Table of contents for January 2018 in Cycling Plus

So, does this bike from a company named after an Old Testament Book do the Job it’s designed for, deliver the Numbers and help you get away for the day… say on an Exodus? Well, you can be the Judges! First off, at just north of 13kg the Day One is a weighty beast. If you do a lot of climbing bear that in mind (though a bigger sprocket will lower the gearing), but for commuting and less hilly away days it’s less of an issue. Comfort is good and practicality high. It has wide tyres, full mudguards, front and rear rack mounts and eight-speed hub gears, complete with a rarely-seen-today bar-end lever, though we’d have preferred a more positive ‘click’ to the action. The bar is slightly swept back…

LUKE WHO’S BACK Team Sky’s Luke Rowe made a tentative return to cycling three months on from his horror injury. He rode gentle laps of Newport Velodrome to ease his way back from the white water rafting injury on his brother’s stag that shattered his leg. TOKYO LIFT The 2020 Tokyo Olympic men’s road race will climb the lower slopes of the stunning Mount Fuji, according to local reports, although the women’s race will avoid it. BRAKING NEWS As the popularity of disc brakes continues to grow, British Cycling has announced that they will be allowed in all levels of domestic road and closed circuit races from 1 January 2018. SAG GOES TO CAS The fallout from Peter Sagan’s DQ from this year’s Tour de France continues. The Slovak and…

There’s an undeniable thrill to be had riding with the elements in your face as you pedal unstoppably through the rain or the wind – a thrill unique to the joy that is training during the British winter. Still, it’s far more enjoyable when you’re wearing clothing that is specially designed for those conditions, keeping you at the ideal temperature, protecting you from the weather conditions, while still letting your skin breathe. Luckily, dhb has just the range for seamless autumn/winter cycling. Take a look for yourself. 1 dhb Aeron Roubaix Bib Tight: £80 The longest rides need complete comfort. This winter staple is warm, breathable and incredibly comfortable for hours on end while you’re in the saddle. The women’s version also uses dhb’s innovative and unique halterneck for easy…

While in Northumberland for a future Local Knowledge route recce, I discovered it’s great to cycle around. Mostly it was as expected, with its coastlines, collection of castles, rolling farmland and friendly people. Many places have an olde-worlde feel – long stretches of National Cycle Network Route 1, for instance, untouched by modern road surfacing. But there were a few surprises. The artisan hut in Amble Harbour Village selling ice-cream for dogs. The sign for the village of Snitter that had been amended by someone with toilet humour and a marker pen. Seahouses’ fame with German visitors, thanks to it being featured in a school’s English-language book. The German family I met on hired e-bikes were quite upset by what a driver shouted at them. He wasn’t being rude, just…

Canyon’s road Inflite puts its CX roots to good use as an all-conditions all-rounder Inflite is chiefly Canyon’s cyclo-cross range, but among the knobbly-tyred models sits this anomaly, with its full mudguards and road sensibilities. The Inflite range now includes ’cross race-only carbon fibre bikes, and this aluminium frame, which through varying builds creates several ’cross options and one road. The satin paint finish and bold reflective graphics are smart and effective, with tidy, chunky welds and a surprising UCI-approved frame sticker. There’s a giant round down-tube, asymmetric tapered seat-tube, flattened tapering toptube, relatively slim, straight seatstays and flattened chainstays with a little crimping to enlarge the clearance for cyclo-cross-sized tyres. In place of which we have 38mm mudguards and 28mm road Continentals, the rear ’guard bolting to the seat-tube…

The Fratello Disc’s ride feel is even better than its looks, and they’re pretty good Condor’s popular Fratello has been delighting riders for years, and now there’s a disc version. Built from beautifully welded, custom-drawn and shaped, triple-butted Columbus Spirit tubing, it maintains the slim frame tube profile that only steel can, but supplements its traditional looks with modern braking. The frameset price of £899.99 includes Condor’s Pioggia Disc fork with carbon blades and an aluminium steerer, which at 580g carries more weight than all-carbon, and when added to the 55cm frame’s 2100g, comprises the difference between this bike and the lighter models on test. As ever, it’s a choice, and bike weight really isn’t the most important thing. Satisfaction, ride feel and realworld performance count for more in our…

01 The lightest, stiffest frame in magazines may look like the perfect bike, but pick a balance between fast, light and comfortable. You’re going to spend on average 40 per cent longer on it than a pro, so dial in a position that you can ride a long time in. 02 Get disc brakes. They can be a nuisance to set up (luckily that was our mechanics Bob & Jim’s job). Their looks divide opinion, but they make you stop even in the pouring rain. 03 Those super-light, stiff shoes are great, and will ‘gift’ you an extra four watts, but over three weeks the temperatures get to over 40°C, the feet swell, making it so uncomfortable to even pedal properly. 04 At some point during the ride you will…

Siempre Bicycles, Glasgow Secret suppers, monthly special evening tasting events, Sunday cycling sessions, community days and a great café menu. The coffee beans are provided by local independent roasters. siemprebicyclecafe.com PopUp Bikes, Manchester This is Manchester’s original cycle café specialising in all types of bicycle repair and servicing. The coffee is made using Ancoats Coffee’s Warehouse City Seasonal Espresso. The breakfast and lunch menus include toasties, muesli, croissants and hot organic oat porridge. popupbikes.co.uk Eureka Cyclists Café, Wirral Serving cyclists since 1929, this stalwart of the north-west cycling scene – and favourite haunt of one Chris Boardman – is still going strong, attracting riders from all over the country with its good fare and warm welcome. eurekacyclistscafe.co.uk Mud Dock, Bristol Bike shed, showers, maintenance workshop seminars as well as brunch,…

TIPS FROM THE TOP LIGHT START On endurance training days I’m up early to spend some time with my son while my other half gets a lie-in. Then I have a light, proteinfocused breakfast like porridge for the drip-feed energy I’ll need. Depending where I am I’ll either be hitting the hills almost immediately – if I’m home on the Isle of Man – or else a 40-minute ride out to them if I’m in Sheffield. DEVOTE TIME TO IT The only structure I’ll have as such is to put some additional effort in on the back end of the ride. I’ll aim to be out for five or six hours for an endurance training ride doing a variety of manoeuvres. It means packing for the likelihood that you’ll hit…

BEFORE A TIME TRIAL Harry Tanfield, BIKE Channel Canyon’s sprint and time trial star at the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, on the essentials to prepare for a time trial 1 NEVER MISS A TRICK I like to go flat out whenever I can – it gets the body used to being at full gas when called for. Always build an opportunity to do so into your training rides. 2 PLAN EVERY MOVE Train in your time trial position as much as possible in the build-up to your race. Doing heart rate sessions, strength sessions, attack practice in that position gets your muscles used to it. Leave nothing to chance - know what you’re going to eat and when, when you’re going to be warming up, everything. 3 HAVE NO…

I’m staring out of a train window at a stubble-burnt acre or two of Lincolnshire farmland, with a dusk moon set into a blue winter sky, and I have started to dream of France. These visions of ripening wheat and concrete water towers are a feature of this time of year. After 15 consecutive Julys spent in the yellow heat of the Tour de France, I am familiar with the pattern of my calendar yearnings. The months between July and Christmas are spent slowly disengaging from the experience, until, with the pendulum at the bottom of the arc, the swing upwards starts again. And it begins with a yearning for summer, and by summer I mean France. I never travelled abroad until I was about 12. My new passport (Irish,…

£2650 The ride The Tuned Compliance Concept puts stiffness in the Roadmachine through the drivetrain and laterally stiff fork, with sufficient plushness elsewhere for day-long riding. BMC’s long-favoured dropped seatstays create a taut and chuckable rear end, while its geometry falls between full-on race bike and endurance machine. Its balance of speed, handling precision and comfort is impressive, with only the slight weight penalty holding it back. It’s very well integrated The 02 has neat mudguard fittings inside the fork and seatstays, flattened ‘ergo’ handlebar tops for comfort, a stem that includes a computer and camera mount, full internal cable routing and a neat ‘bumper’ on the bottom bracket shell to prevent the chain unshipping. Aero features include the Giant-like D-profile carbon seatpost with its sawn-off rear end, while the…

1 Bank on it Knog’s PWR range is based around its PWR power bank. The interchangeable batteries mean you can choose di"erent light powers for di"erent applications. The PWR bank also has a micro USB port so you can recharge your phone or GPS on the go. A full iPhone charge will leave enough power to fuel your light for hours from the 3200mAh bank. 2 Light always The PWR light range o"ers commuter level power or o"-road ability, and they’re adaptable. For example, the PWR 300 light converts to a head torch using the head strap. 3 Car-like performance The high-power PWR 800 has a switchable mode. On full, the beam is elliptical, like a car’s, and on low mode the light has a brighter ring around the edge…

SAGAN’S SUNNIES You may not be able to ride like him, but you can wear the same glasses as world champion Peter Sagan. His shades supplier, 100%’s new Speedtraps come with ‘increased peripheral vision and protection’. DOMANE GOES GRAVEL Trek has launched its first dedicated gravel bike. Its proven IsoSpeed-equipped Domane is now available in aluminium and carbon Gravel versions with 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres and tubeless wheels. ARGONAUT SUPERBIKE Want a custom-made, all-carbon, disc-braked superbike, and have £11,667 to spare? Then Portland, Oregon’s Argonaut Disc Road could be yours. It weighs 7.12kg with Dura- Ace Di2 and ENVE wheels. FOR ALL THE LATEST BIKE & GEAR NEWS VISIT…

Satellite TV transformed just how much professional cycling myself and others were able to access Cycling owes a lot to the space industry. The advent of satellite television helped indulge my interest for professional road cycling. I’ve been an armchair fan since I was a teenager, watching the Channel 4 coverage of the Tour de France, but when satellite TV came along [in the 1990s] it transformed how much of the sport myself and others were able to access. Perhaps the biggest of all is GPS. Strava certainly wouldn’t exist. ‘Global Positioning System’ is actually the name of the American system and the one that our bike computers are predominantly using. ‘Sat navs’ - or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) - is the overarching term for any system that uses…

The pleasant-riding CGR is seemingly immune from rising Brexit fear prices Ribble’s CGR is the Lancashire firm’s one bike to rule them all. At least if the ‘all’ doesn’t stray beyond cyclo-cross, gravel and road. The frame’s paintwork may shout, but the tidily welded 7005 aluminium structure features some interesting subtleties. Behind its tapered head-tube are round downand seat-tubes, plus seatstays, ovalised chainstays that are heavily crimped to allow the 35mm maximum tyre clearance, and angular rear dropouts that are among the widest we’ve seen. The flattened top-tube adds style with its arcing shape and buttressed junction with the head-tube. All of the cables and brake hoses are routed externally, which helps maintenance, as do the mudguards and hydraulic disc brakes, keeping much of the muck from the drivetrain. We…

The latest evolution of the Racelight frameset can run both classical and modern brakes Maintaining its naming convention, Kinesis brings us the 4S, which stands for four season - an appropriate moniker for a Britishdesigned frame, since we often feel we’ve seen every season in one day. The Kinesium down-tube goes from teardrop to an ovalised section at the BSA threaded bottom bracket shell, while the top-tube sports an oversized bulge, increasing its diameter behind the beefy tapered head-tube. The seatstays are relatively slim, and the chainstays are oversized, but crimped for 28mm maximum tyre clearance, plus the 40mm wide mudguards. There are also fittings for a Shimano flatmount disc brake and a rack. The full carbon fork has mudguard eyelets and flat-mount disc fittings too, but is drilled for…

THE ORIGINAL OPENS FROM KASK’S glasses brand, Koo, impressed when we tested them. The lightweight frames, with their unique rotating arms, gave plenty of adjustment and enabled you to rotate the lens. The downside was that the full frame didn’t suit everyone. The new 31g glasses feature a half-frame style. They retain the cool, clever arm design and super-high-grade lens from German lens brand, Zeiss. The new lens is much deeper (50mm at its deepest), which provides great coverage. The frames curve, allowing them to sit close to your face for draught-free riding. The lens stayed pretty much fog-free, only misting up a little on the bottom edge during a long climb on a hot day. The frames have a fair bit of flex, although they are stable enough when…

...Joining a cycling club PERCEPTION: We all get to the stage where, after going it alone for a while, you think it would be nice to start hanging around with others who share your new-found love of all things velo. You’re ready for some advice, support and encouragement so head to a site like britishcycling.org.uk/ clubfinder to locate a club near you. THE REALITY: While there are many amazing cycling clubs, joining one can still feel like your first day at a new school. Most people are welcoming, but there’s always one or two who take their riding far too ‘seriously’ to associate with the newbies, seeing themselves as a Chris Froome-sized talent who never got the breaks. Even at the friendliest clubs, being a member can be all encompassing.…

The 63 dishes in the book were inspired by the route and each stage of the three Grand Tours, a cycling food journey of over 10,400km. Some of these dishes were new to me, and with those I’ve had to research, practise and refine so that you can make them at home, but each one has been selected to offer deliciousness. The 288-page book is available via 3tourschallenge.com, and is filled with recipes, epic pictures and contributions from Michel Roux Jnr, Phil Liggett and Laura Kenny. All proceeds will go to Cure Leukaemia, cureleukaemia.co.uk.…

“I LOVE CYCLING at the world championships. I’m proud to be selected to ride for my country and it’s a great feeling to go into a race where it’s a completely British setup, from the mechanics to the sporting director, the teams in all the different age categories and all the support. “I also love the fact that you’ve got the pros, juniors, under-23s, the women – you all come together, which is especially great for the younger riders as they get an opportunity to be close to the pros who they aspire to be. I know how they feel as this latest one was my 12th worlds, I reckon – including juniors and track – and my sixth as a pro. It’s a massive event, one really big day…

BUILD A BETTER BODY... YOUR EXPERT Paul Hough (@the_hough) is an exercise physiologist at St Mary’s University and author of Advanced Personal Training WHAT IS IT? The upper and middle back is known as the thoracic spine region. This area consists of 12 vertebrae, which attach to the rib cage, and a number of muscles. The trapezius is the largest of the upper back muscles. The upper back also consists of muscles within the shoulder girdle, which attach to the scapula (shoulder blade) and the back of the thoracic rib cage. The thoracic spine region is typically very stable as it encases the vital internal organs and enables us to stand upright. Therefore, the thoracic spine has a limited range of movement. HOW DOES IT WORK? Cycling posture usually involves…

ESSENTIAL FIXES YOUR EXPERT Follow these six simple steps to change your brake cables and housing to ditch the dirt MAINTENANCE ESSENTIAL FIXES YOUR EXPERT Freddy Vangoidsenhoven is team mechanic with the An-Post Chain Reaction UCI Pro Continental team 1 UNDO Loosen the bolt on the brake calliper where the cable is attached, then remove the bar tape (assuming your cables run under the tape) and finally remove the cable. 2 MEASURE UP Use the old cable housing to make sure you have the right length (lay it alongside the new cable you’re cutting) and cut the cable with the correct cutter. 3 TAPE IN PLACE Make sure the hole is open, you can use a screwdriver to widen the hole. Put the housing stops on the end that goes…

NEW BIKES & KIT This month I’ve been out and about testing six bikes that could become your latest winter ride (p44), and reviewed Karcher’s OC3 compact washer (p62) and Specialized’s Torch 3.0 shoes (p74). Robin Wilmott, Technical writer NEW BIKES & KIT Commuting to work by bike can help keep you fit and save you cash, so I’ve headed up a test of four very different commuter options (p99), and tested Specialized and Kryptonite lights (p64) and six base layers (p68). Simon Withers, Technical writer GROUPTEST If you can’t be tempted outdoors to continue your training, I’ve rounded up a selection of 12 turbo trainers to keep you spinning, whatever your budget (p84). Guy Kesteven, Freelance writer RATINGS EXPLAINED EXCEPTIONAL A genuine class leader VERY GOOD One of the best…

Dolan’s RDX is a modern, well-priced take on the winter hack Terry Dolan’s name is respected among riders who’ve been around the sport for a while. Dolan-made bikes raced the Tour de France in the days before carbon was king. As well as a base between the Ribble and Mersey estuaries, Dolan competes for sales online, offering good value bikes with custom build options. Dolan’s 7005 aluminium frame is triple-butted and has smoothed welds, apart from at the bottom bracket shell, rear dropouts and stay bridges. The top- and down-tube have rounded teardrop profiles, with the latter ovalising to soundly brace the bottom bracket shell. A round seat-tube and seatstays are joined by asymmetrically S-shaped chainstays that are only slightly flattened for the chainrings. There’s plenty of clearance around the…

The Dolomite LTD makes a great yearround commuting or training package Retail giant Evans Cycles is celebrating 10 years of its Pinnacle bike brand with some limited edition machines. This Dolomite LTD is available in men’s and women’s versions, and is the most expensive road Pinnacle in the range. Where the LTD differs from the next bike in the range, the £1450 Dolomite 4, is in frame finish, and having 105 kit instead of the 4’s Ultegra. Evans has maintained the outgoing Ultegra-level RS685 hydraulic shifters, and added custom mudguards and built-in lights, powered by a front hub dynamo. When you realise the front Edelux II LED light alone costs £125, and the hub well over twice that, the value judgement becomes clearer. Neat ports carry the cables, hoses and…

CLEANING YOUR BIKE IS SENSIBLE to keep it running better for longer, and uncover any potential problems. Alfred Karcher is the most recognisable name in power washing, at least his surname is, with a vast array of powerful mains or petrol-powered machines. The trouble is, a bike’s bearings aren’t designed to resist water being forced in to them at pressures north of 110 bar/1600psi. The challenge is to create a portable washer that’s compact and powerful enough to clean effectively, with a water supply that’ll get the job done. Karcher’s OC3 is the smallest and lightest cleaner we’ve seen, measuring just 277x234x201mm. The unit’s lower half contains the rechargeable lithium ion battery, motor, and recessed top to store the coiled hose and spray nozzle. On top sits a clear four-litre…

ALTURA MERINO £39.99 The half-and-half merino and polyester construction combines the comfort of wool with the elasticity of the man-made material helping with a snug fit that’s better for wearing beneath a top layer. It’s not as soft as Madison’s merino top, but fits more closely and still stays fresh all day, though we’d have liked a higher collar. CYCLING BEST ON TEST LUSSO DRYLINE £39.99 Made in Manchester from Italian ‘Dryarn’ fabric, Lusso’s Dryline is a super-stretchy, very lightweight top. But it belies its low weight with a heavy-hitting performance, delivering the goods whatever the weather. Soft, race-fit snug, warm and wicking, this is a very high-quality base layer at a great price, and warmer than you’d expect. MADISON ISOLER MERINO £44.99 The advantages of merino for cycling clothing…

OUR SIZE 45 TORCH 3.0S tickle the scales at just 564g, and it’s soon obvious why. The uppers consist of textured TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) at the front, thermobonded to a synthetic leather rear, with the only seam travelling asymmetrically up the heel. Multiple perforations in the TPU forefoot show a dense mesh beneath, but there’s none behind the large perforated patch on the instep. The forefoot Velcro strap is backed by two Boa S2-SV Snap dials, which independently deal with fine volume adjustment and security. The wellpadded tongue is semi-rigid and shaped to stay in place, protecting the foot from localised lace pressure. Its upper edge has a soft rubbery-feeling bumper for ankle comfort, and this material continues around the firm heel cup. A broad rubber toe bumper looks after…

Long days out are all very well, but for many of us the daily commute is the heart of our riding. It can also be a win-winwin – it could very well be the quickest and least expensive method of transport; it keeps you fit and you can incorporate the commute into your training regime. What could be better? When Cycling Plus was based in Bath our commutes were a breeze. Editor Rob and tech writer Simon’s rides were no more than a couple of miles; senior tech editor Warren’s was a 10-mile towpath-based ride along the Kennet and Avon, while tech writer Robin’s ride from rural Wiltshire was nearer 15. Our move to Bristol added another 16 miles… Awesome foursome Our bikes were about as disparate a quartet as…

Cycling, coffee and the cafés that serve it have made perfect bedfellows since the early days of the sport’s most famous events, such as Bordeaux-Paris, Paris-Brest-Paris and the Tour de France. After all, if you’re going to ride the sort of distances involved in these races, through day and night, you’re going to make a friend of caffeine. Maurice Garin, the Tour de France’s first winner in 1903, replenished his reserves by regularly stopping at the cafés en route. Even the great Eddy Merckx enjoyed indulging in coffee and cakes on training rides, once famously saying: “It’s not the pastries that hurt, it’s the climbs.” He, of course, rode for the Faema team between 1968 and 1970, winning his first TdF in its colours in 1969. Faema was famous for…

Paul Hough on a mobility exercise to do before and after rides to reduce back stiffness. 1 Sit back Sit back towards your shins with your back straight. A cushion can be placed underneath you for comfort. 2 Stabilise Flex at the hips so that your back is angled at 45 degrees. Bring your right hand down to the ground and place your left hand against the side of your head. 3 Mobilise Slowly rotate the upper spine so your right elbow travels away from your torso towards the ceiling. Keep your head square to the shoulders, and hold the position for two seconds before returning to the start. Perform three sets of 10 reps on each side.…

“I found Matt through the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed website (lfgss.com) about three years ago, which took me to the gallery on his own site. I was blown away by some of the builds but was in no mind then to actually buy a bespoke bike,” says Brian. “I was thinking about riding longer distances and doing a longdistance event, so I justified the cost to myself by the fact that I’m not a tall rider and finding a bike that fitted perfectly was hard. I decided to buy a bike that was exactly for my size and get it fitted out. The notion to do the TCR and buy the bike conveniently came about around the same time. I had done all the dot-watching on the race…