Cycling News & Blog Articles

Campagnolo is a unique and special brand in road cycling. It has the ability to evoke emotion from a seemingly soulless component. Campagnolo’s ongoing and relentless push for innovation is built on real world rider experience, together with the best materials and manufacturing processes available. With the last two Tour De France’s won by Tadej […]

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

Sportive season is in full swing, they can be a fun way to ride on different roads and making new friends. Maximise your chances of enjoying a succesful event by checking out our Tips for a Top Sportive… Training Definitely train for it! You will enjoy it more if you get prepared, you will also […]

The post Tips for a Top Sportive appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Ok, there isn’t an official ‘Love Your Chain Day’. But there really should be… If there is one vital bit of the bike which can get neglected, it’s the chain. Having limited opportunity for updating its look, bike chains have remained basically the same for about 130 years. They’ve just got much thinner, forced on […]

The post It’s ‘Love Your Chain’ Day… appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

There are a lot of different tyres available for gravel riding. These differ in how they fit the rim, their size (width & diameter) and tread pattern. So what do you need to consider when you buy a gravel tyre? Fit There are three alternative fit types with gravel tyres; Tubular, Clincher and Tubeless. The […]

The post Which Gravel Tyre? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Got a bike that you love, cherish and adore? Clothing that makes you feel like a bike riding superhero? Take care of them. Here are 10 ways you might be ruining your bike and kit. Rotor Ruin Disc brake rotors and pads need to be kept free from oily substances such as degreaser and lubrication. […]

The post 10 Ways you are Ruining your Bike? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

While all bike manufacturers tell us their frames are laterally stiff (side to side) and vertically compliant (absorbing shocks and road vibrations), the condition of many roads, especially here in the UK, can easily test the limits of vertical compliance. So how can we stay comfy riding on rough roads? While clothing can help alleviate […]

The post 7 Tips – BIG Comfort on BAD Roads appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Maybe you’ve got addicted to Zwift, been running or down the gym through the worst of the winter months – follow our guide to make sure your bike is ready and safe for spring miles on the open roads & trails. Wheels Check your quick release skewers, they should be palm tight. If your bike […]

The post 2022 Bike Ready to Roll? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

As spring looms large on the wishful thinking bike riders’ horizon, what better time to freshen up your bike for the year of riding ahead? Here are some highly recommended, cost effective products for a Spring 2022 road bike refresh. Lizard Skins DSP 3.2mm Bar Tape £28.99 Tried and tested by one of the teams […]

The post 10 Road Bike Accessories & Upgrades Under £50 appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Our Merlin Malt gravel bikes have been a strong seller over the last few years. We specced our first gravel bikes back in 2017 and the latest Malts are the result of tweaks and updates over the past few years. The bikes from 2020 onwards featured updated geometry and more inclusive sizing. Comfort While comfort […]

The post Why buy a Merlin Malt Aluminium Gravel Bike? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Nothing tests a relationship more than calling your other half to ask to be picked up when you are miles away from home with a broken bike. Many potential issues could be detected before heading out – Follow our tips below – they might just save your relationship… Keep it Clean. There are no excuses […]

The post Is Your Bike Fit for 2022?? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

After our first shipment of 2021 Merlin gravel bikes coincided with ‘that’ lock-down bike frenzy, we have finally got decent stock of our three gravel best sellers. So, if you are looking for a tough, hard-wearing gravel bike or a bike to completely boss winter, just choose your ideal Malt. Merlin Malt Range The good […]

The post Winter Malt appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

We love customer reviews here at Merlin, they are a great way to get the opinion of others before committing to buy. Here’s our pick of ten 5 Star rated products, ideal for making winter riding much more bearable. Vittoria Zaffiro IV Tyres Big capacity tyres can make rough roads much nicer to ride on. […]

The post 5 Star Winter Cycling Products appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Last year’s ‘12 Months Tubeless‘ blog needed an update a year on, because for the first time in 35+ years of bike riding, I haven’t had a puncture to fix – for a whole year! So while the first year of tubeless gravel riding had a fair bit of feeling deflated and being let down […]

The post 24 Months Tubeless appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

If there’s one brand that provides excellent, high quality bikes for all types of riders, it’s Wilier. From it’s utility & road cycling roots, Wilier has evolved and diversified to have a presence across the broad spectrum of bike riding today – Road, Gravel and MTB, with both ‘acoustic’ and electric assist across all genres. […]

The post Wonderful World of Wilier appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

Ugo De Rosa launched De Rosa almost seventy years ago. 1952-1953 offered fertile soil for bike brands in Italy, with De Rosa launching along with Colnago and Pinarello in their own race for market dominance. De Rosa developed rapidly into one of the most well respected bike brands in the world. A family-owned and operated […]

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

I have spent a fair amount of time on home trainers over the years – from when I started bike racing, to riding on the WNT Pro Cycling Team in 2017. I then put even more hours in on the trainer when I rode on the Zwift Tri Academy in 2018, this culminated in competing […]

The post Dare2Ride Feugo Smart Trainer Review appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

12 months after my G2X gravel bike build, it’s notched up about 4500k of actual gravel riding. Not as much I had hoped, but it’s been an eventful year off the bike, with moving house and medical issues eating into ride time. Throughout the last 12 months I have barely touched my road bike (and […]

The post Merlin Malt G2X – 12 Months on… appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

We’ve all been there, pottering along the country lanes or gravel tracks, minding our own business, only to be barked at and chased by one of our four legged friends. At this point, we have a critical choice; shout at the dog, slow down and have a ‘chat & pat’, or adopt the riskier option […]

The post Dog! Fright or Flight? appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

The Merlin Cycles team have been busy racing and notching up wins in the north west region. Here’s a quick update on how the season is progressing for Debbie and Bex. Debbie Moss Debbie rode the National 25 mile time trial near Keswick last Sunday. Debbie finished with the fastest time in her age class […]

The post Team Merlin Race Update appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.

The Do-It-All bike, Swiss-army-bike, The One bike you’ll ever need… you’ve probably heard it all before. However, with the gravel bike trend still thriving – far outliving the initial marketing hype – even the most sceptical bike riders have to admit, there’s definitely something about gravel. Depending where you live in the world, gravel bike […]

The post There’s Something About Gravel… appeared first on Merlin Cycles Blog.