For the launch of its second-generation GRX groupset, Shimano has focused on evolution, and on giving riders more choices. They didn’t need a revolution, as the existing 11-speed groupset was, and is, excellent in almost every way.
Gravel Riding
Gravel Grinder News: Shimano and Lazer Partner on Tropical Leaves Shoe and Helmet Combo
Shimano and Lazer have teamed up to help you shed the winter blues with a new limited-edition “Tropical Leaves” color scheme.
Gravel Grinder News: Lazer Introduces KinetiCore
With the goals of producing safer, lighter, better ventilated bicycle helmets that use less plastics to produce, Lazer has introduced KinetiCore technology.
Gritty Take: Changes To Come From Recent Unrest and the Pandemic
Every year for the past several years, I have posted a “State of the Gravel Scene” series in January giving my personal opinions on where we’ve been and where we are going in terms of the gravel scene. When I opened up my look at the gravel scene in 2020 and beyond this past January, these were the first words I posted:
Redshift Sports ShockStop Seat Post: At The Finish
MG called the ShockStop seat post a ‘game changer’, and I would agree. It hits all points: Good looking, effective, and easily set up. If you’ve been shying away from riding gravel due to the roughness and vibrations, get the Redshift ShockStop post and match it with a ShockStop stem. You’ll be amazed at what control and comfort that set up will give you. Game changer indeed.
WTB Saddle Fit Right System: Quick Review
So, does WTB’s “Fit Rght System” work? Can you really measure your wrist, answer a few questions, and get a saddle for a bicycle that works well for you? Really? It sounds weird, until you dig into it, and then, it actually kind of starts making sense. I’ll leave the details to the scientists and professional bike fitters. All I know is that – yes. It does work.
Giant Bicycles Recon HL 1600 Light: At The Finish
The Recon HL 1600 is in a hotly contested category in the bike lighting market place. New contenders are out there with similar, and sometimes better, feature sets. As always, ‘caveat emptor’ when looking at this category, but the Recon HL 1600 is a solidly built, reliable light. While it has a basic feature set, (unless you own the proprietary Giant computer which opens up more features), it holds its own at the asking price of $126.00USD.
A Tale Of Three Bars: Giant Contact SL XR Dfuse Bar
Now then…the ride quality. It is smoother under sharp impacts than any alloy bar I have used. It is noticeable.
Castelli Climber’s 2.0 Jersey: Quick Review
It’s Castelli, and this is a race type jersey, so the cut is slim and I upped things to an XL just to make sure I could wear it with some of my pride intact. The fit for me was very good unless I zipped the jersey all the way up, then it felt odd and tugged across the front of the jersey. Even unzipping a little bit made that go away.
Cannondale Topstone Carbon Force eTap AXS: Checkpoint
The Cannondale Topstone Carbon has been one of the most talked about new gravel bikes for 2020. For more than two months, we’ve been testing a top-spec Topstone Carbon Force eTap AXS. Here’s an update on our experience with this groundbreaking new gravel bike.