Table of contents for January 2019 in Cycling Plus

This is Swiss brand Ampler’s take on an urban e-bike. We like its simple, Euro town styling, especially how seamlessly integrated the replaceable Panasonic batteries are into standard-sized frame tubing. It’s powered by a 250w rear hub motor with a hidden battery providing 336w in reserve. The system turns on with a single button mounted at the bottom of the seat-tube. It comes set up as EU compliant (250w/25kph) and tips the scales at a reasonable 17.78kg for an e-bike. The integrated seatpost rear light and B&M front are a €150 option, but its current lighting setup proved ample on the 20km commute home on the unlit towpath. Assistance pick-up is quick and feeds in smoothly. A simple on/off bike switch is complemented with a clever app that gives you…

1 It keeps your stuff dry! Chrome’s unique manufacturing process takes a lightweight fully waterproof polyester/nylon fabric and sonically bonds it together, making for a seam-free construction. Where the panels do join, they are overlaid so there is much more surface than traditional bonds to ensure super-strong joins. A full storm zip around the top opening and a storm zip-protected valuables/keys pocket means your stuff is totally protected. 2 It’s light! Waterproof backpacks can carry a fair bit of extra weight over a standard bag because they usually require a waterproof membrane sandwiched between the fabric. Chrome’s robust single-layer material is 70 per cent lighter than a standard bag, this cavernous 22-litre pack weighing just 780g, including the padded laptop insert. 3 It’s big The Urban measures 19x11x6in, and its…

Dad had cycled Land’s End to John O’Groats 20 years ago, and when Mum and Dad got married they cycled it for their honeymoon. We spend our summer holidays on cycling adventures. Two years ago, for example, we all rode 70 miles around the Isle of Wight. Our granny, Yvonne, died three years ago and we decided to do LEJOG to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society in her memory. To prepare for it I cycled the Hayes to Brighton ride with my local club Penge CC. We did some practice routes including a hilly 35 miles, plus circuits of our local park in Crystal Palace. We started from Land’s End on 3 July, after travelling down from London the day before by train. It was just the four of…

You’d expect chatter with this much aero shaping, but it kills road noise The SystemSix is brutally fast when you need it but always nimble and sharp handling The original SystemSix was one of Us outfit Cannondale’s first forays into carbon-fibre road bikes. Now, Cannondale has entered the highly competitive aero-road bike genre with the revival of its historic race bike name. The main goal was to create a bike that was more aerodynamic, more of the time. Cannondale discovered that for, say, a 75kg rider putting out 300 watts, the SystemSix will save you 30 watts of effort over the company’s Evo. In a 200m sprint at 60kph the SuperSix would be 0.4 seconds faster – in distance terms, four bike lengths. We’ve seen plenty of races won or…

The S5 looks like a step into the future and is radically different than its competition If you put in the effort, the S5 is a personal-best destroying missile Cervélo should take the lion’s share of credit for the aero-road bike genre. Its original aluminium Soloist was aero-shaped back in the Canadian company’s early days. The Soloist has since become just S, and we’re now seeing the fourth generation of its flagship aero road machine, the S5. The new S5 looks like a step into the future and is radically different to its immediate competition. The potential complexity of its unique front end – the new fork doesn’t have a traditional steerer – didn’t faze us once we’d had chance to inspect it and run through the fitting; in fact,…

IN KEEPING WITH CURRENT BIKE trends, Zipp have created a 650B version of the 303 Firecrest wheelset, which is naturally tubeless-ready and for disc brakes only. The emergence of road-plus and gravel bikes, with tyre widths from 28mm to 50mm, has increased the need for smaller-diameter wheels. That’s because a high-volume tyre on a 650b wheel has roughly the same overall diameter as a 700c wheel, but offers incredible grip, comfort and versatility. Smaller-diameter wheels fitted to an appropriately scaled bike are helpful for shorter or younger riders, too, permitting equivalent handling and performance to a larger machine. Designed for tyres of 28mm and larger, the 303 650B rims have a new carbon-fibre layup, and are 21mm wide internally with ridges that lock a tubeless tyre’s bead in place so…

ALTURA NV2 VEST £49.99 Featuring a semi-fitted cut and made with Altura Shield wind and showerproof fabric, the NV2 breathes well. The clever bit is the Darkproof technology in the fabric, which gives it a glowing appearance when light shines on it. A silicone waist gripper holds the gilet in place. The lower back panel features a single zipped pocket with a storm flap. GORE C3 WINDSTOPPER LIGHT VEST £89.99 The C3 is made with Gore’s own Windstopper fabric, which is highly breathable and water repellent. A more generous cut makes it perfect for long days in Lycra as well as a commute in civvies. It features two generous rear pockets and a zipped chest pocket, plus subtle reflective piping. ENDURA FS260-PRO ADRENALINE RACE GILET II £64.99 Based on the…

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU want to ride using cleated cycling shoes and clipless pedals. Equally, there are occasions when you might want to spin at a more leisurely pace to the shops, café or pub without the faff of kitting yourself out in dedicated footwear. This is where products such as Genetic’s Schizo pedals come into play, offering you the best of both worlds: they’re flat on one side for the more casual trip with your trainers, while the other side is clipless for use with supplied Shimano SPD-compatible cleats. We used these for a few months, for a variety of long commutes, leisure and bike-testing duties, and they’re still looking good and working well after 1000 miles. They’re designed to hang so that the flat alloy side presents…

Often when it comes to technology in bikes, seeing is the beginning of believing. The latest generation of aero road machines – Specialized’s Venge, as ridden by Peter Sagan, for example – looks fast even when standing still, as do similar offerings from Cannondale, Trek, Cervélo et al. Also consider helmets from Giro, Lazer, Kask and so on, and wheels from Zipp and the like. The aero technology is on show and designed to reduce friction with the air. Mechanical friction has, however, been a long-term bugbear of numerous designers and engineers. It’s fair to say that Danish company CeramicSpeed is obsessive about reducing friction, and claims that with a full set of its bearing upgrades and friction-reducing parts, you can save up to 12 watts of energy – about…

DAVE HEMMING MOUNTAIN BIKING LEGEND AND ROAD RIDER WITH FOXGROVE.CC SAYS: “Yes is the short answer. When I joined my first club in 1988 its membership was certainly the more mature cyclist. I’d say the demographic is much broader now – which is much healthier – but it remains a place to learn, mastering skills like riding in a peloton. Many clubs organise group rides in the week and at weekends, while many race, too. The club I ride with is a very sociable cycling group; it’s about riding in new places, made all the more enjoyable with my club mates. “Having been a cyclist all my life, being a member of a young cycling club [formed in 2015] reminds me of when I first joined a club and added…

1 CHECK EVERYTHING Inspect the cables for signs of fraying, especially at the ends, as frayed cables should be replaced. Also check your brake pads for wear. They have an indicator to let you know. 2 ADJUST PADS Align your pads by loosening the bolt at the back and aligning them with the rim. You can squeeze the caliper while you do this to hold them in place when tightening back up. 3 ALIGN CALIPER Loosen the caliper bolt at the back of the fork and adjust the caliper with an offset brake tool, or by hand, so that both pads are equidistant from the rim. Then retighten, but don’t over-tighten, the caliper bolt. 4 ADJUST TENSION Wind the barrel adjuster in a clockwise direction, then unwind by a turn…

GETTING MORE AERO Dan Bigham, former aero engineer for Mercedes F1 and now rider with Team HUUB Wattbike, reveals all… 1 CUTTING-EDGE TECH Aerodynamics isn’t easy to measure, but there are devices hitting the market, like Notio Konect, which lets you view airflow over your body in realtime and make adjustments. 2 CLOTHING MATTERS The lightest, close-fitting clothing is a given and shoe covers are a benefit. We’re hoping our new suits will break new ground. 3 REDUCE RESISTANCE A narrower profile results in easy gains plus don’t ride handlebars wider than 38s. And while not aero, lighter, latex inner tubes are a weight-saving must. 4 KEEP IT SPECIFIC Aerodynamic gains are situation specific. For instance, don’t worry about getting aero when you’re in a chain gang and the draft…

£8230 Its detailing J.Laverack’s R J.ack Disc features a handmade 3AL/2.5V titanium frame with double-butted main triangle, flattened top tube and curvy, chunky stays. The masked-off graphics shine through the bead-blasted opaque finish, while the seat-tube has an etched Griffin and the frame’s date of manufacture, plus each bike is numbered. This one is ‘No.15’ of 50. Its ride quality The R J.ack Disc’s race geometry ensures this is no soft handling, flexy number. With ENVE’s road disc fork, a stout, straight head-tube and frame tubes with life in them, there’s instant reaction when you press on the pedals. It’s a bit of a chameleon, displaying aggression when needed but, thanks to ti’s characteristic supple ride, it flows beautifully across rough roads. The PRO Vibe carbon seatpost and handlebar with…

Bikes on trains is a complex issue, varying by company. Hooray Northern Railways: no booking needed, nobody turned away. The ‘maximum two bikes’ rule is interpreted with common sense by on-board staff. If no passengers are inconvenienced, you can usually squeeze another one on. Sometimes York to Hull looks like a bike thief’s backyard. But boo TransPennine Express. It has banned bikes unless booked 24 hours in advance, following similar action by GWR. Open return? Forget it. Such companies insist they’re not ‘anti-cyclist’. Yeah, like York City Council wouldn’t be anti-motorist if you couldn’t arrive there by car unless you’d booked the day before. (Actually, thinking about it, that’s not a bad idea.) Some train companies are okay if you turn up on spec with a bike – Cross Country,…

The Venge is long and low, putting you into a seriously aero position from the off The Venge feels every inch a sharp-handling race bike, especially when down on the drops The previous two generations of the Venge – the original and the Venge Vias – were outlandish-looking, radical bikes, and when Specialized launched this new Venge, our first thought was that it actually resembled its Tarmac. The new bike may be understated in its shaping, but it’s faster than previous versions – something you can work on if you own a wind tunnel, as Specialized does. The new Venge shares plenty with the awesome Tarmac, which was one of our favourite bikes of last year, with the same dropped rear stays, bottom-bracket design and carbon engineering derived from the…

The equipment is superb with the Aeolus XXX wheels the stars of the show The Madone features the speed of a race bike but with the compliance of an endurance bike Before we delve into the Madone’s phenomenal quality, let’s just look at that price. Yes, that’s right – its five figures. For the same (or less) you could buy a brand-new Ducati Scrambler or Kawasaki Z900RS, or a brand-new car like the Smart Fortwo. If you opt for used, a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte or 2007 Porsche Boxster. The Madone SLR9 is a serious amount of money, but it’s a serious amount of bike. The new bike looks similar to its forerunner. With the same gentle arch to the top-tube, deep aero-section tubes and aggressive stance it’s one of the…

£90/£100 SANTINI HAS COLLABORATED WITH MULTIPLE World, European and National champion Lizzie Deignan to create a new collection of women’s cycling kit. The Lizzie X Santini collection consists of two kit ranges: Coral and Passo. The Passo includes a jersey and tights, while the Coral kit tested here features a jersey and bib tights. Construction and fabrics Both the jersey and bib tights are constructed from fleece-backed Lycra, which is soft and warm against the skin. It provides protection enough to ward off the chill but with enough breathability at the jersey back to allow sweat to evaporate away. There are plenty of pockets for storage in the Coral jersey – three at the back and two that sit at the hips mean you can fit in snacks, tools, a…

Video games are fun places to disappear into, but they’re not going to prepare you for real life, right? Gran Turismo means little in a full-throttle racing car and Grand Theft Auto won’t aid your rise up through an actual criminal underworld. Okay, it might. With Zwift, however, the virtual world will help you conquer real mountains. Just ask our trio. In October they jetted out to Tenerife to take on Mount Teide, the volcano that dominates the island and, at 3718m, is Spain’s highest peak. While the road tops out at 2325m, its continuous climb from sea level makes it a favourite destination for European roadies. For the past six months, our trio have been doubling up road riding with intensive indoor sessions on Zwift, delving deep into the…

IF YOU’RE EXPERIMENTING, WEAR PROTECTION. GO PAST THE LIMITS OF BIKE, TYRES AND, LET’S FACE IT, TALENT AND YOU HIT THE GROUND Rob, I think it would be most sensible for you to put these on.” I’ve just returned from the changing room in my Cycling Plus Lycra when Mike Kluge presents me with a set of mountain-biking arm and knee pads. Photographer Steve Behr is smiling conspiratorially. I’m confused. The three of us are at Redbridge Cycling Centre – or Hog Hill as it’s also known – on the north-east edge of London for, what I at least thought was going to be, a reasonably chilled-out, low-risk, Sunday morning of cyclo-cross tuition. Mike, the founder of Focus bikes and a former CX world champion, seems to have other ideas.…

BIKE TEST In our 26 years of existence you’d think we’d seen it all. But as my exclusive test of six superb 2019 bikes (p38) shows, the bike industry still has a trick or two up its streamlined sleeves. Warren Rossiter, Senior technical editor NEW BIKES & KIT It’s easy to get carried away with expensive swathes of carbon and deep-rimmed wheels, so I was reassured to ride a sub-£450 road bike and tourer that outperformed their RRP (p22). Simon Withers, Technical writer GROUP TEST & NEW BIKES Aero road helmets are one of the key gear advancements of recent years. I put 16 lids through their paces (p84), as well as continuing to enjoy the beauty of Cinelli dressed with Campag (p36). Robin Wilmott, Technical writer…

SPECIFIC HEIGHTS The 106th Tour de France has had its big unveiling. The headlines? It’ll be the highest in the race’s history, with three summit finishes on the Tourmalet, Tignes and Val Thorens all above 2,000m. STAGE FRIGHT As ever, the route of 2019 l’Etape du Tour, the mass participation ride for amateurs that accompanies the Tour, was revealed at the same time. It mirrors the penultimate stage, and a scary-looking 131km route from Albertville to Val Thorens. BACK IN THE SADDLE Less than three months since losing part of his right leg in a mountaineering accident, Adrien Costa, 21, is back on his bike. Costa had been taking a sabbatical from the sport when a boulder fell on his leg. JOHAN’S BIG BAN Lance Armstrong’s former right-hand man, Johan…

STOP FOR CAKES Rambler’s Retreat The tearoom is a cyclist favourite housed in a 19th-century lodge Cream teas, cakes, plus there are garden gazebos. Closed Mondays. Where Dimmingsdale ST10 4BU GET SPARE TUBES Leek Cycle Solutions A helpful, decently stocked independent bike shop in the market square. Open seven days a week except first Sunday of the month. Where Leek ST13 5HJ FANCY A PINT? Knight’s Table Dramatic, remote summit pub with big-view beer garden. Take your pick from its real ales and full food menu. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Where Flash Bar SK17 0SN EAT LOCAL Leek Oatcakes A local speciality is Staffordshire oatcakes. They are widely available, but the ones from this bakery are the business. Closed Mondays. Where Leek ST13 5JX THE FAMILY Leek and Rudyard Railway Take…

The EPS shifting is sublime, while the Cinelli frameset’s a comfortable place for both sharp blasts and long days out I first rode Campagnolo’s hydraulic disc brakes in early 2017, and was keen to run them long term as soon as I could. It took until early 2018 to get hold of a groupset with disc brakes, and Campagnolo specialists Chicken Cycles helped me build it in to a bike. Campy’s disc calipers are universal across all of their compatible groupsets, but I chose the H11 Record EPS version [1], which comprises over half the bike’s cost. It’s a celebration of carbon, from the ergonomic levers to that four-arm spider and parts of both derailleurs [2]. The impressive groupset sat beautifully upon Cinelli’s Superstar Disc frameset, which has even more…

As an endurance bike, designers worked on compliance, both at the front and rear The Defy Advanced Pro 1 offers comfort and speed at the very highest level The Defy is a key bike for Giant. It’s the brand’s biggest-selling bike, so any time a new Defy arrives on the scene you know it’s been thought about long and hard. The new Defy shares the slender dropped stay design of the previous generation and Giant’s signature oversized OverDrive head-tube. Similarly, this model is disc brake-only, albeit updated with flat mounts and fully internal hose routing. As an endurance bike, designers worked on compliance, front and rear. At the back, the Defy features the company’s D-shaped D-Fuse seatpost design, first seen on the TCX. It’s not just the shape of the…

Orbea has taken advantage of the disc brakes to smooth out lines It’s as fast as an aero bike should be yet comes with outstanding handling The Orca Aero Disc feels like it’s arrived beneath the radar, without the big splashes created by the launch of the Venge, Madone and Cervélo’s radical new S5. The disc version follows the rim-brake model’s shape closely, but Orbea has taken advantage of the extra space available to increase tyre clearance and smooth out the lines. The Orca’s sculpted front end looks slick and purposeful as it comprises an excellent aftermarket Vision stem and bar, but does mean that there’s still exposed cable. That Vision cockpit is the slick Metron 5D, with its straight front edge for a big aero gain. We like that…

IN RECENT YEARS, THE BIG talking point when it came to tyres has been tubeless. We are big fans of losing the inner tubes in favour of the tubeless system for numerous reasons: its ability to run tyres at lower pressures, the elimination of pinch punctures and the way that tubeless sealants quickly seal up small holes without any fuss. However, there is one thing that tubeless systems haven’t quite mastered – the feel of a top-quality cotton-cased tyre – which is exactly what Bontrager has delivered here with this all-new R4. The 28mm R4 Open Classics is a totally new tyre compared to the brand’s standard R4. Yes, they share a similar cotton sidewall, but they receive a file-like textured tread on the gummy black rubber. Its super-supple 320tpi…

D2D Cycling Clothing D2D’s aim is to provide high quality cycling apparel at sensible prices. Whereas many brands appear to charge as much money as they can get away with, our philosophy is somewhat different. We endeavour to do the complete opposite and keep prices lower. Proudly independent, run by cyclists, for cyclists. d2dcyclingclothing.co.uk CES Sport CES Sport are a Welsh company born in late 2016 with the aim of making quality carbon wheels at an affordable price. Their range of UCI-approved wheels are available in a variety of depths and prices start from as little as £575. info@ces-sport.co.uk ces-sport.co.uk Rawvelo At Rawvelo our mission is simple – to provide the cleanest, healthiest and best tasting organic sports nutrition products on the market – No compromise. Using the highest-quality natural…

WIN A BONTRAGER GARMIN EDGE 1030 WORTH £499.99 As a thank you for taking part, UK residents who complete the survey will be given the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a Bontrager Garmin Edge 1030 GPS computer worth £499.99. Boasting all the brilliant features of a standard Edge 1030, it adds Bontrager Light Control for paired lights and, if you own a Trek bike, it can provide service interval reminders! IN ASSOCIATION WITH BONTRAGER Go to www.cyclingplus.com/readersurvey2018 to take part *T&Cs apply. The survey will close on 27th December 2018…

GO PRO Looking to set up your own club? Contact existing teams or cycling coaches for advice on everything from team structure and training rides. My first junior team, Violet Crown Cycling in Texas, did exactly that, getting a pro coach involved to give us direction. OPEN DEMOCRACY If you’re with a club – especially on the committee – make team meetings honest, open forums for talking about goals, values, aims and concerns. Regular meetings and open discussions help to generate ideas and tactics you can apply when riding for your club. DON’T BE DISTRACTED As a young rider I wasn’t exposed to social media. I lived in a bit of a bubble, training and racing and not really aware of what was happening beyond. Now social media can lead…

I have been on ‘Tour’. Not in a carbon-fibre, round France, kind of a way. More in a jump-on-a-train and get off three hours later somewhere different in the UK kind of a way. A theatre tour, don’t you know. It was fun, playing to audiences as far removed from one another as Southampton and Whitley Bay. The Richmond Theatre, in moneyed South West London, hosted a packed house on a Friday night, for example. But, equally, I enjoyed the intimate surroundings of the Webster Theatre in Arbroath – less full – on a Monday night. On tour, you embrace the rich variety. The show was essentially a oneman attempt to recreate, stage by stage and bunch sprint by bunch sprint, the wonder of a three-week Grand Tour – specifically…