The Hottest New Tech At Gravel World Champs 2024!

[@gcntech]

What tech caught your eye the most? Let us know in the comments!

[@JonCannings]

That Orbea belonging to Voss looked so good! Hub pump makes a massive amount of sense for some courses too

[@feedbackzaloop]

It would have caught if there was race coverage. Main tech innovations are about live data and still looked over, pun intended.

Can you share more details about the frame bag from the plastic foil?

[@renehinnum417]

GRAVEL worlds on slicks!! WTF 🤯. This course is an absolute joke if they can run slick tires. How is that worthy for a world championship , UCI gravel is a joke 🤡

[@StacyODell]

Ooh can you imagine using that TPS system in conjunction with a course map and some programming which takes into account location and speed -- you could have the bike air up the tires itself just in time to hit a road section, then air them back down at just the perfect moment before a gravel section, all automatically without the need to press any buttons

[@edymarkonthego4096]

Plastic frame bag has blown my mind, very creative invention that i ever seen.😅

[@loekl]

Haha that’s my mate Bas!! He won race around the Netherlands several times like that. Even on a single speed version 😂😂

[@blubug768]

I bet its quite the sail in cross winds tho

[@basvlaskamp]

Still cannot believe my simple framebag is shown in a GCN video. Thanks for all the positive comments everyone!

[@dominik262]

It's brilliant! It has everything you need: waterproof, easy access, you see through walls literaly, cheap, durable. Sooo cool!

[@basvlaskamp]

​@@dominik262thank you. The main benefit to me is that the tight tape prevents leg rubbing, an issue I had with previous framebags. It s also lightweight only 100gram vs 300gram of a normal full framebag.

[@noneofyourbusiness4294]

It's the absolute pinnacle of "if it looks stupid, but works, it's not stupid" Granted, "stupid" may be too harsh of a word, hope you get my meaning. It's a creative solution, and I don't think I've seen anyone use the frame as effectively, despite paying hundreds

[@JFomo]

Tiffany finished in 36th place. I think those slicks may have been a bad choice. Now we know. Thanks Tiff ☺️

[@chrisgarwood2237]

I think she ran the semi slicks in the race, according the cycling news, it was the flat that knocked her out of the top 10

[@adadinthelifeofacyclist]

Film wrap frame bag is a massive hack!

[@pedxing]

plastic frame bag is a game changer fr

[@speedsociety9177]

Damn that Orbea of Paul Voss looks amazing!

[@lesand5484]

Paul Voß's bike amazes me! He experiments so much with his set up from race to race. In the German national gravel championship, which he won, he rode 50mm in the same frame. Always a surprise how we will modify his set up.

[@Transtaganu]

Great result Si. Finishing in the top half is amazing.

[@JonCannings]

Bloody love a bit of hot tech!

[@gcntech]

@JonCannings 😍 🚴🏻‍♂

[@buster.keaton]

A potential future GCN video would be to somehow determine if treaded tires actually make any difference over slicks for gravel riding. I'm inclined to think they don't make much difference since the top layer of gravel is typically very loose.

[@bocksteinbikes]

From experience I can say that most people ride too much tread on gravel. Unless you are riding in mud or very loos ground knobs actually have 0 effect other than creating rolling resistance. I usually ride slicks from March to October unless the conditions are very wet and I expect lots of loose terrain. Even on sand I don't find knobbies to be more effective than slicks.

[@_shreyash_anand]

Marianne Vos won the championship yesterday with that hub pump. Pretty cool

[@user-d32658]

Van der Poel won without that hub pump, even cooler.

[@BeauvanHout]

@@user-d32658 Vos rode a flat tire in the last kms. Her tire was at 0,5 bar, thanks to the system she finished with 2 bar. Coolest ;)

[@81caasi]

​@@user-d32658 For a sprinter(and all-rounder) like Voss, a mushy tyre in a sprint on tarmac, at the end of a race(mixed-terrain), makes a huge difference. It's big factor and there for of interest. Mathieu being Mathieu is great but not comparable.

[@nikanj]

When you release pressure it should give you a boost. You can use it strategically like KERS in F1.

[@NewPolishScientist]

Kitchen wrapping foil as a bag - fantastic

[@martinlevy5833]

Home made frame bag is briliant❤😂

[@ericpmoss]

Absolutely. The rest of this is like watching reviews of F1 tech -- pretty, but made of unobtanium and only practical in that most contrived of things, a UCI event. Ironically, the hub pump is the only thing I can see a regular rider wanting on a long mixed terrain ride, but no way would one want to spend 3900 euros on wheels that can't be repaired in the middle of the Silk Road or Hellenic ride, and which add 400g to drag up the hills. Maybe half the weight and half the price would be sensible.

[@snxstar]

Hat Orbea is pure 🔥

[@robertstrobel7338]

Cling wrap frame bag for Hack or Bodge of the year. Get that in a wind tunnel now!!! Lol

[@conan_der_barbar]

Paul's Orbea Terra is soo nice

[@bengt_axle]

Heading out to by myself a few boxes of Saran wrap!!

[@PrzemyslawSliwinski]

2:42 - I too think the wide slicks are the most comfortable on any dry surface (other than loose sand) and likely the fastest too.

[@ebikescrapper3925]

The Urban World Champions.

[@feedbackzaloop]

Can't blame the Belgians for having their cities so poorly paved with all the beer they brew.

[@jeffreymartin7811]

It’s not a gravel race if they’re riding slicks. Mountain bike races had the same issue several years ago when the courses were more like road races. This is another reason why the UCI shouldn’t be in charge

[@bobowsinski1704]

#askgcntech. Riding in high winds this weekend with 50 mm rims I felt that even cross winds increased my speed much like a broad reach when sailing. With your effort to keep the steering straight acting like a keel and rudder combined. What do the wind tunnel tests and your experience show.

[@Thegentlegoon]

That frame bag is legendary. Does he have a social media account anywhere?

[@pierrex3226]

@saranghetto national park

[@daispatrick]

@gcntech I'm impressed on how Simon pronounced Leuven 👍🏻😜

[@robertomcdonald2767]

Time pedals on the way back! ❤

Gutted for Mohoric burning like a match stick in the final sprint. But he put up a bloody good fight overall! So Si, did you stick to 45 mm tires?

[@Andy_ATB]

Road pedals and slick tyres.........Hardly a great advert for Gravel - and neither is the course.

[@user-d32658]

Gravel is BS. Either ride a racing bike or a mountainbike.

[@williammorris4419]

@@user-d32658 Agreed when the course is as pathetic as the world championship course .. they should have Unbound be the world championship course. I ride both types of events. I've won a short course gravel race on a full sus mountain bike BTW. I enjoy both types of racing. OIn both types of bikes. Come ride the lifetime series and say that.

[@yukiko_5051]

@@user-d32658 Gravel bike is more aimed towards people who likes adventuring. It's not really a race worthy bike tbh

[@user-d32658]

@@yukiko_5051 Probably. I hardly ever see them here in CH, but when I do then they have a weird bag hanging on their steering wheel. What’s inside it? Make-up? 😂

[@yukiko_5051]

@@user-d32658 What's a steering wheel? It's not a car lol

[@JonCannings]

That hub pump is so good!

[@trevekneebone369]

Spoiler alert... Vos won the World title on this system. I noticed the fat rear hub during the race coverage. Initially thought it was the Classified hub.

[@fergaloleary1295]

1400e? It's just nonsense!

[@blubug768]

@@fergaloleary1295 seriously! just buy a whole new bike and set the tires at a different pressure for that cost.

[@chuckaeronut]

@@blubug768 Unless you can switch to that whole new bike "while riding" (lol), I don't see how that would help you in a race. Also, a genuinely good bike for €1400 is going to be quite hard to come by.

[@blubug768]

@@chuckaeronut ya I was being a bit crass, but seriously does changing pressure really help for racing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@yukiko_5051]

UCI should learn from unbound. That's what actual gravel race is

[@williammorris4419]

Agreed. This was no more than a rough road race course. Silly to call it a world championship course.Tthe European guy who held the world gravel champ last year, quit racing Unbound after a flat. He was at best, I believe, running in 16th place at Unbound.... shows the level of in European true gravel riding ability in gravel racing. I'd love to see MVDP race Unbound, on wide tire aero bike.. Wouldn't you?

[@franknederveen4522]

Says who? What is gravel?

[@petermyers4409]

Mud?!!

[@81caasi]

@@franknederveen4522 If you can race slicks and basically a road bike on a gravel course its not gravel. It has to be its own distinct discipline, otherwise what's the point? Long(300km), rugged gravel/single track/farming roads. This course was mostly groomed, manicured easy gravel, as in pleasant and safe bike paths with tarmac every 5mins! (which allows recovery). It's also an insult to the dedicated gravel racers who dedicate all their time to this unique and grueling discipline. Why can't the UCI find a course with these characteristics in europe? I'd love to see the world tour riders battle it out in these conditions.

[@tomtreece4081]

If you can run slicks, it's not a proper gravel race course, especially considering it's for a rainbow jersey.

[@LegSpinna]

The Gravel World Champs seems to be lacking gravel.

[@AltoAdipe]

The european championship will be really different, it depends on the surface

[@maartends6051]

The weird part is that they can do 100% gravel in the same forrest they ride now

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Great post, OP ❤

[@TomStagg]

Just done it. Mixture of gravel, forest track, parks, cobbles and a bit of tarmac. Great techie fast course. The Belgium’s have done well.

[@CG-vb9di]

I take it you didn’t ride it 🤔

[@jeff_aurand]

I have 162mm tires on my fatbike. They provide the luxurious ride that I rightfully deserve.

[@andreemurray7039]

Are they getting like mountain bike with tyre size just drop bars and the prices are eye watering

[@SamTheEagle1]

Tyre pressure! I used to ride grass track (niche). If you won a race you were immediately surrounded by other riders looking at and fondling your tyres. Didn’t happen to me often!

[@dominik262]

76 place, congratulations!

[@CM9999999999]

How is it a gravel race if you can use road pedals and slick tyres

[@farrier53]

Anybody can use any tyre,pedals they chose, anytime anywhere, really...😉

[@anouar8759]

Is that the roval rapide Cockpit on the orbea?

[@christianhandel9361]

I did ask the same question on another channel! And the answer was "yes".

[@larter_larter]

For the adaptable tire pressure, is this something that the riders are actually actively using during their races, or is it more like a "hot tech" show-off thing?

[@BeauvanHout]

Vos was actually saved thanks to the system. Riders really do use the system, and the benefits are amazing...

[@alex9046]

most cars dont have adjustable tyre pressure but BIKES?

[@81caasi]

Cyclo-cross riders use 17-24psi, gravel riders 25-39psi, road riders 55-85 psi. It makes a huge difference.

[@Gufolicious]

cant find those 40mm slicks from schwalbe anywhere to buy. are they not released yet?

[@petersouthernboy6327]

You’re right. I do like the new Pirelli P-Zero 40mm. I run GP5000 AS TR in 700x35 on my road training wheelset.

[@lux-wattage]

2:17 What's the reason behind the dented circles on the rims?

[@docmccoy9813]

0,001% aero gains

[@Membrillo81]

​@@docmccoy9813 Nah, real reason is that it resembles a golf ball. Targeted buyers might find them more relatable.

[@Wiroe]

”Aero”

[@KJ7JHN]

Lastly, PEX piping for inner tubes? Possible?

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Heavy and zero compliance

[@jss1921]

Still have not seen Si's Worlds race, has the video dropped?

[@andrewr9219]

Aero handlebars when you got a race number tied to the front… does make me wonder.

[@frazergoodwin4945]

The course runs on my local trail, tracks and paths I've been riding for the last 30 years. Am I surprised some of the Pro's are running slicks? No, I'm terrified! Just shows the gulf in not only power, strength and fitness - but also skills and, well, cahones! (or COJONES! when corrected 🙂)

[@pierrex3226]

Isn't in cojones?

[@feebleknievel.]

The difference between a road bike and a gravel bike is a set of tyres. Maybe I’ll make my track bike a single speed gravel bike tomorrow. You guys are a marketer’s dream.

[@pierrex3226]

No, it isn't. I thought it was, bought a gravel bike thinking it would be a capable road bike too. It isn't. Unless you're happy with a sluggish road bike, the geometry is quite different, even though it's not immediately visible when you look at a bike

[@feebleknievel.]

@@pierrex3226 Try changing your tyres.

[@akepaow]

Really dissapoined you didn’t mention the insane «superior XR 9.9 Gr» that bike looked absolutely sick🙈

[@jw3638]

Unbound is the true gravel championship

[@petersouthernboy6327]

A true and factual statement

[@GOlone9597]

If you can still able to use road tires, then it's not a real gravel race 😁

[@laggypirates]

5:40 Bodge

[@MTBScotland]

sounds more like a road race than a gravel race.

[@J.S.Weimer-qw3xk]

Exactly!

[@williammorris4419]

They could have practically ridden road tires for this pathetic World Championship gravel course. Unbound is my vote for a true gravel world championship race.

[@racyagentmac]

It's good to know one of them uses my tires 700x40c Continental terra👍 although mine r terra trail and not terra speed but still great tires😁👌

[@pierrex3226]

The terra speed wear out super fast, quite frustrating.

[@ericcsaba8779]

2X IS NOT DEAD !!!!

[@TICDO]

😂best tech I've seen there is the film wrap bag

[@philipaddyman7402]

It was DSM, not Jumbo talking about inflating device at PR.

[@simonrichardson5259]

Well, according to the guys at Gravaa Jumbo used this, and it’s different to the DSM one.

[@ElrocStone]

#askgcntech Does tyre pressure change much after a long descent using rim brakes and carbon wheels due to heat buildup? Is it enough to change the bikes handling from the top of the hill to the bottom?

[@LFMC1]

Main concern in modern cycling is...Watts! OMG Whats!!!

[@stuartmisfeldt3068]

If you can run slicks on a gravel course, how could it really be called gravel?

[@chuckaeronut]

I've heard about how nontechnical the gravel course actually was, so I'm not disputing people's concerns there, but on my gravel bike, I run 2.25" (57mm) slicks at a reasonably low pressure and ride some incredibly chunky stuff on which riding a road bike would be functionally impossible. The grip is more than adequate if you keep your expectations in check, and yet, when the tires are at a higher pressure on the road, while they're still a little slower aerodynamically, they feel *every* bit as fast as skinny road tires. Just would like to establish that slick tires in larger sizes can indeed be capable of some very, very rough riding.

[@AnthonyDuffy-vs4nf]

#askgcntech Would di2 get dammaged if used to commute to work for nightshift and left outside overnight every night? I want to get di2 but dont want to be replacing the battery every year

[@chuckaeronut]

Depends on how cold it gets. If it stays above freezing, absolutely not. Even temps below freezing are fine, but will temporarily increase your battery drain for the same shifts, while in use. You may have to charge more often in that case. Just make sure the battery is not below freezing while you charge it, which is a concern with all lithium batteries. My Di2 is going on 8 years old and functions as beautifully as the day I bought it. It's been through all kinds of hell!

[@AnthonyDuffy-vs4nf]

@@chuckaeronut Thanks for the reply

[@chuckaeronut]

@@AnthonyDuffy-vs4nf Thanks for the acknowledgement of my reply. Acknowledgement acknowledged ✅

[@markreams3192]

Hack or Bodge on that frame bag?😂

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

Slick tires? Plenty will tell you UNLESS you're riding over something SOFTER than the rubber knobs (so they can dig in) they do pretty much nothing but make noise and add weight. Plenty of Paris-Roubaix tires used to have what they called a "file" tread on 'em, the idea was they got a better grip on slippery surfaces. I wonder if that actually works? Tire wizards, are you out there?

[@philadams9254]

3:30 eh?

[@HobbyHoarder]

Love that plastic bag, you can carry a weeks supply of water!

[@BOONERBOYO]

I'm not saying the fun of gravel riding seems to be going away with these bikes.

[@chrisb5824]

How easy to store energy in the tyre pump motor and release when required! It'll be banned - motor doping...

[@Chris._P._Bacon]

CycloCross 2.0...........A.K.A. "Gravel Bike" on dry land.

[@bjorne46]

No Aero cockpit needed with a start number the size of manhattan.

[@silverburn55]

Full clip-ins and slicks... the clue this wasnt a real gravel course?

[@thedownunderverse]

400g is small enough weight gain……. Guess I’ll stick with my aluminium wheels then!

[@KJ7JHN]

Has anyone trialed the carnivore diet and listed eating routines?

[@KJ7JHN]

Has anyone on this channel explored the Bicycle mod for Grand Theft Auto V?

[@KJ7JHN]

What do I need? Where do I begin?

[@AStephen]

People complaining that gravel worlds wasn't "gravel" enough...reminds me of people complaining that someone else's winter conditions don't count because they're not "winter" enough

[@81caasi]

If you can use a road bike for gravel what's the point? It needs to be it's own discipline, right? ...And these are the "Worlds" which is an insult to the arduous, long grueling gravel racers that dedicate all their time to this discipline. I'd love to see the UCI design a course to these charchteristics and have the world tour riders battle it out with the year-around gravel racers. But they have failed miserably.

[@ZenEndurance]

Tire pressure needs to change using GPS and pre-programmed for different parts of the course. Then you don’t have to press any buttons during the race.

[@chuckaeronut]

This is a fantastic idea.

[@williammorris4419]

I'm thinking about 400 grams more weight to haul along.. I'd rather have that weight in fluids onboard with me for little to no cost :-)

[@two-eyedRoy]

I'm against the Gravaa adjustable tyre pressures thing (and was for J_L-a-B's intent at Roubaix)... part of the risk of racing should be gambling on correct pressure, there's something about compromising for the varied conditions that feels more in the sporting realm of chance. Gravaa feels like how UEFA have fornicated up The Champions League where it's geared towards the wealthy rather than intent of the sport. Besides, no one is making bad enough pressure guesses at this level to be miles off the pace. Also; €1,400? + €2k Wheels and ~€2500 for Groupset, all combined for Frameset... #Shenanagins Maybe have an outlaw category for this type of guff.

[@docmccoy9813]

Gravel bikes with slick tyres. What a joke "gravel" is

[@petersouthernboy6327]

Well, what Europeans call “gravel”. Here in the US we have actual rocks.

[@japanesetoenglish]

The tyre pressure system is terrible. 400 grams is a lot of rotating weight!

[@jacquesduplessis6175]

It was actually a road world championship🙄

[@jonathanhowson6420]

Sorry but why is an Australian winning the European champs? Clue is in the name

[@ArianaFarquhar-c7j]

Smith Christopher Davis William Brown Nancy

[@changefly]

Bigger, wider, faster, "more clearance" "lower pressures" I mean the advancements are really disrupting the industry. Wow, it's all so boring.

[@minispaniard]

the level of stupidity cycling is getting to... that tyre pressure thing should be banned.

[@PedroSilva-dm4bo]

Just use a XC bike... Gravel bikes are pointless

[@petersouthernboy6327]

I have a XC race bike, and I came up on XC. Just started racing gravel two years ago. On any sustained straightaway, a gravel bike will blow right past a XC bike.

[@erlendsteren9466]

I think xc bike should have dropbar to be fast on gravel, or maybe barends?

[@81caasi]

It's night and day dude.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

@@erlendsteren9466 a pro racer would use that setup on a course with a mix of technical single-track and gravel. You’d never see that at a “typical” gravel race. Again - my gravel bike would blow right past my XC race bike on a long, sustained gravel course - regardless of the XC bike handlebars.

[@chuckaeronut]

Gravel bikes have a point. XC bikes have a point. XC bikes are too slow to compete with gravel bikes on gravel courses.

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

What just is the Allure general Demo for Gravel. Another Self Absorbed Millenial Invention?

[@graemeross1998]

1400 for a pump 😂😂😂😂

[@maritanonneman3333]

E,TECH SHOULD BE FORBIDDEN.RUINSs

[@tonybennett3904]

Raleigh Grifter all the way.

[@jedisdad2265]

When will UCI get serious about Gravel and move WC permanently to Kansas?

[@jamesspokes1372]

Meh

[@brianford8493]

gravel bikes are such s losd of over inflated overpriced idiocy ... took my scott addict to a 'gravel event' and reamed them with extreme predjudice....its all bollocks....if its round it rolls ffs!😂😂😂😂

[@jansmith4284]

GCN really pushing them hard recently... I'm guessing the bike manufacturers have a lot of spare stock they want to shift before winter!

[@feedbackzaloop]

Care to share the event name and date so we could check the protocol?

[@brianford8493]

@@feedbackzaloop There was a protocol apart from pedalling?.…idiot!🤣

[@brianford8493]

@@jansmith4284 Just a road bike in the gravel....it's all bullshit mate

[@petersouthernboy6327]

@@brianford8493BS