Table of contents for November 2021 in Cycling Plus

Aerodynamic gains. E-gravel bikes. Aluminium racers and penny-farthing racing from an industrial estate near Malmö, Sweden. The broad spectrum, dare I say smorgasbord, of cycling is especially evident in the pages of Cycling Plus this month. And I love that variation in two-wheeled travel, how no ride is ever the same and can be influenced by distances and intensities, surfaces and scenery, the riding company and the choice of bike. And, yes, the weather. Don’t forget to let me know what you’d like to see featured in the magazine. Enjoy the issue… SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE OFFERS & COMPETITIONS AS PART OF OUR SUBSCRIBER CLUB! SUBSCRIBE! NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO CYCLING PLUS CAN CHOOSE ONE OF TWO LEZYNE LIGHTS AND SAVE 30% ON THE MAGAZINE ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Get…

There’s a temptation when reviewing premium alloy bikes to suggest they’re particularly good ‘for a metal bike’, the subtext being that we all know carbon is inherently better. Carbon makes sense for high-performance bikes because it’s infinitely tuneable. It lets designers target stiffness, strength and flexibility exactly where they want it by using different types and arrangements of fibres and clever lay-up methods. Metal, by contrast, can be manipulated to a high degree, with elaborate butting, forming and heat-treatment techniques, but you can’t fundamentally alter the mechanical properties of the material with such ease, because it’s not a composite. The truth is, none of this matters when the bikes are this good. The four on test here challenge conventionally held assumptions about aluminium, offering performance and specs that go head-to-head…

Specialized’s entry-level Allez road bike has long been a go-to for new riders because it offers a good balance of performance and value. Previous incarnations of the Allez were more race-oriented, but the current model is less aggressive and so more beginner-friendly than ever. Specialized updated the Allez for 2018 with this dropped-seatstay design and the 2021 bike still looks fresh in this satin grey livery. The welds are visible but not visually offensive, and semi-internal routing, with gear cables running through the down tube and out at the bottom bracket, make for a tidy appearance without compromising too much on serviceability. I’m always pleased to see rack and mudguard mounts on a bike like this as it’s likely that plenty of prospective buyers will be considering the Allez as…

Now in its third generation, the Bowman Palace is a stylish aluminium road bike from a small British brand that offers the Palace 3 either as a frameset for £845, or you can have the Shimano Ultegra build as tested here. Viewed from afar, the Palace looks reasonably traditional, with a conventional diamond frame that eschews dropped seatstays and features reasonably slim tubes. Closer inspection reveals there’s more going on. The main tubes vary in profile all along their length, broadening to meet the bottom bracket shell and tapered head tube, but slimming towards the seat cluster and a skinny 27.2mm seatpost. The seatstays are near enough straight, but flattened slightly for rear-end compliance, their stiffness oriented perpendicular to that of the chainstays in the usual manner. When it comes…

Today’s penny-farthings are a little lighter and may roll a little better due to better tyres and bearings, but otherwise they’re identical to the construction from the 1870s. You choose the size of the front wheel according to how long your legs are. If you have strong legs, you can ride shorter crank arms, a larger front wheel and thus get higher speed. It’s a very stripped-down experience to ride a penny-farthing; there are no gears, no chain, basically no brakes and not even air in the tyres, which makes punctures impossible. You sit as high as you would on a horse and get an incredible view compared to being on a standard road bike. An early challenge is to get up and down from the bike, one that for…

01 WHAT IS A WAT T? Power meters simply measure the amount of energy you’re putting through the pedals over time. Power is force multiplied by cadence. 02 WHY POWER? While heart rate monitors offer a good proxy for how hard you’re working, power meters offer an instant insight into your physical performance. 03 WHERE DO YOU WANT TO MEASURE POWER? Power can be measured at various locations (eg crank or pedal) on the bike, but each has its positives and negatives. 04 HOW WILL YOU READ THE DATA? Don’t forget you’ll also need a compatible bike computer (preferably with a large screen) to capture all the data your power meter produces. 05 WHAT DATA DO YOU NEED? Do you just want the basic readings or are you interested in…

The recent ebike revolution has seen cyclists gleefully embrace augmented riding and it continues apace with ebike sales expected to triple by 2023, according to a recent Bicycle Association report. Of course, ebikes come in all shapes and sizes: road, superbike, folding, urban and, for me, the ones that make the most sense for performance: e-gravel. I’m a great supporter of e-gravel bikes for the simple reason that they overcome the limitations of the slender – by mountain-bike standards at least – levels of grip afforded by the tyres by providing a welcome 250W+ boost. This essentially means that you can stay seated and keep the rear tyre gripping, whereas on a regular bike you’d need to stand up and risk losing rearwheel traction. In the UK, with our rainy…

01 SELL YOUR SOLES? The marketers of cycling shoes use sole-stiffness scores – see Specialized’s FACT rating or Shimano’s Outsole Stiffness index – to reinforce the idea that the stiffer the sole, the more power you’ll push through the pedal. But a new study suggests otherwise. Research by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA, reveals that cycling shoe sole stiffness has no effect on sprint performance. In a study that analysed the measurable advantages of cycling shoes and clipless pedals used by competitive and recreational road cyclists, researchers found that when it comes to sprinting, there’s no hard evidence that a stiff sole is better. Sports scientists measured the mechanical power outputs, velocities and cadences of 19 healthy male cyclists during a series of 50m…

“I thought the LEJOG was crazy and questioned how you could cycle that far in one go. After being introduced to the Mersey Road 24hr TTs and doing them twice, meeting [ultra-cyclists] Mike Broadwith and Jasmijn Muller and following their progress, the idea developed.” “We’d planned my latest LEJOG attempt for July 2020, but due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions we rescheduled until 2021. As a time triallist I’m used to cycling on my own so there was no issue not being able to participate in group rides. I kept concentrating on turbo and road sessions.” “I rode a Liv Avow Pro 2 with some adaptations to provide some comfort over this distance. I have custom aero extensions to make it more aero, the crankset is 170mm Shimano Ultegra R800…

WORKOUT 01 OUTSIDE AERO COACH Matt Bottrill TIME 90mins BENEFITS This isn’t too demanding a session, but it’s not designed to be; instead, it’s all about making changes to your head position as that’ll be a gamechanger in terms of free speed and performance, as well as improving your handling and comfort in the drop-bar position. KIT Bike, power meter or heart rate monitor WARM-UP 10mins easy at a high cadence. MAIN SET 10mins @ 30secs max effort with 30 secs easy. Action the Turtle; in other words, push deep into the drops and try pushing your head forwards to hold a better head position. 5mins easy recovery. “It’ll be a gamechanger in terms of performance and free speed, as well as improving handling” 6 x 5mins @ 83% functional…

MALLORCA STATS Location Platja de Muro Next date 24 October 2021 Distances 312 kilometres Price 90 euros It feels like forever since we’ve written about continental sportives and gran fondos. With pandemicenforced travel restrictions easing across Europe, however, several of our favourites have returned for the second half of the summer and one of them, the Mallorca 312, is set to close out the 2021 season. Several Cycling Plus staff have ridden this brute of a ride in years past, but its switch from early spring to autumn will prove favourable to participants this year. PRE-RIDE PREP In years gone by, Mallorca 312 riders have been tasked with tackling its eponymous 312 kilometres in late April. Mallorca residents may have been blessed with weather for a fertile winter season of…

Gravel is the one road-based genre where pro-grade equipment has little bearing on the fun of riding. Gravel is more about conquering the terrain, surface and topography than power output, aerodynamics or Strava kudos. So, forget about lightweight carbon wheels and revel in the Marin Nicasio +, a bike that offers plenty of bang for your buck. On paper the Nicasio + doesn’t shine; there’s a modest, butted-chromoly steel frame and fork, own-brand wheels, cable disc brakes and Microshift drivetrain. And at nearly 13kg, it’s weighty, too. Yet the Nicasio + has nearly everything you’d want in a gravel bike: a comfy ride, stable handling over rocky terrain yet nimble through tight turns, and a ride position that’s ideally set between sporty and relaxed. The drivetrain occupies the world beyond…

Boardman Bikes was an early adopter of the gravel concept. Its original ADV was an aluminium machine with mountain bike-derived 650b wheels and an attitude that was all about getting rough and rowdy in the dirt. The 9.0 is more refined but, we’re happy to report, it’s still very much up for getting down and dirty. The jewel in the crown is the premium C10 carbon frame, tipping the scales at 990g, and the 420g gravel fork – respectable weights for a road bike. The frameset’s 71.5° head angle slackens the steering for off-road stability but doesn’t feel lazy on tarmac, while the 73° seat angle puts you in the power position directly over the cranks for swift acceleration on road and off. When paired with 38c tyres, the 50mm…

1 BROOKS SCAPE FRAME BAG £85 Brooks might not be the first brand you think of for getting down and dirty on the trails, but the heritage brand has a new range of kit for all your bikepacking adventures. The fully waterproof Scape has a three-litre capacity, weighs 200g and can hold 3kg of kit in its 460 x 120mm dimensions. 2 BROOK SCAPE TOP TUBE BAG £50 Another classy Brooks companion is this Scape top tube bag for your valuables, energy bars, that bag of jelly babies or a sausage roll. It’s waterproof, has a 900ml capacity and has three straps to keep it securely clamped to your bike. 3 ALTURA VORTEX 2 SEATPACK £69.99 A waterproof seatpack is an absolute must for backpacking. This more-affordable option can hold 12 litres…

Mason Progressive Cycles has fast become one of the most desirable names in gravel and adventure bikes. With numerous award-winning models and riders of the calibre of long-distance supremo Josh Ibbett (a GBDuro winner) riding and developing the bikes, it’s no surprise. The Bokeh is a truly versatile machine. It can take 700c or 650b wheels, has mounts for pretty much every type of rack or bag you can think of, internal routing for 1 or 2x gearing, routing for dynamo lights and more. Tyre clearances are very generous, up to 50mm wide for 650b and 45mm for 700c. You can also choose from eight different Hunt wheel options, a variety of tyres both fat and (relatively) thin, as well as multiple gearing options. I’ve opted for Campagnolo’s Ekar. The…

THE BIG PICTURE NO PLACE LIKE HOME After the blow of a pandemic-enforced postponement in 2020, the AJ Bell Tour of Britain made up for lost time with a scintillating return in September. Good weather played its part, particularly in the early southwest stages, but it was the riders who made the race on a fabulous route, with Brit Ethan Hayter separating superstars Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe on the final podium…

01 LEZYNE HARD BAR CADDY £53 Bar bags are very popular right now, but the hard caddy is a little different to most. Its lightweight, EVAfoam construction makes for a 143g semi-hard case with generous proportions. It has a 2.2-litre capacity and its 26 x 13 x 13cm dimensions make it more than big enough for a multitool, spare tube, pump, wallet, keys, jacket, phone and even a decent-sized compact camera too. The zipped main compartment has an elasticated divider/pocket and externally there are reflective strips and three Velcro straps for a secure fit. 02 WOLF TOOTH SUPPLE LITE BAR TAPE £29 Designed for tougher days in the saddle and gravel roughness, this 2.5mm-thick tape is tacky and textured to the touch, and made from EVA foam. What sets the…

It had to happen. The striking Hope x Lotus HB.T that propelled the Kenny family, Katie Archibald and Matt Walls to Tokyo gold is being spun off into a model designed for time trialling on the road. This is partly a result of Hope’s design engineer, Sam Pendred, having time on his hands during lockdown. The prototype HB.TT features much that’s familiar from the track bike – including the dual-crown fork with super-wide blades and the equally wide-set, blade-thin seatstays – that were allowed following a change in the UCI’s regulations. “The thing that sets this bike apart,” Pendred says, “is that we’ve created something that looks completely different, yet still conforms to the same regulations that everyone else has to follow.” The HB.TT is designed to make “the whole…

The CAAD13 launched in 2019 with Cannondale completely revamping the platform to bring it in line with the latest trends – its features focused on comfort, aero and practicality. Where the CAAD12 had a more traditional diamond frame design, the CAAD13 frameset strongly resembles Cannondale’s ultra-modern SuperSix EVO carbon race bike. The CAAD13’s dropped seatstays create a smaller rear triangle for stiffness and allow for greater flex through the seatpost and seat tube, hence improving rider comfort over the CAAD12. Cannondale also borrowed some aero features from its flagship, with the CAAD13 sporting truncated aerofoil tube profiles, for a claimed drag reduction of “up to” 30 per cent over its predecessor. Tyre clearances have grown to accommodate 30mm rubber front and rear, and there are bosses for proper mudguards too,…

If you want a rounded ride, it’s down to the slick Palace 3 and exceptional CAAD13. This is where it gets tricky Aluminium bikes are pretty incredible these days and these four on test really drive home the point that good design is about so much more than a choice of frame materials. All our contenders are respectable performers in their own right, but a clear pecking order has emerged. The Specialized Allez might feel a little hard done by given how much cheaper it is than the others, and it remains a solid entry-level choice. The main reason it hasn’t scored higher is its brakes – they’re such an important component, particularly for less experienced riders who need their bike to inspire confidence, and they’re just not that good.…

VanMoof S3 The bike is designed for tall riders between 5ft 8in and 6ft 8in and my 6ft 2in frame felt absolutely at home on it Dutch brothers Taco and Tiers Carlier launched VanMoof in 2009, building stylish, urban commuter bikes. Now VanMoof has taken its award-winning designs into the world of ebikes with the S3 (and its small-wheeled sibling, the X3). The signature design is the top tube that extends beyond the head tube and past the seat-tube junction and integrates front and rear lights. On the ebike this integration is taken to the next level: the frame houses a 504Wh battery while a 250W motor is built into the front wheel hub. Integration doesn’t stop there either, with a four-speed electronic auto-shifting rear hub, integrated security (more on…

£130 Flat-sole supremacy Riding to work doesn’t have to mean putting on your clipless shoes, but the grip pins on flat pedals make short work of expensive trainer soles. That’s where flat-pedal shoes like the Rime come in – the outsole is both tough and grippy. Made from Specialized’s own SlipNot rubber compound, the sole is stiff enough for efficient pedalling though not so stiff as to be uncomfortable to walk in. Upper-level comfort The Rime’s upper is superbly designed with a trainer-like fit while Specialized’s Body Geometry footbeds are some of the best around. The upper’s main material is a lightweight mesh called XPEL that’s pretty water resistant and quick drying. Weather protection is beefed up by the use of bonded polymer sections around the toe and on the…

01 NARROW YOUR OPTIONS A power meter is, first and foremost, a tool designed to improve your training and racing. If you don’t plan on doing targeted training sessions, testing your fitness or using it to pace yourself during races or big rides, a power meter perhaps isn’t worth the outlay. If you do want a power meter, the first thing to consider is what kind of riding you do and what compromises you’re willing to make with bike components. This’ll narrow your options considerably. If you only need power data on a road bike, then your options are wide. If you want to use the same power meter across multiple bikes and for multiple disciplines, then your options become more limited. A power meter based around a road-pedal wouldn’t…

FROM THE EDITOR… As if the chance to save 30 per cent on the cover price and have every issue of Cycling Plus delivered direct to your door wasn’t enough of an incentive, this issue we’re offering new subscribers a choice of free gift too – either a Micro Drive 600XL front light (£55) or a Zecto rear light (£52), both from Lezyne. The Zecto uses three LEDs to produce a beam of up to 80 lumens in six modes, while the Micro Drive 600XL relies on just two LEDS to produce a brilliant, 600 lumen light, ensuring you’ll see and be seen. Matt Baird, Editor HURRY! OFFER ENDS 30 OCTOBER 2021 4 GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE Choose either a Lezyne Zecto Rear Light OR Lezyne Micro Drive 600XL Front…

Scrambled tomato eggs A protein-rich breakfast that’s perfect for recovery after a long heavy ride the previous day. Simple and quick to put together, this is a perfect option if you’re short on time but want to keep your nutrition and fuelling on point. INGREDIENTS SERVES 4 • 5 whole eggs• 1/2 tsp sesame oil• 1 tbsp mirin• 1 tsp cornflower• 1 tsp sugar• 2 tbsp ketchup or tomato paste• 400g can chopped tomatoes• 2 tbsp olive oil• 5 spring onions, sliced• 1 tsp root ginger, grated• Half a cup of cooked white rice (optional) METHOD 01 Beat the eggs, sesame oil, mirin and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium size bowl. In a small bowl, combine the cornflower with 2 tablespoons of cold water, then add in the…

Part of the fight is devoted to keeping your front wheel and the tarmac acquainted There are 130 kilometres on the clock, and some 3200 of climbing metres to boot, in a thoroughly exhausting day’s work when the heavens opened to stick in the knife. Oh, and I’d also run out of food, and there were 30km still to go. My legs trembled with each pedal stroke, on the cusp of cramping. I wasn’t climbing any Alpine or Andean monster, rather the steepest hills of Cornwall, and frankly, in that moment, I didn’t know which was worse. “It always rains in Holsworthy!” A bellow through the fog, as we tipped over into Devon, briefly jolted me into life. It came from my day’s road captain, local Strava legend Craig Harper,…

After 18 months of restrictions not experienced for generations, the need for adventure is palpable. Books and boxsets may fuel mental escapism, but nothing surely comes close to being on two wheels armed with a map or app, a frame bag filled with jelly babies and just the open tarmac, gravel tracks or muddy trails for company. If you’ve exhausted your local network of routes (from page 7) or are unsure of what bike (starting p14), storage bags (p28) or overnight kit (p30) to buy, then you’ve come to the right place. For over the next 50 pages, our explorers offer all the essential advice you’ll need to propel your adventures in 2021 and beyond. I'll see you in the Outer Hebrides……

erida’s take on gravel brings a different approach to that of most of its rival manufacturers: instead of using a road or cyclo-cross bike as the basis for the design Merida has instead looked to mountain bikes. Merida says the result is a combination of mountain bike handling with endurance geometry, creating a machine that can blast confidently down gravel tracks as well as speeding you over tarmac. The difference from a mountain bike lies in the stack, increased to a tall 663mm, and reach, stretched out to 430mm, which combine with a short 80mm stem. This ensures a position similar to that of a standard endurance bike’s, but with handling optimised for off-road riding – the Silex’s slack 71° head angle stabilises the front wheel while its short stem…

FUJI JARI 1.3 ADVENTURE £1,399.99 Fuji’s Jari range is aimed at the more adventurous gravel rider. This is a decently priced all-roader that combines a versatile lightweight aluminium frame and carbon fork with a gravel-focused drivetrain based around SRAM Apex 1x. It’s built to take you through the roughest toughest terrain and is very well set for fixtures and fittings, with full rack and ’guard mounts, top tube bento box-style mounts and three sets of bottle bosses. BIVIBIKES GRAVELLER £1,599 BiviBIKES offers this one-size-fits-all gravel bike. The Japanese Sanko steel tubing is different from the norm and the frame has all the fixtures and fittings you could wish for. BiviBIKES’s approach to gravel geometry brings something different, too, as does the mix-and-match build. Overall, it’s a superb all-road machine –…

First gravel experience Like many, the joys of gravel came to me during Lockdown 1.0. I wanted to stay close to home but had exhausted the roads and MTB trails around Bristol. A new adventure bike (Boardman’s £750 ADV 8.8) changed all that, providing me with road and trail liberation when I needed it most. The lure of the trails The versatility of gravel bikes shines for me. Winter roads are no problem, I can join my kids on towpath routes, ride on fireroads yet retain road speed in comparison to my MTB. Conversely, it’s also made me love road riding even more: the joys of getting out on smooth tarmac in aero kit and riding fast is heightened after lengthy time spent riding through dirt. Top gravel routes As…

Cannondale brought lightweight bike suspension to the world of gravel in 2019 with its innovative, rear suspension ‘Kingpin’ system on its all-carbon Topstone. The Kingpin design uses a pivot at the top of the seatstays, which runs on a maintenance-free bearing, using the flex in the carbon stays and a seat tube engineered to act like a leaf spring, to provide 30mm of suspension travel at the saddle. Cannondale’s innovative Lefty fork has appeared on a drop-bar bike before, on the ground-breaking Slate. Cannondale had a major redesign of the mountain bike Lefty in 2018 and this fork is pared down for gravel – it weighs 1340g compared with 1446g for the mountain bike version. This reshape allows for 47mm tyres in 650b and 45mm in 700c and the single-leg…

Birmingham’s urban sprawl doesn’t appear at first glance to be all that promising for cyclists, but there are some useful ways to navigate through the city – a network of sealed canal towpaths; NCN5; and the recently created A38 segregated cycleway down to Selly Oak. Plus there’s a gem of a cycle cafe, too: the Gorilla Coffee Cafe in King’s Heath, south of the centre just off that NCN5. Thursday nights are the cafe’s own club nights, with up to a hundred riders gathering to set off on a range of rides, some at a steady 12mph, some riding 90 minutes at 23mph. Sunday Socials are more relaxed events. The food (including plenty of veg and vegan options) is locally sourced where possible, with cakes made in-house or by Brownie…

SPECIALIZED ALLEZ SPORT £999 The cheapest bike here by a healthy margin and also the only one sporting old-fashioned rim brakes, Specialized’s entry-level stalwart is a standard-bearer for aluminium. This latest iteration has been out for a few years and it’s a solid performer, but with Shimano Sora, on-paper specs aren’t looking too impressive against some of the competition, but we can expect that given its price. CANNONDALE CAAD13 DISC 105 £2250 The only bike on test with true aero features, the CAAD13 is the latest evolution of Cannondale’s benchmark aluminium racer, sharing key features, such as dropped seatstays and truncated aerofoil tube profiles with the brand’s carbon SuperSix EVO. We already know the CAAD13 is good, but with prices up across the board, does the 105 model stack up…

In a world of truncated aerofoils, proprietary headsets and dropped seatstays, the Aithein is a refreshingly uncomplicated bike that uses no non-standard parts. Frame tubes are shaped via ‘superplastic forming’, a process that involves heating aluminium to high temperatures before shaping using gas pressure, offering claimed advantages over more common hydroforming techniques. Normally the preserve of steel frames, the Aithein Disc’s top tube is straight and perfectly round, while the seat tube and down tube have relatively simple profiles too, although the former flares above the bottom bracket shell for added stiffness. The seatstays are straight and exceptionally stout and, despite this being a disconly frameset, they’re joined by a substantial bridge above the rear tyre. The Aithein is a bike with racy intentions and few concessions, so clearances are…

Dogma [noun]: a fixed, especially religious, belief or set of beliefs that people are expected to accept without any doubts. There’s a whiff of dogma when it comes to FTP, or functional threshold power. Defined as the maximum power output that you can sustain for an hour and a now ubiquitous metric in any performance cyclist’s vocabulary, FTP, in a relatively short period of time, has gone way beyond cult status. It’s “the god that we all worship” in the words of CycleFit co-founder Phil Cavell, whose unflattering views on FTP and its elevated place in the cycling world back in issue 383 was the impetus for this article. Does FTP have a God-like genius or should we be renouncing it? Or, as usual, is its usefulness somewhere in the…

Kathy Gooding, 39, of Gloucestershire, has William’s Syndrome, a genetic condition that impairs development, and has been paralysed on one side since childhood. “I had a stroke when I was 13 months old that affected my left side, so I can’t walk very far,” explains Kathy. “But on my specially adapted trike I can do a few miles. It gives my left leg very good exercise, which it wouldn’t otherwise get. “I like to ride every day, on reasonably flat routes, which are not too busy, around the Wye Valley. They’re the most enjoyable and I feel very safe on my tricycle, which was specially made for me. It was made to my measurements, has a special seat and pedals and a brake for my good, right hand. I like…

I’d waited a long time for this. Not just the extra year’s delay, enforced by the pandemic, but many years before that too. As you might imagine, penny-farthing racing, let alone this, a three-day penny-farthing stage race, is hard to come by, so it was to my great delight the event I’d trained hard for and looked to for so long was finally going ahead. The first-ever Sweden 3 Days would, however, go ahead in a somewhat altered format. Rules and red tape brought about by the pandemic meant the authorities would not allow a couple of stages in town centres to go ahead, as they wouldn’t close the roads, which meant the race – now officially unofficial as deemed by the licensing authorities – would go ahead with the…

£2099.99 A modern spin on the classic touring rig Genesis has had adventure as a core focus since its 2006 beginnings, and the Tour de Fer has been a stalwart of its range for much of that time. Gravel riding has grown exponentially since Genesis arguably introduced the first gravel bike - the wildly popular Croix de Fer – but more traditional long-range tourers remain popular. The Tour de Fer aims to capture the essence of packing up and heading for the wilderness in a stripped-back yet absolutely feature-loaded package. A Reynolds 725 steel frame – strong, dependable, and relatively light – is at the heart of the bike. The frame features a threaded bottom bracket shell, mudguard eyelets, front and rear rack mounts, three sets of bottle cage bosses…

01 POWER2MAX NG ROAD €990-1190 WEIGHT 653g (including crankset, excluding chainrings) The Power2Max NG Road is a modular spider-based power meter that offers accurate and reliable power measurement, wide-ranging crank and chainring compatibility, good battery life and a lengthy warranty. It offers a user-friendly and trouble-free experience in general use, but an issue with performing zero-offsets on Garmin Edge bike computers and the occasional random power spike did tarnish our experience. If you’re looking for a spider-based power meter, this is a strong contender, but the niggles are hard to overlook at this price. HIGHS Options for road and off-road bikes; largely reliable; leading warranty LOWS Balance data isn’t perfect; occasional power spikes 02 QUARQ DFOUR DUB £355-549 WEIGHT 641g (with spider and Quarq 172.5mm carbon cranks) Quarq has been…

THE EXPERTS NUTRITION EXPERT RICHARD TUCKER Richard is a physiologist and performance nutritionist at the Human Performance Lab PROFESSOR & CYCLIST NORMAN LAZARUS Columnist Norman, 85, is a physiology professor, author and a former audax champion RECORD BREAKER CHRISTINA MACKENZIE Ultra-cyclist Christina relives her record-breaking 51-hour LEJOG ride WIND BREAKER JAMES WITTS Sports science writer James delves into the aerodynamicists' bag of tricks to defeat drag…

“Spend more time on the drops and think like a turtle – shrug your shoulders, head down and in” 01 A SMALLER YOU “To ride really fast, you must reduce your frontal area,” says John Morgan of cycling-coach.co.uk. “Spend more time on the drops and tuck your head in. And think like a turtle. Shrug your shoulders and bring your head down and in, always keeping your eyes on the horizon. This position will save a massive 40-50W compared to riding up on the tops, equating to around 3km/h of free speed. Just note that it’s a hard position to master and initially will put strain on your shoulders, triceps and core but, with practice, you’ll grow stronger. It’s worth the effort.” 02 SLIPSTREAMING SWEETSPOT It’s mooted that the contribution…

01 SANTINI REDUX ISTINTO £185 The price is high but Santini has done its aero homework with the Istinto, its blend of techy fabrics, thermo-sealed seams and a lean fit proving 62secs swifter over a 40km ride than a basic jersey. 02 SPECIALIZED S-WORKS EVADE II WITH ANGI £250 Aero road helmets are the smart middle ground between a full time trial helmet and the less aerodynamic traditional road helmet. Our testing – on the road and in the wind tunnel – has shown the Evade II to be the pick of the crop. 03 NOPINZ NUMBER SOLUTIONS, FROM FROM £15 Devon’s Nopinz are a major presence in time-trial racing, with their race number pockets, belts and sleeves aiming to make that drag-creating flapping race number a thing of the…

DISTANCE 158.7km / 99 miles TOTAL ELEVATION 3664m GRADE Hard. Lots of climbs, some 30 per cent DOWNLOAD komoot.com/tour/452112063 GETTING THERE Bude is on the north coast, 50 miles west of Exeter, which is the closest train station. Then there’s the bus: two hours and over 70 stops along the way! GETTING SPARE TUBES The only cycling shop in town is Ride It Cycles. The staff are friendly and always keen for a chat. WHERE TO EAT The best pizza in town is hands down La Bocca, while for coffee and cake don’t miss the Electric Bakery. If you’re into Mexican the shack at the Cerenity Campsite is among the best I’ve tried, while for the view you can’t beat Life’s A Beach (cafe and bistro). For a more gourmet…

The brand may have a Gallic history, but Vitus is now very much a British entity as part of the CRC/Wiggle empire. The Substance SRS 1 uses a Reynolds 725 British steel frame and, like its carbon cousin, is based around 650b wheels and plus-sized tyres. The Substance SRS 1 combines modern allroad geometry with classic, skinny Reynolds 725 steel tubing to create a bike that majors on versatility without compromising off-road performance. The Vitus boasts handling that’s more relaxed than a road bike’s, making for great off-road stability, though it’s not as relaxed as some gravel bikes that wear their more overt mountain-bike influences on their sleeves. This makes the SRS a truly excellent allrounder. On dirt it inspires confidence with handling that’s nicely balanced between stability and swift…

First gravel experience I’m a mountain biker from the early 1990s old school. MTB then was effectively gravel riding of today, traversing the great outdoors with a map in your pocket. When mountain bikes became overly techy, I bought a cyclocross bike (a singlespeed Genesis) and haven’t looked back. The lure of the trails It’s the freedom from traffic that first attracted me to gravel riding. I also enjoy getting out and getting lost, exploring new places and wondering what’s around the next corner or where that new trail leads. Living on the edge of Salisbury Plain helps with inspiration. There’s a network of bridleways, permissive byways, technical forest trails and fast gravel military roads to explore. Top gravel routes Further afield than Salisbury Plain, the Strade Bianche roads in…

1 ALPKIT DRIFT PILLOW £13.99 We’d previously stuffed an empty pillowcase with clothing on overnighters, but the Drift is a camping revelation that’ll we’ll now never go without. At just 100g and little bigger than a can of Coke when in its bag, it’s easily transportable and surprisingly comfortable when inflated to its full 42cm width. 2 JACK WOLFSKIN TRAIL MAT AIR £110 This is another packable, easily inflatable and surprisingly comfortable gem. It packs down to a 22 x 10cm size from its 182cm length, making it both seatpack-and-framebag-friendly, while it has the added benefit of providing warmth compared to sleeping without a mat. Weight is a lean 490g. 3 ORTLIEB VELOCITY £105 Wearing a backpack while bikepacking won’t suit all, but the 23L capacity, heavy-duty waterproof materials and…

The USP to Vaast’s wellpriced gravel bikes is the material that’s being used to build them. Fellow American company Allite produces a magnesiumalloyed tubeset called Super Magnesium, a metal originally designed for defence and aviation. Magnesium alloys have been used in bikes before and Vaast says it’s lighter than aluminium, steel and titanium, stronger than steel and aluminium, and more corrosion resistant than aluminium and steel. The 1100g frame weight is respectable but Vaast also claims that the ride quality is more akin to steel and titanium than that of aluminium. The A/1’s design mixes the traditional with some sharp details. The internal cable routing is a nice touch while oversized, water-tight grommets give the A/1 a proper out-doorsy, off-road feel. The back end has asymmetric chainstays with the driveside…

MERIDA SILEX+ 6000 £2650 The Silex+ 6000 is far more versatile than its looks alone would suggest. It’ll take on tougher terrain than an endurance-focused road bike while offering improved comfort, yet it can still operate at a reasonable level when you hit the tarmac. It isn’t a replacement for a mountain bike, but for a rider who wants the option to go off-road more than most drop-bar bikes will allow, this is a great choice. PEARSON OFF GRID £4000 The Off Grid is Pearson’s first foray into carbon fibre gravel. With a steep 73-degree seat angle and 72-degree head angle, it’s at the competitive end of the gravel endurance genre. It’s a bike that’s easy to ride rapidly and has no slack, mountain bike-influenced, front-end geometry. It’s up there…