What does the finest aero road bike have in common with the elite of gravel tires? What antics have POC been getting up to with car manufacturer Volvo? Where do Canyon draw the line between ‘cross and gravel? Just how much of an average GRAN FONDO reader are you? Have you come across ‘lookism’ in the road riding scene? Where do you get oligarchs racing against teenagers? Tip: that story includes Borat, camels’ milk and Oktoberfest. What does a Zen master share with icons like Miguel Indurain and what can we, as roadies, learn from them? What do I need to watch out for when gravel riding? What mustn’t be overlooked when buying a gravel bike? The answers to these questions, along with many more, can be found in issue #010 of GRAN FONDO Magazine – out now! Have fun reading Watts’n’Gravel, our attempt to cobble together those seemingly opposing ends of the cycling spectrum.
Group Test – The best Gravel Tyre
The best aero bike – Specialized, Trek or Cannondale
Duel: Canyon Inflite vs. Canyon Grail
Guide to Gravel: All you need to know
Gran Fondo Kazakhstan – Tour of Zhetysu
This article is from GRAN FONDO issue #010
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All bikes in this issue
Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod | Canyon Grail CF SLX | Canyon Inflite CF SLX | Specialized S-Works Venge | Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc
If you look at the new 2019 range of road bikes, you can’t avoid talk of ‘aero’. We have decided to pit the newest and hottest aero bikes against each other. What can aero bikes do and what are their limits? Do we need aero on a group ride with our mates? We set out to answer these and many other aero-related questions.
The most effective upgrade for your bike? A perfect tire, right. Given gravel riding’s intricacies, it is particularly important to keep in firm and safe contact with the ground. To help you find out which is the best gravel tire out there, we alternated between putting on our lab coats and putting in the miles on gravel roads, forest tracks and flowing trails.
The gravel trend is booming — but so is ‘cross. With the Inflite and the Grail, Canyon has introduced a representative for each religion — and that’s just within a year. Not only are Canyon’s new steeds causing a rift but they’ve already bagged some victories. How is Canyon responding to the demands of each target group?
POC is synonymous in our circles with images of Scandi-style cycling kit and helmets. Almost no one would associate it with Maui, Volvo Cars or emancipation. We headed to POC’s HQ in Stockholm to find out exactly what links these terms as inextricably as meatballs and lingonberry jam.
Why has gravel become so incredibly popular? Could it be because no other category is as versatile and beginner-friendly? On a gravel bike you can explore the world, rediscover your own turf, enjoy your daily commute to work, and even spice up a boring training plan. In this article we will tell you everything you need to know about gravel.
What does a multi-day gravel adventure have in common with a bunch of Hi-Fi nerds, liquor-soaked fruit and a school trip? You’re about to find out. To celebrate the launch of its new gravel handlebars, the ACROS team invited us to take part in an exclusive adventure in the Swabian Jura – and five lucky GRAN FONDO-readers were chosen to tag along.
When an invite from the Gran Fondo World Tour landed on our desk, asking us to take part in the Gran Fondo Kazakhstan Tour of Zhetysu, there was no doubt about it: this was a trip that we couldn’t miss out on. As Borat would put it, what an exceptional opportunity for ‘cultural learnings.’ What follows is a tale of rehydrating with vodka, doping with milk from camels and mares, burning steppes, karaoke, and more.
As of right now, all the exciting articles can be downloaded from our interactive tablet or smartphone app, and they’ll make their way onto the website over the next few weeks. Have fun reading!
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