Do you think one bike would be enough for you? 🚲

My Missus has been trying to tell me this for years......For Christ's sake, don't give her any more ammunition.

For most recreational riders, one bike, either a gravel bike or endurance bike with a wide tire capacity and extra set of wheels, will work perfectly. I ride a Sage Titanium gravel bike with an extra set of wheels for the times when I feel the need for speed.

Wait a minute. That Cannondale was situated over looking a dale beside a cannon. What could have been a more obvious choice for an intelligent "Supernice"

Always gonna need an old 90s mtb with a rack to go shopping, go to the pub, cycle to the station etc. Robust and (most importantly) won't be on top of anyone else's "shopping" list. Nice bike for all the other stuff.

Finally parts of the bike industry have found out that there is a market for bikes with more relaxed geometry but also nice paint jobs and high end components. The option to order with two matching wheelsets would be great so you don‘t have to worry about your brakes rubbing.

My only drop bar bike is a Giant Revolt. I have a set of carbon road wheels with 30mm road tires and a set of aluminum gravel wheels with 44mm knobbled off road tires. I don’t need anything else for the road.

One bike for everything? Don't say this, my workshop will be empty!!!

The perfect bike is what ever bike one loves to ride the most, I like the idea of a do it all bike just as much as a gravel bike. Having the option to choose which bike suits my style or even my mood that day is fantastic. The options let me stay within my budget no matter how minuscule or how grand. As long as they give more choice (not take it away) it is always a good thing.

The basic Schwinn Sting-Ray was the ultimate kids' bike in the '60s into the mid-'70s. The Raleigh Chopper is a beauty, as were the different color Schwinn Krates, but neither of those bikes could take the hits endured by the Sting-Ray, which simply dared its riders to be wild and crazy, see those stairs, you can jump down them, that steep street, fly down it and zig-zag back up. And the origin story is really cool. Schwinn made 20" bikes back in the '50s as small versions of newspaper bikes. And in the early '60s in Southern California, kids were modifying their bikes with long bicycle polo saddles and high-rise handlebars and pretending they were riding motorcycle choppers. Schwinn in Chicago was tipped off to the trend, sent out a rep, then in short order put the Sting-Ray into production with its banana seat and chrome high-rise bars and colorful paint. It would turn loose a generation of kids who were ready to ride their bikes like big kids with their motorcycles and fast cars. And, well, let's not forget, like Evel Knievel, too. 😀

Week 58 of asking for a “the UCI has no jurisdiction here” T-shirt

Thanks for letting us hear Philippa’s views on technology from that era really fascinating insights, 100% need to have her come in on the show 🙏🏻

For the riding I do - I only need one bike - A Ti gravel bike; the R+ from Why Cycles (Revel) with two wheelsets and GRX 800, (48/31 crank & 11-34 cassette) I have had no problems with the gravel and endurance road riding I do. Sure, the difference nowadays between an endurance road bike and a gravel bike is usually down to a bit of geometry, (and more tires clearance on most gravel bikes) but usually a gravel bike is still going to be more stout for frame durability. That said the so called ALL ROAD sector of cycling has been a thing for quite a while. If you are racing obviously you'd need a road race bike or if you were going on super technical trails then a MTB may be required, but there is a HUGE spectrum of riding in between these two extremes. That's more than enough for me.

GCN - please do a video around equipment failure. How to spot issues ahead of time, what to do to minimise a crash etc. I have had complete front brake failure bombing downhill and had in the old days a tire blowout. Love your work GCN

I think a 2-bike quiver is just about anything any well rounded rider would ever need. One street bike (even leaning toward a gravel bike) for paved and prepared roads, and one MTB for trails, somewhere in the 140 to 160 front travel realm.

when using rim brakes with aluminium rims i found it best to use sandpaper for metal & slightly brush them down towards the hub, but ever so gently, i found that worked great but it would cuase my brake pads to burn out quicker, but worth it for that extra bit of stopping power on descents

"Racers give the same of themselves no matter the era." is a subtle and profound truth. I think she's right all around. Racing just *is* faster now, and more speed means less time to react and more/higher forces at play, thus more danger

The do-it-all bike already exists the way I see it and has been marketed as endurance bikes for the past many years. Change the wheels and the crankset and/or the cassette and you have a gravel bike, or upgrade to faster wheels and remove the spacers to get the lowest possible handlebar position and you have a fast bike, or leave as is and do long all day endurance riding.

I’ve got one all-round bike: Diverge with semi-slick tyres. Works great for bike packing, shopping, gravel riding or cycling down the lanes to a cafe, winter or summer. Not a racing bike, but great at anything else.

Neither Ollie nor Manon realized the Cannondale was on a cannon - Cannon on a cannon!

1 road winter, 1 road summer, 1 gravel/tourer, 1 full suss mtb, 1 classic 531. Covers all the bases and I love riding them all.

What goes round comes around. 60,50 years ago a cyclo cross bike was a road nike with canti brakes for mud clearence, knobbly tubs and lower gears. With road tubs on what would be otherwise identical wheels it would be perfectly fine on a club ride , or in a road race or even a time trial.

I am a long haul truck driver. I only have room to carry one bike in my truck. And even then it is a folding bike. lol Change 809, a aluminum mountain bike frame with suspension forks, 3x9 gears, flat bar, 40 mm slick tires, 650 b wheels, and it folds.

Exactly! When you're not racing you might enjoy a versatile bike: I bought a Specialized Diverge in 2016 - at that time Gravel bikes were still pretty close to Race bikes and had 35mm tire cleareance. This is OK for the pretty nice gravel roads in our forests in the Heidelberg area - and I'm so happy with that kind of bike. Especially after I was run down by a car, where the driver had to answer a quick E-Mail .... Now I really enjoy NOT to drive on a road, but rather on "Feldwegen" - which are often with tarmac here in my area.

I have the old BMC Roadmachine 7 with 105. Relatively cheap but Wow! What a nice thing! I seem to want to help in whatever you do. I swear it would roll up hill. Love it. Only bike I own that’s not for sale

Nothing better than a Manon/Oli combo and a wholesome GCN tech vid to chase away the war news all over my feed! Great work GCN team, you are a mental health break.

Great video! As someone who’s just getting into cycling 🚴 I love the idea of getting an all-around bike. May get a more specific bike at some point but I love that I can just buy a bike that will cover a lot of bases until I decide❤ what I want to do with my riding!

20" wheels, banana seats, ape hanger bars, and slick rear tires. If you were really trick you had an extended chopper style fork. Those were the days. Of course for me that was the early 60's. Seeing some of those bikes would be great.

Great new range of bikes but for the rest of us there a many good steel or alloy options for a lot less. Kinesis, Fairlight, Soma to name a few.

Great video. I just built up my TIME ADHX the all-road version suitable for 38mm tyres. I'm riding it with a SRAM 1x groupset and N.EXT 34mm road tyres. Fantastic to ride up the local lumpy roads and keeping up with the local group rides. Super also for the weekend country bike trip as well. No need for a specific 'race' bike type anymore.

Former amateur racing family here. We just pulled the trigger on 2x12 carbon gravel bikes. They’re versatile enough to take on single track at a local MTB park and do a fun road ride with friends.

Talking about how strong rim brakes can really be, my dad actually toppled his bike while descending a rather gentle slope, his bike had aluminium rim brake wheels, he was startled by a road closure with lines and cones across our usual road, crashed the bike, hit his head on the ground, cracked his helmet, I was just behind my dad, saw both his wheels in the air while his head was touching the ground, managed to brake in time to stop and rescue him, thank God no major injury on him, just some scratches

Bought a Decathlon TRC120 on sale. Swapped out the drivechain for a 32/48 2-by with 165mm cranks, a 11-38 cassette and another microshift RD with lang cage. Got an extra pair of wheels, 650B with 40mm gravel tires. added a suspension seatpost and a Redshift suspension stem. Put on a narrow rear rack and SKS Edge Al mudguards. Got 2 bikes ready for anything for less than 1300 Euro.

Great subject matter here...and well done...TY. One thing about braking that i've been noticing from pro races this year...when riding with disc brakes (maybe not so much with rim brakes?), crashes are occurring when, it appears to me, that the crash starts from the front end of the bike, esp in corners where the initiation appears to me to be the front tire "washing" out. My thought...the cause being the rider grabbing the front disc brake more forcefully, when should be less, relative to rear.

Yes, big fan of one bike owners club, been riding it for 10years everyday, it’s my friend 😂

From a former Colorado Springs resident, you as a biker need to visit. The town of MANITOU springs is at the base of PIKEs peak, named after ZEBulon pike. If you go up the mountain you will get to see an animal that looks remarkably like a MARKHOR with less spirally horns. Sram has a huge presence in the town... so maybe that would be a business readon to come visit. (If you don't get the references talk to someone from GMBN).

Bicycles, tricycles, E-assist, cargo and family are about to become HUGE in America! Cannot wait to see! Everybody will love it! Economics, potential wars, never before "bicycle" product availability, everything is adding up!!! "Second vehicles" will HUGELY become cargo/family bikes trikes!

BMC Road Machine 40mm isn’t “massive chunky off road tires”. I’d say that description just barely applies to 44 mm, and certainly to 47 and up. I just put Rene Herse slicks that measure 49 on my rims and at 378gm with TPU tube and inflated to 33psi they are extremely fast on the worn, chipped and uneven roads I have to ride on, faster than any tire I’ve ever used. I went this way from quality 33mm tires. I think not enough attention is paid to the road surface conditions. How many of us ride on smooth even perfect tarmac all of the time?

I recently purchased a Crux. I run it with a single carbon wheelset, mounted with 47c tires. Because the bike is light, it has become my "all road/no road at all" machine. We do a lot of climbing here in Oregon and though I can feel some resistance uphill with a larger tire, I certainly enjoy having left the N+1 club (from five bikes down to one). This zen life isn't for all, but works for me.

Currently riding a Rondo HVRT CF2 (2020). Definitely the most versatile bike I saw which is why I went for it. Has tyre clearance for up to 35mm on 700c wheels and up to 47mm on 650b's. Not only that but the front axel has two positions allow for adjustable geometry. Selecting the lower axel position gives a more relaxed geometry, ot the upper one reduces the front end naking it sharper and more agressive. So with two tyre sets youve got two very different bikes!

COME TO COLORADO!!!!! (I'll be calm and relaxed, I promise) I loved the conversation on the all in one bike, I'm having one made for me by Alchemy (local bike maker). I would love you guys to discuss the merits of the $$$ boxed bike offerings from the big brands versus having a frame made for you. I feel like the prices have soared for the brand bikes, but haven't changed all that much for the hand crafted options. Would you make a video discussing the two? Love, love, love you guys, you share parts of yourselves with the internet in an authentic and meaningful way, as I've been a long time viewer, it really feels like we're mates. That's a testament to your (all of GCN's) work. Keep up the good work. XOXO

Omar10 took a picture of their CANNONdale in front of a CANNON. I feel that alone is worth a super nice.

I got a Cervelo Aspero 5, a gravel race bike, and I use it now for both road and gravel. I run 30c tires/45mm rims on road and 43c tires/30mm rims off road. It's one of the most comfortable bikes I've had on the road and I've been able to replace 2 road bikes and 1 gravel bike with this one bike. It might not be as light as these newer do-it-all models coming out, but I'm not too concerned with that. I go just as fast as I did on my road bikes.

If anyone knows about sketchy braking then that would be Philippa trying to slow down on Alpine downhill roads with those Delta calipers. Must have been terrifying!

I rode 4500 miles last year as a 2nd year cyclist, with a quiver of 5 bikes. My gravel bike soaked up 3300 miles alone. I usually ride file treads. There are no issues with gravel, road, busy streets, and even some singletrack at gravel events.

Oh my gosh when Manon was talking about how her power had dropped from 200 watts I believe. It was so relatable.

I was just chatting with a friend's teenager who is thinking about getting into road/gravel from MTB background. I suggested finding a 10+ year old cyclocross bike because it would be cheap but still have the tire clearance. Basically a do-it-all bike. But yeah, one bike to rule them all and spend the money you save on cycling vacations.

Love the kids bike idea. A Raleigh Grifter has to be included. A hill climb on the heaviest ever kids bike would be a tester.

That Chopper for sure, perhaps some of those 80's vintage BMX bikes from the likes of Diamond Back and GT.

Yes Ollie, the bike industry knows something that GCN doesn’t appear to know, most riders are not going to ride in the Tour, if they do ride in an event it’s probably going to be sportives or other endurance events where comfort is more important than being aero or lightweight ( can’t believe Manon pulled a face when the bike was 30g heavier 🙄). I use a 40mm tyre on very long rides and my arse thanks me for it 😂👍

Back in the late 80s when I started cycling I remember going up and down Glendora Mt.Road/Ridge Road to Mt. Baldy Village quite often in high school to augment my Cross Country training and I never had a braking issue. Even then I had a very entry level Nishiki which wasn’t as good as entry level bikes of today. So I’m not so convinced of how superior disc brakes are. That being said I think if were to build a road bike with rim brakes I’d definitely go with aluminum rims. If I were building one with Carbon rims then go with a disc brake setup. In regards to a “2 in 1” bike I think they’re great. I live in Colorado and if I’m on a dedicated road bike and see a cool, quiet (no cars 👍) gravel road that has maybe a little sand or gravel I’m not going to take my road bike but if I’m on a gravel bike, I’m good to go. I’m not limited and let’s not get started on all the mounting options I have too. Also what if there’s no room for a second bike as well as the cost😳. Basically for most of us a gravel bike is a great option.

Getting a Raleigh Chopper is a great idea for one of your shows.

I love the do it all! My 3T Exploro Race fits this bill perfectly

I have a 2017 Scott Addict Gravel bike that I also use in the winter on the road. It has 2x Ultegra 8000 and I have a set of Hed wide Gravel wheels with 35mm tires and a set of Enve 45 with 28mm road tires. In road form it weighs 16lbs. It does both well including single track type off road. I do have a super light weight 14.5lbs 2007 Scott Addict Road with 23mm tires on Enve SES45 rims. This difference on the road between the two is mostly comfort due to the tires. However, I tend to do segment PRs on the 2007 which I think is due to the lightweight road specific nature. In reality, I don't notice the difference. So, yes, in my opinion, if you have a 2X groupset gravel bike, you can have a do it all bike. On the gravel you could even have a 650 setup for more aggressive setup. The Ultegra RX derailleur makes a difference.

I've just got the 2024 Giant defy, while it only has clearance for upto 38mm tyres but absolutely love it! Great blend of comfort and speed for my cycling and bike touring, would definitely go for an all road/endurance bike

I currently own a Koga Collmaro Allroad (2023) and got 34mm tyres on it right now. It is an alluminium bike yet it weights just 9.2kg !!. That is just nuts. And it has tyre clearance up to 45mm with 700c and up to 55mm for 650c. Yet it does not look like your usual gravel (racer). It has a lot of the same asthetic as the Canyon Grail CF SLX but it is still very unique. I love the bike a lot and it is super fast and versatile except for not having an option for pannier rack (sadly). However, the tyres are 34mm WTB allroad tyres which are not the most comfy and fast... So I am switching to Schwalbe G One R 40mm 700c tyres soon. It is incredible how far tech has come. Also, I got it for 1300€ approximately at the dealer and it's original price at Koga used to be 2550€+ which is just nuts but a very big win. Any tech tips for even better performance in the future for the bike? Considering I want to ride much longer distances as soon as the weather becomes warm again. I also plan on doing gravel races. Loving the video + ordering bibshorts soon, maybe GCN Aero shirt + a bidon or however it is called in english. Enjoyed the video. And I definitely think one bike would be enough for me. Just need a higher end bike than this medium to high range one. But thats all in due time :)

I went with the Cannondale Topstone Carbon as my do it all bike. I’m not racing so for me comfort was more important. It came with 45’s but for most of my riding I’m putting 38m panaracer gravelking SS tubeless tires on it. Eventually I may go with having 2 sets of wheels.

My Specialized Diverge has done everything I've asked of it. It's my commuter bike. It goes on my trainer so I can Zwift through the Winter. I've done two Triathlons on it. And this Summer, I hope to take it bike packing.

Frame clearances. In the 70s, Peugeot decided to build frames with larger frame clearance for 1976. For 1977, they went back to close clearance. The good aspect of the larger clearance frames was a 27 x 1 1/4" tyre could be fitted for comfort. I have a pair of 27 x 1 1/4" Mavic Module E with 28 - 630 tyres on my 1976 Pug.

Viel Glück euch beiden!

After a crash on my fommute wrecked my road bike I replaced it with a Genesis CDA20 with 42mm tyres. Added comfort is a plus but the biggest benefit is not being limited as to where I can explore on my bike. My commute is now 99% separate from traffic. Commuting from Kent into SE London I would never have even considered it until I got a gravel bike!

Yup. I want to go road to trail multiple times in the same ride. One bike to rule them all would be awesome!

Just ordered a Cotic escapade (the most road type geometry of their bikes). One 650b wheelset with 48mm tyres for gravel and another set of 700c carbon rims with 32mm tyres (same Hope hubs and 11-34 cassette). main road use will be for big days out in the Peak District area, on terrible uk road surfaces, where speed isn’t the main goal. GRX group set 2x 48-31 and 11/34 cassette should give plenty of range. So excited for my do it all bike. (Saying this, I do I have a 2019 rim brake giant tcr advanced SL, which will provide me with faster summer smiles)

Agree with Philippa that the pros of yesterday pushed the limits to the same extent as the pros today and that the consequences are higher today due to the higher speeds. Where we diverge is in the assessment of the risk. Risk is the combination of the probability of mishap and the consequence. If the probability of mishap today is the same as before but the consequences of mishap are higher today, by definition the risk is higher today.

Dont forget in the allrounder Category the new Parlee Ouray and Look 785 fit into this space as well. As the owner of a Specialized Aethos I love the allrounder! I think that these real world bikes are a much better solution, its just up to us as consumers to adopt to this.

I have been enjoying riding my Litespeed Cherohala all-road bike, good for road and gravel riding. I’m not racing, just riding for enjoyment and fitness. Bikes that can work well in both disciplines have been available for a while.

3 weeks ago I bought the lowest spec of the outgoing BMC Roadmachine. It was on a heavy discount over here in Germany before the new one was even introduced. When my bike arrived, the new one just released. So, at first I thought I might have decided too quickly. However, the lowest spec of the new one is like 2-3k more expensive again and I wanted an endurance road bike(!), not a maybe-road/maybe-gravel kind of bike. My 30mm tires fit nice and snug. The bike just looks the deal in all-black. I wouldn't even consider buying the new one and a new set of wheels so I could go graveling. My plans are different. I've got an alloy gravel bike on 40s for the bad weather seasons and the BMC is for the good weather, for the holidays and for closing the psychic gap of "what would a road bike do on this segment." It's definitely my go-to bike from now on because it's even more comfortable than the gravel bike but I wouldn't wanna use it in the winter with all the debris and gunk on the road. Leave that to the alloy horse lol

One all-around bike would be awesome! My gravel bike has become that now (except for TT). I don’t need to be fast, I want to be comfortable and have fun. Wider tires, more comfortable geometry makes me happy

Thanks Dr O , Manon , and..... Isaac ? I have 3 now , but one bike , two sets of wheels would be ideal , for me .

I want a few bikes. One small folder when commuting with a couple of transfers but a small amount of biking. One large folder where I need to ride a lot more but have few transfers, then a bike I can park on a train station or pub and still have it there (which could be the larger folder), then my hobby/holiday/excersize bike (which previously were multiple bikes, but have coalesced into a gravel bike).

Feather racing Oli and Monon up Tre Cime di Lavaredo… feather on a Raleigh Chopper and winning by 7 minutes. I’d watch that.

My honest opinion, as an all time mountain-biker who discovered the wonders of road cycling just 3 years ago, I say two bikes is really the ideal: - an endurance road bike with good tire clearance and two interchangeable sets of wheels; - one mountain bike, ideally a full suspension. That’s what I’ve got and I think it’s the sweet spot.

Ollie's weird kids bike resto-mod challenge idea....... yes, let this man cook.

I have already bought something all round, basso astra di2 105 12s (groupset of the people :DO) with 35mm clearance. Love it, even though i had areeo giant propel which was lighter.

The bike industry definitely knows something that you guys have been overlooking for years. The Trek Domane has been their top selling road bike for a decade now (hence why it has so many more models than the Madone and Emonda). Both the current and last generation of the Domane officially support 38mm tires with very generous clearances... so there was no issues putting 40mm tires on my 2020 model.

Sold 4 bikes and now only ride TIME ADHX on 34mm tyres. Best decision ever. No choice paralysis, only 1 drivetrain to look after and having far more fun with more ‘underbiking’ scenarios that remind me of my childhood… and my wife is happy (although she’s not aware of the true cost of the ADHX!) 😉

Ahoy Alexander, Oliver and Manon (couldn’t figure out what that is short for). It’s sportive season with the weather being…slighty more optimistic than usual… What’s the best way to attach race numbers to the back of a jersey without using safety pins and getting holes in the back of a nice new jersey? Thanks for all the tech videos they’ve been hilarious and informative! #ASKGCNTECH

YES, please do that Chopper and Ultimate Kids Bikes of All Time video!

A video on retro, but modernised version bikes. Whether they are Ebikes or not. That would be worth enjoying childhood memories.

The limiting factor road bike clearance is the front derailleur. Enve also specs 38mm tyre clearance with 2x setup. Bikes like Vitus Venon already have 45mm of clearance, but you can't benefit from all of it if don't spec the bike with an 1x groupset. GRX has more FD clearance, but usually endurance bikes are not available with it as stock.

I have a priority 600X. It is all the bike I'll ever need. The 2.4" tires and front shock are great for soaking up the potholes in city streets, can carry a ton of gear if needed, extremely low maintenance 600% drive train, very strong 4 piston hydraulic disc brakes. What else do you need?

Best kids bikes through the ages would mostly be a procession of Raleighs. Chopper, Strika, Grifter, Burner, That burner with all the extra plastic earrings and sound effects, Banana, Maverick. Did much else happen in kids bikes until the likes of Islabike and Frog came along ?

Argon18 actually pioneered this whole movement of road bike with massive tire clearance when they released their new Krypton last year

In the 70's we had silk sidewall tubs that were noticeable lighter & more supply than the cotton sidewall tires, I often wonder why we don't have silk sidewalls on today's tires.

I love love love the idea of one bike. I’ve already been looking for one. I don’t care if I lose a second or 2 per km on the road if I can then swap the wheels and comfortably and confidently go off road.

All for it, one bike to suit varying needs. No reason you can't have an aero road bike that allows wide tires, a somewhat relaxed geometry, and even a reversible seat post if you want to do tri with a set of aeorobars. Makes total sense, no need for all the existing permutations if you're not a professional rider/racer.

The Giant Revolt has been my one do-it-all bike for years. I have had 2 wheel sets for gravel and paved road, but am considering further condensing into one wheelset and tire combo as a minimal fuss “all road” bike. It suits the minimalist in me.

I'd love to see a video of you comparing classic kid's bikes of the 80s. I was somewhat of a late bloomer when it came to my first bike, for the longest time I followed my friends round on roller skates (the old-school ones that strapped on over your shoes) until my dad took me to a Saturday afternoon car boot sale and paid the princely sum of £5 for a Raleigh Commando, in 1987/8. It wasn't flashy like the brand new bikes my friends had, but it was mine and I went everywhere on it 😁

I busted my shoulder 33 years ago when making a salto when I was only riding 25 km/h but I had a new bike with much better rim brakes than the previous one. Campagnolo Centaur. The front brake was just so strong.. I actually think with rim brakes on a descent you had to be a bit more aware of what was going on, really start braking in time. So there was a better balance between braking power and grip.

I'll never have another plastic (carbon Fiber) bike, but I'm completely sold on the do it all bike. I went from 5 bikes to 1 & I've never been happier, thanks to titanium. I understand Ollie's defensive take, and in my professional life, I use the multitool vs. specialized tools analogy a lot (I say swiss army knife), but I don't think it applies to the last majority of non racing riders.

Another wonderful video guys.

Raleigh Chopper, Raleigh Burner (blue and yellow one of course), Raleigh Grifter, Diamond back or Mongoose bmx and Raleigh Vektar! Up Alp d'huez or something

Been riding the Factor Ostro Gravel as my do-it-all bike for a couple of years now. Owned the Ostro VAM before and the SuperSix HiMod now as well and honestly the OG does everything so well that it's hard to argue the VAM and the HiMod are that significantly better. For more than 90% of the non-pro riders, these do-it-all bikes will do the job just fine.

I already went with the one bike option. Bought a Lauf Seigla with the Grit fork and it does everything I need it to do in my riding terrain

Raleigh striker,with the pedal back rear brake…I was the skid king on my street 👍

Cool, I needed one more bike. The bike that ends all bikes!

The Enve looks supernice!

I’m confused. Why is 3+ bike brands launching “road” bikes or bikes that look like road bikes that can run 40c tires a big deal? Is it because it’s the bigger brands doing so, right before Sea Otter no less? There have been these “quiver killer” bikes on the market for years. Rodeo Labs’ Trail Donkey has been able to run tires in excess of 700x40 for years (56mm max. currently) & Surly’s Midnight Special can do 700x43. Both bikes can run even wider tires if you use 650B wheels, and I’m sure those aren’t even the only two brands who’s bikes can run these wider tires.

Rim brakes for the win in 2024❤

I still ride rim brakes on carbon wheels. I got a Giant TCR just before the pandemic because I wanted a new bike and found a used one that fit my budget. I ended up upgrading the wheels because carbon hoops look cool. Braking performance in the dry is fine. It's usually okay in the wet, but I try to avoid riding in the wet in general. I'd love to upgrade to a new bike with disc brakes and electronic shifting, but life is just too expensive for me.