While the evil overlords of the bike industry force us to use disc brakes on our road bikes, D shaped steerers that seem to break quite often and internal routing that would confound a Jack Russell terrier, Shimano have gone totally off message and (gasp) released an entire family of components that work together effortlessly.  It is almost as if, in their Bond Villain lairs they are listening to us mechanics rant about non compatible shifters and press fit bottom brackets! Keep it up, folks. The ever insightful Mike Stead from Road.cc joins us for an in depth look.  ..read more

Welcome to Cycle Systems Online podcasts for 2023. It's great to be back with a stellar episode with John Thorpe from https://fjmtb.com/ From 1980s tracker bikes through to legendary MTB night races and a cult following in the Manchester area, John has built up a reputation for great riding, racing and partying at his own bike park. Marple is no Marin County, but John can certainly match Gary Fisher for a good yarn and the race weekends have rivalled anything at Repack back in those heady days. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/FARMERJOHNSMTB and  https://www.instagram.c ..read more

The world of cyclocross racing and tech is beloved to some and unknown to many. Whichever of these camps you fall into, this weeks show with Neil Mansfield from the Crosscast will satisfy you like a beer soaked skinsuit at a dirty weekend in Belgium. Links for your delight;  https://thecrosscast.buzzsprout.com/ https://grity.co.uk/  << sustainable sports apparel business which Caroline (MrsM)  https://www.instagram.com/thecrosscast/  https://www.instagram.com/crosscastneil/ https://www.facebook.com/TheCrosscastPodcast ..read more

Join Sean and International Mountain Bike Mag's Jarno Hoogland for a look a the world of mountainbikes for 2023. Whether you want inspiration for a new event or want to know what new tech may be coming out, we try to cover it all here. Jarno talks about riding at  Nava Freeride and the Trans Madeira  as well as inviting you to Verbier to use his Trail Taxi. Links for all we discussed here.  https://www.imbikemag.com/   https://navafreeride.it/   https://trans-madeira.com/  http://trailtaxi.ch/  https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/mountain-bikes/on ..read more

Welcome to Cycle Systems Online podcasts for 2023. It's great to be back with a stellar episode with John Thorpe from https://fjmtb.com/ From 1980s tracker bikes through to legendary MTB night races and a cult following in the Manchester area, John has built up a reputation for great riding, racing and partying at his own bike park. Marple is no Marin County, but John can certainly match Gary Fisher for a good yarn and the race weekends have rivalled anything at Repack back in those heady days. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/FARMERJOHNSMTB and  https://www.instagram.c ..read more

Join Sean and John for a revisit to the topic of Winter Bikes. Quite a few changes have occurred in the bike world since we discussed this topic last.  Do you get an old touring bike and plod through the Winter, or just ride your main squeeze all year 'round? What about mountain bikes, gravel bikes or even the dreaded indoor trainer?  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you out there. See you in 2023.  ..read more

Join Sean and International Mountain Bike Mag's Jarno Hoogland for a look a the world of mountainbikes for 2023. Whether you want inspiration for a new event or want to know what new tech may be coming out, we try to cover it all here. Jarno talks about riding at  Nava Freeride and the Trans Madeira  as well as inviting you to Verbier to use his Trail Taxi. Links for all we discussed here.  https://www.imbikemag.com/   https://navafreeride.it/   https://trans-madeira.com/  http://trailtaxi.ch/  https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/mountain-bikes/on ..read more

While we all like to save money on bike components, having more longevity is especially important in 2022 due to continuing component shortages. As chains and sprockets have got narrower, and especially now electric motors are common, the time is ripe for a new type of drivetrain.  Does Shimano's new Linkdrive fit the bill?  Join Mike Stead and Sean to get the lowdown and to find out about a few other new products, including a carbon tubeless sealant. Yes, really.   ..read more

As the final week of the Giro d'Italia hit the big mountains, the bikes got lighter and less aerodynamic. Sean and John moun the dearth of Pantaniesque action and mbike mods in this year's race, but do have a look at Sean's new climbing bike ..read more

This week we welcome back Jean Paul Ballard, CEO of Swiss Side. Sean has been testing the new Gravon 420 wheels and we get into the technical details of Swiss Side's performance analysis for gravel wheels and tyres. We also recap on Jean Paul's recent visit to the IronMan World's in Utah ..read more