Plus all the essential news, reviews and features from the past week <\/p>
Reports of my demise in the Battle on the Beach 2024 have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, I’m in glorious North Wales on a grav-cation. <\/p>
In my absence, Gary Walker \u2013 himself fresh from a jaunt to balmy Bohemia for the Prague Half Marathon \u2013 is on hand to recap the past week’s content bonanza on BikeRadar.<\/p>
We kicked off with seasoned videographer and bikepacking hero Robyn Furtado wrapping up her long-term test of the Sonder Camino Ti Rival 1<\/a> before she departs BikeRadar. Farewell, Robyn, it’s been a pleasure. <\/p> Barely 48 hours had elapsed before Torque About Tools author and audax animal Oscar Huckle dropped the week’s second long-term test conclusion, delivering his verdict on the Look 765 Optimum<\/a>.<\/p> Tuesday saw a monsoon of embargos rain down on our unsuspecting home page as the unrelenting spring deluge continued outside BikeRadar HQ. First up was Mondraker with details of its new Dune XR eMTB<\/a>. Nick Clark weighed in with a first-ride review<\/a> penned in Portugal. <\/p> Next to deliver their news payloads were Cannondale, which unveiled the Synapse Neo e-road bike<\/a>, and BMC, lifting the curtain on its 2024 Roadmachine<\/a>. This time, it was the ever-busy Oscar doing the honours with the review<\/a>. <\/p> As if anyone was left unsated, Fox wrapped up the day by breaking news of its lightest XC fork yet, the 32 Step-Cast<\/a>, which Luke Marshall put through its paces, and a range of new dampers<\/a>.<\/p> We lifted ourselves from the content canvas and came up swinging as the weekend approached, with further announcements of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude<\/a>, a new endurance bike from ENVE<\/a>, Yeti’s updated SB165 freeride bike <\/a>and the Marzocchi Super Z fork<\/a>. <\/p> If you’re still standing after that little lot, gird your loins for a tantalising glimpse at a selection of the cycling swag that’s landed on dear Jack’s desk since his last First Look Friday. <\/p>