Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.
Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.
Title: EU Tech Editor Location: Mountains of the Czech Republic
Expertise
Topics of Expertise: MTB, Enduro, Cyclocross, Gravel & All-Road cycling, Bikepacking & Adventure Touring, Technical Product Design & Engineering Development
Years in Expertise: 25+
Number of Products & Number of Hours Tested: 1000+ of new products in over 10,000 hours of ride testing
Education & Certifications
Education: M.Arch. in design & planning, Georgia Institute of Technology. B.S. in Architecture & Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology & École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette.
Years of Writing: 25+
Certifications: Registered Architect, MTB/Backpacking Instructor and WAFA/Lifeguard (previous)
Club/Association Memberships: Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme
Previous Publications: Ride Lugged, The Voice of Reason
A Word from Cory Benson
Serving as Bikerumor’s EU Tech Editor allows me to leverage my design & engineering expertise to provide independent in-depth analysis of the cycling industry’s latest technological developments here in Europe. Riding, testing, reviewing & writing about these innovations allow me to share my unique technical perspective, combined with my personal love of all cycling disciplines.
I started sharing my strong opinions about technical developments in the cycling industry while a fresh wide-eyed designer, and then as a bike mechanic starting around 1996, sharing musings through a series of blogs & occasional contributions to local mags like Dirt Rag, at the time. It officially evolved into a full-time vocation with Bikerumor starting in 2013.
Schmolke Carbon steps up from just weight weenie components to full complete ultralight carbon road & gravel bikes in partnership with WiaWis. Offering aero road,…
All-new Qvist bike hubs spin up an innovative new set of internals to deliver lightning-fast & secure 2.8°, 128-point engagement on & off-road with ratchet…
All internal gear hub fans know the simple promise of reduced maintenance compared to a conventional derailleur drivetrain, but the 3X3 Nine hub promises literally…
Gates quietly made a number of subtle upgrades to their signature Carbon Drive belt drive offerings this year. And to celebrate their 15th anniversary of…
Selle Italia and Selle San Marco both bring 3D-printed padding to their top SLR & Shortfit saddles, respectively. But really, we’re still impressed by the…
On top of bringing electronic shifting to more riders with affordable 105 Di2, Shimano is also trickling down carbon road wheel tech to more accessible…
Shimano 105 goes electronic with a Di2 overhaul that brings the same lightning-fast semi-wireless shifting, 12-speed drivetrain, and upgraded disc brakes as Dura-Ace Di2, but…
BMC are heading full steam into performance road e-bikes with an all-new Roadmachine AMP powered by the lightweight and smooth new Mahle X20 hub motor.…
Standert has updated their popular made-in-Italy Kreissäge RS scandium alloy road bike to be faster and lighter than ever, now also with completely stealth routing.…
RockShox’s second-generation TwistLoc suspension remote gets official, adding the option for either On/Off 2-position or Open/Threshold/Locked 3-position lockouts. It’s now even simpler to use with…
Actofive teased this new modular alloy Signature Crankset back in January when they released their in-house machined Signature Chainrings. Developed as a light but tough…
CeramicSpeed’s Giro-proven OSPW Aero adds reduction in aerodynamic drag to the reduced drivetrain drag of their popular oversized pulley wheel derailleur upgrades. By effectively replacing…
Standert continues to evolve their stainless steel Erdgeschoss gravel bike to be better equipped for everything from weekend gravel rides to limitless bikepacking adventures. This…