Inhaltsverzeichnis für January 2017 in Cycling Plus

NEW BIKES AND KIT TESTS Cinelli’s Nemo shows that steel still has legs (p18), while on p22 J.Guillem’s Formentor does the same for titanium. Lezyne’s SD1250 (p74) is a big light in a very small package. Warren Rossiter, Senior technical editor BIKE TESTS Expand your horizons and go far with our six Britishdesigned, big-tyred allrounders (p46). On p105 we see just how little you need to spend on a ‘proper’ bike. Can £250 cut it? Guy Kesteven, Freelance tester NEW BIKES AND KIT TEST Cyclo-cross may be a niche sport but it’s also a great testing ground for bikes, as Specialized’s CruX shows (p24). We test disc brake rotors on p76 – but what’s the top stopper? Robin Wilmott, Technical writer RATINGS EXPLAINED EXCEPTIONAL A genuine class leader VERY GOOD…

While the 20in wheels and clever mechanism aren’t unusual for a folding bike, the Tern Verge X18’s Kinetix Pro X drop bar, adjustable Syntace stem and 18-speed Shimano drivetrain are a bit different. These help the X18 barrel up to speed nicely and we even swapped our road bike for the Tern on our 15-mile commute, where the Verge performed admirably and was only a few minutes shy of our ‘big bike’ riding time. The wheels deserve a special mention as they’re hand-built 42mm deep-rimmed units with Sapim spokes paired in a pattern patented by Rolf Dietrich of Rolf wheels fame. They roll really smoothly and fast, although riding out of the saddle is a unique sensation; the front wheel feels as if it wants to squirm around under you…

COMETH THE HOUR? Alex Dowsett had a quiet year by recent standards but he’s hoping 2017 will be different. “I’d love to do another hour record attempt,” he told Cyclingnews.com. “It’s in me. The numbers show it is.” JON SIGNS ON Jon Dibben completes a trio of British neo-pros to sign with Team Sky for 2017. The Team Wiggins rider joins teammate Owain Doull and Tao Geoghegan Hart. FIVE ALIVE The fifth Transcontinental race has revealed its 2017 route. Starting on 28 July in Geraardsbergen, Belgium (home of the Muur climb from the Tour of Flanders), there are four checkpoints on the way to Meteora, Greece, including Monte Grappa in Italy. WARDROBE MALFUNCTION Team Sky has unveiled its new kit for 2017, an effort with new partner Castelli. Unfortunately the…

HAVE BREAKFAST Fulla Beans Coffee and Food Bar A bright, clean cafe that serves a great breakfast that won’t grease you out, and is well known for its friendly staff. Where 1 Church Street, Warrenpoint BT34 3HN STOP FOR CAKES Maud’s Coffee Shop While Maud’s does all kinds of lunches, scones, tray bakes and so forth, it’s the ice cream that’s sure to grab your attention. Where 11 Bridge Street, Kilkeel BT34 2PS GET SPARE TUBES Stewart Cycles This tiny repair shop tucked away on the quayside will see you right for spares, repairs and rentals. There are bigger shops up the road in Newry.  Where 14 Havelock Place, Warrenpoint BT34 3NE FANCY A PINT? Fegan’s First and Last Old-style Irish hostelry where there’s a high chance of finding traditional…

Share your favourite climbs – email cyclingplus@immediate.co.uk DITCHLING BEACON This is a favourite climb for both professional and amateur races. Located in the South Downs National Park, it is the major obstacle in the way of riders of London to Brighton charity rides, has appeared in the National Hill Climb Championships (1995), appeared in stage 4 of the 1994 Tour de France, as well as the Tour of Britain, most recently in 2014. Stage winner Julien Vermote used steep, variable slopes as a springboard to jump away from his breakaway companions to win the stage into Brighton. Its Strava KOMhas been out of commission since the race passed over it. Just 0.9 miles long and averaging 9%, the climb’s three flatter sections are good or bad, depending on your point…

I have a V02 max of 90ml/kg/min. It was news to me when I found out recently. Liverpool University was doing a study three years ago looking at the fitness of jockeys and weight management. I was told you’re born with this, it’s not something you can train so much, and suggested I give endurance cycling a go. I did a bit of racing and did okay but it’s a busy life as a full-time jockey. It was only when I got injured [Market Rasen in May 2015, where he fractured vertebrae among other breaks] that I had more time to take it seriously. A jockey’s fitness regime, historically, is poor. We can’t carry weight but we managed that, typically, with a strict diet of energy drinks, cigarettes and saunas.…

£2999.99 › Does titanium transform Genesis’s trusty ‘cross of iron’? The titanium frame and carbon fork trims a massive 1.5kg from the all-steel Croix de Fer The Croix de Fer has been around for the best part of a decade now and the steelframed models are still going strong. Genesis pitches the titanium Croix de Fer as a lighter and faster incarnation, though three grand is a big wodge of cash. While only the down-tube is double-butted, the claimed 2.24kg weight of the titanium frame and carbon fork trims a massive 1.5kg from the all-steel model. The frameset is also available separately for £1799.99. But apart from a stiffer tapered head-tube, which is 10mm taller to offset the use of internal bearings, the relaxed long wheelbase geometry is identical. And…

£3851.98 › Pricey but thoroughly modern titanium all-road machine Frame weight is an impressive 1.49kg and it’s practical too, with space for 32mm tyres With the popular fat-tyre-happy Tripster unavailable at time of testing, it’s the Racelight Granfondo that steps up to the plate for Kinesis. It’s a bike we’ve rated before in a higher spec but how does it compare in a more intensive six-bike shootout? This is the dearest complete bike here and at £1999.99 it also has the most expensive frame. That’s because the CWSR tubeset is extensively cold-shaped and then stress-relieved to remove potential weak spots. Other costadding details include a double-butted top-tube, a convex tapered head-tube that’s machined from a single piece of titanium, and a cold-forged flat-mount rear disc brake fitting. The carbon Tracer…

£349.99 (f), £449.99 (r) › Stealthy new clinchers WE SAY The PR 1400s are great all-rounder wheels that look fabulous too HANDS UP IF YOU’VE LUSTED after carbon rims for the sole reason that they look good on virtually every bike. The problem is that achieving that allblack look has generally come at considerable cost. Real carbon is expensive and even the best stuff on the market offers braking that’s only just about comparable with that of an alloy rim. Regular anodising looks nice, but wears off quickly in wet conditions, while old-school ceramic-coated rims had a reputation for flaking over time. Mavic’s grooved Exalith rim treatment was another seemingly promising option but it’s hardly cheap either, suffers from a ferocious appetite for brake pads and comes with a soundtrack…

There’s only been one ‘The Struggle’ event, but billed as Yorkshire’s hardest sportive, it already has a fearsome reputation. At 108 miles it’s short enough to trick you into thinking it’s relatively doable, but its elevation profile is a hungry parade of brutally sharp fangs. It doesn’t take long to show those teeth, nipping at our heels with the 260ft climb of Bedlam Bank only five miles in. It properly sinks its jaws in with the wall-like 21 per cent peak gradient, 435ft climb of Hartwith Bank at 10 miles. We’re facing some really tough moments as I’m straining against the 21-tooth lowest gear already, and even climbing specialist Sam has twist shifted into the smallest ring of his bike’s triple chainset. The why As we balance torque against the…

› Sign up and subscribe to take your training further... Wattage deviation +/-2 Roll down from 200W 13 seconds Noise level @2o0W 88dB FEEL THE NOISE Although the long plastic tail and plastic housing for the brake dull some of the vibration, the big ribbed roller that stops the tyre slipping without needing excess pressure still creates more noise compared to a smooth metal or urethane option. LEAN AND MEAN BKool isn’t the only manufacturer to use a simple ‘lean back’ trainer frame rather than a static axle frame and an adjustable roller. It makes it easier to connect the bike and turbo and easier to set up. And as long as you don’t go nuts it’s stable enough too. WE SAY BKool’s strength is the depth of its online…

› High-tech, heavyweight turbo bursting with info Wattage deviation +/- 1 watt Roll down from 200W 18 seconds Noise level @2o0W 71dB SYNC ISSUES We had a bit of trouble syncing elements of the myETtraining app between phones/tablets/PCs and deciphering some of the data. But once you’ve got the hang of it, Elite’s training and virtual ride software gives laboratory-quality information for you or your coach to work with. THE KURA Elite’s other new trainer – the Kura – delivers similarly extremely accurate wattage data and its powerful fluid brake also works when unplugged. But there’s no FE-C interactivity, so while it will connect with Zwift, it’s you rather than the app that controls how hard you work. WE SAY It spins smoothly and provides vast amount of accurate power…

COMMUTE IN STYLE 1 If you’re committed to commuting, but want to bring a change of clothes, laptop and lunch, panniers can maximise carrying capacity without ruining your ride or sapping your energy the way a backpack can. “For a more appealing look Brooks panniers (brooksengland.com) are not only the most famous bike bags, they are classics in terms of style and usability,” says Porter. SECURE THE STORE 2 On a regular commute, through water and road salt soaked streets, look for tough, waterproof but lightweight fabric panniers with a secure fastening mechanism, roll-top or flap-down cover and a zip or draw-string inside to keep valuables safe. “It’s also crucial to ensure that your bike is well balanced with the weight evenly distributed from side to side,” says Porter. PACK…

One study reported as many as one in five men suffered numbness of the nether regions (bicycle seat neuropathy) after a long distance ride. A Dallas cycling club also found that one in three female members complained of perineal numbness after cycling. Symptoms are usually short-lived, although 6 per cent of the male cyclists suffered for more than a week. More advanced symptoms include pain, incontinence, erectile dysfunction in men and sexual dysfunction in women. CAUSES Prolonged sitting on a saddle squashes the pudendal nerve against the front of the pelvis. This nerve gives feeling to the genitalia and pressure on it reduces its blood supply. New cyclists are probably more at risk, although established cyclists who change their bike set up or increase their saddle time may also be…

Being crowned a UCI World Champion and pulling on the rainbow jersey… It’s happened in all our dreams but in reality it’s only been professionals in the running. That changed in 2011 when the UCI helped launch the World Cycling Tour, now rebranded the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, a 15-event extravaganza that closes with a season-ending World Championship (this year in Perth), featuring the top 25 per cent of riders in age and gender categories from each qualifier event. My fate had been decided before I spun round in my seat to speak to German Christian Mueller at the opening ceremony, two days prior to the race. Me, a cycling World Champion, is the stuff of fantasy; the moment the ceremony’s compere embarrassingly called the race the “gran fondue…

NED RETURNS TO THE STAGE FOR HIS VERY OWN TOUR One curiously simple Victorian invention still has the power to change the world When I was at university, I was an atrocious actor. And it wouldn’t be important, apart from the fact that I was also an atrocious student, and, even though it had nothing to do with my degree, acting was something I thought I was reasonably good at. It turns out I wasn’t, as three or four wasted (but outrageously enjoyable) years of post-graduate drifting neatly attested to. An actor without a job, nor any prospect of a job, blundering into his late twenties, is a fairly low life form. So, I took a job at Ladbrokes and developed a gambling habit. That too proved unsustainable, as it…

Cheap thrills While £250 is not an inconsiderable amount of money, it’s not the kind of sum you readily associate with a fully fledged road bike nowadays. There are plenty available, though, so we set out to find out if a ‘budget’ bike can really cut it on the same rides as the machines we usually test. Turn to p105 to find out Home improvement The proliferation of global bike brands means that it’s easy to forget that the British bike industry isn’t just a historical footnote. While we don’t have megacorps turning out millions of models a year, we do have an abundance of bike builders creating greatlooking and fun rides! See page 46 for evidence… Get in touch… Don’t forget that if you’ve anything you want to say…

1 It’s got history The original SuperPista launched in 1989, becoming a favourite of pro mechanics in Europe and the US. The brand fell on hard times in the new millennium before being acquired and reanimated by Zipp technical director, Josh Poertner. 2 It’s the affordable option While it’s still spectacularly expensive for a tyre in!ator, the new SuperPista is half the price of its big brother the SuperPista Ultimate, the pump that brought the newly-reborn Silca brand worldwide recognition. With a no-expensespared approach to quality, the new model shares much of its DNA with the halo product. 3 It’ll last a lifetime With a base and barrel made from aluminium, the SuperPista uses no plastic at all in its construction and the "t and "nish is something to behold.…

ADD A LITTLE ZIPP Inspired by the shape of humpback whale tailfins, Zipp has created the radical-looking 454 wheel. The ‘Sawtooth’ rim varies in depth for better handling at certain yaw angles. Price is a hefty £3500 per pair. PWR TO THE PEOPLE Short of power? Knog has created its PWR range, which is based around the 32g, 3200Ah PWR Bank. This can charge an iPhone and power a PWR speaker. Other products include bike lights and even a lantern. DISC-Y BUSINESS The disc brake revolution shows no sign of stopping. Cervélo has launched a disc version of its S3 aero road bike, which – surprise, surprise – is claimed to be lighter, stiffer, and more aero than the standard S3. FOR ALL THE LATEST BIKE & GEAR NEWS VISIT…

Best horse racing memory? Riding the Grand National four times. It’s like the Tour de France on horses. It’s called the People’s Race because it’s for everybody, from the lads in the pub to multi-millionaires. Best win? My local track is Kelso and I’ve won a race there, the Premier Hurdle, one of the best there is in Scotland. What makes a good jockey? There has to be natural talent. All horses are different so the ability is to find out what makes a horse tick and how to use it at the right time.…

The Spa is the only frameset here with perfect fork, dropout and stem-to-stern alignment Yorkshire touring specialist and Rough Stuff Fellowship stalwart Spa Cycles has loaded over 40 years of experience into its new titanium Elan all-rounder frame – and it shows from the first smooth and swift turns of the pedals. In structural terms it’s the simplest titanium frame here. The head-tube isn’t tapered and the main tubes are plain gauge 0.9mm pipe. The plastic cable adjuster guides that sit where down-tube shifters would have been are practical rather than pretty, it has quick releases rather than thruaxles, and a 135mm rear axle. Di2 compatability is created in house with a drill. However, the junction of the head-tube and down-tube junction does get a neatly welded reinforcing gusset and…

£3100 › It can take 650 and 700C wheels, but is there more to this Masonic all-roader? Separate rack and mudguard mounts are hidden in the stays and the seatclamp is very neat Mason Progressive Cycles is always keen to emphasise the ‘Progressive’ bit in its name and this new ‘FastFar’ frame harnesses the latest trends to bend the road/offroad rules in search of new horizons. Our Bokeh test bike comes with 650x50mm semi-knobbly Panaracer tyres on Hunt’s new Four Season Gravel Disc wheels but it will also take 700x41C wheels/tyres. You can buy built-up Bokehs with 11-speed Shimano Ultegra or 105 and 700x35 tyres, as well as two models with 650x50B rubber and 1x11 SRAM Rival or Force. We felt the Force… But there’s a lot more to the…

£24.99-£57 › Disc brakes are everywhere these days, but which rotors are best? SUPERSTAR ALPINE £24.99 The Alpine only comes in a 6-bolt fitting, and Superstar says it’s not compatible with Centerlock hubs. It consists of a 3mm thick 7075 alloy carrier with a 2mm stainless steel braking surface with dimpled, thin alloy inboard fins to shed heat. Our 160mm rotor weighed 124g, and although lacking instant bite, these proved to be powerful performers. TRP 2-PIECE £34.99 These have a beefy alloy centre with a stainless steel braking surface attached by six rivets. They’re the heaviest here, but 127g for a wellpriced 6-bolt 160mm rotor isn’t bad. They always stopped predictably with good, but not urgent force. We’ve found other highly perforated designs to howl at times, and these were…

£250 The Road gets a neatly welded, slim-tubed alloy frame with full rack and mudguard mounts, stable handling and a well-sorted position, available in five sizes. The steel fork is slim too, giving a surprisingly comfortable ride despite skinny Kenda tyres. The Shimano Tourney 14-speed gears are changed via impressively smooth STi combined brake and shift levers and the dual-pivot brakes are adequately powerful. At 11.3kg it’s relatively light for the price too. The tyres are frighteningly grip free, the 21-tooth sprocket is gruesome on gradients and the soft saddle lacks support over long distances, but those issues are relatively inexpensive to sort out. For the price the Wiggle is an amazingly competent, comfortable and enjoyable ride. wiggle.co.uk…

› For well under £100, you can have a serious training tool Wattage deviation N/A Roll down from 200W 7 seconds Noise level @2o0W 85dB FIRST TIME BUYER The In’Ride 300 comes out of the box fully built, it’s lightweight, easy to carry and folds almost flat for storage making it super-convenient and super-cheap, too. This makes it great if it’s your first trainer or if you need a second one for travelling or warming up at events. CAM AND HAVE A GO Once you’ve adjusted the static cup on the far side, the big cam lever on the side shunts the axle clamp across to lock the bike in place quickly and effectively. But it’s unlikely to work with thru-axle bikes. Make sure you use the supplied steel-ended skewer…

› Smart by name, smart by nature? Wattage deviation +/-5 Roll down from 200W 23 seconds Noise level @2o0W 78dB REAL RIDE FEEL The idea of bouncing around like a toddler on one of those elephants on springs you get in a kids’ playground sounds weird, but in practice even just a bit of 3D movement does an amazing job of tricking your brain into thinking that you really are riding. ATTENTION TO DETAIL Kinetic trainers cost a bit more than average but they’re very solidly built so you’re unlikely to ever need to call on the lifetime warranty. Little details like the textured clamp knobs on the latest versions and doublelayer stickers (so there’s a fresh one underneath if the top one gets scratched) are a really nice touch…

HOW TO TRAINING > SKILLS FIXES > NUTRITION BUDDY UP “Arranging group rides when I’m back in Ireland is great to ensure I don’t back out due to bad weather,” explains Stephen Clancy. “I pick friends who aren’t as soft as me so I’ll always end up riding!” If you’re planning a catch-up with a friend or colleague who’s into cycling make it part of the event – two hours on the road then a coffee can mix business and pleasure. READY YOUR RIDE “After every training ride I always clean my bike and carry out any necessary repairs so it’s ready to ride the next time I want to,” reveals Joonas Henttala. As well as readying the bike, re-stock on spares like tubes or CO2 cartridges you may have…

TAKE TIME OUT Falls from the bike can cause knee and ankle injuries but overuse injuries predominantly involve the knee, particularly the patellar femoral part – where the kneecap articulates with the thigh bone. These two groups of injuries will regularly keep a cyclist off the bike for six weeks or more. Maintaining fitness and strength while recovering is vital. WATER WAY TO GO Swimming is one of the easiest and safest ways to maintain your cardiovascular stamina, and a 30-60-minute pool session focused on varying strokes (for example two lengths of breaststroke and one length of crawl) can work well as a zero impact, whole body workout during your recovery. Even if you’re carrying an injury in your lower limbs you can still do seated weights in the gym…

THINK FOOD ‘Brain foods’ are rich in key nutrients that help boost brain function, improve alertness and ward off agerelated decline in brain function and memory. A pre-ride snack of 100g of berries (including blackberrries, blueberries and raspberries) stirred into yogurt or porridge or added to smoothies will help brain function as they’re packed with anthocyanins (plant nutrients), which have potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. BRAIN BOOST A post-ride winter spicy stew featuring chickpeas and spinach will do more than warm you up on a cold day, it can also boost your brain and repair the damage from cycling on dirty roads. Green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, spring cabbage and kale) are fantastic sources of antioxidants and carotenoids, which help protect the brain from oxidative damage caused by pollution and…

Scotland 50-54 age group “I’m just a bit surprised to be here, because my first ever road race was the Tour of Cambridgeshire qualifier. I do cyclo-cross racing, because it’s age specific. Road racing isn’t like that, but events like this, where you’re racing against guys roughly the same age, it’s better. It was good fun, I might even give it another go next year, given it’s much nearer to home. When I qualified this year we hadn’t booked a summer holiday because our eldest son had just got married, so we thought ‘sod it’, we’ve always wanted to do Australia. I thought I’d probably never qualify again so why not? I used to ride when I was a kid but took it up again recently. I was overweight, you…

The bicycle is about to turn 200 years old. On 12 June 1817, German inventor Karl Drais made the world’s first recorded bike ride. He went from his house in Mannheim to a local coach station – where he probably became the first person to be told they didn’t take bikes – and back. Eight miles in an hour: my sort of touring pace. Okay, so it was ‘only’ a hobbyhorse (as the English dubbed it) – two inline wheels with seat and handlebar, scooted along by the rider’s legs using the kick-and-glide technique of ice skaters. Still, the feat caused a sensation. Soon after, he rode through the Black Forest to Baden-Baden, thus becoming the world’s first mountain biker, and presumably first to sport a muddy stripe up his…

£2850 › Scottish all-rounder designed for maximum versatility The frame is made from carefully selected material from Columbus and Dedacciai Steve Shand’s range of bikes may have expanded, but he’s never strayed very far from his core value of wherever-you-want-toroam bikes majoring on versatility. That’s clear as soon as you do a quick scan over the £1495 Stooshie frame. Interchangeable ‘Polydrop’ dropout pieces that bolt into frame terminals let you choose between a quick release or 142x12mm rear thru-axle. There are Rohloff and Gates Belt Drive options and the dropouts can be changed between different brake mount standards. The PF30 bottom bracket shell can be used with an eccentric insert for a standard bottom bracket if you need to take up chain slack, or to make micro-adjustments of the effective…

£3250 › Can Sussex-built steel match foreign-manufactured titanium? All Enigma’s Signature series frames are immaculately handmade in Hailsham Enigma introduced the Ecroix ST this year, and while the frameset only costs £192 less than its titanium Ecroix, your money gets you a premium all-rounder with an impressively tight and lively ride, handbuilt and painted in Sussex. The £1250 frame (£1680 with fork and headset) uses a mainly Columbus Zona Nivacrom doublebutted main-tube and rear stay set, stiffened and lightened with a Life Niobium seat-tube. At 1950g it’s light for a steel frame designed to handle off-piste hammering, and you’re not looking at a big weight penalty over the titanium or aluminium bikes here. The ringreinforced 44mm head-tube takes a tapered, colour-matched carbon cyclo-cross fork and for an extra £37 you…

GORE BIKE WEAR GORE BIKE WEAR® presents the ONE 1985 GTX® SHAKEDRY™ jacket as the latest high-tech incarnation of the world’s first GORE-TEX® cycling jacket. Just over 30 years ago, GORE BIKE WEAR launched the original GIRO jacket and changed cycle wear forever, as the word’s first GORE-TEX cycling jacket. Now, with the new ultra-lightweight ONE 1985 GTX SHAKEDRY, the legendary manufacturer pays homage to the classic and brings it bang up to date for 2017. So what makes it so great? Like all GORE-TEX products, it’s extremely comfortable, waterproof and supremely breathable. But more than that, it’s bursting with smart tech, like the GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY product technology that lets you emerge from the heaviest downpour, shake, and store it in your pocket in seconds, an aerodynamic cut that’s designed…

£99.99 CYCLING BEST ON TEST Construction While the Bern’s chunky, distinctive looks give it somewhat of a retro feel (anyone remember that Etto helmet from the early days of mountain biking?), the inmould construction and MIPS system inside make it bang up to date. There are also 18 vents with some, albeit quite shallow, internal channelling to help with air flow and thin padding that skirts the entire way around the helmet. Even the FL-1’s adjustable cradle is shrouded in padding to up the comfort levels. All in, the FL-1 weighs 284g. Unlike the Smith, Bern offers this in three sizes – small, medium and large. Adjustability The FL-1’s cradle gets the choice of two central anchor points to adjust the helmet’s pitch on your head but, more interestingly, uses…

The right type of carbs increase your metabolism and provide fuel for exercise 1 CARBS MAKE YOU FAT FICTION “On the contrary,” says Carly Tierney, nutritionist with DW Fitness. “Eating a diet packed with the right kind of carbs is the secret to getting and staying slim. The key thing is to choose the right types. Think less about reaching for crisps, white bread and pasta and opt for slow-releasing carbs like sweet potato, quinoa, wholemeal bagels and pittas, and brown rice.” The right types of carbs fill you up, maintain your blood sugar levels, increase your metabolism and provide fuel for exercise, meaning that you push harder, perform better, get stronger and use more energy when training. “Yes, that means you can eat more and still lose weight,” says…

£265 The alloy frame of the Vitesse gets geometric section main tubes, curved rear stays and even a sort of aero fin in the seat-tube. The steel fork has chunky legs for a noticeably more blunt ride than the Wiggle. Ride position of the single 55cm size is relatively short, upright and forward biased but handling is okay and the saddle is usefully supportive. The reflective sidewall tyres grip fine on wet tarmac or rough tracks and there’s room for bigger rubber and/or mudguards. A triple chainset with 30/40/50-tooth rings makes climbing more bearable too. The singlepivot (not dual pivot as advertised) brakes are pathetically power and feedback-free and the Shimano Revo shift is easy to knock accidentally with your knees. The shimmed bar is shockingly crude and the quill…

› Get smart and ‘appy’ with your indoor sessions Wattage deviation -5 Roll down from 200W 11 seconds Noise level @2o0W 85dB BRAKE OUT The long, low brake unit at the back contains the electromagnetic resistance brake that interacts with powersensitive apps to automatically adjust your workout as the onscreen landscape changes. Or you can just use Tacx’s own app to monitor your training. STABLE MATE The U-shaped legs at the front of the frame splay out wide for a surprisingly stable pedalling feel despite the turbo’s low weight and portability. Tacx also includes a front wheel support with the trainer to keep your bike level. WE SAY A genuinely interactive ride experience for under £400 Tacx has a vast number of excellent trainers to choose from, ranging from the…

› Belt-driven trainer that’s good enough for Team Sky Wattage deviation -5 Roll down from 200W 15 seconds Noise level @2o0W 77dB TEAM EFFORT Wahoo’s Kickr has been a vital part of the Team Sky warm-up and warm-down arsenal for several seasons and this latest version incorporates feedback from the riders and the support team – who actually have to lug them about. BELT AND BRACES The brake unit is driven by a Gates Carbon belt drive, which is quieter than a chain drive but it does make for a slightly rougher and noisier feel than the latest genuinely direct-drive trainers from Tacx. Spindown times are shorter too. WE SAY Pleasingly intuitive, quick to set up, tough, reliable and stable Wahoo Fitness is the _rst multielement system where the software…

HOW TO FITNESS Eggs are versatile, are the basis of a variety of dishes, and an inexpensive source of protein. WHY EGGS? With a protein digestibility score of 97 per cent, eggs also provide all nine of the essential amino acids needed to promote muscle recovery, maintenance of muscle and the building of lean tissue. As they are slow digesting, they help you stay satiated for longer. WORRIED ABOUT THE CALORIES? Combining multiple egg whites with one or two whole eggs cuts fat while maintaining taste, and provides a higher amount of protein, allowing you some versatility with your calorie consumption. MYTH BUST The idea that eggs are high in cholesterol and saturated fat and are poor for heart health is no longer considered to be true. The American Heart…