Cycling News & Blog Articles

Two years down the track on my G2X build, and it has seen about 12,000 kilometers on local gravel trails. Over this time we’ve got to know each other pretty well. Having ridden quite a few bikes over the years, I would be getting bored and looking for my next ride at this point. However, […]

The post Merlin Malt G2X – 2 Years of Gravel appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

BBB has been in business for 24 years. Based in the beautiful Netherlands city of Leiden, they make so many bike related essential products, its hard to know where to start. Chris Koppert and Frank Moons began BBB when they retired from professional bike racing in 1998. After years of competing, they knew the bike […]

The post Brand Focus – BBB appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Abus are a German based company, established in 1924. Their initial product was padlocks, this has now broadened out to smoke alarms, video surveillance systems, bike and boat security, alarm systems and locking systems. The Abus focus on bike security covers both the rider’s head (helmets) and bike security (bike locks). In the areas of […]

The post Brand Focus – Abus appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

25 years of development in cycling clothing is a long time – this is how long Altura have been designing and develping their wide range of products. Based in Darlington, County Durham in the UK, Altura produce high quality clothing for commuters, road riders, gravel bikers, as well as Mountain bike riders. The life of […]

The post Brand Focus – Altura appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

3TTT Heralding from the heartlands of bicycle production, Bergamo in Italy, 3T began in 1961. Originaly 3TTT (Tecnologia del Tubo Turino) they produced handlebars, stems and seatposts, initially in steel, before switching production to aluminium in 1970. Seen as one of the classic handlebar and stem producers along with the likes of Cinelli, 3T oozed […]

The post Brand Focus – 3T appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

With the cost of everything seemingly on an ever upward spiral, here are 10 of the best upgrades for your road bike to reinvigorate your ride – under £50. Upgrades are split into two categories – ‘Bring the Bling’ and ‘Stuff that Wears Out’ ; Bring the Bling! Bar Tape is the best upgrade for […]

The post 10 Low Cost Road Bike Upgrades appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Excitement has been mounting here at Merlin as we eagerly awaited a delivery of new Reynolds Steel framesets. We live in a time where we have some brilliant choices when it comes to bike frame materials; ranging from the super-light, stiff and slippery-aero to the almost unbreakable. This is where steel comes in. So what […]

The post Steel IS Real! appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

In the world of major groupset manufacturers, Sram are the punky new upstart kid on the block. In the late 1980’s Sram began manufacturing Grip shift gear change systems for Road and MTB markets. Founder, Stan Day, was frustrated having to change gear on down tube gear shifters when he had his hands on the […]

The post Brand Focus – Sram appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Technology evolves incredibly quickly in cycling. Since establishing the business in 2012, Stages have become the dominant force in commercial indoor bike and power meter production. Stages set out in business with a simple mission, to improve every rider’s performance. The team of indoor and outdoor bike fanatics set about achieving their goal. Passionately believing […]

The post Brand Focus – Stages Power appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

The one brand which has dominated bike parts over the last 25 years or so is Shimano. However, they haven’t always been number one in bike parts, by the way, they are also ranked number 2 in the world at manufacturing fishing reels, but thats quite enough about fishing. Shozaburo Shimano started his engineering workshop […]

The post Brand Focus – Shimano appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Schwalbe have produced tyres which have transformed and set new standards across whole sectors of the bike market; such as; G-One range in Gravel bikes, Marathon in cycle touring, Magic Mary and Hans Dampf in MTB. Unlike many bike tyre brands, Schwalbe’s market focus is on bicycle, wheelchair and scooter tyres. Schwalbe also produce more […]

The post Brand Focus – Schwalbe appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

So, what is ‘underbiking’, and how can it revitalise your bike riding? Read on… While it might seem like a new-fangled marketing thing with a daft name, underbiking is real. If you are feeling a little stale doing your usual ride routes, this could be just the thing to spice things up. And no, it’s […]

The post Underbiking: What’s the Point? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Contact points for bike riders are the all-important connections between rider and machine that determine comfort, performance and enjoyment while cycling. Fizik are amongst the leading brands in the world when it comes to contact points and the variations in rider physique – which they address and support to maximise comfort and performance, hence the […]

The post Brand Focus – Fizik appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Hope Technology is a unique manufacturing company based in the UK. Founders, Ian Weatherill and Simon Sharp met whilst working together at Rolls Royce Aerospace. It was at this time that they honed their skills and experience which enabled them to leave and start up their own tool making business called IPCO. The duo were […]

The post Brand Focus – Hope Technology appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Q: So, why does the North West UK town of Bolton get swamped with Triathletes for one weekend each summer? A: For the 12th year, Bolton hosts the UK Ironman event this weekend. What is an Ironman event? Ironman was founded in 1978 when some athletes in Hawaii were discussing who the world’s finest athlete […]

The post UK Ironman – Bolton appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

It is that time of the year again, the Tour De France is here! The Tour De France has wide public exposure across media which usually cover other sports. This means your non-cycling friends and colleagues will start asking ‘those’ questions. This is fair enough, aspects of bike racing can seem baffling to casual observers. […]

The post Tour De France – Basic Guide appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Endura are one of the few UK clothing companies to have developed a strong worldwide following in the super competitive Road, Triathlon and MTB clothing markets. Endura have supplied road kit for World Tour Team Movistar and manufacture arguably the fastest skinsuit around. They also produce some amazing kit for riding in the foulest of […]

The post Brand Focus – Endura appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Are you about to choose (or perhaps build) a new bike? Are you trying to decide between Shimano 105 R7000 and Ultegra R8000? Read on… Both the Shimano 105 R7000 and Ultegra R8000 groupsets have been around for a while now. They both have received fantastic reviews for performance & value, from our customers and […]

The post Shimano 105 R7000 VERSUS Ultegra R8000 appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Continental are a unique brand in cycling. The proudly German company has its roots deep in the highest echelons of German manufacturing for over 150 years. The brand’s technology and development centre in Korbach is the home to the latest advancements which have improved the quality of cycling tyre performance through the constant developments to […]

The post Brand Focus – Continental Tyres appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Castelli is one of the oldest brands in the world of cycling. The origins of the company started in 1876 and it has been at the forefront of the history of cycling since the very beginings of the sport. “I would never have been able to revolutionise cycling clothing if I hadn’t raced. It’s the […]

The post Brand Focus – Castelli appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.