World Champs Won On A Chinese Bike? What Does This Mean? | GCN Tech Show Ep. 406

A Chinese bike and components have won a World Championship title! We dive into the impressive $6,000 build of the bike used by Junior World Champion Harry Hudson and what this landmark win means for budget-friendly performance cycling. We also break down the major UCI U-turn on handlebar width rules, check out a new full-suspension gravel bike, and explore other hot tech like the updates to My Canyon and a carbon fiber storage pod.

Link to Dan’s training rides on Zwift 👉 https://www.zwift.com/uk/events/tag/gcntrainwithdan

Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – Welcome to the tech show
00:34 – Chinese Bike Wins World Championships!
04:07 – The Weight of the World-Winning Bike
04:55 – Junior World Champion’s Bike Build Breakdown
11:12 – Question: Will You Buy a Lesser-Known Brand?
11:46 – Hot Tech – UCI U-Turn: Handlebar Regulation Changes
15:15 – UCI Hot Topics: Price Caps & Aero Helmet Ban
17:36 – Hot Tech: My Canyon Updates & New Gravel Bikes
23:42 – Hot Tech: Carbon Fiber Storage Pod
26:23 – Indoor Cycling Updates
28:29 – Comments of the Week
30:54 – Bike Vault

Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 https://gcn.eu/techuploader
Subscribe so you don’t miss a thing 👉 https://gcntech.co/subscribe
Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNinsurance
Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 https://gcn.eu/Newsletter
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 https://gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 https://gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 https://gcn.eu/GCNClubRides

Are you now more likely to consider a lesser-known, direct-to-consumer brand for your next bike, or will you stick with the mainstream brands? Let us know what you would buy and why! 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech…
📹 https://youtu.be/8U9Bfo4wETU
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 https://gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 https://gcntech.co/GCNTechShow

🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵

#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #technology #worldchampionship #roadrace

📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.

Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.

We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!

Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: http://gcn.eu/-Canyon
Orbea Bikes: http://gcn.eu/Orbea
Pinarello Bikes: https://gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: http://gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: https://gcn.eu/Camelbak
Pirelli Tyres: https://gcn.eu/Pirelli
Vision Wheels: http://gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: http://gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: http://gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: https://gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: https://gcn.eu/Zwift
Silca: https://gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: https://gcn.eu/methelmets
Core Body Temperature: https://gcn.eu/corebodytemp
Precision Fuel & Hydration: https://gcn.eu/precisionhydration
Elitewheels: https://gcn.eu/Elitewheels
CeramicSpeed: https://gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed

Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gcn
GCN Racing – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network – https://www.youtube.com/@gtn
GCN Italia – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnitalia
GCN en Español – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français – https://www.youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais
GCN Training – https://www.youtube.com/@GCNTraining
Global Mountain Bike Network – https://youtube.com/@gmbn
GMBN Racing – https://youtube.com/@gmbnracing
GMBN Tech – https://www.youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network – https://www.youtube.com/@embn

Welcome to the GCN Tech Show. A Chinese bike and components has won a world championship title. We discuss all and the bike and equipment involved. Plus, in hot tech, we have two new gravel bikes. The UCI have made a U-turn on their handlebar width of choice. We’ve got updates to the My Canyon platform. We’ve got a carbon fiber storage pod, plus indoor cycling updates, too. And of course, comments of the week on the bike. Let’s do it. Yeah. So, Chinese bike winning at the Worlds. It was the Junior Men’s Road Race won by Harry Hudson of Great Britain, which we should also point out is Great Britain’s first ever win of the of the Junior Road race. Yeah, I mean, this is mega news. Brilliant. Like that. Um, and he did so in pretty impressive fashion actually. 36 km solo breakaway. Rate that. Amazing. Uh but one of the things that was also cool about his his win was it was done on a Chinese bike and components um which were supplied through Pandanda Podium who supported him and sponsored him. Um, and this is a big deal because to the best of our knowledge, I feel this is the the first time a world championship title has been won on I’m pretty confident this is actually the case on a top. I don’t have an official stat direct to consumer brand, but it’s almost got to be like also we we should point out first that the level of the junior racing is absolutely off the charts. These are all people that are naturally going to filter through to become like future elite top level racers. Yeah. And if you, you know, look at say the junior road race from several years ago and you then look at the top 10 in in that race, um it it just is a who’s who of Yeah. of of the current top riders. You know, you’ll see all the all the big names like Pagatcha, Remco. Yeah. you know, well, actually, it turns out Harry is going to the Little Trek development team next year, so that shows shows the level. So, when you consider that the the level of these races is super high, these people are going into the world tour um and you know, they’re 17 and 18 year olds. It’s um it’s significant that that Chinese components have been used and used to win in convincing fashion because a lot of the competition he was up against was on top tier like mainstream brands equipment which is crazy expensive, right? Yeah. And I think a lot of people are increasingly thinking, oh, this this equipment is good. Like the stuff you can get from China is good and we’ve featured a lot of it on the channel. But I feel this is quite an important moment because it really does validate that to a lot of people that there is really good stuff out there and it can be competitive with the mainstream western brands. Yeah, I think that’s probably people’s first element of doubt is like, oh yeah, it’s cool, but is it really competitive? And I think until we’ve reached this stage now where someone has literally proven that, everyone’s always had that question in the back of their mind. The other thing before we go into all the details on his bike, um the sort of there were some components on there that weren’t Chinese stuff. Um so for example, his his levers and shifters way shifters and his um derailers, Altegra. Yeah. Amazing. Which is also really cool. You know, a lot of time for this. We should run through the bike though, shouldn’t we? It’s quite cool to talk about. The first thing as well just we need to point out is that while his bike costs significantly less than a mainstream western bike that would be would be used at this level, um it’s still pretty expensive. Yeah, I think we’re talking like what $6,000 or so. So about half price compared to like being half price. Half price compared to, you know, if you were buying like a um you know, a Pinerella or or an S Works or something like that, typically going to be around 12,000. So, you know, even though it’s still expensive, it is top end performance gear, but half the price is is I think that’s a really important thing that someone can compete on that. Yeah. Um um bike weight. Should we talk about this first? So, Harry’s bike weighed in at just 6.83 kg. So, 30 g above the UCI’s minimum weight limit, which means potentially he could have had maybe one of the lightest bikes out there. Yeah. Well, it could have been. We could definitely make that lighter if you wanted to. and they’ve chosen to build it to that weight limit for a reason. But we know that that weight limit is the weight of the bike because um Pandodium actually shared the UCI paperwork. So when the UCI the UCI equipment police they did have jurisdiction yeah have to go and check the bikes. One of the things they do is they measure it and check all the measurements are okay and they weigh it and they note down the recorded weight and it was it was 6.8. Probably scan for hidden motors as well. They do that as part of like go-to thing. Yeah. Yeah. Um the frame. Let’s talk about the frame, shall we? So, I believe it’s a Quick Pro AR1 carbon frame set, right? This is $1,899, which again sounds like a lot, but when you consider something like a S Works frame set, it’s like $5,000. It’s absolutely crazy. Um, what else? We got some wheels. Do you want to talk about the wheels a little bit? Yes, these are CRW works wheels. Um, and he had a 50 deep front, 60 deep rear. So, good like air setup going on. Um, pretty light, 1280 g a pair. So, pretty light. Yeah. And um, set up set up tubeless. And on them, he again a non-Chinese component. He was using um, GP 5000 Continentals as well. I mean, we’ve said a million times before, tires super important, aren’t they? Yeah. Cranks. I know you’re going to love talking about cranks. I think you’ve uh mentioned some of these different brands that you can get before because there’s a lot of weight saving to be had in there as well. Well, this is the thing like the cranks is is the best way to most sort of efficient way to lose weight on your bike if that’s your goal. Yeah. Because you you know you even look at something really top end like Jaw ace cranks. You’re very familiar with them. Yeah, I’m familiar with them. Well, typically all of those J crank sets that you have lying around Yeah. are around sort of 680 grams. Mhm. Whereas, you know, you drop to something like these Cybry cranks that he was using, which are carbon Chinese, um, 320 g is what I saw quoted for those. What? Yeah. You know, this is crazy. 300 g. I mean, if you were trying to save 300 g on a wheel set, that’s going to cost you a lot of money. That’s a lot. Yeah. Whereas these are actually potentially cheaper than durace cranks. Um, potentially. I don’t have the price to hand. Yeah. Well, he was using 165s as well. So, I mean, that’s obviously going to help save a little bit of weight, but that’s not the main reason for it, is it? Yeah. Um, and he was also using 5438 chain rings. I I’m not entirely sure. Um, I don’t know if you know this either, but is there still a gear limit restriction for junior races or did that get removed a while ago? I’m pretty sure they scrapped it. Yeah, maybe I’m still stuck in the past. I don’t know. But anyway, nonetheless, as pedals, one piece handlebar. I I like the name. The canwin. The canwin. The canwin. Zepha bar. Love that. Do you reckon he chose it specifically because of the name? I don’t know. It’s that is I mean the thing is right is like there’s a there’s clearly like it’s clearly like a legit product. Fantastic. But then there’s that thing of like sometimes the names get lost in translation, but I find it quite endearing like the can win. The can win handlebar. Well, yes. Yes, he can win. Yeah. Um, so what else were we going to talk about? Oh, so normally, so yeah, we’ve said he has a lot of his equipment supplied by Pandopodium was sort of like one of his sponsors, right? And they deal with loads of these different Chinese brands, but what I did think was quite interesting is that out of the two bikes he has to choose from, the lightweight or the air one, he actually chose the lightweight bike in this situation. Yeah. I mean, it’s lightweight, but looking at the frame, um, which is a the Quick Pro. The Quick Pro. See, I had to look it up because it’s not something that I’m familiar with at all. Um, but it’s it’s kind of like an allrounder. Airy features. It’s in the guise of like a tarmac, isn’t it? It’s like that sort of allrounder that we classically see with some slight arrow features, tube shapes, um, and, you know, dropped stays and Yeah, there’s there’s like it’s not a full-on arrow bike, but yeah. Yeah, it’s a modern carbon race bike like like lots of things. I tell you what was cool is the the paintwork of the bike. I know it’s not really changing performance in any way, but I thought it was nice to see something a little bit different, a bit bit more out there. Yeah. Yeah. I also spotted I mean really small detail. He was running a set of those like super lightweight rotors. I think they’re the gala rotors cuz people are going mad for this. I don’t know why because in my head like brake rotors probably not an area you want to make super super light. I think those and then the like well those cy cybr cranks are becoming really popular and I think the other one is um like the le cranks as well. I really hope the can win handlebars take off after everyone starts using yeah can wins all round. Um, so we’ve gone through most of the stuff actually. I think that’s actually quite quite a good thing. But I think it opens up perhaps a like broader question of is this going to set a bit of a trend for people to become slightly more accepting of these perhaps lesserk known brands or do you think people are still going to always be a little bit more reserved? I think they should be. And I think also people focus. They do. It’s very easy to like get tied up in the absolute best and the best and the best of everything. But I think as you showed with your, you know, video recently with the the canyon that you you upgraded. Yeah. like well no I know there was people in in the comments who were like seemed annoyed by this but I mean the thing is is like I think that they’re not taking from it what you were intending which is that they’re showing that you can compete at a really like high level cuz that that group ride was it was like a premier calendar the people that were turning up and how hard they were riding the people that did it are like proper bike racers. Yeah. And um the fact that you’re able to then go toe-to-toe with those people on that level of equipment, yeah, is that is significant. I think it’s important. Yeah. I I mean, we obviously spoke about this in the tech show last week, but for me, the important thing was that we showed that you don’t have to spend tons of money to compete with bikes that are quite a lot of money. Well, yeah. It’s it’s it does become like diminishing diminishing returns on these things. Basically, what Harry’s done is like the similar thing that I was trying to prove. He’s like done it at a legit really good level. Yeah. Sort of like similar concepts, but he’s really actually done it correctly. Yeah. Yeah. And won the world championships. Yeah. I just won. Well, I didn’t win. I came second. It wasn’t even a race. It was fast. Second in the chain game. Yeah. Um so yeah, I think we should It’d be cool to hear from everybody right in the comments, wouldn’t it? Does everybody still feel a little bit more reserved about some of these less known brands? Are you all for it? Are you going to maybe consider your next bike to be from a lesserknown brand or are you going to stick to the mainstream brands that everyone sort of knows and is familiar with? Yeah, I think I’d like to know why like what would stop you from buying like a sort of Yeah. If you’re hesitant, what’s your reason for it? A Chinese bike. What would stop you? Especially when you consider ultimately a lot of manufacturing happens there anyway. So, yeah, it’s interesting. hot tech. Right, we’re going to kick things off with some UCI regulation news because we love chatting about this stuff, don’t we? Super nerds. Now, it um was announced in a UCI press release last week, some updates to their rules, changes that they proposed and some clarification on some stuff. Um most sort of importantly from that was the updates for handlebar regulations, right? Cuz this this was a big thing. We were discussing it a lot. It was a hot topic in the bike industry and world. So now they’ve clarified that the new handlebar rules for road and cyclacross have a 400 mm overall width maximum with a maximum flare of 65 mm and crucially a new inner width of 280 mm which is the measurement taker from the hoods which is really the main thing everyone was getting a bit. Yeah. So you can actually angle your hoods in like quite a you could quite a bit. Obviously there there still it gets quite complicated now. So you still have the rule of like the the flare and the angles. You’re not allowed to like angle your hoods in beyond a certain point if the bar is not designed for it. But then bar manufacturers started making bars where it’s designed to have the hoods flared in like Envy do it. Um Aero Coach do it. Um various other brands do it. Um and so yeah. So the so the key thing now is that as a minimum width for narrow bars they have to be 400 on outer to outer on the drops. Yeah. Which actually a lot of them are now. So for example if you look at the cockpit on my pinella the one on the side doesn’t like. Yeah it does. It just it doesn’t like that size. Yeah. So it’s like it’s it’s sort of 36 on the hoods. Yeah. But then it flares out to 400 on the drops. Yeah. So actually you open up a lot of nice narrow bar options. Um the other thing to point out with this as well is this sort of U-turn on these rules has come about because of a huge amount of of lobbying. Yeah. Behind the scenes with um representatives of component brands. Well, it’s the Federation Sporting Goods industry, isn’t it? basically putting their case towards the UCI saying you you we understand what you’re trying to do, but these new rules you’ve put out are basically rubbish and they don’t work. Here’s why. That’s interesting you say that. So, um go a while ago now I had this I did this really good interview with um really good chat from FSA and Vision. It was all about sort of some of the reasoning and logic behind what the UCI is trying to do and how the World Federation of Sporting Goods work with manufacturers and brands. And I’ve actually not found a home for this interview yet, but I feel like it’d be really cool to be able to share that with everybody. So, I’m going to have I want to have a good thing cuz I think people would find it interesting to see the sort of behind the scenes and background to some of this stuff. Yeah. Well, if if you do want to see that, let us know in the comments. Yeah. Um I’m glad that they have they apparently it was not easy to get through to them and to get them to listen and go back on it. But respects to the UCI for going back on this and turning. Yeah, I think so. It sounds like they have actually listened to everybody and sort of not given into a lot of the pressure but maybe just gone well yeah maybe good. I think I think it’s seeing I think it’s seeing sense. Um it does it does make sense. Um, also other updates as well we should talk about. There is going to be a price cap introduced for cycling equipment such as frames, fork wheels, handlebars, helmets, which is going to be effective from January the 1st, 2027, but at the moment there’s been no mention of what the actual price cap is other than it would be a reasonable amount. Yeah. So, this is interesting. And and obviously the thing that immediately sprung to mind was the Terra bike from the the Paris Olympics that the Japanese were using that was like $100,000 and the uh Factor uh track was about $60,000. Um and and I do think this is a positive step to go forward. So, you know, at the we’ve discussed this before, a lot of the time they’re making this stuff super expensive to put off other federations buying it. Um, but also I think like it this is a sensible move for for track. I think it is. I just worry that everyone’s going to immediately find loopholes around it and potentially. But I mean I mean it’s a sub a whole another subject for another video. But I think the um the thing that I’ve felt for a while is that I I love to see the innovation and the tech within track cycling and the pursuit and all that. I think it’s great. But I would also like to see them introduce an event or events where the equipment is standardized like Japanese caring racing. Yeah. Just so that developing nations like Rwanda where the World Championships has just been held Yeah. could could just get the standard track bike and then be competitive and it’s just the the human on the machine and it’s not an arms race. Yeah. Yeah. As I say, we could we could dive too deep into this. We’ll save that for another time. I’ve got another important update which we are both excited about. Um specific Arrow helmets uh going to be banned in road races. I’ve been unable to sleep at night. I’ve been that. Yeah, you’re going to sleep easy now. Yeah. Um so minimal ventilation limits, no shell or accessories. No visors, no covering of the ears. It’s a good thing for road races if you ask me. Um, yeah. Yeah, I think I mean, yeah, visors. Not a fan. No. On road helmets. Time trials. Yes. Road helmets. No. Weird that, isn’t it? Why do we make that distinction? I don’t know why. Don’t know. Anyway, updates to the My Canyon platform. So, there’s a new colorway available as well as updates to the different crank lengths that you’re able to choose from when you’re sort of specking out your bike. So, you’ve got the option of 160s and 165s to mean you’ve got more bike fit options, but a new colorway called Able, right? So, this is named after Kan and Able, huh? They’re in the Bible. Don’t worry about it. Oh, yeah. Wasted joke on me. Sorry. Yeah. No, different Able. Different Able. This was George Ael, right? Who discovered the aonomous planetary nebula. Do you know I know all about the word aonomous. Do you know how I know that? Cuz you told me about it earlier. Yeah. Um, so the planet is named Abel. Um, the Able constellation emits a greenish light pattern and that was the inspiration for the green themed bike. That’s pretty cool. Yeah. Picture on screen now for everyone to enjoy. What? The the nebula or the the bike? Not the nebula. Um, anyway, moving on. Yeah. Talk about more hot tech stuff. Yes. Uh oh, there’s a picture of it. What do you think? You like it? Yeah, it looks good. Yeah. the Trek Checkout. Have you Have you seen this full suspension gravel bike before or not? I haven’t. Okay, I’ll tell you all about it. Right. So, it’s got uh actually has a new Rock Shot Rudy XL fork. So, we’ll talk about the fork first. Suspension forks on gravel. I know it’s a bit of a sensitive subject with some people. Um but this new gravel suspension fork effectively increases the tire clearance and the travel that you get from it. So you can now fit 57.5 mm tire in there and the suspension travel is 50 or 60 mm. It’s got a 45 mil fork offset as well. And this is now in addition to the existing fork that was out there which had shorter travel 30 or 40 mil. So who is this aimed at? Well, this gravel suspension forked is aimed at people that want to push the limits of their gravel bike and take on more rugged and gnarly terrain. You know, the sort of thing you’d maybe ride a mountain bike on. Yeah. So, why would you get this and not a mountain bike? You’re asking the wrong person here. Yeah. Yeah. Don’t ask me. Don’t know. No, I don’t know. Um, it just gives more people more options, right? If you want to make your gravel bike a little bit more capable offroad, it’s kind of kind of thing you should consider. So, now we can open another can of worms, right? Cuz the track checker has rear suspension as well. What? Yeah, I know. So, it does. It looks cool though. So, I think it does look really cool. Now, Adam from GMBBN Tech and I spoke about this a little while ago. Um, is he a fan? I I can’t I can’t actually remember what he said. I think he probably was. Adam loves tracks and stuff, so he’s down for full suspension gravel, I imagine. Now, full suspension and gravel words I feel shouldn’t really be said in the same sentence, but we’re going to remain open to this sort of option. I think um I’ve got some stats here for you. 55 millimeter travel in the rear, 60 mil at the front, 56 mil tire clearance, so you get some big chunky boys in there. Yeah, it’s it’s actually a mix of Stram, mountain bike, and road components here. I feel that there’s um we should definitely do a video on like gravel bike versus mountain bike. Phil probably done that. Do it again. I know, but like in in in like a gravel race. Yeah. instead of in a terrain that suits the mountain bike. Yeah. All right. Um, talking about gravel bikes, here’s our second one that I mentioned. It’s from Surirly. And this is actually what I would describe as a gravel bike. Does that look like a gravel bike to you? Does to me. Yeah. Yes. This is more like a more friendly approach. Traditionalist. A traditionalist approach. Yeah. Um, so updates the sirly straggler grow bike. It launched a decade ago, right? So, they made some updates to it cuz, you know, 10-y old bike design kind of worth changing now. Yeah. Updates are all around uh wide range of fitment and geometry. So, you’ve got uh new sloped top tube, lowered seat tube, increased bottom bracket drop. That’s an interesting way of putting it. And increased bottom bracket drop. Yeah, quite confusing. Um, now got through axles as well and flat mount brakes. It’s manufactured from steel. This bike rough and ready cuz it’s real and rugged. Whoever’s editing the show, could you please put some tumble weed through then? Little bit of tumble weed for Ry’s joke. Thanks. So, Stragler GRX starts at $2,499. There’s a Q’s version at $1,999. And you can get a straggler frame set at $899. I’m guessing you’d buy the Q’s version and then just bang a dual race crank on it. Yeah. And some what, wheels? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Probably would actually. Absolutely. That was really uncalled for, man. No need for that. No need. Right. Ruby. Yeah. Um Ruby. So indoor um training platform or cycling platform podcast. Got updates. Yeah, we’ve got some updates. There’s now a segments feature. So certain predefined segments across climbs, rolling road sections, and sprints allow you to test yourselves against your personal best. some of your friends and your own best efforts which is kind of pretty cool. You’ve also got increased number of training roads protraining roads and routes you can get to. I think it’s blooming cool because I like the like often it’s like the the highlight of a lot of people’s year to go for their like week away. Oh yeah. In one of these locations. Yeah. It’s nice to scout it out first. Yeah. And you can recon it and scout it out so that when you hit Sackalobra or the colder ratz, you know, it’s absolutely destroy all your cycling buddies at the time. Finish them. Finish them. And there’s also uh the ability to quick toggle URGK mode on and off when you’re riding, which is kind of cool. Nice. Next, I’m not sure how I feel about this. This is interesting. So, I got served this as an ad on Instagram and I thought, you know what? I’m gonna put it in the show because I feel like you and I would enjoy talking about it. The Carbon Capsule Pro. Yes. So, this is it’s a it’s basically a saddle bag that doesn’t go on the saddle. No. Goes on the seat post. Goes on your seat post and it’s made of carbon. Yeah. And it costs £150. Yeah. But look what look what it includes. It includes a free Fender XL which is worth $79.99. Okay. This is great news. It’s like shopping channel. Yeah, topology going on there. What I kind of thought was cool, right, is this little like modular system. So, it has a little bracket on the bike with a um triin like triangle quarter turn mount. Put that on and you can either put a rear light on, you put your little carbon pod on there, or you add the mud guard in the mix that you get for free. Um yeah, I thought some people might be into it, but there’s a weird design. I just There’s a thing, isn’t there, within cycling products. Yeah. where it’s like it’s it’s this thing of like we just make it out of carbon fiber someone will love it. Yeah. It’s this if you know what I mean like oh you know how do we make this better? How do we carbon just carbon like yes saddle bags were like one of the one few cycling products remaining that haven’t been touched by carbon. If we make a saddle bag out of carbon Yeah. at which point it can no longer be a bag and it has to be rattly a pod. Yeah. Um I mean I’m trying to think now what are the products we will undoubtedly come across in the future that are not yet carbon but someone will go do you know what the world needs? Carbon fiber tires. Uh okay. Yeah. Like well I mean I started talking about a few weeks back with carbon fiber brake rotors. Oh cool story. Um is it really cool? Yeah. Okay proceed. Thanks. I’m glad you allowed that. Better be cool now cuz everyone’s So, I spoke about carbon fiber rotors and lots of people like, “Well, this is actually really rubbish. You haven’t got any cuz they’re really hard to find.” And I found there was a Kickstarter ages ago that where they made some and a few people got them. Anyway, turns out somebody emailed in one of the people that got the original carbon fiber rotors from the Kickstarter and is going to send us the carbon rotors in. So, we’re actually going to get set from I want to say it was maybe 10 years ago or something. Wow. So, yeah, it’s cool. So, I’m going to I’m going to do a followup. I’m going to get the carbon fiber, try them out. I’m also in contact with the carbon over place who’s doing like a modern version of it and they’ve just got back to me this morning actually. So, I’m still trying to get my hands on those like modern versions. That was a good story. Yeah. Yeah. Good. Right. Finally, in hot tech this week, we should talk about some Swift Racing League updates. We’re both um team managers, captains of teams. How’s your team doing? Mine are mine are mine are doing well. Why did you hesitate? Cuz they’re doing they’re doing their best. This is great. Could you would you very very kindly ask me how the team I’m in charge was getting on? Oh, I don’t I don’t think we need to know. I don’t think anyone’s No, I think little your team’s doing quite well. Um doing pretty well as well. Yeah. I mean, my team is only, you know, technically like three places below your team. So, how’s that possible? My my team is leading. Yeah. Yeah. But you’re ninth. No, but in this chart here, my team is just league position. Team Alex, first out of eight. Team Ollie, nine out of 14. Different league though, is it? Different league down. Yeah, we’re in the we’re in the big leagues, you It’s like it’s like you know you’re you’re leading the conference but my team are like ninth but in you know UEFA Champions League. Um, so last week’s Zift Racing League was a points race and it was cool hearing everyone talking about the different tactics and actually some of the people in my team put some put some videos of them trying to do this the sprints during it’s it’s never like a pleasant experience seeing someone sprint on a bike, is it? Like it just looks horrible and uncomfortable and everyone’s all sweaty and most haven’t even got a top on. It’s just like Yeah. Just things that are normal for indoor cycling but not normal in any other world. Yeah. Some people look really good though. I think not me. Not me. No. And this week is I think it’s country to coastal is the route that they’re taking on. And I gave them gave some tips and advice. Actually start pretty hard, isn’t it? It’s like straight up out the gate. Yeah. First bit of advice, big warm up. We got a massive climb straight away. So, be ready for that. Anyway, I’m excited to see how my team get on this week. Yeah, that actually rounds up hot tech for this week. Right, comments of the week, these are comments you’ve been leaving underneath our videos. We’ll pick out some of the best ones. So, from last week’s show, over to you. Uh, so from last week’s show, trainy cannook. So, like a trainy, is that trainy Canadian? Yeah. Don’t know. I think we need to see a comparison between the out of the box bike and the upgraded version. Yeah, discussed it. Yeah, your Q’s bike. Yeah, I think we’re gonna do it. Well, I think I am going to do it. Yes, that’ be cool. Uh, Muscle Fitness 2045. I agree with Alex in his first video and I still agree with him. I’ve done the same to my bike. It’s more affordable than buying those 5 to 15,000 bikes like Ollie’s and he still got dropped. I did. Yeah. Please do another video with this bike to show how much improvement you get with each component. Yes. Again, I’m going to do it. I think the cool the cool thing as well is is it basically shows that in a sped up form, you could be a beginner cyclist and you would buy, you know, a a really good bike for a beginner. Yeah. Um but then by making those sort of key upgrades to it down the line, and it and it’s also that’s technically like a multi-surface like gravel bike as well, but by making some key upgrades to it, you were able to ride it in a really Yeah, in a really fast sort of racing environment. Yep. Um, underneath Connor’s Premier Highway kit check. Can I Firstly, I want to say that video is absolutely mad, isn’t it? So cool. Fair play. So, if you haven’t, um, would you ride there? Would you ride on the Premier Highway? No. I I watched it and I thought, this is incredible. But at the same time, I was thinking, nope. Yeah, it’s a no from him. I’m glad Connor did it. We watch the video. Yeah. Thanks, Connor. Um, so underneath the kit check video, uh, Schrodinger the cat says, “An epic amount of gubbins for an epic journey.” And they say, “I’m curious, what was the final weight of the bike setup with all the gear?” I actually asked Connor. He says it was between 18 and 20 kilos. So heavy. Carry a lot of water. Lovely birther said that frame bag looks massive compared to the one I have on my small frame. Interesting to see they are all well adapted to the frame size. Thought about this. Um Connor is always going to be able to take so much stuff on his bike. His bike’s bloody massive. Gate. Here’s a gate. Bike vault. Shall we? Yeah. Go on. Give us a nice little intro to the bike. Uh it’s time now for the bike vault where you submit pictures of your bikes. Uh you can do so by clicking on the link to the uploader which is in the description below this video. And then we judge the bikes to be either nice or super nice. They’re super nice. Alex rings the bell. John Mitchell first with a calendar sinapse or syninnapse carbon 5 known as Lil Sid in a mystic field. Lil Sid. Yeah. Not Little Sid. Lil Lil Sid. Lil Sid. Like Lil Wayne. Yeah. Um Yeah. Uh that is very nice. I like lost so much thought when you went that is very sort of taking it in. Yeah, it’s um it’s a bit weird though how like the saddle is blurry like it’s moving and the bars but the crank set is in focus. Yeah. Also, what there’s a weird thing going on here, right? Singular bottle. Yeah. Seat tube. Yeah. What’s that about? Um, I don’t know. Is it something to do with this is a very small bike? Is it something to do with you can’t fit on the sound? Little Sid’s only got room for one. Yeah. Yeah. I think Yeah. Like I mean, I do I do really like it. It’s uh I like the gold and the black. It’s nice. That’s fully cracked over here with your bad jokes. You going to rate it? Super nice. Give it a super nice quick move on. GMC61 with a with a a vortex. Well, light speeded vortex. Yeah. Oh, look at the big rings on that. Come on. You got to stop this. I like this. I like this glade that they’ve pictured this in. That’s a nice a nice glade. Yes. Okay. This is a cool bike. Interesting. Um, triple chain set on this bike. What do you think on that? Love I love a triple. Yeah. Okay. Do you think they should maybe bring triples back? Yeah, maybe they should. Yeah. A lot of crossover and the gear ratios there. I’m into triples. I like them. Yeah. What do you think of the bike? That’s a super nice, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s super nice. Um, I right I I do really like these bikes, but can I just say I don’t think I’m a fan of the slight curve on the seat stays. No, it looks like um like a a sort of overweight person has sat on the bike and I compromised it. Structural integrity. I wasn’t thinking along those lines, but you know when something’s got a curve to it but is not significant enough that it looks like a design feature. Yeah. Um, and like it’s a titanium bike. I’m a sucker for titanium. I love that it’s it’s, you know, that’s a bike that’s had been going going a long time. I’m all about the sort of sustainable good design into it. Yeah, I like that. Super nice. Andre next. Yeah, with aision self-made paint job with cans in their parents’ basement. Camp chorus 11speed group set. um read on the cable routting. They say after seeing the bike on the channel, they somehow had to get one. Found a guy in Birmingham. Really? They had an old frame and they’ve sorted it right out. Yeah. Uh for those that didn’t see it, we we rode a Kirk Precision. Yesper Skiibby’s Kirk Precision to be precise. Um and um was this uh when with Steve Grimwood? One of Steve Grimwood’s bikes. Yeah. when we look at all the different generations of Shimano Cheese, I believe. Um, yeah. Um, um, Oh, this is cool. This is It’s a cool bike. Not not the most laterally stiff frame I’ve ever ridden. Welper. Also, um, you know, keep it away from sparklers on Bonfire Night because um Oh, what’s it? Yeah. What’s it made? It’s made from magnesium, so it will just turn into a sparkler. Yes. Yes. Uh, is it using a beer beer bottle to hold the bike up? That’s extra cool points. I love that he’s got flats on there. That’s really cool. I love the campo on as well. That’s just that’s just Andre is a dude. Absolute badass. Peter Andre. Yeah, I think it is actually. I think it is. That is the kind of bike that Peter Andre would ride. Definitely. Yeah. I’m getting mysterious girl vibes now. William next with um this is a Firefly. Oh, titanium. Take my money supervised already. I haven’t seen the bike. Just outside Boston, Massachusetts. And he says on the top tube, he’s got his personal mantra. Be strong. I feel like that’s quite generic. I don’t feel like you can lay claim to that as your personal mantra. Yeah, be strong. Yeah. Yeah. Real specific that. This photo holds special significance as the beach in the background is where I completed my very first open water swim race many years ago. Cool story, but save that one for GTM. Yeah. Yeah. Um, are they your favorite rotors on there as well? Gala rotors. I think they might be. The um the angle is all off on this bike. It is very jaunty, isn’t it? I do really like these anodized finishes. And I like that he’s got a full uh big boy frame pump in there. Yeah, that is cool, isn’t it? That is cool. Is Is it titanium barrel on the pump? Cuz if it is, that would be next level. No. What? titanium pump to go with the titanium bike. I agree. I think that’s something that you have to do if you have a titanium bike. I have a titanium bike. I don’t have a titanium pump. So now I’m like really wish your bike is just a nice Yeah. Unfortunately though, this bike is ang [Music] the cranks are just all over the place, aren’t they? Yeah. It’s it’s a big no for me. I’m sorry. Must it pains me to say that. Yeah. Yeah. Not into that. Shane, Billy, Daniel. So, we’ve got a threeperson submission here. Um, with a Envy Frey. Uh, maybe they’re conjoined twins, triplets, which would explain why the bike’s so clean, cuz they would probably struggle to ride it. Uh, so this it’s very nice. I do like the MV man. It’s a frame, mate. MV frame. Yeah, just want to point it out. This is Yeah, this is cool. I like it. Um, let’s judge the bike. Valve on the back wheel is not aligned with the front wheel. It is lent on the handlebars and could fall at any given moment. Unfortunately, this is Why is it Yeah, it’s disappointing cutting down. It’s disappointing to see a bike like this just propped against a sort of awkwardly angled wall. Yeah, I think could do could do a lot better with this, I’m afraid. Also, you feel that they did want to position it slightly further forward, but were hesitant to do so because of that sort of cream rug that’s there. And um yeah, don’t want to mess the carpet up. Um I think that’s just a nice I’m afraid it is, isn’t it? Could be a super nice. It should be a super nice. Maybe um resubmit later on. You into the uh you into the the envies on there. Yeah, I think it’s so it’s so this is I’m trying to work this out. I’m got mixed up. Frey and melee. Mele is the road one. Fre all road is all roads of gravel. Mogs of gravel. Right. It’s an all road. So this is this is in road configuration with big fat tires, isn’t it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s really cool though. I mean it is cool. I just just please resubmit it so we can superize it. Bit of a chimney going on as well. Yeah. Yeah. They’re not into that. Yeah. Nice. Nice, isn’t it? All right. Well, that’s the end of the bike vault, which leads us on to the end of this week’s GC tech show. Nice to have you back after a little holiday with Sai in Denmark. We had a great time videos inbound. Also managed to visit Ceramic Speed while I was out there and shoot some videos with them and actually learned some really, really interesting stuff cuz they’re doing loads of amazing testing out there. Um, they’ve got so many like lab like equipment test rig machines for all sorts of different stuff. But is this in the videos on this stuff? Yeah. Well, I’ve learned a lot for different things. So, we have a few few It’s inspired me for a few videos to do actually to teach people stuff. Yeah. Did you pick me up any cool parts while you’re out there? Uh, no. They only had enough for my bike. Oh, of course. Yeah. Old chest. Right. Thanks very much. Get them in the comments section down below. Best ones will pick them out. Re next week. Right. Love you. Bye. Love you.