’ ability to generate images of real people in… well, less clothing, in regions where it’s illegal.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta cited one analysis that found “more than half of the 20,000 images generated by xAI between Christmas and New Year depicted people in minimal clothing.” That’s been the primary use?
Welcome to Edition 8.25 of the Rocket Report! All eyes are on Florida this weekend as NASA rolls out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to its launch site in Florida for the Artemis II mission. NASA has not announced a launch date yet, and this will depend in part on how well a “wet dress rehearsal” goes with fueling the rocket. However, it is likely the rocket has a no-earlier-than launch date of February 8. Our own Stephen Clark will be in Florida for the rollout on Saturday, so be sure and check back here for coverage.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
MaiaSpace scores a major launch deal. The ArianeGroup subsidiary, created in 2022, has inked a major new launch contract with satellite operator Eutelsat, Le Monde reports. A significant portion of the 440 new satellites ordered by Eutelsat from Airbus to renew or expand its OneWeb constellation will be launched into orbit by the new Maia rocket. MaiaSpace previously signed two contracts: one with Exotrail for the launch of an orbital transfer, and the other for two satellites for the Toutatis mission, a defense system developed by U-Space.
Fresh from the announcement that Skarper’s ebike conversion kit is now available on Sonder’s gravel bike range, the British brand has announced five further partnerships, including one with Ribble.
Ribble will offer the Skarper kit online, either as a standalone product or ordered alongside any standard Ribble bike.
Skarper’s kits enable you to turn a non-assisted bike into an electric bike using a patented design to drive your bike’s rear wheel. The rotor stays on your bike, but the main unit clicks on and off in seconds, meaning it can be switched between bikes.
Ribble’s Ultra-Grit gravel bike is now available with Skarper. Jarret/Skarper
Ribble’s CEO, Sean Hastings, says: “We love the idea of Ribble riders being able to use their acoustic bike but have the flexibility of occasional electric assistance, without it being a permanent thing.
“The Skarper system complements our award-winning range of lightweight integrated ebikes, with the potential to bring a new lease of life to an existing bike and the benefit of being shareable across several bikes.”
Ribble’s Titanium AllGrit in flat-bar specification with Skarper could make the ultimate all-road commuter. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Six brands on board, with the promise of more to come
Sonder’s aluminium Camino AL with the Skarper kit is a bargain at £2,999. Jarret/Skarper
As well as Sonder and Ribble, British-made titanium and steel specialist Enigma has teamed up with Skarper.
Scottish rugged frame and bike builder Shand is even incorporating the chainstay mount as a braze-on on its frames, replacing the standard band-on mount.
Shand’s gorgeous Stramash. Jarret/Skarper Shand has brazed on fittings for a direct Skarper mount. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Fellow Scottish brand Tiger is offering the Skarper kit on its range of affordable aluminium bikes, including the value-packed junior mountain bike range and the forthcoming Gravel model.
Tiger’s Ace 260 junior mountain bike equipped with a Skarper DiskDrive. Jarret/Skarper
One of Skarper’s founders, Andrew Wallis, has his own bike brand: Black Series, and will also be offering Skarper options across all models, including the world’s lightest production road bike.
The Black Series Corsa SL is the world’s lightest production road bike – add a Skarper kit and it’s a 10kg e-road bike. Jarret/Skarper
Wallis says Skarper is in discussion with more bike brands, and there will be a continued focus for Skarper to make further inroads into the OEM (original equipment) market.
The lightweight Black Series Fuoristrada 29in hardtail with Skarper. Jarret/Skarper
Skarper has also joined forces with ZyroFisher, one of the UK’s largest cycle distributors, expanding the potential network of bike shops to more than 3,000 across the UK and Europe.
Rim-brake option is coming
Skarper kits will soon be available for rim-brake bikes thanks to a new hub option and DiskDrive without a brake surface. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
If you like the idea of Skarper’s ‘click-on, take off’ system but don’t have a disc-brake bike, Skarper has the answer coming soon.
A new rear hub designed for rim-brake wheels is in production, too. This enables the fitment of the Skarper disc (without disc braking surface) containing the Red Bull engineered planetary gearing. That makes the Skarper compatible with rim-brake bikes.
Skarper can now be used with rim-brake bikes. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
I like the idea of having a Skarper in conjunction with my disc-brake bike and getting a second setup (wheel and disc drive) to fit to one of my classic rim-brake road bikes, because a single Skarper unit can be used across multiple bikes.
Meta is shutting down its Quest for Business program in 2030, ending sales of commercial SKUs next month, and reducing existing subscriptions to $0/month.
Called Meta Horizon Managed Services since last year, the program was the latest iteration of the company’s official offering for businesses to adopt its headsets, including a business license, priority support, and mass device management (MDM).
It started as Oculus for Business, a $900 SKU of the original Oculus Rift launched in 2017. Enterprise SKUs of Oculus Go and Oculus Quest were also made available in this program, until it was replaced by Meta Quest for Business in late 2023, before being renamed to Meta Horizon Managed Services last year, a change which also made the program mandatory for enterprise use.
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Under the program, Quest headsets were sold at their regular consumer price plus a monthly subscription. There were two tiers of subscription available, Individual Mode for $15/month per headset or Shared Mode for $24/month per headset.
Individual Mode provisions the headset for one specific person, with their own Meta account, while Shared Mode shows a heavily streamlined system interface with only the apps remotely selected by the administrator available, and the settings are also pre-configured.
Administrators could manage headsets with Meta’s Admin Center, or existing enterprise user management platforms like Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace ONE, and Ivanti UEM.
From February 20, Meta says it will stop selling commercial SKUs of Quest headsets, stop taking new customers for the Horizon Managed Services subscription, and reduce the subscription price for existing customers to $0/month.
From January 4, 2030, four years from now, the program will be shut down, and the software will cease to function.
“On behalf of Meta, we thank you for your support and partnership”, the company tells the businesses that trusted it.
The news comes on the same week the company closed three of its acquired game studios, gutted another, stopped updates for its fitness service, canceled the sequel for Batman: Arkham Shadow, and announced the shutdown of Workrooms, all part of a wider move to shift spending from VR towards smart glasses.
The Linux kernel patches talked about at the start of the year for more easily changing the boot logo of Tux are now queued into a “for-next” branch and thus expected to be submitted for the upcoming Linux 6.20~7.0 kernel cycle. Those wanting to replace the Tux icon with an alternative logo during the Linux kernel boot process could already patch the file manually but this new code allows for an easy replacement via Kconfig options…
For those looking for a speedy Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms “BLAS” library, OpenBLAS 0.3.31 is now available for this optimized open-source implementation…
One of the initiatives launched by Intel in 2025 was LLM-Scaler as part of Project Battlematrix. The open-source LLM Scaler is a Docker-based solution for helping to deploy Generative AI “GenAI” workloads on Intel Battlemage graphics cards with frameworks like vLLM, ComfyUI, SGLang, and more. There continues to be routine new feature releases of LLM Scaler for broadening the large language models supported and other improvements…
Wild 0.8 is now available as this speedy linker focused on iterative development, a goal of incremental linking, and written in the Rust programming language…
If you’ve paid attention to professional gravel racing in recent years, you’re probably aware that pro riders have taken to running drop handlebars on XC mountain bikes.
Now, Pinarello has fully embraced the trend, launching its new Grevil MX gravel bike at the Velofollies trade show in Belgium.
While this is an addition to the brand’s Grevil gravel range, Pinarello has gone one step further than combining gravel and cross-country tech. It says it has drawn from its road portfolio for this ‘monster’ gravel bike.
The Grevil MX borrows features from Pinarello’s MTBs and road bikes. Stan Portus / Our Media
“The Grevil MX combines the aerodynamic efficiency of a road bike with the stability and control of an MTB, enabling it to excel on steep climbs, rugged trails, technical descents and long endurance routes without compromising responsiveness or stiffness on hardpack ground,” Pinarello says in its press release for the new bike.
The bike’s geometry takes the 67.75˚ head angle and 101mm trail of the Pinarello Dogma XC, but adds the Most Talon Ultra Light cockpit found on Pinarello’s top road bikes. This handlebar setup provides a “lower, more compact and faster position” than running a flat mountain bike bar.
It has a Most Talon Ultra Light cockpit. Stan Portus / Our Media
There is a ‘double triangle’ at the bottom bracket for stiffness. Stan Portus / Our Media
The rear triangle has Pinarello’s asymmetric seatstay design. Stan Portus / Our Media
The frame uses Toray’s ‘best-in-class’ carbon fibre and has a threaded bottom bracket. The BB area features the double-triangle design found on the Pinarello Dogma XC for added stiffness.
The rear triangle uses Pinarello’s asymmetrical design. The left-hand side is reinforced to counterbalance the forces produced on the driveside of the bike.
“This architecture creates more balanced energy transfer and improved traction and acceleration on loose or variable surfaces,” Pinarello says.
“The chainstays and seatstays have both been specifically shaped and reinforced to withstand the high torsional forces typical of aggressive gravel riding, steep off-road climbs and explosive accelerations.”
The bike can fit 50mm tyres. Stan Portus / Our Media It can also fit a dropper post. Stan Portus / Our Media
The bike can fit 50mm tyres for traction and comfort, and comfort is further aided by the 10mm suspension fork.
Elsewhere, the bike has a SRAM XX SL Eagle drivetrain with a 38-tooth aero chainring and a 10/52 cassette. Pinarello says these gear ratios provide better climbing ability than the gears you typically find on gravel bikes, while also improving on descents compared to mountain bikes.
A Pinarello spokesperson at Velofollies told BikeRadar that the Grevil MX can fit a rigid fork and that it has only made 50 of the bikes worldwide. Yet, future developments of the Grevil MX are already in the works.
Meta is shutting down its Horizon Workrooms VR meeting software on February 16.
If you’re unaware, Workrooms is Meta’s collaborative productivity app for Quest headsets, first launched in 2021. Workrooms lets you view your PC monitor inside VR and share your screen with teammates as Meta Avatars in a virtual meeting room. People who don’t own a Quest can join via webcam through a web interface.
The app also has a solo Personal Office which gives you free extra monitors, effectively turning your laptop into a triple monitor setup.
In summer 2024, Meta released an overhaul of Workrooms that streamlined the interface while removing major features, leading to significant backlash from users.
The update removed the virtual whiteboard in meeting rooms, a flagship feature of the app which the Touch Pro controllers were designed around, as well as all meeting room customization, the web-based text chat and file sharing system, and tracked keyboard support.
The main upside of the overhaul was its improvements to the solo Personal Office. But just over a year ago, Meta and Microsoft launched the official Windows 11 Remote Desktop feature for Quest’s Horizon OS, which also allows spawning virtual extra side monitors.
The official Windows 11 Remote Desktop feature runs as OS-level windows, meaning that it supports the seamless multitasking feature added to Horizon OS in 2024, letting you use your PC while inside any VR or mixed reality app.
Essentially, the Windows 11 integration fully supersedes the Personal Office of Workrooms. But what Meta isn’t providing a replacement for is the online multi-user meeting room functionality.
Meta officially recommends Workrooms users to switch to Arthur, Microsoft Teams Immersive, or any other virtual meetings software on the Horizon Store. An example we’d point out is Fluid, which has excellent reviews and a strong focus on sharing your screen with others in VR.
“From 16 February 2026, you will no longer be able to access Workrooms, and any data associated with Workrooms will be deleted”, Meta notes.
The news comes on the same week the company closed three of its acquired game studios, gutted another, stopped updates for its fitness service, and canceled the sequel for Batman: Arkham Shadow, a wider move to shift spending from VR towards smart glasses.
Nukeproof has unveiled the new Tracker range of ‘kick-ass’ hardtail mountain bikes at an affordable price point.
Launched at the Velofollies trade show today, there are four bikes in the Tracker range, costing from £539 / €599 to £999 / €1,099.
Nukeproof says the Tracker name is inspired by the origins of off-road riding, when riders would modify ‘regular’ bikes with chunkier tyres and ‘cowhorn’ handlebars in a bid to improve performance and increase the fun they were having.
The Tracker bikes comes with Shimano Essa or Cues drivetrains. Stan Portus / Our Media
But the Tracker range is far removed from those bikes of the 60s and 70s. The hardtail frames use 6061-T6 aluminium, feature tapered head tubes and have clearance for 2.4in mountain bike tyres.
Elsewhere, they’re fitted with Nukeproof’s own saddles, but also Shimano disc brakes and drivetrains, and tubeless-ready rims. The frames can fit a dropper post and feature suspension forks with 100mm of travel, or 80mm on the extra-small frames.
There are mounting points across the bike for practical accessories, such as mudguards. Stan Portus / Our Media
Said to be “ideal first mountain bikes”, the Trackers also have practical details such as a removable seatstay bridge to fit mudguards. They also have rack mounts and a hidden kickstand mount. Nukeproof says this means the Trackers can “double up as everyday transportation”.
The bikes were developed in-house by the Nukeproof team, which was led by product manager Tom Bugler.
“The brief was brief: make a kick-ass range of affordable bikes that gives riders a great experience and introduces them to the Nukeproof brand,” says Bugler.
“This is a new price segment for us, but these bikes respect the heritage and quality that Nukeproof was built on, whilst opening the brand up to a new audience.”
Engineer Dale McMullen adds: “The frame design was inspired by our Scout hardcore hardtail, which has become a cult classic. We used similar geo with a relaxed head angle, tapered head tube optimised around the Tracker’s 100mm fork and a similar kink in the bottom of the seat tube for the increased tyre clearance.”
The hardtail has clearance for 2.4in mountain bike tyres. Stan Portus / Our Media Tucked away on Nukeproof’s Velofollies stand was a 24in-wheel version of the Tracker for kids, as well as a 26in-wheel option. Stan Portus / Our Media
When Wiggle closed its doors in 2024, it was assumed that its house brands such as Nukeproof were destined to close, too.
However, Belgian Cycling Factory, which owns Ridley among other brands, bought Nukeproof in 2025.
In November, Nukeproof announced the release of its second-generation Reactor. The launch of the Reactor was limited, with only one carbon and one aluminium model, and it appeared to signal a cautious return from Nukeproof.
However, the new Tracker signals a more committed return for the once-troubled brand.
After more than 13 years leading Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down. “When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay ahead,” said Kennedy. “It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm.” The Associated Press reports: The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer “Star Wars,” as president and chief creative officer, into its sixth decade and beyond. Filoni, who served as the chief commercial officer of Lucasfilm, will inherit the mantle of one of the movies marquee franchises, alongside Lynwen Brennan, president and general manager of Lucasfilm’s businesses, who will serve as co-president.
Kennedy, Lucas’ handpicked successor, had presided over the ever-expanding science-fiction world of “Star Wars” since Disney acquired it in 2012. In announcing Thursday’s news, Bob Iger, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co. called her “a visionary filmmaker.” Kennedy oversaw a highly lucrative but often contentious period in “Star Wars” history that yielded a blockbuster trilogy and acclaimed streaming spinoffs such as “The Mandalorian” and “Andor,” yet found increasing frustration from longtime fans.
Under Kennedy’s stewardship, Lucasfilm amassed more than $5.6 billion in box office and helped establish Disney+ as a streaming destination — achievements that easily validated the $4.05 billion Disney plunked down for the company. But Kennedy also struggled to deliver the big-screen magic that Lucas captured in the original trilogy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and her relationship with “Star Wars” loyalists became a saga of its own.
O2C’s new footwear range brings a unique outsole design combined with ultra-lightweight uppers and a complete anatomic design based on the foot’s natural movement when pedalling.
Steven Nemeth, founder/designer at O2C shoes, has a long history in technical cycling footwear. His journey started nearly two decades ago when he created Bont’s unique bathtub shoe design.
Since then, his shoe designs have been worn for 36% of all Olympic track cycling medals over the last five Games. They’ve also seen victories in the Olympic time trial, UCI BMX World Championships, Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta, Paris-Roubaix, and in both mountain bike and BMX World Cups.
Now, Nemeth has branched out on his own with a new shoe brand, O2C, releasing a range of new low-profile, lightweight, yet fully anatomically correct performance shoes.
O2C is launching with the RK1 as the flagship model. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Nemeth’s softly spoken Australian lilt masks a designer who’s always looking to improve, learn and be bold. In his opinion, much of cycling shoe design is hampered by tradition, with shoes designed and made the way they always have been, rather than using the latest biometric learnings.
“I’ve always looked to create shoes that mirror the way your foot moves,” he says. “If that means approaching the construction differently, changing the ‘norm’ and completely reshaping the shoe, then so be it.”
O2C’s 10 key elements of a cycling shoe
1. Heel cup
The heel cup and outsole work in combination for stability and a secure fit. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
“The heel anchors every pedal stroke, yet many shoes allow the rear of your foot to move under load,” Nemeth says. “We’ve designed a heel cup that securely cradles the calcaneus [the large heel bone]. This is done to reduce lateral movement and keep your foot aligned. In turn, that improves power transfer and minimises heel lift.”
The added benefits are that this should reduce friction and improve long-ride comfort.
2. Toe-box shaping
The midfoot is anatomically shaped to reduce creasing of the upper material. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Nemeth’s original Bont shoes were known for their broad, blunt toe-box design. They looked worlds away from the classic tapered-toe shaped shoes we were used to. The new O2C toe box falls somewhere in between. It does, however, look more like the natural shape of a foot.
Nemeth explains: “The toe-box shape follows the natural metatarsal parabola.”
The metatarsal parabola is the natural curved arrangement of your metatarsal bones (the jointed series of long bones in your foot from your toes back).
“We did this so your foot has more natural toe splay and reduces compression,” he says.
The goal here is to spread the load, prevent nerve irritation (numbness) and reduce the chances of hot spots.
3. Low stack height
Low stack height has been talked about a lot recently, with new pedal/shoe systems from Q36.5 and Ekoi/PW8. So it’s no surprise that any new shoe will make this the focus of the outsole design.
4. Last construction
The interior of the O2C RK1 is as well finished as the exterior. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
“Still today, lots of cycling shoes prioritise aesthetics over anatomy,” says Nemeth. “That compromises both the fit and your foot alignment.
“Our last is completely new and based on a true anatomical shape, based around natural foot biometrics. We aim to balance out pressure distribution, keep your foot aligned correctly and keep the foot secure without compression.”
5. Carbon soles
Both the RK1 and RS1 use a Toray T800 unidirectional carbon fibre outsole. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
All of the O2C shoes, from the base model RC1 through to the flagship RK1, use full carbon fibre soles.
Nemeth believes such a key element of any cycling shoe shouldn’t be compromised with lesser materials.
“The outsoles throughout O2C’s shoes, with what we’ve launched today and what’s coming, will always have full carbon soles,” he says.
“For the ARC design of our outsole, we couldn’t achieve what we need from an outsole without carbon. The soles all use precision-layered Toray carbon fibres to provide the exceptional stiffness combined with a low stack height of just 3.2mm.
“By using load-specific fibre orientation, we can control rigidity and torsional stability whilst keeping our 3D anatomical shoe shape.”
One of the key elements in the outsole is the change in fibre orientation and construction forward of the super-stiff cleat plate.
Nemeth has introduced a small element of flex here. That’s not only to enhance the comfort of the toe box, but also to make walking in the shoes easier.
Nemeth’s years of experience informed him that super-stiff, rigid outsoles, when walked in over time, can create a stress point in the outsole, which in extreme cases has led to failure cracks in the sole. That’s something he wanted to prevent in the new designs.
Unlike many manufacturers, who use one carbon outsole across multiple sizes, O2C made the decision to make individual moulds for each size, in standard and wide fits.
Nemeth says: “The priority is to get the fit as exact as possible. It’s obviously much more expensive to produce moulds for every size, but I didn’t want to compromise all of the work we’ve done over the years developing the O2C range by saving a few dollars in manufacturing.”
6. Foot cradle and wrap construction
The RS1 is designed for sprinters. You can see the wrapover shape clearly here. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The shoe’s upper uses a wrap shape, with a single-sided tongue that enables the upper material to ‘wrap over’.
Nemeth claims this design more closely follows the foot’s natural contours, better supporting the midfoot and helping to anchor the heel. The result is a claimed secure and stable fit that doesn’t restrict your foot’s natural movement.
I have noticed the side profile of the O2C shoes has much less voluminous height than other models, and from my short time trying out the shoes, it appears to give a sock-like fit that’s enhanced by the knit construction on both the RS1 and RK1.
7. Midfoot stability
The O2C design doubles up on midfoot support by reinforcing the upper to stabilise the foot where collapse is most likely under load.
The O2C design, Nemeth explains, “Controls excessive pronation [when your foot naturally rolls inwards] and rotation [where your feet either splay outwards or your toes point inwards].
“By controlling these elements with a combination of the upper design and construction, combined with the outsole design, we can deliver greater stability. That means sustained power over long rides.”
8. Cleat position and adjustment
“Everybody’s pedal position is different, so we’ve given the O2C’s outsole extended fore-aft adjustment,” says Nemeth. “That means more precision to get the optimal alignment. That’s key to both comfort and power transfer, coming as a result of reduced joint strain and more support thanks to being able to get your cleat position just right.”
9. Arch-support system
O2C has designed insoles that mirror the shoe’s anatomical shape. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The O2C’s outsole and footbeds combine to create dual-arch support for both the medial arch (the longest arch that runs along the inner foot) and the transverse arch (across the midfoot).
“By maintaining neutral alignment during the power phase, you reduce plantar strain, and reducing these repetitive stresses helps reduce the causes of plantar tears, which can be incredibly painful,” says Nemeth.
“It also means by better distributing the load, your up-pedalling efficiency helps sustain your output for longer.”
10. Sole stiffness and carbon engineering
The RC1 uses a 3K woven carbon fibre outsole. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Nemeth explains that sole stiffness in the right places is a key element of a top-performing cycling shoe.
“We only use high-grade Toray fibres, you won’t find any blends or nylon in any of our shoes at any price, ever,” he says. “By using precise layups that maximise stiffness-to-weight ratios, we’ve been able to create a very lightweight, thin, yet very durable sole.”
O2C shoe range
The range-topping RK1. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
At launch, there are three road-shoe options from O2C, with a lightweight high-summer triathlon shoe in the wings (the RT2), and gravel and aero-road options due later in the year.
At the top of the range is the flagship AXIS RK1. This uses a knitted upper, bolstered with a reinforced midfoot, and a 3D-shaped T800 Toray carbon fibre sole.
The twin polished alloy dials are O2C’s own design, with two-way micro-adjustment and pop-out release.
O2C decided that producing its own dials, rather than opting to buy them in from Boa, was the best option to keep costs down for the end user and provide flexibility to refine the design.
The RK1 is a very lightweight shoe. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
My test pair of AXIS RK1s weigh in at 243.4g each for a size 45, making them some of the lightest road shoes available. They’re bested only by Specialized’s featherweight S-Works Torch Remco, at 300g a pair (£549), and Nimbl’s £480 Ultimate Glide (358g a pair). The RK1s are priced at £389.95.
The O2C RS1 is designed for maximum foot control and is designed for sprinters. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
Second in the range, at £359.95, and weighing just over 7g more per pair (247g each), are the AXIS RS1s. They have a larger wrapover section for increased midfoot stability. With more aggressive upper venting, the AXIS RS1 is the sprinter’s option compared to the RK1’s climbing intentions.
The RS1s’ 247g weight (size 45) is impressively light. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
The base model of the three-tier road shoe line-up is the £174.95 Vector RC1. These shoes share the same core engineering as the range-topping model, but forgo the unidirectional T800 Toray carbon for a more cost-effective 3K woven Toray fibre.
The upper is made from a more traditional, yet still lightweight microfibre rather than a 3D knit.
The base-model O2C RC1 has plenty of laser-cut venting in the microfibre upper. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
There’s plenty of breathability on show thanks to the myriad laser-cut holes in both flanks, on the toe box and through the tongue section.
For a simpler shoe, the weight is impressively low at only 248.1g each for a size 45. These are some of the lightest sub-£200 shoes we’ve seen.
The RC1 is very light for a sub-£200 shoe. Warren Rossiter / OurMedia
O2C road shoes pricing and key spec details
Vector RC1
£174.95 / $229.95 / €199.95 / AU$354.95
248.1g (size 45)
3K Toray carbon sole
Available in black or white
Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
Axis RS1
£359.95 / $479.95 / €414.95 / AU$734.95
247g (size 45)
T800 Toray carbon sole
Available in black or white
Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
Axis RK1
£389.95 / $519.95 / €449.95 / AU$299.95
243.4g (size 45)
T800 Toray carbon sole
Available in white only
Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
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Van Rysel has revealed one of the most eye-catching bikes of recent times, the FTP2 Concept Bike, which it describes as a “rolling laboratory, unrestrained by current industrial standards”.
Launched at the Velofollies trade show, which opens today in Kortrijk, Belgium, close to the brand’s home in Lille, France, the FTP2 Concept Bike is clearly intended – on some level – as a publicity stunt.
But, with its radical frame design, powerful electric motor and ability to propel you to speeds in excess of 100kph, Van Rysel intends the FTP2 Concept Bike to confirm the brand’s “commitment to research, design and development”.
Why has Van Rysel created the FTP2 Concept Bike?
The bike forgoes a seat tube. Van Rysel
Founded in 2018, Van Rysel is Decathlon’s performance bicycle brand. In 2023, it was revealed that Van Rysel would be co-title sponsor of Decathlon AG2R–La Mondiale.
Since then, Van it has been on a mission to prove it’s capable of producing the best road bikes, worthy of a place at the top of the sport.
Van Rysel’s RCR-F aero bike was launched in 2024 with bold claims around the company’s development process, and Van Rysel’s Nicolas Pierron describing it as a “UFO”.
Now, with the FTP2 Concept Bike, the extraterrestrial theme continues – it’s a “bike from another planet” – and so does the emphasis on Van Rysel’s technical capabilities.
“Confirming Van Rysel’s commitment to research, design, and innovation, FTP2 is a concept bike like no other – pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, inspiring future innovation and showcasing Van Rysel’s unique in-house R&D capabilities,” the brand says.
The project also has the bigger aim of expanding what the public and bicycle industry deem possible.
“It is the most complex project ever carried out by the team, aiming to inspire the general public, as well as the bicycle industry, to continue pushing the boundaries to see what is possible,” Van Rysel adds.
The FTP2 Concept Bike’s frame design
The bike has a wide fork and appears to have two crowns. Van Rysel
The result of that complexity and ambition is a bike that looks like no other road bike. Freed from the UCI’s constraints on bicycle design, that’s not such a surprise.
It’s not a surprise either that it has a passing resemblance to another type of go-fast bike freed from the UCI’s rules: a triathlon bike, and specifically the Cervélo P5X.
Like the P5X, Van Rysel’s concept bike forgoes a seat tube. However, it does have a more conventional chainstay, even if the seatstays run virtually parallel.
Van Rysel says the handmade carbon frame and complete bike are rideable.
“It stands as a tangible prototype, built to withstand the constraints of extreme speed on the asphalt rather than just looking good on a podium,” it says.
‘Superhuman engine’
Hidden in the frame is a Mahle M40 electric bike motor. Van Rysel
Van Rysel claims the FTP2 Concept Bike will “double your FTP” and “magnify” your effort, and while the radical aero frame will likely aid that, the bike has a special motor tucked away in the down tube.
Van Rysel says the bike has a “unique” version of the Mahle M40 electric bike motor.
“Initially designed for mountain biking, this motor is driven by specific software developed to manage this raw power on the tarmac,” Van Rysel says.
“The system does not merely assist the rider but multiplies the input effort by four. The athlete transforms into a superhuman engine capable of reaching speeds between 45 and 100 km/h.”
An ‘integrated ecosystem’
The cockpit is said to be inspired by Formula One cars. Van Rysel
As opposed to just designing a bike, Van Rysel’s concept project includes a “fully integrated ecosystem”, with a special cockpit, shoes, helmet and clothing.
The cockpit of the bike is said to be inspired by Formula One cars, and “fully centralises the machine’s piloting” from a bullhorn position. The cockpit also fits a Hammerhead bike computer flush with the stem and above an integrated front light.
Van Rysel claims the cockpit can even be used to tighten the FTP2 concept shoe, which has an aeroplane wing profile to smooth airflow and “becomes the pedal” by integrating an axle into the carbon sole.
The shoe does away with pedals. Van Rysel
When designing the FTP2aero helmet, Van Rysel says it didn’t start from the drawing board. Instead, the helmet uses Van Rysel’s new X Clip Concept, where an aerodynamic shell clips onto its existing RCR-R road helmet.
“This modularity maintains the safety and comfort of a homologated, ventilated helmet while providing the air penetration performance of a record-breaking prototype,” Van Rysel says.
The outer shell was made with Swiss Side, the aerodynamics experts Van Rysel also collaborated with for its RCR-F aero bike.
The helmet uses Van Rysel’s new X Clip Concept. Van Rysel
The speed suit integrates protective panels. Van Rysel
Finally, Van Rysel also created the FTP2 speed suit. Because the concept bike is capable of “motorcycle speeds”, the suit incorporates protective pads that are flexible and offer a claimed aerodynamic benefit.
The exterior of the suit is said to be abrasion-resistant, while there is an integrated baselayer that also has pads for protection.
Not for sale, but the tech will be
As you might have guessed, the FTP2 Concept Bike won’t be for sale. But Van Rysel says the ideas developed for the project will make their way to commercial products.
“The aerodynamic integration of the battery, the fork design, and the integrated lighting signature prefigure the standards for future Van Rysel road bikes,” it says.
Van Rysel says the tech developed across the rest of the ecosystem will also make its way to consumer products. The protective elements of the speed suit will likely make their way to Van Rysel’s cycling kit in the future, while the X-Clip helmet system “foreshadows” modular equipment and “paves the way for a new generation of versatile helmets”.
Meanwhile, it’s unlikely we’ll see Van Rysel release a cycling shoe with an integrated pedal system, but it says the work on the FTP2 shoe’s airflow and textiles will influence the design of its top-spec footwear.
In Van Rysel’s words: “What is extreme today will be the norm tomorrow.”
Van Rysel FTP2 Concept Bike specifications
Frame and fork: FTP2 carbon
Weight: 15kg (M)
Electric motor: Mahle M40
Drivetrain: SRAM Red AXS / Praxis carbon cranks
Wheels: Swiss Side Hadron3 850
Cockpit: FTP2 Carbon with AXS, Mahle and shoe-tightening controls
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