Ride B̶l̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶ Bike Friday & help Rapha raise money for World Bicycle Relief – Rapha won’t be running any Black Friday sales this year, choosing to use the day to fight the overt consumerism by giving back a bit. Instead on online sales, all their Clubhouses and offices around the world will be shuttered so everyone can get out and ride. All 470 Rapha staff are being given a paid day off to ride their bikes. And Rapha is running a global Strava challenge to encourage staff, customers, and all cyclists to collectively ride 1 million kilometers.
“2020 has been tough for all of us. But amid the uncertainty, cycling has prospered as more people have ridden to get around or find release from restrictions. At Rapha, we have benefitted from this, but we realize that there are many cycling clubs and charities who have been more negatively impacted by the pandemic, and who need our support now more than ever. We believe that with the help of the Rapha Foundation’s global communities we can empower hundreds of cyclists around the world to help us meet our goal.”
If the Strava Challenge hits the 1 million mile target, the Rapha Foundation will donate a full £120,000 to World Bicycle Relief. That’s enough to fund 1000 bikes for those who need them most. But this isn’t actually an all-or-nothing campaign. Every thousand kms earn a bike donated, up to the million kms.
Looks like it’s time to plan on a ride for next Friday, November 27th: Strava.com
Advocacy & Industry News
- Diamondback Women’s Gravel Scholarship applications close soon! – Until November 20 Diamondback is accepting applications for their Women’s Gravel Scholarship, to ride away with a bike, nutrition, apparel & shoes to outfit one deserving woman for an adventure of gravel riding. At the top of the pile is a Diamondback Haanjo 8C, and much more. Click through for the details and how to enter, where you essentially have to email DB to tell them why you are most deserving. ride.Diamondback.com
- Votec made it all the way from Stuttgart to the Stelvio – Last Friday we saw Votec’s 4-rider Endeavour Team tease, asking how far they could make it from their HQ in Germany into the Alps on the VRC all-road bike that we reviewed this summer. They made it to the top of the Stelvio alright, but apparently it was a brutal finish to a long day in the saddle. Watch and enjoy someone else’s suffering.
- How have Vision road wheels changed from rim to disc brakes? – The introduction of disc brakes to road brought a lot of changes to take advantage of the more powerful braking system. Wheels are one of the key components that required a complete overhaul once you added a rotor, and could remove a braking surface from the rim. Likewise, disc brakes also changed riding styles – allowing you to enter corners faster and brake later than ever before, and taking road wheels much further off the tarmac. Vision’s blog gives a nice quick look at how the shift has impacted their work. VisionTechUSA.com
- Chasing Trail back in session with The Andrew Neethling Masterclass –
7 bikes in 7 miles, not everyone can do this at their doorstep, but in South Africa, Andrew Neethling can! After working with Brendan Fairclough on the idea to ride several bikes close to home given travel restrictions. Well, Andrew Neethling is competitive with his pal Brendan, and decided to try to one-up him. The result is Andrew squeezing seven bikes for seven different types of riding out of his backyard. Catch up on the whole Chasing Trail series at: Scott-sports.com
New Gear & Recalls
- Silca & Rapha partner for special RCC-only Impero pumps – Rapha Cycling Club (RCC) & Silca pair up for special limited edition Impero Ultimate Frame Pumps and the more portable Pocket Impero mini pump. The £162 Impero Ultimate in an all aluminum frame pump available in four sizes to fit most road bikes. The £115 Pocket Impero is also all alloy with a classic leather piston gasket inside, but at 20cm long will fit in a jersey pocket. Both are limited editions with RCC graphics and available only through Rapha, exclusively to RCC members. Rapha.cc
- 2020 Salsa Cutthroat fork recalls – Bicycle Retailer & the CPSC are reporting that QBP are issuing a recall of several hundred premium 2020 Salsa Cutthroat gravel bikes due to possible fork leg failures. Bikes, framesets & forks with a fork serial number containing the letter “G” are affected. Anyone who has bought a complete bike, frameset of after market Carbon Deluxe V2 fork the past 15 months should either verify the serial number of their steerer tube or take the bike/fork to a local Salsa retail bike shop for inspection, and replacement if needed. SalsaCycles.com
Contest
- Enter to Win free Easton components every month – Every month Easton has been giving away a free EA70 AX bar to one of the subscribers to their newsletter. But now to make it even easier to get exactly what you need to fill out your gravel cockpit, they’re actually moving to giving one lucky follower a $100 gift card in the month draw. Sign up for The Latest news from Easton to enter: EastonCycling.ca
