UK-based cycling distributor Saddleback has reportedly gone into administration, with all jobs at the company at risk.

According to a report by The Business Desk, the company has "filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators" two months after Cannondale left the company to return to a direct-to-dealer model.

Two sources inside Saddleback, which was founded in 2004, have stated to Cyclingnews that the company has gone into administration, with all staff made redundant as a result.

Staff were told the news on Friday, with The Times reporting that 42 people will lose their jobs as a result.

The Business Desk reports that the company expected to "move close to EBITDA break-even" after partnering with Cannondale. Saddleback had made pre-tax losses of £1.7m and £1.6m in the previous two years.

The loss of Cannondale in March is the company's second major loss of the year, with ENVE also departing in February after a 15-year partnership.

Cannondale's departure is said to have had a major effect on the company, which left Saddleback "exposed on the infrastructure and headcount it had taken on to support both brands", according to The Business Desk.

Saddleback, self-described as "the UK home of elite performance products", had also been distributing several other notable brands, including Castelli, Chris King, Rudy Project, Sidi, and Sportful.

Zwift has announced its acquisition of the indoor training platform Rouvy today.

Rouvy, which is based in Czechia, was launched in 2017 by brothers Petr and Jiri Samek. The platform, which utilises real-life video footage for an immersive indoor training experience, announced its own strategic acquisition of FulGaz in early 2025 and announced a multi-year deal with the Ironman series at the same time.

In a press release today, Zwift stated the acquisition of Rouvy aims to accelerate the growth of indoor cycling via strategic cooperation between the two companies, whilst maintaining their independent operations. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Zwift also confirmed that from today, Zwift-ready smart trainers and Zwift Ride smart frames will work with Rouvy too. The brand claims this will unlock new experiences within the Rouvy software, with further updates planned over the coming months.

“We have a huge amount of respect for what ROUVY has achieved, developing a fantastic product and growing their global community by demonstrating there is a strong market for real video experiences," said Zwift Co-Founder and CEO, Eric Min.

"ROUVY’s differentiated experience is proof we can be stronger together, and I’m excited to see how this deal will accelerate our mission to make more people, more active, more often. This is an exciting time for our industry and for cyclists worldwide. Over the past year, we have seen the indoor cycling market grow at the fastest rate since COVID,” he said.

Zwift also confirmed that both it and Rouvy will continue to operate independently with 'differentiated roadmaps and subscription packages.'

Petr Samek, CEO and Founder of ROUVY, said, “This is a strong validation of what we’ve built with our team and community, connecting indoor and outdoor training through real routes. ROUVY will continue to be the ROUVY you all know and love, with the same team and the same focus on helping riders achieve their cycling goals.

"For our community, this means we’ll keep building the experience you know, supporting your training all year round. Now, supported by Zwift and the Zwift hardware ecosystem, we have an opportunity to create even more experiences in the world of indoor cycling reality.”

Gravaa, the manufacturer of the KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System), was declared bankrupt this week by a Dutch court, in news first reported by Road.cc and other media outlets.

Gravaa's system enabled the user to adjust tyre pressures whilst riding, and we first reported on a Jumbo-Visma trial of the technology back in early 2023. The system, however, had been in development for several years before this.

The Gravaa system was built around front and rear hubs that were wired to the tyre valves. Utilising a kinetic pump powered by the forward rotation of the wheels to power the system, it allowed riders to use wireless handlebar buttons to make unlimited changes in tyre pressure to suit the surfaces they were riding or racing on.

Riders could use an app to control the system and monitor tyre pressure on their bike computer. The technology was not dissimilar to the Scope Atmoz system, which was trialled by Team DSM but never fully embraced.

The system made headlines over the past few years during the spring classics, with Visma-Lease a Bike testing and using the system in Paris-Roubaix. We even tested it for ourselves on the Roubaix cobblestones last year.

The system has helped riders claim huge wins. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot used it to claim a winning debut at The Hell of the North last year. Marianne Vos also took victory at the World Gravel Championships in 2024 using the system. Both races are perfect examples of where changing tyre pressure for certain sections offers a clear advantage.

However, despite being commercially available, the Gravaa system remained a specialised and relatively expensive product that had a few specific hardware requirements that were possibly limiting. A spokesperson from the brand explained that it was difficult to secure the number of orders needed to scale turnover.

Cyclingnews contacted Gravaa for comment. It seems some parties are showing interest in restoring the company. and the brand supplied the following statement:

"Gravaa has started serial production in the Netherlands since last year, and things were going quite well. Of course, the partnership and use of Gravaa by Team Visma-Lease a Bike helped us, and there was concrete interest from other road teams and gravel racers.

"Gravaa was available for the consumer market as well, via our own web shop and retailers. But it was difficult to get enough orders to be able to scale turnover and make any margin. We all see the financial struggles the bicycle industry is still facing after COVID-19, and this made it hard to get significant orders.

"Even though we have the option to produce Gravaa high- volume/ low cost, it turned out that converting this capability into sustained OE orders proved challenging in the current market environment.

"Some industry parties are showing their interest in taking over the assets and restarting the company. We are ready for it and hope this will lead to a stable solution and the success of Gravaa we aim for. Our app and back-end will stay operational for now, and we have products on stock, which means teams and individual racers still can ride and use Gravaa in the upcoming races."

For races like Paris-Roubaix and the Gravel World Championships, the ability to tune tyre pressure to suit both smooth asphalt and rough cobblestones does present an advantage and a potentially huge wattage saving. In this regard, the advantages of the system for pro teams are easy to see.

Larger sizes of tyres may also create huge wattage savings on rough surfaces without the need to drop pressure, something we found in our CN Labs tyre testing.

In business terms, it seems Gravaa did not receive the order volume to create a profitable business. Perhaps most amateur cyclists are simply happy to select a tyre pressure that strikes a balance for the terrain they are riding.

Gravaa partnered with DT Swiss and Reserve wheels, as its hubs needed to be built into a complete wheelset. The starting point for a wheelset and Gravaa hardware was around €3,000 and rising to €4,400 depending on model, representing a fairly sizeable investment.

The system also wasn't without its pitfalls; tubeless compatibility was still in development, limiting users to inner tubes or tubulars (pictured above), and the hub size also required a proprietary five-bolt disc rotor, which was included at sale and manufactured by Galfer.

Without OEM partners fitting the system on bikes from the get-go, a goal of Belgian brand Classified right now, as it looks to build its business, it seems that converting interest into sales ultimately proved difficult for Gravaa.

Perhaps one day bikes will be equipped with tyre pressure inflation systems from the off. Gravaa worked hard to produce a genuinely innovative product that claimed victory in the sport's biggest races; perhaps its idea was simply too far ahead of its time.

In a short statement on Friday, Rapha's CEO, Fran Millar, outlined the closure of five branches of the brands Rapha Cycle Club (RCC) venues: Boulder, Chicago, Manchester, Miami and Seattle. The earliest closure will take effect as early as January 18, affecting the Manchester branch of the RCC.

Rapha's clubhouses, the first of which opened in London in 2012, boasted 23 venues worldwide until this announcement, each of which aimed to blend a traditional retail space with extra amenities like a café, and spaces for events – a concept that was certainly novel, and even pioneering in the cycling market back in 2012.

Of the clubhouses, Millar said: "Rapha's Clubhouses are cultural anchors for the Rapha community worldwide, run by brilliant, hardworking teams that are our brand's greatest advocates. They are places to belong, to be inspired, and to discover our products."

While this is necessarily bad news for those working in these retail spaces, as well as the RCC members local to them, it is clear both from Millar's statements on the closures, and Rapha's recent financial woes, that the need for streamlining parts of the business is paramount.

"Closing these Clubhouses means we can focus on richer customer experiences at flagship locations, regional rides and events, and online worldwide," Millar continued. "I have been honest that we need to make changes at Rapha to bring greater focus. 'Simpler, better' is the guiding principle behind this decision. It is a painful decision but it is the right call for the brand and our customers in the long-run."

Given the fact the clubhouses functioned not only as retail spaces, but as the base of operations and a social locus for club rides, there will undoubtedly be concern for regular attendees, but we have been informed that the brand is committed to continuing its provision of ride leaders for the remainder of the year, partnering with local venues (i.e. cafés) to facilitate.

Rapha also clarified that the closures of these five clubhouses was due to the properties' leases coming up, but others such as the new location in Shanghai and a 'new vision' for the location in Bentonville, Arkansas demonstrate that the company isn't scrapping the whole concept.

The company is also committed to maintaining its presence in the five communities through the Ride Leader programme, partner cafés and local retailers.

Rapha's financial headaches have been well covered, with the brand reporting a £21m annual lost last year, marking the 8th loss making year in a row. It has pulled out of the WorldTour and its long running sponsorship deal with the EF Pro Cycling. It's closed its North American office, resulting in staff layoffs at the start of 2024, before appointing Fran Millar as its new CEO.

Since then, its focus has appeared to be on consolidating what works and looking longer term, with a sponsorship deal with USA Cycling penned for the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles.

It is unclear whether further clubhouses, including one based in Los Angeles, are part of the long term plan. Cyclingnews has approached Rapha for comment in this regard.

Giant Bicycles has completed the acquisition of Stages Cycling for a reported $20.1 million, just months after filing a lawsuit against the brand.

The move, which includes all of the Stages assets and intellectual property, was completed through one of Giant's subsidiary companies SPIA Cycling Inc. 

Giant's VP of Global Sales and Marketing, Paddy Murray, announced the move in a post to LinkedIn, saying he and his team are "eager to propel this fantastic brand into the future," adding "The acquisition will support the Giant Group’s vision to create a comprehensive indoor/outdoor cycling ecosystem, enhance its cycling data capabilities, and enter the commercial fitness market, where it has a 30-year history of manufacturing for other brands. SPIA Cycling Inc. plans to swiftly integrate the Stages Cycling assets into its operations."

The move comes following a long period of on-and-off negotiation between the two brands. 

In early 2023, Giant filed a notice announcing that via another of its subsidiaries, Gaiwin US I Investment Inc, it had agreed on a deal to acquire 32.5% of the company for $20 million, but months later, the deal fell through. 

Bicycle Retailer reports that another subsidiary of Giant, AIPS Technology, later filed a lawsuit against Stages Cycling in February for the sum of NT$454 million (£10.5m at today's exchange) for unpaid invoices.

Then in April, Stages Cycling ceased operations, and amid the shutdown, four of Stages Cycling's top executives moved to Giant. Among them was Murray, who switched from VP of global marketing at Stages to become Giant's VP of global sales and marketing. Pat Warner, then senior vice president of product development, became vice president of product R&D at Giant Manufacturing, and two engineers Eric Golesh and Andy Lull also joined. 

Soon after, Stages' parent company, Foundation Fitness filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a form of bankruptcy that enables support while business operations can continue relatively uninterrupted. Bespoke bike-building enthusiasts may recall Parlee Cycles recently underwent the same process. 

Cyclingnews understands Foundation Fitness remains in Chapter 11, with some $32 million owed to creditors, among which are Cycling Sports Group and Backcountry.com. 

The bid that led to today's acquisition by SPIA Cycling Inc originated in July, as reported by Cycling Weekly. The subsidiary made what's known as a 'stalking horse' bid, which essentially defines the first bid made on a bankrupt company's assets. The bid is often chosen by the bankrupt company itself in consultation with creditors and is then used to establish a minimum price for the assets, thus avoiding lowball offers. 

Potential competitors were set a deadline of August 1, and in the absence of any additional bids, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved the SPIA Cycling Inc takeover. 

“We are thrilled to integrate Stages Cycling’s assets into our organization,” said Donald Yu, President of SPIA Cycling Inc, in the brand's announcement. “This acquisition aligns with our strategic goals and enhances our capabilities in both indoor and outdoor cycling. We are committed to leveraging these assets to drive innovation and deliver greater value to our customers and stakeholders.”