🐠 Stage 98: Beautiful custom bikes

2023 pro tech and an interview with the Tour de France Champion

This week’s newsletter covers 2023 tech across the board. Custom titanium bikes, crazy YouTuber bikes in bright colours and a Tour de France challenging Colnago. We’re also comparing city bikes and telling you why you should brave the weather, even if you want to ride indoors!

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Hello,

Welcome to the N+1 Newsletter. I’m currently sitting in Idle Hands, one of Girona’s newest cafes. I happened to win an Instagram competition giving me free coffee for a month, but I’d be coming here either way. If you’re in Girona, check it out and try their pancake stack.

I had a short, but hard day of training today. When I said I was flying, it was an understatement. The sun was out, I was at the top end of all my intervals and I had a massive smile. I knew it was too good to be true as I smashed each effort. An hour later I was napping in bed.

Catalonia's winter is incredible at the minute.

Happy Pedalling,

Joe

Feel free to email me at joe@nplus1.cc if you have any questions, or feel I’ve missed something that is worth putting in the Newsletter.

N+Read 🗞

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Pro tech 2023

It’s always interesting seeing what tech the pros use each year. They’re always going to be in the best gear, that’s a guarantee. However, it’s always interesting to see who’s on what.

If the world’s best rider chooses to change to a different groupset or wheelset, it makes you wonder why. This article gives you a full guide to who is riding what in 2023.

⏱ 5-minute read

The loudest custom bike ever?

It’s a little difficult to top the EF Team when it comes to bikes, let alone custom bikes, but Bas Tietema may have done just that. The YouTuber has launched his own pro race team, and the paint job is dreamy.

Check this bike out, it’s impressive.

⏱ 3-minute read

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A sweet new Argonaut

Customisation like no off-the-shelf bike, the Argonaut RM3 is a dream machine. It’s not just limited to paint and build kits, either; there’s also the potential for fully custom geometry and carbon lay-ups to suit your particular handling, stiffness, and weight preferences.

It’s rare that I want a bike for myself. This is one of those.

⏱ 5-minute read

The world’s best gravel (according to Trek)

Gravel, it’s now so popular that I’m beginning to question if it’s an up-and-coming part of our sport or just the biggest part. Having ridden a little gravel over winter, and planning to race a little in 2023, I’m keeping my ear to the ground.

From Europe to Northern America, here are some locations you should consider riding off-road in.

⏱ 4-minute read

Best bike share

Bike-share systems are popular across some of the world’s major cities. Have you ever wondered which is the best? In London, the main choice is between Lime and Santander, but there are all sorts of alternatives.

As someone who used Lime Bikes for an entire London weekend, I can highly recommend them.

⏱ 4-minute read

Gains you can only get riding outside

Indoor riding is becoming more and more popular, but are there some things that you simply cannot replicate? Like most things, there is a balance to be struck, but this article is a reminder that sometimes it’s worth wrapping up and bracing the weather.

Take a look at these seven benefits of riding outdoors in winter.

⏱ 4-minute read

N+Tweet 🎲

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SRAM Road @SRAMroad

Oh no. Oh no. OH NO. The pit at Zonhoven is merciless.

Cyclocross provides so many fun photos. It really is the most photogenic part of our sport.

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N+Listen 🎧

I find it a little funny how Geraint Thomas is going around interviewing some of the biggest names in the sport, including his rivals. This week, Thomas is chatting with none other than the reigning Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard.

A usually private character, this interview with the Dane is a cracker.

⏱ 56-minute listen

N+Watch 👀

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I’m determined to get at least one feature per week about UAE Team Emirates’ new Colnago setup, that’s how much I love it. In this video, the legend that is Dave Everett goes behind the scenes in building Tadej Pogacar’s bike.

⏱ 6-minute watch

N+1 Introducing 👋🏻

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In this part of the Newsletter, each week we introduce one of the brands we work with at N+1.

This week we are introducing… KEEGO

Pure titanium drink bottles to keep your bottles from being contaminated by microplastics. Easily squeezable due to natural titanium to allows easy drinking with one hand. Only 86g a bottle, too!

Be sure to download our app and browse their products!