Table of contents for November 2019 in Cycling Plus

For a long time now I have hankered after a titanium bike. I remember the admiring words and looks these pieces of exotica used to garner on the club run and in the cafe afterwards. Their brushed metal surfaces devoid of paint giving them a beauty no other bike in our group could quite match. Back then I couldn’t afford one and by the time my credit card could stretch that far, carbon had won me over. But the itch never went away, and I read our main bike test (p36) this issue with interest… I wonder if one of these bikes for life is available for long-term testing? SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE OF FERS & COMPETITIONS AS PART OF OUR SUBSCRIBER CLUB! SUBSCRIBE! NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO CYCLING…

£4799.99 The new king of aluminium? Gone are the traditional looks in favour of a bike that, at first glance, looks like a ‘carbon’ copy of the new SuperSix EVO… The thirteenth element on the periodic table is aluminium, so the CAAD13 had to be a special offering from Cannondale. In addition, its predecessor, the CAAD12, won our highest accolade of Bike of the Year back in 2016, so it has a lot to live up to. Will this bike prove lucky for Cannondale? The CAAD13 looks different: gone are the (mostly) round tubes, the horizontal top tube and traditional looks in favour of a bike that, at first glance, looks like a ‘carbon’ copy of the new SuperSix EVO. It’s only when you see some of the substantial welds…

Spa Cycles has a bit of a cosy name to it, but the Harrogate-based outfit has been ‘serving the touring cyclist’ for over 40 years – and you don’t manage that long flogging bikes in Britain – or probably anywhere – without doing something seriously right. Spa has also been a long-time believer in titanium. Our Spa Elan mixes the modern with the traditional for what Spa calls its ‘new do-anything bike’. So, there’s an old-school reinforcing gusset (1) under the top tube, a threaded bottom bracket shell and only 10-speed Shimano 105. Oh, and hand-built wheels too. All that contrasts with the TRP disc brakes and the wide, tubeless, gravel-friendly tyres. The triple-chainring (2) setup won’t appeal to everyone, but it shows that in this era of 1x some…

Van Nicholas – and its predecessor company Airborne – has probably done more to popularise titanium bikes in the UK than any other outfit. The Dutch-based company makes nothing but titanium bikes, from highend racers with super-light kit to full-on expedition bikes, including belt-driven tourers, hub-geared bikes, mountain bikes and even mixte frames in its extensive titanium catalogue. Its Yukon Disc falls somewhere between the extremes of heavyweight tourer and lightweight racer, Van Nicholas describing it as ‘perfect for commuting, touring and everything in between’. And while the type of tourer I first traversed Australia on would have weighed nearer 15kg than 10kg, this very 21st-century take is a willowy 9.67kg and that’s with Van Nich’s neat own-brand mudguards. This puts it very much into sportive, mile-munching and training territory…

(Courtesy of Dr Sophie Killer, elite nutritionist for Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes) 80g Spinach 80g Kale350 ml Almond milk1 Banana40g Strawberries Iron: 5mg; Vit C: 150mg; protein: 10g; carbs: 30g; fat: 9g Tips for Increasing iron absorption: Include Vitamin C with an iron-rich meal or supplement Drink a glass of orange juice or eat berries/berry fruit salad after an iron rich meal Avoid dairy when eating an iron-rich meal or supplement as calcium can inhibit absorption Avoid tea and coffee when eating an iron-rich meal or supplement If taking iron tablets, take them on an empty stomach with a glass of orange juice…

Californian mountain bike manufacturer GT Bicycles’s original Grade was one of the earliest ‘gravel’ bikes from a major player and it was key in making this new genre of bike as popular as it is today. On its launch we loved the Grade, awarding it best debut in Cycling Plus’s 2015 Bike of the Year awards. Initially, the team at GT had identified a trend away from traditional race machines with the shift to a more comfortable ride and position. The Grade was designed for adventure. It was also designed to be raced at a gran fondo, yet still be able to get you off the beaten track, aided as it is by the inclusion of large volume tyres and disc brakes. The new Grade has been in development for…

Much has been made of the pros and cons of tubeless tyres. In my experience, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks considerably. The system works out lighter, the tyre is suppler without the extra material inside it so it’s a comfier ride, and the chance of a puncture is greatly reduced. Yes, it’s a bit of a faff if it does go wrong and it sometimes takes a bit of setting up but I don’t know many people who’ve made the switch and subsequently reverted to tubes. The learning curve for manufacturers has been fairly steep and the common proving ground of WorldTour racing hasn’t been entirely smooth, but tubeless is here to stay. Increasingly, rims and tyres are produced sporting ‘tubeless ready’ graphics and some manufacturers are even supplying complete…

I still can’t remember exactly how I crashed my bike last winter. I slipped on wet tramlines on my commute, going down so quickly I didn’t have time to put my hand out or unclip my foot, instead hitting the road hard with my head, shoulder and face. My helmet had taken the brunt of the impact and as it was winter I was wearing a thicker, long-sleeved jersey and leggings, which got shredded instead of my skin. Fortunately, I hadn’t done any permanent damage and the bruising subsided within a few weeks. I had no choice but to resume my cycle commute to work, but the fall had shaken my confidence and I’d hardly been out cycling otherwise since. In need of some motivation to get back out there…

FUJI JARI 1.3 £1399.99 All-roader with a gravel flavour Fuji’s aluminium Jari 1.3 is designed for gravel, light touring, or pretty much whatever you can throw at it. Fuji’s ‘adventure’ geometry lengthens the wheelbase and slackens both the head and seat-tube angles for greater control. The Oval Concepts bar is a super-wide affair with a 25-degree flare and four-degree sweep, again for better control off road. It measures 44cm across the top before widening out to a whopping 54cm at the drops; it’s also slightly flattened on the tops. The seatstays have a pronounced swoop to them. The frame and fork are decked out with a spectacular array of fittings for touring and bikepacking. The usual mudguard mounts (and acres of clearance) and two pairs of bottle bosses are joined…

Ahead, way up the trail, I spied my guide and photographer Piotr Lisiecki off his bike, crouched low, with his camera close to the ground. What was he up to? Initially I thought he was engineering a novel angle with which to capture my struggles along the dark, boggy forest track but as I edged closer, and then passed him, the lens was pointing downwards, into the mud. If he wasn’t shooting me, what was he shooting? Several minutes later, and now on a sharp gravel descent, he was at it again. This time I had to ask, and on his camera’s display was a large pawprint. A wolf’s pawprint. I’d spent the previous evening being chased by an assortment of domesticated dogs that galloped out of their yards in…

Boardman ADV 8.9 £1000 VS Croix de Fer 10 flat bar £999 WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? Slightly more upright geometry than Boardman’s road bikes, the aluminium Adventure frame has mudguard clearance and rear rack mounts. And though it has disc brakes, it’s quick-release levers rather than thruaxles for the head-turning Boardman frame and tapered full-carbon fork. ‘Cut through the traffic Monday to Friday and hit the gravel roads on the weekend,’ Genesis says. It has a chromoly steel frame identical to the popular drop-bar CDF, complete with reinforcing gusset under the top tube, along with a chromoly fork. There are no thru-axles but there are mudguard and rear rack mounts. TOP GEAR? The Tiagra of Boardman manages an extra gear and the 48/32 FSA chainset gives a lower top gear…

Look is the originator of the clipless road pedal. In 1984 Look, then a ski-binding manufacturer, launched a new system of clipping into your pedals, making the days of toe clips and straps numbered. It remains an oxymoron that pedals you clip into are referred to as ‘clipless’. Launched to coincide with the Tour de France, the Keo Blades are truly limited with just 1700 units worldwide. It’s not just the fancy yellow graphics that make these different, they also feature a new titanium axle, which reduces the weight of the existing carbon ceramic blade by 15g, weighing in at a scant 90g each. Look will launch the new Ti axle/ceramic combination onto its flagship pedal later in the year, but for now this is the only place to find…

The future is a funny thing. Back in the day, titanium promised to be the material for a new age: lighter than steel, stronger than aluminium and easier to turn into a bike than carbon fibre. So, why aren’t we all riding titanium bikes? Well, since the first titanium bikes appeared in the 1970s the material hasn’t been able to compete with its competitors in terms of cost. But if you’re thinking about value, durability and long-distance comfort – with a dash of style – titanium still has its place. Our tiquintet are all designed for endurance riding, bikes for big days out and fast sportives with some of them taking in gravel and touring. Spa’s Elan sportive and audax bike has been modernised with disc brakes and tubeless gravel…

Titanium has a reputation for comfort, compliance and ‘springiness’ but you can also transform titanium into a stiff and aggressive machine, which is what Sabbath has done in its newest Mondays Child, which is presently just £2500. It’s the usual very neatly welded 3Al/2.5V titanium, made with custom-drawn seamless metal, but this Mark II model has a PressFit 30 bottom bracket shell and a tapered head tube (1) – with a 1.5in diameter lower bearing race. These combine to offer a claimed increase in front-end stiffness of 23 per cent with 19 per cent more at the rear, while still losing weight over the earlier version. But has Sabbath managed to combine the ‘low, fast riding position without compromising on titanium’s legendary ride comfort’? We’ll see… As with all of…

Kinesis is probably best known for its aluminium bikes, but it has long had a titanium frame in its range. Its new GTD is the evolution of Kinesis’s Gran Fondo GF-Ti and has been designed as an ultra-endurance bike with more tyre clearance than its predecessor. It comes with a full carbon fork and the frame features you’d expect in 2019. The GTD – Go the Distance is written on its down tube – is Kinesis’s all-year titanium mileeater; Kinesis calls it ‘the perfect audax bike or fast-paced tourer’. Kinesis ambassador Jo Burt rode one this year on the self-supported 2500km Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. The GTD is sold as a frameset for £2200 and Kinesis built up our test model around Shimano’s 105 hydraulic groupset and some swanky…

FROM THE EDITOR… As if the chance to save 30 per cent and having every issue of Cycling Plus delivered direct to your door wasn’t enough of an incentive, we’re also giving new subscribers a choice between a Lezyne Zecto rear light or a Lezyne Lite Drive 700XL front light – the choice is yours! The Lezyne Zecto is a high-visibility light with three ultra bright LEDs, up to 80 lumens and six output options, while the Lezyne Lite is a compact LED light that produces up to 700 lumens. Paul Robson, Editor PLUS ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE OFFERS & COMPETITIONS AS PART OF OUR SUBSCRIBER CLUB! HURRY OFFER ENDS 31 OCTOBER 2019 GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE Choose either a Lezyne Zecto rear light OR Lezyne Lite Drive 700XL front light…

As we move towards autumn the weather is nothing short of unpredictable. It can deliver rain, sleet and snow, or if we’re lucky warmer temperatures. We may even encounter several of these situations within a single ride. This can make kit choice difficult. Luckily, there’s plenty of quality clothing designed for riding this time of year whatever it brings. Having riding kit that is versatile is the secret and layering can help with warmth. On milder days a long sleeve jersey will do the trick. For added insulation the addition of a gilet, most are lightweight and small, will keep the wind at bay. For all other situations there’s a new wave of jerseys designed for autumn riding that feature jacket-like qualities in a lightweight package. These offer warmth and…

With the nights drawing in the opportunity to clean your bike outside is beginning to become a bit limited. So work out a routine for cleaning your bike before the weather really turns for the worse, so that you’ll spend less time out in the cold. My preferred system to clean involves rinsing the worst of the grime off, spraying liberally but not excessively with bike cleaning detergent, then using a soft brush to go over everything, bar the drivetrain, creating a lather of the detergent. A smaller, stiffer brush is perfect for the drivetrain. Take care not to spray chain muck onto braking surfaces before everything gets rinsed off. Either a bucket and sponge or a garden hose is adequate for the rinsing. TAKE CARE NOT TO SPRAY CHAIN…

Pearson’s All Mod Cons is a modern aluminium gravel-riding all-rounder from London’s Pearson Cycles, which lays claim to the title of world’s oldest bike shop with a history dating as far back as 1860 The All Mod Cons costs £1400 with mechanical disc brakes but I opted for a Shimano 105 hydraulic groupset. For the couple of hundred quid extra it’s well worth the upgrade – today’s hydraulic brakes, from all three of the main manufacturers, are excellent and the 105s are no exception. The rest of the kit is well chosen, if not exotic: the Fulcrum Racing 7 Discs are the Campagnolo spin-off company’s entry-level wheels and are tough and versatile performers that form a great combo with Clément’s 36mm tyres – which from now on carry the Donnelly…

Forget the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez, the mad mountain of Vaucluse had me by the throat Some 20 years ago, when my unrequited crush on cycling was getting serious, Ventoux was the first mountain to grip me. Forget the smoothly engineered Alpe d’Huez with its 21 hairpins, Lance Armstrong versus Marco Pantani on the mad mountain of the Vaucluse was a rocket-fuelled sight that had me by the throat. And in the corrugations of the Lammermuir Hills in the Scottish Borders I discovered my own version of Ventoux: Duns Law. About the only thing they held in common was that they were both wooded at the bottom and exposed at the top, but in my callowness, with legs that trembled like fresh grass stalks at all but the mildest…

Roadies have it easy when it comes to deciding how to set their bike up for a Gran Fondo. Tough day in the mountains? Slap a dinner plate cassette and job’s a good ‘un. There’s little else to worry about, other than maybe alternating between 25 and 28mm tyres, or different tyre treads, depending on road surface and weather conditions. Changes are slight. A Gravel Fondo, or enduro as it’s often known in the off-road business, is a very different beast. Not in that there’s loads more different options to fit to your bike, but routes can vary wildly, so to be as efficient as possible, tyre choice – and what pressure to run them at - is paramount. Gravel, and grades of it, vary wildly. According to the book…

No part of the bike-making world is developing as fast as the gravel sector and there are no suggestions that 2020 will see an easing off the accelerator, if these four exciting bikes are any measure. GT GRADE First up, the GT Grade. The original Grade was a firm favourite among our testing team, and was in the run-off for our 2015 Bike of the Year. It may have been one of the first ‘road’ bikes to have disc brakes, and was ahead of its time back when it arrived on the scene, but looking back at the original now, and comparing to where the gravel market has moved to, and the Grade, with clearance for just 35mm tyres and lacking a thru-axle, is showing its age. Senior Technical Editor…

THE ONLY BIKE BUYING ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST… We take our testing very seriously at Cycling Plus. For more than 25 years – an age when disc brakes, Di2 and super-wide 1x gearing weren't even a glint in a designer’s eye – we have been putting road cycling products through their paces. Our test team, led by senior technical editor Warren Rossiter, has nearly a century of riding experience between them in just about every discipline. They can separate the great from the also-rans when it comes to bikes, clothing, accessories – and more. If it gets our seal of approval you can be sure that you’ll be bagging a great buy! THE TECH TEAM PRE VIEW THEIR ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS… WARREN ROSSITER SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR I’ve been testing bikes for…

£5499 Power-assisted and light Focus was an early adopter of e-bikes and it launched the Paralane2 with the aim of having an e-bike that feels and behaves like a normal road bike without an excessive weight penalty. To achieve this, it partnered with Bavarian start-up Fazua. The Fazua system tips the scales at around 3.5kg but you can remove 3.3kg of that weight, and put on a cover for the down tube battery port, and then the Paralane2 becomes an 11kg bike. The Paralane2 uses the Boost standard spacing for the rear hub and that’s because the bottom bracket shell is 3mm wider than a standard bike so, to ensure perfect chain alignment, the rear end needs to be wider. While it’s a new standard it’s one that is being…

With around 2000m of elevation, the climbing at Israel’s Gran Fondo Arava, which we rode in March this year, wasn’t exactly used sparingly, but in terms of altitude, we’ve certainly been higher in gran fondos in 2019. This ride is very much the anti-altitude ride, as the route heads into the Dead Sea region, some 430m below sea level. The gran fondo takes place again next year between 5-7 March. In the meantime you can read James Burgess’s report from Israel in our next issue out on 31 October.…

In Cycling Plus’ former life, circa 2014, the city of Bath was home and Society Cafe was a regular haunt for our writers, whether it was for a pre- or post-ride espresso or somewhere to take our laptops for a change of scenery from the office. We’ve since moved up the River Avon to Bristol - and Society has joined us, opening another cafe on the Harbourside (as well as further cafes in Oxford and a second Bath location). Bikes are the best way to get around the city, but beware its hills as, unless you choose to go along the flat 15-mile railway path to Bristol, you’re faced with an unenviable choice of steep hills with which to leave. The most wretched is Lansdown Road, up to the golf…

SPACYCLESELAN £2180 Spa is a longtime creator of titanium tourers and all-rounders and its Elan is a subtle mix of the old and the new. The new is in the shape of TRP HY/RD disc brakes and wide tubeless tyres, though there’s a more retro flavour to the gearing where 10-speed Shimano 105 is paired with a triple chainset. But will it meld together for a rough-stuff-tackling all-rounder? SABBATH MONDAYS CHILD MARK II £2880 It’s a racier interpretation of titanium from Sabbath, whose Mondays Child comes in under 8kg and is specced with a complete Shimano R8000 groupset. Thanks to the compact chainset and wide-ranging cassette there are gears for all conditions. The 25mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres are tubeless, which promises a little comfort to offset the recently stiffened…

Mark Reilly cut his teeth – or learned his way around frame mitring tools and welding torches – at Omega and Enigma bikes before going it alone, latterly setting up as Brighton-based Reilly Cycle Works. His eponymous T325 Road is a thing of beauty, titanium’s shiny silver contrasting with blue detailing on the logo and headset – though the frame anodising did add a hefty £399 to the price. Talking of price. Our Reilly is a far-from-in-expensive £3798 but the T325 starts at £2500 for Shimano 105 and Fulcrum Racing 5s, while the disc-braked 105-equipped T325 starts at £2999. Both seem reasonable given the quality. Reilly says the T325 – the name referring to the usual 3Al/2.5V titanium alloy – is equally at home ‘on longer sportives as well as…

In spite of its price compared with the similar-ish Sabbath, the Reilly T325 is a blast, a two-wheeled treat that never stops delivering the thrills Choosing the winner is often a breeze, with one bike lording it over all comers. Not with our titanium cruisers… All five have far more positives than negatives. In fact, the negatives are few and far between. Not everyone will approve of the PressFit bottom brackets of the Sabbath and Van Nicholas, but both aided efficient riding. And the Spa Elan’s triple chainset raised more than a few eyebrows – but means a perfect cadence at all times. Besides, 1x and doubles are options. Both the Sabbath Mondays Child MkII (minus the MKI’s kinked down tube) and Reilly’s T325 combine enough long-distance comfort with racy…

Saffron Frameworks’ Matthew Souter swapped the heat of the kitchen for the flames of a brazing torch a decade ago. The Cape Town-born former finedining chef learnt his new trade at Enigma Cycles before going it alone setting up near the Thames in London, where all Saffron frames are manufactured and finished. In October, Saffron is launching two new frames, the Best Bike here and a more classiclooking steel bike made from what Souter calls ‘naked’ Columbus XCR steel. Saffron’s unique one-off bikes will be limited to a dozen orders a year. That said, the new models are themselves custom with, “every single order starting as a blank canvas” Souter says. “There are absolutely no stock sizes and one of the two frames will be a perfect fit for whatever…

The number of case studies where women have trained as men and then burnt out is extreme,” so says Dr Georgie Bruinvels, exercise physiologist and co-creator of the FitrWoman app, which enables women to track their menstrual cycle and access training and nutritional suggestions tailored to their changing hormone levels. “The primary guidelines around training are focused on male athletes — huge importance needs to be placed on training as a woman as opposed to training as a man.” Historically, women are under-researched within sports science because they are more complex. As Elinor Barker GB road and track racing cyclist, says, “The menstrual cycle is the reason that most physiology studies tend to focus on men; the fluctuation of hormones and therefore sensations makes results harder to decipher so it’s…

Cyclists are by no means immune from bad habits. From gorging on the wrong foods to ineffective signalling, wasting energy through bad technique to failing to maintain our precious kit, few of us can claim to be completely free of negative quirks. We decided to address these troublesome habits once and for all. We’ve roped in some willing experts to look at what many of us are doing wrong and to help us find the way to ditching these bad habits for good! You can thank us later. BEFORE THE RIDE It’s perfectly possible to get into bad habits even before embarking on your two-wheeled steed – and we’re not talking about the hours you spend admiring your freshly shaved legs in a mirror. PASTA POINT OF NO RETURN We’ve…

“Coaching is far more than the prescription of intervals,” explains Liam. “As a coach I have to look at all of the elements that go into a potential race result. This for me was highlighted recently thanks to a number of downpours during race events. It can be all too easy to opt for, ‘I’ll just do an hour on the turbo’, however, facing the elements and the challenges that come with cycling through the rain are part of the game.” While some adaptations can be made to the bike and accessories to help pros deal with wet conditions, changing one’s approach to training rides can mean you can get more out of even the rainiest of days. Here are a few tips Holohan uses with clients when the weather…

Garda Bike Hotel Boutique Hotel & Apartments, minutes from the shore of Lake Garda. Excellent food, welcoming atmosphere for solo travellers, groups and families. 25 minutes transfer from Verona Airport. Over 50 Pinarello Bikes for hire. Daily rides for different abilities – explore the best of the area with our experienced local guides. Italian Granfondo experiences. Use code ‘CYCLINGPLUS2019’ to get 10% off your next cycling adventure. booking@gardabikehotel.com • gardabikehotel.com Roadridespain.com The beautiful spa town of Lanjaron, perfectly situated 40km south of the famous Alhambra Palace in Granada and Costa Tropical. Explore the incredible white villages of Andalucía or challenge yourself on the toughest of the Vuelta climbs. Motivated by piercing blue skies and fuelled by award winning local cheeses, fine wines and revered Trevelez Jamon. This holiday has more…

For a long time cyclists have discussed the benefits of having food on the bike. It’s definitely known to improve performance on rides lasting over 90 minutes. Anything less and the effects would not be significant and probably won’t contribute to performance. Knowing we should eat on the bike is one thing, but how often and how much? It’s worth at this point recapping that maximal capacity of carbohydrate intake per hour is 60g for glucose and 30g for fructose. Both use different transporters (or trains), which means we can achieve up to 90g an hour, which is definitely beneficial on long, hard days in the saddle. However, it’s also believed that a little often is better than larger single servings. Aside from the perspective of comfort, I wanted to…