Gold-plated Bromptons at Paris 2024, Canyon's Olympic 'speed of light' creations, plus pack sunscreen when you collect a new Guava gravel bike

It’s the day of the Olympic Ceremony in Paris, and the cycling kicks off with the men’s and women’s road races on Saturday 27 July. Brompton and Mappin & Webb have collaborated to create two very special gold-plated folding bikes to celebrate and support Team GB  — the world’s first, in fact — and they will be used by athletes to get around during the event. 

It’s the week of new paint jobs and Canyon has done something special for its Olympic hopefuls. They will be racing on completely unique frames across the disciplines; the MACH874 bikes are customised to each rider’s national flag with striking designs. Specialized turns 50, and to celebrate, the brand has brought out a limited S-Works Forward 50 collection, celebrating its past and looking to future innovations.  

Guava's gravel bikes have reached the UK, but if you want a sunny trip to Spain, the company will take you out there to collect your bike, for free! Alternatively, get yourself out to the mountains of Italy… registration has opened for LaStelvioSantini.

Brompton supports Team GB with real gold

What better excuse to create a world first than the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games? British brands Brompton and Mappin & Webb have done just that in a collaboration that shows their support for Team GB at Paris, releasing two gold-plated C Line models. 

Each of these very special bikes required nearly 100 hours of work to polish, clean and gold-plate almost every part. They're unique and beautifully finished, with hand engravings, and sterling silver and gold-plated decals, using a technique to brighten the gold finish. Sure to show the athletes’ intentions when they use them to get around during the Games, once over the bikes will be auctioned to raise money for the British Olympic Foundation. 

In addition to the two gold-plated bikes, both Brompton and Mappin & Webb have their own collections — the Team GB and ‘Forever a Fan’ collections respectively — which will be available if you’re looking to get your hands on a limited edition piece. 

Specialized celebrates 50 years

In celebration of the past 50 years of innovative design, and looking towards the next 50, Specialized has released the limited S-Works Forward 50 collection. 

This new release is about combining the best of the best with a new and stunning aesthetic. Flagship S-Works models of the Tarmac SL8, Epic World Cup MTB, and Prevail 3 and Evade 3 helmets embellished with gold and pink represent the ‘innovate or die’ attitude and rebellious racing spirit of the brand. The original Team Stumpjumper also hugely inspired the design.

Products in this collection are sure to be showing up at the Olympics, but it’s yet to be seen if they will be there in the new colourway. 

Canyon brings speed of light bikes to the City of Light

Figuratively speaking, at least, Canyon is hoping that riders of its bikes at the Olympics will be racing at the speed of light (1,078,553,020 km/hr or Mach 874,030) in their bids for gold. To celebrate that sentiment, Canyon has adorned its Olympic machines with a new paint job.

The striking prizm MACH874 colourways will adorn the road, track, TT and MTBs of the likes of Puck Pieterse (NL) and Sam Gaze (NZ) in the cross-country MTB, Chloe Dygert (US) in the time trial and road race, and Mathieu van der Poel (NL) in the road race. 

The bikes look incredibly fast with the pattern distributed like the blur of high-speed motion, and each will be customised to the rider’s national flag, so look out for some unique designs that celebrate every individual athlete. 

LaStelvioSantini registration now open

Registration is open for the 13th edition of LaStelvioSantini on June 8 2025. Bormio in the Italian Alps — a beautiful medieval town in its own right — is one of the most popular places in Europe to cycle and ski, and the perfect starting town.

You can guess from the name that participants ride the mighty Passo dello Stelvio (a ‘must do’ for many road cyclists), but choose the long route and you’ll also climb the Mortirolo and a couple of smaller, but significant, cols along the way. 

There are three routes on offer: 130km, 108km or 64km. The elevation is what will hurt; the short course includes 2,280m of climbing, and the long 4,270m, so get training early. Or ride the short route on an eBike if you’d like to experience the Stelvio in a little more comfort.

Early Bird registrations (€90) are open until July 31 2024 after which the price rises to €100. Due to last year’s popularity, couple registration returns; enter with a partner, family member or friend for a discounted price, but remember you’re a team, so you must finish within two minutes of each other.

Guava now ships to the UK but you can collect from Barcelona for free

Guava is new to the scene but its founders are passionate about creating an inclusive brand that welcomes anyone to the gravel world.

There's currently a modest offering, just the Guava Spot. It's full carbon with a one-piece carbon cockpit and tonnes of functional details such as plenty of mounting points for mudguards, bottles, a rack and even Fidlock internal downtube storage. Manufactured in Asia but painted and assembled by hand in Barcelona, you can choose from eight frame colours and ten decal colours, so there’s sure to be a combo to tempt you. 

Now available through a UK distributor, it’s easy to get your hands on one of these bikes. There are no shipping costs, no duties or additional handling fees and the prices are reasonable. However, if you need some more persuading, Guava will currently fund a trip to Barcelona to collect your new bike! You can’t argue with that.