“People are so nice”: Lorena Wiebes messaged by ‘fan’ hoping “she broke as many bones as possible” in world champs crash; Probably the worst worn bike component this mechanic has seen; Strava adds device info; Chris King update + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Do I have to replace my chain as well?": Probably the worst worn bike component this mechanic has ever seen
We had our annual hill climb special on yesterday’s live blog, but how long until someone chucks one of these onto their lightweight steed to save another gramme?
Do I have to replace my chain aswell?
byu/foreverchapie inJustridingalong
It’s up there with the rest of the most spectacularly worn bicycle components we’ve had the pleasure of sharing on the live blog in recent years, the regular formula being stunned bike shop mechanics heading straight to the internet with their latest find. We’ve had other jockey wheels, chainrings, brake pads, and tyre tread, this spiky jockey wheel up there with the best of them.
The proud mechanic responsible for sharing found it in the workshop and made up the caption for comedic effect. As it turned out, yes, a new chain was required… as was most of the rest of the drivetrain.
“Gladly it’s not from one of my bikes,” they explained. “But as you expected the whole drivetrain didn’t look too good any more.”
Maybe the bike industry as whole needs to do a better job of explaining that the bicycle (like other modes of transport) features lots of consumable parts which require servicing and replacement over time? Granted, it’s not the best sales pitch to potential casual bike buyer… ‘Oh yeah, that £500 price doesn’t include what you’ll need to replace every year/pay to us or any other shop if you don’t want to do the work yourself’.
Keeping on top of stuff before it wears to almost complete disintegration would definitely save money on damage to other components in the long run, but chances are, if you’re reading our live blog, you probably already know all this and wouldn’t let your jockey wheel end up looking like a sheriff’s badge.
> When to replace your jockey wheels – avoid an expensive mechanical issue and improve your shifting
Early-morning bike industry philosophising over, back to the Pulitzer-worthy stuff… is it the most worn component the live blog has ever seen? Let’s run through some contenders… first up, the spectacularly worn chainring whose proud owner said they might even have to hang it on their wall…
Good, but we’ve seen worse. Such as the horror movie-worthy tyre from back in the summer.
Back on the chainring front, a popular component for this genre, was the “shifting with hopes and dreams” tri bike brought in for “just a tune up”.
To finish off we’ve got two more jockey wheel crimes to add to the final shortlist, both of these probably worse than today’s latest contender, just because (while incredibly worn) at least today’s is clean. The same couldn’t be said for this classic…
But, for out and out wear, I present to you our jockey wheel champion ‘The Toothless Wonder’. At least the previous ones still had something for the chain to run on…
"He waved the axe and told me to give him the bike": Violent gangs attacking "sitting duck" cyclists in latest bikejacking spree – as victim says he is now too nervous to cycle on roads
"The most important thing for our riders to know is that there is nothing wrong with the wheels they're riding": Chris King confirms all lifetime warranties remain in effect following rim partner's closure
Chris King has addressed the situation surrounding CSS Composites, the rim partner for its wheelsets which recently went out of businesses. CSS Composites was behind the FusionFiber rims used on Chris King wheelsets so there have been questions about what happens now, particularly around repairs and warranty.
In a press release to customers and the wider industry, Chris King says it “unfortunately received no advance notice of CSS’s struggles or subsequent closure” and added it is “heartbroken for the people who lost their jobs and the vision that won’t now be realised”.
“FusionFiber was a technology we were excited about and a company who shared our ideals for sustainable manufacturing […] We never like seeing a US manufacturer closing their doors,” the statement continued.
The King-branded FusionFiber rims (ARD44, GRD23 and MTN30) are discontinued “for the foreseeable future”, but Chris King will uphold any lifetime warranties.
“The most important thing for our riders to know is that there is nothing wrong with the wheels they’re riding, quite the opposite,” the brand told customers. “We expect every wheel we’ve built to give their rider years and years of riding. We also want to reassure them that, despite CSS no longer being able to supply us with FusionFiber rims, all lifetime warranties are still in effect. The good folks at NOBL Wheels are stepping in to manage rim replacement for any Chris King FusionFiber wheel in need of warranty service.
“For original owners making a claim under the King warranty agreement, we will replace any defective rim with an equivalent NOBL rim. The rim itself and the wheel rebuild will have no cost to the customer. A second, matching wheel will also be available at a deeply discounted cost, if the rider wants one, and it can be delivered with the warranty wheel.
“What is most important to us is taking care of our customers the best we can in light of CSS going out of business. In a perfect world, we would have been able to plan for this situation in advance, but given the realities of CSS’s situation, we are grateful to NOBL for working through the logistics with us on an accelerated schedule. They have been fantastic to work with and being located here in the Pacific Northwest, we should be able to get replacement rims quickly when needed. We’re glad to be partnering with them. They already build wheels with our hubs, so it’s a good fit. Customers should be confident with our solution to this industry surprise.
“The NOBL rims available for replacement are the TR36 (mountain), HR25 (gravel), and HR45 (road), and the warranty process is simple. Customers with proof of original purchase will email info@chrisking.com for a Return Authorisation (RA) number, then box and ship the damaged wheel back to us, where our wheel team will remove the broken rim and rebuild with the new rim (building a matching front or rear if requested), service the hubs, and then return to the customer. The rebuilt wheel will then be cared for under the NOBL warranty. International customers will work through the distributor for their market, which we understand may add some complications for shipping and return that we don’t yet know about.
“We would like to thank everyone from our distribution partners to our shop friends to our legions of loyal riders for their patience with this unexpected situation. We’re confident that anyone who invested in Chris King Wheels will be happy with their riding experience going forward, and that’s what really matters.”
Spotted this on Strava yet?
User device info is now included at the top of your activities. Yes, I refuse to upgrade…
"We strongly support the creation of a safe cycling and walking route": Landowner on "critical stretch" of proposed active travel path publicly backs project
Some good news from East Lothian to bring you this lunchtime, the Drem–Gullane Path Campaign telling us there’s been a positive update in their hopes for a new safe cycling and walking path between Drem and Gullane. It’s quite possibly the longest running UK cycling route saga out there, the access dispute and campaign for an active travel route having gone on for two decades, but could this finally be progress?
The landowner controlling what’s described as a “critical stretch” of a proposed route between the two East Lothian villages has publicly backed the campaign.
Currently the only route is on the busy and dangerous B1345, but there are hopes the long fought for cycling and walking route could provide a safer and more accessible solution.
D C Watson & Sons (Fenton Barns) Ltd, owns Fenton Barns, a family-run farm near North Berwick and Gullane, which has a busy commercial, leisure and retail village providing work and business opportunities for several hundred people.
Fenton Barns’ managing director Nicola Simpson confirmed their support: “We at Fenton Barns strongly support the creation of a safe cycling and walking route between Drem railway station and Gullane, some of which would be over our land. We believe that responsible, managed access to parts of Fenton Barns will take cyclists off the dangerous B1345 and will encourage safer travel to our businesses. We stand ready to work with campaigners, neighbouring landowners, and East Lothian Council to agree on the most suitable route for this important and common-sense proposal.”
Drem–Gullane Path Campaign spokesperson Iain V Monk said it marked “real progress”.
“We are delighted that Fenton Barns — as a key landowner along the proposed route — has publicly pledged its support for the path,” he said. “Gaining landowner consent is vital, and we have developed a constructive relationship with Fenton Barns based on mutual respect, community spirit, and a shared determination to see the path built.”
Look launches the Keo Vision light system for road pedals, with Biomotion tech and a 60 lumen punch
Insta360 launches new X4 Air, with 8K 360 technology and "AI-powered simplicity"
Insta360 has a new 360 camera out, the brand continuing its X Series legacy with the new X4 Air, a compact 165g camera with “Emmy® Award-winning 360 technology, 8K 360 video and AI-powered simplicity” to “help creators who want to capture life as it truly happens: spontaneous and authentic”.
Dave’s got one in for review so expect some more in-depth thoughts soon, but it sounds like he’s impressed so far, not least because it’s about £100 cheaper than the flagship Insta360 X5. A more compact option for those wanting to film their rides?
We’ll have more on this in coming up on the site soon…
😶
This time though, *this* time, the actual actual truth will finally be revealed. pic.twitter.com/0s4kdOw3R6
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) October 28, 2025
"We never stop dreaming": Israel "optimistic" about hosting Tour de France Grand Départ in future
> “We never stop dreaming”: Israel “optimistic” about hosting Tour de France Grand Départ in future
"What happened was business — it was nothing personal": Tom Pidcock reflects on Ineos exit and admits Vuelta changed his opinion on racing GC, something he'd "never fully got behind"
Tom Pidcock believes 2025 saw him hit “the highest level I’ve ever had” on the road, his Vuelta podium a satisfying conclusion to a 12-month period dominated by his exit from Ineos Grenadiers and transfer to Q36.5. The 26-year-old certainly appears to have benefited from a fresh start and doesn’t hold any grudges about the way his time with the British team ended.
“Ineos is a fantastic team, they have their own motivations and their goals and how they want to achieve things,” Pidcock told Cyclingnews. “At the end of the day, what happened with me was business – it was nothing personal.”
After some early-season wins at smaller races, such as the AlUla Tour and Vuelta a Andalucia, Pidcock’s spring saw him finish second at Strade Bianche, third at Flèche Wallonne and ninth at Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. His GC tilt at the Giro was underwhelming and a few, including in the road.cc office, were rolling their eyes when he announced another GC campaign at La Vuelta.
A podium finish silenced many of the doubters who expected a top 10 at best, although some would still prefer to see the wickedly talented puncheur, descender and multi-discipline star channel his skills towards wins rather than simply chasing GC positions.
In his end-of-season interview Pidcock gave a glimpse that there’s at least part of him that agrees, although finishing on the podium at a Grand Tour and still managing to get stage win opportunities along the way looks to have changed his perspective slightly.
“At the Vuelta, I was racing to win stages from the lead group, rather than just suffering to keep up and trying to get a top 10. I don’t really enjoy racing GC, but I do enjoy things that I’m successful in,” he continued.
“It definitely changes things in my own head regarding Grand Tours. Before, it was kind of a goal in other people’s heads that I’d never fully got behind myself. Now it’s a little bit different. I can see myself enjoying doing more Grand Tours, not just suffering for something that doesn’t seem worth suffering for.
“I didn’t miss the Tour this year, but it’d be nice to go back, having earned our own place there. It gives a bit more meaning to it. I think that if you enjoy doing something, you do it a lot better. There’s an exponential difference if you’re in better shape. If you’re also enjoying it, then it makes a big difference. That’s the story of my 2025, let’s hope it continues in 2026.”
Shimano profits plummet despite modest sales growth, as components giant blames cycling industry challenges, inventory issues, and foreign exchange losses
"People are so nice these days...": Lorena Wiebes messaged by 'fan' hoping "she broke as many bones as possible" in world champs horror crash
It was an eventful Track World Championships for Dutch star Lorena Wiebes, the all-conquering sprinter on the road heading back to the velodrome to defend her scratch race world title and add another rainbow jersey in the omnium. Those were the highs, the low a dramatic crash in the madison which ended her and Lisa van Belle’s chances.
Ouch ! La lourde chute pour les Néerlandaises lors de la Madison 😱
Suivez les mondiaux de Santiago sur Eurosport et HBO Max#LesRP #Santiago2025 pic.twitter.com/TST1EtJgwd
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) October 25, 2025
Shockingly, Wiebes has received abuse on social media since, the Dutch rider sharing a screenshot of a Facebook message from a ‘fan’ hoping she “broke as many bones as possible” in the crash. The double world champion on the track shared a screenshot and said “people are so nice these days”, adding that “luckily the body is strong and it looks like everything is okay”.
The Dutch cycling federation responded to the “completely unacceptable” comments about their riders on social media and said they are “shocked” athletes would be targeted with “insulting or intimidating comments”.
“We are shocked by the way some of our riders were personally approached via social media after the race,” a statement issued by the federation’s chairman said. “We believe it is completely unacceptable that athletes who put in their full commitment and pride are confronted with derogatory, insulting, or intimidating comments.
“This can never be the intention of such a tournament or event within our cycling community. Insulting or belittling riders via social media is completely unacceptable. The KNWU stands unconditionally behind its athletes and condemns this behaviour in the strongest terms. The KNWU calls on everyone to not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on social media.”
28 October 2025, 09:03
28 October 2025, 09:03
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Very brief look at this but I'm not sure it says anything much new, or particularly useful. Yes, they point to "some women who rode a hire bike possibly didn't ride before but might ride after". OTOH the *number* of women vs men surveyed didn't appear to be stated (except for one graph with a n=... - which was a lot less than the 5000 mentioned, and there only about half as many women responding there). Otherwise I think it just covers what regularly comes up (albeit perhaps it has to be repeated): - much fewer women from minority ethnic backgrounds. - Women care about socially safe parking locations far more than men do. - Women feel less safe on the roads due to external issues that they have no control over: traffic, road conditions and infrastructure, and harassment.
Interesting counterpoint to the 'hire bike menace' narrative (obviously with the caveat that the report authors have a vested interest in selling the benefits, but...) Appears hire bike schemes go some way to addressing the cycling gender imbalance and, given the point about parking immediately outside the destination, dockless schemes particularly so. https://micromobilitybiz.com/forest-report-finds-shared-e-bikes-are-helping-close-london-cycling-gender-gap/
@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
12 thoughts on ““People are so nice”: Lorena Wiebes messaged by ‘fan’ hoping “she broke as many bones as possible” in world champs crash; Probably the worst worn bike component this mechanic has seen; Strava adds device info; Chris King update + more on the live blog”
from todays graun
from todays graun
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/27/cyclist-fitted-with-printed-3d-face-after-drunk-driver-left-him-with-third-degree-burns
The man who struck Richards
The man who struck Richards was sentenced to three years and banned from driving for seven years but it is believed he was released after one and a half years for good behaviour and for pleading guilty from the start.
Richards said: “As you can imagine, I am not best pleased with his reduced sentence as I very nearly lost my life and have to live with all the pain from my injuries on a daily basis.”
Weird that Road.cc hasn’t
Weird that Road.cc hasn’t actually shared the Weibes abuse. Hopefully someone has found out who this tosser is and given them what for.
An awful lot of these
An awful lot of these sadsacks get off on the fact that they have achieved some sort of recognition in the world that they are obviously sadly lacking in their off-line life, even if it is only opprobrium, so it’s generally a good idea not to disseminate their names as it’s really just playing into their extremely grubby little hands.
Although in this case, I
Although in this case, I think we could have guessed that they must have been a bit of a baerke anyway.
RE Drem–Gullane Path – really
RE Drem–Gullane Path – really hope they get this one through. It’s not quite the middle east peace process but seems to have been bizarrely intractable.
“Shockingly, Wiebes has
“Shockingly, Wiebes has received abuse on social media…” What planet do you live on? Charlie Kirk, a young American conservative activist, was recently shot dead during a public event. Hundreds of thousands messages celebrated his death, including RIP standing for Rest in P?ss.
What kind of planet do you
What kind of planet do you live on equating a gun nut fundamentalist who died ironically with a great sportswoman? It’s Weibes not Dygert whom the story is about.
Because the two are really
Because the two are really analogous. Give your head a wobble.
Whilst the spectacle of
Whilst the spectacle of people celebrating Kirk’s demise was distasteful (though a lot of what was alleged by Trumpians to be “celebrating” was simply pointing out that he had reaped what he had sown), he was a highly unpleasant individual who encouraged hate and violence against minorities and died at least partly as a result of how ridiculously easy it is to obtain firearms in the USA, something that he defended and indeed said deaths were a price worth paying to retain said ease. Wiebes is a woman who rides a bicycle for a living and had the misfortune to fall off during a race. If you look really, really hard you may be able to spot the difference and see that abuse against a propagator and encourager of abuse exists in a somewhat different category to abuse against someone who has done absolutely nothing to provoke it.
Violent gangs attacking
Violent gangs attacking cyclists… Just in case one want to spice up their routine rides.
I “never stop dreaming” that
I “never stop dreaming” that Florence Pugh is going to call me, but that’s not going to happen, either.