“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

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

 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.”

User device info is now included at the top of your activities. Yes, I refuse to upgrade…

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

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by road.cc (@road.cc)

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

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

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”.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Lisa van Belle (@lisavanbelle_)

 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.”