Indholdsfortegnelse for May-June 2023 i Bicycling Australia

Editorial IN THIS EDITION OF BICYCLING AUSTRALIA WE PAY TRIBUTE TO WELL- known cyclist and bike shop owner Con Toparis. Con was tragically killed while enjoying one of his typical Saturday morning rides in late February. Hit by a motorcycle on the outskirts of Goulburn, his untimely passing was the fifth in a tragic series of rider fatalities we’d heard about this year. Just a few weeks later the shocking news came that well-known cycling photographer Beardy McBeard had also been hit while cycling in his hometown of Hobart. A close friend of Bicycling Australia and the Classics events – and revered as one of the world’s best cycling photographers – a GoFundMe fundraising campaign was set up to support Beardy and his young family as he recovers from his…

JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO IT SEEMED THAT cycling was all about absolute minimalism – plain black kit and absolutely nothing attached to the bike except the smallest possible saddle bag for a spare tube and a handful of tiny tools. Fortunately, those days have changed, with many riders now relaxing ‘The Rules’ a little and fitting such accessories as handlebar bags, small bells, bike security devices such as AirTag holders or Knog’s revolutionary Scout, plus of course, front and rear lights. Once the ultimate minimalists, particularly when training, it has been wonderful to see many professional riders embrace cycling safety and encourage others to follow their lead with a standout example of this being the ‘Be Bright, Wear A Light’ campaign. ‘A global movement led by professional cyclists,…

IF YOU FOLLOW PRO ROAD RACING then you’ve most likely seen the EKOI brand being strutted by some of the biggest names in the sport over the last few years, and maybe you even headed down to the local bike shop to see if they have any of those slink lids as worn by the likes of Caleb Ewan, and if you did you may well have pulled up short. EKOI is a French brand, and one that’s been around for almost 22 years now, and the reason those of us riding outside of Europe may be a little less aware of their growing prominence is probably because they are consumer direct. In fact, they were bold in being one of the first in the bike industry to adapt this…

GERMAN BAG MANUFACTURER Deuter have come a long way since their founder started making mailbags for the Royal Bavarian Post in the century before last! Establishing the ‘Mechanical Canvas and Linen Mill’ in 1898, Hans Deuter began developing a company that would not only keep the Bavarian posties happy, but go on to be one of the biggest speciality outdoor adventure backpack brands of all time. Jump forward 125 years to 2023, and today we are riding and reviewing the company’s ‘Cabezon’ series of lightweight premium bikepacking bags. Announced last year and available from April this year, we felt fortunate to get our hands on sample versions of the Cabezon FB 4 Framebag, HB 14 handlebar bag and SB 16 Saddlebag for this ‘first look’ review. To the naming convention…

EVER OBJECTIVE, I’LL ADMIT WE have to be very careful not to sound too gushy, familiar or one-eyed in a review. Why? Because the wheels we are testing today are indeed the second pair of Black Inc Thirty Fours we’ve chosen to be riding since late 2022. Fitted as standard to the Factor Ostro Race Gravel bike we reviewed in the January / February edition and now onwww.bicyclingaustralia.com.au, Factor also sent a second wheelset to review on the bike of our choice. And, to be brutally honest, as soon as that second pair arrived I swapped out my own personal wheels for the Black Incs and don’t plan on removing them anytime soon. Those nameless wheels were impressive, but nothing compared to these babies. Over the past few months we’ve…

FOUR YEARS SINCE OFFICIALLY debuting their 12-speed electronic Force groupset, SRAM have released a re-engineered and significantly updated version of the mid-tier drivetrain. Having ridden and spent time with the new ‘SRAM Force AXS’ (the company having dropped ‘eTap’ from the name for simplicity and efficiency), the third generation Force is smoother, quicker and overall 101 grams lighter, while being visibly slicker, cleaner and more refined and stylish. Initial thoughts during that first ride were along the lines of the smoothness of gear shifts and the premium feel of the mid-level groupset. Why buy Red when you can enjoy a very similar feel and performance level with this mid-level groupo? Other than the weight saving and premium ‘Red’ branding, there’s really no real reason to do so. AESTHETICS First to…

AS I WRITE, ON THE EVE OF THE 114th edition of Milan-San Remo, it’s been eleven years and five months since the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) dropped its 200-page H-bomb on the Internet, along with 1000-plus pages of supporting evidence including testimonies from eleven former teammates and fifteen other witnesses. It was described as “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen”. On October 22, 2012, twelve days after the ‘Reasoned Decision’ was made public, the UCI, cycling’s governing body, said it would not appeal USADA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, thereby accepting a lifetime ban for Lance Armstrong and voiding the Texan’s results from August 1, 1998, including his seven Tour de France victories. Of course, there was that famous interview…

RIDER SAFETY NEEDS TO improve, and we riders absolutely need to wake up! As we head into another winter cycling season, and further into 2023, the harrowing subject of cyclist safety needs consideration and serious discussion. Yes, it's an ongoing issue and, sadly this year, there seems to have been a lot more bad crashes, serious incidents and rider fatalities. Life seems to gain a greater pace month by month! Everything is moving at warp speed. Take technology as a prime example, fridges, heaters and home security can be switched on or monitored while you are walking down the street. Google reminds us of the most menial tasks such as 'It's Sunday, take the rubbish out!' Even our phone screens wish us ‘Good Morning!’ Putting this technology to potentially life-saving…

“G’DAY RUPERT. IT’S MITCH DOCKER HERE, JUSTtrying to catch up with you to chat about a ride I’d like to invite you on,” read the text message I received on November 30 last year. Looking for some new adventures to complement my training for the Race Across America (RAAM) in June, the message immediately triggered my interest to call Mitch back. What he explained all but locked me in – that being, to ride 1,100km “or so” – a third of of it off-road – from Ballarat to Adelaide over five days to the 2023 Santos Tour Down Under. But I forgot to ask Mitch an obvious question: “Who else would be going?” When I call back to ask, he says: Lachlan Morton, Peta Mullens and Ella Bloor and that…

AS WE ALL KNOW, BIKE THEFT IS a huge and growing problem, especially if you happen to travel with or commute by bike. In recent years many cyclists have started using an Apple AirTag device as a means of tracking bikes that have gone amiss, although given the fact that they are often out of range within a short period of being stolen, and that AirTags are generally stashed in pouches or bags that can be removed in seconds often negates much of the viability of tracking stolen goods, and – of course, thieves are now also all too aware that there may be an AirTag hidden somewhere on a bike. The Lezyne Matrix Air Cage is designed to make the thieve’s job harder and the tracker’s task easier, which…

MOST PEOPLE CAN BEAR adversity; but if you wish to know what a [person] really is, give [them] power”. Robert Green Ingersoll The prevalence and improved affordability of power meters in the market means that it seems like most enthusiastic cyclists now have one. Power is the ultimate training, racing and social comparison tool. Many a post-ride coffee conversation drifts, slowly and inevitably towards the blackhole of watts, peak power, normalised power, Phillipo Ganna power... All the big issues in life really. The difficult decision for many cyclists now seems to be not whether to get a power meter, but rather, which option to choose. Full cranks, pedal-based, left crank only, or as the power2max units are, spider-based. Each style of system has its own pros and cons. The spider-based…

WELL, WELL. THINGS ARE getting interesting. Pedal assist systems used to be oh-so-different to standard road bikes. But change is afoot. As the major manufacturers continue to plough investment into the burgeoning micro-mobility market, once obvious areas of disparity such as aesthetics, frame geometry and weight are converging. It’s happening at remarkable pace, too. There’s no better example than the next-generation Trek Domane+ which for 2023 gets the full SLR treatment. This deceptively sleek machine looks a lot like a standard road bike. It has virtually identical geometry to a standard road bike. It even handles, largely, like a standard road bike. Given the current development trajectory, it seems entirely feasible there will be virtually no outwardly discernible difference between Trek’s conventional and pedal assist models within a couple of…

NEW BLACK INC INTEGRATED AERO BARSTEMS Black Inc Integrated Aero Barstem and Extensions are designed to offer OSTRO VAM and OSTRO Gravel riders best-in-class aero performance and uncompromising comfort. They will also suit selected other models with compatible internal cable routing. Driven by feedback from Factor and Black Inc athletes including Chris Froome, these two new cockpits were designed to perform brilliantly on both road and gravel. Prioritising efficiency and ergonomics, these bars look and feel fantastic, and answer the needs of riders who demand comfort, stiffness, and aerodynamics. The new benchmark Aero Barstem for road and gravel combines aerodynamics with refined ergonomics and a feathery weight. Its progressive shape, with drops flared by 30mm, boosts control and reduces the drag of the combined bike and rider, while increasing wrist…

CINETTICA SLIPSTREAM THERMAL LONG-SLEEVED JACKET Lightweight, breathable and insulated cool-weather jersey. Bringing back the passion and the heritage of the past. Made with high wicking fleece lined fabrics, these lightweight, second skin jerseys are the most comfortable jerseys. Beautifully cut, featuring high stretch fabrics that provide excellent breathability and moisture wicking, flat seams and laser cut grippers. FEATURES • Performance Fit – designed as a fitted jersey to sit firmly on the body without restricting movement • Lightweight 4 way high stretch fleece lined fabric, breathable and quick drying without restricting movement • Flat stitched seams to keep chafing away • Elasticised laser cut gripper on hips for comfort • Full length hidden nylon coil zipper • 3 rear pockets + one zippered valuables pocket • Rear silicone hem gripper…

GETTING LESS THAN SEVEN hours of sleep per night can limit our cycling performance and recovery by impairing cognitive performance and mood, disturbing glucose metabolism, appetite regulation and immune function. If you regularly ride in the early hours of the morning before the traffic hits or jump on the turbo late at night after work, it’s worth exploring how your sleep habits support or compromise your cycling performance. As someone who has long struggled with sleep and barely hits six hours on a good day, the biggest thing I struggled with living in Sydney this past year was juggling the internal conflict between my desire to socialise on early morning bunch rides and prioritising sleep. I have tracked my sleep for three years with an Oura ring and despite actively…

NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU don’t – yes, I can still remember the nightmares of my first ever photochromatic prescription glasses as a teenager, and it was enough to put me off the concept for decades. A couple of retro styled brands of the 1970s made photochromatics popular, but much like the flared trousers of the era they served little practical use, especially if you happened to be riding a bike in and out of tree cover. Sure enough, everything has evolved over the years, and so when I saw these retro-chic looking Ekoi Premium 80 glasses I figured that I would give the photochromatic open a blast. Ekoi have a large range of eyewear, and the Premium are towards the higher end of their offerings and are worn…

I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE FUN STUFF in cycling, whether it’s fashion, the racing scene or other topics I love about the sport. This time ‘round it’s time to talk about something more serious and something most of us who ride on the road have experienced – conflict with motorists. I’m no stranger to this as many may have seen when I appeared on the news a couple of years ago. Sadly there was an incident between a driver and our bunch that ended with my mate sliding across a car bonnet before being run over. It was a privilege to sit down and speak with Aussie Rules Umpire Chris Donlon recently – we spoke about the culture of cycling and best ways to deal with conflict management out on…