Don't call it a comeback: Spengle delivers exceptional quality in their signature three-spoke

It’s difficult to pinpoint when gravel riding became a thing, but you have the Dirty Kanza, the Transcontinental, the alternative calendar and the segmentation of cycling into it’s many sub-disciplines to thank for its now ubiquity.

Put differently, gravel riding is growing. If you don’t have your own WTB set-up for punchy rides on unpaved dirt roads, you’re probably thinking about one.

A 2017 Outside article does a good job charting gravel’s come-up. That year, the number of bikes shipped in the United States fell by 4 percent from the year previous, while shipments of gravel bikes specifically continued to grow, adding $26.9 million of net new biz to the industry—more than any other category in cycling.

With that growth, new kit has come to the fore, making gravel rides ever more appealing. (You have entire apparel segments from Cafe du Cycliste, Rapha and others - traditional road companies - selling kit for gravel rides.)

To most cyclists Spengle’s three-spoke will look familiar; maybe a wheel-set seen on a bike-cafe poster or in the wild on some gravel Meet-up. It’s originality is unmistakable. Similar, but very different, say those inside Spengle, from others who’ve tried minimalist spoke designs in past (famously the retired classic Rev-x from American wheel company, Spynergy).

“Ours is a pursuit of fun on the bike, not UCI titles or podium finishes. It’s about the thrill and enjoyment of having an agile wheel underneath you, capable of doing a lot,“ explains Martin Cox, Spengle’s CMO. “This is a wheel for people who just want to go out and have a great time on their bike - a very different emotional experience from riding a deep section carbon wheel.”

Test rides reveal that not only is a gravel bike, wheelset and a compact handy and fun to ride in the hills, it also looks handsome when posing against rocks in hard to reach places.

Spengle makes about 20 carbon wheel-sets a day at their 100-percent owned manufacturing facility in Slovakia. There, they employ roughly 50 people. Their corporate HQ outside Zurich sits in a business park like any other in Switzerland.

A Factor bike sits parked in the main entry alongside a table of chamois and tri-kit samples from Scatta, with whom they share office space. There are some couches and a coffee machine, but it is otherwise sparse and very clean - a design aesthetic the company’s CEO, Pius Brauchart, tries to mimic everywhere.

This is Spengle’s second attempt at the wheel market. The first ended in 2003, when the company was run by his father. A recognized name in European mountain biking at the time, when they shuttered they’d manufactured about 60,000 wheel-sets. Twelve years later, one of the company’s engineers recognized a change in available manufacturing; it had finally caught up to the design they’d always wanted to create. Alongside Brauchart, plans to resuscitate came together and after four years of tinkering, a modernized design was reintroduced to the cycling market in late 2018.

While the response to date has been largely positive - particularly in the Austrian, Swiss and German markets where the brand is recognized - other markets haven’t been as ready to ditch their spokes just yet.

“We have something really unique to gravel and MTB riding,” explains Brauchart. “The wheel is unconventional, but it is also less susceptible to aerodynamic turbulence at high speeds, something you won’t find in a traditional spoked design. You also have a wheel which is quite polarizing - 50 percent of the people who look at it don’t like the shape, but the other 50 percent love the aesthetic.”

The company is working exclusively in carbon, but is also experimenting with Kevlar, graphene and ceramic technologies.

A set up practically custom made for handle-bar bags.

So how do they handle? I got my hands on a 3T Exploro from the company (above) fitted with their signature wheel. I find the wheel aesthetics hard to argue with. To qualify, I also thought the POC Octal was a thing of beauty. It is outstanding in its uniqueness and a head-turner hands down.

The monocoque construction dissipates stresses across uneven sections of road. It’s a ride that is both smooth and comfortable. On descents, it’s agile and responsive as described, though (and this comes from someone who rides predominantly on the road and is after speed) I wonder if on a slim profile tire they’d be faster and even more fun….hard to say after only six hours and two test rides. Still, there’s a lot of joy to be found here.

I like them for their originality, but also for the energy of the people behind it. Clearly they believe they are delivering something unique to the gravel segment, reintroducing something different to MTB, and on the road, too, as they prepare to release new 700c disc models later in 2019.

At the price point, they are striking and a little space-age. If that appeals, you’re landing on a wheel-set with a 30-year heritage - nothing to scoff at. It might be a lot to ask of the market to abandon spokes completely, but in this versatile, do-everything wheel, they might have just found a reason to consider it.

A set of the three-spoke wheels retails for 1490 euros. Find out more here.

A three-spoke 700c wheelset for road is set for Summer 2019 release.

Straight up rebel mode: does cycling have a diversity problem?

Historically, riding a bike has always been about freedom. A vehicle capable of empowering greater social and economic mobility and changing lives. Look at the sport’s heroes: most were plucked from poverty. Through talent and tenacity, they chased glory as professionals. Some even found it.

The sport speaks in many languages, comes from countries all over the world, and is practiced across fast-fracturing disciplines. It’s probably one of the world’s most international sports, in fact. But it’s still pretty white.

This short colab between 2018 USA Amateur Road and Crit Champion, Justin Williams, and bike builder, Specialized, highlights this point, and asks some questions about cycling’s lack of diversity.

His story, the first in a series, examines the struggles he faced (still faces) with representation and diversity pulling up to rides and races. Beyond the simple and obvious economic barriers most face getting started on a bike - myself and many others included - you can’t help but have a think watching it.

A conversation on Medium is also worth a read. Here, an exert:

 How do you think can we change it?

Justin: “I believe we have to start by having conversations within the industry about how brands can do more to help create a more inviting atmosphere for people that don’t come from cycling. That conversation needs to be led by someone that truly understands different cultures. Cycling has to a) Be attractive and inspiring b) Move away from the “boys club” model that’s currently at play, and c) Be willing to invest in the future.”

It’s tough to comment on diversity in cycling, coming from Canada, where cycling brings together people from backgrounds who’d otherwise never connect. Now based in central Europe, however, the reality of cycling’s demography is hard to argue with.

The many personalities of cycling: Oakley Sutro review

No, this is not a photograph of me wearing Oakley Sutro sunglasses. I am pretty sure, however, it’s a guy named Chris who handled (handles?) marketing for Specialized whom I connected with in 2014 when I first started writing about cycling and cycling kit.

In any case, it’s a good looking guy wearing a pretty unique pair of shades. I was fortunate to get a review pair for these very pages, and between them, the Wildcats from SMITH and a pair of Speedcrafts, I’ve been riding in them regularly since. While I can’t say I pull them off as elegantly as Egan Bernal, I am rather intoxicated by their vision clarity, fit, and let’s be honest here, their style.

This is one of the more collaborative pairs of sunglasses developed by Oakley in recent years, at least in the arena of cycling/lifestyle. According to Will Conk, Global Performance Product Manager at Oakley, they were conceived in collaboration with several MASH SF riders - many who challenged ideas about what conventional cycling sunglasses should look like. Oakley wanted shades that were different. Something equally at home on and off the bike. Voila. The Sutro was born.

“As cycling evolves, we must evolve with it,” explains Conk via email. “People are riding faster, in more places, on different bikes. Shades will keep getting better and better over the course of time and have to change with it.”

The Sutro signature is their wide vision periphery, which is pretty handy for peering over shoulders and spotting cars - a useful feature set if you spend a lot of time riding in cities. Thanks to Bernal and other pros who have ridden in them since launch, the frame has - in short order - become a standout. A very good iteration of protective, performance and lifestyle eye wear. A big Kudos to Oakley on their originality. The shape is definitely unique.

The Sutro: a good reminder of the personalities within cycling far beyond a single discipline.

I tested the Matte Vampirella version that come with Oakley’s Prizm technology lens. Performance wise there are some nice features that give them their crossover cred: rubberized nose pads, elongated stems and a thinner profile and tighter curvature that hug the face.

The shades aren’t too sporty looking - but they are exceptionally wide. I dig the shape for the reason, but I also wear a large helmet in every available brand, so it fits my face. If you’re after face coverage but don’t want to operate in the extremes and look like a cyborg (ahem, the Wind Jackets), these are an outstanding option. I ride in contacts a lot; if you’re like me, you’ll appreciate their protection from wind, bugs and anything else that gets into eyes while wheel-sucking.

While unintended for road or X-country riding, it’s easy to see why the frame is already a popular choice in both disciplines. The coverage and style is first-rate because it really is so versatile - a real testament to their design success. “You know you have something special when the product transcends its initial intent and meets the needs of many different people,” Conk adds.  

Part lifestyle, part performance. It’s hard to say in which domain the Sutro is more comfortable. One minor knit: the shades do slide down the bridge of my nose while grinding my way up steep Swiss hairpins, but it’s been exceptionally hot of late. Really, there aren’t many glasses that aren’t guilty of that offense.

They hug the face well when riding and look dope doing it. Their utility for hanging out post ride sitting nonchalantly with a bunch of mates, similarly clad in Lycra and sipping a bucket of Cruzcampos - also first-rate. (Perhaps too specific of a reference, but you get it. This is a quality frame.) Geared towards medium to large faces, the frames retail for 130 pounds or USD $163. Eight different frame colours available.

Designed to win Grand Tour Stages: a look at Rapha's new aero jersey

There’s a well-known LBS in Toronto that was among the first to sell kit from a then London-based start-up long before clubhouses and communities became a thing. I bought my first jersey from them in 2008 - an Italian country jersey in signature merino with the tricolor armband. Mint. The sleeves were short relative to today’s cuts, but it looked dope and it just worked. I still have it, actually; every year when I bin old kit - even if for one or two rides - I won’t cut it loose on account of its now vintage status.

Eleven years on and several kits since, I was stoked to get my hands on Rapha’s new aero jersey the day before a recent trip to Spain. Out of the pack, it’s very considered relative to what’s been produced in the Pro range before. If you read my post on Huub Wattbike from May, you’ll also know I’ve been covering Coefficient of Aerodynamic Drag (CdA) for another project. Rapha invested in aero big time here, so I was doubly stoked to ride it and form some opinions of my own.

The jersey features a dual-fabric construction, smooth fabrics, bonded seams over the shoulder and elongated sleeves to shift air away from the body. The back panel is a super smooth fabric that again works to eliminate drag. There’s quite a bit else going on with the jersey’s aero characteristics - probably more than any single individual will need or care to know about - but we push on nonetheless.

Other interesting features to note: the compression sleeves, a very sturdy rear zipper pocket and three deep rear pockets, all of which make the jersey functional + race ready.

The jersey + bib combination was not included in the company’s CdA testing (gutted about that one) however the aero jersey is a true replica of the top section of the skin suit, says Rapha’s head of design, Maria Olsson. (If you’re racing and really want to limit drag, get the skin suit.)

Relative to the Classic kit range, my Italian tricolour probably wouldn’t hold up against this one in a tunnel. Based on the fabrics, design, fit & precision of the aero jersey in combination with the pro team bibs, the jersey will produce a lower CdA than the classic jersey & bibs, hands down. There really is no comparison there.

To develop the jersey, Rapha went deep, doing a huge amount of market research, exploring theories with experts within the field of aero dynamic science, defined parameters for the end use and purpose of when the product needs and can perform at its best and what will benefit the team the most, wind tunnel testing of materials and textures and more.

For these reason, riders who may or may not be professional cyclists will like wearing this jersey. I’ve found with a lot of aero-specific non skin-suit kit, you tend to look a little ridiculous wearing it off the bike. If I ever test ride any, it’s in the summer months when I’m typically running leaner and generally not the kind of kit you want to pull up for coffee post club run. Inevitably the jersey is too short or too tight, exposing that bit of flesh between bibs and the jersey’s bottom.

Yes it is compressive. Yes it is the tightest fitting of the Rapha range. But it is also one of the best to ride in. And thankfully it is not one of those jerseys that’s looks so aero you feel like sausage casing off the bike. Quite the opposite, actually.

Rapha has built a winner in this one. A functional racing jersey that succeeds on account of its versatility, and not just its race readiness. The elongated sleeves are likely to be your only knit here (if you generally go in for Rapha’s form and monochromatic designs); once you settle in to a nice steady pedal, you’ll see they’re quite functional and comfortable to ride it, as is the jersey holding them together.

(Disclosure: Rapha sent me this kit at my request to review and I’m going to hang on to it cause it’s awesome. There. I feel better).

Sportive essentials: how to nail your first overseas century

I published this shortlist of travel essentials two years ago after riding the Maratona; now in transit to Majorca, I’m reminded of its usefulness. Do I follow these “maxims?” The short answer is sometimes. I do however adhere to one that’s not listed: the rule of 5,000 km, otherwise known as the minimum mileage I think legs need before riding a Dolomite-style sportive (part of the reason I’m off to Spain for an endurance week; the other is to ride for bragging rights with a bunch of middle aged children).

If you’re sitting in an airport lounge reading this and thinking, “where’s am I riding next?”, these essentials might help. Six weeks to go till the Fausto Coppi Granfondo - another three till the Granfondo San Gottardo. Here’s hoping the legs will be ready.

Rent a bike: renting a bike for a sportive might seem counter-intuitive. But with high-end rentals so widely available across Italy, Spain and France, you can save yourself a lot of headache by leaving your bike behind. No need to wrench on either end, no worry of whether your frame will be nicked in transit; renting might even be cheaper (anywhere from 120-250 euros a week) than the baggage fees it costs to take yours with. The peace of mind of mind is well worth it. Pro tip: spec out if your seat tube will fit into your rental and take yours with, saddle attached; it’ll give your ride a familiar and more comfortable fit and feel.

Bring your own food: even when riding Italian or Swiss sportives, where food is generally real and pretty good, I still bring my own. Nutella and spelt cakes serves me well - a formula that works - why deviate? Ask yourself when packing if you can live with whatever the food sponsor makes available, or if packing a 400g tin of spreadable chocolate is essential to your performance. When it comes to ride day, it’ll likely be a combo of both that serves as fuel.   

Show up early: arrive at the fondo early and ride the roads, especially the climbs. Ride every day and from different directions, easing off the gas the day before the event. Visualizing where you are on the course helps you mentally overcome distance and elevation challenges, particularly if you find yourself grinding day-of. Knowing you can crush a climb will enhance your state of mind and make getting to the finish line easier.

Have wrench, will travel: if you decide to bring your own bike to the event, bring the tools you need to set it up. That means your own pedal and 5mm torque wrench, grease and paste and a floor pump. Don’t rely on a local shop or your bike hotel for these essentials. Being self sufficient eliminates variables and will have you on the road almost immediately after you check-in.

Bring one of everything: riding in high mountains means varied weather. On the Passo Gavia in 2016, we had scorching sun at the base and golf ball sized hail at the top. Key lesson? Have one of everything in your kit bag. Long sleeves jerseys, sleeves, gilets, a jacket - with mountain weather these are must haves. Summer at home doesn't mean it will be when you arrive at your event. Having different means not incurring unnecessary costs and being prepared for the weather when you approach the start.