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.
Madrid-based component manufacturer Rotor just launched a new Outlet section to their e-commerce website that offers big discounts on many of their made-in-Europe products. In…
Shimano has just slipped out an SH-XC902 update to their top S-Phyre XC9 mountain bike shoes, calling them the “lightest ever”. Developed with the top…
For 2022 German bike maker CUBE has reshaped their popular AMS full-suspension MTB platform into two new lighter carbon bikes. Sharing the same adjustable geometry…
The new Chapter2 TOA is said to culminate several years of aerodynamic road bike and versatile gravel bike development into one do-it-all integrated aero all-road…
While the world builds more aero carbon disc brake road bikes, Berlin’s Standert Triebwerk CR eschews trends to refine a classic and classy steel road…
A new partnership between clothing maker Velocio with the repair workshops of Apidura and What Happened Outdoors makes cycling kit more sustainable for European customers.…
PRO’s new Vibe Evo handlebars are a ground-up redesign of aero road bike cockpits, taking integrated designs to the extremes. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of…
Apidura thinks their new Innovation Lab’s boxy Hydration Bladder is now the most efficient way to haul more water in your bikepacking setup, better filling…
8bar’s affordable Grunewald carbon adventure gravel bike is back with a v2 update that is more off-road-ready than ever to extend your bikepacking trips further…
Commencal’s new FCB Gravel bike build highlights the versatility of their affordable alloy do-it-all bike, and the endless possibilities when you head directly to their…
Alchemy had teased us recently with the idea that they had some lightweight carbon components in the works, beyond their latest road & shape-shifting mountain…
Everyone and their brother has tried to make drivetrains faster with larger derailleur pulleys & ceramic bearings, but absoluteBLACK’s new HOLLOWcage may be a truly…
The new Limar Ultralight Evo road helmet looks almost identical to its lightweight+ predecessor. But it’s hiding some new safety & durability upgrades inside that…
Extending their boxy aerodynamic LAW Tech rims once more, FFWD go deeper RYOT77 aero carbon disc brake wheels aimed at time trial and triathlon racing. With…
Earlier this summer, Italian bag maker Miss Grape has added several all-new smaller, lighter Road collection packs to their bikepacking bag lineup. Built for “Far…
Apidura has reshaped a slimmer, streamlined front end for their fast ultra-distance audax bikepacking bag setup with a new Racing Aerobar Pack. Aiming for less…
The new Greyp T5 trekking hardtail eSUV combines a powerful e-bike powertrain with a unique combination of integrated technology far beyond anything we’re used to seeing…
