Is this the era of the all-round bike? – GCN Tech Show

Ollie Bridgewood and Manon Lloyd return to the studio for the latest edition of the GCN Tech Show, in a week that proved to be a little less bruising in the world of professional racing.

The 2024 WorldTour season has been marred so far by some very high-profile crashes and, as we discussed in last week’s show, this may be partly driven by the new tech which is leading to faster speeds. We received lots of comments on the subject, so Manon and Ollie decided to talk through some of them to dig a little deeper into the issue.

In other news, BMC caught the headlines recently when it unveiled the latest generation of the Roadmachine, along with claims that it would “re-set the standard” for endurance bikes. While it packs in plenty of performance, it’s the versatility and practicality that caught our attention. 

The headline-stealing figure is the 40mm tyre clearance, which outstrips even some gravel bikes, providing the ability for the bike to shapeshift into an off-road form. Add in the down tube storage space and an integrated seatpost light, and BMC appears to have created a bike that stands out from the crowd.

Except, it doesn’t. This week alone, ENVE released its Fray which is also home to 40mm tyre clearance, while FiftyOne’s new Sika bike is said to offer performance “tailored for real riders, not pros”. It appears that there is a strong demand for versatile bikes rather than specialists, so are we in the era of all-rounder bikes?

Do you prefer an all-rounder bike or a specialised model? Let us know in the comments.

Hot and spicy tech

Alongside the three bike releases, lots of interesting new tech broke cover over the last week. Here’s a pick of the products that caught our eyes.

Decathlon-owned Van Rysel entered the pro peloton for the first time in 2024 as it became bike sponsor of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.

That partnership was accompanied by a host of new bikes, including the RCR Pro which went up for presale for the first time on 16 April. Anyone eager to get their hands on the bike will be disappointed to hear that they sold out in minutes, although we’re sure there are more in the offing.

Read more: Sold out already: Decathlon opens pre-order for Van Rysel RCR Pro Replica bike

Over in GCN headquarters, we’ve been busy working away on a new range of water bottles in collaboration with Camelbak, including the performance Podium option or a stainless steel model that is designed for extra longevity.

Shop the full range of GCN x Camelbak water bottles on the GCN website

British wheel manufacturer Reynolds has released new lightweight 25mm road wheels. Their shallow depths help to keep the weight to a minimum and are, impressively, dwarfed by the 30mm external width of the rims. This wide width is optimised for wider tyres, which are becoming increasingly popular.

We’re currently running a competition with the chance to win goodies from Topeak, including a PAKGO EX bike box.

Check out full details for the competition.

Bike vault

After a few hiccups, the bike vault uploader is back up and running so you can submit pictures of your steed for our presenters to judge. If you’re unsure how the process works, check out our guide here.

As always, we’ve had plenty of submissions this week, starting with Brett Barnett’s Canyon Grail in the Colorado mountains.

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Despite the sub-optimal sun exposure (Ollie was feeling especially critical), this Canyon Grail earned a super nice vote

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Our judges didn't have to deliberate long before giving this Canyon CF SLX8 a big thumbs up

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Orbea offers a platform for customers to come up with custom designs for their bikes and if this Orca OMX is anything to go by, it's well worth the effort

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This Cannondale SuperSix Hi Mod is packed with tech, including a colour-coordinated water bottle