(dramatic music)
- Welcome to the GCN Tech Show.
- Coming up this week we
tackle the age-old question,
what should your next upgrade be?
- We take a look at an unreleased bike
currently being raced on the World Tour.
- Yeah, and one that isn't
being raced at the World Tour,
because it's an e-bike,
the Focus Paralane Squared.
- Plus we have three
drop bar off-road bikes.
- And we also hit our
new presenter, Chris,
with a cheeky little tech quiz.
First question, Chris,
what do you think of the color Celeste?
- Ooh.
(upbeat techno music)
(dramatic music)
- Right, before we get on to what is hot
in the world of tech this week,
let's have a quick introduction to
one of our new presenters.
This is Chris Opie,
a pro-bike racer until pretty
much last week, I guess.
Although, there is no assurance
that you know your way around a bike,
so let's establish that quite clearly.
Chris, are you fussy about bike setup?
- [Chris] Yeah, you know,
I am particularly fussy.
- Yeah?
- I like my brakes to be wound
right in on the reach adjust,
and I like the pads not to contact the rim
until pretty much the
levers hitting the bar.
- Really, nice.
- Loads of movement.
- I like that.
- Never going to rub a
rim on the brake pads.
I also like my saddle to be
ever so slightly tilted down at the front.
- Yeah?
- 750 milometers from
center of the bottom bracket
to the center of the saddle.
I like my bars to be as low as possible,
stem, well, pretty much
as long as possible, but.
- Proper prof-bike racer.
That'll change, mate, in a few weeks
as you begin to retire more and more.
Right then, what about your
favorite piece of tech?
- Now, I'm torn on this one.
It's quite tricky, actually.
Disc brakes on a road bike,
because who doesn't want to stop
better, faster, more controlled?
- Wow, that's a valid point.
- But the one I'm gonna
choose is tubeless.
I've run tubeless on my
bike for the last 18 months,
and I don't carry a pump or a
tube with me anymore on rides.
- Wow!
- And you can run low
pressures, you've got more grip,
you got a smoother ride, it's win-win.
- I can pretty much hear people writing
in the comments section already.
That is definitely gonna cause
a bit of controversy there.
Right then, what about a very simple one;
aero or lightweight?
- Aero, every time.
- True sprinter, there.
And then, finally, this is
gonna be a good one, this one.
What is the coolest bike of all time?
- Now, that's tricky.
I'm gonna have to induct two to this one
because I love the 2005
Quickstep Time VXR.
They've been ridden throughout
all the classics that year.
- [Simon] I know the one,
the black one with the white and the red.
- [Chris] Yep, very classic-looking bike.
- [Simon] Yeah, okay, that is very cool.
- Lovely geometry.
Or, and for me this is probably
the one I would choose,
the 1998 Bianchi that Pantani rode
to the Giro and Tour double that year.
- Interesting; yeah,
that is a very cool bike.
But what color is it, Chris?
- It's yellow, but predominantly Celeste.
- Good choices there, Chris.
I think a lot of people are probably
nodding in agreement, as well.
We have one more chance to
check out Chris's tech credentials
because you're inducting a product
onto the Wall of Fame, as well,
which I'm particularly excited about,
so stay tuned for that one.
- A little retro edition
from 15 years ago,
but before that, from
retro tech to future tech,
there were two new bikes at
the Criterium du Dauphine,
the traditional Tour
de France warm up race.
The Trek Madone Disc and
the Specialized Venge Disc.
- There's also been a new
Ridley that's been spotted
hidden underneath this special wrap
that simultaneously managed to scream,
"Hey, look at me," but
then I'm cool with that
because it looks absolutely amazing.
Now, just like the Trek
and the Specialized,
this too has an integrated
once-piece bar and stem
with all the cabling seemingly
hidden away in there,
so the whole thing looks super neat
and, presumably, pretty aero.
- [Chris] Yeah, they've also
updated the forks as well.
- [Simon] Yeah?
- Also, more aero, but curiously
they've gone for rim brakes and not discs.
- Yeah, that is interesting, isn't it?
Now, a lot of people, I think,
are probably going to be tempted to say
that, actually, all these aero
bikes are starting to look
just a little bit similar and it's true
because there is definitely
like a really clear
aero silhouette emerging,
but I think it's worth
pointing out that bikes have
always looked quite similar
and perhaps we've been
spoiled over the last 20 years
as manufacturers have
kind of been grappling
with carbon fiber and
we've been treated to
all these kind of wacky designs
and now they're just sort
of honing back in on one,
just like in the era of round steel tubes
and double diamond frames.
I mean, bikes look pretty
similar to that, don't they?
- Well, presumably, there can
only be one fastest design.
And since everyone's trying to increase
the aerodynamics of their bike,
maybe they'll all end up
looking exactly the same,
or a little bit formula one.
- That is true actually, isn't it?
There can only be, you'd have thought,
one fastest aero bike.
- Or can there?
- Hey, maybe there can be
two totally different ones
and they're just as fast as each other?
You'd be like, "Oh, you've
gone for the drop seat steel,
"and I've gone for the whatever."
- Help with the tailwind there.
- (laughs) Yes, specific aero bikes
for specific weather conditions.
That would be worse than bottom
bracket standards, Chris.
- Oh, I can think of a few.
- For bikes that look similar then,
to one that is strikingly different
and it's fair to say,
it kind of polarized
opinion when it was launched
is the Canyon Inflite Cyclocross bike.
Although, now, I think
it looks pretty amazing,
in no small part than
to Mathieu van der Poel
riding one so blooming fast.
But, anyway, their 2019
range has just been released,
including an aluminium
one that joins the party.
- [Chris] Yeah and it's
got SRAM Apex 1 bike.
Maybe something for you there, Si.
- One bite, you know me too well, Chris.
All right, now when Katherine
was over at the Dirty Kanza,
she got a great look at
some hot new tech there.
You may have seen the video
that we released last week,
but, anyway, one of
the bikes in particular
was a prototype version
of the Salsa Warbird.
Okay, so this is now the fourth generation
of that venerable Gravel Grinder,
now looking more like a
mountain bike than ever,
you gotta say, but we will
leave it to Katherine,
to talk you through it.
- We're here at the Salsa stand
with one of their latest
prototypes of the Warbird.
Now, it's really gone next level in terms
of technology on the gravel side here.
We've got a dropper
seatpost, suspension fork,
and the ability to fit, not
only three bottles in the frame,
but also underneath and potentially
on the other forks, as well.
(dramatic music)
- I don't know about you, Si,
but I love nothing more
than new kit and equipment.
Sometimes, when I'm out
on my bike by myself,
I find myself thinking
about little upgrades
or big upgrades that
are going to completely
transform my ability on the bike.
- (laughs) Yeah and, too, I
think we're all guilty there.
I certainly am.
I once briefly considered
running a single speed
instead of a one-by.
Yeah, and then about five minutes later,
I decided that that was a bad idea.
But other things, as well, like
tread pattern on your tires,
or tire width, would
that transform the speed
I could ride my cross bike at?
Should I buy new sunglasses?
- I think some people, in
fact, most people would say
you should probably,
definitely buy new sunglasses.
- (laughs) Yeah, all right, fair enough.
- Anyway, it's endless, where do you go?
- Well that is true, actually,
and the cool thing is is
that an upgrade to your bike
can actually improve
your ability on the bike,
whether it's making your bike lighter
or making it more comfortable,
or making it look better
'cause, obviously,
we all know that that
has a positive effect
on your riding ability, as well.
- Absolutely, you know what?
Right now, if I could change one thing,
it'd be my brakes.
- Your brakes?
- My brakes.
I don't know what I've done wrong,
if it's me, if it's that I've
not set 'em up properly yet,
but they squeal like a
large bass on a grinder.
- (laughter) What are you
going to do to 'em then?
- I'm probably just
going to change the pads,
change the compound, something
softer, something quieter.
- I said on record, Chris,
a few weeks back that
I didn't think that you
should upgrade brake pads.
(Simon clearing throat)
- Hmm.
- But, I mean, what do I know?
- A bit of a talking point there.
I reckon we should have a test.
- Ooh.
- Future video idea?
- Testing brake pads.
To further, if you're going
down the whole breaking route,
I think there is a strong case to say,
actually, upgrading
tires would be good too.
If your brakes are performing better
than having a wider tired
gives you more grip,
you can also therefore
run it softer, as well,
and you get more comfort and, potentially,
you get more speed over
rough roads, as well.
And then, you could go mega wide
and you could ride your bike off road.
That's an upgrade;
you get an entirely new bike
for the price of two tires.
- New bike, new sport.
Maybe we did cross the
line somewhere back there.
- [Simon] Okay, yeah, maybe
that's too much of an upgrade.
- Sometimes, the best
upgrades are the simple ones.
For instance, the feeling of a new saddle,
one of the most important
contact points on your bike.
- Yeah, unarguably.
- There is nothing worse
than a sagging saddle.
(Simon chuckles)
Sometimes as they wear,
they just start to dip
in between the rails
and you'd find yourself
slowly getting cradled
in the middle of this
poorly sad, sagging saddle.
(Simon chuckles)
- Well, you say that, and I do understand
but this sounds like a
confession now, Chris,
but I quite like the
feeling of a sagging saddle,
and that cradling sensation.
As long as it's my bum
that has made it sag in the first place,
then I'm happy.
It's like sitting in an old saddle,
it's like putting on a
comfortable pair of jeans.
- I'm not sure I agree with that.
- No?
- I always find myself sliding
further and further and
forwards on the saddle
the more worn it became
for the very reason that
it was just horribly
uncomfortable in the middle.
- Well, fair enough.
Each to their own when it
comes to saggy saddles or not.
- How about bar tape?
- Okay, now we're on the
same page; fresh bar tape.
- [Chris] You could
have softer or grippier,
or just a different color, keep it fresh,
keep it clean, either way,
it's going to change the
look and feel of your bike.
- Yeah, you'd struggle to say
that it improves the performance,
though, don't you think?
- Well, if you can grip the bars better,
do you feel more confident in the corners
when you're sprinting,
when you're attacking?
- Says a man with biceps
three times the size of mine.
Yeah, fair enough, all right.
If you've got massive guns then, yeah,
potentially new bar tape
would be a good one.
But I'll tell you what though,
although, bar tape's
great, 'cause it's cheap,
as well, and that's the important point,
but actually sometimes the best upgrades
are the most boring ones,
as well, aren't they?
So new cables, new brake cables.
- [Chris] Nothing beats good shifting.
- Yeah, exactly, new gear cables,
to revolutionize your shifting,
new brake cables, get
better brakes instantly,
and then a new chain, as well,
get a more responsive bike.
Potentially, if you let it go too far,
you might need to need to refresh
that whole drive-train, but that too,
would also boost performance,
even if it doesn't change
the look of your bike,
your bike will feel nicer to ride.
That's an upgrade for me.
- Nothing beats the
feeling of smooth pedaling
with a new chain.
- [Simon] Yeah, that is very true.
- So you fixed all the bits
that are wrong on your bike.
Where do you go from there?
- Well, yeah, that's the
important point, isn't it?
I reckon you can't start
thinking about upgrades
until your bike actually works properly.
So, yeah, let's say that.
Number one, the best
upgrades are fixing your bike
until you get to a
point, and then, for me,
it's probably tires and wheels actually.
I think they're not
insignificant purchases,
certainly wheels aren't,
but that is definitely
two things that can totally change the way
your bike feels and, also,
change the way your bike looks.
Which for the better.
- You could go from
silver-rimmed aluminium wheels
to black carbon wheels and all of a sudden
your bike looks like a
completely different bike.
- True enough.
- And it's gonna be lighter.
And if saving weight's your
thing, latex inner tubes.
- That's true, the best value upgrade
you can make to your bike to save weight.
- 120 grams, $20, roughly.
- Yeah, I reckon, if you can
find a cheap latex inner tube,
you could definitely do that.
And, yeah, it makes it the best way.
Also, here's another sneaky one,
lightweight brake cables and gear cables,
or the outers, obviously,
if you want to save weight
on your cables themselves,
that would be a disaster.
But the outers, quite
a bit of weight saving,
not very expensive.
- Color coated, or black?
- [Simon] Black, yeah.
- Remember the Nokon
ones they did years ago--
- Yeah.
- With the little beads?
- Yeah.
- They were pretty cool.
Although, you know what?
Even after all those
things we've just listed,
perhaps the single best thing you could do
to improve your bike,
to upgrade your bike,
would just be to keep it clean.
A proper degrease, a proper
re-oil, and away you go.
It'll feel like new and
it will last longer too.
- I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat,
'cause I didn't have to say it this time.
There's a man who knows his core;
keep your bike clean and
it will feel amazing.
- Look after your bike and
it will look after you.
That's what I was always told.
- There we go.
Now, thinking about catch phrases,
I reckon there's going to be
people in the comments, Chris,
who, quite rightly, are going to point out
that well worn phrase, don't
buy upgrades, ride up grades.
Wrongly, I'd suggest it
attributed to Eddy Merckx.
I can't imagine Eddy
Merckx ever saying that.
First, his bikes were pimped out,
and, secondly, it would
be a weird knowledge
of American English, wouldn't it?
Ride up grades.
But, anyway, that's beside the point.
The thing about that phrase, right?
Is I don't disagree.
You definitely should ride up grades,
but you can't do that
all day, you'd get tired.
So what do you do when
you're not riding up grades?
You think about upgrades
and that's why it's okay,
so you do both, not mutually exclusive.
Ride up grades and buy upgrades.
It's a two for one.
- Two for one.
It's win-win.
- Exactly, right.
Now, on that slightly bizarre
and labored point at the end,
do make sure that you let us
know in the comments section
what you think about this?
What is the best upgrade
you can make to your bike
and what is going to be your next upgrade
that you're gonna make to your bike?
We're super interested
to read all of those.
Get involved.
(dramatic music)
- Right, let's get back on
to some new tech, shall we?
Firstly, we've got to
give a little shout-out
to Canyon SRAM, the coolest
team in pro cycling.
And fair play to them,
they've changed their kit design
and they still look flipping cool.
So wearing a limited edition number,
for the Tour of Britain, or
the Women's Tour, rather,
which is taking place
in the UK at the moment.
It is going to be a limited edition kit
and it's designed to draw attention to
the Rapha Women's 100 that's
taking place in September.
- [Chris] That really is a cool kit, Si.
- [Simon] It is great, isn't it?
- And sticking with Rapha and cool kit,
if we can for a second,
they've recently released
a Criterium clothing,
which is an iridescent oil slick color.
- Nice.
- Pretty cool.
- [Simon] Yeah, with
reflective dots, no less.
I like that, it's a thumbs up for me.
- [Chris] Yeah, me too.
- Cool.
Right, I'll tell you what I also like
is the look of this new BMC just released,
it's called the Roadmachine X
and it is an evolution
of their Roadmachine,
but with added cross ability.
Now, if we're going to look
at our gravel spectrum,
I'd say this one probably falls
right there in the middle,
so it's got clearance for
34 milometer wide tires
so plenty for going off
road, but not super huge,
extreme gravel tires
slash mountain bike tires.
And also, when you look at the
geometry, on paper at least,
you'd think that this
looks quite nice and agile,
a bit like a road bike.
- You know what I like about it?
Is that it's got a nice long reach on it,
but with a view to fitting a shorter stem.
- Yeah.
- To keep the handling nice
and tight and responsive.
Kind of like how mountain
bikes are set up these days.
- Yeah.
- Can we mention that on here?
- Yeah, we can mention
mountain bikes on here.
- Cool.
- It's also got an aluminium frame,
just like that Canyon Inflite
we were talking about earlier on.
And, indeed, just like that
Canyon Inflite aluminium bike,
it too has a SRAM Apex
1x drive-train on there.
In the all, that looks like
a pretty good look looking bike to me,
and do you know what
I also liked about it?
It's that there seems to
be no mention of gravel
in any of their marketing material for it.
- [Chris] Yeah, not quite.
- Oh?
- Four paragraphs in,
gravel adventures.
- [Simon] Ah, man.
- [Chris] Sorry, Simon.
- [Simon] One mention of gravel, so close.
From gravel to another
buzzword though, now,
and that is e-bikes.
We were particularly taken
last year at Eurobike
with the Focus Project Y
Series that was debuted,
concepted and we weren't
the only ones, in fact,
'cause it actually won a Eurobike award,
I seem to remember at the time.
But, anyway, now something
has made it into production
and it's called the
Focus Paralane Squared.
So it uses the German-made
FAZUA motor battery system,
which is particularly impressive.
It can be completely integrated
into the bike though,
and it's also remarkably light, as well.
- Yeah, the battery and
the motor themselves,
only weigh three kilos,
bringing the total weight
to a tiny 13 kilos for
a fully fledged e-bike.
- Yeah, that's not bad.
- 400 watts at your disposal,
250 watts for over an hour off road,
and anything up to 25 Ks an hour,
you'll have that assistance,
which actually is, you know--
- That's going some off road, isn't it?
- Yeah, you're gonna be shifting,
some little gravel drifts maybe.
- (laughs) Yeah, well, bare in mind...
So, the Paralane, I think it's the same
as the ordinary Paralane.
It can only squeeze in up to
35 milometer wide tires on there.
I suppose that's probably perfect
for gravel drifts I guess.
- It's gonna take you to terrain
that you couldn't on a normal road bike.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- It's pretty cool.
- Yeah, yeah, fair enough.
So, yeah, that one is particularly
interesting, actually.
Right, now, before we leave
new tech for this week
we want to give a cheeky
little shout-out to
our mates over at Wahoo.
Again, if you saw the GCN show,
you'll be familiar with these.
It's a limited edition
Element Bolt Colorway, right?
First of all, we've got this
lovely little lemon-lime number,
particularly a fan of this one.
- Or, to go with my time
from earlier in the show,
black and red and white.
- Yeah, that's cool there.
- Pretty cool.
- Match your GCN kit, as
well, know what I mean?
- Quite nice, yeah.
(dramatic music)
- It's time now for the Wall of Fame.
Last week, Jon and Tom
inducted the disc wheel,
this week, it's over to Chris.
- Well, Si, this week, I want to put the
one-piece bar and stem in there.
- Yeah?
- More specifically,
the Cinelli Integralter,
which was made in the
late 90s, early 2000s.
- Yeah?
- It wasn't the first one-piece
bar and stem to be made,
but, in my opinion, it was
definitely the most iconic.
- I think you might be right, truth that.
It was perhaps the most iconic and, also,
perhaps the heaviest, as well,
570 grams, apparently, for
a hundred-mill long stem
and 39.5 centimeter wide bars.
So no lightweight and it looks quite,
well, it looks like
something you might find
in a rally car, at best,
and perhaps on the back
of a tractor, at worst.
But, nevertheless, there's
some kind of beauty
in the functionality of
that bit kit, isn't it?
- Yeah, it was a bit over
engineered, wasn't it?
(Simon chuckles)
For a bar and stem.
- Well, yeah.
- And, unlike these from Brick Lane Bikes,
they were also available in the silver,
which is perhaps a little more fitting
with the era from which their from.
- Yeah, the era of one-inch steer tubes
and dodgy internal cable return.
- Yeah, okay.
Maybe we ignore those two
design flaws for the minute?
- (laughs) Yeah.
- Cinelli also introduced
a slightly questionable
stem sticker, at some point,
for those that really wanted
to liven up their cockpit.
- [Simon] Like a Mario Cipollini, I guess.
- Yeah, just like that really.
- Yeah.
- Bars were first
produced in the late 1990s
and kind of disappeared quite
quietly in the early 2000s.
- Yeah, but single-piece bars and stems,
I mean, they have come
a long way since then
and gathering popularity.
- They have.
- Certainly a lot lighter.
You're looking at, what?
Like 300 and something grams
for a similar size bar and stem?
- Pretty much have the weight these days.
- Yeah, and so many different
designs and shapes and sizes;
there is something for everyone.
I used to shy away from one-pieces,
thinking that I actually liked
the adjustment of two-piece,
and now I think they're great.
Genuinely, I think they're amazing.
- One-piece is stiffer, it's lighter,
and I think it actually looks better.
- [Simon] I think it looks better, yeah.
On the right kind of bike.
- Yeah.
- Not like a carbon bike, basically.
- Yeah, on an aero bike.
- Yeah.
- All good trends have to start somewhere.
- They did, indeed.
- And this one started with those.
- There we go, then.
Cinelli Integralters onto
the GCN Wall of Fame.
That was a good one.
Make sure you get
involved in the comments.
Obviously, we value your
input onto the Wall of Fame.
In fact, we'd rather you suggest 'em.
But, anyway, get involved in the comments
and tell us what you think
needs to go up next week.
(dramatic music)
- Right then, you ready for
the results for Bike of the Week?
This is that point in the show,
are you about to drum roll?
- I was gonna drum roll, yeah.
I thought it was like an
appropriate announcement.
- Well, it probably is, actually.
So, last week, we asked you
to choose which one you prefer,
the newer Trek Madone,
we think it's a Madone.
Obviously, it hasn't been released yet.
Versus the new specialized
Venge, we think it's a Venge.
It hasn't been released yet.
Now, drum rolling, you ready, mate?
(hands drumming)
The winner with 55% of the vote,
is the Trek.
- Yay!
- There we go.
So, yeah, clearly that
mega down-tube decal,
the red is what's winning people over.
- And discs, definitely.
- Well, yeah, but then the
Express line's got discs, too.
- Well, that's a good point.
- Yeah, so it's the paint job.
No, both of them mega bikes.
Personally, I'd have gone
for the Trek, actually.
- I think I would, too.
It's just got the big tubes.
Big tubes, big stickers;
that's what everyone wants.
- Yeah, that's a bling looking bike.
Right, then, what are we
voting on this week, Chris?
- This week we've got the Canyon Inflite
versus the BMC Roadmachine X.
- Now, all right, so two
actually relatively reasonably
priced bikes, for once,
up to vote between.
Both aluminium frames, both
SRAM Apex 1x with discs,
which one's it gonna be?
- Pretty versatile bikes, too.
- Yeah, absolutely.
(dramatic music)
- It's that time of week again
where we go to the Bike Vault.
- Oh, yeah.
- You've submitted your
pictures and we give them
a super nice and a ring
of the bell or a nice.
- It's not a thumbs down mate.
- It's not, sorry.
- It's still a nice.
But, anyway, right.
Go on then, who's up first?
- First off we've got Rami,
from Vancouver, Canada.
He's submitted us his
(chuckles) 2015 Felt AR FRD
with some pretty sweet
components in his opinion.
- [Simon] Well, I think
my opinion too, actually.
Mate, look at that.
- Yeah.
- [Simon] So we've got
a SRAM, is that eTap?
Now, hang on a minute.
Whoa, wait a minute.
- It's Dura-Ace.
- [Simon] Oh, hang on a minute.
Yeah, he's got a Dura-Ace, but
that's a SRAM Red chain set.
- [Chris] Power meter.
- [Simon] Ah, okay.
- [Chris] He's laying down some
serious watts in Vancouver.
That looks like one
tasty race bike, as well.
- [Simon] It does, I'm sorry.
It's just that whole kind
of mix of SRAM and Shimano,
which is kind of...
It's making me feel a
little bit uncomfortable.
- I mean I love the colors, personally.
I like the purple decals on the wheels,
I think it looks pretty cool.
Deep aggressive wheels, as
well, to go with the aero frame.
I like this.
- I'm still struggling, mate (laughs).
This is a SRAM chain set on
a Dura-Ace equipped bike.
Whoa.
- [Chris] It's a nice one for me, Si.
- [Simon] A nice, not a super nice.
- [Chris] Well, it's
struggling with the mix.
- [Simon] You are struggling, too.
- [Chris] And the bars in the background.
If you got rid of the bars
that'd be a fantastic photo.
- Yeah, I do really love the bike.
Jokes aside about mixing your groups,
yes, I do think that's absolutely great.
But you're right,
it's a nice.
It's so close to a super
nice, but it is a nice.
- I'd ride it, though.
- Yeah, and by the way,
he also says some of you
might pick up on the fact
that water bottle is grossly garish
compared to the rest of the bike,
but he's saying that it's an
actual Team Sky water bottle
that they were kind enough
to give him at Abu Dhabi,
and it gives him a little
motivation when he rides,
which I think is super cool.
But not super nice.
Sorry, Rami, give it another go, mate.
Give it another go.
All right, next up we've
got a Swift Ultravox Ti.
Now, this one has a really
tragic backstory, actually.
Sent in by Mohammed
Peract from South Africa,
so we really feel for you Mohamed.
But, anyway, glossing over that,
this is a Swift with a
very special paint job.
I'm a big fan of that.
- It's stunning.
- And I love the build on this.
So SRAM Red eTap with an
AbsoluteBLACK chainring on there,
which they look bling, don't they?
- [Chris] That is beautiful, yeah.
- [Simon] Yeah, Epic wheels, I think.
Zip handle bars and stem.
That's proper bling there, isn't it?
- You know what I like the most?
Apart from the colors,
which are a reminder to him
of his wife and his son,
is there are no cables.
It just looks so neat having that eTap.
- Yeah, it does look good, doesn't it?
So what we're thinking?
Is that a super nice or a nice?
- For the color scheme alone,
I think it has to get a super nice.
- [Simon] Really?
- It's quite rare to see a
custom painted bike these days.
You don't see them all the time and,
those colors on the gray background,
they work really well for me.
- There we go; ring the bell.
(cow bell ringing)
(cheering)
It's a super nice.
Right then, next up.
We got this from Rob Odies
and it's his Saffron HSS steel race bike.
So that's a custom
builder based in the UK.
- [Chris] Steel is real.
- [Simon] It is indeed
and that is a beauty.
Hand-painted by Phil Ashcroft
in London, we're told.
So there we go, and on quite
a famous climb in the UK.
- [Chris] Yeah, it looks
a bit like Box Hill to me.
- I believe it is Box Hill.
- Quite a backdrop.
- You can tell it's in the UK
'cause it's a famous climb
and, yet, it almost looks
like it's a sea level.
- [Chris] (laughs) Yeah, there we go.
- [Simon] But it's not
raining, so there we go.
Right, what do you think
about this one, Chris?
- [Chris] Well, I think it's quite unique
to see a steel bike, for a start.
I mean, I know there's
a bit of a resurgence,
steel is real, but that
paint job is quite striking.
- [Simon] It's quite beautiful, isn't it?
- [Chris] It's a break
from the norm these days
of the dark and somewhat
subtle paint jobs.
- Yeah.
- It slightly stands out,
and with the white stem, as well.
Quite a throw back to
the early 2000s for me.
- [Simon] I tell you, I do love
when a stem is custom painted
the same tone as the rest of the bike.
So what do we got on there?
We got Dura-Ace Di2.
I just think that's
cool, actually, isn't it?
- Power meter, as well.
- Yep.
- [Chris] Saddle bag.
- Well, no, I don't think
it detracts from it.
- [Chris] No, the way it fits,
it fits with the steel frame.
- For me--
- I like it.
- It's a super nice.
- Ring the bell, Si.
(cow bell ringing)
- There we go, super nice.
Two super nices, one nice.
What's coming up next?
- This is Jerry Seelen's
Specialized Roubaix
on a cloudy, drizzly ride
the other morning in
Bellingham, Washington.
- [Simon] I tell you what,
that is moody, isn't it?
- [Chris] It is, it is.
Look at the way the clouds are hanging
over the mountain there,
it's pretty spectacular.
- [Simon] Yeah, first impressions;
this is a beautifully proportioned bike
and what I'm particularly
excited about is that it looks
so amazing and we've got shallow
aluminium BOX echelon rims,
which is great.
- Yeah.
- [Simon] It just looks really classic,
but yet, it's obviously not
'cause it's a Specialized Roubaix.
So we've got like those
Zerts elastomers in there,
but I think it looks great.
- [Chris] Well, they've
been around for a while now.
- [Simon] They have, yeah.
But it just looks cool.
- [Chris] Yeah and Jon Cannings'
favorite color in the bottle there.
- [Simon] (laughs) Yeah.
Oh, yeah, jarring slightly
with the bar tape.
Ah, mate!
Ah, you've drawn my attention to it
and now I can't forget it.
(Chris laughs)
No, it's cool, I like that.
I like the misty backdrop.
- [Chris] I think the onco is subtracting
a little from your bike.
I think if you'd had no
onco in the background,
you know, the guard rail?
- Yeah.
Are we saying it's a nice
and a resubmission needed?
- Ooh, I think that bike
in a different location
with that bottle when Jon's
here, would be a super nice.
(Simon laughs)
- There we go.
I'm really sorry, we're
not going to ring the bell.
Right next, we've got a bike
sent in by Enrico Cathcier,
and he started his email with,
"I know nobody at GCN loves
the Celeste color of Biachi,
"but I won't give up."
We don't say we don't love Celeste,
it's just Jon that is not
a massive fan, you say.
But, anyway, here is his
Bianchi Specialissima
in Celeste Fluro Matte,
which maybe Jon would like, actually.
Anyway, full Campagnolo Chorus Groupset,
Bora 150 tubular wheels,
and this was taken in
Switzerland on the Bramag,
a two and a half kilometer climb,
with tops in average
gradient and he says that
that is why the chain is
on the small chainring,
which is otherwise a faux pa
in this neck of the woods.
- [Chris] Fair enough
excuse though, I think.
- [Simon] It is, it's a
beautiful bike, there.
I'm not going to lie, Celeste
Fluro Matte is quite a color,
and those Specialissimas
are mega, aren't they?
- [Chris] You know, I've not
thought about it recently,
but deep drop handlebars
like you've got there,
they look so cool all of a sudden.
You see so many compact
bars these days for guys
that just wanna sit in the
drops real quick and easy--
- That's me!
- Well--
- I love compact bars.
- Functionally, they're brilliant,
but seeing deep drop bars like that,
they just look so cool.
- You think?
- I think so, yeah.
- Aesthetically, a deep drop bar.
- Well, yeah, okay.
You're attempting to give
it a super nice, aren't you?
Despite the fact that his
chain's not on the big ring.
- [Chris] Despite the
chair, despite being in the,
I think you're in the 30 or
the 28 in the back, as well.
I dunno, it's quite cool.
I like this one, I'm not
a big fan of Celeste,
but when it's that in your
face, you can's escape it,
and maybe being that bold
is actually pretty cool.
- Go on, Chris.
- I'd give it a ring.
- [Chris] The backdrop, the bike.
(cow bell ringing)
- Enrico, that is a super nice.
Right, then, last up.
We're staying in Switzerland, actually.
I've got this one from Fabian from Bern.
- [Chris] Oh, I wonder.
- [Simon] Fabian Cancellara?
- Do you think?
- Yeah.
Well, I mean, he's riding a
Merida, so it could well be.
Anyway, no, Merida's Cyclo Cross 6000
currently with road
tires, Ultegra shifting,
and I think it's a cool looking bike.
And I particularly like
the effort you've gone to
with your photo, which
looks cool ass, doesn't it?
- [Chris] You've either got on wet feet,
wearing boots, or you can
just swim really, really well.
You're halfway through a river here.
- [Simon] Yeah!
- [Chris] It's top marks for effort.
- [Simon] Yep, I think that
looks proper cool, you know?
It's a great photo and the
bike looks fantastic in it.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- [Simon] Top marks, Fabian.
- Super nice?
- You'll see that a lot
from your times, bro.
Yeah, for sure, that's a super nice.
(cow bell ringing)
Merida's Cy Cross 6000, super nice.
- Right.
- Good work.
- As always, thank you very much
for the submissions that you sent in
for Bike Vault this week.
We have enjoyed going through all of them
and, even if it hasn't
made it onto the show,
please keep trying.
If you want to send us a picture,
then the email address
is on the screen now.
- Well, that's pretty much
it from us here this week.
Do you want to tell us
what's coming up on the show?
- I can indeed, mate.
So on Saturday we have
our customary pro bike.
This week it's Janse
van Rensburg's Cervelo.
Then, on Sunday, we've
got a mega unboxing,
which I'm particularly excited about.
- That's always exciting.
- Very exciting, yeah.
Monday's maintenance video
is gonna be a nice one,
back to basics, nice and simple,
it's how to fit a tire.
So maybe not one for most
of us here on the tech show,
but still an important skill
and someone needs to
show you how to do it,
in the first place.
And then, on Wednesday,
it is Ask GCN Anything.
- Nice.
- There we go, right.
Thank you very much, Chris,
for your first GCN Tech Show.
Some cracking entries in
the Wall of Fame there,
and, also, still impressed
with your coolest bikes
of all time, so there you go.
Undoubtedly, everyone
else will be, as well.
So, yeah, big thumbs up.
If you want to watch
another video right now,
make sure you check out Katherine's tech
from Dirty Kanza, as well.
Gravel tech, there we said it.
- Thumbs up and subscribe.
