movie.mov Watch on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

It seems plenty of others made the effort too, with a fantastic turn out. It might have been the arena, but it's not often I've seen so many cyclists at a Super Series Event. Martin of UK Cycling Events did a fabulous job as always, whether it be timing, organisation and course markings. Although I must admit there were a few instances where a bit more thought could have gone in to the arrow placements. We made it around ok, but there were a few lay minute direction changes.

There was a Fun (40 mile), Standard (60 or so) and Epic (101 mile) which is the length Daniel and I chose to ride. Smooth roads (on the whole), with quiet lanes, killer hills - both up and down - kept every cyclist challenged but with a smile on their face.

The day is over now, but i am feeling the after affects with the sun rays having tinged my forearms and legs, plus a physically drained body. If you haven't ridden a Wiggle Superseries event before, get booked in now!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Giant online retailers Wiggle, have teamed up with Santini to bring Wiggle Facebook fans the chance to win one of 25 great prizes as part of the Giro d'Italia.

Basically, as a Wiggle online bike shop Facebook fan, simply answer the question below and you could win:

• Grand Prize - Giro d'Italia Santini Maglia Rosa Signed by the 2012 Giro Winner (who might that be?)
• Weekly prize - 1 of 3 Santini Maglia Rosa jersey's each week for the duration of the Giro
• Daily Prize - 1 of 21 pairs of Santini socks

Sounds like a no brainer to me, so click on the ENTER NOW button below to enter!

Visit Wiggle.co.uk now

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

With the exception of the chainset, you are graced with a Shimano 105 group set throughout, including brake callipers. Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels, conti tyres and a full carbon frame. 4ZA finishing kit tidies up the package.

Before I ride it, I do notice it's quite a weighty machine, but the proposed price (I can't disclose this at the moment) may forgive this weight. The only tell-tale signs of this bike being an entry level carbon model, is the lack of a carbon steerer on the fork, no tapered head tube and no BB30 set up.

I'll ride this good looking machine this week and report on the ride quality.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Reading the latest Cycling Weekly magazine, I am presented with a short comment from Mario Cipollini where he tells a Cycling Weekly reporter that Mark Cavendish is not a Champion. Despite Cavendish's seat on the throne of World Champion title, Cipollini insists he is not a true champion and only few have been able to truly bear that title.

In my eyes, Mario should let Cavendish enjoy his throne where he is inspiring millions of new cyclists and getting true backing by mainstream medias. Let it be Mario and share your old fashioned, Italian opinions with your friends and if in public, go a little easy on the matter!

The Cycling Weekly article as printed:

Mario Cipollini may have been retired for almost seven years, but the former star sprinter's ability to stir up controversy is untamed. This time, he has world champion Mark Cavendish in his sights.

"Cavendish is a sprinter, he's not a champion", Cipollini told Cycling Weekly after opening the Road Cycling Shoe at Sandown Park last Saturday. "Neither is Fabian Cancellare. Cavendish is just good at one discipline. Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi, there are few champions.

"Cavendish is a great talent with a pure attitude, but he's not the best every day", Cipollini continued. "Sometimes he is too fat, carrying three or four kilograms too much. Maybe he is a very big chamion on the bike, but not at the same champion in life. It's two different things".

A World champion, Milan-San Remo winner and record-holder of Giro stage wins (with 42), the Italian remains as impressive a self-publicist off the bike as during his career: Such controversy-courting is in his best interest: he has his MCipollini bicycles to sell.

In March, Cipollini also expressed his desire to make a shock return to the bunch to race the Giro d'Italia. However, any plans were dropped due to the fact he hadn't been signed up to the biological passport for the rewuisite period.

"I trainedfive hours every day in Winter, on the same programme as 10 years aho", he said.

What was his motivation? "Cycling was work and now it's a passion. I am sure Cavendish is faster and stronger than me now - I want to help others and see where Mario sits in this peloton after 10 years. I am older, 45, but it's a strong 45"

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The BC6 socks are ultra thin and designed for pro level cycling. Clearly a warmer weather sock with a low cut around the ankle. The thin material has no padding so clearly ideal for direct power transfer while pedalling. I'm anxious about this as I easily get numb toes, so may find they aren't ideal for shoes with former soles.

The BC3 socks are designed for all mountain riding. A more rugged design indicates comfort will be high. Generally a thicker cut with built up contact areas and a higher cut. Will look good with baggy shorts and perhaps an all-day trip to Wales.

I'll be putting these socks through their paces (geddit?) over the next couple of weeks. Review coming later.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be given the chance to ride a 29er hardtail bike for the first time. Apart from having a whole day to ride a big wheeler, this 29er was different.

Starley is a reasonably new brand, producing Road and TT bikes along with their own carbon rims, stems, bars and seatpost. This 29er, is their only MTB offering and what an offering it is!

So this demo model was a little bit too small for me, meaning I had quite an extention on the seatpost and a slightly long stem. Nevertheless, my riding position was spot on. A very short headtube mean't a fair few spacers were used obtaining my ideal ride height. That makes the bike look a little perculiar in these pictures, but see past that and you have a very attractive carbon fibre frame, with swoopy tubes, boasting curves and various shapes.

My test model was kitted out with the latest SRAM X.0 2x10 groupo with Ashima coated Fox Float forks, Crossmax wheels and Rock Shox Reverb Seatpost. This kit made for a very light (c24lbs) but sturdy build which ensured I gave the bike a thorough thrashing on my 30 mile loop of Swinley forest.

Suffice to say, I had allot of fun. When compared to my 6" travel Rocky Mountain Slayer, it wasn't quite as quick downhill, but I'll put that down to the Strarley being a hardtail. The fact it was a 29er didn't slow it up one bit. It was an enlightening ride downhills. I'd compare it directly to a Scott Scale which I've always loved for it's ability to climb like a mountain goat on acid, and propel itself forward like a rocket ship. But the Starley totally floors the Scott's performance. While on climbs there probably isn't much in it, the Starley propels itself at greater speed, offering maximum manoeverability and downhill prowess which I always felt was the Scale's downfall.

Much of the surefooted feel may come from Starley's frame features. The pressfit bottom bracket shell and tapered headtube seems to be the standard on lots of frames nowadays. The Starley blends these "standard" features into a laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant frameset. The sharp and curvacious edges and shapes clearly aren't just aesthetical, but it's nice to have nevertheless.

The bike pictured comes in at £3099 with the Reverb dropper post. Knock £100 off that asking price for losing that very useful feature. Certainly at the higher end of the carbon hardtail echelon, but when you take a look at the high-end spec list, it's certainly a fair price. Build the bike as you want from a frameset and you'll be forking out only £499 for the frame or £599 for frame module which includes carbon seatpost, stem and bars. That extra £100 seems incredible value to me.

All in all, a light, robust feeling XC race sled that is perfectly happy airborn and tackling steep shoots as if it was a long travel all mountain rig. Could this be my perfect hardtail?

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I've been lucky enough to recieve the SM-1 carbon 29er from Starley. Equipped with full SRAM X.0 groupset, Fox F29 Ashima coated forks and Reverb dropper seatpost, with the fabulous Schwalbe Rocket Ron tyres mounted to Mavic Crossmax wheels.

I'll be trying out the bike this weekend around Swinley Forest and will give a full report next week with pictures, video and details of the full spec and ride quality.

Starley are a British brand specialising in road and TT bikes, plus this lovely 29er. Again, a full introduction to Starley and report on this bike coming next week.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Central Southern California fosters some of the finest roads and trails on the planet. With this, comes professional riders, bike companies and the best bike shops you'd ever set foot in.

Bicycle Bob's is found in Santa Barbara, a shop I've spent many summers' working in myself. A popular bike shop that has given birth to various bicycle related careers, from Pro Tour Wrench (interview coming soon), to marketing exec's for big name bike brands and in Aaron's case, a brand new frame company.

I've had the please of working With Aaron and often make a point of catching up with him on my trips to Santa Barbara. I've been dying to get an interview in with Aaron for a while now and with his recent award of Best New Frame Builder at the recent NAHBS (North American Handmade Bicycle Show), he's certainly the hot topic of the moment in the boutique frame building fraternity.

An introduction to Stinner Frameworks...

Stinner Frameworks from Hazardous Taste on Vimeo.

Interview 

Q. Aaron, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for bikedibley.com. I know you’re probably a busy man now you’re a fully fledged frame builder. Now, why don’t you start by giving us a low-down about Stinner Frameworks
A. Thanks Thomas. I’m excited to be here. Stinner Frameworks started because of my love of riding bikes. Bikes have been a huge part of my life. Growing up, if I wasn’t riding or racing them, I was working on them. Stinner Frameworks was a natural progression of that. I was tired of selling people off the rack bikes that didn’t fit them physically or fit their needs. I wanted to start giving people the option of getting exactly what they needed and wanted. I wanted them to be able to have the experience they had in their mind and let me make that experience come to life for them. So I started building the best bikes that I know how too.

Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself
A. Well, I obviously love bicycles. I have been riding them for as long as I can remember. I raced seriously for many years and I still jump into a race every now and again. I try to ride a consistent 5 days a week. I also love metal working, this made steel an obvious option for me when it came time to picking my material of choice. I also have a beautiful girlfriend that I love spending time with.

Q. When was the Stinner Frameworks seed planted in your mind and how did it grow into a real business?
A. After I graduated from College I started managing a local bicycle shop. It was a temporary solution. I was hoping to eventually get a job in the bicycle industry. No one was hiring, in fact everyone was cutting back. Custom frames were taking off in the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern parts of the US. I would talk to a lot of people (customers) that were looking for custom frames or a custom option. Southern California had very few builders at this time, and if there were more builders they were doing a horrible job getting their name out there. I view bikes as an elegant tool. Beautiful and simple but still a tool. I wanted to make bikes that emulate that view. I wanted them to be affordable and compete with the big brands. I basically had all these ideas running around in my head on how I could do things better. I signed up for the framebuilding class at UBI in Ashland, OR. After that, everything just started to take form. It was a natural progression, it never felt like anything was ever forced. It was really nice. Things are still only really starting too, its exciting, I have a ton of ideas and plans getting more people on custom bikes.

Q. Every new business can have their challenges and hurdles to overcome. What problems have you faced building the Stinner brand?
A. Well, for starters I was not a business major in college. Nor do I have business building experience. That has been by far the biggest hurdle. The bike stuff comes, more or less, easy. I wanted to build a business model that was very strong. The bike industry already has too many businesses that are built on hopes and dreams. Sure I have those too, but I wanted to make sure that I was just as good at running a business as I was at building a bicycle frame. As any successful framebuilder will tell you, you only spend about 50% of your time building frames. The rest is being a business owner.

Q. Is Santa Barbara a good setting for your frame-shop?
A. Santa Barbara is an amazing setting. We have great roads to ride on and we have a fantastic mountain biking community. We have great trails and a really good trail crew that helps maintain the surrounding areas. Santa Barbara has a great cycling community in general. I couldn’t think of a better place to be building frames.

Q. In this day and age of competitively-priced frames, made of exotic materials, do you find custom steel frames to be a difficult sell, or is there
A. I get this question a lot and the answer is yes and no. I have found that I can easily build a custom bicycle for someone and still be very competitive with the big brands. My prices may be slightly higher sometimes, but not far off. As far as material goes, people still think of steel as heavy. It’s not the lightest material in the world, but I believe it is the best all around material. Getting this point across can be difficult at times. The reason the big brands are pushing carbon right now is because it is a very scalable. From a business standpoint, that is great They can spend less and make more. The big brands also spend millions of dollars on making the common consumer believe that their material is the best. Most people that come and see me already have a good idea of what they want. I can easily build a race bike that is in the 16lb range or a mountain hardtail that is in the 22lb range. Your bike will last longer, not go out of fashion and will represent you and what you believe bikes should be, not what “insert bike company here” believes you should be riding.

Q. What do you say are the biggest reasons somebody would order a frame from Stinner Frameworks?
A. I think the biggest thing I have to offer is my knowledge of riding and how a bike should fit. There are a lot of builders that build great bikes, but I know how to listen to the consumer and make the things that they want happen. There are way too many over opinionated builders out there. I’m here for the consumer and pride myself on delivering a product that they want and need. I’m also more affordable than most.

Q. Who would you consider is your main competition in custom steel frames?
A. There are obviously a lot of other builders doing the same thing I am. Most of the big players have been doing it longer and make a great bike. There are also a lot of big egos and big opinions in the framebuilding community. They all have opinions about new builders and their inability to make great bikes. Sometimes I feel like the big builders are their own worst enemy. It’s the same thing with life long mechanics. Old and over opinionated. I tend to just put my head down and let my work speak for itself.

Q Who are your cycling idols?
A. I have quite a few that I consistently admire. Frame builders would be, Todd Ingermanson, Carl Strong, Tyler Evans, Rick Hunter. That would be the four big ones that I draw a lot of inspiration from. Riders would be Thor Hushovd, Andy Hampsten, Steve Peat and Adam Craig.

Q. Who do you suppose have been your biggest influences?
A. My style I think is largely west coast. Todd at Black Cat, Rick at Hunter Cycles and Sean Walling of Soulcraft. They have all had a big influence in why I chose to build and where I chose to build.

Q. When I think of a custom frame builder, I imagine I can ask you for anything and the answer would be yes. Does that mean if I asked you for a Light, but strong hardtail frame suitable for a 140mm travel fork, 29inch wheels, with adjustable dropouts that could take a Gates Carbon Belt Drive system and full cable routing for a Rohloff gear hub, you’d be able to help me out?
A. You know it! Projects like this I get extremely excited about too. Did you see my show bike for NAHBS this year? It’s a hardtail 29er with 142 thru axle, bilaminate work, extended seatmast and really tight rear wheel clearance. I think everyone really liked it, it didn’t hurt that I got to take home some hardware too. So when do you want to start on this project? I’m getting excited just thinking about it.

Q. How do you plan to expand your range of frame options?
A. I will always have a heavy focus on road/mountain/cross/touring/commuting. What I believe to be the core of cycling. If I expand to anything it will be different frame material. Ti? Carbon? I just started building TIG frames this year. There was a demand for it and I was able to make it happen. Lots of time at the welding table lately.

Q. Do you ever plan to produce off-the-shelf complete bike options?
A. Possibly. I’ve been asked by a few shops that want to carry my frames. We’ll see.

Q. What exciting projects are in the pipeline currently?
A. I just finished my NAHBS bikes. That was a huge project for me. Currently I am working on a lugged, belt drive, randonneur with an alfine 11 speed hub. I will be doing a full suspension 29er this year! Keep your eyes peeled.

Q. So far, what’s your favourite frame that you’ve produced and why?
A. It seems to always be the bike I am currently working on!

Q. If it wasn’t a Stinner, what other boutique brand would you consider riding?
A. Great question and I have no idea. Now that I build frames for a living, I don’t think anyone could build a better bike for me, than me. When I was 16 years old I didn’t want a new car, I wanted a Soulcraft. Never got one though.

Q. Are there any limitations in what you are willing to make? Maybe you want to steer clear of those tourer type people who ride in sandles with socks, or maybe you thrive on a challenge?
A. I will always make something that I know will work, be functional and safe. I won’t sacrifice function for form. I’m a huge advocate of making frames that are safe and sound to ride.

Q. What are your hopes and dreams for Stinner Frameworks in the future and how do you hope to get there?
A. I will continue to produce the best frames that I am capable of producing. Perfecting my craft. I will keep riding. I hope to grow as a framebuilder and get more people on a Stinner. I’m just really excited to be here.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Visit Stinner on www.stinnerframeworks.com
See more pictures on Stinner's Flikr Stream
Follow Stinner on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

More or less everybody has owned Shimano on one of their bikes at some point. Peronally, I'm a grip shift lover and have opted for SRAM X.0 Twist Grip shifters on many occasions over the last decade.

Readers will also know my love for Rohloff gear hubs which offer trouble free shifting and no chain slap on a hardtail or almost none on a full suspension bike.

With the desire to run axle widths a Rohloff hub can't match, such as 142mm standard, derailleurs are the only option.

I can't stand a slack chain and noise however, so the release of the Shimano XTR Shadow Plus derailleur, with it's inertia resisting feature is quite exciting. Yes friends and family, I do find this kind of thing exciting.

The new Shimano XTR Shadow Plus is not cheap, but at £169.99, is totally comparable to other top-end mech's like Shimano's Dura-Ace mech from the Road groupset, or SRAM's X.0 and cheaper than their range topping X.X.

The unique feature that sets this unit apart, is it's chain stabilising switch, that when on will reduce chain bounce in rough terrain, maintaining more stable drive and shifting. You can even adjust how taught this switch makes the mech. Shifting is still super smooth in the usual light feeling XTR manner.

Also in the typical XTR fashion, the mech is surprisingly light for such a rugged edition to the range topping groupset. Minimal material and a carbon carbon help towards this low weight.

Find Cheap Mountain Bikes At Mpora Gear

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

When choosing which shoes to go for, I thought I'd choose some for best. When the sun is shining and I can see to wear white. My black shoes are for commuting, but I'm not wasting these beauties on the British winter.

The overall construction is stunning. Seamless quality joining, with threads and glues. A perfect amount of white, with contrasting blacks and what I love the most, the shiny, wipe clean texture. Did I say I loved that the most? I actually mean, the marbled carbon soles! These make for a very light and stiff feeling shoe.

I'll be taking a bit more care of these, than my MTB shoes. Full review coming soon.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

p235.mov Watch on Posterous

This ride starts from Storington, smack bang in the middle of the South Downs. Luckily for the hundreds of mountain bikers who participated, The weather was better than back in 2011 when visibility and fog ensured the trails remained damp all day long.

Today though, the tails were fast rolling and in places reasonably technical when matched with the speeds of up to 30mph achieved on the downs.

All in all, the ride was incredibly well sign posted and laid out beautifully. Wiggle and UKCE lived up to the standard try have set over the past few years. Every rider seemed to be having a great time, but also welcomed the regular feed stations en route.

I you haven't already tried a Wiggle Super Series event, now'a the time!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I've always been a dog lover. It all started with my Grandad's Black Lab. He was given it as a retirement present in 1982 about a month after I was born. I grew up with Flair and always felt close to her as we were the same age. At 18 yrs, she sadly passed away, the day after my grandad did. Ever since, I've wanted a dog of my own.

Of course, being an avid mountain biker means my idea of what kind of dog I wanted has become quite exact. For years, I wanted a black lab just like flair, but lately I've seen a breed of dog on the trails that have taken my attention. The Hungarian Vizsla is a stunning dog with the good looks of a labrador, but a leaner body. Think of a chunkier greyhound with a lab's face and floppy ears (I love the ears).

I saw two at CwmCarn last Autumn. They were brothers and were having so much fun chasing their owner along the trail. They were fast, exciteable and always seemed to know to stay behind his front wheel. Perhaps they got it wrong once or twice in the past and learned a lesson?

A mate told me to search for "Swinley Dog" on YouTube for a vid of a guy riding the Swinley trails with his dog. So I did. If there ever was a convincing argument to get a Vizsla, or a dog at all...this video is it. This is Amber...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I've had around 8 bikes stolen over the last two years in two batches of four. A punch in the guts it was on both occasions. The first theft left me without my £6k Knolly Delirium T amongst other bikes and I'm still gutted none of my bikes have turned up, despite how boutique and rare some of them were.

Although it doesn't help me, it does bring a sense of reassurance to see examples of police forces taking bike theft seriously. Like Hampshire Police just recently uncovering a haul of 60 or so framesets as MBR magazine reports in the latest March 2012 issue.

PC Richard Smith had investigated a spate of thefts back in 2010. He had suspects, but it wasn't until a bike was stolen in Aldershot, and a fingerprint found, that his hunch was substantiated. The owner of the bike had spotted his Fox Talas forks on eBay and notified the police. His identification of the forks enabled PC Smith to obtain warrants through the courts, which led to finding five people linked to the eBay account. Three of those are appearing in court this February charged with conspiracy to steal and are expected to recieve a costodial sentance each. The account saw £240,000 pass through it which is strong evidence.

If you've had your bike stolen within 30 or so miles of Farnborough and is worth anything £500 plus, check these details out at the following link where you will subsequently find a link to an image gallery. http://www.nhampshirectc.org.uk/pages/Stolenbikes.html

There are some nice framesets in there. No complete bikes, but some look like complete bikes less wheels, so take a look just encase you recognise one of these bikes

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

However the design lives on and is still produced by SRAM, although in smaller numbers because OEM sales are near non-existent for their MTB offering. Production exists in higher numbers for their city/hybrid bike sales.

I love twist grip/Gripshift shifters. I like how light they are, how precise they are and that they're cheap to buy when compared to their trigger shifter counterparts.

Some people hate them. But I struggle to understand why. With Gripshift, you're able to change gear instantly without having to adjust your hand or fingers. Just twist! If you think miss-shifts would be common based on your hand resting on the shifter as part of the grip...think again. Bull sh*t! Your weight rests on your palm and not on the shifter.

What do you reckon? Will Gripshift continue? Judging by the new XX shifter pictured below, I'd say there's some life left in it yet...plus some loyal customers.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I'm only just starting to get my head around the 29er revolution. I've been hooked on 26" wheel mountain bikes for 15 years and now more and more people are turning to 29ers for their trail needs, I've decided to hop on the band wagon with the addition nof a Felt Nine Elite 29er 2011 to my fleet.

My theory is, use my 26" travel aggressive full suspension bike for technical trails and pulling some moves, while using a 29er hardtail for less-technical cross country riding. I wouldn't want to take my 29er to Wales as I wouldn't think it would be the ideal bike for technical trails, jumps, drops etc.

With the evolution of the 29er, bike companies have been trying to build bikes to resemble full line-ups like a 26" bike line. For taller riders, or those who love the benefits of larger wheels, bikes are being built to cater for as many categories as possible. But there are limits.

Santa Cruz have been proto-typing 29er down hill bikes and other companies have been slowly launching longer and longer travel bikes with 29" wheels. The problem is, the larger the wheel, the more restricted suspension travel is. This requires radical rethinking when it comes to geometry and suspension designs.

I question the ability for 29ers to replace my 26" long travel all mountain bike (Rocky Mountain Slayer 70), but an old standard is starting to re-emerge and could change my opinion on the larger wheel.

650A, 650B and 650C are a wheel size that came about many years ago. Primarily used on time trial bikes and touring bikes, to offer a stronger, faster accelerating wheel. 650B is now available from some mountain bike wheel and tyre manufacturers. Lots of frames and forks can cope with the increase in wheel size from 26" to 650B, which seems to me to be a bit of a patch. A larger wheel might interfere with your foot on tight turns, of hit your seat tube under suspension activation or even limit the size of tyre used when it comes to fork crowns. But the idea of a larger wheel for increased rolling speed, yet a smaller wheel than a 29er, is an idea that is appealing to me.

How will this evolve? Well it's evolved quicker than you might think. You probably haven't seen any 650B bikes in your local bike shop, nor have you seen many/any in press but they're emerging from the wood work. US brand, Jamis Bikes have two new full suspension trail bikes with 650B wheels as standard. Geometry has been adjusted to allow the larger wheel, plus the longer suspension travel demanded by trail riders. In typical fashion, it's the US brands who start new trends...KHS is another brand building 650B bikes in 2012.

I'm uncertain if the 650B phenomenon on mountain bikes is something that has a future, or it's an obscure aftermarket alteration some people will make to their bikes. I for one, love the idea and would expect I'd try 650B as my next 6" travel all mountain build in lieu of a 29er setup, which I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have as my main bike. However, still a few weeks away from my first 29er experience, opnions can always change!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Cycle Safety has always been a concern of parents of young children, but it's only lately people have become wise to the risks of serious injury or even death as a cyclist on Britains roads. So how many cyclists have been killed on Britain's roads?

Since 2001, 1,271 cyclists have died on British roads. That doesn't count serious injuries! To put it into perspective, 576 soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. While 576 is too many deaths in any situation, you would expect a war zone to provide more fatalities than your local ride to work.

The majority of deaths are caused by large vehicles, such as HGV's or articulated vehicles. Some blame the truck drivers, others blame the cyclists. As a cyclist myself, I've seen far too many cyclists stop and wait on the inside of a truck waiting at lights, ignoring the trucks' indication or riding on the inside of a vehicle on a junction. While some truck drivers are certaily to blame, you can't forgive a cyclist who undertakes a signalling and manoeuvering vehicle of any size.

In tomorrow's Times newspaper, a supplement will be published focussed on Cycle Safety. I hope this supplement will educate readers, whether they be drivers, cyclists or both, that the roads are to be SHARED by all.Clearly the City of London are communicating with its residents. I hope the rest of the UK takes note.

A cyclist should know road rules are there to be obeyed by both drivers and themselves. They shouldn't get preferential treatment and should do what they can to treat all other road users with respect. Set a good example, use lights when appropriate and ALWAYS wear a helmet. Remain fully aware of your surroundings and make very obvious signals.

Likewise, a motorist should LOOK OUT FOR BIKES. They should use their mirrors ALL the time and not to take a turning without doing so. Signal and give cyclists, both peducular (new word?) and motorised plenty of space. A cyclist is OFTEN moving quicker than you expect!

REMEMBER: A car is bigger and tougher than a bike!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Last weekend, Whittlebury Hall Hotel hosted the 2012 Core Bike trade show.

Unlike other shows, Whittlebury Hall was an intimate afair with a number of smaller rooms housing the latest bike gear hitting the UK trade now.

I saw some great stuff and spoke to some great people. ALthough I spent all day looking around, I missed some of my must-see's. I-Ride (2-Pure) were representing Ibis and I missed the Mojo HD which I really wanted to see.

A couple of highlights though, a restored Yeti C-26 from the John Tomac Glory days adorned the entrance to the Silverfish room that was displaying all the latest Yeti and Mondraker models. This Yeti frame was the last of all of the C-26 frames. The tubes were found buried in the Yeti factory and made up years after the C-26 died. This model is up to spec, complete with Tioga Disc Drive rear wheel.

Other kit to note includes the X-Fusion suspension line up. A big grip eamongst many mountain bikers is the lack of 27.2mm dropper seatpost options. Well lookie here at this X-Fusion Dropper post. Available in various sizes inluding 27.2mm to fit most MTB's that can't take the larger 30.9 and 31.6mm post diameters.

Yeti C-26 John Tomac replica

Yeti C-26 John Tomac replica

In order left from right, Yeti SB-66C, Yeti ASR-C, Yeti 4x, Yeti 303WC, Yeti DJ and Yeti SB-66

X-Fusion Dropper posts available in 27.2mm

Tell me these forks don't look at all like Rock Shox? Yep, X-Fusion are looking good for 2012

MicroShift Mechs and Shifters are starting to appear on bikes, like this DMR Bolt

Lovely candy colours on these Intense models. Give me that Uzzi any day!

More candy colours on these Marzocchi 4x and DJ models

The new Marzocchi 55 RC3 EVO Ti models are highly desireable...oh look, added incentive under the 888's!

The COlnago C59 was my road bike of choice at the show. Matt black with gloss black graphics was simply stunning

Fibre Flare are popular lights amongst commuters now. They are slimmer than they used to be now and the smaller ones look like you could attach them to your spokes for a ring effect

Lynskey Ti frames were lovely in their "twisty" guise

Love or hate this Mondraker

Pivot are looking pretty special

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I've had mud tyres before, from various brands and I've even had these before too, but not for a couple of years and after struggling on my semi-bald Maxxis Ardents for the past couple of months, today I clearly ha forgotten what decent tyres that are made for purpose really are.

Today around Swinley, I was thrilled to have the Specialized Storm Control tyres. They dug in and enabled solid climbing up every surface I encountered. Even on wet roots you could really feel them grabbing hold and propelling you forward. On the occasion they did slip, they gripped firm again quickly.

Every corner was sure footed and precise with real unlimited grip when in tacky or boggy situations. On stoney and hard but loose corners grip wasn't so plentiful. This might be because the ultimate tyre for every purpose doesn't exist, or it could be my riding style as tyres can't do all the work!

So I confirm the tread pattern digs deep, sheds mud and seems robust enough. The casing of my S-Works model is superb. Folding and light, the tyre took shape easily and is a voluminous 26x2.0 that offered plenty of structure that enabled my usual flair on the trail. Compound was fast rolling but soft enough to grip well on the hard pack.

Specialized use their tubeless technology on this model called 2Bliss which does the job of UST well. Locking in air tightly.

At around £25 per tyre, they're a bargain!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

After my article earlier in the week about Rohloff hubs and their failing compatibility with modern MTB suspension frames, I was asked by a reader what the big deal with Rohloff hubs is. Why do I prefer a Rohloff hub over a conventional derailleur set-up.

Well, the idea is simple, even if the execusion can sometimes be more complicated. In short, I love the Rohloff Speedhub because it gives you an incredibly useful 14 gears with near zero maintenance requirements in a package that guarantees function in any condition, in a quiet and good looking package.

I originally built up a Knolly Delirium T with a Rohloff Speedhub. I wanted a bike I could ride every day, hard without having to check my bike over, or fiddle with gears/brakes. The gear solution was the Rohloff hub. On a hardtail, you can run a chain as if it were a singlespeed, so ZERO chain slap. On a full sus bike, you need to run a chain tensioner, however you can run this tensioner very tight to almost eliminate chain slap.

What this gives you is a bike that rides so incredibly quietly. No noisy chains, mis shifts or scrambling for traction accross a cassette. A Rohloff always has the right gear for you and lets you descend with prowess giving the illusion that you're floating while everybody else is going "clang, ding, slap".

I used to go months without washing my bike. And went 3,500 miles before replacing my chain and chainring (Roloff sprocket was still fine). And WOW, it looks great. Certainly is a conversation starter on the trail. With a 44t chainring, the 14 gears would spread similar to that of a 27spd drivetrain enabling you to go up and down anything.

What was particularly neat, say you're folling your mate up a steep grade and he fluffs his gears and looses traction. Fear not, you can simply chainge down and carry on pedalling. No need to wait for a chain to move accross and you loose your footing. Shifting without the need to pedal is far more useful than you think.

At c£1k it's allot of money for a a heavy hub, but factor in a Chris King rear hub, XTR shifters, cassette, chain, rear mech, front mech and chainrings and you have yourself a comparable value dream component that will have your bike the envy of desire. The hub does weigh allot though. My Mavic DH rim with straight gauge spokes and a 2.4 ST Maxxis High Roller gave me a 12lb rear wheel! However, dressed smartly, the rear wheel could match the weight of a bike equiped with a conventional SLX drivetrain.

Rohloff Speedhub, if it fits your bike it'll be the best upgrade you could make!

Comment below if you have fitting concerns and I'll get you the answers!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »