Velo Podcast

The end of 2025 means that it's time to look back at all of the bikes and gear used by the Velo tech editors and make some difficult decisions. Today's episode sees Josh Ross and Alvin Holbrook explain the Road Bike of the Year nominees, which included the Colnago Y1RS and Lightspeed's Coll dels Reis, and why neither of those fancy machines took the overall win. We also get a bit heated over the Gravel Bike of the Year, Innovation of the Year, and finally, Product of the Year. The second half of today's show sees Levy, Alvin, and Josh list out their personal best-of-2025 product picks, which include everything from "budget" power meters, definitely not budget indoor trainer bikes, 13-speed drivetrains from Italy, 12-speed drivetrains from America, an AI assistant, and a whole load of music recommendations. See prior episodes of the Velo Podcast here. Further reading We Tested Over 40 Bikes in 2025. These Are the 7 Best Road Bikes. The Velo Best Products of 2025: From AI Glasses to $25 Cleats The Fastest Gravel Bike Wasn’t the Best: Aero Testing at the Velo Field Test There’s Now a Cheaper Way to Get Shimano GRX Electronic Shifting

With Mike Levy out, tech editors Alvin Holbrook and Josh Ross take over the Velo podcast to unpack some of the biggest stories in cycling right now, including one bike that calls itself the lightest bike in the world, and another that calls itself the fastest in the world. Big day. Of course, we had to start with the news. Specialized just busted $1.5 million worth of counterfeit gear with help from AliExpress and the Chinese police. So why now? And what does this bust mean for cycling gear? Spoiler: probably not much. Campagnolo is in a bit of a financial crisis, reportedly having laid off 40 percent of its workforce and lost 24 million euros over the last few years. There is hope yet, though. We discuss why. Then it's time for bike reviews. Josh breaks down the XDS X-Lab RT-9, the lightest disc brake road bike you can buy, at just 550 grams. It's a super light frame with some spec quirks, and nearly impossible to find in the US. Finally, we discuss the Factor One review, a bike that makes some heady claims and has the performance to back it up. But the aero shaping isn't the most interesting part of the bike: it's the geometry. Further reading: -⁠⁠⁠We Rode the ‘Fastest UCI-Legal Bike Ever Made.’ The Best Part of the Bike Is Hiding Under the Surface.⁠⁠⁠  -⁠⁠⁠The World’s Lightest Production Bike Is an Engineering Marvel At a Discount Price⁠⁠⁠  -⁠⁠⁠Specialized Seizes $1.6M in Fake Tarmac Frames and Roval Wheels – With AliExpress’s Help⁠⁠⁠  -⁠⁠⁠Campagnolo Lays Off 40% of Staff After €24 Million Losses⁠⁠⁠  00:00 Intro 1:23 Specialized's counterfeit bust 8:36 Campagnolo responds to reports of layoffs 25:03 Riding the XDS X-Lab RT9 44:09 Riding the Factor One

In this episode of the Velo Podcast, host Mike Levy sits down with tech editors Alvin Holbrook and Josh Ross to tackle one of cycling's hottest debates: how do we make professional racing safer? Jim Cotton brought up the valuable question of whether or not skills tests and rider airbags – two suggested solutions to make pro cycling safer – would actually make cycling safer for folks. Bib shorts equipped with automatically inflating airbags are proven in MotoGP to protect riders during high-speed crashes, but are they practical for the pro peloton? What about a licensing system, one that CPA president Adam Hansen has hinted at in the past? The team discusses weight penalties, comfort concerns over long stages, and whether clothing sponsors would embrace the technology. Further, they debate whether proficiency tests make sense for athletes who live on their bikes, what such courses should teach, and whether the bureaucratic hurdles are worth the potential safety gains. Finally, the crew discusses their predictions for new gravel bikes that will be predicted in 2026, as well as what gravel bike trends Alvin hopes fall by the wayside in the new year. Is there a new Specialized Crux coming, and if so, how different will it be in the future? There are nine in total, and we talk about the biggest and best of them all. Want to join Josh and Levy at their group ride? See the info here. See previous episodes of the Velo Podcast here. Further reading: 9 New Gravel Bikes We Predict Will Be Updated in 2026 Why Skills Tests and Rider Airbags Might Actually Solve Pro Cycling's Safety Crisis Don't Buy Your Kid a Crappy Bike for Christmas 00:00 Intro 6:10 Are airbags in bib shorts going to make things safer? 28:10 Solutions off the cuff 32:45 Is a ‘Super License’ a good idea? 41:00 New gravel bike predictions for 2026

After winning the 2024 Tour Divide, Salsa Cycles' Meaghan Hackinen set her sights on the three-part Mountain Race Series that spans Africa, Europe, and Asia. Meaghan not only became the first female finisher of the wildest race series on the planet, but she also won both the Hellenic in Greece and arguably the most remote and challenging event of all, the Silk Road Mountain Race that travels through the isolated mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Today's episode sees Meaghan explain the challenges of tackling the most difficult ultra series out there, from logistical concerns to trouble at armed border crossings, from sleeping at elevation to wading through dangerous rivers, and how her bike setup evolved from being rigid with a drop handlebar to using a suspension fork and taking a more mountain bike-esqe approach. See the latest from Meaghan Hackinen: https://meaghanhackinen.com/ See the latest from Velo: velo.outsideonline.com/featured See prior episodes of the Velo Podcast: velo.outsideonline.com/tag/velo-podcast

Velo tech editors Alvin Holbrook and Josh Ross teach Levy how to find more speed on the cheap, from $1,000 wheels from China to relatively inexpensive power meters and aero helmets that make sense. The crew also lays out their budget speed-enhancing picks for $500, $250, $100, $50, and especially our favorite price point: zero dollars. Alvin has been testing Factor's new Monza, which he argues is a "good value" at $7,200 USD when compared to other aero road bikes. He defends this claim by breaking down the specs, features, and ride impressions versus the competition. Lastly, doing 150km is a big day on the bike for most of us, but can you imagine spending that entire time on only your rear wheel? Frenchman Oscar Delaite just broke the wheelie world record by doing exactly that, and the guys discuss their wheelie skills... or lack thereof. Want to join Josh and Levy at their group ride? See the info here. See previous episodes of the Velo Podcast here. Further reading Factor's Least-Expensive Road Bike Might Be Its Best. Here's Why. The Wheelie World Record Is Absurdly Long Mathieu van der Poel Just Ran an Insanely Fast 10K Are You Taking High-Carb Too Far? Fueling Experts Warn against 800-Calorie Hype