The BikeRadar Podcast

In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, senior technical editor Warren gets an exclusive sit-down with Sir Chris Hoy at Manchester Velodrome to talk about his astonishing career. They discuss everything from E.T.-inspired BMX racing, mountain bike, and road racing to how Sir Chris became a track legend. We hear who inspired him, what brought him to track racing, and how he stayed on top for so long. Sir Chris also tells Warren about his post-racing life, from launching a bike brand and his love of e-bikes to his passion for motorsport and rallying – leading to competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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The bike industry is, like any industry, home to aspects which are great and things which boil our brakes.

But from the outside, some of these positive and negative aspects can be missed. In the spirit of openness, we wanted to talk about them.

So these are five things that we love, and six things we think the bike industry could improve on.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/longest-bike-stem

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/bike-industry-mtb-standards

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BikeRadar’s testers are in the fortunate position to be able to test the latest bikes. But reviewing bikes and making a significant financial investment to buy one, are two very different things.

The gravel discipline has expanded rapidly over the last decade and the bikes which fall under this dusty umbrella range from aero racers to monster adventure rigs. So with gravel bikes becoming ever more numerous, choosing what to buy is getting harder.

We gave Jack Luke, Warren Rossiter and Liam Cahill a tricky task. Choose one bike which they could realistically buy and one that would require a significant win on the horses or lottery.

Given each rider has a very different take on gravel, there were a wide range of options brought to the table.

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Zwift might have a serious contender in 2025 after TrainingPeaks acquired IndieVelo.

The virtual indoor cycling app – now called TrainingPeaks Virtual – will be free to use until at least March 2025. With TrainingPeaks' new software being bundled as part of its premium subscription tier going forward, could it tempt Zwift users away from Watopia?

Liam and Simon sit down to discuss this, along with what's new in the indoor training world for the winter of 2024/25 – and whether any of the latest smart trainers are worth investing in.

• Zwift challengers up their game and why you don't need a new smart trainer | 2024 indoor cycling tech round-up

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Senior tech editor Alex joins video presenter Tom to discuss how to make your suspension forks perform better. After spending countless hours testing three of the latest forks from the biggest names – Fox, Öhlins and RockShox – Alex divulges all the tips and tricks he learnt, to help you get more from your setup.

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Almost every brand promises their waterproof jackets can lock out water on rainy days yet still allow sweat to ‘breathe’ through, to prevent you getting soaked from the inside. Is this possible, though?

In this episode, Ashley Quinlan sits down with Simon von Bromley to discuss why the marketing behind breathable waterproof clothing has misled us all, and what we can do to stay dry and comfortable when riding in wet weather.

This episode follows another on the same topic published earlier this year – 3 experts explain why your jacket isn’t waterproof

·         Why ‘breathable waterproof’ clothing is a myth, according to three experts

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In this edition of the BikeRadar Podcast, road lead Ashley Quinlan and senior technical writer Simon von Bromley are hosted by digital editor Jack Luke to talk about one of the most popular bike upgrades: carbon wheels.

Ash has been hard at work putting the latest sub-£1,000 carbon wheels to the test, and has emerged struggling to think of a reason why anyone should spend more of their hard-earned cash.

They also discuss some of Ash’s finer conclusions, including his thoughts on how limiting hookless can be. Here are the wheels tested:

Roval Rapide C38

Ere Research Omnia CLR45 - https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/wheels/wheel-sets/ere-research-omnia-clr45-review

Hunt 50 Carbon Disc - https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/wheels/wheel-sets/hunt-50-carbon-disc-review

Parcours Paniagua - https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/wheels/wheel-sets/parcours-paniagua-review

Giant SLR 2 50 Disc

Velocite Hyperdrive Carbon 50mm Disc

Remember, we’d love to hear your opinions about anything discussed in this episode – drop us an email at [email protected] with any questions or comments!

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Alex is joined by Jack and Tom to discuss the tech behind eight recently launched eMTBs, all fitted with the brand new Bosch Performance Line CX motor.

The bikes include Santa Cruz’s new Vala, Trek’s updated Rail+ Gen 5, Mondraker’s affordable and versatile Chaser, Focus’ hydroformed Jam2, Cube’s impressively priced Stereo Hybrid One44, Crestline’s boutique S180 and LS160, Norco’s high-pivot Sight VLT CX and Orbea’s all-new Wild.

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The UCI Gravel World Championships are into their third year, and were held in Flanders, Belgium this time out. Liam and Simon discuss how the tech choices of the main contenders show the race is slowly progressing towards becoming an event befitting the name.

We also hear from Connor Swift, Marianne Vos and Valtteri Bottas about the specific tech choices they made in the pursuit of speed on gravel.

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Mountain biking in Wales faces an uncertain future, thanks to cost savings at NRW – National Resources Wales. 

With NRW’s budgets flatlining in the face of inflationary pressures, the government agency has statutory responsibilities to maintain, forcing cuts to leisure facilities. This includes the maintenance of Wales’ extensive network of official trails.

Without maintenance, the organisation may need to close trails for safety reasons putting trail centres, and unofficial (or wild) trails also at risk.

In this episode we talk to Robin Grant, founder and president of The UK MTB Trail Alliance about the state of the UK trail network, and the problems being faced in Wales.

To find out more, and to help ensure the future of the trails, head to the UK MTB Trail Alliance website.

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