Colnago’s new £15,000 bike “is not a bike”, apparently… plus wheels with “best in class aerodynamics” for £1,698, + Campagnolo bags a design award

Next week is Commuting Week on road.cc, our top tech team grafting hard on a range of features and guides on everything you need to know about riding to work. If you can contain your excitement for a couple more days we’ve got a bumper edition of Tech of the Week to bring you first.

There was no shortage of headline tech stories this week, Scott unveiling its new Addict and claiming (somewhat bizarrely) that it’s “50 per cent more comfortable” than the old one. We spoke to Scott to try to get to the bottom of how on earth they worked that out.

Then yesterday one of the worst-kept secrets was finally out in the open, 
Cervélo officially unveiling its new R5 climbing bike — yes, that one we saw at the Tour and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot rode to yellow jersey glory.

Anyway, we’ve done plenty on those two bike launches so let’s dive straight in with some of the other tech that caught our eye this week.

Work this one out? Colnago’s new bike “is not a bike”… (Spoiler alert: it is)

Don’t call it a comeback? No, don’t call it a bike. 

Colnago recently told us all about the launch of its “campaign that challenges perception”, a collaboration with high-end cycling clothing specialists Pas Normal Studios. “This is not a bike,” the iconic Italian brand told us… in a press release specifically and entirely about… its new special edition Pas Normal Studios x Colnago C68. Work that one out if you can. I’ll leave it to Colnago’s marketing peeps to give it a shot…

‘THIS IS NOT A BIKE’ – A Campaign That Challenges Perception

To accompany the launch, Pas Normal Studios created the bold campaign entitled ‘THIS IS NOT A BIKE’. Drawing inspiration from vintage print ads and conceptual art, the campaign explores the creative tension between product and nature as well as object and experience. Shot across Colnago’s manufacturing sites and real-world rides, the visuals celebrate not only the product but the deeper story of collaboration and shared passion behind it. 

Got it?

So, in celebration of the two companies’ “shared passion for craftsmanship, performance, and the culture of cycling”, Colnago let another brand put its own personal style on one of its bikes for the “first time in our long and glorious history”.

Only 29 of these are being made and will be sold through PNS, starting at €16,900, quite a lot of money to spend on a non-bike.

“The result is stunningly simple and beautiful, because this is not a bike… It’s a harmonious merge of Italian craftsmanship and rigorous Nordic style,” Colnago CEO Nicola Rosin ended the press release.

A campaign that challenges perception (and patience apparently). Right, I’m going for a lie down in a dark room before returning to bring you the rest of our harmonious merge of tech news, craftsmanship and rigorous road.cc style. No, it’s not a Tech of the Week round-up.

Campag wins major design award for its Bora Ultra WTO wheels

Campagnolo is unsurprisingly proud to tell us its Bora Ultra WTO wheelset has won a prestigious design award at the Expo 2025 Osaka. The Compasso d’Oro International Award, the internet tells me, is meant to be one of the most recognised and respected design awards out there, some people apparently viewing it as the Oscars of design. We’ll take your word for it…

Campag says the wheels received the award as “a symbol of design innovation, outstanding performance, and an environmentally conscious production process that brings together experts from diverse fields”.

Talking of fancy wheels — Scope launches “race-bred performance” wheelset with “best in class aerodynamics” for £1,698

 No shortage of confident claims this week: Cervélo calling the new R5 the lightest bike on the market, Scott saying the new Addict is 50% more comfortable, and now Scope stating it has created a wheelset with “best in class aerodynamics”.

Scope’s new R-Series features the 45mm deep R4 (weighing 1,349g) and the R6 aero option, at 65mm deep and weighing 1,525g.

“The R-Series brings revolutionary technology to a broader stage, delivering best in class aerodynamics, at a race ready weight, and durability designed to last.” See, no shortage of confidence.

Scope says it can back up the claims, thanks to “extensive testing” at Silverstone Sport Engineering’s wind tunnel.

The brand says: “Since the new R-Series adopts the proven rim profiles of the Artech series, we anticipated a comparable level of aerodynamic performance. Testing confirmed that the patented Aeroscales surface (exclusively featured on the Artech series ) delivers a significant reduction in drag at yaw angles both above and below 10 degrees.”

Every wheel in the range features a hooked rim, excluding the gravel version, Scope saying it believes a hooked tyre bed is “essential to ensure compatibility with all clincher and tubeless tyres”. The R-Series’s hubs are compatible with all major freehub body standards, including Shimano HG / Micro Spline, SRAM (X)DR, and Campagnolo / N3W.

All the info is on Scope’s website, the R-Series priced at £1,698.

Faff-free inflation from Dynamic Bike Care

Dynamic Bike Care has joined the electric pump game, launching two brand-new products “specifically developed for performance-driven cyclists”.

The Turblo is the rechargeable lightweight 115g electric mini pump which can apparently replace more than five single-use CO2 cartridges, compactly fitting into your jersey or saddle bag and coming with a waterproof carrying pouch. Like other electric pumps that have become increasingly popular in recent times, Dynamic’s Turblo has a digital pressure gauge and automatic stop function to ensure you get exactly the right pressure without any faff. 

The popularity of electric pumps is fairly obvious for anyone who’s spent frustrating roadside minutes thrashing a minipump or watching their CO2 inflation go agonisingly wrong. Ease of use is the big win for electric pumps, providing you remember to charge them and have enough juice.

Dynamic’s Turblo+ is built for the bigger jobs and can store up to four different pressure presets and switch between them instantly. You can whack up to 10 bar/145 PSI in and a full charge will apparently fully inflate up to 10 road bike tyres. This one’s more designed for travel than going with you on your ride, hence the size, but Dynamic suggests it’ll still fit in your carry-on luggage and can be a “smart replacement” for anyone who doesn’t want to lug a track pump around with them.

The Turblo is £79.99 and the Turblo+ £69.99, both available for pre-order now and expected to be available from September 18. All the details are on Dynamic’s website.

Wild unreleased Giant aero bike breaks cover at the Tour of Britain

We’ll finish with this amusing spot from road.cc reader HoarseMann at the Tour of Britain start in Milton Keynes on Thursday, the Kern Pharma riders having to be extra careful when grabbing their bike from outside the bus. God knows what the UCI would make of that…

In case you missed it:

• “The lightest road bike on the market”: Cervélo finally unveils new R5, weighing just 5.97kg

• How on earth has Scott worked out its brand-new Addict is now “50% more comfortable”?

• The lightest bike seat we’ve ever had in for review: Slovenian brand Berk’s feathery 100g saddle, plus more from Roval, Topeak, Fulcrum and Panda Optics
• Schwalbe Click Valve hits the mark and Hunt wheels offer great value – road.cc Recommends updated with 14 more excellent products