Last month we told you about the overhauled Canyon Endurace CFR, a pro-ready bike that was ready to provide aero performance in a lightweight package. Today we get to tell you about a couple of additional Endurace models Canyon is bringing to market – the CF SLX and the CF. These aren’t just scaled back versions of the top of the line CFR – these are distinct models that bring the Endurace family to four models. There’s an entry level AL, today’s new mid-range CF and the more-than-capable performance model SLX, along with the aforementioned CFR. All are very different, each fitting a niche for riders of any level.

Canyon Endurace CF SLX

While the CFR has a definitive pro feel with an aero profile that rivals Canyon’s Aeroad, the new CF SLX model leans a bit more towards comfort. While still aero, there’s more of an upright fit, increased tire clearance and fender compatibility to provide a nice balance between race-readiness and long days in the saddle.

The more relaxed geometry used for the CF SLX includes a slightly higher stack than on the CFR. That, coupled with a shorter reach than Canyon’s race bikes, leads to that more upright positioning. That doesn’t mean this bike isn’t still aero – the wind tunnel tests showed just 209 watts of drag at 45 kph – that’s only four watts more than the CFR recorded. Comfort is enhanced thanks to the VCLS Aero seat post that boosts vertical compliance by more than 25% compared to a rigid post. Fit is also dialled in even more on the CF SLX thanks to the inclusion of the PACE Bar cockpit, providing 50 mm of width and 20 mm of height adjustment.

Canyon has also improved the storage capacity of the bike – the aero profile of the downtube widens at the water bottle cages to provide an area that can easily house a multi-tool, tube, tire irons and CO2 cartridge without compromising aerodynamics.

Geometry

Specifications

* Pricing is provisional and subject to change.

Canyon Endurace CF

The CF model looks more like the Endurace you’re used to seeing, featuring an extremely lightweight carbon frame (950 g) that provides lots of performance and comfort. The comfortable ride is improved on the higher end models with the addition of the VCLS 2.0 seat post which provides up to 20 mm of vertical flex. Like the CF SLX you can mount DEFEND Fast Fenders to provide some protection when it gets wet outside. You’ve also got 38 mm tire clearance to give you lots of options on the tire front, which also brings new meaning to the “all road” dynamic of this bike.

Geometry

Specs

* Pricing is provisional and subject to change.

The post Canyon Adds Even More to the Endurace Family first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

With over a million registered users worldwide (the company has over two million accounts), Zwift is the undisputed leader on the indoor cycling app front. Today Zwift announced that it has acquired ROUVY, arguably the leader on the real-world indoor cycling front. (ROUVY reportedly has over 300,000 subscribers, but that number has grown dramatically over the last year.) While Zwift offers its users gamified virtual worlds, ROUVY has always blended real-world video of routes with virtual racing and training. Today’s announcement, though, means that Zwift will now have a huge foothold on the reality-based side of indoor training.

“This is a major moment for both Zwift and ROUVY”, says Eric Min, Zwift co-founder and CEO. “We have a huge amount of respect for what ROUVY has achieved, developing a fantastic product and growing their global community by demonstrating there is a strong market for real video experiences. ROUVY’s differentiated experience is proof we can be stronger together, and I’m excited to see how this deal will accelerate our mission to make more people, more active, more often.”

According to Min, over the last year the indoor cycling market has grown “at the fastest rate since COVID” – he argues that’s “been driven by the increased affordability and simplicity of ‘Zwift Ready’ smart trainers, which offer compatibility with virtually any bike.”

Today’s announcement means that those who are looking for a different indoor experience to that offered by Zwift will also enjoy that same ease of access. Zwift has confirmed that Zwift Ready trainers and Zwift Ride smart frames will work with ROUVY, “making it easier for new users to get started.”

While ROUVY now comes under the Zwift umbrella, both companies will continue to operate independently. Last year Rouvy acquired competitor FulGaz from IRONMAN, and became the “Official Digital Sports Platform of the global IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon Series.” (It also acquired BKool last July, but retired that app in March.)

“I am really proud of ROUVY and our community,” says Petr Samek, CEO and Founder of ROUVY. “This is a strong validation of what we’ve built with our team and community, connecting indoor and outdoor training through real routes. ROUVY will continue to be the ROUVY you all know and love, with the same team and the same focus on helping riders achieve their cycling goals. For our community, this means we’ll keep building the experience you know, supporting your training all year round. Now, supported by Zwift and the Zwift hardware ecosystem, we have an opportunity to create even more experiences in the world of indoor cycling reality.”

Upsides/ Downsides

Based on today’s announcement, there really aren’t too many downsides for indoor-biking enthusiasts. The two platforms will run independently, so those who prefer a more gamified experience will continue to have Zwift, while those looking for “real routes” can enjoy the ROUVY platform.

One potential perk for Zwift users from the platform could be the addition of IRONMAN courses to Zwift. As Min was quick to point out, ROUVY customers will now enjoy support for Zwift Ready equipment. It will also be interesting to see if, down the road, Zwift comes up with some combination packaging that allows users to bounce back and forth between the two platforms. Of course, there’s not necessarily a lot of interest for that option – but no-doubt the folks at Zwift will come up with some way to measure that demand and react accordingly.

The big news now, though, is that Zwift has taken another step on its way to controlling even more of the indoor riding app market, in essence gaining control of three products that once competed with it – ROUVY, FulGaz and BKool (which, as we noted earlier, was retired earlier this year). That certainly isn’t a harbinger of cheaper prices for consumers in the future, although there still remains lots of alternatives/ competition. TrainingPeaks Virtual, MyWhoosh and TrainerRoad remain in the mix, giving consumers a few different options for their indoor bike training.

The post Virtual Meets Reality – Zwift Acquires ROUVY as Market Booms first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

This is Felt’s second major product release since November 2025, when Cesar Rojo and Florian Burguet completed a buyout to take 100% ownership of the company.

What Felt is Claiming with the New Breed

Comparing to the 2022 version of the bike, according to Felt’s internal comparisons:

• 22.8% lower system weight (frame, fork, and cockpit combined). The frame is listed at 950g in size 54 in the FRD 12K layup. Complete bike weight on the FRD build with SRAM Red XPLR AXS is listed at 7.037 kg.
• 10.5% lower aerodynamic drag, credited by Felt to new tube profiles, a redesigned fork, and the one-piece integrated cockpit.

Weight is an easy claim to verify; everyone has a scale at home and it becomes more of a power meter “+/-1%” argument.

But it’s pretty clear when you look at the provided overlay of the new Breed (blue) over the previous generation (gray) that they were able to remove a lot of material.

When it comes to the aerodynamic claims, it’s something that people are just going to have either see for what it is or not. In speaking with Felt, the claims come from CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), and that most of these savings come from the new head top and unified front bar.

What About the Fit?

Felt describes the geometry as derived from its Nexar aero road platform, with reach and stack values claimed to be consistent across the two bikes.

Some observations from the published numbers: first, head tube angle in size 54 is 70.0°. Most current aero-focused gravel race bikes specify 71° to 72° in the equivalent size. The Breed’s figure is closer to endurance gravel geometry than to the steeper end of the race category.

Head tube angle and fork rake both vary across the size range — 70.0° to 71.5° on the head tube, 55mm to 50mm of rake. The result is trail held in a 66-73mm band across six sizes. The alternative approach, common at this price point, is one head tube angle and one rake across all sizes.

Chainstay length is 430mm on every size. Bottom bracket drop varies with size: 77mm on XS, 74.5mm on S and M, 72mm on L through XXL. The frame accepts tires up to 54mm front and 52mm rear.

And a surprising thing to see on an “aero gravel bike” is up to four bottle cages mount inside the frame. The frame is also marketed as compatible with suspension forks and dropper posts; Felt has not published which forks are validated, axle-to-crown range, or recommended dropper travel and insertion specifications. These are things that I don’t know why other bike brands don’t do in this category. It’s just odd to me when they don’t give someone the ability to add a fourth bottle on a bike or option for suspension to turn it into a quasi-mountain bike.

The biggest question I have about the new and bigger tire clearance is what will Dylan Johnston do with the extra tire clearance.

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The Lineup

Unlike the Nexar that we covered last month, Felt is all-in with SRAM on this bike. At the same time, the company has continued to partner with Vision and FSA for wheels and some cockpit configurations.

• FRD — SRAM Red XPLR AXS 1x, Vision SC 45 SL, 7.037 kg

• Pro — SRAM Force XPLR shifters with GX Eagle transmission rear and 10-52T cassette (mullet*), Vision SC45 i23, 7.864 kg

• Expert — SRAM Rival AXS XPLR 1x, Vision SC45 i23, 8.302 kg

• Race — SRAM Apex AXS shifters with S1000 Eagle T-Type rear and 10-52T cassette (mullet*), Vision Team 30 i23, 9.284 kg

• FRD Framekit — Frame and integrated cockpit, FRD 12K Matte, 1.92 kg framekit weight

The FRD and Pro use Felt’s FRD 12K carbon layup. The Expert and Race use a UD standard layup.

Two of the four complete bikes — Pro and Race — are mullet builds: road shifters paired with MTB rear derailleurs and 10-52T cassettes. And Tires across all four complete bikes are Continental Terra Competition 45-622, in Race Rapid casing on the FRD and Pro and Trail Grip on the Expert and Race.

The Cockpit

The integrated one-piece carbon cockpit is claimed at weighing under 300 grams, and it’s alsowhere Felt claims it gets a lot of this bike’s aero savings from. It is the same cockpit that is on the Nexar road platform. It’s an interesting choice considering the lack of flare that comes with it. So far, I have liked it this bar on the road. But now I need to image being on a really bumpy descent and pretending to need to brake.

The OE cockpit ships in three size groupings tied to frame size: 80mm, 90mm, and 100mm stems paired with 360-400mm bar widths at the levers. An aftermarket range adds a fourth size with a 120mm stem. Bar reach is 75mm and drop is 120mm across every size.

And all but one build of the bike includes the one-piece carbon cockpit; the Race build uses a conventional FSA NS SMR STEM and FSA A-WING AGX ALLOY HANDLEBAR

FSA A WING AGX AL HANDLEBAR:
49 / 52 / 54 / 56: 420mm 
58 / 61: 440mm 

FSA NS SMR IIAL6061 
Size 49 / 52: 80mm 
Size 54 / 56: 90mm 
Size 58 / 61: 100mm

Thoughts

The updated Breed enters a category that has filled in significantly since the predecessor launched in 2022. Aero-focused gravel race bikes from Cervélo, Specialized, Trek, BMC, Pinarello, Factor, and others are now in market, all targeting the same race-format customer. I do think Felt is sticking to this theory on this bike they desiged. They aren’t trying to be the best at any one thing, they are trying to be great across the board. And they do hit a lot solid check marks on this bike. I like the lean into the 12k Carbon Weave on the frame. But I’m not a huge fan of only offering one component spec in given ranges. Especially if you’re going to share so many other features that might incentivize people to buy more than one bike from you.

In terms of what really has changed from the old Breed to the new one:

Head tube angle: Size 54 is 0.5° slacker than the old bike — One could say that the more aggressive feel comes from rider position, and not just front-end geometry.

Frame weight: 950g (FRD layup, size 54), down from an estimated 1,100g on the previous Carbon Advanced which in line with the new UD frame in M size is 1,140g.

Rider position: Stack drops 17mm in size 54, putting the rider lower over the front end.

Cockpit: Felt one-piece integrated carbon cockpit replaces the Devox alloy two-piece stem and bar

Carbon Weave: Felt went to a higher standard 12K weave that is found on the IA 2.0 and NEXAR | FRD

Drivetrain options: 1x and mullet builds only; the 2022 BREED was offered in 2x configurations, the new lineup is not.

Sizes: Six (49-61), down from seven (43-61); the smallest size has been discontinued.

Seatpost: Straight 27.2mm across all builds; the previous Taperlock dual-diameter sleeve system that allowed a 27.2mm damped post or a 30.9mm rigid/dropper post is now gone

Geometry (size 54 head-to-head)

Pricing and Availability

The bike reaches authorized Felt dealers globally in May 2026. You can find your local authorized dealer here.

The post Felt Pulls Out the Stops on the Second-Generation Breed first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Canyon’s flagship endurance bike gets a ground-up overhaul — new geometry, new carbon, new cockpit, new seatpost, new philosophy. We break down what changed, what the numbers say and why this matters for the all-road category.

The Canyon Endurace has been one of the most popular endurance road bikes on the market since it launched back in 2014. It’s been the bike that a lot of people — from first-time road cyclists to seasoned Gran Fondo riders — with a price range from $1,499 — to now $10,499 it offered consumers a lot of options. Canyon updated the top-end Endurace frames in 2023, adding the CFR designation for the first time, bumping tire clearance to 35mm and introducing the aero-influenced cockpit system. It was a solid update. And It worked.

But the endurance category has moved fast since then and we as consumers are starting to settle in to what we really want and need. Canyon clearly felt the pressure — not just from Trek, Specialized and Cervélo, but from the broader shift in what a “road bike” even means in 2026. Because the line between “endurance road” and “all-road” has gotten blurry. Canyon is now leaning into that.

The Overall Philosophical Shift

This is what is important to start to look at right now in the industry, because it cant always be about grams or watts: Canyon moved the Endurace CFR from their endurance-focused Sport Geometry to their race-oriented Sport Pro Geometry — the same geometry used on the Aeroad CFR and Ultimate. That’s a significant departure. The old Endurace CFR was deliberately more relaxed than Canyon’s race bikes. The new one mirrors them.

Canyon’s pitch is that they developed this bike in collaboration with Alpecin–Premier Tech specifically to win Paris–Roubaix. Mathieu van der Poel, and team boss Christoph Roodhooft, apparently were pushing the engineering team from day one. Whether that kind of pro-team involvement actually changes the end product, versus being good marketing copy, is always debatable, but the geometry numbers don’t lie — this is a race bike now. Canyon is calling it “the world’s fastest all-road race bike,” which is a mouthful, but the wind tunnel data they’re publishing backs up at least part of that claim. ( we get into that below )

Quick Side by Sides

Like we are seeing in a lot new frames these days the frame weight didn’t change — still 930 grams. But the carbon did. Canyon added YS80 pitch-based fibres to the existing T1100 and T800 layup. Pitch-based carbon is significantly stiffer than PAN-based fibers, but also more brittle, so it’s typically used selectively in high-load areas. The result is a head tube stiffness of 115 N/° — about 12% stiffer than the Aeroad CFR. The Alpecin–Premier Tech team specifically asked for a stiffer frame than the Aeroad for the demands of cobbled classics.

Aero: Within One Watt of the Aeroad

Canyon claims is the Endurance CFR produces 205 watts of system drag at 45 km/h in the wind tunnel — within a single watt of the Aeroad CFR’s 204 watts. When it comes to wind tunnel testing claims from brands I just don’t get all that excited anymore. While watt savings do matter a GREAT deal, they are so dependent on what goes on the the thing that is aero tested. What I personally care about is consistency.

Canyon tests at the GST Wind Tunnel in Immenstadt, Germany — a former aerospace facility. They use a carbon mobile leg dummy called “Ferdi” to replicate pedaling motion across a ±20° yaw angle sweep. They’ve been using this protocol for over a decade, which at least gives the consistency in their year-over-year comparisons, even if wind tunnel numbers are always hard to compare across brands.

The key design element is the head tube. Canyon says the minimal head tube profile on the CFR is the primary driver of its aero performance, and that achieving this without compromising front-end stiffness and strength was the biggest engineering challenge. Like I said above, while it’s an impressive claim, the real test will be how it performs on actual roads with actual riders.

Canyon is highlighting some small-but-telling details on the CFR that speak to the Paris–Roubaix development story. Corrosion-resistant titanium cockpit screws manufactured in Germany. Double-sealed ceramic hybrid headset bearings. These are the kinds of things that matter when you’re asking a bike to survive six hours on Belgian cobblestones in the rain, and they’re the kinds of things that trickle down nicely to a consumer who just wants their bike to work reliably for years. Especially since most consumers really don’t take care of their bikes.

Canyon also says the Endurace CFR is tested beyond standard industry road bike testing protocols — impact loads on the rear axle, increased falling mass impacts on front wheel and fork, seat tube overloading — all designed to replicate what the cobbles do to a bike in competition.

The Cockpit: PACE Bar / RACE Bar

If you’ve been following Canyon’s recent launches — the Aeroad, the Ultimate — you already know the PACE Bar. But, for the Endurace CFR, this is new territory. The previous CFR used the CP0018 Aerocockpit, which had 40mm of width adjustment, but no height adjustment without fiddling with spacers and steerer cuts. It was also a “love it or leave it” situation — you couldn’t easily change the drop shape.

The CP0048 PACE Bar fixes all of that. You get 50mm of width adjustment and 20mm of height adjustment, totaling 15 distinct fit configurations, all adjustable with a single TX25 tool. No steerer cuts. No brake bleeds. No spacer stacks. That’s a significant practical improvement, especially for anyone who’s ever paid for a professional bike fit, and then realized their integrated cockpit couldn’t actually get to the position the fitter recommended.

In a smart add on, Canyon is now offering three interchangeable drop shapes.

That gives you ±10mm of effective reach adjustment on top of the PACE Bar’s built-in adjustability.

There’s also the CP0053 RACE Bar, available as a MyCanyon customization option. This is the one the pros will use. It’s a V-shape monocoque design wieghing 350 grams — 120 grams lighter than the PACE Bar — and Canyon claims it saves 2 watts at 45 km/h in the wind tunnel. In a track test comparing an out-of-the-box PACE Bar (395mm width, 20mm spacers) versus the RACE Bar (350mm width, 20mm spacers), one rider recorded a 25 watt drag reduction in an aero position. (Which goes back to my point about what happens after a wind tunnel )

Cranks: Canyon Goes Short

This is worth calling out because it’s a trend we’re finally seeing across the industry. The new Endurace CFR is part of Canyon’s first road product family to make the full shift to shorter cranks across all sizes.

A size M goes from 172.5mm to 165mm. That’s a 7.5mm reduction. Canyon says it opens the hip angle, reduces joint stress and makes it easier to spin at higher cadence without negative impact on power output. (Yea we know … we’ve been telling you that for years.)

Frame Sizes

The size range shrinks from eight sizes (3XS–2XL with 650B on the smallest frames) down to six (2XS–XL, all on 700c). That means Canyon’s smallest and tallest riders lose coverage on the CFR. (Maybe.) They do, 100%, loose 650 wheels.

But here’s the thing — going from eight sizes to six isn’t just about cutting coverage. It’s about inventory management, and it’s a trend we’re seeing across the board with manufacturers right now. Brands are finally learning that if you build enough adjustability into the cockpit and seatpost — which is exactly what the PACE Bar’s 50mm of width, 20mm of height and three interchangeable drop shapes deliver — you can cover the same effective fit range with fewer frame sizes. Fewer SKUs means less warehousing, less dead stock, better production planning and lower costs that ideally get passed along to the consumer (or at least keep prices from climbing even higher). Canyon isn’t the only one figuring this out, but the PACE Bar ecosystem makes the case more convincingly than most. When your cockpit can hit 15 distinct configurations before you even swap drop shapes, the argument for eight frame sizes gets a lot weaker. These are all really positive things we are seeing.

The geo comparison is hard to gauge at this point because the 2026 numbers use Canyon’s new “effective” stack and reach (measured to hands on hoods, including cockpit), while the 2023 numbers use traditional stack and reach (measured to top of head tube), so while I did see this bike in person a couple of weeks ago, I will need to get the old measuring tape out in a couple of weeks when I get to ride one.

The Build Options

While you get a lot of options for seat and hand position right from the start, build specs are pretty much … “Here you go, friend.”

Both builds include power meters as standard — that’s been a Canyon move for a while now, and it’s still appreciated. The DT Swiss ARC 1100 at 65mm deep is a serious race wheel. This is a bike that shows up ready to race, not one that needs a wheel upgrade to reach its potential. (Although I do wonder if this will change in the future to help with consumer pricing as that is a pretty aggressive wheel set for someone in the XS size range.)

The complete bike weighs in at 7.5 kg versus the previous generation’s lightest build at roughly 7.2 kg. Some of that comes from the deeper 65mm DT Swiss ARC 1100 wheels (replacing the ERC 1100) and the larger 35mm tires spec’d as standard. The frame weight didn’t change, so the delta is all in the build spec.

And the price goes up by roughly €500, from approximately €8,499 to €8,999 provisional. That €8,999 / gets you either a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 build or a SRAM Red AXS build — but note that at this time only the Di2 $10,499 version is available in the U.S.

I would like to point out that the My Custom Canyon is for bars only at this point.

The Bigger Picture as I see it

Canyon is simplifying, as is a lot of the industry. More integration means less sizes needed – less handle bars to stock, and probably one less bike in the catalog over all. The old Endurace was an endurance bike with some race tendencies. The new CFR is a race bike with endurance capabilities. That’s a meaningful philosophical flip, and it positions the Endurace CFR less as a competitor to the Trek Domane and Specialized Roubaix and more as an alternative to bikes like the Cervélo Caledonia, the BMC Roadmachine, or even aero road bikes like Canyon’s own Aeroad for riders who want a bit more comfort and tire clearance. These are sort of the moves the bike industry needs to continue to make to get back from under the front of its own skis. If really well thought out, “less” is “more,” and “more” is really what we need more of.

Pricing is provisional and subject to change. All specifications provided from Canyon’s 2026 press kit.

The post The New Canyon Endurance CFR first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

A few years ago, when Slowtwitch asked me about training after moving from New York City to San Diego, my answer was pretty simple: I was doing essentially all of my riding outdoors. That made sense then. Fantastic weather, wide California bike lanes, and the simple fact that outdoor riding still gives you something indoor riding never fully can. But life changes and the margin for error gets smaller. And at some point, the best training setup is not always the one that feels the most idealistic, but rather a setup that is ready when you are.

That is what makes the Zwift Ride with Wahoo KICKR CORE 2 so appealing. This indoor bike and smart trainer combo is not trying to replace the feeling of riding your favorite bike outside. It is trying to make indoor training easier, cleaner, and more consistent. In that respect, it does a lot right.

A No Drama, Relatively Simple Set-up

One of the best things about the Zwift Ride is how easy it is to get going, from initial setup to daily use. It comes in a few boxes, the setup is straightforward, and the process from assembling the trainer to pairing everything with Zwift is very intuitive. The quick start guides included were sufficient for anyone new to this product to get setup. Zwift also includes the basics to get rolling right away, including a flat pedals, though the setup shown here uses my own preferred saddle and pedals. Nothing about it felt overly technical. It feels like a product built for someone who wants to get up and riding without turning the process into a project.

A lot of indoor setups are manageable, but they still carry enough hassle that they become one more excuse not to train, like finding the right thru-axle adapter to marry your bike frame to a direct drive trainer. The Zwift Ride Wahoo Core 2 combo removes a lot of that friction…once I got it together, it was ready to power on and cycle on (pun intended). For many of our readers, if you are trying to train around busy schedules, minimizing the barriers to starting a ride goes a long way.

The Real Strength is Adjustability

The biggest selling point here may be just how easy it is to adjust. Seat height, reach, and handlebar stack can all be changed with the included tool, which conveniently sits under the top tube.  Without hesitation, you can adjust on the fly, which I found myself doing during my first couple of rides to dial in the reach of the handlebar. Additionally, if two people are riding regularly, there is real value in having one dedicated indoor bike with power and full functionality rather than constantly taking a bike on and off the trainer or trying to justify multiple setups.

It also solves another problem which many Slowtwitch readers will resonate with – protecting your race bike! If you have a carbon road bike or tri bike that you would rather keep clean and ready for outside riding, a dedicated indoor setup is a very practical answer. No sweat all over your race bike which minimizes corrosion. No repeated mounting and unmounting. And also no wear on the drivetrain, extending the life of your components that wear with use.

Does it Fit? A Sizable Limitation

The fit range of the bike is not perfect, but it is a great estimate. I had my wife hop on the bike, and at 5 feet 1 inch tall coupled with a relatively short inseam, at the lowest seat-height setting, we could not quite get her into a position that felt truly dialed. Some cleat spacers would bridge the gap, but still not optimal. Zwift notes that the fit range starts around 5 feet, but as always, there is a difference between technically fitting and actually fitting well, especially if you consider the leg/torso ratios of some bodies.

I do not think this will be a problem for most riders, as I think the adjustability is still one of the product’s strengths. But if you are at the smaller or larger end of the bell curve of the fit range, double check your measurements against the fit chart to ensure you’ll be able to dial in your fit and comfort.

Quiet, Stable, and Easy to Keep Running

Once it is set up, the ride experience is exactly what most people probably want indoors. It is quiet, stable, and low hassle. It feels like a product built for repeated use, not something that is going to ask for constant attention. I wouldn’t say that this setup is maintenance-free, because there is still a chain that would need the occasional wipe down and grease.

But after a few rides, I found myself noticing that everything still works like the first ride, smooth and quiet.

One other thing the Zwift Ride does well is make the Zwift experience feel more interactive. The controls are right at your fingertips, so virtual braking, turning, and other in-game functions are easy to use without breaking your rhythm. That extra layer of interaction helps keep indoor riding from feeling flat and gives longer sessions a little more life.

One limitation worth noting is that the Zwift Ride + KICKR CORE 2 combo does not fully carry over its Zwift exclusive features (yet) to other platforms like TrainingPeaks Virtual, Rouvy, etc. The trainer itself can still function for the core smart-trainer duties, but the Zwift Ride controllers are effectively locked to Zwift only. For example, while riding TrainingPeaks Virtual, you won’t be able to ‘shift’ up and down using the controllers, so the resistance of the KICKR Core 2 would need to be adjusted by other methods, whether it’s through the software or mobile app. Ultimately, the Zwift virtual shifting is still a Zwift-only protocol rather than something that works across other apps.

Why it Makes Sense

For me, the appeal of the Zwift Ride and Wahoo Core 2 combo is not that it replaces outdoor riding, but what it does offer is ultra consistency. It lets you get in a quality workout without having to deal with traffic, weather, fading daylight, or the simple reality that sometimes getting outside is not the easiest or smartest option. It also removes a lot of the everyday friction that comes with a traditional trainer setup…you are not dragging outdoor grime inside, you are not taking a bike on and off, and you are not turning your outdoor bike into your indoor workhorse just because it is the only option. For a lot of riders, including myself, removing barriers to get in a ride is always worth it.

The post Zwift Ride with KICKR CORE 2: A Smart & Practical Indoor Setup first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Bartosz Kasprzyk and I first met at the Giant Propel launch in Nice, France back in early March. He is a super charismatic guy that loves to make fun of how he doesn’t look like a cyclist. Over the course of three days we got to know each other a bit, and I can tell you that his passion and knowledge for cycling was as good, if not better, than most of the seasoned journalists at the camp (including myself). During the group meals and rides you could see him win over the hearts of many of us with his love for cycling.

By day he’s a sales manager at Atlas Copco in Poland. After hours, (his side hustle) he runs a YouTube channel called ROAD RACING PL. With nearly 25,000 subscribers and 8 million views he has mastered quick gear reviews and offering bike sizing advice.

He directs the Predator Gravel Series — a three-race series he modeled after American gravel originals like Dirty Kanza (now known as Unbound). He operates an online bike fitting consultation service called bikeselection.pl, which specializes in getting the customer ready to buy the right bike from their local shop. On top of all that, he manages the RoadRacing.pl cycling team, which includes a Polish TT champion.

What impressed me most during the podcast is his approach to community. When asked by Kevin Mackinnon how he does all of this, his reply was “Happy wife, happy life” — a phrase he said he first heard from an American trainer at an Atlas Copco event in Prague.

Bartosz is the kind of person who makes you optimistic about the sport. Enjoy the listen.

The Slowtwitch Podcast S2026:E06 · Apr 2, 2026 · 1h 11min

Bartosz Kasprzyk is the most interesting cycling man in Poland.

Bartosz is a sales manager at Atlas Copco and director of the Predator Gravel Series. With nearly 25,000 YouTube followers and 8 million views, he shares bike-related advice and organizes races that prioritize fairness and safety.

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Read transcript

0:01 Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Slowtwitch podcast.

0:05 My name is Kevin McKinnon. I’m here with Eric Wynn from Slowtwitch and we have a very special guest today from Poland, Bartosz Kasprzyk.

0:15 I have, I’m sure I butchered that last name, but Bartosz is such a nice guy. He just goes with everything and just keeps saying, yeah, you got it, Kevin, got it.

0:24 Bartosz, it’s so nice to have you with us.

0:28 Thank you for inviting me here. It’s an honor to be here with the Slowtwitch Society, which I know a bit because I used your forum years ago and I found it very, very interesting and helpful. So it’s a very high pleasure for me to be here.

0:50 When I thought about the invitation I thought it’s a situation for me — if I would be a movie fan, I can compare it to the situation when Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will invite me for a podcast. This is this kind of pleasure for me.

1:04 Eric, are you Robert De Niro or Al Pacino?

1:07 I guess I take whichever one you don’t pick. We should have had Dan Enfield on the podcast. That would have been a true comparison since he was the one that started the whole thing.

1:21 So Bartosz, I know you and Eric met at a recent media event, riding bikes and all that kind of stuff, but for those who aren’t familiar with all you do, maybe you could just give us a little intro of what you do, who you are, and what inspired Eric to bring you on our podcast today.

1:45 Okay, so first of all, all the cycling stuff that I take care about is my side hustle. My main job is to be a sales manager for Swedish company Atlas Copco, which is a worldwide leader in compressors.

2:01 And after the eight hours of working for Atlas Copco, I take care about my bike related stuff. I own a YouTube channel which has close to 25,000 followers and 8 million views. I review bike stuff, give some advice related to bike sizing, bike fitting and so on.

2:22 I am also a director of Predator Gravel Series here in Poland. Together with my colleagues, we created gravel series races five years ago and we continue to develop it with the support of Acer Company, which is the main sponsor here.

2:43 I run also a bikeselection.pl service where I help people to determine which bike they need on an online meeting, what kind of bike, which brand, which size first and foremost.

3:04 And of course, I’m the boss of the cycling team RoadRacing.pl, which is a team in which there are really strong riders. Few of them push well above five watts per kilogram. We have a champion of Poland in TT in our squad.

3:27 We organize those Predator Gravel Series races to earn the money that we can run our cycling club. So we don’t want to have any donation from people, from whoever. We want to earn the money and have the money to spend on the cycling team.

4:25 So maybe you could tell us a little bit about the Predator Gravel series, because gravel is taking off and I’m guessing as popular in Poland as it seems to be all over the rest of the world.

4:44 Yeah, so the story looks like this. We were initially organizing road races, really huge road races. There were events for even 500 people. But it became tougher and tougher to make all the legal documents, all the allowance from police, from local authorities.

5:10 And then five years ago, I decided, okay, guys, we switch to gravel. It’s much easier. We have only one partner, the owner of the wood, let’s say. And we will start doing gravel. It would be much easier, much safer for us as an organization.

5:32 Then we started Predator Gravel Series. Of course, my inspiration were American races. So I tend to organize something which is close to the roots of the discipline, of Dirty Kanza. So not a technical gravel, not a gravel in mountains, a typical fire roads, high pace, very well constructed routes. And that’s what we do.

Transcript continues — Download full transcript (.srt)

The post Bartosz Kasprzyk is the Most Interesting Man in Poland first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

The NEXAR fixes that. Aggressively.

Felt says the top FRD build hits 6.48 kg in a size 54. The frame alone is 800 grams. For context, that puts it in the same conversation as the Cervélo S5, Specialized Tarmac SL8, and Trek Madone — bikes that cost the same or more and don’t always hit that number. Whether that claimed weight holds up under independent verification remains to be seen, but if it’s even close, this is a serious statement. I will say that while it’s an impressive update. It does make it a lot easier when you are comparing things from six years ago.

The headline numbers for the frame

The Biggest Change: The Cockpit

The old AR used a separate handlebar and stem — Felt’s Devox aero bar paired with the oversized Sprint stem. It was semi-integrated, meaning cables were hidden through the cockpit but popped out through visible entry ports on the frame. Functional, easy to adjust, easy to service. But in 2026, that approach looks dated next to competitors running fully integrated front ends.

The NEXAR goes all-in on a one-piece carbon cockpit at roughly 300 grams. Everything is fully internal now — no visible cable entries, cleaner aerodynamics, stiffer front end. Felt says multiple aftermarket cockpit options will be available, which helps somewhat, but you’re trading the AR’s easy bar-swap adjustability for the aero gains of a modern integrated system. That’s a tradeoff some riders will feel more than others, especially anyone who travels with their bike regularly. Although that also changes with the bike case you own.

Carbon and Weight

The AR frame had two tiers: UHC Ultimate + TeXtreme for FRD models, and UHC Advanced + TeXtreme for everything else. The NEXAR replaces that with its own naming — FRD 12K Carbon Light (used on FRD and PRO builds) and UD Carbon Standard (Expert and Race).

The more interesting detail is what’s inside. Felt says the premium layup now uses higher ratios of T800, T1000, and T1100 grade fibers with optimized ply orientation — fewer overlaps, thinner low-resin plies, and selective use of 30T–40T modulus fibers in high-load areas like the head tube, bottom bracket, and rear triangle. The result is that claimed 300 grams frame weight savings over the old FRD.

One notable detail: the PRO build (Ultegra Di2) also gets the premium 12K frame. On the old AR, you had to buy the FRD to get the top carbon. Now, two of the four builds use the best layup. That’s a meaningful shift in how Felt is positioning the range.

Geometry: a Philosophical Shift

This might be the most consequential change — at least, for the broadest number of riders. The old AR had a traditional aero race geometry — long reach, low stack, aggressive. Fast if you had the flexibility and core strength to hold the position, but punishing if you didn’t.

The NEXAR goes a different direction: higher stack, shorter reach, steeper seat tube angle. Felt says they worked with World Tour–level fitters and studied thousands of rider positions to arrive at a geometry that puts more riders in an efficient riding position without requiring extreme flexibility. They’ve also eliminated the offset seatpost — the steeper seat tube means riders sit naturally over the bottom bracket without needing the post to push them forward or back. This is something that I personally saw (at least in the data sheets) when I was in Spain in the fall. And it was something I could feel a bit when I rode the bike.

At the time during my visit in November 2025, Felt were a little short on available sizes so I was on Solveig’s bike. That meant I was riding one size smaller than I traditionally do — a 56cm frame instead of a 58. I was also on some TT bars because, well, you know: we are a triathlon site. So, that all said, do I really know how this handles in the corners when in the drops? I would say about 70%. What I can say — especially those with long memories — it very much feels like an old Specialized Transition. It was very snappy and climbing in Spain didn’t suck.

There are now seven sizes instead of six (adding coverage at the top and bottom of the range), and notably size-specific (and appropriate) crank lengths. XXS and XS get 165mm cranks, S and M get 167.5mm on the FRD, and L through XXL get 170mm. Most brands will still ship 170mm or 172.5mm across the board and call it a day.

Felt’s pitch is that the NEXAR is “engineered for the 99%, not just the 1%.” That’s marketing language, but the geometry and crank decisions back it up a little. This is a bike that wants to be fast for regular strong riders, not just WorldTour pros.

The Lineup: What You Can Buy

The old AR offered five complete builds — ranging from a $3,995 mechanical 105 with alloy wheels up to a $12,999 SRAM RED eTap AXS flagship. The NEXAR streamlines to four builds, all featuring Shimano Di2 electronic.

Outgoing AR builds

New NEXAR builds

Not only is the SRAM RED build totally gone — Felt is going Shimano and electronic only for now. The mechanical 105 entry point is gone, which means the cheapest NEXAR (the Race with 105 Di2) will almost certainly cost more than the old $4,199 AR. And while Felt hasn’t published NEXAR pricing yet — they’re directing everyone to local dealers — the spec level suggests the FRD will land somewhere in the $11,000–$13,000 range based on comparable competition.

The real value play looks like the PRO build: FRD-grade frame, Ultegra Di2, a power meter included, and 7.04 kg. If that comes in around the $7,000–8,000 mark, it could be one of the more compelling price-to-performance ratios in the aero category.

Component-Level Comparison: AR FRD vs NEXAR FRD

For the spec-sheet people, here’s how the top builds compare part-for-part. The drivetrain is nearly identical — both use full Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 series. The differences are in the frame, cockpit, wheels, power metering, and tire spec.

What Felt Dropped

A few things didn’t make the transition. The SRAM RED eTap AXS build is gone — the old AR’s most expensive model. No word on whether a SRAM option comes later. The mechanical 105 entry point is also gone, which eliminates the most affordable way into the platform. The semi-integrated bar/stem cockpit, which was one of the AR’s genuinely practical features (easy to adjust, easy to maintain, easy to pack for travel), has been replaced by the integrated one-piece design. And the old split seatpost — one of the AR’s signature features for vibration dampening — has been replaced by a more conventional dedicated carbon post.

The wheel partnerships also shifted. Zipp 454 NSW (flagship AR), Shimano Dura-Ace (FRD Dura-Ace build), Reynolds AR58 (mid-range), and Devox alloy (entry) are all gone. Metron now supplies the entire NEXAR range across three tiers.

The Bigger Picture

Felt is no longer part of Pierer New Mobility. Since November 2025, it’s been 100% owner-operated by Cesar Rojo and Florian Burguet out of a new headquarters in Barcelona. The brand is narrowing its focus to high-performance drop-bar bikes — road, gravel, triathlon, and track — and distributing through specialist dealers rather than chasing volume. This makes things a little more difficult for some athletes to buy a Felt. That’s something that we hope to address when we launch our new directories soon — brands, fitting, and of course, which dealers are triathlon friendly?

The NEXAR is the first product of the new Felt era. Whether the weight claims hold up, whether the Metron wheels perform at the level of the Zipp and Shimano hoops they replace, and whether the pricing makes sense against the Tarmac SL8s and S5s of the world, is yet to be seen. The other big gamble is going away from SRAM completely. While I personally prefer Shimano, SRAM makes a much more user friendly TT build option and that’s important when we’re talking about integrated cockpits. I see this bike definitely being used in triathlon, and SRAM is just simply easier to build out for that use case. But these are questions that’ll be answered once bikes hit shops at the end of March.

For now, though, the launch of this bike is going exactly as Felt claimed it would this past November. They hit their expected date on the launch. That’s saying something for the bike business these days, as we’ve seen consistent delays from many manufacturers post-COVID. The AR was getting long in the tooth and while the brand has struggled with finding its identity over the last couple of years, the NEXAR looks like Felt is moving towards their internal claims of what their future will look like. Now they just need to deliver it in the real world.

For more information about this can be found on Felts Website

The post Felt Killed the AR. The NEXAR Is a Completely Different Bike. first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Disclaimer as we don’t do these things very often we usually stick to the Forum but this hit home for me as I just found this out from another good friend. So I’m putting this on the homepage.

Bryson Perry, has been a friend for over 25 years. He is someone I that love getting to see at races when our paths cross. He is a cyclist and coach with Draper-based Rouleur Devo that he and his wife started around 2016. It was his passion for cycling that started to bleed over into his desire for his kids and also his kids friends into a full blown junior development mountain bike program — His real job is a being a real-estate agent as he doesn’t take a salary from the team.

I got a call from my other good friend Scott last Friday to tell me the news that Bryson had suffered a devastating crash while riding behind his kids as they where scouting the course for the  Puerto Rico MTB Cup in Rincón, PR.

I’ve known Bryson for over 25 years. He’s a husband, father, coach, and one of those people who has always shown up for others. Now his community needs to show up for him. The injuries are serious: broken neck, femur, sternum, wrist, seven ribs, and a punctured lung.

It took me a couple of days to confirm with his wife Summer that she was ok with me writing this article and As of today Bryson is home. He was picked up a couple of days ago by Intermountain Health life flight in San Juan, flown on their medical jet, and landed in Salt Lake City. My first question as we sort of laughed a little was “How in the heck did he do this” Or course out of all the crazy things he has done on a bike it was a easy scouting ride with his youth that messed him up the most.

He is now at Intermountain Medical Center post femur surgery. Additional surgeries are planned for next week.

His wife Summer shared this update: “We have had incredible support from people all over — so many people from Utah, so many from our cycling community. The junior development mountain bike team we run, Rouleur Devo, has been incredibly supportive.”

The family’s GoFundMe has raised over $73,000 toward a $90,000 goal to cover the medical flight, surgeries, rehab, and lost wages during what will be a long recovery. We have a broad community here so I figured I would put this out there so that if you want to support him and his family that would be great. Luckily the Perry’s have some decent insurance. Not only personal but also for the team itself. But like most insurances it will only go so far.. So yea… So if you want more information of have some funds to spare. Think about it here Donate or share here →

Thanks everyone.

The post Community Help first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Before I get into this review, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the life of Giant Group founder, King Liu, who passed away peacefully on February, 16, 2026, at the age of 93. You can learn more about this amazing human and the positive impact he has had in all of our cycling lives here.

The Fastest Propel and EnviLiv Ever Built Share Almost Everything — Except Who They’re Built For

I just spent 3 days in Nice, France with Giant for the launch of these two bikes, the fourth-generation Propel and the EnviLiv. This launch also coincides with the new CADEX 50 Max, CADEX Aero Tires, some helmets and sunglasses. It was big event — so big that it was the largest media event that I have ever been to where I was media instead of a photographer for the event.

We were all in d’Azur for a proper introduction to the bikes: bike fitting sessions, technical deep-dives, and two days of real riding through the hills above Nice. No death-by-PowerPoint— we logged some good miles on serious roads. Our routes traced the IRONMAN World Championship bike course and it was fun to ride parts of the course I had only known by the back of a moto months earlier. Day one was a 27-mile shakeout through Vence, Saint-Jeannet, Gattières, and Carros — 1,700 feet of climbing at a social pace to get a feel for handling and comfort. Day two was a 54.5 miles covering 5,430 feet.

Over the 3 days of meetings and riding it became clear that Giant was bringing a system to the table — not just a frame, and wheels. We see it a lot these days in the wind tunnels. When you take a good rider into a tunnel, in order to make a difference, you’re doing to do it by finding little things here and there — a watt here, two watts there. It’s only when you add up those small differences is when you start to see something decent to talk about. And I think that is the same with bikes these days. It’s really hard to make big improvements with just one thing. So let’s dive into the systems and what Giant has come up with.

The Giant Propel Advanced SL

18.44 Watts Faster. 355 Grams Lighter. The Most Efficient Propel Ever.

The Propel has been Giant’s aero weapon since 2013, when Marcel Kittel sprinted to a Tour de France stage win on the original version. Four generations in, it’s evolved from a pure sprinter’s bike into a complete aero race machine — lighter, stiffer, more comfortable, and significantly faster than the bike Groenewegen and Matthews rode to TdF stage wins in 2022. This version is claiming to be the “one bike that rules them all” for the big riders of Team Jayco in 2026.

What’s New

The headline claim: Keep in mind its the “Whole System” that we are taking about. 18.44 watts of total resistance saved over the outgoing Propel at 40 kph. That’s roughly 72 seconds over 40 kilometers. The savings break down to 12.42 watts from the frame’s reduced aero drag, 0.42 watts from the new CADEX Max 50 wheels’ lower rotational drag, and 5.6 watts from the CADEX Aero 28c tires’ reduced rolling resistance.

The frame drops 45 grams (800g vs. 845g, size M unpainted), but the system tells the bigger story. New one-piece integrated cockpit saves 77g. CADEX Max 50 wheels save 100g over the Ultra 50s. The wider 28c tires are actually 140g lighter than the old 25c versions. Total system savings: 355 grams on the Advanced SL 0 build.

How’d they get there? When it comes to the frame it’s a new one-piece monocoque construction using a single bladder for the entire front triangle (previously three bladders). Cold-blade cutting replaces laser cutting for the carbon swatches — no heat deformation, fewer and more precise pieces. Combine that with CNT resin and thinline painting, and you’ve got the lightest Propel frame ever without giving up stiffness.

Stiffer Where It Counts

Every stiffness number went up. Frame pedaling: +2.4% (82 to 84 N/mm). Torsional: +3.3% (120 to 124 Nm/°). Fork: +3.4% (58 to 60 N/mm). Frameset stiffness-to-weight improved 5.7%.

At the system level — frame, cockpit, and wheels together — pedaling efficiency jumped 14.8% and handling efficiency climbed 14.2%. The integrated cockpit and stiffer wheelset amplify the frame gains significantly.

More Comfortable Than You’d Expect

This is a genuine character shift for the Propel. Reengineered seat tube, chainstays, and ISP deliver up to 25% more rear vertical compliance. The front end provides 12.8% more compliance as a unified system. Tire clearance jumped from 28mm to 32mm, and the default tire moved from 25c to 28c. The crosswind behavior is also improved — the wheel-and-tire integration creates a more predictable torque curve that reduces the “fighting the wind” fatigue.

The Cockpit

The new Contact SLR Aero is a one-piece composite handlebar/stem replacing the previous two-piece setup. Flat tops with raised edges for aero positioning, reduced width at tops and drops (400/370mm flare at size M). Cable routing through the stem and head tube — Giant says this makes adjustments easier than most integrated designs, and I can confirm that checked out during our fitting sessions in Nice.

Wind Tunnel: Grischa 2.0

Giant built a completely new 3D-printed dynamic mannequin for this generation. More accurate leg/thigh/foot replication than the old carbon-molded version, interchangeable head with adjustable neck for helmet testing, modular body for swapping kits. Better mannequin means better data, which means better bikes. Simple as that.

On the Road in Nice

Watching them cut the carbon fiber seat post is almost a bit nerve racking. It truly is a moment where you measure twice, cut once, all while you squeeze your cheeks together a bit. But once done it only took me five minutes to dial in the rest of the bike. I think what helped me most was that I have done plenty of riding on the AMP saddle so getting that set was easy. While I would have preferred a slightly shorter stem, the one provided was very workable.

Day one through Vence and the villages — and lots of stops for photos. The bike felt smooth and precise on the descents. I think what I noticed the most was how much I liked the tires compared to the older ones. Everything was fine and going into a bigger climbing day was no longer a big deal.

Day two on the IRONMAN World Championship course was just fun. The bike snapped out of corners exactly like the stiffness numbers promise. We were in a big group of riders and it was fun to switch around and talk to other editors through out the day I was able to follow Ronan from Escape Collective down the decent at the top. That dude can ride a bike. Not that I’m a pro rider at all, but I can see how the Tour team could use this bike in almost every stage instead of switching between the Propel and the TCR Advanced.

The Propel Range

There are three tiers of builds, all sharing identical geometry from XS through XL:

Propel Advanced SL — Top tier. Advanced SL composite, one-piece mold, CNT resin, cold-blade cutting, thinline painting, ISP, CADEX Max 50 wheels. The SL 0 with SRAM RED AXS runs $13,000.

Propel Advanced Pro — Advanced-grade frame, Modified Monocoque Construction, Advanced SL fork, Vector adjustable seatpost. The no-ISP option.

Propel Advanced — Advanced-grade throughout, Vector seatpost, Giant-branded wheels and tires. Most accessible entry to the platform.

The Wheels and Tires: CADEX Max 50 & CADEX Aero

Both the Propel and EnviLiv Advanced SL roll on the same rubber and carbon — the new CADEX Max 50 WheelSystem and redesigned CADEX Aero tubeless tires. These aren’t afterthought spec choices. They account for roughly half the total watt savings on both platforms.

CADEX Max 50 WheelSystem

If you’ve been following our CADEX coverage on Slowtwitch, you already know this platform. We first covered the Max 40 when it launched in 2024 — the ultralight climbing wheel at 1,249g that Team Jayco AlUla races in the WorldTour. I noted then that CADEX was going after the bladed-spoke market with 30%+ more lateral stiffness-to-weight at half the price of the top competitors. More recently, we took a deep dive into the Ultra 40 and Ultra 50 — the non-integrated spoke wheels that have been the CADEX workhorse since 2022. I put a couple hundred miles on those and came away impressed, though I noted the Ultra 50’s rear hub could use the upgraded 48-tooth ratchet the Ultra 40 got.

The Max 50 fixes that and then some. Same integrated hub-and-spoke architecture as the Max 40 — R3-C48 hub with 48-tooth ratchet, Dynamic Balanced Lacing, 22.4mm hookless inner width — now in a deeper 50mm aero profile. Just 41 grams heavier than the Max 40 at 1,290g with valve and tape. And yes, you can still true the wheel independently, which I appreciated about the Max 40 and which other integrated spoke systems have historically lacked.

The numbers vs. the outgoing Ultra 50: 2.18 watts less aero drag per wheelset at 40 kph, 5.4% more transmission stiffness (96.08 vs. 91.16 N/mm), 3.2% better lateral stiffness-to-weight, and 14.3% better rear transmission stiffness-to-weight. Fifty-nine grams lighter too (1,290g vs. 1,349g). And the other key specs: 50mm depth, 30mm outer / 22.4mm inner width, hookless, 16H front / 24H rear DBL, R3-C48 aero hub with wave spring, ceramic bearings, Shimano / SRAM XDR / Campagnolo N3W compatible. Lifetime warranty for registered owners with 5-year incident replacement.

On the road in Nice, the Max 50s felt snappy out of corners and stable in the crosswinds whipping through the valleys above Vence. The 48-tooth engagement is immediate — you feel it the instant you put power down after coasting into a turn.

CADEX Aero Tire: Wider, Lighter, Faster

OK, this genuinely surprised me. Going from 25c to 28c usually means adding weight and more rolling resistance as a trade-off for comfort. CADEX flipped that entirely. And, of note — the industry is continuing to move away from the ETRTO recommendation on hookless of 72 PSI.

The new 28c CADEX Aero is 55 grams lighter per tire than the outgoing 25c — 220g vs. roughly 275g — thanks to a re-engineered 240 TPI Supple Race Casing. That’s 110 grams saved across both tires by going wider. Rolling resistance dropped 2.8 watts per wheel (13.7W to 10.9W), for 5.6 watts total savings. On top of that, the taller, wider aero profile with 64 microgroove shoulder tread cuts 0.76 watts of aero drag per wheel at the tire-to-rim interface.

As our readers know from the Ultra WheelSystem piece, we’ve been tracking CADEX tire development closely and comparing against the top rubber via Bicycle Rolling Resistance data. The previous CADEX Aero Cotton was a solid all-rounder but wasn’t competing with the fastest race-day tires. This new Aero 28c with the RR-A compound and 240 TPI casing is a different animal. Puncture protection comes from Race Shield — ultra-lightweight Kevlar center patch. Available in 28c (220g, max 95 PSI) and 30c (280g, max 85 PSI), tubeless with CADEX sealant. It’s not the fastest tire compared to some of the paper thin ones on the market but for how sturdy it feels it’s rated pretty fast.

Real-world: on day two’s 54.5 miles with 5,430 feet of climbing on varied surfaces, the 28c Aeros felt supple and quick with noticeably less road buzz than you’d expect from a tire this aero-focused. Grip through tight, sometimes gravelly switchbacks above Carros was confidence-inspiring. Zero puncture issues across both days for all 38 riders. I rode at a 65psi and loved every minute of it.

Add it up the claims: the Max 50 saves 2.18 watts aero and the Aero tires save 5.6 watts rolling resistance plus additional aero savings — roughly 8 watts of the Propel’s 18.44-watt improvement from the wheel-and-tire system alone. That’s nearly half the total gain from bolt-on components. CADEX isn’t just a brand slapped on Giant’s high-end stuff — they’re doing real engineering that moves the needle. As I said in our Max 40 coverage, this brand is here to stay and they aren’t going away from hookless either.

Bridging the Gap: Propel vs. EnviLiv Geometry

Before we get into the EnviLiv, let’s look at how these two bikes differ where it matters most for fit. Both share the same chainstay length (405mm), similar proportions, and the same OverDrive Aero head tube. But the details reveal two different fit philosophies on the same engineering foundation.

The Giant Group has been the only company that has never backed off the women’s specific geometry program they have long supported. It means Liv can focus exclusively on women and women in cycling, and they have an amazing group of women at the helm and it was super awesome to be able to sit down and meet with them. I liked the fact that they were doing this launch together with Giant, instead of two separate events.

What stands out to me is that with the EnviLiv is they didn’t just follow the “shrink it and pink it” philosophy and taken a Propel medium frame, painted it pink, label it a small, and claim that it’s a women’s bike. They actually took the time and put the money into making it different where it actually maters and you can tell in the geometry.

Meet Georgia

This is where the EnviLiv story diverges most meaningfully. While Giant used Grischa 2.0 — a male-reference mannequin — Liv developed the EnviLiv using Georgia, a 3D-printed female-reference mannequin modeled on Georgia Baker from LIV AlUla Jayco.

Georgia incorporates realistic female body geometry: upper-torso form including chest anatomy, refined leg and thigh proportions, and the foot-and-shoe interface. Interchangeable head for helmet testing, thermal sensors for heat dissipation measurement — same tech as Grischa, different body.

Why it matters: airflow around the torso, inner thighs, and shoulders follows different paths on differently shaped bodies. Tube profiles optimized for a male mannequin won’t necessarily deliver optimal results for a female rider. Liv developed the EnviLiv’s entire aero package around the body that will actually be riding it.

The EnviLiv’s total system resistance of 262.24W is higher than the Propel’s 249.32W — but those numbers come from different mannequins on differently shaped frames. Comparing them directly is like comparing two bikes tested in different tunnels. What matters is each bike was optimized for its intended rider.

Key differences at size M:

• Fork rake: 45mm (Propel) vs. 49mm (EnviLiv). Four more mm of rake on the EnviLiv at every size — slightly less trail, quicker steering feel.
• Reach: EnviLiv shorter at every shared size — 383mm vs. 388.3mm at M. More compact position without extreme stem adjustments.
• Seat tube angle: Steeper on the EnviLiv (74° vs. 73.5° at M), positioning the rider more forward over the BB — a women-specific geometry adjustment for different average hip angle.
• Handlebar width: 30mm narrower on the EnviLiv at M (370mm vs. 400mm). Less frontal area, matching narrower shoulders. This is something I have heard a lot of female riders talk about when it comes to stock bars on bikes
• Sizing: Propel offers XS through XL (six sizes). EnviLiv offers XXS through L (five sizes). The EnviLiv drops ML and XL, adds XXS with a 366mm reach and 494mm stack — serving smaller riders who’ve historically been forced to compromise.

These aren’t random. They’re the result of designing around women’s proportional tendencies — shorter torso relative to legs, narrower shoulders, different hip angle — rather than scaling a unisex design down.

The Liv EnviLiv Advanced SL

8.62 Watts Faster. 121 Grams Lighter. Women-First Aero, Redefined.

The EnviLiv has its own origin story. In 2013, Liv launched the Envie — the world’s first aero road bike designed from the ground up for women. Marianne Vos rode it to the UCI Road World Championship that year. Four generations later, the EnviLiv Advanced SL is the most advanced expression of that women-first philosophy: not a smaller Propel with different paint, but a bike developed around a female body in the wind tunnel with geometry tuned for women’s proportional differences.

What’s New

The fourth-gen EnviLiv saves 8.62 watts of total system resistance over its predecessor at 40 kph. That’s a meaningful gain considering the third-gen was already a relatively recent platform with less headroom. The breakdown: 2.6 watts from reduced frame aero drag, 0.42 watts from wheel rotational drag, 5.6 watts from the new CADEX Aero 28c tires.

The frameset sheds 120.93 grams (7.7% reduction) — the lightest EnviLiv ever. Frame drops from 861g to 805g. Transmission system savings total 411 grams (10.5%). Same manufacturing tech as the Propel: one-piece monocoque, cold-blade cutting, CNT resin, thinline painting. The big news for the EnviLiv specifically is the integrated seatpost — first time ISP has appeared on this platform, saving 64 grams over the Vector post while adding compliance.

Stiffer Than Its Predecessor — By a Lot

This is the impressive one. Pedaling stiffness jumped from 75 to 86 N/mm — a 14.7% improvement in a single generation. Torsional stiffness holds at 120 Nm/°, fork stiffness up 3.5% to 59 N/mm. Frameset stiffness-to-weight surged 19.1%.

Here’s what’s interesting: the EnviLiv actually beats the Propel in pedaling stiffness (86 vs. 84 N/mm) and frameset stiffness-to-weight (100.47 vs. 99.8). The Propel leads in torsional stiffness (124 vs. 120 Nm/°) and system controlling stiffness (8.3 vs. 7.7 N/mm). Different tuning priorities — the EnviLiv favors power transfer, the Propel favors steering precision. Both are elite-level.

The Cockpit

Same one-piece integrated concept as the Propel — the Liv Contact SLR Aero. Flat tops, raised edges, internal cable routing. The key difference: handlebar widths run 20–30mm narrower at every size (370mm at M vs. 400mm on the Propel), matching narrower shoulders and reducing frontal area.

Race Proven

Lisa Tertsch won the World Triathlon Championship on the previous EnviLiv and will debut a custom World Champion edition this season. L AlUla Jayco riders claimed elite and U23 national titles at the Australian Road and Criterium Championships. The bike is the official aero platform for both the WorldTeam (Strade Bianche, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift) and Liv Racing Collective’s privateer network across road and triathlon.

The EnviLiv Range

Three tiers, identical geometry from XXS through L:

EnviLiv Advanced SL — Top tier. Advanced SL composite, one-piece mold, CNT resin, ISP, CADEX Max 50 wheels, CADEX Aero tires. SL 0 in Prism Pearl, SL 1 in Raw Carbon, frameset in Nitro Purple.

EnviLiv Advanced Pro — Advanced-grade frame, Advanced SL fork, Vector seatpost, Giant 50mm wheels. 74 N/mm pedaling stiffness (−14% vs. SL), 108 Nm/° torsional (−10%). 1,585g frameset. Ember Violet and Supernova Grey.

EnviLiv Advanced — Advanced-grade throughout, Vector seatpost, Giant wheels, Giant Gavia Course tires. 1,643g frameset. Cryo Silver, Neo-Gold, Null White, Desert Pearl, Midnight Pine.

Same Ambition, Different Execution

What’s remarkable about this launch is just how much these bikes share at the engineering level — and how deliberately they diverge at the design level. Identical frameset weight. Same wheels, tires, manufacturing technologies. Near-identical stiffness-to-weight. But different tube profiles shaped by different mannequins, different geometry tuned for different bodies, different sizing ranges serving different populations.

Like I said before the EnviLiv isn’t a smaller Propel. It’s a bike shaped around Georgia, not Grischa — It’s design is around a woman’s body in motion, not a man’s. And for Giant and Liv, that distinction is the whole point.

The Giant Group started by KING LIU in 1972 produced 3,800 bikes with 38 employees within 1 factory. Today it has over 10,000 employees, 9 factories, and produced 3.95 million bikes in 2025. It consists of GIANT, LIV, MOMENTUM, and CADEX. It was great to spend time with department heads at the 3 major brands that were present. Thanks for having us and thanks for making bikes.

The post Giant Propel & Liv EnviLiv: Fourth Generation Aero, Two Philosophies first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

The Ultra 50’s have been out since 2022. This last summer, CADEX quietly added the new Ultra 40’s to bring a new depth to the line. The 50’s have been field tested internaly tested against the best wheels in the marketplace and have been proven to be superior at the time in most categories — at least, according to CADEX’s own internal data. But with the demands of a pro tour team and short course triathlon really ramping up, it makes sense that CADEX would add a shallower depth wheel to trickle the 50’s technology down to.

#Overachieve is the hashtag slogan you will see as soon as you get to the inner box of CADEX packaging. The feeling that you are opening an Apple-esque product never leaves my thoughts every time I get to that point. Every detail of the packaging alone is well thought out and the delivery is always impressive. While some of the products themselves may be 100% overkill for some consumers, CADEX doesn’t have a desire to be a company for everyone. Instead, this sub-brand within Giant is designed to be the pinnacle of performance for the company and the categories it competes in.

CADEX Ultra 40 vs Ultra 50 — Full Specifications Comparison

What’s Been Updated

Two things stand out as main changes. External width got ever so slightly narrower, going from 30mm to 28mm. CADEX also used the newer CADEX R3-C48 hub in the rear, which is a 48-tooth ratchet engagement. Meanwhile, up front, you’ll find a CADEX R3-C Aero Hub. According to CADEX, this has enabled the rider to have higher engagement across a wider yaw angle. In other words, assuming that this wheel is going to be used in more of an attack mode, it gives that rider less delay in response when delivering power to pavement.

Generally speaking, other hookless road systems seem to be staying with the 23-25mm internal rim widths while CADEX sticks to the 22.4mm for all of their road products. Between that and the 3.8mm hookless bead width, this is probably why they are able to comfortably allow for 25mm CADEX tires and at much higher pressures than the generic ETRTO 72.5 PSI / 5 bar standard. Yes, you can go ahead and pump higher than 72.5 PSI on most CADEX tire and wheel combinations.

The Ultra Line complements the 42/65 Gold Signature Edition wheels that bear the name of the one and only Kristian Blummenfelt. It’s that wheel combination that won gold in Tokyo.

The Ultra 50 rear and 40 front, meanwhile, could be the next wheel set ready for a signature edition, say for someone like Beth Potter. On the consumer level, it can serve as a great option for someone not really ready for super deep wheel set, or simply looking for an all-around aero wheel.

What I Have Ridden

I have put a couple of hundred miles on these new wheels. Like all CADEX products I’ve tested, I have found them to be just a nice as they claim to be. The only thing I would like to see is an upgrade on the 50 rear hub to match that of the 40. That newer CADEX R3-C48 Aero Hub does provide more engagement for the buck.

We all sort of know the buzz around tires these days and with hookless and hookless tires matter a lot, for everything from sidewall bead seal to comfort, performance and all other things like puncture resistance and control. Since the last time we wrote about CADEX BRR (Bicycle Rolling Resistance) have be able to do the the new Aero Cotton Tires and do “There things” so we compared them to the top leading tires we have seen in the Ironman PRO Transition area’s.

Tire Testing – Courtesy of Bicycle Rolling Resistance

Static Grip

Puncture Resistance

Rolling Resistance

Final Thoughts

The Ultra 40 and 50 are great, premium products. And when you pair them with the right tire combination while hookless, they’re comfortable and fast. My only beef, if you can call it that, is that if you live in the USA, good luck getting a pair of the Ultra 40’s is you need to wait a little bit for stock to come in.

Ultra 40’s MSRP $3500 MSRP €2848
Ultra 50’s MSRP $3500 MSRP €2848

The post The CADEX Ultra WheelSystem first appeared on Slowtwitch News.