Need to know
We spill the beans on the latest developments in the road- and gravel-bike world for 2024
2024 LOOKS SET TO BE A BIG YEAR for bikes. There are brilliant new endurance bikes and lots of new gravel designs on the way, plus some of the biggest brands on the planet are readying new race bikes for the WorldTour season. That's not forgetting a host of exciting new components and drivetrains that look set to improve your riding, wherever you choose to ride. For instance, we'll see a new addition to Shimano's gravel offerings and SRAM will be updating their pro-level drivetrains for the road and beyond.
We've rounded up four of the most exciting new bikes for the coming year, encompassing everything from endurance to all-road via racy gravel and a new assisted gravel bike from one of the world's biggest motorcycle brands. Senior tech ed Warren has been busy riding the quartet in all weathers and terrain to see if these bikes could be 2024 superstars.
01 Car firms take ebikes seriously
Ebikes have seen a massive explosion in popularity over the last few years, both for leisure and as a second-car replacement. That means huge car brands such as Porsche, Harley Davidson, Lotus, BMW, VW, and GM are taking serious interest in the humble bicycle.
Yamaha are just one of those companies. While they've been suppliers of motors to the likes of Giant for their ebike line, now they've launched a whole range of ebikes equipped with their latest more powerful mid-motor system. The Yamaha Wabash could be the start of some serious advancements in the fast-growing sector.
02 Endurance goes beyond the road
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Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
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