Table of contents for December 2018 in Cycling Plus

Through advertising on television, Gtech has opened up the idea of e-bikes to the general public with its USP of simplicity. The Sport features a simple aluminium frame with plain white paint, and doesn’t have any gears to confuse or complicate the ride. The drivetrain uses a Gates belt rather than a chain, so there will be no issues with oily legs or snagging clothing. V-brakes provide a decent amount of stopping power, but as with all rim brakes their performance suffers in the wet. A bottle-shaped 200w removable battery pack doubles as the bike’s controller, it features just one button and there’s a large display that shows the battery percentage and which power mode the bike is in (normal or eco). The battery clicks out of place and slots…

1 Hearing aid You’re grown ups, so we’ll let you decide if riding with headphones is a good idea… If you think it is, then the Ear Duos boast ‘dual listening’. Basically, you can hear whatever it is you’re listening to and the noise around you. 2 No strings attached The Bluetooth Ear Duos are completely wireless – not even one connecting the two ear pods. The unique design sees you slipping them under your lobes - not the easiest task - with the units containing the electronics resting snug against your head. 3 Touchy feely You adjust volume, skip tracks and answer calls by sliding or tapping your fingers on the sides of the pods, so no fumbling for tiny buttons. 4 Small gestures You can also control playback…

I have been a keen lifelong cyclist and would spend my weekends as a young man riding from my home near Heathrow to the coast of Kent and Sussex. I really took up the long-distance bike trips by myself after my wife Edna passed away 23 years ago. Prior to LEJOG my longest ride has been from southern France along the Camino de Santiago when I was 82. Last year I rode through the Loire Valley, I’ve also taken my old Brompton along the Rhine, the Danube, through parts of Italy and along the Romantic Road in Bavaria. I tell people I have four gears, three on the bike and one for hills – walking! I usually follow the Cicerone cycling guides but for LEJOG I did veer off their…

The Mares range was created with input from former World Cyclo-Cross Champion, and Focus founder, Mike Kluge. Below the limelight-stealing carbon Mares bikes, the 7005 aluminium models are more affordable entry points. The 6.9 shares the near horizontal top-tube and Focus’s innovative Rapid Axle Technolgy (RAT) system, allowing wheel removal by flipping the lever open and giving it a quarter turn before withdrawing the axle. Reverse the process to refit. The stocky all-carbon Mares fork gives the bike the head-on look of a rugby prop forward, with similar levels of burliness, and huge tyre clearance. The frame is welded from hydroformed tubes, aside from the round seat-tube. The top-tube provides a flat shouldering surface, the down-tube expands to better attach at the head-tube and BSA bottom bracket shell. The seatstays…

Since its release around two years ago, the current incarnation of the SuperX has continued the competitive success of its predecessor by being perfectly equipped for the demands of modern cyclo-cross. There are just three UK SuperX models, and two colour options for this, the cheapest model. Cheap is a relative term of course, as £2500 is hardly small change, but the Cannondale’s BallisTec Carbon frameset is the finest here. There have been some small specification compromises to retail it for this price though. SRAM Apex 1 has all the functionality of its more expensive Rival 1 and Force 1 siblings, but uses less expensive, and heavier materials. The chainset has been exchanged for Cannondale’s own lightweight Si aluminium crank, and fitted with the one-piece SpideRing, which uses SRAM’s X-Sync…

THE KICKR CORE COMPLETES WAHOO’S trainer line up, sitting in the middle ground between the £499 Snap and the top of the range £999.99 KICKR. Wahoo has been missing a mid-price trainer for a couple of years, now with the CORE priced at £699, it has been pitched directly against models from Tacx and Elite, who have had popular smart trainers available for some time around this price. The CORE may be the mid-range trainer, but it doesn’t skimp on features when you compare it with the range-topping KICKR. The CORE is compatible with all the apps you could want, including training platforms Zwift and TrainerRoad, and connects via ANT+ and Bluetooth. In the box you will find a wide range of adaptors to enable you to run 12x142mm and…

SELLE ITALIA’S SP-01 SUPERFLOW SADDLE comes in four models, ranging from the £199.99 Ti316 to the £389.99 Tekno, via the Carbonio tested here. Like many saddles, the SP-01 has a large central cutout to create comfort, but unlike every other saddle that we can think of, that cutout continues through the rear of the shell, and the two sides are not connected. Structural integrity comes from the nose, plus the seatpost’s clamp, but even though purely an aesthetic gripe, our saddle’s split tail’s sides refused to sit level at rest. Termed ‘suspension link movement’, the unique shape of the SP-01’s shell consists of cantilevered scrolls of carbon fibre, which extend from each carbon saddle rail to the inner edge of the split tail. The shell resists most fore and aft…

MR&MRS MCCOMBIE Allons-y-Pyrenees OWNERS “We’re not quite there, we’ve got some work to do before we can say we’re truly ‘living the dream,” says Chris McCombie. “Oh, I don’t know, we’re living a pretty nice life already,” counters Rachel. Chris and Rachel escaped the public sector in the UK for the French Pyrenees to follow their dream of running their own hospitality business for cyclists, Allons-y-Pyrenees. “I was a teacher and Chris worked for the Ministry of Defence,” says Rachel. “We’d have big cycling holidays in France and realised we were living the rest of the year just to be here. So we thought why not make this our home.” “We looked around for a couple of years trying to find the right place at the right price, then it…

GROWING PAINS When I was growing up a bike was something you gave up - you didn’t want to be seen on a bicycle when your mates had a motorbike or a car. Now it’s great to be on a bike at all ages. I try and ride whenever I can. An ultra-marathon runner once told me ‘do it for your mind, not your body’ that’s my approach to cycling now. TORE THE PARTS I joined the Cyclists’ Touring Club at 14 and rode everywhere, even going from Devon up to Yorkshire one summer with my brother and cousin. But then, as an impressionable teenager, I read something about cyclists getting ‘testicle torsion’ in a magazine and so I knocked the long-distance cycling on the head for a while. LOOSE…

£2750 The smooth speed The Scultura is Merida’s race-bred lightweight bike, but in this CF2 guise the front end has been lifted a little and the reach shortened. It takes a bike with bags of racing heritage plus plenty of speed and swiftness, and counters that with a comfortable all-day ride position. If you like your endurance bikes with a racier edge, the Scultura is one of the best around. The components The Scultura rides lighter than its 8.65kg would suggest. The Fulcrum wheels are low profile with quick pickup and responsive feel thanks to being seriously stiff. The large volume 28mm Continental tyres provide plenty of purchase and compliance. The Shimano Ultegra 50/34 compact chainset and 11-28 cassette are pretty much the ideal climber’s combination, providing smooth and precise…

My riding style is what makes me feel safer, not particularly what I’m wearing Dark winter evenings? No problem. With today’s lighthouse-strength illumination, we can carry on our summer mileages. Loophole lawyers will soon replace the standard excuse of careless drivers – ‘blinded by the sun’ – with ‘blinded by the bike light’. I recently saw a sign at Dorking station asking cyclists to turn off lights when on the platform, because train drivers mistake them for signals. The risk for oncoming traffic of temporary blindness, or quick-onset strobing-induced epilepsy, is not confined to evenings. Increasingly I’m seeing cyclists, as well as motorists, lit up in bright sunshine. In the homes of cyclists now you can hardly find a spare plug socket thanks to all the LEDs on charge. Advocates…

SPECIALIZED CRUX E5 SPORT £1700 Specialized’s cyclo-cross range name plays on the sport’s abbreviated title, CX. The entry-level CruX is the cheapest here, but doesn’t abbreviate its specification, with an E5 aluminium frame and carbon fork. Its mainly SRAM Apex 1 groupset and ’cross-friendly finishing kit help the E5 Sport look like a good value option on paper, but how does it fare when battling with more expensive contemporaries off-road? GIANT TCX ADVANCED PRO 2 £2299 The world’s biggest bike manufacturer is always competitive on value, and has upped the ante further with a comprehensive range of own-brand, high-quality components. Our TCX Advanced Pro 2 has a complete SRAM groupset and Maxxis tyres, but everything else is Giant’s own, including the tubeless wheels. Can this package be enough to dispense…

The TCX has been around for a few years, and has evolved with the times. It’s proven itself at the highest level of pro ’cross racing, and now offers all that trickle-down technology to club racers at a very reasonable price. Giant’s broad-shouldered carbon fork looks purposeful, and has immense accuracy, thanks to the beefy OverDrive 2 steerer. Rocky trails, ploughed fields or dirt are all dispatched with disdain and control, the Contact bar and stem ensuring an ideal hand hold and enough stiffness to cope with burly riders. Central to the TCX’s performance is its massive bottom bracket junction, the 86mm shell buried between the multi-faceted down-tube, D-shaped seat-tube and asymmetric chainstays. The downtube’s underside is curved to minimise mud collection, the lower seat-tube curves away from the rear…

Trek’s two-tiered cyclo-cross lineup consists of the carbon Boone and aluminium Crockett. The slimmed-down range consists of two bikes of each model. Lustrous grey paintwork and fairly smooth welds give the Crockett 7’s main tubes a hint of carbon fibre construction, but this frame is all cleverly manipulated metal. Only the seat-tube and seatstays have round tubes, the stays are kinked outwards to maximise tyre clearance. Hydroforming is responsible for the extensive shaping of the others, the top-tube is subtly curved and flattened precisely where your shoulder will support it. The chainstays are intricately formed, slimming by differing amounts immediately behind their bottom bracket attachment to ensure huge tyre clearance. The driveside stay has the forged dropout spliced to it. The other side’s forging includes the extended dropout and adjustable…

FWE ALUMINIUM £9.99 Small didn’t prove to be beautiful for this 86g, 17.5cm-long pump that has a secure push-on reversible head. After 220 strokes pumping up a 25mm tyre we’d reached around 70psi, which will get you home at a push. Getting closer to 90psi or more will require a lot of effort, and the 120psi max feels well out of reach for the less muscular rider. BEST ON TEST TOPEAK ROADIE DAX £22.99 This Presta-only pump has a dual action, which means it inflates on both strokes – albeit with a ‘kissing’ sound! Combine this with its long 26cm body and we got to around 60psi in 100 strokes and over 90psi by 160, though it was hard work by then. The press-on chuck feels secure, overall quality is…

HOT ON THE HEELS OF Oakley’s full-frame Jawbreaker sunglasses comes the Flight Jacket. Sharing some typical Oakley style elements, the Flight Jackets offer a similar lens shape, that’s 53mm at its deepest point, with the brow-less frame design vastly improving upwards vision. Our pair weighs 34g, and comes with interchangeable temple sections to alter the arm lengths by 5mm, and customise their fit for your head size. The O-Matter frame is chunky with little flex, giving long-term confidence in its integrity. The Unobtainium rubber on the arms and nosebridge gives a secure fit that seems impervious to rain, sweat, oily skin and violent head movements. The Flight Jacket’s arms are hinged at the top corners of the frame, and don’t encroach on the edges of the lens, but the broad…

Unless you’re the Buddha of the bicycle, chances are there’s something about your fellow cyclists that gets up your nose. The guy who stops dead halfway up the climb, the clubmate who tries to force quinoa and kale energy bars on you, or the rider who corners so cautiously the entire group piles up behind them (that last one is me, sorry). Fortunately for most of us, we can take a day away from the bike and its irritations now and again, or vent our feelings to like-minded souls, but what about the people whose reputations or livelihoods depend on cycling? The coaches, mechanics and riders who can’t say what they feel for fear of losing repeat business? We’ve given them a chance to let rip and see if there’s…

KIT COUPLE… Richard & Lynn Bye, co-founders of Fat Lad At The Back “I had a successful, high-flying career but the workload took its toll. I struggled with exhaustion and anxiety that manifested itself via panic attacks. I put on weight and verging on depression I used my long-standing love of cycling as a coping mechanism,” reveals Richard. “I was known in my group as the ‘fat lad at the back’. In 2013 I made a leap of faith to launch my own cycle brand with my wife Lynn. We hit on a very big gap in the market and what started as an idea to make cycling gear in larger sizes has grown into a huge on and offline community participating in weekly social rides. My advice to anyone…

With summer a distant memory it’s time to get on with pedalling through the winter. Fortunately, kit today is better than ever so there’s no excuse not to ride. Keeping your core warm is essential and easily done pairing a jacket with a baselayer. On colder days, consider an extra jersey too. Don’t forget about your extremities either because there’s nothing worse than a cold head, numb feet or no feeling in your fingers. A cycling cap or skully will help prevent heat loss, while overshoes and decent gloves are essential for your winter arsenal. With so much bright and wonderful-looking clothing, it can be confusing to know what’s best for the riding you’re doing. In this test we look at kit that will deal with all that the elements…

ROB BROWN SPECIALIST CYCLING PHYSIOTHERAPIST, CENTRE FOR HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE, CHHP.COM SAYS: “The secret to making big climbs easier comes down to your power to weight ratio – being able to produce as much power as possible, while remaining as light as possible. Along with the input of a nutritionist to help identify the right diet to manage your weight, one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve power off the bike is by performing weighted leg exercises at the gym. “Choose simple leg exercises such as leg presses, squats and trap-bar deadlifts. The goal is to keep the weight as heavy as possible and the number of repetitions (each single exercise) low, for example three to four sets of two to four reps. See a qualified…

1 BREAK THE (OLD) CHAIN Using a chain splitting tool, push one of the pins out of the lower stretch of chain, or remove the quick link if the chain has one. Carefully remove the chain from the drivetrain. 2 GO BIG Before fitting the new chain, shift the rear derailleur to the biggest cog on your cassette and the front one to the largest chainring. With no chain fitted, you won’t need to pedal. 3 THREAD THE FRONT Thread one end of the new chain through the front derailleur and turn the cranks so that the chain sits on the outer ring with a few inches dangling below. 4 AND THE BACK Now thread the other end of the chain through the seatstay and lay it over the largest…

World, Commonwealth and National Champ Lizzie Deignan on the essentials for riding in the host county for the 2018 @Cycle_Expo 1 KETTLE ON I love riding from my parents’ house in Otley up the Wharfe Valley towards Kettlewell, from there you can turn around and come home on the other side of the river or go right back over the moors via Pateley Bridge or left and back home via Masham. 2 HOME COMFORTS I’ve ridden all over the world but nowhere compares to the relentless nature and beauty of our roads. After a couple of weeks of training in Yorkshire I am stronger, mentally and physically. 3 FLAT CAPS I always have food and a bit of money with me on a ride, you never know when hunger or…

GROUP TESTS This month I’ve got your winter wardrobe covered with a test of 16 jackets (p84) and a guide to what to wear whether you’re commuting or putting in winter training miles (p106). Ian Osborne, Freelance writer NEW BIKES & KIT I’ve been riding and rating BMC’s SLR02 Disc (p16), and put Raleigh’s Mustang up against Marin’s Four Corners (p24), plus tested out a sextet of mini pumps (p64). Simon Withers, Technical writer BIKE TEST & NEW KIT As my thoughts turn to the cyclo-cross season, I’ve tested six bikes designed to tackle the tough courses and conditions (p40), plus reviewed Campagnolo clothing (p72), and more. Robin Wilmott, Technical writer…

TRANSFER WINDOWS Despite a record-breaking year of victories, QuickStep Floors had to wait until mid-October to secure its future, with Belgian window maker Deceuninck coming on board as title sponsor. RAPHA RETURNS Rapha has returned to the WorldTour fray, signing up as kit provider to EF Education First-Drapac. As well as the usual race calendar, riders will compete in criteriums, ultra-endurance and cyclo-cross races. CAFE CULTURE Cycling UK revealed its Cyclist Café of the Year. Café Velo (Hampshire), Velocity (Inverness), Ride My Bike cafe (Cardiff) and Bow Bells (County Down) were national winners across the UK. LANDIS ON HIS FEET Disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis is returning to pro cycling with his own team – funded in part by the settlement of his whistleblower lawsuit against former teammate Lance Armstrong. MINUS…

STOP FOR CAKES Windmill Tea Rooms This is a cyclist favourite by the hilltop village mill offering fine cakes. Open seven days a week, even has a bike shop next door. Where Wymondham LE14 2BU GET SPARE TUBES Rutland Cycling The local chain’s big store can be found right on the Water circuit. If offers bike hire, including e-bikes, parts, workshop, spares and more. Open seven days a week. Where Whitwell LE15 8BL FANCY A PINT Grainstore Brewery This warehouse bar offers up its excellent own brews and can be found next to the rail station. Outside tables mean you can watch bikes. Where Oakham LE15 6RE EAT A PIE Dickinson & Morris Enjoy the Mercedes-Benz of pork pies in pie town, Melton Mowbray. Cheap, tasty sausage/bacon baps available too.…

I can cruise into work at 15mph using less effort than a standard bike and wearing non-cycling kit A handmade, custom Reynolds steel bike like the Swift shouldn’t really exist. The material used to make a utilitarian town bike has been matched with a Shimano Steps E6001 motor, with optional E8010 504w battery. The motor drives a Gates belt drive, chosen for its low maintenance and oil-free cleanliness, and Alfine Di2 hub gear. So, why have I got an e-bike on long-term test? I wanted something to commute on. My average week works out around four hours of riding a day, four days a week, with one day in the o"ce. My commute is nearly a 60-mile round trip. On the Swift I expend less e#ort and don’t have to…

The CruX model range has been slimmed down for 2019, with a single E5 aluminium bike, and three FACT 11r carbon-framed options that reach S-Works level. They’re all well separated on price and specification, and that makes the CruX E5 Sport the most affordable bike in this test. One of three aluminium bikes here, the CruX sports a full carbon fork, and a front mech hanger, but there are no concessions to mudguards or racks. This CruX is aimed at cyclo-cross riding, whether that’s for fun, or to race, and we like its undiluted character. Equipped with SRAM’s practical Apex 1x levers, mech and brake callipers, Specialized adds its favoured Praxis Alba crankset, with a 40-tooth Praxis Wave Technology chainring, TRP disc rotors and a SunRace cassette. Everything else is…

Boardman’s CXR frameset has been redesigned to improve tyre clearance and handling, and all three models in the range share the same C10 carbon construction. This CXR 9.2 sits between the CXR 9.0 and 9.4, and offers a SRAM Force 1 groupset, Fizik saddle, and Boardman’s own wheels and finishing kit. The down-tube is boxy, with an almost square profile, the top-tube is triangular where it meets the tapered head-tube, and becomes ovalised, via a flatter mid-section, and the round seat-tube is topped with a 31.6mm diameter carbon seatpost. Boardman’s wishbone seatstays are flattened, and join the deep, outward curved chainstays at beefy dropouts. The subtly curved fork has a purposeful look, and there are flat-mount hydraulic disc callipers at both ends. Although built with a 1x drivetrain, the CXR…

£459.99 The build Miche’s Syntium DX BT Disc wheelset is the Italian brand’s headline aluminium offering. The 6061 T6 alloy Ergal hubs contain Miche bearings, adjustable via an external ring, plus a 7075 T6 alloy axle with thru-axle fittings for 12mm, quick-release or a 15mm front. The wheels have Centrelock disc rotor mounts. The rims The aluminium rims measure a shallow 24mm tall, 20mm wide externally, and a dated 15mm internally. Their shape has flat, angled sides with a flat-topped inner surface which doesn’t look like aerodynamics were a consideration. We fitted 25mm Vittoria tyres, which measured exactly that when inflated. Including rim tapes and 12mm thru-axle end caps, our set weighed 1690g. The ride Each wheel has asymmetric rims, and the side with the most stress is built with…

BONT’S PREVIOUS TOP OF THE line heat-to-fit race shoe, the Vaypor +, had a makeover, going from a flyweight ultra-stiff model to a more endurance biased, soft and supple kangaroo leather upper custom-fit shoe. The company has been working on this racing-focused replacement, with the Helix using its more standard Durolite upper, which is like a typical microtex material but thinner and with more stretch. The upper is lined with a suede-like material, with a layer of memory foam sandwiched in between to ensure a comfortable fit. The insole is fairly simple compared with the likes of Giro’s multi-option arch and forefoot pads, but like the chassis this is heat mouldable when you do your original fitting. The chassis’ Epoxy thermoset resin base allows for a great deal of adjustment…

THE ORIGINAL BICYCLE COMPONENT MAKER has often offered Campagnolo-branded clothing for super fans to display their affection for the Italian company. While its style is a given, the new range is Campagnolo’s most technical yet. Jersey The new range includes the compressive Titanio jersey, aimed at reducing muscle fatigue. It’s constructed with minimal seams for a clean look, using stretchy Lycra that keeps it snug for aerodynamic benefits. The near elbow-length sleeves have slim thermo-taped grippers, while the broad elasticated hem uses printed silicone Campagnolo script to maintain its position. The reverse-fitted zip’s ends are protected by garages, and the generous upper one is embossed with the Campagnolo emblem. Centrally split, the rear pockets are easy to access, and spacious, plus there’s a waterproof phone pocket with a hidden zip…

ZWIFT X CYCLING PLUS Indoor and outdoor training can be painted as seasonal. The spring and summer is there to ride your bike on the road, the winter to keep fit indoors without suffering in the cold. It shouldn’t be seen as such a binary choice. Both can be enjoyed, interchangeably, and with the advent of Zwift, this year-round combination of indoor and out has never been easier to maintain. Matt Rowe, of Rowe & King Cycle Coaching, has always been a big fan of turbo trainers, particularly for his clients who, generally, don’t have loads of time to train. “Turbo sessions can get boring. Music is great, and so is watching TV or films, but Zwift has been a game-changer in keeping motivation up for our riders. We can…

Is Valverde still a corner-cutter? Perhaps we’ll never know Well, the World Championships were spiffing, weren’t they? Obviously, I was extremely glad not to have to commentate on them, leaving that in the very capable hands of my friends and colleagues from Eurosport and the BBC. There’s nothing quite like a time trial without split times, distance to go, or indeed any salient information to make the pulse race and the thrill of the event soar. It was good of the UCI’s host broadcasters (and please, this was not the shortcomings of the aforementioned ones) to bother with giving us an actual time at the end of the time trial. At least they did that bit, even though Rohan Dennis could have won riding backwards with no hands. In fact,…