Inhaltsverzeichnis für November 2018 in Cycling Plus

£2099 It’s a great spec for the price This 2018 Cube Attain GTC SLT has a full Shimano Ultegra groupset. The hydraulic disc braking from the 160mm rotors is up there with the best, and the compact cassette, wide 11-32 cassette combination will cope with anything and everything, efficiently and quietly. The frameset Its mainly muted appearance disguises a lovely ride that’s great for long days out. The geometry is on the endurance side, with dropped seatstays and a slightly taller head-tube than Cannondale’s Synapse and Specialized’s Roubaix for example. Comfort is aided by 28mm tyres and the flattened Wing Race bar, which is great for riding on the tops. Thru-axles contribute to superbly controlled stopping and very neat internal cabling rounds things off. Its versatility Okay, a mile-muncher it…

1 FEATURES The Klic is a surefooted track pump with a removable tubeless-charging burst tank, allowing each piece to be used independently. Its 61cm air hose is hidden within the plunger, and topped with a digital pressure gauge. 2 MAGNETS To use, the gauge and hose must be removed from the plunger, then the gauge snaps on to strong magnets above the valves on the pump or burst tank body, and is ready to go. 3 CHARGING Inflating the 1.4-litre burst tank to its maximum 160psi/11bar involves screwing the Schrader side of the reversible head on to the tank’s valve, closing the release lever, then pumping for 45 strokes. 4 PUMPING Tyre inflation can be done with the burst tank in place or not. The gauge can be set to…

The generic media image of a bike has changed over the years. 1950s: town runabout, probably a Raleigh. 1990s: mountain bike. Now: road bike. Except on promo literature for train companies and property developers. They only show folders, so they can claim to be bike-friendly without the effort of providing any space for them. My bike stable covers those four types. But marketing labs breed new strains every season. Auction site eBay lists nearly 40 categories, from Balance to Urban - Fixed Gear, via Dutch, Fat, Freeride, and intriguingly ‘Saxonette’, which sounds more like a wind instrument. And still doesn’t cover everything, no ‘Winter bike’ for instance. The ploy of inventing novel genres means more buying temptation, but we should keep some perspective. Bikes can serve many roles. I’ve been…

The Italian link is deeper than just sticking the ‘Italian’ name on a Far Eastern frame The ride never ceases to appeal – smooth, poised and with enough comfort for all-day sportives It’s often said that if you’re paying around a grand you may get a better bike buying aluminium rather than ‘budget’ carbon. But might that also be true when you up the ante and splash out over £2000? If first impressions of Condor’s Italia RC are anything to go by, that could be yes. It looks fantastic and, like the Rose, it has the highest-level Campagnolo groupset of our cycling sextet, along with quality wheels and tyres, at a weight on a par with a lot of similarly priced carbon bikes. Condor dates back to 1948 when Monty…

Tifosi’s designers dialled down the Auriga’s aero qualities a fraction after the 2017 season At 20mph or so this just purrs along smoothly like a big cat Tifosi is the house bike brand of Chicken Cyclekit, purveyor of Campagnolo, Deda and Miche among others. So it’s no surprise to find its Auriga aero road bike decked out with a Chorus groupset (save for a Miche cassette), Miche wheels and Deda bar and stem. We weren’t expecting a set of carbon aero road hoops, a stark contrast to the budget offering on Bianchi’s aero road machine. The Auriga has been ridden to a good deal of success by the Spirit Tifosi road team over the last few seasons, and is also available with Campagnolo Potenza or – whisper it – Shimano…

VITTORIA’S STAR HAS BEEN RISING over recent years. This has been mostly down to its technical advancements in tyres, fusing graphene into the compound to improve the natural elasticity of the rubber for increased grip. Improvements to wear and rolling resistance have also made them a seriously popular tyre. These Qurano 46 wheels are the latest addition to the graphene-infused range. The carbon rims are strengthened and stiffened by the introduction of graphene (see Inside Info panel), which also helps to reduce weight. The rims are quite flat sided, measure at 24.2mm externally and are, as the name suggests, 46mm deep. The internal dimension of 16.25mm means these are very much aimed at racers as this width is most suited to a 25mm tyre. We ran them with Vittoria’s excellent…

THE RESURGENCE OF LACE-UP CYCLING shoes continues with Shimano’s XC5, a shoe with a grippy sole, aimed at off-road riding, but with obvious appeal to commuters too. Our pair of size 45s weighs 664g, including the laces, and considering their generously chunky rubber sole, that’s very good. Textured synthetic leather with heaps of perforations and a huge reflective heel panel ensure the uppers are comfortable and practical, and a welded toe protector prevents scuffing the shoe’s leading edge. The heel cup is only partly reinforced, but is well padded for great retention, and the tongue has minimal bulk but enough integrity to resist pressure from the laces. Shimano’s Dynalast sole is carbon-reinforced in its mid-section, and coated in Michelin rubber, providing useful midsole grip if you miss your pedal, with…

When turbo training for rides in the hills or mountains, there’s more to think about than body weight and watts/kg. “When riding uphill, in the real world, your front wheel is higher than your back, which forces your glutes and hamstrings to be recruited more than when you ride on the flat,” says Matt Rowe, of Rowe & King Cycle Coaching. While most turbos don’t reflect this, you can replicate it indoors, he says, by putting a block or book under your front wheel. If you’ve got the money and are more tech minded, you could try Wahoo’s new KICKR Climb (pictured). “With Zwift and smart trainers, you’ve got genuine alternatives to climbing in the real world,” says Matt. To prove his point, his wife - and pro rider -…

BEFORE A RECORD RIDE Ultra-distance rider and World Record holder Mark Beaumont shares his story 1 ALL CHANGE Since I first rode around the world - in 194 days, 17 hours – the Ride Around The World record had been slashed to 123 days. This time, my aim was to complete it in just 80 days. 2 WORLD TRIAL Psychologically you need the ability to suffer. It’s a task in not injuring yourself and performing as best you can on limited sleep. 3 HEAD DOWN The first time was a real adventure, the second was a hard bike race, riding 240 miles a day for two and a half months. I rode around Britain before I set off to get a few 240-mile days in. 4 SHORT MEASURES Wearing two…

There is a phenomenon that I’ve often observed, which involves the passage of time and the acquisition of meaning. Let me explain… At the very point that “historic” moments take place, they are, by definition, not historic. They are happening in the present, which cannot be considered historic. Therein lies the dissonance, and that’s why I often find it hard to sense their importance. For example, Geraint Thomas’s ride to victory on Alpe d’Huez in the yellow jersey at this year’s Tour de France was seemingly an achievement that most pundits, viewers and commentators instantly recognised as being “historic”. Yet mustering sufficient emotion and excitement was not as straightforward as it perhaps should have been. As I was commentating on the race, I was operating at a more removed distance.…

Future Shock, which suspends the rider rather than the bike, has a strict diet of bumps and holes – and it loves to be fed What was to be my bike for the 1000-mile Deloitte Ride Across Britain had to settle for more modest pursuits, due to my left shoulder injury that requires a surgical rebuild this autumn - an injury that forced my withdrawal. To combat Britain’s pot hole-strewn roads, the Roubaix seemed like a shrewd choice for the LEJOG sportive. I’ve ridden various iterations of this bike down the years, and, as is expected from a bike built for winning on the cobbles of the Paris-Roubaix, it’s always been a very comfortable ride. That’s especially true of the latest Roubaix. There are various nods to comfort throughout the…

The Cinelli cockpit components, Miche Race chainset and wheels major on toughness From the very first ride this smoothed out some of our rougher local roads While Campagnolo dates back to 1933, Cinelli is a little younger but still celebrates its 70th birthday in 2018. The Saetta frame has been around a while and has long represented one of the best-value routes into Campagnolo-equipped carbon road bikes. Cinelli and Campagnolo are joined by other Italian outfits Miche and Kappa in kitting out the 2019 Saetta Italo. The aluminium cockpit components are Cinelli’s, with all brands distributed by Chicken Cyclekit. Cinelli’s Saetta Italo comes with Campagnolo’s Centaur, the brand’s 11-speed setup designed to compete against Shimano 105, both costing around £400. It lacks carbon but is mechanically pretty much identical to…

Ah, sweet Rose, Bocholt in Germany’s purveyor of quality bikes online. Its Campagnolo-equipped X-Lite Four has loads going for it: Chorus 11-speed with a carbon bar and seatpost from Ritchey, DT Swiss wheels and top-notch 25mm Continental Grand Prix 4000S IIs tyres. And that’s even before we get to the grey and fluorescent lime aero-influenced compact frame at its heart, featuring a down-tube with rear wheel cutaway and dropped slimline seatstays. Its X-Lite name is apt, as our test bike weighs just under 7kg, which is impressive for the price (that price is accurate as we go to press – but exchange rate fluctuations pushed it up over £120 during testing). That sub-7kg weight is noticeable when you lift it up, and with this wind tunnel-tested model claiming to be…

ZIPP’S 303 IS A LEGENDARY wheel, the original 303 Firecrest tubular was one of the first carbon rims to be used in the Classics, ridden to victory in both Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders. With the advent of Zipp’s NSW (Nest Speed Works) range of wheels the Firecrest has slipped down the pecking order, but Zipp has still continued to develop it, this new iteration seeing a complete revision of the rim. It’s still 45mm deep, but externally it’s broadened to 28mm (26.4mm at the brake track). It’s bigger internally too, at 20.5mm. The ABLC dimple pattern surface has been updated to the new Sawtooth pattern, which Zipp claims adds stability in crosswinds. Performance aside, it looks sharp, as does the contrasting matt finish on the undimpled areas against the…

Graphene is refined graphite (the same stuff you find in a pencil). The raw mined graphite it put into an expansion ‘system’ where it’s hit with a plasma with a heat range between 6-10,000°C. This leads to expansion of the raw material, so it goes from a solid lump to what looks like black candy floss. The graphene has an enormous surface area, with 1g having around 2630m2. When graphene is introduced into carbon fibre, with the platelets run in parallel lines, it provides huge levels of reinforcement for very little weight, so you can build a rim of equivalent stiffness with less material than a standard carbon rim.…

AS A CURVY WOMAN, AND with cycling kit almost always cut for athletically built or slim riders between about UK 8/10, our tester, at a relatively common UK 14, often has to wear a brand’s largest size, which can still be a tight fit. Very few brands produce kit up to a UK 16 or 18, and above that there hasn’t been anything available, until Yorkshire-based Fat Lass (or Lad) At the Back came along. FLAB produces cycling kit that caters for a more extensive range of riders, with the women’s range sizing up to a UK 24/26, and the men’s to a 52in chest/54in waist. Fit The jersey’s fit is on the looser, more relaxed side, but if you want something tighter fitting, simply size down. We found sizing…

Sizes S-XXL Colours Black, Movistar Weight 431g (M) This is the odd one out here. Rather than a long-sleeve jersey, Scottish company Endura has opted for a short-sleeve jersey and matching arm warmer combination. Developed in association with the Movistar cycling team, you won’t be surprised to hear that this has a snug, form-fitting cut that won’t flatter the fuller figure. Endura’s aim was to create a top that keeps you warm, shrugs off wind and the worst of the rain. And it’s very effective too. The soft-touch ExoShell25ST fabric is stretchy, keeps cold air out and we also found that it wards off rain pretty well. Water will soak through eventually but you’ll still stay warm. The race-cut is paired with a long dropped, elasticated tail, three very deep…

There are only so many hours in a day, and you want to ride your bike, so why do resistance training? Well, firstly there are ways of doing resistance training on your bike (see panel) but lifting weights is the most effective way to get something every cyclist needs, and that’s a bit more torque and power. There are other benefits to be gained from training with weights too, such as improved physical balance and, if done sensibly, protection against injury. WHAT IS TORQUE? Torque is force applied in a rotational direction. An extra bit of grunt, as it’s often called, can really improve overall performance. Having the ability to produce a lot of torque can help you stay seated on climbs while others are expending more energy out of…

URBAN LIGHTS Urban lights are about being seen. Sub-500 lumens won’t let you see far, but if used in a wide spread you’ll still stand out in traffic. As it’s likely to be a turn on and go deal avoid fancy displays and remotes you won’t use. URBAN BLACKBURN DAYBLAZER 800 £54.99 Blackburn’s slimline Dayblazer uses a combination of GoPro-style tabs and a rubber band strap to mount it almost anywhere. The 800 lumen ‘Blitz’ mode picks out trouble in the darkest alleys and gutters. The TIR lens, with diffusing side cutouts, gives a good ‘see me’ spread, with flash and pulse modes for daylight running. There’s basic battery info and the 1.5-hour runtime at max power can be USB recharged in four hours. It’s submersibly waterproof and Blackburn’s lights…

» IT CAN BE BASIC For the Four Days of Dunkirk race we stayed in a primitive hostel – the accommodation on some events can be very basic. Some of the campsites can be pretty grim - ones in France were like something out of a 1970s horror film. But then we have also stayed in five-star places in Norway and Dubai. » FRIENDS REUNITED Camaraderie is such an underrated element of cycling, you need to have a fun bunch of people around you to make it easier to handle. Team meetings are open - any questions around rider roles, or decision making are discussed without prejudice. It’s as important to have discussions about how a race went and to learn from the good races because riders get to know…

1 LUBRICATE Metal frames can corrode from the inside out, so spray lube into the tubes, gently move the bike around to coat the inside evenly. Allow it to settle and then wipe off the excess. 2 ADD MUDGUARDS Mudguards are probably the most important winter accessory. They’ll prolong the life of your bike, components, and improve your comfort, but check for clearances. 3 PUNCTURE PROTECTION Install Slime-!lled tubes or Kevlar-belted tyres for winter; the small sacrifice in ride quality and weight is worth it. Inspect rim strips for wear and make sure they adequately cover the spoke holes. 4 GO STAINLESS Stainless steel items like gear and brake cables, chains and fasteners can help keep your bike rust-free. Most shops will stock a selection of stainless fasteners in 4,…

When Team Sky lined up in the Vendée in July it was with the intention of piloting Chris Froome to a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory. The team emerged victorious in Paris, but Froome was on the third step of the podium looking up at the man who had won two mountain stages – including on Alpe d’Huez – on his way to claiming yellow by a margin of nearly two minutes from Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin: teammate and former loyal domestique Geraint Thomas. Geraint Thomas Tour de France 2018 • 3351km Nourmoutier-en-l’Île — Paris Tour de France 2018, Stage 17 Col du Portet 25 July 2018 Geraint Thomas fights for his yellow jersey on the final climb of stage 17, distancing Chris Froome and grabbing precious seconds from Tom…

We reviewed the B’Twin Ultra AF in 2017, and really liked it. It was a great ride with an incredible spec. It also employed one of our least favourite design features: a rear brake under the chainstays, which was inconvenient and prone to rubbing. That rear brake aside, the Ultra AF’s frame hasn’t undergone major changes, which is a good thing. It’s the same slightly boxy aluminium, which shares design cues with the pricier carbon Ultra CF range. The front triangle’s tube sections are burly but not comically oversized for stiffness, while the rear is restrained, with dainty stays While the front brake is a stiff direct-mount calliper, the rear is a standard unit, and in the usual place on the seatstays. It also locates the brake at a point…

GIRO COLLECTION? After winning his maiden Grand Tour at the Vuelta a España, Simon Yates has set his sights on the Giro d’Italia for 2019, saying he has unfinished business with a race he collapsed so spectacularly at this spring. ON THE DOTTED LINE… Fresh from winning the Tour de France, Geraint Thomas inked a new deal with Team Sky. “Another 3 years Dave,” he tweeted, along with a GIF from My Girl, of a pact being made with spit and a handshake. PACKING A PUNCH After the abrupt collapse of their Aqua Blue Sport team, pros Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne set out on a bikepacking trip in the south of France. The ‘NoGo Tour’ mirrored the length of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, where they should have…

Since my dad’s Parkinson’s diagnosis we’ve cycled together on rides to raise awareness of the condition. We’ve done three accents of Mont Ventoux, which was tough on our heavy old tandem, but the descent was an amazing thrill. We’ve ridden through the night around London, and also from Bristol, through Oxford to Cambridge in the BOXCAM event. Most recently it was the 2018 Deloitte Ride Across Britain, the Land’s End to John O’Groats sportive – our toughest challenge yet. It’s a test of patience, knowing how long you’ll be in the saddle for each day. The tandem is more extreme riding. We get up quite a lick and it’s exhilarating Training-wise I’m relieved to be unemployed at the moment. The weather was amazing through the summer and I’ve discovered ridewithgps.com,…

In typical Italian style Wilier hasn’t deviated hugely from its race bike geometry Wilier-Triestina started plying its trade back in 1906. Since then Fiorenzo Magni notched a Giro d’Italia win in 1948 on a steel Wilier and Marco Pantani rode to third place on an aluminium Wilier in the 1997 Tour de France. We’re testing the brand’s carbon GTR Team Potenza, which it says is ‘ideal for the racer and the leisure cyclist’, describing its geometry as ‘endurance’. The GTR comes with Campagnolo’s Potenza, in this case the full groupset along with Campagnolo’s Khamsin wheels for a unified look. While this is aimed more towards the endurance rider, in typical Italian style Wilier hasn’t deviated hugely from its race bike geometry, so there’s no super-tall head-tube or ultra-relaxed frame angles,…

It’s at its best on long rides, where the Countervail will keep you more comfortable for longer In the footsteps of Cinelli and Wilier comes the real old boy of Italian cycling, Bianchi, born in Milan back in 1885. Its distinctive Celeste green bikes have been ridden by the likes of Fausto Coppi, Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich, but the company isn’t resting on its racing laurels. Bianchi bikes are presently being ridden by the Dutch LottoNLJumbo team, with Primoz Roglic riding a Bianchi Oltre XR4 – our test XR3’s slightly snazzier and marginally more aggressive big brother – to victory in the very mountainous 19th stage of this year’s Tour de France, which is a fine achievement for an aero bike. At first glance the Oltre XR3’s price looks…

THE WORX HYDROSHOT FITS SOMEWHERE between mains or petrol-powered washers and portable integrated units. Key to the design is the small, lightweight 20v motor, which is incorporated into the spray gun, and powered by the 2.0ah interchangeable lithium-ion battery. The Hydroshot’s 6m long hose snaps on to the sprayer body and can take water from almost anywhere, with a filter to keep the supply clean, and a sliding float to control its depth. Our kit includes a collapsible bucket, but you could use large screw-top containers, or any fresh water source, so long as its volume matches your intended task. A bottle cap connector allows most 2-litre drinks bottles to be directly attached, and the fitted hose connector can be replaced for use with your garden hose. A 41.5cm extension…

BEST ON TEST TOPEAK REDLITE AERO 1W £36.99 On paper Topeak’s Redlite Aero 1W is nothing remarkable, but it’s always the one that’s ready to go and never failed us out on a ride. Four modes max out at 55 lumens (two-hour runtime) with a low battery indicator. Different back pieces and bands fit various shaped tubes/posts, the single LED strip is angled and it charges in two hours. CATEYE RAPID X2 £39.99 Cateye started the LED rear light revolution and still rules in terms of reliability. Twin LED strips scroll through six modes with a 50 lumen max and 180-degree visibility. It’s aero seatpost-friendly but a lack of angle correction is irritating. Its light 30g weight limits max runtime to one hour, but the twohour recharge is useful for…

Sizes S-XXXL Colours Blue, black, orange, yellow, red, grey Weight 342g (L) The Perfetto is the newest descendant of Castelli’s game-changing Gabba. It combines Gore’s excellent windproof and breathable Windstopper X-Lite Plus with a water-repellent finish. As with the water-resistant other tops here, this doesn’t mean full waterproofing – no taped seams or waterproof zip – but it does keep out showers and road spray. This race-inspired top is designed for hard rides on cold, damp days, hence the lack of full-on waterproofing. In addition to breathable fabric there’s a long zipped vent on each side for extra cooling. There’s a full-length wind flap, tall, soft collar and a long dropped tail with silicone gripper and large reflective Castelli logo. The three pockets even have laser-cut holes to let out…

The Giant TCR may have the kudos of being Dutch pro rider Tom Dumoulin’s bike of choice, and the Propel has all of the aerodynamic bells and whistles to make it a pure superbike, but it’s the Defy, aimed at normal riders like us, that brings in the most revenue for the ‘world’s biggest bike manufacturer’. Our main objective was to beat the performance of the 2015 bike As a result, Giant pays the Defy a lot of attention. More often than not it’s used as the proving ground for Giant’s latest technology, for example the last generation Defy was the first mainstream bike to go disc brake only. Along with the TCX cyclo-cross bike, the Defy debuted Giant’s vibration-crushing D-Fuse seatpost design, which is now imitated on bikes from…

22 cyclist deaths and 368 serious injuries between 2007 and 2016 could be attributed to poor or defective roads No surprises – you’re regular riders… 57% of you said that you climb on your bike more than three times a week YOU READ CYCLING PLUS, SO it’s a given that you ride bikes regularly. 57% of you said that you ride more than three times a week, while 4% ride every day – chapeau! To put this into context, according to the Department for Transport’s most recent Walking and Cycling stats, only 5.7% of the general UK population ride at least three or more times per week. As we’ve long suspected, we’re better than the average person, right? You’re definitely the outdoors type… 58% of you love rural riding best THANKS…

When Chris Froome turned the 2018 Giro on its head during stage 19 with an audacious solo attack, he wrote his name into cycling legend in a fashion that even his four Tour de France victories had not. In a sport where, for many, style counts for at least as much as substance, this was panache writ large. Not only did Froome snatch Giro victory, but the win also meant he held all three Grand Tour titles at the same time, something only Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault had managed before. 01 Chris Froome Giro d’Italia 2018 • 3562.9km Jerusalem — Rome Giro d’Italia 2018, Stage 19 Colle delle Finestre 25 May 2018 Having started the day 3.22 down on maglia rosa Simon Yates, and 2.54 down on 2017 winner…

“I still believe I can win a Grand Tour, and probably more so now because I’ve been there and I’ve learned about all the responsibilities that come with leading,” said Simon Yates after seeing his lead in the Giro d’Italia agonisingly slip away on the third from last stage in May this year. On 16 September, that belief became reality when he crossed the finish line in Madrid in red as winner of the 2018 Vuelta. It had been a dominant performance, enough to suggest there are more to come… Simon Yates Vuelta a España 2018 • 3271.4km Malaga — Madrid Vuelta a España, Stage 21 Madrid 16 September 2018 Cava bubbles fill the night air in Madrid as Simon Yates celebrates his first Grand Tour win just months after…